Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the power to discriminate between highly correlated SNPs in genetic association studies

Neighboring common polymorphisms are often correlated (in linkage disequilibrium (LD)) as a result of shared ancestry. An association between a polymorphism and a disease trait may therefore be the indirect result of a correlated functional variant, and identifying the true causal variant(s) from an initial disease association is a major challenge in genetic association studies. Here, we present a method to estimate the sample size needed to discriminate between a functional variant of a given allele frequency and effect size, and other correlated variants. The sample size required to conduct such fine‐scale mapping is typically 1–4 times larger than required to detect the initial association. Association studies in populations with different LD patterns can substantially improve the power to isolate the causal variant. An online tool to perform these calculations is available at http://moya.srl. cam.ac. uk/ocac/FineMappingPowerCalculator.html. Genet. Epidemiol. 34:463–468, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Therapeutic Potential of Milk Whey

Milk whey—commonly known as cheese whey—is a by-product of cheese or casein in the dairy industry and contains usually high levels of lactose, low levels of nitrogenous compounds, protein, salts, lactic acid and small amounts of vitamins and minerals. Milk whey contains several unique components like immunoglobulins (Igs), lactoferrin (Lf), lactoperoxidase (Lp), glycomacropeptide (GMP) and sphingolipids that possess some important antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Some whey components possess anticancer properties such as sphingomyelin, which have the potential to inhibit colon cancer. Immunoglobulin-G (IgGs), Lp and Lf concentrated from whey participates in host immunity. IgGs binds with bacterial toxins and lowers the bacterial load in the large bowel. There are some whey-derived carbohydrate components that possess prebiotic activity. Lactose support lactic acid bacteria (such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli). Stallic acids, an oligosaccharide in whey, are typically attached to proteins, and possess prebiotic properties. The uniqueness of whey proteins is due to their ability to boost the level of glutathione (GSH) in various tissues and also to optimize various processes of the immune system. The role of GSH is very critical as it protects the cells against free radical damage, infections, toxins, pollution and UV exposure. Overall GSH acts as a centerpiece of the body’s antioxidant defense system. It has been widely observed that individuals suffering from cancer, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome and many other immune-compromising conditions have very poor levels of glutathione. The sulphur-containing amino-acids (cysteine and methionine) are also found in high levels in whey protein. Thus, the present review will focus on the therapeutic potential of milk whey such as antibiotic, anti-cancer, anti-toxin, immune-enhancer, prebiotic property etc.
Introduction to Bayesian modelling in dental research.

OBJECTIVE To explain the concepts and application of Bayesian modelling and how it can be applied to the analysis of dental research data. BASIC DESIGN Methodological in nature, this article introduces Bayesian modelling through hypothetical dental examples. SETTING The synthesis of RCT results with previous evidence, including expert opinion, is used to illustrate full Bayesian modelling. Meta-analysis, in the form of empirical Bayesian modelling, is introduced. An example of full Bayesian modelling is described for the synthesis of evidence from several studies that investigate the success of root canal treatment. Hierarchical (Bayesian) modelling is demonstrated for a survey of childhood caries, where surface data is nested within subjects. RESULTS Bayesian methods enhance interpretation of research evidence through the synthesis of information from multiple sources. CONCLUSIONS Bayesian modelling is now readily accessible to clinical researchers and is able to augment the application of clinical decision making in the development of guidelines and clinical practice.
VEHICLE DETECTION AND TRACKING TECHNIQUES USED IN MOVING VEHICLES

The difficulty of obtaining the initial background there is the inaccuracy of real-time background update and the difficulty of controlling the update speed in moving vehicle detection of traffic video this paper proposes an accurate and effective moving vehicle detection method which can be used in complex traffic environment. This method first constructs initial background image according to the real-time situation of traffic environment then segmentalizes the current frame into foreground region and background region accurately using the combined method of inter-frame difference and subtraction method. The experimental results show that this method can detect moving vehicles fast and accurately in complex traffic situation. Vehicle detection and tracking applications play an important role for civilian and military applications such as in highway traffic surveillance control management and urban traffic planning. Experimental results show that this method can detect moving vehicles fast and accurately in complex traffic situation. KeywordMoving detection; Statistical background model; Intelligence traffic system; Background subtraction.
The SPCA1 Ca2+ Pump and Intracellular Membrane Trafficking

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is a dynamic store of Ca2+ that can be released into the cell cytosol. It can thus participate in the regulation of the Ca2+ concentration in the cytosol ([Ca2+]cyt), which might be critical for intra‐Golgi transport. Secretory pathway Ca2+‐ATPase pump type 1 (SPCA1) is important in Golgi homeostasis of Ca2+. The subcellular localization of SPCA1 appears to be GA specific, although its precise location within the GA is not known. Here, we show that SPCA1 is mostly excluded from the cores of the Golgi cisternae and is instead located mainly on the lateral rims of Golgi stacks, in tubular noncompact zones that interconnect different Golgi stacks, and within tubular parts of the trans Golgi network, suggesting a role in regulation of the local [Ca2+]cyt that is crucial for membrane fusion. SPCA1 knockdown by RNA interference induces GA fragmentation. These Golgi fragments lack the cis‐most and trans‐most cisternae and remain within the perinuclear region. This SPCA1 knockdown inhibits exit of vesicular stomatitis virus G‐protein from the GA and delays retrograde redistribution of the GA glycosylation enzymes into the endoplasmic reticulum caused by brefeldin A; however, exit of these enzymes from the endoplasmic reticulum is not affected. Thus, correct SPCA1 functioning is crucial to intra‐Golgi transport and maintenance of the Golgi ribbon.
Secure and efficient two-party certificateless authenticated key agreement protocol

Authenticated key agreement protocol is used to provide data confidentiality and integrity to subsequent communications among two or more parties over a public network. Certificateless public key cryptography (CL-PKC) combines the advantage of the identity-based public key cryptography (ID-PKC) and the traditional PKI. In this paper, we present a secure and efficient two-party authenticated key agreement protocol based on the certificateless encryption scheme due to Libert and Quisquater. Security analysis shows that it achieves perfect forward secrecy, PKG forward secrecy and almost all the other known security attributes, such as known-key secrecy, key-compromise impersonation resilience, unknown key-share resilience, known session-specific temporary information security, message independence and no key control. Compared to other comparable schemes, it is more secure and efficient.
Emotion, affect, and risk communication with older adults: challenges and opportunities

Recent research suggests that emotion, affect, and cognition play important roles in risk perception and that their roles in judgment and decision‐making processes may change over the lifespan. This paper discusses how emotion and affect might help or hinder risk communication with older adults. Currently, there are few guidelines for developing effective risk messages for the world's aging population, despite the array of complex risk decisions that come with increasing age and the importance of maintaining good decision making in later life. Age‐related declines in cognitive abilities such as memory and processing speed, increased reliance on automatic processes, and adaptive motivational shifts toward focusing more on affective (especially positive) information mean that older and younger adults may respond differently to risk messages. Implications for specific risk information formats (probabilities, frequencies, visual displays, and narratives) are discussed and directions for future research are highlighted.
Dispersal by Propithecus verreauxi at Beza Mahafaly, Madagascar: 1984–1991

From 1984 to 1991, 126 males and females were marked and monitored in a wild population of Propithecus verreauxi in southwest Madagascar. Animals were assigned birth years, based on known birth date or degree of dental wear calibrated by recapture data. Twenty‐one of 27 groups identified in 1984 persisted within stable home range boundaries, 6 groups disappeared, and 6 new groups formed. Only males transferred between existing groups, although individuals of both sexes left groups to form new groups. The home range of the group into which a male transferred usually overlapped that of his group of origin. On average, 35% of males aged 3–6 years transferred each year. Older males transferred at a lower rate. Three to 6‐year‐old males were more likely than older males to transfer two or three times. Most 3–6‐year old males transferred into groups with a higher proportion and number of females, whereas older males were progressively more likely to transfer into groups with a lower proportion and number of females. New groups were formed by older males, whose mates had died or who had not been successful in joining an existing group, and by young, nulliparous females. Males have rarely been observed for more than 5 years in the same group. Dispersal by 3–6‐year‐old males appeared to be voluntary. Females helped evict non‐natal males from the group but did not prevent new males from joining. Age at first reproduction was 5 years in this population. Forced secondary dispersal may occur when maturing females cease to tolerate males who may be their fathers. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distortion Modeling of Feedback Two-Stage Amplifier Compensated With Miller Capacitor and Nulling Resistor

Accurate distortion modeling of feedback amplifier with Miller compensation is the main subject of this paper. Inspired by traditional Rosenstark method, a nonlinear signal-flow-based method has been developed. Based on the proposed method, the nonlinear coefficients of each gain stage can be evaluated exactly and the rules of cascading, feedback can be found conveniently. As a result, the second- and third-order harmonic distortion factors are obtained in a simple manner. The application range includes all kinds of Miller compensation strategies with or without feedforward compensation path. The distortion modeling of a two-stage opamp compensated with Miller capacitor and nulling resistor is used to show versatility of the proposed method. In addition, simplified distortion factor expressions, approximate characteristic frequencies of the distortion factors and the value of external configuration resistors for canceling the second-order harmonic components at DC are also derived and can be used to accelerate distortion evaluation of opamp designs. Accuracy of the method was verified by comparing the results between theoretical analysis and transistor level simulation.
Management Science , Logistics , and Operations Research

Increasingly, research across many disciplines has recognized the shortcomings of the traditional “integration prescription” for inter-organizational knowledge management. This research conducts several simulation experiments to study the effects of different rates of product change, different demand environments, and different economies of scale on the level of integration between firms at different levels in the supply chain. The underlying paradigm shifts from a static, steady state view to a dynamic, complex adaptive systems and knowledge-based view of supply chain networks. Several research propositions are presented that use the role of knowledge in the supply chain to provide predictive power for how supply chain collaborations or integration should evolve. Suggestions and implications are suggested for managerial and research purposes.
The Involvement of Programmed Cell Death 5 (PDCD5) in the Regulation of Apoptosis in Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Programmed Cell Death 5 (PDCD5) is a protein that accelerates apoptosis in different types of cells in response to various stimuli and is down‐regulated in many cancer tissues. We hypothesized in this study that down‐regulating PDCD5 can protect the brain from ischemic damage by inhibiting PDCD5‐induced apoptotic pathway.
Praise matters: the influence of nurse unit managers' praise on nurses' practice, work environment and job satisfaction: a questionnaire study.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between praise from nurse unit managers and job satisfaction, professional practice, workload, work climate and organizational commitment of nurses caring for surgical patients. BACKGROUND Praise influences experiences of employees. DESIGN Web-based, cross-sectional explorative survey design. METHODS A structured questionnaire was used to measure praise given by nurse unit managers as perceived by nurses (n = 383; 49% response rate) working with surgical patients. Data were collected between December 2009-January 2010. Several variables assessed the major concepts under study. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to compare nurses who receive praise very rarely/rarely as compared with very often/rather often. RESULTS Praise was received often/very often by 31·6% of participants. Compared with nurses receiving praise rarely/very rarely those who received it often/rather showed more job satisfaction, stated they had more opportunities to practice professionally, described a more positive work climate and were more committed to the organization such as being proud to work at and willing to make effort for the unit and hospital. There was no difference between the groups regarding workload. Main findings of the regression analysis were that nurses display their organizational commitment by not thinking about leaving the current workplace and those who value professional recognition are likelier to receive praise than their counterparts. CONCLUSION Nurse unit managers should praise their staff in a realistic fashion. Such praise is cost-effective, takes short time, produces positive influences on members of their staff and may improve patient safety.
Global Nursing Issues and Development: Analysis of World Health Organization Documents.

PURPOSE To analyze World Health Organization (WHO) documents to identify global nursing issues and development. DESIGN Qualitative content analysis. METHODS Documents published by the six WHO regions between 2007 and 2012 and with key words related to nurse/midwife or nursing/midwifery were included. Themes, categories, and subcategories were derived. The final coding reached 80% agreement among three independent coders, and the final coding for the discrepant coding was reached by consensus. FINDINGS Thirty-two documents from the regions of Europe (n = 19), the Americas (n = 6), the Western Pacific (n = 4), Africa (n = 1), the Eastern Mediterranean (n = 1), and Southeast Asia (n = 1) were examined. A total of 385 units of analysis dispersed in 31 subcategories under four themes were derived. The four themes derived (number of unit of analysis, %) were Management & Leadership (206, 53.5), Practice (75, 19.5), Education (70, 18.2), and Research (34, 8.8). CONCLUSIONS The key nursing issues of concern at the global level are workforce, the impacts of nursing in health care, professional status, and education of nurses. International alliances can help advance nursing, but the visibility of nursing in the WHO needs to be strengthened. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Organizational leadership is important in order to optimize the use of nursing competence in practice and inform policy makers regarding the value of nursing to promote people's health.
Polish infant directed vs. adult directed speech: Selected acoustic-phonetic differences

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is reported to differ significantly from adult-directed speech (ADS) in its acoustic-phonetic properties. In IDS, phonetic features of individual speech sounds tend to be intensified [6, 14, 20]. An example phenomenon documented for IDS in several languages is vowel hyperarticulation [25]. Thus, the formant frequency values (F1, F2) vary in the two target speaking styles. Other modifications can be observed in F0 levels (e.g., [5, 11]. Due to infants' preference towards IDS [5], laboratory-elicited IDS recordings are often used as stimuli in infant speech perception studies, aiming for example at the investigation of the effects of short-term exposure to foreign-language stimuli in early infancy and its potential contribution to the development of language learning skills (e.g., [15]). In the present study, we compare F0, F1, F2 values, and segmental duration in vowels produced by five female speakers of Polish, reading pseudoword lists in IDS and ADS.
Usefulness of assessing repeater F‐waves in routine studies

Introduction: Repeater F‐waves are sometimes seen in routine studies. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical significance of repeater F‐waves in median, ulnar, and fibular nerve recordings in 50 healthy subjects and groups of 50 patients each with diabetic polyneuropathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar mononeuropathy, and L5 root lesion. The number of identical F‐waves and their repetitions in samples of 20 stimuli were estimated. Results: Repeater F‐waves occurred significantly more frequently in all nerves and patient groups than in healthy individuals. Their persistence was negatively correlated with that of non‐repeater F‐waves. Conclusions: Based on the presented material and recording condition it appears that repeater F‐waves differentiate between health and disease but not between different types of pathology of motor neurons or their axons. Even in routinely recorded samples of 20 traces, the index of repeater all F‐waves could be used as a sign of nerve pathology. Muscle Nerve, 2012
Carbon Fluxes on North American Rangelands

Abstract Rangelands account for almost half of the earth's land surface and may play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle. We studied net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of C on eight North American rangeland sites over a 6-yr period. Management practices and disturbance regimes can influence NEE; for consistency, we compared ungrazed and undisturbed rangelands including four Great Plains sites from Texas to North Dakota, two Southwestern hot desert sites in New Mexico and Arizona, and two Northwestern sagebrush steppe sites in Idaho and Oregon. We used the Bowen ratio-energy balance system for continuous measurements of energy, water vapor, and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes at each study site during the measurement period (1996 to 2001 for most sites). Data were processed and screened using standardized procedures, which facilitated across-location comparisons. Although almost any site could be either a sink or source for C depending on yearly weather patterns, five of the eight native rangelands typically were sinks for atmospheric CO2 during the study period. Both sagebrush steppe sites were sinks and three of four Great Plains grasslands were sinks, but the two Southwest hot desert sites were sources of C on an annual basis. Most rangelands were characterized by short periods of high C uptake (2 mo to 3 mo) and long periods of C balance or small respiratory losses of C. Weather patterns during the measurement period strongly influenced conclusions about NEE on any given rangeland site. Droughts tended to limit periods of high C uptake and thus cause even the most productive sites to become sources of C on an annual basis. Our results show that native rangelands are a potentially important terrestrial sink for atmospheric CO2, and maintaining the period of active C uptake will be critical if we are to manage rangelands for C sequestration.
DULONG AND PETIT: A CASE OF DATA FABRICATION?

The famous law of Dulong and Petit was based upon their own specific heat data first reported in 1816. For at least 15 years there has been public expression of doubt about the reliability of their data, however. Peter Macinnis spoke on this subject on a radio program of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during the 1980s (2), and Paul Schwarz published a letter in Chemical and Engineering News in 1987 (3). Much of what follows is an elaboration of their work for a scholarly audience. I propose to examine the data, compare it to modern data, and develop reasons for questioning their numbers. The inference can reasonably be drawn that they fabricated some of that data; obviously, however, no one who really knows has an opportunity to testify.
Dealing With Groups of Actions in Multiagent Markov Decision Processes

Multiagent Markov Decision Processes (MMDPs) provide a useful framework for multiagent decision making. Finding solutions to large-scale problems or with a large number of agents however, has been proven to be computationally hard. In this paper, we adapt H-(PO)MDPs to multi-agent settings by proposing a new approach using action groups to decompose an initial MMDP into a set of dependent Sub-MMDPs where each action group is assigned a corresponding Sub-MMDP. Sub-MMDPs are then solved using a parallel Bellman backup to derive local policies which are synchronized by propagating local results and updating the value functions locally and globally to take the dependencies into account. This decomposition allows, for example, specific aggregation for each sub-MMDP, which we adapt by using a novel value function update. Experimental evaluations have been developed and applied to real robotic platforms showing promising results and validating our techniques.
Assessment of work limitations and disability in systemic vasculitis.

OBJECTIVES Despite advances in the management of systemic vasculitis (SV), direct consequences of the disease, leading to impairments in physical and mental function can cause disability. The objective of this study was to assess work limitations in SV. METHODS SV patients were recruited from a tertiary care clinic. Work disabled (WD) was defined as not working, early retirement, or reduced hours at work. Participants who were working at the time of enrolment completed the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ). Other work-related measures were self-reported by questionnaire. Disease outcome measures (Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI), Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ) and pain visual analogue score (VAS)) were obtained at time of WLQ. RESULTS 103 participants were enrolled with mean age 58 (SD17), 60% females, 48% with anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), 26% with large vessel vasculitis (LVV) and 26% with other types of SV. 22 (21%) were WD secondary to SV, 29 (28%) were working and 52 (51%) subjects were not working for reasons other than SV. SV-related WD subjects were more likely to have a lower level of education (p=0.003) than non-WD subjects. The VDI was higher in SV-related WD vs. non-WD subjects: 1.9 (SD 2.7) vs. 2.9 (SD 1.4); p=0.015. 38 subjects were working in some capacity and completed the WLQ; their productivity loss was 8.2% and this was highly correlated with HAQ and pain VAS (rho=0.585 and rho=0.458, respectively). CONCLUSIONS SV-related work disability occurred in 21% and was associated with lower levels of education, higher disease severity and worse functional outcomes.