Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AI in actuarial science – a review of recent advances – part 2

Abstract Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are creating products and services with the potential not only to change the environment in which actuaries operate, but also to provide new opportunities within actuarial science. These advances are based on a modern approach to designing, fitting and applying neural networks, generally referred to as “Deep Learning”. This paper investigates how actuarial science may adapt and evolve in the coming years to incorporate these new techniques and methodologies. Part 1 of this paper provides background on machine learning and deep learning, as well as an heuristic for where actuaries might benefit from applying these techniques. Part 2 of the paper then surveys emerging applications of AI in actuarial science, with examples from mortality modelling, claims reserving, non-life pricing and telematics. For some of the examples, code has been provided on GitHub so that the interested reader can experiment with these techniques for themselves. Part 2 concludes with an outlook on the potential for actuaries to integrate deep learning into their activities. Finally, a supplementary appendix discusses further resources providing more in-depth background on machine learning and deep learning.
Population structure and growth of a non-native invasive clonal plant on coastal dunes in Southern Brazil

Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. (Asparagaceae) is a non-native invasive plant in Brazilian coastal ecosystems. This study focused on characterizing its population structure in coastal dune vegetation in southern Brazil. We also assessed which community structure characteristics were associated with its invasion and verified whether its growth negatively affected richness, diversity, and cover of local plant communities. We registered 67 individuals of F. foetida , most of them large and potentially reproductive. The species was positively associated with greater cover and height of native plant species which seems to promote the establishment of F. foetida by reducing extreme temperatures at the ground level. Overall, F. foetida plants growth did not result in changes in cover, richness or diversity of the studied plant communities. However, changes in cover of dominant native species might be a consequence of growth of F. foetida plants. These changes could result in changes in the structure of local plant communities which must be assessed in long-term studies. From a preventive perspective, immediate control actions, public awareness campaigns and legal regulations are essential to minimize F. foetida impacts to local biodiversity. Keywords: diversity, dominant species, Furcraea foetida , richness, potential impact, vegetation cover.
Anti-Epileptic Potential of Ziziphus Vulgaris and Ferula Asafoetida Extracts in Drug Induced Seizure Models of Experimental Mice

Background: Ziziphus vulgaris (ZV) and Ferula asafoetida (FA) have phenolic compounds with potential anti-epileptic activity. Objective: This study was aimed to investigate the anti-epileptic potential of hydroalcoholic (30:70) crude extracts of ZV and FA. Methods: Different doses (5 mg/ml, 15 mg/ml, 25 mg/ml) of extracts from ZV and FA were separately administered intraperitoneally to groups (7/group) of male albino mice (20-30 g). Phenytoin (15 mg/ml, intraperitoneal) was used as positive control. After 30 min, tonic-clonic seizures were induced by intraperitoneal administration of picrotoxin (6 mg/ml) and strychnine (4 mg/ml) in separate groups. Animals were monitored for 1 h and different parameters including onset and frequency of seizures and protection (against mortality & seizures) were determined. Results: A dose dependent significant delay in onset and decrease in seizure frequency as well as mortality was observed in animals treated with plant extracts (ZV and FA). Positive control (phenytoin) also showed significant delay in seizure onset and decreased the seizure frequency. Conclusion: The plant extracts (ZV and FA) contain the phenolic compounds which may induce the GABAergic transmission that could be the most probable mechanism for their anti-epileptic activity. Molecular studies and histopathological analysis are required to elucidate the exact anti-epileptic mechanisms of ZV and FA extracts.
The Theory of Brain Cell Activation

This is a new idea that based on effective treatment of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease with transcranial magnetoelectric stimulation technology, it can understand a hypothesis about voltage-gated Ca2+ channels is the best target for activation by physical means, basic content：Parkinson's disease , Alzheimer's disease etc. neuronal degeneration diseases, that closely related to physical-gated ion channels, which can be treated with physical means, activating neurotransmitters-energic neurons plays key roles in the treatment, and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels is the best target for physical means, the purpose is to induce Ca2+ inflowing and triggers neuronal axon terminals synaptic vesicles releasing neurotransmitters. The theory of brain cell activation sets forth the principle, method and purpose of treatment of the physical gated ion channel diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neural degeneration diseases, and indicates that the attempt to treat these diseases using pharmaceutical and chemical approaches could shake our confidence in conquering the diseases, and the application of physical approaches or combined application of physical and chemical approaches in the treatment of some major encephalopathy may be our main research direction in the future.
Daily activity pattern of reintroduced giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla): effects of seasonality and experience

Abstract We assessed the effect of seasonality and intrinsic conditions on daily activity pattern of giant anteaters reintroduced in the Iberá Reserve, Argentina. During 2007–2012 we gathered 159 24-h focal samples on 15 radio-marked individuals (11 captive-reared, four wild-reared; seven adults, eight juveniles), 216 records of beginning and end of activity bouts on 20 individuals, and 454 camera-traps records (3345 trap-days). We estimated the daily hours of activity, the percentage of diurnal and nocturnal activity, and the daily activity range and time overlap using time as a circular variable in kernel density estimations. We assessed differences between seasons, sexes, age classes, and types of rearing. The average daily hours of activity was 8:43 h. Camera-traps and radio-telemetry showed similar results. Animals exhibited both diurnal (60–65%) and nocturnal (40–35%) activity. The higher probability for being active ranged within 09:00–03:00 h. Anteaters spent more hours active and were more nocturnal during summer. Activity was highly overlapped between sexes, and wild-reared individuals were more nocturnal than captive-reared ones. Seasonal shifts in daily activity highlights the importance of thermoregulation as a selective factor in this species. The giant anteater is a cathemeral species with flexibility to accommodate its activity pattern to local conditions or experience.
ARgent: Web Tabanlı Dinamik İçerik Destekli Artırılmış Gerçeklik Geliştirme Altyapısı

Gunumuzun dunyasinda insanlar interaktif teknolojilere daha fazla ilgi duyuyor. Interaktif teknolojilerin en yenilikci orneklerinden biri olan artirilmis Artirilmis gerceklik (AG), her ne kadar ise yarasa da, AG uygulamalari gelistirmek programlama ve oyun gelistirme araclari hakkinda uzun suren egitimler sonucu kazanilan bilgi ve tecrubeler gerektiriyor. Diger yandan tasarim ve icerik olusturma konusunda yetenekli insanlar, AG uygulamasi gelistirmekten ve yonetmekten mahrum kalabiliyor. Bu makalede ARgent, Unity’de gelistirilen bir AR gelistirme araci tanitilacaktir. Bu altyapi is akisinin tamamini kapsayan bir yol haritasi temin eder ve sunucu, web arayuzu ve mobil uygulama gibi uc ayri cephede hizmet verir. Sunucu objelerin paketlenmesi ve optimizasyonu, veritabani yonetimi ve verinin web arayuzu ve mobil arayuze saglanmasi gibi gorevleri ustlenir. Web arayuzu kullanimi kolay ve herkes tarafindan erisilebilir olmasi neticesiyle bir icerik yonetim sistemi olarak gorev gorur. Mobil uygulama ise son kullanici tarafindan kullanilacak uygulamadir. ARgent sadece kullanici arayuzunu (GUI) kullanarak ve hicbir programla yapmaya gerek kalmadan uygulamalar gelistirilmesini saglayacaktir. Kullanicilara alisik olduklari bir deneyim sunmak amaciyla, islemler halihazirda varolan diger araclara benzer olacaktir. Unity’de gorsellerin dinamik olarak iceri aktarilmasi sebebiyle ortaya cikan performans problemleri, ARgent’in sundugu ve yenilikci bir yontem olan “asset bundling” yontemi ile cozulmustur. Son olarak, altyapi bir Javascript motoru barindirir ve boylece kullanicilar kendi betiklerini entegre ederek istege gore kullanici arayuzu ve nesne davranisi tanilmayabilir.
Effects of Schinus terebinthifolius extracts on the control of Sitophilus species in stored wheat grains

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Schinus terebinthifolius extract in controlling the insects of stored wheat. The experimental design was completely randomized with 10 replicates in a factorial scheme of 4 × 9, for extracts (control, aqueous extract, and hydro alcoholic extract of 5 and 15% of Brazilian pepper tree) and nine dates of evaluation (3, 6, 9, 16, 23, 30, 37, 44 and 51 days) after application. Ten weevil insects were inoculated into 200 g of wheat seed by applying 2 ml of each treatment. There is a control effect on the emergence and adults of Sitophilus species in wheat stored using S. terebinthifolius extracts. Up to the first nine days of storage, the hydro alcoholic extract (15%) has a relative efficacy of 35%. At 9 and 16 days of evaluation, hydro alcoholic extracts (5 and 15%) presented relative efficacy of 40%. At 44 and 51 days of evaluation, the aqueous extract shows relative efficacy of 40 to 60%. The aqueous extract appears to have an effect on the larvae and oviposition of the weevil observed by efficacy at 44 and 51 days. Hydro alcoholic extracts, on the other hand, show greater control over adults with efficacy until the 7th date. Key words: Triticum aestivum L, storage, weevil, insecticidal action, Brazilian pepper
The molecular basis of storage organs in Brassicas

The LEAFY COTYLEDON (LEC) family of genes are intrinsically linked to the formation of the Arabidopsis embryo in morphogenesis and maturation. They play several roles in this process including maintenance of embryonic identity and the formation of storage products in the seed. This is important for desiccation protection and as an energy store for germination and growth before photomorphogenesis occurs. Loss of function mutations have been shown to exhibit non-embryonic traits such as trichomes and anthocyanin sequestration. When LECs are expressed outside of embryonic tissues in Arabidopsis, accumulation of storage oils and immature cell identity is observed. They appear to exhibit large amounts of crosstalk with the hormones auxin and gibberellins. This thesis investigates the link between Leafy Cotyledon 1 (LEC1) expression in the Arabidopsis turnip (tnp), a gain-of-function mutant of LEC1, and hypocotyl development in selected Brassica sp. In particular; Are LECs ectopically expressed in the hypocotyl of the Brassicas post germination? To what extent are LEC1, LEC2 and FUSCA3 (FUS3) expressed in relation to one another? Is the timing of starch and lipid accumulation linked temporally to LEC expression? Fatty acid profiles of the tnp mutant were explored in relation to the wild type and further investigations and comparisons to profiles in the Brassica hypocotyl tissues were examined. Relatively high ectopic LEC expression was observed in the Brassica hypocotyl tissue. LEC1 was found to be associated with hypocotyl expansion and starch accumulation. LEC2 expression levels increase after LEC1 levels decrease. The same oils observed to increase in the tnp mutant of Arabidopsis are present in large amounts in the Brassica hypocotyl tissue, suggesting a potential link between LECs and the molecular basis of storage organ development in Brassicas.
The role of PAD4 in periodontal disease, autoimmunity and inflammation

Periodontal disease (PD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are multifactorial chronic inflammatory diseases with high prevalence among the global population. There is evidence of a bidirectional relationship between PD and RA, although the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. Both PD and RA are associated with a dysregulated immune response and citrullination, a post-translational modification of proteins catalysed by peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs). PADs, in particular PAD4, are involved in formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and may play a role both in generating potential auto-antigens and in host defence against bacterial infections. RA onset is preceded by a breach of self-tolerance and presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs). These ACPA have also been found in PD patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis is a key pathogen in PD and uniquely among prokaryotes expresses a PAD enzyme (PPAD), which is also potential source of citrullinated self-antigens. One hypothesis linking PD and RA suggests that the combination of PPAD and PAD4 activity in an inflamed environment may predispose to autoimmunity to citrullinated proteins and generation of ACPAs. This project aimed to determine the effect of PAD4 activity in PD and RA disease progression. Using PAD4 deficient animals or wild type controls, PAD4 was confirmed to be essential for NETs formation as bone marrow derived neutrophils from PADi4 knockout (KO) mice were unable to generate NETs in vitro. Experimental PD was initiated by oral infection with P. gingivalis and animals demonstrated a robust antibody response to P. gingivalis. However, there was limited evidence of bone loss in the animals, possibly due to inherent resistance in the strain. The immune response to P. gingivalis appeared unaffected by absence of PAD4, implying that NETS do not play a substantial role in the response to oral infection in this system. In experimental arthritis (EA) models, inflammation in EA was greater in absence of PAD4. Further investigation of the underlying mechanisms of PAD4 modulation of inflammation showed no direct impact in the innate response mediated by neutrophils, but confirmed a sexually dimorphic behaviour in PAD4 regulation of T-cell mediated inflammation. Pharmacological inhibition of PAD4 has been proposed and trialled as an RA therapy. These data suggest that PAD4 may impart subtle modulations on inflammation, which may impact on the outcome of such intervention.
Effect of Moxifloxacin and Role of Vitamin (E) on Antioxidant Enzymes Activity in Rats

Our investigation was carried out to assess the protective impact beside the antioxidant role of vitamin E on Moxifloxacin's possible adverse effects. Collection of blood samples at 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st days after treatment. Collection of tissue samples at 7th and 14th days after treatment to evaluate the protective effect of Vit. E. Our results showed (day 14moxifloxacin): multifocal hepatic necrosis of variable sizes, partially replaced by macrophages occasionally with giant cells formation. The hepatic blood vessels were moderately congested and the bile ducts were proliferated with characteristic portal round cells aggregation and portal fibrosis. Examined sections from kidney showed cystic dilatation of few tubules in the medulla and cortex. The renal pelvis revealed focal sloughing and hyperplasic changes in the transitional epithelium. Focal interstitial and perivascular aggregation of round cells and eosinophils were observed. The renal blood vessels were mildly congested. Day 14 moxifloxacin and Vit. E: sections showed normal hepatic parenchyma with residual portal biliary proliferation and fibrosis. Minute focal hepatic necrotic areas partially replaced by round cells were also seen. Also showing apparently normal nephron units with mild degenerative changes in some tubular epithelium and cyst dilatation in some renal tubules. Therefore, Vitamin E should be taken with moxifloxacin to decrease its adverse effects.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus (Perciformes: Sparidae)

Abstract The common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus, Linnaeus 1758), one of the most popular sea bream species in the Mediterranean Sea, has high potential for aquaculture development. In this investigation, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of P. erythrinus. The sequence has 16,828 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a two non-coding regions (D-loop and L-origin). The overall nucleotide composition is: 27.5% of A, 28.2% of C, 27.5% of T, and 16.8% of G.
Barrier in Epidermal Keratinocytes Activation of TLR2 Enhances Tight Junction

The epidermis has developed physical and immunological barriers that prevent inﬁltration of deleterious chemicals and pathogens. As a ﬁrst step to understanding the relationship between these barriers, we investigated whether TLR2 activation functionally alters tight junctions (TJs) in cultured human keratinocytes. Stimulation with peptidoglycan, a ligand for TLR2, elevated the TJ-associated barrier in the space of 3 h. The increase in TJ-associated barrier function due to peptidoglycan stimulation was suppressed by the knockdown of TLR adaptor MyD88 or the pretreatment with TLR2-neutralizing Ab, indicating that TLR2 activation enhanced TJ-associated barrier. One and 3 h after peptidoglycan stimulation, expression levels of the TJ proteins occludin, claudin-1, claudin-4, and ZO-1 were unchanged. However, immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that the association of phospho-atypical protein kinase C z / i , crucial for TJ biogenesis, with occludin was increased. Signiﬁcantly, inhibition of atypical protein kinase C z / i activity completely blocked the immediate elevation of the TJ-associated barrier. Finally, peptidoglycan was applied to the stratum corneum surface of a human skin equivalent, and the TJ barrier was evaluated. In the space of 3 h after the stimulation, the amount of intercellular tracer in the stratum corneum incubated from the dermal side was reduced, indicating that the TJ barrier is strengthened via TLR2 activation. Taken together, our ﬁndings indicated that inﬁltration of pathogens into the epidermis immediately enhanced TJ function via TLR2 signaling. Furthermore, the dynamically controlled TJs in skin are considered fundamental in preventing further invasion of pathogens and maintaining cutaneous barrier homeostasis. The Journal of Immunology , 2011, 187: 000–000.
DNA Barcoding of the First Recorded American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, in Clark County, Arkansas

The American Burying Beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus , is a red-listed endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) . We serendipitously recorded 3 individuals of this species during a forensic study in the summer of 2013. These specimens represent the first known records for Clark County, AR and the southeastern-most record in the State since the extirpation of the species from the region in the late 1800’s. Two males and one female were collected, photographed, sexed and measured. One male specimen was deceased upon discovery. The remaining two individuals were released. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was notified of the accidental catch and death of an endangered species as required and the specimen was awarded to Ouachita Baptist University for further study. The deceased specimen was used for DNA barcode sequence analysis. A 400bp section of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified using gene specific primers and then sequenced using Sanger sequencing methods. Sequence analysis revealed the collected beetle to be 98.5% identical to the ABB voucher sequence and was 86% similar to other Nicrophorus species. Taken together the DNA sequence analysis results and taxonomic identification both support the identification of our specimen.
Study on Acoustic Detection Method of Gas Pipeline Leakage

Gas pipeline leakage will not only threaten people’s life and property, but also lead to serious environmental pollution and waste of resources. Based on the analysis and summary of domestic and foreign literature in recent years, the main causes of gas pipeline leakage are summarized, and the current main gas pipeline leakage detection methods are studied, hoping to provide certain reference for pipeline operation safety management.
A long‐term study of burning effects on a plant pathogen in tallgrass prairie

Tallgrass prairie species have evolved with regular exposure to fire. However, burning has been used as a management tool for reducing plant disease in agricultural systems, posing the question of how plant pathogens of tallgrass prairie would be affected by burning. The rust fungus Puccinia dioicae, infecting Erigeron strigosus (Asteraceae), was studied for 8 years in long-term experiments to evaluate the effects of burning in native tallgrass prairie. This experiment also allowed evaluation of the effects of nutrient additions, although E. strigosus was rare in the plots with added nutrients in most years. Burning reduced rust severity in most years, but effects from additions of nutrients were rarely observed. There was high interannual variation in rust severity within a location, suggesting that weather may be the most important of these three abiotic factors in determining infection. An analysis of weather variables associated with disease severity found that solar radiation in the month prior to sampling was associated with severity in unburned plots; temperature approximately 2 months prior to sampling was also associated with severity in burned plots. High interannual variation also suggests that the effects of this pathogen on its host would be sporadic and difficult to study in short-term experiments.
Silver nanoparticle films by flowing gas atmospheric pulsed laser deposition and application to surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

For the fast uptake into industrial applications, the further development of robust methods of nanomaterials, which are inexpensive and simultaneously technologically feasible, is one of the major key factors. A newly introduced atmospheric pulsed laser deposition method, based on a flowing gas approach, was used for plasmonic metal nanoparticle (NP) film of silver. Contrary to vacuum, in this method, the ambient air restricts expansion of the ablation plume within 1 to 3 mm above the target surface. These sets constrain on the formation of NP film close to the ablation spot. For deposition on a widely spaced surface, ablation material was entrained in a flow of argon, supplied at ~32 ms−1, and effectively delivered to the substrate at ~20 ms−1. The films produced were crystalline and particulate in nature, showing spectral plasmonic feature of surface plasmon resonance in the visible region. The film was directly tested in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy for chemical detection of crystal violet; the film with large particulates and aggregated crystallites was well‐performed, showing enhanced Raman signals and detection sensitivity. Certainly, flowing gas atmospheric pulsed laser deposition seems a fast alternative to vacuum‐pulsed laser deposition but needs further investigations to bring it in the industry for applications in sensor, catalysis, solar cell, and coating technology.