Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological features and growth characters of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) in response to reduced water-deficit and rewatering

Optimum irrigation is very important for nursery stock management of F1-hybrid oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), constituting a major production cost. Generally, over watering of nursery stock can be a cause of loss of productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological and biochemical responses of oil palm nursery stock to reduced soil water content (SWC) and during the recovery process. Water deficit treatments, full-irrigation (control; 54% SWC), 4-days withholding irrigation (42% SWC), 8-days withholding irrigation (20% SWC), 12-days withholding irrigation (13% SWC) and 16-days withholding irrigation (6% SWC) were applied uniformly to the oil palm plants. Proline content and relative electrolyte leakage (REL) in the leaf tissues increased, relative to a degree of reduced SWC, especially in ≤20% SWC water deficit stress. Oil palm nursery stock was sensitive to severe water deficit (6-13% SWC), which was identified by physiological changes and growth inhibition and those parameters failed to recover in the re-watering process. During recovery, proline content and REL in extreme water deficit conditions were still enriched, resulting in greater photosynthetic degradation, diminution of chlorophyll fluorescence, reduction of net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and growth retardation. The wilting point of nursery stock oil palm was defined as 20% SWC, below which plants recovered by watering, without toxic symptoms. The study provides useful information for developing irrigation systems for oil palm, especially F1 hybrid nursery stock.
Attitudes, Social Problems and Reconvictions in the ‘STOP’ Probation Experiment

Recent studies of probation’s effectiveness have relied largely on reconvictions, but there is widespread interest in other possible measures of impact (for example, on attitudes or on social problems) which might provide more immediate and relevant evaluative information for practitioners. This paper reviews information generated by the CRIME-PICS instrument in the Mid Glamorgan ‘STOP’ experiment and compares it with reconviction data. Some relationships are identified between components of CRIME-PICS scores and subsequent reconvictions. The paper comments on the potential and feasibility of this kind of instrument in evaluation and makes suggestions about future research.
Intralist distractors and recall direction: Constraints on models of memory for serial order.

The serial-order version of the theory of distributed associative memory (TODAM; S. Lewandowsky & B. B. Murdock, 1989) predicts that disruption of forward serial recall should leave backward recall largely unaffected. This article reports 4 experiments in which the effects of an intralist distractor task were compared for forward and backward serial recall. Regardless of whether subjects could anticipate recall direction at study, the distractor task was found to disrupt forward but not backward recall. Although the existence of that dissociation had been predicted by TODAM, the theory was unable to provide a quantitative account of the data. Instead we provide a retrieval-based account within the framework of temporal distinctiveness theory
Live real-time animation leveraging machine learning and game engine technology

classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author. SIGGRAPH 2014, August 10 – 14, 2014, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2014 Copyright held by the Owner/Author. ACM 978-1-4503-2960-6/14/08 Live real-time animation leveraging machine learning and game engine technology
MicroRNA Polymorphisms and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Background: miRNAs act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Genetic variation in miRNA-encoding sequences or their corresponding binding sites may affect the fidelity of the miRNA–mRNA interaction and subsequently alter the risk of cancer development. Methods: This study expanded the search for miRNA-related polymorphisms contributing to the etiology of colorectal cancer across the genome using a novel platform, the Axiom miRNA Target Site Genotyping Array (237,858 markers). After quality control, the study included 596 cases and 429 controls from the Molecular Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer study, a population-based case–control study of colorectal cancer in northern Israel. The association between each marker and colorectal cancer status was examined assuming a log-additive genetic model using logistic regression adjusted for sex, age, and two principal components. Results: Twenty-three markers had P values less than 5.0E−04, and the most statistically significant association involved rs2985 (chr6:34845648; intronic of UHRF1BP1; OR = 0.66; P = 3.7E−05). Furthermore, this study replicated a previously published risk locus, rs1051690, in the 3′-untranslated region of the insulin receptor gene INSR (OR = 1.38; P = 0.03), with strong evidence of differences in INSR gene expression by genotype. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine associations between genetic variation in miRNA target sites and colorectal cancer using a genome-wide approach. Functional studies to identify allele-specific effects on miRNA binding are needed to confirm the regulatory capacity of genetic variation to influence risk of colorectal cancer. Impact: This study demonstrates the potential for an miRNA-targeted genome-wide association study to identify candidate susceptibility loci and prioritize them for functional characterization. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(1); 65–72. ©2014 AACR.
'Pap smear' for screening of precancerous conditions of cervix.

BACKGROUND Cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer remain important health problems for women worldwide. It is largely a preventable disease that is characterised by a long lead time. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of precancerous conditions of cervix (CIN I-III) in women with chronic vaginal discharge by Pap smear screening. METHODS The study was conducted at the outpatient department of Obstetric and Gynaecology, Nishtar Hospital Multan, and Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Radiotherapy (MINAR) from February 2009 to February 2010. Two hundred and eighty patients with complaint of chronic vaginal discharge were selected. Their detailed history was documented on a Proforma, Pap smear taken at MINAR, and samples sent to pathology department of Nishtar Hospital Multan for cytological examination. All mild dyskaryosis or CIN I cases were advised follow-up with repeat Pap smear in 6-12 months and those with moderate to severe neoplasia (CIN II-III) were further investigated by cervical biopsy and managed accordingly. RESULTS Of the total, 100 patients were between 25-30 years of age, and 180 between 31-35 years of age. Mean age of patients was 31.6 years, mean age at marriage 21.7 years, and mean parity was 3.6. Most of the patients (67.9%) belonged to low socioeconomic status. The cytological examination of the smears showed no changes (normal) in 100 (35.7%) cases, while 156 (55.7%) cases showed inflammatory changes, 10 (3.6%) showed dysplastic changes, of whom 8 cases had CIN-I (2.8%) and one case was of CIN-II (0.4%). One was having CIN-III/severe dysplasia (0.4%). Inadequate sample was reported in 14 (5%) cases. CONCLUSION Pap smear should be used as a routine test for all sexually active, young females presented to the gynaecology outpatient department, for early detection of cervical pre cancer (CIN) as it is not uncommon in our set up.
MDCC: multi-data center consistency

Replicating data across multiple data centers allows using data closer to the client, reducing latency for applications, and increases the availability in the event of a data center failure. MDCC (Multi-Data Center Consistency) is an optimistic commit protocol for geo-replicated transactions, that does not require a master or static partitioning, and is strongly consistent at a cost similar to eventually consistent protocols. MDCC takes advantage of Generalized Paxos for transaction processing and exploits commutative updates with value constraints in a quorum-based system. Our experiments show that MDCC outperforms existing synchronous transactional replication protocols, such as Megastore, by requiring only a single message round-trip in the normal operational case independent of the master-location and by scaling linearly with the number of machines as long as transaction conflict rates permit.
First Report of Avian Metapneumovirus Subtype B Field Strain in a Romanian Broiler Flock During an Outbreak of Respiratory Disease

SUMMARY Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) represents one of the most prevalent diseases of turkey, especially in combination with other pathogens, and its frequency is also increasing among chickens. Despite this evidence, epidemiologic data are poor and scattered, severely preventing control of the disease even in highly developed areas such as Europe. In the present study, the detection and characterization of an aMPV subtype B strain circulating in a vaccinated but symptomatic Romanian broiler flock is reported for the first time. The phylogenetic analysis based on the partial G gene sequence demonstrates the close relationship of the Romanian virus with a group of recently emerged Italian field strains for which vaccine-induced protection was experimentally proven to be partial. These preliminary results allow us to hypothesize the spreading of vaccine-escaping aMPV subtype B strains through Europe and, consequently, dictate the carrying out of a more systematic survey to confirm this theory and enforce adequate countermeasures.
Hamstring‐to‐quadriceps fatigue ratio offers new and different muscle function information than the conventional non‐fatigued ratio

Commonly used injury risk prediction tests such as the hamstring‐to‐quadriceps (H:Q) strength ratio appear to be poor predictors of non‐contact injury. However, these tests are typically performed in a non‐fatigued state, despite accumulated fatigue being an important risk factor for both hamstring strain (HS) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in professional soccer players. After the effect of different H:Q calculation methods were compared and contrasted, the influence of neuromuscular fatigue on the H:Q strength ratio and the association between fatigued and non‐fatigued ratio scores were examined. Thirty‐five professional soccer players performed a 30‐repetition isokinetic fatigue test protocol. Peak knee joint moments were computed for each repetition, and the H:Q conventional ratio (H:QCR) was calculated using several different, previously published, methods. Knee extensor and flexor moments were statistically decreased by the sixth repetition and continued to decrease until the end of the protocol. However, the H:Q ratio was statistically decreased at the end of the test due to a significant reduction in knee flexor moment (correlation between change in knee flexor moment and change in H:Q, r≈.80; P<.01). Moreover, H:Q measured in fatigue (ie, H:QFatigue) at the end of the test was greater than H:QCR (1.25‐1.38 vs 0.70, P<.01), these variables were weakly correlated (r=.39, P=.02), and subject rankings within the cohort based on H:QCR and H:QFatigue were different (rs=0.25, P=.15). The present data suggest that H:Q ratio measurement during a fatiguing test (H:QFatigue) provides different outcomes to the traditional H:QCR. The observed significant hamstring fatigue and the difference, and weak correlation, between H:QCR and H:QFatigue indicate that useful information might be obtained with respect to the prediction of HS and ACL injury risk. The potential predictive value of H:QFatigue warrants validation in future prospective trials.
Classification of Software Engineering Artifacts Using Machine Learning

In this paper, we present an approach to the automatic classification of software artifacts. The classification result can be used as a foundation for software metrics. Our main contribution is to tailor a content-based machine learning method to the processing of software development artifacts. These artifacts are instances of a unified software engineering model and serve as input for a neural network classifier. Project-relevant characteristics are learned by the classifier from the project history. We evaluate our technique by two classification tasks, which are important for project management. In the first application, we classify artifacts according to their software development activity. Our second application is the automatic classification of the status of action items; that is, to decide whether they are still under examination or already irrelevant. Five-fold cross-validation of both applications resulted in classification accuracies of 80.51% (six categories) and 83.72% (two categories), respectively.
Genome‐scale RNA interference screen identifies antizyme 1 (OAZ1) as a target for improvement of recombinant protein production in mammalian cells

For the purpose of improving recombinant protein production from mammalian cells, an unbiased, high‐throughput whole‐genome RNA interference screen was conducted using human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells expressing firefly luciferase. A 21,585 human genes were individually silenced with three different siRNAs for each gene. The screen identified 56 genes that led to the greatest improvement in luciferase expression. These genes were found to be included in several pathways involved in spliceosome formation and mRNA processing, transcription, metabolic processes, transport, and protein folding. The 10 genes that most enhanced protein expression when downregulated, were further confirmed by measuring the effect of their silencing on the expression of three additional recombinant proteins. Among the confirmed genes, OAZ1—the gene encoding the ornithine decarboxylase antizyme1—was selected for detailed investigation, since its silencing improved the reporter protein production without affecting cell viability. Silencing OAZ1 caused an increase of the ornithine decarboxylase enzyme and the cellular levels of putrescine and spermidine; an indication that increased cellular polyamines enhances luciferase expression without affecting its transcription. The study shows that OAZ1 is a novel target for improving expression of recombinant proteins. The genome‐scale screening performed in this work can establish the foundation for targeted design of an efficient mammalian cell platform for various biotechnological applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2403–2415. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
External Validity of the Profile Variability Index for the K-ABC, Stanford-Binet, and WISC-R

Clinicians often attach interpretive significance to high variability among subtest scores in IQ profiles of adults and children. In this study we evaluated the external validity of a relatively new measure of IQ subtest variability, the profile variability index (PVI). Within a sample of referred children, we administered the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, the Fourth Edition Stanford-Binet, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. We calculated PVIs for each child from each test and correlated these values with achievement scores and indexes of discrepancy between actual and predicted scholastic achievement. Against these external criteria, PVI information from all three cognitive-ability batteries had essentially nil validity. We discuss implications of these findings for future research in this area.
Young children’s literacy in the activity space of the library: A geosemiotic investigation

An ecological approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding multiple contexts for learning, underpins this study of libraries as activity spaces for young children’s literacy participation. Five libraries serving a diversity of communities were the subject of ethnographic investigation incorporating participant observation, visual documentation, and parent and librarian interviews. A geosemiotic approach was taken to the analysis of this data with an emphasis on the ways in which sociocultural and material qualities of libraries as places and spaces impacted on families’ access and participation. It was found that physically accessing the library is not equally easy for all, not all communities have equally well-resourced libraries, and the social space of the library does not hail all categories of family in the same way. However, in the case of one site where discourses of leisure, consumption, and modernity were materialized throughout the space, the effect was more inclusive. For those families that do navigate successful membership of libraries, there are potential benefits related to strong connections between the performance of early literacy activities in libraries and the participation structures of the school-entry classroom. However, literacy activities run in libraries require unobtrusive parental regulation of children’s participation, a requirement that may marginalize some families.
VLSI Array processors

High speed signal processing depends critically on parallel processor technology. In most applications, general-purpose parallel computers cannot offer satisfactory real-time processing speed due to severe system overhead. Therefore, for real-time digital signal processing (DSP) systems, special-purpose array processors have become the only appealing alternative. In designing or using such array Processors, most signal processing algorithms share the critical attributes of regularity, recursiveness, and local communication. These properties are effectively exploited in innovative systolic and wavefront array processors. These arrays maximize the strength of very large scale integration (VLSI) in terms of intensive and pipelined computing, and yet circumvent its main limitation on communication. The application domain of such array processors covers a very broad range, including digital filtering, spectrum estimation, adaptive array processing, image/vision processing, and seismic and tomographic signal processing, This article provides a general overview of VLSI array processors and a unified treatment from algorithm, architecture, and application perspectives.
Fast And Accurate Timing Simulation With Regionwise Quadratic Models Of Mos I-V Characteristics

This paper presents a technique called regionwise quadratic (RWQ) modeling that allows highly accurate MOS models, as well as measured I-V data, to be used in fast timing simulation. This technique significantly increases the accuracy of fast timing simulation while maintaining efficiency by permitting analytical solutions of node equations. A fast timing simulator using these RWQ models has been implemented. Several examples of RWQ modeling are provided, and comparisons of simulation results with SPICE3 are shown to demonstrate accuracy and efficiency. Speedups of two to three orders of magnitude for circuits containing up to 2000 transistors are observed.
“Legal or illegal? Documented or undocumented?” The struggle over Brookhaven's neighborhood preservation act

This critical essay applies the concept of “presence” as a theoretical lens for explaining the rhetorical efficacy of protest events surrounding a contemporary debate about immigrants' rights in a suburban New York township. Specifically, the protests surrounding the town board meetings regarding Brookhaven's “Neighborhood Preservation Act,” a piece of legislation geared toward making rental laws more stringent, are examined. A group comprised largely of white, upper middle‐class citizens voiced their support for the proposed legislation, while a group of day laborers and those sympathetic with their cause characterized the proposed legislation as a form of racial discrimination disguised as a rental law. This analysis focuses on the specific tactics used by protesters on both sides of this issue in their attempts to persuade members of the town board, the news media, and the citizens of Brookhaven township.
Correlation of point-of-care International Normalized Ratio to laboratory International Normalized Ratio in hemodialysis patients taking warfarin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To determine whether point-of-care (POC) International Normalized Ratio (INR) test results correlate with plasma INR measures in intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) patients on warfarin. Anemia is thought to reduce the accuracy of POC INR assay results. Whether POC INR testing could be implemented for hemodialysis patients on chronic warfarin, who are often anemic despite hematopoietic therapy, has not been established. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Thirty-seven chronic hemodialysis patients on warfarin contributed sets of three consecutive blood samples for INR comparison immediately before hemodialysis: one finger stick, two from hemodialysis access (arteriovenous graft, fistula, or catheter). POC INR testing was performed using CoaguChek S device. Anemia was defined as hematocrit < 32%. RESULTS Pairwise comparison and correlation of 258 INR results showed high correlation for POC versus laboratory INR (r = 0.94; P < 0.001). Of these, 16 (6%) differed by >0.6 INR units, four (1.6%) differed by >0.8 INR units, and one differed by >1.0 INR units. Resulting pairwise correlation analyses between samples were: for anemic patients (0.96; P < 0.001), nonanemic patients (0.93; P < 0.001), and for those obtained from arteriovenous grafts (0.94; P < 0.001). POC INR samples from dialysis catheters correlated poorly with laboratory INR results. CONCLUSIONS POC INR correlates well with plasma INR measures in IHD patients requiring chronic warfarin, and anemia did not influence this reliability. Blood sampling from finger stick or arteriovenous graft or fistula showed excellent correlation with laboratory INR, whereas sampling from dialysis catheters was unsatisfactory, likely from heparin contamination.
Joint Effects of Group Efficacy and Gender Diversity on Group Cohesion and Performance

This study examined the sources of group efficacy and the joint roles of group efficacy and gender diversity on the relationship between group efficacy and group outcomes. We used 45 project groups (260 undergraduate students) designed to complete two in-class group projects. We found that past performance and self-efficacy were both positively related to group efficacy. Further,the interaction of gender diversity and group efficacy was positively related to group effectiveness (project grade and group cohesion). Specifically, mixed gender groups facilitated the relationship between group efficacy and group effectiveness. Implications of the study are discussed.