Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth of phonemic awareness and spelling in a second language

ABSTRACT Previous studies have examined the predictive significance of the level of phonemic awareness in L2 spelling, but have left the role of phonemic awareness growth relatively unexplored. The aims of the present study were to examine (1) the growth trajectory of phonemic awareness in the kindergarten years; and (2) the unique contribution of initial levels and growth of phonemic awareness in L2 spelling, with other important cognitive-linguistic predictors statistically controlled. One hundred and forty-one Chinese ESL children were followed for one year during which their phonemic awareness was assessed four times, at three-monthly intervals. Spelling was assessed at Time 5, which was 12 months after the beginning of the study. Non-linear growth of phonemic awareness was observed. With age, non-verbal intelligence, letter name knowledge, vocabulary knowledge, syntactic awareness, word reading statistically controlled, both the initial levels and growth of phonemic awareness predicted L2 spelling at T5. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Transition vers une foresterie basée sur plantations de bois de coupe en Indonésie : cheminement vers une nouvelle politique viable

Indonesia’s forestry sector is in a dilemma due to the long-standing disparity between high processing capacity of forest industries and the limited supply of timber. The supply crunch has led to over-harvesting in order to meet demand and resulted in a decline of natural forests. The Indonesian government seeks to revive the forestry sector and secure its long term survival through a massive timber plantation effort: 9 million hectares of new plantations by 2016. This paper shows that while timber plantations are vital for the future of Indonesia’s woodworking sector, the expansion plan relies on overly optimistic assumptions about the current state of Indonesia’s timber plantations, their future performance, and associated benefi ts. In order to ensure effective implementation of the new plantation policy, this paper analyzes its key underlying principles and identifi es information gaps that need to be fi lled.
Diosgenin: Recent Highlights on Pharmacology and Analytical Methodology

Diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, occurs abundantly in plants such as Dioscorea alata, Smilax China, and Trigonella foenum graecum. This bioactive phytochemical not only is used as an important starting material for the preparation of several steroidal drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, but has revealed also high potential and interest in the treatment of various types of disorders such as cancer, hypercholesterolemia, inflammation, and several types of infections. Due to its pharmacological and industrial importance, several extraction and analytical procedures have been developed and applied over the years to isolate, detect, and quantify diosgenin, not only in its natural sources and pharmaceutical compositions, but also in animal matrices for pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, and toxicological studies. Within these, HPLC technique coupled to different detectors is the most commonly analytical procedure described for this compound. However, other alternative methods were also published. Thus, the present review aims to provide collective information on the most recent pharmacological data on diosgenin and on the most relevant analytical techniques used to isolate, detect, and quantify this compound as well.
Agents for Education Bringing Adaptive Behavior to an Internet Learning Community

Can adaptive behavior be useful in a human learning environment? The work presented here proposes that introducing adaptive agents to a human learning community can be e ective in several ways: 1. to guide selection of appropriate problems for human learners, 2. to embody \self-organizing" curricula, 3. to provide simple student models, 4. to impersonate human learning partners, and 5. to facilitate indirect human-human interaction. Taking a population-based approach and using evolutionary computation methodologies, we bring two types of software agents into an Internet learning community. Inside our CEL (Community of Evolving Learners) system, humans play competitive, educational games, openly or incognito, with each other and with software agents, while the populations of learners { human and agent { advance. The overarching goal of this research is to investigate the various factors that contribute to this type of environment and their e ects on both human and machine learners. We wish to demonstrate that the progress of each student can be tracked and that the agent populations adjust according to changes in human behavior, taken both on an individual and aggregate basis. Hopefully, the result will be that humans participants frequent the system over time and become active members of the learning community.
Plin2 Inhibits Cellular Glucose Uptake through Interactions with SNAP23, a SNARE Complex Protein

Although a link between excess lipid storage and aberrant glucose metabolism has been recognized for many years, little is known what role lipid storage droplets and associated proteins such as Plin2 play in managing cellular glucose levels. To address this issue, the influence of Plin2 on glucose uptake was examined using 2-NBD-Glucose and [3H]-2-deoxyglucose to show that insulin-mediated glucose uptake was decreased 1.7- and 1.8-fold, respectively in L cell fibroblasts overexpressing Plin2. Conversely, suppression of Plin2 levels by RNAi-mediated knockdown increased 2-NBD-Glucose uptake several fold in transfected L cells and differentiated 3T3-L1 cells. The effect of Plin2 expression on proteins involved in glucose uptake and transport was also examined. Expression of the SNARE protein SNAP23 was increased 1.6-fold while levels of syntaxin-5 were decreased 1.7-fold in Plin2 overexpression cells with no significant changes observed in lipid droplet associated proteins Plin1 or FSP27 or with the insulin receptor, GLUT1, or VAMP4. FRET experiments revealed a close proximity of Plin2 to SNAP23 on lipid droplets to within an intramolecular distance of 51 Å. The extent of targeting of SNAP23 to lipid droplets was determined by co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation experiments to show increased partitioning of SNAP23 to lipid droplets when Plin2 was overexpressed. Taken together, these results suggest that Plin2 inhibits glucose uptake by interacting with, and regulating cellular targeting of SNAP23 to lipid droplets. In summary, the current study for the first time provides direct evidence for the role of Plin2 in mediating cellular glucose uptake.
Research on Key Technologies for Urban Unmanned Intelligent Vehicle

With the development of the intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and the widely used technologies of road testing, machine vision etc. in the field of intelligent vehicle, it is possible for the smart car to move automatically in well-structured environments. As for urban complex environments, the researches on unmanned intelligent vehicle are still at the initial stage. For the more complex urban environments, perception and control algorithms are made a higher demand. So the urban unmanned intelligent vehicles have become one of the hottest areas for future research and development. This article made a profound study on the key technologies of urban driverless intelligent vehicle including multi-sensor fusion of navigation systems, smart car body control systems, and the path planning decision, and also theoretically explained the possibility of the urban unmanned intelligent vehicle can be put into daily use.
Invariance Properties of Binary Linear Block Codes over a Memoryless Channels with Discrete Input

This work studies certain properties of the Probability Density Function ( ) of the bit Log-Likelihood-Ratio ( ) for binary linear block codes over a memoryless channel with discrete input and discrete or continuous output. We prove that under a set of mild conditions on the channel, the of the bit of a specific bit position is independent of the transmitted code-word. It is also shown that the of a given bit when the corresponding bit takes the values of zero and one are symmetric with respect to each other (reflection of one another with respect to the vertical axis). For the case of channels with binary input, a sufficient condition for two bit positions to have the same is presented.
An efficient parallel tree-code for the simulation of self-gravitating systems

We describe a parallel version of our tree-code for the simulation of self-gravitating systems in Astrophysics. It is based on a dynamic and adaptive method for the domain decomposition, which exploits the hierarchical data arrangement used by the tree-code. It shows low computational costs for the parallelization overhead { less than 4% of the total CPU-time in the tests done { because the domain decomposition is performed \on the fly" during the tree-construction and the portion of the tree that is local to each processor \enriches" itself of remote data only when they are actually needed. The performance of an implementation of the parallel code on a Cray T3E is presented and discussed. They exhibit a very good behaviour of the speedup (=15 with 16 processors and 10 5 particles) and a rather low load unbalancing ( 10 4 particles/sec with 8 processors).
Overexpressing Ferredoxins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Increase Starch and Oil Yields and Enhance Electric Power Production in a Photo Microbial Fuel Cell

Ferredoxins (FDX) are final electron carrier proteins in the plant photosynthetic pathway, and function as major electron donors in diverse redox-driven metabolic pathways. We previously showed that overexpression of a major constitutively expressed ferredoxin gene PETF in Chlamydomonas decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and enhanced tolerance to heat stress. In addition to PETF, an endogenous anaerobic induced FDX5 was overexpressed in transgenic Chlamydomonas lines here to address the possible functions of FDX5. All the independent FDX transgenic lines showed decreased cellular ROS levels and enhanced tolerance to heat and salt stresses. The transgenic Chlamydomonas lines accumulated more starch than the wild-type line and this effect increased almost three-fold in conditions of nitrogen depletion. Furthermore, the lipid content was higher in the transgenic lines than in the wild-type line, both with and without nitrogen depletion. Two FDX-overexpressing Chlamydomonas lines were assessed in a photo microbial fuel cell (PMFC); power density production by the transgenic lines was higher than that of the wild-type cells. These findings suggest that overexpression of either PETF or FDX5 can confer tolerance against heat and salt stresses, increase starch and oil production, and raise electric power density in a PMFC.
Possible Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective method used to diagnose and treat many neurological disorders. Although repetitive TMS (rTMS) has been used to treat a variety of serious pathological conditions including stroke, depression, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, pain, and migraines, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the effects of long-term TMS remain unclear. In the present review, the effects of rTMS on neurotransmitters and synaptic plasticity are described, including the classic interpretations of TMS effects on synaptic plasticity via long-term potentiation and long-term depression. We also discuss the effects of rTMS on the genetic apparatus of neurons, glial cells, and the prevention of neuronal death. The neurotrophic effects of rTMS on dendritic growth and sprouting and neurotrophic factors are described, including change in brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration under the influence of rTMS. Also, non-classical effects of TMS related to biophysical effects of magnetic fields are described, including the quantum effects, the magnetic spin effects, genetic magnetoreception, the macromolecular effects of TMS, and the electromagnetic theory of consciousness. Finally, we discuss possible interpretations of TMS effects according to dynamical systems theory. Evidence suggests that a rTMS-induced magnetic field should be considered a separate physical factor that can be impactful at the subatomic level and that rTMS is capable of significantly altering the reactivity of molecules (radicals). It is thought that these factors underlie the therapeutic benefits of therapy with TMS. Future research on these mechanisms will be instrumental to the development of more powerful and reliable TMS treatment protocols.
How much do immigration and trade affect labor market outcomes?

"This paper provides new estimates of the impact of immigration and trade on the U.S. labor market. We examine the relation between economic outcomes for native workers and immigrant flows to regional labor markets. We.use the factor proportions approach to examine the contributions of immigration and trade to recent changes in U.S. educational wage differentials and attempt to provide a broader assessment of the impact of immigration on the incomes of U.S. natives. " Comments and discussion by John DiNardo, John M. Abowd, and others are included (pp. 68-85).
Evolutionary History of Indian Ocean Nycteribiid Bat Flies Mirroring the Ecology of Their Hosts

Bats and their parasites are increasingly investigated for their role in maintenance and transmission of potentially emerging pathogens. The islands of the western Indian Ocean hold nearly 50 bat species, mostly endemic and taxonomically well studied. However, investigation of associated viral, bacterial, and external parasites has lagged behind. In the case of their ectoparasites, more detailed information should provide insights into the evolutionary history of their hosts, as well as pathogen cycles in these wild animals. Here we investigate species of Nycteribiidae, a family of obligate hematophagous wingless flies parasitizing bats. Using morphological and molecular approaches, we describe fly species diversity sampled on Madagascar and the Comoros for two cave-roosting bat genera with contrasting ecologies: Miniopterus and Rousettus. Within the sampling area, 11 endemic species of insect-feeding Miniopterus occur, two of which are common to Madagascar and Comoros, while fruit-consuming Rousettus are represented by one species endemic to each of these zones. Morphological and molecular characterization of flies reveals that nycteribiids associated with Miniopterus bats comprise three species largely shared by most host species. Flies of M. griveaudi, one of the two bats found on Madagascar and certain islands in the Comoros, belong to the same taxon, which accords with continued over-water population exchange of this bat species and the lack of inter-island genetic structuring. Flies parasitizing Rousettus belong to two distinct species, each associated with a single host species, again in accordance with the distribution of each endemic bat species.
Dispersion relation in a ferrofluid layer of any thickness and viscosity in a normal magnetic field ; asymptotic regimes

Nous avons calcule la relation de dispersion des ondes de surface dans une couche de ferrofluide d'epaisseur et de viscosite quelconques, soumise a un champ magnetique normal a sa surface (instabilite de pics de Rosensweig). Cette relation montre que le champ magnetique critique et le vecteur d'onde critique de l'instabilite dependent de l'epaisseur de la couche de fluide. La relation de dispersion a ete simplifiee pour quatre regimes asymptotiques: couche epaisse ou mince et comportement visqueux ou inertiel. Nous avons calcule les valeurs critiques de l'instabilite dans ces quatre cas. Nous montrons qu'un parametre typique du ferrofluide permet de savoir dans quel regime, visqueux ou inertiel, se situe le ferrofluide pres du seuil de l'instabilite.
An Effective Recommender Algorithm for Cold-Start Problem in Academic Social Networks

Abundance of information in recent years has become a serious challenge for web users. Recommender systems (RSs) have been often utilized to alleviate this issue. RSs prune large information spaces to recommend the most relevant items to users by considering their preferences. Nonetheless, in situations where users or items have few opinions, the recommendations cannot be made properly. This notable shortcoming in practical RSs is called cold-start problem. In the present study, we propose a novel approach to address this problem by incorporating social networking features. Coined as enhanced content-based algorithm using social networking (ECSN), the proposed algorithm considers the submitted ratings of faculty mates and friends besides user’s own preferences. The effectiveness of ECSN algorithm was evaluated by implementing it in MyExpert, a newly designed academic social network (ASN) for academics in Malaysia. Real feedbacks from live interactions of MyExpert users with the recommended items are recorded for 12 consecutive weeks in which four different algorithms, namely, random, collaborative, content-based, and ECSN were applied every three weeks. The empirical results show significant performance of ECSN in mitigating the cold-start problem besides improving the prediction accuracy of recommendations when compared with other studied recommender algorithms.
ECOLOGICAL GENETICS OF AN INDUCED PLANT DEFENSE AGAINST HERBIVORES: ADDITIVE GENETIC VARIANCE AND COSTS OF PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY

Abstract Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in chemical defense is thought to play a major role in plant-herbivore interactions. We investigated genetic variation for inducibility of defensive traits in wild radish plants and asked if the evolution of induction is constrained by costs of phenotypic plasticity. In a greenhouse experiment using paternal half-sibling families, we show additive genetic variation for plasticity in glucosinolate concentration. Genetic variation for glucosinolates was not detected in undamaged plants, but was significant following herbivory by a specialist herbivore, Pieris rapae. On average, damaged plants had 55% higher concentrations of glucosinolates compared to controls. In addition, we found significant narrow-sense heritabilities for leaf size, trichome number, flowering phenology, and lifetime fruit production. In a second experiment, we found evidence of genetic variation in induced plant resistance to P. rapae. Although overall there was little evidence for genetic correlations between the defensive and life-history traits we measured, we show that more plastic families had lower fitness than less plastic families in the absence of herbivory (i.e., evidence for genetic costs of plasticity). Thus, there is genetic variation for induction of defense in wild radish, and the evolution of inducibility may be constrained by costs of plasticity.
Study of dopamine receptors genes polymorphisms in bipolar patients with comorbid alcohol abuse.

UNLABELLED Alcoholism is present in approximately 40-60% of bipolar patients. This comorbidity between bipolar disorder and alcoholism is high and may result from existence of common genetic factors for the two disorders. In both disorders, dysregulation of the dopaminergic neurotransmission had been implicated. Association analyses revealed several candidate genes acting in the dopaminergic pathway and polymorphisms in those genes that might be associated with both disorders. AIM The aim of this study was to analyse possible relationship between polymorphisms in the dopaminergic pathway genes (one SNP for each dopamine receptor gene 1-4) and alcohol abuse comorbidity in bipolar patients. METHODS We analysed 317 patients with bipolar disorder. In this group, 42 patients were diagnosed with alcohol abuse. The diagnosis was made for each patient by at least two psychiatrists, using structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID). The control group consisted of 350 subjects. We performed RFLP analysis of polymorphisms in four genes: DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4. RESULTS We have not found association of any of the analysed polymorphisms in the dopamine genes in the group of bipolar patients with comorbid alcohol abuse as compared to the control group. In the male group of bipolar patients with comorbid alcohol abuse, we also have not observed any significant differences between the patients and the control subjects. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the analysed polymorphisms of the dopamine genes polymorphisms may not be involved in the shared genetic vulnerability to both, bipolar disorder, and alcohol abuse.
PATH TRACING : A NON-BIASED SOLUTION TO THE RENDERING EQUATION

In this paper we detail the implementation of a path tracing renderer, providing a non-biased solution to the rendering equation. Path tracing is an algorithm, which in attempting to model the behavior of light as closely as possible, accurately captures e ects such as: Caustics, Soft Shadows, and Ambient Occlusion. The algorithm may be extended with techniques from distribution ray tracing in order to simulate e ects such as glossy re ections, depth of eld, and motion blur. In this paper we detail a practical implementation of a C++ path tracer.
Satellite Parallaxes of Lensing Events toward the Galactic Bulge

In order to understand the nature of the lenses that generate microlensing events, one would like to measure their mass, distance, and velocity. Unfortunately, current microlensing experiments measure only one parameter of the events, the characteristic timescale, which is a combination of the underlying physical parameters. Other methods are required to extract additional information. Parallax measurements using a satellite in an Earth-like orbit yield the projected velocity of the lens: ṽ = v/(1 - z), where v is the transverse velocity (speed and direction) of the lens relative to the Earth-source line of sight, and z is the ratio of the distances to the lens and the source. A measurement of ṽ could distinguish between lenses belonging to the bulge and disk populations. We show that for photometric precisions of 1%-2%, it is possible to measure the projected speed, ṽ, to an accuracy of ≤10% for over 70% of disk lenses and over 60% of bulge lenses. For measuring the projected velocity ṽ, the percentages are 40% and 30%, respectively. We find lines of sight greater than 2° away from the ecliptic are preferable, and an Earth-satellite separation in the range 0.7 AU-1.9 AU is optimal. The requirements of the satellite for measuring the projected velocities of events toward the bulge are similar to those for measurements toward the LMC.
A Mixture Approach for Multi-Label Document Classification

Multi-label classification learning concerns the determination of categories in the situation where one pattern may belong to more than one category. In this paper we propose a mixture approach, named FSMLKNN, which combines Fuzzy Similarity Measure (FSM) and Multi-Label K-Nearest Neighbor (MLKNN) for multi-label document classification. One of the problems associated with KNN-like approaches is its demanding computational cost in finding the K nearest neighbors from all training patterns. For FSMLKNN, FSM is used as an efficient clustering approach before MLKNN is applied. For a document pattern, its K nearest neighbors are only calculated from the closest cluster having the highest fuzzy similarity to the document pattern. Experimental results show that our proposed method can maintain a good performance and achieve a high efficiency simultaneously.