Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing citizen science data quality: an invasive species case study

An increase in the number of citizen science programs has prompted an examination of their ability to provide data of sufficient quality. We tested the ability of volunteers relative to professionals in identifying invasive plant species, mapping their distributions, and estimating their abundance within plots. We generally found that volunteers perform almost as well as professionals in some areas, but that we should be cautious about data quality in both groups. We analyzed predictors of volunteer success (age, education, experience, science literacy, attitudes) in training‐related skills, but these proved to be poor predictors of performance and could not be used as effective eligibility criteria. However, volunteer success with species identification increased with their self‐identified comfort level. Based on our case study results, we offer lessons learned and their application to other programs and provide recommendations for future research in this area.
Evidence of microsatellite hitch‐hiking selection in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.): implications for inferring population structure in nonmodel organisms

Microsatellites have gained wide application for elucidating population structure in nonmodel organisms. Since they are generally noncoding, neutrality is assumed but rarely tested. In Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.), microsatellite studies have revealed highly heterogeneous estimates of genetic differentiation among loci. In particular one locus, Gmo 132, has demonstrated elevated genetic differentiation. We investigated possible hitch‐hiking selection at this and other microsatellite loci in Atlantic cod. We employed 11 loci for analysing samples from the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Barents Sea and Newfoundland covering a large part of the species’ distributional range. The ‘classical’ Lewontin–Krakauer test for selection based on variance in estimates of FST and (standardized genetic differentiation) revealed only one significant pairwise test (North Sea–Barents Sea), and the source of the elevated variance could not be ascribed exclusively to Gmo 132. In contrast, different variants of the recently developed ln Rθ test for selective sweeps at microsatellite loci revealed a high number of significant outcomes of pair‐wise tests for Gmo 132. Further, the presence of selection was indicated in at least one other locus. The results suggest that many previous estimates of genetic differentiation in cod based on microsatellites are inflated, and in some cases relationships among populations are obscured by one or more loci being the subject to hitch‐hiking selection. Likewise, temporal estimates of effective population sizes in Atlantic cod may be flawed. We recommend, generally, to use a higher number of microsatellite loci to elucidate population structure in marine fishes and other nonmodel species to allow for identification of outlier loci that are subject to selection.
A tree-based approach for score computation in speaker verification

This paper proposes an original approach to the task of speaker verification, in which the training process consists in a direct modeling of the score function. It divides the parameter space in disjoint regions where a score can be obtained as a simple function of the vector position in the region. The aim of this approach is, on the one hand to overcome some undesirable properties of the Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs), and on the other hand, to speed up the decision process. First, we present the formalism of probabilistic speaker verification and we discuss some motivations for exploring alternative approaches. We then describe a method currently under investigation, which is based on a binary recursive partition of the acoustic parameter space into regions to which an elementary scoring function is associated. Finally, we provide illustrations and preliminary results of the method, together with conclusions and perspectives.
Influence of Slow-rate Freezing and Vitrification on Mouse Embryos

Hredzak, R. , A. Ostro, I. Maraaek, J. Kaamarik, V. Idilova, J. Vesela: Influence of Slow-rate Freezing and Vitrification on Mouse Embryos. Acta Vet. Brno 2005, 74: 23-27. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of two different methods of embryo freezing (slow-rate freezing employing programmable freezing equipment and ultra-rapid freezing by vitrification) on developmental capacity of two-cell mouse embryos on the basis of their development to blastocyst stage and implantation rate of blastocysts. Two-cell embryos were obtained from superovulated female mice and divided to three groups. The first group of embryos was frozen by the slow controlled-rate method using a programmable freezing equipment with propanediol as a cryoprotectant. Embryos from the second group were vitrified employing ethylene glycol as a cryoprotectant. The third group of embryos was cultivated in vitro without cryopreservation in a cultivation medium in an atmosphere of 95% air and 5% CO2. After thawing, the embryos from the first two groups were cultivated in vitro under conditions identical to those used for fresh embryos. The blastocysts that developed in vitro from embryos of all three groups were transferred to uteri of pseudo-gravid female mice to determine their implantation capacity. The percentage of vitrified embryos that developed into blastocysts was significantly lower than that of the fresh and slow-rate frozen embryos. The morphological appearance of embryos from all three groups was the same. The implantation rate of blastocysts that developed from vitrified embryos was significantly lower compared to the fresh and slow-rate frozen embryos. The results obtained indicate that freezing of embryos affects negatively their further development the negative effect of vitrification being more detrimental. As a “universal” vitrification protocol has not yet been defined, additional studies are needed to achieve its optimisation. Cryopreservation, cryoprotectant, implantation, slow-rate freezing, vitrification
Local staging of sigmoid colon cancer using MRI

Background An accurate radiological staging of colon cancer is crucial to select patients who may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in identifying locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer, poor prognostic factors, and the inter-observer variation of the tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Material and Methods Using 1.5 T MRI with high resolution T2-weighted (T2W) imaging, DWI, and no contrast enhancement, 35 patients with sigmoid colon cancer were assessed. T-stage, N-stage, extramural vascular invasion (EMVI), and ADC values of the tumors were assessed and blindly compared by two observers using postoperative histopathological examination as the gold standard. Early tumors were defined as T1 to T3ab, and advanced tumors as T3cd or T4. Results The accuracy of the two radiologists in staging early versus advanced tumors, N-stage, and identification of EMVI was 94%/89%, 60%/66%, and 77%/60% with an inter-observer agreement of к = 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.67–1.00), к = 0.64 (95% CI = 0.39–0.90), and к = 0.52 (95% CI = 0.23–0.80). All the measured mean ADC values were below 1.0 × 10−3 mm2/s with an intra-class correlation coefficient in T3cd–T4 tumors of 0.85. Conclusion Preoperative MRI can identify locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer and has potential as the imaging of choice to select patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Initial experience with ADC measurement was achieved with an excellent inter-observer agreement in advanced tumors.
Abnormal liver function in children with metabolic syndrome from a UK-based obesity clinic

Aim To examine transaminitis in obese children, its association with glucose metabolism and the metabolic syndrome and the response to weight loss through lifestyle modification. Methods 216 children (90 male), aged 2.9–17.6 (median 12.4 years) with median body mass index (BMI) SD score (SDS) of 3.36 (range 1.92–6.22) attending a hospital obesity clinic in Bristol (UK) underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with fasting lipid and liver profile. Auxological measures included weight, height, waist circumference, percentage body fat. Parental history of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) was recorded. The 2007 International Diabetes Federation definition of metabolic syndrome was used. 90 children undergoing a trial of lifestyle modification to improve weight were re-assessed at 12 months. Results 34/216 (16%) children had raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (>40 IU/l) with greater prevalence in boys (23% vs 10%, p=0.01) and in those with a parental history of T2DM (30% vs 13.2% p=0.019). Patients with transaminitis were more likely to fulfil the criteria for metabolic syndrome (p<0.001) and have subtle abnormalities in glucose metabolism during an OGTT with elevated glucose levels at 90 (p=0.041) and 120 (p=0.014) min and a greater glucose area-under-the-curve (p=0.014). Improvement in BMI SDS over 1 year correlated with improvement in ALT levels (τ = −0.29, p<0.001). Conclusion Prevalence of transaminitis is significant in obese children and is associated with components of the metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle-based improvement in BMI SDS offers an effective tool for correcting transaminitis and should remain the central component of therapy.
ARTist: The Android Runtime Instrumentation and Security Toolkit

With the introduction of Android 5 Lollipop, the Android Runtime (ART) superseded the Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) by introducing ahead-of-time compilation and native execution of applications, effectively deprecating seminal works such as TaintDroid that hitherto depend on the DVM. In this paper, we discuss alternatives to overcome those restrictions and highlight advantages for the security community that can be derived from ART's novel on-device compiler dex2oat and its accompanying runtime components. To this end, we introduce ARTist, a compiler-based application instrumentation solution for Android that does not depend on operating system modifications and solely operates on the application layer. Since dex2oat is yet uncharted, our approach required first and foremost a thorough study of the compiler suite's internals and in particular of the new default compiler backend called Optimizing. We document the results of this study in this paper to facilitate independent research on this topic and exemplify the viability of ARTist by realizing two use cases. In particular, we conduct a case study on whether taint tracking can be re-instantiated using a compiler-based app instrumentation framework. Overall, our results provide compelling arguments for the community to choose compiler-based approaches over alternative bytecode or binary rewriting approaches for security solutions on Android.
An approach to support decision-making in disaster management based on volunteer geographic information (VGI) and spatial decision support systems (SDSS)

The damage caused by recent events in Japan in 2011 and USA in 2012 highlighted the need to adopt measures to increase the resilience of communities against extreme events and disasters. In addition to the conventional and official information that is necessary for adaptation to disasters, recently, common citizens residents in the affected areas also began contributing with voluntary qualified and updated information. In this context, this work-in-progress presents an approach that uses voluntary information also known by VGI (Volunteered Geographic Information) as a data source for Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) in order to assist the decision-making in disaster management. Our approach consists of a framework that integrates voluntary and conventional data, a SDSS and processes and methods for decision-making. As a result, it is expected that this approach will assist official organizations in disaster management by providing mechanisms and information.
THE SPITZER c2d SURVEY OF NEARBY DENSE CORES. V. DISCOVERY OF A VeLLO IN THE “STARLESS” DENSE CORE L328

This paper reports the discovery of a Very Low Luminosity Object (VeLLO) in the “starless” dense core L328, using the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based observations from near-infrared (NIR) to millimeter wavelengths. The Spitzer 8 μm image indicates that L328 consists of three subcores of which the smallest one may harbor a source, L328-IRS, while two other subcores remain starless. L328-IRS is a Class 0 protostar according to its bolometric temperature (44 K) and the high fraction (∼72%) of its luminosity emitted at submillimeter wavelengths. Its inferred “internal luminosity” (0.04–0.06 L☉) using a radiative transfer model under the most plausible assumption of its distance as 200 pc is much fainter than for a typical protostar, and even fainter than other VeLLOs studied previously. Note, however, that its inferred luminosity may be uncertain by a factor of 2–3 if we consider two extreme values of the distance of L328-IRS (125 or 310 pc). Low angular resolution observations of CO do not show any clear evidence of a molecular outflow activity. But broad line widths toward L328, and Spitzer and NIR images showing nebulosity possibly tracing an outflow cavity, strongly suggest the existence of outflow activity. Provided that an envelope of at most ∼0.1 M☉ is the only mass accretion reservoir for L328-IRS, the star formation efficiency is close to the canonical value ∼30%, and L328-IRS has not yet accreted more than 0.05 M☉, at the assumed distance of 200 pc, L328-IRS is destined to be a brown dwarf.
European Snow Cover Characteristics between 2000 and 2011 Derived from Improved MODIS Daily Snow Cover Products

Mean snow cover duration was derived for the entire continent of Europe based on the MODIS daily snow cover products MOD10A1 and MYD10A1 for the period from 2000 to 2011. Dates of snow cover start and snow cover melt were also estimated. Polar darkness north of ~62°N and extensive cloud coverage affected the daily snow cover, preventing a direct derivation of the desired parameters. Combining sensor data from both MODIS platforms and applying a temporal cloud filter, cloud coverage and polar darkness were removed from the input data and accuracy remained above 90% for 87% of the area. The typical snow cover characteristics of the whole continent are illustrated and constitute a unique dataset with respect to spatial and temporal resolution. Abnormal events, glacier inventories or studies on possible impacts of climate change on snow cover characteristics are only some examples for applications where the presented results may be utilized.
The Attitudes of Students Towards Cooperative Learning in ELT Classes

In teaching and learning environments, many methods, techniques and/or approaches are used. Among these one of them is cooperative learning. It is defined as working in the soul of a team and in the team, the members help, motivate and trust each other. This study aimed at investigating the University prep school ELT students’ attitudes towards cooperative learning. A questionnaire was given to 166 (F=100, M=66) university students whose ages were between 18-20 who were all studying at prep school and of different faculties. A questionnaire inquiring on the students’ attitudes on cooperative learning was administered. The collected data was analyzed by using descriptive analysis method. Results showed that 66,9% of the students are at the side of cooperative learning in ELT classes whereas 33,1% of them believed that if they work alone they would have better results and they thought working alone was more enjoyable. A focus group was organized and the students mentioned both negative and positive sides of cooperative work. Furthermore, the findings reported that there was difference in gender in the attitudes towards cooperative learning for the good of females.
Broadband ambient noise surface wave tomography across the United States

[1] This study presents surface wave dispersion maps across the contiguous United States determined using seismic ambient noise. Two years of ambient noise data are used from March 2003 through February 2005 observed at 203 broadband seismic stations in the US, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Cross-correlations are computed between all station-pairs to produce empirical Green functions. At most azimuths across the US, coherent Rayleigh wave signals exist in the empirical Green functions implying that ambient noise in the frequency band of this study (5–100 s period) is sufficiently isotropically distributed in azimuth to yield largely unbiased dispersion measurements. Rayleigh and Love wave group and phase velocity curves are measured together with associated uncertainties determined from the temporal variability of the measurements. A sufficient number of measurements (>2000) is obtained between 8 and 25 s period for Love waves and 8 and 70 s period for Rayleigh waves to produce tomographic dispersion maps. Both phase and group velocity maps are presented in these period bands. Resolution is estimated to be better than 100 km across much of the US from 8–40 s period for Rayleigh waves and 8–20 s period for Love waves, which is unprecedented in a study at this spatial scale. At longer and shorter periods, resolution degrades as the number of coherent signals diminishes. The dispersion maps agree well with each other and with known geological and tectonic features and, in addition, provide new information about structures in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath much of the US.
Competence in Language at 24 Months: Relations with Attachment Security and Home Stimulation

Abstract This study explored the interrelations among attachment, home stimulation, and language development in 58 toddlers (36 medically high risk and 22 low risk) at 24 months of age. The results indicated that there were additive effects of attachment and home stimulation on language competence, especially on receptive abilities. Mothers who had established secure relationships and provided stimulating home environments had children with the highest language scores.
Incident Atrial Fibrillation and Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease in Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease

Background— Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently occurs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the long-term impact of development of AF on the risk of adverse renal outcomes in patients with CKD is unknown. In this study, we determined the association between incident AF and risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among adults with CKD. Methods and Results— We studied adults with CKD (defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate eGFR <60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation) enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Northern California who were identified between 2002 and 2010 and who did not have previous ESRD or previously documented AF. Incident AF was identified by using primary hospital discharge diagnoses or 2 or more outpatient visits for AF. Incident ESRD was ascertained from a comprehensive health plan registry for dialysis and renal transplant. Among 206 229 adults with CKD, 16 463 developed incident AF. During a mean follow-up of 5.1±2.5 years, there were 345 cases of ESRD that occurred after development of incident AF (74 per 1000 person-years) in comparison with 6505 cases of ESRD during periods without AF (64 per 1000 person-years, P<0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, incident AF was associated with a 67% increase in the rate of ESRD (hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.46–1.91). Conclusions— Incident AF is independently associated with increased risk of developing ESRD in adults with CKD. Further study is needed to identify potentially modifiable pathways through which AF leads to a higher risk of progression to ESRD.
Test Anxiety and Academic Performance among Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Achievement Motivation

Abstract This study investigated the moderating role of achievement motivation in the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance. Three hundred and ninety three participants (192 males and 201 females) selected from a public university in Ondo State, Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique, participated in the study. They responded to measures of test anxiety and achievement motivation. Three hypotheses were tested using moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results showed that test anxiety had a negative impact on academic performance (β = –.23; p < .05). Achievement motivation had a positive impact on academic performance (β = .38; p < .05). Also, achievement motivation significantly moderated the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance (β = .10; p < .01). These findings suggest that university management should design appropriate psycho-educational interventions that would enhance students’ achievement motivation.
Sacred Pain: Hurting the Body for the Sake of the Soul

Physical pain ranks as one of the great evils of human life, not far behind death. Yet, religious individuals and groups around the world and throughout history have inflicted pain on themselves and on others in pursuit of religious goals. Despite this, no broad explanation for the uses of pain has emerged, and this book seeks to remedy this lack. Glucklich shows that a ritually controlled regimen of pain can produce a transformation of consciousness in which personal identity gives way to identification with God, Truth, or other spiritual ideals. This phenomenon is explored in many cultural and historical contexts, including rituals of possession and exorcism, rites of passage, and the tortures of the Inquisition. Glucklich also shows how the modern invention of anaesthesia transformed our perception of pain and undermined the idea that pain can be good. This book helps us to understand "sacred pain" from the perspective of its practitioners, opening a window onto a mysterious world of experience.