Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental quality and evolutionary potential: lessons from wild populations

An essential requirement to determine a population's potential for evolutionary change is to quantify the amount of genetic variability expressed for traits under selection. Early investigations in laboratory conditions showed that the magnitude of the genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variation can change with environmental conditions. However, there is no consensus as to how the expression of genetic variation is sensitive to different environmental conditions. Recently, the study of quantitative genetics in the wild has been revitalized by new pedigree analyses based on restricted maximum likelihood, resulting in a number of studies investigating these questions in wild populations. Experimental manipulation of environmental quality in the wild, as well as the use of naturally occurring favourable or stressful environments, has broadened the treatment of different taxa and traits. Here, we conduct a meta-analysis on recent studies comparing heritability in favourable versus unfavourable conditions in non-domestic and non-laboratory animals. The results provide evidence for increased heritability in more favourable conditions, significantly so for morphometric traits but not for traits more closely related to fitness. We discuss how these results are explained by underlying changes in variance components, and how they represent a major step in our understanding of evolutionary processes in wild populations. We also show how these trends contrast with the prevailing view resulting mainly from laboratory experiments on Drosophila. Finally, we underline the importance of taking into account the environmental variation in models predicting quantitative trait evolution.
Advertising Appeals, Moderators, And Impact on Persuasion

ABSTRACT This investigation attempts to assess quantitatively past studies on advertising-appeal differences and scale them on a common metric. On the basis of a large and unique dataset using comparative meta-analysis, this study provides measures of the relative impact of seven types of appeals. Meta-regression was used to test whether certain moderators can explain the variability in effect sizes. Results suggest that appeals were not effective equally, and their estimated impact was used to create a hierarchy of appeals. Emotional appeals, led by sex and humor, appeared to be more effective than fear and rational appeals. The most important moderators were media type and year of publication. Among other results, emotional appeals were more effective on television, and emotional appeals were more impactful in more recent studies. The article concludes with implications and discussion, emphasizing the need for more research.
American Academy of Neurology guidelines for credentialing in neuroimaging

The current policy of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) was approved in principle by its Executive Board in December 1975: "Neuroimaging is an integral part of the practice of neurology that requires broad knowledge of neuroanatomy, neuropathology, pathophysiology, and clinical neurologic disorders. Proper interpretation of neuroimaging requires knowledge of the effects of disease on the neuroimaging examination, its indications, performance and interpretation. " In addition, the American Medical Association (AMA) has clearly stated its position regarding jurisdictional disputes among medical specialists: "The AMA believes that (1) individual character, training, competence, experience, and judgment should be the criteria for granting privileges in hospitals; and(2) physicians representing several specialties can and should be permitted to perform the same procedures if they meet these criteria (Res. 26, A-77; Reaffirmed CLRPD Rep. C, A-89). "1,2 This position was ratified by the AMA House of Delegates in its interim meeting of 1994 by having approved the following resolution submitted by the AAN: WHEREAS physicians have often been denied privileges to perform a cross-specialty service primarily because the physicians' specialty is different from the specialty that has the most influence over institutional policies relating to that service area; and WHEREAS such denials may restrict patient access to care and impede improvements in quality of care by excluding physicians with adequate training and experience and who have an important perspective on a particular field, BE IT RESOLVED that the AMA supports the policy that hospitals and other institutions should allow physician staff to provide any service for which they have adequate training and experience, regardless of specialty, and should use quality of patient care as the only reason for denying privileges. The Neuroimaging Subcommittee of the Practice Committee of the AAN recognized the need to update the AAN guidelines for credentialing neurologists in the practice of neuroimaging. …
Midtrimester thyroidectomy in the ovine fetus.

Six lamb fetuses at 63-101 days gestation had thyroidectomy (Thx) and were investigated at term for weights, radiologic study, serum thyroxine (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations (TSH), electron-microscopic lung examination, acid base, blood flow, EEG, and brain metabolism. Compared to age-matched controls, body weight was significantly reduced (P less than .025). Brain and lung weights were reduced but not significantly. Brain weight as a percent of body weight was significantly increased in Thx fetuses (Thx = 1.85% +/- 0.18; control = 1.41% +/- 0.08; P less than .025). Hemoglobin was reduced (P less than .025), as was O2 content (P less than .005) and cerebral blood flow (P less than .05). Fetal T4 was low (Thx = 4.1 +/- 1.7 microgram %, control = 9.4 +/- 1.3 microgram %); (P less than .05). Fetal Thx cortisol, calcium, phosphate, glucose, lactate, pH, pO2, pCO2, O2 saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure remained unchanged. Thx-fetal brain O2 consumption and glucose consumption, as well as lactate production, were unchanged. EEG showed no consistent pattern of change regarding maturity, but did show immaturity with the two lowest T4 levels. Bone microradiographs showed growth and maturity retardation, specifically delayed epiphyseal closure, endochrondral ossification, and lack of secondary ossification centers in Thx fetuses. Electron-microscopic examination of lung showed Thx fetuses had fewer lamellar bodies in type II cells, fewer type II cells, and more glycogen granules. Thx causes fetal reduction of T4 and anemia, delays lung maturation and bone growth and maturation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ssessment of the value of a genetic risk score in improving the estimation of oronary risk arla

Background: The American Heart Association has established criteria for the evaluation of novel markers of cardiovascular risk. In accordance with these criteria, we assessed the association between a multilocus genetic risk score (GRS) and incident coronary heart disease (CHD), and evaluated whether this GRS improves the predictive capacity of the Framingham risk function. Methods and results: Using eight genetic variants associated with CHD but not with classical cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), we generated a multi-locus GRS, and found it to be linearly associated with CHD in two population based cohorts: The REGICOR Study (n = 2351) and The Framingham Heart Study (n = 3537) (meta-analyzed HR [95%CI]: ∼1.13 [1.01–1.27], per unit). Inclusion of the GRS in the Framingham risk function improved its discriminative capacity in the Framingham sample (c-statistic: 72.81 vs.72.37, p = 0.042) but not in the REGICOR sample. According to both the net reclassification improvement (NRI) index and the integrated discrimination index (IDI), the GRS improved re-classification among individuals isk assessment with intermediate coronary risk (meta-analysis NRI [95%CI]: 17.44 [8.04; 26.83]), but not overall. Conclusions: A multi-locus GRS based on genetic variants unrelated to CVRFs was associated with a linear increase in risk of CHD events in two distinct populations. This GRS improves risk reclassification particularly in the population at intermediate coronary risk. These results indicate the potential value of the inclusion of genetic information in classical functions for risk assessment in the intermediate risk population group.
Expression of wound healing and stress-related proteins in keratoconus corneas.

PURPOSE Keratoconus is characterized by thinning and scarring of the central portion of the cornea. This study was performed on keratoconus corneas to examine the expression of proteins related to wound healing including vimentin, an intermediate filament protein, and tenascin, and extracellular matrix protein. The expression of stress-related cytokines, heat shock proteins and ubiquitin was also investigated. METHODS Corneal buttons were collected from patients with keratoconus, normal subjects and patients with other corneal diseases such as pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. Immunofluorescence staining was performed on frozen sections for vimentin and tenascin, and immunoperoxidase staining was carried out on paraffin sections for cytokines, heat shock proteins and ubiquitin. RESULTS To varying degrees, all proteins examined, except tenascin and heat shock protein 90, were found to be expressed in normal human corneas. The expression of vimentin, tenascin, transforming growth factor-beta, interleukin-1, heat shock protein 27, and ubiquitin was enhanced in keratoconus corneas. A similar enhancement however was also observed in other diseased corneas. CONCLUSIONS Altered expression of several wound healing or stress-related proteins was noted in keratoconus corneas. The alterations appear to be nonspecific injury or wound responses in association with corneal diseases.
Research on Event Analysis Approach for the Identification of Aircraft Large Vertical Load

Aircraft large vertical load means the aircraft is weighted above the normal, which may harm the air safety. So it is crucial to do the research on how to choose suitable models and methods to identify whether the aircraft got a large vertical load before landing and adjust immediately. The MWW nonparametric test is used to extract the distinct features. Then, compare the most commonly used models and choose the k-nearest neighbors and support vector machines with dynamic weight consideration to classify, both of them ensure the accuracy and make sense according to the feature of the dynamic data and comparison of some classify methods. The results indicate that the two methods make no difference on this problem but the model v-SVC in support vector machine seems more adaptable when the problem expands.
Should the Exergaming Industry Target Adults? An Exploratory Survey

Background: Exergames, video games that contain interactive physical activity, tend to be targeted for children or older adults with disabilities. However, the exergaming industry has not focused on the general adult population. Research Questions: Can exergames effectively entertain adult users? What do adults perceive to be the benefits and drawbacks of exergaming? What sections of the adult population (if any) should the exergaming industry be targeting? What design and marketing suggestions can be made based on the circumstances of adult interest in exergaming? Research Methods: Literature review and online survey hosted by Qualtrics. Participants: Sixty adults responded to the survey through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results: Adults found exergames to be entertaining and to currently provide a moderate workout. The main advantages of exergaming were generally perceived to be their convenience, entertainment, and social aspects. The main drawbacks were the equipment costs and the perceived inability of exergames to provide an adequate workout. Conclusion: Adults are generally interested in exergaming, provided that exergames are entertaining, deliver a moderately vigorous workout, and offer a social/multiplayer aspect. If designed and marketed correctly, adult-targeted exergames could physically benefit adults and financially benefit the exergaming industry.
Nutrient limitation of bacterial growth and rates of bacterivory in lakes and oceans: a comparative study

We conducted a series of dilution bioassay experiments to determine whether limitation of bacterial growth by nutrient elements (N and P) and organic substrates differs in marine and freshwater pelagic ecosystems. We also conducted Landry-Hassett dilution gradient experiments to assess whether rates of bacterivory differ substantially in the 2 ecosystem types. P addition stimulated significant (p 0.05) for lake and marine systems sampled although data were extremely limited. Our results support the emerging view that mineral limitation of bacterial growth rates (as well as limitation by organic substrates) is widespread in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. However, differences in degree of response to enrichment and in growth rates in unenriched treatments in our marine and freshwater experiments suggested that severity of nutrient limitation of growth in situ was considerably higher for freshwater bacteria than for marine bacteria. While our study was limited in scope and more data are clearly needed, based on these results we propose several hypotheses for the apparent difference in severity of nutrient limitation of bacteria in lakes and oceans.
Constitutive neutrophil apoptosis: Mechanisms and regulation

Neutrophil constitutive death is a critical cellular process for modulating neutrophil number and function, and it plays an essential role in neutrophil homeostasis and the resolution of inflammation. Neutrophils die due to programmed cell death or apoptosis. In this article, we review recent studies on the mechanism of neutrophil apoptosis. The involvement of caspase, calpain, reactive oxygen species, cellular survival/death signaling pathways, mitochondria, and BCL‐2 family member proteins are discussed. The fate of neutrophils can be influenced within the inflammatory microenvironment. We summarize the current understanding regarding the modulation of neutrophil apoptotic death by various extracellular stimuli such as proinflammatory cytokines, cell adhesion, phagocytosis, red blood cells, and platelets. The involvement of neutrophil apoptosis in infectious and inflammatory diseases is also addressed. Am. J. Hematol. , 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Measurement of capillary wave slopes on the ocean.

The surface roughness characteristics of the air-sea interface influence any process where electromagnetic energy is reflected or refracted by the ocean's surface. Attempts to measure the capillary wave slope angle are complicated by the fact that any measuring device which comes in contact with the surface will necessarily perturb the local capillary wave slope angle and the air pressure distribution over the interface. The most successful attempts to measure the capillary wave slope angle have been optical. Recently, a laser-optical instrument designed to measure high frequency capillary wave slopes on the ocean has been described in this journal. The instrument is capable of surface measurements in the presence of gravity waves of up to 1.8 m, independent of amplitude. In this Letter we wish to present results of an ocean test with this instrument and make a brief comparison with the photographic sunglitter data given previously by Cox and Munk. With the omission of the analog dividers, our use of the wave slope instrument and wavefollower is exactly as given in the previous article. A transmitter located on the wavefollower transmitted four data channels from the second stage am-
Decentralization in Air Transportation

In this work,we demonstrate that decentralized control can result in stable, efficient, and robust operations in the Air Transportation System. We implement decentralized control for aircraft taxiing operations and use Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation to analyze the resulting system behavior Decentralized controllers at each intersection of the airport taxiway system autonomously guide aircraft through the system. They achieve conflict-free operations with a minimum amount of information, coordinate their actions to improve system performance, and can dynamically accommodate disruptions such as runway configuration changes.
Müşterilerin Sosyo Ekonomik Statüsü ve Kurumsallaşma: Kuyumculuk Sektöründe Yapılan Nitel Bir Araştırma - Socioeconomic Status of Customers and Institutionalization: A Qualitative Study on Jewellery Sector

The purpose of this study is to explain how organizations’ institutional forms differentiates to serve their customers who have different socioeconomic status. Customer demands may force organizations to adopt different activities even if they operate in the same industry. Firms may encounter such force in an industry that involves high competition and wide product/customer range. In this respect, structured interviews have been conducted with forty-nine top managers who are working in various jewelry firms. Research pattern of this study is culture analysis. Research data has been analyzed by categorical analysis which is a sub-class of the content analysis. Findings indicate that people who belong to low socio economic status classes and high
Statistical power, sample size, and their reporting in randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE To describe the pattern over time in the level of statistical power and the reporting of sample size calculations in published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with negative results. DESIGN Our study was a descriptive survey. Power to detect 25% and 50% relative differences was calculated for the subset of trials with negative results in which a simple two-group parallel design was used. Criteria were developed both to classify trial results as positive or negative and to identify the primary outcomes. Power calculations were based on results from the primary outcomes reported in the trials. POPULATION We reviewed all 383 RCTs published in JAMA, Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine in 1975, 1980, 1985, and 1990. RESULTS Twenty-seven percent of the 383 RCTs (n = 102) were classified as having negative results. The number of published RCTs more than doubled from 1975 to 1990, with the proportion of trials with negative results remaining fairly stable. Of the simple two-group parallel design trials having negative results with dichotomous or continuous primary outcomes (n = 70), only 16% and 36% had sufficient statistical power (80%) to detect a 25% or 50% relative difference, respectively. These percentages did not consistently increase over time. Overall, only 32% of the trials with negative results reported sample size calculations, but the percentage doing so has improved over time from 0% in 1975 to 43% in 1990. Only 20 of the 102 reports made any statement related to the clinical significance of the observed differences. CONCLUSIONS Most trials with negative results did not have large enough sample sizes to detect a 25% or a 50% relative difference. This result has not changed over time. Few trials discussed whether the observed differences were clinically important. There are important reasons to change this practice. The reporting of statistical power and sample size also needs to be improved.
The coopetition perspective applied to tourism destinations: a literature review

Abstract This paper presents a systematic literature review on coopetition based on researches published during 20 years. The main objective was to verify how the scholars are performing the transposition of this knowledge for tourism. A secondary goal was to outline a research agenda on tourism coopetition towards a new paradigm. Coopetition perspective supports the organizational form of tourism destinations, for the high level of interdependence and complementarity in the inter-organizational networks of tourism. Our results indicated that the topic is underexploited in tourism studies, yet it shows promising findings to apply in the industry. Coopetition is seen as resource or capacity for tourism destination; however, the scholars will make more progress when they understand coopetition as a multidimensional and relative construction.
Takagi–Sugeno Fuzzy Modeling Using Mixed Fuzzy Clustering

This paper proposes the use of mixed fuzzy clustering (MFC) algorithm to derive Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy models (FMs). Mixed fuzzy clustering handles both time invariant and multivariate time variant features, allowing the user to control the weight of each component in the clustering process. Two model designs based on MFC are investigated. In the first, the antecedent fuzzy sets of the T–S model are obtained from the clusters obtained by the MFC algorithm. In the second, FMs based on fuzzy c-means (FCM) are constructed over the input space of the partition matrix generated by MFC. The proposed fuzzy modeling approaches are used in health care classification problems, where time series of unequal lengths are very common. MFC-based T–S FMs outperform FCM-based T–S FMs in four out of five datasets and k-nearest neighbors classifiers in five out of five datasets. Dynamic time warping performs better than the Euclidean distance in one dataset and similarly in the remaining. Given the different nature of time variant and invariant data, the choice of a clustering algorithm that treats data differently should be considered for model construction.
Contact examination for tuberculosis in Hong Kong is useful.

SETTING The tuberculosis programme of the Hong Kong Government Tuberculosis and Chest Service. OBJECTIVE To determine the outcome of examination of household contacts in Hong Kong. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study of all household contacts of 970 randomly selected index cases from a total of 5757 registered for treatment with the Chest Service. RESULTS Of 2678 household contacts (three/index case) identified, 90% were examined; 41 active cases were found, at a rate of 1720/100000 (95%CI 1238-2329). The rate was highest among two extremes of age, 3604/100000 (95%CI 990-3615) in children < or = 5 years and 3347/100000 (95%CI 1456-6489) in those >60 years of age. Contacts of index cases whose sputum smear and culture were positive had the highest rate of disease, 2904/100000 (95%CI 1669-4673); but contacts with negative bacteriology also had a high rate of 1478/100000 (95%CI 678-2789). Active cases identified through contact tracing could be source cases rather than secondary cases. Eight per cent of children aged < or = 5 years had positive tuberculin reactions; as BCG vaccination is given to all newborns, with 99% coverage in Hong Kong in the past 30 years, it was difficult to estimate the rate of infection in these children. CONCLUSION In Hong Kong, an area with an intermediate burden of tuberculosis, contact investigation is a very useful procedure for active case finding.