Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Study of 12 SNPs involved in 11 Folate Metabolism Genes and Neural Tube Defects in Suzhou Children

Objective: Neural tube defect (NTD) incidence could be effectively reduced by folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy. We studied single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in folate metabolism to explore genetic susceptibility to NTD. We studied the association between 12 SNPs involved in 11 folate metabolism genes and NTDs. Methods: We enrolled 76 children with NTD and 188 control children. We genotyped 12 folate metabolism SNPs including CBS-C699T, DHFR-c594+59del19, GSTO1-C428T, MTHFD-G1958A, MTHFR-C677T, MTHFR-A1298C, MTR-A2756G, MTRR-A66G, NFE2L2-ins1+C11108T, RFC1-G80A, TCN2-C776T, and TYMS-1494del6 using SNaPShot genotyping technology and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Results: One SNP, TYMS-1494del6, and one compound wide-type genotype of RFC1-G80A, MTHFR-A1298C and TCN2-C776T might decrease NTD risk, and three compound mutation genotypes of MTHFD-G1958A, MTHFRC677T, and MTR-A2756G; MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, and RFC1-G80A; and RFC1-G80A, MTHFR-A1298C, and TCN2-C776T might increase NTD risk. The TT genotype of TYMS-1494del6 (P<0.001) and the AT+TT genotype of TYMS-1494del6 (P=0.009) were significant genotypes. Fourteen in 188 control babies carried the compound wide-type genotype of RFC1-G80A, MTHFR-A1298C, and TCN2-C776T, but none in 76 NTD babies (P=0.014). The ratios of the two compound mutants for MTHFD-G1958A, MTHFR-C677T, MTR-A2756G, and MTHFD-G1958A, RFC1-G80A, MTR-A2756G in NTD were higher than in control babies (P=0.021) and RFC1- G80A, MTHFR-A1298C, and TCN2-C776T (P=0.029). Conclusions: The TT genotype of TYMS-1494del6 and the two wide-type genotypes of RFC1-G80A, MTHFRA1298C, and TCN2-C776T are protective in NTD. Three compound mutation genotypes of MTHFD-G1958A, MTHFR-C677T, MTR-A2756G, MTHFD-G1958A, MTR-A2756G, RFC1-G80A, and RFC1-G80A, MTHFR-A1298C, TCN2-C776T might increase susceptibility to NTD.
An Online Survey Experiment on Ambiguity and Privacy

We provide three related approaches to better understand the connections between the literatures on the value of privacy, and economic decision-making. In particular, we consider economic scenarios where individuals lack important information about facets of a privacy choice and where the relevant outcomes of a choice are non-deterministic. We begin by highlighting the reasons why a lack of information by at least one party of a transaction is central to many privacy situations. We further comment on the foundations of the terms uncertainty, risk, and ambiguity and their relationship to privacy research. Next, to provide a practical example, we dissect the terms of a real-world sweepstakes solicitation to highlight the layers of complexity inherent in this specific offer, and other scenarios that involve collection and use of personal data. Finally, we provide evidence from an online survey experiment showing how an individual's valuation of a marketer's offer that is imprecise about material privacy terms of the bargain can be manipulated through simple reframing as a discount. In these scenarios, we study the valuation for thirteen different categories of sensitive personal information such as health information. We observe significant treatment differences between the original and the reframed offer that are mainly driven by the gender of the participants.
What’s in a name? The influence of verbal labels on action production in novel object/action associations

ABSTRACT Actions are produced directly from the visual features of objects; object recognition and semantic information are not necessary for action production. However, much of that research has used familiar objects. Recent studies looking at novel object–action associations suggest that semantic information associated with labels used to identify novel object–action pairs can impact action production. Furthermore, the similarity of naming performance and action performance suggests that object recognition may occur prior to action production in response to novel objects. We examined whether naming occurred before action production in four experiments where we asked participants to learn novel object/action/label associations, and produce the action associated with each object. Our results demonstrate that removing labels diminished the impact of object similarity in action production, and are consistent with the notion that labels serve to anchor action information to visual object information during the learning process.
Spectrum-Based Fault Localization: Testing Oracles are No Longer Mandatory

Spectrum-based Fault Localization (SBFL) is one of the most popular approaches for locating software faults, and has received much attention because of its simplicity and effectiveness. It utilizes the execution result of each test case (failure or pass) and the corresponding coverage information to evaluate the likelihood of each program entity (e.g., a statement or a predicate) being faulty. Different formulas for computing such likelihood have been proposed based on different intuitions. All existing SBFL techniques have assumed the existence of a testing oracle, that is, a mechanism which can determine whether the execution of a test case fails or passes. However, such an assumption does not always hold. Recently, metamorphic testing has been proposed to alleviate the oracle problem. Thus, it is a natural extension to investigate how it can help SBFL techniques to locate faults even without using a testing oracle. Based on the framework of metamorphic testing, we have developed a novel concept of mice as a counterpart of the slice used in the current SBFL techniques. More precisely, in the absence of a testing oracle, we can determine whether an expected characterization of the program is satisfied. The outcomes of dissatisfaction or satisfaction of an expected characterization are then regarded as the counterparts of failed or passed executions, respectively, when a testing oracle exists. Since our approach does not require the existence of a testing oracle, it significantly enhances the applicability of SBFL techniques. Case studies on three popular SBFL techniques (Tarantula, Ochiai and Jaccard) with 9 applications are reported to demonstrate the use of the proposed fault localization technique.
Female Babies and Risk-Aversion

Being told the sex of your unborn child is a major exogenous 'shock'. In the first study of its kind, we collect before-and-after data from hospital wards. We test for the causal effects of learning child gender upon people's degree of risk-aversion. Using a standard Holt-Laury criterion, the parents of daughters, whether unborn or recently born, are shown to be almost twice as risk-averse as parents of sons. The study demonstrates this in longitudinal ('switching') data and cross-sectional data. The study finds it for fathers and mothers, babies in the womb and recently born children, and for a West European nation and an East European nation.
Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce Influence of Demographic Profile on Acceptance of Internet Banking in a Non Metro City in Tamil Nadu, India an Empirical Study

Her research interest is marketing and has more than 15 years of teaching and specialized in accounting and finance. She has published 6 papers on internet banking. Abstract The study examines the influence of demographic variables age, gender, marital status, educational level, occupation, monthly income and type of account held by the clients in non metro cities of Tamil Nadu, India. The paper builds on existing literature in demographic variables towards acceptance of internet banking. Quantitative analysis was carried out by collecting response through a well designed questionnaire to clients who have a bank account in the private sector banks and living in non metro cities of Tamil Nadu. A sample of 200 customers from private sector banks was surveyed from Vellore city which is a non metro city. To analyze the data, chi square tests were used in testing the association of the demographic variables with internet bank acceptance. Out of seven demographic variables associated with intention to use and the study revealed that five variables like age, gender, educational qualification, monthly income and type of account held illustrate the significance towards acceptance of internet banking services-2-in Vellore city. The study was done on private bank customers in Vellore city only hence the results cannot be generalized.
Analyzing the Relationship between Parenting Styles, Behavioural Problems and School Readiness Through the Mediating Role of Self-Regulation

This study aims to examine direct and indirect relationships between parenting styles, children’s behavioural problems, their self- regulation skills and school readiness. In scope of the research, the mediating role of children’s self-regulation skills was evaluated on parenting styles and school readiness and behavioural problems observed in children and school readiness. The data was obtained from 140, 66-72-month-children, enrolled at preschools affiliated to Ministry of Education in Central District of Burdur province in 2015-2016 education year, their parents and 8 teachers working at preschools. The obtained data were analysed with PROCESS macro, the direct and indirect path coefficients of the regression models were subjected to bootstrap analysis. It was determined that parental attitudes did not significantly predict school readiness of the children. On the other hand, attention/impulse control as a sub-dimension of children’s self-regulation skills proved complementary mediation role between children’s anxious/fearful behaviour and school readiness. The study also revealed the indirect-only mediation role of attention-impulse control between hostile/aggressive and hyperactive/distractible behavioural problems and school readiness. The results of the study indicate that children’s anxious/fearful behaviour affect their attention-impulse control skills in a negative way and children’s attention-impulse control skills affect their school readiness in a positive way. Findings of the study have been discussed in the scope of school readiness and suggestions are put forward in accordance with the results.
Seasonal and inter-annual variations in troposphere-to-stratosphere transport from the tropical tropopause layer

In an earlier study of troposphere-to-stratosphere transport (TST) via the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), we found that the vast majority of air parcels undergoing TST from the base of the TTL enter the extratropical lowermost stratosphere quasi-horizontally and show little or no regional preference with regards to origin in the TTL or entry into the stratosphere. We have since repeated the trajectory calculations – originally limited to a single Northern Hemisphere winter period – in a variety of months and years to assess how robust our earlier findings are to change of timing. To first order, we find that the main conclusions hold, irrespective of the season, year and phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We also explore: the distribution of TST between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; the sensitivity of modelled TST to the definition of the tropopause; and the routes by which air parcels undergo transport exclusively to the stratospheric overworld. Subject to a dynamical definition of the tropopause, we identify a strong bias towards TST in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly during the Northern Hemisphere summer. The thermal tropopause, defined according to the World Meteorological Organization, lies above the dynamical tropopause throughout the extratropics. Inevitably, on switching to the thermal definition, we calculate much less transport across the tropopause, particularly in the subtropics, which could be important with regards to interpretation of processes affecting ozone chemistry in the extratropical lowermost stratosphere (ELS). In contrast to the rather homogeneous nature of TST into the ELS, we find that transport to the overworld takes place from relatively well-defined regions of the TTL, predominantly above the West Pacific and Indonesia, except for an El Nino period in which most transport takes place from regions above the East Pacific and South America.
Equilibrium Mortgage Choice and Housing Tenure Decisions With Refinancing

The last decade has brought about substantial mortgage innovation and increased refinancing. The objective of the paper is to understand the determinants and implications of mortgage choice in the context of general equilibrium model with incomplete markets. The equilibrium characterization allows us to study the impact of mortgage financing = decisions in the productive economy. We show the influence of different contract characteristics such as the downpayment requirement, repayment structure, and the amortization schedule for mortgage choice. We find that loan products that allow for low or no downpayment or an increasing repayment schedule increase the participation of young and lower income households. We find evidence that the volume of housing transactions increase when the payment profile is increasing and households have little housing equity. In contrast, we show that loans that allow for a rapid accumulation of home equity can still have positive participation effects without increasing the volatility of the housing market. The model predicts that the expansion of mortgage contracts and refinancing improves risk sharing opportunities for homeowners but the magnitude varies with each contract.
Blind MIMO-OFDM Channel Estimation Based on ICA and KRLS Algorithm

In this paper, a new method on MIMO-OFDM blind channel estimation based on Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and Kernel Recursive Least Squares (KRLS) is proposed. The MIMO-OFDM channel estimation frequency domain expression formula has the similar structure with the Blind source separation, so the natural gradient ICA is used to calculate the weight frequency matrix, KRLS is been utilized to compute the others. The method has good ability on line learning, simulation shows that under the similar condition, the performance has about 0.6∼0.8dB higher comparing to subspace and virtual subcarrier method.
Free Recall Episodic Memory Performance Predicts Dementia Ten Years prior to Clinical Diagnosis: Findings from the Betula Longitudinal Study

Background/Aims: Early dementia diagnosis is a considerable challenge. The present study examined the predictive value of cognitive performance for a future clinical diagnosis of late-onset Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia in a random population sample. Methods: Cognitive performance was retrospectively compared between three groups of participants from the Betula longitudinal cohort. Group 1 developed dementia 11-22 years after baseline testing (n = 111) and group 2 after 1-10 years (n = 280); group 3 showed no deterioration towards dementia during the study period (n = 2,855). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive value of tests reflecting episodic memory performance, semantic memory performance, visuospatial ability, and prospective memory performance. Results: Age- and education-corrected performance on two free recall episodic memory tests significantly predicted dementia 10 years prior to clinical diagnosis. Free recall performance also predicted dementia 11-22 years prior to diagnosis when controlling for education, but not when age was added to the model. Conclusion: The present results support the suggestion that two free recall-based tests of episodic memory function may be useful for detecting individuals at risk of developing dementia 10 years prior to clinical diagnosis.
Socially situated cognition: Recasting social cognition as an emergent phenomenon.

In this chapter, we present human cognitive processes as situated and dynamic, a perspective identified by the umbrella term ‘situated cognition’, or ’socially situated cognition’ (SSC). We argue that while the SSC approach does not present a theoretically unified framework, it constitutes an approach offering a set of general principles and emphases cutting across many scientific disciplines and with holding the promise of leading to a unified perspective on human functioning. In the following we present the five pillars upon which SSC rests, namely that cognition is: an emergent phenomenon; is constrained by the architecture of our bodies; is for the adaptive co-regulation of action; and is biologically distributed across agents and the social world as well as tools as scaffolds. In conclusion, we raise theoretically and empirically unanswered issues and some open questions that are likely to direct future research. Cognition emerges from dynamic and adaptive sensorimotor interactions with the social and physical environment. Human cognitive processes are welded to a changing social world, are inherently interactive, and grounded by the constraints of the human body and the environment. Acknowledging these characteristics of human cognition results in a view of cognitive processes as situated. The perspective that locates cognition in such a dynamic land scape is identified by the umbrella term “situated cognition”, or “socially situated cognition” (Semin & Smith, 2002; Smith & Semin, 2004). Situated cognition is not an overarching theoretical framework, but serves the generic function of covering a broad range of orientations that have emerged over the last two decades across the cognitive sciences, robotics, anthropology, philosophy, inter alia (cf. Robbins & Aydede, 2009). Notably, situated cognition consists of a set of general principles and emphases cutting across many scientific disciplines and with the potential of developing a unified perspective on human functioning. As with the cycles of fashions and fads, intellectual traditions come and go. Some traces of the ideas on situated cognition can be found already by the mid-19th century psychology and were articulated in intellectual endeavors designed to overcome the then prevailing individual-centered orientation in German psychology. The first half of the 20th century figured prominent names such as William James, Vygotsky, Bartlett, Mead, and Dewey who emphasized the significance of environmental and situational determinants of human cognition and action. The ascendance of the cognitive revolution, heralded amongst other developments by Chomsky’s influential critique (1959) of
Evidence for Suppression of Onchocerciasis Transmission in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

Onchocerciasis or "river blindness" is a chronic parasitic neglected tropical disease which is endemic both in mainland and insular Equatorial Guinea. We aim to estimate the current epidemiological situation of onchocerciasis in Bioko Island after vector elimination in 2005 and more than sixteen years of Community Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI) by using molecular and serological approaches for onchocerciasis diagnosis. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in Bioko Island from mid-January to mid-February 2014. A total of 544 study participants were recruited. A complete dermatological examination was performed and three skin snips were performed in every participant for parasitological and molecular assessments. Blood spots were also taken for determination of Ov16 IgG4 antibodies trough an “in-house” ELISA assay. Overall, we found 15 out of 522 individuals suffering any onchocerciasis specific cutaneous lesions and 16 out of 528 (3.0%) with onchocercal nodules in the skin. Nodules were significantly associated with age, being more common in subjects older than 10 years than in younger people (3.9% vs. 0%, p = 0.029). Regarding the onchocerciasis laboratory assessment, no positive parasitological test for microfilaria detection was found in the skin snips. The calculated seroprevalence through IgG4 serology was 7.9%. No children less than 10 years old were found to be positive for this test. Only one case was positive for Onchocerca volvulus (O. volvulus) after skin PCR. The present study points out that the on-going mass ivermectin treatment has been effective in reducing the prevalence of onchocerciasis and corroborates the interruption of transmission in Bioko Island. To our knowledge, this is the first time that accurate information through molecular and serological techniques is generated to estimate the onchocerciasis prevalence in this zone. Sustained support from the national program and appropriate communication and health education strategies to reinforce participation in CDTI activities are essential to ensure progress towards onchocerciasis elimination in the country.
New Triterpenes from Maytenus robusta: Structural Elucidation Based on NMR Experimental Data and Theoretical Calculations

Leaves of Maytenus robusta (Celastraceae) were subjected to phytochemical investigation mainly directed at the isolation of pentacyclic triterpenes. The compounds friedelin (1), β-friedelinol (2), 3-oxo-21β-H-hop-22(29)-ene (7), 3,4-seco-friedelan-3,11β-olide (8), 3β-hydroxy-21β-H-hop-22(29)-ene (9), 3,4-seco-21β-H-hop-22(29)-en-3-oic acid (10), 3,4-seco-friedelan-3-oic acid (11), and sitosterol were identified in the hexane extract of M. robusta leaves. Compounds 8 and 9 are described herein for the first time. The structure and stereochemistry of both compounds were experimentally established by IR, HRLC-MS, and 1D (1H, 13C, and DEPT 135) and 2D (HSQC, HMBC and COSY) NMR data and supported by correlations with carbon chemical shifts calculated using the DFT method (BLYP/6-31G* level). Compounds 7 and 10 are also described for the first time, and their chemical structures were established by comparison with NMR data of similar structures described in the literature and correlations with BLYP/6-31G* calculated carbon chemical shifts. Compound 9, a mixture of 11 and sitosterol, and 3β,11β-dihydroxyfriedelane (4) were evaluated by the Ellman’s method and all these compounds showed acethylcholinesterase inhibitory properties.
Reversal of the Kuznets curve: Study on the inequality-development relation using top income shares data

This paper uses recently published top 1% income share series in studying the inequality–development association. Top income shares data are of high quality and cover about a century for some countries and thus provide an interesting opportunity to study slow development processes. Moreover, nonlinearities have not been studied sufficiently in the empirical inequality– development literature. To address the issue of functional form, this study utilizes penalized spline methods. It is found that the association between inequality and development experiences a reversal at later stages of development and is, thus, U-shaped in many advanced countries. In addition, results support an inverse-U-shaped relation between inequality and urbanization, and positive relation between inequality and service sector. These results have an interpretation that is possible to fit into ideas presented by Kuznets who discussed shifts in the economy.
Profile-based power shifting in interconnection networks with on/off links

Overprovisioning hardware devices and coordinating their power budgets are proposed to improve the application performance of future power-constrained HPC systems. This coordination process is called power shifting. Meanwhile, recent studies have revealed that on/off links can save network power in HPC systems. Future HPC systems will thus adopt on/off links in addition to power shifting. This paper explores power shifting in interconnection networks with on/off links. Given that on/off links keep network power low at application runtime, we can transfer appreciable quantities of power budgets on networks to other devices before an application runs. We thus propose a profile-based power shifting technique that allows HPC users to transfer the power budget remaining on networks to other devices at the time of job dispatch. Experimental results show that the proposed technique appreciably improves application performance under various power constraints.