Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apolipoprotein e4 influences on scene representation in young adults

Episodic memory for past and future events, scene imagination, visual scene perception, and navigation, are all supported by a set of brain regions in the medial temporal lobe (MTL)and posteromedial cortex (PMC). It has been proposed that the construction of scenes, also supported by these brain regions, may provide a scaffold which underpins these many related cognitive processes. Consistent with pathology in the MTL and PMC, Alzheimer's patients are impaired in many of these cognitive processes, including scene construction. APOE e4 is the strongest known genetic risk factor for the development of late onset Alzheimer�s Disease. Alterations in brain activity have been found in young adult APOE e4 carriers during scene perception and episodic memory tasks, with however, cognitive performance matched across groups. This thesis combined behavioural, genetic and imaging approaches in order to answer an overarching question: do young adult (age ~20 years) APOE e4 carriers show early behavioural (Chapters 2 and 3) and brain alterations (Chapter 4), compared to non-carriers, on sensitive cognitive paradigms assessing scene representation ability? Chapter 2 and 3 of this thesis did not detect a significant difference between APOE e4 carriers and non-carriers in overall scene representations. However, APOE e4 carriers were found to describe fewer sensory details about their imagined scenes, suggesting that subtle differences between groups may exist, but subjective experience may not be a sensitive method to detect these. In a further computerised perceptual illusion task, APOE e4 carriers showed a (non-significant) attenuation of the illusionary effect, reflecting alterations in scene representation required for strength of the illusion. Finally, I used ASL imaging (Chapter 4) to investigate scene-selective alterations in APOE e4 carriers during a visual perception task. This study failed to find a significant scene-selective functional difference between APOE e4 carriers and non-carriers, but confirmed that further work is needed to understand BOLD response alterations in young APOE e4 carriers. The findings of this thesis pave the way for further investigation to understand functional brain changes in young APOE e4 carriers, which aligned to a specific cognitive hallmark of AD, could provide a marker for increased genetic risk, but further, could help us to better understand the influence of genetic risk on brain health.
A Bayesian Method of Change-Point Estimation with Recurrent Regimes: Application to GARCH Models

We present an estimation and forecasting method, based on a differential evolution MCMC method, for inference in GARCH models subjected to an unknown number of structural breaks at unknown dates. We treat break dates as parameters and determine the number of breaks by computing the marginal likelihoods of competing models. We allow for both recurrent and non-recurrent (change-point) regime specifications. We illustrate the estimation method through simulations and apply it to seven financial time series of daily returns. We find structural breaks in the volatility dynamics of all series and recurrent regimes in nearly all series. Finally, we carry out a forecasting exercise to evaluate the usefulness of structural break models.
Dominance of the Unaffected Hemisphere Motor Network and Its Role in the Behavior of Chronic Stroke Survivors

Balance of motor network activity between the two brain hemispheres after stroke is crucial for functional recovery. Several studies have extensively studied the role of the affected brain hemisphere to better understand changes in motor network activity following stroke. Very few studies have examined the role of the unaffected brain hemisphere and confirmed the test–retest reliability of connectivity measures on unaffected hemisphere. We recorded blood oxygenation level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals from nine stroke survivors with hemiparesis of the left or right hand. Participants performed a motor execution task with affected hand, unaffected hand, and both hands simultaneously. Participants returned for a repeat fMRI scan 1 week later. Using dynamic causal modeling (DCM), we evaluated effective connectivity among three motor areas: the primary motor area (M1), the premotor cortex (PMC) and the supplementary motor area for the affected and unaffected hemispheres separately. Five participants’ manual motor ability was assessed by Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment scores and root-mean square error of participants’ tracking ability during a robot-assisted game. We found (i) that the task performance with the affected hand resulted in strengthening of the connectivity pattern for unaffected hemisphere, (ii) an identical network of the unaffected hemisphere when participants performed the task with their unaffected hand, and (iii) the pattern of directional connectivity observed in the affected hemisphere was identical for tasks using the affected hand only or both hands. Furthermore, paired t-test comparison found no significant differences in connectivity strength for any path when compared with one-week follow-up. Brain-behavior linear correlation analysis showed that the connectivity patterns in the unaffected hemisphere more accurately reflected the behavioral conditions than the connectivity patterns in the affected hemisphere. Above findings enrich our knowledge of unaffected brain hemisphere following stroke, which further strengthens our neurobiological understanding of stroke-affected brain and can help to effectively identify and apply stroke-treatments.
Optimized algorithm for balancing clusters in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks consist of hundreds or thousands of sensor nodes that involve numerous restrictions including computation capability and battery capacity. Topology control is an important issue for achieving a balanced placement of sensor nodes. The clustering scheme is a widely known and efficient means of topology control for transmitting information to the base station in two hops. The automatic routing scheme of the self-organizing technique is another critical element of wireless sensor networks. In this paper we propose an optimal algorithm with cluster balance taken into consideration, and compare it with three well known and widely used approaches, i.e., LEACH, MEER, and VAP-E, in performance evaluation. Experimental results show that the proposed approach increases the overall network lifetime, indicating that the amount of energy required for communication to the base station will be reduced for locating an optimal cluster.
Genetic Analysis of Zinc-Finger Nuclease-Induced Gene Targeting in Drosophila

Using zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) to cleave the chromosomal target, we have achieved high frequencies of gene targeting in the Drosophila germline. Both local mutagenesis through nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and gene replacement via homologous recombination (HR) are stimulated by target cleavage. In this study we investigated the mechanisms that underlie these processes, using materials for the rosy (ry) locus. The frequency of HR dropped significantly in flies homozygous for mutations in spnA (Rad51) or okr (Rad54), two components of the invasion-mediated synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) pathway. When single-strand annealing (SSA) was also blocked by the use of a circular donor DNA, HR was completely abolished. This indicates that the majority of HR proceeds via SDSA, with a minority mediated by SSA. In flies deficient in lig4 (DNA ligase IV), a component of the major NHEJ pathway, the proportion of HR products rose significantly. This indicates that most NHEJ products are produced in a lig4-dependent process. When both spnA and lig4 were mutated and a circular donor was provided, the frequency of ry mutations was still high and no HR products were recovered. The local mutations produced in these circumstances must have arisen through an alternative, lig4-independent end-joining mechanism. These results show what repair pathways operate on double-strand breaks in this gene targeting system. They also demonstrate that the outcome can be biased toward gene replacement by disabling the major NHEJ pathway and toward simple mutagenesis by interfering with the major HR process.
The Criminalisation and Imprisonment of Migrant Victims of Trafficking

This paper outlines the key elements of research that was carried out between 2010 and 2011 at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge by Hales and Gelsthorpe (2012) on the Criminalisation of Migrant Women in terms of goals, research methods, key findings and resultant policy and practice implications. It then goes on to document developments in the UK since publication of the findings and conclusions that we can draw from these in terms of meeting the challenges of combatting human trafficking. Este articulo traza los elementos claves -objetivos, metodos de investigacion, hallazgos principales e implicaciones resultantes sobre politicas y practicas- de la investigacion Criminalisation of Migrant Women (criminalizacion de mujeres migrantes) que realizaron Hales y Gelsthorpe (2012) entre 2010 y 2011 en el Instituto de Criminologia de la Universidad de Cambridge. Despues, documenta los avances en el Reino Unido desde la publicacion de los hallazgos, y las conclusiones que podemos extraer de aquellos en terminos de superacion de los desafios que plantea la lucha contra la trata de personas. Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-0924
Recommender Systems for Problem Solving Environments

Traditionally, recommender systems have been studied in domains that focus on harnessing distributed information resources, collaborative filtering, information aggregation, social schemes for decision making and user interfaces. In this paper, we present recommender systems in a different context -- primarily as systems that select (scientific) software appropriate to a user’s needs. This application is motivated by the wide acceptance of problem solving environments (PSEs) which are high level environments for doing computational science. We give an overview of the domain, argue the need for recommender systems and describe our work in this area. The research issues in this discipline are also highlighted.
27 Days of Managerial work in the police service

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to uncover the realities of managerial work in the Norwegian police service. Observation and interview of 27 police managers showed that managerial work emerged and unfolded through specific practices, which occurred within a shared organisational practice shaped by police culture, context and mission. Managers practiced in a variety of ways rather than according to a universal set of managerial practices. Individual police managers developed proficiency by carrying out day-to-day work duties. These managerial practices were dependent on dynamic actions and interactions and were subject to expectations and pressures. Police managers earned legitimacy primarily through being foremost among equals. The current findings supported studies suggesting that managers face complexity and uncertainty in their work as well as those that downplay what managers ought to do, focussing instead on what it is possible to achieve. The implication of these findings for practice is that individual police managers need to develop their own ways of tackling personal, strategic, relational and operational challenges.
Exploring the relationship between executive functions and self-reported media-multitasking in young adults

ABSTRACT Media-multitasking involves simultaneous engagement with information streams from multiple media sources, and is most prevalent in young adults. Heavy media-multitasking has been associated with differential performance on tasks involving attentional control and working memory relative to light media-multitasking. The aim of the present study was to systematically investigate relationships between executive functions and self-reported media-multitasking. Healthy participants (N = 112, aged 18–25, male N = 36) completed a battery of 10 traditional executive function tasks, that included assessments of attentional inhibition, response inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Scores on the individual executive function tasks were correlated against frequency of self-reported media-multitasking, but no significant relationships were found. Trait anxiety, however, was found to be significantly associated with greater frequency of self-reported media-multitasking. The present study found no evidence of a relationship between the frequency of self-reported media-multitasking and executive functioning. The possible reasons for this are discussed.
Cognitive Dissonance Bias, Overconfidence Bias dan Herding Bias dalam Pengambilan Keputusan Investasi Saham

In practice, there are some aspects which contribute to the decision making process. One of those aspects is the psychological aspect which cannot be separated from human being. The psychological aspect of the study of finance is called the study of behavioural finance (cognitive bias, emotional bias, and social bias) could lead to investor’s irrationality in decision making. This study aimed to analyze the influence of dissonance bias, overconfidence bias, and herding bias on investment decision in Investor Club of Satya Wacana Christian University (SWCU). This study utilizes the purposive sampling method. The sample in this study covers the whole investor in Investor Club of SWCU. The results of this study indicate that: (i) Cognitive dissonance bias has an insignificant influence to investment decision ; (ii) Overconfidence bias has a positive and significant influence to investment decision; (iii) Herding bias has an insignificant influence to the investment decision. This means that investors tend to use the emotional aspect rather than on the cognitive and social aspects of investment decision making. As a result, investors are overconfident of their ability and the outcome of investment decisions is not maximal and can cause losses. DOI : https://doi.org/10.26905/afr.v1i1. 1745
Conduct problems, schoolwork difficulties, and being bullied: A follow-up among Finnish adolescents

ABSTRACT Continual conduct problems from adolescence to adulthood comprise a societal concern. Knowledge of school-related triggers and contributors to persistent conduct problems is important but still limited. We explored the role of schoolwork difficulties and being bullied by peers at school in the development of conduct problems, controlling for vulnerability factors of low cognitive competence and low prosociality. The data covered two measuring points on a longitudinal cohort of Finnish students between the ages of 16 and 18 (N = 5,108). All measures were self-reported. The regression and moderation modeling were executed using Bayesian estimation. Among 18-year-old adolescents, 14% of conduct problems were explained by conduct problems at the age of 16. Schoolwork difficulties had a direct positive effect on later conduct problems. Being bullied moderated effects of low cognitive competence and earlier conduct problems on later conduct problems. The findings show that we should also focus on school when risk factors for continuity of adolescents’ conduct problems are sought out.
Implementation of the components of critical thinking in an English 101 course in the First Year English Program at Bilkent University

Title: Implementation of the components of critical thinking in an Eng 101 course in the F.Y. E.P. at Bilkent University Author: Semih İrfaner Thesis Chairperson: Dr. William Snyder Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program Committee Members: Dr. Sarah Klinghammer Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program Dr. Dannelle Stevens, Bilkent University, Graduate School of Education Critical thinking has been a controversial topic in the field of education over several decades. The idea behind it is that in order to become more valuable members of society, students have to be encouraged to think and be taught how to use the information gained in classes. Courses should include not only content to be learned but also the opportunity for students to question what they learn. Students should be able to implement the learning, not only within the academic atmosphere but also in the larger society. The objective of this study was to investigate one teacher’s implementation of the components of critical thinking through written assignments in one Eng 101 class offered in the First Year English Program (F.Y.E.P). at Bilkent University. The study investigated to what extent the instructor was able to understand and implement the components of critical thinking included in the F.Y. E.P. curriculum and to analyze the students’ implementation of those components in their essays.
Light removes inactivation of the A-type potassium channels in scallop hyperpolarizing photoreceptors

The properties of light-activated and voltage dependent conductances in the hyperpolarizing photoreceptors of the isolated retina of the giant scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) have been studied in whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings. Resting membrane potential of the cells was - 35 to -60 mV in the dark. Large outward current was maintained during illumination when the cell was voltage clamped at the resting potential. Previous reports have shown that the hyperpolarizing response to light and the light-activated outward current are mediated by an increase of a conductance of K+ channels in the plasma membrane (Gorman and McReynolds, 1974; Gomez and Nasi, 1994a). This report shows that the light-activated K+ channels of this photoreceptor cell generate the voltage-dependent transient outward current in response to depolarizing voltage steps in the dark. The characteristic of this current resembles the typical voltage-dependent transient current (A- current) of molluscan neurons in the kinetics of activation and inactivation, and in the blockage by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). However, the voltage-dependent transient current during illumination becomes a flat stable form which inactivation process disappeared. We report here that light removes inactivation of the K+ channels which generate the voltage-dependent transient outward currents in the dark.
Working for God? Evaluating Service Delivery of Religious Not-for-Profit Health Care Providers in Uganda

Reinikka and Svensson exploit a unique micro-level data set on primary health care facilities in Uganda to address the question: What motivates religious not-for-profit (RNP) health care providers? The authors use two approaches to identify whether an altruistic (religious) effect exists in the data. First, examining cross-section variation, they show that RNP facilities hire qualified medical staff below the market wage, are more likely to provide propoor services and services with a public good element, and charge lower prices for services than for-profit facilities, although they provide a similar (observable) quality of care. RNP and for-profit facilities both provide better quality care than their government counterparts, although government facilities have better equipment. These findings are consistent with the view that RNP facilities are driven in part by altruistic concerns and that these preferences matter quantitatively. Second, the authors exploit a near natural experiment in which the government initiated a program of financial aid for the RNP sector. They show that financial aid leads to more laboratory testing of suspected malaria and intestinal worm cases, and hence higher quality of service and lower prices, but only in RNP facilities. The findings suggest that working for God matters.
New knowledge and the university

What forms of knowledge have legitimacy in the contemporary university? By using Actor-Network Theory to unravel the strands in a recent dispute about access to skeletons from a burial ground in Cape Town, this paper shows how circulating systems of references connect institutions, historical trajectories and differing sets of interests to form competing knowledge systems. Rather than falling back on a defence of established disciplines and academic authority, it is argued that there are considerable benefits in recognising the importance and validity of knowledge generated ‘in community’, and in the course of political discourse. Rather than undermining truth, such an approach will result in both better science and more informed community action.
Using satellite-based estimates of evapotranspiration and groundwater changes to determine anthropogenic water fluxes in land surface models

Abstract. Irrigation is a widely used water management practice that is often poorly parameterized in land surface and climate models. Previous studies have addressed this issue via use of irrigation area, applied water inventory data, or soil moisture content. These approaches have a variety of drawbacks including data latency, accurately prescribing irrigation intensity, and a lack of conservation of water volume for models using a prescribed soil moisture approach. In this study, we parameterize irrigation fluxes using satellite observations of evapotranspiration (ET) compared to ET from a suite of land surface models without irrigation. We then incorporate the irrigation flux into the Community Land Model (CLM) and use a systematic trial-and-error procedure to determine the ground- and surface-water withdrawals that are necessary to balance the new irrigation flux. The resulting CLM simulation with irrigation produces ET that matches the magnitude and seasonality of observed satellite ET well, with a mean difference of 6.3 mm month−1 and a correlation of 0.95. Differences between the new CLM ET values and satellite-observed ET values are always less than 30 mm month−1 and the differences show no pattern with respect to seasonality. The results reinforce the importance of accurately parameterizing anthropogenic hydrologic fluxes into land surface and climate models to assess environmental change under current and future climates and land management regimes.
Inept: Voter perceptions of party incompetence in German Federal Elections

In recent years, interest has surged in issue voting based on competence attributions to parties. To vote on policy competence, citizens need to attribute to at least one party the capacity to solve the problems they deem important. The article shows that this condition is often unmet, because voters see no party as competent. Using data collected at the 2009 and 2013 German Federal Elections, it demonstrates that beliefs about parties’ ineptness on pressing issues originate from personal and contextual factors. Their most important source is a spillover effect from general disaffection about parties. But which issues are high on the public’s agenda also makes a difference. Voters are less likely to see parties as competent if the problems on their minds concern polity rather than policy issues, and if they concern issues not owned by a party. Election campaigns, on the other hand, improve attributions of issue competence.
Near-Optimal Allocation of Local Memory Arrays

This paper considers compiler management of fast, local memories for loop nests that contain affine array references. We show how to reduce the local memory footprint of such arrays by doing an affine reindexing of the array elements. We approximate the best reindexing by a two-step algorithm. The first step uses a generalized Hermite factorization, and the second uses a one-norm lattice basis reduction technique. We improve on earlier work in which a local memory array stores the smallest rectangular subarray of the elements referenced in the loop nest. Our techniques apply directly to nests with families of uniformly generated affine references, and we propose ways to extend them to more general situations.