Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Special measures in child sexual abuse cases: views of Australian criminal justice professionals

ABSTRACT We explored Australian criminal justice professionals’ views on how well special measures for child complainants of sexual abuse are working in practice. We interviewed judges, prosecutors, defence counsel and witness assistance officers (n = 43) from four Australian jurisdictions, using a qualitative, non-directive approach. Overall, professionals perceived that special measures had improved evidence-giving processes for child complainants, but they nonetheless noted considerable room for improvement. The four overarching concerns that characterised the professionals’ responses were: (1) a lack of skilled and well-informed personnel; (2) widespread problems with technology and logistics; (3) a lack of flexibility in recognising that every witness is different; and (4) potential negative effects of special measures on impact trial fairness.
Uncertainty Quantification in Small-Timescale Model-Based Fatigue Crack Growth Analysis Using a Stochastic Collocation Method

Due to the uncertainties originating from the underlying physical model, material properties and the measurement data in fatigue crack growth (FCG) processing, the prediction of fatigue crack growth lifetime is still challenging. The objective of this paper was to investigate a methodology for uncertainty quantification in FCG analysis and probabilistic remaining useful life prediction. A small-timescale growth model for the fracture mechanics-based analysis and predicting crack-growth lifetime is studied. A stochastic collocation method is used to alleviate the computational difficulties in the uncertainty quantification in the small-timescale model-based FCG analysis, which is derived from tensor products based on the solution of deterministic FCG problems on sparse grids of collocation point sets in random space. The proposed method is applied to the prediction of fatigue crack growth lifetime of Al7075-T6 alloy plates and verified by fatigue crack-growth experiments. The results show that the proposed method has the advantage of computational efficiency in uncertainty quantification of remaining life prediction of FCG.
In-Vitro Development of Aggregates of Bovine Inner Cell Mass Cells or Bovine Mammary Cells and Putative Tetraploid Embryos Produced by Electrofusion

The present study was carried out to establish aggregation procedures of bovine inner cell mass (ICM) cells and tetraploid embryos to produce cloned cattle in a different way from nuclear transfer. Bovine two-cell embryos produced by in vitro fertilization were exposed to the electric pulse to fuse 2 blastomeres resulting in tetraploid embryos. Nine (18.8%) of 48 embryos fused by electrofusion developed to blastocyst stage. Three (16.7%) aggregates consisting of two putative tetraploid embryos and one clump of ICM cells developed to blastocyst. And the aggregates which were aggregated with a clump of bovine mammary cells and a clump of ICM cells which were stained with Hoechst also developed to blastocysts. These blastocysts were illuminated by UV, overall or some parts of all ICM of the aggregates treated were observed to luminesce. This raises the possibility that the clumps of the cells can form some parts of ICM of the aggregates. These results indicate that the aggregates of a clump of ICM cells or mammary cells and tetraploid embryos developed to blastocyst stage and that some parts of ICMs of the aggregates were originated from the clump of cells.
A Changing Paradigm for the Treatment of Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Asia-Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert Consensus Statements

The Asia-Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert (APPLE) Consensus Statement on the treatment strategy for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was established on August 31, 2019, in Sapporo, Hokkaido during the 10th Annual APPLE Meeting. This manuscript summarizes the international consensus statements developed at APPLE 2019. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the only guideline-recommended global standard of care for intermediate-stage HCC. However, not all patients benefit from TACE because intermediate-stage HCC is a heterogeneous disease in terms of tumor burden and liver function. Ten important clinical questions regarding this stage of HCC were raised, and consensus statements were generated based on high-quality evidence. In intermediate-stage HCC, preservation of liver function is as important as achieving a high objective response (OR) because the treatment goal is to prolong overall survival. Superselective conventional TACE (cTACE) is recommended as the first choice of treatment in patients eligible for effective (curative) TACE, whereas in patients who are not eligible, systemic therapy is recommended as the first choice of treatment. TACE is not indicated as the first-line therapy in TACE-unsuitable patients. Another important statement is that TACE should not be continued in patients who develop TACE failure/refractoriness in order to preserve liver function. Targeted therapy is the recommended first-line treatment for TACE-unsuitable patients. Especially, the drug, which can have higher OR rate, is preferred. Immunotherapy, transarterial radioembolization, TACE + targeted therapy or other modalities may be considered alternative options in TACE-unsuitable patients who are not candidates for targeted therapy. Better liver function, such as albumin-bilirubin grade 1, is an important factor for maximizing the therapeutic effect of systemic therapy.
Near-Threshold Voltage Design Techniques for Heterogenous Manycore System-on-Chips

Aggressive power supply scaling into the near-threshold voltage (NTV) region holds great potential for applications with strict energy budgets, since the energy efficiency peaks as the supply voltage approaches the threshold voltage (VT) of the CMOS transistors. The improved silicon energy efficiency promises to fit more cores in a given power envelope. As a result, many-core Near-threshold computing (NTC) has emerged as an attractive paradigm. Realizing energy-efficient heterogenous system on chips (SoCs) necessitates key NTV-optimized ingredients, recipes and IP blocks; including CPUs, graphic vector engines, interconnect fabrics and mm-scale microcontroller (MCU) designs. We discuss application of NTV design techniques, necessary for reliable operation over a wide supply voltage range—from nominal down to the NTV regime, and for a variety of IPs. Evaluation results spanning Intel’s 32-, 22- and 14-nm CMOS technologies across four test chips are presented, confirming substantial energy benefits that scale well with Moore’s law.
Corporate social responsibility and the non-linear effect on audit opinion for energy firms in Vietnam

Abstract Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increasingly been researched in the current and future trend of sustainable development. Extant studies document mixed results about the relationship between CSR and earnings management, but very few papers discuss how CSR and audit opinion are related. Using a sample of all the energy firms listed in Vietnam from 2007 to 2017, the research results suggest that CSR-engaged firms are more likely to receive unqualified opinions on the quality of their financial statements. We further document that firms benefit from CSR activities only when the activities are not at high levels, or there exists a non-linear effect of CSR on the likelihood of receiving unqualified opinion. This suggests that firms should balance the costs and benefits of CSR. The study conducts several robustness tests and the results remain unchanged throughout these tests.
Corporate tax responsibility in Africa: Insight from Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study explores how small business owners in Africa talk about their tax responsibility, using Nigeria as a case study. Data were collated through interviews, focus group sessions, and online chats. The study identifies two main types of tax responsibility talks amongst these business owners: (1) duty-based and (2) right-based discourses. The duty-based talks see taxation primarily as the citizens’ responsibility to governments, which should always be fulfilled unconditionally, while right-based talks see taxation primarily as the government’s responsibility to citizens, which should be fulfilled first, in order for the government to earn the trust of citizens for higher tax compliance. Further analyses reveal that these talks are anchored on four common discursive themes – i.e. socioeconomic development, and legal, moral, and philanthropic themes, which business owners respond to in different ways. The paper argues that understanding these diverse responses will help tax regulators respond to taxpayers’ attitudes effectively.
CARVEDILOL AS A POTENTIAL ADDITION TO THE COVID-19 THERAPEUTIC ARSENAL

No single therapeutic agent has been recognized so far as the ultimate treatment for COVID-19 and many treatment strategies rely on associating different medications with proven or hypothetical anti-viral effects. Carvedilol is a third-generation beta-blocker displaying potential inhibitory properties on several key enzymatic processes and pathways involved in SARS-CoV-2 or other coronaviruses replication, in addition to the modulatory effect on several inflammatory messengers of COVID-19. These data could provide a reasonable hypothetical background for further investigating specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects and could pave the way for further clinical verification.
Pointer gauge adaptive reading method based on a double match

In large-scale power transmission stations, more and more automated pointer gauge reading algorithms are being used to automatically and efficiently take gauge readings. However, most existing pointer gauge reading algorithms do not take into account image deformation, changes of illumination, and small object interference in one algorithm, so these algorithms have poor robustness and adaptability to complex situations in real environments, and cannot obtain correct gauge readings consistently. In this paper, we present a pointer gauge adaptive reading method based on a double match. Our doublematch gauge reading method is dedicated to reading the gauge adaptively by using some strong anti-interference methods after image registration. To achieve this, various gauge images should first be registered by detection and matching of feature points using perspective transformation, and then pointer center positioning and gauge reading calculations are performed, based on matching multiple image moments. In the experimental results, compared with the classical gauge reading algorithm based on saliency and Hough line detection, our method shows better precision and better anti-interference; furthermore, the adaptability of the pointer gauge reading algorithm is effectively improved.
Niche compression: Two tests of an hypothesis using narrowly sympatric predator species

The compression hypothesis predicts that when two species occur together in narrow sympatry, individuals in the overlap zone will use a smaller range of habitats and a larger or unchanged range of prey than individuals in allopatry. This report attempts to validate the assumptions underlying this hypothesis, and describes two tests of the predicted resource shifts using narrowly sympatric species of predatory marsupials (Antechinus spp.). In the first test, using A. stuartii and A. flavipes, there was little correspondence between observed and predicted changes in diet and habitat use (as measured by indices of niche breadth) for populations of either species. One index of niche breadth (Levins' B) revealed no trends in resource use, but a proportional similarity index relating resource use to resource abundance consistently indicated that the niche breadths of each species were greater in allopatry than in narrow sympatry. In the second test, using A. stuartii where it occurred alone and in narrow sympatry with A. swainsonii, there was again little correspondence between observed and predicted changes in resource use for seasonal or overall data. Differences in magnitudes of niche breadths between allopatric and narrowly sympatric A. stuartii were smaller in this test than in the first. While these findings provided no support for the compression hypothesis, they suggested three situations in which the predictions of the hypothesis may generally not apply. These are: (i) when the predators are active, dietary generalists (diet cannot expand in sympatry); (ii) when one species is a markedly superior competitor to the other (the dominant species suffers little or no niche compression in sympatry); and (iii) when the species compete by interference rather than exploitation (one species is evicted from sympatry or both show compression in habitat use and diet).
Vasa praevia diagnosis in the mid trimester ultrasound

The Australasian Sonographers Association (ASA) is the peak body and leading voice for sonographers in Australasia and leads the profession in delivering excellence in sonography to the community. A vital part of the ASA's dedication to promoting best practice in medical sonography involves producing and providing resources to guide sonographers in their work. This guideline has been developed by the authors and reviewed by the ASA Special Interest Group Obstetric and Gynaecology (SIG O&G) committee and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG). The guideline has been approved for release by the ASA Sonographer Policy and Advisory Committee (SPAC).
Squirrels: the animal answer guide

D. E. Wilson, D. M Reeder. (eds.). 2005. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 2142 pp. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4, 2 volumes, price (hardbound), $125.00. This is the 3rd edition of the now classic and official (endorsed by the American Society of Mammalogists), compendium of the living or recently extinct mammal species of the world. This edition is issued in a 2-volume set (the 2nd volume for Rodentia only), including 9,373 references and an index of scientific and common names. As were many of our colleagues, we were waiting for this revised edition since 2003 when it became common knowledge that the revision was essentially complete. Our interests were further enhanced by some chapters being circulated individually as preprinted copies. We can say that the wait was worth it. Benefits of ' this kind of effort are innumerable, as attested by its wide use as the reference for lists of local, regional, and national fauna; conservation status; updating taxonomic accounts in museums, zoos, and similar institutions; or even as a source of common names. In this volume, as in the previous one, D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder are general editors for 41 sections corresponding to 29 orders plus 1 infraorder, 1 superfamily, and 10 family accounts. This work resulted from contributions of 26 authors, fewer than 10 of them living outside the United States. The format of accounts in this edition is similar to the previous volume, with the order Rodentia deserving a more detailed revision through subordinal division. Given the positive reviews received for the 2nd edition (Corbet and Hill 1994; Patterson 1994), this arrangement seems to be well accepted by the scientific community. Under this format, each author has freedom to organize their correspondent section in terms of systematic and taxonomic decisions, following minimal requirements (e.g., geographic distribution, common names, conservation status, and identification of synonyms) set by the editors. The scope and aim of the work are defined in …
The association between communication impairments and acquired alexithymia in chronic stroke patients

ABSTRACT Introduction Language dysfunction has recently been suggested to be one route to alexithymia, an impairment in recognizing and communicating one’s own emotions. Neuropsychological evidence is needed to investigate the possibility that acquired language problems could underlie acquired alexithymia. Method This project examined data from a large group of chronic stroke patients (N = 118) to test whether self-reported or behavioral measures of language and communication problems were associated with alexithymia. We also examined the impact of hemisphere of damage on alexithymia. Results We found no differences in alexithymia levels for patients with observed language impairments on brief tests of picture naming, comprehension, and reading vs unimpaired patients. However, self-reported communication difficulties were found to be associated with higher scores of alexithymia, even after controlling for depression and anxiety. Patients with left- versus right-hemisphere damage did not differ in their alexithymia scores. Conclusions We found partial support for the language hypothesis of alexithymia. We discuss potential reasons for the discrepant findings between the self-report and objective language measures and suggest that self-report measures may be more sensitive to milder, more pragmatic language impairments, as opposed to the severe structural language impairments measured by the cognitive screening tests.
Mitochondrial genome of the Smoothnose wedgefish Rhynchobatus laevis from the Western Indian Ocean

Abstract We present the first mitogenome sequence of the Smoothnose Wedgefish, Rhynchobatus laevis obtained through field sequencing on the MinION handheld sequencer. The mitochondrial genome of R. laevis is 16,560 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop). GC content was at 40.1%. The control region was 867 bp in length. Whole mitochondrial genome sequence of R. laevis will enable improved understanding of distribution, abundance, catch and trade rates of the Critically Endangered species.
TVET Systems’ Response to COVID-19

This note focuses on the role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides guidance on reducing the adverse impact of the pandemic on TVET provision and enhancing the contribution TVET can make to mitigating the health, social, and economic impact of COVID-19.
Primary metabolite mobilization and hormonal regulation during seed dormancy release in Cornus japonica var. chinensis

The combination of gibberellin acid (GA) soaking with moist chilling plays a pivotal role in seed dormancy breaking. However, knowledge involving physiological and biochemical mechanisms for such a response is limited. This work focused on the effects of GA3 and moist chilling on overcoming seed dormancy as well as the response of endogenous hormones and nutrient reserves to dormancy release in Chinese dogwood (Cornus kousa var. chinensis). Seeds subjected to GA3 soaking and moist chilling exhibited a high germination percentage (average 97%), and the combination of 500 mg·L−1 GA3 soaking for 3 days followed with moist chilling for 50 days was more effective than other treatments. For GA3 treatments, lipids were initially hydrolyzed during the first stage of moist chilling (0–20 days), resulting in the increase of starch and soluble sugars, while proteins were kept relatively stable. During the second stage (20–50 days), contents of lipids, starch, soluble sugars, and proteins decreased by 46%, 82%, 61% and 59%, respectively. Abscisic acid (ABA) contents and ratios of ABA to GA3 in GA3 treatments decreased by nearly 70% and over 90%, respectively, when dormancy was terminated. However, endogenous GA3 contents in all treatments significantly increased with prolonged moist chilling. The present results provide insight into the metabolic mechanism involving hormonal regulation and mobilization of reserves during the release of seed dormancy in Chinese dogwood.
Illusory trust: Kanizsa shapes incidentally increase trust and willingness to invest

Previous research has shown that the completion of basic perceptual processes is intrinsically pleasant. In the absence of diagnostic and objective cues to trustworthiness, nondiagnostic factors such as positive affect can incidentally lead to reported and behavioral trust. On the basis of these two premises, it was tested whether positive affect from the completion of perceptual processes has implications for the formation of trust in first-time business-consumer interactions. We tested this hypothesis in four experiments, using the famous Kanizsa illusion as an exemplary perceptual process that has been shown to trigger positive affect. We found that participants trusted companies who featured a Kanizsa shape as their logo more than companies with closely matched logos that did not allow for the completion of a basic perceptual process. This was evident on self-reported (Experiment 1) as well as behavioral (Experiments 2 – 4) measures of trust. This effect even persisted under incentivized conditions (Experiment 4) and was partially mediated by the intrinsic pleasantness of perception (Experiment 3). These findings for the first time demonstrate that positive affect is not the only consequence of perception, but rather has further trickle-down consequences for social judgments and economic decision making. Perceptual illusions seem to elicit illusory trust. Therefore, these novel findings bear important implications not only for both logo design and marketing but also for consumer decision making.
Assessing the Repeatability of Automated Seafloor Classification Algorithms, with Application in Marine Protected Area Monitoring

The number and areal extent of marine protected areas worldwide is rapidly increasing as a result of numerous national targets that aim to see up to 30% of their waters protected by 2030. Automated seabed classification algorithms are arising as faster and objective methods to generate benthic habitat maps to monitor these areas. However, no study has yet systematically compared their repeatability. Here we aim to address that problem by comparing the repeatability of maps derived from acoustic datasets collected on consecutive days using three automated seafloor classification algorithms: (1) Random Forest (RF), (2) K–Nearest Neighbour (KNN) and (3) K means (KMEANS). The most robust and repeatable approach is then used to evaluate the change in seafloor habitats between 2012 and 2015 within the Greater Haig Fras Marine Conservation Zone, Celtic Sea, UK. Our results demonstrate that only RF and KNN provide statistically repeatable maps, with 60.3% and 47.2% agreement between consecutive days. Additionally, this study suggests that in low-relief areas, bathymetric derivatives are non-essential input parameters, while backscatter textural features, in particular Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrices, are substantially more effective in the detection of different habitats. Habitat persistence in the test area between 2012 and 2015 was 48.8%, with swapping of habitats driving the changes in 38.2% of the area. Overall, this study highlights the importance of investigating the repeatability of automated seafloor classification methods before they can be fully used in the monitoring of benthic habitats.