Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution of the Habitat Suitability of the Main Malaria Vector in French Guiana Using Maximum Entropy Modeling

Abstract Malaria is an important health issue in French Guiana. Its principal mosquito vector in this region is Anopheles darlingi Root. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of this species is still very incomplete due to the extent of French Guiana and the difficulty to access most of the territory. Species distribution modeling based on the maximal entropy procedure was used to predict the spatial distribution of An. darlingi using 39 presence sites. The resulting model provided significantly high prediction performances (mean 10-fold cross-validated partial area under the curve and continuous Boyce index equal to, respectively, 1.11—with a level of omission error of 20%—and 0.42). The model also provided a habitat suitability map and environmental response curves in accordance with the known entomological situation. Several environmental characteristics that had a positive correlation with the presence of An. darlingi were highlighted: nonpermanent anthropogenic changes of the natural environment, the presence of roads and tracks, and opening of the forest. Some geomorphological landforms and high altitude landscapes appear to be unsuitable for An. darlingi. The species distribution modeling was able to reliably predict the distribution of suitable habitats for An. darlingi in French Guiana. Results allowed completion of the knowledge of the spatial distribution of the principal malaria vector in this Amazonian region, and identification of the main factors that favor its presence. They should contribute to the definition of a necessary targeted vector control strategy in a malaria pre-elimination stage, and allow extrapolation of the acquired knowledge to other Amazonian or malaria-endemic contexts.
A nonlinear observer for an activated sludge wastewater treatment process

This paper treats the problem of estimating simultaneously the state and the unknown inputs of a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems. An observer design method for nonlinear Lipschitz discrete-time systems is proposed. By assuming that the linear part of this class of systems is time-varying, the state estimation problem of nonlinear system is transformed into a state estimation problem for LPV system. The stability analysis is performed using a Lyapunov function that leads to the solvability of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Performances of the proposed observer are shown through the application to an activated sludge process model.
Explaining Anomalies in Australia with a Five‐Factor Asset Pricing Model

This paper compares the ability of threeâ€ factor and fiveâ€ factor asset pricing models to explain the apparent profitability of a broad selection of anomalies in Australian equity returns. Rather than examining the fit of each model to common test portfolios, our focus is on the spread return to longâ€“short trading strategies designed around soâ€ called anomalies. After documenting significant spread returns to 16 anomalies (including several not previously studied in Australia), the empirical analysis provides cautious support that the recentlyâ€ proposed investment and profitability factors have a role to play. The number of anomalies that remains after risk adjustment decreases under the fiveâ€ factor model. Further, while the magnitude of reduction in alpha is modest, our testing shows that it is statistically significant in many cases. However, both threeâ€ factor and fiveâ€ factor models repeatedly fail the Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken's (1989) (GRS) test, suggesting that the quest for a better asset pricing model is not yet complete.
Sirtuin Inhibition Induces Apoptosis-like Changes in Platelets and Thrombocytopenia*

Background: The role of sirtuins in regulating platelet aging is largely unexplored. Results: Sirtuin inhibitors induced apoptosis-like changes in blood platelets, associated with a rise in active Bax and a significant drop in platelet count. Conclusion: Sirtuins act as a central player in the determination of platelet aging. Significance: This study refocuses attention on the potential side effect of sirtuin inhibition in delimiting platelet life span and management of thrombosis. Sirtuins are evolutionarily conserved NAD+-dependent acetyl-lysine deacetylases that belong to class III type histone deacetylases. In humans, seven sirtuin isoforms (Sirt1 to Sirt7) have been identified. Sirtinol, a cell-permeable lactone ring derived from naphthol, is a dual Sirt1/Sirt2 inhibitor of low potency, whereas EX-527 is a potent and selective Sirt1 inhibitor. Here we demonstrate that Sirt1, Sirt2, and Sirt3 are expressed in enucleate platelets. Both sirtinol and EX-527 induced apoptosis-like changes in platelets, as revealed by enhanced annexin V binding, reactive oxygen species production, and drop in mitochondrial transmembrane potential. These changes were associated with increased phagocytic clearance of the platelets by macrophages. Expression of acetylated p53 and the conformationally active form of Bax were found to be significantly higher in both sirtinol- and EX-527-treated platelets, implicating the p53-Bax axis in apoptosis induced by sirtuin inhibitors. Administration of either sirtinol or EX-527 in mice led to a reduction in both platelet count and the number of reticulated platelets. Our results, for the first time, implicate sirtuins as a central player in the determination of platelet aging. Because sirtuin inhibitors are being evaluated for their antitumor activity, this study refocuses attention on the potential side effect of sirtuin inhibition in delimiting platelet life span and management of thrombosis.
Evaluating Fairness in Environmental Regulatory Enforcement

In November 2011, investigative journalists from the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) and National Public Radio (NPR) completed a series of reports, entitled Poisoned Places, which chronicled the experience of several communities confronting exposure to hazardous substances from large industrial air pollution sources (CPI/NPR 2011). In their reporting, the journalists uncovered an internal “watch list” compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which included hundreds of facilities, most of which were high-priority violators (HPVs) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). 1 HPV facilities are major air polluters, such as large manufacturing facilities and power plants, that are failing to meet core CAA obligations, usually pollution performance standards. From the EPA’s perspective, the watch list is a management tool to help the agency identify: “recidivist and chronically noncomplying facilities whose violations have not been formally addressed by either the state or the EPA” (EPA 2008). From an outsider’s perspective, the list reads as an inventory of the “worst-of the-worst” sources of illegal air pollution, or, alternatively, a list of facilities that have not received sufficient attention from the government agencies responsible for enforcing the CAA. Of course, both could be true as well. The watch list published in July 2012 included 340 facilities, more than half of which were in just four states (33 in Illinois, 62 in Louisiana, 48 in Ohio, and 32 in Texas). A quick analysis suggests that these facilities were often located in poor and minority communities. Whereas the average percentage of African-Americans and Hispanics in ZIP codes across the country is 7.7 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, the averages based on the location of the watch-list facilities were 15.7 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively. The percentage of the communities living in poverty 7
Ethnic differences in drinking outcomes following a brief alcohol intervention in the trauma care setting.

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that brief interventions in the trauma care setting reduce drinking, subsequent injury and driving under the influence (DUI) arrest. However, evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in ethnic minority groups is lacking. The current study evaluates the efficacy of brief intervention among whites, blacks and Hispanics in the United States. METHODS We conducted a two-group parallel randomized trial comparing brief motivational intervention (BMI) and treatment as usual with assessment (TAU+) to evaluate treatment differences in drinking patterns by ethnicity. Patients were recruited from a level 1 urban trauma center over a 2-year period. The study included 1493 trauma patients, including 668 whites, 288 blacks and 537 Hispanics. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to evaluate ethnic differences in drinking outcomes including volume per week, maximum amount consumed in 1 day, percentage days abstinent and percentage days heavy drinking at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Analyses controlled for age, gender, employment status, marital status, prior alcohol treatment, type of injury and injury severity. Special emphasis was given to potential ethnic differences by testing the interaction between ethnicity and BMI. RESULTS At 6- and 12-month follow-up, BMI significantly reduced maximum amount consumed in 1 day (P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively) and percentage days heavy drinking (P < 0.05; P < 0.05, respectively) among Hispanics. Hispanics in the BMI group also reduced average volume per week at 12-month follow-up (chi(2) = 6.8, df = 1, P < 0.01). In addition, Hispanics in TAU+ reduced maximum amount consumed at 6- and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001; P < 0.001) and volume per week at 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). Whites and blacks in both BMI and TAU+ reduced volume per week and percentage days heavy drinking at 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001; P < 0.01, respectively) and decreased maximum amount at 6- (P < 0.001) and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). All three ethnic groups In both BMI and TAU+ reduced volume per week at 6-month follow-up (P < 0.001) and percentage days abstinent at 6- (P < 0.001) and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS All three ethnic groups evidenced reductions in drinking at 6- and 12-month follow-up independent of treatment assignment. Among Hispanics, BMI reduced alcohol intake significantly as measured by average volume per week, percentage days heavy drinking and maximum amount consumed in 1 day.
Focu, Activation, and This-Noun Phrases: An Empirical Study

We report on an analysis of the use of THIS-NPs, i.e., noun phrases with the determiner this and the demonstrative pronouns this and these. We test the THIS-NP hypothesis, a refined and clarified summary of earlier proposals, such as (Linde, 1979; Gundel, Hedberg, and Zacharski, 1993; Passonneau, 1993), by way of a systematic analysis of the uses of these NPs in two different genres. In order to carry out the analysis, we devised a reliable annotation scheme for classifying THIS-NPs in our corpus as active or not. 92% of THIS-NPs in our corpus were classified as referring to entities which are active in this sense. We tested three formalizations of the THIS-NP hypothesis. The version that received most empirical support is the following: THIS-NPs are used to refer to entities which are active but not the backward-looking center of the previous utterance.
Measurement Error for Welfare Receipt and Its Impact on Fixed-Effects Models

Measurement error is one source of bias in statistical analysis. However, its possible implications are mostly ignored One class of models that can be especially affected by measurement error are fixed-effects models. By validating the survey response of five panel survey waves for welfare receipt with register data, the size and form of longitudinal measurement error can be determined. It is shown, that the measurement error for welfare receipt is serially correlated and non-differential. However, when estimating the coefficients of longitudinal fixed effect models of welfare receipt on subjective health for men and women, the coefficients are biased only for the male subpopulation.
Cigarette Smoking Before and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: Mortality From Breast Cancer and Smoking-Related Diseases.

PURPOSE Cigarette smoking increases overall mortality, but it is not established whether smoking is associated with breast cancer prognosis. METHODS We evaluated the association between smoking status before and after breast cancer diagnosis and mortality in the Collaborative Breast Cancer and Women's Longevity Study, a population-based prospective observational study conducted in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Participants included 20,691 women, ages 20 to 79 years, diagnosed with incident localized or regional invasive breast cancer between 1988 and 2008; a subset of 4,562 of these women were recontacted a median of 6 years after diagnosis. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated according to smoking status for death as a result of breast cancer; cancers of the lung, pharynx, or intrathoracic organs; other cancer; respiratory disease; and cardiovascular disease. RESULTS During a median of 12 years, 6,778 women died, including 2,894 who died as a result of breast cancer. Active smokers 1 year before breast cancer diagnosis were more likely than never smokers to die of breast cancer (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.37), respiratory cancer (HR, 14.48; 95% CI, 9.89 to 21.21), other respiratory disease (HR, 6.02; 95% CI, 4.55 to 7.97), and cardiovascular disease (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.80 to 2.41). The 10% of women who continued to smoke after diagnosis were more likely than never smokers to die of breast cancer (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.60). When compared with women who continued to smoke after diagnosis, those who quit smoking after diagnosis had lower mortality from breast cancer (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.38 to 1.19) and respiratory cancer (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.95). CONCLUSION Smoking before or after diagnosis was associated with a higher mortality from breast cancer and several other causes.
Possible parent‐of‐origin effect of Dopa decarboxylase in susceptibility to bipolar affective disorder

Dopa decarboxylase (DDC) catalyses the synthesis of both dopamine and serotonin as well as trace amines suggested to possess neuromodulating capabilities. We have previously reported evidence suggesting an association between DDC and bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) [Børglum et al., 1999 ]. To further investigate the possible role of DDC in BPAD, we analyzed a 1‐ and a 4‐bp deletion variant—both of putative functional significance—in two new samples: a case‐control sample with 140 cases and 204 controls, and 100 case‐parents trios. We also tested for association in subjects with familial disease in both the new and the previously investigated samples. The previously reported association was not replicated in either of the new samples. However, a preponderance of the 1‐bp deletion was increased by analysis of the familial cases separately for all case‐control samples investigated, indicating a possible association with familial disease (combined analysis, P = 0.02). In the trio sample, a preferential paternal transmission of the 4‐bp deletion was observed (P = 0.006). DDC is located next to the imprinted gene GRB10, which is expressed specifically from the paternal allele in fetal brains. Increased transmission of paternal DDC alleles has also been suggested in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We suggest that DDC might confer susceptibility to BPAD predominantly when paternally transmitted. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Series concatenation of 2D convolutional codes

In this paper we study two-dimensional (2D) con-volutional codes which are obtained from series concatenation of two 2D convolutional codes. In this preliminary work we confine ourselves to dealing with finite-support 2D convolutional codes and make use of the so-called Fornasini-Marchesini input-state-output (ISO) model representations. In particular, we show that the series concatenation of two 2D convolutional codes is again a 2D convolutional code and we explicitly compute an ISO representation of the code. Within these ISO representations we study when the structural properties of reachability and observability of the two given ISO representations carry over to the resulting 2D convolutional code.
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy activates GPBAR‐1/TGR5 to sustain weight loss, improve fatty liver, and remit insulin resistance in mice

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is one of the most commonly performed clinical bariatric surgeries used for the remission of obesity and diabetes. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which VSG exerts its beneficial effects remains elusive. We report that the membrane‐bound G protein‐coupled bile acid receptor, GPBAR‐1 (also known as TGR5), is required to mediate the effects of anti‐obesity, anti‐hyperglycemia, and improvements of fatty liver of VSG in mice. In the absence of TGR5, the beneficial metabolic effects of VSG in mice are lost. Moreover, we found that the expression of TGR5 increased significantly after VSG, and VSG alters both BA levels and composition in mice, resulting in enhancement of TGR5 signaling in the ileum and brown adipose tissues, concomitant with improved glucose control and increased energy expenditure. Conclusion: Our study elucidates a novel underlying mechanism by which VSG achieves its postoperative therapeutic effects through enhanced TGR5 signaling. (Hepatology 2016;64:760‐773)
Identification of the leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 as a direct target gene of β‐catenin in the liver

To clarify molecular mechanisms underlying liver carcinogenesis induced by aberrant activation of Wnt pathway, we isolated the target genes of β‐catenin from mice exhibiting constitutive activated β‐catenin in the liver. Adenovirus‐mediated expression of oncogenic β‐catenin was used to isolate early targets of β‐catenin in the liver. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify the leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) gene as a direct target of β‐catenin. Northern blot and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that LECT2 expression is specifically induced in different mouse models that express activated β‐catenin in the liver. LECT2 expression was not activated in livers in which hepatocyte proliferation was induced by a β‐catenin–independent signal. We characterized by mutagenesis the LEF/TCF site, which is crucial for LECT2 activation by β‐catenin. We further characterized the chemotactic property of LECT2 for human neutrophils. Finally, we have shown an up‐regulation of LECT2 in human liver tumors that expressed aberrant activation of β‐catenin signaling; these tumors constituted a subset of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and most of the hepatoblastomas that were studied. In conclusion, our results show that LECT2, which encodes a protein with chemotactic properties for human neutrophils, is a direct target gene of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in the liver. Since HCC develops mainly in patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis induced by viral or inflammatory factors, understanding the role of LECT2 in liver carcinogenesis is of interest and may lead to new therapeutic perspectives. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;40:167–176.)
Effect of different iron compounds on wheat and gluten-free breads.

BACKGROUND Iron fortification of bread often results in sub-optimal quality of the final product due to undesirable changes in the physical characteristics and sensory properties of the bread. In this study both the form of iron (soluble, insoluble or encapsulated) and the type of bread (wheat or gluten-free) were varied in order to investigate the effect of iron and gluten on the product characteristics. RESULTS The effect of iron on the quality characteristics of the breads investigated depended on iron type, but not on iron solubility. Colour, crust firmness, specific volume, cell number and uniformity as well as aroma were the attributes that were mainly affected in iron-enriched wheat bread. In some cases, specific volume was 30% lower than that of the control sample, while cell uniformity was significantly lower, as low as 50% of the control sample in some fortified samples. In gluten-free breads, differences between unfortified and fortified samples included colour, crust firmness, cell number, 'moisture' odour, metallic taste and stickiness. In some cases, the sensory scores were better for fortified samples. CONCLUSIONS Differences due to iron fortification were less pronounced in gluten-free compared to wheat breads. The choice of the appropriate iron compound which will not cause adverse quality changes is still a challenge.
The aerobactin iron transport system genes in Shigella flexneri are present within a pathogenicity island

Genes encoding the synthesis and transport of aerobactin, a hydroxamate siderophore associated with increased virulence of enteric bacteria, were mapped within a pathogenicity island in Shigella flexneri. The island, designated SHI‐2 for Shigella pathogenicity island 2, was located downstream of selC, the site of insertion of pathogenicity islands in several other enteric pathogens. DNA sequence analysis revealed the presence of multiple insertion sequences upstream and downstream of the aerobactin genes and an integrase gene that was nearly identical to an int gene found in Escherichia coli O157:H7. SHI‐2 sequences adjacent to selC were similar to sequences at the junction between selC and pathogenicity islands found in E. coli O157:H7 and in enteropathogenic E. coli, but the junctions between the island and downstream yic genes were variable. SHI‐2 also encoded immunity to the normally plasmid‐encoded colicins I and V, suggesting a common origin for the aerobactin genes in both S. flexneri and E. coli pColV. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization data indicate that SHI‐2 is present in the same location in Shigella sonnei, but the aerobactin genes are not located within SHI‐2 in Shigella boydii or enteroinvasive E. coli. Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains do not produce aerobactin but do contain sequences downstream of selC that are homologous to SHI‐2. The presence of the aerobactin genes on plasmids in E. coli pColV and Salmonella, on a pathogenicity island in S. flexneri and S. sonnei and in a different chromosomal location in S. boydii and some E. coli suggests that these virulence‐enhancing genes are mobile, and they may constitute an island within an island in S. flexneri.
Scientific progress on strategic management in hospitality and tourism: a state-of-the-art

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to offer a critical review of studies of scientific progress of strategic management (SM) research in the hospitality and tourism field (H&T). Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted through a critical literature review based on three dimensions: intellectual, conceptual and social structures of SM research. Findings The boundaries of SM under the three dimensions (intellectual, conceptual and social structure) are addressed. Based on these three components, SM in hospitality and tourism realm shows a discursive structure. There are few studies assessing the evolution of SM research in the H&T industry. However, all of these studies are review papers that explored the boundaries of SM research in H&T by using limited keywords to find SM papers, and generally considered papers which are published in a few leading H&T journals. Research limitations/implications This study focused on only H&T journals to elaborate the boundaries of SM in H&T. The findings of this study can help researchers (re)design research agendas to contribute to both mainstream and H&T industry SM literature and to enhance the essential elements of theory development in SM research related to H&T industry. Originality/value This is one of the first studies assessing the development of SM research related to hospitality and tourism by considering the boundaries of SM in three issues: intellectual, conceptual and social structure.