Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene–gene interaction in folate-related genes and risk of neural tube defects in a UK population

Objective: To investigate the contribution of polymorphic variation in genes involved in the folate-dependent homocysteine pathway in the aetiology of neural tube defects (NTD). Design: Case-control association study. Subjects: A total of 530 individuals from families affected by NTD, 645 maternal controls, and 602 healthy newborn controls from the northern UK. Main outcome measures: Seven polymorphisms in six genes coding for proteins in the folate-dependent homocysteine pathway (MTHFR 677C→T, MTHFR 1298A→C, MTRR 66A→G, SHMT 1420C→T, CβS 844ins68, GCPII 1561C→T, RFC-1 80G→A). The impact of each polymorphism and the effect of gene–gene interactions (epistasis) upon risk of NTD were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Results: The MTHFR 677C→T polymorphism was shown to represent a risk factor in NTD cases (CC v CT+TT odds ratio (OR) 2.03 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09, 3.79] p = 0.025) and the MTRR 66A→G polymorphism was shown to exert a protective effect in NTD cases (AA v AG+GG OR 0.31 [95% CI 0.10, 0.94] p = 0.04). When statistical tests for interaction were conducted, three genotype combinations in cases (MTRR/GCPII; MTHFR 677/CβS; MTHFR 677/MTRR) and one combination in case mothers (CβS/RFC-1) were shown to elevate NTD risk. Maternal–fetal interaction was also detected when offspring carried the MTHFR 677C→T variant and mothers carried the MTRR 66A→G variant, resulting in a significantly elevated risk of NTD. Conclusion: Both independent genetic effects and gene–gene interaction were observed in relation to NTD risk. Multi-locus rather than single locus analysis might be preferable to gain an accurate assessment of genetic susceptibility to NTD.
Improving Schools: Performance and Potential

The rise of school improvement. Part 1 Frameworks and assumptions: a nation on the move? how to improve - debates, controversies and traditions frameworks for judging school improvement. Part 2 Case studies of schools: struggling to change getting into the pack a simple case of leadership moving (and staying) ahead. Part 3 Patterns of change? : starting points and patterns of change some correlates of school improvement building for improvement.
Motivation and Goals

Consumer motivation deals with the question of why consumers do the things they do. We review prior research on consumer motivation, focusing on the central role played by goals in consumer behavior. We first discuss structural aspects of goals, including need hierarchies and typologies of values, hierarchical means-end conceptualizations of product-self relationships and goals, and a classification of purchase motives. We then describe the dynamics of goal pursuit, considering both goal setting and goal striving. Traditionally, these two processes have been viewed as conscious processes in which people deliberately select a goal and then strive to attain it. More recently, research has shown that goal pursuit can also occur without conscious awareness, and both conscious and nonconscious goal pursuit are considered. Keywords: motivation; goals; goal pursuit; goal setting; goal striving
Synthetic Observations of Simulated Radio Galaxies. I. Radio and X-Ray Analysis

We present an extensive synthetic observational analysis of numerically simulated radio galaxies designed to explore the effectiveness of conventional observational analyses at recovering physical source properties. These are the first numerical simulations with sufficient physical detail to allow such a study. The present paper focuses on extraction of magnetic field properties from nonthermal intensity information. Synchrotron and inverse Compton intensities were effective in providing meaningful information about distributions and strengths of magnetic fields, although considerable care was called for in quantitative usage of the information. Correlations between radio and X-ray surface brightness correctly revealed useful dynamical relationships between particles and fields, for example. Magnetic field strength estimates derived from the ratio of X-ray to radio intensity were mostly within about a factor of 2 of the rms field strength along a given line of sight. When emissions along a given line of sight were dominated by regions close to the minimum energy/equipartition condition, the field strengths derived from the standard power-law spectrum minimum energy calculation were also reasonably close to actual field strengths, except when spectral aging was evident. Otherwise, biases in the minimum energy magnetic field estimation mirrored actual differences from equipartition. The ratio of the inverse Compton-estimated magnetic field to the minimum energy magnetic field provided a rough measure of the actual total energy in particles and fields in most instances, although this measure was accurate within only about an order of magnitude. This may provide a practical limit to the accuracy with which one may be able to establish the internal energy density or pressure of optically thin synchrotron sources.
An efficient implementation of a scaling minimum-cost flow algorithm

The scaling push-relabel method is an important theoretical development in the area of minimum-cost flow algorithms. We study practical implementations of this method. We are especially interested in heuristics which improve real-life performance of the method. Our implementation works very well over a wide range of problem classes. Some heuristics we develop may apply to other network algorithms. Our experimental work on the minimum-cost flow problem motivated theoretical work on related problems.
Medical malpractice on trial

Medical malpractice has been at the center of recurring tort crises for the last quarter-century. In 1960, expenditures on medical liability insurance in the United States amounted to about $60 million. In 1988, the figure topped $7 billion. Physicians have responded not simply with expensive methods of "defensive medicine" but also with successful pressure upon state legislatures to cut back on the tort rights of seriously injured patients. Various reforms have been proposed to deal with the successive crises, but so far none have proved to be effective and fair.In this landmark book, Paul Weiler argues for a two-part approach to the medical malpractice crisis. First, he proposes a thorough revision of the current tort liability regime, which would concentrate available resources on meeting actual financial losses of seriously injured victims. It would also shift the focus of tort liability from the individual doctor to the hospital or other health care organization. This would elicit more effective quality assurance programs from the institutions that are in the best position to reduce our current unacceptable rate of physician-induced injuries.But in states such as New York, Florida, and Illinois, where the current situation seems to have gone beyond the help of even drastic tort reform, the preferred solution is a no-fault system. Weiler shows how such a system would provide more equitable compensation, more effective prevention, and more economical administration than any practical alternative.
RasGAP-Derived Fragment N Increases the Resistance of Beta Cells towards Apoptosis in NOD Mice and Delays the Progression from Mild to Overt Diabetes

The caspase-3-generated RasGAP N-terminal fragment (fragment N) inhibits apoptosis in a Ras-PI3K-Akt-dependent manner. Fragment N protects various cell types, including insulin-secreting cells, against different types of stresses. Whether fragment N exerts a protective role during the development of type 1 diabetes is however not known. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice represent a well-known model for spontaneous development of type 1 diabetes that shares similarities with the diseases encountered in humans. To assess the role of fragment N in type 1 diabetes development, a transgene encoding fragment N under the control of the rat insulin promoter (RIP) was back-crossed into the NOD background creating the NOD-RIPN strain. Despite a mosaic expression of fragment N in the beta cell population of NOD-RIPN mice, islets isolated from these mice were more resistant to apoptosis than control NOD islets. Islet lymphocytic infiltration and occurrence of a mild increase in glycemia developed with the same kinetics in both strains. However, the period of time separating the mild increase in glycemia and overt diabetes was significantly longer in NOD-RIPN mice compared to the control NOD mice. There was also a significant decrease in the number of apoptotic beta cells in situ at 16 weeks of age in the NOD-RIPN mice. Fragment N exerts therefore a protective effect on beta cells within the pro-diabetogenic NOD background and this prevents a fast progression from mild to overt diabetes.
A Longitudinal Analysis of Gendered Association Patterns: Homophily and Social Distance in the General Social Survey

Abstract How has the passage of time impacted the ego networks of males and females? I compare the homophily and social distances of males and females using the 1985 and 2004 GSS networks modules. The results indicate that change has been gradual and incremental rather than radical. In 2004 less social distance separates associates for women than for men, and males differentiate more among levels of education. The results suggest that macro-level structural changes have not been sufficient to produce similarly large changes in ego network composition.
Communications in Mathematical Physics The Thermodynamic Pressure of a Dilute Fermi Gas

We consider a gas of fermions with non-zero spin at temperature T and chemical potential μ. We show that if the range of the interparticle interaction is small compared to the mean particle distance, the thermodynamic pressure differs to leading order from the corresponding expression for non-interacting particles by a term proportional to the scattering length of the interparticle interaction. This is true for any repulsive interaction, including hard cores. The result is uniform in the temperature as long as T is of the same order as the Fermi temperature, or smaller.
Meta-Analysis of Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes Associated with the Use of Insulin Glargine versus NPH Insulin during Pregnancy

As glargine, an analog of human insulin, is increasingly used during pregnancy, a meta-analysis assessed its safety in this population. A systematic literature search identified studies of gestational or pregestational diabetes comparing use of insulin glargine with human NPH insulin, with at least 15 women in both arms. Data was extracted for maternal outcomes (weight at delivery, weight gain, 1st/3rd trimester HbA1c, severe hypoglycemia, gestation/new-onset hypertension, preeclampsia, and cesarean section) and neonatal outcomes (congenital malformations, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, macrosomia, LGA, 5 minute Apgar score >7, NICU admissions, respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal hypoglycemia, and hyperbilirubinemia). Relative risk ratios and weighted mean differences were determined using a random effect model. Eight studies of women using glargine (331) or NPH (371) were analyzed. No significant differences in the efficacy and safety-related outcomes were found between glargine and NPH use during pregnancy.
Physical Activity Patterns of People Affected by Depressive and Anxiety Disorders as Measured by Accelerometers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Exercise can relieve both depressive and anxiety disorders and it is therefore of importance to establish movement patterns of mildly to moderately affected sufferers to estimate the treatment potential. The aim is to describe the physical activity patterns of people affected by mild to moderate depressive and/or anxiety symptoms using objective measures of physical activity. Methods The design of the study was cross-sectional using data from 165 people aged 18–65 years, with mild to moderate depressive and/or anxiety disorder symptoms (scoring ≥10 on the PHQ-9). Diagnoses were made using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and symptom severity was measured with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The participants wore accelerometers for a week to evaluate physical activity patterns. Results No statistically significant differences were detected between different diagnoses, though depressed participants tended to be less active and more sedentary. Only one-fifth of the sample followed public health guidelines regarding physical activity. Each one point increase in MADRS was associated with a 2.4 minute reduction in light physical activity, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary time. MADRS was positively associated with number of sedentary bouts. Conclusions The physical activity pattern of people with depressive and/or anxiety disorders was characterized by large amounts of sedentary time and low fulfillment of physical activity guidelines. There is therefore a large treatment potential for this group by increasing exercise. The results suggest that instead of focusing exclusively on high intensity exercise for treating depressive and anxiety disorders, health care providers might encourage patients to reduce sedentary time by increasing light physical activity and decreasing the number of sedentary bouts, though further studies are needed that can determine directionality.
An input-output analysis of the total factor productivity growth of the Malaysian manufacturing sector, 1983-2005

This paper examines total factor productivity (TFP) growth of the Malaysian manufacturing sector from 1983 to 2005. Unlike previous studies that use one source of data.this research use two sources of data-Malaysian Input-Output tables and Malaysian industrial manufacturing Survey. The motivation for this study brought about due to the need to present a different method for estimating TFP growth by analysing TFP using the input-output methodology.The results from this study are compared with the results from other studies that use a different method to estimate TFP growth and the findings indicate that the TFP growth is relatively low.In addition, the major source of change in TFP of the manufacturing sector is contributed by intermediate inputs, while the contribution of labour and capital is substantially low.
Influence of Porous Spherical-Shaped Hydroxyapatite on Mechanical Strength and Bioactive Function of Conventional Glass Ionomer Cement

Glass-ionomer-cement (GIC) is helpful in Minimal Intervention Dentistry because it releases fluoride ions and is highly biocompatible. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms by which hydroxyapatite (HAp) improves the mechanical strength and bioactive functioning of GIC when these materials are combined to make apatite ionomer cement (AIC). A conventional GIC powder was mixed with porous, spherical-HAp particles (HApS), crystalline HAp (HAp200) or one of two types of cellulose. The micro-compressive strengths of the additive particles were measured, and various specimens were evaluated with regard to their compressive strengths (CS), fluoride release concentrations (fluoride electrode) and multi-element release concentrations. The AIC was found to release higher concentrations of fluoride (1.2 times) and strontium ions (1.5 times) compared to the control GIC. It was detected the more release of calcium originated from HApS than HAp200 in AIC. The CS of the AIC incorporating an optimum level of HAp was also significantly higher than that of the GIC. These results suggest that adding HAp can increase the release concentration of ions required for remineralization while maintaining the CS of the GIC. This effect does not result from a physical phenomenon, but rather from chemical reactions between the HAp and polyacrylic acid of GIC.
Fairness-Aware Superposition Coded Scheduling for a Multi-User Cooperative Cellular System

SUMMARY We consider Downlink (DL) scheduling for a multi-user cooperative cellular system with fixed relays. The conventional scheduling trend is to avoid interference by allocating orthogonal radio resources to each user, although simultaneous allocation of users on the same resource has been proven to be superior in, e.g., the broadcast channel. Therefore, we design a scheduler where in each frame, two selected relayed users are supported simultaneously through the Superposition Coding (SC) based scheme proposed in this paper. In this scheme, the messages destined to the two users are superposed in the modulation domain into three SC layers, allowing them to benefit from their high quality relayed links, thereby increasing the sum-rate. We derive the optimal power allocation over these three layers that maximizes the sum-rate under an equal rates’ constraint. By integrating this scheme into the proposed scheduler, the simulation results show that our proposed SC scheduler provides high throughput and rate outage probability performance, indicating a significant fairness improvement. This validates the approach of simultaneous allocation versus
Stably compact spaces

The purpose of this paper is to develop the basic theory of stably compact spaces (viz. compact, locally compact, coherent sober spaces) and introduce in an accessible manner and with a minimum of prerequisites some significant new lines of investigation and application arising from recent research, which has arisen primarily in the theoretical computer science community. Three primary themes have developed: (i) the property of stable compactness is preserved under a large variety of constructions involving powerdomains, hyperspaces and function spaces;(ii) the underlying de Groot duality of stably compact spaces, which finds varied expression, is reflected by duality theorems involving the just mentioned constructions; and(iii) the notion of inner and outer pavings is a useful and natural tool for such studies of stably compact spaces.
Investment and the rate of profit in a financial context: the French case

The growth regime prevailing in France since the middle of the 1980s allowed for a recovery of profitability, yet without durable resumption of growth or accumulation of fixed capital. The financialization of this growth regime shows on both the asset and liability sides of the balance sheets. Following a post‐Keynesian framework, we analyse and test the main determinants of real investment and financial capital accumulation for non‐financial companies in France, based on data from the flow‐of‐funds accounts. This analysis points to an arbitrage, prevailing between real and financial accumulation, as a key reason explaining the insufficient recovery of investment.
The Varieties of Great Moderation Experience

Two generally accepted regularities about US employment in the Great Moderation are the decline in the procyclicality of labor productivity and the increase in the volatility of labor relative to output. We test these stylized facts for robustness to statistical methodology and find the decline in procyclicality is fragile. Using Ohanian and Raffo’s (2011) new international data on total hours we then consider whether these moments are stylized facts of the global Great Moderation. We document significant international heterogeneity and find labor market frictions as found in Gali and van Rens (2010) cannot explain the international results.
The effect of named entities on effectiveness in cross-language information retrieval evaluation

The large number of experiments carried out within evaluation initiatives for information retrieval has led to an invaluable source for further research and meta-analysis. In this study, an analysis of the results of the Cross Language Evaluation Forum (CLEF) campaigns for the years 2000 to 2003 is presented. This study considers the performance of the systems for each individual topic. It is dedicated to the influence of named entities on retrieval performance. Named entities in topics lead to significant improvement of the retrieval quality in general and for most systems and tasks. The performance of systems varies for topics without, with one or two and with three or more named entities. This knowledge gained by data mining on the evaluation results can be exploited for the improvement of retrieval systems as well as for the design of topics for future CLEF campaigns.
Genome‐wide analyses suggest parallel selection for universal traits may eclipse local environmental selection in a highly mobile carnivore

Abstract Ecological and environmental heterogeneity can produce genetic differentiation in highly mobile species. Accordingly, local adaptation may be expected across comparatively short distances in the presence of marked environmental gradients. Within the European continent, wolves (Canis lupus) exhibit distinct north–south population differentiation. We investigated more than 67‐K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for signatures of local adaptation in 59 unrelated wolves from four previously identified population clusters (northcentral Europe n = 32, Carpathian Mountains n = 7, Dinaric‐Balkan n = 9, Ukrainian Steppe n = 11). Our analyses combined identification of outlier loci with findings from genome‐wide association study of individual genomic profiles and 12 environmental variables. We identified 353 candidate SNP loci. We examined the SNP position and neighboring megabase (1 Mb, one million bases) regions in the dog (C. lupus familiaris) genome for genes potentially under selection, including homologue genes in other vertebrates. These regions included functional genes for, for example, temperature regulation that may indicate local adaptation and genes controlling for functions universally important for wolves, including olfaction, hearing, vision, and cognitive functions. We also observed strong outliers not associated with any of the investigated variables, which could suggest selective pressures associated with other unmeasured environmental variables and/or demographic factors. These patterns are further supported by the examination of spatial distributions of the SNPs associated with universally important traits, which typically show marked differences in allele frequencies among population clusters. Accordingly, parallel selection for features important to all wolves may eclipse local environmental selection and implies long‐term separation among population clusters.
Service operations strategy, flexibility and performance in engineering consulting firms

In this paper, the relationship between operations strategy and performance through flexibility as a moderating variable is analysed within the service setting of engineering consulting firms in Spain. A framework for service strategy dimensions is suggested while manufacturing flexibility dimensions are applied to service operations considering necessary adaptations. A path analysis model is applied in order to enhance the understanding of interactions. This research proves that service operations strategy has a significant positive and direct effect on service delivery performance. The fact that is especially relevant is that flexibility plays a more intense moderating role for efficiency performance measures than for customer satisfaction performance measures.