Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micro-RNA Binding Site Polymorphisms in the WFS1 Gene Are Risk Factors of Diabetes Mellitus

The absolute or relative lack of insulin is the key factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Although the connection between loss of function mutations of the WFS1 gene and DIDMOAD-syndrome including diabetes mellitus underpins the significance of wolframin in the pathogenesis, exact role of WFS1 polymorphic variants in the development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes has not been discovered yet. In this analysis, 787 patients with diabetes and 900 healthy people participated. Genotyping of the 7 WFS1 SNPs was carried out by TaqMan assays. Association study was performed by χ 2-test in combination with correction for multiple testing. For functional analysis, the entire 3’ UTR of the WFS1 gene was subcloned in a pMIR-Report plasmid and relative luciferase activities were determined. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed a generally high LD within the investigated region, however the rs1046322 locus was not in LD with the other SNPs. The two miR-SNPs, rs1046322 and rs9457 showed significant association with T1DM and T2DM, respectively. Haplotype analysis also confirmed the association between the 3’ UTR loci and both disease types. In vitro experiments showed that miR-185 reduces the amount of the resulting protein, and rs9457 miRSNP significantly influences the rate of reduction in a luciferase reporter assay. Genetic variants of the WFS1 gene might contribute to the genetic risk of T1DM and T2DM. Furthermore demonstrating the effect of rs9457 in binding of miR-185, we suggest that the optimal level of wolframin protein, potentially influenced by miR-regulation, is crucial in normal beta cell function.
Recovery from Malicious Transactions

Preventive measures sometimes fail to deflect malicious attacks. We adopt an information warfare perspective, which assumes success by the attacker in achieving partial, but not complete, damage. In particular, we work in the database context and consider recovery from malicious but committed transactions. Traditional recovery mechanisms do not address this problem, except for complete rollbacks, which undo the work of benign transactions as well as malicious ones, and compensating transactions, whose utility depends on application semantics. Recovery is complicated by the presence of benign transactions that depend, directly or indirectly, on the malicious transactions. We present algorithms to restore only the damaged part of the database. We identify the information that needs to be maintained for such algorithms. The initial algorithms repair damage to quiescent databases; subsequent algorithms increase availability by allowing new transactions to execute concurrently with the repair process. Also, via a study of benchmarks, we show practical examples of how offline analysis can efficiently provide the necessary data to repair the damage of malicious transactions.
The adaptive selection of ! nancial and economic variables for use with arti ! cial neural networks

It has been widely accepted that predicting stock returns is not a simple task since many market factors are involved and their structural relationships are not perfectly linear. Recently, a promising data mining technique in machine learning has been proposed to uncover the predictive relationships of numerous ! nancial and economic variables. Inspired by the fact that the determinant between these variables and their interrelationships over stock returns changes over time, we explore this issue further by using data mining to uncover the recent relevant variables with the greatest predictive ability. The objective is to examine whether using the recent relevant variables leads to additional improvements in stock return forecasting. Given evidence of non-linearity in the ! nancial market, the resulting variables are then provided to neural networks, including probabilistic and feed-forward neural networks, for predicting the directions of future excess stock return. The results show that redeveloped neural network models that use the recent relevant variables generate higher pro! ts with lower risks than the buy-and-hold strategy, conventional linear regression, and the random walk model, as well as the neural network models that use constant relevant variables. c © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An extended imprecise computation model for time-constrained speech processing and generation

The authors describe a real-time speech application which simulates the human production of natural-language utterances in a two-person conversation. Since generating such utterances is a complex and often time-consuming task, they examine the timing constraints and result-quality requirements of this application, as well as the dependencies between the timing constraints and result qualities of the tasks that generate utterances. They then extend the imprecise computation model to capture these dependencies and discuss the general applicability of the extended model. <<ETX>>
Morphological Approach for Segmentation of Scanned Handwritten Devnagari Text

In this paper we present a system towards the segmentation of Hindi Handwritten Devnagari Text. Segmentation of script is essential for handwritten script recognition. This system deals with segmentation of modifiers (matras) and fused characters in handwritten Devnagari word. Also describe carries out segmentation in hierarchical order . First the header line is identified and segmented. Segmentation of modifiers consists of segmentation of top as well as bottom modifiers. In the last step the fused characters are also a segmented.
(Un)Healthy in the City: Respiratory, Cardiometabolic and Mental Health Associated with Urbanity

Background Research has shown that health differences exist between urban and rural areas. Most studies conducted, however, have focused on single health outcomes and have not assessed to what extent the association of urbanity with health is explained by population composition or socioeconomic status of the area. Our aim is to investigate associations of urbanity with four different health outcomes (i.e. lung function, metabolic syndrome, depression and anxiety) and to assess whether these associations are independent of residents’ characteristics and area socioeconomic status. Methods Our study population consisted of 74,733 individuals (42% males, mean age 43.8) who were part of the baseline sample of the LifeLines Cohort Study. Health outcomes were objectively measured with spirometry, a physical examination, laboratory blood analyses, and a psychiatric interview. Using multilevel linear and logistic regression models, associations of urbanity with lung function, and prevalence of metabolic syndrome, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were assessed. All models were sequentially adjusted for age, sex, highest education, household equivalent income, smoking, physical activity, and mean neighborhood income. Results As compared with individuals living in rural areas, those in semi-urban or urban areas had a poorer lung function (β -1.62, 95% CI -2.07;-1.16), and higher prevalence of major depressive disorder (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.35;2.00), and generalized anxiety disorder (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.35;1.84). Prevalence of metabolic syndrome, however, was lower in urban areas (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.44;0.59). These associations were only partly explained by differences in residents’ demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics and socioeconomic status of the areas. Conclusions Our results suggest a differential health impact of urbanity according to type of disease. Living in an urban environment appears to be beneficial for cardiometabolic health but to have a detrimental impact on respiratory function and mental health. Future research should investigate which underlying mechanisms explain the differential health impact of urbanity.
Brood size and sex ratio in response to host quality and wasp traits in the gregarious parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

This laboratory study investigated whether the larval-pupal parasitoid Oomyzus sokolowskii females adjust their brood size and sex ratio in response to body size and stage of Plutella xylostella larval hosts, as well as to their own body size and the order of oviposition. These factors were analyzed using multiple regression with simultaneous entry of them and their two-way interactions. Parasitoids brood size tended to increase with host body size at parasitism when the 4th instar larval host was attacked, but did not change when the 2nd and 3rd instar larvae were attacked. Parasitoids did not vary in brood size according to their body size, but decreased with their bouts of oviposition on a linear trend from 10 offspring adults emerged per host in the first bout of oviposition down to eight in the third. Parasitoid offspring sex ratio did not change with host instar, host body weight, wasp body size, and oviposition bout. Proportions of male offspring per brood were from 11% to 13% from attacking the 2nd to 4th instar larvae and from 13% to 16% across three successive bouts of oviposition, with a large variation for smaller host larvae and wasps. When fewer than 12 offspring were emerged from a host, one male was most frequently produced; when more than 12 offspring were emerged, two or more males were produced. Our study suggests that O. sokolowskii females may optimize their clutch size in response to body size of mature P. xylostella larvae, and their sex allocation in response to clutch size.
Differential Expression of hERG1 Channel Isoforms Reproduces Properties of Native I Kr and Modulates Cardiac Action Potential Characteristics

Background The repolarizing cardiac rapid delayed rectifier current, I Kr, is composed of ERG1 channels. It has been suggested that two isoforms of the ERG1 protein, ERG1a and ERG1b, both contribute to I Kr. Marked heterogeneity in the kinetic properties of native I Kr has been described. We hypothesized that the heterogeneity of native I Kr can be reproduced by differential expression of ERG1a and ERG1b isoforms. Furthermore, the functional consequences of differential expression of ERG1 isoforms were explored as a potential mechanism underlying native heterogeneity of action potential duration (APD) and restitution. Methodology/Principal Findings The results show that the heterogeneity of native I Kr can be reproduced in heterologous expression systems by differential expression of ERG1a and ERG1b isoforms. Characterization of the macroscopic kinetics of ERG1 currents demonstrated that these were dependent on the relative abundance of ERG1a and ERG1b. Furthermore, we used a computational model of the ventricular cardiomyocyte to show that both APD and the slope of the restitution curve may be modulated by varying the relative abundance of ERG1a and ERG1b. As the relative abundance of ERG1b was increased, APD was gradually shortened and the slope of the restitution curve was decreased. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that differential expression of ERG1 isoforms may explain regional heterogeneity of I Kr kinetics. The data demonstrate that subunit dependent changes in channel kinetics are important for the functional properties of ERG1 currents and hence I Kr. Importantly, our results suggest that regional differences in the relative abundance of ERG1 isoforms may represent a potential mechanism underlying the heterogeneity of both APD and APD restitution observed in mammalian hearts.
Analysis of microscopy and reconstructive images for applications in medicine and biology

An investigation into orientation preferences shown by actin fibres within ex-situ actin as imaged by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is described. Actin is a primary cytoskeletal component and is believed to play a vital role in cell structure. Actin structure images measured by AFM were analysed using automated pre-processing steps. These steps were identical for the production of an initial binary image, which was then processed by both Hough transformation and thinning. Results obtained question the validity of using the Hough transform approach, as bias could not easily be eliminated, and hence the Hough transform method was deemed to be unsuitable for this application and instead the thinning technique was used to identify and locate actin orientation within the AFM images. The results show that polymerised ex-situ actin fibres appears to display a bimodal distribution of orientation, with a 90 degree separation, with a significant co-efficient of bimodality of 0.656.
Commentary: Incubation and Intuition in Creative Problem Solving

There is a peculiar psychological phenomenon referred to as incubation; it is regarded as one of Wallas 's (1926) four stages of creativity and is defined as a departure from an ongoing unsolved problem that can lead to, or make more likely, the sudden or insightful solution of a difficult problem. Although the existence of incubation effects has long been recognized, the mechanism underlying incubation remains unclear. Gilhooly (2016) concluded that the Unconscious Work hypothesis (UWH) provided a better explanation of incubation than the Intermittent Conscious Work (ICW) and Beneficial Forgetting (BF) hypotheses, and noted that incubation was an interesting finding that warranted further investigation. We agree with Gilhooly (2016) that the UWH provides an important account of incubation effect in divergent thinking, but here we consider a complementary perspective that deals primarily with the dual-process theory (DPT) of incubation during creative thinking, particularly convergent thinking or insight problem solving (insightful incubation). DPT has been applied to a range of cognitive processes such as judgment/decision-noted, the kind of convergent thinking required to solve insight tasks is just as important to creative thinking as divergent thinking. Divergent thinking processes are ill-defined, relatively unconstrained, and generate multiple solutions whereas convergent thinking relies on speed, accuracy, logic, and the capacity to recognize the familiar quickly in order to identify the single solution to a well-defined problem (Cropley, 2006; Chermahini and Hommel, 2012). To solve divergent thinking tasks such as the alternative uses task the solver only needs to switch freely between perspectives and select one subdominant characteristic of the common object (Chrysikou and Thompson-Schill, 2011; Gilhooly, 2016); he/she can easily generate infrequent uses of this object. In contrast, solving an insight problem with a defined solution requires one to understand the logic underlying the solution, to restructure one's initial representation of the problem, relax certain constraints, and overcome a set-related impasse through failure-driven learning. There is mounting evidence that solving most convergent thinking tasks, in particular, is often assumed that the process of overcoming an impasse, or shifting cognitive set— commonly regarded as the defining feature of insight—happens during insightful incubation (Christensen and Schunn, 2005; Zhan et al., 2015). The process of set-shifting or overcoming an impasse is a controlled, internally driven shift in strategy which has been linked to A Dual-Process Account of Incubation activation of the medial prefrontal region (Schuck et al., 2015) and to an error-related negative potential in the …
HIGH ACCURACY CALIBRATION OF MULTIPLE CAMERAS BY TAGUCHI METHOD AND MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS TRACKING OF HUMAN MOTION FLOWS

This paper describes two things. First is that Taguchi method-based improvement of the dynamic calibration method (DCM) accuracy of multiple cameras. The DCM calibrates multiple cameras at the same time by tracking one moving object. Though the static calibration method, for example by Zhang, has been usually used for the camera calibration, we have proposed the DCM because the static method is not suitable for the calibration of two or more cameras. This study adopts Taguchi method to adjust the extrinsic parameters that are used in the DCM to their optimum combinations. In this process, we give the series of optimum parameters including the number of the object tracking points, the threshold for the judgments of outliers, the number of the correspondence points used for the least square approximation. Second, we introduce the system that observes the motion of multiple moving objects such as human motions from different directions at the same time and verifies the synchronization. This system also identifies the preregistered motions from many moving objects. This system can quantitatively measure the correlations of the human motion flows and can specify the target that performs prescribed movement in a crowd’s flow. These functions are available to score the group performance and to detect the group doing abnormal actions.
Expression Profiling of Archival Tumors for Long-term Health Studies

Purpose: More than 20 million archival tissue samples are stored annually in the United States as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks, but RNA degradation during fixation and storage has prevented their use for transcriptional profiling. New and highly sensitive assays for whole-transcriptome microarray analysis of FFPE tissues are now available, but resulting data include noise and variability for which previous expression array methods are inadequate. Experimental Design: We present the two largest whole-genome expression studies from FFPE tissues to date, comprising 1,003 colorectal cancer (CRC) and 168 breast cancer samples, combined with a meta-analysis of 14 new and published FFPE microarray datasets. We develop and validate quality control (QC) methods through technical replication, independent samples, comparison to results from fresh-frozen tissue, and recovery of expected associations between gene expression and protein abundance. Results: Archival tissues from large, multicenter studies showed a much wider range of transcriptional data quality relative to smaller or frozen tissue studies and required stringent QC for subsequent analysis. We developed novel methods for such QC of archival tissue expression profiles based on sample dynamic range and per-study median profile. This enabled validated identification of gene signatures of microsatellite instability and additional features of CRC, and improved recovery of associations between gene expression and protein abundance of MLH1, FASN, CDX2, MGMT, and SIRT1 in CRC tumors. Conclusions: These methods for large-scale QC of FFPE expression profiles enable study of the cancer transcriptome in relation to extensive clinicopathological information, tumor molecular biomarkers, and long-term lifestyle and outcome data. Clin Cancer Res; 18(22); 6136–46. ©2012 AACR.
The global mobility decisions of professional sailors’ spouses

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors informing spousal global mobility decisions within the context of sporting expatriation. Findings contribute to the non-corporate global mobility literature as well as providing an empirical enhancement to the family relatedness of work decisions framework. Design/methodology/approach In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews gave voice to 21 spouses of professional sailors who have experienced both trailing their spouse and staying behind. Findings Access to empathetic social support, the potential impact on children, and the spouse’s career were all found to influence the spouse’s dynamic global mobility decision making. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the research. Future longitudinal research into the impact of spousal preferences would identify the on-going effect of their decision(s) to relocate or to stay behind. Practical implications Providing organisations with an understanding of the familial issues their global talent may factor into their work mobility decisions will allow them to implement appropriate family-focussed support, irrespective of the choice to engage, or not engage, in global mobility. Originality/value By grounding the study in the under-researched sporting arena, the author contributes to the emerging non-corporate expatriate conversation. Furthermore, the family relatedness of work-related decisions framework was found to provide a useful conceptual foundation for understanding decision making in an international context.
Anti-PABPC1 Co-Immunoprecipitation for Examining the miRNAs Directly Targeting the 3′-UTR of EED mRNA

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression by base pairing with partially complementary sequences within target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Although the target genes and the precise biological functions of individual miRNAs remain largely unknown, miRNAs have been implicated in diverse biological processes, including both normal and pathological states. As a single stranded mRNA can be directly targeted by multiple miRNAs, and as the target sites may exist in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR), 5′-UTR, or the coding regions, it is essential to develop an effective method to identify the full-scale miRNA regulatory pattern of each particular gene. In this study, we employed a biochemical approach to identify the miRNA profiles that regulate the expression of embryonic ectoderm development (EED) protein by using anti-PABPC1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). The full length EED mRNA was subcloned into an expression vector and transiently transfected into a Flag-PABPC1 stable expression cell line. Subsequent to cross-linking and an anti-Flag Co-IP, the miRNAs that directly targeted EED were identified. We found that the best time point to distinguish the positive miRNAs from the background was 18 hours after the plasmid transfection. As expected, the miRNAs that directly target EED were found to interact with EED mRNA through the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). Meanwhile, the EED mRNA was bound by Flag-PABPC1. This method depends on the integrity of the miRISC complex and achieves greater efficiency when ultraviolet irradiation is used for the process of cross-linking. By using anti-PABPC1 RIP, we identified EED to be a new target gene of miR-16; a finding further confirmed using a dual-luciferase assay. In summary, our data indicate that anti-PABPC1 RIP is a validated and direct biochemical method to provide data about specific miRNA-mRNA interactions, as well as global miRNA patterns regulating the mRNAs.
Performance Evaluation of Virtualization Technologies for Server Consolidation

Server consolidation has become an integral part of IT planning to reduce cost and improve efficiency in today’s enterprise data centers. The advent of virtualization allows consolidation of multiple applications into virtual containers hosted on a single or multiple physical servers. However, this poses new challenges, including choosing the right virtualization technology and consolidation configuration for a particular set of applications. In this paper, we evaluate two representative virtualization technologies, Xen and OpenVZ, in various configurations. We consolidate one or more multi-tiered systems onto one or two nodes and drive the system with an auction workload called RUBiS. We compare both technologies with a base system in terms of application performance, resource consumption, scalability, low-level system metrics like cache misses and virtualization-specific metrics like Domain-0 consumption in Xen. Our experiments indicate that the average response time can increase by over 400% in Xen and only a modest 100% in OpenVZ as the number of application instances grows from one to four. This large discrepancy is caused by the higher virtualization overhead in Xen, which is likely due to higher L2 cache misses and misses per instruction. A similar trend is observed in CPU consumptions of virtual containers. We present an overhead analysis with kernelsymbol-specific information generated by Oprofile.