Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of three terminal sire breeds for weaning weight of lambs kept under upland grassland conditions in the Northeast of England.

Crossbred females and castrated male progeny of three terminal sire breeds, namely Charollais, Suffolk and Texel, out of Mule ewes (Bluefaced Leicester sires x Scottish Blackface or Swaledale dams) were compared. Analysis of variance revealed that breed, sex and the year of birth were significant sources of variation (P≤0.05) for weaning weight. Suffolk sired lambs were significantly heavier than the Texel sired lambs at weaning (35.78 ± 0.18 versus 35.16 ± 0.18 kg), whereas they were not significantly heavier than the Charollais sired lambs (35.78 ± 0.18 versus 35.37 ± 0.18 kg). There was no significant difference between the weaning weights of Texel and Charollais sired lambs. The lambs born during 1989 were significantly heavier (36.97 ± 0.22 kg) than the lambs born during 1987 (35.96 ± 0.16 kg) and 1988 (33.81 ± 0.18 kg). Birth date and birth weight were significant sources of variation as well. The lambs belonging to fat class 2 were significantly (P<0.05) heavier by 1.05 and 1.65 kg at weaning than lambs belonging to fat class 3L and 3H. The lambs classified as 3L and 3H were weaned at similar weights. This study suggests that breed of sire can affect the weaning weights of lambs and this factor should require careful consideration in practical lamb husbandry.
Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Thai Version

This study examines the Thai version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) for its psychometric properties. Methods: In total 462 participants were recruited - 310 medical students from Chiang Mai University and 152 psychiatric patients, and they completed the Thai version of the MSPSS, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Thai Depression Inventory (TDI). Test-retest reliability was conducted over a four week period. Results: Factor analysis produced three-factor solutions for both patient (PG) and student groups (SG), and overall the model demonstrated adequate fit indices. The mean total score and the sub-scale score for the SG were statistically higher than those in the PG, except for ‘Significant Others’. The internal consistency of the scale was good, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91 for the SG and 0.87 for the PG. After a four week retest for reliability exercise, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was found to be 0.84. The Thai-MSPSS was found to have a negative correlation with the STAI and the TDI, but was positively correlated with the RSES. Conclusion: The Thai MSPSS is a reliable and valid instrument to use.
Apical expression of human full‐length hCEACAM1‐4L protein renders the Madin Darby Canine Kidney cells responsive to lipopolysaccharide leading to TLR4‐dependent Erk1/2 and p38 MAPK signalling

CEACAM1 expressed by granulocytes and epithelial cells is recognized as a membrane‐associated receptor by some Gram‐negative pathogens. Here we report a previously unsuspected role of human CEACAM1‐4L (hCEACAM1‐4L) in polarized epithelial cells. We find that in contrast with non‐transfected cells, Madin Darby Canine Kidney strain II (MDCK) engineered for the apical expression of the long cytoplasmic chain protein hCEACAM1‐4L showed a serum‐independent increase in the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) after treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of wild‐type, diffusely adhering Afa/Dr Escherichia coli (Afa/Dr DAEC) strain IH11128. Aggregates of FITC‐LPS bind the apical domain of MDCK‐hCEACAM1‐4L cells colocalizing with the apically expressed hCEACAM1‐4L protein and do not bind MDCK‐pCEP cells, and surface plasmon resonance analysis shows that LPS binds to the extracellular domain of the CEACAM1‐4L protein. We showed that cell polarization and lipid rafts positively control the LPS‐IH11128‐induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2 in MDCK‐hCEACAM1‐4L cells. Structure‐function analysis using mutated hCEACAM1‐4L protein shows that the cytoplasmic domain of the protein is needed for LPS‐induced MAPK signalling, and that phosphorylation of Tyr‐residues is not increased in association with MAPK signalling. The hCEACAM1‐4L‐dependent Erk1/2 phosphorylation develops in the presence of lipid A and does not develop in the presence of penta‐acylated LPS. Finally, small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing of canine TLR4 abolishes the hCEACAM1‐4L‐dependent, LPS‐induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2. Collectively, our results support the notion that the apically expressed, full‐length hCEACAM1‐4L protein functions as a novel LPS‐conveying molecule at the mucosal surface of polarized epithelial cells for subsequent MD‐2/TLR4 receptor‐dependent MAPK Erk1/2 and p38 signalling.
Diagnostic relevance of cell block procedure in secondary tumors of the pancreas

DOI: 10.4103/1742-6413.189638 Although the efficacy of EUS‐FNA partly depends on the size and characteristics of the pancreatic mass as well as on the expertise, training and interaction between endosonographer and cytopathologist, the introduction of cell block procedure (CBP) may be considered an adequate additional diagnostic tool. [1‐3] In fact, this technique allows better preservation of cell architecture with the achievement of routine hematoxylin‐eosin staining and finally, the possibility to perform ancillary methods, such as immunohistochemistry or molecular analyses. [2,3,8,9] In particular, CBP allows the availability of an adequate number of serial sections, with the chance to perform a precise immunohistochemical algorithm for the differential diagnostic purposes; however, also Alomari et al.,[1] stressed the utilization of immunostained cell block sections in selective cases.
Genomic ancestry of rural African‐derived populations from Southeastern Brazil

xMany Africans were brought to Brazil as slaves. The runaway or abandoned slaves founded isolated communities named quilombos. There are many quilombo remnants in Vale do Ribeira region in the southern part of São Paulo State. The aim of our study was to contribute to understanding the origins of these populations, through admixture studies.
The Vibrio cholerae haemolysin anion channel is required for cell vacuolation and death

Several strains of Vibrio cholerae secrete a haemolytic toxin of 63 kDa, termed V. cholerae cytolysin (VCC). This toxin causes extensive vacuolation and death of cells in culture and forms an anion‐selective channel in planar lipid bilayers and in cells. Here, we identify inhibitors of the VCC anion channel and show that the formation of the anion channel is necessary for the development of the vacuoles and for the cell death induced by this toxin. Using markers of cell organelles, we show that vacuoles derive from different intracellular compartments and we identify the contribution of late endosomes and of the trans‐Golgi network in vacuole biogenesis.
Atrial Septal Defect Closure in Geriatric Patients

The prevalence of adults with congenital heart disease is rising in the general population (1). Similarly, the number of geriatric patients with congenital heart disease, such older than 70 years old, is also rising. Furthermore, mortality rates in congenital heart disease have shifted away from the young and towards adults, with a steady increase in age at death. Actually, the mortality of congenital heart disease in patients whose age 60 years or more is increasing during past few decades reported in Japanese nationwide survey (2). Atrial septal defect (ASD) is the one of the most common congenital heart lesions in adults, and the most influenced heart disease for the death in geriatric population. Prevalence of ASD in children is noted to be 11.4% within the congenital heart defects (3). Majority of these children are asymptomatic and diagnosed by school physical examination, heart murmur detected primary care pediatrician, cardiac echo screening in the newborn period. If defect is smaller than 6 mm, spontaneous closure can be expected. Operation is scheduled based on children’s body size, usually before the elementally school with very low incidence of mortality rate (4).
Experimental Study Using Functional Size Measurement in Building Estimation Models for Software Project Size

This paper reports on an experiment that investigates the predictability of software project size from software product size. The predictability research problem is analyzed at the stage of early requirements by accounting the size of functional requirements as well as the size of non-functional requirements. The experiment was carried out with 55 graduate students in Computer Science from Concordia University in Canada. In the experiment, a functional size measure and a project size measure were used in building estimation models for sets of web application development projects. The results show that project size is predictable from product size. Further replications of the experiment are, however, planed to obtain more results to confirm or disconfirm our claim.
O R I G I N A L A R T I C L E The Interaction of Serum Folate and Estradiol Levels in Alzheimer's Disease

estradiol; testosterone; estrone; SHBG; serum folate; Alzheimer's dementia Abstract OBJECTIVES: In vitro and in vivo animal studies suggest that sex steroids, such as estrogens and testosterone, could protect the brain. However, estro- gen replacement therapy (ERT) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in women has not been successful. We hypothesised that the lack of effect of ERT might be related to an interaction between estrogens and some other factor(s) associ- ated with AD. DESIGN, SETTING AND METHODS: We analysed total estrogen (TE) and testos- terone (TT) levels in women diagnosed with AD and controls of the Oxford Project To Investigate Memory and Ageing. Because estradiol (TE2) after the menopause is largely derived from estrone (TE1), we computed the ratio TE2/(TE1+TE2) and a total steroid index (TT + TE2 + TE1). RESULTS: Women with AD (n=66) had significantly higher levels of TE2 (27±13 vs. 21±13) and a higher TE2/(TE1+TE2) ratio. Stepwise logistic regression analyses showed that the TE2/(TE1+TE2) ratio was the main sex steroid predictor for AD (O.R.=1.06, 95% C.I.=1.01-1.11, p<0.01). Multiple regression analyses revealed that dementia severity was associated with an interaction between the TE2/(TE1+TE2) ratio and serum folate (B=4.59 (SE=1.48), beta=1.22, 95% C.I. =1.62-7.56, p<0.005). None of the other potential mediators of this association (body mass index, sex hormone bind- ing globulin, homocysteine levels, ApoE genotype, smoking, diabetes, blood pressure) was significant. MAIN FINDINGS: A high ratio of estradiol to total estrogens is associated with AD but, in subjects with a high ratio, the dementia severity was lower in those with high serum folate levels. CONCLUSIONS: If this association is causal, then supplementation with folic acid might be considered in future studies on ERT in AD.
Cross-layer bandwidth management and optimization in TDMA based wireless mesh networks using network coding

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) provide a novel network architecture to extend broadband network coverage with low costs. Additionally, we see an increased interest in supporting demanding multimedia applications in next-generation wireless mesh networks. Provision of Quality of Service (QoS) in wireless mesh networks requires end-to-end support for routing packets via a suitable multihop route to the destination. However, in wireless mesh networks, if the medium access control layer does not support mechanisms for QoS support at a per-link level, all efforts for providing end-to-end QoS are futile. Hence, we see a trend towards standards for wireless mesh networks which support QoS at the Medium Access Control (MAC) level on a per-link basis.
Work–family conflict, policies, and the job–life satisfaction relationship: A review and directions for organizational behavior–human resources research.

This review examines the relationship among work-family (w-f) conflict, policies, and job and life satisfaction. The meta-analytic results show that regardless of the type of measure used (bidirectional w-f conflict, work to family, family to work), a consistent negative relationship exists among all forms of w-f conflict and job-life satisfaction. This relationship was slightly less strong for family to work conflict. Although confidence intervals overlap, the relationship between job-life satisfaction and w-f conflict may be stronger for women than men. Future research should strive for greater consistency and construct development of measures, examination of how sample composition influences findings, and increased integration of human resources policy and role conflict perspectives, including whether a positive relationship between w-f policies and satisfaction is mediated by w-f conflict.
Corporate Social Responsibility of Hospitals: The Effect of Emotional Intelligence

3 Abstract: Emotional intelligence has been defined as the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and action. The objective of this study was the examination of relationship between employees' emotional intelligence and corporate social responsibility in hospital context. In an analytical and cross-sectional study we used Shrink's emotional intelligence scale and world health organization's social responsibility framework for evaluation of 6 Iranian governmental, private and charity hospitals' social responsibility and their employees' emotional intelligence in 2013. A total of 259 personnel from different units of these hospitals and 259 discharged patients contributed in the study. Data analysis was done through SPSS16. We used descriptive statistics (mean and SD), ANOVA test and Pearson's correlation coefficient in data analysis. Results revealed that the mean scores of employees' emotional intelligence in governmental, private and charity hospitals were 69.70±4.5, 66.10±4.1 and 65.49±5.1 respectively. The mean scores of social responsibility in governmental, private and charity hospitals were 77.05±9.39, 81.04±11.46 and 75.09±13.99, respectively. There were not any statistical relationship between employees' emotional intelligence and hospitals' social responsibility in the studied hospitals. In conclusion, the relationship between employees' emotional intelligence and social responsibility needs to be more studied.
High-performance few-layer-MoS2 field-effect-transistor with record low contact-resistance

Recently, Molybdenum Disulphide (MoS<sub>2</sub>) has emerged as a promising candidate for low-power digital applications. Compared to monolayer (1L) MoS<sub>2</sub>, few-layer MoS<sub>2</sub> (FL-MoS<sub>2</sub>) is attractive due to its higher density of states (DOS). However, a comprehensive study of FL-MoS<sub>2</sub> field-effect-transistor (FET) is lacking. In this paper, we report a high-performance FL-MoS<sub>2</sub> FET with record low contact resistance (~0.8 KΩ.μm) that is close to the value for metal-silicon contacts in CMOS technology. A correlation of device performance and the number of MoS<sub>2</sub> layers is established to guide the design of high-performance FL-MoS<sub>2</sub> FET. Moreover, it is found that edge contacts (metal contact to each edge of MoS<sub>2</sub> layers) play a key role in the efficient injection of electrons from metal to MoS<sub>2</sub>. This is confirmed by experiments as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, a top gated FL-MoS<sub>2</sub> (5 nm) FET is also demonstrated with a robust current saturation and high drive current (24 μA/μm) even without source/drain doping.
On the Impacts of Gender and Personality Types on Iranian EFL Teachers' Teaching Efficacy and Teaching Activities Preferences

Learning styles are assumed to be consistent with personality characteristics of individuals (Brown, 2003; Kolb, 1984). Teachers’ teaching efficacy (Bandura, 1997, 1977, 1995; Wheatley, 2001) has also been found to be important in educational reform. However, the impacts of gender and personality on language teachers' teaching efficacy and teaching activities preferences have not been adequately explored. This study was an attempt to investigate the impacts of personality and gender on Iranian English teachers' teaching activities preferences and their teaching efficacy. To accomplish this, 280 male and female English language teachers participated in the study. Myers -Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), teaching efficacy, and teaching activities preference questionnaires were used. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and Two ANOVA tests were used . The results of the study showed that ESTJ (extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judging) and ISTJ (introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging) were predominant personality types among Iranian EFL teachers. Results also indicated that both male and female teachers with different personality types have the same sense of
Harmful Effects of Viral Replication in Seropositive Hepatitis C Virus Renal Transplant Recipients

Background Seropositivity for hepatitis C virus (HCV) predicts lower patient and graft survival after renal transplantation (RT). However, the influence of viral replication at transplantation on long-term outcome remains to be determined. Methods This was a retrospective study conducted in four Spanish hospitals, from 1997 to 2006. Data of all patients with RT, who displayed HCV+ (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and with negative viremia at RT (NEG group) were collected (n=41). For each NEG patient enrolled, data of two patients with RT nearest in time, HCV+, and positive viremia (POS group) were also collected (n=78). Results The POS group showed a higher incidence of long-term liver disease (56.4% vs. 24.4%, P=0.0009) and episodes of transaminase elevation (38.5% vs. 7.3%, P=0.0003) and worse renal function (serum creatinine [sCr], 3.0 [2.7] vs. 1.9 [1.6] mg/dl, P=0.032; glomerular filtration rate, 43.7 [22.4] vs. 56.9 [27.9] ml/min, P=0.075). Noteworthy, 24.4% of NEG patients reactivated after RT, showing a worse patient survival (P=0.039). Active viral replication at RT and dialysis requirement in the first week remained as independent predictors of lower graft survival (death censored): hazards ratio, 3.11 (95% confidence interval, 1.34–7.19; P=0.009) and hazards ratio 3.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.53–6.37; P=0.002). Conclusions This study shows that active viral replication at transplantation is an independent risk factor for graft failure in patients with positive serology for HCV.
Predictors of transfer from rehabilitation to acute care in burn injuries

BACKGROUND Transfer to acute care from rehabilitation represents an interruption in a patient’s recovery and a potential deficiency in quality of care. The objective of this study was to examine predictors of transfer to acute care in the inpatient burn rehabilitation population. METHODS Data are obtained from Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation from 2002 to 2010 for patients with a primary diagnosis of burn injury. Predictor variables include demographic, medical, and facility data. Descriptive statistics are calculated for acute and nonacute transfer patients. Logistic regression analysis is used to determine significant predictors of acute transfer within the first 3 days. A scoring system is developed to determine the risk of acute transfer. RESULTS There were 78 acute transfers in the first 3 days of a total of 4,572 burn admissions. Functional level at admission, age, and admission classification are significant predictors of transfer to acute care (p < 0.05). Total body surface area burned and medical comorbidities were not significantly associated with acute transfer risk. A 12-point acute transfer risk scoring system was developed, which demonstrates validity. CONCLUSION Efforts to reduce readmissions to acute care should include greater scrutiny of older, lower-functioning patients with burn injury who are evaluated for admission to inpatient rehabilitation. This acute transfer scoring system may be useful to clinicians, health care institutions, and policymakers to help predict those patients at highest risk for early transfer to the acute hospital from rehabilitation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic/diagnostic study, level II.
Thioacetamide Intoxication Triggers Transcriptional Up-Regulation but Enzyme Inactivation of UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases

Thioacetamide (TAA) is a potent hepatotoxicant and has been widely used to develop experimental liver fibrosis/cirrhosis models. Although the liver toxicity of TAA has been extensively studied, little is known about its potential influence on UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) associated with the development of liver fibrosis. The study presented here aimed to uncover the regulation patterns of UGTs in TAA-induced liver fibrosis of rats. Potential counteracting effects of hepatoprotective agents were also determined. TAA treatment for 8 weeks induced a significant transcriptional up-regulation of the major UGT isoforms, including UGT1A1, UGT1A6, and UGT2B1, accompanied with the dramatic elevations of most typical serum biomarkers of liver function and fibrosis scores. Upon TAA intoxication, the mRNA and protein levels of the major UGT isoforms were increased to 1.5- to 2.5-fold and 2.5- to 3.3-fold of that of the normal control, respectively. The hepatoprotective agents Schisandra spp. lignans extract and dimethyl diphenyl bicarboxylate could largely abolish TAA-induced up-regulation of all three UGT isoforms. However, enzyme activities of UGTs remained unchanged after TAA treatment. The dissociation of protein expression and enzyme activity could possibly be attributed to the inactivating effects of TAA, upon a NADPH-dependent bioactivation, on UGTs. This study suggests that the transcriptional up-regulation of UGTs may be an alternative mechanism of their preserved activities in liver fibrosis/cirrhosis.
Facial emotion recognition on a dataset using convolutional neural network

Nowadays, deep learning is a technique that takes place in many computer vision related applications and studies. While it is put in the practice mostly on content based image retrieval, there is still room for improvement by employing it in diverse computer vision applications. In this study, we aimed to build a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based Facial Expression Recognition System (FER), in order to automatically classify expressions presented in Facial Expression Recognition (FER2013) database. Our presented CNN achieved % 57.1 success rate on FER2013 database.
Cohesion and Productivity in Work Groups

Causal modeling procedures are utilized to investigate the relationship between cohesion and productivity in 54 recently formed work groups within the framework of a nine-month longitudinal field study. The results provide evidence of the central role of group acceptance of organizational goals in determining both productivity and cohesion. Goal acceptance affected group productivity positively via two routes: (1) directly and (2) indirectly via its direct effects on group drive. The results also suggest that the relationship between cohesion and productivity is reciprocal but that causation in either direction occurs only in groups exhibiting high goal acceptance and high drive levels. Implications of these findings for the management of work groups are discussed.