Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of foveal load on parafoveal processing of N + 2 during Chinese reading

ABSTRACT According to the foveal load hypothesis, parafoveal processing is influenced by the difficulty of current foveal processing. It remains unclear whether foveal load may affect the extent of parafoveal processing. This is an important consideration given the evidence that Chinese readers may frequently pre-process word N + 2 when N + 1 is one character. Accordingly, the current study manipulated word frequency to explore the influence of foveal load on parafoveal processing of N + 2 using a 2 (foveal load: high-frequency, low-frequency) × 2 (preview condition: identical preview, pseudo-character preview) within-subject design. Main effects of foveal load were found for the foveal word N, with longer fixations for low- than for high-frequency words and a main effect of preview was also found for N + 2, with longer fixations for pseudo-character preview compared to identical preview. Crucially, there was no interaction between foveal load and preview condition, indicating that parafoveal processing of word N + 2 is not influenced by foveal load during natural Chinese reading.
Diagnostic yield and clinical impact of chromosomal microarray analysis in autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by high heritability estimates and recurrence rates; its genetic underpinnings are very heterogeneous and include variable combinations of common and rare variants. Array‐comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) offers significant sensitivity for the identification of copy number variants (CNVs), which can act as susceptibility or causal factors for ASD.
Heavy metal fractionation in Fluvic Entisols under saline conditions in Northeastern Brazil

- The long-term use of agrichemicals might add some heavy metals to soils and, there is little information about the dynamics of these elements in soils under saline conditions in semiarid regions. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of heavy metals in the di ﬀ erent fractions of Fluvic Entisols with saline conditions under long term of coconut cultivation in a semiarid region. Composite soil samples were collected in ﬁ ve agricultural areas and three areas under native vegetation. Physical, chemical, and heavy metal analyses were carried out in soil (semi total and fractionated contents). Quality of irrigation water and drainage water was also evaluated. Analytical results were normalized and subjected to analysis of variance, and means were compared by Scott-Knott test (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis was also used to assure a minimum correlation of variables justifying its use in the matrix of a factorial analysis. Semi-total contents of Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn (except Cu in some areas) were lower than previous local assessment and national guiding values, indicating that they do not cause harmful alterations in soil quality. Analyses of waters showed high levels of HCO 3 , indicating moderate restriction to use (due to the high levels of EC, SAR, Na and Cl). Fractionation of heavy metals revealed low risk of environmental pollution since most metal contents were bound to the oxidic, organic and residual fractions. The water used in irrigation contributes to the contents of heavy metals and to the salinity condition of the evaluated soils.
Social Choice and Catastrophe

This paper surveys the results in general equilibrium theory based on dynamical models, and emphasizes the role of structural stability. In this context it is natural to consider a preference field H for the society, combining economic fields, associated with the preferred changes wrought by agents in the economic market place, together with fields of preferred changes in the polity. A condition called half-openness of H is sufficient to guarantee existence of a local direction gradient,d, for the society, and thus of a social choice. The condition is equivalent to a dual property that the dual co-cones of H have non-empty intersection. This result is analogous to Chichilnisky's necessary and sufficient condition for market equilibrium.We then consider models of belief aggregation similar to Condorcet's Jury theorem and mention Penn's Theorem on existence of a belief equilibrium. The half open property may fail for general dynamical processes and this feature is linked to the creation of belief cascades at the "edge of chaos. Some comments are addressed to the notion of "punctuated equilibrium" in evolutionary models in biology and language. Finally, Thom's notion of a structurally stable chreod is introduced. Even when a belief or preference field is locally chaotic because of a failure of half openness, it is possible to define a generalized social correspondence called the "heart. " The heart is lower hemi-continuous and is characterized by a possible rapid expansion at a critical value of the parameters. It is suggest that events in the heart obey a power law distribution which is generally associated with "the edge of chaos. "
Effects of Nightshift Work on Blood Metabolites in Female Nurses and Paramedic Staff: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Nightshift work disturbs the circadian rhythm, which might contribute to the development of cardio-metabolic disorders. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to gain insight into perturbations of disease relevant metabolic pathways due to nightshift work. We characterized the metabolic profiles of 237 female nurses and paramedic staff participating in the Klokwerk study using the Nightingale Health platform. We performed analyses on plasma levels of 225 metabolites, including cholesterol, triglycerides, fatty acids, and amino acids. Using both principal component- and univariate-regression, we compared metabolic profiles of nightshift workers to metabolic profiles from workers that did not work night shifts (defined as day workers). We also assessed whether differential effects were observed between recently started versus more experienced workers. Within the group of nightshift workers, we compared metabolic profiles measured right after a nightshift with metabolic profiles measured on a day when no nightshift work was conducted. We observed evidence for an impact of nightshift work on the presence of unfavorable fatty acid profiles in blood. Amongst the fatty acids, effects were most prominent for PUFA/FA ratios (consistently decreased) and SFA/FA ratios (consistently elevated). This pattern of less favorable fatty acid profiles was also observed in samples collected directly after a night shift. Amino acid levels (histidine, glutamine, isoleucine, and leucine) and lipoproteins (especially HDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides) were elevated when comparing nightshift workers with day workers. Amino acid levels were decreased in the samples that were collected directly after working a nightshift (compared to levels in samples that were collected during a non-nightshift period). The observed effects were generally more pronounced in samples collected directly after the nightshift and among recently started compared to more experienced nightshift workers. Our finding of a suggested impact of shift work on impaired lipid metabolism is in line with evidence that links disruption of circadian rhythmicity to obesity and metabolic disorders.
Continuance Intention to Use Bilibili for Online Learning

Bilibili, a popular video-sharing and danmaku-themed platform, has played a crucial role in online learning. However, limited research has been conducted to examine the factors that influence its users' continuance intention. Thus, this study proposes an integrated model of technology acceptance model, expectation-confirmation model, and task-technology fit based on the data collected from 265 Chinese participants. The model also includes content richness and a newly introduced variable, danmaku interface, to fill the research gap. The results show that 1) content richness has no positive influence on satisfaction and perceived usefulness, 2) danmaku interface significantly and positively influences satisfaction at the significant 0.05 level but has no positive effect on perceived usefulness, 3) task-technology fit positively and significantly predicts perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness at the significant 0.05 level, and 4) the other hypotheses within TAM and ECM are well accepted. The features and educational functions of Bilibili could be further explored in the future.
Combined Pulsed Vacuum Osmotic Dehydration and Convective Air-Drying Process of Jambolan Fruits

Jambolan (Syzygium cumini) is a native fruit from Asia that has adapted well to the tropical climate of the Amazonian region. However, due to its limited annual availability and high perishability, the jambolan fruit is still underexploited. Thus, this study aimed to preserve the jambolan through a combined process of pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration (PVOD) and convective air-drying and to monitor the total phenolic contents (TPCs) and total monomeric anthocyanins (TMAs) during these processes. To this end, jambolan fruits were pretreated with increasing PVOD times. After monitoring of moisture loss, solid gain, weight reduction, water activity, TPC, and TMA, pretreated (PT) and non-pretreated (NPT) fruits underwent convective air-drying (50–70 °C). The PVOD reduced half of the water present in the fruits; nonetheless, PVOD decreased the TPC and TMA over time. The increase in air-drying temperature shortened the drying time for both NPT and PT jambolan, and PVOD reduced even further the drying time of the fruits. Moreover, the fruits pretreated and dried at 60 °C showed promising results, potentially being a good alternative to extend the fruit’s shelf life and make it available throughout the year.
Effects of native defects on properties of low temperature grown, non-stoichiomtric gallium nitride

The properties of GaN thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy at temperatures from 80 to 500 °C under a wide range of Ga:N flux ratios are studied. We found that at growth temperatures as low as ~80 °C, GaN films still have a polycrystalline, columnar morphology with c-axis preferred orientation. Soft x-ray absorption and emission and optical absorption measurements on Ga-rich samples suggest the presence of a partially occupied GaN antisite defect band located at ~1.2 eV below the conduction band minimum. P-type conductivity observed in this LTMBE Ga-rich GaN is consistent with transport within this partially occupied defect band.
GLAD Scale for Ranking Welfare of Horses on Arrival after Transport to Slaughterhouses

Simple Summary Horses are often transported, and transport may impair their health and welfare. However, there is no tool to assess objectively their welfare after transport. This study aimed to develop the first tool for measuring horse welfare on arrival and to propose a scale to rank horses based on their welfare impairment. The tool and the scale were developed based on the literature and expert knowledge using data collected from 1019 horses traveling to three slaughterhouses. The results of a checklist containing 15 animal-based measures (ABMs), recorded on arrival, were assigned a level of welfare impairment (S). Based on S, the horses were split into four categories: good shape; light affected; affected; down (GLAD). Based on the GLAD scale, G horses can be slaughtered immediately, L horses need rest, A horses need attention and treatment, and D horses may need euthanasia or emergency slaughtering. The majority of the horses fell into the categories G (43%) and L (48%). Our tool is a simple, easy-to-use instrument to assess horse welfare after transport, specifically aimed at horses arriving at slaughterhouses, and it may assist competent authorities in deciding when a horse can be slaughtered. Abstract To date, there is no official method for measuring horse welfare after transport. This study aimed to develop a scale to classify horses into four categories: good shape; light affected; affected; down (GLAD) based on their welfare impairment measured at unloading. To this end, 15 animal-based measures (ABMs), previously recorded from 1019 horses, were scored. Weight and severity scores provided by welfare experts, alongside the number of welfare principles highlighted by the ABM, were assigned to each ABM. The welfare impairment (S) of each horse was then calculated as the weighted sum of the severity scores of the 15 ABMs. Three thresholds were also set to define the four GLAD categories; the ABM “down” (i.e., horses unable to stand and walk on arrival, also considered by the law as the indicator of the worst welfare) was used as the higher threshold, Sdown, (category D); the intermediate threshold, S2, was defined by the ABM “injuries”, assumed to represent highly impaired welfare (category A); the threshold, S1, was defined assuming that significant welfare impairment starts from 20% of S2 (L category). Horses with an S value below S1 were considered physically and mentally fit (G category). Out of 1019, 43% of horses fell into category G, 48% into L, 9% into A, and 0.3% into D. Our scale could be useful for veterinarians to decide whether a horse can be slaughtered immediately (G), needs rest (L), needs attention (A), or euthanasia (D), but further validation is needed.
Recommendations for the Assessment of Potential Environmental Effects of Genome-Editing Applications in Plants in the EU

The current initiative of the European Commission (EC) concerning plants produced using certain new genomic techniques, in particular, targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis, underlines that a high level of protection for human and animal health and the environment needs to be maintained when using such applications. The current EU biosafety regulation framework ensures a high level of protection with a mandatory environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) products prior to the authorization of individual GMOs for environmental release or marketing. However, the guidance available from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for conducting such an ERA is not specific enough regarding the techniques under discussion and needs to be further developed to support the policy goals towards ERA, i.e., a case-by-case assessment approach proportionate to the respective risks, currently put forward by the EC. This review identifies important elements for the case-by-case approach for the ERA that need to be taken into account in the framework for a risk-oriented regulatory approach. We also discuss that the comparison of genome-edited plants with plants developed using conventional breeding methods should be conducted at the level of a scientific case-by-case assessment of individual applications rather than at a general, technology-based level. Our considerations aim to support the development of further specific guidance for the ERA of genome-edited plants.
Dynamical analysis of a cubic Liénard system with global parameters (II)

In this paper, we continue to study the global dynamics of a cubic Liénard system for global parameters in the case of three equilibria to follow (2015 Nonlinearity 28 3535–62), which deals with the case of two equilibria. We first analyse qualitative properties of all equilibria and judge the existences of limit cycles and homoclinic loops and their numbers. Then we obtain the bifurcation diagram and all phase portraits as our main results. Based on these results, in the case of three equilibria a positive answer to conjecture 3.2 of (1998 Nonlinearity 11 1505–19), which is about the existence of some function whose graph is exactly the surface of double limit cycles, is obtained. Moreover, a parameter region for the nonexistence of figure-eight loops is given theoretically to compensate for previous numerical results and is illustrated numerically.
Isomorphisms of Partial Group Rings

We prove that if two finite groups G1 and G2 admit an isomorphism between their lattices of subgroups which preserves subgroup rings over a commutative ring K then the partial group rings Kpar G1 and Kpar G2 are isomorphic. If |G| is odd, then we find a series of natural invariants of ℂpar G and use them to show that ℂpar G determines the commutativity of G. In the case of odd |G|, the least counterexample to the isomorphism problem for partial group algebras over ℂ is pointed out. Moreover, a counterexample to the isomorphism problem over ℚ is also given.
Effects of Age Group, Gender, and Consumption Frequency on Texture Perception and Liking of Cooked Rice or Bread

This study aimed to determine whether and how three demographic factors—age group, gender, and consumption frequency—affect texture perception and liking of two staple foods—cooked rice and wheat bread. In total, 346 adults evaluated three cooked rice and four wheat bread samples in terms of three (hardness, stickiness, and chewiness) and four textural attributes (hardness, moistness, chewiness, and softness), respectively, on both 9-point intensity and 5-point Just-About-Right (JAR) scales. Liking of test samples was also rated on 9-point hedonic scales. Age group and gender differed in mean ratings, standard deviations, and JAR responses regarding textural attribute intensity and overall liking of test samples, while the effect of consumption frequency was minimal in this regard. Significant contributors of textural attributes to overall liking of cooked rice and wheat bread differed with age group, gender, and consumption frequency. Effects of age group, gender, and consumption frequency on texture perception and overall liking also varied with test samples. This study provides agricultural and food systems professionals with systematic evidence of how textural attribute perception and liking of foods can change based on demographics and test samples.
Flexural properties of porcupine quill-inspired sandwich panels

This paper presents the bending behaviour of the porcupine quill and bioinspired Voronoi sandwich panels, aiming to explore the effect of geometrical design on the bending performance of the inspired structures. Through the x-ray micro-computed tomography, the internal morphology of the quill is explored. The longitudinal cross-section of the porcupine quill revealed a functionally graded design in the foam structure. Based on this observation, Voronoi sandwich panels are designed by incorporating the Voronoi seed distribution strategy and gradient transition design configurations. Porcupine-inspired sandwich panels with various core designs are fabricated via material jetting technique and tested under three-point bending condition. Results show that the sample failed at the bottom face panels for uniform sandwich panels, whereas graded samples failed in the core panel. The bending behaviour developed via simulation software shows a good agreement with the experimental results. The parametric study provides insights into structural designs for engineering applications, particularly in the aerospace and automobile industries.
Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiling of Human Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus Strains Using Whole Genome Sequencing and Genome-Scale Annotation Approaches

Staphylococcus species are major pathogens with increasing importance due to the rise in antibiotic resistance. Whole genome sequencing and genome-scale annotation are promising approaches to study the pathogenicity and dissemination of virulence factors in nosocomial methicillin-resistant and multidrug-resistant bacteria in intensive care units. Draft genome sequences of eight clinical S. aureus strains were assembled and annotated for the prediction of antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence factors, and phylogenetic analysis. Most of the studied S. aureus strains displayed multi-resistance toward the tested drugs, reaching more than seven drugs up to 12 in isolate S22. The mecA gene was detected in three isolates (S14, S21, and S23), mecC was identified in S8 and S9, and blaZ was commonly identified in all isolates except strain S23. Additionally, two complete mobile genomic islands coding for methicillin resistance SCCmec Iva (2B) were identified in strains S21 and S23. Numerous antimicrobial resistance genes (norA, norC, MgrA, tet(45), APH(3′)-IIIa, and AAC(6′)-APH(2″)) were identified in chromosomes of different strains. Plasmid analysis revealed the presence of blaZ, tetK, and ermC in different plasmid types, located in gene cassettes containing plasmid replicons (rep) and insertion sequences (IS). Additionally, the aminoglycoside-resistant determinants were identified in S1 (APH(3′)-IIIa), while AAC(6)-APH(2″) was detected in strains S8 and S14. The trimethoprim (dfrC) resistance gene was detected in S. aureus S21, and the fosfomycin (fosB) resistance gene was detected only in S. aureus S14. We also noted that S. aureus S1 belongs to ST1-t127, which has been reported as one of the most frequent human pathogen types. Additionally, we noted the presence of rare plasmid-mediated mecC-MRSA in some of our isolates.
The timing and ecological consequences of Pleistocene megafaunal decline in the eastern Andes of Colombia

Abstract Examining the ecological consequences of the late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions within biodiversity hotspots is crucial for our understanding of the potential consequences of contemporary extinctions. We present the first multi-species record of spores of coprophilous fungi (SCF) from Monquentiva and the high-Andean forests of Colombia to reconstruct Late Pleistocene and Holocene megafaunal abundance. Fossilised pollen and charcoal are used to examine the consequences of megafaunal declines on the surrounding vegetation and fire activity. Our SCF record indicates the presence of Pleistocene megafauna at least since 30,290 BP, with two waves of megafaunal decline at ca. 22,900 BP and 10,990 BP. At Monquentiva, megafaunal decline in the Early Holocene resulted in transitional non-analogue vegetation, loss of some herbivore-dispersed plant taxa, an encroachment of palatable and woody flora, and a rise in fire activity. Differences with other published South-American records suggest that ecological consequences of megafaunal declines were habitat-specific. Overall, we show that ecosystems in the eastern Colombian Cordillera were highly sensitive to the decline of megafaunal populations. Under the current biodiversity crisis, management and conservation efforts must account for the effects of local herbivore declines on plant dispersal, on fire activity, and the potential loss of ecosystem services.
Trial of a Novel Oral Cannabinoid Formulation in Patients with Hypertension: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pharmacogenetic Study

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, and available evidence suggests potential efficacy in the treatment of many disorders. DehydraTECH™2.0 CBD is a patented capsule formulation that improves the bioabsorption of CBD. We sought to compare the effects of CBD and DehydraTECH™2.0 CBD based on polymorphisms in CYP P450 genes and investigate the effects of a single CBD dose on blood pressure. In a randomized and double-blinded order, 12 females and 12 males with reported hypertension were given either placebo capsules or DehydraTECH™2.0 CBD (300 mg of CBD, each). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured during 3 h, and blood and urine samples were collected. In the first 20 min following the dose, there was a greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.025) and mean arterial pressure MAP (p = 0.056) with DehydraTECH™2.0 CBD, which was probably due to its greater CBD bioavailability. In the CYP2C9*2*3 enzyme, subjects with the poor metabolizer (PM) phenotype had higher plasma CBD concentrations. Both CYP2C19*2 (p = 0.037) and CYP2C19*17 (p = 0.022) were negatively associated with urinary CBD levels (beta = −0.489 for CYP2C19*2 and beta = −0.494 for CYP2C19*17). Further research is required to establish the impact of CYP P450 enzymes and the identification of metabolizer phenotype for the optimization of CBD formulations.