Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Circulating anti-Mullerian hormone levels in adult men are under a strong genetic influence.

CONTEXT The determinants of serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in adult men remain unclear. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to investigate the genetic and environmental components in determining postpubertal AMH levels in healthy men. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Serum AMH levels, body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) were measured in 64 healthy male (23 monozygotic and 41 dizygotic) twin pairs. RESULTS Postpubertal AMH levels were highly genetically determined (broad sense heritability 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.96). AMH correlated negatively with BMI (r = -0.26, P = 0.030) and fat mass (r = -0.23, P = 0.048). As AMH, BMI had a high heritability (0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.39-0.83), but no genetic correlation was observed between them. CONCLUSIONS AMH levels in men after puberty are under a strong genetic influence. Twin modeling suggests that AMH and BMI are influenced by different sets of genes.
A Constrained Confirmatory Mixture IRT Model: Extensions and Estimation of the Saltus model using Mplus

In this paper, I will discuss applications, extensions, and estimation of the Saltus model, a specialized confirmatory mixture IRT model. The Saltus model is confirmatory because the number/nature of latent classes is pre-specified and prior item information is utilized for class differentiation. Such a confirmatory model has not been fully utilized in applied research due to two main misconceptions: (1) the model is designed for specific purposes only and (2) a specialized software package is required to estimate the model. In this study, I will discuss that (1) such a confirmatory approach is applicable to various applications of mixture IRT modeling, (2) the model can actually be parameterized as a constrained mixture IRT model and (3) the model can be readily extended and estimated with regular, off-the-shelf mixture IRT software packages that allow for linear constraints on model parameters. An application and estimation of the constrained confirmatory IRT model is illustrated with an empirical example.
Information and communication technology (ICT) in secondary schools: the role of the computer coordinator

A study was conducted in 2002 to evaluate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in 21 secondary schools in one region of New Zealand. As part of the study, the role of the ICT coordinator was investigated. All the ICT coordinators were surveyed and 14 of them were interviewed in-depth. It is found that they were all well-equipped to take up a significant leadership role in their schools and some of them have already demonstrated visible leadership. This paper also identifies some obstacles that have reduced their effective leadership in ICT use in their schools.
Intended Fertility and Birth Behavior (in Japanese)

This paper has three purposes. First, in using Butz and Ward model for the analysis, unlike the previous researches, we focus on birth intention. Specifically, we aim to investigate the relationship between the household's incomes and/or women's personal income and the behavior of giving birth of the women who have intention to have children. Second, we examine the effects of social and economic factors on birth intention. Finally, we consider the factors causing the gap between the intended number of children (intended number of births) and actual number of children.
Can Procalcitonin Help The Diagnosis of Osteomyelitis in Adults?: A Prospective Study

OZET AMAC: Bu calismanin amaci osteomyelit tanisi alan eriskin hastalarda prokalsitoninin duyarlilik, ozgulluk ve prediktif degerini olcmektir. MATERYAL VE METOD: Calismaya osteomiyelitli 30 hasta ve 30 saglikli kontrol grubu alindi. Her iki grubun lokosit sayisi, eritrosit sedimantasyon hizi, C-reaktif protein ve prokalsitonin (PCT) duzeyleri saptandi. Prokalsitonin, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Ray Bio ® Human Procalcitonin LISA Kit, Norcross GA, USA) yontemi ile olculdu. PCT’nin 0,5 ng/ml'nin uzerinde olan degeri, normalden yuksek olarak kabul edildi. BULGULAR : Calismaya dahil edilen 30 hastanin 4'u subakut osteomyelit iken; 26'si kronik osteomyelitti. Hastalarin ve kontrol grubundaki toplam kadinlarin erkeklere orani 10/20'ydi. Hastalarin yas ortalamasi 31,16 ± 15,32 iken, kontrol grubunda ise 32,22 ± 14,32 idi. Hastalarin 26'sinda (% 86,7) klinik bulgular ve osteomyelit semptomlari vardi. 5 (% 16.6) hastada lokosit sayisi yuksek, 20 (% 66.6) hastada eritrosit sedimantasyon hizi yuksek, 15 (% 50) hastada C-reaktif protein pozitif iken 30 (% 100) hastanin tumunde PCT duzeyleri (PCT> 0.5 ng / mL) yuksek bulundu. Calismamizda, PCT testinin cut-off degeri 0.5 ng/mL olarak degerlendirildiginde, duyarliligi % 100, ozgullugu % 56 ve pozitif prediktif degeri ise % 100 idi. PCT’nin cut-off degeri 0.57 ng/mL degerlendirildiginde, duyarliligi % 87, ozgullugu % 86 ve pozitif prediktif degeri ise % 87 idi. Bu cut-off degeri (0.57 ng/mL), osteomyelit hastalari icin daha uygun goruldu. SONUC: Osteomyelitli hastalarda, PCT testinin duyarliligi, ozgullugu ve pozitif prediktif degeri diger akut faz reaktanlarina gore daha iyi ayirici taniya goturebilmektedir. Bu nedenle PCT testi, osteomyelitin teshisinde yararli bir belirtec olarak kullanilabilir.
Combining value averaging and Bollinger Band for an ETF trading strategy

ABSTRACT The decision-making of investors is highly influenced by their feelings. According to behavioural finance, investor greed and fear would form irrational behaviour and affect their portfolio allocation. Although well-known mechanical investment strategy of dollar cost averaging (DCA) and value averaging (VA) could eliminate the problems of when to purchase, there are still some disadvantages to consider. For example, using a DCA strategy may be able to decrease volatility in portfolio so as to not effect investment decision, but it gives no rule for selling and may increase the opportunity cost of time if investors start deducted at peak prices. On the other hand, VA gives more aggressive sell signals to control the value of the portfolio to the level desired, but the investor may not have enough money purchase of a large number of shares in sharp decline period. Therefore, we use VA as main strategy and Bollinger Band as assist indicator for check for volatility for entry or exit. Through analysis and simulation, the new strategy we design does improve the performance during both bull and bear market periods.
Load scheduling with price uncertainty and coupling constraints

This paper investigates the load scheduling problem in smart grids. Due to the uncertainty of future electricity prices, the statistical knowledge is utilized in the load scheduling process. Instead of resorting to stochastic dynamic programming that is generally prohibitive to be explicitly solved, load scheduling is formulated as an optimization problem with coupling constraints. Dual decomposition and stochastic gradient are proposed to solve the optimization problem. That is, the problem is first decoupled into a series of separable subproblems, and then price uncertainty is addressed by stochastic gradient based on probability distributions of future prices. An online approach improves the performance of load scheduling by alleviating the impact of price prediction error. Numerical results are provided to validate our theoretical analysis.
Mokola virus glycoprotein and chimeric proteins can replace rabies virus glycoprotein in the rescue of infectious defective rabies virus particles

A reverse genetics approach which allows the generation of infectious defective rabies virus (RV) particles entirely from plasmid-encoded genomes and proteins (K.-K. Conzelmann and M. Schnell, J. Virol. 68:713-719, 1994) was used to investigate the ability of a heterologous lyssavirus glycoprotein (G) and chimeric G constructs to function in the formation of infectious RV-like particles. Virions containing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene (SDI-CAT) were generated in cells simultaneously expressing the genomic RNA analog, the RV N, P, M, and L proteins, and engineered G constructs from transfected plasmids. The infectivity of particles was determined by a CAT assay after passage to helper virus-infected cells. The heterologous G protein from Eth-16 virus (Mokola virus, lyssavirus serotype 3) as well as a construct in which the ectodomain of RV G was fused to the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains of the Eth-16 virus G rescued infectious SDI-CAT particles. In contrast, a chimeric protein composed of the amino-terminal half of the Eth-16 virus G and the carboxy-terminal half of RV G failed to produce infectious particles. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to convert the antigenic site III of RV G to the corresponding sequence of Eth-16 G. This chimeric protein rescued infectious SDI-CAT particles as efficiently as RV G. Virions containing the chimeric protein were specifically neutralized by an anti-Eth-16 virus serum and escaped neutralization by a monoclonal antibody directed against RV antigenic site III. The results show that entire structural domains as well as short surface epitopes of lyssavirus G proteins may be exchanged without affecting the structure required to mediate infection of cells.
Listening to the Community on Student Retention

This paper draws from a large longitudinal study into issues related to student retention beyond the compulsory years of schooling and gives voice to a commonly-overlooked set of stakeholders, namely those in the community. Although many studies report on students" and teachers" opinions of the influence of the community on student engagement and retention, very little is found based on data from the community members themselves. This paper provides an analysis of 11 in-depth interviews carried out with members of the community during the three-year mixed-methods research project on student retention in rural, regional, and disadvantaged areas of Tasmania. Of the themes that emerged, the most salient was that of the provision of educational pathways for students. Other themes included job opportunities, both as a positive and negative influence on student retention, the responsibilities of the community from the perspectives of community members themselves, and their views of the importance of parents and teachers in relation to retention.
Psoriasis treatment: current and emerging directed therapies

Quality of life studies in patients with cutaneous psoriasis attest to its significant impact on day to day activities and personal social interactions. Up to 40% of patients with psoriasis may develop psoriatic arthritis, usually within 5–10 years after onset of the cutaneous disease, heightening quality of life issues. These data have prompted an increased awareness and interest in more aggressive management of psoriasis; coupled with a better understanding of immunopathogenesis, this has led to the development of new agents targeting specific cells and molecules involved in the development and maintenance of psoriatic plaques. Although non-biological therapies, including methotrexate and ciclosporin, show significant efficacy their side effect profiles have precluded their long term use for moderate to severe psoriasis. This review concentrates on new biological agents, focusing on the three agents approved for psoriasis within the past 18 months (alefacept, efalizumab, and etanercept). Phase II and III trial data on other agents in development (adalimumab and infliximab) are also presented. Surveys show many patients want to be treated more aggressively. It is hoped that the introduction of new agents that are more targeted and that hold the promise of fewer side effects will cause patients and their physicians to reconsider systemic treatment and, as a consequence, stimulate other patients to reconsider treatment for psoriasis. Close cooperation between dermatologists and rheumatologists, particularly in the area of psoriatic joint disease, will enhance these considerations.
Aspirin-induced asthma. Hypersensitivity to fenoprofen and ibuprofen in relation to their inhibitory action on prostaglandin generation by different microsomal enzymic preparations.

Eighteen patients with asthma and aspirin hypersensitivity have been challenged with increasing doses of aspirin, fenoprofen, ibuprofen, and dextropropoxyphene. Low doses of the first three drugs induced bronchoconstriction in all the patients as evidenced by fall in peak expiratory flow and appearance of clinical symptoms. There were no reactions to therapeutic doses of dextropropoxyphene. Aspirin, fenoprofen, and ibuprofen, but not dextropropoxyphene, inhibited prostaglandin synthetase activity in three different microsomal preparations, i.e., in bovine seminal vesicles, in rabbit brain, and in rabbit kidney medulla. Expected in vivo antienzymic potency of a drug, calculated from experiments using rabbit brain microsomes, corresponded roughly with its potency to induce bronchoconstriction in the challenge tests. An individual pattern of sensitivity to threshold doses of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors was demonstrated for each patient. The results obtained suggest that precipitation of asthmatic attacks by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is mediated through inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis. The degree of enzymic inhibition, which is sufficient to precipitate bronchoconstriction, is an individual hallmark. Knowing the threshold dose for any of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors in a patient, one can predict the threshold doses for the rest of aspirin-like drugs in this particular patient.
Determinants of household’s choice of cooking energy in Uganda

High dependency on biomass has been associated with energy poverty in Uganda with successful intervention to modern energy expected to results to economic transformation. This paper examines utilization of various forms of cooking energy sources among households using data from the 2005/6 Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS). Results indicate that utilization of modern energy sources was only by 4 percent of households. A multinomial probit model (MNP) was used to estimate coefficient of determinants of energy choices. Determinants of household energy choices were observed as consumption expenditure welfare, residing in urban or rural areas, household size, achievement of education levels beyond primary level and regional location of a household. The study recommended deliberate efforts by government to intervene in addressing low adoption of modern energy especially now that the country has oil and gas reserves. The government should implement policies to encourage private sector involvement in provision of modern energy alternatives, provision of micro-credit for buying equipments and availing modern energy in smaller quantities.
Feature interactions in telecommunications systems

The problems of defining features, services, and feature interactions in telecommunication systems are discussed. Several ways of classifying feature interactions are surveyed. Existing approaches for solving the feature-interaction problem are reviewed. It is seen that no full approach exists; they are all partial solutions. The approaches are divided into three classes: avoidance, detection, and resolution. Avoidance looks at ways to prevent undesired feature interactions. Detection assumes that feature interactions will be present, and determines methods for identifying and locating them. Resolution assumes that feature interactions will be present and detected, and looks at mechanisms for minimizing their potential adverse effects. <<ETX>>
Cognitive endophenotypes inform genome-wide expression profiling in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE We performed a whole-genome expression study to clarify the nature of the biological processes mediating between inherited genetic variations and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. METHOD Gene expression was assayed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using Illumina Human WG6 v3.0 chips in twins discordant for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and control twins. After quality control, expression levels of 18,559 genes were screened for association with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) performance, and any memory-related probes were then evaluated for variation by diagnostic status in the discovery sample (N = 190), and in an independent replication sample (N = 73). Heritability of gene expression using the twin design was also assessed. RESULTS After Bonferroni correction (p < 2.69 × 10-6), CVLT performance was significantly related to expression levels for 76 genes, 43 of which were differentially expressed in schizophrenia patients, with comparable effect sizes in the same direction in the replication sample. For 41 of these 43 transcripts, expression levels were heritable. Nearly all identified genes contain common or de novo mutations associated with schizophrenia in prior studies. CONCLUSION Genes increasing risk for schizophrenia appear to do so in part via effects on signaling cascades influencing memory. The genes implicated in these processes are enriched for those related to RNA processing and DNA replication and include genes influencing G-protein coupled signal transduction, cytokine signaling, and oligodendrocyte function.
Transmission Range Control in Multihop Packet Radio Networks

This paper presents a model for analyzing the performance of transmission strategies in a multihop packet radio network where each station has adjustable transmission radius. A larger transmission radius will increase the probability of finding a receiver in the desired direction and contribute bigger progress if the transmission is successful, but it also has a higher probability of collision with other transmissions. The converse is true for shorter transmission range. We illustrate our model by comparing three transmission strategies. Our results show that the network can achieve better performance by suitably controlling the transmission range. One of the transmission strategies, namely transmitting to the nearest forward neighbor by using adjustable transmission power, has desirable features in a high terminal density environment.
Hope as a Predictor of Academic Performance

This study was designed to assess whether the two subscales of the Hope Scale significantly predict semester grade point average (GPA), over and above American College Test (ACT) scores and Trait Anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.) The Hope Scale includes two subscales, goal-directed determinism (Agency) and the ability to plan ways to attain goals (Pathway). As predicated, scores on the Hope Scale correlated significantly with semester GPA. Scores on the Agency subscale correlated positively with semester GPA in this college sample, but not those on the Pathways subscale. Partial correlations retained the association of scores on the Agency subscale and GPA, even when intelligence (ACT scores) and anxiety (Trait Anxiety scores) were controlled. Implications are discussed.
Regulation of the extent of splicing of influenza virus NS1 mRNA: role of the rates of splicing and of the nucleocytoplasmic transport of NS1 mRNA

Influenza virus NS1 mRNA is spliced by host nuclear enzymes to form NS2 mRNA, and this splicing is regulated in infected cells such that the steady-state amount of spliced NS2 mRNA is only about 10% of that of unspliced NS1 mRNA. This regulation would be expected to result from a suppression in the rate of splicing coupled with the efficient transport of unspliced NS1 mRNA from the nucleus. To determine whether the rate of splicing of NS1 mRNA was controlled by trans factors in influenza virus-infected cells, the NS1 gene was inserted into an adenovirus vector. The rates of splicing of NS1 mRNA in cells infected with this vector and in influenza virus-infected cells were measured by pulse-labeling with [3H]uridine. The rates of splicing of NS1 mRNA in the two systems were not significantly different, strongly suggesting that the rate of splicing of NS1 mRNA in influenza virus-infected cells is controlled solely by cis-acting sequences in NS1 mRNA itself. In contrast to the rate of splicing, the extent of splicing of NS1 mRNA in the cells infected by the adenovirus recombinant was dramatically increased relative to that occurring in influenza virus-infected cells. This could be attributed largely, if not totally, to a block in the nucleocytoplasmic transport of unspliced NS1 mRNA in the recombinant-infected cells. Most of the unspliced NS1 mRNA was in the nuclear fraction, and no detectable NS1 protein was synthesized. When the 3' splice site of NS1 mRNA was inactivated by mutation, NS1 mRNA was transported and translated, indicating that the transport block occurred because NS1 rRNA was committed to the splicing pathway. This transport block is apparently obviated in influenza virus-infected cells. These experiments demonstrate the important role of the nucleocytoplasmic transport of unspliced NS1 mRNA in regulating the extent of splicing of NS1 mRNA.
Just for the Fun of It? Towards a Model for Assessing the Individual Benefits of Employees' Enterprise Social Software Usage

Complementary to the increasing popularity of social Web sites (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) in the private realm, social software has also drawn the attention of organizations in recent years, leading to increasing adoption rates of enterprise social software platforms (ESSPs) in organizations. Often motivated by employees' changing communication behavior and demands, companies tend to disregard the business motives for social software adoption, namely the benefits the tools provide to the users. To identify such benefits, we collected a rich set of qualitative data aiming at investigating the benefits social software users gain by using ESSPs. Based on the collected data as well as on theory, we propose a conceptual model comprising the potential benefits that ESSP usage brings about and the contextual factors influencing the identified usage-performance relationships.
A Technique to Excise the Descemet Membrane From a Recipient Cornea (Descemetorhexis)

Objective: To describe a technique for excision of the Descemet membrane (DM) from the recipient eye for preparation of a recipient stromal bed in posterior lamellar keratoplasty. Methods: In 10 human eye bank eyes and 3 patients, recipient eyes had a 5.0-mm scleral tunnel incision made extending 1.0 mm into the peripheral cornea at the 12 o’clock surgical position. The anterior chamber was completely filled with air, and a reflective glide was placed through the incision onto the iris, to better visualize DM. A 9.0-mm mark was made onto the corneal epithelium to outline the area from which the Descemet membrane was to be removed. With a custom-made scraper, the DM was then carefully stripped off the posterior stroma by loosening the membrane at the 6 o’clock position and pulling it toward the incision at 12 o’clock. The excised DMs were evaluated by light and electron microscopy. Results: In all recipient eyes, DM could be easily and completely removed from the posterior corneal stroma. Microscopy showed isolated DMs without stromal tissue elements. Conclusion: With the technique described, DM can be excised in a controlled fashion without damaging the posterior corneal stroma, to quickly create a recipient stromal bed before implantation of a donor posterior lamellar disk in posterior lamellar keratoplasty.
SAGEmap: a public gene expression resource.

We have constructed a public gene expression data repository and online data access and analysis, WWW and FTP sites for serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) data. The WWW and FTP components of this resource, SAGEmap, are located at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/sage and ftp://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/sage, respectively. We herein describe SAGE data submission procedures, the construction and characteristics of SAGE tags to gene assignments, the derivation and use of a novel statistical test designed specifically for differential-type analyses of SAGE data, and the organization and use of this resource.