Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selection on two behavioral genes : fitness effects of receptor genes for arginine vasopressin 1a and oxytocin in the bank vole Myodes glareolus

Lönn, Eija Selection on two behavioral genes: fitness effects of receptor genes for arginine vasopressin 1a and oxytocin in the bank vole Myodes glareolus Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2017, 42 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Biological and Environmental Science ISSN 1456-9701; 327) ISBN 978-951-39-6968-4 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-6969-1 (PDF) Yhteenveto: Valintamekanismit käyttäytymistä säätelevien geenien taustalla: arginiini vasopressiini 1aja oksitosiinireseptorigeenien kelpoisuusvaikutukset metsämyyrällä (Myodes glareolus) Diss. Most variation in behavior is regulated by genes; nevertheless the mechanisms behind maintenance of genetic diversity at behavioral loci have remained mainly elusive in natural populations. I studied in my thesis selection mechanisms of two genes associated with socio-sexual behavior, arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (Avpr1) and oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) in bank vole (Myodes glareolus). Expression of Avpr1a and Oxtr in specific regions of the brain regulates diverse social and reproductive behaviors such as parental care, aggression, sexual behavior, social recognition as well as pair and parentoffspring bonding in mammals. In addition, there is a link between the length of a regulatory region associated microsatellite (RRAM) of Avpr1 and receptor density in the brain in some species. Bank voles have highly polymorphic RRAM in Avpr1a and Oxtr. My first study revealed that different length variants of RRAM allele in Avpr1 and Oxtr genes are maintained by balancing selection; more precisely the selection is sex-specific and dependent on population density. Different allele lengths were favored in males compared to females indicating that Avpr1a and Oxtr are sexually antagonistic (SA) genes. My second study showed that intrasexual competition in both males and females drives selection of Avpr1a RRAM lengths. My third study evidenced that bank voles bias their offspring sex ratio to mitigate sexual conflict caused by the SA Oxtr gene. My fourth study showed that individuals with the extreme lengths of Avpr1 and Oxtr RRAMs experience constraints in breeding success indicating stabilizing selection. In conclusion, my thesis provides evidence for diverse mechanisms acting on genetic diversity of behavioral genes.
Information Security and Data Mining in Big Data

The growing popularity and development of data mining technologies bring serious threat to the security of individual's sensitive information. An emerging research topic in data mining, known as privacy-preserving data mining (PPDM), has been extensively studied in recent years. The basic idea of PPDM is to modify the data in such a way so as to perform data mining algorithms effectively without compromising the security of sensitive information contained in the data. Current studies of PPDM mainly focus on how to reduce the privacy risk brought by data mining operations, while in fact, unwanted disclosure of sensitive information may also happen in the process of data collecting, data publishing, and information (i.e., the data mining results) delivering. In this paper, we view the privacy issues related to data mining from a wider perspective and investigate various approaches that can help to protect sensitive information. In particular, we identify four different types of users involved in data mining applications, namely, data provider, data collector, data miner, and decision maker. For each type of user, we focus on his privacy and how to protect sensitive information.
PSAP gene variants and haplotypes reveal significant effects on carcass and meat quality traits in Chinese Simmental-cross cattle

Abstract. Prosaposin (PSAP) is the precursor protein of four small lysosomal glycoproteins and plays vital roles in muscle growth and development of beef cattle. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between PSAP gene polymorphisms with carcass composition and meat quality traits of Chinese Simmental-cross cattle. In the present study, six SNPs were identified within intron 10 and exon 11 of the PSAP gene from 380 beef cattle by direct DNA sequencing, and 47 traits of carcass composition and meat quality were measured in the studied population. Then, the relationship between variants of PSAP gene with economic traits was analyzed using statistical methods. The result revealed that I10-65G > A, I10-313C > T, E11-87C > T, and E11-93C > G were significantly associated with carcass traits, such as dressing percentage, fat coverage rate, carcass depth, and hind leg width, and I10-162C > T and I10-274C > T were significantly associated with marbling score traits. In addition, the individuals with GCCCGC haplotype showed significant higher dressed weight, dressing percentage and rib eye area (p
Factors Affecting Health-Related Quality of Life among Paediatric Patients with Thalassemia: A Review of Literature

Thalassaemia is a hereditary blood disorder that is becoming a major health problem all over the world. This chronic illness harms the quality of life of the sufferers by interrupting their physical activities, school performance and social life. Hence, this review takes aim to assess the factors affecting the quality of life of thalassaemia among paediatrics patients. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted by using PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct. The search was limited to those articles written in English language and by using Pediatrics Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLTM) 4.0 generic core scale questionnaire only. This review notifies emerging knowledge regarding the factors affecting the quality of life among thalassaemia patients and its implications in the essential core domains for paediatrics health-related quality of life measurements: physical, emotional, social and school functioning. It also empowers a better understanding regarding thalassaemia and assists as a foundation for the development of the effective preventive strategies for it. Please download the full paper by clicking on the PDF file below.
Using MINEHOUND in Cambodia and Afghanistan

The vast majority of humanitarian mine clearance is conducted by manual deminers primarily using metal detectors. Increasing clearance rates of manual deminers is one of the primary ways organizations can improve effectiveness and efficiency. For this purpose, The HALO Trust (HALO) has used MINEHOUND VMR2 and VMR3 dual sensor landmine detectors in Cambodia since 2010 and in Afghanistan since 2012. The detector proved to be an adaptable and reliable means of increasing manual clearance rates. MINEHOUND is comprised of an integrated metal detector (MD) designed, developed and manufactured by Vallon GmbH, and groundpenetrating radar (GPR) designed and developed by ERA Technology (now Cobham Technical Services or CTS). The integrated MD was first produced in 2004 and has been continuously improved to meet the needs of demining operators. Vallon and CTS collaborated to conduct initial HALO field trials in Cambodia. Since 2012, the U.S. Army’s Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, which extended the project to Afghanistan, have also supported them.
DOUBLE BENDS AND Y-SHAPED SPLITTER DESIGN FOR INTEGRATED OPTICS

We present new designs of waveguide components in photonic crystal structures used for routing light exhibiting high transmission. In particular, we focus on the design of a brick that will form the PhCs network, i.e., a double bends and Y- shaped splitter. Photonic crystals are considered a good way for realizing compact optical bends and splitters. The PhC consists of a triangular array of holes etched into InP/GaInAsP/InP heterostructure. Propagation characteristics of the proposed devices are analyzed utilizing two-dimensional flnite difierence time domain (FDTD) method. The FDTD simulations conflrm their unprecedented e-ciency and robustness with respect to wavelength and structural perturbations. The PhCs transmission properties are then presented and discussed. Numerical results show that a total transmission of about 75% at output ports is obtained.
An Estimation of Technical Efficiency of Paddy Farmers in Haryana State of India

Agriculture is the back bone of the Indian economy because it contributes to the economic and social well-being of the entire nation through its influence on the gross domestic product and employment. About 65 per cent of the total working force is engaged in agriculture and the sector accounted for only about 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), whereas non-agriculture sector employed only about 35 per cent of the total workers but it accounted for about 75 per cent of GDP. This reflects upon the existence of much chronic poverty in the agriculture sector. Rice is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. In terms of paddy, the average production in the triennium (1999-2001) has been 601.18 million tonnes. India’s share in the world rice production was about 22 per cent during 1999-2001 (FAO, 2003). India has the largest area under rice in the world but is the second largest producer of rice next only to China. The latter produces about 31 per cent of the world rice production. It is because of the fact that yield levels in India are less than half of yield levels in China. The other important rice producing countries are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar. In India, rice constitutes about 42 per cent of the total foodgrains production accounting for about 24 per cent of the total cropped area. The rice production increased to 84.87 million tonnes in 2000-01 which was 31.68 million tonnes in 1960-61 registering compound growth rate of 2.14 per cent per annum. In Haryana State of India, rice covers about 17 per cent of the total cropped area and contributes about 22 per cent to the total foodgrains production of the state (Government of Haryana, 2002). The paddy production in Haryana State had increased from 223 thousand tonnes in 1966-67 to 2726 thousand tonnes in 2001-02 depicting an increase by about 7 per cent compound growth rate per annum. No doubt, India figures among the top producers but it is merely because of its large area and not due to efficiency in production. The increase in production is possible only through improvement in productivity of the crop. Productivity can be increased through one or combination of
A Note on Balanced Growth with a less than unitary Elasticity of Substitution

We present a simple production technology in which the choice of production technique results in a balanced growth path even in the presence of capital-augmenting technical progress. Given a particular choice of technique, the production function is CES with a less than unitary elasticity of factor substitution. The form of this production technology is also invariant to the choice of units, allowing us to abstract from the normalization considerations that often accompany the use of CES. The approach yields a balanced growth path but short-run time-varying factor shares without requiring an explicit model of the R&D sector.
CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL NEED SATISFACTION A Tale of Two Models : Changes in Psychological Need Satisfaction and Physical Activity over 3 Years

Objective: (a) Examine longitudinal measurement invariance of scores from psychological need satisfaction (PNS) scales and (b) examine if changes in PNS were associated with change in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: Adolescents (N=842, Mage = 10.8, SD = .6) enrolled in the Monitoring Activities of Teenagers to Comprehend their Habits (MATCH) study completed measures of PNS and MVPA every 4 months over a 3 year period (2011-14) for a total of nine times. Results: PNS scores demonstrated strong longitudinal measurement invariance (i.e., invariant factor loadings and intercepts). Latent growth curve modeling indicated that a factor representing perceptions of all three PNS variables was positively associated with MVPA at Time 1 (β = .566, p<.05), and that increases in the common PNS factor were associated with increases in MVPA (β = .545, p<.05) with a large effect size (Rinitial MVPA=.316; Rchange in MVPA=.301). In an alternative model, MVPA at Time 1 was associated with perceived common PNS at Time 1 (β=.602, p<.001), and increases in MVPA were associated with increases in common PNS (β=.667, p<.001) with a large effect size (Rinitial PNS=.363 of the Rchange in PNS=.426). Conclusions: Longitudinal measurement invariance was supported, and therefore PNS scores could be used to study change over time. Further, two equally well fitting models were found suggesting that change in PNS can be both an antecedent and an outcome of MVPA. As such, both PNS and MVPA could be targeted in interventions aimed at increasing need satisfaction or MVPA.
A Defensive Measure of Cloud Server Security with Brief Solution

the cloud computing is one of the rapid growing technology in IT industry during the past couple of years. Customers can access their data from anywhere in the world by using internet. Many of the large companies are offering cloud services nowadays. Security and protection of user data and processes is one of the major concerns in the cloud computing environment. This paper provides a brief introduction of cloud computing, various aspects of cloud model as well as service layers, security threats and challenges. Also provides a comprehensive classification of different threats with respect to various levels of cloud servers. This paper also aims to explore the underlying server level attacks and its defensive measures to cope with them. The security of the cloud computing environment requires further development and improvement by both industrial and academic researchers.
Tectonic Implications of Stratigraphy Architecture in Distal Part of Foreland Basin, Southwestern Taiwan

A foreland basin system with its asymmetric basin geometry extends from the frontal areas of a mountain-building belt to the margin of craton and includes, as defined by DeCelles and Giles [1], wedge-top, foreland basin, forebulge and backbulge. Foreland basins have been well modeled based on the concept of flexed lithosphere under tectonic loading of thrust sheets and sediments deposited into the basin [2, 3, 4]. Rapid subsidence in a ancient foreland basin and the uplifted forebulge at its distal part has been viewed as the result of tectonic loading due to active thrust sheet emplacement [5, 6, 7, 8]. Corresponding to each episodic thrust belt advancement, a coarsening-upward clastic wedge would form and prograde into the newly subsided foreland basin [9, 10, 11]. Characteristics of sedimentary sequences in a foreland basin are, thus, related to dynamic and kinematic modes of orogen-foreland basin evolution. Inversely, such characteristics can be used to investigate tectonic motion of the adjacent orogen [12, 13]. Different models for the development of a foreland basin predict distinct stratigraphy architecture across the basin. An elastic plate model predicts that the asymmetric foreland basin with the uplifted forebulge would migrate toward the craton as the rising orogen advances [14, 15, 16] and that the continuous migration of the orogen-foreland basin pair would leave a regional unconformity in the basin, which is younger toward the craton [17, 18]. The strata sequences overlying and onlapping at the unconformity have been viewed as the initial deposits of the foreland basin development [19, 20, 21, 22, 23]. The elastic model can be applied to infer the scale of erosion at the forebulge unconformity and the rate of strata onlapping across the unconformity under the conditions of variable crustal rigidity and variable migration rate of the orogenic wedge [22]. If a visco-elastic model is applied, the stress imposed on a loaded lithosphere would be relaxed and the foreland basin would become narrower and deeper with the forebulge migrating
Knowledge sharing, intellectual capital and firm performance

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of knowledge sharing (KS) on firm performance and the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC). Design/methodology/approach – A research model was developed based on prior KS and IC studies. A survey was administered to a sample of high technology firms in China and 228 usable responses were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the research model. Findings – Tacit KS significantly was found to contribute to all three components of IC, namely human, structural and relational capital, while explicit KS only has a significant influence on human and structural capital. Human, structural and relational capital, enhance both operational and financial performance of firms. The effect of KS on firm performance is mediated by IC. Explicit KS has a greater effect on financial performance than operational performance, whereas tacit KS has a greater impact on operational performance than financial performance. Research limit.
Intelligent and Adaptive Tutoring Systems: How to Integrate Learners

This article is a non-expert overview of intelligent technology-based instructional machines, from the first stages of their emergence up to this date. It is attempted to demonstrate their trend of evolution, and how the advances in other related fields such as education, psychology, and computer science affected them and contributed to their progress. It starts by an account of the concept of intelligent technology-based instruction and continues by defining the notion of learner integration in such systems. Furthermore, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) are pictured: how they evolved, their architecture, and how they contributed to the field of Adaptive Learning Systems. Finally, a number of adaptive learning platforms which are the state of the art and currently used by large numbers of actual users are introduced and described.
AN APPROXIMATE UTD RAY SOLUTION FOR THE RADIATION AND SCATTERING BY ANTENNAS NEAR A JUNCTION BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT THIN PLANAR MATERIAL SLAB ON GROUND PLANE

A new, approximate, uniform geometrical theory of difiraction (UTD) based ray solutions are developed for describing the high frequency electromagnetic (EM) wave radiation/coupling mechanisms for antennas on or near a junction between two difierent thin planar slabs on ground plane. The present solution is obtained by extending the normal incidence solution in order to treat the more general case of skew (or oblique) incidence (three-dimensional 3-D). Plane wave (for oblique or skew incidence) and spherical wave illumination are all considered in this work. Unlike most previous works, which analyze the plane wave scattering by such structures via the Wiener-Hopf (W-H) or Maliuzhinets (MZ) methods, the present development can also treat problems of the radiation by and coupling between antennas near or on flnite material coatings on large metallic platforms. In addition, the present solution does not contain the complicated split functions of the W-H solutions nor the complex MZ functions. Unlike the latter methods based on approximate boundary conditions, the present solutions, which are developed via a heuristic
What controls tropical forest architecture: testing environmental, structural and floristic drivers

Aim: To test the extent to which the vertical structure of tropical forests is determined by environment, forest structure or biogeographical history. Location: Pan-tropical. Methods: Using height and diameter data from 20,497 trees in 112 non-contiguous plots, asymptotic maximum height (H AM) and height-diameter relationships were computed with nonlinear mixed effects (NLME) models to: (1) test for environmental and structural causes of differences among plots, and (2) test if there were continental differences once environment and structure were accounted for; persistence of differences may imply the importance of biogeography for vertical forest structure. NLME analyses for floristic subsets of data (only/excluding Fabaceae and only/excluding Dipterocarpaceae individuals) were used to examine whether family-level patterns revealed biogeographical explanations of cross-continental differences. Results: H(AM) and allometry were significantly different amongst continents. H AM was greatest in Asian forests (58.3 ± 7.5 m, 95% CI), followed by forests in Africa (45.1 ± 2.6 m), America (35.8 ± 6.0 m) and Australia (35.0 ± 7.4 m), and height-diameter relationships varied similarly; for a given diameter, stems were tallest in Asia, followed by Africa, America and Australia. Precipitation seasonality, basal area, stem density, solar radiation and wood density each explained some variation in allometry and H AM yet continental differences persisted even after these were accounted for. Analyses using floristic subsets showed that significant continental differences in H AM and allometry persisted in all cases. Main conclusions: Tree allometry and maximum height are altered by environmental conditions, forest structure and wood density. Yet, even after accounting for these, tropical forest architecture varies significantly from continent to continent. The greater stature of tropical forests in Asia is not directly determined by the dominance of the family Dipterocarpaceae, as on average non-dipterocarps are equally tall. We hypothesise that dominant large-statured families create conditions in which only tall species can compete, thus perpetuating a forest dominated by tall individuals from diverse families.
Improving Electronic Structure Calculations

E very Friday, Physical Review Letters sends me an email with the contents of its latest issue. This past year, I’ve read of the first detection of gravitational waves and a candidate particle whose existence would imply a fifth force of nature. With such obviously great physics going on, should we care about a report in PRL that theoretical chemists have found a new way to accurately “predict” the energy needed to break a molecule into its constituent atoms [1]? The answer is yes, because this seemingly modest development, from Jannis Erhard, Patrick Bleiziffer, and Andreas Görling at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, could open the door to predicting a multitude of material properties, more accurately and reliably than is currently possible. This would help scientists find better materials for batteries, solar cells, and many other applications.
A Simplified Implementation of Substrate Integrated Non-Radiative Dielectric Waveguide at Millimeter-Wave Frequencies

The substrate integrated non-radiative dielectric (SINRD) guide presents a rather complicated process of design and implementation because of multiple interrelated design parameters involved in the definition of structures. In this work, the size of SINRD guide is halved by using a perfect electrical conductor (PEC) image plane. Consequently, the number of modes in the resulting image SINRD (iSINRD) guide is equally reduced since all even modes including the LSE10 mode are suppressed. Furthermore, a simple yet accurate design method is proposed that takes into account many parameters involved in the design of an SINRD guide, especially dimensions of perforation and dispersion effects.Three iSINRD prototypes are fabricated to test the proposed method over the W- band frequency range. Two of the prototypes are based on Alumina substrate with different perforation profiles, and both exhibit insertion loss around 1 dB while the return loss is around 16 dB. The third is based on RO6002 substrate and exhibits an insertion loss of around 3 dB and a return loss of around 14 dB. To test the leakage loss caused by periodic gaps in the PEC wall, two iSINRD lines with one and three gaps were fabricated. The insertion and return losses of the former case are respectively 1.2 dB and 17 dB compared to 2.5 dB and 18 dB of the latter case.