Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The banded karyotype of the 2n = 58 chromosomal race of mole rats from Erzincan, Turkey

Abstract. In this study, the 2n = 58 chromosomal race of blind mole rats, Nannospalax xanthodon, from the Erzincan province in Turkey was investigated. Conventional chromosome staining, Ag-NOR staining and C-banding analysis were carried out in the specimens studied. The karyotype included three small or medium-sized meta/submetacentric pairs and twenty-five acrocentric pairs of autosomes of gradually diminishing size (NFa = 62). C-heterochromatin regions were found in centromeric and pericentromeric areas or in short arms of some bi-armed autosomal pairs and in pericentromeric areas of a few acrocentric autosomes. The X chromosome had a centromeric C-positive band and the short arm of the Y chromosome appeared to be C-positively stained. The NORs were localized in distal heterochromatin areas of the short arms of two pairs of biarmed and one pair of acrocentric autosomes. Within the 58 chromosome populations reported from Turkey, two groups can be recognized differing by the presence or absence of a large submetacentric autosomal pair. The populations possessing this marker chromosome occur in central and northern Anatolia, whereas populations form eastern Anatolia have no similar chromosome in their karyotype.
The Enemy Within: How Does a Bacterium Inhibit the Foraging Aptitude and Risk Management Behavior of Allenby’s Gerbils?

Microbes inhabiting multicellular organisms have complex, often subtle effects on their hosts. Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi are commonly infected with Mycoplasma haemomuris–like bacteria, which may cause mild nutrient (choline, arginine) deficiencies. However, are there more serious ecological consequences of infection, such as effects on foraging aptitudes and risk management? We tested two alternatives: the nutrient compensation hypothesis (does nutrient deficiency induce infected gerbils to make up for the shortfall by foraging more and taking greater risks? ) and (2) the lethargy hypothesis (do sick gerbils forage less, and are they compromised in their ability to detect predators or risky microhabitats? ). We compared the foraging and risk management behavior of infected and noninfected gerbils. We experimentally infected gerbils with the bacteria, which allowed us to compare between noninfected, acutely infected (peak infection loads), and chronically infected (low infection loads) individuals. Our findings supported the lethargy hypothesis over the nutrient compensation hypothesis. Infected individuals incurred dramatically elevated foraging costs, including less efficient foraging, diminished “quality” of time spent vigilant, and increased owl predation. Interestingly, gerbils that were chronically infected (lower bacteria load) experienced larger ecological costs than acutely infected individuals (i.e., peak infection loads). This suggests that the debilitating effects of infection occur gradually, with a progressive decline in the quality of time gerbils allocated to foraging and managing risk. These increased long-term costs of infection demonstrate how small direct physiological costs of infection can lead to large indirect ecological costs. The indirect ecological costs of this parasite appear to be much greater than the direct physiological costs.
Variation analysis of three Banyumas local salak cultivars (Salacca zalacca) based on leaf anatomy and genetic diversity

Herawati W, Amurwanto A, Nafi’ah Z, Ningrum AM, Samiyarsih S. 2018. Variation analysis of three Banyumas local salak cultivars (Salacca zalacca) based on leaf anatomy and genetic diversity. Biodiversitas 19: 119-125. A variation analysis of three salak cultivars was conducted in Banyumas District, Central Java, Indonesia. The aim of the study was to investigate variation amongst the cultivars based on anatomy and genetic diversity by using RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) technique. The result of the study showed that all salak cultivars have similar variation in leaf anatomy. The only distinguishing characteristic is the number of trichomes on cultivars Kedung Paruk and Kalisube per 1 mm2 unit of leaf area, while the cultivars of Candinegara lacked trichomes. Ten primers could detect 50 polymorphic bands (80,6%) from a total of 62 bands which could be observed clearly. The percentage of polymorphic loci in 'Candinegara' was 64%, 'Kedung Paruk' 62%, and 'Kalisube' 44%. The heterozygosity value of 'Candinegara' was 0.1590, 'Kedung Paruk' 0,1449, and 'Candinegara' (0.0235). Meanwhile, the furthest genetic distance was shown by 'Kedung Paruk' and ‘Candinegara’ (0.0704). This result gives us important basic information about cultivars of Salacca zalacca in Banyumas District which have high genetic diversity and germplasm. These results can be used for further research such as for conservation and genetic engineering.
On undirected two‐commodity integral flow, disjoint paths and strict terminal connection problems

Even, Itai, and Shamir (1976) proved simple two‐commodity integral flow is NP‐complete both in the directed and undirected cases. In particular, the directed case was shown to be NP‐complete even if one demand is unitary, which was improved by Fortune, Hopcroft and Wyllie (1980) who proved the problem is still NP‐complete if both demands are unitary. The undirected case, on the other hand, was proved by Robertson and Seymour (1995) to be polynomial‐time solvable if both demands are constant. Nevertheless, the complexity of the undirected case with exactly one constant demand has remained unknown. We close this 40‐year complexity gap, by showing the undirected case is NP‐complete even if exactly one demand is unitary. As a by product, we obtain the NP‐completeness of determining whether a graph contains 1 + d pairwise vertex‐disjoint paths, such that one path is between a given pair of vertices and d paths are between a second given pair of vertices. Additionally, we investigate the complexity of another related network design problem called strict terminal connection.
Improved evaluation of predictive probabilities in probit models with Gaussian process priors

Predictive models for binary data are fundamental in various fields, ranging from spatial statistics to machine learning. In such settings, the growing complexity of the phenomena to be analyzed has motivated a variety of flexible specifications that avoid strong parametric assumptions when defining the relationship between the observed predictors and the binary response data. A widely-implemented solution within this class expresses the probability parameter via a probit mapping of a Gaussian process indexed by the predictors. However, unlike for continuous settings with Gaussian responses, there is a lack of closed-form results for predictive distributions in binary models with Gaussian process priors. Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and approximate solutions provide common options to address this issue, but state-of-the-art strategies are either computationally intractable or lead to low-quality approximations in moderate-to-high dimensions. In this article, we aim to cover this gap by deriving closed-form expressions for the predictive probabilities in probit Gaussian processes that rely either on cumulative distribution functions of multivariate Gaussians or on functionals of multivariate truncated normals. To evaluate such quantities we develop novel scalable solutions based on tile-low-rank Monte Carlo methods for computing multivariate Gaussian probabilities and on accurate variational approximations of multivariate truncated normal densities. Closed-form expressions for the marginal likelihood and for the conditional distribution of the Gaussian process given the binary responses are also discussed. As illustrated in simulations and in a real-world environmental application, the proposed methods can scale to dimensions where state-of-the-art solutions are impractical.
Identifying influential nodes to enlarge the coupling range of pinning controllability

Choosing influential nodes is crucial for pinning complex networks. However, most previous works only optimize the eigenratio of the Laplacian relevant matrices. Here, we address the problem of how to optimize the coupling range of a pinned system. Based on the matrix perturbation theory, we proposed a method to choose optimal pinning nodes. The detected pinning nodes could maximize the coupling range and outperform the classical methods. Besides, compared with the state of the art methods, the proposed method has high robustness and performs well across different networks, whereas the performance of previous methods fluctuates largely in different networks. Simulation results in real networks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Coessentiality and cofunctionality: a network approach to learning genetic vulnerabilities from cancer cell line fitness screens

Genetic interaction networks are a powerful approach for functional genomics, and the synthetic lethal interactions that comprise these networks offer a compelling strategy for identifying candidate cancer targets. As the number of published shRNA and CRISPR perturbation screens in cancer cell lines expands, there is an opportunity for integrative analysis that goes further than pairwise synthetic lethality and discovers genetic vulnerabilities of related sets of cell lines. We re-analyze over 100 high-quality, genome-scale shRNA screens in human cancer cell lines and derive a quantitative fitness score for each gene that accurately reflects genotype-specific gene essentiality. We identify pairs of genes with correlated essentiality profiles and merge them into a cancer coessentiality network, where shared patterns of genetic vulnerability in cell lines give rise to clusters of functionally related genes in the network. Network clustering discriminates among all three defined subtypes of breast cancer cell lines (basal, luminal, and Her2-amplified), and further identifies novel subsets of Her2+ and ovarian cancer cells. We demonstrate the utility of the network as a platform for both hypothesis-driven and data-driven discovery of context-specific essential genes and their associated biomarkers.
Myialges trinotoni (Acariformes: Epidermoptidae), a hyperparasitic mite infesting Trinoton querquedulae (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) on waterfowl

Abstract Mites of the family Epidermoptidae (Acariformes) are permanent parasites dwelling on or in the skin of birds. Myialges Trouessart species are epidermoptids that have a hyperparasitic relationship with chewing lice (Phthiraptera) or louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae). During 1993–2016 in Manitoba, Canada, 668 ducks (20 species), geese (five species), and swans (two species) were examined for lice. A total of 157 males, 191 females, and 539 nymphs of the menoponid louse Trinoton querquedulae (Linnaeus) (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae) were collected, of which 25 adult lice from three hosts (Mergus merganser Linnaeus, Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus), Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus; Aves: Anatidae) were infested with 38 female Myialges trinotoni (Cooreman). Overall prevalence and intensity of M. trinotoni was low, and mites showed no statistically significant preference between male and female lice. Myialges trinotoni is recorded from Canada (Manitoba) and United States of America (Alaska) for the first time, and two novel avian host species records (Lophodytes cucullatus and Anas platyrhynchos) are reported. The male of M. trinotoni (loose in bird washing) is illustrated and described. The barcode region of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was amplified from M. trinoton and compared with that of Myialges caulotoon Speiser, the only congeneric species for which COI is available, and interspecific divergence was high (25%).
Two 3D virtual worlds as domain-oriented design environments: closing the educational gap with the action-breakdown-repair model

PurposeThe present study proposes action-breakdown-repair (ABR) as a pedagogical model and 3D virtual worlds as technology, to bridge the gap between curricular goals and students out of school technology experiences, referred to as the educational gap.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study combining design-based research (DBR) and a case study was used with video observation as a data collection method. ABR is demonstrated by an empirical analysis of learning activities with ©Minecraft (hereafter MC) and ©Second LifeTM (hereafter SL) used in two teacher education programs.FindingsTeachers and students could use the technology with some initial training. Experience in gameplay, collaboration and problem solving eased the transitioning into curricular activities. The teachers integrated domain knowledge by giving students tasks that involved the creation of domain-specific artifacts and role-play scenarios. In total, two dilemmas of educational gap closing were found and discussed: learning domain knowledge vs learning technology and breakdown in action vs breakdown in understanding.Research limitations/implicationsAutomated feedback (critiquing) adapted to students' individual needs while building and role-playing in MC or SL to off-load some of the teachers’ work in scaffolding design activities in the classroom is a direction for further work.Practical implicationsThe model can provide guidance for teachers and other stakeholders who are in the process of integrating creative technologies like visual programming, design environments and collaboration tools in K-12 education.Originality/valueA novelty of the present research is treating ABR as a pedagogical model and closing the educational gap.
The Views of Turkish Language Teachers and Primary School Teachers on Teacher Guidebooks

The present study aims to determine the views of primary school teachers and Turkish language teachers on teacher guidebooks in Turkey. The mixed research method and “convergent parallel design” were used in the study. The quantitative study group of the study included 163 primary school teachers (1st-4th grades) and 163 Turkish language teachers (5th-8th grades) in Turkey, while the qualitative study group included 6 primary school teachers (1st-4th grades) and 6 Turkish language teachers (5th-8th grades). The study population included primary school and Turkish language teachers in Turkey. The 23-item survey included the measures of main trands (such as mode, median, average), while the qualitative data were based on the transcripts of teacher feedback audio recordings. Determination Validity Ratio was calculated based on the validity and reliability tests conducted on the survey tool. During the analysis, the SPSS 21.0 software was used. The qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis. Furthermore, averages, percentages, and frequencies were calculated for a section of qualitative data. In the validity and reliability tests for the qualitative data, the views expressed in audio recordings were analyzed several times by 3 field experts using content analysis, and they were categorized as sub-topics.
Real Time-Based under Frequency Control and Energy Management of Microgrids

In this paper, an efficient under frequency control and the energy management of a distributed energy resources (DERs)-based microgrid is presented. The microgrid is composed of a photovoltaic (PV), double-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind and diesel generator with critical and non-critical loads. The system model and the control strategy are developed in a real time digital simulator (RTDS). The coordination and power management of the DERs in both grid-connected and islanded operation modes are implemented. During power imbalances and frequency fluctuations caused by fault or islanding, an advanced automatic load shedding control is implemented to regulate and maintain the microgrid frequency at its rated value. One distinct feature implemented for the load shedding operation is that highly unbalanced critical loads are connected to the microgrid. The diesel generator provides the required inertia in the islanded mode to maintain the microgrid rated frequency by operating in the isochronous mode. The International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE) medium voltage (MV) test bench system is used to implement the DERs and their controller. The proposed control approach has potential applications for the complete operation of microgrids by properly controlling the power, voltage and frequency in both grid-connected and island modes. The real time digital simulator results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control scheme in grid connected, island and fault conditions.
Maps of Behavioural Economics: Evidence from the Field

Behavioural economics is a research agenda, which gradually has moved from the periphery to the centre of the discipline of economics. The rise of behavioural economics has fostered a burgeoning number of studies dealing with the past, present and future of the field. In contrast to these studies which focus on predestinated scholars, outlets and key concepts, this article uses exploratory bibliometric approaches to map behavioural economics. Utilising a novel data set, comprising 104,558 references across 1,872 articles published in the period 1956–2016, the article systematically illuminates the historical foundations, development and interdisciplinary nature of behavioural economics. The article shows (a) the overlooked role of several behavioural psychologists in shaping the field; (b) the influence of the Anglo-Saxon universities, such as University of California Berkeley, Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania; and that (c) behavioural economics mainly draws knowledge from five disciplinary clusters: (a) economics and policy, (b) psychology, (c) pharmacology, (d) health and (e) law.
Monitoring of the Results through a Survey Concerning the Socio-Economic Characteristics of the Elderly Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A Case Study in Greece

The aim of the study is the determination of socio-economic characteristics of the elderly, emphasizing the usefulness of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore the socio-economic indicators that affect the health level of the elderly. Given the usefulness of GIS and their application in the fields of physical health, mental health, health services and general health management, a survey for the investigation of the socio-economic indicators that affect the health level of the elderly was carried out, using a specially designed questionnaire. The results of this survey were plotted in the corresponding geographical locations on the maps, giving the person concerned a full picture of the geographical distribution of socio-economic indicators that affect the health level of the elderly.
Response of Clementine Mandarin to Water-Saving Strategies under Water Scarcity Conditions

Water scarcity is the most constraining factor for crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid areas of Mediterranean countries such as Morocco. Within these conditions, different water-saving strategies using deficit irrigation (DI) were tested on two six-years old clementine varieties (‘Sidi Aissa’ and ‘Orogrande’). These DI strategies were applied during the second part of fruit growth and during fruit maturation and included: the control treatment (Cntl), in which the trees received 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for the entire irrigation season; regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), with an application of 75% of ETc (RDI-1); partial rootzone drying (PRD), with an alternating irrigation between the two root system halves for 3–4 (PRD-3/4) and 7 (PRD-7) days, with an application of 50% crop water requirements; and RDI-2, with an application of 50% of crop water needs during fruit maturation. The results indicate that the trees preferably absorb the water from the upper 0–30 cm-depth soil profile and that fruit drop was increased by PRD for ‘Sidi Aissa’, whereas RDI-1 had no effect on this parameter. The DI strategies had no effect on fruit drop for ‘Orogrande’. The PRD reduced fruit size, yield and fruit juice content, with the effect being more pronounced on ‘Sidi Aissa’. The RDI-1 had no effect on fruit yield for ‘Orogrande’ but reduced it for ‘Sidi Aissa’. RDI-2 had no effect on yield, fruit size or fruit juice content. The DIs tested increased water use efficiency and enhanced fruit maturation as a result of increased juice sugar content and reduced acidity. The PRD tends to increase salt accumulation in the rootzone. Overall, ‘Orogrande’ was less sensitive to water stress and was more water-use efficient, and, under the semi-arid conditions of the experimental zone, PRD should not be used on clementine.
Multiatlas‐based segmentation of female pelvic organs: Application for computer‐aided diagnosis of cervical cancer

Atlas‐based segmentation is a high level segmentation technique which has become a standard paradigm for exploiting prior knowledge in image segmentation. Recent multiatlas‐based methods have provided greatly accurate segmentations of different parts of the human body by propagating manual delineations from multiple atlases in a data set to a query subject and fusing them. The female pelvic region is known to be of high variability which makes the segmentation task difficult. We propose, here, an approach for the segmentation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) called multiatlas‐based segmentation using online machine learning (OML). The proposed approach allows separating regions which may be affected by cervical cancer in a female pelvic MRI. The suggested approach is based on an online learning method for the construction of the dataset of atlases. The experiments demonstrate the higher accuracy of the suggested approach compared to a segmentation technique based on a fixed dataset of atlases and single‐atlas‐based segmentation technique.
An analytical investigation of alternative batching policies for remanufacturing under stochastic demands and returns

Abstract This article examines a fundamental lot-sizing problem which arises in the context of a make-to-order remanufacturing environment. The problem setting is characterized by a stochastic used-item return process along with a stochastic remanufactured-item demand process faced by a remanufacturer. We explicitly take into account for all relevant costs, including the fixed costs (associated with remanufacturing of used-items and dispatching of remanufactured-item orders in batches) and inventory-related cost (associated with used-item inventory holding costs and remanufactured-item order waiting costs). We propose five batching policies inspired by shipment consolidation practice (three periodic policies and two threshold policies). For the purpose of computing policy parameters, we develop analytical models that are aimed at minimizing the long-run average expected total cost of the remanufacturer. Since the underlying cost expressions are not analytically tractable, we propose easily computable approximations that lead to closed-form expressions for obtaining policy parameters. A careful numerical investigation demonstrates that the resulting policy parameters are highly effective approximations. Then, we extend the policies by considering disposal options when needed. For this extension, an effective parameter-based approximation approach is developed for computational purposes, and additional numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.