Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic model‐free linkage analysis using the maximum‐likelihood‐binomial method for categorical traits

Within the simulated data of the 11th Genetic Analysis Workshop, we searched for the genes controlling the disease. We analyzed 200 families from Studies 2 and 3 presenting both mild and severe forms of disease. Linkage analysis was performed using the recently developed genetic model‐free maximum‐likelihood‐binomial (MLB) method which overcomes the problem of multiple sibs by considering the sibship as a whole. The MLB allowed us to consider the disease as either a binary (affected/unaffected) or an ordered categorical (differentiating the two forms of disease and including effects of environmental factors) phenotype. In both studies, two regions provided evidence for linkage at a significance level below 10‐4. One is located on chromosome 3 (from D3G041 to D3G047), and the other on chromosome 5 (from D5G034 to D5G041). In Study 2, the most significant results were obtained by combining both forms of disease, suggesting that they are under the same genetic control, while in Study 3, the stronger results were obtained when considering severe subjects alone, suggesting that only the severe form is under the control of both locus B and C. The subsequent knowledge of the true model allowed a posterior interpretation of our results, in particular the difference in optimal coding schemes observed between Studies 2 and 3, and the failure to locate locus A.
Optimized Hardware Implementations of Lightweight Cryptography

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a key technology for the Internet of Things era. One important advantage of RFID over barcodes is that line-of-sight is not required between readers and tags. Therefore, it is widely used to perform automatic and unique identification of objects in various applications, such as product tracking, supply chain management, and animal identification. Due to the vulnerabilities of wireless communication between RFID readers and tags, security and privacy issues are significant challenges. The most popular passive RFID protocol is the Electronic Product Code (EPC) standard. EPC tags have many constraints on power consumption, memory, and computing capability. The field of lightweight cryptography was created to provide secure, compact, and flexible algorithms and protocols suitable for applications where the traditional cryptographic primitives, such as AES, are impractical. In these lightweight algorithms, tradeoffs are made between security, area/power consumption, and throughput. In this thesis, we focus on the hardware implementations and optimizations of lightweight cryptography and present the Simeck block cipher family, the WG-8 stream cipher, the Warbler pseudorandom number generator (PRNG), and the WGLCE cryptographic engine. Simeck is a new family of lightweight block ciphers. Simeck takes advantage of the good components and design ideas of the SIMON and SPECK block ciphers and it has three instances with different block and key sizes. We provide an extensive exploration of different hardware architectures in ASICs and show that Simeck is smaller than SIMON in terms of area and power consumption. For the WG-8 stream cipher, we explore four different approaches for the WG transformation module, where one takes advantage of constant arrays and the other three benefit from the tower field constructions of the finite field F28 and also efficient basis conversion matrices. The results in FPGA and ASICs show that the constant arrays based method is the best option. We also propose a hybrid design to improve the throughput with a little additional hardware. For the Warbler PRNG, we present the first detailed and smallest hardware implementations and optimizations. The results in ASICs show that the area of Warbler with throughput of 1 bit per 5 clock cycles (1/5 bpc) is smaller than that of other PRNGs and is in fact smaller than that of most of the lightweight primitives. We also optimize and improve the throughput from 1/5 bpc to 1 bpc with a little additional area and power consumption. Finally, we propose a cryptographic engine WGLCE for passive RFID systems. We merge the Warbler PRNG and WG-5 stream cipher together by reusing the finite state machine for both of them. Therefore, WGLCE can provide data confidentiality and generate pseudorandom numbers. After investigating the design rationales and hardware architectures, our results in ASICs show that WGLCE meets the constraints of passive RFID systems.
Could Mexico become the new ‘China’? Policy drivers of competitiveness and productivity 1

Over the last decade, Mexico’s unit labour costs decreased relative to other emerging markets’, especially compared to China’s. This decrease boosted Mexico’s trade competitiveness, particularly in the manufacturing sector. However, Mexico’s increasing competitiveness masks one of the country’s fundamental concerns, which is the absence of productivity improvements. The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, we examine the evolution of total factor productivity in Mexico’s manufacturing sector, as compared to China’s. Firm-level data is employed to analyse the distribution and characteristics of productivity across Mexico’s regions. Second, using regional data for the period 2005–2012, we study the policy impediments behind sluggish productivity improvements, particularly to determine how labour informality may have contributed. The study takes advantage of Mexico’s heterogeneity across regions in terms of productivity, market regulation, financial constraints and firm size to identify economic policies that can help to boost productivity in the future.
Location-aware UPnP AV session manager for smart home

In this paper, we design a location-aware UPnP AV session manager1. This system automatically detects a user's movement using RFID technology, and then captures or restores his UPnP A/V session information by invoking service actions defined in the UPnP AV architecture. The designed system is based on RFID-based multi-user access control algorithm to reduce both service transition time from a person in service to another person, and unnecessary processing time, by filtering invalid tags.
Robust joint reconstruction in compressed multi-view imaging

The newly emerging sampling methodology of compressed sensing opens a door to obtain compressed data directly. How to efficiently reconstruct the original signal from the compressed data becomes a new challenge. Many reconstruction works have been proposed on mono-view images by exploring the sparsity of the original image. However, it is a challenge to efficiently explore the correlations among different views in compressed multi-view imaging systems. With the aid of inter-view disparity information at receiver end, a joint reconstruction approach is presented for independently captured view-point images via compressed imaging. In the proposed approach, a robust reconstruction is obtained by formulating the occurrences of outliers, usually caused by illumination change, mismatch and discontinuity in disparity estimation, as a sparse model, which can be efficiently solved by a proximal sub-gradient algorithm bas ed on l1-norm minimization. Experimental results show that the joint reconstruction of compressed multi-view images can achieve significantly better recovery quality than the independently reconstructed ones.
E-LEARNING AS TOOLS AND STRATEGIES OF LITERACY INSTRUCTION BASED BALANCE LITERACY FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL

E-learning is one of the important needs in literacy instruction based Balance Literacy Approach for students with learning difficulties in inclusive school because this approach aims at preparing literate learners to overcome challenges of the 21st century through the comprehensive integration of learning success factors. One such factor is e- learning tools and strategy required to be mastered by the teacher and the students to overcome early literacy problem of children with learning disabilities due to not mastered prerequisite reading (phonological awareness). The purpose of this study is to describe the readiness of schools and stakeholders in providing e-learning as well as the students and the teachers understanding in implementing e-learning as tools and strategies to learn literacy. Case study design with the procedural framework by Stake (2006), data collection techniques of observation, interviews, and document scrutiny. Analysis of the data flow techniques (Milles & Huberman,1994). The findings show e-learning readiness in inclusive schools, stakeholders support and the practitioners have not been adequate, as well as the ability of teachers and students in the use of e-learning. Strive for e-learning provision and teacher- student training.
Phenotypic and genotypic analysis of clinical HIV-1 isolates reveals extensive protease inhibitor cross-resistance: a survey of over 6000 samples

ObjectiveTo evaluate in HIV-1 the extent of phenotypic and genotypic antiretroviral drug resistance and cross-resistance towards the protease inhibitors (PIs) saquinavir, ritonavir, indinavir and nelfinavir among a set of patient samples originating from European and US routine clinical practice and submitted for phenotypic drug resistance testing and/or genotypic analysis. The mutational pattern(s) underlying both resistance and cross-resistance to PIs was investigated. MethodOver 6000 patient isolates with plasma viral load greater than 1000 copies/ml plasma were analysed. Phenotypic resistance was evaluated by a recombinant virus assay. Phenotypic resistance is expressed as the fold-increase of the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of a compound for a patient-derived recombinant virus isolate compared with that for a wild-type laboratory virus. Genotypic analysis is reported as amino acid changes at positions in the HIV-1 protease compared to a wild-type reference. ResultsPhenotypic resistance to any single PI was observed in 17 to 25% of the clinical isolates investigated. Phenotypic cross-resistance among PIs (> 10-fold increase in IC50 value) was detected in 59 to 80% of the samples resistant (> 10-fold increase in IC50 value) to at least one PI. The prevalent mutations in PI-resistant isolates involved substitutions at codons 10, 36, 46, 54, 71, 77, 82 and 90. The most frequent mutational pattern in samples with PI cross-resistance involved combined substitutions at positions 10 and 90, extended with substitutions at positions 54, 71, 77, 82 or 84. ConclusionsExtensive use of first-generation PIs leads to the emergence of HIV-1 isolates possessing cross-resistance to all members of this class. Identification of particular mutational profiles among these isolates may assist in the design of new generation inhibitors with specific activity against protease-mutant HIV strains.
Can propolis and caffeic acid phenethyl ester be promising agents against cyclophosphamide toxicity?

Propolis is a mixture having hundreds of polyphenols including caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). They have been using in several medical conditions/diseases in both in vitro and in vivo experimental setup. Cyclophosphamide (CP) has been used to treat a broad of malignancies including Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Ewing’s sarcoma, breast cancer, testicular cancer, etc. It may cause several side effects after treatment. In this mini review, the protective effects of propolis and CAPE were compared each other in terms of effectiveness against CP-induced injuries.
Plasmapheresis in Immune Hematology: Review of Clinical OutcomeData with Respect to Evidence‐Based Medicine and Clinical Experience

The objective of this paper is to assess the role of plasmapheresisin immune hematology by reviewing published clinical outcome dataand narrative review articles. This information will be used todefine evidence levels for appraisal of the efficacy and rank ofplasmapheresis among other management options. This evidence‐basedstrategy conforms to the concepts of the American Society of Hematology(ASH), as put forward in 1996 in the context of immune thrombocytopenia(ITP) treatment. The term ‘experimental’ is usedto describe indications where the only scientific evidence of theefficacy of plasmapheresis consists of pathophysiological reasoningand empiric clinical findings. We reviewed the availableliterature on the use of plasmapheresis in autoimmune hemolyticanemia (AIHA), hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN), autoimmunethrombocytopenic purpura (AITP), heparin‐induced thrombocytopeniatype II (HIT II), post‐transfusion purpura (PTP), refractorinessto platelet transfusion (RPT), coagulation factor inhibitor (CFI)and catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAS). Plasmapheresiscompletes the spectrum of management options as it eliminates physicallycirculating free antibodies involved in the pathogenesis of theseimmune hematological syndromes. Because of the paucity of data,evidence levels had to be defined based on the findings of uncontrolledcase series and the opinions of independent experts. In many cases, randomizedclinical trials were not feasible because the syndromes are so rare.When defined as an ‘experimental indication’,plasmapheresis has a firm scientific basis, but larger scale clinicalexperience with the method is still lacking. In these cases, thedetection and monitoring of symptomatic disease‐related circulatingfree antibodies or immune complexes is a mandatory prerequisitefor the use of plasmapheresis. The therapeutic benefit of plasmapheresisis substantiated by the level V of evidence of its efficacy in treatmentof HDN, HIV‐associated AITP, induction of tolerance in CFI and inCAS. The goal of future studies should be to establish a firmerbase of scientific evidence for indications classified as experimentalby setting up case series large enough for proper assessment ofplasmapheresis alone or combination with other treatment measures. Thisgoal can only be achieved through multiinstitutional cooperation.
Plasma concentrations of water-soluble vitamins in metabolic syndrome subjects.

CONTEXT Vitamins B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and C (ascorbic acid) are vital for energy, carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism and in the regulation of the cellular redox state. Some studies have associated low levels of water-soluble vitamins with metabolic syndrome and its various components. AIMS This study aims to determine the plasma concentrations of vitamins B1, B3, B6, and C in Nigerians with metabolic syndrome and in healthy controls. SETTINGS AND DESIGN One-hundred subjects with metabolic syndrome were recruited into the study. One-hundred controls were age - and sex-matched. MATERIALS AND METHODS Blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, concentrations of plasma glucose, lipid profile, and vitamins B1, B3, B6, and C were estimated. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0. RESULTS The mean plasma vitamins B1, B3, B6, and C concentrations of subjects were significantly lower than that of controls (P = 0.001, 0.05, 0.045, 0.001 respectively). Fourteen percent and 32% of subjects had inadequate vitamins B1 and C status, respectively. Vitamin B6 was lower (P = 0.001) and vitamin C was higher (P = 0.012) in female than in male subjects. CONCLUSIONS Thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, and ascorbic acid levels were lower in subjects than in controls. Pyridoxine was also lower and ascorbic acid was higher in female than in male subjects.
A method research for generating complete complementary sequences

In this paper we give a generation method to extend the known complete complementary sequences. Also we will prove the new sequences to be a complete complementary sequence include: for each shift, the sum of auto-correlation function are equal to zero without zero-phase, and the sum of cross-correlation function of the complete complementary sequences are equal to zero in every shift. Meanwhile, giving the figure of the new sequences to support the result that complete complementary sequence is available for the Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems, spread spectrum system and so on. The conclusion implies that maybe the polyphase complete complementary sequences also satisfy the request. So we may open a new direction in polyphase complete complementary sequences.
Seeking Insights About Cycling Mood Disorders via Anonymized Search Logs

Background Mood disorders affect a significant portion of the general population. Cycling mood disorders are characterized by intermittent episodes (or events) of the disease. Objective Using anonymized Web search logs, we identify a population of people with significant interest in mood stabilizing drugs (MSD) and seek evidence of mood swings in this population. Methods We extracted queries to the Microsoft Bing search engine made by 20,046 Web searchers over six months, separately explored searcher demographics using data from a large external panel of users, and sought supporting information from people with mood disorders via a survey. We analyzed changes in information needs over time relative to searches on MSD. Results Queries for MSD focused on side effects and their relation to the disease. We found evidence of significant changes in search behavior and interests coinciding with days that MSD queries are made. These include large increases (>100%) in the access of nutrition information, commercial information, and adult materials. A survey of patients diagnosed with mood disorders provided evidence that repeated queries on MSD may come with exacerbations of mood disorder. A classifier predicting the occurrence of such queries one day before they are observed obtains strong performance (AUC=0.78). Conclusions Observed patterns in search behavior align with known behaviors and those highlighted by survey respondents. These observations suggest that searchers showing intensive interest in MSD may be patients who have been prescribed these drugs. Given behavioral dynamics, we surmise that the days on which MSD queries are made may coincide with commencement of mania or depression. Although we do not have data on mood changes and whether users have been diagnosed with bipolar illness, we see evidence of cycling in people who show interest in MSD and further show that we can predict impending shifts in behavior and interest.
The Financial Impact of Charter Schools' Enrollment on Traditional Public School Expenditures, Resource Allocation and Programming

This research study examines the financial impact of charter school enrollment on traditional public school expenditures, resource allocation and programming in four select Centre County Pennsylvania School Districts. The districts studied included: Bald Eagle Area School District, Bellefonte Area School District, Penns Valley Area School District and State College Area School District. The study is organized around the following key research questions: (1) What have been the student enrollment trends for Regular Education and Special Education of Centre County students by school and by grade over the past five years? (2) What has been the fiscal impact of charter schools on each of the four school districts? (3) What, if any, impact on instruction, support, and extra-curricular programs has there been as a result of growing tuition payments to charter schools in each of the districts? (4) Are there common threads among the experiences of the four school districts? The methodology used included a mix of quantitative and qualitative research to better explain the complex nature of this study. Enrollment, financial and programming data were collected from varied sources including fiscal and enrollment data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and individual school districts and from interviews with key district-level decision makers. The interviews were chiefly used to explain the quantitative data. The study found that charter school enrollments have coincided with enrollment declines in all four districts. The growing charter enrollments have obligated the districts to make tuition payments to charter schools in ever increasing amounts. These expenditure increases have been made up chiefly through taxes since the districts have not been able to realize efficiencies since the number of
The Sign RCA Models: Comparing Predictive Accuracy of VaR Measures

Evaluating Value at Risk (VaR) methods of predictive accuracy in an objective and effective framework is important for both efficient capital allocation and loss prediction. From this reasons, finding an adequate method of estimating and backtesting is crucial for both the regulators and the risk managers’. The Sign RCA models may be useful to obtain the accurate forecasts of VaR. In this research one briefly describes the Sign RCA models, the Value at Risk and backtesting. We compare the predictive accuracy of alternative VaR forecasts obtained from different models. Empirical example is mainly related to the PBG Capital Group shares on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Holliday Junction Binding Activity of the Human Rad51B Protein*

The human Rad51B protein is involved in the recombinational repair of damaged DNA. Chromosomal rearrangements of the Rad51B gene have been found in uterine leiomyoma patients, suggesting that the Rad51B gene suppresses tumorigenesis. In the present study, we found that the purified Rad51B protein bound to single-stranded DNA and double-stranded DNA in the presence of ATP and either Mg2+or Mn2+ and hydrolyzed ATP in a DNA-dependent manner. When the synthetic Holliday junction was present along with the half-cruciform and double-stranded oligonucleotides, the Rad51B protein only bound to the synthetic Holliday junction, which mimics a key intermediate in homologous recombination. In contrast, the human Rad51 protein bound to all three DNA substrates with no obvious preference. Therefore, the Rad51B protein may have a specific function in Holliday junction processing in the homologous recombinational repair pathway in humans.
Functional Interaction of bZIP Proteins and the Large Subunit of Replication Factor C in Liver and Adipose Cells*

The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα) has a vital role in cell growth and differentiation. To delineate further a mechanism for C/EBPα-mediated differentiation, we screened C/EBPα-interacting proteins through far-Western screening. One of the strongest interactions was with RFC140, the large subunit of the replication factor C complex. C/EBPα specifically interacted with RFC140 from rat liver nuclear extract as determined by a combination of affinity chromatography and co-immunoprecipitation. Subsequent far-Western blotting showed that the bZIP domain of C/EBPα interacted with the DNA-binding region of RFC140. Overexpression of RFC140 in mammalian cells increased the transactivation activity of C/EBPα on both minimal and native promoters. Consistent with the enhanced transactivation, a complex of C/EBPα and RFC140 proteins with the cognate DNA element was detectedin vitro. The specific interaction between C/EBPα and RFC140 was detected in the terminal differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to adipocytes. The synergistic transcription effect of these two proteins increased the promoter activity and protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, which is a main regulator of adipocyte differentiation. Our results demonstrate that the specific transcription factor C/EBPα and the general DNA replication factor RFC140 interact functionally and physically. This observation highlights a unique mechanism by which the levels of the general replication factor can strongly modulate the functional activity of the specific transcription factor as a coactivator.