Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Beef Cattle Operations Utilizing Different Seasons of Calving, Weaning Strategies, Postweaning Management, and Retained Ownership

Data from a 3-yr study in Montana were utilized to evaluate impacts of season of calving, weaning strategy, and retained ownership of steer calves on enterprise profitability. Calving seasons were late winter (LW), early spring (ES), or late spring (LS). Each season had 2 weaning times: 190 (LW190, ES190) or 240 (LW240, ES240) d for LW and ES, and 140 (LS140) or 190 (LS190) d for LS. Backgrounding options included shipping steers to Oklahoma (OK1), or backgrounding in Montana to a constant age (MT2) or weight (MT3). Steers from OK1 and MT2 were finished in Oklahoma in confinement or via self-feeders on pasture and harvested in Texas. Steers in MT3 were finished in Montana in confinement and harvested in Colorado. Performance of each system was modeled based on actual animal performance, market prices, and variable input costs. When calves were sold at weaning, gross margins per cow were greatest for LS190 (P < 0.05) and lowest for LW240. During backgrounding, costs of gain were similar among cow-calf systems, and gross margins per steer were greatest for LS140 (P < 0.05), but not different among backgrounding systems. During finishing, costs of gain were greatest for steers from MT2 due to transportation costs to Oklahoma (P < 0.05), and gross margin per steer favored MT3 (P < 0.05). Gross margin for a ranch with a fixed land base did not differ among systems if calves were sold at weaning, but was greatest for LS systems after backgrounding or finishing (P < 0.05).
Diet group , food and nutrient intakes

Background: Few prospective studies have examined cancer incidence among vegetarians. Objective: We report cancer incidence among vegetarians and nonvegetarians in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Oxford (EPIC-Oxford) study. Design: This was a prospective study of 63,550 men and women recruited throughout the United Kingdom in the 1990s. Cancer incidence was followed through nationwide cancer registries. Results: The standardized incidence ratio for all malignant neoplasms for all participants was 72% (95% CI: 69%, 75%). The standardized incidence ratios for colorectal cancer were 84% (95% CI: 73%, 95%) among nonvegetarians and 102% (95% CI: 80%, 129%) among vegetarians. In a comparison of vegetarians with meat eaters and after adjustment for age, sex, and smoking, the incidence rate ratio for all malignant neoplasms was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.80, 1.00). The incidence rate ratio for colorectal cancer in vegetarians compared with meat eaters was 1.39 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.91). Conclusions: The overall cancer incidence rates of both the vegetarians and the nonvegetarians in this study are low compared with national rates. Within the study, the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians than in meat eaters. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89(suppl):1620S–6S.
Can peri-implant crevicular fluid assist in the diagnosis of peri-implantitis? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND A broader understanding of the immune inflammatory profile of peri-implant diseases could be helpful in the development of host-targeted preventive and therapeutic strategies. The aim of this study is to answer two clinical questions: 1) whether patients with peri-implantitis (PP) present higher prevalence of any specific inflammatory cytokine in peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) compared with healthy patients; and 2) whether local inflammation measured in PICF can be used as a predictor for incipient PP. METHODS A systematic review of the literature on the most common cytokines released in PICF in healthy and PP-affected sites was conducted from 1996 up to and including October 2013 using predefined search strategies. Cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal studies were considered. Meta-analyses were done separately for healthy, mucositis (MU), and PP outcomes. RESULTS Interleukin (IL)-1β was the most studied cytokine (n = 12), followed by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (n = 10). Other cytokines were also linked to PP, such as IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-17. Statistical differences were revealed when IL-1β release was compared between healthy implant sites and PP (P = 0.001) or MU sites (P = 0.002), respectively; when PP and MU were compared, no statistical differences could be detected (P = 0.80). For TNF-α release, significant differences were found between healthy and PP implants (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS PICF containing inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1β and TNF-α, can be used as additional criteria for a more robust diagnosis of peri-implant infection. Additionally, once the inflammatory process is installed, no differences were found between peri-implant MU and PP.
Cdc28/Cdk1 positively and negatively affects genome stability in S. cerevisiae

We studied the function of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28 (Cdk1) in the DNA damage response and maintenance of genome stability using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Reduced Cdc28 activity sensitizes cells to chronic DNA damage, but Cdc28 is not required for cell viability upon acute exposure to DNA-damaging agents. Cdc28 is also not required for activation of the DNA damage and replication checkpoints. Chemical–genetic analysis reveals that CDC28 functions in an extensive network of pathways involved in maintenance of genome stability, including homologous recombination, sister chromatid cohesion, the spindle checkpoint, postreplication repair, and telomere maintenance. In addition, Cdc28 and Mre11 appear to cooperate to prevent mitotic catastrophe after DNA replication arrest. We show that reduced Cdc28 activity results in suppression of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), indicating that Cdc28 is required for formation or recovery of GCRs. Thus, we conclude that Cdc28 functions in a genetic network that supports cell viability during DNA damage while promoting the formation of GCRs.
Acute effect of amino acid ingestion and resistance exercise on plasma growth hormone concentration in young men.

Sixteen men completed four trials at random as follows: (Trial A) performance of a single bout of resistance exercise preceded by placebo ingestion (vitamin C); (Trial B) ingestion of 1,500 mg L-arginine and 1,500 mg L-lysine, immediately followed by exercise as in Trial A; (Trial C) ingestion of amino acids as in Trial B and no exercise; (Trial D) placebo ingestion and no exercise. Growth hormone (GH) concentrations were higher at 30, 60, and 90 min during the exercise trials (A and B) compared with the resting trials (C and D) (p < .05). No differences were noted in [GH] between the exercise trials. [GH] was significantly elevated during resting conditions 60 min after amino acid ingestion compared with the placebo trial. It was concluded that ingestion of 1,500 mg arginine and 1,500 mg lysine immediately before resistance exercise does not alter exercise-induced changes in [GH] in young men. However, when the same amino acid mixture is ingested under basal conditions, the acute secretion of GH is increased.
An XMM-Newton Observation of NGC 1399 Reveals Two Phases of Hot Gas and Supersolar Abundances in the Central Regions

We present an initial analysis of a new XMM-Newton observation of NGC 1399, the central elliptical galaxy of the Fornax group. Spectral fitting of the spatially resolved spectral data of the European Photon Imaging Camera MOS and pn CCDs reveals that a two-temperature (2T) model of the hot gas is favored over single-phase and cooling flow models within the central ~20 kpc. The preference for the 2T model applies whether or not the data are deprojected. The cooler component has a temperature (~0.9 keV) similar to the kinetic temperature of the stars, while the hotter component has a temperature (~1.5 keV) characteristic of the virial temperature of a ~1013 M☉ halo. The two-phase model (and other multitemperature models) removes the "Fe bias" within r ≲ 20 kpc and gives ZFe/Z☉ ≈ 1.5-2. At larger radii, the iron abundance decreases until ZFe/Z☉ ~ 0.5 for r ~ 50 kpc. The Si abundance is supersolar (1.2-1.7 solar) within the central regions, while ZSi/ZFe ≈ 0.8 over the entire region studied. These Fe and Si abundances imply that ≈80% of the Fe mass within r ~ 50 kpc originates from Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). This SNe Ia fraction is similar to that inferred for the Sun and therefore suggests a stellar initial mass function similar to the Milky Way.
Quantization index modulation: a class of provably good methods for digital watermarking and information embedding

We consider the problem of embedding one signal (e.g., a digital watermark), within another "host" signal to form a third, "composite" signal. The goal is to achieve efficient rate-distortion-robustness trade-offs. We introduce a new class of embedding methods called distortion-compensated quantization index modulation. In several different contexts involving both intentional and unintentional attacks, capacity-achieving methods exist within this class, while in other contexts these methods achieve provably better rate-distortion-robustness performance than previously proposed spread-spectrum and generalized low-bit(s) modulation methods.
Lively Precedence and Overloaded Resource Based Approach to Virtual Machine Assignment Problem in a Datacenter Environment

The number of cloud users has been growing everyday and it seems that scheduling of virtual machines in the cloud becomes an important problem to analyze. Lively consolidation of Virtual Machines is an efficient way to get better use of resources and power efficiency in Cloud data centers. Identifying when it is best to move VMs from a congested host is an aspect of Lively VM consolidation that directly influences the resource consumption and Quality of Service (QoS) delivered by the system. Server overloads is the basis of resource insufficiency and spoils the performance of applications which leads to affect the QoS. This paper focus on the importance of the detection of server overload and compares the various scheduling algorithms currently used for scheduling virtual machines and also proposes the design methodology of a new algorithm that helps to improve the resource utilization and at the same time energy efficiency.
Metaphorical Motion in Crosslinguistic Perspective: A Comparison of English and Turkish

Situated within the framework of the conceptual metaphor theory, this article examines universal versus language-specific patterns in metaphorical motion event descriptions, comparing English and Turkish. The analysis focused on the crosslinguistic similarities and differences in the target domains and the types of metaphorical mappings that are structured by spatial motion. The data included written texts in English and Turkish. Results indicated strong crosslinguistic similarity in the target domains and the types of metaphorical mappings. Crosslinguistic variation, on the other hand, became evident in the specification of the source domain structure, particularly in describing the manner component of a metaphorical motion event. English writers paid greater linguistic attention to the way one moves from point A to point B metaphorically, using a greater amount and variety of motion verbs that encoded manner. Overall, the analysis revealed the source domain structure to be the best candidate for systematic language-based variation in a metaphorical event.
New upper limit from terrestrial equivalence principle test for extended rotating bodies

An improved terrestrial experiment to test the equivalence principle for rotating extended bodies is presented, and a new upper limit for the violation of the equivalence principle is obtained at the level of 1.6x10(-7), which is limited by the friction of the rotating gyroscope. This means that the spin-gravity interaction between the extended bodies has not been observed at this level.
Maternal Modeling of Coping: Relation to Child Anxiety

ABSTRACT The present study investigated maternal coping behaviors in clinically anxious and control mothers during two mildly stressful parent-child interaction tasks. We hypothesized that anxious mothers would demonstrate decreased problem-focused and increased emotion-focused coping. We further expected that children of anxious mothers would also demonstrate decreased problem-focused coping, and that maternal anxiety would predict child coping. A total of 49 mother-child dyads participated in the present study. Anxious mothers engaged in significantly less adaptive coping (i.e., active coping, modeling) and significantly greater maladaptive coping (i.e., venting of emotion, negative emotion, discussion of emotion) than did non-anxious mothers. In addition, anxious mothers were rated by independent observers as less able to cope with the tasks. Children of the two groups did not differ with respect to type of coping displayed. Implications of these findings for the impact of parental anxiety on children are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.
Class Differentiation in Education: Rational Choices?.

Abstract Social class differentiation in education results not only from differences in academic ability and processes of institutional differentiation but also from processes of self‐selection by pupils, students and their parents in the progression through the school system and into higher education, training and employment. This paper examines the explanation of class differences in choices at transition or branching points in the system which is offered by Rational Action Theory in the light of evidence from qualitative studies of educational transitions. It also explores the relationship of ‘rational action’ to Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction, with reference to some recent research into parental choice of school. It concludes with a discussion of a reconceptualised notion of ‘rational action’.
Atmospheric circulation influence on the interannual variability of snow pack in the Spanish Pyrenees during the second half of the 20th century

Large areas in the Spanish Pyrenees are covered by snow between December and April, especially above 1650 m a.s. l. , the location of the cold season 0°C isotherm. However, a significant negative trend in Pyrenean snow pack was detected during the second half of the 20th century. This paper analyses the interannual evolution of snow accumulation in these mountains in relation to the variability of atmospheric circulation. The study considers two spatial scales, from weather types over the Iberian Peninsula to hemispheric atmospheric patterns. The results show strong relationships between the annual occurrence of several weather types and spring snow accumulation. Changes in the frequency of several weather types are explained by the evolution of large scale hemispheric circulation patterns, especially the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Thus, the positive trend observed in the NAO index leads to a decrease in the occurrence of types that favour snow accumulation and an increase in unfavourable conditions for snow pack during the second half of the 20th century.
Quantum asymmetry between time and space

An asymmetry exists between time and space in the sense that physical systems inevitably evolve over time, whereas there is no corresponding ubiquitous translation over space. The asymmetry, which is presumed to be elemental, is represented by equations of motion and conservation laws that operate differently over time and space. If, however, the asymmetry was found to be due to deeper causes, this conventional view of time evolution would need reworking. Here we show, using a sum-over-paths formalism, that a violation of time reversal (T) symmetry might be such a cause. If T symmetry is obeyed, then the formalism treats time and space symmetrically such that states of matter are localized both in space and in time. In this case, equations of motion and conservation laws are undefined or inapplicable. However, if T symmetry is violated, then the same sum over paths formalism yields states that are localized in space and distributed without bound over time, creating an asymmetry between time and space. Moreover, the states satisfy an equation of motion (the Schrödinger equation) and conservation laws apply. This suggests that the time–space asymmetry is not elemental as currently presumed, and that T violation may have a deep connection with time evolution.
Effect of apolipoprotein E (APO E) polymorphism on leptin in Alzheimer's disease

Background: Leptin, a 16 kDa peptide hormone synthesized and secreted specifically from white adipose cells protects neurons against amyloid β-induced toxicity, by increasing Apolipoprotein E (APO E)-dependent uptake of β amyloid into the cells, thereby, protect individuals from developing Alzheimer′s disease (AD). The APO E ε4 allele is a known genetic risk factor for AD by accelerating onset. It is estimated that the lifetime risk of developing AD increases to 29% for carriers with one ε4 allele and 9% for those with no ε4 allele. Objectives: To determine the levels of serum leptin, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) in the diagnosed cases of AD and the association of them with cognitive decline and Apolipoprotein E (APO E) genotypes in AD. Materials and Methods: Serum levels of serum leptin, cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C along with APO E polymorphism were studied in 39 subjects with probable AD and 42 cognitive normal individuals. Results: AD group showed significantly lower levels of leptin (P = 0.00) as compared to control group. However, there was no significant difference in cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, and HDL-C levels in AD and control groups. The frequency of ε4 allele in AD (38.5%) was found to be significantly higher than in control (10.3%). ε3 allele was more frequent than ε4 allele in AD and control group.
Author's Personal Copy Behavioural Brain Research Parallel Contributions of Cerebellar, Striatal and M1 Mechanisms to Motor Sequence Learning

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t When learning a new motor sequence, we must execute the correct order of movements while simultaneously optimizing sensorimotor parameters such as trajectory, timing, velocity and force. Neuro-physiological studies in animals and humans have identified the major brain regions involved in sequence learning, including the motor cortex (M1), basal ganglia (BG) and cerebellum. Current models link these regions to different stages of learning (early vs. late) or different components of performance (spatial vs. sensorimotor). At the same time, research in motor control has given rise to the concept that internal models at different levels of the motor system may contribute to learning. The goal of this review is to develop a new framework for motor sequence learning that combines stage and component models within the context of internal models. To do this, we review behavioral and neuroimaging studies in humans and neurophysiological studies in animals. Based on this evidence, we present a model proposing that sequence learning is underwritten by parallel, interacting processes, including internal model formation and sequence representation, that are instantiated in specific cerebellar, BG or M1 mechanisms depending on task demands and the stage of learning. The striatal system learns predictive stimulus–response associations and is critical for motor chunking. The role of the cerebellum is to acquire the optimal internal model for sequence performance in a particular context, and to contribute to error correction and control of ongoing movement. M1 acts to store the representation of a learned sequence, likely as part of a distributed network including the parietal lobe and premotor cortex.
Current developments in nucleoside/nucleotide analogues for hepatitis B

There had been remarkable development in nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) and evolution in treatment strategies in last 15 years. Currently, there are five NAs available for chronic hepatitis B treatment, namely lamivudine, telbivudine and entecavir (nucleoside analogues), adefovir dipivoxil and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (nucleotide analogues). The advantages of relatively infrequent side effects and easy administration per oral make NAs popular treatment options. The major drawback of earlier generation NAs is the risk of emergence of drug resistance. Current international guidelines recommend the use of more potent agents with high genetic barriers to resistance including entecavir and tenofovir as first line chronic hepatitis B treatment. However, there is no consensus regarding the subsequent treatment regimens in patients with suboptimal responses to NAs. De novo combination therapy of two NAs, response-guided therapy and roadmap concept in NAs with subsequent switch or add-on therapy can also potentially improve treatment efficacy and avoid resistance.
Hybrid Brain–Computer Interface Techniques for Improved Classification Accuracy and Increased Number of Commands: A Review

In this article, non-invasive hybrid brain–computer interface (hBCI) technologies for improving classification accuracy and increasing the number of commands are reviewed. Hybridization combining more than two modalities is a new trend in brain imaging and prosthesis control. Electroencephalography (EEG), due to its easy use and fast temporal resolution, is most widely utilized in combination with other brain/non-brain signal acquisition modalities, for instance, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electromyography (EMG), electrooculography (EOG), and eye tracker. Three main purposes of hybridization are to increase the number of control commands, improve classification accuracy and reduce the signal detection time. Currently, such combinations of EEG + fNIRS and EEG + EOG are most commonly employed. Four principal components (i.e., hardware, paradigm, classifiers, and features) relevant to accuracy improvement are discussed. In the case of brain signals, motor imagination/movement tasks are combined with cognitive tasks to increase active brain–computer interface (BCI) accuracy. Active and reactive tasks sometimes are combined: motor imagination with steady-state evoked visual potentials (SSVEP) and motor imagination with P300. In the case of reactive tasks, SSVEP is most widely combined with P300 to increase the number of commands. Passive BCIs, however, are rare. After discussing the hardware and strategies involved in the development of hBCI, the second part examines the approaches used to increase the number of control commands and to enhance classification accuracy. The future prospects and the extension of hBCI in real-time applications for daily life scenarios are provided.
The academic engagement of White and ethnic minority students in distance education

At UK institutions of higher education, the academic attainment of White students tends to be higher than that of students from other ethnic groups. A postal survey of Open University students found very little difference in academic engagement in those from different ethnic groups. The differences in pass rates and course grades remained statistically significant even when any effects of differences in academic engagement had been controlled. This is consistent with previous findings that quantitative variations in the attainment of students from different ethnic groups are not reflected in concomitant qualitative variations in their experience of higher education. The explanation for the attainment gap in ethnic minority students must be sought elsewhere than in the nature of their experience of higher education.