Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Value Predispositions, Mass Media Use, and Knowledge on Public Attitudes Toward Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Research on public attitudes toward controversial science seem to be divided between a camp that relies on a ‘scientific literacy model’, which states that increase in public knowledge of science is related to increase in public support, and a camp contending that the ‘miserly’ public will rely on heuristic cues such as value predispositions to form opinions about scientific controversies. In the present study, we argue along the lines of the heuristic–systematic model of information processing that the influences of value predispositions and knowledge on attitude formation can be complementary processes that will supplement cues provided by the media. Using data from a national three-wave panel survey conducted between 2002 and 2005, we examine the influence of value predispositions, news media use, and scientific knowledge on attitudes toward a controversial scientific issue: human embryonic stem cell research in the USA. Public attitudes toward stem cell research were shaped by value predispositions and to a lesser extent, cues from the news media. Scientific knowledge played a minor role in influencing attitude toward stem cell research. Religiosity, ideology, and deference to scientific authority moderated the effect that scientific knowledge had on support for stem cell research, with knowledge having a weaker effect on attitudes for the conservatives, and those individuals high on religious beliefs and low on deference to scientific authority.
Exploring career‐life success and family social support of successful women in Canada, Argentina and Mexico

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine career‐life issues of successful women in the Americas.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 interviews were conducted with successful women in Canada, Argentina and Mexico. Themes were pulled from the interview transcripts for each country, analyzed and then compared across countries, looking at universalities and differences of experiences.Findings – The women in all three countries conveyed more subjective measures of career success, such as contributing to society and learning in their work, with Canada and Mexico particularly emphasizing receiving recognition as a hallmark of career success.Practical implications – This research provides insight into the experiences of successful women in the Americas, which can inform the career development of women in business.Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature on women's careers, highlighting successful women's experiences across cultures and in an under‐researched area: Latin Ame.
Uncommon TERT Promoter Mutations in Pediatric Thyroid Cancer.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine the rate and significance of TERT promoter mutations that have been recently described in adult thyroid cancer (TC) but not yet in the uncommonly occurring pediatric TC. Furthermore, the role of the BRAF(V600E) mutation in the clinical outcome of pediatric TC is unknown. METHOD The study included 55 pediatric (median age 16 years, range 9-18 years; 46 females) and 210 adult TC patients (median age 40 years, range 20-75 years; 155 females) seen during the same time period. DNA was isolated from TC tissues and subjected to direct sequencing. Genetic-clinicopathological correlations were analyzed. RESULTS Only one case of pediatric TC was found to harbor the C228T TERT promoter mutation (1.8%). The C250T mutation was not detected in any of the 55 pediatric TC. In contrast, there was a significantly higher rate of TERT promoter mutations in the adult patients (15.7%, 33/210) compared with the pediatric patients (p = 0.003). In addition, persistent/recurrent TC was seen in 8/12 (66.7%) pediatric patients harboring the BRAF(V600E) mutation versus 14/41 (34.1%) patients harboring the wild type BRAF (p = 0.05), and when only conventional papillary TC was examined, in 7/9 (77.8%) cases harboring BRAF(V600E) mutation versus 11/33 (33.3%) cases harboring wild type BRAF (p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS This is the first study on TERT promoter mutations in pediatric TC, which revealed an exceedingly low prevalence, suggesting a limited role of these mutations in pediatric TC. This study also for the first time demonstrates an association of the BRAF(V600E) mutation with TC recurrence in pediatric patients.
Development and clinical validation of an expanded paired associate test with delayed recall

Abstract This study provided a normative data base for the Expanded Paired Associate Test (EPAT) and examined the test's clinical sensitivity in four groups of patients. Normative data were based on 306 neurologically normal adults (age range 18–91). Clinical groups included patients with severe head trauma (n = 36), left-hemisphere CVA (n = 25), right-hemisphere CVA (n = 61), and Alzheimer's Disease (n = 12). Analysis of normative data revealed significant age-related differences, with older subjects performing lower on both the Acquisition and Delayed Tasks. Group data revealed that patients in all four clinical groups performed significantly below age-matched controls. Further analysis revealed that virtually all the variability, and hence the predictability, of the test was a function of the hard associate pairs. EPAT scores did not correlate significantly with education or a measure of verbal intellectual ability.
Neural- Network- based Evaluation of the Effect of Variable on Time Contingency Estimation

Implementing the project without considering risk variables is practically impossible . The consequences of these variables such as non-estimated raw material, lack of coordination with sub- contractors, boycott, economical conditions, financial resources, etc. directly affect the estimated time. In major industries, regarding the large scope of work and exorbitant cost; clients tend to conclude the EPC contract in order to transfer the consequence of risks. The failure of executing projects within the predicted time schedule is not only due to surplus cost imposed on contractors to eliminate the obstacles, but also causes some delay penalties, opposing to release Good Performance Guarantees, any Payment Reduction and additional related to the extension of the insurances. Estimating safety time to present time schedule to the clients is applied in this paper. In this research, a back-propagation neural network is used to learn the relationship between real and forecast time. This is achieved by training the network with dwelling on 120 projects of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC project) in one of the Iran Power Plant projects Management Companies, 20 projects for validation and tests the model by focusing on 20 projects. According to the validation cross and results, it was found that the relation between the actual output and network output with the average value of 0.68 was relatively good. Furthermore, MAD, Bias and tracking signal were demonstrated the positive estimation trend in training data. Keyword: Risk factor, time estimated, EPC Contract, Back-propagation neural net work.
Sequence analysis Comparative annotation of viral genomes with non-conserved gene structure

Motivation: Detecting genes in viral genomes is a complex task. Due to the biological necessity of them being constrained in length, RNA viruses in particular tend to code in overlapping reading frames. Since one amino acid is encoded by a triplet of nucleic acids, up to three genes may be coded for simultaneously in one direction. Conventional hidden Markov model (HMM)-based gene-finding algorithms may typically find it difficult to identify multiple coding regions, since in general their topologies do not allow for the presence of overlapping or nested genes. Comparative methods have therefore been restricted to likelihood ratio tests on potential regions as to being double or single coding, using the fact that the constrictions forced upon multiple-coding nucleotides will result in atypical sequence evolution. Exploiting these same constraints, we present an HMM based gene-finding program, which allows for coding in unidirectional nested and overlapping reading frames, to annotate two homologous aligned viral genomes. Our method does not insist on conserved gene structure between the two sequences, thus making it applicable for the pairwise comparison of more distantly related sequences. Results: We apply our method to 15 pairwise alignments of six different HIV2 genomes. Given sufficient evolutionary distance between the two sequences, we achieve sensitivity of 84–89% and specificity of 97–99.9%. We additionally annotate three pairwise alignments of the more distantly related HIV1 and HIV2, as well as of two different hepatitis viruses, attaining results of 87% sensitivity and 98.5% specificity. We subsequently incorporate prior knowledge by ‘knowing’ the gene structure of one sequence and annotating the other conditional on it. Boosting accuracy close to perfect we demonstrate that conservation of gene structure on top of nucleotide sequence is a valuable source of information, especially in distantly related genomes. Availability: The Java code is available from the authors. Contact: degroot@stats.ox. ac.uk
Automated oracles: an empirical study on cost and effectiveness

Software testing is an effective, yet expensive, method to improve software quality. Test automation, a potential way to reduce testing cost, has received enormous research attention recently, but the so-called “oracle problem” (how to decide the PASS/FAIL outcome of a test execution) is still a major obstacle to such cost reduction. We have extensively investigated state-of-the-art works that contribute to address this problem, from areas such as specification mining and model inference. In this paper, we compare three types of automated oracles: Data invariants, Temporal invariants, and Finite State Automata. More specifically, we study the training cost and the false positive rate; we evaluate also their fault detection capability. Seven medium to large, industrial application subjects and real faults have been used in our empirical investigation.
Overconfidence Among Beginners: Is a Little Learning a Dangerous Thing?

Across 6 studies we investigated the development of overconfidence among beginners. In 4 of the studies, participants completed multicue probabilistic learning tasks (e.g., learning to diagnose “zombie diseases” from physical symptoms). Although beginners did not start out overconfident in their judgments, they rapidly surged to a “beginner’s bubble” of overconfidence. This bubble was traced to exuberant and error-filled theorizing about how to approach the task formed after just a few learning experiences. Later trials challenged and refined those theories, leading to a temporary leveling off of confidence while performance incrementally improved, although confidence began to rise again after this pause. In 2 additional studies we found a real-world echo of this pattern of overconfidence across the life course. Self-ratings of financial literacy surged among young adults, then leveled off among older respondents until late adulthood, where it begins to rise again, with actual financial knowledge all the while rising more slowly, consistently, and incrementally throughout adulthood. Hence, when it comes to overconfident judgment, a little learning does appear to be a dangerous thing. Although beginners start with humble self-perceptions, with just a little experience their confidence races ahead of their actual performance.
CYLD Enhances Severe Listeriosis by Impairing IL-6/STAT3-Dependent Fibrin Production

The facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) may cause severe infection in humans and livestock. Control of acute listeriosis is primarily dependent on innate immune responses, which are strongly regulated by NF-κB, and tissue protective factors including fibrin. However, molecular pathways connecting NF-κB and fibrin production are poorly described. Here, we investigated whether the deubiquitinating enzyme CYLD, which is an inhibitor of NF-κB-dependent immune responses, regulated these protective host responses in murine listeriosis. Upon high dose systemic infection, all C57BL/6 Cyld−/− mice survived, whereas 100% of wildtype mice succumbed due to severe liver pathology with impaired pathogen control and hemorrhage within 6 days. Upon in vitro infection with Lm, CYLD reduced NF-κB-dependent production of reactive oxygen species, interleukin (IL)-6 secretion, and control of bacteria in macrophages. Furthermore, Western blot analyses showed that CYLD impaired STAT3-dependent fibrin production in cultivated hepatocytes. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that CYLD interacted with STAT3 in the cytoplasm and strongly reduced K63-ubiquitination of STAT3 in IL-6 stimulated hepatocytes. In addition, CYLD diminished IL-6-induced STAT3 activity by reducing nuclear accumulation of phosphorylated STAT3. In vivo, CYLD also reduced hepatic STAT3 K63-ubiquitination and activation, NF-κB activation, IL-6 and NOX2 mRNA production as well as fibrin production in murine listeriosis. In vivo neutralization of IL-6 by anti-IL-6 antibody, STAT3 by siRNA, and fibrin by warfarin treatment, respectively, demonstrated that IL-6-induced, STAT3-mediated fibrin production significantly contributed to protection in Cyld−/− mice. In addition, in vivo Cyld siRNA treatment increased STAT3 phosphorylation, fibrin production, pathogen control and survival of Lm-infected WT mice illustrating that therapeutic inhibition of CYLD augments the protective NF-κB/IL-6/STAT3 pathway and fibrin production.
Relationship Between Tumor Size and Survival in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): An Analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Registry

Introduction: Tumor size is a known prognostic factor for early stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but its significance in node-positive and locally invasive NSCLC has not been extensively characterized. We queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database to evaluate the prognostic value of tumor size for early stage and node-positive and locally invasive NSCLC. Methods: Patients in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry with NSCLC diagnosed between 1998 and 2003 were analyzed. Tumor size was analyzed as a continuous variable. Other demographic variables included age, gender, race, histology, primary tumor extension, node status, and primary treatment modality (surgery vs. radiation). The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate whether tumor size was an independent prognostic factor. Results: In all, 52,287 eligible patients were subgrouped based on tumor extension and node status. Tumor size had a significant effect on OS in all subgroups defined by tumor extension or node status. In addition, tumor size also had statistically significant effect on OS in 15 of 16 subgroups defined by tumor extension and nodal status after adjustment for other clinical variables. Our model incorporating tumor size had significantly better predictive accuracy than our alternative model without tumor size. Conclusions: Tumor size is an independent prognostic factor, for early stage and node-positive and locally invasive disease. Prediction tools, such as nomograms, incorporating more detailed information not captured in detail by the routine tumor, node, metastasis classification, may improve prediction accuracy of OS in NSCLC.
A comparative analysis of graduate HRD curricular content between the United States and Korea

The purpose of this study was to compare graduate human resource development (HRD) curricular content between the United States and Korean higher education institutions. Also, the perceived importance of each of the curricular content areas from these graduate HRD programmes in the United States and in South Korea was assessed by the faculty members, graduate students and practitioners in the HRD field. Through web search of the United States and Korean institutions, 68 topical content areas were identified and used for comparison. Using an online survey, the ratings and ranking of the important content areas perceived by the HRD faculty members, graduate students and practitioners in the United States and in South Korea were collected. From the comparative data analysis, it was indicated that there were several different as well as similar curriculum topical content found between the two countries. Conclusions and implications for graduate HRD curriculum revision and development were discussed.
Kripke modelling approaches of a multiple robots system with minimalist communication: A formal approach of choice

Real-time, critical systems such as avionics software and hardware chips, owe their reliability to formal modelling approaches from their design phase. Following this philosophy, an intuitive yet mathematically rigorous approach of Kripke modelling is used for representing a co-operative, decentralised mobile robot group. The robot group operates with minimalist communication and no a priori knowledge of the operating environment for achieving interception and coordinated time-over-target. This scenario is a prototype of a simple task envisaged for a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). As such, the resulting behaviour of the UAVs must be designed and analysed, so that guaranteed performance is ensured if only to achieve flight certification. Hence, there is a need for a mathematically rigorous approach, or a formal modelling technique. Several such techniques are briefly reviewed and it is argued that Kripke modelling is the best suited one. Kripke models consist of, firstly, a set of possible worlds (system configurations), secondly, an accessibility relation in the set (transitions between the worlds) and thirdly, a labelling function (which logical statements are true in each world). This approach represents continuous dynamics and discrete decision making of the robots in a unified way. Desirable properties of co-operation can be precisely expressed using temporal logic statements defining safety, liveness etc. Whether a group of robots, whose behaviour is formalised with Kripke models, possesses such properties is then verified using automated model checking tools. Rationale for this approach along with simulation and verification results are presented in the paper.
Grundlagen und Entwicklungstrends im IT-Servicemanagement

IT-Verantwortliche in Unternehmen sehen sich wachsenden Anspruchen gegenuber. Ihre Aufgabe wird immer weniger in der Entwicklung und dem Betrieb von Informationstechnik (IT) gesehen, sondern in der Erbringung von Dienstleistungen, durch die IT bedarfsgerecht, effizient und mit hoher Qualitat bereitgestellt wird. Diese Herausforderungen lassen sich unter drei Orientierungsrichtungen fur das IT- Servicemanagement zusammenfassen: der Dienstleistungsorientierung, der Prozessorientierung und der Architekturorientierung. Die Dienstleistungsorientierung fuhrt zu systematischer Kommunikation mit den Kunden und der Ableitung und Spezifikation von Leistungsangeboten der Informationsverarbeitung. Durch Prozessorientierung soll gewahrleistet werden, dass die so erkannten Erwartungen der Kunden und die ihnen zugesicherten Dienstleistungen zuverlassig und optimiert erbracht werden. Sie gewinnt besonders durch prozessorientierte Referenzmodelle wie ITIL an Bedeutung. Wahrend Dienstleistungs- und Prozessorientierung den derzeitigen Stand des IT-Servicemanagements beschreiben, zeigt die Architekturorientierung, wie den wachsenden Forderungen nach bedarfsorientierten, anpassbaren Leistungen durch die Entwicklung modularer Servicearchitekturen fur IT-Dienstleistungen begegnet werden kann.
Parallel fault backtracing for calculation of fault coverage

A new improved method for calculation of fault coverage with parallel fault backtracing in combinational circuits is proposed. The method is based on structurally synthesized BDDs (SSBDD) which represent gate-level circuits at higher, macro level where macros represent subnetworks of gates. A topological analysis is carried out to generate an efficient optimized model for backtracing of faults to minimize the repeated calculations because of the reconvergent fanouts. The algorithm is equivalent to exact critical path tracing, however, processing the backtrace in parallel for a group of test patterns. Because of the parallelism, higher abstraction level modeling, and optimization of the topological model, the speed of fault simulation was considerably increased. Compared to the state-of-the-art commercial fault simulators the gain in speed was several times.
Special Education Teachers as Consultants: Perspectives of Finnish Teachers

In this article, a qualitative study about teachers' thoughts on consultation between special teachers and class teachers is reported. The aim of the study was to deepen the knowledge about how consultation in special educational contexts can be understood and developed based on the descriptions of special teachers and class teachers on this particular form of activity, interpreted against different perspectives on consultation. The data consist of interviews with special teachers and class teachers. The data has been analyzed according to Graneheim's and Lundman's qualitative content analysis. The analysis identified three different types of consultation: consultation as counseling, reflective consultation, and cooperative conversations. Consultation as cooperative conversation is held out as a potential type for the development of consultation between special teachers and class teachers. The results show that consultation in special education is a complex activity where different approaches on consultation must be used and integrated.
Building a Diverse Ensemble for Classification

Pattern recognition systems are widely used in a host of different fields. Due to some reasons such as lack of knowledge about a method based on which the best classifier is detected for any arbitrary problem, and thanks to significant improvement in accuracy, researchers turn to ensemble methods in almost every task of pattern recognition. Classification as a major task in pattern recognition, have been subject to this transition. The classifier ensemble which uses a number of base classifiers is considered as meta-classifier to learn any classification problem in pattern recognition. Although some researchers think they are better than single classifiers, they will not be better if some conditions are not met. The most important condition among them is diversity of base classifiers. Generally in design of multiple classifier systems, the more diverse the results of the classifiers, the more appropriate the aggregated result. It has been shown that the necessary diversity for the ensemble can be achieved by manipulation of dataset features, manipulation of data points in dataset, different sub-samplings of dataset, and usage of different classification algorithms. We also propose a new method of creating this diversity. We use Linear Discriminante Analysis to manipulate the data points in dataset. Although the classifier ensemble produced by proposed method may not always outperform all of its base classifiers, it always possesses the diversity needed for creation of an ensemble, and consequently it always outperforms all of its base classifiers on average.