Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF VARIOUS LEAF EXTRACTS OF CANTHIUM COROMANDELICUM(BURM.F.) ALSTON.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and to explore the antioxidant potential of various leaf extracts (chloroform, ethyl acetate, and ethanol) of Canthium coromandelicum, which is considered traditionally as an important medicinal plant. Methods: Antioxidant properties of the extracts were assessed using 1, 1- diphenyl -2- picrylhydrazyl and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays for ascorbic acid equivalents. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were also investigated to determine their correlation with the antioxidant activity of the leaf extracts and expressed in Gallic acid and quercetin equivalents, respectively. Results: The results showed that the content of total phenols and flavonoids was found to be high in ethyl acetate extract which was recorded as 61.02±1.30 mg Gallic acid equivalent (GAE/g) and 81.72±0.61 QE/g, respectively. Compared to other extracts, ethyl acetate leaf extract was found to possess high antioxidant activity at p<0.05 level, with high percentage of inhibition at 100 μg/ml concentration (82.70%) toward hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging with IC50 value 62.94 μg/ml. Statistically, two-tailed Pearson’s correlation showed strong positive correlations between hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activity and total phenolic contents (TPC) (r=1.000) at p<0.05 level. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study clearly signifies that the ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. coromandelicum has high content of total phenols which are correlated to its antioxidant activity and thus has the potential to use as a source of natural antioxidants and can be explored as a therapeutic agent in free radical induced diseases.
Analysis of Melanoma Onset: Assessing Familial Aggregation by Using Estimating Equations and Fitting Variance Components via Bayesian Random Effects Models

Abstract We investigate whether relative contributions of genetic and shared environmental factors are associated with an increased risk in melanoma. Data from the Queensland Familial Melanoma Project comprising 15,907 subjects arising from 1912 families were analyzed to estimate the additive genetic, common and unique environmental contributions to variation in the age at onset of melanoma. Two complementary approaches for analyzing correlated time-to-onset family data were considered: the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method in which one can estimate relationship-specific dependence simultaneously with regression coefficients that describe the average population response to changing covariates; and a subject-specific Bayesian mixed model in which heterogeneity in regression parameters is explicitly modeled and the different components of variation may be estimated directly. The proportional hazards and Weibull models were utilized, as both produce natural frameworks for estimating relative risks while adjusting for simultaneous effects of other covariates. A simple Markov Chain Monte Carlo method for covariate imputation of missing data was used and the actual implementation of the Bayesian model was based on Gibbs sampling using the free ware package BUGS. In addition, we also used a Bayesian model to investigate the relative contribution of genetic and environmental effects on the expression of naevi and freckles, which are known risk factors for melanoma.
Implications of Absence of Measurement Invariance for Detecting Sex Limitation and Genotype by Environment Interaction

Abstract Using univariate sum scores in genetic studies of twin data is common practice. This practice precludes an investigation of the measurement model relating the individual items to an underlying factor. Absence of measurement invariance across a grouping variable such as gender or environmental exposure refers to group differences with respect to the measurement model. It is shown that a decomposition of a sum score into genetic and environmental variance components leads to path coefficients of the additive genetic factor that are biased differentially across groups if individual items are non-invariant. The arising group differences in path coefficients are identical to what is known as “scalar sex limitation” when gender is the grouping variable, or as “gene by environment interaction” when environmental exposure is the grouping variable. In both cases the interpretation would be in terms of a group-specific effect size of the genetic factor. This interpretation may be incorrect if individual items are non-invariant.
A Quantitative Trait Locus on 13q14.2 for Trunk Strength

Abstract Previous findings show strong evidence for the role of retinoblastoma (Rb) in myoblast proliferation and differentiation. However, it is not known whether variation in the retinoblastoma gene (RB1) is responsible for normal variation in human muscle strength. Therefore, a linkage analysis for quantitative traits was performed on 329 young male siblings from 146 families with muscle strength, using a polymorphic marker in RB1 (D13S153 on 13q14.2). Trunk strength, a general strength indicator that requires activation of large muscle groups, was measured on a Cybex TEF isokinetic dynamometer. We found evidence for linkage between locus D13S153 at 13q14.2 and several measurements of trunk flexion with LOD scores between 1.62 and 2.78 (.002 < p < .0002). No evidence for linkage was found with trunk extension. This first exploration of the relationship between RB1 and human muscle strength through linkage analysis warrants efforts for further fine mapping of this region.
A nanocrystalline tungsten oxide electrochromic coating with excellent cycling stability prepared via a complexation-assisted sol–gel method

In order to enhance the electrochromic performance of sol–gel derived WO3 coatings, especially the electrochemical cycling stability, a small amount of dopamine (DA) is introduced into a peroxotungstic acid (PTA) precursor sol to form complexes with tungsten on the surface of PTA colloidal nanoparticles. The DA molecules act as a precursor stabilizer, giving the sol a very long shelf life, which is crucial for practical applications, and also play the role of a structure-directing agent, providing a nanocrystal-embedded amorphous WO3 coating by annealing at 300 °C. Compared with the corresponding neat WO3 coating, the modified WO3 coating prepared from the complex sol gives much higher optical contrast, a faster switching speed and a higher coloration efficiency. It also shows excellent long-term cycling stability (maintaining a stable high contrast up to 35 000 cycles), which is far superior to not only the reference neat WO3 coating but also WO3 coatings prepared via other wet chemical routes. The excellent cycling stability may be attributed to the buffering effect of the nanocrystal-embedded amorphous regions, which accommodate the volume change of the nanocrystals induced by ion insertion/extraction. The uniform distribution of the nanometer-sized amorphous and crystal regions may help to reduce stress concentration and hence suppress erosion caused by local stress.
A Finite Mixture Distribution Model for Data Collected from Twins

Abstract Most analyses of data collected from a classical twin study of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins assume that zygosity has been diagnosed without error. However, large scale surveys frequently resort to questionnaire-based methods of diagnosis which classify twins as MZ or DZ with less than perfect accuracy. This article describes a mixture distribution approach to the analysis of twin data when zygosity is not perfectly diagnosed. Estimates of diagnostic accuracy are used to weight the likelihood of the data according to the probability that any given pair is either MZ or DZ. The performance of this method is compared to fully accurate diagnosis, and to the analysis of samples that include some misclassified pairs. Conventional analysis of samples containing misclassified pairs yields biased estimates of variance components, such that additive genetic variance (A) is underestimated while common environment (C) and specific environment (E) components are overestimated. The bias is non-trivial; for 10% misclassification, true values of Additive genetic: Common environment: Specific Environment variance components of . 6: . 2: . 2 are estimated as . 48: . 29: . 23, respectively. The mixture distribution yields unbiased estimates, while showing relatively little loss of statistical precision for misclassification rates of 15% or less. The method is shown to perform quite well even when no information on zygosity is available, and may be applied when pair-specific estimates of zygosity probabilities are available.
Genetic Determinants and Personality Correlates of Sociopolitical Attitudes in a Polish Sample

Abstract The aim of the study was to assess the heritability as well as the personality correlates of sociopolitical attitudes in a Polish sample. Attitudes were examined on two separate dimensions: (1) moral conservatism and liberalism; and (2) free market economy and state interventionism. The studied sample comprised three groups of participants: (1) 242 twin pairs aged 18 to 25 years (119 monozygotic [MZ] and 123 dizygotic [DZ] same-sex twins reared together); (2) 358 females and males (‘nontwins’) of various professions aged 35 to 64 years; and (3) 197 male and female technical university students aged 19 to 25 years (‘nontwins’). We detected substantial genetic factor input exclusively in the variability of results on the conservatism–liberalism scale (.28). Results on both scales were explained to a large extent by the impact of shared environment, and to a lesser extent by the nonshared environment. Only in the student group was a significant negative correlation found between attitudes toward economy and neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Openness to experience correlated negatively with attitudes towards issues of morality in the adult female and male group (the remaining correlations were statistically insignificant).
Association Study of the Dystrobrevin-Binding Gene With Schizophrenia in Australian and Indian Samples

Abstract Numerous studies have reported association between variants in the dystrobrevin binding protein 1 (dysbindin) gene (DTNBP1) and schizophrenia. However, the pattern of results is complex and to date, no specific risk marker or haplotype has been consistently identified. The number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tested in these studies has ranged from 5 to 20. We attempted to replicate previous findings by testing 16 SNPs in samples of 41 Australian pedigrees, 194 Australian cases and 180 controls, and 197 Indian pedigrees. No globally significant evidence for association was observed in any sample, despite power calculations indicating sufficient power to replicate several previous findings. Possible explanations for our results include sample differences in background linkage dis-equilibrium and/or risk allele effect size, the presence of multiple risk alleles upon different haplotypes, or the presence of a single risk allele upon multiple haplotypes. Some previous associations may also represent false positives. Examination of Caucasian HapMap phase II genotype data spanning the DTNBP1 region indicates upwards of 40 SNPs are required to satisfactorily assess all nonredundant variation within DTNBP1 and its potential regulatory regions for association with schizophrenia. More comprehensive studies in multiple samples will be required to determine whether specific DTNBP1 variants function as risk factors for schizophrenia.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Self-Esteem in a Japanese Twin Sample

Abstract The purpose of the present study is to clarify the mechanism of Japanese self-esteem (SE) in genetic and environmental influences using twin methodology. Eighty-one pairs of adolescent twins, including 50 pairs of monozygotic (MZ) twins and 31 pairs of dizygotic (DZ) twins, participated in this study. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), translated into Japanese. As a result of using univariate twin analyses, model comparisons using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) indicated that the AE model was the best fit (AIC = −5.35). In the best-fitting AE model, the heritability (a2) of SE was revealed to be moderate, accounting for 49% of the variance; environmental influences (individual-specific environmental factors) explained 51% of the variance. These results are consistent with the findings of some behavioral genetics studies of SE in the West and show that there is no difference between Western and Japanese populations in the mechanism of SE considering genetic and environmental influences. The results also suggest the importance of considering both genetic and environmental factors in studies of Japanese SE.
PennTwins: A Population-Based Cohort for Twin Studies

Abstract The current article describes the creation and composition of the PennTwins Cohort and provides details on the demographic characteristics of the sample. The PennTwins Cohort was developed using a population-based method of ascertainment and currently has 9401 28- to 47-year-old twins, including 2225 confirmed twin pairs and 4951 twins whose co-twins have not yet registered. Zygosity data have been used to identify 919 monozygotic, 634 same-sex dizygotic, and 445 opposite-sex dizygotic pairs. GeoCode data on gender, age, and certain demographic characteristics were obtained for the addresses of all twins who were mailed invitations to be part of the cohort. Analysis of the available data show only very small differences between twins who are currently part of the PennTwins Cohort and potential twins who either did not respond to recruitment or who could not be located. Similarly, only very small demographic differences exist between twins from complete pairs and twins whose co-twins are not yet registered, and there are no differences across zygosity. Thus, despite a relatively low overall response rate (12% of all twins born in Pennsylvania from 1959–1978), there is no evidence that the sample differs in any meaningful respect from the larger population.
The Western Australian Register of Childhood Multiples: Effects of Questionnaire Design and Follow-up Protocol on Response Rates and Representativeness

Abstract Twin registers have been established worldwide to study the roles of genes and the environment in health and behaviour. While questionnaire surveys are thought to be the most cost-effective way of collecting large amounts of data, low response rates can result in response bias. Many different strategies have been proposed to maximise response rates. A register of all multiple births occurring in Western Australia (WA) from 1980 onwards has been established using probabilistic record linkage techniques. Families who had not experienced the death of one or more of their multiples were invited to participate in the Western Australian Twin Child Health (WATCH) study, which studied the genetic and environmental determinants of childhood asthma and atopy. Several questionnaire designs and follow-up methods were assessed. We have shown that it was feasible to use a population-based register of multiple births to contact families for a questionnaire study. Questionnaire length, mode of follow-up, the number of responses required and the of participants all seemed to affect response.
A Twin Study of Dietary Restraint, Disinhibition and Hunger: An Examination of the Eating Inventory (Three Factor Eating Questionnaire)

Abstract The Eating Inventory (EI) is commonly used to measure a range of eating behaviors. It includes three subscales: Cognitive Restraint, Hunger, and Disinhibition. In this study, we decomposed the variance of the three subscales, and evaluated the genetic, common environment and specific environmental effects on each in a sample of female-female twin pairs. Multivariate models were also used to examine whether the EI represented three individual factors, or whether there was extensive covariance among subscales. Heritabilities were estimated at 45% (CI of 32–57%) for Disinhibition, 8% (CI of 0–38%) for Hunger, and 0% (CI of 0–30%) for Restraint. Common environmental influences were estimated at 0% (CI of 0–23%) for Disinhibition, 16% (CI of 0–34%) for Hunger, and 31% (4–42%) for Restraint. Specific environmental influences accounted for the rest of the variance of the subscales. However, multivariate modeling indicated that Disinhibition and Hunger covaried significantly, indicating that these two subscales are influenced by the same set of genetic factors. Furthermore, Restraint appeared to be empirically distinct from Hunger or Disinhibition.
Growth of monolithic full-color GaN-based LED with intermediate carrier blocking layers

Specially designed intermediate carrier blocking layers (ICBLs) in multi-active regions of III-nitride LEDs were shown to be effective in controlling the carrier injection distribution across the active regions. In principle, the majority of carriers, both holes and electrons, can be guided into targeted quantum wells and recombine to generate light of specific wavelengths at controlled current-densities. Accordingly we proposed and demonstrated a novel monolithic InGaN-based LED to achieve three primary colors of light from one device at selected current densities. This LED structure, which has three different sets of quantum wells separated with ICBLs for three primary red-green-blue (RGB) colors, was grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Results show that this LED can emit light ranging from 460 to 650 nm to cover the entire visible spectrum. The emission wavelength starts at 650 nm and then decreases to 460 nm or lower as the injection current increases. In addition to three primary colors, many other colors can be obtained by color mixing techniques. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of monolithic full-color LED grown by a simple growth technique without using re-growth process.
Photocatalytic Disinfection of Bacteria by Sodium Light with Smectite Catalysts

In this study, modifications of Wyoming smectite clay minerals are conducted using four types of metallic cations that cover the surface with Ag + , Zn 2+ , Ti 4+ and Ag + /Zn 2+ to form smectite catalysts and destroy bacteria. When the smectite catalysts are illuminated with a sodium lamp, they reduce the number of viable bacteria in surface water and achieve a disinfecting effect. On the whole, smectite-Ti catalysts have the best disinfection efficiency, followed by coupled smectite-Ag/Zn catalysts, smectite-Ag catalysts and smectite-Zn catalysts. The higher quantity of catalysts there is, the easier it is for the shielding effect to take place. This causes a lower intensity of sodium light to react with the bacteria. When smectite-Zn catalysts are in the catalytic process, they produce intermediates that can compete for reaction sites with the OH free radicals. This can reduce the production of electrons and holes, and hence the reaction rate of objects on the surface of smectite-Zn catalysts. In smectite-Ag/Zn catalysts, coupled catalysts combine two types of semiconductor catalysts that have different energy gaps and energy band sites. These can separate electrons and holes more efficiently, increase the lifetime of electron carriers, and enhance disinfection efficiency. This study utilizes factor analysis of multivariate analysis to discuss the correlations between different catalysts, e.g., the four types of smectite catalysts and catalysts with different weight percentages, respectively. The results show two findings: (1) there is only one main factor influencing the disinfection efficiency of the four types of smectite catalysts-the photocatalytic competitiveness factor; and (2) only one main factor affects the disinfection efficiency of the four types of catalysts with different weight percentages-the concentration shielding effect factor.
On the Probability of Dizygotic Twins Being Concordant for Two Alleles at Multiple Polymorphic Loci

Abstract Accurate determination of same-sex twin zygosity is important for medical, scientific and personal reasons. Determination may be based upon questionnaire data, blood group, enzyme isoforms and fetal membrane examination, but assignment of zygosity must ultimately be confirmed by genotypic data. Here methods are reviewed for calculating average probabilities of correctly concluding a twin pair is monozygotic, given they share the same genotypes across all loci for commonly utilized multiplex short tandem repeat (STR) kits. Numerous tools enabling convenient and accurate zygosity probability calculation may be accessed via the ZygProb homepage at http://genepi.qimr. edu.au/general/daleN/ZygProb/
The Epidemiology and Genetics of Smoking Initiation and Persistence: Crosscultural Comparisons of Twin Study Results

Abstract We examined whether there are crosscultural differences in the magnitude of genetic and environmental contributions to risk of becoming a regular smoker and of persistence in smoking in men and women. Standard methods of epidemio-logic and genetic analysis were applied to questionnaire data on history of cigarette use obtained from large samples of male and female like-sex twins from three different countries: Australia (N = 2284 pairs), Sweden (N = 8651 pairs), and Finland (N = 10,948 pairs). Samples were subdivided into three age groups (AG), 18–25 years, 26–35 years, and 36–46 years of age. The magnitude of genetic influence for lifetime smoking was found to be consistent across country and AG for women (46%) and men (57%), and estimates of the contribution from environmental influences shared by twin and co-twin could be equated across all countries by AG for the women (from youngest to oldest AG: 45%, 35%, and 26%), but not for men, with separate estimates obtained for the Scandinavian (33%, 29%, and 19%) and the Australian men (26%, 9%, and 11%). There was no evidence for an important role for shared environmental influences on persistent smoking, and the genetic contribution was found to be consistent in magnitude in men and women, and the same acrosscountry and AG (52%). There are strong genetic influences on smoking behavior, and that risk of becoming a smoker (but not persistence in smoking) may be modified by experiences shared by twins that differ by AG and, at least for men, cultural background.
Twins Have Slightly Higher Self-Concepts Than Singletons in the Elementary School Period: A Study of South Korean Twins and Singletons

Abstract The twin method assumes that the trait under study is similar in twins and singletons so that the results from twin samples can be generalized to the singleton population. The purpose of the present study was to compare self-concept in twins and singletons matched in parental level of education. The 6 cluster scales of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (P-H) were administered to 630 singleton children and 635 twins aged 7 to 12 years. Model-fitting analyses yielded two conclusions. First, self-concept was generally similar between first- and second-born twins and between monozygotic and dizygotic twins across the 6 cluster scales of the P-H. Second, twins consistently exceeded singletons for all 6 cluster scales of the P-H. However, the effect sizes of differences between twins and singletons were small except for one scale, Physical Appearance and Attributes.