Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis in ticks population collected on dogs in Meshkin-Shahr, Ardebil Province, Iran

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis is a disease which can cause death in dogs and cats by the Ehrlichia canis and transmitted by hard ticks. The main vector is Rhipicephalus sanguineus which is a common tick in Iran and common ectoparasite on dogs. Few researches has been done to show Ehrlichiosis situation in dog’s ticks. Animal husbandry in Meshkin-Shahr County from Ardebil province (North-West Iran) is the main job of people. Specimens were collected on dogs’ ears, neck, shoulder and toes and they were transferred to the Entomology Laboratory, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. After DNA extraction, Ehrlichia agent was detected by nested-PCR, 16 s rRNA amplification. Determination of sequence homologies have been done in Gen-Bank. 146 ticks were identified which included 29.44% female and 47.94% male. Rhipicephalus sanguineus were the most prevalent ticks. Ehrlichia spp and Anaplasma spp were found in 43.84% of all the specimens containing Anaplasma ovis, and Ehrlichia sp. and Herlichia canis. Rhipicephalus sanguineus is widely spread and the most common ticks on dogs. As far as we know, this is the first report of E. canis in vector from Iran. Nested PCR showed that hard ticks can contain Anaplasma ovis, Ehrlichia spp and E. canis. These results warrant studying on vector competence of ticks for the Ehrlichiosis agents.
Negotiating individuality and collectivity in community music. A qualitative case study

In this paper, we report on a qualitative study based on the “Meet4Music” (M4M) project recently developed at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria. M4M is a low-threshold community-based program where participatory sessions dedicated to different artistic activities are freely offered to people from different social and cultural backgrounds. Our study explores how M4M promotes self-expression, creativity, social understanding, and artistic development through a number of interviews that we collected with the “facilitators”—those who help guide the heterogeneous ensemble of participants without being committed to a fixed and pre-defined teaching content. Our data focus on three aspects of M4M: “mutual collaborations,” “non-verbal communication,” and “sense of togetherness. ” Taking the “enactive” approach to cognition as a theoretical background, we argue that M4M helps to promote a sense of community that goes beyond the distinction between “individuality” and “collectivity. ” M4M encourages participants to meaningfully engage in collective forms of artistic activities, and develop new perspectives on their cultural identities that can play a key role for their flourishing as musical beings. In conclusion, we briefly consider possibilities for future research and practice.
Health inequalities associated with neighbourhood deprivation in the Quebec population with hypertension in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

INTRODUCTION Although a number of studies look at prevalence, incidence, treatment, mortality and morbidity in relation to hypertension, few have taken into account the effect of residential neighbourhood on these health indicators in the population diagnosed with hypertension. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to measure and compare prevalence, mortality, morbidity, use of medical resources and treatments in relation to the level of material and social deprivation of the area of residence, in a population with a diagnosis of hypertension in primary prevention for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Quebec in 2006-2007. METHODS This study is based on a secondary analysis of the medical administrative data of the Quebec health insurance board, the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, for a cohort of 276 793 patients aged 30 years or older who had been diagnosed with hypertension in 2006 or 2007, but who did not have a known diagnosis of CVD. The health indicators adjusted for age and sex are prevalence, death, a cardiovascular event, physician visits, emergency department visits and use of antihypertensives. Twenty-five types of areas of residence were obtained by crossing the material and social deprivation quintiles. RESULTS Compared with patients living in materially and socially advantaged areas, those living in deprived areas were at 46% higher risk of a cardiovascular event, 47% higher risk of being frequent emergency department visitors and 31% higher risk of being frequent users of a general practitioner's services, but 25% lower risk of being frequent users of medical specialists' services. Little or no variation was observed in the use of antihypertensives. CONCLUSION This study reveals the existence, in a CVD primary prevention context, of large variations in a number of health indicators among hypertensive patients owing to the material and social deprivation of residential neighbourhood. It is therefore important to take the socioeconomic context into account when planning interventions to prevent CVDs and their consequences.
A Study on Nanocomposite Properties Made of Polypropylene/Nanoclay and Wood Flour

In this research, wood polymer composites with different nanoclay and compatibilizer contents were prepared by injection molding. Thermal, mechanical and morphological properties were characterized. The results showed that the tensile (tensile modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break) and thermal properties of nanocomposite were improved by addition of compatibilizer and nanoclay, this improvement were observed up to 3% of nanoclay content and then decreased. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed the exfoliated structures which implied the intensified compatibility between polypropylene and nanoclay with the addition of compatibilizer and it revealed the good dispersion of nanoclay.
The effect of using technology task based approach on English language achievement among primary four school students in Nigeria

Learning English is essential in Nigeria because English is used as the medium of instruction and also taught as a subject in all Nigerian schools. Most of the school curriculum’s are planned and communicated in English, but the poor performance of students in English at primary level has raised a lot of concern. This failure is attributed to teachers method of language teaching. Therefore, an English teaching approach was developed based on three (3) different methods (CALL, TBLT & P-GENRE) named as Technology Task Based Approach (TTBA). This study aimed to investigate the effect of TTBA on English proficiency skills in Nigerian primary schools. A quasi-experimental was employed as the research design in this study. The respondents of the study consisted of 62 primary school students in Nigerian primary schools that form into two (2) groups which were experimental group and control group. The experimental group was instructed using TTBA while the control group was taught using the traditional method. The period of the treatment lasted for eight (8) weeks. The collected data through pre-test and post-test was analyzed by using independent t-test and paired sample test at . 05 level of significance. The findings of the study indicated that there is a significant effect of TTBA on the students’ reading, speaking and writing skills. The results of the study revealed statistically significant differences in scores between the experimental group and control group. The result also showed that teachers and students have positive attitudes towards the application of TTBA. This teaching approach also proved that it is able to enhance students’ interest in studying English. Thus, it is recommended that primary school students should reflect on the tasks, strategies, and activities of learning in TTBA and apply them in learning English. Primary school teachers should integrate tasks with technology in language teaching to improve students’ language proficiency skills. Teachers should encourage students to join in the tasks and group activities with interest and attentiveness. Meanwhile the Nigerian Ministry of Education should organize teacher training on how to apply TTBA in language teaching.
Very long baseline interferometry detection of an Infrared-Faint Radio Source

Infrared-Faint Radio Sources represent a new and unexpected class of object which is bright at radio wavelengths but unusually faint at infrared wavelengths. If, like most mJy radio sources, they were either conventional active or star-forming galaxies in the local Universe, we would expect them to be detectable at infrared wavelengths, and so their non-detection by the Spitzer Space Telescope is surprising. Here, we report the detection of one of these sources using very long baseline interferometry, from which we conclude that the sources are driven by active galactic nuclei. We suggest that these sources are either normal radio-loud quasars at high redshift or abnormally obscured radio galaxies.
Video-rate stereo depth measurement on programmable hardware

This paper describes the implementation of a stereo depth measurement algorithm in hardware on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). This system generates 8 bit sub-pixel disparities on 256 by 360 pixel images at video rate (30 frames/sec). The algorithm implemented is a multi-resolution, multi-orientation phase-based technique called local weighted phase-correlation (Fleet, 1994). Hardware implementation speeds up the performance more than 300 times that of the same algorithm running in software. In this paper, we describe the programmable hardware platform, the base stereo vision algorithm and the design of the hardware. We include various trade-offs required to make the hardware small enough to fit on our system and fast enough to work at video rate. We also show sample outputs from the functioning hardware. Although this paper is specifically focused on phase-based stereo vision FPGA realizations, most of the design issues are common to other DSP and vision applications.
Intelligibility of natural and 3d-cloned German speech

We investigate the intelligibility of natural visual and audiovisual speech compared to re-synthesized speech movements rendered by a talking head. This talking head is created using the speaker cloning methodology of the Institut de la Communication Parlee in Grenoble (now department for speech and cognition in GIPSA- Lab). A German speaker with colored markers on the face was recorded audiovisually using multiple cameras. The three-dimensional coordinates of the markers were extracted and parameterized. Spoken VCV sequences were then visually re-synthesized. A perception experiment was carried out to measure the visual and audiovisual intelligibility of natural and synthesized video, using the original audio with and without added noise. Identification scores show that the clone is capable of recovering almost 70% of the intelligibility gain provided by the original face. Part of this loss is due to missing visual cues in the present synthesis, due notably to the lack of a tongue.
You Do Not Have to Touch to Select: A Study on Predictive In-car Touchscreen with Mid-air Selection

In this paper, we first give an overview of the predictive display concept, which aims to minimise the demand associated with interacting with in-vehicle displays, such as touchscreens, via free hand pointing gestures. It determines the item the user intends to select, early in the pointing gesture, and accordingly simplifies-expedites the target acquisition. A study to evaluate the impact of using a predictive touchscreen in a car is then presented. The mid-air selection pointing facilitation scheme is applied, such that the user does not have to physically touch the interactive surface. Instead, the predictive display auto-selects the predicted interface icon on behalf of the user, once the required level of inference certainty is achieved. The study results, which are based on data collected from 20 participants under various driving-road conditions, demonstrate that a predictive display can significantly reduce the workload, effort and durations of completing on-screen selection tasks in vehicles.
Using Internet/Intranet Web Pages to Collect Organizational Research Data

Wide availability of networked personal computers within organizations has enabled new methods for organizational research involving presentation of research stimuli using Web pages and browsers. The authors provide an overview of the technological challenges for collecting organizational data through this medium as a springboard to discuss the validity of such research and its ethical implications. A review of research comparing Web browser–based research with other administration modalities appears to warrant guarded optimism about the validity of these new methods. The complexity of the technology and researchers’ relative unfamiliarity with it have created a number of pitfalls that must be avoided to ensure ethical treatment of research participants. The authors highlight the need for an online research participants’ bill of rights and other structures to ensure successful and appropriate use of this promising new research medium.
Effects of Adherence to Statin Therapy on Health Care Outcomes and Utilizations in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study

Aim. Good medication adherence may decrease the probability of worse outcomes and reduce unnecessary medical care costs. This study aims to evaluate medication adherence for people on statin therapy. Methods. National health insurance databases were analyzed from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2007. Study samples were patients of 45 years and older adults who took statin for the first time during the study period. Medication possession ratio (MPR) was measured until the patients had hospitalization or reached the three-year follow-up period. We identified a good (MPR ≥ 80%) and a poor (MPR < 80%) medication adherence group to conduct statistical analyses. Results. 40.8% of patients were of good medication adherence and 59.2% were of poor medication adherence. Multivariate logistic regression model indicated that the MPR ≥ 80% group had significantly less probability of hospitalization (P < 0.001). Being men, increasing age, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores, seeking care mostly in the medical center or teaching hospitals, and living in the suburban or rural areas had higher probability of hospitalization (P < 0.05 or P < 0.001). The MPR ≥ 80% group spent less hospitalization expenditures (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Effective interventions may be applied to the poor medication adherence group in order to improve their health care outcomes.
Dynamic Panel Data Models with Irregular Spacing: With Applications to Early Childhood Development

With the increased availability of longitudinal data, dynamic panel data models have become commonplace. Moreover, the properties of various estimators of such models are well known. However, we show that these estimators breakdown when the data are irregularly spaced along the time dimension. Unfortunately, this is an increasingly frequent occurrence as many longitudinal surveys are collected at non-uniform intervals and no solution is currently available when time-varying covariates are included in the model. In this paper, we propose several new estimators for dynamic panel data models when data are irregularly spaced and compare their finite sample performance to the naive application of existing estimators. We illustrate the practical importance of this issue by turning to two applications on early childhood development.
The Contribution of Technological Factors on Knowledge Sharing Quality among Government Officers in Malaysia

variety of ways to approach this multifaceted phenomenon. knowledge management integral part of information and communications technology (ICT). The first approached the more general perspective, starting with discussing knowledge management’s role as a medium towards increasing productivity in organizations. In the starting chapters of the the duality between technology and humans is also taken into account. In the following chapters, one see the essence and multifaceted nature of knowledge management through branch-specific observations and studies. Towards the end of the book the ontological side of knowledge management is illuminated. The book ends with two special applications of knowledge management.
Environmental estrogens induce transcriptionally active estrogen receptor dimers in yeast: activity potentiated by the coactivator RIP140.

We used three yeast genetic systems to investigate the estrogen-like activity of octylphenol (OP), bisphenol-A (BPA), o,p'-DDT, and o, p'-DDE to induce human estrogen receptor (hER) dimerization and transcriptional activation. We have demonstrated that OP, BPA, and o, p'-DDT can induce hER ligand-dependent dimerization using a yeast two-hybrid assay. All three xenoestrogens, plus estradiol, enhanced estrogen response element (ERE)-dependent transcriptional activation of hER. In the presence of receptor interacting protein 140 (RIP140), ERE-dependent activity was dramatically amplified by 100-fold for estradiol, OP, BPA, and o,p'-DDT. A yeast whole-cell [(3)H]estradiol binding assay was developed to determine the site of interaction on the hER. We determined nonspecific binding by parallel incubations run in the presence of 5 microM unlabelled estradiol in PCY2 yeast. At the concentrations tested, unlabeled estradiol, OP, and BPA displaced [(3)H]estradiol in this binding assay, whereas the concentrations of o,p'-DDT and o,p'-DDE tested were insufficient to inhibit binding. Incubating yeast in the presence of increasing concentrations of estradiol and OP (1 microM) or BPA (1 microM) neither blocked nor altered the effect of estradiol on hER activity. We observed no agonistic activity of o,p'-DDE in any of the yeast models used. These results suggest that OP, BPA, and o,p'-DDT exert their estrogen-like activity through the ER in a manner similar to that of estradiol, and the coactivator RIP140 markedly potentiates this activity. ImagesFigure 1Figure 2Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6
LT coded MSK over AWGN channels

We investigate the design of Luby Transform (LT) codes with minimum-shift-keying (MSK) modulation over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. Both systematic and nonsystematic LT codes are considered from the perspectives of decoding threshold and bit error rate. Using systematic LT codes, coding complexity can be reduced by eliminating the need for decoder-doping, and less parity bits are required as compared to the nonsystematic LT codes. In addition, systematic LT codes exhibit better performance than their nonsystematic counterparts for low fixed code rates. To evaluate the performance of the LT coded MSK system, we consider a family of rate-compatible fixed-rate codes, which allows us to use extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts for analysis and design. We observe that systematic LT codes have a better decoding threshold than their corresponding nonsystematic counterparts for all tested rates up to R = 0.59 bits per symbol. Furthermore, with the use of EXIT charts, we propose a new degree distribution function for the LT code, which leads to improved decoding thresholds for all examined code rates, as compared to codes using existing degree distributions optimized for binary erasure and AWGN channels. Numerical results confirm our EXIT chart analysis and conclusions.
Beyond Pink and Blue: Gendered Attitudes towards Robots in Society

Developing an improved understanding and awareness of how gender impacts perceptions of robots and interactions with them is crucial for the ongoing advancement of the human-robot interaction (HRI) field, as a lack of awareness of gender issues increases the risk of robot rejection and poor performance. This paper provides a theoretical grounding for gender-studies in HRI that illustrates potential dangers of "pink" versus "blue" dichotomous over-simplifications of women and men, and advocates for including potential users of both sexes. We further present the results from an exploratory survey of women and men's attitudes toward robot development that demonstrates how real-world gender differences on attitudes toward robots go beyond simplistic generalizations. We envision that this work will provide HRI designers with a foundation and exemplary account of how gender can influence attitudes toward and interaction with robots, serving as a resource and a sensitizing discussion for gender studies in HRI.
Multiple Mechanisms and Challenges for the Application of Allopolyploidy in Plants

An allopolyploid is an individual having two or more complete sets of chromosomes derived from different species. Generation of allopolyploids might be rare because of the need to overcome limitations such as co-existing populations of parental lines, overcoming hybrid incompatibility, gametic non-reduction, and the requirement for chromosome doubling. However, allopolyploids are widely observed among plant species, so allopolyploids have succeeded in overcoming these limitations and may have a selective advantage. As techniques for making allopolyploids are developed, we can compare transcription, genome organization, and epigenetic modifications between synthesized allopolyploids and their direct parental lines or between several generations of allopolyploids. It has been suggested that divergence of transcription caused either genetically or epigenetically, which can contribute to plant phenotype, is important for the adaptation of allopolyploids.
CORRECT: Code Reviewer Recommendation in GitHub Based on Cross-Project and Technology Experience

Peer code review locates common coding rule violations and simple logical errors in the early phases of software development, and thus reduces overall cost. However, in GitHub, identifying an appropriate code reviewer for a pull request is a non-trivial task given that reliable information for reviewer identification is often not readily available. In this paper, we propose a code reviewer recommendation technique that considers not only the relevant cross-project work history (e.g., external library experience) but also the experience of a developer in certain specialized technologies associated with a pull request for determining her expertise as a potential code reviewer. We first motivate our technique using an exploratory study with 10 commercial projects and 10 associated libraries external to those projects. Experiments using 17,115 pull requests from 10 commercial projects and six open source projects show that our technique provides 85%-- 92% recommendation accuracy, about 86% precision and 79%--81% recall in code reviewer recommendation, which are highly promising. Comparison with the state-of-the-art technique also validates the empirical findings and the superiority of our recommendation technique.