Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selecting barcoding loci for plants: evaluation of seven candidate loci with species‐level sampling in three divergent groups of land plants

There has been considerable debate, but little consensus regarding locus choice for DNA barcoding land plants. This is partly attributable to a shortage of comparable data from all proposed candidate loci on a common set of samples. In this study, we evaluated the seven main candidate plastid regions (rpoC1, rpoB, rbcL, matK, trnH‐psbA, atpF‐atpH, psbK‐psbI) in three divergent groups of land plants [Inga (angiosperm); Araucaria (gymnosperm); Asterella s.l. (liverwort)]. Across these groups, no single locus showed high levels of universality and resolvability. Interspecific sharing of sequences from individual loci was common. However, when multiple loci were combined, fewer barcodes were shared among species. Evaluation of the performance of previously published suggestions of particular multilocus barcode combinations showed broadly equivalent performance. Minor improvements on these were obtained by various new three‐locus combinations involving rpoC1, rbcL, matK and trnH‐psbA, but no single combination clearly outperformed all others. In terms of absolute discriminatory power, promising results occurred in liverworts (e.g. c. 90% species discrimination based on rbcL alone). However, Inga (rapid radiation) and Araucaria (slow rates of substitution) represent challenging groups for DNA barcoding, and their corresponding levels of species discrimination reflect this (upper estimate of species discrimination = 69% in Inga and only 32% in Araucaria; mean = 60% averaging all three groups).
Autism and serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The serotonin transporter gene (5‐HTT) plays a crucial role in serotonergic neurotransmission and has been found to be associated, with varying degrees of significance, with many diseases, including autism. Prior association studies of autism have yielded conflicting results regarding the association between two common 5‐HTT polymorphisms, the promoter insertion/deletion (5‐HTTLPR) and the intron 2 VNTR (STin2 VNTR). We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to test the following hypotheses: (i) there is an association between autism and either or both of the 5‐HTTLPR and STin2 VNTR polymorphisms, and (ii) the S allele of 5‐HTTLPR and/or the STin2.12 allele of the VNTR are the specific risk alleles for autism. All published family‐based and population based studies were examined to determine the overall strength of association between 5‐HTT polymorphisms and autism. After exclusion of studies with overlapping samples and studies whose data did not allow for calculation of an odds ratio, 16 studies were included for final analyses, all but two of which used a family‐based design. The meta‐analysis failed to find a significant overall association between either of the 5‐HTT polymorphisms examined and autism. Further, no allelic transmission distortion was found when studies of simplex (11 studies) and multiplex (3 studies) family samples were analyzed separately. However, there was significant heterogeneity by ethnicity; family based studies of US mixed population samples showed preferential transmission of the S allele of 5‐HTTLPR (S allele:L allele = 247:183), while there was no allelic distortion among the family‐based studies of European and Asian samples. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ethnic DIF in Reading Tests With Mixed Item Formats

This article presents a study of ethnic Differential Item Functioning (DIF) for 4th-, 7th-, and 10th-grade reading items on a state criterion-referenced achievement test. The tests, administered 1997 to 2001, were composed of multiple-choice and constructed-response items. Item performance by focal groups (i.e., students from Asian/Pacific Island, Black/African American, Native American, and Latino/Hispanic origins) were compared with the performance of White students using simultaneous item bias and Rasch procedures. Flagged multiple-choice items generally favored White students, whereas flagged constructed-response items generally favored students from Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, and Latino/Hispanic origins. Content analysis of flagged reading items showed that positively and negatively flagged items typically measured inference, interpretation, or analysis of text in multiple-choice and constructed-response formats. Items that were not flagged for DIF generally measured very easy reading skills (e.g., literal comprehension) and reading skills that require higher level thinking (e.g., developing interpretations across texts and analyzing graphic elements).
Finding common ground: enhancing interaction between domestic and international students in higher education

A feature of Australian Higher Education over the last 10 years has been the increased numbers of international students. This feature has been perceived to have great potential for enhanced learning for all students – both international and domestic. Yet, student surveys and research clearly indicate that there is very little interaction occurring between domestic and international students. This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which university teaching can promote interaction between students from diverse cultural and linguistic background. Using an innovative video-analysis methodology, the research found that academics engage in a variety of activities to encourage interaction between student groups. In order to assist academics in planning interaction, one of the main findings of the study was the development of ‘The Interaction for Learning Framework (ILF)’, that identifies key dimensions for curriculum design that can be used by academics to inform ways that they can enhance interaction between diverse student groups within teaching and learning contexts.
Maximum Entropy Models for FrameNet Classification

The development of FrameNet, a large database of semantically annotated sentences, has primed research into statistical methods for semantic tagging. We advance previous work by adopting a Maximum Entropy approach and by using previous tag information to find the highest probability tag sequence for a given sentence. Further we examine the use of sentence level syntactic pattern features to increase performance. We analyze our strategy on both human annotated and automatically identified frame elements, and compare performance to previous work on identical test data. Experiments indicate a statistically significant improvement (p<0.01) of over 6%.
Behavioral adaptation within cross-cultural virtual teams

With today's business environments no longer confined to national borders, much work is undertaken in global virtual teams. Such teams consist of members located in different countries that communicate via technology media to complete a project task. Much of the research in this area has been focused on the technological aspects of such environments; there is, however, a lack of research into the behavioral aspects and the issue of cultural differences in particular. It has been acknowledged that when cultural diversity is neither recognized nor acted upon, significant challenges can arise for the team. Current advice in the literature suggests that team members should adapt their normal working behavior in consideration of cultural differences. However, there is little indication of how team members should do so. This study investigated if and/or how team members adapt their behavior in cross-cultural virtual teams. The results of this study indicate that team members can adapt their behavior in both spoken and written communication as well as allowing for religious beliefs and time zone differences. This paper discusses specifically how behavior can be adapted, including a discussion of behaviors that caused concern. Finally, a framework of behavioral adaptations is presented for ways to improve cross-cultural virtual team interactions.
Analysis and Design of Boolean Associative Memories Made of Resonant Oscillator Arrays

This paper investigates some relevant open issues related to implementing Boolean associative memories using oscillator arrays. At the circuit level, the employment of a class of MEMS-based oscillators which is ideal for large arrays realizations is herein considered. At the system level, the crucial problems of array connectivity and spurious patterns generation are explored in detail. As a result, an enhanced training rule is proposed which is able to simplify the array architecture while improving memory association capability.
Behavioral side effects of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment: The role of parenting strategies

Behavioral and emotional difficulties are a recognised side effect of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment. Modifiable factors, such as parenting strategies, may be an appropriate target for interventions to assist families with managing their child's behavior, potentially leading to improved psychosocial and clinical outcomes. This study examined whether parenting strategies are associated with child behavioral and emotional problems in a pediatric oncology context, with the aim of establishing whether parenting is a potential modifiable target for psychosocial intervention.
Self-Reported Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids Use and Musculoskeletal Injuries: Findings from the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes Health Survey of Retired NFL Players

Horn S, Gregory P, Guskiewicz KM: Self-reported anabolic-androgenic steroids use and musculoskeletal injuries: Findings from the center for the study of retired athletes health survey of retired NFL players. Objective:The relationship between musculoskeletal injuries and anabolic-androgenic steroids is not well understood. The purpose of our study was to investigate the association between self-reported anabolic-androgenic steroids use and the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in a unique group of retired professional football players. Design:A general health questionnaire was completed by 2552 retired professional football players. Survey data were collected between May 2001 and April 2003. Results of self-reported musculoskeletal injuries were compared with the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids using frequency distributions and &khgr;2 analyses. Results:Of the retired players, 9.1% reported using anabolic-androgenic steroids during their professional career. A total of 16.3% of all offensive line and 14.8% of all defensive line players reported using anabolic-androgenic steroids. Self-reported anabolic-androgenic steroids use was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with the following self-reported, medically diagnosed, joint and cartilaginous injuries in comparison with the nonanabolic-androgenic steroids users: disc herniations, knee ligamentous/meniscal injury, elbow injuries, neck stinger/burner, spine injury, and foot/toe/ankle injuries. There was no association between anabolic-androgenic steroids use and reported muscle/tendon injuries. Conclusions:Our findings demonstrate that an association may exist between anabolic-androgenic steroids use and the prevalence of reported musculoskeletal injury sustained during a professional football career, particularly ligamentous/joint-related injuries. There may also be an associated predisposition to selected types of injuries in anabolic-androgenic steroids users.
P300, global probability, and stimulus sequence effects in children

The effects of global target stimulus probability and stimulus sequence effects on the amplitude and latency of the P300 event‐related brain potential (ERP) were studied in three groups of children who varied in age (8 to 11, 12 to 15, and 16 to 19 years). ERPs were elicited with an auditory stimulus discrimination paradigm in which subjects were presented with standard (1,000 Hz) and target (2,000 Hz) stimulus tones and instructed to indicate with a finger movement when a target was presented. Two separate paradigms were employed: (a) target stimulus global probability was varied in different conditions at . 20, . 50, and . 80 and (b) target (T) and standard (S) tone presentation sequences were varied by presenting one of four sequence patterns, SS, TS, TT, or ST on each trial. The results demonstrated that increases in target stimulus probability produced a decrease for P300 amplitude and that amplitude sequence effects were quite similar for all three age groups. P300 latency decreased with increases in s.
Detecting varieties of cheating: How do people navigate between different cheating ploys?

What kinds of cheating-protection devices should individuals implement to avoid being victims of fraud? Using the Wason selection task as a cheating detection paradigm, we define three types of cheating: Cheating 1 (cost proves to be insufficient for obtaining the benefit), Cheating 2 (cost proves to be unnecessary for obtaining the benefit), and Ambiguous Cheating (type of cheating unclear). In Study 1 participants relied on world knowledge and showed equal sensitivity to both Cheating 1 and 2 by correctly selecting the most relevant threats in these versions. However, no dominant pattern appeared in the Ambiguous Cheating version. In Study 2 participants relied on contextual cues to detect the most relevant threat of cheating (either Cheating 1 or Cheating 2) and the efficacy of their detections increased in versions that included a syntactic manipulation that emphasised the cost–benefit relationship. We argue that efficient cheating detection requires flexibility, world knowledge, expertise, and a thorough understanding of the causal relationship between the cost and the benefit. All of these are essential cognitive tools that can assist people in navigating between different cheating ploys which may be embedded in the same social contract.
Colorectal Cancer Screening Disparities for Rural Minorities in the United States

Background: Despite the existence of effective screening, colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Adults living in rural areas and members of minority populations both experience disparities in colorectal cancer screening. Methods: Cross-sectional prevalence study of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the Centers for Disease Control from 1998 to 2005. Primary outcome: Predicted probability of reporting timely colorectal cancer screening. Independent variables: rural residence, race/ethnicity. We adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of respondents. Results: After adjustment rural non-Hispanic whites (44.3%), rural African American/blacks (44.8%), urban and rural Hispanic/Latinos (43.7% and 40.8%, respectively), urban and rural American Indian/Alaska Natives (45.8% and 46.8%), and urban and rural Asians (35.4% and 39.6%) had lower compared with urban non-Hispanic whites (49.5%; P < .05% for all comparisons). Urban Asians were least likely to report use of fecal occult blood testing (8.6%, 95% confidence interval = 6.3% to 10.9%) and rural Asians were least likely to report use of endoscopy screening (21.2%, 95% confidence interval = 16.2% to 26.2%). Discussion: Rural minorities may face different barriers to colorectal cancer screening than urban minorities or rural non-Hispanic whites. Further research to develop interventions to improve screening in these populations is warranted.
Valuation Risk and Asset Pricing

Standard representative-agent models have difficulty in accounting for the weak correlation between stock returns and measurable fundamentals, such as consumption and output growth. This failing underlies virtually all modern asset-pricing puzzles. The correlation puzzle arises because these models load all uncertainty onto the supply side of the economy. We propose a simple theory of asset pricing in which demand shocks play a central role. These shocks give rise to valuation risk that allows the model to account for key asset pricing moments, such as the equity premium, the bond term premium, and the weak correlation between stock returns and fundamentals.
Dream Psychology and the New Biology of Dreaming

ABSTRACT During the last 15 years there has been a huge amount of research in a field now known as the biology of dreaming. Many researchers, however, want to study the dream itself rather than its biology. This group of researchers is prominent among the authors of the present volume.The book begins with the traditional physiological chapter by Dr. Snyder. This is followed by a number of different viewpoints on the psychology of dreaming including some seldom-heard views such as the culturalist, Jungian, Adlerian, and existential. Meier, attempting to formulate a Jungian view of dreams, makes one excellent point: if, as Freudian theory suggests, censorship and repression together serve an important function in psychic health by keeping most dream material out of awareness, then a subject repeatedly awakened during D-periods in the laboratory and asked for his dreams would be expected to find this a quite terrifying experience, a forcible
Activation of the PI3K/mTOR Pathway Is Involved in Cystic Proliferation of Cholangiocytes of the PCK Rat

The polycystic kidney (PCK) rat is an animal model of Caroli’s disease as well as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). The signaling pathways involving the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are aberrantly activated in ARPKD. This study investigated the effects of inhibitors for the cell signaling pathways including mTOR on cholangiocyte proliferation of the PCK rat. Cultured PCK cholangiocytes were treated with rapamycin and everolimus [inhibitors of mTOR complex 1 (mTOC1)], LY294002 [an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)] and NVP-BEZ235 (an inhibitor of PI3K and mTORC1/2), and the cell proliferative activity was determined in relation to autophagy and apoptosis. The expression of phosphorylated (p)-mTOR, p-Akt, and PI3K was increased in PCK cholangiocytes compared to normal cholangiocytes. All inhibitors significantly inhibited the cell proliferative activity of PCK cholangiocytes, where NVP-BEZ235 had the most prominent effect. NVP-BEZ235, but not rapamycin and everolimus, further inhibited biliary cyst formation in the three-dimensional cell culture system. Rapamycin and everolimus induced apoptosis in PCK cholangiocytes, whereas NVP-BEZ235 inhibited cholangiocyte apoptosis. Notably, the autophagic response was significantly induced following the treatment with NVP-BEZ235, but not rapamycin and everolimus. Inhibition of autophagy using siRNA against protein-light chain3 and 3-methyladenine significantly increased the cell proliferative activity of PCK cholangiocytes treated with NVP-BEZ235. In vivo, treatment of the PCK rat with NVP-BEZ235 attenuated cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts, whereas renal cyst development was unaffected. These results suggest that the aberrant activation of the PI3K/mTOR pathway is involved in cystic proliferation of cholangiocytes of the PCK rat, and inhibition of the pathway can reduce cholangiocyte proliferation via the mechanism involving apoptosis and/or autophagy.
Judicial Risk Assessment: The Impact of Risk, Stakes, and Jurisdiction

Judicial assessment of offender risk has a direct impact on the sentencing decision. Yet because judges rarely explicitly record their judgments of risk, little is known about the factors that affect these decisions. The current research, however, in analyzing 1,073 explicitly recorded risk assessments, is able to examine the effects of various offender, offense, and contextual variables on the risk decision. Specifically, the research analyzes the judicial stipulation that there is a “risk that defendant will commit another crime. ” In keeping with prior research on judicial decision making, the analysis demonstrates that there are relatively few offender-specific variables affecting judicial perceptions of risk. The results are framed within the context of a risk/stakes framework, suggesting some factors are used as predictors of reoffending, whereas other factors are used as predictors of the seriousness of the future offending. The data also suggest strong differences across urban, suburban, and rural counties.
Metabolic profiles of cow's blood; a review.

The term 'metabolic profile' refers to the analysis of blood biochemical parameters that are useful to assess and prevent metabolic and nutritional disorders in dairy herds. In the higher standards of milk production, the priority in modern breeding is keeping dairy cows in high lactation and healthy. The proper analysis, as well as control. of their feeding and metabolic status is immensely important for the health condition of the herd. The disproportion between the genetically determined ability for milk production and the limitations in improving the energy value of the ration may be the cause of metabolic disorders. Negative energy balance has a major impact on the body's hormonal balance and organ functions and mostly appears during transition periods: from 3 to 2 weeks prepartum until 2-3 weeks postpartum. The term 'transition' is used to underscore the important physiological, metabolic and nutritional changes occurring in this time. The manner in which these changes occur and how they are diagnosed and detected are extremely important, as they are closely related to clinical and subclinical postpartum diseases, lactation and reproductive performance - factors that significantly shape the profitability of production. Therefore the priority for intensive milk production is prevention of metabolic diseases and other disorders. It is the intent of this review to synthesize and summarize the information currently available on metabolic status and physiological changes in the cow's body that occur during lactation, as well as to discuss the interpretation of the results, which will be a useful diagnostic tool in nutritional evaluations of the dairy herd. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
The Promotion of New Behavior by Forming an Implementation Intention: Results of a Field Experiment in the Domain of Travel Mode Choice1

In the context of an experimental field study, it is analyzed whether furnishing a goal intention with an implementation intention (Gollwitzer, 1993) increases the probability that a new behavior is enacted. For this purpose, 90 students who did not normally use public transportation were asked to test (just one time) a special public transportation offer they had never used before. With a nonobstrusive questionnaire manipulation, the subjects of the experimental group were stimulated to form an implementation intention. The results show that forming an implementation intention significantly increases the probability of enacting the goal intention; that is, testing the public transportation offer. The theoretical and practical implications of this finding are discussed.
Enrollment Effects of Alternative Postsecondary Pricing Policies.

The last few years have been marked by heightened public debate over the financing of postsecondary education in the United States [6, 7, 22, 29]. Many states and the federal government have begun to reexamine how public resources should be used to subsidize education. The primary impetus for these deliberations has been pragmatism. The obvious constraints on public resources in an era of enduring economic malaise, the increasing costs of providing basic postsecondary services, and the daunting price tags attached to maintaining quality education in a technological age have made it virtually imperative to reexamine current approaches. Necessarily, however, long-disputed, more fundamental, and less pragmatic issues of public policy have come to play an important part: what are the societal benefits of higher education for individuals? How are public subsidies best employed to achieve the goals of equity and efficiency in education? The controversy has been evident at both the federal and the state levels. One significant aspect at the federal level has been the percep-