Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of rearing host species on the host-feeding capacity and parasitism of the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia formosa

Abstract Parasitoids of the Encarsia genus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) are important biological control agents against whiteflies. Some of the species in this genus not only parasitize their hosts, but also kill them through host feeding. The whitefly parasitoid, Encarsia formosa Gahan, was examined to determine whether the rearing host species affects its subsequent host-feeding capacity and parasitism. E. formosa wasps were reared on Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) ‘Q’, and their subsequent host-feeding capacity and parasitism of T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci were examined. E. formosa reared on T. vaporariorum were significantly larger in body size than those reared on B. tabaci, but these wasps killed a similar number of whitefly nymphs by host feeding when they attacked the same host species on which they were reared. Regardless of the species on which it was reared, E. formosa fed significantly more on the B. tabaci nymphs than on the T. vaporariorum nymphs. The number of whitefly nymphs parasitized by E. formosa differed between the wasps reared on T. vaporariorum and those reared on B. tabaci depending on which whitefly species was offered as a host. In addition, the wasps reared on T. vaporariorum parasitized significantly more on T. vaporariorum than those reared on B. tabaci. The wasps reared on B. tabaci, however, parasitized similar numbers of whiteflies of both host species. The results indicated that the host-feeding capacity of E. formosa was affected more by the host species attacked than by the rearing host species, but the parasitism was affected by the host species attacked and the rearing host species. Generally, E. formosa reared on T. vaporariorum killed more T. vaporariorum nymphs by parasitism and host feeding than those reared on B. tabaci. Additionally, a similar number of B. tabaci nymphs were killed by parasitism and host feeding regardless of the rearing host species. Currently coexistence of B. tabaci and T. vaporariorum on vegetable crops usually occurs in some areas; our results may provide helpful information on using mass-reared parasitoids against mixed whitefly infestations in biological control programs.
Chronic activation of brain areas by high-sodium diet in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

To map changes in neuronal activity in the brains of Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) vs. salt-resistant (Dahl R) rats by high-sodium diet, we used immunohistochemical detection of Fra-like proteins as a marker for long-term neuronal activation. Compared with Dahl R rats during regular sodium intake, Dahl S rats showed modestly higher expression of Fra-like immunoreactivity (Fra-LI) in the supraoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamic area (AHA), central gray, and nucleus of solitary tract (NTS) at 5, 6, and 9 wk of age but clearly elevated Fra-LI in the magnocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) at 6 wk of age (but not at 5 and 9 wk). In the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) Fra-LI was lower at 9 wk of age and no differences were observed in the parvocellular PVN and subfornical organ in Dahl S vs. Dahl R rats on regular sodium intake. Compared with Dahl S rats on a regular-sodium diet, Dahl S rats on a high-sodium diet from 4 to 9 wk of age had significantly increased blood pressure and experienced transient activation of magnocellular PVN and MnPO and virtually no changes in the activity of the parvocellular PVN, AHA, and NTS. In contrast, Dahl R rats showed marked activation in the magnocellular PVN after 1 and 2 wk on a high-sodium diet compared with Dahl R rats on a regular-sodium diet. The present study demonstrates that Dahl S rats show differential activation of brain areas participating in regulation of osmotic and cardiovascular homeostasis during development of sodium-sensitive hypertension.
Heparin binding domain of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-5 stimulates mesangial cell migration.

Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) is produced by mesangial cells (MCs) and likely functions to modulate glomerular IGF-I activity. Although IGFBP-5 may be inhibitory for IGF-stimulated MC activity, preliminary studies suggested that IGFBP-5 acts directly on MCs. To investigate this further, we evaluated the effects of IGFBP-5 on rat MC migration. We found that the carboxy-truncated fragment, IGFBP-5-(1-169), inhibited IGF-I-stimulated migration, but intact IGFBP-5 simulated migration when IGF-I was not present. Demonstration that125I-labeled IGFBP-5 directly binds to MCs further supports an independent role for IGFBP-5. Because heparin inhibited MC binding of125I-IGFBP-5, we tested the heparin binding peptide, IGFBP-5-(201-218), for stimulatory activity. IGFBP-5-(201-218) stimulated MC migration, and this effect was inhibited by heparin. Because the disintegrin, kistrin, blocked IGF-I-induced migration but not migration induced by IGFBP-5-(201-218), the migratory induction mechanism for the two peptides is different. These data indicate that separate, specific regions of IGFBP-5 are responsible for interactive effects with IGF-I as well as direct effects on MC activity.
Meet the Frumbles: a post-digital toy orchestra

"Meet the Frumbles" is a group of felt robotic characters that talk amongst themselves and interact with the audience. Empathy, cuteness and gags are explored as communicational facilitators and ludic interaction between a felt robot creature's orchestra and its human conductor. Creative coding using computer vision, electronic prototyping and physical actuators was used to implement the autonomous physical existence, sensing and behavior of creatures.
Spectrum Reservation Contract Design in TV White Space Networks

In this paper, we study a broker-based TV white space market, where unlicensed white space devices (WSDs) purchase white space spectrum from TV licensees via a third-party geo-location database (DB), which serves as a spectrum broker, reserving spectrum from TV licensees and then reselling the reserved spectrum to WSDs. We propose a contract-theoretic framework for the database's spectrum reservation under demand stochasticity and information asymmetry. In such a framework, the database offers a set of contract items in the form of reservation amount and the corresponding payment, and each WSD chooses the best contract item based on its private information. We systematically study the optimal reservation contract design (that maximizes the database's expected profit) under two different risk-bearing schemes: DB-bearing-risk and WSD-bearing-risk, depending on who (the database or the WSDs) will bear the risk of over reservation. Counter-intuitively, we show that the optimal contract under DB-bearing-risk leads to a higher profit for the database and a higher total network profit. Our numerical results show that the proposed optimal spectrum reservation contract improves the total network profit up to 5%, compared with the scheme without information sharing.
Epigenetic biomarkers associated with antitumour necrosis factor drug response in moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis

It has recently been discovered that epigenetic modifications, specially DNA methylation, participates in the pathology of psoriasis. DNA methylation is a covalent modification dynamic and heritable that takes place in Cytosine-Phosphate-Guanine (CpG) sites and may exert transcriptional effects. Although anti-tumour necrosis factor α (TNF) therapies (adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab) are efficient drugs for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, around 30–50% of psoriasis patients present an inadequate response. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Junctional Adhesion Molecules (JAMs): The JAM-Integrin Connection

Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) are cell surface adhesion receptors of the immunoglobulin superfamily. JAMs are involved in a variety of biological processes both in the adult organism but also during development. These include processes such as inflammation, angiogenesis, hemostasis, or epithelial barrier formation, but also developmental processes such as hematopoiesis, germ cell development, and development of the nervous system. Several of these functions of JAMs depend on a physical and functional interaction with integrins. The JAM – integrin interactions in trans regulate cell-cell adhesion, their interactions in cis regulate signaling processes originating at the cell surface. The JAM – integrin interaction can regulate the function of the JAM as well as the function of the integrin. Beyond the physical interaction with integrins, JAMs can regulate integrin function through intracellular signaling indicating an additional level of JAM – integrin cross-talk. In this review, we describe the various levels of the functional interplay between JAMs and integrins and the role of this interplay during different physiological processes.
Synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in rats with oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema and effect of exogenous pulmonary surfactant on its De Novo synthesis

In mammals, oleic acid (OA) induces pulmonary edema (PE), which can initiate acute lung injury (ALI) and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Pulmonary surfactant (PS) plays a key role in a broad range of treatments for ARDS. The aim of the present investigation was to assess changes in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) from choline and determine the effect of exogenous PS on its de novo synthesis in rats with OA-induced PE. Experimental rats were randomized into three groups, including a control group, OA-induced PE group, and OA-induced group treated with exogenous PS (OA-PS). Twenty-four rats were sacrificed 4 h after induction of the OA model, and tissue was examined by light and electron microscopy to assess the severity of ALI using an established scoring system at the end of the experiment. After 15 μCi 3H-choline chloride was injected intravenously, eight rats in each group were sacrificed at 4, 8, and 16 h. The radioactivity of 3H incorporated into total phospholipid (TPL) and desaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) was measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue (LT) using a liquid scintillation counter and was expressed as counts per minute (CPM). Results showed that TPL, DSPC, and the ratio of DSPC/total protein (TP) in lung tissue decreased 4 h after challenge with OA, but the levels recovered after 8 and 16 h. At 8 h after injection, 3H-TPL and 3H-DSPC radioactivity in the lungs reached its peak. Importantly, 3H-DSPC CPM were significantly lower in the PS treatment group (LT: Control: 62327 ± 9108; OA-PE: 97315 ± 10083; OA-PS: 45127 ± 10034, P < 0.05; BALF: Control: 7771 ± 1768; OA-PE: 8097 ± 1799; OA-PE: 3651 ± 1027, P < 0.05). Furthermore, DSPC secretory rate (SR) in the lungs was significantly lower in the PS treatment group at 4 h after injection (Control: 0.014 ± 0.003; OA-PE: 0.011 ± 0.004; OA-PS: 0.023 ± 0.006, P < 0.05). Therefore, we hypothesize that exogenous PS treatments may adversely affect endogenous de novo synthetic and secretory phospholipid pathways via feedback inhibition. This novel finding reveals the specific involvement of exogenous PS in endogenous synthetic and secretory phospholipid pathways during the treatment of ARDS. This information improves our understanding of how PS treatment is beneficial against ARDS and opens new opportunities for expanding its use.
Testosterone injection stimulates net protein synthesis but not tissue amino acid transport.

Testosterone administration (T) increases lean body mass and muscle protein synthesis. We investigated the effects of short-term T on leg muscle protein kinetics and transport of selected amino acids by use of a model based on arteriovenous sampling and muscle biopsy. Fractional synthesis (FSR) and breakdown (FBR) rates of skeletal muscle protein were also directly calculated. Seven healthy men were studied before and 5 days after intramuscular injection of 200 mg of testosterone enanthate. Protein synthesis increased twofold after injection ( P < 0.05), whereas protein breakdown was unchanged. FSR and FBR calculations were in accordance, because FSR increased twofold ( P < 0.05) without a concomitant change in FBR. Net balance between synthesis and breakdown became more positive with both methodologies ( P< 0.05) and was not different from zero. T injection increased arteriovenous essential and nonessential nitrogen balance across the leg ( P < 0.05) in the fasted state, without increasing amino acid transport. Thus T administration leads to an increased net protein synthesis and reutilization of intracellular amino acids in skeletal muscle.
REED: A Reliable Energy-Efficient RAID

Recent studies indicate that the energy cost and carbon footprint of data centers have become exorbitant. It is a demanding and challenging task to reduce energy consumption in large-scale storage systems in modern data centers. Most energy conservation techniques inevitably have adverse impacts on parallel disk systems. To address the reliability issues of energy-efficient parallel disks, we propose a reliable energy-efficient RAID system called REED, which aims at improving both energy efficiency and reliability of RAID systems by seamlessly integrating HDDs and SSDs. At the heart of REED is a high-performance cache mechanism powered by SSDs, which are serving popular data. Under light workload conditions, REED spins down HDDs into the low-power mode, thereby offering energy conservation. Importantly, during an I/O access turbulence (i.e., I/O load is dynamically and frequently changing), REED is conducive to reducing the number of disk power-state transitions by keeping HDDs in the low-power mode while serving requests with SSDs. We build a model to quantitatively show that REED is capable of improving the reliability of energy-efficient RAIDs. We implement the REED prototype in a real-world RAID-0 system. Our experimental results demonstrate that REED improves the energy-efficiency of conventional RAID-0 by up to 73% while maintaining good reliability.
Species Dynamics in Phytoplankton Blooms: Incomplete Mixing and Competition for Light

With the eutrophication of many freshwaters and coastal environments, phytoplankton blooms have become a common phenomenon. This article uses a reaction‐diffusion model to investigate the implications of mixing processes for the dynamics and species composition of phytoplankton blooms. The model identifies four key parameters for bloom development: incident light intensity, background turbidity, water column depth, and turbulent mixing rates. The model predicts that the turbulent mixing rate is a major determinant of the species composition of phytoplankton blooms. In well‐mixed environments, the species with lowest “critical light intensity” should become dominant. But at low mixing rates, the species with lowest critical light intensity is displaced if other species obtain a better position in the light gradient. Instead of a gradual change in species composition, the model predicts steep transitions between the dominance regions of the various species. The model predicts a low species diversity: phytoplankton blooms in eutrophic environments should be dominated by one or a few species only. The model predictions are consistent with laboratory competition experiments and many existing field data. We recommend examining competition in phytoplankton blooms under well‐controlled laboratory conditions, and we derive scaling rules that facilitate translation from the laboratory to the field.
Gender Nonconformity, Homophobic Peer Victimization, and Mental Health: How Same-Sex Attraction and Biological Sex Matter

We assessed whether homophobic name-calling accounts for the relationship between gender nonconformity and mental health (social anxiety and psychological distress) in a sample of 1,026 Dutch adolescents (boys: n = 517) ages 11 to 16 (M age = 13.4). We also explored whether this hypothesized mediation differs by sexual attraction and biological sex. Data were collected by means of paper-and-pencil questionnaires at five secondary schools located in urban areas in the Netherlands. Mediation analysis indicated that gender nonconformity was related to both social anxiety and psychological distress partially via homophobic name-calling. Moderated mediation analysis further showed that the mediating role of homophobic name-calling varied according to levels of same-sex attraction (SSA) and biological sex. The mediation effects increased in magnitude when levels of SSA increased and were significant only for adolescents with mean and high levels of SSA. The mediation effects were significant for boys and girls in general, although the mediation effects were stronger for boys than for girls. Our findings emphasize the importance of research and school-level interventions to focus on factors that promote acceptance of cross-gender behavior among adolescents.
Development and validation of a shared decision‐making instrument for health‐related quality of life one year after total hip replacement based on quality registries data

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Clinicians considering improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after total hip replacement (THR) must account for multiple pieces of information. Evidence-based decisions are important to best assess the effect of THR on HRQoL. This work aims at constructing a shared decision-making tool that helps clinicians assessing the future benefits of THR by offering predictions of 1-year postoperative HRQoL of THR patients. METHODS We used data from the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Register. Data from 2008 were used as training set and data from 2009 to 2012 as validation set. We adopted two approaches. First, we assumed a continuous distribution for the EQ-5D index and modelled the postoperative EQ-5D index with regression models. Second, we modelled the five dimensions of the EQ-5D and weighted together the predictions using the UK Time Trade-Off value set. As predictors, we used preoperative EQ-5D dimensions and the EQ-5D index, EQ visual analogue scale, visual analogue scale pain, Charnley classification, age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists, surgical approach and prosthesis type. Additionally, the tested algorithms were combined in a single predictive tool by stacking. RESULTS Best predictive power was obtained by the multivariate adaptive regression splines (R2 = 0.158). However, this was not significantly better than the predictive power of linear regressions (R2 = 0.157). The stacked model had a predictive power of 17%. CONCLUSIONS Successful implementation of a shared decision-making tool that can aid clinicians and patients in understanding expected improvement in HRQoL following THR would require higher predictive power than we achieved. For a shared decision-making tool to succeed, further variables, such as socioeconomics, need to be considered.
Belatacept Combined With Transient Calcineurin Inhibitor Therapy Prevents Rejection and Promotes Improved Long‐Term Renal Allograft Function

Belatacept, a T cell costimulation blocker, demonstrated superior renal function, lower cardiovascular risk, and improved graft and patient survival in renal transplant recipients. Despite the potential benefits, adoption of belatacept has been limited in part due to concerns regarding higher rates and grades of acute rejection in clinical trials. Since July 2011, we have utilized belatacept‐based immunosuppression regimens in clinical practice. In this retrospective analysis of 745 patients undergoing renal transplantation at our center, we compared patients treated with belatacept (n = 535) with a historical cohort receiving a tacrolimus‐based protocol (n = 205). Patient and graft survival were equivalent for all groups. An increased rate of acute rejection was observed in an initial cohort treated with a protocol similar to the low‐intensity regimen from the BENEFIT trial versus the historical tacrolimus group (50.5% vs. 20.5%). The addition of a transient course of tacrolimus reduced rejection rates to acceptable levels (16%). Treatment with belatacept was associated with superior estimated GFR (belatacept 63.8 mL/min vs. tacrolimus 46.2 mL/min at 4 years, p < 0.0001). There were no differences in serious infections including rates of cytomegalovirus or BK viremia. We describe the development of a costimulatory blockade‐based strategy that ultimately allows renal transplant recipients to achieve calcineurin inhibitor–free immunosuppression.
Effects of 6% Tetrastarch and Lactated Ringer's Solution on Extravascular Lung Water and Markers of Acute Renal Injury in Hemorrhaged, Isoflurane‐Anesthetized Healthy Dogs

Background Tetrastarch can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in humans with sepsis, but less likely to result in tissue edema than lactated Ringer's solution (LRS). Objectives Compare effects of volume replacement (VR) with LRS and 6% tetrastarch solution (TS) on extravascular lung water (EVLW) and markers of AKI in hemorrhaged dogs. Animals Six healthy English Pointer dogs (19.7–35.3 kg). Methods Prospective crossover study. Animals underwent anesthesia without hemorrhage (Control). Two weeks later, dogs hemorrhaged under anesthesia on 2 occasions (8‐week washout intervals) and randomly received VR with LRS or TS at 3 : 1 or 1 : 1 of shed blood, respectively. Anesthesia was maintained until 4 hour after VR for EVLW measurements derived from transpulmonary thermodilution cardiac output. Neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) and creatinine concentrations in plasma and urine were measured until 72 hour after VR. Results The EVLW index (mL/kg) was lower at 1 hour after TS (10.0 ± 1.9) in comparison with controls (11.9 ± 3.4, P = 0.04), and at 4 hour after TS (9.7 ± 1.9) in comparison with LRS (11.8 ± 2.7, P = 0.03). Arterial oxygen partial pressure‐to‐inspired oxygen fraction ratio did not differ among treatments from 0.5 to 4 hour after VR. Urine NGAL/creatinine ratio did not differ among treatments and remained below threshold for AKI (120,000 pg/mg). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although TS causes less EVLW accumulation than LRS, neither fluid produced evidence of lung edema (impaired oxygenation). Both fluids appear not to cause AKI when used for VR after hemorrhage in healthy nonseptic dogs.
Vagal modulation of heart rate during exercise: effects of age and physical fitness.

This study was designed to assess the effects of age and physical fitness on vagal modulation of heart rate (HR) during exercise by analyzing the instantaneous R-R interval variability from Poincaré plots (SD1) at rest and at different phases of a bicycle exercise test in a population of healthy males. SD1 normalized for the average R-R interval (SD1n), a measure of vagal activity, was compared at rest and during exercise among subjects of ages 24-34 (young, n = 25), 35-46 (middle-aged, n = 30), and 47-64 yr (old, n = 25) matched for peak O2 consumption (V˙o 2 peak) and among subjects withV˙o 2 peak of 28-37 (poor, n = 25), 38-45 (average, n = 36), and 46-60 ml ⋅ kg-1 ⋅ min-1(good, n = 25) matched for age. SD1n was higher at rest in the young subjects than in the middle-aged or old subjects (39 ± 14, 27 ± 16, and 21 ± 8, respectively; P < 0.001), but the age-related differences in SD1n were smaller during exercise [e.g., 11 ± 5, 9 ± 5, and 8 ± 4 at the level of 100 W; P = not significant (NS)]. The age-matched subjects with good, average, and poor V˙o 2 peakshowed no difference in SD1n at rest (32 ± 17, 28 ± 13, and 26 ± 11, respectively; P = NS), but SD1n differed significantly among the groups from a low to a moderate exercise intensity level (e.g., 13 ± 6, 10 ± 5, and 6 ± 3 for good, average, and poor fitness groups, respectively; P < 0.001, 100 W). These data show that poor physical fitness is associated with an impairment of cardiac vagal function during exercise, whereas aging itself results in more evident impairment of vagal function at rest.