Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personality traits are directly associated with anti-black prejudice in the United States

Modern psychological theories postulate that individual differences in prejudice are determined by social and ideological attitudes instead of personality. For example, the dual-process motivational (DPM) model argues that personality does not directly associate with prejudice when controlling for the attitudinal variables that capture the authoritarian-conservatism motivation and the dominance motivation. Previous studies testing the DPM model largely relied on convenience samples and/or European samples, and have produced inconsistent results. Here we examined the extent to which anti-black prejudice was associated with the Big Five personality traits and social and ideological attitudes (authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, political party affiliation) in two large probability samples of the general population (N1 = 3,132; N2 = 2,483) from the American National Election Studies (ANES). We performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the causal assumptions between the latent variables and used survey weights to generate estimates that were representative of the population. Different from prior theories, across both datasets we found that two personality traits, agreeableness and conscientiousness, were directly associated with anti-black prejudice when controlling for authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and political party affiliation. We also found that a substantial part of the associations between personality traits and anti-black prejudice were mediated through those social and ideological attitudes, which might serve as candidates for prejudice-reduction interventions in the real world.
A LoRaWAN Network Infrastructure for the Remote Monitoring of Offshore Sea Farms

Fish farming is nowadays a crucial sector for food industry all around the world. While the total amount of captured fish production has remained almost constant in the last 30 years (around 90 millions tonnes according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United States), in the same span of time the quantity of bred fish has increased tenfold, almost reaching the quantity of the captured one. What was once little more than a hand-crafted production, is now an actual industrial sector, employing around 60 million workers all around the world. Like all industrial sectors, aquaculture can considerably benefit by the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, thus adopting them within the context of Industry 4.0 to optimize fish farming processes. In this context, this paper proposes a real-time monitoring infrastructure based on the use of Fixed Nodes and Mobile Sinks for the remote, real-time control of offshore sea farms. The proposed architecture exploits a LoRaWAN network infrastructure for data transmission: different configurations are tested on the field, proving the reliability of the communication channel in a worst case scenario up to a 8.33 km offshore distance. A complete real-time monitoring system is presented, allowing to measure in real time several parameters about the quality of water in the fish cages as well as their maintenance status.
Facile Route for Low-temperature Eco-friendly Solution Processed ZnSnO Thin-film Transistors

In this work, solution processed zinc tin oxide semiconductor films were investigated. Different from the widely reported high-temperature and toxic organic solvent-based fabrication process, a low temperature and eco-friendly aqueous solvent-based route was studied. The optimization of electrical performances on field effect mobility and reliability was proved. Moreover, a resistor-loaded inverter was constructed.
Dynamic Frequency and Overload Management in Autonomous Coupled Microgrids for Self-Healing and Resiliency Improvement

Autonomous microgrids (MGs) are being installed in large remote areas to supply power where access to the utility grid is unavailable or infeasible. The power generation of such standalone MGs is largely dominated by renewable based energy sources where overloading or power deficiencies can be common due to the high intermittency and uncertainty in both load and power generation. Load-shedding is the most common mechanism to alleviate these problems to prevent system instability. To minimize load-shedding, most MGs are equipped with local battery energy storage (BES) systems to provide additional support. Furthermore, in the event of severe overloading or when BES capacity is insufficient to alleviate the overload, neighboring MGs can be provisionally coupled to provide mutual support to each other which is a more effective, economic and reliable approach. Such a coupling is preferred to be via power electronic converters to enhance the autonomy of the MGs. This paper proposes a two-stage, coordinated power sharing strategy among BESs and coupled MGs for overload management in autonomous MGs, through dynamic frequency control. Both local BES and the neighboring MGs can work in conjunction or individually to supply the required overload power demand. For this, BES’ state of charge should be above a minimum level and extra power generation capacity needs to be available in the neighboring MGs. A predefined framework with appropriate constraints and conditions, under which the power exchange will take place, are defined and formulated. The proposed mechanism is a decentralized approach, operating based on local frequency and state of charge measurements, and without any data communication amongst the MGs. The dynamic performance of such a network, is evaluated through extensive simulation studies in PSIMⓇ and verifies that the proposed strategy can successfully alleviate the overloading situation in the MGs through proper frequency regulation.
Chylothorax after Lung Cancer Surgery: A Key Factor Influencing Prognosis and Quality of Life

Chylothorax is caused by the accumulation of chylous fluid in the pleural cavity due to the injury of the thoracic duct or its tributaries. Chylothorax following lung cancer surgery, especially pulmonary resection and mediastinal lymph node dissection, is a raw potential postoperative complication as previously reported. Chylothorax might lead to a high mortality rate if not addressed in a timely fashion. This article reviews the anatomy of the thoracic duct, risk factors of postoperative chylothorax, diagnoses and management with chylothorax, and intraoperative prevention of chylothorax. With the development of researches on postoperative chylothorax, more effective treatment and prevention measures need to be proposed to better solve this clinical problem.
A Systematic Review of Genotype–Phenotype Correlation across Cohorts Having Causal Mutations of Different Genes in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive deterioration of upper and lower motor neurons that eventually culminates in severe muscle atrophy, respiratory failure and death. There is a concerning lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms that lead to the onset of ALS and as a result there are no reliable biomarkers that aid in the early detection of the disease nor is there an effective treatment. This review first considers the clinical phenotypes associated with ALS, and discusses the broad categorisation of ALS and ALS-mimic diseases into upper and lower motor neuron diseases, before focusing on the genetic aetiology of ALS and considering the potential relationship of mutations of different genes to variations in phenotype. For this purpose, a systematic review is conducted collating data from 107 original published clinical studies on monogenic forms of the disease, surveying the age and site of onset, disease duration and motor neuron involvement. The collected data highlight the complexity of the disease’s genotype–phenotype relationship, and thus the need for a nuanced approach to the development of clinical assays and therapeutics.
Cervical stenosis and pregnancy rate after ultrasound guided cervical dilation in women undergoing saline infusion sonography

Abstract Aim: To assess the effect of ultrasound-guided cervical dilation on clinical pregnancy rates in women with cervical stenosis. Methods: A prospective case control study was conducted in women with unexplained infertility. These women underwent saline infusion sonography and were suspected of having cervical stenosis if a 7 French Foley’s catheter could not be introduced into the cervical canal. Women with suspected stenosis who agreed to undergo ultrasound guided dilation were included as cases. Those with suspected stenosis who refused dilation were used as controls. Both groups were followed for one year. The primary outcome measure was women who had clinical pregnancy i.e. fetal heart beat present on transvaginal scan during the follow up period. Results: During the study period, 1097 women who underwent SIS were included. A total of 117 (10.7%) patients had cervical stenosis. No statistically significant difference was there in both groups in terms of mean age (p = 0.617), mean body mass index (p = 0.598), duration of infertility (p = 0.588) and type of infertility (p = 0.167). However, both groups were significantly different in terms of history for risk factors i.e. endometriosis (p <0.001), prior surgery (p <0.001), polyps (p = 0.004) and pelvic inflammatory disease (p = 0.001). Eighty-nine women agreed to have dilation and were used as cases and 28 women refused and were used as controls. Of the cases, 70.45% conceived as compared to 18.5% of controls. The mean time to conception in months was also significantly lower in cases (8.10 ± 3.43 vs. 11.39 ± 1.97, p <0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows that ultrasound-guided cervical dilation in women with cervical stenosis can lead to improved conception rates.
Fluxon-Induced Losses in Niobium Thin-Film Cavities Revisited

Long standing data from niobium thin-film accelerating cavities will be revisited and analyzed by a modified London model of radio-frequency (RF) superconductivity. First, the applicability of this model is explored using the data of the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) surface resistance and its dependence on the RF magnetic field, temperature, and mean free path. Second, the RF losses from the trapped magnetic flux are analyzed with regard to their dependence on these same parameters.
Association of smoking habits with TXNIP DNA methylation levels in leukocytes among general Japanese population

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) inhibits the activity of thioredoxin (TXN), leading to increased oxidative stress. Expression of the TXNIP gene is regulated by DNA methylation. However, no study has reported the influence of lifestyle factors on TXNIP DNA methylation. Our goal was to determine the association between smoking habits and TXNIP DNA methylation levels in a Japanese population. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 417 subjects (180 males and 237 females) participating in a health examination. We used a pyrosequencing assay to determine TXNIP DNA methylation levels in leukocytes. The mean TXNIP DNA methylation level in current smokers (75.3%) was significantly lower than that in never and ex-smokers (never: 78.1%, p < 0.001; ex: 76.9%, p = 0.013). Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that the OR for TXNIP DNA hypomethylation was significantly higher in current smokers than that in never smokers, and significantly higher in current smokers with years of smoking ≥ 35 and Brinkman Index ≥ 600 compared to that in non-smokers. In conclusion, we found that current smokers had TXNIP DNA hypomethylation compared to never and ex-smokers. Moreover, long-term smoking and high smoking exposure also were associated with TXNIP DNA hypomethylation.
Gait Classification using LSTM Networks for Tagging System

Gait analysis based on observational methods is commonly used in everyday clinical practice. It is largely subjective and has a variety of limitations. In this publication we describe application of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) type Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for classification between healthy gait and gait with disease entity. This classification is based on person single step, beginning and ending with right foot strike on ground. The classification was carried out on reference motion database from Human Motion Laboratory (HML) of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology (PJAIT) containing a large set of samples. LSTM network checked in publication is a part of motion tagging system based on the EXTag concept.
Program Disturb Mechanism in Embedded SuperFlash® Technology

In advanced embedded split-gate SuperFlash® 3rd generation technology (ESF3) the select gate is compiled with continually scaled core logic transistors. In doing so, enhanced performance and lower power are achieved. However, it was observed during ESF3 process development and integration with 1 V core logic that the program disturb performance was degraded over previous generations of this cell. Data are presented to show that the disturb phenomenon was driven by trap-assisted tunneling in the 19 Å core oxide. Corrective actions taken to eliminate this failure mechanism are discussed. Process improvement solutions were successfully applied to the smaller ESF3 technology nodes compatible with 1 V core logic and thinner gate dielectric. Pathway for continual scaling of the ESF3 cell technology in line with core transistors is presented.
Characterization, Classification and Evaluation of Soils of Churu District, Rajasthan

Soils of Churu were characterized, classified and mapped on 1:50,000 scale. The results showed that the soils of aeolian plains (93.9% area of Churu) were very deep, somewhat excessively drained, loamy sand to fine sand, single grained, moderately alkaline and were mapped as association of normal, moderately and highly hummocky phase of Molasar, Modasar and Dune complex series. Chirai series with its hummocky phase were the other soils of aeolian plains. These were moderately deep, well drained, fine sand to loamy sand, single grained at the surface, loamy sand to sandy loam in the subsurface with fine to medium weak subangular blocky structure on lime-rich substratum. Devas series, occurring as association of shallow and moderately deep phase, had sandy mantle on lime sediment rich in silica nodules. Soils of alluvial plains (6.1% of the district) were sandy loam, occasionally silty loam with medium moderate sub-angular blocky structure and were mapped as association of Masitawali, Saroopdesar and Naurangpura series. An excessive drainage and higher sand content restricted pedological manifestations in soils of aeolian plains, while the distance from the source of alluvia and load of overburden sand governed pedality in soils of alluvial plains. Molasar, Modasar, Devas and Dune complex were classified as Typic Torripsamments, while Naurangpura series as Typic Torrifluvents subgroups of Entisol soil order. Chirai series was classified as Typic Haplocalmbids, while Masitawali and Saroopdesar were placed in Fluventic Haplocambids subgroups of Aridisol soil order. Land suitability evaluation of these soils is described for arid agriculture and other alternate land uses.
Seasonal variation of particulate organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon and the contribution of microbial communities to the live particulate organic carbon in a shallow near-bottom ecosystem at the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea

Microbial planktonic communities (i.e. bacteria and protozoa), phytoplankton, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were seasonally examined at Medes Islands (Northwestern Mediterranean) to assess their variation in abundance and composition throughout the year in a near-bottom littoral ecosystem. From October 1995 to November 1996, samples were collected between two and six times per month at 0.5 m above the bottom. Mean DOC and POC values throughout the year were 2560 ± 180 (SE) and 387 ± 35 µg C l -1 , respectively. All year, detrital organic carbon (detrital = total POC - live carbon) represented the main POC fraction, and mean live carbon was 24 ± 9 µg C l -1 . Winter and spring had maximum values of POC, and spring and summer had maximum values of DOC. Heterotrophic bacteria, with a mean abundance of 5.16 ± 0.08 3 105 cells ml-1, were the main contributor to live carbon (26 ± 7%). During winter, heterotrophic bacterial biomass decreased 40% due to a decrease in mean biovolume per cell. Synechococcus sp. and Prochlorococcus sp. abundance were 2.24 ± 0.09 3 104 and 1.05 ± 0.07 3 104 cells ml-1, respec- tively. However, while Synechococcus sp. were present all year, Prochlorococcus sp. were not observed from April to July. Mean phytoplankton (i.e. diatoms and dinoflagellates) abundance was 2.06 ± 0.40 3 104 cells l-1 with biomass at a maximum during the winter months, the period with the lowest temperature and the highest nutrient concentration. The size composition of live carbon showed two clearly distinct periods: from December to March, live carbon was dominated in biomass by microplankton, while from April to November, pico- and nanoplankton cells were dominant. Overall, the dynamics of the near-bottom planktonic communities was characterized by a low biomass of heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria, phytoplankton and ciliates in contrast to previous water column studies. This pattern and the high temporal heterogeneity of the different planktonic communities are discussed in relation to the physical and chemical characteristics of the environment, as well as to the potential role that benthic communities may be exerting in the control of the near- bottom planktonic communities.
Use of an Artificial Nesting Mound by Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta): A Tool for Turtle Conservation

Abstract We constructed an artificial nesting mound for Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle) in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, NL The original nesting site was impacted by development and invasive plants. The new nesting mound was constructed from similar soil and was 100 m distant from the original site. The new mound was 50 m from stream habitat and in an old field where it received full sun for the entire day. The mound was 18 m long, 8 m wide, and had a maximum height of 1.5 m, with gently sloping sides. We encountered nest-searching female Wood Turtles on the impacted site during late May to early June for four years, 2007–2010. We carefully hand-carried females to the new nesting area and allowed them to choose whether or not to nest on the mound. We protected all nests from predators. Seventeen of 18 nests that were deposited and left on the nesting mound produced live hatchlings. Six clutches had 100% hatching success, with only one failing completely. At least nine different female Wood Turtles nested on the mound. One female returned on her own in three subsequent years, another returned on her own in one subsequent year, several were re-shown the mound in subsequent years, and one turtle found the mound and nested on it on her own. The nesting mound has produced 142 hatchling Wood Turtles over the four years. We suggest that it is possible to entice female turtles to nest in a new area and that when nesting resources are limited, construction and protection of nesting areas can be a useful conservation action.
A review of psychosocial interventions targeting families of children with cancer

Abstract Objective Psychosocial interventions in families of children with cancer are considered an effective way of empowering family members to tackle the complex hurdles they face. The ability of parents to develop adaptive coping strategies during the child's treatment is not only important to their own mental and physical health, but also to their child's well-being and long-term adjustment with the disease. Methods The aim of this review was to evaluate the existing literature for the period from 2009 to 2017 on psychosocial interventions targeting families of children with cancer. We searched the PubMed database using the following combination of keywords: “cancer AND children AND (intervention OR training) AND (mothers OR primary caregivers OR parents OR fathers OR siblings). ” Results After careful evaluation of 995 papers, 17 full-text papers were found to match our criteria (12 randomized controlled trials and 5 quasi-experimental studies). The quality of the studies was assessed using the Delphi score questionnaire, and the score of the reviewed studies ranged from 3 to 5. The findings suggest that most interventions reduced distress and improved coping strategies among participants. Interventions, mainly cognitive behavioral therapy and problem-solving skills training targeting maternal distress, were associated with improved adjustment outcomes in mothers of children with cancer. Significance of results Psychosocial interventions are helpful, and efforts should be made to promote them in a larger scale. Protocols should be implemented to ensure that all parents benefit. Computer-assisted methods may provide additional benefit by improving cancer-related knowledge and cancer-related communication.
Age-Related Differences Between Young and Old Adults: Effects of Advance Information on Task Switching

In this study we investigated the effects of advance information on task switching in young and old adults, using two forms of advance information (memory-based and cue-based) and a no advance information task. We compared 19 healthy young and 19 healthy older adults in terms of their behavioral performance and neural correlates under these three task-switching paradigms. We observed a significant difference in mixing cost between the two age groups. There was no switch cost group difference on the memory-based and cue-based tasks, but older adults showed a larger switch cost than younger adults on the no advance information task. On evoked potential measures, there was no group effect in P3 cue-locked positivity; but there was, a frontal shift of the target-locked P3, indexed as reactive control, among older adults. We observed an increased target-locked P3 in the no-information paradigm compared with the cue-based and memory-based paradigms in both groups. Task cue facilitated advance preparation and proactive control under the cue-based paradigm in both groups. Age-related decline and difficulty in control processes required for task goal maintenance were apparent among the older adults.
A β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase with poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthase activity is structurally related to β-1,3-galactosyltransferases

Human and mouse cDNAs encoding a new β-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (β3GnT) have been isolated from fetal and newborn brain libraries. The human and mouse cDNAs included ORFs coding for predicted type II transmembrane polypeptides of 329 and 325 aa, respectively. The human and mouse β3GnT homologues shared 90% similarity. The β3GnT gene was widely expressed in human and mouse tissues, although differences in the transcript levels were visible, thus indicating possible tissue-specific regulation mechanisms. The β3GnT enzyme showed a marked preference for Gal(β1–4)Glc(NAc)-based acceptors, whereas no activity was detected on type 1 Gal(β1–3)GlcNAc and O-glycan core 1 Gal(β1–3)GalNAc acceptors. The new β3GnT enzyme was capable of both initiating and elongating poly-N-acetyllactosamine chains, which demonstrated its identity with the poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthase enzyme (E.C. 2.4.1.149), showed no similarity with the i antigen β3GnT enzyme described recently, and, strikingly, included several amino acid motifs in its protein that have been recently identified in β-1,3-galactosyltransferase enzymes. The comparison between the new UDP–GlcNAc:βGal β3GnT and the three UDP–Gal:βGlcNAc β-1,3-galactosyltransferases-I, -II, and -III reveals glycosyltransferases that share conserved sequence motifs though exhibiting inverted donor and acceptor specificities. This suggests that the conserved amino acid motifs likely represent residues required for the catalysis of the glycosidic (β1–3) linkage.