Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Genetic and Phenotypic Correlation Coefficients and Path Analysis of Yield and Yield Contributing Traits of Bread Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes

Thirty bread wheat genotypes were tested to assess the association among yield and yield contributing traits and determining the direct and indirect effect of the traits on the grain yield. The genotypes were grown in alpha-lattice design at Tongo sub-center of Assosa Agricultural Research Center and Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center in 2015. Grain yield showed significant (p≤0.01) positive phenotypic correlations with thousand kernels weight, above ground biomass, harvest index, hectoliter weight and plant height at each location except for kernels per spike at Tongo and days to maturity at Kulumsa. Similarly, grain yield showed significant (p≤0.01) positive genotypic correlations with 1000 kernel weight, above ground biomass, harvest index,, hectoliter weight and plant height at Tongo and only with above ground biomass and harvest index at Kulumsa. Likewise, significant (p≤0.01) positive and negative phenotypic and genotypic correlations between the yield components were observed at each location. As per the path analysis above ground biomass and harvest index showed high positive phenotypic direct effect on grain yield at each location whereas low positive phenotypic direct effect observed for characters plant height and number of kernel per spike at Tongo and hectoliter weight at Kulumsa. Similarly, at genotypic level above ground biomass and harvest index showed highly significant direct effect on the grain yield at each location. Generally, it has been observed the presence of relationships in the tested traits of the genotypes studied. Hence, Selection and hybridization on those genotypes based on the trait with high positive correlation coefficient and direct effect on grain yield can be recommended for farther yield improvement of bread wheat at respective location.
Overuse injury and the young athlete: the case of chronic wrist pain in gymnasts

ConclusionsChronic wrist pain in young gymnasts is an example of an overuse injury that can affect the physis. Yet, it remains unclear the extent to which this injury results in altered growth of the wrist leading to positive ulnar variance and its sequelae. Although these findings are unique to young gymnasts, there are several other examples of similar overuse injuries involving the physis including those of the proximal humerus, proximal tibia, and distal femur. In addition to these clinical descriptions, basic science studies have also described the negative effects of high intensity loading on immature bone.The data summarized above provide a clinical model that an important issue that surrounds intensive training of skeletally immature athletes. Though the data remain somewhat limited, they highlight the important role of training intensity and the vulnerable period of the adolescent growth spurt in the genesis of overuse injuries. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term consequences of these findings, and also to delineate speci.c preventive measures, such as the modi.cation of training during periods of rapid growth, that will reduce the occurrence of overuse injuries in young athletes.
A cross-sectional study on thyroid status in North Indian elderly outpatients with dementia

Background: Several population based studies have demonstrated an association between hypo-or hyperthyroidism and dementia in last two decades. As a consequence, thyroid stimulating hormone has become part of the screening laboratory test for dementia. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between thyroid function and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) and to determine the risk of AD and VaD in clinically euthyroid patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional hospital based study was carried out in subjects diagnosed with AD/VaD and were assessed for thyroid status as routine screening test. Results: Free T3, free T4 and TSH were studied in 114 AD patients (mean age: 65 years), 35 VaD patients (mean age: 62 years) and 105 control subjects (mean age: 62 years). In AD group, TSH levels were significantly lower than controls (P = 0.00) and for each unit increase in TSH level, the odds of having dementia decreased by 37.1%. No such relation was seen in VaD. Conclusion: The results suggest a consistent association of subclinical hyperthyroidism and AD.
Role of Environmental Contamination in the Transmission of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci

The acquisition and spread of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics is an ongoing problem in the 1990s.1 Important nosocomial pathogens with an increasing incidence or newly acquired resistance include oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, enteric gram-negative bacilli producing extended-spectrum p-lactamase, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species (VRE). Reports of VRE began to appear in the mid-1980s in Europe and are now an important problem in an evergrowing number of hospitals in the United States. Data accumulated via the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) system of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that VRE increased 35-fold among all nosocomial isolates of enterococci (0.3% to 10.4%) between 1989 and 1995.2 By 1994 and 1995, 41% of all NNIS hospitals reported at least one nosocomial enterococcal infection. A recent report notes that attributable mortality is approximately 40%. 3 Because of the importance of VRE as a nosocomial pathogen, the Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) of the CDC has published guidelines for preventing nosocomial transmission.4 Among the important scientific questions regarding nosocomially acquired VRE are the following. First, do patients colonized or infected with VRE contaminate their environment? Second, what is the role of surface contamination in the transmission of VRE? Third, is surface contamination linked to the transmission of other nosocomial pathogens? Finally, what scientifically based policies can infection control professionals adopt to prevent or reduce nosocomial transmission of these pathogens? Several investigators have studied the frequency of environmental contamination found in the rooms of patients with VRE. "11 Cultures of the surface environment yielded VRE in 7% to 37% of samples (Table). These investigations also produced several other important findings. Boyce et al reported that environmental contamination was more widespread in the rooms of patients with diarrhea6 (Table). In a later study, Boyce et al reported that the disposable gowns of nurses who cared for a patient with copious diarrhea also were contaminated with VRE.8 Montecalvo et al reported that 8% of cultures taken after terminal cleaning still yielded VRE.7 Molecular analysis of VRE strains has demonstrated both multiple circulating strains9,1112 and outbreaks due to a single strain.6,8,12,13 In some cases, isolates obtained from the environment were identical to the epidemic strain causing infection.6'8 However, in these outbreaks, it often has been difficult to determine whether cross-transmission occurred due to contaminated common equipment (eg, stethoscopes), acquisition of transient hand carriage by
Measurements of K-band scintillation on a low elevation satellite-Earth path in Norway

The objective of this study is to characterise K-band (20 GHz) space-Earth propagation scintillation at Vadso, Norway. A literature study of scintillation impairments for communication via geostationary satellites has been carried out. An experiment designed for beacon measurements and 7 months of measurements are described and analysed. Scintillation is extracted from the data by highpass filtering. A 0.008 Hz filter cut-off frequency is identified by spectral analysis and analysis of the original time series. Diurnal variation of scintillation shows similar levels of variation compared with previously reported except for May and July where this variation is significantly reduced. The observed variations do not follow available cloud observation data well. Monthly and long term statistics of scintillation fading are compared with available models, with most models overpredicting the expected values. The differences are most significant in the month of April.
Hospital Length of Stay of Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients who Were Administered Rivaroxaban versus Warfarin with and without Pretreatment Parenteral Anticoagulants Therapies

Abstract Background: Warfarin has been the only anticoagulant used for decades to prevent strokes and systemic embolisms in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients. Compared with rivaroxaban, warfarin has a narrow therapeutic range and many genetic and food–drug interactions that could potentially prolong hospital length of stay (LOS). Objective: To compare hospital LOS between NVAF patients who were administered rivaroxaban versus warfarin with and without pretreatment of parenteral anticoagulant agents in a population of rivaroxaban-treated patients. Methods: A retrospective matched-cohort analysis was conducted using the Premier Perspective Comparative Hospital Database from November 2010 to September 2012. Adult patients were included in the study if they had a hospitalization for NVAF. Rivaroxaban users were matched with up to 4 warfarin users based on propensity score analyses. Patients with and without pretreatment of parenteral anticoagulant agents were evaluated separately. Hospital LOS was compared between treatment groups using generalized estimating equations. Results: The matched cohorts' characteristics were well balanced. Among the matched rivaroxaban and warfarin users who were administered parenteral agents, the mean age of the cohorts was 70 years and 47% of patients were female, whereas in the sample of patients who were not administered parenteral agents, the mean age was 72 years and 50% of patients were female. In the sample of patients who were administered parenteral agents, rivaroxaban users had significantly shorter hospital LOS (LOS difference: 1.38 days, P < 0.001) compared with warfarin users among rivaroxaban-treated patients. No significant difference in LOS was found in the sample of patients who were not administered parenteral anticoagulant agents (P = 0.169). Conclusion: In the study sample of NVAF patients who were administered parenteral anticoagulant agents, rivaroxaban was associated with a significantly shorter hospital LOS compared with warfarin. The difference in LOS was not statistically significant in the sample of patients who were not administered parenteral anticoagulant agents.
Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Characterize Pedicle Asymmetry in Both Normal Patients and Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Study Design. Morphometric analysis of vertebrae from normal patients and patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Objectives. To use magnetic resonance imaging to assess pedicle asymmetry in normal patients and patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in the early stages of scoliosis development and to determine if patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis exhibited a consistent vertebral morphology. Summary of Background Data. To date, most studies of vertebral morphology in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have produced conflicting data, especially on pedicle length, and have been conducted on patients in the late stages of scoliosis development, which may affect the patterns of vertebral morphology detected. Magnetic resonance imaging enables in vivo assessment of curves during development and permits improved acquisition of transverse images. Methods. Magnetic resonance images of 76 pedicles from 8 normal patients and 80 pedicles from 10 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were examined retrospectively. Recorded parameters included pedicle lengths, pedicle widths, pedicle areas, pedicle perimeters, and lamina lengths. The extent and direction of asymmetry in vertebrae from normal patients and patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were determined and compared. Results. Normal patients displayed significant neural arch asymmetry, with the left sided measurements being greater. Patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis also displayed significant neural arch asymmetry; however, the longer pedicle was not consistently on the convexity or the concavity. Conclusions. The baseline used to assess adolescent idiopathic scoliosis vertebral morphology must take into consideration the extent and direction of normal vertebral asymmetry. The pattern of vertebral asymmetry seen inadolescent idiopathic scoliosis may depend on the specific cause of the disorder, with no consistent pattern evident when data from different causes are pooled together.
Evidence that moment‐to‐moment variation in positive emotions buffer genetic risk for depression: a momentary assessment twin study

Objective: The negative affective response to daily life stressors, which previous work suggest is a fundamental depression endophenotype, may be moderated by positive emotions. It was investigated whether positive affect (PA) buffers negative affect (NA) reactivity in response to stress and whether PA moderates the genetic predisposition to negative affect reactivity.
, Alexander Working Paper Highway Franchising and Real Estate Values

It has become increasingly common to allocate highway franchises to the bidder that offers to charge the lowest toll. Often, building a highway increases the value of land held by a small group of developers, an effect that is more pronounced with lower tolls. We study the welfare implications of highway franchises that benefit large developers, focusing on the incentives developers have to internalize the effect of the toll they bid on the value of their land. We study how participation by developers in the auction affects equilibrium tolls and welfare. We find that large developers bid more aggressively than construction companies that own no land. As long as land ownership is sufficiently concentrated, allowing developers in the auction leads to lower tolls and higher welfare. Moreover, collusion among developers is socially desirable. We also analyze the case when the franchise holder can charge lower tolls to those buying her land (‘toll discrimination’). Relative to uniform tolls, discrimination decreases welfare when land is highly concentrated, but increases welfare otherwise. Finally, we consider the welfare implications of subsidies and bonuses for proposing new highway projects.
Comparative pharmacokinetics of submucosal vs. intravenous flumazenil (Romazicon) in an animal model.

PURPOSE This study was performed to determine the bioavailability and local tissue toxicological safety of flumazenil (Romazicon) when administered by oral submucosal (SM) as opposed to intravenous (i.v.) injection. METHODS Six dogs each received SM flumazenil (0.2 mg), and their serum was collected at predetermined time intervals (0-2 h) and frozen (-70 degrees C). Seven days later, the dogs received an identical dose of i.v. flumazenil, and serum samples were again collected, as above. Comparative quantitation of flumazenil levels (i.v. vs. SM) was made using a sensitive HPLC assay (UV detection). Direct/local drug toxicity was visually scored by unbiased raters of color photographs (test and control mucosa) taken at 1, 2, and 7 days following SM flumazenil injection. An oral pathologist examined slides processed from control and treatment tissues (hematoxylin and eosin staining) taken (punch biopsy) 1 week following SM injection to compare with direct clinical scores. RESULTS Serum flumazenil levels reached a plateau (8.5 +/- 1.5 ng/mL, mean +/- SD) within 4 min of SM drug injection and declined thereafter to -2 ng/mL by 2 h. Bioavailability of SM flumazenil was 101 +/- 14%, based upon measuring the area under the serum concentration-time curves over 1.5 h (AUC 0-1.5 h, SM vs. i.v. drug). Thus, serum drug levels following SM drug administration were broadly comparable to those obtained during the elimination phase of corresponding i.v. drug delivery. Regarding drug tissue toxicity, no evidence of direct drug toxicity was observed by unbiased raters of color photographs (test and control mucosa) taken at 1, 2, and 7 days following SM flumazenil injection. Following pathologic review, no difference was seen in the degree of inflammation between treatment and control tissue. CONCLUSION At the quantity and concentration used, SM drug flumazenil administration appears to be both a safe and a viable alternative to bolus i.v. drug delivery and worthy of further investigation.
Does Africa Need a Rotten Kin Theorem? Experimental Evidence from Village Economies

This paper measures the economic impact of social pressure to share income with kin and neighbors in rural Kenyan villages. The authors conduct a lab experiment in which they randomly vary the observability of investment returns. The goal is to test whether subjects reduce their income in order to keep it hidden. The analysis finds that women adopt an investment strategy that conceals the size of their initial endowment in the experiment, although that strategy reduces their expected earnings. This effect is largest among women with relatives attending the experiment. Parameter estimates suggest that women behave as though they expect to be pressured to share four percent of their observable income with others, and substantially more when close kin can observe income directly. Although this paper provides experimental evidence from a single African country, observational studies suggest that similar pressure from kin may be prevalent in many rural areas throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Description and Codification of Miscanthus × giganteus Growth Stages for Phenological Assessment

Triploid Miscanthus × giganteus (Greef et Deu. ex Hodkinson et Renvoize) is a sterile, perennial grass used for biomass production in temperate environments. While M. × giganteus has been intensively researched, a scale standardizing description of M. × giganteus morphological stages has not been developed. Here we provide such a scale by adapting the widely-used Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, CHemische Industrie (BBCH) scale and its corresponding numerical code to describe stages of morphological development in M. × giganteus using observations of the “Freedom” and “Illinois” clone in Iowa, USA. Descriptive keys with images are also presented. Because M. × giganteus plants overlap in the field, the scale was first applied to individual stems and then scaled up to assess plants or communities. Of the 10 principal growth stages in the BBCH system, eight were observed in M. × giganteus. Each principal stage was subdivided into secondary stages to enable a detailed description of developmental progression. While M. × giganteus does not have seed development stages, descriptions of those stages are provided to extend the scale to other Miscanthus genotypes. We present methods to use morphological development data to assess phenology by calculating the onset, duration, and abundance of each developmental stage. This scale has potential to harmonize previously described study-specific scales and standardize results across studies. Use of the precise staging presented here should more tightly constrain estimates of developmental parameters in crop models and increase the efficacy of timing-sensitive crop management practices like pest control and harvest.
Prevalence of Dry Eye in Bangkok, Thailand

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of dry eye in the adult population of Bangkok, Thailand. Methods: Five hundred fifty volunteers 40 years of age or more who presented to the Ramathibodi Hospital for annual eye examinations were enrolled. Interviewers administered a dry eye symptoms questionnaire. Slit-lamp examination and objective dry eye assessment consisting of tear film breakup time (TBUT), fluorescein corneal staining, Schirmer tests, and meibomian gland evaluation were performed. Outcome measures included frequency of symptoms and positive dry eye tests. Results: Thirty-four percent reported significant symptoms, which were defined as having one or more symptoms often or all of the time (95% confidence interval, 28.1-40.6). Approximately one half had meibomian gland disease (MGD) or pingueculum/pterygium (46.2 and 53.8%, respectively). Individuals with significant symptoms tended to be women (83.4%, P = 0.024), had MGD (63.6%, P = 0.006), had current artificial tear use (33.2%, P = 0.024), and had positive TBUT (80.7%, P = 0.000) and fluorescein staining (16.6%, P = 0.013.) The presence of pingueculum/pterygium and MGD were significantly associated with positive dry eye tests. Conclusion: This is the first report of prevalence of dry eye inclusive of signs and symptoms in an elderly Thai population. The prevalence of disease diagnosed on the basis of symptoms and dry eye tests was approximately 2 to 3 times higher than reported in whites. Women were more likely to report symptoms. Positive associations with dry eye tests were found in subjects with pingueculum/pterygium and MGD.
A Distributed, Architecture-Centric Approach to Computing Accurate Recommendations from Very Large and Sparse Datasets

The use of recommender systems is an emerging trend today, when user behavior information is abundant. There are many large datasets available for analysis because many businesses are interested in future user opinions. Sophisticated algorithms that predict such opinions can simplify decision-making, improve customer satisfaction, and increase sales. However, modern datasets contain millions of records, which represent only a small fraction of all possible data. Furthermore, much of the information in such sparse datasets may be considered irrelevant for making individual recommendations. As a result, there is a demand for a way to make personalized suggestions from large amounts of noisy data. Current recommender systems are usually all-in-one applications that provide one type of recommendation. Their inflexible architectures prevent detailed examination of recommendation accuracy and its causes. We introduce a novel architecture model that supports scalable, distributed suggestions from multiple independent nodes. Our model consists of two components, the input matrix generation algorithm and multiple platform-independent combination algorithms. A dedicated input generation component provides the necessary data for combination algorithms, reduces their size, and eliminates redundant data processing. Likewise, simple combination algorithms can produce recommendations from the same input, so we can more easily distinguish between the benefits of a particular combination algorithm and the quality of the data it receives. Such flexible architecture is more conducive for a comprehensive examination of our system. We believe that a user's future opinion may be inferred from a small amount of data, provided that this data is most relevant. We propose a novel algorithm that generates a more optimal recommender input. Unlike existing approaches, our method sorts the relevant data twice. Doing this is slower, but the quality of the resulting input is considerably better. Furthermore, the modular nature of our approach may improve its performance, especially in the cloud computing context. We implement and validate our proposed model via mathematical modeling, by appealing to statistical theories, and through extensive experiments, data analysis, and empirical studies. Our empirical study examines the effectiveness of accuracy improvement techniques for collaborative filtering recommender systems. We evaluate our proposed architecture model on the Netflix dataset, a popular (over 130,000 solutions), large (over 100,000,000 records), and extremely sparse (1.1%) collection of movie ratings. The results show that combination algorithm tuning has little effect on recommendation accuracy. However, all algorithms produce better results when supplied with a more relevant input. Our input generation algorithm is the reason for a considerable accuracy improvement.