Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TCF 7 L 2 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to breast cancer : a meta-analysis

Numerous studies have evaluated the association between TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms (rs12255372 and rs7903146) and breast cancer risk. However, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, in the current study, we performed a meta-analysis. A systematically literature search of the PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted in November 2013, and the reference lists of articles were retrieved. A summary odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to evaluate the strength of association. Publication bias was investigated using Begg’s funnel plot. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA package version 12.0. A total of 4 case-control studies met our inclusion criteria, including 4600 cases and 5289 controls. Overall, TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms were significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in genetic comparison models (rs12255372 for GG vs GT: OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.83-0.98; rs7903146 for CC vs TT: OR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.63-0.90, CC vs CT: OR = 0.88, 95%CI = 0.81-0.97, dominant model: OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.06-1.27, recessive model: OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.67-0.94). This meta-analysis demonstrated that TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms (rs12255372 and 2861 TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms and breast cancer ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (1): 2860-2867 (2015) rs7903146) are associated with an increased susceptibility to breast cancer. However, further studies including large sample sizes are needed to validate this association.
Temporal recruitment patterns and gene flow in kelp rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens)

Pelagic dispersal of marine organisms provides abundant opportunity for gene flow and presumably inhibits population genetic divergence. However, ephemeral, fine‐scale, temporal and spatial genetic heterogeneity is frequently observed in settled propagules of marine species that otherwise exhibit broad‐scale genetic homogeneity. A large variance in reproductive success is one explanation for this phenomenon. Here, genetic analyses of 16 microsatellite loci are used to examine temporal patterns of variation in young‐of‐year kelp rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens) recruiting to nearshore habitat in Monterey Bay, California, USA. Population structure of adults from central California is also evaluated to determine if spatial structure exists and might potentially contribute to recruitment patterns. Genetic homogeneity was found among 414 young‐of‐year sampled throughout the entire 1998 recruitment season. No substantial adult population structure was found among seven populations spanning 800 km of coastline that includes the Point Conception marine biogeographic boundary. Comparison of young‐of‐year and adult samples revealed no genetic differentiation and no measurable reduction in genetic variation of offspring, indicating little variance in reproductive success and no reduction in effective population size for this year class. Simulation analyses determined that the data set was sufficiently powerful to detect both slight population structure among adults and a small reduction in effective number of breeders contributing to this year class. The findings of high gene flow and low genetic drift have important implications for fisheries management and conservation efforts.
Temperature-dependent surface relaxations of Ag(111)

The temperature-dependent surface relaxation of Ag(111) is calculated by density-functional theory. At a given temperature, the equilibrium geometry is determined by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy within the quasiharmonic approximation. To this end, phonon dispersions all over the Brillouin zone are determined from density-functional perturbation theory. We find that the top-layer relaxation of Ag(111) changes from an inward contraction $(\ensuremath{-}0.8%)$ to an outward expansion $(+6.3%)$ as the temperature increases from $T=0\mathrm{K}$ to 1150 K, in agreement with experimental findings. Also, the calculated surface phonon dispersion curves at room temperature are in good agreement with helium-scattering measurements. The mechanism driving this surface expansion is analyzed, and the physical picture developed by Narasimhan and Scheffler is essentially confirmed.
Synthesis of broad-beam patterns through leaky-wave antennas with rectilinear geometry

The feasibility of broad-beam radiation-pattern synthesis through leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) with rectilinear geometry is shown for the first time. The synthesis is based on a geometrical-optics approach and is achieved by a nonstandard tapering of a straight LWA, which involves the variation of both phase and leakage constants of leaky-mode propagating along the structure. Such an approach is an alternative to that based on a curved LWA and allows for a simpler manufacturing and a significant bulk reduction of the structure. The relevant theory is provided together with examples of broad-beam pattern synthesis.
A genetic learning of the fuzzy rule-based classification system granularity for highly imbalanced data-sets

In this contribution we analyse the significance of the granularity level (number of labels) in Fuzzy Rule-Based Classification Systems in the scenario of data-sets with a high imbalance degree. We refer to imbalanced data-sets when the class distribution is not uniform, a situation that it is present in many real application areas. The aim of this work is to adapt the number of fuzzy labels for each problem, applying a fine granularity in those variables which have a higher dispersion of values and a thick granularity in the variables where an excessive number of labels may result irrelevant. We compare this methodology with the use of a fixed number of labels and with the C4.5 decision tree.
Anticlastogenic effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa fruits against sodium arsenite‐induced micronuclei formation in erythrocytes in mouse bone marrow

An in vivo micronucleus assay using albino mice was used to examine the anticlastogenic effects of a crude aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa fruits in bone marrow cells of mice. Various doses of freshly prepared crude extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg b.w.) were given by gavaging to male laboratory bred Swiss albino mice for 7 days as a dietary supplement followed by a single dose of sodium arsenite (2.5 mg/kg b.w.) After 24 h, the animals were killed and bone marrow smears were prepared and stained in Giemsa. The results show that sodium arsenite effectively induced micronuclei in polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs). Administration of a crude extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa led to a signiﬁcant reduction of micronuclei in PCEs. The results also show that a combination of Hibiscus sabdariffa and sodium arsenite reduced signiﬁcantly the frequencies of micronucleated PCEs induced by sodium arsenite. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimation of Fingertip Force from Surface EMG - A Multivariate Bayesian Mixture of Experts Approach

Improving the dexterity of active prostheses is a major research area amalgamating machine learning algorithms and biosignals. A recent research niche has emerged from thisproviding proportional control to a prosthetic hand by modelling the force applied at the fingertips using surface electromyography (sEMG). The publicly released NinaPro database contains sEMG recording for 6 degree-of-freedom force activations for 40 intact subjects. In this preliminary study the authors successfully perform multivariate force regression using Bayesian mixture of experts (MoE). The accuracy of the model is compared to the benchmark set by the authors of NinaPro; comparable performance is achieved, however in this work a lower dimensional feature extraction representation obtains the best modelling accuracies, hence reducing training time. Inherent to the Bayesian framework is the inclusion of uncertainty in the model structure, providing a natural step in obtaining confidence bounds on the predictions. The MoE model used in this paper provides a powerful method for modelling force regression with application to actively controlling prosthetic and robotic arms for rehabilitation purposes, resulting in highly refined movements.
The genetic basis of local adaptation for pathogenic fungi in agricultural ecosystems

Local adaptation plays a key role in the evolutionary trajectory of host–pathogen interactions. However, the genetic architecture of local adaptation in host–pathogen systems is poorly understood. Fungal plant pathogens in agricultural ecosystems provide highly tractable models to quantify phenotypes and map traits to corresponding genomic loci. The outcome of crop–pathogen interactions is thought to be governed largely by gene‐for‐gene interactions. However, recent studies showed that virulence can be governed by quantitative trait loci and that many abiotic factors contribute to the outcome of the interaction. After introducing concepts of local adaptation and presenting examples from wild plant pathosystems, we focus this review on a major pathogen of wheat, Zymoseptoria tritici, to show how a multitude of traits can affect local adaptation. Zymoseptoria tritici adapted to different thermal environments across its distribution range, indicating that thermal adaptation may limit effective dispersal to different climates. The application of fungicides led to the rapid evolution of multiple, independent resistant populations. The degree of colony melanization showed strong pleiotropic effects with other traits, including trade‐offs with colony growth rates and fungicide sensitivity. The success of the pathogen on its host can be assessed quantitatively by counting pathogen reproductive structures and measuring host damage based on necrotic lesions. Interestingly, these two traits can be weakly correlated and depend both on host and pathogen genotypes. Quantitative trait mapping studies showed that the genetic architecture of locally adapted traits varies from single loci with large effects to many loci with small individual effects. We discuss how local adaptation could hinder or accelerate the development of epidemics in agricultural ecosystems.
Improving Japanese-to-English Neural Machine Translation by Voice Prediction

This study reports an attempt to predict the voice of reference using the information from the input sentences or previous input/output sentences. Our previous study presented a voice controlling method to generate sentences for neural machine translation, wherein it was demonstrated that the BLEU score improved when the voice of generated sentence was controlled relative to that of the reference. However, it is impractical to use the reference information because we cannot discern the voice of the correct translation in advance. Thus, this study presents a voice prediction method for generated sentences for neural machine translation. While evaluating on Japanese-to-English translation, we obtain a 0.70-improvement in the BLEU using the predicted voice.
Formal Specification and Practical Verification of Contextual Component Compatibility

In this report we formally describe and practically verify a method which ensures run-time type consistency of component-based applications, by performing type-based substitutability checks as part of the component binding and update processes. The method takes into account the environment of the currently deployed component version and uses its so-called contextual complement in the checks. This novel approach overcomes the limitations of the standard notion of compatibility by allowing non-contravariant differences on the required side of the component’s surface. The verification of the method uses an implementation for the OSGi component framework together with a simple GUI tool to perform component substitution experiments. This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation under the grant number P103/11/1489 “Methods of development and verification of componentbased applications using natural language specifications”. Copies of this report are available on http://www.kiv. zcu.cz/publications/ or by surface mail on request sent to the following address: University of West Bohemia in Pilsen Department of Computer Science and Engineering Univerzitni 8 30614 Pilsen Czech Republic Copyright c ©2011 University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic
Q-ball imaging of macaque white matter architecture

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging holds substantial promise as a technique for non-invasive imaging of white matter (WM) axonal projections. For diffusion imaging to be capable of providing new insight into the connectional neuroanatomy of the human brain, it will be necessary to histologically validate the technique against established tracer methods such as horseradish peroxidase and biocytin histochemistry. The macaque monkey provides an ideal model for histological validation of the diffusion imaging method due to the phylogenetic proximity between humans and macaques, the gyrencephalic structure of the macaque cortex, the large body of knowledge on the neuroanatomic connectivity of the macaque brain and the ability to use comparable magnetic resonance acquisition protocols in both species. Recently, it has been shown that high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) can resolve multiple axon orientations within an individual imaging voxel in human WM. This capability promises to boost the accuracy of tract reconstructions from diffusion imaging. If the macaque is to serve as a model for histological validation of the diffusion tractography method, it will be necessary to show that HARDI can also resolve intravoxel architecture in macaque WM. The present study therefore sought to test whether the technique can resolve intravoxel structure in macaque WM. Using a HARDI method called q-ball imaging (QBI) it was possible to resolve composite intravoxel architecture in a number of anatomic regions. QBI resolved intravoxel structure in, for example, the dorsolateral convexity, the pontine decussation, the pulvinar and temporal subcortical WM. The paper concludes by reviewing remaining challenges for the diffusion tractography project.
Design, Modeling, and Test of a Programmable Adaptive Phase-Shifting PLL for Enhancing Clock Data Compensation

Timing compensation between the clock period and datapath delay in the presence of resonant supply noise has drawn a great deal of attention from the circuit design community. This effect, which is often referred to as the clock data compensation effect, manifests itself as an increase in maximum operating frequency for high performance microprocessors. In this work, we propose an adaptive phase-shifting PLL that can achieve optimal clock data compensation by digitally programming the supply noise sensitivity and the phase shift of the PLL clock period. Measurement results from a 1.2 V, 65 nm test chip demonstrate a 3.4-7.3% improvement in the maximum operating frequency across different clock distribution designs and resonant frequencies. A mathematical framework for simulating the performance of the adaptive phase-shifting PLL is presented for better insight on how the proposed PLL performs when used in different clock network configurations. In addition, the impact of the proposed technique on PLL stability as well as its effectiveness in a 32 nm process has been explored.
A parametric study of lumped circuit parameters of a miniature planar spiral transformer

In many applications the chip-embedded core of miniature devices is a micro-structured planar spiral power transformer (MPST), and operational and electromagnetic compatibility are key issues to its sizing. Numerical simulation aided design may then be used to solve them. This paper presents mathematical models and numerical simulation results related to sizing the ferrite core, the lumped parameters of the MPST, and their sensitivity with respect to the core thickness (the spacing between the planar windings) and the magnetic permeability of the ferrite core. These outcomes may be of interest to the electrical design of the device that uses the MPST and in analyzing its electromagnetic compatibility with the interfering working environment. Finally, we address the high-frequency noise reduction in DC/DC flyback power sources with MPST.
Opening and Linking up : Firms , Global Value Chains and Productivity in Latin America Pierluigi Montalbano

This work explores the relationship between exports, Global Value Chains’ (GVCs) participation and position, and firms’ productivity. To this aim, we combine the most recent World Bank Enterprise Survey in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries with the OECD‐WTO trade in value added data. To explore the above relationship we adopt an extended version of the standard Cobb‐ Douglas output function including indicators of export performance and GVCs. We control for heterogeneity among firms (by country, region, and industry), sample selection, firms’ characteristics and reverse causality. Our empirical outcomes confirm the presence of a positive relationship between participation in international activities and firm performance. They also show that both participation in GVCs and position within GVCs matter. These findings have strong policy implications and may help policymakers in choosing the best policy options to enhance the link between GVCs integration and firms’ productivity.
Pyrolysis kinetics of washed precipitated lignin

This article describes the pyrolysis behavior of precipitated washed lignin in a Laminar Entrained Flow Reactor between 700 and 1000°C and at different residence times. Lignin was precipitated by acidification of softwood black liquor using CO2. After acid washing, the solid material was dried and sieved (80-100 μm). This material was then fed into the reactor at a rate of about 0.1 g/min. The formed gases were analyzed with respect to CO, CO2, and CH4, and char was collected and weighed. A traditional first order Arrhenius kinetic expression, based on the temperature of the particles with respect to residence time, was adapted to the experimental results. The activation energy was found to be 32.1 kJ/mol. The low ash content in the washed lignin gave a very low solid material residue after the reactor.
Antibody mimicking the action of RAS proteins on yeast adenylyl cyclase: implication for RAS-effector interaction

Polyclonal antisera were raised against various subregions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae adenylyl cyclase in order to examine the molecular mechanism of interaction between adenylyl cyclase and RAS proteins. One of the antisera was found to activate adenylyl cyclase to an extent comparable to that activated by saturating amounts of yeast RAS2 protein produced in Escherichia coli. The stimulatory effect of this antiserum was shown to be additive with RAS2 protein when both antisera and RAS2 protein were present at low concentrations. At saturating amounts of RAS2 protein, the antisera did not exhibit additional stimulatory effects, suggesting that the actions of RAS2 protein and the antisera are complementary with each other. The antigenic determinant for the antibody involved in the activation was mapped to a 14-amino-acid segment, 1452-NSVDNGADVANLSY-1465, located between the leucine-rich repeats and the catalytic domain of adenylyl cyclase. Certain missense mutations affecting this 14-amino acid segment significantly reduced the response of adenylyl cyclase to both activating antibody and RAS proteins. These results suggest that this segment of adenylyl cyclase is intimately involved in the mechanism by which RAS proteins activate this downstream effector.
“You Know the Medicine, I Know My Kid”: How Parents Advocate for Their Children Living With Complex Chronic Conditions

ABSTRACT Caring for a child with a chronic condition has received considerable attention in the pediatric health literature. Today, approximately 1 out of 5 North American children are diagnosed with a chronic condition that requires parents to become caregivers and advocates. Although advocacy is regarded as a significant aspect to parental caregiving, more research is needed to better define this oversimplified and misrepresented concept in clinical practice and research. Subsequently, we interviewed 35 parents of children diagnosed with complex chronic conditions. Within our analysis, we identified three themes that elaborate upon how parental advocacy is socially constructed through communication behaviors and partnerships with other people (e.g., medical professionals, family, school educators). We also discuss the emotional side of advocacy, and proffer suggestions to practitioners who work with parents to form collaborative care teams.
The effect of dosing vehicle on arsenic bioaccessibility in smelter-contaminated soils

In vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) methods have been developed to provide an expedient and inexpensive means to estimate bioavailability of arsenic and other contaminants from ingestion of contaminated soil. Both in vivo and in vitro techniques have used a fasting model when determining Pb bioavailability/bioaccessibility as a conservative estimate of risk. Some IVG procedures have incorporated a dosing vehicle (DV) or food (i.e., milk) to simulate in vivo conditions. Potential differences in the bioaccessibility of contaminants between fasting and fed states remain a concern for those interested in adopting in vitro procedures for regulatory purposes. In this study, the effect of eliminating a dough-like DV on As bioaccessibility (BA), and this effect on the relationship between in vitro bioaccessible and in vivo relative bioavailability (RBA) As is determined. Also, the effect of phosphate from the DV on IVG BA is investigated. Two types of smelter-contaminated soils, calcine and iron slag, were used to examine the effect of dosing vehicle (DV) on BA determined by IVG. Dosing vehicle did not affect BA in the gastric extraction (GE) or intestinal extraction (IE) for 3 of the 5 calcinated contaminated soils. Inclusion of DV in the GE slightly increased BA for 2 of the 5 slag-contaminated soils. Increases in BA from DV may be attributed to ligand exchange of arsenate with phosphate. Strong relationships between BA and in vivo RBA As were found with or without DV. Bioaccessible As measured by the GE was strongly correlated with in vivo RBA As (IVG without DV: r = 0.92, P < 0.01; IVG with DV: r = 0.96; P < 0.01). Similarly, BA measured by the IE was strongly correlated with in vivo RBA As (IVG without DV: r = 0.90, P < 0.01; IVG with DV: r = 0.96, P < 0.01). The IVG method, with or without DV, is a reliable method to use as a rapid screening tool to provide an estimate of BA in contaminated soils. Further studies should be conducted to determine the influence of foodstuffs on BA for different types of As contaminated soil (i.e., non-smelter soil).