Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
mGene.web: a web service for accurate computational gene finding

We describe mGene.web, a web service for the genome-wide prediction of protein coding genes from eukaryotic DNA sequences. It offers pre-trained models for the recognition of gene structures including untranslated regions in an increasing number of organisms. With mGene.web, users have the additional possibility to train the system with their own data for other organisms on the push of a button, a functionality that will greatly accelerate the annotation of newly sequenced genomes. The system is built in a highly modular way, such that individual components of the framework, like the promoter prediction tool or the splice site predictor, can be used autonomously. The underlying gene finding system mGene is based on discriminative machine learning techniques and its high accuracy has been demonstrated in an international competition on nematode genomes. mGene.web is available at http://www.mgene. org/web, it is free of charge and can be used for eukaryotic genomes of small to moderate size (several hundred Mbp).
Ability Self-Estimates and Self-Efficacy: Meaningfully Distinct?

Conceptual differences between self-efficacy and ability self-estimate scores, used in vocational psychology and career counseling, were examined with confirmatory factor analysis, discriminate relations, and reliability analysis. Results suggest that empirical differences may be due to measurement error or scale content, rather than due to the meaningful reasons of frame of reference or language.
New Results on the Mixed General Routing Problem

In this paper, we deal with the polyhedral description and the resolution of the Mixed General Routing Problem. This problem, in which the service activity occurs both at some of the nodes and at some of the arcs and edges of a mixed graph, contains a large number of important arc and node routing problems as special cases. Here, a large family of facet-defining inequalities, the Honeycomb inequalities, is described. Furthermore, a cutting-plane algorithm for this problem that incorporates new separation procedures for the K-C, Regular Path-Bridge, and Honeycomb inequalities is presented. Branch and bound is invoked when the final solution of the cutting-plane procedure is fractional. Extensive computational experiments over different sets of instances are included.
A Vocabulary- Based Graded Dictation Test

This article describes a dictation test which is graded according to vocabulary frequency. The article describes how the tests are made, used and marked. Four equivalent forms are included in the article. Statistical data on the tests is provided, showing that the tests have high reliability, and are valid tests of vocabulary knowledge. Evidence is provided to show that the four forms are equivalent.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Parental Bonding Instrument in a Brazilian Female Population

Objective: The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) is a widely used measure of parenting. Recent studies have proposed different factor structures. There is a disagreement in the literature about whether the PBI is best used as a two-factor or a three-factor measure. Method: Two hundred and fifty-seven female adults were recruited from a clinical population (139 psychiatric patients and 118 controls) and were requested to complete the PBI. Maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analyses were performed to compare the five different factor structures in terms of model fit. Results: The poorest fit to the data was obtained by the Parker et al. model. The Kendler model was the only model that had an adjusted goodness-of-fit index >0.8 regarding both paternal and maternal PBI. When considering invariance of factor structure across age subgroups, the Kendler model was also the only acceptable model. Conclusion: Three-factor structures are preferable to two-factor structures. The Kendler model was the only one to provide an acceptable fit, but it must be considered that it was a female sample, and when considering gender subgroups other studies have found the same results. Despite the gender limitation, the present study contributes to a better understanding and use of the PBI in Brazilian samples.
Th2-associated immunity to bacteria in teenagers and susceptibility to asthma

Bacterial colonisation of the airways is associated with increased risk of childhood asthma. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E against bacterial antigens has been reported in some asthmatics, suggesting a role for bacterial-specific type-2 immunity in disease pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate relationships between bacterial-specific IgE amongst teenagers and asthma susceptibility. We measured titres of IgE against Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in 1,380 teenagers, and related these to asthma symptomatology and immunophenotypes. IgE titres against S. aureus-derived enterotoxins were highest amongst atopics and were associated with asthma risk. Surprisingly, IgE titres against H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae surface antigens were higher, not stratified by atopy and independently associated with decreased asthma risk. The positive association between type-2 immunity to S. aureus and asthma phenotypes probably reflects IgE-mediated effector cell activation via enterotoxin super antigens which are secreted in soluble form. The contrasting benign nature of type-2 immunity to H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae antigens may reflect their lower availability in soluble forms that can crosslink IgE receptors. We theorise that instead they may be processed by antigen presenting cells and presented to type-2 memory cells leading to mucosal secretion of interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13, a mechanism widely recognised in other tissues to attenuate T-helper-1 associated bacterial-induced inflammation.
Ways for Implementing Highly-Predictable Embedded Systems Using Time-Triggered Co-Operative (TTC) Architectures

Embedded system is a special-purpose computer system which is designed to perform a small number of dedicated functions for a specific application (Sachitanand, 2002; Kamal, 2003). Examples of applications using embedded systems are: microwave ovens, TVs, VCRs, DVDs, mobile phones, MP3 players, washing machines, air conditions, handheld calculators, printers, digital watches, digital cameras, automatic teller machines (ATMs) and medical equipments (Barr, 1999; Bolton, 2000; Fisher et al., 2004; Pop et al., 2004). Besides these applications, which can be viewed as “noncritical” systems, embedded technology has also been used to develop “safety-critical” systems where failures can have very serious impacts on human safety. Examples include aerospace, automotive, railway, military and medical applications (Redmill, 1992; Profeta et al., 1996; Storey, 1996; Konrad et al., 2004).
Cumulative proportion of responders analysis (CPRA) as a tool to assess treatment outcome in alcohol clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE Several definitions of treatment response have been proposed for alcohol clinical trials (e.g., abstinence and no heavy drinking). However, each of these outcomes allows only one definition of successful response. In contrast, the cumulative proportion of responders analysis (CPRA) includes all of the possible drinking response cutoff points, providing a more complete picture of the therapeutic effects of a treatment. CPRA has been used to examine the efficacy of analgesics but not alcohol pharmacotherapy. To demonstrate its potential utility, we conducted CPRA in two large alcohol treatment trials: the COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence) trial (naltrexone) and a multisite topiramate trial. CPRA was used to demonstrate the efficacy of naltrexone and topiramate on continuous measures of in-treatment drinking-heavy drinking days and drinks per day-and their reductions from pretreatment. METHOD All possible cutoff points were portrayed for each measure. We provide graphs to illustrate the effects of the active medications compared with placebo and examined them statistically over a number of salient drinking outcomes to evaluate their efficacy. RESULTS Treatment group responder curves were not parallel across the entire range of cutoff points; rather, they separated only at lower levels of drinking. In general, effect sizes increased by 0.10-0.15 when going from the lowest drinking level cutoff (i.e., abstinence and no heavy drinking) to the cutoff associated with the maximal treatment effect. CONCLUSIONS CPRA may be useful in designing subsequent trials and helping to illustrate for treatment providers the likelihood of treatment success given various definitions of a positive response.
Work-based Supervisors: The Neglected Partners in Practice Learning

The introduction of the Degree in Social Work programme in 2003 prompted considerable diversification in arrangements for practice supervision, teaching and assessment. A small scale exploratory study was undertaken into a model which utilises work-based supervisors, working in tandem with off-site practice teachers who are primarily responsible for the assessment of student social workers. The study focused on exploring the experiences of work-based supervisors and off-site practice teachers working to this model. The findings pointed to increased anxiety and confusion about roles amongst work-based supervisors and off-site practice teachers. Work-based supervisors described themselves as the ‘neglected partners’ in the learning process, taking on most of the work, but with limited recognition, reward or status. Work-based supervisors valued the new range of professional development opportunities to support them in their role but had difficulty in accessing these due to other professional commitments.
Fiber connections of the hippocampal formation and septum and subdivisions of the hippocampal formation in the pigeon as revealed by tract tracing and kainic acid lesions

The organization of the pigeon hippocampal formation was examined by tract tracing by using biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) and cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and by injections of kainic acid to produce excitotoxic lesions. The hippocampal formation was divided into seven subdivisions based on Nissl staining and intrinsic and septal connections: dorsomedial (DM), dorsolateral (DL), triangular (Tr), V‐shaped layer, magnocellular (Ma), parvocellular, and cell‐poor regions. DL was composed of dorsal and ventral portions and sent associational fibers to DM, the V‐shaped layer, and Tr. DL had strong reciprocal connections with the densocellular part of the hyperpallium (HD) and projected to the dorsolateral corticoid area. DM had reciprocal fiber connections with the V‐shaped layer, Ma, and DL as well as with several subdivisions of the arcopallium. DL and DM, but not the V‐shaped layer, projected fibers to the septum where those from DM exceeded in number those from DL. These projections further extended to the hypothalamus, particularly the lateral hypothalamic area. The lateral and medial septal nuclei projected back a very small number of ascending fibers to the hippocampal formation. Intraventricular injections of kainic acid induced neuronal loss widely in the hippocampal formation and subsequently produced gliosis in DM. These results indicate that DL receives its main afferents from HD and in turn sends inputs to an intrinsic circuit composed of hippocampal subdivisions DM, Ma, Tr, and the V‐shaped layer; and also that DM is the main exit to the septum and hypothalamus. It is suggested that neurons in the V‐shaped layer are intrinsic. Together, the results suggest that the V‐shaped layer is comparable to the dentate gyrus of the mammalian hippocampal formation and that DM incorporates components comparable to both Ammon's horn and the subiculum. J. Comp. Neurol. 475:426–461, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Value and impact factors of multidetector computed tomography in diagnosis of preoperative lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

Background: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) exhibited wide ranges of sensitivities and specificities for lymph node assessment of gastric cancer (GC) in several individual studies. This present meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the value of MDCT in diagnosis of preoperative lymph node metastasis (LNM) and to explore the impact factors that might explain the heterogeneity of its diagnostic accuracy in GC. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted to collect all the relevant studies about the value of MDCT in assessing LNM of GC within the PubMed, Cochrane library and Embase databases up to Feb 2, 2016. Two investigators independently screened the studies, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of included studies. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under ROC curve (AUC) were pooled to estimate the overall accuracy of MDCT. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were carried out to identify the possible factors influencing the heterogeneity of the accuracy. Results: A total of 27 studies with 6519 subjects were finally included. Overall, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 0.67 (95% CI: 0.56–0.77), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.81–0.90), and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83–0.89), respectively. Meta-regression revealed that MDCT section thickness, proportion of serosal invasion, and publication year were the main significant impact factors in sensitivity, and MDCT section thickness, multiplanar reformation (MPR), and reference standard were the main significant impact factors in specificity. After the included studies were divided into 2 groups (Group A: studies with proportion of serosa-invasive GC subjects ≥50%; Group B: studies with proportion of serosa-invasive GC subjects <50%), the pooled sensitivity in Group A was significantly higher than in Group B (0.84 [95% CI: 0.75–0.90] vs 0.55 [95% CI: 0.41–0.68], P < .01). For early gastric cancer (EGC), the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15–0.61), 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84–0.95), and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80–0.86), respectively. Conclusion: To summarize, MDCT tends to be adequate to assess preoperative LNM in serosa-invasive GC, but insufficient for non-serosa-invasive GC (particularly for EGC) owing to its low sensitivity. Proportion of serosa-invasive GC subjects, MDCT section thickness, MPR, and reference standard are the main factors influencing its diagnostic accuracy.
Twitter User Gender Inference Using Combined Analysis of Text and Image Processing

Profile inference of SNS users is valuable for marketing, target advertisement, and opinion polls. Several studies examining profile inference have been reported to date. Although information of various types is included in SNS, most such studies only use text information. It is expected that incorporating information of other types into text classifiers can provide more accurate profile inference. As described in this paper, we propose combined method of text processing and image processing to improve gender inference accuracy. By applying the simple formula to combine two results derived from a text processor and an image processor, significantly increased accuracy was confirmed.
A gesture of compliance: media convergence in China

Media convergence is thriving in terms of either practical experience or scholastic debates around the world. This study aims to examine journalistic convergence in China. Using qualitative data drawn from the case study of Shenzhen Press Group in Guangdong, South China, we argue that the media’s response to the Chinese government’s push for media convergence is simply a gesture of compliance. While media management do not consider convergence as a prime concern, rank-and-file editors and journalists respond to media convergence with non-cooperation or non-acceptance. The study concludes, on the basis of the specific contexts in which China’s media convergence operates, that social context and, in particular, the relationship between media and state should be fully taken into consideration in studies of media convergence.
On Theories of Superalgebras of Differentiable Functions

This is the first in a series of papers laying the foundations for a differential graded approach to derived differential geometry (and other geometries in characteristic zero). In this paper, we study theories of supercommutative algebras for which infinitely differentiable functions can be evaluated on elements. Such a theory is called a super Fermat theory. Any category of superspaces and smooth functions has an associated such theory. This includes both real and complex supermanifolds, as well as algebraic superschemes. In particular, there is a super Fermat theory of C-infinity superalgebras. C-infinity superalgebras are the appropriate notion of supercommutative algebras in the world of C-infinity rings, the latter being of central importance both to synthetic differential geometry and to all existing models of derived smooth manifolds. A super Fermat theory is a natural generalization of the concept of a Fermat theory introduced by E. Dubuc and A. Kock. We show that any Fermat theory admits a canonical superization, however not every super Fermat theory arises in this way. For a fixed super Fermat theory, we go on to study a special subcategory of algebras called near-point determined algebras, and derive many of their algebraic properties.
Risk, expert uncertainty, and Australian news media: public and private faces of expert opinion during the 2009 swine flu pandemic

During the outbreak of emerging infectious diseases scientists and public health officials play a key role in informing communities about what is happening, why and what they can do about it, and the news media are critical to how expert knowledge is presented to the public. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the media-oriented practices of experts and to gauge their perceptions of risk communication during public health emergencies. This study investigates the experiences of scientists and public health officials who were sources for the Australian news media during the 2009 pH1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. The paper discusses the perception among some participants that their colleagues were ‘toeing the party’ line as distinct from offering individual ‘expert opinion’, and identifies the different meanings they associated with responsible expert risk communication. In their encounters with the media some indicated frustration with news media constraints, while others demonstrated an internalization of the kind of skills required to play the ‘media game’. The paper discusses the ways in which scientific experts balanced their roles and responsibilities in the context of institutional pressures to be an active media performer. The study affirms the importance of looking beyond media texts and to the activities and perceptions of media sources in order to fully appreciate framing contests, especially when there is a suggestion that dissenting views on disease risk are restricted from entering public debate.
Corporate Governance in Emerging Economies: A Review of the Principal-Principal Perspective

Instead of traditional principal-agent conflicts espoused in most research dealing with developed economies, principal-principal conflicts have been identified as a major concern of corporate governance in emerging economies. Principal-principal conflicts between controlling shareholders and minority shareholders result from concentrated ownership, extensive family ownership and control, business group structures, and weak legal protection of minority shareholders. Such principal-principal conflicts alter the dynamics of the corporate governance process and, in turn, require remedies different from those that deal with principal-agent conflicts. This article reviews and synthesizes recent research from strategy, finance, and economics on principal-principal conflicts with an emphasis on their institutional antecedents and organizational consequences. The resulting integration provides a foundation upon which future research can continue to build. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2008.
Linking Interactional Justice to Work-to-Family Conflict: The Mediating Role of Emotional Exhaustion

This study examined the effect of interactional justice on work-to-family conflict and whether emotional exhaustion was a mediator of this relationship. Field survey data were obtained from 141 employees from various organizations and occupations. The findings suggest that perceptions of interactional justice are related to work-to-family conflict and, as predicted, emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between interactional justice and work-to-family conflict. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
The impact of audit quality on earnings predictability

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of audit quality, measured by financial statements audited by the big four accounting firms, on the investors' ability to predict future earnings for profitable and unprofitable firms. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses the returns-earnings regression model and interacts all independent variables in this model with a dummy variable, AUDIT, which is set to equal one if financial statements audited by the big four accounting firms, zero otherwise. Future earnings response coefficient is the measure of earnings predictability. Findings - The paper finds that investors are able to better anticipate future earnings when financial statements are audited by the big four accounting firms. However, the findings are not applicable for unprofitable firms. Practical implications - The findings of the paper have implications for auditing related academic research and the users of financial statements. In particular, the study shows that the big four accounting firms have not lost their audit quality advantage and that financial statements audited by the big four accounting firms are arguably of higher quality than those audited by non-big four accounting firms. Originality/value - It is believed that there is no UK study to date examining the association of the quality of financial statements audited by the big four accounting firms and the returns-earnings association. Consequently, this paper significantly contributes to the limited literature on the perceived value relevance of audit quality.
The influence of wages and house prices on British interregional migration decisions.

The factors affecting choice of destination of U.K. internal migrants are analyzed using Labour Force Survey data. "A logit analysis of destination choice indicates that job movers are attracted to areas with high wages but are not affected by high house prices in such areas. In contrast, active non-job movers are deterred from areas of high house prices. Regional house price differences do not influence the destination choice of homemakers or the terminally sick but they do influence the destination choice of retirees. All groups prefer to travel the least distance when moving. "