Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Interaction Between Dietary Valine and Tryptophan Content and Their Effect on the Performance of Piglets

Simple Summary To optimize animal performance, pig diets need the right amount of all essential amino acids. Usually, the ideal amino acid profile is used: If the dietary concentration of one particular amino acid is too low, other amino acids will not be used efficiently. In this experiment it was shown that amino acids that stimulate the feed intake may improve the performance of pigs, even if other amino acids are not at the optimal level. Abstract Four experimental diets for newly weaned pigs were formulated: (1) low valine and low tryptophan; (2) low valine and high tryptophan; (3) high valine and low tryptophan and (4) high valine and high tryptophan. Dietary standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine content was 1.06 g/kg. The SID valine to SID lysine ratio was 0.58 and 0.67 for the low and high valine diets, respectively, and SID tryptophan to SID lysine ratios were 0.19 and 0.22 for the low and high tryptophan diets, respectively. In total, 64 pens of 6 pigs (3 barrows and 3 gilts) were divided over the four experimental treatments. No interaction between dietary supply of valine and tryptophan was observed (P > 0.1 for all parameters). Increasing the dietary valine content increased the daily feed intake, daily gain and gain:feed (P < 0.001 for all three parameters). Increasing the dietary tryptophan content improved gain:feed during the first 2 weeks (P < 0.05) and overall (P < 0.05). Valine supply had a greater effect on performance results than tryptophan supply. It may thus be beneficial to provide a diet with an optimal dietary concentration of valine even if other amino acids are at suboptimal dietary levels.
The Effects of Perspective-Taking and Egocentrism on Problem Solving in Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Groups

Summary The process of interaction among group members and the composition of a group to a large extent determine the effectiveness of group problem solving. Group interaction processes, such as perspective-taking (taking the role of the other) and egocentric-presentation (emphasizing one's own viewpoint), determine the degree to which the group uses the resources available in arriving at a solution; and heterogeneous (diverse viewpoints on the problem) or homogeneous (similar viewpoints on the problem) group composition determines the amount of resources available to apply to the solution of the problem. In this study of 90 male and female nursing students, groups that were either heterogeneous or homogeneous received either perspective-taking or egocentric-presentation instructions. The results demonstrated that perspective-taking groups produced significantly more creative solutions, were characterized as more cooperative and as facilitating effective communication, and were characterized by greater tr.
Work-life balance in a capability perspective: an Italian case study of ‘flexible couples’

This article discusses the practical basis of judgements about social justice, focusing on the quality of work-life balance in contemporary labour markets. After describing the main European and Italian work-life reconciliation policies, the article presents the results of qualitative research on young adult ‘flexible’ couples in Italy. Taking Amartya Sen’s ‘capability approach’ as the starting point, it analyses the ways in which external flexibility affects capabilities concerning the freedom to choose the balance between family, job and overall working life. The article concludes with some reflections on social justice in a resources-capabilities perspective, evaluating the effect of Italian work-life balance policies on the lives of flexible employees and providing some proposals for the effective enhancement of individual capabilities in this regard. L’article examine les fondements pratiques des jugements portés sur la justice sociale, en se focalisant sur la qualité de l’équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée sur les marchés du travail contemporains. Après avoir décrit les principales politiques menées en Europe et en Italie pour concilier travail et vie privée, l’article présente les résultats d’une recherche qualitative concernant des couples de jeunes adultes « flexibles » en Italie. En prenant comme point de départ l’approche par les capacités proposée par Amartya Sen, il analyse la manière dont la flexibilité externe affecte ces capacités pour ce qui concerne la liberté de choisir un équilibre entre famille, travail et parcours professionnel. L’article conclut par certaines réflexions sur la justice sociale dans une perspective axée sur les ressources et les capacités, en évaluant l’impact des politiques italiennes d’équilibre travail-vie privée sur la vie des travailleurs flexibles, et en présentant des propositions d’amélioration effective des capacités individuelles à cet égard. Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der praktischen Grundlage zur Beurteilung sozialer Gerechtigkeit und insbesondere mit der Qualität des Verhältnisses zwischen Berufs- und Privatleben auf den Arbeitsmärkten von heute. Nach einer Beschreibung der wichtigsten europäischen und italienischen Maßnahmen zur Förderung der Vereinbarkeit von Arbeits- und Privatleben werden die Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Forschungsarbeit über junge “flexible” Erwachsenenpaare in Italien vorgestellt. Ausgehend vom Ansatz der Verwirklichungschancen im Sinne von Amartya Sen wird untersucht, wie sich externe Flexibilität auf die Verwirklichungsmöglichkeiten in Bezug auf Wahlfreiheit bei der Vereinbarung von Familienleben, Beruf und dem Arbeitsleben insgesamt auswirkt. Der Beitrag schließt mit Überlegungen zur sozialen Gerechtigkeit aus der Perspektive der Verknüpfung von Ressourcen und Verwirklichungschancen. Die Auswirkungen italienischer Maßnahmen für eine bessere Vereinbarkeit von Berufs- und Privatleben auf flexible Arbeitnehmer werden bewertet, und es werden Möglichkeiten vorgeschlagen, um die individuellen Verwirklichungschancen in diesem Bereich zu stärken.
Feature Sets and Dimensionality Reduction for Visual Object Detection

We describe a family of object detectors that provides state-of-the-art error rates on several important datasets including INRIA people and PASCAL VOC'06 and VOC'07. The method builds on a number of recent advances. It uses the Latent SVM learning framework and a rich visual feature set that incorporates Histogram of Oriented Gradient, Local Binary Pattern and Local Ternary Pattern descriptors. Partial Least Squares dimensionality reduction is included to speed the training of the basic classifier with no loss of accuracy, and to allow a two-stage quadratic classifier that further improves the results. \iflong A simple sparsification technique can reduce the size of the feature set by around 70% with little loss of accuracy. \fi We evaluate our methods and compare them to other recent ones on several datasets. Our basic root detectors outperform the single component part-based ones of Felzenszwalb et.al on 9 of 10 classes of VOC'06 (12% increase in Mean Average Precision) and 11 of 20 classes of VOC'07 (7% increase in MAP). On the INRIA Person dataset, they increase the Average Precision by 12% relative to Dalal \& Triggs.
The Affective Structure of Stereotype Content

Affect control theory and the stereotype content model share explanatory goals and employ compatible measurement strategies but have developed in largely separate literatures. The present article examines the models’ commensurability and discusses new insights that can be gained by comparing theories. We first demonstrate that the unique measurement dimensions used by each theory (evaluation/potency/activity vs. warmth/competence) describe much of the same semantic content. We then show how simulation techniques developed by affect control theorists can be applied to the study of interactions with stereotyped groups. These simulations indicate broad consistencies between the theories’ predictions but highlight three distinctive emphases of affect control theory. Specifically, affect control models predict that actors are motivated to behave in ways that (1) are consistent with self-meanings, (2) maintain cultural norms about the suitability of behaviors and emotions to role relations, and (3) account for behavior and emotion in prior interactions.
The effect of sociolinguistic factors and English language proficiency on the development of French as a third language

The classroom demographics in French immersion (FI) programs across Canada are changing: There are a growing number of multilingual students who are learning English as a second language (L2) and French as a third language (L3). However, little is known about the development of French language proficiency and reading skills of multilingual students in the FI programs. The association between sociolinguistic factors as well as metalinguistic awareness, language proficiency, and literacy skills in the L2 and language proficiency and literacy skills in the L3 was investigated in this study. The sample included 55 students with an average age of 11 years and six months, in early FI programs who were tested at the end of Grade 6. Multiple regression analyses revealed that oral language proficiency and reading comprehension in English predicted oral language proficiency and reading comprehension skills in French, controlling for amount of reading in French and morphological awareness in English. This study demonstrated that although the majority of instruction in FI programs is in French, multilingual students continue to develop age-appropriate oral language proficiency and reading skills in English and French.
Discourse Motivations for Some Cognitive Acquisition Principles

This paper offers an alternative interpretation for what has been called the defective tense hypothesis, the primacy of aspect hypothesis, or simply the aspect hypothesis in the literature on first and second language acquisition of tense and aspect. The aspect hypothesis states that first and second language learners will initially be influenced by the inherent semantic aspect of verbs or predicates in the acquisition of tense and aspect markers associated with or affixed to these verbs. Our account focuses on the observation that adult native speakers also appear to adhere to this primacy of inherent semantic aspect in the relative quantitative distribution of tense-aspect markers in their speech. We argue that a small set of cognitive operating principles and the notion of prototypicality account for this behavior in learners. Moreover, we argue that these principles are a consequence of how learners and native speakers alike organize information and their perspectives on it in ongoing discourse.
Under Consideration for Publication in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming Tabling and Answer Subsumption for Reasoning on Logic Programs with Annotated Disjunctions

Probabilistic Logic Programming is an active field of research, with many proposals for languages, semantics and reasoning algorithms. One such proposal, Logic Programming with Annotated Disjunctions (LPADs) represents probabilistic information in a sound and simple way. This paper presents two contributions to the evaluation of LPADs. The first is the definition of a semantics for LPADs with function symbols, which is needed for many domains (including some standard benchmarks used in this paper). The second is the algorithm " Probabilistic Inference with Tabling and Answer subsumption " (PITA) for computing the probability of queries. Answer subsumption is a feature of tabling that allows the combination of different answers for the same subgoal in the case in which a partial order can be defined over them. We have applied it in our case since probabilistic explanations (stored as BDDs in PITA) possess a natural lattice structure. PITA has been implemented in XSB and compared with the ProbLog, cplint and CVE systems. The results show that in almost all cases, PITA is able to solve larger problems and is faster than competing algorithms.
Bacteria–diet interactions affect longevity in the medfly –Ceratitis capitata

Mediterranean fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, Dipt.: Tephritidae) harbour a diverse community of bacteria in their digestive system. This microbiota may have important functions impacting on the fly’s fitness. Recently, we described the effect of eliminating intestinal bacteria on the reproductive success of C. capitata males and females. Here, we expand the view on the nature of fly–bacteria interactions by examining the effect of bacteria on male and female longevity. Antibiotics were used to suppress the gut bacterial community and mortality rates were compared between antibiotic‐treated and non‐treated flies when either nutritionally stressed (maintained on sugar) or provided with a full diet. These tests revealed that eliminating the gut bacterial population prolonged longevity, but only when flies were nutritionally stressed, indicating that the effect of bacteria on lifespan was diet dependent. Considering these results in light of other known effects of bacteria on fitness components of the fly demonstrates a cost‐benefit relationship between C. capitata and its gut microbiota.
Nature, nurture, and psychopathology: A new look at an old topic

Abstract The important implications for developmental psychopathology that derive from advances in psychiatric and behavioral genetics are discussed in relation to a series of mistaken stereotypes: that strong effects mean that environmental influences must be unimportant; that genes provide a limit to potential; that genetic strategies are of no value for studying environmental influences; that nature and nurture are separate; that genes for serious diseases are necessarily bad; that diseases have nothing to do with normal variation; that genetic findings will not help identify diseases; that genetic influences diminish with age; that disorders that run in families must be genetic; that disorders that seem not to run in families cannot be genetic; and that single major genes lead only to specific rare diseases that follow a Mendelian pattern. The reasons why these stereotypes are mistaken are considered in relation to genetic concepts and findings.
Executive functioning in Asian pathological gamblers

Two decades of neuropsychological research on predominantly Caucasian problem gamblers has unveiled significantly poorer performance on several domains of executive functioning (EF) relative to healthy controls. However, contradictory findings are widespread and evidence that pathological gamblers (PGs) are ‘impaired’ remains inconclusive. The study examined multiple facets of EF in 30 male, PGs seeking outpatient treatment in Singapore and 30 matched controls. CANTAB® tests of planning and organization/problem-solving, set-shifting, working memory and reflection impulsivity, were administered alongside the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and Dysexecutive Questionnaire. No significant group differences were found on any of the EF performance parameters, with performance falling in the healthy, unimpaired range for both groups. PGs did, however, report significantly greater impulsivity, everyday cognitive failures and symptoms of the dysexecutive syndrome. Exploratory analysis on a subgroup of PGs addicted to non-strategic gambling activities revealed poorer EF performance than among those addicted to strategic gambling activities. The findings suggest an absence of EF deficits despite higher trait impulsivity in Asian, predominantly strategic PGs. Hence, psychological interventions such as CBT and treatment approaches that emphasize the use of self-monitoring and informed decision-making to reduce impulsive behaviours should be suited to this population.
A Novel Bacterial Resistance Mechanism against Human Group IIA-Secreted Phospholipase A2: Role of Streptococcus pyogenes Sortase A

Human group IIA-secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) is a bactericidal molecule important for the innate immune defense against Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we analyzed its role in the host defense against Streptococcus pyogenes, a major human pathogen, and demonstrated that this bacterium has evolved a previously unidentified mechanism to resist killing by sPLA2-IIA. Analysis of a set of clinical isolates demonstrated that an ∼500-fold higher concentration of sPLA2-IIA was required to kill S. pyogenes compared with strains of the group B Streptococcus, which previously were shown to be sensitive to sPLA2-IIA, indicating that S. pyogenes exhibits a high degree of resistance to sPLA2-IIA. We found that an S. pyogenes mutant lacking sortase A, a transpeptidase responsible for anchoring LPXTG proteins to the cell wall in Gram-positive bacteria, was significantly more sensitive (∼30-fold) to sPLA2-IIA compared with the parental strain, indicating that one or more LPXTG surface proteins protect S. pyogenes against sPLA2-IIA. Importantly, using transgenic mice expressing human sPLA2-IIA, we showed that the sortase A-mediated sPLA2-IIA resistance mechanism in S. pyogenes also occurs in vivo. Moreover, in this mouse model, we also showed that human sPLA2-IIA is important for the defense against lethal S. pyogenes infection. Thus, we demonstrated a novel mechanism by which a pathogenic bacterium can evade the bactericidal action of sPLA2-IIA and we showed that sPLA2-IIA contributes to the host defense against S. pyogenes infection.
Positive effects of imagery on police officers' shooting performance under threat

We investigated the effects of imagery on police officers' shooting performance under threat. To this end, 66 officers executed a realistic shooting exercise against an opponent that initially did not shoot back with painful coloured-soap cartridges (low-threat condition) followed by a condition in which he did [high-threat (HT) condition]. In between conditions, participants performed an imagery intervention: one group imagined successful shot execution' and one imagined successful shot execution under threat, including the accompanying emotions'; a control group received no imagery intervention. Although for the control group shot accuracy was significantly lower in the HT condition than under low-threat conditions, both imagery groups were able to maintain their shot accuracy in the HT condition, despite increased levels of anxiety. It is concluded that focusing on successful shot execution is pivotal, whereas adding emotional statements does not seem to have an additional positive effect. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en
Auditory-Visual Coordination in the First Year of Life

Two competing hypotheses concerning the nature of inter-modal development are outlined. The first sees the development proceeding from a state of discrete, independent sensory systems towards integration and synthesis between modalities. This is contrasted with a second viewpoint in which the early responsiveness of the organism is seen as a-modal and the developmental sequence as one of increasing sensory differentiation. A number of studies which have investigated auditory-visual co-ordination in young human infants, are reviewed. It is concluded that the data support the notion of ontogenetic development being a process of integration between sensory systems that are initially relatively independent.
Outcomes of small for gestational age micropremies depending on how young or how small they are

Purpose The outcomes of small for gestational age (SGA) infants especially in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) are controversial. This study evaluated the mortality and morbidity of ELBWIs, focusing on whether or not they were also SGA. Methods The medical records of 415 ELBWIs (birth weight <1,000 g), who were inborn and admitted to the Samsung Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit from January 2000 to December 2008, were reviewed retrospectively. Mortality and morbidities were compared by body size groups: very SGA (VSGA), birth weight ≤3rd percentile; SGA, 3rd to 10th percentile; and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants, >10th percentile for gestational age. For gestational subgroup analysis, groups were divided into infants with gestational age ≤24+6 weeks (subgroup I), 25+0 to 26+6 weeks (subgroup II), and ≥27+0 weeks (subgroup III). Results Gestational age was 29+2±2+6 weeks in the VSGA infants (n=49), 27+5±2+2 weeks in the SGA infants (n=45), and 25+4±1+4 weeks in AGA infants (n=321). Birth weight was 692±186.6 g, 768±132.9 g, and 780±142.5 g in the VSGA, SGA, and AGA groups, respectively. Cesarean section rate and maternal pregnancy-induced hypertension were more common in the VSGA and SGA than in AGA pregnancies. However, chorioamnionitis was more common in the AGA group. The mortalities of the lowest gestational group (subgroup I), and also of the lower gestational group (subgroup I+II) were significantly higher in the VSGA group than the SGA or AGA groups (P=0.020 and P=0.012, respectively). VSGA and SGA infants showed lower incidence in respiratory distress syndrome, ductal ligation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage than AGA group did. However, by multiple logistic regression analysis of each gestational subgroup, the differences were not significant. Conclusion Of ELBWIs, extremely SGA in the lower gestational subgroups, had an impact on mortality, which may provide information useful for prenatal counseling.
The relationships between Brucella melitensis predilection sites, bacterial loads in vivo, and the agglutinating antibody response in experimentally infected sheep

F? or exploring Brucella melitensis survival in in vivo predilection sites and the relationship between bacterial loads and the detection of antibody titers in experimentally subcutaneously infected sheep with B.1397645907melitensis 16M, ten rams and ten ewes were used. One ram and one ewe were euthanized at 7, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days post inoculation (dpi). Bacteriological results showed that tissue isolation rates and bacterial loads peaked from 7 dpi to 30 dpi and then cleared until 120 dpi. In in situ hybridization trials the strongest signals for B.1397645907melitensis were detected at 7 dpi and 15 dpi, and then they gradually cleared. Monitoring results of agglutinating antibodies showed that anti-Brucella antibodies began to be produced at 7 dpi, peaked at 15 dpi, and gradually declined until lower detection levels than the threshold were being detected at 180 dpi. Thus, we found that the more Brucella bacterial loads there were in vivo, the higher the antibody titers were in sera, which suggested that detection of the agglutinating antibody titers might be used as an indicator of a Brucella carrier in infected animals.
The Effect of Positive and Negative Financial and Nonfinancial Performance Measures on Analysts' Recommendations

ABSTRACT: This research experimentally examines the favorable/unfavorable outcomes of a firm's financial and nonfinancial performance measures on financial analysts' recommendation to divest or invest in a firm. The participants were financial analysts who made recommendations ranging from “definitely sell” to “hold” to “definitely buy. ” The results show that financial and nonfinancial performance measures and their favorableness have an interactive impact on analysts' recommendations. To be precise, the recommendations were very close to the “definitely sell” anchor when the performance was unfavorable, irrespective of whether the measures presented were financial or nonfinancial. Further, favorableness of performance on nonfinancial measures appears to be irrelevant when performance on financial measures is unfavorable. However, when performance on financial measures is favorable, the effect of nonfinancial performance had a differential effect on analysts' recommendations depending on whether these mea.