Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feed Additives for Swine-Conjugated Linoleic Acid ( CLA ) PAGE 1 PIG 07-0305 National Swine Nutrition Guide

A major challenge in the pork industry is to produce lean pigs without compromising pork quality. Pork quality includes both lean (e.g. color, intramuscular fat, drip loss or purge) and fat (e.g. firmness, slice ability of bellies, flavor) quality of the meat products. One of the strongest determinants of carcass fat quality in pigs is the dietary lipid level and composition. Because the efficiency of utilization of dietary fat is very high (90%) in pigs and the transfer of dietary fat to carcass lipid is high (31-40%) [1,2], the carcass lipid composition is often a reflection of the dietary fat fed when pigs shift from de novo synthesis of fatty acids to dietary uptake. Dietary lipids may have different effects on carcass lipid depending on its composition, level, and duration or timing preslaughter during the grow-finish period. Understanding and managing the factors that control carcass fat quality is a challenge for swine producers given several feedstuffs may be very economical (e.g. DDGS), but may be detrimental to carcass fat quality. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a fatty acid that may be one tool to help producers manage pork carcass quality. CLA refers to a group of linoleic acid (18:2) isomers that have several biological effects. When fed to finishing pigs, CLA has been reported to reduce backfat, improve feed conversion, carcass leanness, loin marbling, and carcass fat firmness.
Real-time C 2-Weighting Based Character Skinning Powered by GPU

Handle driven character skinning is widely favored in animation applications due to its advantages of intuitiveness, effectiveness and simplicity. A research thread to realize this is to compute a proper weighting distribution on points associated with specified handles like points, bars or skeleton, which is critical to the quality of manipulation and can be utilized to produce animation by controlling user handles. In this work, we introduce a new skinning method that is compatible with different model representations, with a key idea of evaluating the local influence of each handle by decomposing the shape domain into small overlapped regions. Thanks to its well-designed formulation, the computation of weights and update of models can be conducted in parallel on GPU, leading to high efficiency and good visual quality supported by the provided experimental and statistical results in this paper.
Post-tectonic limitations on Early Devonian (Emsian) reef development in the Gobi-Altai region, Mongolia

Pellegrini, A.F. A. , Soja, C.M. & Minjin, C. 2011: Post-tectonic limitations on Early Devonian (Emsian) reef development in the Gobi-Altai region, Mongolia. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 46–61. This study investigates a Lower Devonian (Emsian) carbonate sequence from the Chuluun Formation where it is exposed in the Gobi-Altai region of southern Mongolia. Quantification of abundance patterns across guild, morphotype and general taxonomic levels was based on stratigraphical and thin-section analyses. Comparison with other Emsian carbonate platforms allowed the factors that influenced community development in the wake of a tectonic perturbation to be determined. Our evidence reveals that potential reef-building biotas preserved in the Chuluun Formation experienced rapid colonization of a newly submerged carbonate platform following an episode of tectonic uplift and the development of a coastal alluvial fan. Although critical reef-building organisms were present, colonial corals and stromatoporoids exhibited limited vertical growth and showed no significant lateral expansion of individuals or biotic assemblages. Nor did those taxa experience significant increases in abundance, density, or size. We conclude that incomplete succession and the lack of reef development occurred most likely because of an unsuitable substrate, limited accommodation space and isolation that reduced colonization potential. □Community succession, Emsian, palaeoecology, reef suppression.
Heat treatment of graphite and resulting tritium emissions

Windscale pile 1 still retains significant amounts of Wigner energy within graphite bricks not affected by the 1957 fire A recent survey could clarify the status of the graphite with respect to stored energy. Based on the history of pile 1, it is not possible to present a unique set of release curves valid for all investigated channels. Furthermore, as they are inaccessible for drilling, it has not been possible to survey the surrounding blocks and thus their status with regard to stored energy is unknown. Graphite samples of several blocks show release behaviour that exceeds the heat capacity of unirradiated graphite. Statistically, however, this affects less than 25% of the material. Consequently, 75% of the material does not represent any risk in the sense that either handling or later encapsulation of the graphite will result in unforeseeable energy release. In order to plan all stages of the graphite disposal process it is necessary to consider whether an inadvertent release of stored energy could occur during handling and storage and whether deliberate or partial annealing of the material is required. On the basis of a multi-activation energy concept, it can be shown that annealing between 200 and 250°C can clear all sites which will eventually be activated by the grouting process. This temperature range was examined with respect to the efficiency of a deliberate annealing procedure. A total of 80-90% of the stored energy releasable up to 500°C can be released if the annealing procedure is executed between 250 and 300°C. With regard to tritium release from graphite during annealing, ground pile 1 graphite material was heated and the desorption of tritium was measured. It appears that less than 0.5% of the total tritium content is released at the proposed annealing temperatures.
Influence of Slope Aspect on Plant Community Composition and its Implications for Restoration of a Chinese Mountain Range

Excessive human disturbance (e.g., overgrazing, deforestation) has degraded the environment in the Qilian Mountains in China. Vegetative restoration is likely to be a crucial tool to restore these biologically significant habitats, but it is impossible to achieve this goal if the baseline plant community composition and its variation with local environmental conditions were not understood fully. To assess plant community composition by slope aspect, four different aspects – south-facing slope (SF), southwest-facing slope (SW), northwest-facing slope (NW), and north-facing slope (NF) – were surveyed on three almost non-degraded mountains. The results showed that each slope aspect has different abiotic environments. From SF to NF, soil water content has an increasing trend, but it shows no difference between SF and SW; and daily soil temperature and pH have a decreasing trend, while the former shows no difference between SF and SW, and SW and NW; and the latter shows no difference between SW and NW; and soil organic carbon was significantly increased, but soil bulk density was significantly decreased. Herbaceous plants were dominant on SF, SW, and NW, and trees (Picea crassifolia) were dominant on NF. From SF to NW, the dominant herbaceous plants were Agropyron cristatum and Stipa grandis, Agropyron cristatum and Carex aridula, and Kobresia humilis and Carex crebra, respectively, while on NF they were Carex spp. and Polygonum macrophyllum. The baseline survey points to the need to consider underlying patterns in abiotic conditions when planning restoration programs in these degraded mountain habitats, and to select native plants similar to the original vegetation. The survey provides a vital milestone for the development of policy-based funding initiatives and for ongoing vegetation monitoring during restoration to assess if these vegetative targets have
Effect of hormone therapy on long-term outcomes of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2- and hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer: real world experience in China.

BACKGROUND Among human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, more than half are also hormone receptor (HR)-positive. Although HR is a predictive factor for the efficacy of hormone therapy, there are still some uncertainties in regard to the effects on patients with HR-positive and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancers due to the potential resistance to hormone therapy caused by co-expression of HR and HER2. There are no clinical trials directly comparing the efficacy of hormonal therapy with chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS To examine the real-world effect of hormone therapy on patients with HR-positive and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancers, a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the Chinese population was conducted. The study included 113 patients who received first-line and second-line palliative treatment between 2005 and 2010 in the Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science. The effect of hormone therapy on overall survival (OS) was studied. RESULTS The patients who received hormone therapy (n=51) had better overall survival in contrast to those who received chemotherapy with anti-HER2 therapy (n=62) in first- or second-line treatment. The difference was of borderline statistical significance (51.8m vs 31.9m, p=0.065). In addition, the effect of hormone therapy did not differ significantly with other prognostic factors, including age (≤50 years or >50 years), disease free survival (≥2 years or < 2 years) and site of metastasis (visceral or bone/soft tissue). On multivariate analysis, administration of hormone therapy was associated with a trend toward a favorable prognosis (p=0.148, HR=0.693, 95%CI 0.422-1.139). Age more than 50 years was the sole independent harmful prognostic factor (p<0.001, HR=2.797, 95%CI 1.676-4.668). CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that hormonel therapy may improve outcomes of the patients with ER-positive and HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Understanding educational impacts: the role of literacy and numeracy skills

Much research concludes that formal education exerts a powerful causal influence on individual earnings as well as various non-pecuniary outcomes. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie these impacts. This paper investigates the extent to which the estimated impacts of formal schooling reflect the impact of education on the production of literacy and numeracy skills and the influence of these skills on earnings. To do so [the authors] use a rich data set containing measures of literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills for a representative sample of the adult population.
Evaluating Pattern Recognition Techniques in Intrusion Detection Systems

Pattern recognition is the discipline studying the design and operation of systems capable to recognize patterns with specific properties in data sources. Intrusion detection, on the other hand, is in charge of identifying anomalous activities by analyzing a data source, be it the logs of an operating system or in the network traffic. It is easy to find similarities between such research fields, and it is straightforward to think of a way to combine them. As to the descriptions above, we can imagine an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) using techniques proper of the pattern recognition field in order to discover an attack pattern within the network traffic. What we propose in this work is such a system, which exploits the results of research in the field of data mining, in order to discover potential attacks. The paper also presents some experimental results dealing with performance of our system in a real-world operational scenario.
Mutualistic Co-evolution of Type III Effector Genes in Sinorhizobium fredii and Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Two diametric paradigms have been proposed to model the molecular co-evolution of microbial mutualists and their eukaryotic hosts. In one, mutualist and host exhibit an antagonistic arms race and each partner evolves rapidly to maximize their own fitness from the interaction at potential expense of the other. In the opposing model, conflicts between mutualist and host are largely resolved and the interaction is characterized by evolutionary stasis. We tested these opposing frameworks in two lineages of mutualistic rhizobia, Sinorhizobium fredii and Bradyrhizobium japonicum. To examine genes demonstrably important for host-interactions we coupled the mining of genome sequences to a comprehensive functional screen for type III effector genes, which are necessary for many Gram-negative pathogens to infect their hosts. We demonstrate that the rhizobial type III effector genes exhibit a surprisingly high degree of conservation in content and sequence that is in contrast to those of a well characterized plant pathogenic species. This type III effector gene conservation is particularly striking in the context of the relatively high genome-wide diversity of rhizobia. The evolution of rhizobial type III effectors is inconsistent with the molecular arms race paradigm. Instead, our results reveal that these loci are relatively static in rhizobial lineages and suggest that fitness conflicts between rhizobia mutualists and their host plants have been largely resolved.
Structure and Composition of a Dry Mixed-Conifer Forest in Absence of Contemporary Treatments, Southwest, USA

Dry mixed-conifer forests in the Southwest occupy an important ecological and hydrological role in upper watersheds. In the absence of reoccurring fire and silvicultural treatments over the last 50 years, we quantified forest structure and composition on prevailing north and south aspects of a dry mixed-conifer forest in southcentral New Mexico using mixed models and ordination analysis in preparation for an experiment in ecological restoration. Results indicated overstory and midstory were dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and shade tolerant/fire intolerant white fir (Abies concolor) with interspersed mature aspen on north aspects, and Douglas-fir and Southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis) on south aspects. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), which was historically co-dominant with Douglas-fir on north and south aspects, was subdominant on south aspects and almost entirely absent on north aspects. Regeneration was dominated by white fir saplings and seedlings on north aspects while ponderosa pine was completely absent. South aspect saplings and seedlings were characterized by Douglas-fir and Southwestern white pine, but almost no ponderosa pine. Ordination analysis characterized the effect of aspect on species composition. Understanding contemporary forest structure and composition is important when planning for desired future conditions that are to be achieved through ecological restoration using silvicultural techniques designed to foster resilience.
A collective approach to ranking entities for mentions

Entity linking (EL) is the task of mapping name mentions in web text to their entities in a knowledge base. Most of earlier EL work in the knowledge based approach is usually formulated as a ranking problem, either by (i) non-collective approaches with supervised models, or (ii) collective approaches by leveraging global topical coherence which means semantic relations between entities through graph-based approaches. For the mapping process, we can regard it as selecting an entity to its mention by combining these two methods. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic model that ranks related entities to name mentions where ranking is customized by using three types of data: popularity knowledge of the entity, context similarity between mentions and the entity, and semantic relations between mapping entities. Specifically, we first propose an EL model utilizing global topical coherence that means semantic relatedness between entities, as well as using local mention-to-entity compatibility, to improve recall and precision. The key benefit of our model comes from 1) combination of two methods to provide customized ranking for mentions, 2) the model can save a large amount of calculation by efficiently finding candidate combinations of entities through global semantic coherence.
Timing of onset of cognitive decline: results from Whitehall II prospective cohort study

Objectives To estimate 10 year decline in cognitive function from longitudinal data in a middle aged cohort and to examine whether age cohorts can be compared with cross sectional data to infer the effect of age on cognitive decline. Design Prospective cohort study. At study inception in 1985-8, there were 10 308 participants, representing a recruitment rate of 73%. Setting Civil service departments in London, United Kingdom. Participants 5198 men and 2192 women, aged 45-70 at the beginning of cognitive testing in 1997-9. Main outcome measure Tests of memory, reasoning, vocabulary, and phonemic and semantic fluency, assessed three times over 10 years. Results All cognitive scores, except vocabulary, declined in all five age categories (age 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, and 65-70 at baseline), with evidence of faster decline in older people. In men, the 10 year decline, shown as change/range of test×100, in reasoning was −3.6% (95% confidence interval −4.1% to −3.0%) in those aged 45-49 at baseline and −9.6% (−10.6% to −8.6%) in those aged 65-70. In women, the corresponding decline was −3.6% (−4.6% to −2.7%) and −7.4% (−9.1% to −5.7%). Comparisons of longitudinal and cross sectional effects of age suggest that the latter overestimate decline in women because of cohort differences in education. For example, in women aged 45-49 the longitudinal analysis showed reasoning to have declined by −3.6% (−4.5% to −2.8%) but the cross sectional effects suggested a decline of −11.4% (−14.0% to −8.9%). Conclusions Cognitive decline is already evident in middle age (age 45-49).
The intrasubjectivity of self, voices and delusions: A phenomenological analysis

To advance the area of phenomenology of voices and their interrelatedness to forms of delusions, this study investigated the prevalence and interrelatedness of co-occurring auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and delusions. Additionally, we explored the characterization of distinct subcategories/clusters of AVHs and delusions. Ninety-two participants experiencing psychosis were administered standardized clinical measures. We found a significant diagnostic difference with increased prevalence of co-occurring AVHs and delusions within the schizophrenia group compared to the bipolar with psychosis group. Regardless of diagnosis, there was a significant positive correlation between AVHs and delusions of reference, persecution, control, thought insertion, thought withdrawal and thought broadcasting. However, no significant relationship was found between AVHs and grandiose, somatic, religious, guilty or jealousy-themed delusions. Cluster analysis yielded two distinct cluster groups. Cluster One: Voices and Thought Delusions, and Cluster Two: Voices and Thematic Delusions. Cluster One participants showed elevated disorganized, cognitive and depressive symptoms, but not negative symptoms or excitement. This study underscores the need for expanded clinical and phenomenological research into the intersection of AVHs and delusions, including work that seeks to deconstruct conventional divisions between ostensible symptoms of perception (hallucinations) and belief (delusions).
Recent trends in bulk acoustic wave resonator sensors

Devices based on piezoelectric materials, which allow transduction between electrical and acoustic energies, have been developed in a number of configurations for sensor applications and materials characterization. Bulk acoustic wave resonators like QCM and ultrasonic sensors can be classified in the category of acoustic wave resonators sensors. The latter will not be considered here. In the following the state-of-the-art of bulk acoustic wave resonator sensors will be discussed. Models for the description of the transduction mechanisms of acoustic-wave based chemical or biochemical sensors are introduced and compared to derive the application chance and limitations of these sensors. The importance of suitable sensor interface electronics for getting exact sensor data in damping fluid systems will be shown. In this context the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) plays a dominant role. Selected application examples are given. Aspects of future trends are discussed.
Drug-Mediated Shortening of Action Potentials in LQTS2 Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes

Cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are now a well-established modality for modeling genetic disorders of the heart. This is especially so for long QT syndrome (LQTS), which is caused by perturbation of ion channel function, and can lead to fainting, malignant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. LQTS2 is caused by mutations in KCNH2, a gene whose protein product contributes to IKr (also known as HERG), which is the predominant repolarizing potassium current in CMs. β-blockers are the mainstay treatment for patients with LQTS, functioning by reducing heart rate and arrhythmogenesis. However, they are not effective in around a quarter of LQTS2 patients, in part, because they do not correct the defining feature of the condition, which is excessively prolonged QT interval. Since new therapeutics are needed, in this report, we biopsied skin fibroblasts from a patient who was both genetically and clinically diagnosed with LQTS2. By producing LQTS-hiPSC-CMs, we assessed the impact of different drugs on action potential duration (APD), which is used as an in vitro surrogate for QT interval. Not surprisingly, the patient's own β-blocker medication, propranolol, had a marginal effect on APD in the LQTS-hiPSC-CMs. However, APD could be significantly reduced by up to 19% with compounds that enhanced the IKr current by direct channel binding or by indirect mediation through the PPARδ/protein 14-3-3 epsilon/HERG pathway. Drug-induced enhancement of an alternative potassium current, IKATP, also reduced APD by up to 21%. This study demonstrates the utility of LQTS-hiPSC-CMs in evaluating whether drugs can shorten APD and, importantly, shows that PPARδ agonists may form a new class of therapeutics for this condition.
CS 231 A Final Project-Video to PDF

We introduce a system which takes a video of a document to be scanned as its input and outputs a set of images that correspond to the document pages. These images could then be converted to a single pdf file. Unlike the earlier works, not only does the system recognize each page flips and rectifies the pages, it also applies a series of image enhancements to improve the output image quality. The system also contains a false positive mechanism to remove any duplicate images. As taking a video takes significantly less time than scanning each page at a time using traditional methodologies, this greatly reduces the amount of time and mental pain that a user must go through when scanning documents.