Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Local variability in the timing and intensity of tropical dry forest deciduousness is explained by differences in forest stand age

Tropical Dry Forest deciduousness is a behavioral response to climate conditions that determines ecosystem-level carbon uptake, energy flux, and habitat conditions. It is regulated by factors related to stand age, and landscape scale variability in deciduous phenology may affect ecosystem functioning in forests throughout the tropics. This study determines whether observed phenological differences are explainable by forest age in the southern Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, where forest clearing for shifting cultivation has created a mosaic of forest stands of varying age. Matched-pair statistical tests compare neighboring forest pixels of different age class (12–22 years versus 22+ years) and detect significant differences in Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)-derived metrics related to the timing and intensity of deciduousness during three dry seasons (2008–2011). In all seasons, young forests exhibit significantly more intense deciduousness, measured as total seasonal change of EVI normalized by annual maximum EVI (p < 0.001), and larger normalized EVI change during successive dry season months relative to start-of-dry-season EVI (p < 0.001), than neighboring older forests subject to similar environmental conditions.
Adult onset Niemann‐Pick type C disease: A clinical, neuroimaging and molecular genetic study

We report on a patient with adult‐onset Niemann‐Pick type C (NPC) disease, carrying the mutations P1007 and I1061T in the NPC1 gene, presenting with marked psychiatric changes followed by dystonia and cognitive impairment. Filipin staining, single photon emission computed tomography perfusional, positron emission tomography metabolic, conventional magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings suggested a pathophysiological correlation with phenotype expression. This case expands the clinical and genetic spectrum of the rare adult‐onset NPC disease phenotype. © 2003 Movement Disorder Society
Food location and discrimination by subterranean termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae).

Abstract Tunnel construction by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki is initially random, with tunnels radiating outwardin a uniform circular distribution from the point of origin. The degree of branching of these tunnels may be species-specific, and reflect the pattern of occurrence of food resources in different environments. As open spaces, wood, orinedible objects are encountered in the soil, tunnels outward from these substrate anomalies are no longer distributedrandomly. Rather, multiple exit tunnels are constructed in the same general direction as the entry tunnel. In foragingarenas, these exit tunnels never reversed direction. When an open space was encountered, the directional vector of theexit tunnels was less pronounced due to the large number of tunnels fanning outward from the open area. Termitetunneling shifts from the original uniform distribution into a more localized and directional distribution as food sourcesare discovered. Any environmental cues (e.g., guidelines, thermal shadows) may alter the tunnel distribution. At a veryshort distance, it is likely that gradients from the diffusion of both gases and plant or fungal metabolites provide directionalcues. Trail pheromone is likely to play a major role in recruitment of foragers to acceptable food sources. If a singlecomponent is responsible, then gradients appear necessary to maintain this behavior, since acclimation can occur withconstant continued exposure. An ephemeral recruitment component may be deposited along with a more stable orientationcomponent. Wood treated with disodium octaborate tetrahydrate was gradually avoided over a period of several days,with termite foraging activity declining in tunnels in the vicinity of the treated wood, and increasing in portions of thearena containing untreated wood. Termite mortality did not occur in the vicinity of the treated wood, so the avoidancecannot be attributed to a necrophobic response. When the positions of borate-treated and untreated wood samples wereswitched in these studies, termites investigated the borate-treated samples in their new locations, followed by gradualavoidance. Termite return to the sites that had been previously occupied by borate-treated wood was very slow, andceased immediately when borate-treated samples were again placed in these same locations. Resources appear to bemapped within the established foraging network with respect to their acceptability.Key Words Coptotermes formosanus, subterranean termites, foraging, tunnelingProceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Urban PestsChow-Yang Lee and William H. Robinson (editors), 2005.Printed by Perniagaan Ph’ng @ P&Y Design Network, Malaysia.
Recent advances in brain tumor-targeted nano-drug delivery systems

Introduction: Brain tumors represent one of the most challenging and difficult areas in unmet medical needs. Fortunately, the past decade has seen momentous developments in brain tumor research in terms of brain tumor-targeted novel nano-drug delivery systems with significant important superiority over conventional formulations with respect to decreased toxicity and improved pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. Area covered: This review first introduces the characteristics of the two major obstacles in brain-tumor targeted delivery, blood–brain barrier (BBB) and blood–brain tumor barrier (BBTB), and then reviews recent advances in brain tumor-targeted novel nano-drug delivery systems according to their targeting strategies aimed at different stages of brain tumor development and growth. Expert opinion: Based on continuously changing vascular characteristics of brain tumors at different development and growth stages, we propose the concept of ‘whole-process targeting’ for brain tumor for nano-drug delivery systems, referring to a series of overall targeted drug delivery strategies aimed at key points during the whole development of brain tumors.
Evaluation of Microbial Aspects and Chemical Composition of Raw Beef Meat at Khartoum State

This study was conducted to evaluate the microbial aspects and chemical composition of raw beef meat collected randomly from markets located at Khartoum State (Khartoum, Khartoum north and Omdurman localities). Twenty samples for each locality were collected. Samples collected were kept in a sterilized container. Microbial examinations in terms of; Total Viable Bacterial Count (TVBC) and Salmonella were determined. In addition, chemical analysis in terms of; Protein, fat and ash content were examined. The obtained results revealed that, significant (P<0.05) differences were detected among samples from the different locations with regard to protein, fat and ash contents. Samples collected had protein content ranged between 17.27% and 19.95%. Samples had fat and ash contents with an average of and respectively. Samples collected had Total Viable Bacterial Count (TVBC) ranged between 4.83 and 7.88 log10cfu/g. It is worth mentioning that, samples under investigation were Salmonella free.
Myxoma Virus Protein M029 Is a Dual Function Immunomodulator that Inhibits PKR and Also Conscripts RHA/DHX9 to Promote Expanded Host Tropism and Viral Replication

Myxoma virus (MYXV)-encoded protein M029 is a member of the poxvirus E3 family of dsRNA-binding proteins that antagonize the cellular interferon signaling pathways. In order to investigate additional functions of M029, we have constructed a series of targeted M029-minus (vMyx-M029KO and vMyx-M029ID) and V5-tagged M029 MYXV. We found that M029 plays a pivotal role in determining the cellular tropism of MYXV in all mammalian cells tested. The M029-minus viruses were able to replicate only in engineered cell lines that stably express a complementing protein, such as vaccinia E3, but underwent abortive or abated infection in all other tested mammalian cell lines. The M029-minus viruses were dramatically attenuated in susceptible host European rabbits and caused no observable signs of myxomatosis. Using V5-tagged M029 virus, we observed that M029 expressed as an early viral protein is localized in both the nuclear and cytosolic compartments in virus-infected cells, and is also incorporated into virions. Using proteomic approaches, we have identified Protein Kinase R (PKR) and RNA helicase A (RHA)/DHX9 as two cellular binding partners of M029 protein. In virus-infected cells, M029 interacts with PKR in a dsRNA-dependent manner, while binding with DHX9 was not dependent on dsRNA. Significantly, PKR knockdown in human cells rescued the replication defect of the M029-knockout viruses. Unexpectedly, this rescue of M029-minus virus replication by PKR depletion could then be reversed by RHA/DHX9 knockdown in human monocytic THP1 cells. This indicates that M029 not only inhibits generic PKR anti-viral pathways, but also binds and conscripts RHA/DHX9 as a pro-viral effector to promote virus replication in THP1 cells. Thus, M029 is a critical host range and virulence factor for MYXV that is required for replication in all mammalian cells by antagonizing PKR-mediated anti-viral functions, and also conscripts pro-viral RHA/DHX9 to promote viral replication specifically in myeloid cells.
Finding a Tradeoff between Accuracy and Rater’s Workload in Grading Clustered Short Answers

n this paper we investigate the potential of answer clustering for semi-automatic scoring of short answer questions for German as a foreign language. We use surface features like word and character n-grams to cluster answers to listening comprehension exercises per question and simulate having human graders only label one answer per cluster and then propagating this label to all other members of the cluster. We investigate various ways to select this single item to be labeled and find that choosing the item closest to the centroid of a cluster leads to improved (simulated) grading accuracy over random item selection. Averaged over all questions, we can reduce a teachers workload to labeling only 40% of all different answers for a question, while still maintaining a grading accuracy of more than 85%.
Integrated density of states and Wegner estimates for random Schr

We survey recent results on spectral properties of random Schro- dinger operators. The focus is set on the integrated density of states (IDS). First we present a proof of the existence of a self-averaging IDS which is general enough to be applicable to random Schrodinger and Laplace-Beltrami opera- tors on manifolds. Subsequently we study more specific models in Euclidean space, namely of alloy type, and concentrate on the regularity properties of the IDS. We discuss the role of the integrated density of states and its reg- ularity properties for the spectral analysis of random Schrodinger operators, particularly in relation to localisation. Proofs of the central results are given in detail. Whenever there are alternative proofs, the different approaches are compared.
A Comparative Experimental Study of the In-vitro Efficiency of Hypertonic Saline-Enhanced Hepatic Bipolar and Monopolar Radiofrequency Ablation

Objective To compare the in-vitro efficiency of a hypertonic saline (HS)-enhanced bipolar radiofrequency (RF) system with monopolar RF applications by assessing the temperature profile and dimensions of RF-created coagulation necrosis in bovine liver. Materials and Methods A total of 27 ablations were performed in explanted bovine livers. After placement of two 16-gauge open-perfused electrodes at an interelectrode distance of 3 cm, 5% HS was instilled into tissue at a rate of 1 mL/min through the electrode. Seventeen thermal ablation zones were created in the monopolar mode (groups A, B), and ten more were created using the two open-perfused electrodes in the bipolar mode (group C). RF was applied to each electrode for 5 mins (for a total of 10 mins, group A) or 10 mins (for a total of 20 mins, group B) at 50W in the sequential monopolar mode, or to both electrodes for 10 min in the bipolar mode (group C). During RF instillation, we measured tissue temperature at the midpoint between the two electrodes. The dimensions of the thermal ablation zones and changes in impedance and wattage during RFA were compared between the groups. Results With open-perfusion electrodes, the mean accumulated energy output value was lower in the bipolar mode (group C: 26675 ± 3047 Watt·s) than in the monopolar mode (group A: 28778 ± 1300 Watt·s) but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In the bipolar mode, there were impedance rises of more than 700 Ω during RF energy application, but in the monopolar modes, impedance did not changed markedly. In the bipolar mode, however, the temperature at the mid-point between the two probes was higher (85℃) than in the monopolar modes (65℃, 80℃ for group A, B, respectively) (p < 0.05). In addition, in HS-enhanced bipolar RFA (group C), the shortest diameter at the midpoint between the two electrodes was greater than in either of the monopolar modes: 5.4 ± 5.6 mm (group A); 28.8 ± 8.2 mm (group B); 31.2 ± 7.6 mm (group C) (p < 0.05) Conclusion Using an open perfusion system, HS-enhanced bipolar RFA more efficiently created larger areas of thermal ablation and higher tissue temperatures than monopolar RFA.
Plasticity, Canalization, and Developmental Stability of the Drosophila Wing: Joint Effects of Mutations and Developmental Temperature

The phenotypic effects of genetic and environmental manipulations have been rarely investigated simultaneously. In addition to phenotypic plasticity, their effect on the amount and directions of genetic and phenotypic variation is of particular evolutionary importance because these constitute the material for natural selection. Here, we used heterozygous insertional mutations of 16 genes involved in the formation of the Drosophila wing. The flies were raised at two developmental temperatures (18°C and 28°C). Landmark-based geometric morphometries was used to analyze the variation of the wing size and shape at different hierarchical levels: among genotypes and temperatures; among individuals within group; and fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Our results show that (1) the phenotypic effects of the mutations depend on temperature; (2) reciprocally, most mutations affect wing plasticity; (3) both temperature and mutations modify the levels of FA and of among individuals variation within lines. Remarkably, the patterns of shape FA seem unaffected by temperature whereas those associated with individual variation are systematically altered. By modifying the direction of available phenotypic variation, temperature might thus directly affect the potential for further evolution. It suggests as well that the developmental processes responsible for developmental stability and environmental canalization might be partially distinct.
An Orientation Map for Disparity-Defined Edges in Area V4

Binocular disparity information is an important source of 3D perception. Neurons sensitive to binocular disparity are found in almost all major visual areas in nonhuman primates. In area V4, disparity processes are suggested for the purposes of 3D-shape representation and fine disparity perception. However, whether neurons in V4 are sensitive to disparity-defined edges used in shape representation is not clear. Additionally, a functional organization for disparity edges has not been demonstrated so far. With intrinsic signal optical imaging, we studied functional organization for disparity edges in the monkey visual areas V1, V2, and V4. We found that there is an orientation map in V4 activated by edges purely defined by binocular disparity. This map is consistent with the orientation map obtained with regular luminance-defined edges, indicating a cue-invariant edge representation in this area. In contrast, such a map is much weaker in V2 and totally absent in V1. These findings reveal a hierarchical processing of 3D shape along the ventral pathway and the important role that V4 plays in shape-from-disparity detection.
PROT: Productive regions oriented task space path planning for hyper-redundant manipulators

In this paper we propose a novel efficient sampling bias technique to improve the performance of a task space trajectory planner for hyper-redundant manipulators. We defines productive regions in the task space as a set of states that can lead effectively to a goal state. We first compute a maximum reachable area (MRA) where a robot can reach from the node by an employed local planner for a node in the task space. When the MRA of a node contains the goal state, we call it promising and bias our sampling to cover promising MRAs. When the MRA does not contain the goal state, we call it unpromising and construct a detour sampling domain for detouring operations from obstacles constraining the manipulator. The union of promising MRAs and detour sampling domains approximates our productive regions, and we bias our sampling to cover these domains more. We have applied our Productive Regions Oriented Task space planner (PROT) to various types of robots in R2 task space and achieved up to 3.54 times improvement over the state-of-the-art task space planner. We have additionally verified the benefits of our method by applying it to cabled mobile robot planning.
Notice of RetractionRed-Blue-Yellow Cherries is NP-Complete

In two player games players are in conflict to each other and coalitions are not allowed but in three-player games two players can join their efforts against the third player. As a result, cooperation is a key-factor that deeply affects the complexity of three-player games. In the game of Red-Blue Cherries, cooperation can be much more difficult than competition and, as a consequence, Red-Blue-Yellow Cherries played on a set of rows is NP-complete.
Influence of bentonite on trace element kinetics in rats

The e ffect of dietary bentonite on uptake and ditribution of radioiron given intragastrically was examined in the c arcass and selected organs of rats. Feeding a bentonite fortified d iet resulted in an increase in iron absorption in the ca rcass and organs (except for spleen) within a 28-day period postdosing.
Privacy as an asset

Many attempts to define privacy have been made over the last century. Early definitions and theories of privacy had little to do with the concept of information and, when they did, only in an informal sense. With the advent of information technology, the question of a precise and universally acceptable definition of privacy in this new domain became an urgent issue as legal and business problems regarding privacy started to accrue. In this paper, I propose a definition of informational privacy that is simple, yet strongly tied with the concepts of information and property. Privacy thus defined is similar to intellectual property and should receive commensurate legal protection.
Earliest sedimentological evidence for marine ingressions in the eastern North American rift system, Central Atlantic Margin

A current debate concerns the timing and dynamics of marine ingression into the rift basins of the Central Atlantic Margin. Two scenarios of evolution are hypothesized for Late Norian to Rhaetian paleogeographic reconstructions: (i) marine ingression leading to salt generation through evaporation of seawater, or (ii) salt generation through groundwater evaporation within basins located far from marine influence. These hypotheses remain unproven. Along the northern margin of the Central Atlantic Margin, the so-called eastern North American rift system, the dolostone-dominated Iroquois Formation is the first unequivocal evidence of marine-influenced sedimentation. Age of this unit is not consensual, but it is dated as Early to Middle Jurassic. Our investigation of two cores (assumed here to be of Rhaetian age) from the Eurydice Formation in the Scotian and Orpheus basins provides the first convincing sedimentological evidence of Late Triassic marine ingressions into the eastern North American rift system. This was likely contemporaneous with the main transgressive events recorded in Western Europe. Evidence suggests the studied interval of Eurydice Formation was deposited by tide-dominated processes, possibly in an estuarine or deltaic environment. This work challenges the vison of a linear evolution of Central Atlantic Margin basins during the early stages of continental break-up and rifting; instead this story seems to be punctuated by marked and recurring changes in the depositional environments. Our findings have far reaching implications for the understanding of Triassic–Jurassic paleogeography and paleoclimates, biological evolution, and resources exploration. Additionally, these findings may have regional consideration for the development of major marine evaporite buildups and the timing of initial marine ingression during rift basin development. LITHOSPHERE; v. 10; no. 6; p. 783–791 | Published online 11 October 2018 https://doi.org/10.1130/L713.1
Supervillin modulation of focal adhesions involving TRIP6/ZRP-1

Cell–substrate contacts, called focal adhesions (FAs), are dynamic in rapidly moving cells. We show that supervillin (SV)—a peripheral membrane protein that binds myosin II and F-actin in such cells—negatively regulates stress fibers, FAs, and cell–substrate adhesion. The major FA regulatory sequence within SV (SV342-571) binds to the LIM domains of two proteins in the zyxin family, thyroid receptor–interacting protein 6 (TRIP6) and lipoma-preferred partner (LPP), but not to zyxin itself. SV and TRIP6 colocalize within large FAs, where TRIP6 may help recruit SV. RNAi-mediated decreases in either protein increase cell adhesion to fibronectin. TRIP6 partially rescues SV effects on stress fibers and FAs, apparently by mislocating SV away from FAs. Thus, SV interactions with TRIP6 at FAs promote loss of FA structure and function. SV and TRIP6 binding partners suggest several specific mechanisms through which the SV–TRIP6 interaction may regulate FA maturation and/or disassembly.