Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between 8q24 rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis involving 170,737 subjects

Published data on the association between 8q24 rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer risk are inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between rs6983267 polymorphism and cancer risk. We searched on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to November 1, 2016 for relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of this association. We included 78 case-control studies with a total of 73,996 cases and 96,741 controls in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that rs6983267 polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of overall cancer in all genetic models (dominant model: OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.13–1.26; recessive model: OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.14–1.25; homozygous model: OR= 1.31, 95% CI = 1.23–1.40; heterozygous model: OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.10–1.19; allelic model: OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.11–1.18). Stratified analyses indicated that rs6983267 significantly increased the risk of colorectal cancer in Caucasians, prostate cancer in Caucasians and Asians, thyroid cancer in Caucasians and lung cancer in Asians. When studies were stratified by study quality, source of controls and genotyping method, significant associations were especially found in the high quality studies, the publication-based studies, the hospital-based studies, and the PCR-RFLP studies. Additional well-designed studies with large samples should be performed to validate our results.
Structural and Toxic Properties of Protein Aggregates: Towards a Molecular Understanding of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related irreversible brain disorder that progresses over 10 to 20 years. AD gradually destroys human memory and thinking skills, leads to severe loss of mental function, and eventually causes death (Querfurth and LaFerla, 2010). Normally, AD symptoms first appear after age 65. It is estimated that AD affected 36 million people globally in 2009, and the number will be more than doubled by 2050. Currently, there is no cure for AD, except few medications that can relieve AD symptoms (Brunden et al., 2009; Citron, 2004). AD is accompanied by a significant shrunk of brain tissue, which is a result of brain neuron degeneration. In the brains of AD patients, neurons are found to have lost their synaptic connections with other neurons and are unable to survive (Wenk, 2003). The synaptic failure is indeed the earliest event associated with the cognitive impairment caused by the disease (Selkoe, 2002). In addition, the brains of AD patients are characterized by the presence of two types of hystopathological hallmark lesions: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are composed of aggregated proteinaceous material (Tiraboschi et al., 2004). Although both amyloid plaques and NFTs are also present in brains of healthy individuals, the amount of these aggregates in the brains of AD patients is significantly higher. Early studies correlated neuron degeneration in AD with the formation of these insoluble protein aggregates. However, recent studies suggest that soluble protein aggregates of the same protein composition are more toxic to neurons (Rahimi et al., 2008). It has also been suggested that the insoluble aggregates actually play a beneficial role in that they sequester the toxic soluble aggregates into less toxic or non-toxic insoluble aggregates (Greenwald and Riek, 2010). At current stage, we are still trying to understand how different protein aggregates in the brain mediate neuron degeneration and lead to AD. Like any other protein activity, the neurotoxicity of protein aggregates must be associated with their specific molecular structures. Therefore, investigating the high-resolution structures of amyloid plaques, NFTs and soluble aggregates would greatly facilitate the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Here, in this chapter, we review current knowledge about the structure and toxicity of the aggregates involved in AD.
A Linear Regression Approach for Determining Explicit Expressions for Option Prices for Equity Option Pricing Models with Dependent Volatility and Return Processes

We consider a risk-neutral stock-price model where the volatility and the return processes are assumed to be dependent. The market is complete and arbitrage-free. Using a linear regression approach, explicit functions of risk-neutral density functions of stock return functions are obtained and closed form solutions of the corresponding Black-Scholes-type option pricing results are derived. Implied volatility skewness properties are illustrated.
Evaluation of an Educational Intervention to Improve Nurse Managers' Understanding of and Self-Assessed Competence with Personnel Budgeting

Objective: To explore the professional nursing literature to obtain information about nurse manager knowledge and competence with financial management. Background: Many nurse managers are not formally educated to their roles and lack the needed support and competencies to succeed. Formal training programs and graduate level education may help nurse managers to be more confident and competent, resulting in higher quality outcomes and decreased staff turnover. Many nurse managers rank financial management competence as the most difficult and challenging to acquire. Nursing personnel need to be more educated and engaged in financial matters in order to drive quality, safety and fiscal outcomes in their organizations. Methods: CINAHL, PubMed and Medline databases were searched using various combinations of the following search terms: nurse managers, nursing, nurse leaders, finance financial management, competencies, competence, education, and knowledge. The search returned 68 articles. After reviewing the articles for relevance and reviewing the reference lists for applicable articles, the search resulted in 15 journal articles, two web references and one book. Articles which addressed nurse manager or nurse leader general competencies and nurse manager financial competencies were included. Results: The articles in this review can be divided into themes related to competency development in general, the need for financial competence of nurse managers, and studies and interventions that address the acquisition of these competencies. Conclusion: Because nurse managers have the greatest impact on organizational outcomes, they need to have formal leadership development to be able to lead both the clinical and business aspects of healthcare.
Thermodynamic analysis of strawberry drying process in a cyclone type dryer

In this paper, thermodynamic analysis of the thin layer drying process of strawberry are investigated. Drying experiments were conducted at inlet drying air temperatures of 60, 75 and 85°C and at drying air velocities of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m s -1 in a cyclone type dryer. Using the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy analysis was carried to estimate the ratios of energy utilization. However, exergy analysis was accomplished to determine type and magnitude of exergy losses during the drying process by applying the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Strawberry samples were sufficiently dried between 60-85°C at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 m s -1 of drying air velocity during 12000-33600 sec despite the exergy losses of 0-0.715 k.l s -1 .
SUPPORTING FAMILY STRENGTH: THE USE OF TRANSFORMATIVE MEDIATION IN A PINS MEDIATION CLINIC

This article describes, and explains the rationales for, the establishment of an innovative program in which a law school and two social services agencies are collaborating in a mediation clinic that uses the transformative model of mediation to serve clients in cases that seem ideally suited to benefit from this approach to practice—so-called “PINS” (persons in need of supervision) cases involving conflict within families, between parents and their adolescent children. The article first describes the evolution of the PINS system and the changing views of its purpose, especially in New York State. It then offers a brief introduction to the unique features of the transformative approach to mediation and explains why that approach in particular is likely to mesh with current understandings of the needs of the families involved in these cases. Finally, the article describes the innovative “Family Solutions Program” and how it uses transformative mediation to help these families and suggests that experience of this program shows how use of the transformative model, in particular, could be valuable not only for clinical education but also for effective volunteer training and supervision in mediation programs generally.
Dynamics of Concentrated Polymer Solutions Revisited: Isomonomeric Friction Adjustment and Its Consequences

In concentrated polymer solutions, the concentration (ϕ) dependence of the terminal relaxation time τd reflects ϕ-dependent changes of several factors, the monomeric friction ζ0(ϕ), the entanglement length, a(ϕ), and the correlation length, ξ(ϕ). Usually, the effect of the latter two factors on τd can be cast in a simple power law, τd ∼ ϕv. This power law form is to be examined for τd after correction of the changes of ζ0 with ϕ, but this iso-ζ0 correction is an unsettled problem. The correction based on the concept of “iso-free-volume” has been attempted in literatures. This study focused on four groups of solutions with different local frictional environments to examine universal validity of this correction. The isothermal data of τd were rheologically measured, and then corrected to the iso-frictional (iso-ζ0) state. After this correction, τd of most solutions in small molecule solvents showed the power law behavior τd ∼ ϕv with exponent of v = 2.0 ± 0.2, irrespective of the solvent type, either neutra.
What can Schumpeter tell us about women entrepreneurship in Iran

Offering a view of entrepreneurship enhanced by innovation, Schumpeter underlined its importance in modern economics and business. The case of Iran, an economy recently opening to international markets and recovering from international sanctions, will be interesting when it comes to entrepreneurship. The aim of this paper is to reflect on women entrepreneurs in Iran using a Schumpeterian framework, in an attempt to come up with recommendations for the challenges they are facing. A review of contemporary research on entrepreneurship and innovation is conducted, taking into account their contributions to the initial theory built by Schumpeter. This is complemented with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report for 2015-2016, as it provides comprehensive data on the target country (Iran) and topic (Entrepreneurship). It results that entrepreneurship in Iran demonstrates a relatively low inclination for innovation following the Schumpeterian thought, in which it is central along with other factors. A gap therefore exists between the approach taken and what Iranian new ventures feature. An enhanced entrepreneurial education is eventually identified as a way of fostering innovation to Iranian women entrepreneurs, a solution that could help overcome their issues. Thus, they would be able to take part more efficiently in entrepreneurial ventures, acting as a disruptive factor following Schumpeter’s view of innovation. A review of the literature about Schumpeter’s approach is conducted first, followed by a focus on women’s entrepreneurship in Iran. In addressing this issue, several recommendations providing ground for future research are suggested. Research paper Keywords: Iran, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Education, Women Entrepreneurship Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Sicrad, B. (2017). “What can Schumpeter tell us about women entrepreneurship in Iran? ”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 185–215.
Development Strategy for Sustainable Solar Home System in the Akha Upland Community of Thailand

With the growing effects of global warming and carbon pollution, environmental protection has become an urgent necessity. In addition, solar energy has been accepted worldwide for the generation of electricity. However, remote areas in Thailand have not had effective solar home system (SHS) development. This paper aims to explore the problems of SHS development and analyze the external factors that could have an impact on their operation in the Akha upland community of Thailand. The result of the survey indicates that about 79.38% of the respondents displayed a high-level lack of information and repair work. Moreover, many respondents presented low-level satisfaction in developing SHS. There are four strategies for sustainable SHS development using a factor analysis process, these include creating approval of SHS technologies 24.93%, developing SHS management 22.64%, promoting SHS technologies 14.29%, and supporting SHS policies 10.97%. In particular, this study considered the public views on the role of an organization that could lead to sustainable development of SHS. Furthermore, these should be managed suitably for each community. As a result, this study has provided some valuable references for SHS promotion in Thailand.
A Hybrid Genetic Algorithm with Tabu Search for Optimization of the Traveling Thief Problem

Until now, several approaches such as evolutionary computing and heuristic methods have been presented to optimize the traveling thief problem (TTP). However, most of these approaches consider the TTP components independently, usually considering the traveling salesman problem (TSP) and then tackling the knapsack problem (KP), despite their interdependent nature. In this paper, we investigate the use of a hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) and tabu search (TS) for the TTP. Therefore, a novel hybrid genetic approach called GATS is proposed and compared with the state-of-the-art approaches. The key aspect of GATS is that TTP solutions are considered by firmly taking into account the interdependent nature of the TTP subcomponents, where all its operators are simultaneously implemented on TSP and KP solutions. A comprehensive set of TTP benchmark datasets was adopted to investigate the effectiveness of GATS. We selected 540 instances for our investigation, which comprised five different groups of cities (51, 52, 76, 100 and 150 cities) and different groupings of items, from 50 to 745 items. All types of knapsack (uncorrelated, uncorrelated with similar weights and bonded strongly correlated) with all different knapsack capacities were also taken into consideration. Different initialization methods were empirically investigated as well. The results of the computational experiments demonstrated that GATS is capable of surpassing the state-of-the-art results for various instances. Keywords—Combinatorial; hybrid approaches; genetic algorithm; optimization; tabu search; TTP
RGS9‐2 rescues dopamine D2 receptor levels and signaling in DYT1 dystonia mouse models

Dopamine D2 receptor signaling is central for striatal function and movement, while abnormal activity is associated with neurological disorders including the severe early‐onset DYT1 dystonia. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that regulate D2 receptor signaling in health and disease remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a reduced D2 receptor binding, paralleled by an abrupt reduction in receptor protein level, in the striatum of juvenile Dyt1 mice. This occurs through increased lysosomal degradation, controlled by competition between β‐arrestin 2 and D2 receptor binding proteins. Accordingly, we found lower levels of striatal RGS9‐2 and spinophilin. Further, we show that genetic depletion of RGS9‐2 mimics the D2 receptor loss of DYT1 dystonia striatum, whereas RGS9‐2 overexpression rescues both receptor levels and electrophysiological responses in Dyt1 striatal neurons. This work uncovers the molecular mechanism underlying D2 receptor downregulation in Dyt1 mice and in turn explains why dopaminergic drugs lack efficacy in DYT1 patients despite significant evidence for striatal D2 receptor dysfunction. Our data also open up novel avenues for disease‐modifying therapeutics to this incurable neurological disorder.
Associations between Childhood Maltreatment , Integrative Difficulties , and Frightening , Frightened , and Dissociated ( FR ) Parenting Behaviours by Elyse

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT, INTEGRATIVE DIFFICULTIES, AND FRIGHTENING, FRIGHTENED, AND DISSOCIATED (FR) PARENTING BEHAVIOURS Elyse K. Redden Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Professor H. N. Bailey This study investigated whether maternal trauma integration difficulties (indicated by trauma symptoms and unresolved attachment) mediated or moderated associations between parental history of childhood maltreatment and FR (frightening, frightened, and dissociated) parenting behaviour. Mothers reported their maltreatment history and trauma symptoms, completed the Adult Attachment Interview, and were observed interacting with their 10-month-old infants. History of childhood maltreatment was associated with indices of integrative difficulties: emotional abuse and physical neglect with trauma symptoms, and physical and sexual abuse with unresolved attachment. Parental FR-behaviour was associated with both trauma symptoms and unresolved attachment. Certain types of childhood maltreatment were associated with FRbehaviour, but only modestly so. A model whereby childhood maltreatment predicted FRbehaviour mediated by integrative difficulties was partially supported, whereas a moderation model was not. Findings are consistent with the idea that FR-behaviour may be distinctly related to trauma. Results were discussed with reference to central methodological issues and the importance of assessing these variables through multiple methods.
“Global” Management Accounting Research: Some Reflections

ABSTRACT I start with some examples of global studies that compare and contrast “remedies” to management control and corporate governance issues across borders to expose the common tenet of such studies that “uniformity” of practices or regulations is “counter-productive” given national/cultural variations across countries. However, I critically evaluate this so-called “non-uniformity” prescription by considering the costs of local or situational adaptions. This naturally links with the “homogenizing” effects of globalization, where I ponder whether globalization might actually reduce the power of comparative studies across countries or regions, or whether, regardless, there remains great benefit to be had from studying “local” practices that can be theoretically generalized. I also offer some suggestions to help strengthen the design of comparative studies to try and maximize their (conceptual, if not econometric) power.
Strain Energy Variability as a Function of Moisture Content, Pre-heating Temperature and Loading Rate on African nutmeg (Monodora myristica) Seed During Cracking

In this study, the behaviour of strain energy as influenced by moisture content, preheating temperature, and loading rate on African nutmeg seed during cracking was investigated. Using nonlinear regression analysis, empirical models were developed and validated; and these models compared favorably with the experimental data. Furthermore, an analysis of variance indicated that, all three independent variables had a main significant effect on strain energy at 95% confidence level. Therefore, for effective energy utilization and optimum quality assurance, 14% moisture content and 100 o C preheating temperature of the seeds at a loading rate of 2.5 mm/min is recommended.
A New Sensor Based on Graphite Screen Printed Electrode Modified With Cu-Nanocomplex for Determination of Paracetamol

Paracetamol is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used as an antipyretic agent for the alternative to aspirin. Conversely, the overdoses of paracetamol can cause hepatic toxicity and kidney damage. Hence, the determination of paracetamol receives much more attention in biological samples and also in pharmaceutical formulations. Here, we report a rapid and sensitive detection of the paracetamol based on screen-printed modified electrode (SPE) with Cu nanocomplex (Cu) in pH=7.0. The paracetamol is not stable in strong acidic and strong alkaline media, and is hydrolyzed and hydroxylated. However, it is stable in intermediate pHs due to the dimerization of paracetamol. The kinetics of the paracetamol oxidation was briefly studied and documented in the schemes. In addition, the characterization of Cu nanocomplex was probed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Moreover, the voltammetry determined the paracetamol with the linear concentration ranging from 10.0 to 1000.0 μM and the lower detection limit of 1.0 μM. This method was also successfully used to detect the concentration of paracetamol in pharmaceutical formulations and urine samples.
Langevin-dynamics study of the dynamical properties of small magnetic particles

The stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation of motion for a classical magnetic moment is numerically solved (properly observing the customary interpretation of it as a Stratonovich stochastic differential equation), in order to study the dynamics of magnetic nanoparticles. The corresponding Langevin-dynamics approach allows for the study of the fluctuating trajectories of individual magnetic moments, where we have encountered remarkable phenomena in the overbarrier rotation process, such as crossing-back or multiple crossing of the potential barrier, rooted in the gyromagnetic nature of the system. Concerning averaged quantities, we study the linear dynamic response of the archetypal ensemble of noninteracting classical magnetic moments with axially symmetric magnetic anisotropy. The results are compared with different analytical expressions used to model the relaxation of nanoparticle ensembles, assessing their accuracy. It has been found that, among a number of heuristic expressions for the linear dynamic susceptibility, only the simple formula proposed by Shliomis and Stepanov matches the coarse features of the susceptibility reasonably. By comparing the numerical results with the asymptotic formula of Storonkin {Sov. Phys. Crystallogr. 30, 489 (1985) [Kristallografiya 30, 841 (1985)]}, the effects of the intra-potential-well relaxation modes on the low-temperature longitudinal dynamic response have been assessed, showing their relatively small reflection in the susceptibility curves but their dramatic influence on the phase shifts. Comparison of the numerical results with the exact zero-damping expression for the transverse susceptibility by Garanin, Ishchenko, and Panina {Theor. Math. Phys. (USSR) 82, 169 (1990) [Teor. Mat. Fiz. 82, 242 (1990)]}, reveals a sizable contribution of the spread of the precession frequencies of the magnetic moment in the anisotropy field to the dynamic response at intermediate-to-high temperatures.
On the Performance of Golden Codes in Rayleigh Fading Channels with Doppler Spread

The Golden code has recently been proposed as a 2 x 2 space time block code that achieves the optimal diversity - multiplexing gain tradeoff for a multiple antenna system. In this paper we review the decoding methodology for the Golden code, followed by performance comparisons with the Alamouti code and V-BLAST in Rayleigh fading environments with Doppler spread. Simulation results show that the Golden Code outperforms both the Alamouti code and V-BLAST at high SNR levels. For a symbol error rate of 10i4 the Eb/N0 requirement for the Golden code is 5dB less than the Alamouti code and V-BLAST.