Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial and Temporal Variation in Natural Enemy Assemblages on Maryland Native Plant Species

Abstract Habitat manipulation is a branch of conservation biological control in which vegetation complexity and diversity are increased in managed landscapes to provide food and other resources for arthropod natural enemies. This is often achieved by maintaining noncrop plant material such as flowering strips and beetle banks that provide natural enemies with nectar and pollen, alternative prey, shelter from disturbance, and overwintering sites. In most cases, plant material used in habitat manipulation programs is not native to the area in which it is planted. Using native plant species in conservation biological control could serve a dual function of suppressing pest arthropod outbreaks and promoting other valuable ecosystem services associated with native plant communities. We evaluated 10 plant species native to Maryland for their attractiveness to foliar and ground-dwelling natural enemies. Plants that showed particular promise were Monarda punctata, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, and Eupatorium hyssopifolium, which generally harbored the greatest abundance of foliar predators and parasitoids, although abundance varied over time. Among ground-dwelling natural enemies, total predator and parasitoid abundance differed between plant species, but carabid and spider abundance did not. Matching certain plant species and their allied natural enemies with specific pest complexes may be enhanced by identifying the composition of natural enemy assemblages at different times of year and in both foliar and ground habitat strata.
Pattern and Predictors of Glycemic Control among Type 2 Diabetics in Armed Forces Hospital of Jizan, southwestern Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To assess pattern and predictors of glycemic control among type 2 diabetics based on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Methods: This cross sectional study was performed at Family Medicine and internal medicine departments, Armed Forces Hospital of Jizan (AFHJ), Saudi Arabia. The field work was conducted during the period of July 2016 to August 2016. A sample size of 78 type 2 diabetics was calculated and selected randomly from the study population. The Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using structured questionnaires. Also, FPG, HbA1c, total Cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), serum Triglycerides (TG) and renal function tests (serum urea and creatinine) were assessed using the appropriate kits. Results: The total number of males was 37 (47.4%) and that of females was 41(52.6%). Their age ranged from 22-90 with a mean of 54.6±13 years. The mean of HbA1c was 8.79±2.17 gm % and that FPG was 180.64±42.27mg/dL. More than two thirds of the patients in the present study were poorly controlled. HbA1c target, <7 gm%, was detected only in 24.4 % (19/78). FPG, HDL and duration of diabetes were the only significant independent predictors of HbA1c in the present study. Conclusion: Poor glycemic control and atherogenic lipid profile are highly prevalent among the study group necessitating aggressive screening and treatment for dyslipidemia, and appropriate management of diabetes.
Individuals' valuation of a publicly provided private good evidence from a field study

ABSTRACT This paper assesses the Willingness to Pay (WTP) for a publicly provided bike sharing service whose costs are in large part covered by the municipality of Vienna, Austria. The following characteristics render it valuable for analyses: the possibility to free ride, a (perceived) positive externality of use, negligible income effects, perfect substitutability, and the credibility of valuation scenarios. We also address the disparity between Willingness to Accept (WTA) and WTP, and we find a mean WTP of EUR 1.2 for the bike sharing system and a disparity of 2:1 (WTA to WTP). Female participants as well as respondents who condition their valuation on those of others are willing to contribute more; and surprisingly those who actually use the bike sharing system as well as environmentally concerned respondents have a lower WTP. This Environmental Concern Paradox can be explained by an incorporation of positive externalities into individual valuation decisions.
Proportional assist ventilation and exercise tolerance in subjects with COPD.

STUDY OBJECTIVE This study determined whether proportional assist ventilation (PAV) applied during constant power submaximal exercise could enable individuals with severe but stable COPD to increase their exercise tolerance. DESIGN Prospective controlled study having a randomized order of intervention. SETTING Pulmonary function exercise laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Ten subjects with severe stable COPD (mean [SD]: age=59 [6] years; FEV1=29 [7]% predicted; FEV1/FVC=33 [7]%; thoracic gas volume=201 [47]% predicted; diffusion of carbon monoxide=36 [10]% predicted; PaO2=76 [8] mm Hg; and PaCO2=41 [4] mm Hg). INTERVENTION Each subject completed five sessions of cycling at 60 to 70% of their maximum power. The sessions differed only in the type of inspiratory assist: (1) baseline (airway pressure [Paw]=0 cm H2O); (2) proportional assist ventilation (PAV) (volume assist=6 [3] cm H2O/L, flow assist=3 [1] cm H2O/L/s); (3) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (5 [2] cm H2O); (4) PAV+CPAP; and (5) sham (Paw=0 cm H2O). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Dyspnea was measured using a modified Borg scale. Subjects reached the same level of dyspnea during all sessions but only PAV+CPAP significantly (p<0.05) increased exercise tolerance (12.88 [8.74] min) vs the sham session (6.60 [3.12] min). Exercise time during the PAV and CPAP sessions was 7.10 [2.83] and 8.26 [5.54] min, respectively. Minute ventilation increased during exercise but only during PAV+CPAP was the end exercise minute ventilation greater than the unassisted baseline end exercise minute ventilation (36.2 [6.7] vs 26.6 [6.4] L/min, respectively; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In this study, PAV+CPAP provided ventilatory assistance during cycle exercise sufficient to increase the endurance time. It is now appropriate to evaluate whether PAV+CPAP will facilitate exercise training.
Reimagining m-Commerce App Design: The Development of Seductive Marketing through UX

To increase the market share of m-Commerce in the retail sector, new user interaction paradigms must be sought to break out of the current saturation of ideas. While the global fashion industry is worth over $2.7 Trillion, less than 15% of sales derive from online transactions. Growth in the m-Commerce platform is slow and unlikely to recap-ture the monumental shift of the early Web 2.0 era without further innovation. Such change needs to address the overwhelming approach by m-Commerce apps to sell to customers through presenting a stream of products rather than develop an experiential marketing platform. This chapter re-imagines the customer experience of m-Commerce fashion apps to encapsulate seductive and powerful marketing experiences. These expe- riences are alongside the media traditionally used to make sales within apps. We present a conceptual app framework, grounded in contemporary research in marketing and UX design, inspiring designers and marketers alike in their future developments.
The Effect of Corporate Governance, Ownership and Tax Aggressiveness on Earnings Management

Objective –The purpose of this research is to empirically examine the effect of corporate governance, ownership and tax aggressiveness on earnings management. Methodology/Technique –The population of this research consists of non-financial companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) between 2013 and 2015. This research uses 3 recent years and utilizes different variable that have not been used in prior research. The 67 samples were choose using a purposive sampling method. The hypotheses are tested using multiple regression analysis with the SPSS program, to investigate the influence of each independent variable on earnings management. Findings –The results show that the board of director have a positive influence on earnings management, while board independence, audit quality, managerial ownership, and tax aggressiveness have no influence on earnings management. Novelty –This research add value in the existing literature and empirically study the effect of the board of directors, independence of the board, audit quality, managerial ownership, and tax agressiveness on earnings management.
Rac1 Is Essential for Basement Membrane-Dependent Epiblast Survival

ABSTRACT During murine peri-implantation development, the egg cylinder forms from a solid cell mass by the apoptotic removal of inner cells that do not contact the basement membrane (BM) and the selective survival of the epiblast epithelium, which does. The signaling pathways that mediate this fundamental biological process are largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that Rac1 ablation in embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) leads to massive apoptosis of epiblast cells in contact with the BM. Expression of wild-type Rac1 in the mutant EBs rescues the BM-contacting epiblast, while expression of a constitutively active Rac1 additionally blocks the apoptosis of inner cells and cavitation, indicating that the spatially regulated activation of Rac1 is required for epithelial cyst formation. We further show that Rac1 is activated through integrin-mediated recruitment of the Crk-DOCK180 complex and mediates BM-dependent epiblast survival through activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signaling pathway. Our results reveal a signaling cascade triggered by cell-BM interactions essential for epithelial morphogenesis.
The Development of Indonesian Labour Market Information System (LMIS) for Vocational Schools and Industries

This paper is aim to developing Information system for the labor market which specifically linking vocational schools (SMK) graduates and industries. The methods of this application using Research and Development (R&D) from Borg and Gall conducting in North Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. The result are reliable and acceptable for the graduate students. The Labor Market Information system (LMIS) can help the industries to find a labor/graduates that matched with the company requirement at a real time. SMK may have a benefit by extracting the Information from the application, they can prepare their students for the specific work in the industries. The next development of the application will designed to be available not only for the SMK graduate students.
Comparison of renal ablation with monopolar radiofrequency and hypertonic-saline-augmented bipolar radiofrequency: in vitro and in vivo experimental studies.

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether hypertonic-saline (HS)-augmented bipolar radiofrequency ablation has advantages over monopolar radiofrequency ablation for creating larger areas of coagulation necrosis in the kidney. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using a 200-W generator and bipolar perfused-cooled electrodes or a monopolar cooled-tip electrode, we performed 14 radiofrequency ablations in explanted bovine kidneys. Radiofrequency was applied in standard monopolar (n = 7) or bipolar (n = 7) modes at 100 W for 10 min. In the bipolar mode, the perfused-cooled electrodes were placed at interelectrode distances of 3 cm, and a 6% sodium chloride solution was instilled into tissue at a rate of 2 mL/min through the electrodes. For in vivo experiments, either monopolar (n = 7) or HS-augmented bipolar (n = 7) radiofrequency ablation was performed in the lower pole of canine kidneys. Three days after the procedure, contrast-enhanced CT scans were obtained to evaluate the volumes of the ablation regions, and the kidneys were harvested for gross measurements. Technical parameters such as changes in impedance and current during radiofrequency ablation and dimensions of the thermal ablation zones were compared between the two groups. RESULTS In ex vivo and in vivo experiments, the frequency of the pulsed radiofrequency application caused by rises in impedance was higher in the monopolar mode than in the bipolar mode during the application of radiofrequency energy. The in vivo study showed that the bipolar radiofrequency ablation allowed larger mean current flows than the monopolar radiofrequency ablation (i.e., mean +/- SD, 1,654 +/- 144 mA vs 967 +/- 597 mA) (p < 0.05). Ex vivo studies revealed that the volumes of bipolar radiofrequency-induced ablation regions were substantially larger than those of monopolar radiofrequency-induced ablation regions (26.1 +/- 10.5 cm(3) vs 10.2 +/- 4.2 cm(3)). In vivo studies showed bipolar radiofrequency ablation achieved larger coagulation necrosis than monopolar radiofrequency (3.2 +/- 0.3 cm vs 2.4 +/-0.4 cm) (p < 0.05). This was confirmed by the measured volume of nonenhancing area on contrast-enhanced CT (20.4 +/- 6.4 cm(3) vs 13.5 +/- 6.0 cm(3)). CONCLUSION HS-augmented bipolar radiofrequency ablation using perfused-cooled electrodes shows better performance in creating coagulation necrosis than monopolar radiofrequency ablation in the kidney of an animal model.
Towards high fidelity high efficiency MEMS microspeakers

This paper presents simulations and microfabrication of different parts of high fidelity electrodynamic MEMS loudspeakers with high electroacoustic conversion efficiency. The originality of the structure lies on the use of rigid silicon membranes suspended by a whole set of silicon beams instead of flexible polymer membranes usually found in MEMS loudspeakers. The microspeaker structure includes a planar copper microcoil electroplated on the silicon membrane and permanent magnets bonded on the substrate. Microstructure of the silicon membrane was optimized using FEM simulations for providing both rigidity and lightness of the mobile part. The results presented on a deep RIE etched 15 mm diameter silicon membrane structured with 40 stiffening ribs and on a 30 µm thick microcoil with 35 turns experimentally show the feasibility of key stages required for manufacturing of MEMS microspeakers with outstanding properties.
Variations in Microbial Flora in Different Phases of Refuse in Response to Dibutyl Phthalate

Simulated municipal solid waste (MSW) based on the actual proportional characteristics of MSW was loaded into a simulated leachate recirculation bioreactor landfill and the abundance of common and tolerant microbes exposed to dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were investigated in the initial, acidic and methanogenic phases. The results showed that the abundance of bacteria was greatest, while that of actinomycetes was smallest. The growth of microorganisms was not significantly inhibited by DBP during the initial phase; however, the growth of actinomycetes and fungi was inhibited during both the acidic and methanogenic phases, and the inhibition of actinomycetes was greater than that of fungi. When the DBP concentration was 5.0 g l-1, the inhibition ratio against actinomycetes was 89.5% and 80.9% in the refuse from the acidic phase and methanogenic phase, respectively, while it was 86.2% and 51.0%, respectively, against fungi during the same period. The toxic effects of DBP on microorganisms in refuse occurred in the order of actinomycetes > fungi > bacteria. In addition, the populations of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were significantly and positively correlated with dehydrogenase activity, but negatively correlated with the VSS and BDM of refuse (P<0.01).
The use of a genotypic marker to demonstrate clonal dominance during the growth and metastasis of a human breast carcinoma in nude mice

When a mixture of 11 clones of a human breast carcinoma (MDA‐MB‐435)—each clone transfected with pSV2neo and identified as having a unique insertion site of the gene—was injected into nude mice, the resulting tumors were found to contain only one clone (Neo 24). This clone, identified by the unique restriction fragments on Southern blot analyses, was also found in metastases recovered from the lungs and lymph nodes of the animals. The individual clones showed no differences in in vitro growth, while in vivo the Neo 24 cells produced the largest tumors. Thus, one explanation for the observed clonal dominance in this study could be the more rapid growth in vivo of the Neo 24 cells. This study illustrates how an introduced selectable gene marker can be used in lineage studies of human tumor cell populations.
Death‐associated protein kinase expression in human temporal lobe epilepsy

Experimental and human data suggest programmed (active) cell death may contribute to the progressive hippocampal atrophy seen in patients with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. Death‐associated protein (DAP) kinase is a novel calcium/calmodulin‐activated kinase that functions in apoptosis mediated by death receptors. Because seizure‐induced neuronal death involves both death receptor activation and calcium, we examined DAP kinase expression, localization, and interactions in hippocampal resections from patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 10) and autopsy controls (n = 6). Expression and phosphorylation of DAP kinase was significantly increased in epilepsy brain compared with control. DAP kinase and DAP kinase–interacting protein 1 (DIP‐1) localized to mitochondria in control brain, whereas levels of both were increased in the cytoplasm and microsomal (endoplasmic reticulum) fraction in epilepsy samples. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis showed increased DAP kinase binding to calmodulin, DIP‐1, and the Fas‐associated protein with death domain (FADD) in epilepsy samples. Finally, immunohistochemistry determined DAP kinase was coexpressed with DIP‐1 in neurons. This study provides the first description of DAP kinase and DIP‐1 in human brain and suggests DAP kinase is a novel molecular regulator of neuronal death in epilepsy. Ann Neurol 2004;55:000–000
INFLAMMATION CAUSED BY PARTICLES AND FIBERS

The mammalian lungs have to be able to deal with particles, and indeed there are effective defenses in the airways and in the alveolar region that protect the lung by clearing the particles. In the airways the mucociliary escalator traps and sweeps particles out of the lungs. Beyond the ciliated airways the alveolar macrophages phagocytose particles and then migrate, with their particle load, to the mucociliary escalator for removal to the gut. So problems with particles occur only when these general “rules of engagement” between the lungs and particles are breached. This occurs when the particles:
Genetic Variation of Serum Proteins Among the Koch Sub-populations of West Bengal, India

Abstract The phenotype and allele frequency distribution of group specific component (GC), transferrin (TF), alpha-1-antitrypsin (PI) and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) was determined by isoelectric focusing of plasma samples from three subpopulations (Boro-Deshi-Dinajpur District, Boro-Deshi-Malda District, and ChhotoDeshi-Malda District) of the Koch Scheduled castes of West Bengal. An appreciable level of allele frequency variation was observed in populations, which highlighted social and geographical isolation among these subpopulations and which is also compatible with the ethnohistory of the groups studied. Average heterozygosity for these IEF subtype systems was high (46-61%) and gene diversity among these population groups was of low to moderate range (1.5%). Overall analysis showed that these polymorphisms are useful anthropological markers for micro-evolutionary and genetic structure studies.
Committed effective dose determination in southern Brazilian cereal flours.

The health impact of radionuclide ingestion from foodstuffs was evaluated by the committed effective doses determined in eight commercial samples of South-Brazilian cereal flours (soy, wheat, cornmeal, cassava, rye, oat, barley and rice flours). The radioactivity traces of (228)Th, (228)Ra, (226)Ra, (40)K, (7)Be and (137)Cs were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry employing an HPGe detector of 66 % relative efficiency. The efficiency curve has taken into account the differences in densities and chemical composition between the matrix and the certified sample. The highest concentration levels of (228)Th and (40)K were 3.5±0.4 and 1469±17 Bq kg(-1) for soy flour, respectively, within the 95 % confidence level. The lower limit of detection for (137)Cs ranged from 0.04 to 0.4 Bq kg(-1). The highest committed effective dose was 0.36 μSv. y(-1) for (228)Ra in cassava flour (adults). All committed effective doses determined at the present work were lower than the International Atomic Energy Agency dose limit of 1 mSv.y(-1), to the public exposure.
GENETIC HITCHHIKING AND THE DYNAMIC BUILDUP OF GENOMIC DIVERGENCE DURING SPECIATION WITH GENE FLOW

A major issue in evolutionary biology is explaining patterns of differentiation observed in population genomic data, as divergence can be due to both direct selection on a locus and genetic hitchhiking. “Divergence hitchhiking” (DH) theory postulates that divergent selection on a locus reduces gene flow at physically linked sites, facilitating the formation of localized clusters of tightly linked, diverged loci. “Genome hitchhiking” (GH) theory emphasizes genome‐wide effects of divergent selection. Past theoretical investigations of DH and GH focused on static snapshots of divergence. Here, we used simulations assessing a variety of strengths of selection, migration rates, population sizes, and mutation rates to investigate the relative importance of direct selection, GH, and DH in facilitating the dynamic buildup of genomic divergence as speciation proceeds through time. When divergently selected mutations were limiting, GH promoted divergence, but DH had little measurable effect. When populations were small and divergently selected mutations were common, DH enhanced the accumulation of weakly selected mutations, but this contributed little to reproductive isolation. In general, GH promoted reproductive isolation by reducing effective migration rates below that due to direct selection alone, and was important for genome‐wide “congealing” or “coupling” of differentiation (FST) across loci as speciation progressed.
The in vitro effect of aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds on nitric oxide production

The in vitro effect of aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds on nitric oxide (NO) production by murine macrophages was studied. Murine peritoneal macrophages were pre‐incubated with the extract and then activated with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharride. NO production was measured after 24 hours by spectrophotometry. The plant extract caused a dose‐dependent decrease in NO production. Dialyzed preparation of the extract did not affect NO production. However, the boiled fraction of the extract resulted in a dose‐dependent inhibition of NO apparently comparable to that of the whole extract. These results indicate that the aqueous extract of N. sativa seeds exhibits an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production by murine macrophages and the active component(s) is/are non‐protein in nature. In view of the fact that nitric oxide is a pro‐inﬂammatory mediator, this study validates the traditional use of the Nigella sativa seeds for the treatment of rheumatism. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.