Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic parameters for growth traits for a composite terminal sire breed of sheep.

Records of 9,055 lambs from a composite population originating from crossing Columbia rams to Hampshire x Suffolk ewes at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center were used to estimate genetic parameters among growth traits. Traits analyzed were weights at birth (BWT), weaning (7 wk, WWT), 19 mo (W19), and 31 mo (W31) and postweaning ADG from 9 to 18 or 19 wk of age. The ADG was also divided into daily gain of males (DGM) and daily gain of females (DGF). These two traits were analyzed with W19 and with W31 in three-trait analyses. (Co)variance components were estimated with REML for an animal model that included fixed effects of sex, age of dam, type of birth or rearing, and contemporary group. Random effects were direct and maternal genetic of animal and dam with genetic covariance, maternal permanent environmental, and random residual. Estimates of direct heritability were . 09, . 09, . 35, . 44, . 19, . 16, and . 23 for BWT, WWT, W19, W31, ADG, DGM, and DGF, respectively. Estimates of maternal permanent environmental variance as a proportion of phenotypic variance were . 09, . 12, . 03, . 03, . 03, . 06, and . 02, respectively. Estimates of maternal heritability were . 17 and . 09 for BWT and WWT and . 01 to . 03 for other traits. Estimates of genetic correlations were large among W19, W31, and ADG (.69 to .97), small between BWT and W31 or ADG, and moderate for other pairs of traits (.32 to .45). The estimate of genetic correlation between DGM and DGF was . 94, and the correlation between maternal permanent environmental effects for these traits was . 56. For the three-trait analyses, the genetic correlations of DGM and DGF with W19 were . 69 and . 82 and with W31 were . 67 and . 67, respectively. Results show that models for genetic evaluation for BWT and WWT should include maternal genetic effects. Estimates of genetic correlations show that selection for ADG in either sex can be from records of either sex (DGM or DGF) and that selection for daily gain will result in increases in mature weight but that BWT is not correlated with weight at 31 mo.
Senile systemic amyloidosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and dementia in a very old Finnish population

Senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) are amyloid disorders, which typically manifest with old age. The aim of our study was to examine the possible association of these disorders in very old Finns. We performed a prospective, population-based post mortem study and used histological and immunohistochemical staining methods to verify the presence of these types of amyloid. All 63 subjects (59% of the 107 individuals 95 years of age or more, who died during the 10-year follow-up study), 53 women and 10 men), had been neurologically examined. The prevalence of SSA and its association with CAA, dementia, and neuropathologically verified AD was analyzed. Overall SSA occurred in 23 (37%) and CAA in 28 (44%) of the 63 subjects. At clinical examination 41 individuals (65%) were demented; 24 (38%) had Alzheimer's disease. SSA showed no association with the presence of CAA (P = 0.45), clinical dementia (P = 0.09), or Alzheimer's disease (P = 0.21), or sex (P = 0.53). Our prospective population based study shows that SSA and CAA are frequent in very old Finns, but they do not associate.
Naar een onderwijsleerstrategie voor de cel als systeem

Samenvatting Bij de behandeling van het onderwerp celbiologie worden leerlingen geconfronteerd met een groot aantal nieuwe structuren en processen. Veel leerlingen lukt het niet om op basis van het geleerde een samenhangend beeld op te bouwen van de cel als basiseenheid van het organisme. Dit heeft tot gevolg dat er begripsproblemen ontstaan tijdens latere thema’s die een zekere celbiologische basis vereisen. Om de samenhang in het leren en onderwijzen van (cel)biologie te vergroten introduceren we het systeemdenken als domeinspecifieke competentie. Een belangrijk element van het systeemdenken is het onderscheiden en in verband brengen van de verschillende organisatieniveaus, zoals het moleculair, cellulair, organismaal en populatieniveau. Dit artikel beschrijft het theoretische uitgangspunt en twee voorstudies op basis waarvan een voorlopige onderwijsleerstrategie voor de cel als systeem geformuleerd wordt.
Bone dysplasia sclerosteosis results from loss of the SOST gene product, a novel cystine knot-containing protein.

Sclerosteosis is an autosomal recessive sclerosing bone dysplasia characterized by progressive skeletal overgrowth. The majority of affected individuals have been reported in the Afrikaner population of South Africa, where a high incidence of the disorder occurs as a result of a founder effect. Homozygosity mapping in Afrikaner families along with analysis of historical recombinants localized sclerosteosis to an interval of approximately 2 cM between the loci D17S1787 and D17S930 on chromosome 17q12-q21. Here we report two independent mutations in a novel gene, termed "SOST. " Affected Afrikaners carry a nonsense mutation near the amino terminus of the encoded protein, whereas an unrelated affected person of Senegalese origin carries a splicing mutation within the single intron of the gene. The SOST gene encodes a protein that shares similarity with a class of cystine knot-containing factors including dan, cerberus, gremlin, prdc, and caronte. The specific and progressive effect on bone formation observed in individuals affected with sclerosteosis, along with the data presented in this study, together suggest that the SOST gene encodes an important new regulator of bone homeostasis.
Slow display

How can we show our 16 megapixel photos from our latest trip on a digital display? How can we create screens that are visible in direct sunlight as well as complete darkness? How can we create large displays that consume less than 2W of power? How can we create design tools for digital decal application and intuitive-computer aided modeling?
Annotation automatique de documents

Etant implique dans un Systeme euro-mediterraneen dont le but est la diffusions d'informations multilingues, nous nous interessons a la description de cette information aﬁn de faciliter l'echange et la recherche de documents. Dans cet article, nous proposons une approche pour l'annotation des documents qui consiste a se baser sur les references citees aﬁn de propager leurs annotations sur le document cible. Pour cela nous utilisons et etendons des methodes existantes pour ﬁltrer les references utilisees.
Randomized Controlled Comparison of Two Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for Obese Children: Mother versus Mother-Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Background: Parent-child treatments have been shown to be superior to child-focused treatments of childhood obesity. Yet until now, the comparative effectiveness of parent-only and parent-child approaches has been little studied. Method: Fifty-six obese children and their families were randomly assigned to a 16-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the parents only or for a combined treatment of parents and children. Children’s percent overweight, the body mass index of their mothers, and behavioral and psychological problems of children and mothers were assessed. Results: Both treatments reduced children’s percent overweight significantly and equally by 6-month follow-up. Also both treatments provided similar results in reducing general behavior problems (externalizing and internalizing behavior problems), global and social anxiety, and depression. Conclusions: Our results point to a comparable efficacy of the two treatments. Further, psychological well-being of both mothers and children can be improved in a CBT for obese children and their parents. Future studies should focus on finding ways to improve the adherence of families to long-term treatment of obesity in childhood.
Social Contagion and Diffusion: Modeling the Direct and Indirect Peer Influences on Repeat-Purchase in Online Freemium Games

Consumers’ online purchase decisions can be affected by both direct and indirect peer influences. Literature has provided empirical evidence about both types of influence when the outcome is binary. However, there is no existing work about how these two types of peer influence impact repeat-purchase of consumers in a certain period of time. In this study, we want to fill such gap by investigating the interdependent repeat-purchase of online game players embedded in a social network. We build a new hierarchical Bayesian model that can support response variable following Poisson distribution and simultaneously include both types of peer influence, direct and indirect. Our empirical results show that both types of peer influence have significant impact on players’ repeat-purchase decision but the influences may not have the same direction. Also, we find that the strength of the peer influences is associated with both network structure features and the strength of group-level pressure. The implication of our newly developed model includes first, helping online game providers develop effective targeting strategy to convert customers purchase more through peer influence, and second, comparing impact of different types of peer influences on repeat-purchase in social media platforms.
Molecular Analysis of Surgical Margins in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Objectives/Hypothesis Molecular analysis of surgical margins is playing an increasingly important role in establishing surgical margins. Most markers lack the sensitivity and ease of applicability for effective clinical use. To date, the proto‐oncogene eIF4E (4E) is elevated in 100% of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors and is of prognostic value in predicting recurrence. In a retrospective study, 4E overexpression in the margins appeared to be a more sensitive predictor of recurrence when compared with p53. The goal was to confirm this finding in a prospective study and also to compare the expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) to 4E expression in tumors and margins. Other objectives were to determine which of these markers have prognostic significance in predicting recurrence and elucidate whether there is any additional benefit to analysis of surgical margins with a combination of the three molecular markers.
Maximizing the Transmission Performance of Adaptively Modulated Optical OFDM Signals in Multimode-Fiber Links by Optimizing Analog-to-Digital Converters

Based on a comprehensive theoretical model of a recently proposed novel technique known as adaptively modulated optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (AMOOFDM), investigations are undertaken into the impact of an analog-to-digital converter involved in the AMOOFDM modem on the transmission performance of AMOOFDM signals in unamplified intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IMDD) multimode-fiber (MMF)-based links. It is found that signal quantization and clipping effects are significant in determining the maximum achievable transmission performance of the AMOOFDM modem. A minimum quantization bit value of ten and optimum clipping ratio of 13 dB are identified, based on which, the transmission performance is maximized. It is shown that 40-Gb/s-over-220-m and 32-Gb/s-over-300-m IMDD-AMOOFDM signal transmission at 1550 nm with loss margins of about 15 dB is feasible in the installed worst case 62.5-mum MMF links having 3-dB effective bandwidths as small as 150 MHz middot km. Meanwhile, excellent performance, robustness to fiber types, and variation in launch conditions and signal bit rates is observed. In addition, discussions are presented of the potential of 100-Gb/s AMOOFDM signal transmission over installed MMF links
Pathophysiology of septic acute kidney injury: What do we really know?

Septic acute kidney injury accounts for close to 50% of all cases of acute kidney injury in the intensive care unit and, in its various forms, affects between 15% and 20% of intensive care unit patients. However, there is little we really know about its pathophysiology. Although hemodynamic factors might play a role in the loss of glomerular filtration rate, they may not act through the induction of renal ischemia. Septic acute renal failure may, at least in patients with a hyperdynamic circulation, represent a unique form of acute renal failure: hyperemic acute renal failure. Measurements of renal blood flow in septic humans are now needed to resolve this pivotal pathophysiological question. Whatever may happen to renal blood flow during septic acute kidney injury in humans, the evidence available suggests that urinalysis fails to provide useful diagnostic or prognostic information in this setting. In addition, nonhemodynamic mechanisms of cell injury are likely to be at work. These mechanisms are likely due to a combination of immunologic, toxic, and inflammatory factors that may affect the microvasculature and the tubular cells. Among these mechanisms, apoptosis may turn out to be important. It is possible that, as evidence accumulates, the paradigms currently used to explain acute renal failure in sepsis will shift from ischemia and vasoconstriction to hyperemia and vasodilation and from acute tubular necrosis to acute tubular apoptosis or simply tubular cell dysfunction or exfoliation. If this were to happen, our therapeutic approaches would also be profoundly altered.
Bone Particles and the Undersized Surgical Technique

During the installation of implants, osteogenic bone particles are translocated along the surface. These particles may contribute to peri-implant bone healing. Based on this phenomenon, it is hypothesized that implants placed with undersized drilling, besides showing higher primary-implant stability, also enhance the amount and osteogenic responses of these bone particles. Biocomp® implants were inserted into bicortical fresh-cadaver bone by a press-fit or an undersized surgical technique, and peak-insertion torque values (ITV) were measured. After explantation, the implants were incubated in culture medium up to 24 days. Histology, bone-implant contact (BIC), micro-CT, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and calcium (Ca) measurements were performed. ITV were significantly higher for implants placed with an undersized technique. Moreover, histology, BIC, micro-CT, SEM, and Ca measurements confirmed the presence of more bone-like tissue on implants inserted with an undersized technique. The undersized surgical technique not only results in higher primary-implant stability, but also induces more translocated bone particles, thus having a positive influence on the osteogenic response.
Nokia Mobile Data Challenge: Predicting Semantic Place and Next Place via Mobile Data

The appearance of smartphones equipped with various sensors enables pervasive monitoring of mobile users’ behaviors and mobility. The Nokia Mobile Data Challenge (MDC) [10] gives us a great opportunity to study the users’ mobility models and location proles from a rich mobile dataset. The realistic data analysis may benet a wide range of elds from technology innovation to policy making. In this paper, we describe our proposed methods to predict the semantic meaning of the \important places" (Task 1) and the users’ next destination (Task 2) based on released MDC data. For Task 1, we explore several features from the sequence of visited places and accelerometer samples, and proposed two types of prediction methods: rule based and machine learning based. For Task 2, we adopt a simple but eective machine learning method to accomplish the prediction assignment via both temporal and spacial features. Our preliminary experimental results over released MDC data (Set A dataset) show that rule based methods produce good predictions for home and work locations in Task1, while machine learning methods are more scalable for dierent types of prediction tasks. But the prediction accuracy of machine learning approaches heavily depends on the number of instances in the training data.
Using Human Microarrays to Identify Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Increased Steroidogenesis in Boars

Human microarrays are readily available, and it would be advantageous if they could be used to study gene expression in other species, such as pigs. The objectives of this research were to validate the use of human microarrays in the analysis of porcine gene expression, to assess the variability of the data generated, and to compare gene expression in boars with different levels of steroidogenesis. Cytochrome b5 (CYB5) expression was used to assess array detection sensitivity. Samples having high or low CYB5 RNA levels were hybridized to microarrays to determine if the known expression difference could be detected. Six hybridizations were conducted using human microarrays containing 3840 total spots representing 1718 characterized human ESTs. To analyze gene expression in boars with different levels of steroidogenesis, testis RNA from four boars with high levels of plasma estrone sulphate was hybridized to testis RNA from four boars with lower levels. Eight microarray hybridizations were conducted including fluor-flips. Self-self hybridizations were also conducted to assess the variability of array experiments. The Cy5 and Cy3 intensity values for each array were normalized using a locally weighted linear regression (LOESS). Statistical significance was assessed using a Student's t-test followed by the Benjamini and Hochberg multiple testing correction procedure. Quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was used to verify select gene expression differences. The results show that CYB5 was significantly overexpressed in the high CYB5 sample by 1.8 fold (P < 0.05), verifying the known expression difference. The average log2 ratio of the majority of genes (1643) falls within one standard deviation of the mean, indicating the data were reproducible. In the high versus low steroidogenesis experiment, seven genes were significantly overexpressed in the high group (P < 0.05). Quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate five genes with the highest fold change, and the results corroborated those found by the microarray experiments. The results of the self-self hybridizations showed that no genes were significantly differentially expressed following the application of the Benjamini and Hochberg multiple testing correction procedure. The results presented in this report show that human arrays can be used for gene expression analysis in pigs.
A rat G protein‐coupled receptor selectively expressed in myelin‐forming cells

By screening an olfactory bulb cDNA library using dopamine receptor probes, we isolated the cDNA coding for the rat counterpart of an orphan receptor known as Edg‐2, homologous to G protein‐coupled receptors. In situ hybridization analysis showed that Edg‐2 mRNA expression is restricted to myelinated structures, e.g. corpus callosum or peripheral nerves. A weaker expression in various peripheral organs was also detected in newborns. A 3.8‐kb transcript was found at high levels in highly myelinated brain structures and sciatic nerve, and, at lower levels, in poorly myelinated peripheral organs, consistent with its occurrence in Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system. One hundred percent of Edg‐2 mRNA‐containing cells in the brain also expressed mRNA encoding myelin‐basic‐protein, a marker of oligodendrocytes. This restricted olygodendrocytes localization was confirmed by the absence of cellular colocalization of Edg‐2 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, an astrocytic marker. During prenatal development, Edg‐2 mRNA expression was high in the cortical neuroepithelium and meningeal layer at E16, extended later to other neuroepithelia, and disappeared shortly after birth. During brain postnatal development, Edg‐2 mRNA expression in myelinated structures followed a caudo‐rostral gradient, similar to that of myelination. Thus, Edg‐2 is the first G protein‐coupled receptor found to be selectively expressed in myelin‐forming cells in the nervous system and its temporal expression pattern is consistent with a dual role (i) in neurogenesis, during embryonic development, and (ii) in myelination and myelin maintenance, during postnatal life.
Longevity and admission to nursing home according to age after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery: a nationwide cohort study.

OBJECTIVES Data on nursing home admission in patient's ≥80 years after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate longevity and subsequent admission to a nursing home stratified by age in a nationwide CABG cohort. METHODS All patients who underwent isolated CABG from 1996 to 2012 in Denmark were identified through nationwide registers. The cumulative incidence of admission to a nursing home after CABG was estimated. A Cox regression model was constructed to identify predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year after CABG. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used for survival analysis. Subanalysis on home care usage was performed in the period 2008-2012. RESULTS A total of 38 487 patients were included. The median age was 65.4 ± 9.5 years (1455 > 80 years) and 80% were males. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.8%, increasing with age (1.2% in patients <60 years and 7.8% in patients ≥80 years). The mortality rate at 1 year was 2.2% among patients aged <60 and 14.1% among patients ≥80 years. At the 1-year follow-up, 4.2% of patients <60 years, 7.9% of patients 60-70 years, 14.4% of patients 70-74 years, 18.5% of patients 75-79 years and 29.1% of patients ≥80 years had received home care. The proportion of patients admitted to a nursing home at 1, 5 and 10 years after CABG was 0.1, 0.4 and 1.0% (<60 years), and 1.4, 7.5 and 16.8% (≥80 years), respectively. Main predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year postoperatively were: age ≥80 years [hazard ratio (HR) 17.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 7.4-42.8], female sex (HR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6), previous heart failure (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.4), previous myocardial infarction (HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-3.2) and previous stroke (HR 3.3, 95% CI 2.1-4.9). Neither urgent nor emergency surgeries were significant predictors for living in a nursing home 1 year postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS The majority of all patients selected for CABG surgery in Denmark between 1996-2012, including the elderly, were able to live independently at home without the need of home care for many years after CABG. The risk of nursing home admission was small and dependent on the patient's age, sex and preoperative comorbidities.
Reconstructing the distributed force on an atomic force microscope cantilever

A methodology is developed to reconstruct the force applied to an atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever given the shape in which it vibrates. This is accomplished by rewriting Bernoulli–Euler beam theory such that the force on the cantilever is approximated as a linear superposition of the theoretical cantilever eigenmodes. The weighting factors in this summation are calculated from the amplitude and phase measured along the length of the cantilever. The accuracy of the force reconstruction is shown to depend on the frequency at which the measurement is performed, the number of discrete points measured along the length of the cantilever, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the measured signal. In contrast to other AFM force reconstruction techniques, this method can reconstruct the distribution of force applied over the length of the AFM cantilever. However, this method performs poorly for localized forces applied to the cantilever, such as is typical of most tip–sample interaction forces. Proof of concept experiments are performed on an electrostatically excited cantilever and the expected force distribution is recovered. This force reconstruction technique offers previously unavailable insight into the distributed forces experienced by an AFM cantilever.