Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of organic additives and different carbohydrate sources on proliferation of protocorm- like bodies in Dendrobium Alya Pink

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the addition of different organic additives and sugar types as carbon source on the growth and proliferation of protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of a very new Dendrobium hybrid known as D. Alya Pink (DAP). PLBs were supplemented with homogenates of banana, tomato, and coconut water at various concentrations. Proliferation rate was recorded on a fresh weight basis. The effect of various types of local banana homogenate was also used to evaluate their efficiency in proliferation of PLBs. Six types of sugar were used to evaluate their effect on the growth of DAP PLBs. Results showed that banana and tomato homogenate was not effective for PLB proliferation DAP as control gave the highest fresh weight of 0.48 +/- 0.02g. Coconut water was found to be the best organic additive for the proliferation of DAP PLBs which showed a four-fold increase of fresh weight (0.59 +/- 0.03g) compared to the initial weight of 0.15g in just four weeks. Highest growth was recorded in PLBs supplemented with glucose, fructose and sucrose with 0.94 +/- 0.55 g, 9.1 +/- 0.82 g and 6.51 +/- 0.52 g of PLBs respectively. Galactose, mannitol and sorbitol were not suitable to promote the growth of PLBs. In this study, coconut water was selected to be the best organic additive and glucose as the suitable carbohydrate source for the proliferation of D. Alya Pink PLBs when compared to the other homogenates and sugar types.
Police officers’ views on cultivating organizational commitment

Many studies over the past two decades have demonstrated that employees with low levels of organizational commitment (OC) tend to be less effective. Recent research has suggested that the OC levels of police officers in Australia and New Zealand are lower that the OC levels of police in other countries. In addition, more experienced officers (especially sergeants) have lower levels of OC than less experienced officers. Reports the results of a survey of Australian police officers’ views on improving commitment to the police organization. Overall, the officers suggested that OC could be enhanced if they received more support and encouragement from senior officers. Significantly, the supervisors in the sample were more likely to identify problems with the structure and processes of the organization, whereas nonsupervisors tended to identify personal issues. A major implication of these findings is that training and information programs for supervisors need to be revised and reinforced.
Response Mechanism of the Phase Transitions of Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide-Co-Benzo-18-Crown-6-Acrylamide) Using Infrared Spectroscopy

The thermal and ionic effects on the phase transitions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and its copolymer with benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) (PNIPAAm-co-BCAm), were investigated using infrared (IR) spectral variations of methyl (CH3), C=O, and amine (NH) groups. Subsequently, perturbation correlation moving-window two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (PCMW 2D-IR) was applied to clarify the differences in the phase-transition mechanisms of the polymers. The dominant influence on the phase-transition mechanism of PNIPAAm is whether the anion is evenly distributed in the bulk solution. The results show that the phase transition shifts to a lower temperature with increasing barium chloride (BaCl2) concentrations. In addition, the effect of the anion on the chemical group is homogeneous upon heating. As a result, the relevant transition temperature ranges have remain approximately constant. In contrast, the dominant influence on the phase-transition mechanism of PNIPAAm-co-BCAm is the interactions of the polymer chains with barium ions (Ba2+). The hydrophilic BCAm–Ba2+ complexes distributed in the PNIPAAm-co-BCAm chain prevent the water molecules from leaving the polymer chains, which leads to an increase in the transition temperature and the complicated variation of the transition temperature range, as environmental stimuli–response behavior, with increasing BaCl2 concentrations.
Triterpenoids from Psidium guajava with Biocidal Activity

In continuation of our studies on the phytochemical investigation of medicinal plants available in the foothills of Darjeeling and Teri, we report herein the isolation of two triterpenoids betulinic acid and lupeol from the leaf extract of Psidium guajava and their potential antimicrobial and phytotoxic activities. All the structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed by spectral (IR, NMR) analysis and by comparison with the literature reports.
First identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains among coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from dogs with otitis externa in Trinidad, West Indies

Background Otitis externa is a common inflammatory ear disease in dogs caused by a variety of pathogens, and coagulase-positive staphylococci are frequently isolated from such infections. Objective To identify antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and methicillin-resistant strains among coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from otitis externa in dogs. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed over 2 years on 114 client-owned dogs presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a primary complaint of ear infections. Swabs were obtained from both ears and cultured for staphylococci which were subsequently confirmed as coagulase-positive using rabbit plasma. Antimicrobial susceptibility assays were assessed on all isolates followed by subsequent genetic analysis for species identification and detection of the mecA gene. Results Sixty-five coagulase-positive staphylococci were isolated from 114 client-owned dogs. The isolates exhibited resistance against neomycin (58.5%), streptomycin (49.2%), penicillin (49.2%), polymyxin B (44.6%), tetracycline (36.9%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (33.8%), kanamycin (33.8%), doxycycline (32.3%), norfloxacin (23.1%), amoxicillin/clavulanate (20%), ciprofloxacin (20%), enrofloxacin (18.5%), gentamicin (16.9%), and cephalothin (9.2%). Forty (61.5%) of the isolates were resistant to at least three or more antimicrobials and 10 were sensitive to all. Using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay based on species-specific regions of the thermonuclease (nuc) gene, 38/65 (58.5%) isolates were classified as Staphylococcus aureus, 23/65 (35.4%) as S. pseudintermedius, 2/65 (3.1%) as S. intermedius, and 2/65 (3.1%) as S. schleiferi. Analysis for the mecA gene revealed two positive isolates of S. pseudintermedius which were oxacillin-resistant, representing a first report of such organisms in the Caribbean. Conclusion Despite the relatively high prevalence of multidrug-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci in Trinidad, these are largely susceptible to gentamicin consistent with use in clinical practice. The first detection of methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) in dogs is likely to have implications on the treatment options for otitis externa in dogs and potential public health significance.
Spatiality of Immigrant Social Networks and Their Impact on Residential Patterns

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify unique functions of immigrants’ social networks and organizational affiliations, the spatial aspects of their communities, and the ways in which these are implicated in their conceptualization of the American urban housing market. This project first examines the ways scholars discuss and define ethnic communities and how spatial arrangements are understood in the context of urban development. I argue that past discussions of immigrant assimilation and integration assumed that external influences and abandonment of ethnic components remain important—though undefined—elements of community formation and subsequent evolution. My position is that immigration and immigrant experiences are one of a number of processes that transform the relationship between accumulation of social capital and spatial arrangement of residency. I argue it is possible to claim that identity reflected in housing selection echoes both resources from ethnic community and participation in American consumption. I explore this possibility through a study of three immigrant groups in the Chicago metropolitan area. Based on a quantitative survey nested in another quantitative survey, findings suggest that concerns with both ethnic community formation and integration into American society relate closely and may simultaneously inform immigrants’ consumption behavior. Methodologically, these findings stress an increasing need for social scientists to explore causal linking between one’s ability to develop relationships across individuals and organizations and ecological conditions of their surroundings that shape an individual’s sense of communal membership.
Nivolumab in previously untreated melanoma without BRAF mutation.

BACKGROUND Nivolumab was associated with higher rates of objective response than chemotherapy in a phase 3 study involving patients with ipilimumab-refractory metastatic melanoma. The use of nivolumab in previously untreated patients with advanced melanoma has not been tested in a phase 3 controlled study. METHODS We randomly assigned 418 previously untreated patients who had metastatic melanoma without a BRAF mutation to receive nivolumab (at a dose of 3 mg per kilogram of body weight every 2 weeks and dacarbazine-matched placebo every 3 weeks) or dacarbazine (at a dose of 1000 mg per square meter of body-surface area every 3 weeks and nivolumab-matched placebo every 2 weeks). The primary end point was overall survival. RESULTS At 1 year, the overall rate of survival was 72.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.5 to 78.9) in the nivolumab group, as compared with 42.1% (95% CI, 33.0 to 50.9) in the dacarbazine group (hazard ratio for death, 0.42; 99.79% CI, 0.25 to 0.73; P<0.001). The median progression-free survival was 5.1 months in the nivolumab group versus 2.2 months in the dacarbazine group (hazard ratio for death or progression of disease, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.56; P<0.001). The objective response rate was 40.0% (95% CI, 33.3 to 47.0) in the nivolumab group versus 13.9% (95% CI, 9.5 to 19.4) in the dacarbazine group (odds ratio, 4.06; P<0.001). The survival benefit with nivolumab versus dacarbazine was observed across prespecified subgroups, including subgroups defined by status regarding the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Common adverse events associated with nivolumab included fatigue, pruritus, and nausea. Drug-related adverse events of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 11.7% of the patients treated with nivolumab and 17.6% of those treated with dacarbazine. CONCLUSIONS Nivolumab was associated with significant improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival, as compared with dacarbazine, among previously untreated patients who had metastatic melanoma without a BRAF mutation. (Funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb; CheckMate 066 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01721772.).
Genome-Wide Characterization and Linkage Mapping of Simple Sequence Repeats in Mei (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.)

Because of its popularity as an ornamental plant in East Asia, mei (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) has received increasing attention in genetic and genomic research with the recent shotgun sequencing of its genome. Here, we performed the genome-wide characterization of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the mei genome and detected a total of 188,149 SSRs occurring at a frequency of 794 SSR/Mb. Mononucleotide repeats were the most common type of SSR in genomic regions, followed by di- and tetranucleotide repeats. Most of the SSRs in coding sequences (CDS) were composed of tri- or hexanucleotide repeat motifs, but mononucleotide repeats were always the most common in intergenic regions. Genome-wide comparison of SSR patterns among the mei, strawberry (Fragaria vesca), and apple (Malus×domestica) genomes showed mei to have the highest density of SSRs, slightly higher than that of strawberry (608 SSR/Mb) and almost twice as high as that of apple (398 SSR/Mb). Mononucleotide repeats were the dominant SSR motifs in the three Rosaceae species. Using 144 SSR markers, we constructed a 670 cM-long linkage map of mei delimited into eight linkage groups (LGs), with an average marker distance of 5 cM. Seventy one scaffolds covering about 27.9% of the assembled mei genome were anchored to the genetic map, depending on which the macro-colinearity between the mei genome and Prunus T×E reference map was identified. The framework map of mei constructed provides a first step into subsequent high-resolution genetic mapping and marker-assisted selection for this ornamental species.
PSYCHOACOUSTICS: a comprehensive MATLAB toolbox for auditory testing

PSYCHOACOUSTICS is a new MATLAB toolbox which implements three classic adaptive procedures for auditory threshold estimation. The first includes those of the Staircase family (method of limits, simple up-down and transformed up-down); the second is the Parameter Estimation by Sequential Testing (PEST); and the third is the Maximum Likelihood Procedure (MLP). The toolbox comes with more than twenty built-in experiments each provided with the recommended (default) parameters. However, if desired, these parameters can be modified through an intuitive and user friendly graphical interface and stored for future use (no programming skills are required). Finally, PSYCHOACOUSTICS is very flexible as it comes with several signal generators and can be easily extended for any experiment.
Exposure to Traumatic Violence: Some Lessons from Bosnia.

try to help. The following account includes several sections. First, I present a brief overview of the circumstances and outcomes of the war in this part of the former Yugoslavia. The second section provides a discussion of some of the clinical issues being faced by the Bosnian children such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). I also discuss some of the deeper, more philosophical or existential wounds that many of these children now carry. Next, I share a chronology of my experiences both in the United States and in Bosnia including many of the training topics I presented from the field of special education for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Finally, I attempt to summarize some personal and professional lessons from my experiences and draw some parallels between that far-away place and life for some children in the United States. I have struggled a great deal in trying to write this account. While it is a report of my personal experiences it is not a story about me. It is a story about war and kids. It is a story of almost incomprehensible human evil and astounding human resiliency. It is a tribute to the courageous efforts of teachers who, themselves suffering from the dangers, losses and deprivations of war, still got up every day to do their work with
The CHOP postnatal weight gain, birth weight, and gestational age retinopathy of prematurity risk model.

OBJECTIVE To develop a birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), and postnatal-weight gain retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) prediction model in a cohort of infants meeting current screening guidelines. METHODS Multivariate logistic regression was applied retrospectively to data from infants born with BW less than 1501 g or GA of 30 weeks or less at a single Philadelphia hospital between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2009. In the model, BW, GA, and daily weight gain rate were used repeatedly each week to predict risk of Early Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity type 1 or 2 ROP. If risk was above a cut-point level, examinations would be indicated. RESULTS Of 524 infants, 20 (4%) had type 1 ROP and received laser treatment; 28 (5%) had type 2 ROP. The model (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia [CHOP]) accurately predicted all infants with type 1 ROP; missed 1 infant with type 2 ROP, who did not require laser treatment; and would have reduced the number of infants requiring examinations by 49%. Raising the cut point to miss one type 1 ROP case would have reduced the need for examinations by 79%. Using daily weight measurements to calculate weight gain rate resulted in slightly higher examination reduction than weekly measurements. CONCLUSIONS The BW-GA-weight gain CHOP ROP model demonstrated accurate ROP risk assessment and a large reduction in the number of ROP examinations compared with current screening guidelines. As a simple logistic equation, it can be calculated by hand or represented as a nomogram for easy clinical use. However, larger studies are needed to achieve a highly precise estimate of sensitivity prior to clinical application.
Comments on "Prediction of Subharmonic Oscillation in Switching Converters Under Different Control Strategies"

A recent paper [1] (El Aroudi, 2012) misapplied a critical condition (Fang and Abed, 2001) to a well-known example. Even if the mistake is corrected, the results in [1] are applicable only to buck converters and period-doubling bifurcation. Actually, these results are known in Fang's works a decade ago which have broader critical conditions applicable to other converters and bifurcations. The flaws in [1] are identified.
A Robust Discriminative Term Weighting Based Linear Discriminant Method for Text Classification

Text classification is widely used in applications ranging from e-mail filtering to review classification. Many of these applications demand that the classification method be efficient and robust, yet produce accurate categorizations by using the terms in the documents only. We present a supervised text classification method based on discriminative term weighting, discrimination information pooling, and linear discrimination. Terms in the documents are assigned weights according to the discrimination information they provide for one category over the others. These weights also serve to partition the terms into two sets. A linear opinion pool is adopted for combining the discrimination information provided by each set of terms yielding a two-dimensional feature space. Subsequently, a linear discriminant function is learned to categorize the documents in the feature space. We provide intuitive and empirical evidence of the robustness of our method with three term weighting strategies. Experimental results are presented for data sets from three different application areas. The results show that our method's accuracy is higher than other popular methods, especially when there is a distribution shift from training to testing sets. Moreover, our method is simple yet robust to different application domains and small training set sizes.
Validity and Gender Issues in the Use of the DISCOVER Assessment for the Identification of Gifted Minorities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate certain aspects of the internal structure of the DISCOVER assessment checklist (C. Maker, A. Nielson, and J. Rogers, 1994) to assess its construct validity. Other purposes included assessing percentages of identified students and gender differences through the use of the assessment. The sample consisted of 368 Navajo Indian and Mexican American participants from kindergarten, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The results showed low and nonsignificant inter-rating correlations, indicating high discriminant validity of the checklist. R-squared analyses revealed low percentages of variance explained, indicating low convergent validity. Items most frequently checked clustered around the underlying intelligence assessed. A pattern of more checks was found for higher ratings. Also, 22% of kindergarten, 27% of fourthand fifth-grade, and 44% of sixth-grade participants were identified as gifted. Chi-square tests revealed no overall significant differences in the number of boys and girls identified as gifted. The results indicate sound qualities of the DISCOVER assessment and promote the use of performance-based assessments. An appendix contains checklist sample items. (Contains 8 tables and 38 references.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************
Non-regenerative multi-way relaying with linear beamforming

In this paper, we introduce non-regenerative multi-way relaying. A half-duplex multi-antenna relay station (RS) assists multiple nodes which want to communicate to each other. Each node has a message and wants to decode the messages from all other nodes. The number of communication phases is equal to the number of nodes, N, such that when N =2, we have the well known two-way relaying. In the first phase, all nodes transmit simultaneously to the RS and in the following (N-1) phases the RS applies transceive beamforming and transmits to all nodes. The achievable sum rate for asymmetric traffic and symmetric traffic cases are derived for N-phase multi-way relaying. Three low complexity linear transceive beamformers based on Zero Forcing (ZF), Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) and Maximisation of Signal to Noise Ratio (MSNR) criteria are designed for N-phase multi-way relaying. From sum rate analysis, MMSE outperforms the other beamformers at the expense of using feedback channel to obtain the noise variance of the nodes. If interference cancellation is performed at all nodes, MSNR achieves the highest performance gain.
Development of an In-Cylinder Heat Transfer Correlation for Reciprocating Compressors

The gas superheating that takes place throughout the suction system and inside the cylinder of reciprocating compressors adversely affects their overall efficiency. Simulation models adopted in the design of reciprocating compressors are generally based on lumped formulation and rely on empirical correlations for different physical phenomena, including the gas-to-wall heat transfer in the cylinder. The present paper reports a numerical study of heat transfer inside the cylinder of a simplified geometry of reciprocating compressor, considering the effect of fluid flow through the valves. Predictions for the instantaneous heat transfer at the walls are obtained for actual operating conditions and compared with estimates given by correlations commonly adopted for reciprocating compressors. It is shown that the increase of heat transfer during the suction and discharge processes is not properly accounted for by such correlations. Based on the predictions, a new correlation for the in-cylinder heat transfer is put forward and tested in different operating conditions.
Youth Learning On Their Own Terms: Creative Practices and Classroom Teaching

1. Multiple Writing (Con)texts: Learning from the Writing Life of a Zine Maker 2. The Shifting Creative Practices of a Puerto Rican-American Youth 3. Scratching, Cutting, and Juggling: Turntablist as 21st Century Scholar 4. Teaching and Learning: A Shared Practice
Filtering Random Graphs to Synthesize Interconnection Networks with Multiple Objectives

Synthesizing networks that satisfy multiple requirements, such as high reliability, low diameter, good embeddability, etc., is a difficult problem to which there has been no completely satisfactory solution. We present a simple, yet very effective, approach to this problem. The crux of our approach is a filtration process that takes as input a large set of randomly generated graphs and filters out those that do not meet the specified requirements. Our experimental results show that this approach is both practical and powerful. The use of random regular networks as the raw material for the filtration process was motivated by their surprisingly good performance with regard to almost all properties that characterize a good interconnection network. We provide results related to the generation of networks that have low diameter, high fault tolerance, and good embeddability. Through this, we show that the generated networks are serious competitors to several traditional well-known networks. We also explore how random networks can be used in a packaging hierarchy and comment on the scope of application of these networks.