Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Family-Based Association Test Using Both Common and Rare Variants and Accounting for Directions of Effects for Sequencing Data

Current family-based association tests for sequencing data were mainly developed for identifying rare variants associated with a complex disease. As the disease can be influenced by the joint effects of common and rare variants, common variants with modest effects may not be identified by the methods focusing on rare variants. Moreover, variants can have risk, neutral, or protective effects. Association tests that can effectively select groups of common and rare variants that are likely to be causal and consider the directions of effects have become important. We developed the Ordered Subset - Variable Threshold - Pedigree Disequilibrium Test (OVPDT), a combination of three algorithms, for association analysis in family sequencing data. The ordered subset algorithm is used to select a subset of common variants based on their relative risks, calculated using only parental mating types. The variable threshold algorithm is used to search for an optimal allele frequency threshold such that rare variants below the threshold are more likely to be causal. The PDT statistics from both rare and common variants selected by the two algorithms are combined as the OVPDT statistic. A permutation procedure is used in OVPDT to calculate the p-value. We used simulations to demonstrate that OVPDT has the correct type I error rates under different scenarios and compared the power of OVPDT with two other family-based association tests. The results suggested that OVPDT can have more power than the other tests if both common and rare variants have effects on the disease in a region.
A comparison of phosphor-plate digital images with conventional radiographs for the perceived clarity of fine endodontic files and periapical lesions.

OBJECTIVE We sought to compare digital images with radiographs for the perceived clarity of small endodontic file tips at 2 different working lengths, as well as for the visualization of periapical bone lesions. STUDY DESIGN Standardized conventional radiographic and phosphor-plate digital images were taken of 20 extracted permanent mandibular molars with 06 K-files placed in the distal root canal either 2 mm short or flush with the apical foramen. Similar images were obtained from mandibles with teeth that demonstrated large (n = 10) or small (n = 10) periapical lesions. Four evaluators ranked the clarity of the digital image with that of the radiograph. Results were analyzed by using the 2-sided sign test, ordinal logistic regression, and the kappa test. RESULTS The perceived clarity of an endodontic file tip, at any position, and of a small or large periapical lesion was significantly (P < .01) less on all digital images compared with conventional films. CONCLUSION Evaluator ratings indicated that the perceived clarity of fine endodontic files and periapical lesions was significantly less with phosphor-plate digital images than with conventional radiographs.
Open-Switch Fault Diagnosis and Fault Tolerant for Matrix Converter With Finite Control Set-Model Predictive Control

To improve the reliability of the matrix converter (MC), a fault diagnosis method to identify a single open-switch fault is proposed in this paper. The introduced fault diagnosis method is based on finite control set-model predictive control (FCS-MPC), which employs a time-discrete model of the MC topology and a cost function to select the best switching state for the next sampling period. The proposed fault diagnosis method is realized by monitoring the load currents and judging the switching state to locate the faulty switch. Compared to the conventional modulation strategies such as carrier-based modulation method, indirect space vector modulation, and optimum Alesina-Venturini, the FCS-MPC has known and unchanged switching state in a sampling period. It is simpler to diagnose the exact location of the open switch in MC with FCS-MPC. To achieve better quality of the output current under single open-switch fault conditions without any redundant hardware, a fault tolerant strategy based on predictive control is also studied. The fault tolerant strategy is to select the most appropriate switching state associated with the remaining normal switches of the MC. Experiment results are presented to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed fault diagnosis method and fault tolerant strategy.
Lexical access based on underspecified input

Words play a major role in language production, hence finding them is of vital importance, be it for speaking or writing. Words are stored in a dictionary, and the general belief holds, the bigger the better. Yet, to be truly useful the resource should contain not only many entries and a lot of information concerning each one of them, but also adequate means to reveal the stored information. Information access depends crucially on the organization of the data (words) and on the navigational tools. It also depends on the grouping, ranking and indexing of the data, a factor too often overlooked. We will present here some preliminary results, showing how an existing electronic dictionary could be enhanced to support language producers to find the word they are looking for. To this end we have started to build a corpus-based association matrix, composed of target words and access keys (meaning elements, related concepts/words), the two being connected at their intersection in terms of weight and type of link, information used subsequently for grouping, ranking and navigation.
Organizational Control: Two Functions.

William G. Ouchi and Mary Ann Maguire A distinction is drawn between two modes of organizational control, one based on personal surveillance, behavior control, and the other based on the measurement of outputs, output control. A study of employees over five levels of hierarchy shows that the two modes of control are not substitutes for each other, but are independent of each other, The evidence suggests that output control occurs in response to a manager's need to provide legitimate evidence of performance, while behavior control is exerted when means-ends relations are known and thus appropriate instruction possible.
Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cognition in VLBW Infants at 8 years: an RCT

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that supplementation with the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) to very low birth weight (VLBW) infants would improve long-term cognitive functions and influence neuroanatomical volumes and cerebral cortex measured by MRI. METHODS: The current study is a follow-up of a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of supplementation with high-dose DHA (0.86%) and AA (0.91%) to 129 VLBW infants fed human milk. Ninety-eight children participated at 8 years follow-up and completed a broad battery of cognitive tests. Eighty-one children had cerebral MRI scans of acceptable quality. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the intervention group and the control group on any of the cognitive measures. Equally, MRI data on segmental brain volumes and cerebral cortex volume, area, and thickness suggested no overall group effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial with supplementation of DHA and AA to human milk fed VLBW infants investigating both cognitive functions and brain macrostructure measured by MRI. No cognitive or neuroanatomical effects of the supplementation were detected at 8 years of age.
Üretim Karşıtı İş Davranışları Ölçeğinin Eğitim Örgütlerinde Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması [doi: 10.14527/kuey.2014.008]

The purpose of the present study is to test the reliability and validity of the CWB-C which was originally developed by Spector, Fox, Penney, Bruursema, Goh ve Kessler (2006) and adapted Turkish by Ocel (2010a). Sample of the study consisted of 466 teachers who work in 34 different high schools. The sample was selected with stratified sampling technique. The data were collected through the CWB-C. To explore the factor structure of the CWB-C, the data were analyzed with exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The validity of the scales was calculated with Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency coefficient. The EFA studies have showed that CWB-C is composed of three sub-dimensions. These findings have been confirmed by CFA. All the Cronbach’s Alpha values of the sub dimensions of CWB-C were found to be high. Finally, it is concluded that 32-items CWB-C with three sub-dimensions is reliable and valid instrument for the possible further studies in educational organizations.
Differentiation of Human Adipose-derived Stem Cells along the Keratocyte Lineage In vitro.

PURPOSE To evaluate differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) to the keratocyte lineage by co-culture with primary keratocytes in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS A co-culture system using transwell inserts to grow hASCs on bottom and keratocytes on top in keratocyte differentiating medium (KDM) was developed. hASCs that were cultured in complete culture medium (CCM) and KDM were used as control. After 16 days, hASCs were examined for morphologic changes and proliferation by cell count. qRT-PCR and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family, member A1 (ALDH3A1) and keratocan. RESULTS hASCs became more dendritic and elongated in co-culture system relative to CCM and KDM. The doubling time of the cells was longer as differentiation progressed. qRT-PCR showed a definite trend towards increased expression of both ALDH3A1 and keratocan in co-culture system despite statistically non-significant p-values. Flow cytometry showed significantly increased protein levels of ALDH3A1 and keratocan in co-culture system relative to CCM group (p < 0.001) and even relative to KDM group (p < 0.001 for ALDH3A1 and p < 0.01 for keratocan). CONCLUSION The co-culture method is a promising approach to induce differentiation of stem cell populations prior to in vivo applications. This study reveals an important potential for bioengineering of corneal tissue using autologous multi-potential stem cells.
Computationally efficient wavelet affine invariant functions for shape recognition

An affine invariant function for object recognition is constructed from wavelet coefficients of the object boundary. In previous works, undecimated dyadic wavelet transform was used to construct affine invariant functions. In this paper, an algorithm based on decimated wavelet transform is developed to compute an affine invariant function. As a result computational complexity is reduced without decreasing recognition performance. Experimental results are presented.
Trust Affecting on Negotiation Styles

International buyers and sellers have to build a strong relationship based on numerous factors including trust and reliability. Many researchers had linked between negotiation strategy and trust. In general, trust varies by culture but it is not clear whether or not trust varies by culture in particular situations, such as negotiations. A quantitative, exploratory and explanatory study was conducted to assess the relationships between trust and negotiation styles. AMOS software was used to test both the measurement and the structural models that related to the research hypotheses. The result shown trust is a significant factor affecting negotiation styles, and the group of low trust prefers different negotiation styles from the group of high trust. Future study could use a different design to examine other factors posited by the theories, such as ethics, gender, work experience and education, to explore other antecedents on negotiation, and should be conducted in other participants or different regions.
Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Structural Myocardial Alterations by Grating-Based Phase-Contrast Computed Tomography

Objectives Grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography (gb-PCCT) relies on x-ray refraction instead of absorption to generate high-contrast images in biological soft tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of gb-PCCT for the depiction of structural changes in heart disease. Materials and Methods Four human heart specimens from patients with hypertensive disease, ischemic disease, dilated heart disease, and cardiac lipomatosis were examined. The gb-PCCT setup consisted of an x-ray tube (40 kV, 70 mA), grating-interferometer, and detector, and allowed simultaneous acquisition of phase- and absorption-contrast data. With histopathology as the standard of reference, myocardium (MC), fibrotic scar (FS), interstitial fibrosis (IF), and fatty tissue (FT) were visually and quantitatively evaluated. Systematic differences in absorption- and phase-contrast Hounsfield units (HUabs and HUp) were assessed. Results Thirteen corresponding cross-sections were included, and MC, FS, IF, and FT were found in 13 (100%), 4 (30.8%), 7 (53.8%), and 13 (100%) cross-sections, respectively. Mean HUp/HUabs were 52.5/54.1, 86.6/69.7, 62.4/62.3, and −38.6/−258.9 for MC, FS, IF, and FT, respectively. An overlap in HUabs was observed for MC and IF (P = 0.84) but not for HUp (P < 0.01). Contrast-to-noise ratios were significantly higher in phase- than in absorption-contrast for MC/FT (35.4 vs 7.8; P < 0.01) and for MC/FS (12.3 vs 0.2; P < 0.01). Conclusions Given its superior soft tissue contrast, gb-PCCT is able to depict structural changes in different cardiomyopathies, which can currently not be obtained by x-ray absorption-based imaging methods. If current technical limitations can be overcome, gb-PCCT may evolve as a powerful tool for the anatomical assessment of cardiomyopathy.
Mechanism of release of calcium from sarcoplasmic reticulum of guinea‐pig cardiac cells.

1. The mechanisms that control release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of guinea‐pig ventricular cells were studied by observing intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i transients) and membrane currents in voltage‐clamped guinea‐pig ventricular myocytes perfused internally with Fura‐2. 2. Sarcolemmal Ca2+ current was identified through the use of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and Ca2+ channel antagonists (verapamil) and agonists (Bay K 8644). 3. Changes in [Ca2+]i attributable to release of Ca2+ from the SR were identified through the use of ryanodine, which abolishes the ability of the SR to release Ca2+. Ryanodine‐sensitive increases in [Ca2+]i could be elicited either by depolarization or by repolarization (from depolarizing pulses to relatively positive membrane potentials). 4. At appropriate voltages, it is the initial fast change in [Ca2+]i elicited by either depolarization or repolarization that is abolished by ryanodine, and is defined here as ryanodine sensitive. 5. The amplitude of the ryanodine‐sensitive [Ca2+]i transient elicited by depolarization had a bell‐shaped dependence on membrane potential with a maximum of about 500 nM at 10 mV, and with the upper minimum between 60 and 70 mV. Verapamil‐sensitive current activated over approximately the same potential range as the [Ca2+]i transient, with a peak amplitude at 10 mV, and a reversal potential of 65 mV. 6. When a holding potential of ‐68 mV and TTX (30 microM) were used, the most negative pulse potential at which activation of an inward current occurred was ‐49 mV while changes in [Ca2+]i occurred at ‐43 mV. 7. Ryanodine‐sensitive increases in [Ca2+]i elicited by repolarization (tail transients) were maximal for repolarization to 0 mV. Smaller changes in [Ca2+]i than maximal were elicited by repolarization to both more positive and more negative potentials than 0 mV. The peak amplitude of the verapamil‐sensitive tail currents elicited by repolarization increased continuously as the membrane was repolarized to potentials more negative than 60 mV. 8. Increasing depolarizing pulse duration beyond 10‐20 ms did not increase the amplitude of the [Ca2+]i transient, but prolonged it. 9. The experimental results are compared to the predictions of two theories on the mechanism of excitation‐contraction coupling: Ca2+‐induced release of Ca2+ (CICR), as it has been formulated from data in skinned cardiac cells, and a charge‐coupled release mechanism (CCRM), as it has been formulated to explain excitation‐contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. 10. Some of the results are clearly not consistent with certain features of a charge‐coupled release mechanism. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Sparse Variational Bayesian SAGE Algorithm With Application to the Estimation of Multipath Wireless Channels

In this paper, we develop a sparse variational Bayesian (VB) extension of the space-alternating generalized expectation-maximization (SAGE) algorithm for the high resolution estimation of the parameters of relevant multipath components in the response of frequency and spatially selective wireless channels. The application context of the algorithm considered in this contribution is parameter estimation from channel sounding measurements for radio channel modeling purpose. The new sparse VB-SAGE algorithm extends the classical SAGE algorithm in two respects: i) by monotonically minimizing the variational free energy, distributions of the multipath component parameters can be obtained instead of parameter point estimates and ii) the estimation of the number of relevant multipath components and the estimation of the component parameters are implemented jointly. The sparsity is achieved by defining parametric sparsity priors for the weights of the multipath components. We revisit the Gaussian sparsity priors within the sparse VB-SAGE framework and extend the results by considering Laplace priors. The structure of the VB-SAGE algorithm allows for an analytical stability analysis of the update expression for the sparsity parameters. This analysis leads to fast, computationally simple, yet powerful, adaptive selection criteria applied to the single multipath component considered at each iteration. The selection criteria are adjusted on a per-component-SNR basis to better account for model mismatches, e.g., diffuse scattering, calibration and discretization errors, allowing for a robust extraction of the relevant multipath components. The performance of the sparse VB-SAGE algorithm and its advantages over conventional channel estimation methods are demonstrated in synthetic single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) time-invariant channels. The algorithm is also applied to real measurement data in a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) time-invariant context.
Does the effect of supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs on body fat distribution remained long time?

INTRODUCTION An increased accumulation of fat in the intra-abdominal cavity is highly correlated with adverse coronary risk profiles. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) produces a host of health benefits related to modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Further research is needed to define better program for weight loss and risk improvement in coronary patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supervised and unsupervised cardiac rehabilitation program on body composition and body fat distribution in a population with coronary artery disease. METHODS The study investigated 167 patients with coronary artery disease (73% males; mean age = 52.67±9.11 years) before and after a supervised protocol cardiac rehabilitation program, and 12-months later. Target variables included body fat distribution indices (waist and hip circumference and waist to hip ratio), weight and body mass index. RESULTS Weight, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index significantly decreased with 2 month supervised program (P<0.001), but hip circumference was not significantly changed. Males improved to a greater extent than the female patients. All of measurements relatively returned to baseline at the end of program (after 12 months). CONCLUSION Supervised cardiac rehabilitation program results in improvements in body composition and body fat distribution. The effects of non-supervised program were minimal and the program needed to be reviewed.
A Neurophysiological Assessment of Selective Attention Before and After Cognitive Remediation in Patients with Severe Closed Head Injury

Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a binaural listening task to assess neurophysiological correlates of selective attention before and after an intensive computer-dispensed cognitive remediation program (6 months) administered to 21 patients with severe closed head injuries (CHI). With a double-blind procedure, they were compared to a control group of 22 patients with CHI, matched for age (X = 28), sex, and education (X = 11 years), who did not receive cognitive remediation. Analyses of covariance were applied to control for coma duration (X = 57 days), posttrauma interval (X = 6.4 years), and severity of neuropsychological deficits. Error rates were not sensitive to treatment and speed of stimulation effects, but neurophysiological measures were. Distraction of both stimulus and response sets was manifested in all subjects (Ss) at pretest by relatively large P3a amplitudes to task-irrelevant tones at inattention and by an absence of attention modulation of N1 to task-relevant tones. Coma and severity of neuropsychological deficits correlated significantly with P3b amplitude, which indexes target discrimination and template-matching in short-term memory. All Ss improved capacity to follow instructions and efficiency of stimulus processing, as shown respectively by reduced N1 latencies at slow speed and increased P1-N1-P2 amplitudes at fast speed of stimulation at retest. Nd amplitudes at 200-ms latency also discriminated the treatment effect between the two groups, with the experimental group showing larger Nd-200 amplitude for the left ear after cognitive remediation. The pattern of modulations between ERP and Nd measures and between speed conditions at retest indicates that these modulations are not due to improved attentional selectivity but possibly to increased motivation or attentional effort and improved tonal stimulus processing after cognitive remediation.
A study of the localisation of a protein antigen in the chicken spleen and its relation to the formation of germinal centres.

Summary Chickens given an intravenous injection of human serum albumin (HSA) produced a rapid rise of antibody to a peak at 8–9 days, followed by a rapid decline. Plasma cells containing anti-HSA appeared in the spleen at 24 hr after injection. Evidence is presented that early produced antibody causes the localisation of antigen (HSA), presumably as complexes, to cells in the white pulp of the spleen at the periphery of ellipsoids (Schweigger-Seidel sheaths) by 24–32 hr. Inspection of a series of tissue sections shows that antigen-bearing cells appear to migrate through the white pulp and subsequently to appear (88 hr–6 days) as dendritic cells within germinal centres, which originated in the angle between the diverging penicillary arterioles at their point of origin from the central arteriole of the white pulp. A hypothesis is advanced that accounts for the formation of germinal centres by a process of progressive capture and aggregation of lymphocytes at the surface of antigen-bearing dendritic cells. This process is discussed in relation to the progressive increase of avidity in antibody synthesised later in the immunological response or after a secondary stimulus.