Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differences in genetic composition between populations experiencing selective migration

Genetic differences within a system of partially isolated populations may be due to many causes, but the two factors generally suggested to explain major differences are variation in the selective pressures acting within the system and, if the populations are small, random drift. The effect of both these factors have been considered in some detail (see for example, Bodmer & Cavalli-Sforza, 1968; Moran, 1959). Further, it has been shown (Hiorns et at. 1969; Harrison, Hiorns & Kiichemann, 1970) that in the absence of these diversifying factors the unifying effect of migration will rapidly remove any genetic differences which may exist between the populations, even when the migration rates are small. Here it was assumed, in common with most other migration models, that the migrating individuals were random samples of the populations from which they came. Burt (1961) and Cliquet (1968) have, however, shown that a number of characteristics must influence social mobility and mate selection in man, since the more socially mobile individuals within a population are found to be anthropologically different from the less socially mobile, and it is suggested that this selective migration could exaggerate the genetic differences between populations rather than diminish them. The way in which an individual’s mobility is influenced by any character will of course be complex, but as a first step in understanding the effects of selective migration a very simple model is suggested here. Suppose the criterion for migration is based on a single quantitative character. For each class there will exist a group of individuals whose range of phenotypic values for this character are best adapted to their class environment and who will remain resident in their class, whereas individuals with more extreme phenotypic values will migrate. An example of this movement can be considered in the effect of intelligence on migration between the occupational classes. As Burt (1959) states, there has for many generations been a discernible tendency for individuals endowed with high intelligence to rise to a higher class and for those of low intelligence to drop to a lower class, and he concludes that there must now be appreciable differences in the genetic composition of different social classes and that these differences will show themselves most plainly in differences between the mean level of intelligence for each class. In this paper a mathematical analysis is made of the divergence of the gene frequencies between the populations from an initial state of homogeneity until the system reaches the equilibrium state, under the proposed model of selective migration. The approximate analytical results are confirmed by computer simulation.
Establishment of In Silico Prediction Models for CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 Induction in Human Hepatocytes by Multiple Regression Analysis Using Azole Compounds

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) via cytochrome P450 (P450) induction are one clinical problem leading to increased risk of adverse effects and the need for dosage adjustments and additional therapeutic monitoring. In silico models for predicting P450 induction are useful for avoiding DDI risk. In this study, we have established regression models for CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 induction in human hepatocytes using several physicochemical parameters for a set of azole compounds with different P450 induction as characteristics as model compounds. To obtain a well-correlated regression model, the compounds for CYP3A4 or CYP2B6 induction were independently selected from the tested azole compounds using principal component analysis with fold-induction data. Both of the multiple linear regression models obtained for CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 induction are represented by different sets of physicochemical parameters. The adjusted coefficients of determination for these models were of 0.8 and 0.9, respectively. The fold-induction of the validation compounds, another set of 12 azole–containing compounds, were predicted within twofold limits for both CYP3A4 and CYP2B6. The concordance for the prediction of CYP3A4 induction was 87% with another validation set, 23 marketed drugs. However, the prediction of CYP2B6 induction tended to be overestimated for these marketed drugs. The regression models show that lipophilicity mostly contributes to CYP3A4 induction, whereas not only the lipophilicity but also the molecular polarity is important for CYP2B6 induction. Our regression models, especially that for CYP3A4 induction, might provide useful methods to avoid potent CYP3A4 or CYP2B6 inducers during the lead optimization stage without performing induction assays in human hepatocytes.
The Reliability of Management Earnings Forecasts in IPO Prospectuses: A Study of Managers’ Forecasting Preferences

This study investigates the reliability of management earnings forecasts with reference to these two ingredients: verifiability and neutrality. Specifically, we examine the biasedness (or accuracy) of management earnings forecasts and company specific characteristics that can be associated with accuracy. Based on sample of 102 IPO prospectuses published for admission on NYSE Euronext Paris from 2002 to 2010, we found that these forecasts are on average optimistic and two of the five test variables, earnings variability and financial leverage are significant in explaining ex post bias. Acknowledging the possibility that the bias is the result of the managers’ forecasting behavior, we then examine whether managers decide to under-predict, over-predict or forecast accurately for self-serving purposes. Explicitly, we examine the role of financial distress, operating performance, ownership by insiders and the economy state in influencing managers’ forecasting preferences. We find that managers of distressed firms seem to overpredict future earnings. We also find that when managers are given more stock options, they tend to under-predict future earnings. Finally, we conclude that the management earnings forecasts are affected by an intentional bias due to managers’ forecasting preferences. Keywords—Intentional bias, Management earnings forecasts, neutrality, verifiability.
Robotics Agent Coacher for CP motor Function (RAC CP Fun)

SUMMARY Robotics Agent Coacher for Cerebral Palsy motor Function (RAC CP Fun) is an attempt to implement socially assistive robotics, and a motor learning approach in rehabilitating movement disorders with a central origin. The concept and architecture of RAC CP Fun implements the motor learning theory and behavioral approach, i.e. principles of repetition, stages of learning, appropriate feedback, random practice, and enriched environments. Eleven children with cerebral palsy (CP) and fourteen typically developed (TD) children participated in two procedures while interacting with a robot and performing motor exercises. The interaction level and motor performance of children were measured and compared. Children with CP exhibited a higher interaction level; however, their motor performance was lower than that of TD children. RAC CP Fun was found to be feasible to interact with children of pre-school age, to augment the motivation of the children with CP, and to involve the children in motor exercises.
Parametric Differences between a Real-world Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack and a Flash Event

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks continue to be one of the most pernicious threats to the delivery of services over the Internet. Not only are DDoS attacks present in many guises, they are also continuously evolving as new vulnerabilities are exploited. Hence accurate detection of these attacks still remains a challenging problem and a necessity for ensuring high-end network security. An intrinsic challenge in addressing this problem is to effectively distinguish these Denial-of-Service attacks from similar looking Flash Events (FEs) created by legitimate clients. A considerable overlap between the general characteristics of FEs and DDoS attacks makes it difficult to precisely separate these two classes of Internet activity. In this paper we propose parameters which can be used to explicitly distinguish FEs from DDoS attacks and analyse two real-world publicly available datasets to validate our proposal. Our analysis shows that even though FEs appear very similar to DDoS attacks, there are several subtle dissimilarities which can be exploited to separate these two classes of events.
Photosynthetic activity of selected genotypes of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) in critical periods for yield formation

This paper evaluates the influence of genotype on the photosynthetic activity of hops in the period critical for generating yield. Results over three years from measuring the photosynthesis rate statistically show an increase in the photosynthetic activity of hop plants in the flowering stage. The average photosynthetic rates from measurements on the second date (BBA 65) in the years 2007, 2008, and 2009 increased by 17.9%, 45.6%, and 49.2%, respectively. Different photosynthesis curve trends during the final stage of ontogenesis of the plants indicate the maturity level of each hop genotype. As regards the genotypes for which photosynthesis did not reduce significantly, it may be assumed that such plants had not reached technical maturity. The results from the three-year study also show that any promising genotype, with respect to the photosynthesis rate and yield, is the result of breeding of new varieties with greater resistance to drought and high temperatures. Very good results in photosynthetic activity were reached by the new varieties exhibiting high yield and a similar chemical composition to Saaz hop and those sharing the same origins to Saaz, showing a higher content of bitter substances. In 2008 and 2009, all three new forms reached yield levels of 2.35 to 3.12 t/ha of dry hops.
Medical comorbidity in bipolar disorder: relationship between illnesses of the endocrine/metabolic system and treatment outcome.

OBJECTIVE The present study examined the relationship between medical burden in bipolar disorder and several indicators of illness severity and outcome. It was hypothesized that illnesses of the endocrine/metabolic system would be associated with greater psychiatric symptom burden and would impact the response to treatment with lithium and valproate. METHODS Data were analyzed from two studies evaluating lithium and valproate for rapid-cycling presentations of bipolar I and II disorder. General medical comorbidity was assessed by the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between medical burden, body mass index (BMI), substance use disorder status, and depressive symptom severity. RESULTS Of 225 patients enrolled, 41.8% had a recent substance use disorder, 50.7% were male, and 69.8% had bipolar I disorder. The mean age of the sample was 36.8 (SD = 10.8) years old. The mean number of comorbid medical disorders per patient was 2.5 (SD = 2.5), and the mean CIRS total score was 4.3 (SD = 3.1). A significant positive correlation was observed between baseline depression severity and the number of organ systems affected by medical illness (p = 0.04). Illnesses of the endocrine/metabolic system were inversely correlated with remission from depressive symptoms (p = 0.02), and obesity was specifically associated with poorer treatment outcome. For every 1-unit increase in BMI, the likelihood of response decreased by 7.5% [odds ratio (OR) = 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87- 0.99; p = 0.02] and the likelihood of remission decreased by 7.3% (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-0.99; p = 0.03). The effect of comorbid substance use on the likelihood of response differed significantly according to baseline BMI. The presence of a comorbid substance use disorder resulted in lower odds of response, but only among patients with a BMI > or = 23 (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION Among patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder receiving lithium and valproate, endocrine/metabolic illnesses, including overweight and obesity, appear to be associated with greater depressive symptom severity and poorer treatment outcomes.
VLSI-oriented lossy image compression approach using DA-based 2D-discrete wavelet

In this paper, we introduced a Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) based VLSI-oriented lossy image compression approach, widely used as the core of digital image compression. Here, Distributed Arithmetic (DA) technique is applied to determine the wavelet coefficients, so that the number of arithmetic operation can be reduced substantially. As well, the compression rate is enhanced with the aid of introducing RW block that blocks some of the coefficients obtained from the high pass filter to zero. Subsequently, Differential Pulse-Code Modulation (DPCM) and huffman-encoding are applied to acquire the binary sequence of the image. The functional simulation of each module is presented as well as the performance of each module is widely analyzed with gate required, clock cycles required, power, processing rate, and processing time. From the analysis, it is found that the DCM module requires more gates to do the transformation process compared to other modules. Eventually, the proposed compression approach is compared with the existing methods in terms of processor area and power. Comparative result shows that the proposed method offers good performance in power-efficiency corresponding to 0.328 mW/chip than the prior methods.
B cell precursor growth-promoting activity. Purification and characterization of a growth factor active on lymphocyte precursors

We have used a biological assay system we developed to biochemically purify a previously uncharacterized murine lymphopoietic growth factor designated lymphopoietin 1 (LP-1). This factor is capable of stimulating the proliferation and extended maintenance of precursor cells of the B lineage. A stromal cell line producing LP-1 was established after transfection of primary stromal cultures with a plasmid encoding the transforming genes of SV40. This factor was purified to a single 25-kD species from the culture supernatant of an adherent stromal cell line. This material acts on immature lymphocytes, it binds to specific receptors on cells, and is distinct from previously described hematopoietic factors. LP-1 has been purified some 10(7)-fold with an overall recovery of 35%. The purified protein exhibits a specific activity of approximately 4 X 10(6) U/micrograms of protein and is active at a half-maximal concentration of 10(-13) M.
Executive Functions Deficit in Mild Cognitive Impairment

ObjectiveTo investigate whether patients diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have also impairment in attention/executive functions, and therefore to clarify whether all subcomponents of executive control are equally affected in MCI. BackgroundMCI refers to the transitional state between normal aging and dementia. Amnestic MCI is characterized by impaired episodic memory, although subtle impairment of executive functions has been noted on neuropsychologic tests. MethodsWe investigated 20 MCI patients and 20 normal controls using episodic memory, attention/executive functions, language, and praxis tests. ResultsMCI patients had significantly lower scores on all measures of the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (P<0.05 to 0.01) than controls. Furthermore, MCI had a greater number of perseverations (P<0.01) on Modified Card Sorting Test and the lowest performance on the Stroop Test (P<0.02). ConclusionsOur findings showed impairment in episodic memory performance in MCI as compared with that of controls. In addition, MCI patients had problems with response inhibition, switching, and cognitive flexibility, which encompass various aspects of executive functions. This suggests that MCI may be identified by using a more detailed procedure for the assessment of cognitive decline than the evaluation of memory alone.
Improved Recurrent Neural Networks for Session-based Recommendations

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) were recently proposed for the session-based recommendation task. The models showed promising improvements over traditional recommendation approaches. In this work, we further study RNN-based models for session-based recommendations. We propose the application of two techniques to improve model performance, namely, data augmentation, and a method to account for shifts in the input data distribution. We also empirically study the use of generalised distillation, and a novel alternative model that directly predicts item embeddings. Experiments on the RecSys Challenge 2015 dataset demonstrate relative improvements of 12.8% and 14.8% over previously reported results on the Recall@20 and Mean Reciprocal Rank@20 metrics respectively.
Single-click beam patterns suggest dynamic changes to the field of view of echolocating Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the wild

ABSTRACT Echolocating animals exercise an extensive control over the spectral and temporal properties of their biosonar signals to facilitate perception of their actively generated auditory scene when homing in on prey. The intensity and directionality of the biosonar beam defines the field of view of echolocating animals by affecting the acoustic detection range and angular coverage. However, the spatial relationship between an echolocating predator and its prey changes rapidly, resulting in different biosonar requirements throughout prey pursuit and capture. Here, we measured single-click beam patterns using a parametric fit procedure to test whether free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) modify their biosonar beam width. We recorded echolocation clicks using a linear array of receivers and estimated the beam width of individual clicks using a parametric spectral fit, cross-validated with well-established composite beam pattern estimates. The dolphins apparently increased the biosonar beam width, to a large degree without changing the signal frequency, when they approached the recording array. This is comparable to bats that also expand their field of view during prey capture, but achieve this by decreasing biosonar frequency. This behaviour may serve to decrease the risk that rapid escape movements of prey take them outside the biosonar beam of the predator. It is likely that shared sensory requirements have resulted in bats and toothed whales expanding their acoustic field of view at close range to increase the likelihood of successfully acquiring prey using echolocation, representing a case of convergent evolution of echolocation behaviour between these two taxa. Summary: Free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins dynamically adjust their sonar beam width to expand their acoustic field of view when approaching targets, potentially decreasing the risk of prey evasion.
Associated Factors of Quality of Life in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients

Objective Improving quality of life is an important goal in the treatment of schizophrenia. In previous research, quality of life has been reported to be compromised in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether quality of life may be impaired in first-episode schizophrenia patients and to identify the associated factors of quality of life in first-episode schizophrenia. Methods Forty-eight patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 20 normal controls were recruited. Quality of life was measured by using the Quality of Life scale (QLS). General and social self-efficacy, perceived social support were measured by using the self-report scales. The clinical assessments and comprehensive neurocognitive battery were also administered. Results First-episode group showed significantly decreased QLS total and QLS subscale scores compared to normal controls group. The key associated factors of quality of life in patients with first-episode schizophrenia were the negative symptoms and social self-efficacy. Conclusion This finding implies that compromised quality of life may be already emerged in schizophrenia in their first-episode and the psychosocial interventions should be targeting the negative symptoms and the psychosocial protective factors including self-efficacy in addition to simply ameliorating the positive symptoms to foster social reintegration and recovery of first-episode patients.
Interleukin-6 G-174C gene polymorphism and serum resistin levels in North Indian women: Potential risk of metabolic syndrome

The present investigations were aimed to identify the possible association between genetic polymorphism in interleukin-6 (IL-6) G-174C gene, which confers susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, and serum level of resistin in North Indian women. The study population comprised 370 unrelated Indian women (192 having abdominal obesity and 178 controls). Polymorphism in genotype (CC+GC) of IL-6 G-174C gene was determined using a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence-specific primer with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technology. Insulin resistance (IR) and serum resistin level were also analyzed along with metabolic risk factors. Of 192 abdominal obese women, 147 (76.56%) were found to have mutant CC+GC (p = 0.001) genotype and allele frequency (p = 0.001), which was significantly higher 45 (23.44%) than non-obese and their respective wild type. The mutant genotype (CC+GC) of IL-6 gene was found to be associated significantly with high triglyceride (p = 0.025) and resistin level (p < 0.001), when compared with respective wild genotype (GG) in obese women. Non-obese women with no signs of metabolic risk factors were found to have significantly low level of serum resistin and IR in comparison to obese women having genetic polymorphism for IL-6 G-174C gene. Study suggests that IL-6 G-174C gene is one among the susceptibility loci for metabolic syndrome in North Indian women. Genotype for this polymorphism may prove informative for prediction of genetic risk for metabolic syndrome. Further, high level of serum resistin molecules may be targeted to correlate with metabolic syndrome risk factors and could be used as early prediction marker.
GABAergic effects on the depressor responses elicited by stimulation of central nucleus of the amygdala.

GABAergic inputs have been demonstrated in the central nucleus of the amygdala (ACe). However, the contribution of these inhibitory inputs to the cardiovascular responses elicited from the ACe is not known. Experiments were done in chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated male Wistar rats to investigate the effects of microinjections of GABA, the selective GABAA-receptor antagonist bicuculline, or the GABAB-receptor antagonist phaclofen, in the ACe on the mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses elicited byl-glutamate (Glu) stimulation of the ACe. Microinjections of Glu in the ACe elicited decreases in MAP (-13.7 ± 1.6 mmHg) and HR (-5.3 ± 1.9 beats/min). The MAP and HR responses elicited by Glu stimulation of the ACe were significantly reduced (89%) by the prior microinjection of GABA in the same ACe site. In addition, at some sites in the ACe at which microinjection of Glu did not elicit depressor responses, Glu injections in the presence of phaclofen elicited decreases in MAP (-9.5 ± 1.0 mmHg) and variable changes in HR. On the other hand, the magnitude of the depressor responses elicited during stimulation of the ACe site in the presence of bicuculline was significantly attenuated (60%), whereas phaclofen had no effect on the magnitude of the depressor responses elicited by Glu stimulation of the ACe. These data suggest that GABAergic mechanisms in the ACe alter the excitability of ACe neurons involved in mediating changes in systemic arterial pressure and HR.