Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Mosquito Larval Habitats and Assessment of Insecticide-Resistance Status of Anopheles gambiae senso lato in Urban Areas in Southwestern Ghana

ABSTRACT: The study was carried out to characterize potential larval habitats in the city of Sekondi with the aim of assessing the relative importance of anthropogenic and natural water bodies as larval habitats. Insecticide-resistance status of Anopheles gambiae senso lato in the southwestern part of the coastal savannah zone in Ghana was also assessed against four different classes of insecticides. Larval surveys were carried out in two communities that are separated by a lagoon. Although the lagoon was a potential mosquito larval habitat, we showed that it was not an important mosquito breeding site. The major larval habitats were anthropogenic, resulting from human behavior. Some of the organically polluted breeding sites were inhabited by both An. gambiae s.l. and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. The data also showed that An. gambiae s.l. has currently developed a strong resistance to DDT and pyrethroid insecticides in southwestern Ghana, where the species was reported to be susceptible about a decade ago. The use of insecticides in households was implicated as a possible cause of the development of resistance among An. gambiae s.l. populations in the area. The management of insecticide resistance among malaria vectors needs urgent attention if insecticide-treated materials can continue to be used for malaria control.
Maximum Likelihood Active Contours Specialized for Mammography Segmentation

we present a region-based active contour approach to segmenting masses in digital mammograms. The algorithm developed in a Maximum Likelihood approach is based on the calculation of the statistics of the inner and the outer regions (defined by the contour). The Poisson distribution that has been deemed in the past adequate for modeling mammograms is applied as the probability density function. The Poisson distribution parameters are assumed unknown and are also estimated by the algorithm. We evaluate the performance of the algorithm on real mammographic images, given from the digital database for screening mammography (DDSM). The quantitative validation results demonstrate an average segmentation accuracy of 81% for 100 test images using the presented method.
Complex regulation of CCR9 at multiple discrete stages of T cell development

We have conducted a comprehensive assessment of CCR9 expression and function at the important milestone stages of murine thymocyte development. We reveal an unusually complex regulatory pattern, in which CCR9 influences T cell development at several widely dispersed stages. We find that CCR9 is not expressed within the thymus until the double‐negative (DN)3 stage, although it appears to contribute to T cell precursor development prior to residence in the thymus. CCR9 expression is influenced by pre‐T cell receptor signals, and is dramatically up‐regulated in a population that appears to be transitional between the DN4 and double‐positive stages. In the periphery, functional CCR9 is expressed by all naive CD8 T cells, but not by naive CD4 T cells. To our knowledge, this latter finding is the first difference observed in homing receptor expression between naive lymphocyte populations. This suggests that naive CD8 T cells might have access to lymphoid microenvironments from which naive CD4 T cells are excluded.
Decision‐Making, Psychological Dimensions of Foreign Policy

Social scientists have long looked to psychology to help understand and explain political decision - making. Sometimes psychological principles have been imported into theories of world politics (e.g., Morgenthau ’ s notion of man ’ s “ urge to dominate ” ), but more often such inquiry has taken the form of the study of individual and group decision - making. This subfi eld has varied over the years in its methods (from “ process tracing ” and qualitative analysis to experimental methods, and virtually everything in between) and in the focus of its attentions. As a result, a comprehensive review would fi ll several books. This article should therefore not be considered a complete review of the fi eld of foreign policy decision - making (hereafter, FPDM). Rather, it is a sample of some of the more persuasive and interesting avenues of research that have been prominent in recent years. It is hoped that this
Hybrid file system

As density doubles with the rapidly dropping price each year for the past seven years (currently 32 Gbits/chip), NAND flash memory has virtually replaced HDDs (hard disk drives) in battery-operated consumer devices such as cellular phones, PMPs, and PDAs. This trend has also enabled the introduction of so-called flash memory SSDs (solid state disks) that has an interface identical to that of HDDs but use NAND flash memory inside as storage media. The ordinary filesystems designed for HDDs are no longer suitable for SSDs because SSDs have many different features from HDDs. We designed a hybrid filesystem, called HybridFS, that uses two kinds of storages - HDDs and SSDs. This is accomplished by distributing data into two partitions based on the data type. In HybridFS, data blocks of files are stored in a data partition in HDDs, while metadata being stored in the metadata partition of SSDs. Separating data into the different storage type of disk partitions makes it possible to produce high I/O performance by taking appropriate I/O approach, according to the data characteristics.
Impact of insecticide interventions on the abundance and resistance profile of Aedes aegypti

SUMMARY Insecticide-based vector control is the primary strategy for curtailing dengue transmission. We used a mathematical model of the seasonal population dynamics of the dengue mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, both to assess the effectiveness of insecticide interventions on reducing adult mosquito abundance and to predict evolutionary trajectories of insecticide resistance. We evaluated interventions that target larvae, adults, or both. We found that larval control and adult control using ultra-low-volume insecticide applications can reduce adult mosquito abundance with effectiveness that depends on the frequency of applications. We also found that year-long continuous larval control and adult control, using either insecticide treatment of surfaces and materials or lethal ovitraps, imposed the greatest selection for resistance. We demonstrated that combined targeting of larvae and adults at the start of the dengue season is optimal. This intervention contrasts with year-long continuous larval control policies adopted in settings in which dengue transmission occurs.
A Practical Implementation of the Gibbs Sampler for Mixture of Distributions : Application to the Determination of Specifications in Food Industry

This article, mainly targeted to practitioners, illustrates practical issues that may arise when applying MCMC technics to a mixture of distributions model on real data. This data is provided by coffee manufacturer to determine specifications for soluble coffee. Assuming a known number of components, parameters of each component are estimated using the Gibbs sampler and specifications are derived as the 99% quantile of the first distribution. Convergence and label-switching are discussed. Determination of the number of components is also considered, via model selection using the Bayes Factors.
High‐resolution cell outline segmentation and tracking from phase‐contrast microscopy images

Accurate extraction of cell outlines from microscopy images is essential for analysing the dynamics of migrating cells. Phase‐contrast microscopy is one of the most common and convenient imaging modalities for observing cell motility because it does not require exogenous labelling and uses only moderate light levels with generally negligible phototoxicity effects. Automatic extraction and tracking of high‐resolution cell outlines from phase‐contrast images, however, is difficult due to complex and non‐uniform edge intensity. We present a novel image‐processing method based on refined level‐set segmentation for accurate extraction of cell outlines from high‐resolution phase‐contrast images. The algorithm is validated on synthetic images of defined noise levels and applied to real image sequences of polarizing and persistently migrating keratocyte cells. We demonstrate that the algorithm is able to reliably reveal fine features in the cell edge dynamics.
Self-injurious behaviors : assessment and treatment

Introduction. Self-injurious behaviors: phenomenology and assessment. Stereotypic self-injurious behaviors: neurobiology and psychopharmacology. Psychotic self-injurious behaviors: phenomenology, neurobiology, and treatment. Compulsive self-injurious behaviors: neurobiology and psychopharmacology. Psychotherapies for compulsive self-injurious behaviors. Impulsive self-injurious behaviors: neurobiology and psychopharmacology. Dialectical behavior therapy for impulsive self-injurious behaviors. Psychodynamic theory and treatment of impulsive self-injurious behaviors. Index.
A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study evaluating the time course of response to methylphenidate hydrochloride extended-release capsules in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the time of onset and time course of efficacy over 12.0 hours of extended-release multilayer bead formulation of methylphenidate (MPH-MLR) compared with placebo in children 6-12 years of age with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a laboratory school setting. METHODS This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study included children 6-12 years of age with ADHD. Enrolled children went through four study phases: 1) Screening period (≤4 weeks) and a 2 day medication washout period; 2) open-label period with dose initiation of MPH-MLR 15 mg daily and individual dose optimization treatment period (2-4 weeks); 3) double-blind crossover period in which participants were randomized to sequences (1 week each) of placebo and the optimized MPH-MLR dose given daily; and 4) follow-up safety call. Analog classroom time course evaluations were performed at the end of each double-blind week. The primary efficacy end-point was the mean of the on-treatment/postdose Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn, and Pelham (SKAMP)-Total scores over time points collected 1.0-12.0 hours after dosing. End-points were evaluated using a mixed-effects analysis of covariance. RESULTS The evaluable population included 20 participants. The least-squares mean postdose SKAMP-Total score was higher for placebo than for MPH-MLR (2.18 vs. 1.32, respectively; p=0.0001), indicating fewer symptoms with MPH-MLR therapy than with placebo. No difference in SKAMP-Total score between participants who received sequence 1 or sequence 2 was noted. From each of hours 1.0-12.0, least-squares mean SKAMP-Total score was significantly lower for those receiving MPH-MLR than for those receiving placebo (p≤0.0261). Neither serious adverse events nor new or unexpected safety findings were noted during the study. CONCLUSIONS MPH-MLR showed a significant decrease in SKAMP scores compared with placebo in children with ADHD 6-12 years of age, indicating a decrease in ADHD symptoms. The estimated onset was observed within 1.0 hour, and duration was measured to 12.0 hours postdose. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01269463.
Improving Spatial Semantic Analysis by a Combining Model

This paper presents a combination base machine learning approach to spatial semantic analysis in Chinese. The model consists of multiple pre-training classifiers and a gating mechanism for integrating the outputs of these classifiers. Then we use EM algorithm to train the parameters of the combining model. Finally the experimental results show an overall improvement on the standard corpus CPB.
VARIAÇÃO SAZONAL E ESTRUTURA POPULACIONAL DE ESPÉCIES DE ISÓPODOS TERRESTRES EM UMA ÁREA EM SUCESSÃO VEGETAL

This study aimed to analyze the seasonal variation and population structure of terrestrial isopods species in a successional environment. During the study period were identified five species of isopods collected in 6623 individuals. Atlantoscia floridana 1 Biologo, graduado em Ciencias Biologicas pela Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul – UNISC; 2 Professor do Departamento de Biologia e Farmacia, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul – UNISC; 3 Avenida Independencia, 2293, Bairro Universitario CEP 96815-900 Santa Cruz do Sul, RS – Brasil. Caderno de Pesquisa, serie Biologia, volume 24, numero 3 45 and Balloniscus sellowii were the two most frequent species, accounting for 99,7% of the total sample. Differences in the reproductive cycle were found for both species. A. floridana species proved to be more general for the environment studied, presenting continuous reproductive cycle. Analysis by operational sex-ratio (OSR) showed greater mobilization of males during the months of low temperatures and increased humidity (April, May and June). In B. sellowii isopod species of lower mobility, there was an interruption of the reproductive cycle in the months of lowest temperature. The lowest record of OSR was observed from the month of May, returning higher values for the months of November, February and March, indicating a greater mobilization of the species in the summer months. As with other work already done to the south of Brazil, some similar patterns of seasonality were identified, however, the presence of low OSR for the two dominant species may be indicative of influence of plant succession.
Synchronization in Complex Dynamical Networks and Its Applications

In the past few years, the discovery of small-world and scale-free properties of many natural and artificial complex networks has stimulated increasing interest in further studying the underlying organizing principles of various complex networks. This has led to significant advances in better understanding the relationship between the topology and the dynamics of such complex networks. This paper reports our recent research work on the synchronization phenomenon in dynamical networks with small-world and scale-free connections. The economic-cycle synchronous phenomenon in the World Trade Web, a scale-free type of network, is used to illustrate an application of the network synchronization mechanism. keywords: Synchronization, small-world, scale-free, world trade web, economic-cycle [Submitted to the Conference on Growing Networks and Graphs in Statistical Physics, Finance, Biology and Social Systems, Roma, Sept. 1-5, 2003]
Cycle Quantizer Delay and Improved STF

A 1 GS/s Continuous-time Delta-Sigma modulator (CT-∆ΣM) with 31 MHz bandwidth, 76.3 dB dynamic range and 72.5 dB signal-to-noise is reported in a 0. 13μm CMOS technology. The design employs an excess loop delay (ELD) of more than one clock cycle for achieving higher sampling rate. The ELD is compensated using a fast-loop formed around the last integrator by using a sample-and-hold. Further, the effect of this ELD compensation scheme on the signal transfer function (STF) of a feedforward CT-∆Σ architecture has been analyzed and reported. In this work, an improved STF is achieved by using a combination of feed-forward, feed-back and feed-in paths and power consumption is reduced by eliminating the adder opamp. This CT-∆ΣM has a conversion bandwidth of 31 MHz and consumes 34 mW from the 1.2V power supply. The relevant design trade-offs have been investigated and presented along with simulation results.
Isolation of Human B Cell Populations

To study the function and biology of human B cells, it is necessary to isolate pure populations. Historically, B cells were enriched by the sequential depletion of monocytes, natural killer cells, and T cells. However, this time‐consuming process has been superseded by sorting methods using specific antibodies, targeting, in negative‐selection strategies, unwanted cell types, or, in positive‐selection strategies, B cell markers such as CD19. Here we describe in detail four methods for isolating B cells from human blood or mononuclear cells, and discuss how these techniques can be combined with fluorescent cell sorting for the characterization of specific B cell populations. Curr. Protoc. Immunol. 94:7.5. 1‐7.5. 14. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Media violence and children : A complete guide for parents and professionals

Chapter 8 Violent Video Game Effects on Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, Physiology, and Behavior Craig A. Anderson Douglas A. Gentile In 1972 a new form of entertainment became commercially available with the release of the video game Pong. In Pong, two players tried to “hit” an electronic “ball” back and forth. From these humble beginnings, a revolution in the entertainment industry was born. Interactive game revenues are now significantly greater than the domestic film industry (“Industrial Strengths,” 2000). In the United States alone, video game sales (including accessories) exceeded $20 billion in 2012 (Entertainment Software Association, 2013). In this chapter, the term “video game” will be used to describe games played on video game consoles (e.g., PlayStation, XBox), computers, hand-held video game devices (e.g., GameBoy), or cell phones. The last 15 years have yielded a massive increase in studies of video game effects, thereby allowing clearer answers to the more specific questions of violent video game effects on children, adolescents, and young adults. That is the focus of this chapter, though the reader should bear two things in mind: (1) research on other forms of media violence (e.g., TV, films) is also relevant, and the results from that broader body are generally consistent; and (2) there is a growing body of research demonstrating positive effects of video games. TIME SPENT WITH VIDEO GAMES Video games have become one of the dominant entertainment media for children in a very short time. In the mid-1980s children averaged about four hours a week playing video games, including time spent playing at home and in arcades (Harris & Williams, 1985). By the early 1990s home video game use had increased and arcade play had decreased. By the mid-1990s home use
Proposta de metodologia para análise de redes sociais aplicadas a sites de saúde

O presente trabalho teve como foco principal a avaliacao empirica de metodos aplicaveis no estudo de redes sociotecnicas para sites do governo e outras midias digitais que discutem ou apresentam informacoes sobre a saude. O estudo foi realizado em decorrencia de atividades de pesquisa sobre redes sociais realizadas na Fiocruz Brasilia. A proposta inicial era entender como estavam relacionados os diferentes ambientes informacionais da Web e se havia uma metodologia que poderia ser aplicada a esse tipo de estudo. O entendimento sobre as relacoes que se configuram nesses ambientes tecnologicos pode revelar uma estrutura de contatos e fluxos informacionais diferente das que sao percebidas nas redes e esferas nao tecnologicas. Como conclusao do trabalho, acreditamos que a utilizacao de metodos de analise de redes e pertinente a esse tipo de estudo e que pode ser aplicada de forma mais extensiva e continua com o objetivo de proporcionar uma comunicacao mais eficaz entre governo e populacao. Entre os resultados encontrados foi notada uma clara estrutura de relacionamentos entre entidades de areas similares de saude, alem de sites com alta centralidade ou destaque entre os demais.
Adaptación española de la Escala de Intolerancia hacia la Incertidumbre: procesos cognitivos, ansiedad y depresión

En este trabajo se presenta la adaptacion espanola de la Escala de Intolerancia hacia la Incertidumbre, una variable de vulnerabilidad cognitiva relacionada con la etiologia y el mantenimiento de la preocupacion excesiva e incontrolable caracteristica de las personas con trastorno de ansiedad generalizada. A una muestra de 997 personas se les administro dicha escala, conjuntamente con otros cuestionarios. Tanto el analisis factorial exploratorio como el confirmatorio determinan la retencion de dos factores relacionados. La fiabilidad de ambos factores, entendida como consistencia interna de la escala, fue excelente, asi como la fiabilidad tests-retest en un intervalo temporal de cinco semanas. La validacion convergente, divergente y discriminante con medidas de depresion, ansiedad-panico y rasgo de preocupacion fue adecuada, asi como la validez de criterio. Se discute el papel de la intolerancia hacia la incertidumbre sobre la preocupacion y las metacogniciones de esta ultima.
Migraciones, trasnacionalismo y acción colectiva. Las estrategias de los migrantes argentinos en el exterior

El objeto de este trabajo es profundizar en el conocimiento de las organizaciones creadas por ciudadanos argentinos radicados fuera de su pais, como una de las estrategias que caracterizan a este colectivo de migrantes. Se buscara una mayor claridad en la definicion conceptual de las organizaciones de argentinos eb el exterior debido a la variedad y heterogeneidad que se observa en ellas a traves de los resultados de un trabajo empirico que sera utilizado para sostener un acercamiento mas detallado sobre la existencia y las caracteristicas del funcionamiento de estas organizaciones. Palabras Clave: Migrantes, Accion colectiva, Argentina, Organizaciones sociales ________________ Abstract: The purpose of this study is to deepen the knowledge of the organizations created by Argentine citizens residing abroad, as one of the strategies that characterizes this group of migrants. The paper seek clarity in the conceptual definition of eb Argentine organizations abroad because of the variety and heterogeneity seen in them by the results of an empirical study that will be used to support a more detailed report on the existence and operating characteristics of these organizations. Keywords: Migrants, Collective action, Argentina, Social Organizations
Cooperative Private Next-Generation Access Deployment -- A Relational View

World-wide deregulation activities on incumbent infrastructures educed competitive broadband markets in many countries around the world. However, as the customer's data demand exceeds the technological capabilities of legacy infrastructures, large public or private investments in fiber-optic networks are required. In this paper we employ the relational view concept in order to assess how cooperation between private market players can contribute to reaching national broadband deployment goals. We base our findings on a combined grounded theory and case study approach with twenty-three managing experts from major telecommunication companies of the German broadband market. Our results indicate that the relational view concept can contribute to a better understanding of cooperative private Next-Generation Access deployment. Based on the result of our analysis we have been able to derive exemplary fields of action for regulators and carrier management for improving preconditions of cooperative broadband deployment.