Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
National Genetic Evaluation (System) of Hanwoo (Korean Native Cattle)

Hanwoo (Also known as Korean native cattle; Bos taurus coreanae) have been used for transportation and farming for a long time in South Korea. It has been about 30 yrs since Hanwoo improvement began in earnest as beef cattle for meat yield. The purpose of this study was to determine the trend of improvement as well as to estimate genetic parameters of the traits being used for seedstock selection based on the data collected from the past. Hanwoo proven bulls in South Korea are currently selected through performance and progeny tests. National Hanwoo genetic evaluations are implemented with yearling weight (YW), carcass weight (CW), eye muscle area (EMA), backfat thickness (BF) and marbling score (MS). Yearling weights and MS are used for selecting young bulls, and EMA, BF, and MS are used for selecting proven bulls. One individual per testing room was used for performance tests, and five individuals per room for progeny tests. Individuals tested were not allowed to graze pasture, but there was enough space for them to move around in the testing room. Feeds including roughages and minerals were fed ad libitum, and concentrates were provided at the rate of about 1.8% of individual weight. Overall means of the traits were 352.8±38.56 kg, 335.09±44.61 kg, 77.85±8.838 cm2, 8.6±3.7 mm and 3.293±1.648 for YW, CW, EMA, BF and MS. Heritabilities estimated in this study were 0.30, 0.30, 0.42, 0.50 and 0.63 in YW, CW, EMA, BF and MS, respectively, which are similar to results from previous research. Yearling weight was 315.54 kg in 1998, and had increased to 355.06 kg in 2011, resulting in about 40 kg of improvement over 13 yrs. YW and CW have improved remarkably over the past 15 yrs. Breeding values between 1996 and 2000 decreased or did not change much, but have moved in a desirable direction since 2001. These improvements correspond with the substantial increase in use of animal models since the late 1990s in Korea. Hanwoo testing programs have practically contributed to the improvement in aspects of quality and quantity. In sum, the current selection system is good enough to accommodate circumstances where fewer sires are used on many more cows. Although progeny tests take longer and cost more, they seem to be appropriate under the circumstances of the domestic market with its higher requirement for better meat quality. Consequently, accumulative data collection, genetic evaluation model development, revision of selection indices, as well as cooperation among farms, associations, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, universities, research institutes, and government agencies must be applied to the Hanwoo selection program. All these efforts will assist the domestic market to secure a competitive position against imported beef under Free Trade Agreement trade system and will provide farmers with higher profits as well as the public with a higher quality of beef.
Law, Finance and Firm Growth

We investigate how differences in legal and financial systems affect firms' use of external financing to fund growth. We show that in countries whose legal systems score high on an efficiency index, a greater proportion of firms use long-term external financing. An active, though not necessarily large, stock market and a large banking sector are also associated with externally financed firm growth. The increased reliance on external financing occurs in part because established firms in countries with well-functioning institutions have lower profit rates. Government subsidies to industry do not increase the proportion of firms relying on external financing.
High-Efficiency Envelope-Tracking Transmitter With Optimized Class-${\hbox{F}}^{-1}$  Amplifier and 2-bit Envelope Amplifier for 3G LTE Base Station

In this paper, a high-efficiency envelope-tracking (ET) transmitter incorporating a novel efficiency-boosting function is proposed and implemented. An inverse Class-F power amplifier is utilized and optimized using the proposed output loading condition, which enhances its efficiency at the high probability region. This matching network can be conveniently implemented by controlling the nonlinear capacitance of the power transistor. For an accurate analysis, the output waveforms are modeled in terms of the nonlinear capacitance, and the efficiency and output power are subsequently analyzed and successfully optimized. For a high-efficiency envelope amplifier (EA), we propose a new EA utilizing a 2-bit switching stage in place of a 1-bit switching stage. This proposed architecture effectively reduces the ripple current, improving the efficiency of the EA. To verify our analysis, we have fully implemented a 3.54-GHz high-efficiency ET transmitter including a digital processing block. The experimental results show that the ET transmitter using a commercial 60-W peak-envelope-power GaN device operates at a drain efficiency of 44% and power-added efficiency of 39.6% with a gain of 10.1 dB at an average output power of 40 dBm for a 10-MHz third-generation long-term evolution signal with 8.5-dB peak-to-average power ratio. Using a digital pre-distortion function, the adjacent channel leakage ratio is less than -47.5 dBc.
Multi-spectral stereo image matching using mutual information

Mutual information (MI) has shown promise as an effective stereo matching measure for images affected by radiometric distortion. This is due to the robustness of MI against changes in illumination. However, MI-based approaches are particularly prone to the generation of false matches due to the small statistical power of the matching windows. Consequently, most previous MI approaches utilise large matching windows which smooth the estimated disparity field. This work proposes extensions to MI-based stereo matching in order to increase the robustness of the algorithm. Firstly, prior probabilities are incorporated into the MI measure in order to considerably increase the statistical power of the matching windows. These prior probabilities, which are calculated from the global joint histogram between the stereo pair, are tuned to a two level hierarchical approach. A 2D match surface, in which the match score is computed for every possible combination of template and matching window, is also utilised. This enforces left-right consistency and uniqueness constraints. These additions to MI-based stereo matching significantly enhance the algorithm's ability to detect correct matches while decreasing computation time and improving the accuracy. Results show that the MI measure does not perform quite as well for standard stereo pairs when compared to traditional area-based metrics. However, the MI approach is far superior when matching across multispectra stereo pairs.
The influence of the C+N+O abundances on the determination of the relative ages of globular clusters: the case of NGC1851 and NGC6121 (M4)

The colour–magnitude diagram (CMD) of NGC 1851 presents two subgiant branches (SGBs), probably due to the presence of two populations differing in total C+N+O (carbon+nitrogen+oxygen) content. We test the idea that a difference in total C+N+O may simulate an age difference when comparing the CMD of clusters to derive relative ages. We compare NGC 1851 with NGC 6121 (M4), a cluster of very similar [Fe/H]. We find that, with a suitable shift of the CMDs that brings the two red horizontal branches at the same magnitude level, the unevolved main sequence and red giant branch match, but the SGB of NGC 6121 and its red giant branch ‘bump’ are fainter than in NGC 1851. In particular, the SGB of NGC 6121 is even slightly fainter than the faint SGB in NGC 1851. Both these features can be explained if the total C+N+O in NGC 6121 is larger than that in NGC 1851, even if the two clusters are coeval. We conclude by warning that different initial C+N+O abundances between two clusters, otherwise similar in metallicity and age, may lead to differences in the turnoff morphology that can be easily attributed to an age difference.
An Empirical Study On The Moderating Effect Of Job-Related Knowledge On Charismatic And Transactional Leadership Effectiveness

Professional Doctorate - Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)%%%%Bass (1985) posited a range of leadership models that includes transformational and transactional leadership, and the non-leadership style of laissez-faire, indicating absence of leadership or avoidance of intervention or both. He found transformational leadership more effective than transactional leadership, and charismatic leadership the most effective form of transformational leadership. Further, Bass (1997) opined that charismatic leadership is universal and effective in most situations. However, he suggested situations may enhance the strength of correlation between charismatic leadership and leadership effectiveness. Early studies did not identify traits essential for leadership effectiveness in all situations but found that effective leaders are task- and relations-oriented. Proceeding studies (Fiedler 1967a; Hersey and Blanchard 1977) indicated that each of the two leadership behaviours is effective only in some situations. Contingency leadership theories are developed to explain how situations influence the relationship between leadership behaviour and leadership effectiveness. Prior studies indicated that a key aspect of situations is subordinates’ job-related knowledge. By assuming that charismatic leadership is relations-oriented and transactional leadership is task-oriented, this study applies contingency leadership theories in the contexts of both leadership concepts. This study surveys employees working from one multinational company in two locations, Singapore and China, with intent to investigate effectiveness of leadership behaviours. Further, this study analyses the moderating role of subordinates’ job-related knowledge on the relationships between charismatic leadership and transactional leadership with leadership effectiveness, respectively. The results indicate that charismatic leadership is effective on subordinates who possess high and low levels of job-related knowledge, in Singapore and China. Additionally, the results showed transactional leadership is generally ineffective but exceptions are found specifically on Singaporean subordinates who possess low levels of job-related knowledge. Therefore, contingency leadership theories in the context of transactional leadership are supported in relation to the situation of subordinates’ job-related knowledge in Singapore.
Speaker normalization in the perception of Cantonese level tones : effect of context-target pitch distance

"This study investigates how context affects the perception of suprasegments, more specifically, lexical tone. Many studies have looked at context effects on the perception of segments; however, significantly fewer studies have examined context effects on suprasegments. Overlap among phonetic categories occurs at the level segments, and studies on the perception of segments have shown that listeners are able to perceive quite different acoustic structures as the same segments depending on the speaker. This process of perceptually compensating for differences among speakers is called speaker normalization. Given that overlap among phonetic categories occurs also at the level of suprasegments, it is quite plausible that normalization is required for the perception of suprasegments. The experiment in this study first looks at whether the problem of speaker variability affects tone perception, then it looks at how different semantically-neutral contexts affect tone perception"--Introduction.
Self-knowledge of an amnesic individual is represented abstractly.

(1978). Salience of ethnicily in the spontaneous self-concept as a function on one's ethnic distinctiveoess in the social environment. and global components af sen stereotypes under anention overload. At first glance, the problem that Klein and Loftus (chapter I , this volume) set for themselves seems t o be intractable: How can o n e possibly gain valid knowledge about t h e nature of representation o f information stored in memory solely o n t h e ,. basis of observations of its retrieval? Because retrieval depends o n a large number of complexly interacting variables, Klein and Loflus' problem seems analogous t o that o f seeking a unique solution of a single equation with a number ! o f unknowns. T h e approach they adopted-relying on the technique of conceptual priming-is ingenious. T h e i r results, consistent across experiments, look convincing; their case tightly argued. T h e major conclusion that Klein a n d Loftus d r a w f r o m their study is that long-term trait knowledge about t h e self is represented primarily in abstract, summary form, a n d that recollection o f specific behavioral instances exemplifying trails plays a t best only a secondary role in determining a person's trait knowledge o f the self. T h e second conclusion is that behavioral exemplars a n d abstract trait knowledge are represented in memory independently: Accessibility o f o n e has n o implications f o r t h e accessibility o f t h e other. This chapter examines these conclusions in light o f observations made about trait self-knowledge of a m a n w h o , because of brain injury, cannot remember any specific behaviors in which h e has e v e r engaged, a n d w h o therefore does not possess a n y autobiographical knowledge of t h e self. Whar is his trait self-knowledge like? T h e answer t o t h e question is relevant t o Klein a n d Loftus' theory. If a
Ship Detection with Spectral Analysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar: A Comparison of New and Well-Known Algorithms

The surveillance of maritime areas with remote sensing is vital for security reasons, as well as for the protection of the environment. Satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offers large-scale surveillance, which is not reliant on solar illumination and is rather independent of weather conditions. The main feature of vessels in SAR images is a higher backscattering compared to the sea background. This peculiarity has led to the development of several ship detectors focused on identifying anomalies in the intensity of SAR images. More recently, different approaches relying on the information kept in the spectrum of a single-look complex (SLC) SAR image were proposed. This paper is focused on two main issues. Firstly, two recently developed sub-look detectors are applied for the first time to ship detection. Secondly, new and well-known ship detection algorithms are compared in order to understand which has the best performance under certain circumstances and if the sub-look analysis improves ship detection. The comparison is done on real SAR data exploiting diversity in frequency and polarization. Specifically, the employed data consist of six RADARSAT-2 fine quad-polacquisitions over the North Sea, five TerraSAR-X HH/VV dual-polarimetric data-takes, also over the North Sea, and one ALOS-PALSAR quad-polarimetric dataset over Tokyo Bay. Simultaneously to the SAR images, validation data were collected, which include the automatic identification system (AIS) position of ships and wind speeds. The results of the analysis show that the performance of the different sub-look algorithms considered here is strongly dependent on polarization, frequency and resolution. Interestingly, these sub-look detectors are able to outperform the classical SAR intensity detector when the sea state is particularly high, leading to a strong clutter contribution. It was also observed that there are situations where the performance improvement thanks to the sub-look analysis is not so noticeable.
Breast-Milk Iodine Concentrations, Iodine Status, and Thyroid Function of Breastfed Infants Aged 2-4 Months and Their Mothers Residing in a South African Township

Objective: Lactating women and their infants are susceptible to iodine deficiency and iodine excess. In South Africa, no data exist on the iodine status and thyroid function of these vulnerable groups. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, urinary iodine concentrations (UIC), thyroid function, and breast-milk iodine concentrations (BMIC) were assessed in 100 lactating women from a South African township and their 2-4-month-old breastfed infants. Potential predictors of UIC, thyroid function, and BMIC, including household salt iodine concentrations (SIC) and maternal sodium excretion, were also investigated. Results: The median (25th-75th percentile) UIC was 373 (202-627) μg/L in infants and 118 (67-179) μg/L in mothers. Median household SIC was 44 (27-63) ppm. Household SIC and maternal urinary sodium excretion predicted UIC of lactating mothers. Median BMIC was 179 (126-269) μg/L. Age of infants, SIC, and maternal UIC predicted BMIC. In turn, infant age and BMIC predicted UIC of infants. Forty-two percent of SIC values were within the South African recommended salt iodine fortification level at production of 35-65 ppm, whilst 21% of SIC were >65 ppm. Thyroid-stimulating hormone, total thyroxine, and thyroglobulin concentrations in the dried whole blood spot specimens from the infants were 1.3 (0.8-1.9) mU/L, 128±33 mmol/L, and 77.1 (56.3-105.7) μg/L, respectively, and did not correlate with infant UIC or BMIC. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the salt fortification program in South Africa provides adequate iodine to lactating women and indirectly to their infants via breast milk. However, monitoring of salt iodine content of the mandatory salt iodization program in South Africa is important to avoid over-iodization of salt.
How to position the cursor?: an exploration of absolute and relative cursor positioning for back-of-device input

Observational studies indicate that most people use one hand to interact with their mobile devices. Interaction on the back-of-devices (BoD) has been proposed to enhance one-handed input for various tasks, including selection and gesturing. However, we do not possess a good understanding of some fundamental issues related to one-handed BoD input. In this paper, we attempt to fill this gap by conducting three studies. The first study explores suitable selection techniques; the second study investigates the performance and suitability of the two main modes of cursor movement: Relative and Absolute; and the last study examines solutions to the problem of reaching the lower part of the device. Our results indicate that for BoD interaction, relative input is more efficient and accurate for cursor positioning and target selection than absolute input. Based on these findings provide guidelines for designing BoD interactions for mobile devices.
Identification and regulation of whole-cell chloride currents in airway epithelium

We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study membrane currents in human airway epithelial cells. The conductive properties, as described by the instantaneous current-voltage relationship, rectified in the outward direction when bathed in symmetrical CsCl solutions. In the presence of Cl concentration gradients, currents reversed near ECl and were not altered significantly by cations. Agents that inhibit the apical membrane Cl conductance inhibited Cl currents. These conductive properties are similar to the conductive properties of the apical membrane Cl channel studied with the single-channel patch-clamp technique. The results suggest that the outwardly rectifying Cl channel is the predominant Cl-conductive pathway in the cell membrane. The steady-state and non-steady-state kinetics indicate that current flows through ion channels that are open at hyperpolarizing voltages and close with depolarization. These Cl currents were regulated by the cAMP- dependent protein kinase: when the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was included in the pipette solution, Cl channel current more than doubled. We also found that reducing extracellular osmolarity by 30% increased Cl current, suggesting that cell-swelling stimulated Cl current. Studies of transepithelial Cl transport in cell monolayers suggest that a reduction in solution osmolarity activates the apical Cl channel: reducing extracellular osmolarity stimulated a short-circuit current that was inhibited by Cl-free solution, by mucosal addition of a Cl channel antagonist, and by submucosal addition of a loop diuretic. These results suggest that apical membrane Cl channels may be regulated by cell volume and by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.
Enhanced detection performance in electrosense through capacitive sensing

Weakly electric fish emit an AC electric field into the water and use thousands of sensors on the skin to detect field perturbations due to surrounding objects. The fish’s active electrosensory system allows them to navigate and hunt, using separate neural pathways and receptors for resistive and capacitive perturbations. We have previously developed a sensing method inspired by the weakly electric fish to detect resistive perturbations and now report on an extension of this system to detect capacitive perturbations as well. In our method, an external object is probed by an AC field over multiple frequencies. We present a quantitative framework that relates the response of a capacitive object at multiple frequencies to the object’s composition and internal structure, and we validate this framework with an electrosense robot that implements our capacitive sensing method. We define a metric for comparing the electrosensory range of different underwater electrosense systems. For detecting non-conductive objects, we show that capacitive sensing performs better than resistive sensing by almost an order of magnitude using this measure, while for conductive objects there is a four-fold increase in performance. Capacitive sensing could therefore provide electric fish with extended sensing range for capacitive objects such as prey, and gives artificial electrolocation systems enhanced range for targets that are capacitive.
Expressive Arts and Mindfulness: Aiding Adolescents in Understanding and Managing Their Stress

ABSTRACT This study contains an exploration of the use of mask-making and mindfulness training as components of an expressive arts group intervention designed to help youth understand and manage their stress. With the assistance of a school counselor, six eighth-grade students, who were having difficulty managing stress, were identified and participated in a 12-hour group intervention over the course of six weeks. Participants were assessed pre- and post-intervention and at a three-week follow-up on measures of self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and stress. The group intervention resulted in significant self-reported reductions of anxiety and stress at the three-week follow-up.
Exergames for elderly: Social exergames to persuade seniors to increase physical activity

Games with remote controls and motion sensors that require the players to move, so-called exergames, have become very popular. Many of these games are also being played by the senior population. Participating in regular training sessions outside their homes can be challenging for elderly, and it is hard to motivate oneself to exercise regularly alone at home. Regular physical activity is important both for the physical and psychological health and it is an integral part of many rehabilitation therapies. In addition, many elderly suffer from loneliness, making social interaction within exergames very important. In this paper we provide a narrative review of how exergames can help to motivate elderly to exercise more, focusing in possible social interactions in online exergaming and persuasive technologies. Finally, we discuss how social exergaming can be used both to prevent loneliness and encourage physical activity.