Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological networks to unravel the routes to horizontal transposon transfers

Transposable elements (TEs) represent the single largest component of numerous eukaryotic genomes, and their activity and dispersal constitute an important force fostering evolutionary innovation. The horizontal transfer of TEs (HTT) between eukaryotic species is a common and widespread phenomenon that has had a profound impact on TE dynamics and, consequently, on the evolutionary trajectory of many species' lineages. However, the mechanisms promoting HTT remain largely unknown. In this article, we argue that network theory combined with functional ecology provides a robust conceptual framework and tools to delineate how complex interactions between diverse organisms may act in synergy to promote HTTs.
Assessing Medical Room Behavior During Infants' Painful Procedures: The Measure of Adult and Infant Soothing and Distress (MAISD)

This study evaluated the Measure of Adult and Infant Soothing and Distress (MAISD) for examining infant, parent, and nurse behavior during infants' immunizations. Videotapes of 62 infants, parents, and nurses during immunizations were coded. Concurrent validity and reliability for the MAISD were demonstrated. The scale revealed that infants displayed predominately distress, and adults exhibited primarily reassurance. Parents' and nurses' distractions were positively related to infants' engaging in distraction, and parents' and nurses' reassurance was positively associated with infants' distress. There appear to be avenues in which to intervene to teach parents and nurses how to best behave to help infants during their painful medical events.
The effects of plant density upon several determinants of reproductive success in Cistus landanifer (Cistaceae).

Summary 1. C. landanifer is a self- incompatible shrub which forms a major component of many Mediterranean habitats. It typically occurs in large, dense mono-species stands, though in some areas individuals may be more sparsely distributed. The plant produces prominent flowers which attract a wide diversity of pollinators. A proportion of these flowers subsequently develop into fruits which are subject to parasitism and seed predation. 2. C. landanifer populations were surveyed at three sites. Information relating to plant pollination success, reproductive effort and fruit parasitism was recorded. This data was plotted against plant density in order to determine density-dependant patterns of reproductive success. 3. Overall, pollination success declined significantly as the distance to the nearest cospecific increased. Reproductive effort and fruit parasitism showed the opposite pattern. Pollination success and reproductive effort per fruit increased with fruit height, but only in dispersed plants. 4. Measures of reproductive success were the product of a significant interaction between pollination success and reproductive effort. This means that dispersed plants were able to compensate for reduced pollination success by increasing reproductive effort. 5. These results indicate that overall reproductive success is the accumulated result of several different processes which may each respond to plant density in different ways. In order to effectively manage plant populations it is necessary to understand in greater detail the dynamic interactions between these processes.
Histological and Immunohistochemical Evaluation of Autologous Cultured Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Bone Marrow Mononucleated Cells in Collagenase-Induced Tendinitis of Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon

The aim of this study was to compare treatment with cultured bone marrow stromal cells (cBMSCs), bone marrow Mononucleated Cells (BMMNCs), and placebo to repair collagenase-induced tendinitis in horses. In six adult Standardbred horses, 4000 IU of collagenase were injected in the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). Three weeks after collagenase treatment, an average of either 5.5 × 106 cBMSCs or 1.2 × 108 BMMNCs, fibrin glue, and saline solution was injected intralesionally in random order. In cBMSC- and BMMNCS-treated tendons, a high expression of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and type I collagen, but low levels of type III collagen were revealed by immunohistochemistry, with a normal longitudinally oriented fiber pattern. Placebo-treated tendons expressed very low quantities of COMP and type I collagen but large numbers of randomly oriented type III collagen fibers. Both cBMSC and BMMNCS grafts resulted in a qualitatively similar heling improvement of tendon extracellular matrix, in terms of the type I/III collagen ratio, fiber orientation, and COMP expression.
The Effects Of Peer-Revision On Student Writing Performance In A Middle School Ela Classroom

iii LIST OF FIGURES . vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 PROBLEM OF PRACTICE . 4 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE . 9 RESEARCH QUESTION . 9 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY . 10 THEORETICAL BASIS FOR THE STUDY . 10 METHODOLOGY – ACTION RESEARCH . 12 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY . 15 GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS . 17 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION . 19 OVERVIEW OF DISSERTATION IN PRACTICE . 19 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 21 THE DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING . 22 THE BENEFITS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING . 23 COOPERATIVE LEARNING AND THE WRITERS WORKSHOP . 32 THE WRITING PROCESS . 35 THE BENEFITS OF PEER REVISION . 41
Choosing investment portfolios when the returns have stable distributions

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an efficient method for computing approximately optimal portfolios when the returns have symmetric stable distributions and there are many alternative investments. The procedure is valid, in particular, for independent investments and for multivariate investments of the classes introduced by Press and Paul A. Samuelson. The algorithm is based on a two-stage decomposition of the problem and is analogous to the procedure that is available for normally distributed investments utilizing John Lintner's reformulation of Tobin's separation theorem. A tradeoff analysis between mean (μ) and dispersion (d) is valid, because an investment choice maximizes expected utility if and only if it lies on a μ-d efficient curve. When a risk-free asset is available, the efficient curve that is a ray in μ-d space can be found by solving a fractional program. The fractional program always has a pseudo-concave objective function and, hence, may be solved by standard nonlinear programming algorithms. Its solution that is generally unique provides optimal proportions for the risky assets that are independent of the unspecified concave utility function. Optimal proportions must then be chosen between the risk-free asset and a risky composite asset utilizing a given utility function. The composite asset is stable and consists of a sum of the random investments weighted by the optimal proportions. This problem is a stochastic program having one random variable and one decision variable.
Tactile perceptions of digital textiles: a design research approach

Current interactive media presentations of textiles provide an impoverished communication of their 'textile hand', that is their weight, drape, how they feel to touch. These are complex properties experienced through the visual, tactile, auditory and proprioceptive senses and are currently lost when textile materials are presented in interactive video. This paper offers a new perspective from which the production of multi-touch interactive video representations of the tactile qualities of materials is considered. Through an understanding of hand properties of textiles and how people inherently touch and handle them, we are able to develop methods to animate and bring these properties alive using design methods. Observational studies were conducted, noting gestures consumers used to evaluate textile hand. Replicating the appropriate textile deformations for these gestures in interactive video was explored as a design problem. The resulting digital textile swatches and their interactive behavior were then evaluated for their ability to communicate tactile qualities similar to those of the real textiles.
The Impact of Presumed Consent Legislation on Cadaveric Organ Donation: A Cross Country Study

In the U.S., Great Britain and in many other countries, the gap between the demand and the supply of human organs for transplantation is on the rise, despite the efforts of governments and health agencies to promote donor registration. In some countries of continental Europe, however, cadaveric organ procurement is based on the principle of presumed consent. Under presumed consent legislation, a deceased individual is classified as a potential donor in absence of explicit opposition to donation before death. This article analyzes the impact of presumed consent laws on donation rates. For this purpose, we construct a dataset on organ donation rates and potential factors affecting organ donation for 22 countries over a 10-year period. We find that while differences in other determinants of organ donation explain much of the variation in donation rates, after controlling for those determinants presumed consent legislation has a positive and sizeable effect on organ donation rates. We use the panel structure of our dataset to test and reject the hypothesis that unmeasured determinants of organ donation rates confound our empirical results.
Nonparametric Method for Genomics-Based Prediction of Performance of Quantitative Traits Involving Epistasis in Plant Breeding

Genomic selection (GS) procedures have proven useful in estimating breeding value and predicting phenotype with genome-wide molecular marker information. However, issues of high dimensionality, multicollinearity, and the inability to deal effectively with epistasis can jeopardize accuracy and predictive ability. We, therefore, propose a new nonparametric method, pRKHS, which combines the features of supervised principal component analysis (SPCA) and reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS) regression, with versions for traits with no/low epistasis, pRKHS-NE, to high epistasis, pRKHS-E. Instead of assigning a specific relationship to represent the underlying epistasis, the method maps genotype to phenotype in a nonparametric way, thus requiring fewer genetic assumptions. SPCA decreases the number of markers needed for prediction by filtering out low-signal markers with the optimal marker set determined by cross-validation. Principal components are computed from reduced marker matrix (called supervised principal components, SPC) and included in the smoothing spline ANOVA model as independent variables to fit the data. The new method was evaluated in comparison with current popular methods for practicing GS, specifically RR-BLUP, BayesA, BayesB, as well as a newer method by Crossa et al., RKHS-M, using both simulated and real data. Results demonstrate that pRKHS generally delivers greater predictive ability, particularly when epistasis impacts trait expression. Beyond prediction, the new method also facilitates inferences about the extent to which epistasis influences trait expression.
System-level power estimation tool for embedded processor based platforms

Due to the ever increasing constraints on power consumption in embedded systems, this paper addresses the need for an efficient power modeling and estimation methodology based tool at system-level. On the one hand, today's embedded industries focus more on manufacturing RISC processor-based platforms as they are cost and power effective. On the other hand, modern embedded applications are becoming more and more sophisticated and resource demanding: multimedia (H.264 encoder and decoder), software defined radio, GPS, mobile applications, etc. The main objective of this paper focuses on the scarcity of a fast power modeling and an accurate power estimation tool at the system-level for complex embedded systems. In this paper, we propose a standalone simulation tool for power estimation at system-level. As a first step, we develop the power models at the functional level. This is done by characterizing the power behavior of RISC processor based platforms across a wide spectrum of application benchmark to understand their power profile. Then, we propose power models to cost-effectively estimate its power at run-time of complex embedded applications. The proposed power models rely on a few parameters which are based on functional blocks of the processor architecture. As a second step, we propose a power estimation simulator which is based on cycle-accurate full system simulation framework. The combination of the above two steps provides a standalone power estimation tool at the system-level. The effectiveness of our proposed methodology is validated through an ARM9, an ARM Cortex-A8 and an ARM Cortex-A9 processor designed around the OMAP5912, OMAP 3530 and OMAP4430 boards respectively. The efficiency and the accuracy of our proposed tool is evaluated by using a variety of basic programs to complex benchmarks. Estimated power values are compared to real board measurements for the different processor architecture based platforms. Our obtained power estimation results provide less than 3% of error for ARM940T processor, 2.9% for ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 4.2% for ARM Cortex-A9 processor based platforms when compared to the other state-of-the-art power estimation tools.
N-LBP based vehicle monitoring system

In recent years, feature based object detection has attracted increasing attention in computer vision research community. However, to our best knowledge, no previous work has focused on utilizing local binary pattern (LBP) for vehicle detection in Intelligent Transportation System(ITS) domain. In this paper, we develop a novel traffic monitoring system based on N-LBP algorithm, which is the new LBP texture descriptor proposed. The approach includes three steps: firstly the general critical ingredients (GCI for short) are selected from LBP features through training to indicate vehicles. Then GCI are extracted from region of interest (ROI) in the new image for object detection and identification. Linear Kalman filter is employed for feature based tracking finally. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of N-LBP feature over basic LBP feature, and performance of the new system is more stable and reliable.
E-Business Security: Methodological Considerations

A great deal of research works in the field information systems security has been based on a positivist paradigm. Applying the reductionism concept of the positivist paradigm for information security means missing the bigger picture and thus, the lack of holism which could be one of the reasons why security is still overlooked, comes as an afterthought or perceived from a purely technical dimension. We need to reshape our thinking and attitudes towards security especially in a complex and dynamic environment such as e- Business to develop a holistic understanding of e-Business security in relation to its context as well as considering all the stakeholders in the problem area. In this paper we argue the suitability and need for more inductive interpretive approach and qualitative research method to investigate e-Business security. Our discussion is based on a holistic framework of enquiry, nature of the research problem, the underling theoretical lens and the complexity of e-Business environment. At the end we present a research strategy for developing a holistic framework for understanding of e-Business security problems in the context of developing countries based on an interdisciplinary inquiry which considers their needs and requirements.
Probing electron transfer mechanisms in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 using a nanoelectrode platform and single-cell imaging

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent a promising approach for sustainable energy production as they generate electricity directly from metabolism of organic substrates without the need for catalysts. However, the mechanisms of electron transfer between microbes and electrodes, which could ultimately limit power extraction, remain controversial. Here we demonstrate optically transparent nanoelectrodes as a platform to investigate extracellular electron transfer in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, where an array of nanoholes precludes or single window allows for direct microbe-electrode contacts. Following addition of cells, short-circuit current measurements showed similar amplitude and temporal response for both electrode configurations, while in situ optical imaging demonstrates that the measured currents were uncorrelated with the cell number on the electrodes. High-resolution imaging showed the presence of thin, 4- to 5-nm diameter filaments emanating from cell bodies, although these filaments do not appear correlated with current generation. Both types of electrodes yielded similar currents at longer times in dense cell layers and exhibited a rapid drop in current upon removal of diffusible mediators. Reintroduction of the original cell-free media yielded a rapid increase in current to ∼80% of original level, whereas imaging showed that the positions of > 70% of cells remained unchanged during solution exchange. Together, these measurements show that electron transfer occurs predominantly by mediated mechanism in this model system. Last, simultaneous measurements of current and cell positions showed that cell motility and electron transfer were inversely correlated. The ability to control and image cell/electrode interactions down to the single-cell level provide a powerful approach for advancing our fundamental understanding of MFCs.
Trabeculated Right Ventricular Free Wall in the Chicken Heart Forms by Ventricularization of the Myocardium Initially Forming the Outflow Tract

Recent molecular lineage analyses in mouse have demonstrated that the right ventricle is recruited from anterior mesoderm in later stages of cardiac development. This is in contrast to current views of development in the chicken heart, which suggest that the initial heart tube contains a subset of right ventricular precursors. We investigated the fate of the outflow tract myocardium using immunofluorescent staining of the myocardium, and lineage tracer, as well as cell death experiments. These analyses showed that the outflow tract is initially myocardial in its entirety, increasing in length up to HH24. The outflow tract myocardium, subsequently, shortens as a result of ventricularization, contributing to the trabeculated free wall, as well as the infundibulum, of the right ventricle. During this shortening, the overall length of the outflow tract is maintained because of the formation of a nonmyocardial portion between the distal myocardial border and the pericardial reflections. Cell death and transdifferentiation were found to play a more limited contribution to the initial shortening than is generally appreciated, if they play any part at all. Cell death, nonetheless, plays an important role in the disappearance of the myocardial collar that continues to invest the aorta and pulmonary trunk around HH30, and in the separation of the intrapericardial arterial vessels. Taken together, we show, as opposed to some current beliefs, the development of the arterial pole is similar in mammals and birds.
Efficacy and Safety of COX-2 Inhibitors in the Clinical Management of Arthritis: Mini Review

In the clinical management of arthritis, the choice of nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) remains confusing and controversial. A common practice on the choice of NSAID in clinical management of arthritis is the risk benefit ratio. The main objective of this review is to addresses the main arguments for the pharmacological and clinical use of COX-2 inhibitors in relation to nonselective NSAIDs for the clinical management of arthritis. This review concluded that, both NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are equally effective and are associated with increased risk of GI, renal, and CV, adverse effects. Complete understanding of the patient's comorbid conditions and concomitant medications, coupled with precise monitoring during the treatment, may help to decrease the threat of adverse effects induced by nonselective NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors.
There are only finitely many Diophantine quintuples

A set of m positive integers is called a Diophantine m-tuple if the product of its any two distinct elements increased by 1 is a perfect square. Diophantus found a set of four positive rationals with the above property. The first Diophantine quadruple was found by Fermat (the set {; ; 1, 3, 8, 120}; ; ). Baker and Davenport proved that this particular quadruple cannot be extended to a Diophantine quintuple. In this paper, we prove that there does not exist a Diophantine sextuple and that there are only finitely many Diophantine quintuples.
Collapse of Rotating Supramassive Neutron Stars to Black Holes: Fully General Relativistic Simulations

We study the final state of the gravitational collapse of uniformly rotating supramassive neutron stars by axisymmetric simulations in full general relativity. The rotating stars provided as the initial condition are marginally stable against quasi-radial gravitational collapse, and its equatorial radius rotates with the Kepler velocity (i.e., the star is at the mass-shedding limit). To model the neutron stars, we adopt the polytropic equations of state for a wide range of the polytropic index as n = 2/3, 4/5, 1, 3/2, and 2. We follow the formation and evolution of the black holes and show that irrespective of the value of n (2/3 ≤ n ≤ 2), the final state is a Kerr black hole, and the disk mass is very small (<10-3 of the initial stellar mass).
Body Mass Index and Comorbidities in Adult Severe Asthmatics

Both severe asthma and obesity are growing health problems. Severe asthma leads to a poor quality of life. The relationship among BMI, comorbidities, and severe asthma control in adults is still unclear. The aim of the study is to better understand the effect of the comorbidities as atopy, type II diabetes, OSAS, gastroesophageal reflux, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, infections, and psychological factors with BMI on asthma control in a cohort of adult severe asthmatics. One hundred and two patients were enrolled in a cross-sectional study assessing asthma control, treatments, pulmonary function, inflammatory markers, and comorbidities. Patients were divided into 3 classes according to BMI: normal weight, overweight, and obese. We found that the optimal state of asthma control is lower. whereas the score of Asthma Control Questionnaire, the number of asthma exacerbations during last year, the oral corticosteroids requirement during the previous year, and the LABA treatments are higher in obese than in overweight and normal weight severe asthmatics. The number of subjects with type II diabetes and OSAS are higher among obese and overweight patients than in normal weight asthmatics. In conclusion, BMI represents per se a factor for the deterioration in disease control in severe asthma.