Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of feedback in the under-attainment of ethnic minority students: evidence from distance education

In UK higher education, the attainment of ethnic minority students is lower than that of white students, and this remains the case when differences in entry qualifications have been taken into account. The present study investigated whether the under-attainment of ethnic minority students might be due to the nature of the feedback that they received for their assignments. The assignments submitted by 470 ethnic minority and 470 matched white students taking a distance-learning course were compared using a computer system, Open Mentor, to categorise the feedback given by tutors based on a scheme devised by Bales. Asian and black students and students of mixed ethnicity obtained lower marks for their assignments than did the white students. However, there were only small differences between the ethnic minority students and the white students in terms of the pattern of feedback that they received, and these disappeared when the marks that they had received for their assignments had been taken into account. It is concluded that students from all ethnic groups received feedback that was commensurate with their marks, and that the origins of the attainment gap in ethnic minority students in UK higher education must be sought elsewhere.
Selecting informative genes by Lasso and Dantzig selector for linear classifiers

Automatically selecting a subset of genes with strong discriminative power is a very important step in classification problems based on gene expression data. Lasso and Dantzig selector are known to have automatic variable selection ability in linear regression analysis. This paper employs Lasso and Dantzig selector to select most informative genes for representing the class label as a linear function of gene expression data. The selected genes are further used to fit linear classifiers for cancer classification. On 3 publicly available cancer datasets, the experimental results show that in general, Lasso is more capable than Dantzig selector in selecting informative genes for classification.
Heritability of Carotid Artery Intima-Medial Thickness in Type 2 Diabetes

Background and Purpose— Carotid artery intima-medial thickness (IMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, is a strong predictor of subsequent cardiovascular morbidity. The role of genetic factors in thickening of the carotid wall remains largely unknown. We hypothesize that in families with multiple members having diabetes, carotid IMT is likely to be associated with both inherited and environmental factors. Methods— To determine the extent of the familial aggregation of carotid IMT in the presence of type 2 diabetes, we studied 252 individuals with type 2 diabetes (mean age 60.6 years) from 122 families. Common carotid artery IMT was measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. Other measured factors included lipid levels, body mass index, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, albumin/creatinine ratio, and self-reported medical history. Heritability estimates were obtained by using variance component methodology, as implemented in the SOLAR software package. Tests for association between carotid IMT and variables were performed by using mixed model analysis while accounting for the correlation due to family structure. Results— The age-, sex-, and race-adjusted heritability estimate for carotid IMT was 0.32 (SE 0.17, P =0.02). Further adjustment for total cholesterol, hypertension status, and current smoking status resulted in a heritability estimate of 0.41 (SE 0.16, P =0.004). The strongest predictors of carotid IMT, after adjusting for age and sex, were ethnicity (African American versus white), total cholesterol, and smoking status. Conclusions— These data provide empirical evidence that subclinical cardiovascular disease has a significant genetic component and merits a search for the genes involved in susceptibility to the atherosclerotic complications of diabetes.
Thioaptamer Conjugated Liposomes for Tumor Vasculature Targeting

Recent developments in multi-functional nanoparticles offer a great potential for targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds and imaging contrast agents to specific cell types, in turn, enhancing therapeutic effect and minimizing side effects. Despite the promise, site specific delivery carriers have not been translated into clinical reality. In this study, we have developed long circulating liposomes with the outer surface decorated with thioated oligonucleotide aptamer (thioaptamer) against E-selectin (ESTA) and evaluated the targeting efficacy and PK parameters. In vitro targeting studies using Human Umbilical Cord Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) demonstrated efficient and rapid uptake of the ESTA conjugated liposomes (ESTA-lip). In vivo, the intravenous administration of ESTA-lip resulted in their accumulation at the tumor vasculature of breast tumor xenografts without shortening the circulation half-life. The study presented here represents an exemplary use of thioaptamer for targeting and opens the door to testing various combinations of thioaptamer and nanocarriers that can be constructed to target multiple cancer types and tumor components for delivery of both therapeutics and imaging agents.
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire – brief: An alternative models approach

Schizotypy is a multi-dimensional personality construct that is considered to be a cognitive marker for liability to psychotic disorder. The 22-item brief form of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire is one of the most widely used psychometric measures of schizotypal traits and it has been evidenced to aid in the evaluation of psychosis-proneness. Understanding the underlying latent structure of this measure is therefore both theoretically and clinically important. Using confirmatory factor analysis, data from two UK universities (613 undergraduates) were used to estimate the fit of eight competing factor models of schizotypal personality. The fit statistics supported a three-factor model with correlated “Cognitive-Perceptual,” “Interpersonal” and “Disorganised” dimensions. A number of statistical associations were identified between demographic and behavioural variables and each of the schizotypy dimensions. Gender and cannabis use were predictive of variation in the “Disorganised” dimension, while socioeconomic status was predictive of variation in the Interpersonal dimension.
Understanding, modelling, and improving the performance of web applications in multicore virtualised environments

As the computing industry enters the Cloud era, multicore architectures and virtualisation technologies are replacing traditional IT infrastructures. However, the complex relationship between applications and system resources in multicore virtualised environments is not well understood. Workloads such as web services and on-line financial applications have the requirement of high performance but benchmark analysis suggests that these applications do not optimally benefit from a higher number of cores. In this paper, we try to understand the scalability behaviour of network/CPU intensive applications running on multicore architectures. We begin by benchmarking the Petstore web application, noting the systematic imbalance that arises with respect to per-core workload. Having identified the reason for this phenomenon, we propose a queueing model which, when appropriately parametrised, reflects the trend in our benchmark results for up to 8 cores. Key to our approach is providing a fine-grained model which incorporates the idiosyncrasies of the operating system and the multiple CPU cores. Analysis of the model suggests a straightforward way to mitigate the observed bottleneck, which can be practically realised by the deployment of multiple virtual NICs within our VM. Next we make blind predictions to forecast performance with multiple virtual NICs. The validation results show that the model is able to predict the expected performance with relative errors ranging between 8 and 26 per cent.
Complex formation between the NS3 serine-type proteinase of the hepatitis C virus and NS4A and its importance for polyprotein maturation

Processing of the hepatitis C virus polyprotein is mediated by host cell signalases and at least two virally encoded proteinases. Of these, the serine-type proteinase encompassing the amino-terminal one-third of NS3 is responsible for cleavage at the four sites carboxy terminal of NS3. The activity of this proteinase is modulated by NS4A, a 54-amino-acid polyprotein cleavage product essential for processing at the NS3/4A, NS4A/4B, and NS4B/5A sites and enhancing cleavage efficiency between NS5A and NS5B. Using the vaccinia virus-T7 hybrid system to express hepatitis C virus polypeptides in BHK-21 cells, we studied the role of NS4A in proteinase activation. We found that the NS3 proteinase and NS4A form a stable complex when expressed as a single polyprotein or as separate molecules. Results from deletion mapping show that the minimal NS4A domain required for proteinase activation is located in the center of NS4A between amino acids 1675 and 1686 of the polyprotein. Amino acid substitutions within this domain destabilizing the NS3-NS4A complex also impair trans cleavage at the NS4A-dependent sites. Similarly, deletion of amino-terminal NS3 sequences impairs complex formation as well as cleavage at the NS4B/5A site but not at the NS4A-independent NS5A/5B site. These results suggest that a stable NS3-NS4A interaction is important for cleavage at the NS4A-dependent sites and that amino-terminal NS3 sequences and the central NS4A domain are directly involved in complex formation.
Inducing Model Trees for Continuous

Many problems encountered when applying machine learning in practice involve predicting a \class" that takes on a continuous numeric value, yet few machine learning schemes are able to do this. This paper describes a \rational reconstruction" of M5, a method developed by Quinlan (1992) for inducing trees of regression models. In order to accommodate data typically encountered in practice it is necessary to deal eeectively with enumerated attributes and with missing values, and techniques devised by Breiman et al. (1984) are adapted for this purpose. The resulting system seems to outperform M5, based on the scanty published data that is available.
Performance analysis of low power transmitters for wireless sensor nodes

A 1.2 V, 2.4 GHZ ASK and FSK transmitters suitable for low power wireless sensor network is designed and implemented. The performance of the transmitters are analyzed to meet the unique requirements of wireless micro sensor nodes. Emphasis was placed on observing device reliability constraints such as supply voltage and the operating frequency at low power to maximize the life time of the wireless sensor nodes. The performance of the ASK and FSK transmitters are compared with previously reported low power approaches operating in similar frequency ranges.
Coverage, compliance and some operational issues of mass drug administration during the programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Orissa, India

This paper reports the coverage, compliance and other operational issues of mass drug administration (MDA) of diethylcarbamazine and albendazole under a programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) in Orissa state of India. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from 90 villages and nine urban areas of four districts of Orissa, India. In Orissa, 67% of people older than 2 years had received the drugs during MDA and 42% had consumed them. About 25% of people had not taken the tablets although they received them. Urban areas recorded lower rates than rural areas. The paper discusses some policy/health system‐, community‐ and drug‐related issues that influenced coverage and compliance of MDA. It is essential to improve compliance in future rounds of MDA to achieve targets of control and eventual elimination of LF in a reasonable time frame.
A contribuição de estudos transversais na área da linguagem com enfoque em afasia

BACKGROUND: one of the most widely delineations used in epidemiological research is the cross-sectional study. It consists of a very useful tool for describing characteristics of the population and identifying risk groups. Considering aphasia as a disintegration of language, it is necessary to understand the dissociations and relevant commitments. PURPOSE: to analyze epidemiological studies that analyzed cross-sectional changes in adult aphasic patients in order to investigate their main manifestations. CONCLUSION: the cross-sectional studies show ways to understand how this change in health covers signs and symptoms. Whereas the language, for being a privileged mean of communication for the aphasic people, the loss of this instrument becomes a source of isolation and loneliness. Thus, the identification of individuals with aphasia may contribute to accurate diagnosis, confirming the understanding of speech pathology findings on language and assisting in the rehabilitation. But, these scientific evidences should be effected at all longitudinal studies in order to support the creation of new techniques and strategies for recovering the injured brain, favoring the improvement of communication and in consequence the interactivity.
Staining the target: CD37 expression in lymphomas.

In this issue of Blood , [Xu-Monette et al][1] show that CD37 protein expression is a strong prognostic marker in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with R-CHOP. [1][2] CD37 negativity is associated with poor outcome and a high prevalence of adverse genetic and biologic features. [1][2] ! [
Risk factors for the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in Barrett’s oesophagus: a UK primary care retrospective nested case–control study

Background Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) incidence is rising rapidly and prognosis remains poor. Endoscopic surveillance of Barrett’s oesophagus (BO) remains controversial. Objective A nested case–control study was undertaken to evaluate risk factors for progression of BO to OAC, potentially guiding surveillance efforts. Methods The Health Improvement Network database includes general practitioner consultations from 5 million UK subjects. BO subjects with 1-year minimum of follow up were followed until development of OAC or end of time on database. Demographic variables (age, gender, smoking, body mass index) and data on medication considered negatively (aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/proton pump inhibitors) or positively associated (lower oesophageal sphincter-relaxing and asthma drugs) with OAC development were studied. Cox regression analysis-derived hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals estimated the relative risk for OAC progression. Results A total of 3749 BO subjects were studied: 55 developed OAC during 17,743 patient years of follow up, a progression rate of 0.3% per annum. There was 96.7% of the cohort who took proton-pump inhibitors, with no association observed. Increasing age (1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05, p = 0.005), male gender (3.06, 95% CI 1.50–6.24, p = 0.002), and having ever smoked (2.36, 95% CI 1.13–4.93, p = 0.023) were associated with progression to OAC, (although smoking lost association on multivariate analysis). Increasing number of drugs used for asthma (2.91, 95% CI 1.10–7.68, p= 0.0314) was also associated. Conclusion In this nested case–control study of BO, male gender, increasing age, and increasing use of asthma drugs were associated with progression to OAC.
IFRA: Instruction Footprint Recording and Analysis for post-silicon bug localization in processors

The objective of IFRA, instruction footprint recording and analysis, is to overcome the challenges associated with a very expensive step in post-silicon validation of processors - bug localization in a system setup. IFRA consists of special design and analysis techniques required to bridge a major gap between system-level and circuit-level debug. Special hardware recorders, called footprint recording structures (FRS's), record semantic information about data and control flows of instructions passing through various design blocks of a processor. This information is recorded concurrently during normal operation of a processor in a post-silicon system validation setup. Upon detection of a problem, the recorded information is scanned out and analyzed for bug localization. Special program analysis techniques, together with the binary of the application executed during post-silicon validation, are used for the analysis. IFRA does not require full system-level reproduction of bugs or system-level simulation. Simulation results on a complex super-scalar processor demonstrate that IFRA is effective in accurately localizing bugs with very little impact on overall chip area.
A flexible approach combining the spectral domain method and impedance boundary condition for the analysis of microstrip lines

An impedance boundary condition model is incorporated in the spectral domain formulation to calculate the transmission characteristics of a microstrip line with a lossy conducting strip. Subsectional rectangular pulse functions are used as the basis functions for the surface current distribution because of the finite conductivity of the conducting strip. The approach has the advantage of being more flexible without assuming the edge condition of the surface current distribution and is numerically efficient. Numerical results on the phase and attenuation constants of a superconducting microstrip line are computed for a comparison. <<ETX>>
Emphasis on the Learner: A New Approach

This article argues that analyses of causes of some ineffectiveness in the education and training of managers have been incomplete, and that some potential solutions have been insufficiently recognised, co‐ordinated and implemented. It is necessary to give greater attention to the learning process and an increased use of real problems, owned by the learner, as major features of learning to be an effective manager.
Precursors of ENSO beyond the tropical Pacific

Author(s): Yu, JY | Abstract: Precursors of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are atmospheric or oceanic phenomena that often occur before the onset of ENSO events and offer the potential to predict ENSO events with significant lead times. Most of the well-known ENSO precursors identified, so far, occur within the tropical Pacific, such as the build-up of subsurface ocean heat content anomalies in the tropical western Pacific (e.g., Wyrtki 1985; Meinen and McPhaden 2000) and the appearance of westerly wind bursts in the tropical western-to-central Pacific (e.g., McPhaden 1999; Vecchi and Harrison 2000; Zhang and Gottschalk 2002). These precursors have been suggested to affect ENSO onset through fluctuations in thermocline depths in the equatorial Pacific, which are recognized as a central element of the ENSO generation mechanism.
Adaptive ranking of search results by considering user's comprehension

Given a search query, conventional Web search engines provide users with the same ranking although users' comprehension levels can be different. It is often difficult especially for non-expert users to find comprehensible Web pages from the list of search results. In this paper, we propose the method of adaptively ranking search results by considering user's comprehension level. The main issues are (a) estimating the comprehensibility of Web pages and (b) estimating the user's comprehension level. In our method, the com-prehensibility of each search result is computed by using the readability index and technical terms extracted from Wikipedia. User's comprehension level is estimated by the users' feedback about the difficulty of search results that they have viewed. We implement a prototype system and evaluate the usefulness of our approach by user experiments.
Intertroop agonistic behavior of a feral rhesus macaque troop ranging in town and forest areas in india

The intertroop agonistic behavior of a troop of Macaca mulatta villosa was studied in both forested and urban areas. Intertroop contacts lasted longer and were more likely to involve aggression in the town than in the forest. In particular, adult males and adult females when in urban areas showed a significantly higher rate of the most extreme forms of agonism, such as attacks, chases, and fights, than when in the forest. Data are explained in relation to feeding patterns and environmental differences and show the great flexibility of social behavior in these primates. Genetic selection for a high level of aggression in an urban population of macaques is not considered likely.
Phylogenetic Incongruence in E. coli O104: Understanding the Evolutionary Relationships of Emerging Pathogens in the Face of Homologous Recombination

Escherichia coli O104:H4 was identified as an emerging pathogen during the spring and summer of 2011 and was responsible for a widespread outbreak that resulted in the deaths of 50 people and sickened over 4075. Traditional phenotypic and genotypic assays, such as serotyping, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), permit identification and classification of bacterial pathogens, but cannot accurately resolve relationships among genotypically similar but pathotypically different isolates. To understand the evolutionary origins of E. coli O104:H4, we sequenced two strains isolated in Ontario, Canada. One was epidemiologically linked to the 2011 outbreak, and the second, unrelated isolate, was obtained in 2010. MLST analysis indicated that both isolates are of the same sequence type (ST678), but whole-genome sequencing revealed differences in chromosomal and plasmid content. Through comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of five O104:H4 ST678 genomes, we identified 167 genes in three gene clusters that have undergone homologous recombination with distantly related E. coli strains. These recombination events have resulted in unexpectedly high sequence diversity within the same sequence type. Failure to recognize or adjust for homologous recombination can result in phylogenetic incongruence. Understanding the extent of homologous recombination among different strains of the same sequence type may explain the pathotypic differences between the ON2010 and ON2011 strains and help shed new light on the emergence of this new pathogen.
Familial Aggregation of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Rural India

Aim: To evaluate familial transmission, age and sex distribution of type2 diabetes mellitus in rural population. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was conducted among diabetic patients visiting NRIGH from January 2015 to June 2015. The study included patients diagnosed as T2DM as per WHO criteria [4] and attending regularly to medical OPD, taking oral hypoglycemic drugs. In this study, multistage stratified cluster sampling was employed using the administrative divisions of Tenali mandal. Of the 300 patients approached from different settlement areas of the mandal, 267 agreed to participate and gave verbal consent to take part in this study. Results: Patients above 30 yrs were taken in to study. Patients ranged from 30yrs to 85 yrs. Most patients were between age group 40 and 49 i.e. 80. Average age of onset of diabetes is 47.8 yrs. There was no much difference in gender ratio M:F = 133:134. Out of 267 patients, family history of diabetes was evaluated and was present in 177 patients. The prevalence of DM in father, mother, brother and sister was 19.4%, 23.2%, 23% and 20% respectively. In 2 degree relatives for uncles and aunts, a positive history of T2DM was more common among maternal aunts/uncles than in paternal aunts/uncles (31.0% vs 22.0%). Both maternal and paternal transmission of diabetes was present in 15 patients [5.6%]. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study findings showed an excess of maternal transmission of T2DM in rural India. The data support the dominant maternal role in the development of diabetes mellitus in their