Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative Efficacy of Plant-Derived Essential Oils for Managing Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and Their Corresponding Mass Spectral Characterization

ABSTRACT Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) pose a significant challenge to producers of ornamental nursery stock. Conventional insecticides are commonly used for management purposes, but plant-derived essential oils also may discourage ambrosia beetles from initiating attacks. To identify promising commercially available products, field-based efficacy trials were conducted in Ohio in 2009 and 2010 with the following products: Armorex (Soil Technologies), Cinnacure (Proguard, Inc.), EcoTrol (EcoSMART Technologies, Inc.), and Veggie Pharm (Pharm Solutions, Inc.). Potted Magnolia virginiana L. were first injected with 75 ml of 5% ethanol to ensure ambrosia beetle pressure on experimental trees. Mixtures of each product (10% in water) and a water control were applied until runoff and attacks occurring under field conditions were quantified at 1, 4, 7, and 14 d after treatment (DAT). Ambrosia beetle attacks generally increased over time but at differing rates depending on the particular treatment. In 2009, Armorex and Veggie Pharm were associated with the lowest cumulative attacks 14 DAT. In 2010, Armorex and Cinnacure were associated with the fewest attacks 14 DAT. Solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to characterize the volatile compounds associated with each product. Allyl isothiocyanate, a compound with known repellent and insecticidal properties, was unique and predominant in Armorex. These experiments identified commercially available botanicals containing plant essential oils with activity against ambrosia beetles, along with demonstrating the usefulness of ethanol-injection to ensure ambrosia beetle pressure under field conditions. Characterizing the constituents of efficacious botanically based products could also lead to the development of improved botanical insecticides.
C9orf72 repeat expansions are not detected in Chinese patients with familial ALS

ISSN 2167-8421 print/ISSN 2167-9223 online © 2013 Informa Healthcare DOI: 10.3109/21678421.2013. 817588 repeats in both groups are presented in Tables II and III. In the FALS group, the most common number of repeats was two (73/122; 59.84%), followed by six (19/122; 15.57%) and seven (16/122; 13.11%) repeats. The control samples displayed similar patterns of two (127/200; 63.50%), seven (30/200; 15.00%) and six (25/200; 12.50%) repeats. The average number of repeats was 3.95 2.49 (range 2 – 10 repeats) in the FALS patients and 3.87 2.58 (range 2 – 11 repeats) in the controls.
Children’s use of general practitioner services in the five Nordic countries

Objective: To compare socioeconomic, sociodemographic, and living area differences in children’s use of GP services in five Nordic countries from the 1980s to the 1990s and to analyse trends during the period. Design: Cross sectional population surveys using random samples comprising 3000 children aged 2–17 years were conducted in 1984 and 1996 in five Nordic countries. Time trends in use of GP services were studied in each country by age, sex, parents’ highest level of education, and living area. Setting: Five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden in 1984 and 1996. Participants: A total sample of 15 000 children aged 2–17 years. Altogether 3000 children were selected at random from the national population registers of the national bureaus of statistics in each country. Main outcome: Health services utilisation on the basis of responses to a questionnaire item asking whether the parents had consulted a GP with regard to their children’s health during the previous three months. Main results: The prevalence of children’s utilisation of GP services varied from 14% in 1984 in Sweden to 28% in 1996 in Iceland. A clear time trend towards increasing utilisation of GP services (p<0.05) was found in all countries except in Denmark. Odds ratios for time trends (1984 = 1.00) varied from 1.22 (1.02 to 1.46) in Sweden to 1.92 (1.62 to 2.30) in Norway. After adjusting for independent variables, a statistically borderline significant declining utilisation trend (OR = 0.85 (0.70 to 1.03)) was found for Denmark. Conclusion: Children’s use of GP services has increased significantly in four of the five Nordic countries.
DMHT-LEACH: Dynamic multi-hop technique for wireless sensor networks

Many protocols have been emerged for facing the problem of energy consumption in the wireless sensor network (WSN). Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol is one of these protocols, which achieved a lot of spreading. In this paper, a dynamic multi-hop technique (DMHT-LEACH) protocol is proposed based on the LEACH protocol. The DMHT-LEACH protocol suggests a dynamic technique for routing the data of cluster head (CH) through other CHs to the Base Station (BS). The simulation results show that the DMHT-LEACH improves the lifetime and throughput of the sensor network comparing with the IMHT-LEACH and the conventional LEACH protocols.
Is cash allowance a way to ease child care burden? Views of carers in Hong Kong

Abstract Caring for the carers is not only a policy challenge for the government but also a global concern to achieve gender equality by restructuring welfare for care. Paying informal carers is one of the measures that address their needs, which is being practiced in Western countries for more than 10 years now. Financial support for care does not only value the contribution of carers but also compensate for the loss of carers caused by unpaid care duties. However, cash for care is a complex issue because it is located within a number of different policy domains that may be considered controversial. This study discusses the views of carers on cash allowance and identifies issues affecting the support provided to the informal care system in Hong Kong. The discussion is based on the findings from the focus group interviews with 11 groups of carers with different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Antioxidative properties of human milk and spermine are not related to expression of Hsp 70

Aim: Heat shock proteins (Hsps) have been detected in various tissues, including those in the intestines, and play a role in cellular protection. Polyamines, such as spermine (SPM), are found in human milk (HM) and act as antioxidants. We hypothesized that the antioxidative property of SPM is related to the expression of Hsp and examined this relationship in an intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) line.
Cessation of folliculogenesis during the primate luteal phase.

After ovulation, a natural hiatus in follicular maturation occurs throughout the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. It is not known whether this transient interruption in folliculogenesis involves ovarian and/or hypothalamic-pituitary factors. In this study ovarian responsivity to exogenous gonadotropins was evaluated during the midluteal phase of cynomolgus monkeys. Four intact cycling monkeys received 37IU human menopausal gonadotropin daily in split dose (0700 and 1600 h) injections (im) for 10 days beginning on cycle day 18 (onset of menses was designated cycle day 1). After 10 days of human menopausal gonadotropin therapy, each monkey received 1000 IU hCG. The following day (cycle day 29), repeat laparotomy was performed to assess ovarian status. Daily blood samples were collected from the femoral vein beginning on cycle day 1 and analyzed for LH, FSH, estradiol. and progesterone. Ovulation induction during the midluteal phase was demonstrated by the presence of elevated progesterone levels (>15 ng.
The effects of festival impacts on support intentions based on residents’ ratings of festival performance and satisfaction: a new integrative approach

Festivals can provide an effective vehicle for sustainable tourism. It is therefore necessary to examine the impacts of festival tourism as well as their consequences in order to manage their relevance to the local community. The lack of a multiple mediation approach, however, has hampered research on the psycho-social process through which festival impacts (perceived benefits, costs, and affective impact) influence resident support. We propose a new integrative approach in which resident-rated festival performance and satisfaction are putative mediators that transmit the effects of the three festival impacts to support for future festivals. The theoretical foundations of this integrative approach or model are jointly built on social exchange theory, the affective theory of social exchange, and the theory of reasoned action. The integrative model was successfully validated using eight sample festivals within China, which included 353 observations with 10,000 bootstraps. The empirical findings reveal that 14 out of the 17 hypotheses received empirical support in this study, and it thereby contributes significantly to new understanding in the literature.
Outcomes After Vena Cava Filter Use in Noncancer Patients With Acute Venous Thromboembolism: A Population-Based Study

Background— Evidence that vena cava filters (VCFs) are beneficial is limited. Methods and Results— We retrospectively analyzed all noncancer patients admitted to nonfederal California hospitals for acute venous thromboembolism from 2005 to 2010. Analysis was stratified by the presence/absence of a contraindication to anticoagulation (active bleeding, major surgery). Outcomes were death within 30 or 90 days of admission and the 1-year incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism manifested as pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. Propensity score methods were used to account for observed systematic differences in baseline characteristics between patients treated and those not treated with a VCF. Among 80 697 patients with no contraindication to anticoagulation, VCF use (n=7762, 9.6%) did not significantly reduce the 30-day risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.28). Among 3017 patients with active bleeding, VCF use (n=1095, 36.3%) reduced the 30-day risk of death by 32% (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52–0.88) and the 90-day risk by 27% (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.59–0.90). VCF use (n=489, 33.8%) did not reduce mortality among 1445 patients who underwent major surgery (HR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.71–1.77). In all subgroups, filter use did not reduce the risk of subsequent pulmonary embolism. However, the risk of subsequent deep vein thrombosis increased by 50% among VCF patients with no contraindication (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.34–1.74) and by 135% among VCF patients with active bleeding (HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.56–3.52). Conclusions— VCF use significantly reduced the short-term risk of death only among patients with acute venous thromboembolism who had a contraindication to anticoagulation because of active bleeding. These results support the findings of a randomized clinical trial and current guidelines that recommend VCF use only in patients who cannot receive anticoagulation treatment.
Number 273 Long-term unemployment and the Great Recession : Evidence from UK stocks and flows

Long-term unemployment more than doubled during the UK’s Great Recession. Only a small fraction of this persistent increase can be explained by the changing composition of the unemployment pool. Aggregate exit rates from unemployment exhibit negative duration dependence. A stocks-flows decomposition, which allows for this fact in a limited way, indicates the importance of participation flows, especially from unemployment to inactivity, in accounting for long-term unemployment’s recessionary rise. How changes in transition rates contributed to this rise suggests a general shift in the labour force attachment of the long-term unemployed, which cannot be accounted for by observable characteristics.
Magnetic Levitation Between a Slab of Soldered HTS Tape and a Cylindrical Permanent Magnet

Stacks of commercial high-temperature superconducting tape can be cut and soldered together to form slabs of a large range of shapes and sizes. They are most interesting for magnetic levitation applications due to the flexibility of geometry, allowing them to be created in large thin slabs suitable for planar rotary magnetic bearings and linear maglev bearings. In this paper, the axial levitation force was measured between a field cooled slab of 30 × 30 mm and a 25-mm-diameter rare-earth permanent magnet (PM), which produced a cylindrically symmetric field necessary in the context of rotary bearings. The force results were compared with that achieved between the same PM and a larger 43-mm-diameter bulk MgB2 disk, as well as to FEM modeling using the Perfectly Trapped Flux approximation.
Giant neurons in the caudal pontine reticular formation receive short latency acoustic input: An intracellular recording and HRP‐study in the rat

The reticular formation is composed of heterogeneous cell populations with multiple functions. Among these multiple functions is the processing of sensory information in the context of behavior. The purpose of the present study was to identify and characterize neurons in the reticular formation of the rat that receive auditory input. In order to do so, we combined intracellular electrophysiology in vivo with intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase, enabling us to correlate electrophysiology unequivocally with anatomy at the single cell level.
Current methods for assaying angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from an existing vasculature, is essential in normal developmental processes and in numerous pathologies, including diabetic retinopathy, psoriasis and tumour growth and metastases. One of the problems faced by angiogenesis researchers has been the difficulty of finding suitable methods for assessing the effects of regulators of the angiogenic response. The ideal assay would be reliable, technically straightforward, easily quantifiable and, most importantly, physiologically relevant. Here, we review the advantages and limitations of the principal assays in use, including those for the proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells in vitro, vessel outgrowth from organ cultures and in vivo assays such as sponge implantation, corneal, chamber, zebrafish, chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and tumour angiogenesis models.
Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in psoriatic arthritis resembles that of rheumatoid arthritis

The increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well known and inflammation appears to play a pivotal aetiological role. There is now substantial interest in whether or not psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is also associated with an enhanced cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, data on CVD in PsA is limited.1,–,3 The aim of this comparative study was to determine the prevalence of non-fatal CVD in patients with PsA compared with patients with RA and to investigate the risk factors of CVD in PsA. In 2008 a CV questionnaire was sent to all 753 patients with PsA aged 50–75 years registered at our centre.4 As a comparator group, data from 353 randomly selected patients with RA aged 50–75 years (the CARdiovascular research and RhEumatoid arthritis study) were …
Immunohistochemical p53 protein status in nonsmall cell lung cancer is a promising indicator in determining in vitro chemosensitivity to some anticancer drugs

Background and Objectives: The tumor suppressor oncogene p53 abnormalities have been closely associated with resistance or sensitivity of cancer cells to some chemotherapeutic agents. We examined the association between p53 protein status in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in vitro chemosensitivity to several chemotherapeutic agents.
Cerebral hemodynamic effects of 7.2% hypertonic saline in patients with head injury and raised intracranial pressure.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of 7.2% hypertonic saline (HS) on intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral and systemic hemodynamics, serum sodium, and osmolality in 14 patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale < or =13) and raised ICP (>15 mm Hg) within the first 72 h postinjury. After CO2 reactivity and autoregulation were tested, each patient received a 15-min infusion of 7.2% HS (1,232 mEq/L, volume 1.5 mL/kg). ICP, serial hemodynamics, cerebral blood flow (CBF) estimated from cerebral arteriovenous oxygen content difference (AVDO2), and laboratory variables, including serum osmolality, electrolytes, urea, and creatinine were collected before infusion (T0) and at 5, 30, 60, and 120 min after (T5, T30, T60, T120). Urine output was measured 2 h before infusion and at T120. While CO2 reactivity was preserved in all patients, autoregulation was preserved in only four. ICP decreased to about 30% of base line (p = 0.0001) during the whole study period. During the first hour after infusion, cerebral perfusion pressure (p< or =0.04) and cardiac index (CI; p< or =0.01) increased, while systemic vascular resistance index fell (p< or =0.05). Heart rate increased (p< or =0.04) during the first 30 min. Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) increased (p = 0.004) at T5. There were no significant changes in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), urine output, and estimated CBF. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.75; p = 0.02) between ICP and serum osmolality was found at T5. The administration of 7.2% HS in patients with traumatic brain injury significantly reduces ICP without significant changes in relative global CBF (expressed as 1/AVDO2), increases CI and transiently increases PAOP, without changing MABP and urine output. The correlation between changes in osmolality and ICP supports the hypothesis that HSS may in part decrease ICP by means of an osmotic mechanism.
The Partisan Consequences ofNonpartisan Elections and the Changing Nature of Urban Politics

Research in the early 1960s found that Republican candidates benefited from the presence of legally nonpartisan ballots in municipal elections. Using a nationwide sample of almost 1,000 city council members, this thesis is reexamined in the context of the urban environment of the 1980s. Probit analysis is used to test the effect of partisan ballots on the partisan identification of council members. The partisan biases of nonpartisanship remain under some circumstances, but the changing nature of urban politics and the growth of new political forces appear to have substantially mitigated these biases.
Pulmonary radiofrequency ablation in patients with a single lung: feasibility, efficacy, and tolerance.

PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and tolerance of pulmonary radiofrequency (RF) ablation for the treatment of lung tumors in patients with a single lung. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective study from four institutions, with waiver of institutional review board approval and of informed consent. From July 2003 to March 2009, 15 single-lung patients (nine men and six women; mean age, 64 years; age range, 42-82 years) with one to three lung tumors underwent 16 sessions of RF ablation. One patient underwent two sessions due to occurrence of new tumors. Eleven patients had primary lung cancer and four patients had metastases. The previous pneumonectomy was performed for the treatment of primary or secondary lung tumors. Twenty-one tumors measuring 4-37 mm (mean, 15.5 mm ± 8 [standard deviation]) were treated. All procedures were performed by using general anesthesia with intubation. Electrodes were expandable in 13 procedures and straight in three. The efficacy was evaluated with computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, performed 3, 6, 12, and 18 months and 2 years after treatment. The median follow-up was 17.6 months, with seven patients being followed at 1 year and three being followed at 2 years. Treatment tolerance was evaluated from results of clinical examination, follow-up CT, and CT performed immediately after completion of RF ablation. RESULTS No procedural deaths occurred. Procedural complications observed at CT during RF ablation were mild parenchymal hemorrhages (n = 5; 31%). All pneumothoraces (n = 6; 37%) resolved after chest tube placement. Postprocedural complications included one case of pulmonary infection and two cases of limited hemoptysis. Complete tumor ablation was obtained in all RF sessions but one (15 of 16; 95%). Overall survival rate was 71.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 36%, 92%) at 2 years; cancer-specific survival was 100% at 2 years. The tumor-free survival was 58.7% (95% CI: 32%, 81%) at 1 year and 19.6% (95% CI: 4%, 58%) at 2 years. CONCLUSION RF ablation appears to be a reasonable and safe option in patients with a single lung.
Public-Private Partnership In Education: A Strategy For Improving Quality Of Vocational-Technical Education Programme In Nigeria: A Case Study Of Rivers State

The study dealt with public-private partnership in education: a strategy for improving quality of vocationaltechnical education programme in Nigeria. The population of the study was drawn from public sectors such as staff of ministry of education, staff and students of government technical colleges in Rivers State and private sectors such as companies, philanthropists among others from eight hundred (800) samples were randomly sampled. One (1) research question and hypothesis were postulated for this study, five (5) items questionnaire titled ‘public-private partnership in education: a strategy for improving quality of vocational-technical education programme in Nigeria (PPPESFIQVTEPN)’ were used to collect information. The mean statistics was used to analyze the research question while Z-test statistical tool was used to test the hypothesis at 5% level of significance. The result showed that the respondents’ a strategy for improving quality of vocational-technical education programme in Nigeria as low. However, there is significant difference in their perceptions. Based on these finding, recommendations were made such as: there should be complementary role between the public and private sectors in order to bring about the development of an efficient vocational education and training system.
The effect of office concepts on worker health and performance: a systematic review of the literature

Conventional and innovative office concepts can be described according to three dimensions: (1) the office location (e.g. telework office versus conventional office); (2) the office lay-out (e.g. open lay-out versus cellular office); and (3) the office use (e.g. fixed versus shared workplaces). This review examined how these three office dimensions affect the office worker's job demands, job resources, short- and long-term reactions. Using search terms related to the office concept (dimensions), a systematic literature search starting from 1972 was conducted in seven databases. Subsequently, based on the quality of the studies and the consistency of the findings, the level of evidence for the observed findings was assessed. Out of 1091 hits 49 relevant studies were identified. Results provide strong evidence that working in open workplaces reduces privacy and job satisfaction. Limited evidence is available that working in open workplaces intensifies cognitive workload and worsens interpersonal relations; close distance between workstations intensifies cognitive workload and reduces privacy; and desk-sharing improves communication. Due to a lack of studies no evidence was obtained for an effect of the three office dimensions on long-term reactions. The results suggest that ergonomists involved in office innovation could play a meaningful role in safeguarding the worker's job demands, job resources and well-being. Attention should be paid, in particular, to effects of workplace openness by providing acoustic and visual protection.