Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing processing explanations for the asymmetry in masked cross-language priming

Cross-language priming effects using masked primes tend to be asymmetrical. Priming from L1 to L2 is strong, but priming from L2 to L1 is inconsistent and weak. Two kinds of explanations may explain this asymmetry. The representation hypothesis attributes the asymmetry to the different strength of connections between lexical items in the two languages. The processing hypothesis explains the asymmetry by emphasizing differences in processing speed or the general activation level of the two languages. In this study, three versions of the processing hypothesis were examined. Chinese–English bilinguals were tested with a masked priming paradigm on Chinese–English translation pairs in five experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 replicated the asymmetrical pattern of cross-language priming. Experiments 3 to 5 examined three processing-related hypotheses by varying prime and target presentation conditions. The results showed that none of the three processing accounts provides a satisfactory explanation for the asymmetry. The findings are discussed in the context of current models of bilingual memory organization.
Characterizing and subsetting big data workloads

Big data benchmark suites must include a diversity of data and workloads to be useful in fairly evaluating big data systems and architectures. However, using truly comprehensive benchmarks poses great challenges for the architecture community. First, we need to thoroughly understand the behaviors of a variety of workloads. Second, our usual simulation-based research methods become prohibitively expensive for big data. As big data is an emerging field, more and more software stacks are being proposed to facilitate the development of big data applications, which aggravates these challenges. In this paper, we first use Principle Component Analysis (PCA) to identify the most important characteristics from 45 metrics to characterize big data workloads from BigDataBench, a comprehensive big data benchmark suite. Second, we apply a clustering technique to the principle components obtained from the PCA to investigate the similarity among big data workloads, and we verify the importance of including different software stacks for big data benchmarking. Third, we select seven representative big data workloads by removing redundant ones and release the BigDataBench simulation version, which is publicly available from http://prof.ict. ac.cn/BigDataBench/simulatorversion/.
An Analysis of Severe Hail Swaths in the Southern Plains of the United States

Severe hail is a common event in the United States and few studies have been conducted using high‐resolution data to determine the spatial and temporal variability of hail occurrence. Given the coverage of Weather Surveillance Radar‐88 Doppler radars (WSR‐88D; Crum and Alberty 1993 ) over the Southern Plains of the United States, recent technological advancements including hail detection algorithms and powerful new geographic information systems (GIS) tools, a new methodology was developed to quantify the occurrence of severe hail. The methodology was tested using a dataset spanning 2001–2003 from 15 radar sites across eight states. The Hailswath algorithm developed at Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. was used to estimate severe and significant hail for each individual storm during the study period. Due to the discrete nature of the Hailswath algorithm output, it was manually contoured to create a coherent swath of the most likely area of severe (19 mm in diameter; 0.75 inches) and significant hail (51 mm in diameter; 2 inches). Finally, the results of these analyses were compiled monthly, annually, and for the total duration of the study period using a variety of GIS tools. A thorough demonstration of the data analysis process and results is presented, and the benefits and limitations of the method used to investigate the occurrence of severe hail are explained.
Growth Hormone Secretagogues Protect Mouse Cardiomyocytes from in vitro Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury through Regulation of Intracellular Calcium

Background Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of mortality. To study this disease, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) models are widely used to mimic the process of transient blockage and subsequent recovery of cardiac coronary blood supply. We aimed to determine whether the presence of the growth hormone secretagogues, ghrelin and hexarelin, would protect/improve the function of heart from I/R injury and to examine the underlying mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings Isolated hearts from adult male mice underwent 20 min global ischemia and 30 min reperfusion using a Langendorff apparatus. Ghrelin (10 nM) or hexarelin (1 nM) was introduced into the perfusion system either 10 min before or after ischemia, termed pre- and post-treatments. In freshly isolated cardiomyocytes from these hearts, single cell shortening, intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) transients and caffeine-releasable sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ were measured. In addition, RT-PCR and Western blots were used to examine the expression level of GHS receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), and phosphorylated phospholamban (p-PLB), respectively. Ghrelin and hexarelin pre- or post-treatments prevented the significant reduction in the cell shortening, [Ca2+]i transient amplitude and caffeine-releasable SR Ca2+ content after I/R through recovery of p-PLB. GHS-R1a antagonists, [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6 (200 nM) and BIM28163 (100 nM), completely blocked the effects of GHS on both cell shortening and [Ca2+]i transients. Conclusion/Significance Through activation of GHS-R1a, ghrelin and hexarelin produced a positive inotropic effect on ischemic cardiomyocytes and protected them from I/R injury probably by protecting or recovering p-PLB (and therefore SR Ca2+ content) to allow the maintenance or recovery of normal cardiac contractility. These observations provide supporting evidence for the potential therapeutic application of ghrelin and hexarelin in patients with cardiac I/R injury.
Augmented short- and long-term hemodynamic and hormonal effects of an angiotensin receptor blocker added to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy in patients with heart failure. Vasodilator Heart Failure Trial (V-HeFT) Study Group.

BACKGROUND ACE inhibitors may not adequately suppress deleterious levels of angiotensin II in patients with heart failure. An angiotensin receptor blocker added to an ACE inhibitor may exert additional beneficial effects. METHODS AND RESULTS Eighty-three symptomatic stable patients with chronic heart failure receiving long-term ACE inhibitor therapy were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with valsartan 80 mg BID, valsartan 160 mg BID, or placebo while receiving their usual ACE inhibitor therapy. Studies were performed before and after the first dose of the test drug and again after 4 weeks of therapy. A single dose of lisinopril was administered during study days to ensure sustained ACE inhibition. Compared with placebo, the first dose of valsartan 160 mg resulted in a significantly greater reduction in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure at 3, 4, and 8 hours and during the prespecified 4- to 8-hour interval after the dose and in systolic blood pressure at 2, 3, 6, 8, and 12 hours and 4 to 8 hours after the dose. A pressure reduction from valsartan 80 mg did not achieve statistical significance. After 4 weeks of therapy, net reductions in 0-hour trough pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (-4.3 mm Hg; P=0. 16), pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (-4.7 mm Hg; P=0.013), and systolic blood pressure (-6.8 mm Hg; P=0.013) were observed in the valsartan 160 mg group compared with placebo. After 4 weeks of therapy, plasma aldosterone was reduced by valsartan 80 mg BID (-52. 1 pg/mL; P=0.001) and 160 mg BID (-47.8 pg/mL; P<0.001) compared with placebo, and there was a trend for a reduction in plasma norepinephrine (-97 pg/mL; P=0.10). Seventy-four of the 83 patients completed the trial. CONCLUSIONS Physiologically active levels of angiotensin II persist during standard long-term ACE inhibitor therapy.
Phylum Tardigrada: A re-evaluation of the Parachela

We assessed the available morphological evidence to see if this corroborates the paraphyly in the Parachela (Tardigrada) as suggested by recent molecular data. We reconcile molecular phylogenetics with alpha morphology, focusing on claw and apophysis for the insertion of the stylet muscles (AISM). We combine molecular and morphological evidence to define six new taxa within the Parachela Schuster et al 1980. These include two new families of Isohypsibiidae fam. nov. and Ramazzottidae fam. nov. along with four new superfamilies of Eohypsibioidea superfam. nov., Hypsibioidea superfam. nov., Isohypsibioidea superfam. nov., and Macrobiotoidea superfam. nov.
Human Pacman: a mobile wide-area entertainment system based on physical, social, and ubiquitous computing

Human Pacman is a novel mixed reality interactive entertainment system that ventures to embed the natural physical world seamlessly with a fantasy virtual playground by capitalizing on infrastructure provided by wearable computer, mixed reality, and ubiquitous computing research. We have progressed from the old days of 2D arcade Pacman on screens, with incremental development, to the popular 3D game home console Pacman, and the recent mobile online Pacman. Finally with our research system Human Pacman, we have a physical role-playing computer fantasy together with real human-social and mobile-gaming that emphasizes on collaboration and competition between players in a wide outdoor area that allows natural wide-area human-physical movements. Pacmen and Ghosts are now human players in the real world experiencing computer graphics fantasy-reality by using the wearable computers on them. Virtual cookies and actual tangible physical objects are incorporated into the game play to provide unique experiences of seamless transitions between real and virtual worlds. We believe Human Pacman is pioneering a new form of gaming that anchors on physicality, mobility, social interaction, and ubiquitous computing.
The Impact of the Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Process on the Serum Levels of Malonaldialdehyde, Glutathione Peroxidase, and Interlukine-18 in Patients with Essential Hypertension

Background and objectives: The oxidative stress, antioxidant status and inflammatory process are cooperative events involved in development and progression of essential hypertension. This study was as a step for elucidating the contribution of the malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, interlukine -18 and lipid profile with the incidence, development, and progression of essential hypertension. Aims: The aims of this study were, to assess the change in serum malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, interlukine-18 and lipid profile levels in patients with essential hypertension, moreover, find out the effect of other confounding factors age, gender and stage of the disease on the serum levels of focused parameters and finally detect the correlation between all interested parameters. Patients and Methods: This study was designed to examine the associations between the serum interested parameters levels with the incidence of essential hypertension in 50 patients of both genders, and for the comparing purpose an equal number of the matched age–gender healthy adults also enrolled in this study as a control group. The hypothesis that oxidant /antioxidant status and inflammatory process influence the risk of adverse clinical outcomes are worthy for investigating. Accordingly, malondialdehyde was measured using coloremetric method, while, glutathione peroxidase and interlukine -18 were measured using enzyme linked immmunosorbent assay and lipid profile was estimated using commercial kit. Results: Patients exhibited a significant elevation in the serum malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, interleukin-18 and lipid profile levels as compared with the control group. Conclusion: The data of the present study indicated that an alteration in oxidant / antioxidant status and inflammatory process in patients with essential hypertension. This investigation provided the first evidence of the ability of malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, interlukine -18 and lipid profile in combination patterns as a factors involved in essential hypertension pathophysiology, etiology and are regarded as a markers of prognostic significance and potential therapeutic targets for future. The demonstration of these parameters provided a new insights into understanding the independence of oxidative stress /antioxidant status and inflammatory pathways in essential hypertension incidence, development and progression.
What Are We Aligning Tests to When We Report Test Alignment to the CEFR?

The study reported here investigates the validity of judgments made when aligning tests to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Listening tests operationalizing pre-defined difficulty-determining characteristics were to be aligned to CEFR levels. We employed a modified version of the item-descriptor-matching-method. Ten judges stated the CEFR descriptors they thought each item operationalizes and assigned a global CEFR level per item. We compared agreement on CEFR level judgments and CEFR descriptors quoted. Analyzing the relationship between CEFR level judgments and item ratings of difficulty-determining characteristics shed light on further criteria the judges employed. Follow-up interviews helped to triangulate the findings by examining judges’ perceptions of the alignment procedure. We found that judges relied on different criteria and CEFR descriptors to a varying degree, interpreting CEFR levels differently. There seemed little comparability in what aspects judges used to form their global CEFR judgments. Therefore, if an alignment does not take into account the meaning of the CEFR levels as expressed by existing CEFR descriptors, this raises issues with alignment validity, and hence the validity of test-score interpretation and usage. Given the impact of using CEFR aligned tests for high-stakes purposes, this article aims to shed more light on what assigning a CEFR level to a test actually means.
Development of a Self-Balancing Human Transportation Vehicle for the Teaching of Feedback Control

Control systems education often needs to design interesting hands-on exercises that keep students interested in the control theory presented in lectures. These exercises include system modeling, system analyses, controller syntheses, implementation, experimentation, and performance evaluation of a control system. This paper presents an interesting pedagogical tool, a self-balancing human transportation vehicle (HTV), for the teaching of feedback control concepts in undergraduate electrical, mechatronic, and mechanical engineering environments. Such a pedagogical tool can be easily and inexpensively constructed using low-tech commercial components and feedback control approaches. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed HTV system are examined by conducting several experiments on three different terrains. An education process, together with a pedagogical method, is presented to show how the developed HTV can be incorporated into the laboratory course. To increase students' hands-on experience and keep them interested in learning feedback control, this study also investigated how the enrolled students responded to this new pedagogical tool. This education method along with the HTV system is shown to be significantly effective in helping students to understand feedback control theory and practices, and also to result in more motivated and active learning.
Complex dynamics and stability of resistance to antimalarial drugs

A succession of antimalarial drugs has been deployed to treat human falciparum malaria but each has, in turn, been nullified by the spread of drug resistance. The consensus view has always been that, once present, resistance will inevitably rapidly increase to 100%. However, recent field evidence has shown this is not inevitable, and that drug resistance may initially spread and then stabilize at relatively low frequencies. It is proposed that intense competition between separate malaria clones co-infecting the same human can generate complex dynamics capable of explaining this observation. Standard population genetic analysis confirms this assertion. The dynamics underlying the evolution of antimalarial resistance may therefore be much more complex than previously realized, and can resolve the apparent paradox between field data and the underlying theory of the evolution of resistance. This explanation is novel and the results are equally applicable to other parasitic species where multiple infections of the same host are common.
Adeno‐associated virus 8‐mediated gene therapy for choroideremia: preclinical studies in in vitro and in vivo models

Choroideremia (CHM) is a slowly progressive X‐linked retinal degeneration that results in a loss of photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium and choroid. CHM, the gene implicated in choroideremia, encodes Rab escort protein‐1 (REP‐1), which is involved in the post‐translational activation via prenylation of Rab proteins.
Drivers of job satisfaction as related to work performance in Macao casino hotels

PurposeThis paper sets out to examine the relationship between work performance and job satisfaction in Macao's casino hotels and to attempt to determine how job satisfaction may be enhanced to improve work performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among Macao casino hotels' employees to collect data on work performance and job satisfaction. Coefficients of correlations were computed to determine the relationship between the two. Job satisfaction drivers were identified through backward stepwise regression analysis.FindingsMediocre interpersonal skills are the major weakness of the labor force and job satisfaction is significantly correlated with job performance. Training opportunities, salaries and benefits, and support from colleagues and superiors are significant drivers of job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper used convenience sampling and the survey was not exhaustive to include all possible job satisfaction drivers. Also, social desirability bias may exist in the employee survey. Future research should use probability sampling, if possible, and include more potential job satisfaction variables to find out how employee job satisfaction may be maximized. Furthermore, a study based on customer survey is desired for examining Macao casino workforce performance. While the findings are applicable to Macao casino hotels, they do provide evidence from the gaming industry to support the theory on job satisfaction drivers. The findings may also carry important implications for gaming jurisdictions with low incomes such as those in East Europe and Southeast Asia.Practical implicationsThe study provides an assessment of the Macao casino hotel workers' performance and job satisfaction and offers useful insights on how work performance and job satisfaction may be improved. On‐the‐job training is proposed for the industry to boost job satisfaction and work performance.Originality/valueLabor force performance has been a concern for the Macao gaming industry but has been thinly researched. The paper identifies problems in work performance as related to job satisfaction and proposes solutions. The identified solutions should help improve job satisfaction and workforce performance for Macao casino hotels.
Formal definitions and complexity results for trust relations and trust domains fit for TTPs, the web of trust, PKIs, and ID-based cryptography

We propose computational, declarative definitions of the concepts of weak and strong trust relations between interacting agents, and trust domains of trust-related agents in distributed systems. Our definitions yield computational complexity results for deciding potential and actual trust relationships and membership in trust domains. We instantiate our trust concepts in four major applications of trust, namely: Trusted Third Parties (TTPs), the Web of Trust, Public-Key Infrastructures (PKIs), and Identity-Based Cryptography. Finally, we point out computational means for building trust, and by that, building up trust relations and trust domains. Our defining principle for weak and strong trust is (common) belief in and knowledge of agent correctness, respectively
Cyclohexylammonium nitrate

In the title salt, C6H14N+·NO3 −, the cyclohexyl ring adopts a chair conformation. The ammonium group occupies an equatorial position and the crystal struture is stabilized by intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding interactions, resulting in a three-dimensional network.
Exploring the acceptance of mobile auctions in China

The growth of mobile phone usage and online auctions in China has been extremely rapid. Recently, these trends have started to converge, as online auctions players such as Eachnet (eBay China) try to diversify and gain competitive advantage via the creation of mobile auctions. Although relatively embryonic, the potential for this new business model is immense. With this in mind, we were interested to learn how likely m-auctions are to be accepted and used. The research question we attempt to answer is: "What factors are likely to influence attitudes and behavioural intention towards mobile auctions in China? " The methodology is based on the testing of a statistical model founded on the technology acceptance literature with a sample of more than 200 respondents. The findings are then discussed in light of the theoretical literature. The paper rounds off with a summary and conclusions, examining implications for future research and practice.
Movement–attention coupling in infancy and attention problems in childhood

Adaptive behavior requires the integration of body movement and attention. Therefore, individual differences in integration of movement and attention during infancy may have significance for development. We contacted families whose 8‐year‐old children (n=26; 16 females, 10 males; mean age 8y 2mo, SD 8mo) participated in a previous study of movement‐attention coupling at 1 or 3 months of age, to assess parent‐reported attention or hyperactivity problems using the Child Behavior Checklist and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) criteria. Parent‐reported attention problems at 8 years of age were associated with less suppression of body movement at onset of looking, and greater rebound of body movement following its initial suppression at 3 months, but not at 1 month. Parent‐reported hyperactivity was not related to any of the infant movement–attention measures. Results suggests that the dynamic integration of movement and attention early in life may have functional significance for the development of attention problems in childhood.
Filtering the Stochastic Skeleton Model for the Madden–Julian Oscillation

AbstractThe filtering and prediction of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and relevant tropical waves is a contemporary issue with significant implications for extended range forecasting. This paper examines the process of filtering the stochastic skeleton model for the MJO with noisy partial observations. A nonlinear filter, which captures the inherent nonlinearity of the system, is developed and judicious model error is included. Despite its nonlinearity, the special structure of this filter allows closed analytical formulas for updating the posterior states and is thus computationally efficient. A novel strategy for adding nonlinear observational noise to the envelope of convective activity is designed to guarantee its nonnegative property. Systematic calibration based on a cheap single-column version of the stochastic skeleton model provides a practical guideline for choosing the parameters in the full spatially extended system. With these column-tuned parameters, the full filter has a high overall .