Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subsequent Event Risk in Individuals With Established Coronary Heart Disease

Background: The Genetics of Subsequent Coronary Heart Disease (GENIUS-CHD) consortium was established to facilitate discovery and validation of genetic variants and biomarkers for risk of subsequent CHD events, in individuals with established CHD. Methods: The consortium currently includes 57 studies from 18 countries, recruiting 185 614 participants with either acute coronary syndrome, stable CHD, or a mixture of both at baseline. All studies collected biological samples and followed-up study participants prospectively for subsequent events. Results: Enrollment into the individual studies took place between 1985 to present day with a duration of follow-up ranging from 9 months to 15 years. Within each study, participants with CHD are predominantly of self-reported European descent (38%–100%), mostly male (44%–91%) with mean ages at recruitment ranging from 40 to 75 years. Initial feasibility analyses, using a federated analysis approach, yielded expected associations between age (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.14–1.16) per 5-year increase, male sex (hazard ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13–1.21) and smoking (hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.35–1.51) with risk of subsequent CHD death or myocardial infarction and differing associations with other individual and composite cardiovascular endpoints. Conclusions: GENIUS-CHD is a global collaboration seeking to elucidate genetic and nongenetic determinants of subsequent event risk in individuals with established CHD, to improve residual risk prediction and identify novel drug targets for secondary prevention. Initial analyses demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of a federated analysis approach. The consortium now plans to initiate and test novel hypotheses as well as supporting replication and validation analyses for other investigators.
The Circular Economy Business Model: Examining Consumers’ Acceptance of Recycled Goods

The circular economy strategy supports the transformation of the linear consumption model into a closed-production model to achieve economic sustainability, with the consumers’ acceptance of circular products being one of the major challenges. Further, one important aspect of product circularity remains unexplored, such as the consumers’ purchase intention of recycled circular goods. In this context, the present study proposes and tests a conceptual model on consumers acceptance of recycled goods through PLS Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), based on the data obtained from 312 respondents. Results indicate that the positive image of circular products is the most important driver of consumers’ acceptance, followed by the product perceived safety. This study provides an empirical foundation for the important role of consumers in circular economy business models through the examination of consumers’ acceptance of recycled goods.
The effect on cosmological parameter estimation of a parameter dependent covariance matrix

Cosmological large-scale structure analyses based on two-point correlation functions often assume a Gaussian likelihood function with a fixed covariance matrix. We study the impact on cosmological parameter estimation of ignoring the parameter dependence of this covariance matrix, focusing on the particular case of joint weak-lensing and galaxy clustering analyses. Using a Fisher matrix formalism (calibrated against exact likelihood evaluation in particular simple cases), we quantify the effect of using a parameter dependent covariance matrix on both the bias and variance of the parameters. We confirm that the approximation of a parameter-independent covariance matrix is exceptionally good in all realistic scenarios. The information content in the covariance matrix (in comparison with the two point functions themselves) does not change with the fractional sky coverage. Therefore the increase in information due to the parameter dependent covariance matrix becomes negligible as the number of modes increases. Even for surveys covering less than 1% of the sky, this effect only causes a bias of up to of order 10% of the statistical uncertainties, with a misestimation of the parameter uncertainties at the same level or lower. The effect will only be smaller with future large-area surveys. Thus for most analyses the effect of a parameter-dependent covariance matrix can be ignored both in terms of the accuracy and precision of the recovered cosmological constraints.
Multi-Target Control Strategy of DFIG Using Virtual Synchronous Generator Based on Extended Power Resonance Control under Unbalanced Power Grid

Virtual synchronous generator control is considered as an effective solution to optimize the frequency response characteristics of doubly fed induction generator. However, due to the insufficient control bandwidth of the original virtual synchronous generator, it has little control effect over the oscillating components of the power caused by the unbalanced grid voltage. Therefore, long-term unbalanced voltage will cause a series of problems, such as distortion of stator and rotor currents, as well as oscillations of power and electromagnetic torque, which seriously affect the power quality and the operating performance of the doubly fed induction generator. To solve these problems, the concept of extended power is introduced, and the second-order generalized integrator-based resonant controller is used to control the extended power and traditional power. Control targets of the extended power method are discussed and extended, so that the doubly fed induction generator system using extended power resonant control-based virtual synchronous generator control can realize three different control targets under the unbalanced grid condition. The three control targets are: balanced and sinusoidal stator current, sinusoidal stator current and constant active power, and sinusoidal stator current and constant reactive power and electromagnetic torque. The three control targets can also be flexibly switched according to the real-time requirements of the grid with unbalanced voltage. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the control method.
Host volunteering in tourism as a voluntary exchange

ABSTRACT Volunteering in tourism has gained popularity globally in recent years. While the understandings of volunteering are mainly from Western countries, the Chinese context volunteering is still marginalized. By focusing on how volunteering is conceptualized in the tourism field, this research explores the nuanced understanding of host volunteering in tourism in China. A constructivist grounded theory is adopted by drawing data from autoethnography and in-depth interviews with 34 volunteers and 15 tourism industry workers. The findings show that the voluntary exchange nature of host volunteering in tourism is prominent with productive, symbolic, and economic elements. The voluntary spirit emerges as important in the exchange relationship. A framework of host volunteering in tourism as a voluntary exchange is developed. Several Chinese characteristics are identified including the productivity of collective volunteering and outsourcing, tourism organizations involving volunteers to signal the active responses to the government policies, and the wide existence of volunteers with payment. This paper provides valuable insights into the under-theorised volunteering in tourism as an exchange and identifies practical implications.
A facile hydrothermal method for preparation of fluorescent carbon dots on application of Fe3+ and fingerprint detection

The carbon dots (CDs) was prepared by a facile hydrothermal treatment of citric acid and glycine at 180 °C. The CDs at around 3.2 nm was collected after filtration and dialysis. The sample displayed green fluorescence (G-CDs) with a quantum yield of 3.7% in high concentration and the strongest emission peak was at 545 nm under the excitation wavelength of 480 nm; the blue fluorescence CDs (B-CDs) with a quantum yield of 29.8% was obtained after diluted either in solution or in powder, the strongest emission peak was located at 475 nm under the excitation wavelength of 380 nm. The G-CDs possessed a high selectivity to Fe3+, which was in a linear range of 0–3.5 μM with the detection limit of 0.21 μM. The CDs powder with blue fluorescence at a relative low content was obtained and adaptable for the fingerprint detection on substrates of litmus paper, resin tabletop, glass, and orange plastic ruler.
Evaluation of Training Load During Suspension Exercise

Abstract Giancotti, GF, Fusco, A, Varalda, C, Capelli, G, and Cortis, C. Evaluation of training load during suspension exercise. J Strength Cond Res 35(8): 2151–2157, 2021—The aims of this study were to evaluate body inclination and ground reaction force and to predict equations to estimate the training load distribution during suspension training (ST) static back-row at different lengths of the straps. Thirty volunteers (men = 16 and women = 14; age = 23.3 ± 1.7 years; body mass = 63.9 ± 13.3 kg; height = 167.9 ± 9.2 cm; body mass index [BMI] = 22.5 ± 3.4 kg·m−2) performed 14 static back-rows at 7 different lengths of the straps in 2 different elbow positions (flexed and extended). When the length of the straps increased, ground reaction force and body inclination decreased. Moreover, in the flexed elbow position, higher ground reaction force values were recorded with respect to the extended one. Two multilevel regression models (p < 0.05) were created. In the first one, ground reaction force was used as a dependent variable, whereas body inclination angle, body mass, height, BMI, and elbow position were used as independent variables. Significant (p < 0.05) effects were found for all variables included in the model, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.31. In the second model, the body inclination angle was replaced by the length of the ST device. Significant (p < 0.05) effects were found also in the second model for all variables included, with an ICC of 0.37. The proposed models could provide different methods to quantify the training load distribution, even if the use of the straps' length could result easier and faster than body inclination angle, helping practitioners and instructors to personalize the workout to reach specific purposes and provide load progression.
Nonparametric smoothing for extremal quantile regression with heavy tailed distributions

In several different fields, there is interest in analyzing the upper or lower tail quantile of the underlying distribution rather than mean or center quantile. However, the investigation of the tail quantile is difficult because of data sparsity. In this paper, we attempt to develop nonparametric quantile regression for the extremal quantile level. In extremal quantile regression, there are two types of technical conditions of the order of convergence of the quantile level: intermediate order or extreme order. For the intermediate order quantile, the ordinary nonparametric estimator is used. On the other hand, for the extreme order quantile, we provide a new estimator by extrapolating the intermediate order quantile estimator. The performance of the estimator is guaranteed by asymptotic theory and extreme value theory. As a result, we show the asymptotic normality and the rate of convergence of the nonparametric quantile regression estimator for both intermediate and extreme order quantiles. A simulation is presented to confirm the behavior of the proposed estimator. The data application is also assessed.
The design and development of an automatic transmission solenoid tester for wheeled vehicles

Solenoids are the most critical components in automatic transmissions. They are used to control the shift points, clutch locking, or pressure regulation of automatic transmissions. Since the number, type, and order of the solenoids all differ when they are used in different vendor’s automatic transmissions, making accurate normal/abnormal decisions for solenoids is very difficult, as it can lower the maintenance quality, to waste labor and material cost, and even reduce driving safety. This article proposes an “abnormal” inspecting method (i.e. for abnormality) for solenoids with high inspect ability and develops a learnable automatic transmission solenoid tester. This tester can perform solenoid testing on multiple channels at the same time. The test result statistics for all channel solenoids tested are generated automatically. It also provides visibility for users to view the difference comparisons of testing curves of temperature, pressure, voltage, current, and resistance on a graphical screen. The curve visibility function will be helpful for the solenoid diagnosis of abnormal or fault reasons.
Ptosis as a unique hallmark for autosomal recessive WNT1‐associated osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heritable connective tissue disorder, mainly characterized by bone fragility and low bone mass. Defects in the type I procollagen‐encoding genes account for the majority of OI, but increasingly more rare autosomal recessive (AR) forms are being identified, which are caused by defects in genes involved in collagen metabolism, bone mineralization, or osteoblast differentiation. Bi‐allelic mutations in WNT1 have been associated with a rare form of AR OI, characterized by severe osteoporosis, vertebral compression, scoliosis, fractures, short stature, and variable neurological problems. Heterozygous WNT1 mutations have been linked to autosomal dominant early‐onset osteoporosis. In this study, we describe the clinical and molecular findings in 10 new patients with AR WNT1‐related OI. Thorough revision of the clinical symptoms of these 10 novel patients and previously published AR WNT1 OI cases highlight ptosis as a unique hallmark in the diagnosis of this OI subtype.
Associations between Home Foreclosure and Health Outcomes in a Spanish City

The financial crisis has caused an exponential increase of home foreclosures in Spain. Recent studies have shown the effects that foreclosures have on mental and physical health. This study explores these effects on a sample of adults in the city of Granada (Spain), in terms of socio-demographic, socio-economic and process characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was administered to obtain information on self-perceived changes in several indicators of physical and mental health, consumption of medications, health-related behaviors and use of health services. A total of 205 persons, going through a foreclosure process, participated in the study. 85.7% of the sample reported an increase of episodes of anxiety, depression, and stress; 82.6% sleep disturbances; 42.8% worsening of previous chronic conditions, and 40.8% an increase in consumption of medication. Women, married persons and persons already in the legal stage of the foreclosure process reported higher probability of worsening health according to several indicators, in comparison with men, not married, and individuals in the initial stages of the foreclosure process. The results of this study reveal a general deterioration of health associated with the foreclosure process. These results may help to identify factors to prevent poor health among populations going through a foreclosure process.
The evolution of collective infectious units in viruses

Viruses frequently spread among cells or hosts in groups, with multiple viral genomes inside the same infectious unit. These collective infectious units can consist of multiple viral genomes inside the same virion, or multiple virions inside a larger structure such as a vesicle. Collective infectious units deliver multiple viral genomes to the same cell simultaneously, which can have important implications for viral pathogenesis, antiviral resistance, and social evolution. However, little is known about why some viruses transmit in collective infectious units, whereas others do not. We used a simple evolutionary approach to model the potential costs and benefits of transmitting in a collective infectious unit. We found that collective infectious units could be favoured if cells infected by multiple viral genomes were significantly more productive than cells infected by just one viral genome, and especially if there were also efficiency benefits to packaging multiple viral genomes inside the same infectious unit. We also found that if some viral sequences are defective, then collective infectious units could evolve to become very large, but that if these defective sequences interfered with wild-type virus replication, then collective infectious units were disfavoured.
The Effects of Quality Management Practices and Organizational Learning on Organizational Performance: A Proposed Research Framework

In a rapidly developing IT business environment, quality management practices in various forms are inevitable. Information Technology industry is experiencing the fastest growth in the Bosnian economy over the past five years. Therefore, they are constantly adapting to meet the challenges of digital transformation and to satisfy the expectations of today’s customers. The best way in which an organization undertakes business activities is through quality management practices and organizational learning, which improves product quality and reduce product returns and the cost of servicing dissatisfied customers. This approach ultimately leads to an improvement in the company’s performance. This study proposes a research model based on extensive literature review. This model may serve as a good basis to investigate interrelationships between TQM practices, organizational learning, and organizational performance. It may also help to determine if organizational learning fosters plays a mediating role between TQM practices and performance in IT Sector. Further validation of the model is strongly recommended to future researchers.
Genetic linkage analysis of a large family identifies FIGN as a candidate modulator of reduced penetrance in heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension

Background Mapping the genetic component of molecular mechanisms responsible for the reduced penetrance (RP) of rare disorders constitutes one of the most challenging problems in human genetics. Heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one such disorder characterised by rare mutations mostly occurring in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2) gene and a wide heterogeneity of penetrance modifier mechanisms. Here, we analyse 32 genotyped individuals from a large Iberian family of 65 members, including 22 carriers of the pathogenic BMPR2 mutation c.1472G>A (p.Arg491Gln), 8 of them diagnosed with PAH by right-heart catheterisation, leading to an RP rate of 36.4%. Methods We performed a linkage analysis on the genotyping data to search for genetic modifiers of penetrance. Using functional genomics data, we characterised the candidate region identified by linkage analysis. We also predicted the haplotype segregation within the family. Results We identified a candidate chromosome region in 2q24.3, 38 Mb upstream from BMPR2, with significant linkage (LOD=4.09) under a PAH susceptibility model. This region contains common variants associated with vascular aetiology and shows functional evidence that the putative genetic modifier is located in the upstream distal promoter of the fidgetin (FIGN) gene. Conclusion Our results suggest that the genetic modifier acts through FIGN transcriptional regulation, whose expression variability would contribute to modulating heritable PAH. This finding may help to advance our understanding of RP in PAH across families sharing the p.Arg491Gln pathogenic mutation in BMPR2.
A simulation comparison of tournament designs for the World Men's Handball Championships

The study aims to compare different designs for the World Men’s Handball Championships. This event, organized in every two years, has adopted four hybrid formats consisting of knockout and round-robin stages in recent decades, including a change of design between the two recent championships in 2017 and 2019. They are evaluated under two extremal seeding policies with respect to various outcome measures through Monte Carlo simulations. We find that the ability to give the first four positions to the strongest teams, as well as the expected quality and outcome uncertainty of the final, is not necessarily a monotonic function of the number of matches played: the most frugal format is the second best with respect to these outcome measures, making it a good compromise in an unavoidable trade-off. A possible error is identified in a particular design. The relative performance of the formats is independent of the seeding rules and the competitive balance of the teams. The recent reform is demonstrated to have increased the probability of winning for the top teams. Our results have useful implications for the organizers of hybrid tournaments.
Association of abnormal serum electrolyte levels with hypertension in a population with high salt intake

Abstract Objective The present epidemiological study aimed to evaluate the association of serum electrolyte levels with hypertension in a population with a high-salt diet. Design Secondary analysis of epidemiology data from the Northeast China Rural Cardiovascular Health Study conducted in 2012–2013. Blood pressure and hypertension status were analysed for association with serum sodium, potassium, chloride, total calcium, phosphate and magnesium levels using regression models. Setting High-salt diet, rural China. Participants Adult residents in Liaoning, China. Results In total 10 555 participants were included, of whom 3287 had incident hypertension (IH) and 1655 had previously diagnosed hypertension (PDH). Fifty-six per cent of participants had electrolyte disturbance. Sixty-two per cent of hypercalcaemic participants had hypertension, followed by hypokalaemia (56 %) and hypernatraemia (54 %). Only hypercalcaemia showed significant associations with both IH (OR=1·70) and PDH (OR=2·25). Highest serum calcium quartile had higher odds of IH (OR=1·58) and PDH (OR=1·64) than the lowest quartile. Serum sodium had no significant correlation with hypertension. Serum potassium had a U-shaped trend with PDH. Highest chloride quartile had lower odds of PDH than the lowest chloride quartile (OR=0·65). Highest phosphate quartile was only associated with lower odds of IH (OR=0·75), and the higher magnesium group had significantly lower odds of IH (OR=0·86) and PDH (OR=0·77). Conclusions We have shown the association of serum calcium, magnesium and chloride levels with IH and/or PDH. In the clinical setting, patients with IH may have concurrent electrolyte disturbances, such as hypercalcaemia, that may indicate other underlying aetiologies.
Worker and firm responses to trade shocks: The UK-China case

We exploit the recent surge in Chinese export growth to study the effects of a trade shock on a foreign market - the UK. We find that individuals initially employed in sectors highly exposed to Chinese imports earned less and remained out of employment longer than workers in sectors that were less exposed to import competition in the period 2000-2007. Earnings losses were most severe when workers remained in the same industry, whereas those who switched out of their 2-digit sector were able to mitigate these losses. The effects are heterogeneous across the distribution of earnings within the same age cohort, with initially better-paid workers suffering less in terms of employment and earnings than those initially worse-paid. Female workers experienced a greater fall in total earnings, mostly through reduced years of employment. Furthermore, firms in industries flooded by Chinese products displayed lower employment growth and higher probability of going out of business than firms in sectors more insulated from competition with China.