Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Textual determinants of a component of literary identification

Three experiments were conducted on how properties of the text control one aspect of the process of identifying with the central character in a story. In particular, we were concerned with textual determinants of character transparency, that is, the extent to which the character’s actions and attitudes are clear and understandable. In Experiment 1, we hypothesized that the narrator in first-person narratives is transparent because narratorial implicatures (analogous to Grice’s (1975) notion of conversational implicatures) lead readers to attribute their own knowledge and experience to the narrator. Consistent with our predictions, the results indicated that stating the inferred information explicitly leads readers to rate the narrator’s thoughts and actions as more difficult to understand. In Experiment 2, we assessed whether this effect could be explained by differences in style between the original and modified versions of the text. The results demonstrated that there was no effect of adding text when the material was unrelated to narratorial implicatures. In Experiment 3, we hypothesized that transparency of the central character in a third-person narrative can be produced when the consistent use of free-indirect speech produces a close association between the narrator and the character; in this case, readers may attribute knowledge and experience to the character as well as the narrator. As predicted, the central character’s thoughts and actions were rated as more difficult to understand when the markers for free-indirect speech were removed. We argue that transparency may be produced through the use of what are essential conversational processes invoked in service of understanding the narrator as a conversational participant.
The Contribution of Nonlinear Methods in the Understanding of Atrial Fibrillation

Analysis of cardiac time series by nonlinear metrics has recently gained great interest, because the latter observations suggest that the mechanisms involved in cardiovascular regulation likely interact with each other in a nonlinear way [1]. Furthermore, chaotic behavior can be appreciated in the diseased heart with atrial fibrillation (AF) at cellular level and atrial electrophysiological remodeling during this arrhythmia is a far-from-linear process [2]. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is to review the use of nonlinear methods in the analysis of AF, highlighting the clinically useful revealed information that can improve the understanding of this arrhythmia mechanisms and the existing treatments.
OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOR PERFORMANCE IN CONCURRENT FIXED-INTERVAL SCHEDULES '

Six pigeons were trained on a variety of concurrent fixed-interval fixed-interval schedules. Matching between response or time ratios and ratios of obtained numbers of reinforcements was found for eight of 12 schedules studied. Cumulative records showed both typical burst-and-break patterns and also atypical response patterns in which response rate was constant between reinforcements on a schedule. Matching occurred only when the same pattern was present on both concurrent schedules. When different response patterns were generated by the two schedules, the pigeons consistently emitted fewer responses to the shorter fixed-interval than required by matching.
Contingent Effects of Quality Signaling: Evidence from the Indian Offshore IT Services Industry

We examine the heterogeneous returns to third-party quality signals in the context of the Indian software services industry. Prior theory has argued that quality certification is important in markets characterized by information asymmetry. However, there is limited understanding of the contingent factors that influence the efficacy of the quality signal. We focus on capability maturity model (CMM) certification, which is granted on the basis of a rigorous audit of software vendor's internal quality-oriented software construction practices, as a signal of unobservable quality. Drawing upon prior research in strategy and economics, we theorize that the impacts of CMM certification on a vendor's export performance are conditional on factors reflecting the vendor's strategy (diversification and location) and its competitive environment (the extent of CMM penetration in the vendor's competition). Analysis of panel data supports our predictions related to the contingent value of CMM certification, and shows that a software service provider gains more from certification in terms of its software exports when its service offerings are diversified, when it chooses to locate away from a cluster of other software service firms, and when the extent of CMM penetration in the competition is low. This study extends prior research in the information value of a quality signal on a firm's demand side that has, for the most part, focused solely on direct effects. We discuss the implications of our findings for the strategic trade-offs that managers of software service firms need to make.
Thyroxin by Using Magnetic Antibody-Containing Microcapsules

We describe a novel magnetic-separation microencapsulated antibody displacement assay for free thyroxin. The method is rapid (results available in just over an hour), with a detection limit of 3 pmol/L, and an interassay precision of <10% over the range 8-75 pmol/L. Results are not influenced by changes in the concentration of thyroxin-binding globulin or albumin, nor by the presence of circulating anti-thyroxin antibodies or physiological concentrations of nonesterified (free) fatty acids. A reference interval of 8.418. 4 pmol/L was established for a large euthyroid adult population. Patients with various nonthyroidal illnesses exhibited a similar reference interval (6.2-17.4 pmol/L). Results from pregnant women, at all stages of gestation, were within the nonpregnant euthyroid reference interval. Complete discrimination was obtained between the euthyroid reference interval and values from patients with untreated thyrotoxicosis (24-75 pmol/L). Excellent, though incomplete, discrimination was obtained for patients with untreated hypothyroidism (<3.0-9.0 pmol/L). Results for a group of patients defined as having compensated euthyroidism (5.0-15 pmol/L) showed considerable overlap with the euthyroid reference interval. Patients taking thyroxin, who were clinicallyeuthyroid and whose serum concentration of thyrotropin was within its euthyroid reference interval, had free thyroxin concentrations in the range 13,4-24.2 pmol/L. We discuss the validity of this assay in clinical practice.
Effect of nitrogen rate and application time to yield and quality of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera subvar. biennis).

Oilseed rape is one of the most important sources o f vegetable oil in the world. Nitrogen is one of important components of oilseed rape and has strong effect on seed yield and quality. The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of nitrogen rate and application time to yield and quality of winter oilseed rape. F ield trials were carried out at the Jogeva Plant Breeding Institute in 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. Ammonium nitrate (nitrogen content 34.4%) was used as top-fertilizer. Three different nitroge n rates: 120, 140 and 160 kg ha -1 (in active ingredient) and three different application timings were used: A) once at the beginning of spring vegetation, B) A + when the main stem was 10 cm, C) B + start of flowering in equal portions. By the results can be concluded that the amount of fertilizer had not as strong impact to seed yield and quality as fertilizer application time. T he highest yields of seed and raw oil were obtained from the variant of split-N treatment (40+ 40+40) of 120 kg ha -1 .
Effect of varicocelectomy on testis volume and semen parameters in adolescents: a meta-analysis

Varicocele repair in adolescent remains controversial. Our aim is to identify and combine clinical trials results published thus far to ascertain the efficacy of varicocelectomy in improving testis volume and semen parameters compared with nontreatment control. A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and Web of Science, which included results obtained from meta-analysis, randomized and nonrandomized controlled studies. The study population was adolescents with clinically palpable varicocele with or without the testicular asymmetry or abnormal semen parameters. Cases were allocated to treatment and observation groups, and testis volume or semen parameters were adopted as outcome measures. As a result, seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized controlled trials studying bilateral testis volume or semen parameters in both treatment and observation groups were identified. Using a random effect model, mean difference of testis volume between the treatment group and the observation group was 2.9 ml (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6, 5.2; P< 0.05) for the varicocele side and 1.5 ml (95% CI: 0.3, 2.7; P< 0.05) for the healthy side. The random effect model analysis demonstrated that the mean difference of semen concentration, total semen motility, and normal morphology between the two groups was 13.7 × 10 6 ml−1 (95% CI: −1.4, 28.8; P = 0.075), 2.5% (95% CI: −3.6, 8.6; P= 0.424), and 2.9% (95% CI: −3.0, 8.7; P= 0.336) respectively. In conclusion, although varicocelectomy significantly improved bilateral testis volume in adolescents with varicocele compared with observation cases, semen parameters did not have any statistically significant difference between two groups. Well-planned, properly conducted RCTs are needed in order to confirm the above-mentioned conclusion further and to explore whether varicocele repair in adolescents could improve subsequently spontaneous pregnancy rates.
Rhinoscleroma: a clinicopathological study from the Gulf region.

INTRODUCTION Rhinoscleroma is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract. We report a clinicopathological series from the Gulf region. METHODS The clinical and pathological features of patients diagnosed with rhinoscleroma at three main hospitals in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain over a 20-year period are presented. Archived glass slides and paraffin blocks from these patients were retrieved from the pathology files for review. Special stains were performed whenever indicated. Biopsy material and clinical data from 25 patients formed the basis of this study. RESULTS Most of the patients were young females with a median age of 24 years. The nose was involved in all cases with frequent extension to other parts of the upper respiratory tract. The provisional clinical diagnoses included syphilis, midline granuloma and malignancy. The histological differential diagnoses included leprosy, malakoplakia and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSION Rhinoscleroma is rare in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Awareness of possible clinical presentations and early diagnosis will significantly reduce the morbidity caused by this disease.
Hybrid Performance of an Immortalized F2 Rapeseed Population Is Driven by Additive, Dominance, and Epistatic Effects

Genomics-based prediction of hybrid performance promises to boost selection gain. The main goal of our study was to investigate the relevance of additive, dominance, and epistatic effects for determining hybrid seed yield in a biparental rapeseed population. We re-analyzed 60,000 SNP array and seed yield data points from an immortalized F2 population comprised of 318 hybrids and 180 parental lines by performing genome-wide QTL mapping and predictions in combination with five-fold cross-validation. Moreover, an additional set of 37 hybrids were genotyped and phenotyped in an independent environment. The decomposition of the phenotypic variance components and the cross-validated results of the QTL mapping and genome-wide predictions revealed that the hybrid performance in rapeseed was driven by a mix of additive, dominance, and epistatic effects. Interestingly, the genome-wide prediction accuracy in the additional 37 hybrids remained high when modeling exclusively additive effects but was severely reduced when dominance or epistatic effects were also included. This loss in accuracy was most likely caused by more pronounced interactions of environments with dominance and epistatic effects than with additive effects. Consequently, the development of robust hybrid prediction models, including dominance and epistatic effects, required much deeper phenotyping in multi-environmental trials.
Debiased Orbital and Absolute Magnitude Distribution of the Near-Earth Objects

The orbital and absolute magnitude distribution of the near-Earth objects (NEOs) is difficult to compute, partly because only a modest fraction of the entire NEO population has been discovered so far, but also because the known NEOs are biased by complicated observational selection effects. To circumvent these problems, we created a model NEO population which was fit to known NEOs discovered or accidentally rediscovered by Spacewatch. Our method was to numerically integrate thousands of test particles from five source regions that we believe provide most NEOs to the inner Solar System. Four of these source regions are in or adjacent to the main asteroid belt, while the fifth one is associated with the transneptunian disk. The nearly isotropic comets, which include the Halley-type comets and the long-period comets, were not included in our model. Test bodies from our source regions that passed into the NEO region (perihelia q<1.3 AU and aphelia Q≥0.983 AU) were tracked until they were eliminated by striking the Sun or a planet or were ejected out of the inner Solar System. These integrations were used to create five residence time probability distributions in semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination space (one for each source). These distributions show where NEOs from a given source are statistically most likely to be located. Combining these five residence time probability distributions with an NEO absolute magnitude distribution computed from previous work and a probability function representing the observational biases associated with the Spacewatch NEO survey, we produced an NEO model population that could be fit to 138 NEOs discovered or accidentally rediscovered by Spacewatch. By testing a range of possible source combinations, a best-fit NEO model was computed which (i) provided the debiased orbital and absolute magnitude distributions for the NEO population and (ii) indicated the relative importance of each NEO source region. Our best-fit model is consistent with 960±120 NEOs having H 2.8 AU), and ∼6% comes from the Jupiter-family comet region (2<T≲3). The steady-state population in each NEO source region, as well as the influx rates needed to replenish each region, were calculated as a by-product of our method. The population of extinct comets in the Jupiter-family comet region was also computed.
Constriction resistance of physical simulated electrical contacts with nanofabrication

To establish a relationship between the physical structure of electrical contact boundary and constriction resistance in actual consumer connectors, we fabricated samples that represented the contact-simulated structure. The sample was created on silicon substrates via nanofabrication, and we measured the sample's electric resistance precisely. In these samples, the physical structure can be designed and fabricated arbitrarily with an electron-beam lithography system, so that the complicated contact structure can be simulated physically. We measured the resistance of a number of samples that had various “contact areas” to observe the effect of the areas on constriction resistance. We found that the observed effect qualitatively agreed with the result of the formula of the Holm theory on constriction resistance. However, the absolute values of the resistance differed from the results of the equation. This is attributed to the fact that the equation is intended for an ideal condition. Under the ideal condition, electrodes are infinitely sized, and at any point, there is zero distance between them. By contrast, in actual contacts, electrodes are finitely sized, and there is some insulator, including air, between them. Our measurements suggest that the constriction resistance of actual contacts can be described by introducing additional parameters into the classical Holm theory.
Learning based semantic segmentation for robot navigation in outdoor environment

This work presents a vision-based navigation control strategy for a wheeled robot traveling outside. The main achievements contain road detection with deep learning and navigation control scheme of a robot. A deep convolutional neural network is first employed to perform pixel-wise segmentation and thus to find road regions. Next, a fuzzy controller is designed for commanding a robot's activities including movement and speed. Experimental results verify the essential capability of navigation by using a deep architecture of convolutional network. In brief, the proposed approach certainly reaches autonomous traveling with collision avoiding and wayfinding functionalities.
Prevalence of Proteinuria and Elevated Serum Cystatin C among HIV-Infected Adolescents in the Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health (REACH) Study

Objective:In the United States, kidney dysfunction is prevalent in almost 30% of HIV-infected patients and is an independent predictor of mortality. Proteinuria and elevated serum cystatin C (eCysC) are used as markers of kidney disease in the general population; however, the prevalence of these markers in HIV-infected adolescents is largely unknown. Methods:This study includes 304 HIV-infected adolescents from the Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health (REACH) cohort, an observational study of adolescents recruited from 13 US cities. Clinical and demographic characteristics of participants were evaluated as correlates of proteinuria, a urine protein to creatinine ratio of ≥200 mg/g. Select univariate predictors were assessed to determine the association with urinary protein excretion and serum cystatin C in multivariable linear regression models and proteinuria and eCysC (eCysC ≥ 75th percentile) in multivariable logistic regression models. Results:Overall, 19.1% of the participants had proteinuria, whereas 23.7% had an eCysC. Low CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts (<200 cells/mm3) were significantly associated with a greater urine protein to creatinine ratio in linear models and with proteinuria in logistic regression models. CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts <500 cells/mm3 were significantly associated with a greater serum cystatin C concentration in linear models and with eCysC in logistic regression models. Conclusions:Proteinuria among HIV-infected adolescents in the REACH cohort was approximately 2-fold greater than healthy US adolescents. Both proteinuria and eCysC are associated with CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts. Further studies investigating early markers of kidney disease and the association with immune status and inflammation in HIV-infected adolescents are needed.
Divergent differentiation in malignant melanomas: a review

The aim of this review was to document and discuss diagnostic problems associated with divergent differentiation (‘metaplastic change’) in malignant melanomas, defined as the development in these tumours of morphologically, immunohistochemically and/or ultrastructurally recognizable non‐melanocytic cell or tissue components. Types of divergent differentiation reported in malignant melanoma include: fibroblastic/myofibroblastic, Schwannian and perineurial, smooth muscle, rhabdomyosarcomatous, osteocartilaginous, ganglionic and ganglioneuroblastic, neuroendocrine and probable epithelial. Divergent differentiation is certainly a rare phenomenon and, when it occurs, can be missed by unwary pathologists and lead to diagnostic uncertainty. A carefully chosen immunohistochemical panel and the input of electron microscopy can help to clarify the nature of the cellular differentiation of these tumours and lead to a correct final diagnosis. The clinical significance of such aberrations is uncertain, nor are the underlying mechanisms as yet well defined.
Mapping the Road Forward in Alzheimer’s Disease

A better understanding of genetics, protein aggregation, and neurobiology combined with improved clinical trial design is needed to combat Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and will lead to a worldwide public health crisis if it continues unchecked. Despite tremendous advances in our scientific understanding of AD, we still do not have effective ways to delay, prevent, or slow this disease. At the 2011 Abelson meeting, a diverse group of scientists discussed current challenges in the AD field and made recommendations in the areas of genetics, clinical trials, protein aggregation, and the cell biology of the nervous system. We hope these recommendations will boost research progress in AD and increase the likelihood of developing effective therapies in the near future.
Patterns of infectious complications in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes patients treated with 10‐day decitabine regimen

Decitabine has been explored as a reduced‐intensity therapy for older or unfit patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To better understand the risk of infections during decitabine treatment, we retrospectively examined the culture results from each infection‐related serious adverse event that occurred among 85 AML and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients treated in a prospective clinical study using 10‐day cycles of decitabine at Washington University School of Medicine. Culture results were available for 163 infection‐related complications that occurred in 70 patients: 90 (55.2%) events were culture‐negative, 32 (19.6%) were gram‐positive bacteria, 20 (12.3%) were gram‐negative bacteria, 12 (7.4%) were mixed, 6 (3.7%) were viral, 2 (1.2%) were fungal, and 1 (0.6%) was mycobacterial. Infection‐related mortality occurred in 3/24 (13%) of gram‐negative events, and 0/51 gram‐positive events. On average, nearly one third of patients experienced an infection‐related complication with each cycle, and the incidence did not decrease during later cycles. In summary, in patients receiving 10‐day decitabine, infectious complications are common and may occur during any cycle of therapy. Although febrile events are commonly culture‐negative, gram‐positive infections are the most frequent source of culture‐positive infections, but gram‐negative infections represent a significant risk of mortality in AML and MDS patients treated with decitabine.
Robustness of a discrete-time predictor-based controller for time-varying measurement delay

A predictor-based controller for time-varying delay systems is presented in this paper and its robustness properties for different uncertainties are analyzed. First, a time-varying delay dependent stability condition is expressed in terms of LMIs. Then, uncertainties in the knowledge of all plant-model parameters are considered and the resulting closed-loop system is shown to be robust with respect to these uncertainties. A significant improvement with respect to the same control strategy without predictor is achieved. The scheme is applicable to open-loop unstable plants and it has been tested in a real-time application to control the roll angle of a quad-rotor helicopter prototype. The experimental results show good performance and robustness of the proposed scheme even in the presence of long delay uncertainties.