Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The foraging gene of Drosophila melanogaster: Spatial‐expression analysis and sucrose responsiveness

The ability to identify and respond to food is essential for survival, yet little is known about the neural substrates that regulate natural variation in food‐related traits. The foraging (for) gene in Drosophila melanogaster encodes a cGMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKG) and has been shown to function in food‐related traits. To investigate the tissue distribution of FOR protein, we generated an antibody against a common region of the FOR isoforms. In the adult brain we localized FOR to neuronal clusters and projections including neurons that project to the central complex, a cluster within the dorsoposterior region of the brain hemispheres, a separate cluster medial to optic lobes and lateral to brain hemispheres, a broadly distributed frontal‐brain cluster, axon bundles of the antennal nerve and of certain subesophageal‐ganglion nerves, and the medulla optic lobe. These newly described tissue distribution patterns of FOR protein provide candidate neural clusters and brain regions for investigation of neural networks that govern foraging‐related traits. To determine whether FOR has a behavioral function in neurons we expressed UAS‐for in neurons using an elav‐gal4 driver and measured the effect on adult sucrose responsiveness (SR), known to be higher in rovers than sitters, the two natural variants of foraging. We found that pan‐neuronal expression of for caused an increase in the SR of sitters, demonstrating a neural function for PKG in this food‐related behavior. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:570–582, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Do Early Learning and Literacy Support at Home Predict Preschoolers' Narrative Skills?.

Citation: Işıtan, S. , Saçkes, M. , Justice, L. M. , & Logan, J. A. R. (2018). Do early learning and literacy support at home predict preschoolers’ narrative skills? Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 18, 661–671. http://dx.doi. org/10.12738/estp.2018. 3.0012 1 Correspondence to: Sonnur Işıtan (PhD), Department of Early Childhood Education, Balıkesir University, Balikesir, Turkey. Email: sonnurisitan@gmail.com 2 Department of Early Childhood Education, Balıkesir University, Balikesir, Turkey. Email: msackes@gmail.com 3 Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States. Email: justice.57@osu.edu 4 College of Education and Human Ecology & Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States. Email: logan.251@osu.edu Abstract This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to measure parental practices to support young children’s learning and literacy at home (ELLS) and explore the predictive validity of the instrument by examining the associations between the ELLS subscales (basic concepts, phonological awareness, conceptual understanding) and children’s narrative skill scores. The sample included 315 parents of three to five years old preschool-aged children. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a hypothesized three-factor model was a good fit to the sample data. All subscales had adequate internal consistency. The overall findings of the current study suggest that phonological awareness is the strongest predictors of children’s narrative skills. Parental activities that aim to promote children’s phonological awareness appear to make a greater contribution to the children’s narrative skills than the activities that enhance children’s knowledge of basic concepts and understanding of events and characters depicted in picture books.
Assisted common information: Further results

We presented assisted common information as a generalization of Gács-Körner (GK) common information at last year's ISIT. The motivation for our formulation was to improve upperbounds on the efficiency of protocols for secure two-party sampling (which is a form of secure multi-party computation). Our upperbound was based on a monotonicity property of a rate-region (called the assisted residual information region) associated with the assisted common information formulation.
A Linear Time Algorithm for Triconnectivity Augmentation 1 Extended Abstract

We consider the problem of nding a smallest set of edges whose addition triconnects an undirected graph. This is a fundamental graph-theoretic problem that has applications in designing reliable networks and faulttolerant computing. We present a linear time sequential algorithm for the problem. This is a substantial improvement over the best previous algorithm for this problem, which runs in O(n(n+m)) time on a graph with n vertices and m edges.
Snailicidal, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activities of Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Paecilomyces lilacinus fungal extracts

1Environmental Research and Medical Malacology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Egypt. 2Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Egypt 3Microbial Chemistry Dept., Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Division, National Research Center, Egypt 4Phytochemistry and Plant Systematic Dept., Pharmaceutical Industries Division, National Research Centre , Egypt.
Differences in Motor Competence by TV Consumption and Participation in Club Sports in Children Starting Elementary School

Background: The development of motor competence during childhood has important implications for future health and wellbeing due to the association with physical activity. While associations between sports participation or TV time and motor competence have been examined previously, there remains limited research on the interaction of TV time and sports participation regarding motor competence. The present study; therefore, examines differences in motor competence by club sports participation and TV time in elementary-school children. Methods: 15 elementary schools in the federal state of Tyrol, Austria, were randomly selected for participation. Motor competence was assessed between October and December 2017 using the German Motor Test in 455 (49.5% boys) children starting elementary school. Body weight and height were measured with children in sports clothes and being barefoot following standardized procedures. In addition, parents reported participation and time spent in club sports (hours/week), as well as time spent watching TV (hours/day) via standardized questionnaires. Further, parents reported whether there was a TV in the child’s bedroom. Differences in motor competence by sports participation and TV time were analyzed via multivariate analysis of variance. Results: In total, 24% of the participants exceeded the current recommendations for TV time (> 2 hours/day) and 46% participated in club sports. There was no difference in TV time and club sports participation between boys and girls. Nevertheless, boys displayed better standardized scores for flexibility (2.8±0.8; P = 0.001), sprint (2.6±0.9; P = 0.005), and sideways jumping (1.3±0.6; P = 0.030) than girls. Significant interaction effects between TV time and club sports were observed for balance (P = 0.020), sit-ups (P = 0.039), endurance (P < 0.001), and overall motor competence (P = 0.035). In addition, club sports participation was associated with better performance on all motor competence tests (P-values ranging from 0.047 to < 0.001) while lower TV time was associated with better performance in sprint, sideways jumping, push-ups, 6-minute run, and total motor competence only (P-values ranging from 0.006 to < 0.001). Conclusions: Club sports participation appears to be an important contributor to the development of motor competence while high TV time may impair motor development, particularly in children not participating in club sports. Parents and educators; therefore, should facilitate participation in the organized physical activity even in pre-school children while limiting TV time.
A simple algorithm for shape from shading

A shape-from-shading algorithm that recovers depth from a brightness image typically in fewer than ten iterations, is described. This algorithm, which is a simplification of the algorithm of J. Oliensis and P. Dupuis (1991), is based on a minimum downhill principle that guarantees continuous surfaces and stable results. The algorithm is applicable to a broad variety of objects and reflectance maps. <<ETX>>
Ages of galaxy bulges and disks from optical and near-infrared colors

We compare optical and near-infrared colors of disks and bulges in a diameter-limited sample of inclined, bright, nearby, early-type spirals. Color profiles along wedge apertures at 15 degrees from the major axis and on the minor axis on the side of the galaxy opposite to the dust lane are used to assign nominal colors for the inner disks (at 2 scale length) and for the bulges (similar to 0.5r(eff)), respectively. We estimate that the effects of dust reddening and the cross-talk between the colors of the two components is negligible. We find that color differences (bulge - disk) are very small: Delta(U-R)=0.126+/-0.165, Delta(R-K)=0.078+/-0.165. Disks tend to be bluer by an amount three times smaller than that reported by Bothun & Gregg [ApJ, 350, 73 (1990)] for S0s. Color variations from galaxy to galaxy are much larger than color differences between disk and bulge in each galaxy. Probably, the underlying old population of disks and bulges is much more similar than the population paradigm would lead us to believe. Implied age differences, assuming identical metallicities, are less than 30%. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.
Taxation, Trust, and Government Debt: State-Elite Relations in Sichuan, 1850–1911

This article explores the shifting relationship between the state and the rural elites in Sichuan during the last decades of the Qing dynasty through the lens of taxation and public debt by using a creditor-debtor model as a theoretical framework. Sichuan’s unique rewarded land tax surcharge, called the “Contribution” and levied since 1864, established a relationship of symbolic and economic indebtedness of the imperial and local state to the taxpayer. Western-inspired reforms after 1898 directly attacked the symbolic and economic bonds established by the Contribution. The Railway Rent Share tax shifted the creditor-debtor relationship from the state to the public Sichuan-Hankou Railway Company by making individual taxpayers into shareholders. When Beijing eventually banned what it saw as a privatization of taxation and decided to nationalize the railway company, this ignited the Railway Protection Movement, which precipitated the 1911 Revolution in Sichuan.
Role of Superoxide Dismutase 2 Gene Ala16Val Polymorphism and Total Antioxidant Capacity in Diabetes and its Complications

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic heterogeneous disorder and oxidative stress is a key participant in the development and progression of it and its complications. Anti-oxidant status can affect vulnerability to oxidative damage, onset and progression of diabetes and diabetes complications. Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is one of the major antioxidant defense systems against free radicals. SOD2 is encoded by the nuclear SOD2 gene located on the human chromosome 6q25 and the Ala16Val polymorphism has been identified in exon 2 of the human SOD2 gene. Ala16Val (rs4880) is the most commonly studied SOD2 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in SOD2 gene. This SNP changes the amino acid at position 16 from valine (Val) to alanine (Ala), which has been shown to cause a conformational change in the target sequence of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and also affects MnSOD activity in mitochondria. Ala16Val SNP and changes in the activity of the SOD2 antioxidant enzyme have been associated with altered progression and risk of different diseases. Association of this SNP with diabetes and some of its complications have been studied in numerous studies. This review evaluated how rs4880, oxidative stress and antioxidant status are associated with diabetes and its complications although some aspects of this line still remain unclear.
Why Have Bank Interest Margins Been so High in Indonesia Since the 1997/1998 Financial Crisis?

We investigate the determinants of net interest margins of Indonesian banks after the 1997/1998 financial crisis. Using data for 93 Indonesian banks over the 2001-2009 period, we estimate an econometric model using a pooled regression as well as static and dynamic panel regressions. Our results confirm that the structure of loan portfolios matters in the determination of interest margins. Operating costs, market power, risk aversion and liquidity risk have positive impacts on interest margins, while credit risk and cost to income ratio are negatively associated with margins. Our results also corroborate the loss leader hypothesis on cross-subsidization between traditional interest activities and non-interest activities. State- owned banks set higher interest margins than other banks, while margins are lower for large banks and for foreign banks.
The effect of apolipoprotein(a)-, apolipoprotein E-, and apolipoprotein A4- polymorphisms on quantitative lipoprotein(a) concentrations

Abstract The effects of apolipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein-E, and apolipoprotein-A4 isoforms on quantitative lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels were assessed in a sample of 142 Dutch families consisting of two parents and their adolescent twin offspring. A total heritability of 95% was estimated for plasma Lp(a) concentrations. The largest part of this heritability was due to the apo(a) locus which explained 61% of the total variance in Lp(a) levels. The pattern of familial correlations for the residual part of the Lp(a) variance that could not be attributed to the apo(a) isoforms, suggested genetic influences on the residual variance. We addressed the question whether this residual genetic variance could be ascribed to the apoE or the apoA4 locus. A simultaneous analysis of all three loci showed that both the apoE and the apoA4 polymorphism did not contribute significantly to Lp(a) variation. Twin Research (2000) 3, 152–158.
Reinforcement learning under circumstances beyond its control

Decision theory addresses the task of choosing an action; it provides robust decision-making criteria that support decision-making under conditions of uncertainty or risk. Decision theory has been applied to produce reinforcement learning algorithms that manage uncertainty in state-transitions. However, performance when there is uncertainty regarding the selection of future actions must also be considered, since reinforcement learning tasks are multiple-step decision problems. This work proposes beta-pessimistic Q-learning—a reinforcement learning algorithm that does not assume complete control.
Applications of inductive logic programming

Techniques of machine learning have been successfully applied to various problems [1, 12]. Most of these applications rely on attribute-based learning, exemplified by the induction of decision trees as in the program C4.5 [20]. Broadly speaking, attribute-based learning also includes such approaches to learning as neural networks and nearest neighbor techniques. The advantages of attribute-based learning are: relative simplicity, efficiency, and existence of effective techniques for handling noisy data. However, attribute-based learning is limited to non-relational descriptions of objects in the sense that the learned descriptions do not specify relations among the objects' parts. Attribute-based learning thus has two strong limitations:the background knowledge can be expressed in rather limited form, and the lack of relations makes the concept description language inappropriate for some domains.
USING Image Features to Identify Camera Sources

Digital forensics has lately become one of the very important applications to identify the characteristics and the originality of the digital devices. This study has focused on analyzing the relationship between digital cameras and the associated images. Digital image processing technology has been applied with data mining method to get images' features. Those features were trained and classified to identify the camera sources from the images. In addition, the identification features were further categorized for improvements, based on the analyses, to enhance the precision rate of the identification. This research also compared not only cameras of different brands, but also those of the same manufacturer with similar models. This research has found that the feature based approach has better performance to distinguish the camera sources among brands. Further findings are discussed and suggested for the potential limit of the identification methods in real applications
Large Scale Kernel Learning using Block Coordinate Descent

We demonstrate that distributed block coordinate descent can quickly solve kernel regression and classification problems with millions of data points. Armed with this capability, we conduct a thorough comparison between the full kernel, the Nystr\"om method, and random features on three large classification tasks from various domains. Our results suggest that the Nystr\"om method generally achieves better statistical accuracy than random features, but can require significantly more iterations of optimization. Lastly, we derive new rates for block coordinate descent which support our experimental findings when specialized to kernel methods.
Classifying the Markets Volatility with ARMA Distance Measures

The financial time series are often characterized by similar volatility structures. The selection of series having a similar behavior could be important for the analysis of the transmission mechanisms of volatility and to forecast the time series, using the series with more similar structure. In this paper a metrics is developed in order to measure the distance between two GARCH models, extending well known results developed for the ARMA models. The statistic used to calculate it follows known distributions, so that it can be adopted as a test procedure. These tools can be used to develope an agglomerative algorithm in order to detect clusters of homogeneous series.
Disrupted prediction errors index social deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Social deficits are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder; however, the perturbed neural mechanisms underpinning these deficits remain unclear. It has been suggested that social prediction errors—coding discrepancies between the predicted and actual outcome of another’s decisions—might play a crucial role in processing social information. While the gyral surface of the anterior cingulate cortex signalled social prediction errors in typically developing individuals, this crucial social signal was altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Importantly, the degree to which social prediction error signalling was aberrant correlated with diagnostic measures of social deficits. Effective connectivity analyses further revealed that, in typically developing individuals but not in autism spectrum disorder, the magnitude of social prediction errors was driven by input from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These data provide a novel insight into the neural substrates underlying autism spectrum disorder social symptom severity, and further research into the gyral surface of the anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex could provide more targeted therapies to help ameliorate social deficits in autism spectrum disorder.
Dietary Intake of Antioxidant Nutrients and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease in a Biracial Community Study

A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE suggests that oxidative processes may be involved in the etiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). 1 Accumulated damage to lipid membranes and DNA by oxygen free radicals and reactive oxygen species is thought to disrupt normal cell functioning and lead to neuronal death. 2 Antioxidant nutrients, including vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta carotene, are among the body's natural defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. The antioxidant nutrients have been shown through animal and laboratory studies of brain tissue to decrease lipid peroxidation 3-11 and the oxidation of proteins, 12,13 inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species, 6,14,15 prevent mitochondrial dysfunction 12,16 and DNA fragmentation, 6,17 and reduce neuro-toxicity, 18,19 apoptosis, 15,19-21 and neu-ronal death. 18,22 Few studies have examined the relation between dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the development of AD. Two prospective studies 23,24 that reported on the association of vitamin E and vitamin C supplement use and AD yielded conflicting results, but both had limited power to test the hypothesis, and neither had dietary information. We report on the association between incident AD and intake of antioxidant nutrients from foods and supplements in a large community study, the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP). Context Oxidative processes have been suggested as elements in the development of Alzheimer disease (AD), but whether dietary intake of vitamin E and other antioxi-dant nutrients prevents its development is unknown. Objective To examine whether intake of antioxidant nutrients, vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta carotene is associated with incident AD. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective study, conducted from 1993 to 2000, of individuals selected in a stratified random sample of community-dwelling residents. The 815 residents 65 years and older were free of AD at baseline and were followed up for a mean of 3.9 years. They completed food frequency questionnaires an average of 1.7 years after baseline. Main Outcome Measure Incident AD diagnosed in clinical evaluations with standardized criteria. Results Increasing vitamin E intake from foods was associated with decreased risk of developing AD after adjustment for age, education, sex, race, APOE ⑀4, and length of follow-up. Relative risks (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) from lowest to highest quintiles of intake were 1. The protective association of vitamin E was observed only among persons who were APOE ⑀4 negative. Adjustment for other dietary factors reduced the protective association. After adjustment for baseline memory score, the risk was 0.36 (95% …
Early Exposures to Ecogenomics: Effects of Priming and Web Site Interactivity Among Adolescents

In the context of public introductions to emerging technologies, this study examined effects of priming and Web site interactivity on adolescents’ attitude development and information processing. In a four (priming) by three (interactivity levels) experiment, participants (N = 273) were required to search for and process Web-based information about ecogenomics. Results showed that priming ecogenomics as biotechnology, ecology, economy, or science in general did not affect attitude development. Interactivity levels, manipulated as low, medium, and high, were found to influence adolescents’ time invested in the information-processing task, perceived cognitive load, and Web site evaluations.