Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MNSs genotyping by MALDI‐TOF MS shows high concordance with serology, allows gene copy number testing and reveals new St(a) alleles

Results of genotyping with true high‐throughput capability for MNSs antigens are underrepresented, probably because of technical issues, due to the high level of nucleotide sequence homology of the paralogous genes GYPA, GYPB and GYPE. Eight MNSs‐specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were detected using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization, time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) in 5800 serologically M/N and S/s pre‐typed Swiss blood donors and 50 individuals of known or presumptive black African ethnicity. Comparison of serotype with genotype delivered concordance rates of 99·70% and 99·90% and accuracy of genotyping alone of 99·88% and 99·95%, for M/N and S/s, respectively. The area under the curve of peak signals was measured in intron 1 of the two highly homologous genes GYPB and GYPE and allowed for gene copy number variation estimates in all individuals investigated. Elevated GYPB:GYPE ratios accumulated in several carriers of two newly observed GYP*401 variants, termed type G and H, both encoding for the low incidence antigen St(a). In black Africans, reduced GYPB gene contents were proven in pre‐typed S‐s‐U‐ phenotypes and could be reproduced in unknown specimens. Quantitative gene copy number estimates represented a highly attractive supplement to conventional genotyping, solely based on MNSs SNPs.
Potentially inappropriate prescribing in Ethiopian geriatric patients hospitalized with cardiovascular disorders using START/STOPP criteria

Background There was a paucity of data on the magnitude of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) among Ethiopian elderly cardiovascular patients. Objective The aim of this study was to assess PIPs and associated factors in the elderly population with cardiovascular disorders using the START/STOPP screening criteria. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at medical wards of a teaching hospital in Ethiopia from 1 December 2016–30 May 2017. Included patients were hospitalized elderly patients aged 65 years or older with cardiovascular disorders; their medications were evaluated using the START/STOPP screening criteria from admission to discharge. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with inappropriate medications. One Way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out to test significant differences on the number of PIPs per individual diagnosis. Results Two hundred thirty-nine patients were included in the analysis. More-than a third of the patients were diagnosed with heart failure, 88 (36.82%). A total of 221 PIPs were identified in 147 patients, resulting in PIP prevalence of 61.5% in the elderly population. Of the total number of PIPs, occurrence of one, two and three PIPs accounted for 83 (56.4%), 52(35.4%), and 12(8.2%) respectively. One way ANOVA test showed significant differences on the mean number of PIPs per individual diagnosis (f = 5.718, p<0.001). Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs) were the most common inappropriately prescribed medications, 32(14.5%). Hospital stay, AOR: 1.086 (1.016–1.160), number of medications at discharge, AOR: 1.924 (1.217–3.041) and the presence of co-morbidities, AOR: 3.127 (1.706–5.733) increased the likelihood of PIP. Conclusion Approximately, two-thirds of elderly cardiovascular patients encountered potentially inappropriate prescriptions. ACEIs were the most commonly mis-prescribed medications. Longer hospital stay, presence of comorbidities and prescription of large number of medications at discharge have been correlated with the occurrence of inappropriate medication. It is essential to evaluate patients’ medications during hospital stay using the STOPP and START tool to reduce PIPs.
Signal Reconstruction From The Modulus of its Fourier Transform

The problem of signal reconstruction from the magnitude of its Fourier transform arises in many applications where the wave phase is apparently lost or impractical to measure. One example of such an application that has attracted a substantial number of researchers in recent years is Coherent Diffraction Imaging (CDI). CDI is a “lens-less” technique for 2D and 3D nano-objects reconstruction with unprecedented resolution making possible visualization at the atomic level. Currently, the prevailing method of phase recovery is the Hybrid Input-Output (HIO) method, that was developed by Fienup in nineteen-seventies as a modification of the even older GerchbergSaxton method. In this work we analyze the problem of the phase retrieval from a non-convex optimization’s standpoint. To our knowledge, we are the first to provide analysis of the second order derivatives (the Hessian) of the commonly used error measure. This analysis reveals some important details of already existing algorithms, and leads us to the development of a significantly faster reconstruction method. T ec hn io n C om pu te r Sc ie nc e D ep ar tm en t T eh ni ca l R ep or t C S20 09 -0 9 20 09
Caloglossa beccarii (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from freshwater rivers in Kerala, India, a critical new record

John A. West*, Mitsunobu Kamiya, E. K. Ganesan, Susan Louiseaux-de Goër and L. Jose School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia Faculty of Marine Bioscience Fukui Prefectural University, 1-1 Gakuencho, Obama, Fukui 917-0003, Japan Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná 6101, Venezuela 11 Rue des Moguerou, 29680 Roscoff, France Department of Botany, St. Albert’s College, Ernakulam, Kerala 682018, India
Autism spectrum traits in normal individuals: a preliminary VBM analysis

In light of the new DSM-5 autism spectrum disorders diagnosis in which the autism spectrum reflects a group of neurodevelopmental disorders existing on a continuum from mild to severe expression of autistic traits, and recent empirical findings showing a continuous distribution of autistic traits in the general population, our voxel based morphometry study compares normal individuals with high autistic traits to normal individuals with low autistic traits. We hypothesize that normal individuals with high autistic traits in terms of empathizing and systemizing [high systemizing (HS)/low empathizing (LE)] share brain irregularities with individuals that fall within the clinical autism spectrum disorder. We find differences in several social brain network areas between our groups. Specifically, we find increased gray matter (GM) volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, the cuneus, the hippocampus and parahippocampus and reduced GM volume in the inferior temporal cortex, the insula, and the amygdala in our HS/LE individuals relative to our HE/LS (low autistic traits in terms of empathizing and systemizing) individuals.
Congruence, Conflict, and Polyploidization Shown by Nuclear and Chloroplast Markers in the Monophyletic “Bristle Clade” (Paniceae, Panicoideae, Poaceae)

Abstract Molecular phylogenetic analyses using the chloroplast marker ndhF and a single copy nuclear marker, knotted1, show that the panicoid grasses bearing sterile branches (bristles) in their inflorescences form a monophyletic group. The genus Cenchrus is monophyletic, and monophyly of Pennisetum cannot be ruled out. Setaria is not monophyletic, either as a whole, excluding the palm-leaved species from section Ptychophyllum, or excluding various uncertainly placed species such as S. grisebachii. There is also no evidence that Setaria and Paspalidium form a monophyletic group. The Australian genera Zygochloa, Spinifex, and Pseudoraphis are placed in the ‘bristle clade’, confirming that inflorescences of these grasses are homologous with the inflorescences composed of spikelets and sterile branchlets (bristles). Comparison of the nuclear and chloroplast gene trees identifies several taxa as tetra- or higher polyploids; these are confirmed by southern hybridization. In particular, the Australian species of Paspalidium are allopolyploid, a novel and unexpected result. Zuloagaea bulbosa, a species that lacks the synapomorphic bristles in its inflorescence, is confirmed as a morphologically anomalous member of the clade, and is clearly allopolyploid. This study demonstrates the utility of knotted1 as a phylogenetic marker; we show that it is single copy in diploid taxa and that it exhibits adequate variation to distinguish closely related species. Interestingly, inflorescence morphology correlates only partially with relationships suggested by either nuclear or chloroplast trees, suggesting that inflorescence form is easily changed over evolutionary time.
Expression of the Multidrug Resistance Gene (MDR1) in Non‐small Cell Lung Cancer

To examine the clinical relevance of P‐glycoprotein, encoded by the human multidrug resistance gene (MDR1), to multidrug resistance in lung cancer, we examined the expression of MDR1 in 107 non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) specimens and 20 corresponding specimens of normal lung tissues. We also evaluated the relationship between MDR1 expression and the histopathology and pathological staging of NSCLC. The tumors consisted of 60 adenocarcinomas, 38 squamous cell carcinomas, 8 large cell carcinomas, and 1 adenosquamous carcinoma. MDR1 expression was semi‐quantified by use of the reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction method. We subclassified the NSCLC into 3 grades according to the MDR1 expression level (‐, +, ++). Sixty‐one of the 107 tumor specimens (57%) and 18 of the normal lung tissue specimens (90%) expressed various levels of the MDR1 gene. Only one tumor specimen showed higher MDR1 expression than the corresponding normal lung tissue. The relationship between pathological stage and MDR1 expression levels was not significant. These results suggest that the level of MDR1 expression in lung cells is decreased as cells progress from the normal to the transformed state.
MicroRNA-107 inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by targeting the BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway in human non-small lung cancer

Abnormal expression of microRNA-107 (miR-107) was found in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about its role and molecular mechanism in NSCLC progression and metastasis. Therefore, the aims of this study were to clarify the potential role of miR-107 and molecular mechanism in NSCLC progression and metastasis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay showed that miR-107 expression levels were significantly decreased in NSCLC tissue and cell lines. Low miR-107 levels in tumor tissue correlated with advanced TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Function assays showed that overexpression of miR-107 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in A549 cells in vitro, and inhibited NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. Further mechanism assays suggested the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was identified as a target gene of miR-107 in NSCLC cells. In addition, BDNF expression was upregulated, and inversely correlated with miR-107 in NSCLC tissues. Enforced overexpression of BDNF effectively reversed the tumor suppressive functions of miR-107 on NSCLC proliferation, migration and invasion. miR-107 overexpression or downregulation of BDNF was able to inhibit activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings present the first evidence that miR-107 could suppress NSCLC metastasis by targeting BDNF and indirectly regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which might lead to a potential therapeutic strategy focusing on miR-107 and BDNF for human NSCLC.
Semantic and conceptual factors in Spanish–English bilinguals’ processing of lexical categories in their two languages

This study examines possible semantic interaction in fully fluent adult simultaneous and early second language (L2) bilinguals. Monolingual and bilingual speakers of Spanish and English (n = 144) were tested for their understanding of lexical categories that differed in their two languages. Simultaneous bilinguals came from homes in which Spanish or Spanish and English were spoken when they were children, and L2 bilinguals entered the US as children. Accuracy data show higher ultimate attainment of language-specific semantic knowledge in English than in Spanish, but in both languages the interaction of the semantic categories with conceptual knowledge is observable. The data reveal subtle differences in early bilinguals’ extensions of words, but only in some types of categories, and modified by level of proficiency.
Analysis of Adult Age Differences on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test

The purpose of this project was to examine age-related differences in performance on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM)1 Test (Raven, Court, & Raven, 1983). The project consisted of two stages. First, a rational analysis of the APM was performed in which processes or components hypothesized to be necessary for solving Raven's problems were identified. Second, an empirical analysis was conducted in which the role of each of the processes as a contributor to the adult age differences in performance on the APM was evaluated. Items on the APM could be thought of as a two-dimensional geometric series completion test. An example of the type of problem presented in the APM is shown in Figure 1. The matrix is presented in a 3 X 3 format with the ninth, or last, cell of the matrix left blank. The subject's task is to determine which of eight alternatives best fills in the missing cell of the matrix, such that both row and column rules are satisfied. The Raven's were designed as tests of an individual's ability to perceive and think clearly at any given time. In this sense, they are commonly referred to as measures of general intelligence. Several studies have confirmed this claim by providing evidence of significant relationships between performance on the Raven's and other tests of general intelligence. However, attempts to determine more precisely what the Raven's actually
Looking for Boy-Girl Discrimination in Household Expenditure Data

The ability to test for discrimination in the allocation of goods between boys and girls is hampered by a lack of data on intrahousehold distribution. The analysis presented here allows inferences about intrahousehold allocation to be made from household-level expenditure data. For a given level of income, families with children will spend less on adult goods in order to purchase children's goods. If household purchasing favors boys over girls, smaller expenditures on adult goods would be made by families with boys as compared with those with girls. A method for determining "adult" goods is described, and the procedure for detecting gender bias is applied to data from the Ivory Coast and Thailand. The data show no evidence of discrimination between boys and girls in the Ivory Coast, and a small and statistically insignificant bias in favor of boys in Thailand. Copyright 1989 by Oxford University Press.
Strategies for controlling item exposure in computerized adaptive testing with the partial credit model.

Exposure control research with polytomous item pools has determined that randomization procedures can be very effective for controlling test security in computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The current study investigated the performance of four procedures for controlling item exposure in a CAT under the partial credit model. In addition to a no exposure control baseline condition, the Kingsbury-Zara, modified-within-. 10-logits, Sympson-Hetter, and conditional Sympson-Hetter procedures were implemented to control exposure rates. The Kingsbury-Zara and the modified-within-. 10-logits procedures were implemented with 3 and 6 item candidate conditions. The results show that the Kingsbury-Zara and modified-within-. 10-logits procedures with 6 item candidates performed as well as the conditional Sympson-Hetter in terms of exposure rates, overlap rates, and pool utilization. These two procedures are strongly recommended for use with partial credit CATs due to their simplicity and strength of their results.
"Soft-nose", a physiological disorder in mango fruits.

Fig. 3. Tommy Atkins Mango seedling was planted approximately 35 years ago, north of Ft. Lauderdale. The tree is a thrifty grower and good producer. The fruit is medium to large in size (16 to 25 oz.) and very highly colored. The ground color is orange yeliow and the blush is bright red. Dots are large, numerous, and yellow green in color. The fruit is somewhat oblong with an inconspicuous nak. It matures fairly early in the season, usually shortly after Haden. The quality is fair to good. One of the main objections to this variety is that it is often moderately fibrous. The committee hopes that interested grow ers and nurserymen will continue to be on the lookout for promising seedlings of all of our subtropical fruits. If they prove to be better than varieties now grown they should be submitted to the committee for descrip tion and registration.
Explaining the heterogeneity in average costs per HIV/AIDS patient in Nigeria: The role of supply-side and service delivery characteristics

Objective We estimated the average annual cost per patient of ART per facility (unit cost) in Nigeria, described the variation in costs across facilities, and identified factors associated with this variation. Methods We used facility-level data of 80 facilities in Nigeria, collected between December 2014 and May 2015. We estimated unit costs at each facility as the ratio of total costs (the sum of costs of staff, recurrent inputs and services, capital, training, laboratory tests, and antiretroviral and TB treatment drugs) divided by the annual number of patients. We applied linear regressions to estimate factors associated with ART cost per patient. Results The unit ART cost in Nigeria was $157 USD nationally and the facility-level mean was $231 USD. The study found a wide variability in unit costs across facilities. Variations in costs were explained by number of patients, level of care, task shifting (shifting tasks from doctors to less specialized staff, mainly nurses, to provide ART) and provider´s competence. The study illuminated the potentially important role that management practices can play in improving the efficiency of ART services. Conclusions Our study identifies characteristics of services associated with the most efficient implementation of ART services in Nigeria. These results will help design efficient program scale-up to deliver comprehensive HIV services in Nigeria by distinguishing features linked to lower unit costs.
The Role of Job and Family Involvement for Satisfaction in Job and Family

Abstract. Job and family involvement have been shown to have important implications for job and family satisfaction. While most theoretical considerations and research imply that each type of involvement will be beneficial for participation and satisfaction in each particular domain, their joint impact is not well understood. Moreover, little is known of how overall involvement may predict changes in job and family satisfaction across time. This study empirically examines the effect of both involvement in job and family on job and family satisfaction trajectories. Self-report data were collected from 460 employees at three time points over a 12-month period. Using latent growth curve modeling, results demonstrate that people who are highly involved overall (i.e., have high levels in job and family involvement) show higher initial scores in latent job and family satisfaction trajectories, compared to people who have very little involvement. In turn, people who are highly involved overall show a decline in .
Risk, Return, and Equilibrium: Empirical Tests

This paper tests the relationship between average return and risk for New York Stock Exchange common stocks. The theoretical basis of the tests is the "two-parameter" portfolio model and models of market equilibrium derived from the two-parameter portfolio model. We cannot reject the hypothesis of these models that the pricing of common stocks reflects the attempts of risk-averse investors to hold portfolios that are "efficient" in terms of expected value and dispersion of return. Moreover, the observed "fair game" properties of the coefficients and residuals of the risk-return regressions are consistent with an "efficient capital market"--that is, a market where prices of securities
Associations between beliefs about marriage and life satisfaction: the moderating role of relationship status and gender

ABSTRACT The association between marital beliefs and life satisfaction is investigated on the foundation of the Marital Paradigm Theory. Using secondary data analysis with data from the Changing American Family study by the Pew Forum, beliefs in the advantageousness of marriage were assessed from a representative sample of the United States (weighted N = 24,268) which included both married and unmarried men and women. Results suggested that belief in the advantageousness of marriage was associated with higher reported general and domain-specific life satisfaction. However, a three-way interaction between gender, marital status, and belief in the advantageousness of marriage was also found. Married men who believe marriage is advantageous report significantly higher life satisfaction. Belief in the advantages of marriage was generally associated with less life satisfaction for those who were unmarried, regardless of gender. Results suggest the role marital beliefs may play in life satisfaction based on varying relational contexts.
Power-Aware and Performance-Guaranteed Virtual Machine Placement in the Cloud

Cloud service providers offer virtual machines (VMs) as services to users over Internet. As VMs are running on physical machines (PMs), PM power consumption needs to be considered. Meanwhile, VMs running on the same PM share physical resources, and there exists great resource contention, which results in VM performance degradation. Therefore, how to place VMs to reduce PM power consumption and guarantee VM performance is still one major challenge. However, existing VMPs did not study VM performance degradation, so they could not guarantee VM performance. To solve the high power consumption and VMs performance degradation problems, this paper explores the balance between saving PM power and guaranteeing VM performance, and proposes a power-aware and performance-guaranteed VMP (PPVMP). First, we investigate the relationship between power consumption and CPU utilization to build a non-linear power model, which is helpful for the following VMP. Second, we construct VM performance models to present the VM performance degradation trend. Third, based on these models, we formulate VMP as a bi-objective optimization problem, which tries to minimize PM power consumption and guarantee VM performance. We then propose an algorithm based on ant colony optimization to solve it. Finally, the results show the efficiency of our algorithm.
Learning from the land: Indigenous land based pedagogy and decolonization

This paper introduces the special issue of Decolonization on land-based education. We begin with the premise that, if colonization is fundamentally about dispossessing Indigenous peoples from land, decolonization must involve forms of education that reconnect Indigenous peoples to land and the social relations, knowledges and languages that arise from the land. An important aspect of each article is then highlighted, as we explore the complexities and nuances of Indigenous land-based education in different contexts, places and methods. We close with some reflections on issues that we believe deserve further attention and research in regards to land-based education, including gender, spirituality, intersectional decolonization approaches, and sources of funding for land-based education initiatives.