Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of the Parts: A Research Poster Project Provides an Integrative Framework for Learning across Foundation Courses in Biology.

The integration of ideas, defined as the process by which students organize and connect new knowledge for deeper understanding, is essential for lifelong learning. (Government of Canda, Employment and Social Development Canada, 2017; Rateau, Kaufman, & Cletzer, 2015). Integration across sub-disciplines in biology requires an understanding of organizational scales (molecular to ecosystems) and time frames (physiological to evolutionary), and how they inter-relate. The challenge lies in allowing students opportunity to integrate knowledge, given that sub-disciplines are taught in relative isolation through individual courses. To promote integration, we designed a poster assignment in which ~700 students in three foundation courses worked together (130 groups) to investigate empirical research in multiple sub-disciplines. While a major goal was to enrich understanding by integrating knowledge, we also sought to develop transferable skills (e
Studying the multiple faces of nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome: A case series

Nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) or Gorlin–Goltz syndrome is an autosomal dominant-inherited condition that exhibits high penetrance and variable expressivity; however, this disorder can arise spontaneously. In 1960, Gorlin and Goltz described the syndrome as a condition, comprising the principle triad of multiple basal cell carcinoma, odontogenic keratocysts, and skeletal anomalies. The diagnostic findings of NBCCS in four patients were studied and compared with other reports in the Indian population. Early diagnosis of this syndrome is important for counseling of patients to prevent the life-long complications of this syndrome which includes the malignancy, oro-maxillofacial deformation, and destruction; this may be reduced if the diagnosis and treatment are made feasible at the earliest.
Extraction of protein from sunflower Deoiled cake

Sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.) are among the world’s most important oilseeds. The techno functional properties of sunflower proteins are comparable with those of soy and other leguminous proteins. Sunflower meal is a source of high quality protein. Preliminary experiment on extraction of protein was carried out with sodium chloride (NaCl concentration of 1-3 mol/L) using 1.0 N NaOH for pH adjustment. Three levels of pH (6-8), extraction temperature (15-45 °C), NaCl concentration of 1-3 mol/L and ratio of sunflower meal to solvent (10-20 w/v) were selected and evaluated to study the effect of extraction process variables on protein isolate yield (% weight) and protein content (%). The results revealed that the protein isolate yield was less than 15% and were also dark in colour. Hence, the treatments were modified by changing NaCl concentration to 8.0% minimum to 12.0% maximum and Meal % (8 to 12%). The temperature (30 °C) and extraction time (30 min) were kept constant for all treatments for better extraction. Extracted protein was precipitated at pH 4.5 with 1.0 N HCl, and collected by centrifugation at 5000 rpm for 30 mins. The sunflower protein isolates (SPI) were washed with water and adjusted to the pH of precipitation, and again re-centrifuged. The washed SPI was adjusted to pH 7 with NaOH prior to being dried. In conclusion, response surface methodology technique was found to be very useful in determining the optimization conditions for extraction of protein isolate. The optimum protein extraction was achieved by extracting the cake at the extraction conditions of: pH-9, NaCl % -9, Meal % - 10.
Attention-based Recurrent Neural Network for Traffic Flow Prediction

Traffic flow prediction is an important while complex problem in transportation modeling and management. Many uncertain, non-linear and stochastic factors could have large influence on the prediction performance. With the recent development in deep learning, researchers have applied deep neural networks for the traffic flow prediction problem and achieved promising results. However, existing studies still have some issues unaddressed, e.g., the models only predict the traffic flow at next time step while travelers may need a sequence of predictions to make better, long-term decisions; temporal factors are (e.g., day of the week, national holiday) usually not well considered during prediction. To address these limitations, this paper proposed an attention-based recurrent neural network architecture for multi-step traffic flow prediction. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method has superior performance compared to the existing models. We also show how the method can be used to develop traffic anomaly detection systems.
Estimating Body Condition Score in Dairy Cows From Depth Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Transfer Learning and Model Ensembling Techniques

BCS (Body Condition Score) is a method to estimate body fat reserves and accumulated energy balance of cows, placing estimations (or BCS values) in a scale of 1 to 5. Periodically rating BCS of dairy cows is very important since BCS values are associated with milk production, reproduction, and health of cows. However, in practice, obtaining BCS values is a time-consuming and subjective task performed visually by expert scorers. There have been several efforts to automate BCS of dairy cows by using image analysis and machine learning techniques. In a previous work, an automatic system to estimate BCS values was proposed, which is based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). In this paper we significantly extend the techniques exploited by that system via using transfer learning and ensemble modeling techniques to further improve BCS estimation accuracy. The improved system has achieved good estimations results in comparison with the base system. Overall accuracy of BCS estimations within 0.25 units of difference from true values has increased 4% (up to 82%), while overall accuracy within 0.50 units has increased 3% (up to 97%).
Pupillometry as an Objective Measure of Sustained Attention in Young and Older Listeners

The ability to sustain attention on a task-relevant sound source while avoiding distraction from concurrent sounds is fundamental to listening in crowded environments. We aimed to (a) devise an experimental paradigm with which this aspect of listening can be isolated and (b) evaluate the applicability of pupillometry as an objective measure of sustained attention in young and older populations. We designed a paradigm that continuously measured behavioral responses and pupillometry during 25-s trials. Stimuli contained a number of concurrent, spectrally distinct tone streams. On each trial, participants detected gaps in one of the streams while resisting distraction from the others. Behavior demonstrated increasing difficulty with time-on-task and with number/proximity of distractor streams. In young listeners (N = 20; aged 18 to 35 years), pupil diameter (on the group and individual level) was dynamically modulated by instantaneous task difficulty: Periods where behavioral performance revealed a strain on sustained attention were accompanied by increased pupil diameter. Only trials on which participants performed successfully were included in the pupillometry analysis so that the observed effects reflect task demands as opposed to failure to attend. In line with existing reports, we observed global changes to pupil dynamics in the older group (N = 19; aged 63 to 79 years) including decreased pupil diameter, limited dilation range, and reduced temporal variability. However, despite these changes, older listeners showed similar effects of attentive tracking to those observed in the young listeners. Overall, our results demonstrate that pupillometry can be a reliable and time-sensitive measure of attentive tracking over long durations in both young and (with caveats) older listeners.
Synaptic Integration and its Control in Neocortical Pyramidal Cells

The main goal of this thesis is to investigate the input/output relationship of single regular-firing neocortical pyramidal neurons and how this relationship can be controlled by external inputs. The thesis can be divided into three main parts. First, a detailed single cell model was developed, based on the morphology of reconstructed cells and experimental values for membrane conductances and synaptic input distributions. This model was used for the following investigations. Second, the spatio-temporal integration of single and multiple inputs was studied. Several measures for the efficacy and time delay of single synapses were defined and shown to vary dramatically. For example, a somatic synapse was only 2.2 times stronger than a very distal synapse using the charge attenuation measure, but more than 450 times stronger in the voltage attenuation measure. The effect that temporal synchronicity of multiple inputs had on firing rate was shown to vary with the number of inputs: for just-threshold input rates, synchronicity increased firing rate; for large inputs, high synchronicity strongly reduced firing rate, due to inputs being "wasted" during the refractory period. Third, a subset of the inputs were considered to constitute a control signal, and their effect on other inputs was studied for three cases. The first case considers the level of synaptic background activity to be a control signal; since each synapse is a small conductance change, and not a voltage-independent current source, the sum total of all "background" synapses will constitute the lion's share of the membrane conductance. The background firing rate, f_b, will therefore determine the electrotonic structure of the cell. For f_b in the range of 0-10 H z, a more than 10-fold decrease was seen in both input resistance (50.4-5.1 MΩ) and membrane time constant (33.7-1.6 msec). Electrotonic length and resting potential were similarly affected. The second case treats input to the apical trunk as the control signal; when this input was weak and excitatory, the more distal input to the apical tuft could be facilitated, but when this input was strong or combined with inhibition, more distal input were reduced. The third case involves distributing two types of active conductances throughout the apical dendrites. The activation curves of these conductances were "designed" to ensure that the current delivered to the soma was linear in the input rate and amplified, since a passive tree strongly attenuates large apical inputs. The linearization was implemented with a persistent potassium conductance in the superficial layer I- III and the amplification with a persistent calcium conductance in the apical trunk (layer IV). The amplification gain could be set arbitrarily by modulating the channel density of either the potassium or calcium conductance.
Comparison of diet digestibility, rumen fermentation, rumen rate of passage, and feed efficiency in dairy heifers fed ad-libitum versus precision diets with low and high quality forages

ABSTRACT This study compared ad-libitum versus precision-fed diets with 2 forages and different levels of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) to evaluate rumen fermentation, diet digestibility, feed efficiency, and digesta passage rate. Eight Holstein heifers (18.4 ± 0.6 mo) fitted with rumen cannulas were used in a 2-factor, split-plot, Latin square design. The whole-plot factor was feeding system with ad-libitum or precision feeding and 4 heifers in each plot. The subplot included 2 factors: forage quality and NDF content. Diets were formulated to provide the same energy level (0.234 Mcal of ME intake/kg of empty body weight0.75 for precision-fed heifers and 110% of previous intake for ad-libitum-fed heifers. Forage quality and NDF level affected dry matter intake. Mean rumen pH was lower for ad-libitum than for precision-fed diets and volatile fatty acid concentrations were affected principally by forage quality. Ad-libitum diets showed faster rate of passage for solid feeds and fluids, increased rate of digestion, and shorter retention time in the rumen. In addition, both high NDF and low quality forage modified rumen passage rate and shortened retention time. Feed efficiency was improved in precision-fed heifers.
Nutrient Removal by High Rate Pond System in a Mediterranean Climate (France)

The objective of the present study vas to ascertain the mechanisms involved in nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater and to determine the most effective treatment conditions for removing these nutrients by high rate ponding in a Mediterranean climate. Tests carried out in Meze (France) showed that variations of climatic factors (light and temperature), can be compensated by changes in detention times. The following strategy was adopted: the pond was operated with long detention times (8 days) in winter, which is characterized by low light intensity and low temperatures, and with short detention times (4 days) in summer, when the climatic conditions are more favorable. The results obtained show that the rates of HH4-N and PO4-P removal were high and stable (94 and 71%, respectively) during the study period February to September, 1988. The phenomena responsible for nutrient elimination in the high rate pond are the following: photosynthetic assimilation, volatilization of ammonia and precipitation of calcium phosphate due to the high pH obtained by intense algal photosynthetic activity. Wastewater treatment by high rate ponding appears to be an attractive technique for preventing eutrophication in receiving water.
THE EFFECT OF INTERFACE ON USER TRUST; USER BEHAVIOR IN E-COMMERCE PRODUCTS

Abstract In this analytical research, the dependency of trust on the user interface in e-commerce has been reviewed. The approach of this case study on payment gateways (PGs) was a combination of the cross-sectional analysis and empirical study. First, the situation of a PG was evaluated in the marketing campaign. Then, the UI of 8 famous PGs was redesigned and 160 volunteers ranked the credibility of each page. Finally, the highest-ranked page was implemented, and the campaign was repeated. Results showed the users who trusted increased from 23.4% to 54.5% due to a new UI design.
Morphosyntactic adaptation in adult L2 processing: Exposure and the processing of case and tense violations

Abstract This paper investigates morphosyntactic adaptation in second language (L2) sentence processing. In a pre-/posttest control group design, two experiments with intermediate to advanced German–English learners examine whether massed exposure to informative input leads to adaptation in L2 processing in that L2 readers come to integrate inflection in real-time comprehension. Experiment 1 on case marking shows that input causing prediction error and flagging the target parse leads to nativelike integration of case in the reanalysis of garden-path sentences. Experiment 2 shows partially nativelike processing of adverbial–verb tense mismatches after exposure to target input. Adaptation was selective to the experimental versus the control group in processing, yet it did not generalize to offline, explicit performance. We conclude that morphosyntactic adaptation constitutes an implicit learning mechanism in L2 processing, and we discuss its implications for models of L2 processing and acquisition.
Different Effects of Thiazolidinediones on Cardiovascular Events among Type 2 Diabetic Patients Implanted with Bare Metal Stents: A Nationwide Study

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of thiazolidinediones (TZDs) on re-hospitalization rates for revascularization after bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation. Methods: Data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), a government-operated, population-based database, were analyzed from March, 2000 to December, 2006. Type 2 diabetes subjects treated with BMS implantations who used TZDs (either rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) were compared with subjects not on TZDs (non-TZD group) to evaluate the risk of readmission for coronary revascularization. Endpoints were acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and readmission for revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft surgery) after 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: In total, 6911 type 2 diabetes patients were hospitalized for BMS implantation (average follow-up, 294.4 ± 108.9 days). Rosiglitazone treatment in patients who received BMSs was associated with a higher risk of re-hospitalization for revascularization at 6 and 12 months (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08-1.64 and HR = 1.20 95% CI: 1.01-1.43). However, there were no significant differences between the pioglitazone and non-TZD groups. Conclusion: The use of rosiglitazone in type 2 diabetes patients after BMS implantation may increase the risk of re-hospitalization for revascularization. Our study suggests that rosiglitazone should be used cautiously in diabetes patients with BMS implantation.
How Does the Positioning of Information Technology Firms in Strategic Alliances Influence Returns to R&D Investments?

Because software is fungible, has low marginal replication costs, and requires relatively high levels of initial investment to develop, understanding how IT-producing firms protect and leverage value from their research and development (R&D) investments is important. We examine how the positioning of IT-producing firms within their networks of strategic alliances moderates profits from R&D investments. We posit that alliances with IT-consuming firms generate relation-specific rents that, in turn, protect the value of R&D investments by making software innovations difficult for rivals to appropriate. Among IT-producing firms, we make a distinction between software consulting and services firms and software package-product firms. Our analyses of 464 IT-producing firms for the 14-year period 1996-2009 suggest that IT-producing firms’ returns on R&D investments increase with alliance ties to IT-consuming firms. We also find that alliances with IT-consuming firms have a more beneficial effect on R&D investment returns for software consulting and services firms than for software package-product firms. Our findings yield nuanced insights into how IT-producing firms should position themselves within a network of alliances with IT-consuming firms. We discuss implications for research and practice.
Information and genetic counselling for psychiatric risks in children with rare disorders

Background: The diagnosis of developmental disorders is being transformed by advances in whole genome technologies. However, continuing uncertainties about the individual risks and potential severity of psychiatric impacts attributed to causal genomic variants limits the availability of comprehensive family-oriented information. In addition, there is insufficient evidence about how the parents of children with developmental disorders comprehend the facts and implications of their diagnosis through genetic counselling, nor how they gather developmental and mental health information to guide their understanding. Methods: Parents of children (aged 0–17 years) referred to paediatric genetics services completed an anonymous online 46-item survey about: (i) the experience of attending services to receive their child’s genetic diagnosis, and (ii) the availability, quality and helpfulness of information about psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions associated with genomic disorders. Findings: Two-hundred and eighty-six families (199 UK and 87 USA) completed the survey. One-in-three UK and one-in-five US respondents were dissatisfied with how their child’s genetic diagnosis was communicated. Satisfaction was predicted by face-to-face communication (odds ratio 2·91 [95% CI 1·43–5·94]; p=0·003); results being presented by genetics specialists (2·97 [1·41–6·26]; p=0·004); receiving clear explanations (5·14 [2·58– 10·26]; p<0·001); receiving support (2·99 [1·21–7·36], p=0·017); and male gender of the tested child (2·56 [1·28–5·14]; p=0·008). Compared to health-related information on developmental delay or intellectual disability, parents were more likely to obtain information about psychiatric manifestations from non-professional lay sources than from clinical specialists (p<0·001). This was particularly evident for families in the UK compared to the USA (p<0·001). Parents considered information from rare disorder support groups to be more helpful than from genetics specialists (odds ratio 11·0 [95% CI 5·08–86·75]; p<0·001), or paediatricians (11·0 [1·42–85·20]; p=0·006), or internet sites (15·5 [3·71–64·77]; p<0·001), which in turn proved more helpful than information provided by geneticists (2·5 [1·44–4·31]; p=0·001). Interpretation: Psychiatric comorbidity is a common feature of rare genomic disorders, but the paucity of suitable information available from clinical specialists suggests families are not optimally informed about these challenges. Wider implementation of genomic testing in general medicine should include adequate training in genetic counselling to ensure best practice in communicating and explaining complex test results supported by comprehensive, family-oriented information. Funding: The Waterloo Foundation: Changing Minds Programme (506296); The Medical Research Council (MRC) Research Grant: Intellectual Disability and Mental Health: Assessing Genomic Impact on Neurodevelopment (MR/N022572/1).
Pathogenic features of urinary Escherichia coli strains causing Asymptomatic Bacteriuria during Pregnancy

Background Asymptomatic bacteriuria is one of the common problems in pregnancy. Pyelonephritis, preterm labor and low birth weight infants have been associated with bacterial infection. Urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy is frequently associated with complications. An observational cross-sectional study including investigated the prevalence of virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance, and its relationship with phylogenetic groups among E. coli strains isolated from pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria who referred to Hafez hospital, Shiraz, Iran. Material and Methods A total of 300 urine samples were screened for Escherichia coli strains. Susceptibility testing was determined by the disk-diffusion method. The phylogenetic groups and 13 virulence genes were identified by PCR. ESBL and AmpC producing isolates were detected using phenotypic methods. PCR was used to identify the bla TEM , bla SHV and bla CTXM genes in ESBL and AmpC-positive isolates. Results Our results revealed that among 300 urine samples, 105 (35%) were positive for E. coli . The data showed that the highest and the lowest resistance rates were observed against nalidixic acid (82.1%), and imipenem (2.8%), respectively. The prevalence of ESBLs and AmpC-β-lactamase, in the E. coli isolates was 41% and 9.5% respectively. bla CTXM was the commonest genotype (93%). Phylogenetic group distribution was as follow: B1 2.8%, A 14.2%, B2 61.9%, and D 4.6%. Our result showed that most of the virulence genes belonged to group B2 and also several virulence genes such as hlyA , cnf-1 , and papGII genes were positively associated with group B2. Conclusion Among E. coli strains isolated from patients with UTIs, different features phylogroups, with special virulence factors, could cause severe infection. Awareness about the Virulence patterns distribution among Phylogenetic groups of UPEC could greatly aid in confine and prevent the development of lethal infection caused by these strains.