Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing demographics: are companies meeting the development needs of an ageing workforce?

Purpose – The aim of the viewpoint article was to raise awareness around training and development opportunities made available to the over‐60s workforce. Recent Skillsoft research, conducted by Opinion Matters, discovered that 93 per cent of UK CEOs do not invest in training and development for their employees who are over the age of 60.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a viewpoint article which raises awareness around training and development opportunities made available to the over‐60s workforce, following recent Skillsoft research on this issue.Findings – It is found that 93 per cent of UK CEOs do not invest in training and development for their employees that are over the age of 60.Practical implications – It is encouraging to see that the UK Government is starting to initiate programs that are aimed at enhancing the over‐60s working life and it is time for businesses to take note and not ignore this valuable part of their workforce. If forgotten and not given the appropriate development opp.
Wholeness as a hierarchical graph to capture the nature of space

According to Christopher Alexander’s theory of centers, a whole comprises numerous, recursively defined centers for things or spaces surrounding us. Wholeness is a type of global structure or life-giving order emerging from the whole as a field of the centers. The wholeness is an essential part of any complex system and exists, to some degree or other, in spaces. This paper defines wholeness as a hierarchical graph, in which individual centers are represented as the nodes and their relationships as the directed links. The hierarchical graph gets its name from the inherent scaling hierarchy revealed by the head/tail breaks, which is a classification scheme and visualization tool for data with a heavy-tailed distribution. We suggest that (1) the degrees of wholeness for individual centers should be measured by PageRank (PR) scores based on the notion that high-degree-of-life centers are those to which many high-degree-of-life centers point, and (2) that the hierarchical levels, or the ht-index of the PR scores induced by the head/tail breaks, can characterize the degree of wholeness for the whole: the higher the ht-index, the more life or wholeness in the whole. Three case studies applied to the Alhambra building complex and the street networks of Manhattan and Sweden illustrate that the defined wholeness captures fairly well human intuitions on the degree of life for the geographic spaces. We further suggest that the mathematical model of wholeness be an important model of geographic representation, because it is topological oriented, which enables us to see the underlying scaling structure. The model can guide geodesign, which should be considered as the wholeness-extending transformations that are essentially like the unfolding processes of seeds or embryos, for creating built and natural environments of beauty or with a high degree of wholeness.
Cognitive Ecology in Hummingbirds: The Role of Sexual Dimorphism and Its Anatomical Correlates on Memory

In scatter-hoarding species, several behavioral and neuroanatomical adaptations allow them to store and retrieve thousands of food items per year. Nectarivorous animals face a similar scenario having to remember quality, location and replenishment schedules of several nectar sources. In the green-backed firecrown hummingbird (Sephanoides sephanoides), males are territorial and have the ability to accurately keep track of nectar characteristics of their defended food sources. In contrast, females display an opportunistic strategy, performing rapid intrusions into males territories. In response, males behave aggressively during the non-reproductive season. In addition, females have higher energetic demands due to higher thermoregulatory costs and travel times. The natural scenario of this species led us to compared cognitive abilities and hippocampal size between males and females. Males were able to remember nectar location and renewal rates significantly better than females. However, the hippocampal formation was significantly larger in females than males. We discuss these findings in terms of sexually dimorphic use of spatial resources and variable patterns of brain dimorphisms in birds.
The effects of ethanol consumption on vasculogenesis potential in nonhuman primates.

BACKGROUND Vasculogenesis is essential to the preservation and repair of damaged or diseased vessels. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug among young adults, but its effects on vessel growth and repair are unknown. The basis of vascular repair is endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) recruitment to assist in the formation of new vascular network (vasculogenesis). Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the effects of ethanol consumption on the production, mobilization and vasculogenesis potential EPCs in nonhuman primates. METHODS Four to five year-old (young adult) male rhesus monkeys consumed monkey chow and water (Control, n = 7), or chow and water + ethanol (Alcohol, 2.45 g/d, n = 7) for 12 months. Peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) samples were collected for fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis of cell surface antigens (CD45, CD31, CD44, CD133, VEGF-R2 - or KDR); and for capillary formation on Matrigel-coated plates. RESULTS There were greater numbers of nonhematopoeitic stromal cells (CD45-) and putative mesenchymal progenitor cells (CD45-/CD44+) in the PB and BM of Alcohol versus Control monkeys (p < 0.05). Additionally, there were greater numbers of EPCs (CD45-/CD133+/KDR+) in the BM and PB of Alcohol versus Control monkeys (p < 0.05). However, the EPCs of Alcohol monkeys were less likely to form capillaries on matrigel-coated plates than Control monkeys (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Ethanol consumption in monkeys markedly increased the production and mobilization of EPCs, but decreased their ability to form capillaries. The pathophysiologic consequences of such effects are unclear, but may represent an ethanol-induced chronic stress on the BM, resulting in EPC.
Applications of supercontinuum sources: Incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy

We study experimentally the application of supercontinuum (SC) sources in incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBB-CEAS). By carefully tailoring the SC spectrum to match the high reflectivity bandwidth of the mirrors, an unprecedented spectral brightness can be achieved at wavelengths where the effective absorption path length exceeds 40 km, making the fiber-based SC an ideal match for the simple and robust IBB-CEAS technique. We demonstrate the potential of SC sources in broadband measurement of weak overtone transitions of carbon dioxide and methane and compare its performances with that of typical superluminescent diode (SLD) source.
Breast Hormonal Receptors Test Should Be Repeated on Excisional Biopsy After Negative Core Needle Biopsy

Abstract: Therapeutic decision‐making for women diagnosed with breast cancer requires accurate determination of the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). Decisions about adjuvant therapy are often based on the immunohistochemical (IHC) profile of the core needle biopsy sample (CNB) because the staining is not repeated on the final excisional biopsy (EB). The purpose of this study was to assess the concordance of breast cancer IHC receptor assays on CNB and EB. We identified 176 patients with matching breast CNB and EB that had available ER and PR. While the CNBs were processed and stained in different laboratories, the EB were processed and stained in our institution. The following antibodies were used 1D5, 6F11 and SP1 for ER, and PgR636, 16 and 1E2 for PR, from Dako, Leica and Ventana respectively. Correlation of scores of CNBs with matching EB was analyzed using Spearman correlation coefficients. Sensitivity, specificity, overall agreement and the kappa statistic were used to measure the concordance between CNB and EB. For CNB, there were 141 (80.1%) cases positive for ER and 118 (67%) cases positive for PR. For EB, there were 143 (81.3%) cases positive for ER and 130 (73.9%) cases positive for PR. Overall agreement for ER and PR was seen in 93% (95% CI = 0.88, 0.96) and 90% (95% CI = 0.84, 0.94) respectively. Overall, ER− CNB/ER+ EB was seen in seven (4%) cases and PR− CNB/PR+ EB in 15 (8.5%) cases. ER+ CNB/ER− EB was seen in five (2.8%) cases and PR+ CNB/PR− EB in three (1.7%) cases. To avoid erroneous omission of life‐saving endocrine therapy ER and PR should be repeated on the EB for patients whose CNB has negative hormonal receptors.
Effects of combined and separate removals of rostral dorsal superior temporal sulcus cortex and perirhinal cortex on visual recognition memory in rhesus monkeys.

The dorsal bank of the superior temporal sulcus (STSd) bears anatomical relations similar to those of perirhinal cortex, an area critical for visual recognition memory. To examine whether STSd makes a similar contribution to visual recognition memory, performance on visual delayed nonmatching-to-sample (DNMS) was assessed in rhesus monkeys with combined or separate ablations of the perirhinal cortex and STSd as well as in unoperated controls. Consistent with previous findings, ablations of perirhinal cortex produced deficits nearly as severe as that found after rhinal (i.e., entorhinal plus perirhinal) cortex lesions. However, combined lesions of perirhinal cortex and STSd produced a deficit no greater than that produced by perirhinal cortex ablation alone, and lesions of STSd alone were without effect on DNMS. We conclude that STSd is not critically involved in visual recognition memory.
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development is an authoritative, accessible and up-to-date account of all aspects of child development. Written by an international team of experts, it adopts an interdisciplinary approach and covers everything from prenatal development to education, pediatrics, neuroscience, theories and research methods to physical development, social development, cognitive development, psychopathology and parenting. It also looks at cultural issues, sex differences and the history of child development. The comprehensive coverage, clear, jargon-free style and user-friendly format will ensure this book is essential reading for students, researchers, health care professionals, social workers, education professionals, parents and anyone interested in the welfare of children
Differential Inducibility of Human and Porcine Dental Pulp-Derived Cells into Odontoblasts

A robust method for generating odontoblasts from cultured dental pulp cells has not been established. In this study, efficient methods for deriving odontoblasts from cultured human and porcine dental pulp-derived cells were investigated with special attention to species differences. Cultured human cells showed relatively low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the presence of dexamethasone (Dex) and β-glycerophosphate (β-Gly). In contrast, the addition of 1,25-dihydroxyvitaminD3 (VitD3) significantly increased the ALP activity. In porcine cells, β-Gly alone or a combination of Dex and β-Gly significantly increased ALP activity; however, addition of VitD3 reduced this activity. RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis revealed that the combination of three induction reagents on human cells significantly upregulates the expression of osteocalcin mRNA, and dentin sialoprotein. We propose that the combination of Dex, β-Gly, and VitD3 is critical for differentiation of human dental pulp-derived cells into odontoblasts. In addition, the inducibility of dental pulp-derived cells presented remarkable species differences.
Designing pictorial stimuli for perceptual image difference experiments

Imaging system development often involves impact assessment of design choices. For systems that generate images for human consumption, such as cameras and displays, the effect of design decisions are often evaluated using ‘real-world’ images. System changes can have complicated effects on pictorial images that do not, as yet, have specified instrumental measurement methods. Consequently, human observers are often used in image quality assessment. However, human observers can react differently to complex pictorial stimuli both between observers and for a single observer over the course of a lengthy experiment. In an experimental setting, pictorial scenes present a greater opportunity than do uniform patches for observers’ individual differences to significantly impact the process. This study was conducted to increase the understanding of the optimal design of pictorial stimuli for more effective and efficient perceptual experiments. The goals of this dissertation were to: 1. Understand the impact of image content on visual attention and the consistency of image comparison experimental results 2. Understand how visual attention changes with successive viewing of pictorial images 3. Apply this understanding to develop guidelines for pictorial target design for perceptual image comparison experiments To achieve these objectives, a series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of pictorial scene complexity on fixation and experimental response consistency. For these experiments, scenes exhibiting a range of perceived complexity were required. To select appropriate scenes, the concept of what constitutes a complex image was first considered. Experiment I was conducted to evaluate the number of areas perceived to be important in a variety of scenes. Observers were asked to identify the important areas of pictorial scenes. The scenes were also electronically segmented. The results from Experiment I were used to select scenes that provided a range of complexity for stimuli in Experiment II. This test examined the impact of image complexity on observer
Risk Preferences are Not Time Preferences: Discounted Expected Utility with a Disproportionate Preference for Certainty

Risk and time are intertwined. The present is known while the future is inherently risky. Discounted expected utility provides a simple, coherent structure for analyzing decisions in intertemporal, uncertain environments. However, we document robust violations of discounted expected utility, inconsistent with both prospect theory probability weighting and models with preferences for the resolution of uncertainty. We find that we can organize our data with surprising precision if we allow for a disproportionate preference for certainty. These results have potentially important implications for understanding dynamically inconsistent preferences.
Joint Motion Segmentation and Background Estimation in Dynamic Scenes

We propose a joint foreground-background mixture model (FBM) that simultaneously performs background estimation and motion segmentation in complex dynamic scenes. Our FBM consist of a set of location-specific dynamic texture (DT) components, for modeling local background motion, and set of global DT components, for modeling consistent foreground motion. We derive an EM algorithm for estimating the parameters of the FBM. We also apply spatial constraints to the FBM using an Markov random field grid, and derive a corresponding variational approximation for inference. Unlike existing approaches to background subtraction, our FBM does not require a manually selected threshold or a separate training video. Unlike existing motion segmentation techniques, our FBM can segment foreground motions over complex background with mixed motions, and detect stopped objects. Since most dynamic scene datasets only contain videos with a single foreground object over a simple background, we develop a new challenging dataset with multiple foreground objects over complex dynamic backgrounds. In experiments, we show that jointly modeling the background and foreground segments with FBM yields significant improvements in accuracy on both background estimation and motion segmentation, compared to state-of-the-art methods.
The Effects of Extended Time on Exams for College Students Without Learning Disabilities: A Classroom Experiment

Does the accommodation of students with learning disabilities raise concerns about fairness in grading? Previous studies (e.g., Runyan 1991) suggest that extended time on exams holds no benefit for students without learning disabilities. Consequently, it is not possible to “overcompensate” via the remedy of extended time. The purpose of this study is to re-examine whether extended time improves the performance of students without learning disabilities. We exploit the occurrence of a classroom exercise in which 103 undergraduate students were administered a test in an economics course. Forty-two students received 25% more time to work on their exam; those students scored about thirteen percentage points higher (or 17% higher than the mean score of other students) than students without extended time, after controlling for other measures of subject mastery.
Mate, neighbour and stranger songs: a female song sparrow perspective

We investigated discrimination by female song sparrows Melospiza melodia, between different categories of male song using the copulation solicitation display as a preference assay. Females responded most strongly to songs recorded from their mates, less strongly to songs of neighbouring males and least strongly to songs of stranger males. Among the stranger songs, however, females preferred songs that were most similar structurally to song types in their mates' repertoires (matching songs). These results are interpreted as evidence that females can recognize individual males based on the songs in their repertoires. Moreover, the observed female preferences for nonmatching neighbour and matching stranger song over nonmatching stranger song, suggest that any male with songs structurally similar to mate songs or even to nonmate but local neighbourhood songs, will be at an advantage in sexual interactions with local females. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Effects of Diet on the Development of Schistosoma mansoni in Biomphalaria glabrata and on the Neutral Lipid Content of the Digestive Gland–Gonad Complex of the Snail

In a previous study, when the snail Biomphalaria glabrata was infected with Schistosoma mansoni and maintained on a diet of hen's egg yolk, it produced fully developed cercariae in about one-half the time taken by snails fed Romaine lettuce. Increased lipids were also noted in the snails fed the yolk diet. The purpose of the present study was to further investigate nutritional effects of a high-lipid diet on larval schistosome development and to reexamine the time to cercarial patency in infected snails maintained on either the yolk or lettuce diet and to use high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) to analyze the neutral lipids in the digestive gland–gonad complex (DGG) of snails maintained on both diets. Infected snails maintained at 26 C and fed either diet produced fully developed cercariae by 4 wk postinfection (PI). Likewise, infected snails maintained at 23 C and fed either diet produced fully developed cercariae by 6 wk PI. The contention that the yolk diet enhanced the time to cercarial patency was not confirmed. The HPTLC analysis of neutral lipids showed that the DGG of infected snails fed the yolk diet contained significantly greater amounts of free sterols and cholesteryl esters but not triacylglycerols than that of the infected snails fed the lettuce diet.
Comparison of Efficiencies of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, Neurothesiometer, and Electromyography for Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy

Aim. This study compares the effectiveness of Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), neurothesiometer, and electromyography (EMG) in detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes type 2. Materials and Methods. 106 patients with diabetes type 2 treated at the outpatient clinic of Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Endocrinology between September 2008 and May 2009 were included in this study. Patients were evaluated by glycemic regulation tests, MNSI (questionnaire and physical examination), EMG (for detecting sensorial and motor defects in right median, ulnar, posterior tibial, and bilateral sural nerves), and neurothesiometer (for detecting alterations in cold and warm sensations as well as vibratory sensations). Results. According to the MNSI score, there was diabetic peripheral neuropathy in 34 (32.1%) patients (score ≥2.5). However, when the patients were evaluated by EMG and neurothesiometer, neurological impairments were detected in 49 (46.2%) and 79 (74.5%) patients, respectively. Conclusion. According to our findings, questionnaires and physical examination often present lower diabetic peripheral neuropathy prevalence. Hence, we recommend that in the evaluation of diabetic patients neurological tests should be used for more accurate results and thus early treatment options to prevent neuropathic complications.
Are Deficits in Mindfulness Core Features of Borderline Personality Disorder

Mindfulness is a core component of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a widely utilized treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD); however, the import of mindfulness in treating BPD has yet to be demonstrated, and the relationship of mindfulness to BPD constructs is unclear. The current study utilized structural equation modeling to examine the relations of mindfulness with BPD features and the underlying constructs of interpersonal problem-solving effectiveness, impulsivity, emotion regulation strategies, and neuroticism in 342 young adults. Mindfulness was significantly related to effectiveness in interpersonal problem-solving, impulsivity and passivity in emotion regulation, and borderline features. Furthermore, mindfulness continued to predict borderline features when controlling for interpersonal problem-solving and impulsive/passive emotion-regulation strategies, as well as when controlling for neuroticism. It is concluded that difficulties with mindfulness may represent a core feature of BPD and that improvement in mindfulness may be a key component of treatment efficacy with BPD. It is recommended that the unique contribution of mindfulness be investigated in future treatment-outcome research.
SQLizer: query synthesis from natural language

This paper presents a new technique for automatically synthesizing SQL queries from natural language (NL). At the core of our technique is a new NL-based program synthesis methodology that combines semantic parsing techniques from the NLP community with type-directed program synthesis and automated program repair. Starting with a program sketch obtained using standard parsing techniques, our approach involves an iterative refinement loop that alternates between probabilistic type inhabitation and automated sketch repair. We use the proposed idea to build an end-to-end system called SQLIZER that can synthesize SQL queries from natural language. Our method is fully automated, works for any database without requiring additional customization, and does not require users to know the underlying database schema. We evaluate our approach on over 450 natural language queries concerning three different databases, namely MAS, IMDB, and YELP. Our experiments show that the desired query is ranked within the top 5 candidates in close to 90% of the cases and that SQLIZER outperforms NALIR, a state-of-the-art tool that won a best paper award at VLDB'14.
Interactive museum guide

In this paper, we describe the application of the novel SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) algorithm [1] for the recognition of objects of art. For this purpose, we developed a prototype of a mobile interactive museum guide consisting of a tablet PC that features a touchscreen and a webcam. This guide recognises objects in museums based on images taken by the visitor. Using different image sets of real museum objects, we demonstrate that both the object recognition performance as well as the speed of the SURF algorithm surpasses the results obtained with SIFT, its main contender.