Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Walking on multiple disease-gene networks to prioritize candidate genes.

Uncovering causal genes for human inherited diseases, as the primary step toward understanding the pathogenesis of these diseases, requires a combined analysis of genetic and genomic data. Although bioinformatics methods have been designed to prioritize candidate genes resulting from genetic linkage analysis or association studies, the coverage of both diseases and genes in existing methods is quite limited, thereby preventing the scan of causal genes for a significant proportion of diseases at the whole-genome level. To overcome this limitation, we propose a method named pgWalk to prioritize candidate genes by integrating multiple phenomic and genomic data. We derive three types of phenotype similarities among 7719 diseases and nine types of functional similarities among 20327 genes. Based on a pair of phenotype and gene similarities, we construct a disease-gene network and then simulate the process that a random walker wanders on such a heterogeneous network to quantify the strength of association between a candidate gene and a query disease. A weighted version of the Fisher's method with dependent correction is adopted to integrate 27 scores obtained in this way, and a final q-value is calibrated for prioritizing candidate genes. A series of validation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the superior performance of this approach. We further show the effectiveness of this method in exome sequencing studies of autism and epileptic encephalopathies. An online service and the standalone software of pgWalk can be found at http://bioinfo.au. tsinghua.edu. cn/jianglab/pgwalk.
Adjuvant exemestane with ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor improves outcomes, as compared with tamoxifen, in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. METHODS In two phase 3 trials, we randomly assigned premenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer to the aromatase inhibitor exemestane plus ovarian suppression or tamoxifen plus ovarian suppression for a period of 5 years. Suppression of ovarian estrogen production was achieved with the use of the gonadotropin-releasing-hormone agonist triptorelin, oophorectomy, or ovarian irradiation. The primary analysis combined data from 4690 patients in the two trials. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 68 months, disease-free survival at 5 years was 91.1% in the exemestane-ovarian suppression group and 87.3% in the tamoxifen-ovarian suppression group (hazard ratio for disease recurrence, second invasive cancer, or death, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 0.85; P<0.001). The rate of freedom from breast cancer at 5 years was 92.8% in the exemestane-ovarian suppression group, as compared with 88.8% in the tamoxifen-ovarian suppression group (hazard ratio for recurrence, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.80; P<0.001). With 194 deaths (4.1% of the patients), overall survival did not differ significantly between the two groups (hazard ratio for death in the exemestane-ovarian suppression group, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.51; P=0.37). Selected adverse events of grade 3 or 4 were reported for 30.6% of the patients in the exemestane-ovarian suppression group and 29.4% of those in the tamoxifen-ovarian suppression group, with profiles similar to those for postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS In premenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive early breast cancer, adjuvant treatment with exemestane plus ovarian suppression, as compared with tamoxifen plus ovarian suppression, significantly reduced recurrence. (Funded by Pfizer and others; TEXT and SOFT ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00066703 and NCT00066690, respectively.).
FORMATION OF PEPTIDE BONDS IN SPACE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF FORMAMIDE AND ACETAMIDE IN Sgr B2(N)

Extensive observations of acetamide (CH3CONH2) and formamide (NH2CHO) have been conducted toward Sgr B2(N) at 1, 2, and 3 mm using the Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) and the 12 m antenna of the Arizona Radio Observatory. Over the frequency range 65–280 GHz, 132 transitions of acetamide have been observed as individual, distinguishable features, although in some cases they are partially blended. The unblended transitions in acetamide indicate VLSR = 63.2 ± 2.8 km s−1 and ΔV1/2 = 12.5 ± 2.9 km s−1, line parameters that are very similar to that of formamide (NH2CHO) and other organic species in Sgr B2(N). For formamide, 79 individual transitions were identified over the same frequency region. Rotational diagram analyses indicate the presence of two components for both species in Sgr B2(N). For acetamide, the colder component (Eu < 40 K) exhibits a rotational temperature of Trot = 17 ± 4 K and a column density of Ntot = 5.2 ± 3.5 × 1013 cm−2; the higher energy component has Trot = 171 ± 4 K and Ntot = 6.4 ± 4.7 × 1014 cm−2. In the case of formamide, Trot = 26 ± 4 K and Ntot = 1.6 ± 0.7 × 1014 cm−2 for the colder component with Trot = 134 ± 17 K and Ntot = 4.0 ± 1.2 × 1014 cm−2 for the warmer region. The fractional abundances of acetamide are f (H2) = 1.7 × 10−11 and 2.1 × 10−10 for the cold and warm components, and in formamide, f (H2) = 5.3 × 10−11 and 1.3 × 10−10. The similarity between the abundances and distributions of CH3CONH2 and NH2CHO suggests a synthetic connection. The abundance of acetamide, moreover, is only a factor of three lower than that of formaldehyde, and very similar to acetaldehyde and ketene. CH3CONH2 is therefore one of the most abundant complex organic species in Sgr B2(N), and could be a possible source of larger peptide molecules, as opposed to amino acids.
International Trade and India

With increased globalization and the blurring of national borders, the subject of international trade has generated a lot of interest not only among students but also the media and the business circuit. Being an ancient civilization, India has a long and interesting history of engagement in international trade. People of this region have been involved in long-distance commerce, at least, since the Indus Valley Civilization. During the Ancient and Middle Ages India was known as a major trading country. The quest for better trade routes with India led to the discovery of America and the spread of colonialism in Asia. The latter paved the way for the entry of the Europeans as traders in the Indian Ocean and eventually led to the colonization of India. Following the British invasion, India's international trade suffered a major setback. During the post-Independence period, India had a somewhat uneasy relationship with international trade. However, after adopting economic liberalization in 1991, our nation has shown a more positive outlook towards global trade. Written in lucid English with nuanced explanations, this book provides an economic framework to take every reader through the fascinating account of India's engagement with international trade over the years. It also gives an overview of the technology and policy dynamics that have shaped global trade.
Network Profiles of the Dorsal Anterior Cingulate and Dorsal Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia During Hippocampal-Based Associative Memory

Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by brain network dysfunction, particularly during behavioral tasks that depend on frontal and hippocampal mechanisms. Here, we investigated network profiles of the regions of the frontal cortex during memory encoding and retrieval, phases of processing essential to associative memory. Schizophrenia patients (n = 12) and healthy control (HC) subjects (n = 10) participated in an established object-location associative memory paradigm that drives frontal-hippocampal interactions. Network profiles were modeled of both the dorsal prefrontal (dPFC) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as seeds using psychophysiological interaction analyses, a robust framework for investigating seed-based connectivity in specific task contexts. The choice of seeds was motivated by previous evidence of involvement of these regions during associative memory. Differences between patients and controls were evaluated using second-level analyses of variance (ANOVA) with seed (dPFC vs. dACC), group (patients vs. controls), and memory process (encoding and retrieval) as factors. Patients showed a pattern of exaggerated modulation by each of the dACC and the dPFC during memory encoding and retrieval. Furthermore, group by memory process interactions were observed within regions of the hippocampus. In schizophrenia patients, relatively diminished modulation during encoding was associated with increased modulation during retrieval. These results suggest a pattern of complex dysfunctional network signatures of critical forebrain regions in schizophrenia. Evidence of dysfunctional frontal-medial temporal lobe network signatures in schizophrenia is consistent with the illness’ characterization as a disconnection syndrome.
Anticipatory Planning and Control of Grasp Positions and Forces for Dexterous Two-Digit Manipulation

Dexterous object manipulation requires anticipatory control of digit positions and forces. Despite extensive studies on sensorimotor learning of digit forces, how humans learn to coordinate digit positions and forces has never been addressed. Furthermore, the functional role of anticipatory modulation of digit placement to object properties remains to be investigated. We addressed these questions by asking human subjects (12 females, 12 males) to grasp and lift an inverted T-shaped object using precision grip at constrained or self-chosen locations. The task requirement was to minimize object roll during lift. When digit position was not constrained, subjects could have implemented many equally valid digit position-force coordination patterns. However, choice of digit placement might also have resulted in large trial-to-trial variability of digit position, hence challenging the extent to which the CNS could have relied on sensorimotor memories for anticipatory control of digit forces. We hypothesized that subjects would modulate digit placement for optimal force distribution and digit forces as a function of variable digit positions. All subjects learned to minimize object roll within the first three trials, and the unconstrained device was associated with significantly smaller grip forces but larger variability of digit positions. Importantly, however, digit load force modulation compensated for position variability, thus ensuring consistent object roll minimization on each trial. This indicates that subjects learned object manipulation by integrating sensorimotor memories with sensory feedback about digit positions. These results are discussed in the context of motor equivalence and sensorimotor integration of grasp kinematics and kinetics.
YOU VALIDATE ME, YOU LIKE ME, YOU'RE FUN, YOU EXPAND ME: "I'M YOURS!"

The proposition that similarity breeds attraction has received longstanding theoretical and empirical support. Still, the processes that guide this effect remain relatively unexamined. In this study, with a large sample of college students, we tested four variables proposed in prior literature to theoretically account for the similarity-liking link: consensual validation, certainty of being liked, enjoyment of the interaction, and self-expansion. Similarity was correlated positively with all four mediator variables; likewise, all four mediators individually predicted liking in addition to uniquely carrying the indirect effect between similarity and liking. These results provide insight into the processes behind the similarity-liking link.
Time series modelling of high frequency stock transaction data

This thesis comprises four papers concerning modelling of financial count data. Paper [1], [2] and [3] advance the integer-valued moving average model (INMA), a special case of integer-valued autoregressive moving average (INARMA) model class, and apply the models to the number of stock transactions in intra-day data. Paper [4] focuses on modelling the long memory property of time series of count data and on applying the model in a financial setting. Paper [1] advances the INMA model to model the number of transactions in stocks in intraday data. The conditional mean and variance properties are discussed and model extensions to include, e.g., explanatory variables are offered. Least squares and generalized method of moment estimators are presented. In a small Monte Carlo study a feasible least squares estimator comes out as the best choice. Empirically we find support for the use of long-lag moving average models in a Swedish stock series. There is evidence of asymmetric effects of news about prices on the number of transactions. Paper [2] introduces a bivariate integer-valued moving average (BINMA) model and applies the BINMA model to the number of stock transactions in intra-day data. The BINMA model allows for both positive and negative correlations between the count data series. The study shows that the correlation between series in the BINMA model is always smaller than one in an absolute sense. The conditional mean, variance and covariance are given. Model extensions to include explanatory variables are suggested. Using the BINMA model for AstraZeneca and Ericsson B it is found that there is positive correlation between the stock transactions series. Empirically, we find support for the use of long-lag bivariate moving average models for the two series. Paper [3] introduces a vector integer-valued moving average (VINMA) model. The VINMA model allows for both positive and negative correlations between the counts. The conditional and unconditional first and second order moments are obtained. The CLS and FGLS estimators are discussed. The model is capable of capturing the covariance between and within intra-day time series of transaction frequency data due to macroeconomic news and news related to a specific stock. Empirically, it is found that the spillover effect from Ericsson B to AstraZeneca is larger than that from AstraZeneca to Ericsson B. Paper [4] develops models to account for the long memory property in a count data framework and applies the models to high frequency stock transactions data. The unconditional and conditional first and second order moments are given. The CLS and FGLS estimators are discussed. In its empirical application to two stock series for AstraZeneca and Ericsson B, we find that both series have a fractional integration property.
Modeling a publication sharing system 2.0

Current publication sharing systems inherit from the Web 2.0 philosophy the idea that users can add reusable information to support other peers, enabling them to insert new resources and to tag the existing ones; but, in their current form, these systems suffer of some limitations, such as the lack of tools for supporting users during the creation and organization of their personal concept spaces, and the poor utilization of tags as information sources for producing personalized recommendations. In this paper we propose a model for organizing dynamic and customizable concept spaces, based on innovative structures, and we introduce a mechanism for recommendation, based on tags and mainly on the way in which users connect resources in their concept spaces. Adaptive recommendations are generated analyzing the users’ concept spaces, and evaluating the similarities among them in order to reveal the similarity among their goals and perspectives. Keywords— Publication sharing systems, personal concept spaces, recommender systems, zigzag structures.
Performance Estimation of MPEG 4 Algorithms on ARM based Designs using Co-Verification

MPEG4 and the proprietary data compression algorithms developed at Packet Video allow rich multimedia content to be delivered over very low bandwidth connections, such as wireless cellular protocols. While developing these compression and decompression algorithms, we needed to maximize the compute power of the 3G handset platforms and guarantee the delivery of streaming multimedia to the variety of these devices. Many of these 3G handsets are based on various ARM processors. This paper will outline our use of instruction set simulators and co-verification tools to determine the performance of these complex algorithms on a wide variety of ARM based hardware designs. By running on a "virtual-prototype" using co-verification we were able to analyze a large number of architecture variations, including different ARM processors, cache sizes, and memory architectures. This analysis allowed us to find critical performance bottlenecks in the software and hardware and identify the attributes of ARM based systems which would efficiently deliver MPEG4 multimedia data streams.
Replicating and Extending Research on Relations between Visual Aesthetics and Usability

This paper describes a replication and extension of a study that found strong positive correlation between evaluation of a product's beauty and pre-use perceptions of its usability. The original study was conducted in Japan; its replication and extension took place in Israel. The extension involved mainly methodological improvements to the original study, which demonstrated the robustness of the original study's findings.
The potential of user-generated cartography: a case study of the OpenStreetMap project and Mapchester mapping party

Collaborative approaches based upon volunteered input into shared Internet-based resources are beginning to offer a radical and new alterative to more traditional mapping. This paper explores the potential of one of the most developed of these ? open? maps, in a case study of the OpenStreetMap project and of the practices deployed during a ? mapping party? in Manchester.The successes and weaknesses of the Mapchester weekend are discussed and it is concluded that the democratising and social potential of the new medium is already being realised.
Smoking-induced coronary vasoconstriction in patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease: evidence for adrenergically mediated alterations in coronary artery tone.

In patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, cigarette smoking increases myocardial oxygen demand but may cause an inappropriate decrease in coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen supply. This study was performed to explore the mechanism of smoking-induced coronary vasoconstriction and, specifically, to determine if smoking causes an alpha-adrenergically mediated increase in coronary artery tone. In 36 chronic smokers with coronary artery disease (27 men and nine women, 50 +/- 9 [mean +/- SD] years old), heart rate-systolic arterial pressure double product and coronary sinus blood flow (by thermodilution) were measured before and during smoking both before and after (1) normal saline (n = 5, control subjects), (2) an alpha-adrenergic-blocking agent, phentolamine, 5 mg (n = 15), (3) a beta-adrenergic-blocking agent, propranolol, 0.1 mg/kg (n = 12), or (4) sodium nitroprusside, 0.4 to 0.8 micrograms/kg/min, given in a dose sufficient to diminish systolic arterial pressure by 15% (n = 4). During the initial smoking period, rate-pressure product increased and coronary sinus blood flow was unchanged by smoking in all groups. After 30 to 75 min, saline, phentolamine, propranolol, or sodium nitroprusside was given, and measurements were repeated. In the control subjects, rate-pressure product and coronary sinus blood flow responded in a similar manner to that observed previously. In those receiving phentolamine, rate-pressure product was unchanged, but coronary sinus blood flow rose substantially with smoking (percent change +2 +/- 15% during the first smoking period [before phentolamine] and +32 +/- 17% during the second smoking period [after phentolamine]; p less than .01). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Evaluating Filtering Strategies for Decentralized Handover Prediction in the Wireless Internet

The rapid diffusion of heterogeneous forms of wireless connectivity is pushing the tremendous growth of the commercial interest in mobile services, i.e., distributed applications to portable wireless terminals that roam during service provisioning. In the case of both location-dependent mobile services and mobile services with session continuity requirements, there is a growing need for decentralized and lightweight solutions to predict cell handovers, in order to enable proactive service management operations that anticipate actual terminal reconnections at their newly visited cells. The paper discusses how to predict client handovers between IEEE 802.11 cells in a portable and completely decentralized way, only by exploiting RSSI monitoring and with no need of external global positioning systems. In particular, the paper focuses on proposing and comparing different filtering techniques for mitigating Received Signal Strength Indication abrupt fluctuations. Experimental results point out that i) filtering techniques can relevantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of handover prediction, and ii) the choice of the most appropriate filtering solution to adopt should be made at provisioning time depending on specific service/system requirements, e.g., privileging minimum overhead vs. greater prediction proactivity.
Do Mandatory Hedge Disclosures Discourage or Encourage Excessive Speculation

In order to shed some light on the desirability of hedge disclosures, I investigate the consequences of hedge disclosures on a firm's risk management strategy. Several major results emerge from this analysis. First, greater transparency about a firm's derivative activities is not necessarily a panacea for imprudent risk management strategies. I show that such transparency actually induces the firm to take excessive speculative positions in the derivative market. Second, I show that the firm may choose a prudent risk management strategy in the absence of hedge disclosures. However, the selection of a prudent risk management comes at a cost. The firm's production policy is distorted in the absence of hedge disclosures. These findings suggest that the FASB must carefully investigate the trade-offs between production distortions and risk management distortions in evaluating the desirability of mandatory hedge disclosures for all firms.
A Neural Network Based Schema Matching Method for Web Service Matching

With the development of Web service technology, Web service matching is becoming more and more important to service composition and service Mashup. The research of service matching has made great development and the crucial problem is schema matching. In this paper, we consider the task of matching multiple Web services for discovering the similar function services to the given one. In order to get the accurate matching result, we propose a neural network based schema matching (NNSM) method. While the semantic similarity calculated by individual matchers relies on individual aspects of information about schemas only, which are not sufficient for finding element correspondences between schemas. Our method uses a feed-forward neural network to combine multiple matchers where the back propagation algorithm is used to train the network. This brings significant gains in coverage while yielding modest gains in relevance. The experimental result shows we have a better accuracy compared to individual matchers and related research on service matching task.