Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feed Deprivation and Re-feeding on Alterations of Proteases in Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus

Regulation of gastrointestinal proteases becomes particularly important when fish starved. In this work, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) were allotted to various treatments including starvation times (3, 5, and 7 d) and 1 d of re-feeding after various starvation times to test whether food deprivation causes changes in protease activities in the gastrointestinal tract. No significant differences in body weights were found among all groups. The relative stomach weights of the starved groups (3 and 5 d) were significantly higher than those of the control group. The relative intestinal weight of the starved group after 7 d of starvation was significantly higher than that of the control group. Additionally, re-feeding resulted in relative stomach and intestinal weight increases after 5 and 7 d of starvation, respectively. The activity of trypsin (T) in fish subjected to a short starvation period was lower than that in fish fed normally, whereas chymotrypsin (C) activity increased. The T/C ratio decreased with starvation time, indicating the possibility that the growth of tilapia is inhibited by starvation. Furthermore, re-feeding after starvation resulted in increased trypsin and chymotrypsin activities, and a decrease in the T/C ratio compared to before feeding. These data suggest that short-term starvation dampens trypsin activity and the T/C ratio in relation to the growth of tilapia, and that re-feeding consequently stimulates the activities of intestinal proteolytic enzymes in tilapia. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/47.2/207.pdf
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Contains an Effector and Regulatory Immune Cell Infiltrate that Is Altered by Multimodal Neoadjuvant Treatment

Objective The immune response to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) may play a role in defining its uniquely aggressive biology; therefore, we sought to clearly define the adaptive immune infiltrate in PDA. Design We used immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry to characterize the immune infiltrate in human PDA and compared our findings to the patients’ peripheral blood. Results In contrast to the myeloid cell predominant infiltrate seen in murine models, T cells comprised the majority of the hematopoietic cell component of the tumor stroma in human PDA. Most intratumoral CD8+ T cells exhibited an antigen-experienced effector memory cell phenotype and were capable of producing IFN-γ. CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and IL-17 producing T helper cells were significantly more prevalent in tumor than in blood. Consistent with the association with reduced survival in previous studies, we observed higher frequencies of both myeloid cells and Treg in poorly differentiated tumors. The majority of intratumoral T cells expressed the co-inhibitory receptor programmed death-1 (PD-1), suggesting one potential mechanism through which PDA may evade antitumor immunity. Successful multimodal neoadjuvant therapy altered the immunoregulatory balance and was associated with reduced infiltration of both myeloid cells and Treg. Conclusion Our data show that human PDA contains a complex mixture of inflammatory and regulatory immune cells, and that neoadjuvant therapy attenuates the infiltration of intratumoral cells associated with immunosuppression and worsened survival.
Modular Connections between Areas V2 and V4 of Macaque Monkey Visual Cortex

We have studied the connections between two visual areas of macaque monkey cortex, V2 and V4, by injecting wheat‐germ agglutinin horseradish peroxidase (HRP‐WGA) into V4 and examining the distribution of labelled cells and terminals in V2, in relation to its characteristically striped cytochrome oxidase architecture. The cells projecting from V2 to V4 are arranged in bands and the number of bands per cycle of cytochrome oxidase stripes varies (one cycle consists of a thin stripe, a thick stripe and two interstripes). In the Type 1 connectivity pattern, there is just one band per cycle, centred over the thin stripes but normally spreading into the neighbouring interstripes. In the Type 2 connectivity pattern there are two bands per cycle, generally rather narrower and centred over the interstripes. Thick stripes are mostly free of labelled cells. The return projection from V4 to V2, whilst being concentrated in the vicinity of the labelled cells, is more diffusely distributed and invades the territory of all the stripes.
Different Cortico-Basal Ganglia Loops Specialize in Reward Prediction at Different Time Scales

To understand the brain mechanisms involved in reward prediction on different time scales, we developed a Markov decision task that requires prediction of both immediate and future rewards, and analyzed subjects' brain activities using functional MRI. We estimated the time course of reward prediction and reward prediction error on different time scales from subjects' performance data, and used them as the explanatory variables for SPM analysis. We found topographic maps of different time scales in medial frontal cortex and striatum. The result suggests that different cortico-basal ganglia loops are specialized for reward prediction on different time scales.
High-availability algorithms for distributed stream processing

Stream-processing systems are designed to support an emerging class of applications that require sophisticated and timely processing of high-volume data streams, often originating in distributed environments. Unlike traditional data-processing applications that require precise recovery for correctness, many stream-processing applications can tolerate and benefit from weaker recovery guarantees. In this paper, we study various recovery guarantees and pertinent recovery techniques that can meet the correctness and performance requirements of stream-processing applications. We discuss the design and algorithmic challenges associated with the proposed recovery techniques and describe how each can provide different guarantees with proper combinations of redundant processing, checkpointing, and remote logging. Using analysis and simulations, we quantify the cost of our recovery guarantees and examine the performance and applicability of the recovery techniques. We also analyze how the knowledge of query network properties can help decrease the cost of high availability.
All Nonlinear Observation Models With Additive Gaussian Noises Enjoy Efficient MLEs

We investigate the statistical efficiency of maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) with nonlinear observation models and additive Gaussian noises. Although we and many others have found empirically that in many cases the sample variances of the parameter estimates via Monte Carlo runs match statistically their corresponding Cramér–Rao lower bounds, there has been, up to now, no formal proof to support this. In this letter, we show that the MLE obtained using the iterated least squares method is unbiased and satisfies the generalized collinearity condition between the estimation error and the gradient of the log-likelihood function w.r. t. the parameter vector that is sufficient for the MLE to be efficient. In other words, the MLE is an efficient estimator regardless of the sample size, although, admittedly, this may not be observed for very ill-conditioned problems. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the statistical efficiency for such problems.
Fear of Darkness, the Full Moon and the Nocturnal Ecology of African Lions

Nocturnal carnivores are widely believed to have played an important role in human evolution, driving the need for night-time shelter, the control of fire and our innate fear of darkness. However, no empirical data are available on the effects of darkness on the risks of predation in humans. We performed an extensive analysis of predatory behavior across the lunar cycle on the largest dataset of lion attacks ever assembled and found that African lions are as sensitive to moonlight when hunting humans as when hunting herbivores and that lions are most dangerous to humans when the moon is faint or below the horizon. At night, people are most active between dusk and 10:00 pm, thus most lion attacks occur in the first weeks following the full moon (when the moon rises at least an hour after sunset). Consequently, the full moon is a reliable indicator of impending danger, perhaps helping to explain why the full moon has been the subject of so many myths and misconceptions.
Comparison of Cerebral Blood Volume and Plasma Volume in Untreated Intracranial Tumors

Purpose Plasma volume and blood volume are imaging-derived parameters that are often used to evaluation intracranial tumors. Physiologically, these parameters are directly related, but their two different methods of measurements, T1-dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)- and T2-dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MR utilize different model assumptions and approaches. This poses the question of whether the interchangeable use of T1-DCE-MRI derived fractionated plasma volume (vp) and relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) assessed using DSC-MRI, particularly in glioblastoma, is reliable, and if this relationship can be generalized to other types of brain tumors. Our goal was to examine the hypothetical correlation between these parameters in three most common intracranial tumor types. Methods Twenty-four newly diagnosed, treatment naïve brain tumor patients, who had undergone DCE- and DSC-MRI, were classified in three histologically proven groups: glioblastoma (n = 7), meningioma (n = 9), and intraparenchymal metastases (n = 8). The rCBV was obtained from DSC after normalization with the normal-appearing anatomically symmetrical contralateral white matter. Correlations between these parameters were evaluated using Pearson (r), Spearman's (ρ) and Kendall’s tau-b (τB) rank correlation coefficient. Results The Pearson, Spearman and Kendall’s correlation between vp with rCBV were r = 0.193, ρ = 0.253 and τB = 0.33 (p-Pearson = 0.326, p-Spearman = 0.814 and p-Kendall = 0.823) in glioblastoma, r = -0.007, ρ = 0.051 and τB = 0.135 (p-Pearson = 0.970, p-Spearman = 0.765 and p-Kendall = 0.358) in meningiomas, and r = 0.289, ρ = 0.228 and τB = 0.239 (p-Pearson = 0.109, p-Spearman = 0.210 and p-Kendall = 0.095) in metastasis. Conclusion Results indicate that no correlation exists between vp with rCBV in glioblastomas, meningiomas and intraparenchymal metastatic lesions. Consequently, these parameters, as calculated in this study, should not be used interchangeably in either research or clinical practice.
Cognitive Modeling and Self-Regulation of Learning in Instructional Settings

Self-regulation of cognition and behavior is an important aspect of student learning and academic performance in the 21st-century classroom. The purpose of the chapter is to present how an integrated framework of cyclical phases and developmental levels of self-regulated learning play a significant role in modeling and self-regulatory learning as key processes for learning. A review of empirical studies and theoretical models supports the effectiveness of modeling on students’ self-regulated learning. These studies provide evidence of the critical role of models during instruction as an important contextual factor that can promote self-efficacy, motivation, self-regulation, and achievement. To understand how characteristics of the model, the observer, and reinforcement interact to affect learning and behavior, it is necessary to investigate how social cognitive theory has uniquely contributed to our current understanding of modeling. Critical to effective modeling is the belief that learning and teaching are interactive processes in which both teachers and learners engage in planning, implementing, assessing, and refecting on the events and outcomes.
Serotonin immunoreactive boutons make synapses with feline phrenic motoneurons

In anesthetized cats, phrenic motoneurons were intracellularly labeled with HRP. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize serotonin-like immunoreactivity that was present in numerous boutons and nerve fibers within the ventral horn of the C5 spinal segment. Immunoreactive boutons were frequently found in apposition to phrenic motoneurons, but these close contacts were more common on the dendrites than the cell body. At the electron microscope level, serotonin-immunoreactive boutons were found to make synapses with well-defined postsynaptic densities on proximal and distal dendrites of phrenic motoneurons. These results suggest that serotonin-containing neurons may directly affect the excitability of phrenic motoneurons, mainly through an input onto their extensive dendritic trees.
Série Scientifique Scientific Series the Impact of Migration on Rural Poverty and Inequality: a Case Study in China the Impact of Migration on Rural Poverty and Inequality: a Case Study in China

Reproduction partielle permise avec citation du document source, incluant la notice ©. Short sections may be quoted without explicit permission, if full credit, including © notice, is given to the source. Le CIRANO collabore avec de nombreux centres et chaires de recherche universitaires dont on peut consulter la liste sur son site web. Les cahiers de la série scientifique (CS) visent à rendre accessibles des résultats de recherche effectuée au CIRANO afin de susciter échanges et commentaires. Ces cahiers sont écrits dans le style des publications scientifiques. Les idées et les opinions émises sont sous l'unique responsabilité des auteurs et ne représentent pas nécessairement les positions du CIRANO ou de ses partenaires. This paper presents research carried out at CIRANO and aims at encouraging discussion and comment. The observations and viewpoints expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily represent positions of CIRANO or its partners. Résumé/abstract Large numbers of agricultural labor moved from the countryside to cities after the economic reforms in China. Migration and remittances play an important role in transforming the structure of rural household income. This paper examines the impact of rural-to-urban migration on rural poverty and inequality in a mountainous area of Hubei province using the data of a 2002 household survey. Since migration income is a potential substitute of farm income, we present counterfactual scenarios of what rural income, poverty, and inequality would have been in the absence of migration. Our results show that, by providing alternatives to households with lower marginal labor productivity in agriculture, migration leads to an increase in rural income. In contrast to many studies that suggest the increasing share of non-farm income in total income widens inequality, this paper offers support for the hypothesis that migration tends to have egalitarian effects on rural income for three reasons: (i) migration is rational self-selection – farmers with higher expected return in agricultural activities and/or in local non-farm activities choose to remain in countryside while those with higher expected return in urban non-farm sectors migrate; (ii) households facing binding constraints of land shortage are more likely to migrate; (iii) poorer households benefit disproportionately from migration.
And Still They Persisted: A Discussion of Indigenous Students Perspectives on a Year in Pre-Nursing Transitions

Access and Transitions Programing has been a focus in Canadian Educational reform for over fifty years. Though made smaller through transitions and access supports, the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous students’ attainment in higher education, remains large. One has to ask why? Evaluation of said programs in current literature is dominated with Eurocentric approaches and bias based in institutional needs such as retention, attrition and graduation rates. However, the statistics do not tell a complete story about how Indigenous students are navigating post-secondary experiences. Through the lens of the Medicine Wheel the experiences of four women participating in a Pre-Nursing Transitions Program (PNT) at a western Canadian University will be discussed. The results of this case study which was conducted during the 2013-14 academic year identify clashes between the Eurocentric paradigm of the University and students’ values. At face value, conflicts centered around prioritisation of family, types of knowledge valued and the way information was presented. However, these conflicts speak to larger issues around the construction and intention of transitions programming and this article aims respond with a word of caution for post secondary institutions however well intentioned aiming to respond to the 2015 Truth and reconciliation call for indigenization of the academy. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.16. 10.9
Perceptions of workplace incivility based on personality characteristics: A replication

PERCEPTIONS OF WORKPLACE INCIVILITY BASED ON PERSONALITY CHARACTERITICS: A REPLICATION Sergey Mazuritsky Advisor: University of Guelph, 2018 Professor M. G. Gonzalez-Morales The purpose of the current study is to replicate a previous study by Sliter, Withrow, and Jex (2015) that sought to determine whether personality characteristics influence how individuals perceive uncivil behaviors in the workplace. The original study is the only one that has attempted to isolate incivility perceptions from the reported experience of incivility. The original study determined that positive affect and trait anger were the strongest predictors of perceived incivility. Results from the current study show the same pattern. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Amphetamine Exposure Enhances Habit Formation

Performance of instrumental actions in rats is initially sensitive to postconditioning changes in reward value, but after more extended training, behavior comes to be controlled by stimulus–response (S-R) habits that are no longer goal directed. To examine whether sensitization of dopaminergic systems leads to a more rapid transition from action–outcome processes to S-R habits, we examined performance of amphetamine-sensitized rats in an instrumental devaluation task. Animals were either sensitized (7 d, 2 mg/kg/d) before training (experiment 1) or sensitized between training and testing (experiment 2). Rats were trained to press a lever for a reward (three sessions) and were then given a test of goal sensitivity by devaluation of the instrumental outcome before testing in extinction. Control animals showed selective sensitivity to devaluation of the instrumental outcome. However, amphetamine sensitization administered before training caused the animals’ responding to persist despite the changed value of the reinforcer. This deficit resulted from an inability to use representations of the outcome to guide behavior, because a reacquisition test confirmed that all of the animals had acquired an aversion to the reinforcer. In experiment 2, post-training sensitization did not disrupt normal goal-directed behavior. These findings indicate that amphetamine sensitization leads to a rapid progression from goal-directed to habit-based responding but does not affect the performance of established goal-directed actions.
Job Satisfaction of Female Superintendents: Role Conflict and Role Commitment

This study examined the relationship between the job satisfaction of female superintendents, role conflict, and role commitment. The population included all female superintendents in the states of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Job satisfaction and role conflict were assessed using survey instruments while role commitment was a one question item determining the prioritization of work first, important relationships first, or work and relationships equally. Higher scores in the survey instruments indicated higher overall job satisfaction and internal role conflict, respectively. The relationship between and among variables were investigated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, a multiple regression analysis, and ANOVA. This study found that unlike both male and female secondary principals in the Midwest (Eckman, 2004), role conflict and role commitment had no statistically significant relationship with job satisfaction for this population. Role commitment and role conflict, however, had a significant, positive relationship where those more committed to work first felt greater internal role conflict while those committed to important relationships first felt less internal role conflict. Finally, professional vs. self was the factor that created the most role conflict while the nature of work and co-workers were factors that contribute most to job satisfaction while operating conditions was the weakest source of job satisfaction. Job Satisfaction of Female Superintendents: Role Conflict and Role Commitment Gregory L. Forrest GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT While women make up around 75% of the field of education as a whole, they only make up only around 25% of superintendents even though they outpace men in administrative preparation programs, pursuit of superintendent licensure, and educational doctorates. In answering the School Superintendents Association’s (AASA) call to research family obligations, family dynamics, and career choice of female superintendents, this study extends Eckman’s (2004) research on secondary principals in methodology, considering the job satisfaction, role conflict, and role commitment of female superintendents in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. This study failed to identify a significant relationship between the independent variables of role conflict and role commitment with the dependent variable of job satisfaction. Role conflict and role commitment, however, did have a statistically significant relationship, where those more committed to work had greater role conflict while those more committed to important relationships first had less role conflict.
CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF INEXACT RAYLEIGH QUOTIENT ITERATION∗

We consider the computation of the smallest eigenvalue and associated eigenvector of a Hermitian positive definite pencil. Rayleigh quotient iteration (RQI) is known to converge cubically, and we first analyze how this convergence is affected when the arising linear systems are solved only approximately. We introduce a special measure of the relative error made in the solution of these systems and derive a sharp bound on the convergence factor of the eigenpair in a function of this quantity. This analysis holds independently of the way the linear systems are solved and applies to any type of error. For instance, it applies to rounding errors as well. We next consider the Jacobi–Davidson method. It acts as an inexact RQI method in which the use of iterative solvers is made easier because the arising linear systems involve a projected matrix that is better conditioned than the shifted matrix arising in classical RQI. We show that our general convergence result straightforwardly applies in this context and permits us to trace the convergence of the eigenpair in a function of the number of inner iterations performed at each step. On this basis, we also compare this method with some form of inexact inverse iteration, as recently analyzed by Neymeyr and Knyazev.