Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphisms and tuberculosis susceptibility: a meta-analysis

Introduction The association between FokI polymorphism of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and tuberculosis (TB) susceptibility has been investigated previously; however, the results were inconsistent and conflicting. In the present study, a meta-analysis was performed to assess the relationship between VDR FokI gene polymorphism and the risk of TB. Material and methods Databases including PubMed and Embase were searched for genetic association studies of FokI polymorphism of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and TB. Data were extracted by two independent authors and the pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the strength of the association between VDR FokI gene polymorphism and TB risk. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to identify the source of heterogeneity. Results Thirty-four studies with a total of 5669 cases and 6525 controls were reviewed in the present meta-analysis. A statistically significant correlation was found between VDR FokI gene polymorphism and increased TB risk in two comparison models: the homozygote model (ff vs. FF: OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.17–1.60; Pheterogeneity = 0.001) and the recessive model (ff vs. Ff + FF: OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.14–1.52; Pheterogeneity = 0.006). Meta-regression found no source contributing to heterogeneity. However, sub-group analyses revealed that there was a statistically increased TB risk in the East and Southeast Asian population. Conclusions Synthesis of the available studies suggests that homozygosity for the FokI polymorphism of the VDR gene might be associated with an increased TB risk, especially in the East and Southeast Asian population. Additional well-designed, larger-scale epidemiological studies among different ethnicities are needed.
Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Purpose: To compare the symptoms, signs, and results of objective tests for keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and controls. Methods: Sixty-four patients with JRA and 64 age- and sex-matched controls were compared in terms of symptoms, signs, and results of objective tests for KCS. Relation between tear film breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer test results, and JRA-related variables such as age of onset, duration, and type of JRA; presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs); and history of uveitis were evaluated. Analysis of variance, multivariate regression analysis, Kruskall-Wallis, Student t tests, and χ2 tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Twelve and a half percent of patients with JRA complained of dry eye symptoms compared with 1.5% of the controls (P = 0.031). Dry eye signs were detected in 10.9% of patients with JRA compared with 1.5% of controls (P = 0.038). TBUT and Schirmer test results were lower in the JRA group than in controls (P = 0.032 and P = 0.029, respectively). Seven patients (10.9%) had definite and 1 (1.5%) had probable diagnosis of KCS in the JRA group compared with no children in the control group (P = 0.034). Within the JRA group, Schirmer test and TBUT results were significantly lower in male patients and ones with longer duration of disease. Conclusions: The prevalence of symptoms, signs, and definite diagnosis of KCS is higher and basal tear secretion and tear film stability are lower in children with JRA than in controls. Among children with JRA, male sex and longer duration of disease are independent risk factors for having decreased basal tear secretion and tear film stability.
Proofs of the Necessity of Medical Informatics for the Physicians in Bulgaria

It is obvious that medical practice needs to sustain a radical quality change due the fast penetration of information technologies in medicine and healthcare. One of the major problems of this change is the adequate education of the medical specialists to use these information and communication technologies, including Hospital information systems and electronic medical records. A study has been carried out among the physicians in Bulgaria. The aim of the study was to check weather the Bulgarian physicians are ready to face the challenges of modern information technologies in their daily medical practice. The results show that although 97.5% of the Bulgarian physicians have a positive attitude to information technologies and 86.7% recognise the need of using computers in medicine, 84.1% of them do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to use computers in their daily medical practice. They are absolutely unaware what the electronic medical record might contribute to their practice. Their knowledge of the subject, principles and methods of medical informatics tends to nil. The study was the first of the kind carried out in Bulgaria. It proved our initial hypothesis that Bulgarian physicians need to be educated not only how to use computers, they are in badly need of education in medical informatics. The study proved that the adequate education in medical informatics is one of the most important parameters for the implementation of information technologies, especially electronic medical records in medical practice. Its result may form the background for the preparation of the strategy of teaching medical informatics in Bulgaria. The first step of the implementation of this strategy is to include medical informatics in the regular curriculum of students of medicine.
Gα12 is required for renal cystogenesis induced by Pkd1 inactivation

ABSTRACT Mutation of PKD1, encoding the protein polycystin-1 (PC1), is the main cause of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The signaling pathways downstream of PC1 in ADPKD are still not fully understood. Here, we provide genetic evidence for the necessity of Gα12 (encoded by Gna12, hereafter Gα12) for renal cystogenesis induced by Pkd1 knockout. There was no phenotype in mice with deletion of Gα12 (Gα12−/−). Polyinosine-polycytosine (pI:pC)-induced deletion of Pkd1 (Mx1Cre+Pkd1f/fGα12+/+) in 1-week-old mice resulted in multiple kidney cysts by 9 weeks, but the mice with double knockout of Pkd1 and Gα12 (Mx1Cre+Pkd1f/fGα12−/−) had no structural and functional abnormalities in the kidneys. These mice could survive more than one year without kidney abnormalities except multiple hepatic cysts in some mice, which indicates that the effect of Gα12 on cystogenesis is kidney specific. Furthermore, Pkd1 knockout promoted Gα12 activation, which subsequently decreased cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesion by affecting the function of focal adhesion and E-cadherin, respectively. Our results demonstrate that Gα12 is required for the development of kidney cysts induced by Pkd1 mutation in mouse ADPKD. Summary: Deletion of the gene encoding the G-protein subunit Gα12 prevents mouse kidneys from developing the kidney cysts induced by Pkd1 inactivation, which indicates that Gα12 signaling is crucial for renal cystogenesis.
Physical Barriers, Task Characteristics, and Interaction Activity in Research and Development Firms

This research is based on a Ph.D. dissertation completed at Stanford University. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the members of my committee, Jeffrey Pfeffer (Chair), Harold Leavitt, and Jerry Porras. Gerald Salancik and three anonymous ASQ reviewers provided substantial help with earlier drafts of this paper. I would also like to thank Jai Ghorpade, Mark Butler, and Sanford Ehrlich. A field study was used to examine the common belief that barriers around offices are desirable because they reduce interaction, thus allowing more time for accomplishing tasks. If this were true, we would expect to find more interaction in offices with fewer barriers. The opposite was found in the field study conducted in two high-technology firms. Partition height, number of partitions, and the use of a door or a secretary were all positively associated with one or more forms of interaction activity. A desk positioned away from the office entrance was the only barrier found to be negatively associated with interaction. These relationships were independent of variables representing task characteristics, job type, work experience, demographic characteristics and sociability. '
Current pharmacotherapeutic recommendations for acute pancreatitis

Disease severity in patients with acute pancreatitis varies from mild disease with minimal morbidity to severe disease in which a whole spectrum of local and systemic complications may occur. Infectious complications frequently arise, and pancreatic necrosis in particular is an important risk factor for mortality. Several strategies have been investigated to stop the progression of organ dysfunction, targeting different steps in the pathogenesis, but none of these have proved beneficial. In recent years, the widespread use of prophylactic antibiotics has also been in question, as one blinded study could not demonstrate an advantage. Better risk stratification methods should improve the design of future trials, so that only patients with a high probability of complications can be studied.
On Decoding of the (73, 37, 13) Quadratic Residue Code

In this paper, a method to search the set of syndromes' indices needed in computing the unknown syndromes for the (73, 37, 13) quadratic residue (QR) code is proposed. According to the resulting index sets, one computes the unknown syndromes and thus finds the corresponding error-locator polynomial by using an inverse-free Berlekamp-Massey (BM) algorithm. Based on the modified Chase-II algorithm, the performance of soft-decision decoding for the (73, 37, 13) QR code is given. This result is new. Moreover, the error-rate performance of linear programming (LP) decoding for the (73, 37, 13) QR code is also investigated, and LP-based decoding is shown to be significantly superior in performance to the algebraic soft-decision decoding while requiring almost the same computational complexity. In fact, the algebraic hard-decision and soft-decision decoding of the (89, 45, 17) QR code outperforms that of the (73, 37, 13) QR code because the former has a larger minimal distance. However, experimental results indicate that the (73, 37, 13) QR code outperforms the (89, 45, 17) QR code with much fewer arithmetic operations when using the LP-based decoding algorithms. The pseudocodewords analysis partially explains this seemingly strange phenomenon.
Robust finite-time tracking control of nonholonomic mobile robots without velocity measurements

The problem of robust finite-time trajectory tracking of nonholonomic mobile robots with unmeasurable velocities is studied. The contributions of the paper are that: first, in the case that the angular velocity of the mobile robot is unmeasurable, a composite controller including the observer-based partial state feedback control and the disturbance feed-forward compensation is designed, which guarantees that the tracking errors converge to zero in finite time. Second, if the linear velocity as well as the angular velocity of mobile robot is unmeasurable, with a stronger constraint, the finite-time trajectory tracking control of nonholonomic mobile robot is also addressed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control laws is demonstrated by simulation.
The Popular Profile of the Digital Learner: Technology Use Patterns and Approaches to Learning.

THE POPULAR PROFILE OF THE DIGITAL LEARNER: TECHNOLOGY USE PATTERNS AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING By Penny Marie Thompson The purpose of this study was to investigate the claims made in the popular press about the "digital native" generation as learners. Because students' lives today are saturated with digital media at a time when their brains are still developing, many popular press authors claim that this generation of students thinks and learns differently than any generation that has come before. They urge educators to change their teaching to meet the needs of this supposedly unique generation, but the evidence to support their claims and recommendations is scarce. This study used a survey to gather data on the technology use of university freshmen, the degree to which they identified with the claims being made about their approaches to learning, and the productiveness (in terms of focused attention, deep processing, and persistence) of their approaches to learning. Interviews with a purposefully selected group of participants helped to further illuminate the findings from the survey. Valid surveys were received from 388 freshmen at a large Midwestern land grant university. The self-report survey consisted of a Digital Characteristics scale (developed by the researcher based on the popular press claims about the digital natives), a Productive Learning Habits scale (developed by the researcher based on the popular press claims about the digital natives), and a measure of the frequency of use of 41 technology tools. The data were analyzed using a factor analysis to identify patterns of technology use, descriptive statistics, and analysis of correlations and extreme group t-tests to explore any relationships between technology use patterns, Digital Characteristics, and Productive Learning Habits. The findings indicate some positive correlations between use of digital technology and Digital Characteristics, and some negative correlations between some categories of technology use and Productive Learning Habits. The Rapid Communication Technology category, which included texting, instant messaging, and Facebook, had the strongest negative relationship with Productive Learning Habits, and therefore needs to be investigated further. The interviews revealed that some digital natives are very aware of the influence of technology in their lives and are strategic in how they balance its demands against the demands of their university coursework. Overall, however, the small to moderate relationships suggest a less deterministic relationship between technology and learning than what the popular press writers claim.
Improvements to the Sequence Memoizer

The sequence memoizer is a model for sequence data with state-of-the-art performance on language modeling and compression. We propose a number of improvements to the model and inference algorithm, including an enlarged range of hyperparameters, a memory-efficient representation, and inference algorithms operating on the new representation. Our derivations are based on precise definitions of the various processes that will also allow us to provide an elementary proof of the "mysterious" coagulation and fragmentation properties used in the original paper on the sequence memoizer by Wood et al. (2009). We present some experimental results supporting our improvements.
Inverse distributed hydrological modelling of Alpine catchments

Abstract. Even in physically based distributed hydrological models, various remaining parameters must be estimated for each sub-catchment. This can involve tremendous effort, especially when the number of sub-catchments is large and the applied hydrological model is computationally expensive. Automatic parameter estimation tools can significantly facilitate the calibration process. Hence, we combined the nonlinear parameter estimation tool PEST with the distributed hydrological model WaSiM. PEST is based on the Gauss-Marquardt-Levenberg method, a gradient-based nonlinear parameter estimation algorithm. WaSiM is a fully distributed hydrological model using physically based algorithms for most of the process descriptions. WaSiM was applied to the alpine/prealpine Ammer River catchment (southern Germany, 710 km2 in a 100×100 m2 horizontal resolution. The catchment is heterogeneous in terms of geology, pedology and land use and shows a complex orography (the difference of elevation is around 1600 m). Using the developed PEST-WaSiM interface, the hydrological model was calibrated by comparing simulated and observed runoff at eight gauges for the hydrologic year 1997 and validated for the hydrologic year 1993. For each sub-catchment four parameters had to be calibrated: the recession constants of direct runoff and interflow, the drainage density, and the hydraulic conductivity of the uppermost aquifer. Additionally, five snowmelt specific parameters were adjusted for the entire catchment. Altogether, 37 parameters had to be calibrated. Additional a priori information (e.g. from flood hydrograph analysis) narrowed the parameter space of the solutions and improved the non-uniqueness of the fitted values. A reasonable quality of fit was achieved. Discrepancies between modelled and observed runoff were also due to the small number of meteorological stations and corresponding interpolation artefacts in the orographically complex terrain. Application of a 2-dimensional numerical groundwater model partly yielded a slight decrease of overall model performance when compared to a simple conceptual groundwater approach. Increased model complexity therefore did not yield in general increased model performance. A detailed covariance analysis was performed allowing to derive confidence bounds for all estimated parameters. The correlation between the estimated parameters was in most cases negligible, showing that parameters were estimated independently from each other.
Assessing Burnout in Mental Health Providers of Chronic Clients: An Exploration of Predictors

1 CHAPTER I: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM . 3 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 7 Introduction . 7 History of Burnout . 7 Definition of Burnout . 8 Consequences of Burnout . 13 Burnout and Social Service Work . 14 Organizational Precursors of Burnout . 16 Job Demands . 16 Decision Latitude . 18 Social Support . 21 Work Setting . 23 Client Variables. 24 Job Insecurity . 26 Conclusion . 27 Individual Precursors of Burnout . 28 Demographic Factors . 28 Personality Factors . 30 Conclusion . 35 Which Variables Are the ―Best‖ Predictors? 35 Studies Favoring Contextual Predictors . 36 Studies Favoring Personality Predictors . 36 An Interactional Model . 37 Purpose of the Study . 38 Hypotheses . 39 CHAPTER III: METHOD . 42 Participants . 42 Sample Size and Composition . 42 Subject Selection, Recruitment, and Eligibility Requirements . 42 Measures . 43 Job Content Questionnaire. 43 Big Five Inventory . 44 Maslach Burnout Inventory . 44 vi Procedures . 45 Analyses . 45 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS . 46 Participants . 46 Burnout Dimensions and Related Constructs . 46 Organizational Variables . 49 Individual Variables . 50 Correlations among Predictor Variables . 50 Prediction of Burnout . 53 Interactions . 60 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION . 62 Burnout Dimensions and Related Constructs . 62 Organizational Variables . 66 Individual Variables . 68 Correlational, Regression, and Interaction Analyses . 69 Organizational Variables . 69 Personality Variables . 71 Correlational and Full Regression Analyses . 72 Interactions. 73 Limitations and Future Directions . 73 Validity Considerations . 73 Future Research . 75 Conclusions . 76 REFERENCES . 79 APPENDICES . 96 A: Solicitation Letter to Providers . 96 B: Participation Letter . 97 C: Study Questionnaire . 100 D: Range of Possible Scores on Job Content Questionnaire . 109
De novo chromosomal translocation t(3;5)(q13;q35) in an infertile man

Chromosomal rearrangements are rare structural abnormalities that are usually associated with male infertility or sterility. We describe here the clinical and cytogenetic studies carried out in a couple with repeated abortions. Cytogenetic analysis of the male partner showed a de novo chromosomal translocation t(3;5)(q13;q35) which could be involved in the meiotic errors resulting in reproductive failure.
Luminescent detection of DNA-binding proteins

Transcription factors play a central role in cell development, differentiation and growth in biological systems due to their ability to regulate gene expression by binding to specific DNA sequences within the nucleus. The dysregulation of transcription factor signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of cancers, developmental disorders, inflammation and autoimmunity. There is thus a high demand for convenient high-throughput methodologies able to detect sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins and monitor their DNA-binding activities. Traditional approaches for protein detection include gel mobility shift assays, DNA footprinting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) which tend to be tedious, time-consuming, and may necessitate the use of radiographic labeling. By contrast, luminescence technologies offer the potential for rapid, sensitive and low-cost detection that are amenable to high-throughput and real-time analysis. The discoveries of molecular beacons and aptamers have spearheaded the development of new luminescent methodologies for the detection of proteins over the last decade. We survey here recent advances in the development of luminescent detection methods for DNA-binding proteins, including those based on molecular beacons, aptamer beacons, label-free techniques and exonuclease protection.
Malgorzata Klass , Stéphane Baudry and Jacques Duchateau frequency during fast contractions accompanied by lower maximal motor unit discharge Age-related decline in rate of torque development is

[PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , March 17, 2011; . J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci David J. Clark and Roger A. Fielding Neuromuscular Contributions to Age-Related Weakness [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , March 28, 2011; . J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Todd M. Manini and Brian C. Clark Dynapenia and Aging: An Update [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , January , 2012; 67A (1): 28-40. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Todd M. Manini and Brian C. Clark Dynapenia and Aging: An Update [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , January , 2012; 67A (1): 41-47. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci David J. Clark and Roger A. Fielding Neuromuscular Contributions to Age-Related Weakness [PDF] [Full Text] [Abstract] , June 1, 2012; 112 (11): 1897-1905. J Appl Physiol Mark Jesunathadas, Malgorzata Klass, Jacques Duchateau and Roger M. Enoka the dorsiflexor muscles Discharge properties of motor units during steady isometric contractions performed with
Redlining in Boston: Do Mortgage Lenders Discriminate Against Neighborhoods?

Historically, lenders have been accused of "redlining" minority neighborhoods as well as refusing to lend to minority applicants. Considerable bank regulation is designed to prevent both actions. However, the strong correlation between race and neighborhood makes it difficult to distinguish the impact of geographic discrimination from the effects of racial discrimination. Previous studies have failed to untangle these two influences, in part, because of severe omitted variable bias. The data set in this paper allows the distinct effects of race and geography to be identified, and it shows that the evidence for redlining is weak.
Robust factor analysis in the presence of normality violations, missing data, and outliers: Empirical questions and possible solutions

Although a mainstay of psychometric methods, several reviews suggest factor analysis is often applied without testing whether data support it, and that decision-making process or guiding principles providing evidential support for FA techniques are seldom reported. Researchers often defer such decision-making to the default settings on widely-used software packages, and unaware of their limitations, might unwittingly misuse FA. This paper discusses robust analytical alternatives for answering nine important questions in exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and provides R commands for running complex analysis in the hope of encouraging and empowering substantive researchers on a journey of discovery towards more knowledgeable and judicious use of robust alternatives in FA. It aims to take solutions to problems like skewness, missing values, determining the number of factors to extract, and calculation of standard errors of loadings, and make them accessible to the general substantive researcher.