Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Injury to Preflowering and Flowering Cotton by Brown Stink Bug and Southern Green Stink Bug

Abstract The impact of brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), and southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), injury was evaluated on preflowering and flowering cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. , plants in no-choice tests. Vegetative stage cotton seedlings and reproductive structures, including flower buds (square) and bolls, were infested with adults and/or nymphs of both species. There were no significant differences in height, height to node ratio, square retention, and flower initiation for cotton seedlings or plants with a match-head square between southern green stink bug adult- or brown stink bug adult-infested and noninfested treatments. Abscission for individual large squares (precandle) and multiple squares (medium and small square on the same sympodial branch) was not significantly different among infested and noninfested treatments for the following species and developmental stages: brown stink bug adults, southern green stink bug adults, and third and fourth to fifth instar southern green stink bug nymphs. In boll infestation studies, the relationship between boll maturity, expressed as heat units beyond anthesis, and boll growth, abscission, hard locked carpels, seedcotton yield, and seed germination was measured. Brown stink bug induced abscission in bolls that had accumulated >0–350 heat units beyond anthesis. Boll growth and seedcotton yield was significantly lower for bolls infested with brown stink bug through 266.5 and 550 heat units beyond anthesis, respectively. The proportion of hard locked carpels per boll was significantly greater for the infested treatment in a cohort of bolls that accumulated from 51 to 400 heat units beyond anthesis. Seed germination in bolls infested with brown stink bug was significantly lower in bolls aged 101–600 heat units beyond anthesis.
Local nanomechanical properties of HeLa-cell surfaces

Using the Digital Pulsed Force Mode (DPFM) approach, the local mechanical properties of living HeLa cells have been examined. The cells were attached to a favorable glass-like substrate. The AFM used for the experiments was a commercial AFM setup by WITec. At every point of the image, approach and retract curves have been performed. The repetition rate of the cycle was 175 Hz. A total of about 500,000 curves has been recorded and completely evaluated for each experiment. The substrate served as an online reference material for calibration purposes. First, the force trajectories were corrected for the viscous drag force in the liquid environment. Second, the curves within the region of the substrate were phase corrected to compensate for the time lag of the signal in the setup assuming a purely elastic response of the reference material. Finally, all the force traces have been corrected by using this information and evaluated according to common continuum-elastic models. The resulting images allow the assignment of values of Young's modulus, local adhesion, hysteretic behavior, etc. at a high lateral resolution all over the cell body. In this paper, we describe the procedure of our measurement and the corresponding signal correction strategy of our automated data evaluation.
Un‐nesting DNA Russian dolls – the potential for constructing food webs using residual DNA in empty aphid mummies

Constructing food‐web assemblages comprising parasitoid wasps involves large field collections of hosts followed by labour‐intensive rearing of the insects to evaluate the rates of parasitism along with morphological or molecular identification of the parasitoid species. This article presents research towards a new molecular method for the practical and accurate construction of aphid‐based food webs. We hypothesize that parasitoid and hyperparasitoid DNA left inside aphid mummies after emergence of these third and fourth trophic‐level guilds can be simultaneously detected using universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for nonspecific DNA amplification in combination with single‐stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Such a protocol theoretically allows food‐web construction to be performed with no a priori knowledge of the species present. Moreover, the use of empty mummies circumvents rearing and minimizes labour and time in the field and laboratory. To test our hypothesis, we conducted DNA analyses on laboratory‐produced parasitized aphids (mummies) from Myzus persicae and Brevicoryne brassicae (two important aphid pest species) after exposure to the parasitoid Diaeretiella rapae and the hyperparasitoid Asaphes vulgaris. DNA is amplifiable in empty aphid mummies for as long as 3 weeks after parasitoid emergence. However, the simultaneous identification of several species in a single mummy sample was rare, which hinders the accurate inference of trophic links. DNA quality and relative quantity, together with preferential amplification, are potential explanations of current results. Technical refinements are needed to ensure full reliability and detection of complex trophic links. The use of PCR‐SSCP for food‐web construction is novel, and its potential to include an important number of different species is yet to be fully explored.
Significant response to trametinib in a woman with recurrent KRAS-mutated low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary-a case report

Background: Invasive low-grade ovarian carcinomas differ from more common high-grade serous carcinomas in their pathogenesis, molecular markers, clinical behavior and response to treatment. KRAS gene mutations are present in 20 to 40 percent of low-grade serous ovarian cancer, and a smaller percentage of tumors with a wild-type KRAS carry BRAF gene mutations. As part of the RAS-RAF-MEK pathway, the MEK1 and MEK2 kinases have crucial roles in tumorigenesis, cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis and, therefore, MEK1/2 inhibition is an attractive therapeutic strategy. Case presentation: We present a case of a 42 year old Caucasian woman with 14 year history of recurrent low-grade invasive serous carcinoma of the ovary characterized by somatic KRAS 12D mutation, who had significant sustained response to MEK inhibitor trametinib. Conclusion: Molecular profiling of low grade ovarian carcinoma identified a druggable mutation and the tumor responded to targeted treatment with MEK inhibitor trametinib. Clinical trials with MEK inhibitors are ongoing in low grade ovarian cancer.
W-Band SIW Power Combiner/Divider Based on the Antipodal Fin-Line SIW-RW Transition and Longitudinal-Slot Coupling Techniques

In this paper, a novel W-band substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) power combiner/divider is analyzed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally/numerically, based on the antipodal fin-line SIW-rectangular waveguide (SIW-RW) transition and longitudinal slot coupling techniques. This antipodal fin-line SIW-RW transition can work at the frequency band of 86.4 GHz– 106.1 GHz with return loss larger than 15 dB and inserting loss less than 2 dB. By combining the antipodal fin-line SIW-RW into the four-way longitudinal-slot SIW coupling structure, a novel back-to-back power dividing/combining system is achieved, which can operate at the frequency band of 92.8 GHz– 93.8 GHz with return loss more than 10 dB and insertion loss less than 3.9 dB. Such a design can be used in future for spatial power amplifier applications.
Membrane fusion activity of tick-borne encephalitis virus and recombinant subviral particles in a liposomal model system.

We present a kinetic analysis of the membrane fusion activity of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and TBE-derived recombinant subviral particles (RSPs) in a liposomal model system. Fusion was monitored using a fluorescence assay involving pyrene-labeled phospholipids. Fusion was strictly dependent on low pH, with the optimum being at pH 5.3-5.5 and the threshold at pH 6.8. Fusion did not require a protein or carbohydrate receptor in the target liposomes. Preexposure to low pH of the virus alone resulted in inactivation of its fusion activity. At the optimum pH for fusion and 37 degrees C, the rate and extent of fusion were very high, with more than 50% of the virus fusing within 2 s and the final extent of fusion being 70%. Lowering of the temperature did not result in a significant decrease in the rate and extent of fusion, suggesting that TBE virus fusion is a facile process with a low activation energy, possibly due to the flat orientation of the E glycoprotein on the viral surface facilitating the establishment of direct intermembrane contact. The fusion characteristics of TBE virus and RSPs were similar, indicating that RSPs provide a reliable and convenient model for further study of the membrane fusion properties of TBE virus.
Têm os Programas TCR um Efeito Colateral Pró-pobres?

Programas de transferência condicional de renda (TCR), como o Progresa no México ou no Bolsa Família no Brasil, tem sido comparado a uma “bala mágica de ouro em desenvolvimento”. Um grande número de avaliações rigorosas de pontos tais programas a um aumento significativo no consumo de alimentos entre os domicílios recipiendários do benefício. Um tópico que não tem recebido muita atenção ainda é o impacto dos programas de transferência de renda sobre o consumo alimentar dos domicílios que não recebem a transferência (domicílios que não se qualifiquem para o programa), mas que estão na mesma aldeia como destinatários do dinheiro.
Values and the Social Responsibility of Global Business

ABSTRACT Business is widely viewed as one of the major institutions in society. It has assumed a socially responsible role for itself that has given rise to two competing paradigms, social philanthropy and corporate citizenship. Business, however, has not fulfilled its social responsibility particularly well. One reason is that business does not seem to have understood the interplay between individual-level, culture-level and corporate-level values nor the implications of national differences in culture-level value priorities. Some recent developments in cross-cultural psychology offer a useful paradigm for understanding this interplay and resolving any conflicts which result from the attempts of global business to implement socially responsible policies.
Visual motion analysis under interceptive behavior

The development of the visual processes that would be needed by a mobile robot system for visually intercepting a moving target is considered. Many relevant active visual processes are proposed that provide robust input for qualitative motion control strategies. The processes for detecting independent motion and for monitoring progress toward the moving target are summarized. <<ETX>>
A brief review on torque control of induction motor

In this paper a brief review on different torque control methods of induction motor are discussed. Induction motor nowadays has become an interesting area in the field of industrial drives. The different control strategies are implemented in order to reduce the torque, flux, current and speed ripple. The different control methods are direct torque control (DTC), DTC-SVM (DTC-Space Vector Modulation) and Model Predictive Control (MPC).
Keynote Address: Energy-Aware Compiler Scheduling for VLIW Embedded Software

In most of compilers, the goal of traditional instruction scheduling algorithms is to improve performance in terms of execution time. This can be done by some well-known ways such as superblock scheduling, hyperblock scheduling, and treegion scheduling. These scheduling strategies focus mainly on increasing performance through increasing the amount of instruction-level parallelism in program code. However, in VLIW (very long instruction word) architectures, an instruction word consists of a variable number of individual instructions. Therefore the step power and peak power consumption vary significantly depending on the parallel schedule generated by compiler. Power variation reduction without losing execution speed is an important scheduling constraint for embedded VLIW architectures. In this talk, we introduce some power-aware scheduling strategies for VLIW processors. These scheduling methods include: i) low power scheduling for basic blocks with integer programming; ii) modulo and software pipelining for loops; iii) register allocation and cache reuse for power reduction. With these techniques, switch activities between instructions can be minimized so that power consumption can be reduced significantly.
Towards a broadband front-end for cooperative spectrum sensing networks

Cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio (CR) avoids hidden terminal problems common to network architectures with central sensing nodes. It also lowers the requirements for the sensing radio front-ends. This paper presents a multi-chip module RF front-end implemented from custom RFICs realized in an 0.25 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. Using an up/down-conversion heterodyne architecture, the front-end achieves a conversion gain exceeding 17.2 dB and a frequency range up to 4.5 GHz. The noise figure between 15.4 dB and 19.8 dB and the input referred third order intercept point (IIP3) of -7.5dBm constitute a noise/linearity trade-off and are acceptable for compact distributed sensing nodes. The module draws 150mA from a single 5V supply. It was validated in real-world sensing scenarios, combined with a broadband discone antenna, external local oscillators, and a Virtex 6 FPGA evaluation board.
Immunological and virological predictors of outcome during interferon‐α therapy of chronic hepatitis C

Results from a multicentre, clinical trial of interferon‐α2a (IFN‐α2a) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C are reported. Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels were monitored as follows: before, and 2 days after, the first administration of IFN‐α2a; during and at the end of treatment; and 6 months after completion of therapy. Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations were measured, by two‐colour flow cytometry, before and 3 h after the first intramuscular (i.m.) administration of 9 mega units (MU) of IFN‐α2a. Virological responders had a significantly lower pretreatment level of CD11+ CD8− lymphocytes. Biochemical responders had significantly lower pretreatment levels of CD11− CD8+, human leucocyte antigen (HLA) DR− CD4− and HLA DR− CD8+ populations, and a higher pretreatment HLA DR+ CD4− population. These pretreatment differences disappeared 3 h after the first i.m. administration of IFN‐α2a. CD11− CD8+ and HLA DR+ CD8+ cell populations became significantly lower in virological responders 3 h after the first i.m. administration of IFN‐α2a. HLA DR+ CD4+ cell populations were increased less in biochemical responders. Thus, T‐lymphocyte subpopulations were different between responders and non‐responders to IFN therapy and IFN‐modulated host immunity. Multivariate analysis showed that the pretreatment CD11+ CD8− cell population was an independent predictive factor of response to therapy. On the other hand, patients whose serum HCV RNA cleared or decreased within the first 2 days of IFN‐α2a therapy were more likely to achieve a virological response. This predictive factor, however, was not an independent factor by multivariate analysis. These results suggest that host immunity is an important factor in response to IFN therapy, and HCV clearance within the first 2 days is a good predictive factor of response.
Electrophysiology of the myoclonus in dementia with Lewy bodies

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second leading cause of neurodegenerative dementia. Besides dementia, prominent symptoms and signs include parkinsonism, hallucinations, fluctuating mental status, and orthostatic hypotension. Myoclonus has been estimated to occur in 15% of DLB cases. The source of the myoclonus, its electrophysiologic characteristics, and mechanism are unknown. To define the source and properties of the myoclonus in DLB, we examined seven subjects with DLB who had myoclonus, both clinically and electrophysiologically, and compared these characteristics with those of myoclonus in PD. The seven subjects were diagnosed with DLB using consensus criteria and according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. criteria for dementia that included dementia before parkinsonism, parkinsonism, and hallucinations.1 We performed a neurologic examination, Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor exam, and Hoehn & Yahr staging. The Unified Myoclonus Rating Scale (UMRS) was used to assess arm/wrist myoclonus amplitude. Electrophysiologic tests were performed as previously published.2 Briefly, each subject had EEG/electromyogram (EMG) polygraphy, back-averaging of myoclonus EMG discharges off-line, median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) …
Pulsed Umbilical Artery Doppler Ultrasound Findings in Management of High-Risk Term Pregnant Women during Labour

Purpose: Intrapartum Doppler velocimetry is a non-invasive investigation method. This method is useful for evaluating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying changes in fetal heart rate. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of Doppler ultrasound findings during labor in high-risk women on determining the mode of delivery and outcome of the newborn. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015 on 100 high-risk pregnant women during labor. The study was performed in the Maternity Teaching Hospital in Erbil City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Results: The majority of women (77%) had a normal end-diastolic blood flow pattern through the umbilical artery. A total of 76.9% of those with abnormal Doppler results had a Cesarean delivery compared with only 9.5% of those with normal Doppler results (p < 0.001). The rate of early neonatal death was significantly higher (15.4%) in women with abnormal Doppler results than in those with normal Doppler results (1.4%, p = 0. 016). Admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was significantly more frequent in women with abnormal Doppler results than in those with normal Doppler results (61.5% vs. 17.6, p < 0.001). The same pattern was seen in the Apgar score in the first (p = 0.07) and fifth minutes (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Abnormal umbilical artery Doppler ultrasound findings in high-risk pregnancies for women in labor are associated with increased rates of emergency cesarean sections and a poor outcome of the newborn.
A robust active contour model with insensitive parameters

Active contours, known as snakes, have found wide application since their first introduction in 1987 by M. Kass, A. Witkin and D. Terzopoulos. However, one problem with the current models is that the performance depends on proper internal parameters and initial contour position, which, unfortunately, cannot be determined a priori. It is usually difficult to tune internal parameters and initial contour position. The problem results from the fact that the internal normal force at each point of a contour is also a function of contour shape. To solve this problem, the authors propose to compensate for this internal normal force so as to make it independent of shape. As a result the new model works robustly with no necessity for tuning internal parameters and can converge to high curvature points like corners. <<ETX>>
Pectus Excavatum: Uncommon Electrical Abnormalities Caused by Extrinsic Right Ventricular Compression

We report a case of pectus excavatum associated with ventricular tachycardia provoked by exercise in a 19‐year‐old man. Although this chest deformity has been associated with supraventricular dysrhythmias, documented ventricular tachycardia has only been reported once. Our patient's ventricular dysrhythmia was treated by surgical correction of his pectus excavatum only, and at 3 years follow‐up he has had no recurrence of his ventricular tachycardia.
Multiple Ebola Virus Transmission Events and Rapid Decline of Central African Wildlife

Several human and animal Ebola outbreaks have occurred over the past 4 years in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. The human outbreaks consisted of multiple simultaneous epidemics caused by different viral strains, and each epidemic resulted from the handling of a distinct gorilla, chimpanzee, or duiker carcass. These animal populations declined markedly during human Ebola outbreaks, apparently as a result of Ebola infection. Recovered carcasses were infected by a variety of Ebola strains, suggesting that Ebola outbreaks in great apes result from multiple virus introductions from the natural host. Surveillance of animal mortality may help to predict and prevent human Ebola outbreaks.
Winegrower Perceptions of Sustainability Programs in Lodi, California

Issue Established in 1995, the Lodi Winegrape Comission’s (LWC) Sustainable Winegrowing Program (SWP) promotes grower adoption of best management practices via informational meetings, workshops, vineyard demonstrations and research, the Lodi Winegrowers’ Workbook for sustainability self-assessment, and the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing third-party certification program. Understanding grower perceptions of agriculture programs like the LWC is important because similar organizations are operating at the state level (California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, CWSA), in other winegrowing regions, and in other agricultural commodities. This research brief presents results from a mail survey and semi-structured interviews of winegrape growers to evaluate the success of the LWC from the perspective of growers themselves. Survey respondents identify whether or not they participate in various LWC outreach and education activities, how successful they think the LWC has been across a range of objectives, and the degree to which they support local and statewide programs.
Positron emission tomography/computed tomography and esophageal cancer in the clinical practice: How does it affect the prognosis?

AIMS The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in staging of esophageal cancer and to evaluate the prognostic role of metabolic parameters before and after neo-adjuvant treatment. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Mono-institutional retrospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 29 patients who underwent PET/CT at initial staging and after neo-adjuvant therapy. Metabolic parameters were calculated: mean, average, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Diagnostic advantages of PET/CT over conventional imaging (CI) were determined. The relationships between baseline and after-therapy SUVmax and TLG, change in SUV and TLG (reported as ∆) for the primary tumor and prognosis were assessed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Non-parametric statistic (e.g. Wilcoxon test and chi-square test). RESULTS Twenty-nine patients were eligible for the initial staging. Thirteen patients were incorrectly staged based on CI; PET/CT was able to identify distant lymph nodes in seven patients (59%) and distant metastases in four (31%). The median SUVmax before and after neoadjuvant therapy was 10.38 and 3.53 (P = 0.0005), respectively. Only few semi-quantitative parameters obtained by PET/CT after neoadjuvant therapy seemed to have a prognostic value. TLG and ∆TLG were significantly different between disease-free and died patients (0.49 versus 15.51 and 100% versus 94%, respectively; all P = <0.05). CONCLUSIONS PET/CT is confirmed as being able to detect distant metastases and to avoid unnecessary surgery. Although not routinely reported, post-neoadjuvant TLG and ∆TLG might be considered as useful prognostic parameters and should be further evaluated prospectively.