Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polymorphisms at the apoB, apoA-I, and cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene loci in patients with gallbladder disease.

Alterations in lipoprotein levels are reported to be related to an increased risk of gallstones. Plasma lipid metabolism is regulated by a number of proteins that are polymorphic in the population. The present research was designed to investigate the association between the polymorphisms of these proteins and the presence of various gallbladder diseases. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of apolipoprotein B (XbaI, EcoRI), apolipoprotein A-I (PstI, MspI), and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) (EcoNI, TaqIA, TaqIB) genes were examined in a series of 210 cholecystectomy patients operated on for symptomatic gallbladder disease and in 92 healthy controls. The patients were categorized into four groups according to the type of gallstones and the presence or absence of cholesterolosis. The distribution of CETP TaqIB polymorphism in the patients with cholesterol gallstones differed significantly from that in the controls, with the B1B1 jects (39.7%) (P = 0.036). The patients with both cholesterol and non-cholesterol stones had lower high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels than the control subjects. However, the most distinct difference was found in the gallstone patients with the B2B2 genotype (P = 0.006). The frequency of the X1X1 genotype of the apolipoprotein B XbaI polymorphism was markedly higher in the patients with acalculous cholesterolosis (48.9%) or cholesterolosis with stones (58.1%) than in the gallstone patients with cholesterol stones (27.2%) or with non-cholesterol stones (34.1%) (P = 0.002). The present data suggest that CETP gene polymorphism may ba associated with cholesterol gallstone disease, probably in combination with some additional factor that reduces the plasma HDL cholesterol concentration, especially in TaqIB B2B2 genotype. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
University of Birmingham Decoding Chinese stock market returns:

In this paper, we employ a three-state hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) to explain the time-varying distribution of the Chinese stock market returns since 2005. Our results indicate that the time-varying distribution depends on the hidden states, which are represented by three market conditions, namely the bear, sidewalk, and bull markets. We ﬁnd that the inﬂation, the PMI, and the exchange rate are signiﬁcantly related to the market conditions in China. A simple trading strategy based on expanding window decoding shows proﬁtability with a Sharpe ratio of 1.14
Submonolayer InGaAs∕GaAs quantum-dot lasers with high modal gain and zero-linewidth enhancement factor

The gain spectra of a submonolayer (SML) InGaAs∕GaAs quantum dot (QD) laser working at 30°C were measured using the Hakki–Paoli method. It is found that the maximum modal gain of QD ground states is as high as 44cm−1 and no gain saturation occurs below the threshold at the lasing wavelength of 964.1nm. When the injection current is about 0.98 times the threshold, the gain spectrum becomes symmetric with respect to the lasing wavelength, and zero-linewidth enhancement factor is observed. These properties are attributed to the high density and the high uniformity of SML QDs in our laser diode.
The Tanami 3D model – incorporating the results of the 2005 Tanami Seismic Survey

Summary The Tanami 3D crustal-scale model integrates geological mapping with seismic interpretation and gravity modelling in order to enhance our understanding of the 3D architecture of the region. The Tanami Region is a multiply deformed Palaeoproterozoic terrain consisting of the predominantly turbiditic Tanami Group, the volcanically derived sedimentary and extrusive rocks of the Ware Group and the Mount Charles Formation. Thought to be underlain by Archaean basement, the region was intruded by numerous granitoid bodies during the period 1820-1790 Ma and hosts the Callie world-class and several smaller gold deposits. The 2005 Tanami seismic survey consisted of four regional traverses. Interpreted sections show the presence of a series of crustal-penetrating structures, that appear to be fundamental to the evolution of the Tanami Region. A number of these interpreted structures appear to link the mid-crust to ‘thin-skinned’ structures within the uppermost crust. The seismic also shows the presence of a southeast-dipping suture and associated pop-up structure, separating the Tanami crust from the Arunta crust. Known ore deposits are all located in close proximity to these interpreted through-going thrust faults and the associated ramp anticlines. Gravity modelling of the southeast-trending backbone seismic traverse (05GAT1) supports the seismic interpretation. The current 3D model was constructed using 3D GeoModeller incorporating seismic data, modelled gravity, interpreted magnetic and gravity data and geological mapping. The 3D model forms the basis of the Tanami X3D web viewing tool, which allows the model and associated data to be viewed and manipulated over the web.
Inorganic ion composition in Tardigrada : cryptobionts contain large fraction of unidentified 1 organic solutes 2 3

Inorganic ion composition in Tardigrada: cryptobionts contain large fraction of unidentified 1 organic solutes 2 3 Kenneth AGERLIN HALBERG, Kristine WULFF LARSEN, Aslak JØRGENSEN, Hans 4 RAMLØV and Nadja MØBJERG 5 6 7 1 Department of Biology, The August Krogh Centre, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 8 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark 9 2 Department of Nature, Systems and Models, University of Roskilde, Universitetsvej 1, DK-4000 10 Roskilde, Denmark 11 3 Laboratory of Molecular Systematics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of 12 Copenhagen, Sølvgade 83, DK-1307 Copenhagen K, Denmark 13 14 15 Text pages: 21 16 Figures: 3 17 Tables: 5 18 Supplementary files: 1 19 Word count: 5134 (excluding title page, summary, references and figure captions) 20 21 22 Running head: Inorganic ion composition in Tardigrada 23 24 25 26 Corresponding author: Kenneth Agerlin Halberg; Department of Biology, The August Krogh 27 Centre, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; 28 Phone: +45 35321656; Fax: +45 35321567; e-mail: kahalberg@bio.ku. dk 29 30 http://jeb.biologists. org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.075531 Access the most recent version at J Exp Biol Advance Online Articles. First posted online on 13 December 2012 as doi:10.1242/jeb.075531
GREEDY RANDOMIZED

GRASP (greedy randomized adaptive search procedure) is a meta-heuristic for combinatorial optimization. GRASP usually is implemented as a multistart procedure, where each iteration is made up of a construction phase, where a randomized greedy solution is constructed, and a local search phase which starts at the constructed solution and applies iterative improvement until a locally optimal solution is found. This chapter gives an overview of GRASP. Besides describing the basic building blocks of a GRASP, the chapter covers enhancements to the basic procedure, including reactive GRASP, hybrid GRASP, and intensiﬁcation strategies.
PARP-3 and APLF Function Together to Accelerate Non-Homologous End Joining

PARP-3 is a member of the ADP-ribosyl transferase super-family of unknown function. We show that PARP-3 is stimulated by DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in vitro and functions in the same pathway as the poly (ADP-ribose)-binding protein APLF to accelerate chromosomal DNA doublestrand break repair. We implicate PARP-3 in the accumulation of APLF at DSBs and demonstrate that APLF promotes the retention of XRCC4/DNA ligase IV complex in chromatin, suggesting that PARP-3 and APLF accelerate DNA ligation during non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Consistent with this, we show that class-switch recombination in Aplf-/B cells is biased towards microhomology-mediated end-joining, a pathway that operates in the absence of XRCC4/DNA ligase IV, and that the requirement for PARP-3 and APLF for NHEJ is circumvented by overexpression of XRCC4/DNA ligase IV. These data identify molecular roles for PARP-3 and APLF and uncover a novel and unanticipated aspect of chromosomal DNA double-strand break repair reactions. Suggested Reviewers:
Characterization of smoke and dust episode over West Africa: comparison of MERRA-2 modeling with multiwavelength Mie–Raman lidar observations

Observations of multiwavelength Mie–Raman lidar taken during the SHADOW field campaign are used to analyze a smoke–dust episode over West Africa on 24–27 December 2015. For the case considered, the dust layer extended from the ground up to approximately 2000 m while the elevated smoke layer occurred in the 2500–4000 m range. The profiles of lidar measured backscattering, extinction coefficients, and depolarization ratios are compared with the vertical distribution of aerosol parameters provided by the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2). The MERRA-2 model simulated the correct location of the near-surface dust and elevated smoke layers. The values of modeled and observed aerosol extinction coefficients at both 355 and 532 nm are also rather close. In particular, for the episode reported, the mean value of difference between the measured and modeled extinction coefficients at 355 nm is 0.01 km−1 with SD of 0.042 km−1. The model predicts significant concentration of dust particles inside the elevated smoke layer, which is supported by an increased depolarization ratio of 15 % observed in the center of this layer. The modeled at 355 nm the lidar ratio of 65 sr in the near-surface dust layer is close to the observed value (70 ± 10) sr. At 532 nm, however, the simulated lidar ratio (about 40 sr) is lower than measurements (55 ± 8 sr). The results presented demonstrate that the lidar and model data are complimentary and the synergy of observations and models is a key to improve the aerosols characterization.
The Two Faces of R&D and Human Capital: Evidence from Western European Regions

This paper investigates two channels through which research and development (R&D) and human capital may affect regional total factor productivity growth in the manufacturing sector, using panel data on 159 EU-15 regions from 1992 to 2005. Based on the endogenous growth model of Griffith, Redding and Van Reenen (2003), we allow R&D and human capital to influence productivity growth both directly, reflecting own innovation, and indirectly, reflecting imitation of frontier technology. Further, the model allows for conditional convergence to a long-run level of TFP relative to the frontier. We also develop an extension that captures geographically localised technology spillovers. Our preferred system-GMM estimates provide evidence of a positive and significant direct effect of human capital, and a positive and significant indirect effect of R&D on productivity growth. This may be interpreted as lending support to the recent focus of EU regional policy on raising educational attainment and R&D expenditures, although their channels of influence appear to differ. Our results also suggest that TFP convergence has taken place over our sample period and that geographic distance to the technology frontier matters.
RESEARCH ON SOIL DEFORMATION DURING SHIELD CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Derived from Mindlin solution,the deformation formula induced by torque between cutterhead and soil is obtained by integration and coordinate transformation,which leads to the total deformation formula induced by shield tunneling. The deformation characteristics and complicated interactions between shield and soil are analyzed based on the Line No.1 of Hangzhou Metro with sandy silt. It is shown that the friction force and bulkhead thrust are the main factors of shield thrust setting,while the friction between the cutterhead and soil is the main factors of cutterhead torque setting. Friction force between shield and soil would make front soil of shield upheave,and subsidence of surface soil is induced by ground loss when the friction force between the cutterhead and soil results in the surface settlement asymmetrical distribution. Compared with the field measurements, the formula is suitable for the distance within the shield cutterhead(±2L),which can help guiding actual tunnel construction.
Tidal Estimation from TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason Primary, and Interleaved Missions in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas

ABSTRACT Cheng, Y. ; Xu, Q. , and Zhang, Y. , 2016. Tidal estimation from TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason primary, and interleaved missions in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China seas. In this study, response analysis of 18 years of TOPEX/Poseidon–Jason-1–Jason-2 (T/P-Jason) primary mission and 4 years of TOPEX–Jason-1 (TOPEX-Jason) interleaved mission along-track data is performed to derive four principal tidal constituents (M2, S2, K1, and O1) in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China seas (BYE). The intercomparison at crossover points and comparison with the ground truth show that the combination of T/P-Jason primary with TOPEX-Jason interleaved mission data are suitable for estimating the four principal tidal constituents in the regions. Three data sets of harmonic constants determined from tide-gauge records are used to investigate the impacts of TOPEX-Jason interleaved mission data on tidal constituent estimation over the BYE regions. The accuracy of estimated tidal constituents using 18 years of T/P-Jason data is slightly better than that using 10 years of T/P data in comparison with tide-gauge data over the coastal regions. However, comparisons with 116 tide-gauge data show that the root-mean-square differences in amplitude are reduced by 31%, 38%, 7%, and 7% (M2, S2, K1, and O1) when using primary mission and interleaved mission data to replace the T/P-Jason primary mission data for tide estimation in the study area. Moreover, the cotidal charts of the major tide constituents are well produced because the satellite altimetry recovers the tidal signal twice with dense ground tracks and more available measurements available in the regions.
Myogenic Akt signaling upregulates the utrophin–glycoprotein complex and promotes sarcolemma stability in muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by dystrophin mutations that lead to structural instability of the sarcolemma membrane, myofiber degeneration/regeneration and progressive muscle wasting. Here we show that myogenic Akt signaling in mouse models of dystrophy promotes increased expression of utrophin, which replaces the function of dystrophin thereby preventing sarcolemma damage and muscle wasting. In contrast to previous suggestions that increased Akt in dystrophy was a secondary consequence of pathology, our findings demonstrate a pivotal role for this signaling pathway such that modulation of Akt can significantly affect disease outcome by amplification of existing, physiological compensatory mechanisms.
12 Effects of High Altitude Related Oxidative Stress on Intraocular Pressure and Central Corneal Thickness – A Research Model for the Etiology of Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy resulting in axonal death and is a leading cause of blindness. Several factors play a role in this progressive cell loss. Hypoxia and oxidative stress are among the risk factors for glaucomatous changes. Tissue stress is also very crucial in glaucoma. This fact is evidenced by stress proteins and heat shock proteins in glaucoma models (Tezel & Wax, 2007). A relatively undiscovered field, namely high altitude related oxidative stress has recently gained attention in glaucoma research. High altitude, which is usually regarded as an altitude over 2,400m, has various effects on the human body. Mountaineers, outdoor sports enthusiasts, military as well as other personnel working at high altitudes are at risk and the detrimental effects caused by high altitude hypoxia can reduce their performance. At high altitudes, atmospheric pressure gradually falls and the oxygen partial pressure decreases. The resultant hypobaric-hypoxia with an oxygen partial pressure < 60mmHg is the culprit for detrimental effects of high altitude. High altitude may lead to a constellation of symptoms including acute mountain sickness, or in extreme cases, high altitude pulmonary edema or high altitude cerebral edema. At high altitude, hypoxia, ultraviolet rays, cold and increased energy need are amongst other contributing factors. The human eye is also affected by hypoxia at high altitude and extensive research is being carried out by various teams all around the world. Erciyes University Medical Faculty is located at the skirts of Erciyes Mountain (3,917m), Kayseri, Turkey. Inspired by the Turkish ophthalmic surgeon, Dr. Bozkurt Ergör (1927-2009), who had practised ophthalmology in Kayseri, served as the president of Turkish Mountaineering Federation and climbed to numerous peaks all over Turkey and the world, we carried research on high altitude ophthalmology at Erciyes University Medical Faculty Department of Ophthalmology (Ergör, 2011; Karakucuk et al., 2000, 2004, 2010). (Figures 1 & 2). In this chapter, effects of high altitude on central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure will be reviewed and the topic discussed in the light of the relationship of these parameters with high altitude related oxidative stress.
Multisensor multiresolution data fusion for improvement in classification

The rapid advancements in technology have facilitated easy availability of multisensor and multiresolution remote sensing data. Multisensor, multiresolution data contain complementary information and fusion of such data may result in application dependent significant information which may otherwise remain trapped within. The present work aims at improving classification by fusing features of coarse resolution hyperspectral (1 m) LWIR and fine resolution (20 cm) RGB data. The classification map comprises of eight classes. The class names are Road, Trees, Red Roof, Grey Roof, Concrete Roof, Vegetation, bare Soil and Unclassified. The processing methodology for hyperspectral LWIR data comprises of dimensionality reduction, resampling of data by interpolation technique for registering the two images at same spatial resolution, extraction of the spatial features to improve classification accuracy. In the case of fine resolution RGB data, the vegetation index is computed for classifying the vegetation class and the morphological building index is calculated for buildings. In order to extract the textural features, occurrence and co-occurence statistics is considered and the features will be extracted from all the three bands of RGB data. After extracting the features, Support Vector Machine (SVMs) has been used for training and classification. To increase the classification accuracy, post processing steps like removal of any spurious noise such as salt and pepper noise is done which is followed by filtering process by majority voting within the objects for better object classification.
Poverty, Nutrition and Mortality: A Comparative Perspective

The contemporary world continues to register substantial progress in economic growth, abundance in production of food grains, and profound breakthroughs in medical technology and knowledge on diseases and healthcare. These are no mean achievements and there are reasons to further them, as they play important role in both reducing poverty and hunger, and improving the health and nutritional status of the population. Despite this progress and achievement, a number of regressive aspects also continue to plague many parts of the world and blight the lives of men and women in various ways. The manifestation and intensity of these aspects varies between regions and between countries within regions. Poverty, hunger, malnutrition and mortality are so inexorably intertwined that they reinforce each other and hinder human development and economic growth. Understanding the relationship between poverty, nutrition and mortality is a complex one and this relationship vary according to the social, economic and cultural environment. In order to further our knowledge on these important issues, a seminar titled “The Impact of Mortality as Both a Determinant and a Consequence of Poverty and Hunger: A Contribution to Achieving the First Millennium Development Goal (Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger)” was held between February 23 and 25, 2005 in Trivandrum, India. The seminar was organised jointly by CICRED and the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) with financial support from UNFPA This book presents some of the papers offered at that conference with additional papers ‘invited’ in order to cover other regions and to fill the gap in certain issues. This volume covers Asia, the Pacific and Africa where nearly 90 percent of the world’s hungry people live. About 2 out of 5 under-five deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and almost half of the world’s undernourished children live in South Asia.
Coal Chemical Wastewater Treatment Process Based on Computer Simulation Technology

With a focus on coal chemical wastewater treatment, this study establishes a numerical simulation algorithm based on JAVA language for microwave-assisted coal chemical wastewater treatment, compares the testing results with the numerical simulation results, verifies the validity of the proposed numerical calculation method, and analyzes the effects of different pH values and H2O2 amount on coal chemical wastewater treatment by numerical simulation. In addition, the study analyzes the working principle of microwave-assisted coal chemical wastewater processor under multi-coupling action by calculating the electric field distribution, average power density, temperature field and concentration field in the furnace chamber. When pH = 3 and pH = 4, the removal rate of PNP in wastewater is the highest, reaching above 92.6%. When pH = 3, the reaction rate reaches 0.213/min. When H2O2 amount increases, both the removal efficiency and reaction rate of PNP increase obviously. The highest removal rate of PNP can amount to 93% and the highest reaction rate is 0.211/min. Therefore, the optimal pH value of wastewater treatment is determined to be 3, and the optimal H2O2 amount is 350mg/L.Introduction
Static and dynamic origin of kink bands in micas

The geometry of kink bands in biotite was investigated by using samples of various pressure histories which include materials deformed by regional metamorphism, meteorite impact, nuclear explosion, and static and dynamic laboratory experiments. The absolute values of the kink angles δ and e vary from 38° to 87° for statically deformed rocks and from 37° to 89° for shocked rocks. The asymmetry factor δ - e may be used to demonstrate that generally shock-induced kinking is more asymmetric than kinking produced statically. The angle of external rotation (ω) varies from 14° to 86° in the statically deformed rocks and from 16° to 125° in the shocked samples. Shocked biotites tend to be more intensely kinked, which results in smaller kink bandwidths than occur in their static counterparts. High stress and strain rates are believed to be responsible for these differences. These relations in kink band geometry can be useful in differentiating shock-induced kinks from kinks produced under static conditions.