Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological trait differences are associated with gene expression in the primary visual cortex of primates

Background : Primate species differ drastically from most other mammals in how they visually perceive their environments, which is important for foraging, predator avoidance, and detection of social cues. Although it is well established that primates display diversity in color vision and various ecological specializations, it is not understood how visual system characteristics and ecological adaptations may be associated with gene expression levels within the primary visual cortex (V1). Results : We performed RNA-Seq on V1 tissue samples from 28 individuals, representing 13 species of anthropoid primates, including hominoids, cercopithecoids, and platyrrhines. We explored trait-dependent differential expression (DE) by contrasting species with different visual system phenotypes and ecological traits. Between 4-25% of genes were determined to be differentially expressed in primates that varied in type of color vision (trichromatic or polymorphic di/trichromatic), habitat use (arboreal or terrestrial), group size (large or small), and primary diet (frugivorous, folivorous, or omnivorous). DE analyses revealed that humans and chimpanzees showed the most marked differences between any two species, despite the fact that they are only separated by 6-8 million years of independent evolution. Pathway enrichment analyses of DE genes demonstrated that changes in cellular metabolic pathways (e.g. glycolysis) contribute to altered gene expression in primate V1 more than neuron-specific processes (e.g. synaptic signaling). The exception to this trend is between human and chimpanzee, which exhibited DE for a number of processes related to cholinergic and GABAergic synaptic signaling. Conclusions : Our data significantly expand the number of primate species for which V1 expression data exists. These results show a combination of species-specific and trait-dependent differences in the evolution of gene expression in primate V1. We also show that human-specific changes in brain gene expression extend to the primary visual cortex in a manner similar to that reported of other brain regions.
Realising benefits from IS/IT : exploring the practices and competences required to succeed

The primary driver for this research was the continuing high failure rate of investments in IS/IT which has stayed at around 70-80% for over 30 years. The aim of this research was to 'explore the extent to which organisations have adopted benefits driven practices when undertaking investments in IS/IT. An initial phase of the research was primarily based on detailed documentation on 25 projects taken from the knowledge management database of an IS/IT consultancy. A second phase comprised in-depth case studies at three organisations. This phase explored the practices adopted on three or four projects at each organisation and importantly the wider organisational context in which the projects took place. An important contribution from this research has been the development of a framework of competences and practices for the realisation of benefits from investments in IS/IT. The empirical elements of the study then go well beyond recent survey-based research, by providing in-depth insights into the practice of benefits realisation, across a variety of organisations. The empirical study showed that benefits-related practices are very rarely adopted. The research has also provided evidence of the value of the practices 'lens', which is shown to provide a valuable way to operationalise competences, as it fits very well with how people think and work. The thesis provides some concrete suggestions as to how the practice of benefits realisation might best be improved.
Development of a Mechanical Rocker Test Procedure for Ice Melting Capacity Evaluation

During Phase 2 of the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) deicing chemicals performance evaluation project (No. SPR-P1(10) P328), a simple and economical test using a martini shaker to evaluate ice melting capacity of liquid deicers showed good potential to become a standardized test. There is a need to support an internal effort at NDOR to further develop the shaker test into a deicing chemicals test protocol. A number of parameters of the testing procedure need to be precisely specified to ensure repeatability and accuracy. The main objective of this research is to transform the shaker test into a gold standard for ice melting capacity evaluation of liquid deicing chemicals. This research focused on the use of a mechanical rocker for shaking instead of shaking by hand which can introduce significant error due to the variability of shaking. In this test, 33 ice cubes of 1.3-mL each and 30-mL of liquid deicing chemical are mixed in a vacuum sealed thermos on a mechanical rocking platform. The rocker is set to a frequency of 90 RPM with a tilt angle of ±10°. The time duration for rocking is set for 15 minutes. A styrofoam dish or cup should be used for measuring the mass of ice. With these test parameters, a standard deviation of 1.15% has been achieved when testing with Apex Meltdown™. This Mechanical Rocker Ice Melting Test procedure will be submitted to selected Departments of Transportation and Clear Roads for parallel testing and feedback. The Mechanical Rocker Ice Melting Test can be used for screening of new deicing products submitted to NDOR by vendors each year. Once validated by other independent organizations, the Mechanical Rocker Ice Melting Test may be proposed to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for adoption for ice melting capacity evaluation of liquid deicing chemicals.
A STUDY ON STRENGTH PARAMETERS FOR AGGREGATES FROM SOUTH-WESTERN SWEDISH ROCKS

The objective of the study was to find models to predict the values of some of the Swedish strength parameters for aggregates. The data base used contains more than 6000 test results from well established methods. The variables that regression models were fitted for, the dependent variables, are those which are standard in Sweden when describing the strength of aggregates used for road subbase. The same variables were used with good results in models for both the impact and abrasion tests. Simple models can thus be used to estimate the values with rather good reliability. Further investigations have to be done to tell if the use of the models can be extended also to aggregates produced in the quarries. (A)
Pre-service teachers’ concerns about social robots in the classroom: A model for development

Social robots are being tested in the educational arena with current thinking in two main directions. One is arguing for the benefits of robots in affective and efficient instruction and is more teachercentered. Within the second, more student-centered oriented, proponents of human uniqueness are raising long-term concerns. Teacher-centeredness and student-centeredness form pedagogical beliefs underpinning teachers’ attitudes guiding technology integration. Limited research has explored teachers’ underlying beliefs and attitudes to social robots, with some presenting mixed feelings identifying some concerns with some identifying more positive attitudes. Preservice education is critical in forming beliefs, and this paper presents a qualitative study of Slovene preservice pre-primary school and primary classroom pre-service teachers’ attitudes and underlying beliefs. Students were asked to reflect on their perception of social robotic educational technology in which they would highlight at their own discretion the positive, neutral and negative aspects. Students’ reflections predominantly expressed concerns. The research model was designed in part, drawing from participants reflections and on related studies. Previous studies indicated the concerns teachers hold about robotic technology, but lacked a more holistic model. We built a threefold model distinguishing instructional, social-emotional, and legal concerns. Our findings differ from related studies because they identified participants’ negative attitudes and a clear rejection of robot technology with a human-like appearance and social skills in the classroom. Previous studentcentered studies reported on single groups of concerns within specific contexts without developing a holistic view relating diverse concerns in one picture. Related teacher-centered studies were arguing for refinements anticipating robot’s social intelligence affordance in the classroom. The participants in our study are not rejecting social robots as such, but in their view, the robot is not granted the status of a social entity capable of engaging in student-centered teaching and taking care of child wellbeing and development. The findings of our study call for action and informed robot development, taking into consideration teachers as co-designers.
Internship Programs for Undergraduate Health Informatics Students in Saudi Arabia

Background Internship program is one of the experiential learning methods that enable students to gain practicum experience and learn from specialised people. This type of learning is a professional gateway to integrate knowledge with practical application. This study defines the state of health informatics internship programs in Saudi Arabia and examines the difference between interns and graduated students’ perceptions about the experience of health informatics internship programs in Saudi hospitals. Methods An online survey was constructed and distributed to health informatics students through social media platforms and specialised groups. The sample size included 89 participants from different universities across Saudi Arabia regions. Results The findings indicate that the majority of participants believe that internship programs have a positive impact on students’ skills and provide students with non-monetary incentives. ANOVA analysis and t-test results indicated that there is no significance difference between the interns and graduates perceptions (p-value 0.495, alpha value 0.005) Conclusion Health informatics internship programs in the Kingdom should consider some aspects: the selection criteria of internship sites, the linkage between education outcomes and Saudi labour market needs, effective experiential learning methods, well-defined structure of health informatics internship program and competencies framework.
Relationship between visceral adipose tissue and triglyceride glucose index with liver status in men and women with metabolic syndrome features: sex differences

BackgroundMetabolic syndrome (MetS) comprises several clinical and metabolic risk factors that increase the risk to develop cardiovascular disease and other comorbidities. Meanwhile, ageing and biological differences between men and women play an important role in body fat distribution and health status. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and the triglyceride and glucose index (TyG) with metabolic and liver risk factors among subjects diagnosed with MetS with emphasis on differences attributable to sex.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed including 326 individuals with MetS (54–75 years) from the PREDIMED-Plus study. Liver markers, visceral fat (VAT) and the triglyceride glucose index (TyG) were assessed. Participants were stratified according to VAT and TyG tertiles. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the efficiency of TyG for VAT.ResultsSubjects with greater visceral fat depots showed worse lipid profile, higher HOMA-R, TyG, ALT, fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), fatty liver index (FLI) and hepatic steatosis index (HSI) compared to participants in the 1st tertile. The multi-adjusted linear regression analyses indicated that individuals in the third tertile of TyG (> 9.1–10.7 units) had a positive association with HOMA-IR (β = 3.07 [95% CI, 2.28–3.86]; p-trend < 0.001), ALT (β = 7.43 [95%CI, 2.23–12.63]; p-trend = 0.005), GGT (β = 14.12 [95% CI, 3.64–24.61; p-trend = 0.008]), FGF-21 (β = 190.69 [95% CI, 93.13-288.25; p-trend < 0.001]), FLI (β = 18.65 [95%CI, 14.97–22.23]; p-trend < 0.001) and HSI (β = 3.46 [95% CI, 2.23–4.68; p-trend < 0.001]) versus participants from the first tertile. Interestingly, the TyG showed the largest AUC for women (AUC = 0.713; 95%CI, 0.62–0.79) compared to men (AUC = 0.570; 95%CI, 0.48–0.66), despite the differences in VAT content associated to sex.ConclusionsBoth, VAT and the TyG are strongly associated with cardiometabolic and liver risk factors linked with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in men and women diagnosed with MetS. The TyG could be used as suitable marker estimator of VAT in women.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870), registration date: 24 July 2014.
VEHICLE PROBES AS REAL-TIME ATMS SOURCES OF DYNAMIC O-D AND TRAVEL TIME DATA

This paper has two main objectives. First, the process of obtaining network traffic data from probe vehicles is examined such that statistical sampling equations can be developed that provide both theoretical and practical estimates of the reliability of these probe data. Second, using an example network, the traffic simulation model results are compared against the analytical results. The validation of simulation based results permits the simulation model to be used for more complex situations, for which statistical analyses are no longer practical, and to determine the overall impact of the various statistical approximations that had to be made within the analytical solutions.
Using technology-enhanced, cooperative, group-project learning for student comprehension and academic performance

Cooperative learning may improve students' motivation, understanding of course concepts, and academic performance. This study therefore enhanced a cooperative, group-project learning technique with technology resources to determine whether doing so improved students' deep learning and performance. A sample of 118 engineering students, randomly divided into two groups, participated in this study and provided data through questionnaires issued before and after the experiment. The results, obtained through analyses of variance and structural equation modelling, reveal that technology-enhanced, cooperative, group-project learning improves students' comprehension and academic performance.
Dynamic analysis of cage rotor induction motor using harmonic field analysis and coupling inductances method

The work presented in this thesis involves the development of a new analytical method for predicting the transient behaviour of squirrel cage induction motors subjected to pulsating mechanical loads such as a reciprocating compressor. The objective of this project is to develop analysis that will better inform the subsequent design method for determining the rating of industrial induction motors driving an oscillatory load. The analytical approach used to determine the transient response of the motor is based upon the harmonic coupling inductance method which is capable of accommodating any stator winding arrangement used in industrial motor designs. The analytical work described in this thesis includes the response of an induction motor subjected to a general oscillating load in terms of the damping and synchronous torque components. These torque components can be used to determine the additional system inertia required to limit the motor speed and current oscillations to predetermined levels. The work further identifies the motor-load natural resonant frequency and demonstrates the potential issues when driving a general oscillatory load at or close to this frequency. The analytical model was cross-checked using software modelling in Matlab for an industrial squirrel cage induction motor driving a selection of compressor loads. The simulation results were finally correlated with a detailed experimental validation in the laboratory using a squirrel cage induction motor connected to a permanent magnet synchronous motor controlled electronically to simulate general oscillatory load.
DEVELOPMENT OF PROFILER-BASED RIDEABILITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR ASPHALT PAVEMENTS AND ASPHALT OVERLAYS

This report summarizes a study undertaken to develop new asphalt concrete pavement rideability specifications for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). The study included a review of current SCDOT rideability equipment, specifications and practices, a literature review and survey of state highway agency practice, purchase of two non-contacting inertial profilers, and data collection and analysis. New draft International Roughness Index (IRI)-based rideability specifications are proposed along with guidelines for rideability testing. Despite some reservations about the repeatability and reproducibility of profiler output, profilers were believed to hold great promise for efficient construction quality control. The proposed rideability specifications are based largely on correlations with current SCDOT Mays Ride Meter specifications, consideration of IRI-based specification used by other agencies, and, to a lesser degree, past performance of SCDOT contractors. It is not known if the proposed specifications are optimal in terms of the SCDOT's rideability testing resources and most cost effective in terms of pavement life-cycle costs. It is recommended that the draft rideability specification be implemented on a trial basis. Refinements to the proposed specifications may be deemed necessary or desirable during or after the trial implementation period.
The In-Situ Approach to Sluicing

It has been standardly claimed since Merchant (2001) that island violations can be repaired by simply deleting the categories that induce such violations, as witnessed by sluicing, an ellipsis construction that deletes TP with a remnant wh -phrase. This book aims to argue that such “repair by ellipsis” is simply a myth. Alternatively, the author argues for what is called the in-situ approach to sluicing, originally proposed by Kimura (2007, 2010), according to which the remnant wh -phrase in sluicing stays in situ. This approach immediately explains the island-insensitivity of sluicing, since no overt wh -movement is involved in the derivation of this construction. Hence, it challenges the approach in terms of island repair by ellipsis in that it nullifies the necessity of a repair mechanism. This book makes an important contribution to the field in providing an alternative way of approaching ellipsis phenomena that are claimed to induce “island repair. ”
Guarding Against Scour

Scour causes 60 percent of all highway bridge failures in the United States. Tragic stories of bridges collapsing and causing fatalities prompted the Federal Highway Administration to establish the National Bridge Inspection Program, which requires that bridges be inspected for scour every 2 years. This article describes recent bridge failures, reports on the national response, and reviews the latest scour-monitoring technology. Two instruments--magnetic sliding collar and sonic fathometer--have emerged as promising devices to measure maximum scour depth at bridge piers and abutments. The cost of the devices is expected to be reasonable for state departments of transportation.
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL)

This review of the research on daytime running lights (DRL) was conducted to provide input to an examination by the Department of Transport and Regional Services of the suitability of DRL for Australian conditions. The INROADS, TRIS and ITRD data bases and the Internet were scanned, and telephone consultations were held with key officers in the road and transport authorities of the different Australian jurisdictions. There is a substantial body of evidence which shows that DRL are effective in reducing daytime crashes, but studies disagree as to the size of the reduction. It is therefore difficult to predict what impact they might have in Australia. The best technical option for DRL appears to be dedicated DRL with an intensity of 1200 candelas, designed to direct its light towards oncoming vehicles, and with reduced power requirements. Dipped headlights direct most of their light at the road surface and have higher power requirements. Dedicated DRL have favourable benefit-cost ratios, while full-time operation of dipped headlights has a benefit-cost ratio close to one. The costs of providing DRL would be considerably reduced if the DRL operated only in conditions of low ambient lighting. Although visibility experiments suggest these are the only conditions under which DRL are of benefit, there are no studies available which relate crash reductions to ambient light conditions, so that it is not clear how much of the benefits associated with full time operation would be realised. In view of the jurisdictions' preference for full-time operation, evidence in support of this option would have to be persuasive before it was adopted. An appropriate course of action for Australia will be to await the outcome of the determinations currently taking place in Europe in relation to DRL, and which are expected to be complete by the end of the year. At that stage it would be appropriate to give the issue full consideration in the light of the European decision.
A New Spin

The trouble was that the shuttle was still under development when that schedule was set. As time went on, the Shuttle had problems with its high pressure turbines, thermal protection tiles, engines, and more. The early launch dates had to be scrapped. NASA Headquarters told us, "We re going to delay your launch two years to allow more time for the Shuttle development to take place. You can slow your development accordingly. " Right off the bat, we looked into the celestial mechanics and how they would affect us. The difficulty in launching a spacecraft to Jupiter changes on a year-to- year basis, in a cyclical pattern that repeats about every ten or twelve years. In order to achieve the velocity needed to get from low earth orbit to Jupiter, an upper stage is required in the Shuttle. For the 1982 launch the upper stage was adequate, but it could not provide the velocity we would need in 1984. This meant we would have to separate the Galileo probe from the Galileo orbiter before launch and put each of them on separate Shuttles with separate upper stages. When we told the folks at Headquarters this, they told us, "Okay we'll give you two Shuttle launches. "
Comorbidity.

We review recent research on the prevalence, causes, and effects of diagnostic comorbidity among the most common groups of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders; anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, and substance abuse. A meta-analysis of representative general population studies provides estimates of the strength of associations between pairs of disorders with narrower confidence intervals than have previously been available. Current evidence convincingly eliminates methodological factors as a major cause of comorbidity. We review the implications of comorbidity for understanding the development of psychopathology and for nosology.