Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From Obama to Osama: Image of God and Trust in Muslims among the Highly Religious in the United States

Abstract Although Muslims in the United States are highly assimilated into American society, they represent less than 1 percent of the total population. Therefore, most of the information Americans receive about this group comes from secondary sources. Two theoretical perspectives of opinion formation—image of God and low information rationality—shed light on the subject of trust in this marginalized group. For highly religious Americans, nearly two-thirds of the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey's national sample, Muslims may represent the ultimate outsiders. We compare the effect of the central religious narrative, or an image of God as creator or judge, to the effect of political ideology, or the likely exposure to forms of low information rationality such as framing, spinning, and buzzwords. We use indicators of these concepts in a multivariate analysis of trust in Muslims as a test of these competing perspectives of opinion formation. Using the 2005 Baylor Religion Survey data, we find that not only does trust in Muslims decrease with both a more conservative political ideology and a stronger view of God as vengeful and angry but that these effects interact to produce individuals who are far less likely to trust Muslims compared to their Democrat, Independent, and “loving God” counterparts.
Liberal or restrictive transfusion after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND Whether a restrictive threshold for hemoglobin level in red-cell transfusions, as compared with a liberal threshold, reduces postoperative morbidity and health care costs after cardiac surgery is uncertain. METHODS We conducted a multicenter, parallel-group trial in which patients older than 16 years of age who were undergoing nonemergency cardiac surgery were recruited from 17 centers in the United Kingdom. Patients with a postoperative hemoglobin level of less than 9 g per deciliter were randomly assigned to a restrictive transfusion threshold (hemoglobin level <7.5 g per deciliter) or a liberal transfusion threshold (hemoglobin level <9 g per deciliter). The primary outcome was a serious infection (sepsis or wound infection) or an ischemic event (permanent stroke [confirmation on brain imaging and deficit in motor, sensory, or coordination functions], myocardial infarction, infarction of the gut, or acute kidney injury) within 3 months after randomization. Health care costs, excluding the index surgery, were estimated from the day of surgery to 3 months after surgery. RESULTS A total of 2007 patients underwent randomization; 4 participants withdrew, leaving 1000 in the restrictive-threshold group and 1003 in the liberal-threshold group. Transfusion rates after randomization were 53.4% and 92.2% in the two groups, respectively. The primary outcome occurred in 35.1% of the patients in the restrictive-threshold group and 33.0% of the patients in the liberal-threshold group (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 1.34; P=0.30); there was no indication of heterogeneity according to subgroup. There were more deaths in the restrictive-threshold group than in the liberal-threshold group (4.2% vs. 2.6%; hazard ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.67; P=0.045). Serious postoperative complications, excluding primary-outcome events, occurred in 35.7% of participants in the restrictive-threshold group and 34.2% of participants in the liberal-threshold group. Total costs did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS A restrictive transfusion threshold after cardiac surgery was not superior to a liberal threshold with respect to morbidity or health care costs. (Funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment program; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN70923932.).
The effect of state extraversion on four types of affect

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of state extraversion on different types of affect. Ninety six participants were instructed to be extraverted or introverted in a 10‐minute dyadic discussion. State extraversion had a strong effect on positive affect and smaller (but still strong) effects on pleasant and activated affect, with these latter two effects almost equal in magnitude. This pattern of findings appears to increase confidence that the effect of state extraversion is genuine rather than the result of construct overlap, in that extraversion's effect on positive affect is not dominated by its effect on activated affect. No support for reward sensitivity as a potential explanatory mechanism was found. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oral contraceptive use and mortality after 36 years of follow-up in the Nurses’ Health Study: prospective cohort study

Objective To determine whether use of oral contraceptives is associated with all cause and cause specific mortality. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses’ Health Study, data collected between 1976 and 2012. Population 121 701 participants were prospectively followed for 36 years; lifetime oral contraceptive use was recorded biennially from 1976 to 1982. Main outcome measures Overall and cause specific mortality, assessed throughout follow-up until 2012. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the relative risks of all cause and cause specific mortality associated with use of oral contraceptives. Results In our population of 121 577 women with information on oral contraceptive use, 63 626 were never users (52%) and 57 951 were ever users (48%). After 3.6 million person years, we recorded 31 286 deaths. No association was observed between ever use of oral contraceptives and all cause mortality. However, violent or accidental deaths were more common among ever users (hazard ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.37). Longer duration of use was more strongly associated with certain causes of death, including premature mortality due to breast cancer (test for trend P<0.0001) and decreased mortality rates of ovarian cancer (P=0.002). Longer time since last use was also associated with certain outcomes, including a positive association with violent or accidental deaths (P=0.005). Conclusions All cause mortality did not differ significantly between women who had ever used oral contraceptives and never users. Oral contraceptive use was associated with certain causes of death, including increased rates of violent or accidental death and deaths due to breast cancer, whereas deaths due to ovarian cancer were less common among women who used oral contraceptives. These results pertain to earlier oral contraceptive formulations with higher hormone doses rather than the now more commonly used third and fourth generation formulations with lower estrogen doses.
Genome sequence of the Lebeckia ambigua-nodulating “Burkholderia sprentiae” strain WSM5005T

Abstract“Burkholderia sprentiae” strain WSM5005T is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated in Australia from an effective N2-fixing root nodule of Lebeckia ambigua collected in Klawer, Western Cape of South Africa, in October 2007. Here we describe the features of “Burkholderia sprentiae” strain WSM5005T, together with the genome sequence and its annotation. The 7,761,063 bp high-quality-draft genome is arranged in 8 scaffolds of 236 contigs, contains 7,147 protein-coding genes and 76 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of 20 rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Community Sequencing Program.
Dimensions of excellence in university teaching

Abstract The paper analyses the concept of ‘teaching excellence’ and attempts to give it precision. In the process, it is found that the lack of precision is due essentially to the multidimensionality of the concept, which has led to serious confusion in any attempt to reduce its dimensions to a single one. The dimensions are of two kinds; first, classificatory, distinguishing the three levels of institution, department and individual, and second, substantive, describing the different ways in which each of the three levels can exhibit excellence. Ways of recognizing and rewarding individual excellence in its different dimensions are then discussed and recommendations are made for action. It is argued that under present circumstances, excellence at institutional and departmental levels are almost unattainable, but that this is not so at individual level. Finally, it is noteworthy that recognizing and rewarding teaching excellence at all three levels is found to be significantly different from corresponding.
Effect of plastic surgery on face recognition: A preliminary study

Variations in pose, expression, illumination, aging and disguise are considered as major challenges in face recognition and several techniques have been proposed to address these challenges. Plastic surgery, on the other hand, is considered as an arduous research issue; however, it has not yet been studied either theoretically or experimentally. This paper focuses on analyzing the effect of plastic surgery in face recognition algorithms. The preliminary study provides an experimental and analytical comparison of face recognition algorithms on a plastic surgery database of 506 individuals. The experimental results indicate that existing face recognition algorithms perform poorly when matching pre and post surgery face images. The results also suggest that it is imperative for future face recognition systems to be able to address this important issue and hence there is a need for more research in this important area.
Tyrosinase Overexpression Promotes ATM-Dependent p53 Phosphorylation by Quercetin and Sensitizes Melanoma Cells to Dacarbazine

Dacarbazine (DTIC) has been used for the treatment of melanoma for decades. However, monotherapy with this chemotherapeutic agent results only in moderate response rates. To improve tumor response to DTIC current clinical trials in melanoma focus on combining a novel targeted agent with chemotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that tyrosinase which is commonly overexpressed in melanoma activates the bioflavonoid quercetin (Qct) and promotes an ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent DNA damage response. This response sensitizes melanoma cells that overexpress tyrosinase to DTIC. In DB-1 melanoma cells that overexpress tyrosinase (Tyr cells), the threshold for phosphorylation of ATM and p53 at serine 15 was observed at a low dose of Qct (25 μM) when compared to the mock transfected pcDNA3 cells, which required a higher dose (75 μM). Both pcDNA3 and Tyr DB-1 cells demonstrated similar increases in phosphorylation of p53 at other serine sites, but in the Tyr cells, DNApk expression was found to be reduced compared to control cells, indicating a shift towards an ATM-mediated response. The DB-1 control cells were resistant to DTIC, but were sensitized to apoptosis with high dose Qct, while Tyr cells were sensitized to DTIC with low or high dose Qct. Qct also sensitized SK Mel 5 (p53 wildtype) and 28 (p53 mutant) cells to DTIC. However, when SK Mel 5 cells were transiently transfected with tyrosinase and treated with Qct plus DTIC, SK Mel 5 cells demonstrated a more than additive induction of apoptosis. Therefore, this study demonstrates that tyrosinase overexpression promotes an ATM-dependent p53 phosphorylation by Qct treatment and sensitizes melanoma cells to dacarbazine. In conclusion, these results suggest that Qct or Qct analogues may significantly improve DTIC response rates in tumors that express tyrosinase.
Validity of the osu post-traumatic stress disorder scale and the behavior assessment system for children self-report of personality with child tornado survivors†

Tornadoes and other natural disasters can lead to anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children. This study provides further validity for the Oklahoma State University Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale–Child Form (OSU PTSDS-CF) by comparing it to the Behavior Assessment System for Children Self-Report of Personality (BASC-SRP). Correlations were significant at 0.01 between BASC-SRP scales of Anxiety, Atypicality, and Clinical Maladjustment, and at least 0.05 between OSU PTSDS-CF scales for Social Stress, Depression, Inadequacy, and Emotional Symptoms Index (ESI). Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) yielded significant differences at 0.01 between children with and without PTSD, based on OSU PTSDS-CF cut-off scores, for BASC-SRP Anxiety, Atypicality, and Clinical Maladjustment. ANOVAs were significant at 0.05 for Social Stress, Locus of Control, Relationship with Parents, and ESI. Results yielded moderate effect sizes, and BASC-SRP means were within normal limits for all groups. Practitioners are encouraged to supplement the BASC-SRP with PTSD measures in children who have experienced trauma. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Four Theses in the Study of China’s Urbanization

This article is written specifically for students of Chinese urbanization who are not sinologists. Four theses should inform their studies. The first is that China is an ancient urban civilization, but the processes we observe today are unprecedented. Thus, China’s urbanization must be studied under this dual aspect, giving due to both historical continuities and the unique characteristics of our own era. The second thesis argues that urbanization is a set of multidimensional socio-spatial processes of at least seven different and overlapping dimensions, each with its own vocabulary and traditions of scholarship. The study of China’s urbanization thus requires a trans-disciplinary approach. Thesis number three argues that urbanization involves rural–urban relations, but in contrast with many earlier studies, these relationships should be studied from an urban rather than rural perspective. Finally, and most contentiously, China’s urbanization, although entwined with globalization processes, is to be understood chiefly as an endogenous process leading to a specifically Chinese form of modernity.
Instability in the Production and Perception of Intervocalic Closure Voicing as a Cue to bdg vs. ptk in German

Not uncommonly in the literature the contrast between b, d, g and p, t, k in German is analysed with the distinctive feature [voice]. In a phonetically realistic interpretation of this feature this phonological analysis should predict that b, d, g are predominantly voiced during closure whereas p, t, k are not. But the literature review presented in this paper shows that German b, d, g are often voiceless even in a context as supportive for the occurrence of voicing as the position between vowels. Furthermore, it is shown that presence of voicing in b, d, g versus its absence in p, t, k essentially has no influence on the perception of this contrast. This evidence suggests that the German voicing contrast is not based on [voice] at all. It is argued instead that the contrast should be represented with a feature like [spread glottis] which captures the importance of presence vs. absence of aspiration as the primary cue in the production and perception of b, d, g vs. p, t, k in German. It is time to stop classifying voicing as distinctive/phonemic and aspiration as redundant/allophonic in the phonetic or grammatical analysis of the German stop system. When faced with the alternative, it is much more plausible to analyse aspiration as distinctive/phonemic and voicing as redundant/allophonic.
Efficient stereo matching for moving cameras and decalibrated rigs

In vehicular applications based on motion-stereo using monocular side-looking cameras, pairs of images must usually be rectified very well, to allow the application of dense stereo methods. But also long-term installations of stereo rigs in vehicles require approaches that cope with the decalibration of the cameras. The need for such methods is further underlined by the fact that offline camera calibration is a costly and time-consuming procedure at vehicle production sites.
Differential Expression of the Alpha S1 Casein and Beta-Lactoglobulin Genes in Different Physiological Stages of the Adani Goats Mammary Glands

Background Milk proteins genes have been the focus of the researches as the candidate target genes that play a decisive role when animal breeding is desired. Objectives In the present study, the transcriptional levels of Beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and Alpha S1 casein (CSN1S1) genes were investigated during prenatal, milking and drying times in mammary glands of the Adani goats which showed high and low breeding values. Materials and Methods The breeding values of the animals were estimated first by applying multi-trait random regression model. Using the biopsy gun, the mammary gland samples were taken and real-time PCR was applied to search the expression of the genes. Fixed factors of the model were the breeding value groups, sampling times and their interactions. Results The interactions were significant for both genes. At milking time, the high breeding value group exhibited more transcriptional levels for BLG and less transcriptional levels for CSN1S1 gene compared with the low breeding value group. The expression patterns of these genes were also different between the two breeding value groups. The maximum level of BLG and CSN1S1 transcriptions were found to occur at drying time. Conclusions A difference in the gene expression was observed between the two groups which indicate the change in the nucleotide sequence for transcription factor binding sites, or miRNA binding sites, otherwise in the coding regions. Therefore, the variations in the coding and promoter regions of this gene should be investigated in the further studies.
Extracellular Vesicles Modulate Host-Microbe Responses by Altering TLR2 Activity and Phagocytosis

Oral delivery of Gram positive bacteria, often derived from the genera Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, can modulate immune function. Although the exact mechanisms remain unclear, immunomodulatory effects may be elicited through the direct interaction of these bacteria with the intestinal epithelium or resident dendritic cell (DC) populations. We analyzed the immune activation properties of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium species and made the surprising observation that cellular responses in vitro were differentially influenced by the presence of serum, specifically the extracellular vesicle (EV) fraction. In contrast to the tested Lactobacilli species, tested Bifidobacterium species induce TLR2/6 activity which is inhibited by the presence of EVs. Using specific TLR ligands, EVs were found to enhance cellular TLR2/1 and TLR4 responses while TLR2/6 responses were suppressed. No effect could be observed on cellular TLR5 responses. We determined that EVs play a role in bacterial aggregation, suggesting that EVs interact with bacterial surfaces. EVs were found to slightly enhance DC phagocytosis of Bifidobacterium breve whereas phagocytosis of Lactobacillus rhamnosus was virtually absent upon serum EV depletion. DC uptake of a non-microbial substance (dextran) was not affected by the different serum fractions suggesting that EVs do not interfere with DC phagocytic capacity but rather modify the DC-microbe interaction. Depending on the microbe, combined effects of EVs on TLR activity and phagocytosis result in a differential proinflammatory DC cytokine release. Overall, these data suggest that EVs play a yet unrecognized role in host-microbe responses, not by interfering in recipient cellular responses but via attachment to, or scavenging of, microbe-associated molecular patterns. EVs can be found in any tissue or bodily fluid, therefore insights into EV-microbe interactions are important in understanding the mechanism of action of potential probiotics and gut immune homeostasis.
Blood Feeding Patterns of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Thailand

Abstract Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) were collected with aspirators from Mae Sot, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani, and Phatthalung study sites in Thailand from July 2003 though April 2004. The sandwich-B enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze 1,021 blood-fed specimens. Ae. aegypti almost exclusively fed on humans (99%, 658/664) in single host species, and 97% (86/88) of multiple-host bloodmeals included at least one human host. A low frequency of other hosts, including bovine, swine, cat, rat, and chicken were detected, but they represented <1% of bloodmeals. An even higher percentage of human feeding was detected in Ae. albopictus. Hosts of Ae. albopictus collected from sites in southern Thailand were entirely human (100%, n = 105) from both single and mixed meals. In the small number of double-host meals from Ae. albopictus, we detected 3.8% as swine–human and <1% from dog–human and cat–human. Forage ratios for Ae. aegypti indicated that human, dog, and swine were preferred hosts in order of preference. In contrast, bovine and chicken were avoided hosts for this species in Thailand.
Rigorous Verification of Bifurcations of Differential Equations via the Conley Index Theory

We propose a new approach for capturing bifurcations of (semi)flows by using a topological tool, the Conley index. We can apply this concept to capture bifurcations with rigorous numerics. As an example, we consider the dynamics generated by the Swift–Hohenberg PDE and show that a pitchfork-like bifurcation occurs in a certain region.
Focus of Attention for Linear Predictors

We present a method to stop the evaluation of a prediction process when the result of the full evaluation is obvious. This trait is highly desirable in prediction tasks where a predictor evaluates all its features for every example in large datasets. We observe that some examples are easier to classify than others, a phenomenon which is characterized by the event when most of the features agree on the class of an example. By stopping the feature evaluation when encountering an easy- to-classify example, the predictor can achieve substantial gains in computation. Our method provides a natural attention mechanism for linear predictors where the predictor concentrates most of its computation on hard-to-classify examples and quickly discards easy-to-classify ones. By modifying a linear prediction algorithm such as an SVM or AdaBoost to include our attentive method we prove that the average number of features computed is O(sqrt(n log 1/sqrt(delta))) where n is the original number of features, and delta is the error rate incurred due to early stopping. We demonstrate the effectiveness of Attentive Prediction on MNIST, Real-sim, Gisette, and synthetic datasets.
Automatic Feedback Framework for Deriving Educational Ontologies

Automatic feedback generation is an important feature of Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) systems. Feedback can help learners to diagnose their learning status and educational knowledge. The education ontology is created in the protégé tool. Questions are generated and the examinee’s is to provide the answers for the given questions. System will generate the adaptive feedback based on the user’s response. Learner’s answer will be assessed from the ontology. And then based on the examinee’s response the adaptive feedback is generated for right and wrong answers. Adaptive Feedback can be both human readable format and machine readable format. Users learning status can be identified from the adaptive feedback. Feedback can be generated from the metadata of items. Adaptive feedback can help learner’s knowledge level and examinees can improve their knowledge level. Index Terms – The Taxonomy of education objectives, Architecture of concept map assessment tool, Different types of CAA, Class hierarchy, Artificial Intelligence.