Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
mpact of climate change on wheat flowering time in eastern Australia in Wanga

The flowering time of wheat is strongly controlled by temperature and is potentially highly sensitive to climate change. In this study, we analysed the occurrence of last frost (days with minimum temperature under 2 ◦C) and first heat (days with maximum temperatures exceeding 30 ◦C) events of the year to determine the optimum flowering date in the wheat belt of New South Wales (NSW), eastern Australia. We used statistically downscaled daily maximum and minimum temperature data from 19 Global Climate Models (GCMs) with a vernalizing–photothermal model in order to simulate future flowering dates and the changes in frost and hot days occurrence at flowering date (± 7 days) for two future scenarios for atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) in 2040s (2021–2060) and 2080s (2061–2100). Relative to the 1961–2000 period, the GCMs projected increased daily maximum and minimum temperatures for these future periods, accompanied by reduced frost occurrence and increased heat stress incidence. As a consequence, by the 2080s, simulations suggest a general advance in spring wheat flowering date by, on average, 10.2 days for RCP4.5 and 17.8 days for RCP8.5 across the NSW wheat belt. Winter wheat flowering dates were delayed by an average of 2.4 days for RCP4.5 and 14.3 days for RCP8.5 in the warmest parts of the region (the northwest) due to reduced cumulative vernalization days (requiring cool conditions). In the cooler regions (the northeast, southeast and southwest), flowering date occurred earlier by 6.2 days for RCP4.5 and 6.7 days for RCP8.5 on average. Moreover, in the western parts of the wheat belt the delay of winter wheat flowering date was about 9.5 days longer than that in the eastern parts. As a result of phenological responses to increasing temperatures, current wheat varieties may not be suitable for future climate conditions, despite reduced frost risk. In the future, it may be eason necessary to use longer-s
EPIC status of calibration and data analysis

1.2 Effective Area ___________________________________________________________________ 9 1.2. 1 Mirror collecting area__________________________________________________________________ 9 1.2. 2 Filter transmission ____________________________________________________________________ 9 1.2. 3 CCD Quantum efficiency ______________________________________________________________ 10 1.2. 4 Vignetting__________________________________________________________________________ 11
THE EFFECT OF LEXICAL COLLOCATION INSTRUCTION ON INTERMEDIATE EFL LEARNERS ' VOCABULARY SIZE

The present study explores the impact of lexical collocation instruction on intermediate Iranian EFL learners' vocabulary size. For this study 84 Iranian learners, studying English as a foreign language in Bayan in Iran, were selected, and then they were randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control. At the beginning of the study, they were given a test with one-week interval time (a vocabulary size test). The purpose was to discover that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of their vocabulary prior to the implementation of the specific treatment. Afterwards, Lexical collocation was practiced for the experimental group while traditional teaching was worked on for the control group. The data was collected through the pretest and posttest of vocabulary tests to the both groups. Based on the results displayed by the statistical program, the efficiency of the treatment was obvious. This study recommends that lexical collocation instruction can be a worthy alternative for increasing the vocabulary knowledge. It showed that the experimental group got attentive of the being of collocations, used them and learnt them properly, and they also started to expand their vocabulary sphere by the help of learning collocation.
Psychological and Behavioral Characteristics of Normal‐Weight Bulimics and Normal‐Weight Controls

&NA; This study compares psychological traits, physical traits, behavior, demographic data, incidence of family pathology, incidence of life stress, and scores on eating disorder scales in a sample of normal‐weight female bulimics with a sample of normal‐weight female controls. The groups, matched for age, socioeconomic status, and I.Q. were found to have comparable physical traits, family demographics, incidence of family pathology, and incidence of life stress. However, bulimics demonstrated significantly higher levels of psychological pathology and impulsive behavior. There were significantly more suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations, episodes of stealing, use of drugs, and menstrual disturbances among the bulimics than the controls. The bulimics consistently rated themselves sicker than the controls on all psychometric scales. Most notable were the depression, anxiety, obsessive‐compulsive, and interpersonal sensitivity factors on the Symptom Checklist 90, and the internal control score on the Nowicki‐Strickland Locus of Control Scale. The discussion includes a brief description of weight set‐point theory and its role in the maintenance of bulimia.
Assessment of Fibronectin protein as a new biomarker for human sperm selection in ART

Fibronectin (FN), a multifunctional diametric glycoprotein on the surface of sperm, plays an important role in sperm-oocyte interaction and fertilization process. The aim of this study was to assess the FN levels as a sperm surface biomarker for sperm selection in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Polyclonal antibody against human FN was produced in rabbit. Its quality, purity and immune reactivity were assessed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting (WB). Also, the presence of FN on sperm surface was assessed using immunocytochemistry (ICC) and flow cytometry (FCM). The amount of FN and the sperm quality were assessed in normozoospermia (N) (42 men) and asthenoteratozoospermia (AT) (72 men) groups through Sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD), sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and chromatin maturation index (CMI). The results showed the FN distribution on the equatorial region of human sperm. Statistically significant differences were found in the FN levels of sperm surface between the two groups with 24.64±9.08% in N and 16.90±7.27% in AT (p≤0.0001). Also, FN level correlated negatively with SCD (p≤0.0001), SCSA (p≤0.0001), and CMI (p≤0.001). A threshold of FN level and DFI percentage respectively were 16 and 30, and were identified as a cut-off value to determine N with specificity of 83.3 and 81.0%, and sensitivity of 16.8 and 19.0%. A specificity and sensitivity of FN-DFI were 91.2 and 8.8%. It seems that FN can be used for selection of sperm with suitable quality, although future studies are recommended.
CompactGpu : Massively Parallel Memory Defragmentation on GPUs PLDI ’ 19 Student Research Competition – Extended Abstract

We propose CompactGpu, an incremental, fully-parallel, in-place memory defragmentation system for GPUs. CompactGpu defragments the heap in a fully parallel fashion by merging partly occupied memory blocks. We developed several implementation techniques for memory defragmentation that are efficient on SIMD/GPU architectures, such as finding defragmentation block candidates and fast pointer rewriting based on bitmaps.
Assessment of probiotic-supplementation on growth performance, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant capacity, and cecal microflora in broiler chickens

The aim of this work was to investigate the efficacy of a couple of probiotic lactic acid bacterial isolates, Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum added separately or in combination to broiler diets. The experimental treatments received a basal diet with 22.4% protein and 3,160 kcal/kg. Two hundred and ten 1-day-old Hubbard broilers were allocated in seven experimental groups as follows: Control group and six groups treated by both probiotic strains in drinking water with intended final concentration of 109 cfu/ml and/or 1012 cfu/ml separately or in combination for a period of 42 days and tested on scheduled intervals. Treatment effects on performance of broilers (organs weights) as well as certain serum constituents were determined. The composition of cecal microflora was also evaluated. Probiotic supplementation had no significant effect but some organs had relative weights slightly higher compared to control. However, the relative weight of the thyroid, spleen, and pancreas was significantly increased. Broilers that received both types of probiotic strains separately or in combination had significant decreases (p < 0.05) in both serum alanine aminotransaminase level and malondialdehyde along with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in total antioxidant capacity compared to control. The microbiological analysis indicated that the lactic acid bacterial population boosted predominantly. The total coliform and Salmonella counts were significantly reduced and/or totally eliminated in broiler groups supplemented with probiotics. In conclusion, this study showed that both probiotic lactic acid bacterial strains can be considered as a nutritional source for broiler chickens.
The relationship between burnout, personality traits and coping strategies in a corporate pharmaceutical group

The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between burnout, personality traits and coping strategies. A survey design was used. The study population consisted of 131 employees in a corporate pharmaceutical group. The Maslach Burnout Inventory, NEO Personality Inventory Revised and COPE were administered. Active coping strategies were associated with Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness, while passive coping strategies were associated with Neuroticism, low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness. Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness were associated with lower emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation and higher personal accomplishment. Constructive coping strategies were associated with personal accomplishment. OPSOMMING Die doelstelling van hierdie navorsing was om te bepaal of daar ’n verband tussen uitbranding, persoonlikheidstrekke en coping-strategiee bestaan. ’n Opnameontwerp is gebruik. Die ondersoekgroep het bestaan uit 131 werknemers van ’n korporatiewe apteekgroep. Drie vraelyste is gebruik, naamlik die Maslach-Uitbrandingsvraelys, die NEO Personality Inventory Revised en die COPE. Aktiewe coping-strategiee is geassosieer met Emosionele Stabiliteit, Ekstroversie, Openheid vir Ervaring en Konsensieusheid, terwyl passiewe coping-strategiee geassosieer is met Neurotisisme, lae Inskiklikheid en lae Konsensieusheid. Emosionele Stabiliteit, Ekstroversie, Openheid vir Ervaring, Inskiklikheid en Konsensieusheid is geassosieer met lae emosionele uitputting, lae depersonalisasie en hoe persoonlike bereiking. Konstruktiewe coping-strategiee is geassosieer met persoonlike bereiking.
Effect of Botanicals in the Control of Meloidogyne incognita ( Kofoid and White ) Chitwood on Soybean [ Glycine max ( L ) Merr . ]

The effect of two organic amendments viz:-Bitter leaf (BL) and Cashew seed kernel (CSK) used in the control of Meloidogyne incognita on soybean was investigated during the 2009 and 2010 rainy seasons. Soybean cultivar TGS 1019 – N was planted on a 65m plots. Soil at the base of each plant was mixed with 60 g of the two amendments separately two weeks after germination. Plants were inoculated with 1000 juveniles of M.incognita at the base of each plant three weeks after germination. The results of the study indicated that superior growth parameters and better nematode control were obtained in treated plants compared to untreated control. Also CSK amendment was more effective on nematodes than BL. The results further showed that both amendments could be used in nematode control and therefore recommended in soybean fields to control nematodes.
Busemann functions and Gibbs measures in directed polymer models on $\mathbb{Z}^{2}$

We consider random walk in a space-time random potential, also known as directed random polymer measures, on the planar square lattice with nearest-neighbor steps and general i.i. d. weights on the vertices. We construct covariant cocycles and use them to prove new results on existence, uniqueness/non-uniqueness, and asymptotic directions of semi-infinite polymer measures (solutions to the Dobrushin-Lanford-Ruelle equations). We also prove non-existence of covariant or deterministically directed bi-infinite polymer measures. Along the way, we prove almost sure existence of Busemann function limits in directions where the limiting free energy has some regularity.
Heart failure in congenital heart disease: A review of clinical status and meta-analysis of diagnostic value of serum natriuretic peptides, and medical and device therapies

Traditional description of heart failure (HF) has been within the context of ischemic, hypertensive, valvular and myopathic disease. This description has contributed to the under-appreciation of HF in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), who also manifest all the pathophysiological criteria constituting the clinical syndrome of HF. In adult CHD patients, heterogeneity of residual substrates predisposes them to an early development of HF, presenting a unique challenge in both categorization and protocol management of HF. As such, current diagnosis and treatment using consensus guidelines developed for HF in general remains unclear if they can serve as a meaningful framework for these patients. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we review current evidence of this rare but life threatening form of HF affecting a large and growing number of adults. The discussion centers on clinical definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management with the view of advancing knowledge of the clinical status of HF in CHD. *Correspondence to: Aref Albakri, St-Marien hospital Bonn Venusberg, Department of Internal Medicine, Bonn, Germany, E-mail: arefalbakri@yahoo.com
ON SOME FIXED POINT THEOREMS FOR MULTI-VALUED OPERATORS BY ALTERING DISTANCE TECHNIQUE

The aim of this paper is to present some sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of fixed points for (φ −ψ) type contractive multi-valued operators defined by altering distances. Furthermore, our main result consists of two theorems, one involving the convergence of the Picard successive approximation sequence to a fixed point of the multivalued φ−ψ operator, and a theorem concerning a more general form for a fixed point result for this type of mappings.
THE APPEARANCE OF FATIGUE STRIATIONS IN THE SEM

Microfractography is an essential option for the characterisation of materials. This technique is commonly used to interpret the fracture behaviour of metals but work on microfractography of fibre reinforced plastics was not started until the early 1970s. Although this is still an area of study under development, basic knowledge is already available. For example, specialists from the European aerospace industry compiled a fracture catalogue within the GARTEUR program [1, 2]. As well as a harmonised nomenclature, basic fracture morphologies and failure mechanisms are described in the catalogue.
Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) predicted prognosis for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic value of blood neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Materials and methods: 147 advanced NSCLC patients were enrolled in this study from June 30, 2013, to August 30, 2017. Survival analysis used the Kaplan and Meier methodology. The mean follow-up time was 2.6 years. The phenotypic T cells subtypes were evaluated by flow cytometry. Results: Of these patients, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis were used to confirm the cut-off value, and patients were stratified into NLR>2.5 (n=88) and NLR≤2.5 (n=59) groups. Survival analysis showed that patients with NLR≤2.5 had significantly favorable overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) compared with patients with NLR>2.5. After stratified with the tumor mutational burden (TMB), we further found that patients with NLR≤2.5 had significantly favorable OS and PFS compared with patients with NLR>2.5 in the group of patients with TMB>10, while in group patients with TMB≤10, patients with NLR≤2.5 had no significantly favorable OS and PFS compared with patients with NLR>2.5. The CD3+ and CD8+/CD28+ T cell subsets were significantly increased in patients with NLR≤2.5 (P<0.05), while the CD8+/CD28− and CD4+/CD25+ cell subsets were significantly decreased in patients with NLR≤2.5 (P<0.05). Conclusion: High NLR value independently predicted poorer survival in advanced NSCLC patients received ICB therapy. The NLR may help oncologists to predict outcomes of patients received ICB and choose alternative therapies for patients with high NLR value.
IGF-I in animal models of muscle wasting , neuromuscular disorders and injury Sarcopenia

Skeletal muscle loss due to aging, motor neuron degeneration, cancer, heart failure and ischemia is a serious condition for which currently there is no effective treatment. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) plays an important role in muscle maintenance and repair. Preclinical studies have shown that IGF-I is involved in increasing muscle mass and strength, reducing degeneration, inhibiting the prolonged and excessive inflammatory process due to toxin injury and increasing the proliferation potential of satellite cells. However, clinical trials have not been successful due to ineffective delivery method. Choosing the appropriate isoforms or peptides and developing targeted delivery techniques can resolve this issue. Here we discuss the latest development in the field with special emphasis on novel therapeutic approaches.
12 78 4 v 1 [ cs . L G ] 2 9 M ay 2 01 9 Intrinsic dimension of data representations in deep neural networks

Deep neural networks progressively transform their inputs across multiple processing layers. What are the geometrical properties of the representations learned by these networks? Here we study the intrinsic dimensionality (ID) of data-representations, i.e. the minimal number of parameters needed to describe a representation. We find that, in a trained network, the ID is orders of magnitude smaller than the number of units in each layer. Across layers, the ID first increases and then progressively decreases in the final layers. Remarkably, the ID of the last hidden layer predicts classification accuracy on the test set. These results can neither be found by linear dimensionality estimates (e.g., with principal component analysis), nor in representations that had been artificially linearized. They are neither found in untrained networks, nor in networks that are trained on randomized labels. This suggests that neural networks that can generalize are those that transform the data into low-dimensional, but not necessarily flat manifolds.
The role of collaborative culture in knowledge sharing and creativity among employees

Employees’ knowledge sharing and creativity are two important zones of an organization’s concern. While extant literature sheds some light on this area, there is paucity of research which looks into different facets of knowledge sharing and the mechanism through which it enhances employees’ creativity. This study conceptualizes and empirically validates the role that collaborative culture can play in boosting two processes of knowledge sharing i.e. knowledge donation and knowledge collection which eventually enhances employees’ creativity in the organization. Quantitative research strategy and cross-sectional survey method were adopted for the collection of data. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 189 managers working in 87 business organizations listed in Lahore Stock Exchange of Pakistan. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling found out a significant and positive impact of trust, teamwork, and empowerment (facets of collaborative culture) on both knowledge donation and knowledge collection (dimensions of knowledge sharing). Cultural diversity was found to have insignificant impact on both knowledge-sharing dimensions. However, both knowledge sharing dimensions were having significant positive impact on employees’ creativity. Findings of this research substantiate the current body of knowledge by identifying the role of Collaborative Culture, Knowledge Sharing and Creativity among Employees 336 collaborative culture in enhancing organizational creativity through different knowledge sharing dimensions.
Estimation of a Hedonic Price Equation for Bordeaux Wine: Does Quality Matter?

In this paper, the hedonic price technique is applied to Bordeaux wine. In the hedonic function, the authors include not only the 'objective' characteristics appearing on the label of the bottle but also the sensory characteristics of the wine. Their data come from an experimental study in which juries have evaluated and graded a sample of Bordeaux wines. The estimation of the hedonic price equation shows that the market price is essentially determined by the objective characteristics. The estimation of a jury grade equation shows that quality, unlike the market price, is essentially determined by the sensory characteristics. Copyright 1997 by Royal Economic Society.
Hexa-Acylated Lipid A Is Required for Host Inflammatory Response to Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Experimental Gonorrhea

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection characterized by inflammation of the cervix or urethra. However, a significant subset of patients with N. gonorrhoeae remain asymptomatic, without evidence of localized inflammation. Inflammatory responses to N. gonorrhoeae are generated by host innate immune recognition of N. gonorrhoeae by several innate immune signaling pathways, including lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and other pathogen-derived molecules through activation of innate immune signaling systems, including toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the interleukin-1β (IL-1β) processing complex known as the inflammasome. The lipooligosaccharide of N. gonorrhoeae has a hexa-acylated lipid A. N. gonorrhoeae strains that carry an inactivated msbB (also known as lpxL1) gene produce a penta-acylated lipid A and exhibit reduced biofilm formation, survival in epithelial cells, and induction of epithelial cell inflammatory signaling. We now show that msbB-deficient N. gonorrhoeae induces less inflammatory signaling in human monocytic cell lines and murine macrophages than the parent organism. The penta-acylated LOS exhibits reduced toll-like receptor 4 signaling but does not affect N. gonorrhoeae-mediated activation of the inflammasome. We demonstrate that N. gonorrhoeae msbB is dispensable for initiating and maintaining infection in a murine model of gonorrhea. Interestingly, infection with msbB-deficient N. gonorrhoeae is associated with less localized inflammation. Combined, these data suggest that TLR4-mediated recognition of N. gonorrhoeae LOS plays an important role in the pathogenesis of symptomatic gonorrhea infection and that alterations in lipid A biosynthesis may play a role in determining symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.
A Connectionist Model of Lexical and Contextual Influences on Ambiguity Resolution in Human Sentence Processing

The lexicalist model of human sentence processing (MacDonald et al. 1994) provides an account for the interaction of lexical frequency effects with contextual information in the resolution of syntactic ambiguities. In this paper, we present an implementation of a connectionist network which evaluates the predictions of the lexicalist model for NP/S garden paths. Our network is trained using a corpus tagged for argument structure and contextual information. It exhibits processing preferences which are interestingly correlated with argument structure frequency, but is also sensitive to information from the syntactic and semantic context.