Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Marginal Likelihood Model for Family‐Based Data

This paper presents a marginal likelihood model for family‐based data based upon the transmission of marker alleles from each heterozygous parent to his/her affected children. The proposed model, extending the maximum‐likelihood‐binomial (MLB) method and the disequilibrium maximum‐likelihood‐binomial (DMLB) method ( Abel et al. 1998 ; Abel & Müller‐Myhsok, 1998 ; Huang & Jiang, 1999 ), is adaptive to linkage disequilibrium (LD) and linkage heterogeneity. Compared with other procedures, the likelihood ratio test (LRT) derived from the proposed model enjoys superior qualities. First, simulations indicate that the power of the LRT is greater than that of the TDT or DMLB in all of our studied scenarios. Second, when we applied the LRT and other tests to a Tourette Syndrome data, the result was data favorable to the use of the LRT. Therefore, we recommend the use of the LRT as an additional linkage test wherever applicable, especially when the amount of LD is uncertain.
Characterization of a logarithmic spike timing encoding scheme for a 4×4 tin oxide gas sensor array

In this paper, the performance of a logarithmic spike timing encoding scheme for gas sensor is analyzed. Utilizing the non-linear (power law) relationship between tin oxide (SnO2) gas sensor sensitivity and gas concentration, we designed and fabricated a time domain readout circuit for a 4×4 SnO2 gas sensor array. A unique pattern is generated by the readout scheme for each gas, irrespective of the gas concentration. This pattern is used as the signature of the gas. Gas identification is achieved by matching the generated signature with pre-stored reference signatures. The design was implemented in standard CMOS technology. Reported experimental results demonstrate the fabricated gas sensor exhibits the detection accuracy comparable to computationally expensive classifiers.
EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE, THEOPHYLLINE AND THEOBROMINE ON SCHEDULED CONTROLLED RESPONDING IN RATS

1 Rats were trained to respond under a variable interval 30 s (VI 30) schedule of food reinforcement. 2 Caffeine (0.32–32 mg/kg), theophylline (1.0–56 mg/kg) and theobromine (10–320 mg/kg) in general produced dose‐related decreases in operant responding. At relatively low doses, caffeine (1.0 mg/kg) and theophylline (3.2 mg/kg) produced slight but nonsignificant increases in VI 30 responding. 3 The rank order of potency for producing decreases in responding was caffeine > theophylline > theobromine. 4 Daily caffeine injections (32 mg/kg, i.p.) resulted in the development of caffeine tolerance. This tolerance was characterized by a 6 fold shift to the right in the caffeine dose‐effect curve Saline substitution for the 32.0 mg/kg caffeine maintenance dose resulted in a substantial decrease in responding.
A double-blind comparative evaluation of flurothyl and ECT.

CONVULSIVE THERAPY continues to be one of the mainstays of treatment for hospitalized psychiatric patients. Most clinicians concede that the benefits of this form of somatic treatment outweigh its disadvantages and that even the most recent of pharmacologic and other advanced methods of therapeutic management cannot replace it. Still, convulsive treatment has many drawbacks including an unknown mode of action, a sometimes temporary and unpredictable effectiveness, often unsatisfactory patient acceptance, and prominent side effects. Over the years many efforts have been made to modify convulsive treatment in hopes of avoiding or minimizing some of these problems. Most present day variations include atropine, barbiturate, and muscle relaxant premedications, and the electrical induction of seizures. There have been a number of recent reports which suggest that the use of an inhaled gas, hexafluorodiethyl ether or flurothyl (Indoklon), for the induction of convulsions may
Magnetoencephalographic Signatures of Numerosity Discrimination in Fetuses and Neonates

Numerosity discrimination has been demonstrated in newborns, but not in fetuses. Fetal magnetoencephalography allows non-invasive investigation of neural responses in neonates and fetuses. During an oddball paradigm with auditory sequences differing in numerosity, evoked responses were recorded and mismatch responses were quantified as an indicator for auditory discrimination. Thirty pregnant women with healthy fetuses (last trimester) and 30 healthy term neonates participated. Fourteen adults were included as a control group. Based on measurements eligible for analysis, all adults, all neonates, and 74% of fetuses showed numerical mismatch responses. Numerosity discrimination appears to exist in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Gearbox noise and vibration prediction and control

This paper will review practical techniques and procedures employed to quiet gearboxes and transmission units. The author prefers solving the gear noise problem at the very source to introduce an enclosure as a means to reduce radiated noise, which seems to be easy but its effect on the sound pressure level is small. The gearbox noise problem solution is focused on the improvement of gear design; on the verification of its effect on the radiated noise and the determination of the gears’ contribution to the truck’s or car’s overall noise levels and on the analytical and/or numerical computer-based tools needed to perform the signal processing and diagnostics of geared axis systems. All of the analytical methods are based on the time and frequency domain approach. Special care is addressed to the smoothness of the drive resulting from the transmission error variation during a mesh cycle. This paper will review the progress in technique of the gear angular vibration analysis and its effect on gear noise due to the self excited vibration. This presentation will include some examples of the use of such approaches in practical engineering problems.
Histopathology of the rat liver following a single autoprotective dose of 3′‐methyl‐4‐dimethylaminoazobenzene

Male inbred Leeds strain rats were given single intragastric doses of 1200 mg/kg of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, autoprotective against liver necrosis and then sacrificed at intervals up to 14 months. About 40 per cent of the animals died, apparently as a result of pancreatic necrosis, between 9 and 13 days after treatment while the remainder survived until they were killed. The liver changes induced included an early intense ductular cell reaction, presistent hepatocellular abnormalities and at later stages, cholangiofibrosis and increasing numbers of parenchymal clear cells. Although no tumours arose as a result of treatment, the observed histopathological changes are similar to those seen during liver carcinogenesis induced by a variety of carcinogens and may be due specifically to the carcinogenic action of the azo dye.
Bradykinesia Induced by Dopamine D2 Receptor Blockade Is Associated with Reduced Motor Cortex Activity in the Rat

Disruption of motor cortex activity is hypothesized to play a major role in the slowed movement (bradykinesia) associated with reduced dopaminergic function. We recorded single neurons in the motor cortex of free-moving rats performing a forelimb-reaching task. The same neurons were examined before and after induction of bradykinesia with the D2 dopamine receptor antagonist haloperidol. Within-cell changes in the firing rate and firing pattern of individual cells and the correlation between simultaneously recorded cells after injection of haloperidol were statistically compared with vehicle-only control experiments. During haloperidol-induced bradykinesia (mean movement time increase, +231%), there was an average 11% decrease in baseline firing rate. Movement-related peaks in firing rate were more dramatically affected, with an overall reduction in peak amplitudes of 40%. Bradykinesia was also associated with decreased intensity of bursting and amplitude of cross-correlation peaks at rest. The results show for the first time that significant reductions can be detected in motor cortex activity at rest in animals with impaired ability to generate movements induced by reduced dopamine action and confirm that impaired movements are associated with reduced cortical activation. Together, these changes in neural activity may reduce recruitment and rate modulation of motor units in the spinal cord.
Cerebral white matter hyperintensity is mainly associated with hypertension among the components of metabolic syndrome in Koreans

Background Cerebral white matter hyperintensity (WMH) is a common abnormality in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and is known to be associated with ischaemic stroke. Previous studies revealed that the risk factors for cerebral WMH were age, female gender, hypertension and diabetes. In this study we examined the association between cerebral WMH and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of hypertension, glucose intolerance, abdominal obesity and dyslipidaemia.
Kinetic Analyses of Keap1–Nrf2 Interaction and Determination of the Minimal Nrf2 Peptide Sequence Required for Keap1 Binding Using Surface Plasmon Resonance

The Keap1–Nrf2 interaction plays important roles in regulation of Nrf2 activity and induction of chemopreventive enzymes. To better understand the interaction and to determine the minimal Nrf2 sequence required for Keap1 binding, we synthesized a series of Nrf2 peptides containing ETGE motif and determined their binding affinities to the Kelch domain of Keap1 in solution using a surface plasmon resonance‐based competition assay. The equilibrium dissociation constant for the interaction between 16mer Nrf2 peptide and Keap1 Kelch domain in solution () was found to be 23.9 nm, which is 10× lower than the surface binding constant () of 252 nm obtained for the direct binding of Keap1 Kelch domain to the immobilized 16mer Nrf2 peptide on a surface plasmon resonance sensor chip surface. The binding affinity of Nrf2 peptides to Keap1 Kelch domain was not lost until after deletion of eight residues from the N‐terminus of the 16mer Nrf2 peptide. The 9mer Nrf2 peptide has a moderate binding affinity with a of 352 nm and the affinity was increased 15× upon removal of the positive charge at the peptide N‐terminus by acetylation. These results suggest that the minimal Nrf2 peptide sequence required for Keap1 binding is the 9mer sequence of LDEETGEFL.
The Professionalism of Critical Care Nurse Fellows After Completion of the Critical Care Nurse Fellowship Program

Professionalism is paramount to the formation and functioning of new graduate critical care nurses. In this project, a sample of 110 new graduate nurses used a descriptive self-report electronic survey with Hall’s Professionalism Inventory Scale. A great percentage of these new graduate critical care nurse fellows with high professionalism scores may be related to their participation in the Critical Care Nurse Fellowship orientation program. Perhaps, Nursing Professional Development specialists should incorporate classes on professional advancement planning for new graduate nurses.
311547-Journal vol 5/1 Jan 04

The most appropriate method to determine if brain choline concentrations are altered in patients, or by treatment, is by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS). However, it is hard to measure choline alone, and it should be noted that the “choline” resonance peak seen in H-MRS is composed primarily of phosphocholine and glycerophosphocholine along with free choline, acetylcholine, and cytidine diphosphate choline. In a previous study in healthy volunteers (Silverstone et al. 1999), we found that lithium administration did not alter choline concentrations. In patients, there have been several studies (Table 1), but the results have been contradictory. Overall, while some earlier studies suggested there may be increased choline concentrations in certain conditions, more recent studies have found no changes. However, these studies vary in terms of patient populations, brain region studied, medications administered, and MRS methodology, and such differences may partially explain the varied results.
Bilateral Bispectral Index Monitoring During Suppression of Unilateral Hemispheric Function

Bispectral Index (BIS) has been used to monitor level of “sedation” based on the electroencephalogram (EEG). Patients evaluated for surgery to control a seizure disorder undergo Wada testing, during which one hemisphere is rendered functionally inactive after injecting a short-acting barbiturate. We surmised that the BIS values would reflect these functional changes. Eight epileptic patients were enrolled. A full array of 21 EEG electrodes and 2 BIS XP (Quatro) strips over each frontal region of the scalp were applied. The EEG was continuously recorded. BIS values from each hemisphere were recorded every minute. Angiography was performed by advancing a catheter into each internal carotid artery. Amobarbital or methohexital was injected until the patient developed a hemiparesis. The EEG confirmed a significant lateralized cortical effect of the barbiturate. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the differences between the BIS values from monitor electrode strips placed on the left (left BIS) and the right (right BIS) sides of the head as well as the differences in the left and right BIS values before and after each injection of the barbiturate. Injection of barbiturate into either the left or right internal carotid artery produced a significant change on the 21-electrode EEG. However, there was no difference between left BIS to right BIS values (P = 0.84). With repeated injections of barbiturates, some patients became sedated. At these times, both left BIS and right BIS values decreased together before and after injection of barbiturate. The BIS monitor was unable to distinguish significant hemispheric EEG and clinical functional changes except when the patient became sedated.
Soft and Hard Tissue Response to Zirconia versus Titanium One-Piece Implants Placed in Alveolar and Palatal Sites: A Randomized Control Trial.

BACKGROUND Titanium (Ti) implants have been used in the last four decades to replace missing teeth. Alternatives to Ti such as zirconia (Zr) may offer aesthetic advantages and be more acceptable to patients and clinicians concerned about Ti allergy but must show equivalent biological acceptability to Ti. PURPOSE The research aimed to investigate soft and hard tissue response to Ti and Zr implants in edentulous patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The research included 24 participants (Ti = 12, Zr = 12) restored with one-piece ball-abutment implants to support overdentures. Participants received four maxillary implants (two in the premolar alveolus, one off center in the alveolar midline, and one wide-diameter implant in the anterior median palate) and three mandibular implants (one in the midline and bilateral posterior implants). RESULTS Success rates for both Ti and Zr implants were low, 67.9% for all alveolar implants and a survival rate of 50.0% for the palatal implants. Only 11 (52.4%) of 21 palatal implants survived the follow-up period. Peri-implant health was equivalent for Ti and Zr implants and showed no statistically significant changes from loading to the 1-year follow-up. Statistically significant differences were noted in radiographic bone level between Ti and Zr implants (p = .02), with Zr showing greater bone loss. CONCLUSIONS Although the failure rates with the one-piece Zr implants were higher than with the Ti ones, suggesting that the former's clinical usage as in this study cannot be recommended, it should be borne in mind that the fault may also lie with the novel prosthodontic design which was used.
Selecting medical students

The task of selecting a cohort of medical students often from a large pool of well-qualified applicants is complex, fraught with uncertainty and inevitably accompanied by logistical difficulties. The failure of many applicants to gain entry to medical school, despite being highly motivated, apparently possessing a sense of vocation and being endowed with eminently desirable personal qualities, is also a cause for concern. Such concern, widely perceived within universities and the health care system, has led to moves to consider alternative and more appropriate student selection criteria (see, for example, the GPEP Report, 1984). Faced with often large numbers of applicants, medical schools need to create and implement an efficient and effective selection policy. Ideally, this would comprise: (1) a statement describing the qualities (academic and non-academic, cognitive and non-cognitive, and demographic) that the medical school requires in its students if they are to be compatible with, and later successful in, the course of studies offered, to ensure the entry into the profession of good doctors; and (2) a list of valid, reliable and acceptable tools or methods with which to select these desirable qualities. In practice this seldom occurs, often because the qualities required are not explicitly defined. Even when they are adequately defined, the most appropriate methods for their identification are frequently not used, usually because they are costly or time-consuming to operate. Even when the qualities are explicitly stated and the best methods put in place for their identification, a
Diversity and temporal patterns of planktonic protist assemblages at a Mediterranean Long Term Ecological Research site

ABSTRACT We tracked temporal changes in protist diversity at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) station MareChiara in the Gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea) on eight dates in 2011 using a metabarcoding approach. Illumina analysis of the V4 and V9 fragments of the 18S rDNA produced 869 522 and 1 410 071 sequences resulting in 6517 and 6519 OTUs, respectively. Marked compositional variations were recorded across the year, with less than 2% of OTUs shared among all samples and similar patterns for the two marker tags. Alveolata, Stramenopiles and Rhizaria were the most represented groups. A comparison with light microscopy data indicated an over‐representation of Dinophyta in the sequence dataset, whereas Bacillariophyta showed comparable taxonomic patterns between sequence and light microscopy data. Shannon diversity values were stable from February to September, increasing thereafter with a peak in December. Community variance was mainly explained by seasonality (as temperature), trophic status (as chlorophyll a), and influence of coastal waters (as salinity). Overall, the background knowledge of the system provided a sound context for the result interpretation, showing that LTER sites provide an ideal setting for high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) metabarcoding characterisation of protist assemblages and their relationships with environmental variations. &NA; Graphical Abstract Figure. Temporal diversity and community structure of the entire protist assemblage from the Gulf of Naples assessed using high throughput sequencing and light microscopy.
Clinical benefits of steroid therapy on surgical stress in patients with esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND Despite improvements in surgical techniques and perioperative care, severe complications lead to long hospital stays for some esophageal cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of perioperative steroid therapy on the postoperative clinical course. METHODS Fifty-seven patients operated for esophageal cancer in 1997 and 1998 were treated with perioperative steroid therapy. Fifty consecutive patients operated in 1995 and 1996 served as a control group. In the steroid group, each patient was given 250 mg of methylprednisolone intravenously before operation followed by 125 mg on postoperative days 1 and 2. Serum interleukin-6, polymorphonuclear cell elastase, and C-reactive protein levels, and the postoperative clinical course were compared between the groups. RESULTS Morbidity rates including hyperbilirubinemia, anastomotic leakage, and liver dysfunction were significantly lower in the steroid group than in the control group. Days until extubation and hospital stay were significantly shorter for the steroid group. Inflammatory mediators, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory index after the surgical procedure were significantly lower in the steroid group. Adverse effects possibly caused by steroid therapy were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Perioperative steroid therapy was safe and effective for the inhibition of inflammatory mediators and the improvement of the postoperative clinical course of patients with esophageal cancer.
The information culture of higher education institutions: the Estonian case

Introduction. This paper focuses on the information culture of higher education institutions in Estonia. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between information culture, information management and job satisfaction, leadership style, and selfreported individual performance. Method. A total of 160 faculty members from twelve institutions of higher education completed an online survey. The aim of the online survey was to identify the behaviour and values that characterise the information culture of Estonian higher education institutions. Analysis. Factor analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to analyse online survey data. Results. Taking into account six components of information culture identified by earlier researchers, analysis revealed three types of information culture characterised by their dominant components: integrated, proactive, and informal. A significant correlation was found between information culture with integrated information culture and job satisfaction, leadership style, and selfreported individual performance. Conclusion. Our study suggests that the construct of information culture is valuable in analysing information environments and their relations with job satisfaction, leadership style, and selfreported individual performance. In addition, integrated information culture seems to be (at least in the sample of academic staff) the most sensitive one, having significant correlations with several indicators of subjective well-being within the academic staff.
Location learning in virtual environments: The effect of saliency of landmarks and boundaries

In the present paper, we investigated the learning of object location in a virtual reality environment. Previous studies suggested that learning is essentially different when participants rely on landmarks (i.e., single stationary objects in the space) or boundaries (i.e., terrain features), the former requiring associative reinforcement learning, while the latter relying on incidental learning. However, in previous studies the saliency of the spatial cues and the position of objects relative to spatial cues were not carefully controlled, which could account for the specific learning effect found. In our study, we controlled these effects. We presented a virtual arena on a computer screen, featuring a landmark and a boundary cue, and four everyday objects, the location of which had to be learned and recalled. In the learning phase, either one or both cues were present, while in the test phase only one cue was present. Contrary to previous results, we did not obtain the overshadowing effect, as there was no difference in the location errors between the four conditions. At the same time, we found that location errors were influenced by the relative spatial position of the object and cue. This suggests that it is the distance from the cue and not the cue type, which is the main factor behind localization errors.