Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new robust optimization approach to common weights formulation in DEA

Abstract Flexibility in selecting the weights of inputs and outputs in data envelopment analysis models and uncertainty associated with the data might lead to unreliable efficiency scores. In this paper, to avoid these problems, first, we discuss robust Charnes, Cooper, Rhodes (CCR) model under Bertsimas and Sim approach. Then, the robust CCR solutions are used to find robust common set of weights under norm-1 and Bertsimas and Sim approach. Finally, on two numerical real-world examples, the performance of the proposed approach is compared by a similar recent approach from the literature to show the advantages of the new method and its applicability.
EGGSAC RECOGNITION IN LOXOSCELES GAUCHO (ARANEAE, SICARIIDAE) AND THE EVOLUTION OF MATERNAL CARE IN SPIDERS

Abstract We report for the first time the existence of eggsac recognition and maternal care in Loxosceles gaucho. Spiders confronted simultaneously with their own and foreign eggsacs stay closer to their own eggsacs. This is unexpected since eggsac recognition should evolve among species with clumped distributions, high maternal investments and few breeding opportunities, features not present in this species. Despite this recognition, spiders with a single eggsac make no distinction between their own and foreign eggsacs: they adopt eggsacs from sympatric, conspecific females, and take care of them as their own. It seems that there is a readiness to perform maternal care that overrules the recognition system. We describe oviposition behavior and compare it with other descriptions in the literature. Seven behavioral characters related to eggsac building and/or guarding are mapped onto available phylogenies. Maternal care behaviors are quite conservative among spiders, useful for the grouping not only of families, but also of higher order ranks.
Comparison of Oral and Esophageal Microbiota in Patients with Achalasia Before and After Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Patients with achalasia have a high incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which may be associated with alterations in oral and esophageal microbiota caused by food stasis. This study compared the oral and esophageal microbiota of patients with achalasia before and after peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). It also compared patients with achalasia to those with ESCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study prospectively examined 6 patients with achalasia and 14 with superficial ESCC. Oral samples obtained from the buccal mucosa using a swab and esophageal samples obtained from the mid-esophagus using a brush via endoscopy were analyzed by 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing. Additionally, endoscopic and histological findings of patients with achalasia before and after POEM were prospectively compared. RESULTS In patients with achalasia, Streptococcus was most abundant in both the oral and the esophageal microbiota, and these microbiota were significantly different. Although the overall structure of the oral and esophageal microbiota did not change after POEM, the relative abundance rate of Haemophilus and Neisseria increased in the esophagus, and endoscopic findings of inflammation improved after POEM (P = .04). The relative abundance of microbiota was not different among patients with achalasia from those with ESCC. CONCLUSIONS The oral and esophageal microbiota were significantly different in patients with achalasia, and some of the composition of the esophageal microbiota changed after POEM. However, these findings and disease-specific microbiota should be further evaluated in large-scale studies.
A monoclonal antibody that discriminates strains of citrus tristeza virus.

(.) Discrimination of CTV isolates by CTV-MCA13 was similar in indirect ELISA with plate-trapped antigen and in double antibody sandwich indirect ELISA with antigen trapped on polyclonal antibody-coated plates. Results of immunoelectron microscopy suggest that CTV-MCA13 may react to a cryptic epitope on the viral coat protein. The monoclonal antibody is an IgG2a immunoglobin and did not react to extracts of healthy citrus or citrus infected with other viruses
LAND-USE SYSTEMS AFFECT ARCHAEAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY IN WESTERN AMAZON SOILS

The study of the ecology of soil microbial communities at relevant spatial scales is primordial in the wide Amazon region due to the current land use changes. In this study, the diversity of the Archaea domain (community structure) and ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (richness and community composition) were investigated using molecular biology-based techniques in different land-use systems in western Amazonia, Brazil. Soil samples were collected in two periods with high precipitation (March 2008 and January 2009) from Inceptisols under primary tropical rainforest, secondary forest (5-20 year old), agricultural systems of indigenous people and cattle pasture. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified DNA (PCR-DGGE) using the 16S rRNA gene as a biomarker showed that archaeal community structures in crops and pasture soils are different from those in primary forest soil, which is more similar to the community structure in secondary forest soil. Sequence analysis of excised DGGE bands indicated the presence of crenarchaeal and euryarchaeal organisms. Based on clone library analysis of the gene coding the subunit of the enzyme ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) of Archaea (306 sequences), the Shannon-Wiener function and Simpson's index showed a greater ammonia-oxidizing archaeal diversity in primary forest soils (H' = 2.1486; D = 0.1366), followed by a lower diversity in soils under pasture (H' = 1.9629; D = 0.1715), crops (H' = 1.4613; D = 0.3309) and secondary forest (H' = 0.8633; D = 0.5405). All cloned inserts were similar to the Crenarchaeota amoA gene clones (identity > 95 %) previously found in soils and sediments and distributed primarily in three major phylogenetic clusters. The findings indicate that agricultural systems of indigenous people and cattle pasture affect the archaeal community structure and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea in western Amazon soils.
Seasonal differences in isoprene and light‐dependent monoterpene emission by Amazonian tree species

Whereas for extra‐tropical regions model estimates of the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) predict strong responses to the strong annual cycles of foliar biomass, light intensity and temperature, the tropical regions stand out as a dominant source year round, with only little variability mainly due to the annual cycle of foliar biomass of drought‐deciduous trees. As part of the Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazônia (LBA‐EUSTACH), a remote secondary tropical forest site was visited in the dry‐to‐wet season transition campaign, and the trace gas exchange of a strong isoprene emitter and a monoterpene emitter are compared to the wet‐to‐dry season transition investigations reported earlier. Strong seasonal differences of the emission capacity were observed. The standard emission factor for isoprene emission of young mature leaves of Hymenaea courbaril was about twofold in the end of the dry season (111.5 μgC g−1 h−1 or 41.2 nmol m−2 s−1) compared to old mature leaves investigated in the end of the wet season (45.4 μgC g−1 h−1 or 24.9 nmol m−2 s−1). Standardized monoterpene emission rate of Apeiba tibourbou were 2.1 and 3.6 μgC g−1 h−1 (or 0.3 and 0.8 nmol m−2 s‐1), respectively. This change in species‐specific VOC emission capacity was mirrored by a concurrent change in the ambient mixing ratios. The growth conditions vary less in tropical areas than in temperate regions of the world, and the seasonal differences in emission strength could not be reconciled solely with meteorological data of instantaneous light intensity and temperature. Hence the inadequacy of using a single standard emission factor to represent an entire seasonal cycle is apparent. Among a host of other potential factors, including the leaf developmental stage, water and nutrient status, and abiotic stresses like the oxidative capacity of the ambient air, predominantly the long‐term growth temperature may be applied to predict the seasonal variability of the isoprene emission capacity. The dry season isoprene emission rates of H. courbaril measured at the canopy top were also compared to isoprene emissions of the shade‐adapted species Sorocea guilleminiana growing in the understory. Despite the difference in VOC emission composition and canopy position, one common algorithm was able to predict the diel emission pattern of all three tree species.
Stern tube seals under static condition: A multi-scale contact modeling approach

A thermomechanical model of a stern tube seal has been developed by paying particular attention to the contact between the seal and the shaft. The finite element method is used to capture the macroscopic behavior of the seal while roughness was evaluated at a microscopic level by applying the boundary element method. The seal material was independently characterized, and the results were used to calibrate the material constitutive model used for the seal. Two specialized setups were built to validate the model in terms of radial force, contact width, and percolation threshold. By combining the two models, the strains, stresses, temperature, and the limits of static tightness can be predicted at high accuracy for a wide range of operating conditions.
THE PAST AND PRESENT VEGETATION OF THE CAENLOCHAN NATIONAL NATURE RESERVE, SCOTLAND II. PALAEOECOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

SUMMARY The existence within the Scottish Highlands of small areas of extreme floristic richness, especially with respect to taxa of northern and montane distribution patterns, is discussed. Possible hypotheses to account for the existence of such areas are considered and the importance of site history is stressed. palaeoecological studies made at two sites within the Caenlochan N.N. R. are described. On the basis of these studies the past flora, vegetation and probable land-use are reconstructed for the Flandrian (post-glacial) period. Six chronological units are recognized within this period. The inferred floristic and vegetational history is compared with that for other sites. The conclusion is reached that the present rich flora and diverse vegetation of the Caenlochan N.N. R. represents the joint survival from late-glacial times of many montane taxa in a locality peculiarly-suited to their needs and relatively undisturbed by man until the recent past.
Aggregate-resistant vitamin-mineral complex based on selenium; comparative effectiveness in poultry farming against the technological stress.

The development of tools and technologies for preserving and increasing productivity in poultry farming is an urgent area of veterinary pharmacology. This state of affairs is dictated among other things, by the global problem of hunger. According to the report of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), in 2017, the number of people facing the problem of malnutrition reached 821 million, i.e. it is about one in nine people in the world. At the same time, the issue of the quality of the final product is no less acute. The development of organic stimulants, which include vitaminmineral complexes, deserve special attention in terms of increasing momentum and a promising trend in organic agriculture. This article is devoted to studying the effectiveness of the application of the developed aggregate-resistant vitamin-mineral complex based on selenium with a particle size of 20 to 60 nm when in growing broilers of the Cobb500 cross breed under conditions of simulated temperature stress and in comparison, with the analog drug Solvimin Selen®. To simulate the creation of chronic heat stress, a temperature of 35±2°C was set for eight hours daily throughout the entire period of poultry rearing from the 15 to the 36 days. It was found that despite the impossibility of uncovering the productive potential of poultry against the background of prolonged stress exposure, nevertheless, in comparison with the parameters of the control group, the use of an aggregative-resistant vitamin-mineral complex in the diet allowed to increase live weight by 20% while improving feed conversion by 10%. On the 36 day of poultry rearing, the live weight of experimental broiler chickens exceeded the control indices by 20.24-22.02%.
Prediction of total phenolics, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity of blackberry (Rubus sp.), blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) and jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel) skin using colorimetric parameters

The food industry should have methods that allow identifying bioactive compounds quickly, efficiently and at low cost. The objective of this research was to obtain mathematical models for predicting the amount of total phenolics, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity of blackberry, blueberry and jaboticaba skin, based on colorimetric parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and h*). All analyses were done in the phenolic extracts obtained from these fruits. The mathematical models were obtained through multiple linear regression using the stepwise method. The significant correlation between the colorimetric parameters and chemical analyses resulted in models with a high predictive ability (high r 2 ), such as in the determination of the contents of anthocyanins (r 2 = 0.99), total phenolics (r 2 = 0.86) and for the antioxidant capacity (r 2 = 0.99). Thus, the prediction of levels of these bioactives compound, using colorimetric parameters, is very promising for cost and time savings.
Automatic Pancreas Segmentation Using Coarse-Scaled 2D Model of Deep Learning: Usefulness of Data Augmentation and Deep U-Net

Combinations of data augmentation methods and deep learning architectures for automatic pancreas segmentation on CT images are proposed and evaluated. Images from a public CT dataset of pancreas segmentation were used to evaluate the models. Baseline U-net and deep U-net were chosen for the deep learning models of pancreas segmentation. Methods of data augmentation included conventional methods, mixup, and random image cropping and patching (RICAP). Ten combinations of the deep learning models and the data augmentation methods were evaluated. Four-fold cross validation was performed to train and evaluate these models with data augmentation methods. The dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was calculated between automatic segmentation results and manually annotated labels and these were visually assessed by two radiologists. The performance of the deep U-net was better than that of the baseline U-net with mean DSC of 0.703–0.789 and 0.686–0.748, respectively. In both baseline U-net and deep U-net, the methods with data augmentation performed better than methods with no data augmentation, and mixup and RICAP were more useful than the conventional method. The best mean DSC was obtained using a combination of deep U-net, mixup, and RICAP, and the two radiologists scored the results from this model as good or perfect in 76 and 74 of the 82 cases.
The dark side of immunotherapy: pancreatic cancer

Since the journal Science deemed cancer immunotherapy as the “breakthrough of the year” in 2014, there has been an explosion of clinical trials involving immunotherapeutic approaches that, in the last decade - thanks also to the renaissance of the immunosurveillance theory (renamed the three Es theory) - have been continuously and successfully developed. In the latest update of the development of the immuno-oncology drug pipeline, published last November by Nature Review Drug Discovery, it was clearly reported that the immunoactive drugs under study almost doubled in just two years. Of the different classes of passive and active immunotherapies, “cell therapy” is the fastest growing. The aim of this review is to discuss the preclinical and clinical studies that have focused on different immuno-oncology approaches applied to pancreatic cancer, which we assign to the “dark side” of immunotherapy, in the sense that it represents one of the solid tumors showing less response to this type of therapeutic strategy.
Synthesis and DNA Polymerase α and β Inhibitory Activity of Alkyl p-Coumarates and Related Compounds

trans- and cis-Icosyl, docosyl, and tetracosyl p-coumarates, constituents of Artemisia annua L. , and their structurally-related compounds were synthesized and evaluated for inhibitory activity on DNA polymerases α and β. Among 30 compounds synthesized, octadecyl trans- and cis-p-coumarates and octadecyl p-hydroxyphenylpropiolate showed strong inhibitory activity on DNA polymerases α and β.
RDTD: A Tool for Detecting Internet Routing Disruptions at AS-Level

Anomalous events such as link failure, misconfiguration, and Denial of Service attacks can affect the Internet inter-domain routing protocol. This effect can range from small to large-scale impact. While large-scale events can be detected using one or multiple global monitoring points, small-scale events need monitoring at the Autonomous System (AS) level. This paper presents a Real-time Detection Tool for Internet routing protocol Disruptions (RDTD) at AS-level. RDTD is a black-box statistical approach that detects disruptions based on observing changes in the underlying behaviour of a series of inter-domain routing updates rather than information contained in inter-domain routing updates. The RDTD can be connected to a designated AS to detect disruptions at that AS or to one of the collectors at public vantage points to detect the Internet routing disruptions from the public vantage-point’s view. The evaluation of the detection tool has been made through replaying route traffic related to one of the most well-known events within a controlled testbed. Our evaluation shows the ability of the detection tool to detect route leak in near real-time without requiring a long history of data. RDTD can also detect hidden anomalous behaviour in the underlying traffic that may pass without detection.
Beyond top-N accuracy indicator: a comprehensive evaluation indicator of CNN models in image classification

Nowadays, a large number of deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models are applied to image classification tasks. However, the authors find that the most widely used evaluation indicator, the Top- N Accuracy indicator, cannot discriminate these models effectively. In this study, they propose a new indicator called Maximum-Spanning-Confusion-Tree indicator to solve this problem. The Maximum-Spanning-Confusion-Tree indicator is computed based on the hierarchical structure of the Maximum Spanning Confusion Tree of the deep CNN model on the dataset and reflect the ability of deep CNN models to discriminate confused categories in the dataset. The hierarchical structure of the Maximum Spanning Confusion Tree can reveal the confused category set of one selected category in the dataset efficiently and flexibly. Experiments show that they can discriminate ten different deep CNN models more accurately with the Maximum Spanning Confusion Tree indicator than the Top- N Accuracy indicator and the Maximum Spanning Confusion Tree intuitively shows the distribution of confused category sets in the dataset so they can find out the weakness of deep CNN models effectively.
Crimes against women as a correlate of incidents of Divorce in India

From its erstwhile doctrine of “till death do us part” to its present maxim, “till discord do us part”, the realm of marital relationship has undergone a colossal change. Rising divorce rates has been a global phenomenon in recent decades with the more advanced countries exhibiting a greater proneness toward it. While a search for its various reasons has often taken us to factors such as enhanced status of women, greater employment among women, more access to economic resources by women and the likes, the contribution of marital violence seems somewhat neglected. This paper is an attempt at establishing a correlation between crimes against women and number of divorced women in India. Official data from Census of India – 2011 has been referred to in addition to other governmental sources such as data published by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. A high correlation between the two variables suggests that marital violence could be considered to be a major factor behind women seeking divorce. However, the hypothesis needs to be confirmed with the help of further research.
Effects of thymosin β4 and thymosin β10 on actin structures in living cells

The beta-thymosins are a family of small proteins originally isolated from the thymus. Recently, two of the major mammalian isoforms, thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4) and thymosin beta 10 (T beta 10), are identified as significant actin monomer sequestering proteins which may be involved in regulating actin filament assembly. To study the cellular function of beta-thymosins, we have used isoform-specific antibodies to determine their concentration and intracellular distribution, and examined the effects of inducing overexpression of T beta 4 and T beta 10 on actin filament structures. Immunofluorescence labeling of peritoneal macrophages showed that both beta-thymosins are uniformly distributed within the cytoplasm. cDNA-mediated overexpression of beta-thymosins in CV1 fibroblasts induced extensive loss of phalloidin-stained actin stress fibers. Stress fibers in the cell center were more susceptible than those at the periphery. There was a decrease in the number of focal adhesions, as evidenced by a decrease in discrete vinculin staining and an increase in diffuse vinculin fluorescence. The majority of the transfected cells had normal shape in spite of extensive loss of actin filaments. Occasionally, cells overexpressing beta-thymosin were observed to divide. In these cells, beta-thymosin was excluded from the midbody which contains an actin filament-rich contractile ring. Our results indicate that T beta 4 and T beta 10 are functionally very similar and both are effective regulators of a large subset of actin filaments in living cells.
A robust model for generation and transmission expansion planning with emission constraints

This paper presents the application of information gap decision theory (IGDT) to deal with uncertainties associated with load forecasting in dynamic, environment constrained, coordinated generation and transmission expansion planning. Traditionally, the gaseous emissions are constrained over the whole system. Conventional methods cannot guarantee a practical expansion plan since huge emissions can still occur on some buses in the power system. This paper introduces a per-bus emission limit to avoid extreme emissions in highly populated areas. The effect of nodal emission limits is fully discussed and compared to a conventional method. The model is kept linear using the big M approach to decrease the model computational burden. Reliability is considered by limiting the estimated load not served in each year over the planning horizon. The cost of fuel transportation and fuel limits are considered in order to make the model more realistic and practical. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by implementation on Garver 6 bus, IEEE 30 bus, and 118 bus test systems.