Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat in feedlot cattle.

We used data from 144 bulls, heifers, and steers to determine the repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat and to study the effect of repeated measurements on the standard error of prediction. Animals were scanned at an average age of 433 d by a certified technician. Individual bulls, heifers, and steers were scanned five to six times each with two Aloka 500-V machines, and the percentage of intramuscular fat was predicted from two regions of interest within an image. Variance components and repeatability values were computed for the overall data and by machine, region of interest, and sex. Animals were broadly divided into two groups based on mean ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat. Variance components and repeatability values were then estimated within each group. The overall repeatability of ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat was . 63 +/- . 03. Differences in the repeatability values between machines and between regions of interest were not different from zero (P > .05). Bulls showed a lower within-animal SD of . 82% as compared to . 97 and 1.02% for steers and heifers, respectively. However, steer ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat measures were more repeatable (P < .05) than those of bulls and heifers. The difference in repeatability between bull and heifer measures was not important (P > .05). Animals with mean ultrasound-predicted percentage of intramuscular fat less than 4.79% showed less repeatable measures (P < .05) than those with means above 4.79%. The image variance contributed to nearly 70% of the total variance of observations within an animal. Standard error of animal mean measures showed a 50% reduction when the number of images per animal increased to four. Therefore, we concluded that increasing the number of images per animal plays a more significant role in reducing the standard error of prediction than taking multiple measurements within a single image.
Leaning Within a Flexible Inflation-Targeting Framework: Review of Costs and Benefits

This note examines the merits of monetary policy adjustments in response to financial stability concerns, taking into account changes in the state of knowledge since the renewal of the inflation-targeting agreement in 2011. A key financial system vulnerability in Canada is elevated household indebtedness: as more and more households are nearing their debt-capacity limits, the likelihood and severity of a large negative correction in housing markets are also increasing. Adjusting the path of policy rates can be effective in reducing the buildup of household debt and the likelihood of a house price correction over the medium term. Such adjustments can also generate a fall in inflation and in output over the short term compared with the case without a policy-rate adjustment. Overall, the estimated benefits of a leaning adjustment tend to be smaller than its social losses, since its impact on the buildup of vulnerabilities is modest and the reduction in the incidence of house price corrections or financial crises is limited.
Synchronous reference frame based controllers applied to shunt active power filters in three-phase four-wire systems

This work presents compensation algorithm schemes used for shunt active power filters applied to three-phase four-wire systems, allowing harmonic current suppression and reactive power compensation, which results in an effective power factor correction. The strategies used to extract the three-phase reference currents are based on the synchronous reference frame method. Although this method is based on balanced three-phase loads, it can also be used for single-phase loads, allowing independent control of all three phases. Accordingly, a fictitious quadrature current needs to be generated through software implementation, and be orthogonal to the measured load current. This creates the fictitious balanced currents in the two-phase stationary reference frame system, allowing the choice of an adequate compensation strategy which will result in either balanced or unbalanced sinusoidal source currents. Three shunt APF topologies are evaluated under unbalanced load conditions: Split-Capacitor (S-C), Four-Leg (F-L) and Three Full-Bridge (3F-B). The proposed algorithms applied to the three APF topologies are evaluated and discussed. Mathematical analyses of the SRF-based algorithms are presented and simulation results are performed to validate the theoretical development and confirm the performance of the shunt APFs.
Multilayer Primary Epithelial Cell Culture from Bovine Conjunctiva as a Model for in vitro Toxicity Tests

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain a primary cell culture of bovine origin similar to the conjunctiva in terms of morphology and cell types, which could be of use for in vitro toxicity studies. Methods: After separation from the stroma by enzymatic treatment, conjunctival epithelial cells were dissociated and plated onto collagen-coated Transwell® filters (1.13 cm2 area). One group of plates was maintained in immersion and another was cultured under air-lifted conditions. Anti-epithelial keratin antibodies (AE1/AE3, K4) and antidesmoplakin 1 and 2 were used to characterize the cells by indirect immunofluorescence. The cell layer was examined after histological processing of the Transwell filter. Ultrastructural analysis was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bioelectric parameters transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), potential difference (PD), short circuit current and paracellular permeability profile of carboxyfluorescein were monitored as indices of the functional characteristics of these cultures. Cytotoxicity was evaluated on morphological and functional (TEER) grounds after treating the cultures with several test substances. Results: Morphological studies showed pure and homogeneous cell cultures. In the SEM analysis, we observed contiguous polygonal cells with numerous short microvilli, a characteristic proportion of light, medium and dark cells and a sparse population of rounded PAS-positive cells, i.e. resembling goblet cells. Air-lifted cultures also showed a tissue-like cellular organization (8–9 layers). Immersion cultures reached a maximum TEER value of around 2.95 kΩ·cm2 7 days after plating while in air-lifted cultures TEER peaked up to 5.59 kΩ·cm2 11 days after plating. With regard to the use of bovine conjunctival epithelial cells (BCECs) for cytotoxicity screening, the system responded finely to the insults and yielded morphological and functional results in accordance with data obtained in vivo. Conclusions: BCECs reproduce cell morphology and differentiation of the original tissue and should prove a useful tool for initial studies of drug toxicity.
Control Function Approach for Partly Ordered Endogenous Treatments: Military Rank Premium in Wage

In treatment effect analysis, there are many cases where the treatment of interest is ordered (e.g. general-education years or medicine doses) and the control treatment is not zero, but a different type of treatment (a vocational training or a surgery). We develop an approach to find effects of partly ordered treatments, while correcting for possible treatment endogeneity with nearly parametric control functions. We use this control function approach, along with its supplementary version, to estimate effects of military ranks (ordered treatments) on wage relative to non-veteran status (control treatment) with the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study data. In our empirical analysis, the military rank effects differ much: officer has large positive effects, but enlisted ranks have small or no effects.
Emotional and behavioural problems in children with language impairments and children with autism spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND Although it is well-established that children with language impairment (LI) and children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) both show elevated levels of emotional and behavioural problems, the level and types of difficulties across the two groups have not previously been directly compared. AIMS To compare levels of emotional and behavioural problems in children with LI and children with ASD recruited from the same mainstream schools. METHODS & PROCEDURES We measured teacher-reported emotional and behavioural problems using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in a sample of 5-13-year-old children with LI (N = 62) and children with ASD (N = 42) attending mainstream school but with identified special educational needs. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Both groups showed similarly elevated levels of emotional, conduct and hyperactivity problems. The only differences between the LI and ASD groups were on subscales assessing peer problems (which were higher in the ASD group) and prosocial behaviours (which were higher in the LI group). Overall, there were few associations between emotional and behavioural problems and child characteristics, reflecting the pervasive nature of these difficulties in children with LI and children with ASD, although levels of problems were higher in children with ASD with lower language ability. However, in the ASD group only, a measure of family social economic status was associated with language ability and attenuated the association between language ability and emotional and behavioural problems. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Children with LI and children with ASD in mainstream school show similarly elevated levels of emotional and behavioural problems, which require monitoring and may benefit from intervention. Further work is required to identify the child, family and situational factors that place children with LI and children with ASD at risk of emotional and behavioural problems, and whether these differ between the two groups. This work can then guide the application of evidence-based interventions to these children.
Statistical Phylogeography

While studies of phylogeography and speciation in the past have largely focused on the documentation or detection of significant patterns of population genetic structure, the emerging field of statistical phylogeography aims to infer the history and processes underlying that structure, and to provide objective, rather than ad hoc explanations. Methods for parameter estimation are now commonly used to make inferences about demographic past. Although these approaches are well developed statistically, they typically pay little attention to geographical history. In contrast, methods that seek to reconstruct phylogeographic history are able to consider many alternative geographical scenarios, but are primarily nonstatistical, making inferences about particular biological processes without explicit reference to stochastically derived expectations. We advocate the merging of these two traditions so that statistical phylogeographic methods can provide an accurate representation of the past, consider a diverse array of processes, and yet yield a statistical estimate of that history. We discuss various conceptual issues associated with statistical phylogeographic inferences, considering especially the stochasticity of population genetic processes and assessing the confidence of phylogeographic conclusions. To this end, we present some empirical examples that utilize a statistical phylogeographic approach, and then by contrasting results from a coalescent-based approach to those from Templeton's nested cladistic analysis (NCA), we illustrate the importance of assessing error. Because NCA does not assess error in its inferences about historical processes or contemporary gene flow, we performed a small-scale study using simulated data to examine how our conclusions might be affected by such unconsidered errors. NCA did not identify the processes used to simulate the data, confusing among deterministic processes and the stochastic sorting of gene lineages. There is as yet insufficient justification of NCA's ability to accurately infer or distinguish among alternative processes. We close with a discussion of some unresolved problems of current statistical phylogeographic methods to propose areas in need of future development.
Professional learning with action research in innovative middle schools

Abstract This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1) appropriate scope, (2) a collaborative approach, (3) accountability, (4) various data sources, and (5) a clear link to practice. Action research with these characteristics can help middle grades educators address emergent problems in 21st-century classrooms and respond to the evolving needs of young adolescents.
Blue Beijing: estimating the effects of temporary emissions restrictions on air quality

ABSTRACT The article uses a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity approach to estimate the effect of temporary emissions restrictions on air quality in China. While temporary emissions control is an effective strategy in response to high-pollution events, China has been using this temporary policy instrument to improve air quality during events of international exposure. We find that post-restrictions peak levels of fine particulate matter are extremely high. This finding uncovers unintended consequences of temporary polluting restrictions.
Molecular characterization of exons 6, 8 and 9 of ABCB4 gene in children with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis type 3

Abstract Aim of work: To estimate the frequency of mutations involving exons 6, 8 and 9 of Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette, subfamily B, member 4 (ABCB4) gene among children with progressive intrahepatic cholestasis with high γ-GT activity (PFIC3). Subjects and methods: Cross sectional study was conducted on 30 children with PFIC3. Genotyping was performed by sequencing analysis of exons 6, 8 and exon 9 of ABCB4 gene. Results: Heterozygous synonymous polymorphic variant was detected in exon 6 (rs 1202283) and in exon 8 (rs 2109505). No mutations in studied exons were detected. Conclusion: Exons 6, 8 and 9 mutations of ABCB4 gene are not common among Egyptian children with PFIC3.
Impact of Climate Change on Yields of Major Food Crops in India: Implications for Food Security

The study has analysed changes in climate variables, viz. temperature and rainfall during the period 1969–2005 and has assessed their impact on yields of important food crops. A significant rise was observed in mean monthly temperature, but more so during the post-rainy season. The changes in rainfall, however, were not as significant. While an increase in maximum temperature was found to have an adverse effect on the crop yields, a similar increase in minimum temperature had a favourable effect on yields of most crops, but it was not sufficient to fully compensate the damages caused by the rise in maximum temperature. Pigeonpea, rice, chickpea and wheat were more vulnerable to rise in temperature. Rainfall had a positive effect on most crops, but it could not counterbalance the negative effect of temperature. The projections of climate impacts towards 2100 have suggested that with significant changes in temperature and rainfall, the rice yield will be lower by 15 per cent and wheat yield by 22 per cent. Coarse cereals will be affected less, while pulses will be affected more than cereals. If the changes in climate are not significant, damages to crops will be smaller. In the short-run too climate impacts will not be so severe.
Budget-Driven Scheduling of Scientific Workflows in IaaS Clouds with Fine-Grained Billing Periods

With the advent of cloud computing and the availability of data collected from increasingly powerful scientific instruments, workflows have become a prevailing mean to achieve significant scientific advances at an increased pace. Scheduling algorithms are crucial in enabling the efficient automation of these large-scale workflows, and considerable effort has been made to develop novel heuristics tailored for the cloud resource model. The majority of these algorithms focus on coarse-grained billing periods that are much larger than the average execution time of individual tasks. Instead, our work focuses on emerging finer-grained pricing schemes (e.g., per-minute billing) that provide users with more flexibility and the ability to reduce the inherent wastage that results from coarser-grained ones. We propose a scheduling algorithm whose objective is to optimize a workflow’s execution time under a budget constraint; quality of service requirement that has been overlooked in favor of optimizing cost under a deadline constraint. Our proposal addresses fundamental challenges of clouds such as resource elasticity, abundance, and heterogeneity, as well as resource performance variation and virtual machine provisioning delays. The simulation results demonstrate our algorithm’s responsiveness to environmental uncertainties and its ability to generate high-quality schedules that comply with the budget constraint while achieving faster execution times when compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.
The Horizontally s-shaped laffer curve

In a neoclassical growth model with incomplete markets and heterogeneous, liquidity-constrained agents, the properties of the Laffer curve depend on whether debt or transfers are adjusted to balance the government budget constraint. The Laffer curve conditional on public debt is horizontally S-shaped. Two opposing forces explain this result. First, when government wealth increases, the fiscal burden declines, calling for lower tax rates. Second, because the interest rate decreases when government wealth increases, fiscal revenues may also decline, calling for higher taxes. For sufficiently negative government debt, the second force dominates, leading to the odd shape of the Laffer curve conditional on debt.
Compliance with occlusion therapy for childhood amblyopia.

PURPOSE Explore compliance with occlusion treatment of amblyopia in the Monitored and Randomized Occlusion Treatment of Amblyopia Studies (MOTAS and ROTAS), using objective monitoring. METHODS Both studies had a three-phase protocol: initial assessment, refractive adaptation, and occlusion. In the occlusion phase, participants were instructed to dose for 6 hours/day (MOTAS) or randomized to 6 or 12 hour/day (ROTAS). Dose was monitored continuously using an occlusion dose monitor (ODM). RESULTS One hundred and fifty-two patients (71 male, 81 female; 122 Caucasian, 30 non-Caucasian) of mean ± SD age 68 ± 18 months participated. Amblyopia was defined as an interocular acuity difference of at least 0.1 logMAR and was associated with anisometropia in 50, strabismus in 44, and both (mixed) in 58. Median duration of occlusion was 99 days (interquartile range 72 days). Mean compliance was 44%, mean proportion of days with no patch worn was 42%. Compliance was lower (39%) on weekends compared with weekdays (46%, P = 0.04), as was the likelihood of dosing at all (52% vs. 60%, P = 0.028). Compliance was lower when attendance was less frequent (P < 0.001) and with prolonged treatment duration (P < 0.001). Age, sex, amblyopia type, and severity were not associated with compliance. Mixture modeling suggested three subpopulations of patch day doses: less than 30 minutes; doses that achieve 30% to 80% compliance; and doses that achieve around 100% compliance. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that compliance with patching treatment averages less than 50% and is influenced by several factors. A greater understanding of these influences should improve treatment outcome. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00274664).
A meta-analysis of the relationship between symptom severity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and executive function

ABSTRACT Introduction: Some studies of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) find executive dysfunction, whereas others do not. We meta-analytically examined the association between executive function and PTSD and used meta-regression to examine the potential moderating effect of PTSD severity on executive function. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We identified published peer-reviewed articles containing measures of executive function and PTSD symptom severity in subjects with PTSD compared to trauma-unexposed controls or trauma-exposed controls without PTSD, or both. We calculated an effect size for each study containing at least one measure of executive function and PTSD symptom severity. Results: PTSD subjects for whom the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) score was available had worse executive function compared to both trauma-unexposed controls (g = 0.464, p < .001) and to trauma-exposed controls without PTSD (g = 0.414, p = .001), as did PTSD subjects for whom the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD) score was available (g = 0.390, p < .001). Neither CAPS nor M-PTSD scores significantly moderated the effect size of executive function. Conclusions: PTSD is associated with executive dysfunction, but this association was not moderated by PTSD symptom severity, suggesting that once PTSD occurs, executive dysfunction may occur regardless of PTSD severity.
THEY, TOO, SING AMERICA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF USG POLICY 4.1.6 AND ITS PERCEIVED IMPACTS ON DACA STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA

Research interrogating the development, implementation and enforcement of reactionary and conservative social and educational movements and policies has enabled us to show the contradictions and unequal effects and the disproportionate and disparate impacts on the lives of minority students (Apple, 2009). This research study examined how the Board of Regents, Georgia’s higher education governing body, interprets and enforces the “lawful presence” requirement set forth in USG Policy 4.1. 6. The study gave primary consideration to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, who the data show have been systematically excluded from access to certain state colleges and universities without legal cause or justification. The study also examined the perceived impacts of Policy 4.1. 6 on DACA students seeking admission to the state’s most selective colleges and universities. Data collected from participant interviews of DACA students, along with data gathered through participant observation and documents analysis, were used to create a greater understanding of the impacts of Policy 4.1. 6 on both DACA and undocumented students. The study is significant because it traverses matters of current legal import, while also contributing to the growing body of literature concerning access to postsecondary education for undocumented students. Using the methodological approach of critical theory, the study incorporated elements of critical race theory (CRT), critical Latino/a studies (LatCrit), and critical policy analysis in the exploration of the various narratives and counternarratives created by the enforcement of Policy 4.1. 6. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the interview data, a critical assessment of the perceived impacts of Georgia immigration and education policy development and implementation is also provided. Finally, this study revealed the ways in which ‘race-neutral’ educational policies result in discriminatory practices against minorities, specifically undocumented students, the majority of who are Latino/a. The knowledge gained from this research gives policymakers on either side of this issue with analysis that can more effectively guide them in the interpretation of federal mandates and conflicting state laws that result in the subordination of significant segments of student populations. INDEX WORDS: undocumented students, postsecondary education, critical policy analysis, interpretive phenomenological analysis THEY, TOO, SING AMERICA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF USG POLICY 4.1. 6 AND ITS PERCEIVED IMPACTS ON DACA STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA by Ryan Z. Maltese