Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of stayability in South African Angus cattle using a threshold model

The objectives of the study were to estimate genetic parameters for stayability in the South African Angus cattle and to compare the sire and animal threshold models. Data and pedigree information were obtained from the Integrated Registration and Genetic Information System of South Africa. Stayability was defined as a probability that a cow remained in the herd until four (STAY4), five (STAY5), six (STAY6), seven (STAY7) and eight years of age (STAY8), given that she was a dam. Cows that were in the herd by a specific age were assigned a “1” or a “0”, otherwise. The proportions of successful stayability were 0.63, 0.57, 0.49, 0.42, and 0.37 for STAY4, STAY5, STAY6, STAY7 and STAY8, respectively. Estimates of genetic parameters were obtained from sire and animal threshold models using AIREML algorithm. The model included the fixed effect of contemporary group and random effects of sire or animal genetic effect and the residual. Heritability estimates from the sire model were 0.26 ± 0.08, 0.26 ± 0.09, 0.30 ± 0.09, 0.24 ± 0.10 and 0.27 ± 0.11 for STAY4, STAY5, STAY6, STAY7 and STAY8, respectively. Corresponding estimates from the animal model were 0.20 ± 0.11, 0.20 ± 0.11, 0.20 ± 0.12, 0.18 ± 0.13 and 0.20 ± 0.14. Estimates from the sire and animal models were consistent. Results from the current study indicate that direct selection for stayability could be effective. However, the long generation interval required to obtain accurate estimates of genetic merit may slow genetic progress for stayability at older ages.
Myasthenia gravis and risks for comorbidity

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder leading to skeletal muscle weakness and fatigability. MG subgroups are defined according to pathogenetic autoantibody (against acetylcholine receptor, muscle‐specific tyrosine kinase or lipoprotein receptor‐related protein 4), thymus pathology and clinical manifestations. MG patients have an increased risk for concordant autoimmune disease, in particular with early onset MG. Most common comorbidities are thyroid disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Cardiomyositis and subclinical heart dysfunction have been described in patients with thymoma MG and late onset MG but represent no major threat. A thymic lymphoepithelioma implies an increased risk for another cancer. Autoimmune MG represents no distinct cancer risk factor, although lymphomas and a few other cancer types have been reported with slightly increased frequency. Severe MG‐related muscle weakness means a risk for respiratory failure and respiratory tract infection. Drug MG treatment can lead to side‐effects. Thymectomy is regarded as a safe procedure both short and long term. Non‐MG‐related comorbidity represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, especially in elderly patients. Diagnostic accuracy and optimal follow‐up is necessary to identify and treat all types of coexisting disease in MG.
The use of photovoice with people with intellectual disabilities: reflections, challenges and opportunities

Photovoice is part of the growing use of participatory research approaches with people with intellectual disabilities. In this paper we explore the process, opportunities and challenges associated with the use of photovoice with people with intellectual disabilities, illustrated through a research project entitled ‘This Is Me’. Photovoice requires researchers to share power and control in the research process and to tolerate uncertainty. Large investments in time and money are also required. These challenges, however, are outweighed by the benefits of the use of photovoice with people with intellectual disabilities. Photovoice creates a space where people with intellectual disabilities can meaningfully participate and exert control in the research process, and as such is an empowering experience. As a participatory research approach, photovoice is accessible and offers the opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities to develop new skills, confidence and experience inclusiveness in their own terms.
Eye Movements Reveal the On-Line Computation of Lexical Probabilities During Reading

Skilled readers are able to derive meaning from a stream of visual input with remarkable efficiency. In this article, we present the first evidence that statistical information latent in the linguistic environment can contribute to an account of reading behavior. In two eye-tracking studies, we demonstrate that the transitional probabilities between words have a measurable influence on fixation durations, and using a simple Bayesian statistical model, we show that lexical probabilities derived by combining transitional probability with the prior probability of a word's occurrence provide the most parsimonious account of the eye movement data. We suggest that the brain is able to draw upon statistical information in order to rapidly estimate the lexical probabilities of upcoming words: a computationally inexpensive mechanism that may underlie proficient reading.
A Statistical Approach to Material Classification Using Image Patch Exemplars

In this paper, we investigate material classification from single images obtained under unknown viewpoint and illumination. It is demonstrated that materials can be classified using the joint distribution of intensity values over extremely compact neighborhoods (starting from as small as 3times3 pixels square) and that this can outperform classification using filter banks with large support. It is also shown that the performance of filter banks is inferior to that of image patches with equivalent neighborhoods. We develop novel texton-based representations which are suited to modeling this joint neighborhood distribution for Markov random fields. The representations are learned from training images and then used to classify novel images (with unknown viewpoint and lighting) into texture classes. Three such representations are proposed and their performance is assessed and compared to that of filter banks. The power of the method is demonstrated by classifying 2,806 images of all 61 materials present in the Columbia-Utrecht database. The classification performance surpasses that of recent state-of-the-art filter bank-based classifiers such as Leung and Malik (IJCV 01), Cula and Dana (IJCV 04), and Varma and Zisserman (IJCV 05). We also benchmark performance by classifying all of the textures present in the UIUC, Microsoft Textile, and San Francisco outdoor data sets. We conclude with discussions on why features based on compact neighborhoods can correctly discriminate between textures with large global structure and why the performance of filter banks is not superior to that of the source image patches from which they were derived.
Large-scale mapping of mammalian transcriptomes identifies conserved genes associated with different cell states

Abstract Distinguishing cell states based only on gene expression data remains a challenging task. This is true even for analyses within a species. In cross-species comparisons, the results obtained by different groups have varied widely. Here, we integrate RNA-seq data from more than 40 cell and tissue types of four mammalian species to identify sets of associated genes as indicators for specific cell states in each species. We employ a statistical method, TROM, to identify both protein-coding and non-coding indicators. Next, we map the cell states within each species and also between species using these indicator genes. We recapitulate known phenotypic similarity between related cell and tissue types and reveal molecular basis for their similarity. We also report novel associations between several tissues and cell types with functional support. Moreover, our identified conserved associated genes are found to be a good resource for studying cell differentiation and reprogramming. Lastly, long non-coding RNAs can serve well as associated genes to indicate cell states. We further infer the biological functions of those non-coding associated genes based on their co-expressed protein-coding genes. This study demonstrates that combining statistical modeling with public RNA-seq data can be powerful for improving our understanding of cell identity control.
Syntactic processes in the production of noun phrases

Two picture-word interference experiments investigated syntactic and lexical-semantic processes during the production of Dutch noun phrases of the form article + adjective + noun or adjective + noun. For both types of noun phrases, utterance onset latencies were longer when the distractor word and the target noun had different grammatical gender than when they had the same grammatical gender. Adjective distractors that were semantically related to the target adjectives led to longer utterance onset latencies for noun phrases of the form adjective+noun, but not for noun phrases of the form article + adjective + noun. The results are discussed in the framework of recent models of language production
Socio-economic status, parenting practices and early learning at French kindergartens

The present research tests the hypothesis that parental values and educational practices are intermediary variables between the socio-economic status (SES) of families and early learning in children. Our empirical study was based on 299 parents with children in their final year at eight French kindergartens. We constructed an explanatory theoretical model of early learning that brings together variables relating to parental values, parental educational style and educational practices linked to schooling. Path analyses were used to determine whether our model was consistent with our field data. Findings suggest that SES influences parental values in education. We also found that SES directly influences parental educational style. As previous research has shown, high SES families tend to be more responsive to their children's needs but are also more demanding of their children than other families. Results are discussed.
Analysis of commercial rumors from the perspective of marketing managers: Rumor prevalence, effects, and control tactics

This study examines commercial rumors from the perspective of marketing managers. American and French respondents (N = 133) completed a rumor questionnaire intended to assess the prevalence and types of commercial rumors that reach their ear, the severity of rumor effects, the effectiveness of rumor control tactics, and the psychological and situational variables associated with rumor onset and spread. Based on a variation of the critical incidents technique involving recalled commercial rumors, the results conform to rumor theory in terms of the psychological and situational factors (i.e. anxiety, importance, credulity, and uncertainty) underlying rumor transmission, and offer support for our proposed rumor model. The findings also highlight the prevalence and potentially negative impact of rumors in marketing sectors. As an initial attempt to discern cross-cultural differences in commercial rumor activity, preliminary findings suggest differences in effectiveness of marketing communication tactics for rumor control across the two country samples studied. Overall, the provision of requested information and attempts to increase trust emerged as the most effective rumor control tactics.
The influence of predation on the chronic response of Artemia sp. populations to a toxicant

Summary 1 Environmental risk assessment of contaminants is conventionally based on toxic effects assessed in organism‐level test systems. We suggest that, for the prediction of toxicant effects, population‐ and community‐level effects should be considered. The aim of this study was to investigate how predation could alter a prey population's response to a toxicant to reveal effects at population and community levels.2 Populations of the brine shrimp Artemia sp. were maintained in the laboratory with and without simulated predation. Individuals were exposed for 1 h to the pyrethroid insecticide esfenvalerate (0, 0·01, 0·04 and 0·08 µg L−1) and subsequently observed for 6 weeks.3 Unpredated exposed populations showed a reduced population density compared with the control. However, even at the highest concentration of insecticide, populations were sustained until the end of the experiment. The lower density in the exposed populations led to reduced competition and subsequently to enhanced development of surviving individuals and an increased proportion of young individuals. In contrast, the combination of predation and short‐term toxicant exposure at concentrations of 0·04 and 0·08 µg L−1 produced extinction of the populations after 39 and 32 days of exposure, respectively.4 Synthesis and applications. The response of populations of brine shrimp to toxicants at the community level may be stronger when predation is present than the response of populations without predation pressure, as the regulation capacity of the population (measured as an increased production of offspring at reduced population densities) is exhausted when predation is present. Future ecotoxicological risk assessment schemes should consider relevant community characteristics such as predation as part of an environmental risk assessment.
Occupational exposures to Cd, Ni, and Cr modulate titers of antioxidized DNA base autoantibodies.

This study was undertaken to establish whether occupational exposures to derivatives of carcinogenic metals evoke inflammatory immune responses, as determined by the presence of elevated titers of antibodies (Ab) that recognize oxidized DNA bases. Sera obtained from the blood of steel welders (Delaware) and from workers of the Centra Ni-Cd Battery Factory (Poznań, Poland) were analyzed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To determine specific and nonspecific binding, an oxidized thymidine [5-hydroxymethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (HMdU)] coupled to bovine serum albumin (HMdU-BSA) as well as mock-coupled BSA (M-BSA) were used as antigens for coating the wells of microtiter plates. Titers of anti-HMdU Ab were significantly elevated in the high Cd and Ni exposure groups (18.3 +/- 3.2 vs 10.8 +/- 2.1 A492/microliters; p < 0.05). The sera of the groups with low exposures to Cd and Ni also had enhanced titers of those Ab but those increases were not statistically significant. Interestingly, the Ab titers present in the sera of controls for Cd and Ni exposures appear to be constant regardless of the protein content. In contrast, both lightly and heavily exposed subjects exhibited Ab titers that increased with increasing protein content. When 12 randomly selected workers (4 from each of the control, lightly, and heavily exposed groups) were outfitted with personal monitors, anti-HMdU Ab titers of those workers showed a significant difference between the groups with light (< 100 micrograms/m3) and heavy (> 200 micrograms/m3) exposures to Cd (9.8 +/- 3.7 vs 22.1 +/- 3.7 A492/microliters; p < 0.01) and Ni (11.7 +/- 1.4 vs 31.0 +/- 1.8; p < 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
BRIEF REPORT Forgetting “murder” is not harder than forgetting “circle”: Listwise-directed forgetting of emotional words

The list-method directed forgetting (DF) paradigm has attracted the attention of clinical psychologists because it is widely believed that a retrieval inhibition mechanism underlies its effects. Thus, the idea is that people are capable of intentionally forgetting negative emotional material. On the other hand, there are reasons to believe that negative stimuli are relatively resistant to forgetting. The present experiment compared listwise DF of emotional and neutral words in healthy college students. A modified procedure (i.e., a simulated computer crash) showed a reliable DF-effect in that list 1 recall was larger under remember than forget instructions whereas the reverse was true for list 2 recall. Emotionality did not modulate the magnitude of this effect. Thus, negative emotional material is not resistant to forgetting. Although overall, the present findings are in line with a retrieval inhibition interpretation (i.e., decreased access to list 1 material), attentional focusing during list 2 learning may provide a sufficient explanation.
Filtering the time sequence of spectral parameters for speaker-independent CDHMM word recognition

In this work, we show how speaker-independent CDHMM word recognition performance can be significantly improved for clean speech by filtering the time sequence of spectral parameters to enhance its time dynamics. Experimental results with the standard TI connected digits database show the filter can achieve more than 30% reduction of string recognition error. As shown in this paper, that improvement is partially due to the speaker variability reduction obtained by attenuating the very low modulation frequencies. The widely used cepstral mean subtraction technique also improves the recognition rate, but it can not achieve such a noticeable improvement as the parameter filter. In fact, the best results are obtained when the peak of the long-term spectrum of the filter output is at around 3 Hz, a frequency which corresponds to the average syllable rate of the employed database.
Adaptive Overclocking and Error Correction Based on Dynamic Speculation Window

Error detection and correction based on double-sampling is used as common technique to handle timing errors while scaling Vdd for energy efficiency. An additional sampling element is inserted in the critical paths of the design, to double sample the outputs of those logic paths at different time instances that may fail while scaling the supply voltage or the clock frequency of the design. However, overclocking, and error detection and correction capabilities of the double sampling methods are limited due to the fixed speculation window which lacks adaptability for tracking variations such as temperature. In this paper, we introduce a dynamic speculation window to be used in double sampling schemes for timing error detection and correction in pipelined logic paths. The proposed method employs online slack measurement and conventional shadow flipflop approach to adaptively overclock or underclock the design and also to detect and correct timing errors due to temperature and other variability effects. We demonstrate this method in the Xilinx Virtex VC707 FPGA for various benchmarks. We achieve a maximum of 71% overclocking with a limited area overhead of 1.9% LUTs and 1.7% flip-flops.
The Accuracy of Teachers’ Ratings of Ability: A Regression Model

Teachers’ rating of academic ability in mathematics and English were regressed on test scores in a sample of second grade students (n = 694 in mathematics, n = 736 in English). Fitted equations were interpreted as judgmental models of the rating process, and normative subjective probabilities were assigned to individual ratings, showing the extent to which they were defensible in light of the test scores. Within the terms of the model, teachers’ ratings were only marginally less defensible than ratings based on a previous administration of the same tests. Since systematic error in teacher ratings cannot be assumed, some new directions for research are suggested.
Audio and visual stimulation reduces patient discomfort during screening flexible sigmoidoscopy

Objective:Despite current recommendations calling for regular screening flexible sigmoidoscopies over the age of 50, only a small percentage of the population have regular examinations. Improving patient tolerance of flexible sigmoidoscopies could therefore increase patient compliance with these recommended guidelines. The aim of this study was to determine whether audio and visual stimulation reduces discomfort during flexible sigmoidoscopy and whether the effects of the stimulation are secondary to distraction.Methods:A total of 37 patients undergoing routine screening flexible sigmoidoscopy were randomized to receive no intervention, audio stimulation alone, or audio and visual stimulation. Patient discomfort ratings and affect states were measured prior to and immediately following flexible sigmoidoscopy using a visual analogue scale and the Stress Symptom Ratings (SSR) ratings.Results:Patients receiving audio and visual intervention had lower abdominal discomfort ratings (7.1 ± 1.4) than patients receiving audio stimulation (9.5 ± 1.3) or no intervention (10.8 ± 1.6) (p < 0.05). Patients receiving audio and visual intervention also had higher arousal (7.3 ± 0.4) and attention (9.2 ± 0.2) ratings than patients receiving no intervention (6.1 ± 0.4 and 6.2 ± 0.7, respectively) (p < 0.05). Anxiety and anger ratings, on the other hand, were significantly lower in patients receiving audio and visual intervention (2.5 ± 0.4, 1.4 ± 0.3, respectively) than patients receiving no intervention (4.4 ± 0.6, 3.6 ± 0.7). Conclusion:Audio and visual stimulation reduces abdominal discomfort associated with flexible sigmoidoscopy. This effect appears to be due to distraction.
Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 Expression in Endometrial and Endocervical Adenocarcinomas

Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is widely used in the diagnosis of lung and thyroid carcinomas. Although there have been reports of TTF-1 immunoreactivity in tumors other than those originating in the lung or thyroid, endocervical and endometrial adenocarcinomas have not been studied in large numbers. Our study provides data regarding the incidence and distribution of TTF-1 expression in these tumors. Twenty-eight endocervical (9 well, 12 moderately, and 7 poorly differentiated), 32 endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinomas (11 grade I, 8 grade II, and 13 grade III), and 13 uterine serous carcinomas were retrieved and stained with TTF-1. None of the tumors had a neuroendocrine component. The hematoxylin and eosin and anti-TTF-1 antibody stained sections were reviewed, and the presence and distribution of TTF-1 nuclear positivity was recorded. A semiquantitative grading system used to evaluate the distribution of TTF-1 staining (0=negative, 1+=<5%, 2+=5% to 25%, 3+=26% to 50%, 4+=51% to 75%, and 5+=>75%). TTF-1 expression was seen in 1 of 28 (4%) of the endocervical adenocarcinomas and this was 4+ in distribution. The positive endocervical carcinoma was poorly differentiated. TTF-1 expression was present in 6 of 32 (19%) of the endometrioid adenocarcinomas (1 grade I, 2 grade II, and 3 grade III) and varied from 1+ to 4+ in distribution. Only 2 of 32 (6%) of the endometrioid adenocarcinomas stained diffusely (4+). There was no apparent correlation between the degree of differentiation and TTF-1 positivity in the adenocarcinomas. Three of 13 (23%) serous carcinomas were also positive (1 case 5+ and 2 cases 1+). Although TTF-1 is generally considered to be a relatively specific marker for lung and thyroid neoplasms, the occasional expression of endometrial and endocervical carcinomas should be kept in mind when evaluating neoplasms of uncertain origin. It should also be taken into consideration in the evaluation of adenocarcinomas involving the lung in patients with a history of a gynecologic malignancy.