Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Environmental Transmission of Political Attitudes Over a Life Time

Recently political scientists have looked anew at the source of political preferences and find support for the heuristic that political attitudes and behaviors are influenced by endogenous factors. The present research attempts to characterize how the transmission of political orientations develops over the life course. Using longitudinal data collected on twins throughout childhood and adolescence combined with cross-sectional data from adult twins, the present study finds that genetic influences on political attitudes are absent prior to young adulthood. During childhood and adolescence, individual differences in political attitudes are accounted for by a variety of environmental influences with the role of shared “family” environment, including parental socialization, accumulating markedly between the ages of 9 and 17. However, at the point of early adulthood (in the early 20s), for those who left their parental home, there is evidence of a sizeable genetic influence on political attitudes which remains stable throughout adult life. The pattern of genetic transmission shows some similarity to an “impressionable years” model of attitude crystallization showing both the important influence of family and other shared environmental influences in adolescence and then an increased role of genetic factors as familial environmental influences diminish.
Proteome Analysis of Secreted Proteins of the Gastric Pathogen Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT Secreted proteins (the secretome) of the human pathogen Helicobacter pylori may mediate important pathogen-host interactions, but such proteins are technically difficult to analyze. Here, we report on a comprehensive secretome analysis that uses protein-free culture conditions to minimize autolysis, an efficient recovery method for extracellular proteins, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by peptide mass fingerprinting for protein resolution and identification. Twenty-six of the 33 separated secreted proteins were identified. Among them were six putative oxidoreductases that may be involved in the modification of protein-disulfide bonds, three flagellar proteins, three defined fragments of the vacuolating toxin VacA, the serine protease HtrA, and eight proteins of unknown function. A cleavage site for the amino-terminal passenger domain of VacA between amino acids 991 and 992 was determined by collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry. Several of the secreted proteins are interesting targets for antimicrobial chemotherapy and vaccine development.
Comments on James Morley ’ s paper

Measuring or estimating economic slack has long been a challenge to central bank research and policymaking, particularly after a major economic event such as a financial crisis that might also affect the trend at which the economy normally expands. While it is still debatable which measure would best capture economic slack in conceptual terms, the output gap has been widely used by many. In this light, the paper by Prof. Morley is a good contribution not only to the current literature on the business cycle and monetary policy but also to practical policymaking in central banks. I believe it offers particularly useful information to some Asian central banks which, for various reasons, including data collection problems, can afford only a limited array of reliable cyclical indicators for their conduct of monetary policy.
Community analysis of influential nodes for information diffusion on a social network

We consider the problem of finding influential nodes for information diffusion on a social network under the independent cascade model. It is known that the greedy algorithm can give a good approximate solution for the problem. Aiming to obtain efficient methods for finding better approximate solutions, we explore what structural feature of the underlying network is relevant to the greedy solution that is the approximate solution by the greedy algorithm. We focus on the SR-community structure, and analyze the greedy solution in terms of the SR-community structure. Using real large social networks, we experimentally demonstrate that the SR-community structure can be more strongly correlated with the greedy solution than the community structure introduced by Newman and Leicht.
On Estimation of Functional Causal Models: Post-Nonlinear Causal Model as an Example

Compared to constraint-based causal discovery, causal discovery based on functional causal models is able to identify the whole causal model under appropriate assumptions. Functional causal models represent the effect as a function of the direct causes together with an independent noise term. Examples include the linear non-Gaussian a cyclic model (LiNGAM), nonlinear additive noise model, and post-nonlinear (PNL) model. Currently there are two ways to estimate the parameters in the models, one is by dependence minimization, and the other is maximum likelihood. In this paper, we show that for any a cyclic functional causal model, minimizing the mutual information between the hypothetical cause and the noise term is equivalent to maximizing the data likelihood with a flexible model for the distribution of the noise term. We then focus on estimation of the PNL causal model, and propose to estimate it with the warped Gaussian process with the noise modeled by the mixture of Gaussians. As a Bayesian nonparametric approach, it outperforms the previous one based on mutual information minimization with nonlinear functions represented by multilayer perceptrons, we also show that unlike the ordinary regression, estimation results of the PNL causal model are sensitive to the assumption on the noise distribution. Experimental results on both synthetic and real data support our theoretical claims.
Seborrheic Keratosis-like Lesions of the Cervix and Vagina: Report of a New Entity Possibly Related to Low-risk Human Papillomavirus Infection

We report a series of 7 unusual and morphologically distinct cervical or upper vaginal lesions in women aged 41 to 70 years. The lesions involved the cervix in 3 cases, the upper vagina in 2, the cervix and vagina in 1, and in 1 case the site of origin could not be determined. The lesions had a consistent morphologic appearance with a surface “plaque-like” or “stuck-on” configuration apparent in those cases where surrounding normal tissues were present. Broad coalescing solid sheets and interconnecting trabeculae of cytologically bland cells with a rather “basaloid” appearance emanated from the surface and there were scattered squamous eddies. Other features included peripheral palisading and a stroma containing hyalinized basement membrane-like material. Immunohistochemically, the lesions were diffusely positive with p63, CK5/6, and 34&bgr;E12 and focally positive with CK7, but largely negative with CK20, EMA, CEA, and BerEP4. p16 was negative or exhibited nonblock-type immunoreactivity and GATA3 was negative or weakly positive. Molecular testing detected human papillomavirus type 42 in 3 of 7 cases, with no virus detected in the remaining 4 cases. Rarely, similar cases have been reported previously as inverted transitional papilloma of the cervix or vagina, but based on the morphology and immunophenotype we do not feel these represent transitional lesions. We suggest the term seborrheic keratosis-like lesions to designate this new and rare entity, which may be associated with low-risk human papillomavirus infection. Limited follow-up in a small number of cases suggests that these lesions follow a benign clinical course.
Scalability of parallel sorting on mesh multicomputers

The paper presents two new parallel algorithms QSP1 and QSP2 based on sequential quicksort for sorting data on a mesh multicomputer, and analyzes their scalability using the isoefficiency metric. It shows that QSP2 matches the lower bound on the isoefficiency function for mesh multicomputers. The isoefficiency of QSP1 is also fairly close to optimal. Lang et al. (1985) and Schnorr et al. (1986) have developed parallel sorting algorithms for the mesh architecture that have either optimal (Schnorr) or close to optimal (Lang) run-time complexity for the one-element-per-processor case. Both QSP1 and QSP2 have worse performance than these algorithms for the one-element-per-processor case. But QSP1 and QSP2 have better scalability than the scaled-down variants of these algorithms (for the case in which there are more elements than processors). As a result, the new parallel formulations are better than these scaled-down variants in terms of speedup w.r. t the best sequential algorithms. The paper also presents a different variant of Lang's sort which is asymptotically as scalable as QSP2 (for the multiple-element-per-processor case). It briefly discusses another metric called 'resource consumption metric'. According to this metric, both QSP1 and QSP2 are strictly superior to Lang's sort and its variations. <<ETX>>
MOSAIC: A Data Model and File Formats for Molecular Simulations

The MOlecular SimulAtion Interchange Conventions (MOSAIC) consist of a data model for molecular simulations and of concrete implementations of this data model in the form of file formats. MOSAIC is designed as a modular set of specifications, of which the initial version covers molecular structure and configurations. A reference implementation in the Python language facilitates the development of simulation software based on MOSAIC.
APPLICATION OF STFT AND WAVELET TRANSFORM TO OPHTHALMIC ARTERIAL DOPPLER SIGNALS

In this study, short-time Fourier transform and wavelet transform were used for spectral analysis of ophthalmic arterial Doppler signals. Using these spectral analysis methods, the variations in the shape of the Doppler spectra as a function of time were presented in the form of sonograms in order to obtain medical information. These sonograms were then used to compare the applied methods in terms of their frequency resolution and the effects in determination of ophthalmic artery stenosis. Based on the results, performance characteristics of the wavelet transform have been found extremely valuable for spectral analysis of ophthalmic arterial Doppler signals obtained from healthy subjects and unhealthy subjects having artery stenosis.
Effects of Array Orientations on Degrees of Freedom for 3D LoS Channels in Short-Range Communications

In this letter, we investigate the spatial degrees of freedom (DoF) of line-of-sight (LoS) channels in three-dimensional (3D) space with respect to the array orientations in short-range communications. First, the corresponding response of LoS channels is modeled using the spherical-wave model (SWM). The analytical expression for the spatial DoF of LoS channels with various array orientations is then derived and compared with that obtained in long-range communications. Both the analytical and simulation results show that the array orientations have a significant impact on the spatial DoF of short-range LoS channels.
A Non-Standard Semantics for Kahn Networks in Continuous Time

In a seminal article, Kahn has introduced the notion of process network and given a semantics for those using Scott domains whose elements are (possibly infinite) sequences of values. This model has since then become a standard tool for studying distributed asynchronous computations. From the beginning, process networks have been drawn as particular graphs, but this syntax is never formalized. We take the opportunity to clarify it by giving a precise definition of these graphs, that we call nets. The resulting category is shown to be a fixpoint category, i.e. a cartesian category which is traced wrt the monoidal structure given by the product, and interestingly this structure characterizes the category: we show that it is the free fixpoint category containing a given set of morphisms, thus providing a complete axiomatics that models of process networks should satisfy. We then use these tools to build a model of networks in which data vary over a continuous time, in order to elaborate on the idea that process networks should also be able to encompass computational models such as hybrid systems or electric circuits. We relate this model to Kahn's semantics by introducing a third model of networks based on non-standard analysis, whose elements form an internal complete partial order for which many properties of standard domains can be reformulated. The use of hyperreals in this model allows it to formally consider the notion of infinitesimal, and thus to make a bridge between discrete and continuous time: time is "discrete", but the duration between two instants is infinitesimal. Finally, we give some examples of uses of the model by describing some networks implementing common constructions in analysis.
Neural Networks and Spelling Features for Native Language Identification

We present the RUG-SU team’s submission at the Native Language Identification Shared Task 2017. We combine several approaches into an ensemble, based on spelling error features, a simple neural network using word representations, a deep residual network using word and character features, and a system based on a recurrent neural network. Our best system is an ensemble of neural networks, reaching an F1 score of 0.8323. Although our system is not the highest ranking one, we do outperform the baseline by far.
Procedures That Enhance the Maintenance and Generalization of Induced Behavioral Change.

Reviewed is research regarding procedures tb enhance the maintenance and generalization of induced behavior changes. Discussion of the procedures is divided into three categories: transfer,of training (including treatment under many different stimulus conditions), changing the natural environment (through training parents, peers, and others in daily contact with the child), and teaching the client self regulating procedures (such as self-recording of behavior). it is concluded that teaching the client self regulating behaviors offers the key to maintenance or generalization of behavior across time and environments. (Author/CL) ***********************************************************************
An Aggregate UWB interference model for coexistence analysis

A new statistical model for the aggregate UWB interference, which accounts for the parameters related to the spectrum sensing requested by the detect-and-avoid procedure and the environment dependent conditions such as fading, is proposed in this paper. We compute the parameters of a truncated-stable distribution used for characterizing the aggregate interference. We further show how to apply our model to derive the bit error probability of a MC-OFDM victim receiver in the presence of aggregate UWB interference. In addition, we show how the impact of a less restrictive UWB emission mask can be quickly assessed using the proposed model.
The development of adaptive sensorimotor control in infant upright posture

Title of Dissertation: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTIVE SENSORIM OTOR CONTROL IN INFANT UPRIGHT POSTURE Li-Chiou Chen, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Dissertation directed by: Professor Jane E. Clark, Ph.D. Department of Kinesiology Postural control has been suggested as an important factor for early motor development, however, little is known about how infants acquire the ability to control their upright posture in changing environments and differing tasks. This disserta tion addresses these issues in the first two years of life when infants learn t o sit, s and, and walk. Three specific aims will be addressed: 1) to characterize the develop ment of unperturbed infant upright postural sway; 2) to establish the influence of static somatosensory information on infant postural sway; and 3) to characterize the dyn amic relationship between the infant’s posture and sensory information. Three studies were
Dietary Zinc Deficiency Affects Blood Linoleic Acid: Dihomo-γ-linolenic Acid (LA:DGLA) Ratio; a Sensitive Physiological Marker of Zinc Status in Vivo (Gallus gallus)

Zinc is a vital micronutrient used for over 300 enzymatic reactions and multiple biochemical and structural processes in the body. To date, sensitive and specific biological markers of zinc status are still needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate Gallus gallus as an in vivo model in the context of assessing the sensitivity of a previously unexplored potential zinc biomarker, the erythrocyte linoleic acid: dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (LA:DGLA) ratio. Diets identical in composition were formulated and two groups of birds (n = 12) were randomly separated upon hatching into two diets, Zn(+) (zinc adequate control, 42.3 μg/g zinc), and Zn(−) (zinc deficient, 2.5 μg/g zinc). Dietary zinc intake, body weight, serum zinc, and the erythrocyte fatty acid profile were measured weekly. At the conclusion of the study, tissues were collected for gene expression analysis. Body weight, feed consumption, zinc intake, and serum zinc were higher in the Zn(+) control versus Zn(−) group (p < 0.05). Hepatic TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 gene expression were higher in the Zn(+) control group (p < 0.05), and hepatic Δ6 desaturase was significantly higher in the Zn(+) group (p < 0.001). The LA:DGLA ratio was significantly elevated in the Zn(−) group compared to the Zn(+) group (22.6 ± 0.5 and 18.5 ± 0.5, % w/w, respectively, p < 0.001). This study suggests erythrocyte LA:DGLA is able to differentiate zinc status between zinc adequate and zinc deficient birds, and may be a sensitive biomarker to assess dietary zinc manipulation.
Intrinsic Illumination Subspace for Lighting Insensitive Face Recognition

We introduce the intrinsic illumination subspace and its application for lighting insensitive face recognition in this paper. The intrinsic illumination subspace is constructed from illumination images of intrinsic images, which is a midlevel description of appearance images and can be useful for many visual inferences. This subspace forms a convex polyhedral cone and can be efficiently represented by a low-dimensional linear subspace, which enables an analytic generation of illumination images under varying lighting conditions. When only objects of the same class, such as faces, are concerned, a class-based generic intrinsic illumination subspace can be constructed in advance and used for novel objects of the same class. Based on this class-based generic subspace, we propose a lighting normalization method for lighting insensitive face recognition, where only a single input image is required. The generic subspace is used as a bootstrap subspace for illumination images of novel objects. Face recognition experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed lighting normalization method and verify empirically that the class-based generic subspace is applicable to novel objects. Our method is simple and fast, which makes it useful for real-time applications, embedded systems, or mobile devices with limited resources.
Establishment and characterization of primary and metastatic uveal melanoma cell lines

We report on the establishment and characterization of 2 primary (EOM‐3, EOM‐29) and 3 metastatic uveal melanoma cell lines (OMM‐1, OMM‐2, OMM‐3), and further cytogenetic characterization of a previously described primary uveal melanoma cell line (OCM‐1). Only a few long‐term growing primary uveal melanoma cell lines have as yet been established, while of metastatic uveal melanoma cell lines we have found no descriptions. The morphology of the in vitro cultured cells varied from spindle to epithelioid. The cell lines were characterized by immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy and cytogenetical analysis. The relative growth rate was determined by bromode‐oxyuridine (BUdR) incorporation. The melanocytic origin of the cell lines was determined by positive staining with antibodies identifying melanoma‐associated antigens. Melanosomes and pre‐melanosomes were indeed observed by electron microscopy in all cell lines. The stem‐cell karyotype was found to be normal in 3 cell lines (EOM‐29, OMM‐2, OMM‐3) and abnormal in 3 others (EOM‐3, OCM‐1, OMM‐1) showing a net loss of chromosome 6. The OCM‐1 and the OMM‐1 cell lines even demonstrated a large amount of structural chromosomal aberrations, the former being near‐tetraploid and the latter triploid. The EOM‐29 cell line, cultured from an ciliary body melanoma, did not show the previously described chromosome 3 and 8 abnormalities. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Normal Flat Forms for a Class of 0-flat Affine Dynamical Systems and Its Application to Nonholonomic Systems

In this contribution normal flat forms are used to achieve stable tracking control for nonlinear flat systems. Our approach is based on a nonlinear transformations in order to derive two 0-flat normal forms for a class of non-linear systems, a dynamical control law is then proposed to achieve stable trajectory tracking. Finally, This method is generalized to analysis and control a class of a 0-flat affine nonlinear multi-input dynamical systems for which we can build flat outputs to give structural normal flat forms. The computer simulations are given in the paper to demonstrate the advantages of the method.
Novel ID-based anti-collision approach for RFID

Novel correlation ID-based (CID) anti-collision approach for RFID under the banner of the Internet of Things (IOT) has been presented in this paper. The key insights are as follows: according to the deterministic algorithms which are based on the binary search tree, we propose a method to increase the association between tags so that tags can initiatively send their own ID under certain trigger conditions, at the same time, we present a multi-tree search method for querying. When the number of tags is small, by replacing the actual ID with the temporary ID, it can greatly reduce the number of times that the reader reads and writes to tag’s ID. Active tags send data to the reader by the way of modulation binary pulses. When applying this method to the uncertain ALOHA algorithms, the reader can determine the locations of the empty slots according to the position of the binary pulse, so it can avoid the decrease in efficiency which is caused by reading empty slots when reading slots. Theory and experiment show that this method can greatly improve the recognition efficiency of the system when applied to either the search tree or the ALOHA anti-collision algorithms.
Strengthening of Hearing Ear Representation Reduces Binaural Sensitivity in Early Single-Sided Deafness

Single-sided deafness initiates extensive adaptations in the central auditory system, with the consequence that a stronger and a weaker ear representation develops in the auditory brain. Animal studies demonstrated that the effects are substantially stronger if the condition starts early in development. Sequential binaural cochlear implantations with longer interimplant delays demonstrate that the speech comprehension at the weaker ear is substantially compromised. A pronounced loss of the ability to extract and represent binaural localisation cues accompanies this condition, as shown in animal models.
Dynamic training of hand gesture recognition system

We developed an augmented reality tool for vision-based hand gesture recognition in a camera-projector system. Our recognition method uses modified Fourier descriptors for the classification of static hand gestures. Hand segmentation is based on a background subtraction method, which is improved to handle background changes. Most of the recognition methods are trained and tested by the same service-person, and training phase occurs only preceding the interaction. However, there are numerous situations when several untrained users would like to use gestures for the interaction. In our new practical approach the correction of faulty detected gestures is done during the recognition itself. Our main result is the quick on-line adaptation to the gestures of a new user to achieve user-independent gesture recognition.