Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autism-Associated DNA Methylation at Birth From Multiple Tissues Is Enriched for Autism Genes in the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation

Background: Pregnancy measures of DNA methylation, an epigenetic mark, may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) development in children. Few ASD studies have considered prospective designs with DNA methylation measured in multiple tissues and tested overlap with ASD genetic risk loci. Objectives: To estimate associations between DNA methylation in maternal blood, cord blood, and placenta and later diagnosis of ASD, and to evaluate enrichment of ASD-associated DNA methylation for known ASD-associated genes. Methods: In the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI), an ASD-enriched risk birth cohort, genome-scale maternal blood (early n = 140 and late n = 75 pregnancy), infant cord blood (n = 133), and placenta (maternal n = 106 and fetal n = 107 compartments) DNA methylation was assessed on the Illumina 450k HumanMethylation array and compared to ASD diagnosis at 36 months of age. Differences in site-specific and global methylation were tested with ASD, as well as enrichment of single site associations for ASD risk genes (n = 881) from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) database. Results: No individual DNA methylation site was associated with ASD at genome-wide significance, however, individual DNA methylation sites nominally associated with ASD (P < 0.05) in each tissue were highly enriched for SFARI genes (cord blood P = 7.9 × 10–29, maternal blood early pregnancy P = 6.1 × 10–27, maternal blood late pregnancy P = 2.8 × 10–16, maternal placenta P = 5.6 × 10–15, fetal placenta P = 1.3 × 10–20). DNA methylation sites nominally associated with ASD across all five tissues overlapped at 144 (29.5%) SFARI genes. Conclusion: DNA methylation sites nominally associated with later ASD diagnosis in multiple tissues were enriched for ASD risk genes. Our multi-tissue study demonstrates the utility of examining DNA methylation prior to ASD diagnosis.
Determination of the Distribution of the rs2069514 and rs762551 Alleles of the Cyp1a2 Gene Related to Caffeine Metabolism in Professional Athletes

The objective of this study is to investigate allele distributions of the rs2069514 and rs762551 polymorphisms of the CYP1A2 gene which affect caffeine metabolism in long-distance and short-distance runners in the Turkish population. 20 professional athletes in total were included in the study within the age range of 18-24, 10 of whom were long-distance (female, n=5; Male, n=5) and 10 of whom were short-distance (Female, n=5; Male, n=5) runners. DNA isolation from the athletes was performed from peripheral blood samples and genotyping was determined using the technique of Real Time-PCR. According to the obtained data, the ratio of individuals having AA (n=6), GG (n=9) and AG (n=5) genotype for the region of rs2069514 was found as 30%, 45% and 25% respectively. On the other hand, the ratio for AA (n=4), CC (n=9) and AC (n=7) genotypes in the region of rs762551 allele was determined as 20%, 45% and 35%. According to the results, no significant variance regarding gender was found for either of the different polymorphisms under study in long-distance and short-distance runners while the genotype distributions varied between short and long-distance runners only in the rs2069514 polymorphism. The GG genotype was observed in 9 short-distance runners while it was observed in none of the long-distance runners. As a result, the fact that the GG genotype in case of the Rs2069514 polymorphism was observed in nine of the ten short-distance runners suggests that the athletes in this group metabolize caffeine slowly and this should be considered in the caffeine intake.
Autoantibodies Activating the β2-Adrenergic Receptor Characterize Patients With Primary and Secondary Glaucoma

Recently, agonistic autoantibodies (agAAb) activating the β2-adrenergic receptor were detected in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT) patients and were linked to intraocular pressure (IOP) (1). The aim of the present study was to quantify β2-agAAb in the sera of glaucoma suspects and patients with primary and secondary glaucoma. Patients with OHT (n = 33), pre-perimetric POAG (pre-POAG; n = 11), POAG (n = 28), and 11 secondary OAG (SOAG) underwent ophthalmological examinations including examinations with Octopus G1 perimetry and morphometry. Twenty-five healthy individuals served as controls. Serum-derived IgG samples were analyzed for β2-agAAb using a functional bioassay. The beat-rate-increase of spontaneously beating cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes was monitored with 1.6 beats/15 s as cut-off. None of the sera of normal subjects showed β2-agAAb. In POAG or OHT patients increased beating rates of 4.1 ± 2.2 beats/15 s, and 3.7 ± 2.8 beats/15 s were detected (p > 0.05). Glaucoma patients with (POAG) and without perimetric (pre-POAG) defects did not differ (pre-POAG 4.4 ± 2.6 beats/15 s, POAG 4.1 ± 2.0 beats/15 s, p > 0.05). Patients with SOAG yielded mean beating rates of 4.7 ± 1.7 beats/15 s (p > 0.05). β2-agAAb were seen in 73% of OHT, 82% of pre-POAG, 82% of POAG, and 91% SOAG patients (p < 0.001). Clinical data did not correlate with beating rate (p > 0.05). The robust β2-agAAb seropositivity in patients with OHT, pre-POAG, POAG, and SOAG suggest a primary common role for β2-agAAb starting early in glaucoma pathophysiology and turned out to be a novel marker identifying all patients with increased IOP independent of glaucoma stage and entity.
Single cell transcriptional signatures of the human placenta in term and preterm parturition

More than 135 million births occur each year; yet, the molecular underpinnings of human parturition in gestational tissues, and in particular the placenta, are still poorly understood. The placenta is a complex heterogeneous organ including cells of both maternal and fetal origin, and insults that disrupt the maternal-fetal dialogue could result in adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth. There is limited knowledge of the cell type composition and transcriptional activity of the placenta and its compartments during physiologic and pathologic parturition. To fill this knowledge gap, we used scRNA-seq to profile the placental villous tree, basal plate, and chorioamniotic membranes of women with or without labor at term and those with preterm labor. Significant differences in cell type composition and transcriptional profiles were found among placental compartments and across study groups. For the first time, two cell types were identified: 1) lymphatic endothelial decidual cells in the chorioamniotic membranes, and 2) non-proliferative interstitial cytotrophoblasts in the placental villi. Maternal macrophages from the chorioamniotic membranes displayed the largest differences in gene expression (e.g. NFKB1) in both processes of labor; yet, specific gene expression changes were also detected in preterm labor. Importantly, several placental scRNA-seq transcriptional signatures were modulated with advancing gestation in the maternal circulation, and specific immune cell type signatures were increased with labor at term (NK-cell and activated T-cell) and with preterm labor (macrophage, monocyte, and activated T-cell). Herein, we provide a catalogue of cell types and transcriptional profiles in the human placenta, shedding light on the molecular underpinnings and non-invasive prediction of the physiologic and pathologic parturition. One sentence summary The common molecular pathway of parturition for both term and preterm spontaneous labor is characterized using single cell gene expression analysis of the human placenta.
Vibrational Properties of Japanese Cedar Juvenile Wood at High Temperature

The vibrational properties of Japanese cedar wood at high temperature were measured. The specimen, its support system, a magnetic driver, and a deflection sensor were placed in an electric drying oven, where vibration tests were conducted. The heating temperatures ranged from 25 oC to 200 oC in 25 oC increments. The resonance frequency decreased with higher heating temperature and decreased most dramatically in the temperature range of 150 oC to 200 oC. The loss tangent had a minimum value at 100 oC and changed more in the temperature range from 150 oC to 200 oC than in the range from 25 oC to 150 oC. The changes in the resonance frequency and loss tangent of the specimens with larger distance from the pith (d) were smaller than those around the pith. These tendencies are believed to have occurred because the portion with a larger d had a smaller number of intercellular layers than the portion around the pith.
Does Institutional Quality Determine Aid Allocation ? A Cross-Country Approach to General Budget Support : Do Donors Practice What They Preach ?

This thesis seeks to address the allocation of development aid in relation to institutional quality of recipient countries by focusing on General Budget Support (GBS) – an aid modality associated with increased aid effectiveness and un-earmarked funds to recipient governments that display high institutional quality, but also with risks of moral hazard. The thesis departs from a theoretical framework based on previous research concerned with aid allocation and an on-going debate on aid effectiveness taking place within main donor organizations. On the one hand, aid effectiveness could theoretically be enhanced when aid is allocated in the form of un-earmarked funds, allowing for recipient governments to pursue their own policies and decrease the transaction costs often associated with aid. On the other hand, previous research indicates that donors may allocate aid based on strategic self-interest rather than altruism and the performance of recipients, and associates aid-inflows with risks in the form of moral hazard and misuse of funds. In relation to GBS, these two theoretical strands can be seen as somewhat conflicting. Is GBS only allocated to recipients with high institutional quality, as often claimed by donors? Similar to other sources cited in this thesis, a quantitative, cross-country approach is adopted. Departing from a dependent variable measuring GBS provided by the European Union within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement, OLS regressions are used. Three features of institutional quality are used as independent variables. The results obtained do not indicate that the institutional quality of recipients determines the allocation of GBS.
PARADIGMS BEHIND (AND BEFORE) THE MODERN CONCEPT OF RELIGION

This essay identifies five paradigms that are basic to understanding the historical emergence and uses of the generic idea of "religion" in the Christian cultures of Europe and America. The spread of this concept has been sufficiently thorough in recent centuries as to make religion appear to be a "social fact," to use Durkheim's phrase, rather than so many cultural expressions and different social practices. The supremacy of Euro-American culture -and an academy still saturated with Christian ideas--has enjoined other cultures and forms of religiosity to conform to this idea of religion; for these cultures contentment with the status quo can vie with the anxieties of influence, including "modernization. " The key paradigms discussed are the following: Christianity as the prototype; religion as the opposite of reason; the modem formulation of "world religions"; the cultural necessity of religion; and critical analysis of the Western "construction" of religion. These paradigms demonstrate the limits on theoretical variety in the field, the difficulty in making real changes in set ways of thinking, and productive foci for interdisciplinary methods of study.
Haematopoietic Potential of Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Talinum triangulare in Wistar Rats

Aim: This study focuses on assessing the haematopoietic potential of ethanolic extract of Talinum triangulare leaves in Wistar rats. Methods: Fresh plants of T. triangulare were purchased from a local market in Orita-Challenge area of Ibadan, Nigeria. They were air dried at room temperature in an open laboratory space for 21 days and milled into powder. The extraction was done using soxhlet apparatus and ethanol as the solvent. The ethanol was evaporated in a rotary evaporator at 35°C with a yield of 2.76 g which represents a percentage yield of 11.04%. Ten adult male Wistar rats with body weight between 150 and 170 g were used for this study. They were randomly divided into two groups of five rats each. Animals in group A were administered saline solution while those in group B were administered T. triangulare leaf extract. The administration was done 12 hourly for twenty-eight days at 100 mg/kg body weight via oral route since the plant is consumed orally. At the end of the treatment, animals were fasted overnight and anaesthetized using diethyl ether. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture into heparinized bottles. Haematological parameters were determined using standard methods. Results: A significant increase was observed in the PCV, Hb, RBC, MCV, WBC, lymphocyte and platelet counts of control animals when compared with those treated with leaf extract of T. triangulare at p<0.05. However, treatment had no significant difference on the neutrophil of animals. Conclusion: The significant increase observed in the erythrocyte parameters of animals used in this study indicates that T. triangulare leaves have haematopoietic properties and can be used to boost blood level especially in menstruating and pregnant women as well as anaemia patients. Its ability to significantly increase white blood cell parameters is an indication that T. triangulare leaves can boost the immune system and thus defend the body against xenobiotics.
Topological phase transitions and Thouless pumping of light in photonic waveguide arrays

Photonic waveguide arrays provide an excellent platform for simulating conventional topological systems, and they can also be employed for the study of novel topological phases in photonics systems. However, a direct measurement of bulk topological invariants remains a great challenge. Here we study topological features of generalized commensurate Aubry‐André‐Harper (AAH) photonic waveguide arrays and construct a topological phase diagram by calculating all bulk Chern numbers, and then explore the bulk‐edge correspondence by analyzing the topological edge states and their winding numbers. In contrast to incommensurate AAH models, diagonal and off‐diagonal commensurate AAH models are not topologically equivalent. In particular, there appear nontrivial topological phases with large Chern numbers and topological phase transitions. By implementing Thouless pumping of light in photonic waveguide arrays, we propose a simple scheme to measure the bulk Chern numbers.
Longitudinal and transverse structure functions in high Reynolds-number magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

We investigate the scaling behavior of longitudinal and transverse structure functions in homogeneous and isotropic magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence by means of an exact hierarchy of structure function equations as well as by direct numerical simulations of twoand three-dimensional MHD turbulence. In particular, rescaling relations between longitudinal and transverse structure functions are derived and utilized in order to compare different scaling behavior in the inertial range. It is found that there are no substantial differences between longitudinal and transverse structure functions in MHD turbulence. This finding stands in contrast to the case of hydrodynamic turbulence which shows persistent differences even at high Reynolds numbers. We propose a physical picture that is based on an effective reduction of pressure contributions due to local regions of same magnitude and alignment of velocity and magnetic field fluctuations. Finally, our findings underline the importance of the pressure term for the actually observed scaling differences in hydrodynamic turbulence. PACS numbers: 47.27. Ak, 47.27. Jv, 47.27. E-, 47.27. er, 47.27. Gs, 52.30. Cv, 52.35. Ra, 52.65. Kj high Reynolds-number turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamics, structure functions, direct numerical simulations ar X iv :1 60 9. 05 79 0v 2 [ ph ys ic s. fl udy n] 2 M ay 2 01 7 Longitudinal and transverse structure functions in MHD turbulence 2
Disruption of visual perception and its spatio-temporal dynamics ‘ s-Hertogenbosch :

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A new perspective on recent global warming: asymmetric trends of daily maximum and minimum temperature

Abstract Monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures for over 50% (10%) of the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere landmass, accounting for 37% of the global landmass, indicate that the rise of the minimum temperature has occurred at a rate three times that of the maximum temperature during the period 1951–90 (0.84°C versus 0.28°C). The decrease of the diurnal temperature range is approximately equal to the increase of mean temperature. The asymmetry is detectable in all seasons and in most of the regions studied. The decrease in the daily temperature range is partially related to increases in cloud cover. Furthermore, a large number of atmospheric and surface boundary conditions are shown to differentially affect the maximum and minimum temperature. Linkages of the observed changes in the diurnal temperature range to large-scale climate forcings, such as anthropogenic increases in sulfate aerosols, greenhouse gases, or biomass burning (smoke), remain tentative. Nonetheless, the observed decrease of the diur.
Commitment to the Profession of School Psychology: An Exploratory Study.

This study focused on professional commitment to school psychology among practicing school psychologists. Burnout, school system reductions, and demographic characteristics were examined with respect to school psychologists' commitment to their profession. The results revealed that burnout had a significant relationship to professional commitment among the 181 school psychologists who participated in the survey. More specifically, the school psychologists who had a lower sense of personal accomplishment at work tended to be less committed to the profession. Surprisingly, professional commitment had only a modest relationship to reductions in school system resources and a statistically nonsignificant relationship to reductions in school psychology staff. Women were significantly more committed to school psychology than were men in the sample. The highest degree attained was unrelated to professional commitment. The findings of this study have implications for recruitment, training, and retention of school psychologists as well as for future research in the area. Instruction in strategies that enhance a sense of work-related personal accomplishment might help strengthen an individual's identification with school psychology and increase his/her motivation to advance the profession. The lower professional commitment of men coupled with their minority status in the profession suggest that it might be important to direct efforts toward recruiting men into school psychology and making the profession more attractive to them as a long-term career. (Author/NB) *********************************************************************** * * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made '` from the original document. *********************************************************************** Commitment to the Profession of School Psychology: An Exploratory Study Louis J. Kruger Department of Counseling Psychology. Northeastern University
Hedonic Price Modeling to Value Irrigated Agriculture Across a River Basin

The need to quantify the economic value of irrigation associated with production agriculture has become essential in evaluating the economic feasibility of various water management options in many areas of the Central and Western U.S. This paper summarizes two alternative approaches to value irrigation in an area such as Nebraska which relies on both ground and surface water resources: relying on existing surveys of real estate experts and hedonic price modeling.
Foreign Direct Investment: It's Role in the Economic Growth of Transition Economies

The mechanism through which Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) affects growth and vice versa is an aspect of growth developed on in the endogenous growth model, taking into cognisance the impact of human capital and its spill over effects on transition economies . This paper, using panel data estimation methods seeks to understand the impact of FDI on economic growth in transition economies and how this FDI performs with the spill over effects from human capital in the economy. In addition, this paper also seeks to understand how the political discretion of the preferences of political actors in a nation affects the performance of FDI on growth, focussing on the economies in transition. Key Words: Foreign Direct Investment, Transition economies, Economic growth
Framing in Discourse

The concept of framing has been pivotal in research on social interaction among anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and linguists. This collection shows how the discourse analysis of frames can be applied to a range of social contexts. Tannen provides a seminal theoretical framework for conceptualizing the relationship between frames and schemas as well as a methodology for the discourse analysis of framing in interaction. Each chapter makes a unique theoretical contribution to frames theory while showing how discourse analysis can elucidate the linguistic means by which framing is accomplished in a particular interactional setting. Applied to such a wide-range of contexts as a medical examination, psychotic discourse, gender differences in sermon performance, boys' "sportscasting" their own play, teasing among friends, a comparison of Japanese and American discussion groups, and sociolinguistic interviews, the discourse analysis of framing emerges here as a fruitful new avenue for interaction analysis.
Exploiting Genetic Diversity for Blast Disease Resistance Sources in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana)

Finger millet blast, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, is the most important disease of finger millet in East Africa. Diseased plants are significantly less productive, and most cultivars grown by farmers are susceptible to the disease. Fungicide application is an option for disease management; however, smallholder farmers cannot afford the cost. Host plant resistance is therefore the most viable option for managing the disease. Eighty-one finger millet germplasm accessions from East Africa were evaluated for resistance to blast disease, in natural and inoculated trials. Three accessions (G18, G43, and G67) were identified as resistant to all the three progressive stages of blast: leaf, neck, and panicle. However, one (G3) and four (G15, G16, G60, and G70) accessions were only resistant to leaf and neck blast, respectively. Two resistant (G39 and G43) and 12 moderately resistant (G3, G7, G11, G20, G23, G27, G31, G33, G36, G66, G74, and G81) accessions to blast attained grain yields >2.0 t/ha. These accessions varied in time to maturity, plant height, and grain color, which will enable farmers to select accessions appropriate to their target agro-ecological zones and desired end uses. East African finger millet germplasm has high potential as a source of blast-resistant accessions that could be evaluated for direct production and/or for blast-resistance breeding.