Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differentiation between MAMP Triggered Defenses in Arabidopsis thaliana

A first line of defense against pathogen attack for both plants and animals involves the detection of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), followed by the induction of a complex immune response. Plants, like animals, encode several receptors that recognize different MAMPs. While these receptors are thought to function largely redundantly, the physiological responses to different MAMPs can differ in detail. Responses to MAMP exposure evolve quantitatively in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana, perhaps in response to environment specific differences in microbial threat. Here, we sought to determine the extent to which the detection of two canonical MAMPs were evolving redundantly or distinctly within natural populations. Our results reveal negligible correlation in plant growth responses between the bacterial MAMPs EF-Tu and flagellin. Further investigation of the genetic bases of differences in seedling growth inhibition and validation of 11 candidate genes reveal substantial differences in the genetic loci that underlie variation in response to these two MAMPs. Our results indicate that natural variation in MAMP recognition is largely MAMP-specific, indicating an ability to differentially tailor responses to EF-Tu and flagellin in A. thaliana populations.
The Impact of Prediscovery Licensing on Innovation and Product Market Eciency

Using a novel database on prediscovery licensing agreements (one type of RD 214 patents, throughout the 1990 to 1997 period. We also provide evidence that PDLAs increase production costs and semiconductor prices by 2 percent, which results in customers paying an additional $1:1 billion for semiconductors per year. Beyond the common concern that R&D cooperations facilitate coordination activities in product markets via price xing, our study highlights that PDLAs can be used as an instrument to coordinate
A Neuro-Fuzzy Based Software Reusability Evaluation System with Optimized Rule Selection

There are metrics for identifying the quality of reusable components but the function that makes use of these metrics to find reusability of software components is still not clear. We critically analyzed the CK metrics, tried to remove the inconsistencies and devised neuro-fuzzy framework that gets input in form of tuned WMC, DIT, NOC, CBO, LCOM values of a software component and output can be obtained in terms of reusability. This paper also shows how a small number of fuzzy rules can be selected for designing initial fuzzy rule-base for neuro-fuzzy systems. It consists of two phases: generation of candidate rules by IDS decision tree algorithm and rule pruning by evaluation of rules with help of two rule evaluation criteria. The developed reusability evaluation system has produced high precision results. Hence, the developed system can be used for identification and extraction of OO based reusable components from legacy systems and evaluation of developed or developing reusable components
RESEARCH ON MODEL OF NETWORK INFORMATION EXTRACTION BASED ON IMPROVED TOPIC-FOCUSED WEB CRAWLER KEY TECHNOLOGY

Original scientific paper This research has caught researchers' wide attention for extracting network information exactly with the arrival of the big data era characterized by semistructured or unstructured text. This paper proposes a model of network information extraction based on improved topic-focused web crawler key technology taking Web news as object of extraction. The authors elaborate main function, method and technology on every layer of the model in detail, which have been used or completed, and focuses on how to extract network information efficiently oriented topic from a large number of Web news instances, in order to explore a research method for network information extraction. The experimental results show the feasibility, validity and superiority of the model design and play a very important role in constructing topic-focused Web news corpus so as to provide a real-time data source for trust analysis, currency analysis, hot topic detection, topic evolution tracking of Web news.
Traditions and Innovations: An Exploration of the Governance Structure, Business Strategy and hIstorical Development of the Chinese Shanxi Piaohao
, 1820s to 1930s

This dissertation examines the Chinese Shanxi piaohao, arguably the most important Chinese indigenous financial institutions in the nineteenth century, which emerged in one particular province. Concentrating on their governance structure, business strategy, and historical development, my thesis explores the emergence, growth and decline of the piaohao, and asks how they solved the commitment problem and developed their business by means of modern economists’ tools, such as path dependency and the principal agent model. This study uses a wealth of microeconomic data, which, although published, had not been digitized and properly analysed before. My work reveals that the emergence of the Shanxi piaohao shows reactive sequence path dependence. In a situation which gave little protection to shareholders’ capital, it imposed a highly centralized management structure, and a tenure- and performancebased incentive structure to discipline distant employees. Moreover, through establishing a widespread branch network, providing services to a wide range of clients, inventing various types of draft, and pricing remittance fees on diverse factors, the Shanxi piaohao were soon successful and controlled the Chinese remittance market for many decades. However, as it expanded and as China’s social and business environment became more unpredictable, the piaohao’s head managers reached the limits of their competence and its centralized management structure began to show diminishing returns. High financial leverage and a narrowed profits margin also indicated the hidden risks to the piaohao. When the 1911 Revolution broke out and ended China’s last feudal dynasty, many piaohao branches encountered immense losses from looting, bad loans and deposit withdrawals. It was during this time that modern Chinese banks and foreign banks penetrated the Chinese remittance market and poached the piaohao’s staff. Because the piaohao shareholders shared unlimited liabilities, when these threats materialized, many of them went bankrupt, while others turned to investments elsewhere and abandoned the piaohao.
Is having polycystic ovary syndrome a predictor of poor psychological function including anxiety and depression?

BACKGROUND The impact of metabolic and reproductive features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compromises psychological functioning. We investigated factors associated with negative psychological functioning to determine whether they were predictive of anxiety and depression in PCOS. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed by questionnaire in 177 women with PCOS (mean ± SD age 32.8 ± 7.8 years) and 109 healthy controls (mean age 41.9 ± 15.4 years). Main outcome measures were anxiety and depression, measured using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), respectively. RESULTS Women with PCOS, compared with control women, had a higher mean anxiety HADS score (9.5 ± 3.9 versus 6.5 ± 3.6; P < 0.001), a higher mean depression score (5.7 ± 3.7 versus 3.3 ± 3.1; P < 0.001) and more negative body image in 7 out of 10 subscales of the MBSRQ. Multivariate regression analysis in PCOS showed that anxiety was predicted by self-worth (P < 0.0001), health evaluation (P = 0.005), time taken to diagnose PCOS (P = 0.003) and age (P = 0.02), while in control women, anxiety was predicted by self-worth (P = 0.009), health evaluation (P = 0.001) and rural living (P = 0.03). Depression in PCOS was predicted by self-worth (P = 0.0004), quality of life (QOL) (P = 0.004), fitness orientation (P = 0.002), appearance evaluation (P = 0.001) and time to diagnosis (P = 0.03) and in women without PCOS, by self-worth (P < 0.0001), QOL (P < 0.0001), illness orientation (P = 0.001) and appearance orientation (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Women with PCOS have increased anxiety, depression and negative body image compared with women without PCOS. In women with or without PCOS, body image and self-worth are predictors of both anxiety and depression, while QOL also predicts only depression. Time taken to diagnose PCOS is associated with poor psychological functioning.
191 SexedULTRA™, A NEW METHOD OF PROCESSING SEX SORTED BOVINE SPERM IMPROVES POST-THAW SPERM QUALITY AND IN VITRO FERTILITY.

Since the first publications 30 years ago showing that flow cytometry was a reliable method to separate X and Y chromosome bearing sperm, the process has been subject to continual refinement. Numerous experiments have been performed in the last few years with the objective of developing an improved sex-sorted product, branded SexedULTRA™ (Sexing Technologies, Navasota, TX, USA) that retains sperm integrity to improve post-thaw sperm quality, in vitro embryo production, and field fertility compared with the previous XY method. Laboratory evaluations were performed on semen from 12 bulls at the Sexing Technologies laboratory in Navasota (TX, USA). Each ejaculate was divided in 2 aliquots and then processed in 1 of 2 methods (XY method or SexedULTRA™). Post-thaw sperm motilities were classified into percent total and progressively motile after thawing (0h) and after a 3-h incubation at 37°C using a computer-assisted sperm motility analyzer (Hamilton Thorne IVOS II system, Hamilton Thorne Biosciences, Beverly, MA, USA). Percent intact acrosomes was also estimated after a 3-h incubation. Results were analysed by a mixed model ANOVA with the fixed effect of treatment and random effect of bull. Percent total motile SexedULTRA™ sperm was greater (P<0.001) than sperm processed following the XY method at 0 (78.8 v. 67.2%) and 3h (51.0% v. 39.0%) post-thaw. Likewise, there was a higher percent of progressively motile sperm both at 0 (50.7 v. 44.9%) and 3h (31.5v. 4.4%) post-thaw in the SexedULTRA™ sperm. Percent intact acrosomes was also greater in SexedULTRA™ sperm compared with the sperm processed following previous method (78.0v. 64.0%). In vitro fertilizations were performed as a measure of sperm competence using 8 ejaculates from 2 bulls in Sexing Technologies IVF laboratory in Laceyville (PA, USA). Five to 10 oocytes and 5,000 motile sperm/oocyte were placed per IVF drop for the analysis. A total of 3 straws and a minimum of 800 oocytes per treatment group (ejaculate×treatment) were included in the comparison for development to 8-cell stage (cleavage rate) and to Day 7 blastocyst stage, measured as total (grades 1 to 4) and freezable (grades 1 and 2) embryos. Results were analysed using a mixed model ANOVA with treatment as a fixed effect and bull, ejaculate within bull, and IVF cycle as random effects. Results from IVF trials are shown in Table 1. Total and freezable embryo numbers were significantly higher (P<0.05) when using SexedULTRA™ compared with XY sperm. Maintaining a suitable environment for sperm to progress through the various steps of the sex-sorting process results in better semen quality post-thaw as well as improved in vitro fertility. The SexedULTRA™ method confers a significant benefit in maintaining sperm integrity that, if translated into field fertility, could reduce the conception rate gap between conventional and sex-sorted bovine sperm.
Individualized e-Learning System: Agent for Learning Mathematics in Primary Education in Thailand

At present e-Learning systems are widely introduced in education. There are various systems developed and implemented for learners. However, most of these systems are static and inflexible. These traditional systems are developed on the basis of “one-size-fit-all”. They cannot be adjusted to fit the individual’s capability. In this paper the user-centric approach is applied to improve the performance, effectiveness and usability of the system. This paper proposes an agent for learning mathematics in primary education. This agent provides material for both teachers and students. For teachers, it gives advice in preparing teaching materials and methods based on student background. These recommendations can be procedures such as specific activities, or content including lessons in mathematics. For students, the system provides lessons to them as a result of the pretest for mathematics skills. The system was examined by three groups including teachers, software developers and education students. Descriptive analysis was performed and results indicate that the system was acceptable and satisfactory. Further research is suggested.
Performance Characteristics of Different Immunoassays for Determination of Parathyrin (1 — 84) in Human Plasma Samples

The performance characteristics of four radioisotopically and non-radioisotopically labelled two-site immunoassays for the determination of 'intact' parathyrin in plasma samples are reported. Within-run as well as between-assay imprecision was characterized by coefficients of variation usually < 10%. Assessment of the linearity of dilution in plasma samples from patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (obtained from patients with chronic renal failure prior to dialysis) revealed that an assay with N-terminal capture antibodies showed an increase of the values after dilution (p < 0.05) whereas another assay with C-terminal capture antibodies was characterized by a decrease of the values after dilution (p < 0.05). Correlation between the data obtained by the four assays and our currently used routine method (N-tact PTH from INCSTAR) revealed correlation coefficients of r > + 0.96 and slope values between 0.83 and 1.34. Determination of the analytical recovery of parathyrin (1-84) from two reference materials [First International Reference Preparation 79/500 and synthetic human parathyrin (1-84)] revealed that the recovery rates were strongly influenced by (a) the assay employed for determination of parathyrin concentrations, (b) the matrix of the diluent and (c) the reference material used. These results as well as systematic differences between the assays we examined (employing plasma samples from unselected nephrological patients) require further efforts towards a more rigorous standardization of 'intact' parathyrin assays.
Enhanced Depth Imaging Optical Coherence Tomography: A New Way Measuring Choroidal Thickness in Pregnant Women

The body changes markedly during pregnancy; each system behaves differently from a nonpregnant state. As the eyes are the only windows to see directly what is going on in the internal environment, more and more researches have been done to explain the association between ocular changes and the physiological and pathological changes during pregnancy. The choroid is one of the critical parts of the eye, providing nutrition. And abnormal choroid may result in ocular dysfunction and visual problems. As the optical coherence tomography develops, a rapid, direct, noninvasive, and nontoxic way is available to obtain the choroid situation of pregnant women, which may explain the mechanism of pregnancy-related eye diseases. This review would summarize relevant original articles published from January 1, 2008 to December 1, 2016 to assess the changes of choroidal thickness (CT) with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) during pregnancy. And the relationship between choroidal thickness changes and pregnancy remains uncertain. To our knowledge, this is the first review of EDI-OCT in assessing the choroidal thickness of the pregnant women.
A Learning Algorithm for Change Impact Prediction: Experimentation on 7 Java Applications

Change impact analysis consists in predicting the impact of a code change in a software application. In this paper, we take a learning perspective on change impact analysis and consider the problem formulated as follows. The artifacts that are considered are methods of object-oriented software; the change under study is a change in the code of the method, the impact is the test methods that fail because of the change that has been performed. We propose an algorithm, called LCIP that learns from past impacts to predict future impacts. To evaluate our system, we consider 7 Java software applications totaling 214,000+ lines of code. We simulate 17574 changes and their actual impact through code mutations, as done in mutation testing. We find that LCIP can predict the impact with a precision of 69%, a recall of 79%, corresponding to a F-Score of 55%.
Linking mechanistic toxicology to population models in forecasting recovery from chemical stress: A case study from Jackfish Bay, Ontario, Canada

Recovery of fish and wildlife populations after stressor mitigation serves as a basis for evaluating remediation success. Unfortunately, effectively monitoring population status on a routine basis can be difficult and costly. In the present study, the authors describe a framework that can be applied in conjunction with field monitoring efforts (e.g., through effects‐based monitoring programs) to link chemically induced alterations in molecular and biochemical endpoints to adverse outcomes in whole organisms and populations. The approach employs a simple density‐dependent logistic matrix model linked to adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for reproductive effects in fish. Application of this framework requires a life table for the organism of interest, a measure of carrying capacity for the population of interest, and estimation of the effect of stressors on vital rates of organisms within the study population. The authors demonstrate the framework using linked AOPs and population models parameterized with long‐term monitoring data for white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) collected from a study site at Jackfish Bay, Lake Superior, Canada. Individual responses of fish exposed to pulp mill effluent were used to demonstrate the framework's capability to project alterations in population status, both in terms of ongoing impact and subsequent recovery after stressor mitigation associated with process changes at the mill. The general approach demonstrated at the Jackfish Bay site can be applied to characterize population statuses of other species at a variety of impacted sites and can account for effects of multiple stressors (both chemical and nonchemical) and dynamics within complex landscapes (i.e., meta‐populations including emigration and immigration processes). Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:1623–1633. © 2015 SETAC
Organizational Structure, Function and Performance of Agribusiness Enterprises in Nigeria

This study examined the Organizational structure, function and performance of agribusiness enterprises in Nigeria. The subjects in this study consisted of key employees from 141 agribusiness companies. After Taro Yemen samplings technique was employed, a sample frame of 104 agribusiness companies was trimmed out of 141. The relaxation of formalization and centralization variable implies that at the time this study was carried out, the agribusiness enterprises were under the influence of environment-of-business forces. In order for the businesses to adjust or tackle the turbulent nature of the environment, they had to strategically flatten their organizations to give way for an organic structure to offset the perturbation. Minute tasks performed by specialists in the agribusiness enterprises greatly improved communication and the copying of improved procedures, processes and technologies within the organization. Agribusiness enterprises rely on shared goals for control and lateral co-ordination, thereby reducing sub-optimization within departments to the minimum. There should be an increased exchange of communication between units and departments so as to allow for free flow of information, management should make effort in directing employee work performance towards desired organizational objectives so as to reduce sub-optimization within the departmental units. Boundary spanners should be installed and functional departments synchronized with the environment of business to reduce perturbations. Management should also monitor technological changes that would standardize tasks performed in a uniform manner.
Neuritic Involvement within bFGf Immunopositive Plaques of Alzheimer's Disease

As early as 1928, Cajal suggested that plaques contain a trophic substance which attracts neurites. Recently, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels were shown to be elevated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and localized to plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. We sought to clarify the subtype of plaques which contain bFGF and provide more detail on bFGFs neuronal and vascular localization in normal aged brain, AD brain, and Down's syndrome (DS) brain. We combined double-labeling immunocytochemistry for bFGF with heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans, beta-amyloid, and thioflavine fluorescence. In addition, the neuritic markers tau-1 and PHF-1 were combined with bFGF staining. Eleven AD, five nondemented controls, and four DS cases were examined. Most bFGF immunopositive plaques contained numerous dystrophic fibers, indicating they were of the neuritic subtype. We also detected a variety of bFGF-positive cells, including hilar, dentate granule, pyramidal, and stellate neurons, as well as astrocytes. The basement membrane of large and small arterioles also contained bFGF. bFGF immunoreactivity within neurons, astrocytes and the vasculature was increased in AD cases relative to controls. Immunoreactivity within the DS cases was intermediate. These results suggest that bFGF is up-regulated in AD and support the hypothesis that bFGF may attract neurites into plaques. Alternatively, an injured neurite may induce bFGF production by responding glia, resulting in further neuritic attraction.
Determination of optimal electrode positions for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

The present study introduces a new approach to determining optimal electrode positions in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Electric field and 3D conduction current density were analyzed using 3D finite element method (FEM) formulated for a dc conduction problem. The electrode positions for minimal current injection were optimized by changing the Cartesian coordinate system into the spherical coordinate system and applying the (2+6) evolution strategy (ES) algorithm. Preliminary simulation studies applied to a standard three-layer head model demonstrated that the proposed approach is promising in enhancing the performance of tDCS.
Audio-Visual Speech Processing System for Polish Applicable to Human-Computer Interaction

This paper describes audio-visual speech recognition system for Polish language and a set of performance tests under various acoustic conditions. We first present the overall structure of AVASR systems with three main areas: audio features extraction, visual features extraction and subsequently, audiovisual speech integration. We present MFCC features for audio stream with standard HMM modeling technique, then we describe appearance and shape based visual features. Subsequently we present two feature integration techniques, feature concatenation and model fusion. We also discuss the results of a set of experiments conducted to select best system setup for Polish, under noisy audio conditions. Experiments are simulating human-computer interaction in computer control case with voice commands in difficult audio environments. With Active Appearance Model (AAM) and multistream Hidden Markov Model (HMM) we can improve system accuracy by reducing Word Error Rate for more than 30%, comparing to audio-only speech recognition, when Signal-to-Noise Ratio goes down to 0dB.