Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Gene Expression Microarrays for Phenotype Classification

Several microarray technologies that monitor the level of expression of a large number of genes have recently emerged. Given DNA-microarray data for a set of cells characterized by a given phenotype and for a set of control cells, an important problem is to identify "patterns" of gene expression that can be used to predict cell phenotype. The potential number of such patterns is exponential in the number of genes. In this paper, we propose a solution to this problem based on a supervised learning algorithm, which differs substantially from previous schemes. It couples a complex, non-linear similarity metric, which maximizes the probability of discovering discriminative gene expression patterns, and a pattern discovery algorithm called SPLASH. The latter discovers efficiently and deterministically all statistically significant gene expression patterns in the phenotype set. Statistical significance is evaluated based on the probability of a pattern to occur by chance in the control set. Finally, a greedy set covering algorithm is used to select an optimal subset of statistically significant patterns, which form the basis for a standard likelihood ratio classification scheme. We analyze data from 60 human cancer cell lines using this method, and compare our results with those of other supervised learning schemes. Different phenotypes are studied. These include cancer morphologies (such as melanoma), molecular targets (such as mutations in the p53 gene), and therapeutic targets related to the sensitivity to an anticancer compounds. We also analyze a synthetic data set that shows that this technique is especially well suited for the analysis of sub-phenotype mixtures. For complex phenotypes, such as p53, our method produces an encouragingly low rate of false positives and false negatives and seems to outperform the others. Similar low rates are reported when predicting the efficacy of experimental anticancer compounds. This counts among the first reported studies where drug efficacy has been successfully predicted from large-scale expression data analysis.
Consumption of industrialized food by infants attending child day care centers

Objective: To identify the age of introduction of petit suisse cheese and instant noodles in the diet of infants attending nurseries of public day care centers and to compare the nutritional composition of these foods with the healthy recommended diet (breast milk and salt meal) for this age, in order to estimate nutritional errors. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 366 children (from nine to 36 months old) who attended day care centers, whose mothers were interviewed about the age of introduction of those foods. The means of the nutrients indicated on the labels of the most consumed brands were considered. For the calculation of the percent composition of breast milk and salt meal, Tables of Food Composition were used. To assess the nutritional adequacy, we used the Dietary Reference Intakes by age group. The percentage of adequacy evaluation of the petit suisse cheese and the instant noodles nutritional compositions was made by comparing them with those of the human milk and the salt meal, respectively. Results: The petit suisse cheese and the instant noodles were consumed by 89.6 and 65.3% of the children in the first year of life. The percentages of adequacy for carbohydrates were more than twice and the percentages for sodium were 20 times higher than those found in the recommended foods. Conclusions: Both industrialized products are inappropriate for infants, emphasizing the need for adoption of norms that can inform health professionals, educators and parents about the risks of consumption.
The Integration of Grid Technology with OGC Web Services (OWS) in NWGISS for NASA EOS Data

Grid technology provides secure, fundamental methods for advanced distributed computing and data sharing over the Internet. The technology has been used in applications in many disciplines. However, applications in the geospatial disciplines are just beginning. This paper describes a project that applies Grid technology to the Earth observation environment through the integration of the Globus Toolkit with the NASA Web GIS Software Suite (NWGISS). As one of the implementations of Open GIS Consortium’s (OGC) Web Services (OWS) technology, NWGISS is a web-based, multiple OGC-standard compliant geospatial data distribution and service system. It provides geospatial data access services to data users for Earth observing data archived in individual data centers (e.g., NASA Distributed Active Archive Centers, DAACs). But it does not provide secure on-demand distributed geospatial data processing and transfer among the data centers. In this project, Grid technology has been used successfully to solve these problems and a prototype Grid-enabled OGC-compliant NWGISS system was produced. This prototype is part of a large Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) testbed for evaluating the usability of Grid technology in the geospatial disciplines, especially in Earth observations and remote sensing.
Asymptotically Optimal Energy-Aware Routing for Multihop Wireless Networks With Renewable Energy Sources

In this paper, we develop a model to characterize the performance of multihop radio networks in the presence of energy constraints and design routing algorithms to optimally utilize the available energy. The energy model allows us to consider different types of energy sources in heterogeneous environments. The proposed algorithm is shown to achieve a competitive ratio (i.e., the ratio of the performance of any offline algorithm that has knowledge of all past and future packet arrivals to the performance of our online algorithm) that is asymptotically optimal with respect to the number of nodes in the network. The algorithm assumes no statistical information on packet arrivals and can easily be incorporated into existing routing schemes (e.g., proactive or on-demand methodologies) in a distributed fashion. Simulation results confirm that the algorithm performs very well in terms of maximizing the throughput of an energy-constrained network. Further, a new threshold-based scheme is proposed to reduce the routing overhead while incurring only minimum performance degradation.
Laura Cardiomyopathy Stem Cell Factor in Mast Cells and Increased Mast Cell Density in Idiopathic and Ischemic

Vincenzo Patella, Isabella Marinò, Eloisa Arbustini, Bärbel Lamparter-Schummert, Laura Cardiomyopathy Stem Cell Factor in Mast Cells and Increased Mast Cell Density in Idiopathic and Ischemic Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539 Copyright © 1998 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 Circulation doi: 10.1161/01.CIR. 97.10. 971 1998;97:971-978 Circulation. http://circ.ahajournals. org/content/97/10/971 World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the
Integrated Family Therapy: A Problem-centred Psychodynamic Approach. By David Will and Robert M. Wrate. London: Tavistock. 1985. 161 pp. £17.95 (hb), £7.95 (pb)

is written in a very elegant style of English, although a remarkable number of spelling errors have slipped through. The chapters on questionnaires overlap considerably in their discussions of reliability and validity, and some pruning or cross-reference would have been helpful. It is irritating that different systems of referencing are used for different chapters. I would encourage everyone interested in this field to read this volume however much they may know about some of the issues discussed, the range is so great that the reader is bound to learn much that he did not know before. Research Paradigms in Psychosomatic Medicine. Edited by G. A. FAVA and T. N. WISE. Basel: S. Karger A. G. 1987.272 pp. SFr 175, US$97.25, £79.60.
Discovery of a Faint Old Stellar System at 150 kpc

We report the detection of a faint old stellar system at (α, δ) = (194.°29, 34.°32) (SDSS J1257+3419), based on the spatial distribution of bright red giant branch stars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4. SDSS J1257+3419 has a half-light radius of 38 ± 12 pc and an absolute integrated V magnitude of MV = -4.8 mag at a heliocentric distance of 150 ± 15 kpc. A comparison between SDSS J1257+3419 and known Galactic halo objects suggests that SDSS J1257+3419 is either (1) a faint and small dwarf galaxy or (2) a faint and widely extended globular cluster. In the former case, SDSS J1257+3419 could represent an entity of a postulated subhalo of the Milky Way. Further photometric and dynamical study of this stellar system is vital to distinguish these possibilities.
The Developmental Origins of Dehumanisation

Dehumanisation is a pervasive social phenomenon that has facilitated historical and modern examples of extreme violence, prejudice and discrimination. The perception that a person can be ‘less human’ than another person is typically applied to social outgroup members who are attributed with fewer uniquely human capacities compared to ingroup members. A significant amount of developmental research has examined the origins of intergroup bias among young children, however, investigation into the development of our tendency to dehumanise others has been relatively neglected. This is despite the fact that dehumanisation is closely linked to children’s social cognitive understanding (e.g., mental state inference) and behaviour (e.g., prosociality). The aim of my doctoral studies was to investigate the developmental origins of this phenomenon. The results of the empirical work in Chapters 2 and 3 revealed that 6-year-olds perceive outgroup faces to be physically less human than ingroup faces and that even younger children (5-year-olds) are less likely to reference the mental states of individuals belonging to a different group. The final experimental chapter (Chapter 4) explored the effects of encouraging children to mentalise about the behaviour of a perceived outgroup and showed that this technique is sufficient to increase empathic helping towards an outgroup member in need. The implications of this research for the nature of dehumanisation in development, as well as for children’s understanding of human and non-human agents, are discussed. Ultimately, further inquiry into how dehumanising biases emerge, and are potentially learnt, could contribute to strategies focused on improving intergroup relations.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF FREIGHT FORWARDER SERVICES

This study empirically identifies customer relationship management (CRM) and examines its impacts on firm performance in the context of freight forwarder services. Using data collected from a survey of 144 freight forwarding firms in Taiwan, a structural equation modeling exercise was conducted to identify crucial CRM dimensions and their influences on the perceived financial performance. Results indicated that CRM dimensions such as customer response and profit interaction are found to have significantly positive effects on the perceived financial performance aspects of profit and growth rate. This research not only investigates crucial CRM but also proposes a model for empirical studies to link CRM and firm performance. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine CRM in the freight forwarder services. The model may be used as a stepping stone for empirical research in transportation services on CRM. The understanding of relationships between customer response, information technology, knowledge management application, profit interaction, and organizational performance may provide a clue as to how freight forwarding companies can adjust customer relationship creation processes to sustain their performance.
Total costs and predictors of costs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE To determine the annual direct, indirect and total costs and predictors of costs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS One hundred and five patients with SLE completed questionnaires on health-care utilization and employment history. Predictors of costs were determined by multiple regression analyses using direct, indirect and total costs as outcome variables. Demographics, health status, disease activity, end-organ damage, social support and satisfaction with care were used as predictor variables. RESULTS The mean annual total cost per patient was pounds sterling 7913. Direct costs were a third and indirect costs two-thirds of the total cost. Higher education level, greater disease activity and lower physical functioning were associated with higher direct, indirect and total costs. Higher direct costs were also associated with greater damage and younger age. CONCLUSION SLE has a considerable impact on the health-care system and society. Improvement in disease activity and physical health and prevention of end-organ damage may reduce costs in SLE.
Integration of Experiments across Diverse Environments Identifies the Genetic Determinants of Variation in Sorghum bicolor Seed Element Composition1[OPEN]

Genome-wide association analysis identifies novel alleles controlling seed element accumulation. Seedling establishment and seed nutritional quality require the sequestration of sufficient element nutrients. The identification of genes and alleles that modify element content in the grains of cereals, including sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), is fundamental to developing breeding and selection methods aimed at increasing bioavailable element content and improving crop growth. We have developed a high-throughput work flow for the simultaneous measurement of multiple elements in sorghum seeds. We measured seed element levels in the genotyped Sorghum Association Panel, representing all major cultivated sorghum races from diverse geographic and climatic regions, and mapped alleles contributing to seed element variation across three environments by genome-wide association. We observed significant phenotypic and genetic correlation between several elements across multiple years and diverse environments. The power of combining high-precision measurements with genome-wide association was demonstrated by implementing rank transformation and a multilocus mixed model to map alleles controlling 20 element traits, identifying 255 loci affecting the sorghum seed ionome. Sequence similarity to genes characterized in previous studies identified likely causative genes for the accumulation of zinc, manganese, nickel, calcium, and cadmium in sorghum seeds. In addition to strong candidates for these five elements, we provide a list of candidate loci for several other elements. Our approach enabled the identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in strong linkage disequilibrium with causative polymorphisms that can be evaluated in targeted selection strategies for plant breeding and improvement.
Recording of Influenza-Like Illness in UK Primary Care 1995-2013: Cohort Study

Background There is a lack of recent studies examining recording of influenza-like illness (ILI) in primary care in the UK over time and according to population characteristics. Our aim was to determine time trends and socio-demographic patterns of ILI recorded consultations in primary care. Methods We used The Health Improvement Network (THIN) UK primary care database and extracted data on all ILI consultations between 1995 and 2013. We estimated ILI recorded consultation rates per 100,000 person-weeks (pw) by age, gender, deprivation and winter season. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine time trends and the effect of socio-demographic characteristics. Trends in ILI recorded consultations were compared to trends in consultations with less specific symptoms (cough or fever) recorded. Results The study involved 7,682,908 individuals in 542 general practices. The ILI consultation rate decreased from 32.5/100,000 pw (95% confidence interval (CI) 32.1, 32.9) in 1995–98 to 15.5/100,000 pw (95% CI 15.4, 15.7) by 2010–13. The decrease occurred prior to 2002/3, and rates have remained largely stable since then. Declines were evident in all age groups. In comparison, cough or fever consultation rates increased from 169.4/100,000 pw (95% CI 168.6, 170.3) in 1995–98 to 237.7/100,000 pw (95% CI 237.2, 238.2) in 2010–13. ILI consultation rates were highest among individuals aged 15–44 years, higher in women than men, and in individuals from deprived areas. Conclusion There is substantial variation in ILI recorded consultations over time and by population socio-demographic characteristics, most likely reflecting changing recording behaviour by GPs. These results highlight the difficulties in using coded information from electronic primary care records to measure the severity of influenza epidemics across time and assess the relative burden of ILI in different population subgroups.
Botulinum Toxin as Preventive Treatment for Migraine: A Randomized Double-Blind Study

Aim: To determine if botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. Methods: Patients (n = 127) were randomized to receive placebo or two doses of BoNT-A (Dysport®). The primary endpoint was reduction in number of migraine attacks up to week 8 and between weeks 8 and 12 after injection. Patient diaries were used to record secondary endpoints, including frequency, severity and duration of migraine attacks. Results: There was a mean reduction of 0.54 and 0.94 attacks/month with placebo and BoNT-A, respectively, and absolute attack count was less in the verum group (3.6 vs. 4.2 attacks/month), but this was not statistically significant. The patients’ global assessment of efficacy was significantly better than placebo in the high-dose group (p = 0.02) but no effects were seen for the other secondary efficacy parameters. Conclusion: Our study showed a trend towards a reduced attack rate with verum but did not show any statistically significant efficacy of BoNT-A in the prophylactic treatment of migraine.
No Association of Maternal Gestational Weight Gain with Offspring Blood Pressure and Hypertension at Age 18 Years in Male Sibling-Pairs: A Prospective Register-Based Cohort Study

Background Maternal gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with birth weight, obesity, and possibly blood pressure (BP) and hypertension in the offspring. These associations may however be confounded by genetic and/or shared environmental factors. In contrast to previous studies based on non-siblings and self-reported data, we investigated whether GWG is associated with offspring BP and hypertension, in a register-based cohort of full brothers while controlling for fixed shared effects. Methods By using Swedish nation-wide record-linkage data, we identified women with at least two male children (full brothers) born 1982-1989. Their BP was obtained from the mandatory military conscription induction tests. We adopted linear and Poisson regression models with robust variance, using generalized estimating equations to analyze associations between GWG and BP, as well as with hypertension, within and between offspring sibling-pairs. Results Complete data on the mothers’ GWG and offspring BP was obtained for 9,816 brothers (4,908 brother-pairs). Adjusted regression models showed no significant associations between GWG and SBP (β = 0.03 mmHg per 1-kg GWG difference, [95% CI -0.08, 0.14], or DBP (β = -0.03 mmHg per 1-kg GWG difference [95% CI -0.11, 0.05]), or between GWG and offspring’s risk of hypertension (relative risk = 1.0 [95% CI 0.99, 1.02], neither within nor between siblings. Conclusions In this large sibling-pair study, we did not find any significant association between GWG and offspring BP or the risk of hypertension at 18y, when taking genetic and environmental factors shared within sibling pairs into account. Further large sibling studies are required to confirm a null association between GWG and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Residue systems efficiency for modular products summation: application to elliptic curves cryptography

Residue systems of representation, like Residue Number Systems (RNS) for primary field(GF(p)) or Trinomial Residue Arithmetic for binary field (GF(2k)), are characterized by efficient multiplication and costly modular reduction. On the other hand, conventional representations allow in some cases very efficient reductions but require costly multiplications. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the complexity of those two different approaches in the summations of products. As a matter of fact, the complexities of the reduction in residue systems and of the multiplication in classical representations are similar. One of the main features of this reduction is that it doesn't depend on the field. Moreover, the cost of multiplication in residue systems is equivalent to the cost of reduction in classical representations for special well-chosen fields. Taking those properties into account, we remark that an expression like A * B + C * D, which requires two products, one addition and one reduction, evaluates faster in a residue system than in a classical one. So we propose to study types of expressions to offer a guide for choosing a most appropriate representation. One of the best domain of application is the Elliptic Curves Cryptography where addition and doubling points formulas are composed of products summation. The different kinds of coordinates like affine, projective, and Jacobean, offer a good choice of expressions for our study.
Evaluating service users’ experiences using Talking Mats®

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the effectiveness of Talking Mats® (TM) in evaluating service users’ experiences, and explore their views of the implementation of person-centred active support (PCAS). Design/methodology/approach This is a mixed-methods study, employing qualitative interviewing and observational measures. Findings Both qualitative and quantitative measures indicated inconsistent implementation of PCAS. It was possible to effectively gain participants’ views on positive and negative aspects of quality of support and quality of life, using TM, across three themes, My life, My support and Self-determination. Research limitations/implications Generalisability of the research may be limited due to the sample, and the potential for researcher and interviewer bias is acknowledged. Practical implications TM provides a mechanism that may facilitate the inclusion of the views and experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disability (PWIDD) who have limited verbal skills. Their views need to be reflected in adaptions made to PCAS. Originality/value This study included a population who are often left out of qualitative research because of the methodologies adopted. It also included older PWIDD, where there has been less research about the effectiveness of TM.