Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Word and Pseudoword Superiority Effects in a Shallow Orthography Language: The Role of Hemispheric Lateralization

The word superiority effect (WSE) has made it possible to demonstrate the automatic activation of lexical-orthographic entries in reading. The observation of this effect is important since it led to experimental support of the main cognitive reading models. These models were mostly developed on English data, hence the verification in different orthography systems is relevant. The present study tested WSE in Italian, a language in which this effect was predicted to be less constant given the highly consistent correspondence between orthography and phonology. Moreover, the presentation of the items in a lateralized visual field condition allowed testing of assumptions about the roles of the right and left hemispheres in written word recognition and, in particular, on the hemispheric lateralization of lexical processing. Two experiments were conducted with undergraduate students who had to recognize a target letter within a word, pseudoword, or nonword. In Experiment 1, prime and probe letters were in the same letter case, while in Experiment 2 they were in different letter cases. Error rates and reaction times were analyzed with mixed models. The results showed a superiority of pseudowords (pseudoword superiority effect; PSE) over illegal strings with no evidence of a clear superiority of words over pseudowords for both left and right visual field presentations. This suggests that in Italian, the sub-lexical route could play a major role in reading and that this route relies on a visual-perceptual orthographic coding concerning familiarity of letter combinations, which is also available to the right hemisphere.
Radioimmunohistochemistry of epidermal growth factor receptor in breast cancer.

CONTEXT Conflicting reports of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in breast cancer and inconstant relationships with established prognostic indicators and outcomes suggest difficulties with EGFR measurement. OBJECTIVE To compare EGFR measurement in a panel of cell lines and in breast carcinomas by radioimmunohistochemistry (R-IHC), conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC), and a ligand binding (LB) assay. DESIGN Eight EGFR-expressing cell lines and 50 primary breast carcinoma specimens were analyzed for EGFR by IHC, R-IHC, and LB assays. A further 153 primary breast cancer specimens were analyzed by R-IHC alone. RESULTS All 3 assays were in good agreement for the cell lines. In the subset of the 50 carcinoma specimens, EGFR was detected by LB assays in 19 (38%) and by IHC in 24 (48%). However, R-IHC detected EGFR in 46 (92%) of 50 and in 186 (92%) of all 203 carcinoma specimens. The LB assay agreed poorly with R-IHC of carcinomas, possibly because the LB assay is sensitive to EGFR-expressing nontumor breast parenchyma in the tissue analyzed. Both IHC and R-IHC on carcinoma specimens agreed better, but 26 carcinoma specimens (52%) in which EGFR was not detectable by IHC had a 10-fold range in receptor level detectable by R-IHC. CONCLUSION To elucidate the role of EGFR or other growth factor receptors in breast cancer requires accurate, sensitive receptor assays. With its dynamic range, R-IHC returned meaningful results over the entire range of expression actually present in breast cancer, which LB assays and IHC failed to do.
Transactivation of a Ribosomal Gene by Simian Virus 40 Large-T Antigen Requires at Least Three Activities of the Protein

ABSTRACT Simian virus 40 large-T antigen transactivates the ribosomal genes which are transcribed by RNA polymerase (pol I), as well as genes that are dependent on either pol II or pol III. This report identifies regions and activities of T antigen that are required to transactivate a pol I-dependent rat ribosomal gene promoter. By using the rat ribosomal gene (rDNA) promoter linked to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, we show that at least three separable T-antigen regions are necessary to achieve wild-type levels of transactivation of rDNA in transiently transfected monkey cells. One activity depends on the region of T antigen shared with small-t antigen (T/t common region). A second activity maps to amino acids 109 to 626 and is highly sensitive to mutational inactivation. Complementation analyses suggest that at least one activity in this region is independent of and must be in cis with the activity within the T/t common region. In addition, a functional nuclear localization signal is required for maximal T-antigen-mediated transactivation of rat rDNA. The three activities work in concert to override cellular species-specific controls and transactivate the rat ribosomal gene promoter. Finally, we provide evidence that although the tumor suppressor protein Rb has been shown to repress a pol I-dependent promoter, transactivation of the rat rDNA promoter does not depend on T antigen’s ability to bind the tumor suppressor product Rb.
Fine-scale patterns of odor encounter by the antennules of mantis shrimp tracking turbulent plumes in wave-affected and unidirectional flow

SUMMARY Many marine animals track odor plumes to their source. Although studies of plume-tracking behavior have been performed in unidirectional flow, benthic animals such as crustaceans live in coastal habitats characterized by waves. We compared signal encounters by odor-plume-tracking stomatopods (mantis shrimp) in wave-affected and unidirectional flow in a flume. Stomatopods are small enough that we can study their natural behavior in a flume. They sample odors by flicking their antennules. A thin sheet of laser light illuminating an odor plume labeled with dye [planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique] permitted us to measure the instantaneous odor concentration encountered by the animal's chemosensory organs (antennules) while it tracked the plume. We simultaneously measured behavior and the high-resolution odor signal at the spatial and temporal scale of the animal. We found that the navigating animal encountered odor filaments more often in wave-affected flow than in unidirectional flow. Odor filaments along the animals' antennules were significantly wider and of higher concentration in waves than in unidirectional flow.
Validity and Responsiveness to Change of Clinically Derived MDS Scales in Alzheimer Disease Outcomes Research

This analysis assessed 3 subscales derived from the nursing home Minimum Data Set (MDS), the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS), Depression Rating Scale (DRS), and Aggressive Behavior Scale (ABS), as outcome measures in clinical trials of long-term care residents with Alzheimer disease (AD). A total of 26 patients with moderate-to-severe AD and agitation/aggression enrolled in a trial of memantine were assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory Nursing Home Version (NPI-NH), and the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) administered by trained researchers. MDS data were collected as part of their standard clinical care. The MDS subscales correlated significantly with their corresponding research scales: CPS and MMSE (r = -0.57, P = .003); DRS and NPI-NH total (r = 0.42, P = .038); DRS and NPI-NH depression (r = 0.41, P = .04), and ABS and CMAI (r = 0.54, P = .004). DRS and ABS scores did not change significantly from baseline to 3 months though the NPI-NH and CMAI did, indicating limited sensitivity to change. This suggests that the MDS subscales measure comparable aspects of cognitive function and depressive and agitated/aggressive behavior as the MMSE, NPI-NH, and CMAI. However, this analysis also suggests that sensitivity to change of the DRS and ABS may be limited compared to the NPI-NH and CMAI. As these findings are preliminary, further research is needed to determine the utility of MDS scales in outcomes research.
Functioning of strategic decision making systems: Case study of an R&D organization in India

Strategic decision-making bodies and systems are supposed to provide strategic guidance to an enterprise. Although theorists have recognized the strategic importance of organizational learning as a means of providing a sustainable competitive advantage, case studies from the perspective of strategic renewal have been few. The present study looks into the issue of strategic renewal of laboratories functioning under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, a pubic-funded research and development (R&D) system, in terms of strategic vision and strategic involvement of the Research Councils of these laboratories while serving as their advisory and regulatory bodies in all matters pertaining to their R&D activities. It aims to investigate into the functioning of Research Councils of five CSIR laboratories located in different parts of India and working on different thrust areas of research with reference to the functions and powers envisaged for these bodies in the CSIR bye-laws. The results of the examination into the role of the Research Councils in fostering organizational learning and in guiding strategic renewal of CSIR laboratories working in different functional areas have significant implications for management of such public-funded laboratories in India as well as other nations.
Effective Deliberative Inclusion of Women in Contexts of Traditional Political Authority

This article examines several obstacles to the deliberative inclusion of women where traditional cultural-political authority exist alongside national democratic institutions. Drawing on the example of land reform in post-apartheid South Africa, the article argues that introducing deliberative democratic procedures to local cultural-political institutions may fail to achieve the inclusion and/or empowerment of subordinated members, such as rural women. I discuss three ways that deliberative interventions might be made more inclusive in such contexts: fi rst, by using strategic exclusion to amplify the voices of disenfranchised community members and/or to make possible parallel deliberation by them; second, by legitimizing and supporting the informal political practices of more disempowered group members (e.g., informal protests, political activism); and third, by fostering the political capacities of disempowered citizens in both formal and informal political life.
Detergent protease exposure and respiratory disease: case–referent analysis of a retrospective cohort

Objectives: To examine the relationship between protease exposure and respiratory disease in a cohort of detergent enzyme manufacturers. Methods: Case–referent analysis of a cohort of employees working in a European detergent factory between 1989 and 2002. Cases with new lower or upper respiratory disease were ascertained by examination of occupational health records and matched to referents on date of first employment. Personal exposures to airborne detergent protease were estimated, using a job exposure matrix, from >12 000 measurements taken in the factory during the period of study. Results: We found clear, monotonic relationships between estimated protease exposure and both lower and upper respiratory disease. After control for age, sex and smoking, the odds ratio of lower respiratory disease was significantly elevated (1.98, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.79) in those employees working in jobs in the highest quartile of protease exposure (geometric mean 7.9 ng.m−3). For employees with upper respiratory disease, the risk was significantly elevated at a lower level of estimated protease exposure (geometric mean 2.3 ng.m−3). Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence of an association between detergent enzyme exposure and the development of respiratory disease in an occupational setting. Using the routinely collected information on specific sensitisation and the close attention to workplace exposures that are characteristic of this industry, it should be possible to derive meaningful occupational exposure standards for most detergent enzymes.
Closing the Loop between Clinical Practice, Research, and Education: The Potential of Electronic Patient Records

Summary Objective: To discuss the possible contribution of electronic patient records in closing the loop among clinical practice, research and education. Results and conclusions: Applying Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to a given medical domain is not merely adding a new technique. When introduced into an environment, ICT will initially often emulate or resemble the already existing processes. When workers and researchers in that domain begin to appreciate the potential of ICT, this initial stage is followed by more fundamental changes in that domain that take advantage of the potential of ICT. To understand the scope of the potential changes enabled by electronic records, three principle changes need to be understood. First, data recorded in computer memories can be readily retrieved and re-used for a variety of purposes. Second, once data are available in computer memories, the data can be transported easily. Third, as physicians (and patients) are using computers to record medical data, the same electronic record can be used to introduce other computer programs that interact with the user. New usage of data, however, generates additional requirements. Thus the experience in developing decision support systems and analyzing observational databases feeds back into the requirements for electronic medical records. Each patient-physician encounter, each investigation, each laboratory test, and each treatment in medical practice constitutes, in principle, an experiment. Ideally, we learn from each experiment. Electronic medical records will facilitate research that relies on data recorded in routine medical practice. The potential and challenge, however, of Medical Informatics lies in its ability to close the loop among clinical practice, research, and education.
New developments in tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review recent studies published from 2007 to 2015 on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting with a view to identifying the emerging topics and methods studied and to pointing future research directions in the field. Design/methodology/approach Articles on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting published mostly in both science citation index and social sciences citation index journals were identified and analyzed. Findings This review finds that the studies focused on hotel demand are relatively less than those on tourism demand. It is also observed that more and more studies have moved away from the aggregate tourism demand analysis, whereas disaggregate markets and niche products have attracted increasing attention. Some studies have gone beyond neoclassical economic theory to seek additional explanations of the dynamics of tourism and hotel demand, such as environmental factors, tourist online behavior and consumer confidence indicators, among others. More sophisticated techniques such as nonlinear smooth transition regression, mixed-frequency modeling technique and nonparametric singular spectrum analysis have also been introduced to this research area. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this review is that the articles included in this study only cover the English literature. Future review of this kind should also include articles published in other languages. The review provides a useful guide for researchers who are interested in future research on tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting. Practical implications This review provides important suggestions and recommendations for improving the efficiency of tourism and hospitality management practices. Originality/value The value of this review is that it identifies the current trends in tourism and hotel demand modeling and forecasting research and points out future research directions.
Money growth and aggregate stock returns

We empirically evaluate the predictive power of money growth measured by M2 for stock returns of the S&P 500 index. We use monthly US data and predict multiperiod returns over 1, 3, and 5 years with long-horizon regressions. In-sample regressions show that money growth is useful for predicting returns. Higher recent money growth has a significantly negative effect on subsequent returns of the S&P 500. An out-of-sample analysis shows that a simple model with money growth as a single predictor performs as goods as the constant expected returns model, while models with several predictor variables perform worse than those simple models.
Ultraviolet light and mating behaviour in domestic broiler breeders

1. The perception of UV A light (320< λ <400 nm) by domestic fowl may be an adaptation to naturally lit habitats and may still be functional in farmed varieties, although not utilised owing to the absence of these wavelengths in commercial house lighting. One function may be the mediation of sexually related signalling or communication. 2. In experiment 1, two groups of 41 adult broiler breeders (four cockerels, 37 hens) were kept under conventional fluorescent light, with or without fluorescent UV A supplementation amounting to 16.9% of the total spectral power output of the luminaires. Each light environment was approximately iso-illuminant as perceived by the birds. The two groups were exposed to the light environments alternately for five 2-day periods in a cross-over design. Mating behaviour, production measures and time budgets were recorded on the second day of each period. 3. A UV A -enriched environment increased the number of attempted matings (1.27 vs 0.99 matings/cockerel.h) and locomotion (5.3 vs 3.7 min/bird.hour). 4. In a second experiment, 10 hens were allowed to choose between four cockerels lit under different power levels of UV A (1.6%, 14.6%, 43.5%, 57.5% of the total spectral power output of the luminaires) in a four-armed maze. Again, each light environment was approximately iso-illuminant as perceived by the birds. Each hen was allowed to make one choice per day over four days, with the position of the cockerels and the UV A levels interchanged each day. This schedule was repeated with the same hens for two other groups of four cockerels. 5. At a distance of no less than 60 cm from the cockerel, the hens spent most time inspecting whichever cockerel was lit by 1.6% or 14.6% UV A (1.33 vs 1.37 vs 1.22 vs 1.16 log seconds/hen.choice, respectively for increasing UV A level). Similarly, when allowed to approach closer to the cockerels, the hens spent most time in the arm which contained a cockerel lit by 14.6% UV A light, (1.62 vs 1.88 vs 1.69 vs 1.51 log s/hen.choice, respectively for increasing UV A level). 6. UV A is clearly implicated in the transmission of sexual signals or communication which may have implications for the welfare and production of broiler breeders.
The Clinical Importance of Dynamic Lung Hyperinflation in COPD

Lung hyperinflation commonly accompanies expiratory flow-limitation in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and contributes importantly to dyspnea and activity limitation. It is not surprising, therefore, that lung hyperinflation has become an important therapeutic target in symptomatic COPD patients. There is increasing evidence that acute dynamic increases in lung hyperinflation, under conditions of worsening expiratory flow-limitation and increased ventilatory demand (or both) can seriously stress cardiopulmonary reserves, particularly in patients with more advanced disease. Our understanding of the physiological mechanisms of dynamic lung hyperinflation during both physical activity and exacerbations in COPD continues to grow, together with an appreciation of its serious negative mechanical and sensory consequences. In this review, we will discuss the basic pathophysiology of COPD during rest, exercise and exacerbation so as to better understand how this can be pharmacologically manipulated for the patient's benefit. Finally, we will review current concepts of the mechanisms of symptom relief and improved exercise endurance following pharmacological lung volume reduction.
Development of a simple model for anaerobic digestion based on preliminary measurements of the bacterial sulphur activity in wastewater stabilization ponds

The present study was undertaken to develop a simple and practical model for anaerobic digestion, encompassing sulphate reduction and sulphur oxidation, in a waste stabilization pond. The basic microbiological phases of the model consisted of four processes, namely acidogenesis, methanogenesis, sulphate reduction and sulphur oxidation. It also incorporated multiple reaction stoichiometry and substrate utilization kinetics. The study also aimed to investigate the mutual interaction between sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and photosynthetic sulphur bacteria (PSB) in an anaerobic sludge consortia using batch reactors. The results revealed that for an initial concentration of sulphate ranging between 250 and 2800 mg.l−1, SRB activity ranged between 20 and . The gVSS−1.d−1 and PSB activity varied between 60 and . gVSS−1.d−1, and PSB activity was noted to be twice as high as that of SRB. PSB can, therefore, be used effectively in the fight against odors. The most important environmental factors affecting the sulphur cycle in the waste stabilization pond were likely to be the availability of sulphate and light for SRB and PSB, respectively.
Production Inventory Model with Disruption Considering Shortage and Time Proportional Demand

The disruption occurs in the system due to labor problem, machines breakdown, strike, political issue and weather disturbance etc. Due to this, the customer delays, or there is delay in receiving the product and they may turn to other supplier/product. This paper presents an economic production model for deteriorating items with production disruption. To extend the time horizon, we consider shortage and inventory plan provided accordingly. Time proportional demand is taken into consideration, and we incorporate the analysis of, or technology itself for item’s preservation to reduced deterioration rate. This research is useful to determine when the production will start and when the inventory gets disrupted. The optimal productionand inventory plan are provided, so that the manufacturer can reduce the loss due to disruption. Finally a graph based simulation study is used to illustrate the proposed model. Keywords: Inventory, disruption, deterioration, preservation cost, shortage.
Estimating quality of playlists by sight

The problem treated in this study is how to estimate the quality of playlists produced by an automatic playlist generator. Although a number of solutions have been offered on the topic of automatic playlist generation, very little work was published that regards evaluation of these systems. We are presenting here the experiments we did in order to establish whether a playlist can be evaluated by sight only, without listening, given that the songs are already known to the participants in the experiment. We also wanted to examine whether groupings of songs contribute to the playlist quality. The experiment was based on rating playlists of various origin. The result of the experiment was striking: the manually assembled playlists got the same ratings as the random ones. The answer to both questions seems to be negative. But this result revealed also some new important problems with playlist evaluation.