Stratified Pathway Analysis to Identify Gene Sets Associated with Oral Contraceptive Use and Breast Cancer

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Short-range probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts over the southwest United States by the RSM ensemble system

The National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Regional Spectral Model (RSM) is used to produce twice-daily (0000 and 1200 UTC), high-resolution ensemble forecasts to 24 h. The forecasts are performed at an equivalent horizontal grid spacing of 12 km for the period 1 November 2002 to 31 March 2003 over the southwest United States. The performance of 6-h accumulated precipitation is assessed for 32 U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic catchments. Multiple accuracy and skill measures are used to evaluate probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts. NCEP stage-IV precipitation analyses are used as "truth," with verification performed on the stage-IV 4-km grid. The RSM ensemble exhibits a ubiquitous wet bias. The bias manifests itself in areal coverage, frequency of occurrence, and total accumulated precipitation over every region and during every 6-h period. The biases become particularly acute starting with the 1800-0000 UTC interval, which leads to a spurious diurnal cycle and the 1200 UTC cycle being more adversely affected than the 0000 UTC cycle. Forecast quality and value exhibit marked variability over different hydrologic regions. The forecasts are highly skillful along coastal California and the windward slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but they generally lack skill over the Great Basin and the Colorado basin except over mountain peaks. The RSM ensemble is able to discriminate precipitation events and provide useful guidance to a wide range of users over most regions of California, which suggests that mitigation of the conditional biases through statistical postprocessing would produce major improvements in skill. © 2007 American Meteorological Society

Statistical aspect of translational and correlative studies in clinical trials

In this article, we describe statistical issues related to the conduct of translational and correlative studies in cancer clinical trials. In the era of personalized medicine, proper biomarker discovery and validation is crucial for producing groundbreaking research. In order to carry out the framework outlined in this article, a team effort between oncologists and statisticians is the key for success.published_or_final_versio

Calibration of probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasts with an artificial neural network

A feed-forward neural network is configured to calibrate the bias of a high-resolution probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecast (PQPF) produced by a 12-km version of the NCEP Regional Spectral Model (RSM) ensemble forecast system. Twice-daily forecasts during the 2002-2003 cool season (1 November-31 March, inclusive) are run over four U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic unit regions of the southwest United States. Calibration is performed via a cross-validation procedure, where four months are used for training and the excluded month is used for testing. The PQPFs before and after the calibration over a hydrological unit region are evaluated by comparing the joint probability distribution of forecasts and observations. Verification is performed on the 4-km stage IV grid, which is used as "truth." The calibration procedure improves the Brier score (BrS), conditional bias (reliability) and forecast skill, such as the Brier skill score (BrSS) and the ranked probability skill score (RPSS), relative to the sample frequency for all geographic regions and most precipitation thresholds. However, the procedure degrades the resolution of the PQPFs by systematically producing more forecasts with low nonzero forecast probabilities that drive the forecast distribution closer to the climatology of the training sample. The problem of degrading the resolution is most severe over the Colorado River basin and the Great Basin for relatively high precipitation thresholds where the sample of observed events is relatively small. © 2007 American Meteorological Society

Sustainability Institutional Model of Regional Solid Waste Disposal Site in Bantargebang, Bekasi

In the year of 2008, Act of The Republic of Indonesia Number 18 Year 2008 Regarding Waste Management has been issued. Some of the objective of this act are: 1) in Mei 7th, 2013 all disposal sites in Indonesia must implement sanitary landfill and 2) a partnership can be formed between two or more local governments to manage their Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) together with investor or local community in a Regional Solid Wate Disposal Site (RSWDS). Somehow these goals are difficult to achieve because of limited government’s budget and complexities in selecting which local governments should join the partnership and type the of institution to develop to carry all the complex agreements in that partnership. Using Analytic Network Process (ANP) with BCOR (Benefits, Cost, Opportunities, Risks) filter as the tool to analyze technical and economic feasibility of four alternatives institutions (Regional Working Unit, Regional Solid Waste Management Bureau, Joint Secretariat, Regional Public Service Agency) proposed in this research, concludes that Regional Solid Waste Management Board (RSWMB) is the best institution chosen to control and manage Bantargebang disposal site as a Regional Disposal Site. Using Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM) to analyze the structure of the five element of the institution of regional disposal site i.e: 1) influenced organizations or groups, 2) involved organizations or groups, 3) the main obstacles, 4) possible or desired changes, and 5) model purpose, this paper offers what elements or factor should has the highest priority in managing a sustainable Regional Solid Waste Disposal Site at Bantargebang, Bekasi. Keywords: ANP, Interrregional Partnership, ISM, Regional Solid Waste Disposal Site (RSWDS), Regional Solid Waste Management Boar

Fetal gender determination through Y-STR analysis of maternal plasma during the third trimester of pregnancy

Background: The passage of nucleated cells between mother and fetus is well recognized (Lo et al., 1989, 1996). As well as, cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma or serum is at present widely investigated as a source of fetal genetic material (Stanghellini et al., 2006) [18]. There has been much recent interest in the use of DNA derived from plasma or serum (Boland, 1996). This DNA can be utilized for molecular diagnosis as well as prenatal sex discernment.Objective: To establish an easy, reliable, and completely safe method for fetal gender determination alternative to conventional exhausting current techniques applied in gynecologic hospitals and clinics, besides its further applications in forensic casework.Methods: EDTA-Blood samples were taken from 30 pregnant women all in the third trimester of pregnancy, then plasma was separated from each sample, from which DNA was isolated using a QIAamp DNA Mini Kit, with special modifications done in the extracting procedure to concentrate and obtain minute quantities of fetal DNA, together with maternal DNA, from maternal plasma. In addition, bloodstain samples were taken from the husbands of women who were pregnant with male fetuses from which DNA was isolated using a QIAamp DNA Micro Kit for comparison. DNA quantification was done using a Real-time PCR utilizing Quantifiler Duo Kit. PCR was done using an AmpFlSTR Y-Filer Kit, then amplified products were typed using a 3130 Genetic Analyzer.Results: Full and partial Y-STR profiles (6–17 STR loci) were obtained from all plasma samples taken from pregnant women with male fetuses, while negative Y-STR profiles (no single STR locus) were obtained from all plasma samples taken from pregnant women with female fetuses.Conclusion: It is recommended to use Y-STR profiling as an alternative technique for fetal gender determination during the third trimester of pregnancy, in addition to its significance in forensic casework.Keywords: Fetal gender; Maternal plasma; Y-STR analysis; Pregnancy; Forensic casewor

Auditing the use of percutaneous pinning as a technique of fixation of unstable humeral supracondylar fractures in Sudanese children.

Background:Supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children are commonly treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation. There has been controversy regarding the optimal pin configuration inthe management of supracondylar humeral fractures in children.Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of closed percutaneous pinning (P.C.P.) as a treatment modality of supracondylar fractures of humerus in Sudanese children.Patients and methods: Hospital based prospective study conducted in Khartoum teaching hospital during the period from July 2006 to March 2007. It included all children less than 14 years of age, with closed type III supracondylar humeral fracture, extension variant, who treated by closedreduction and percutaneous cross pinning.Results: 34 patients were included in the study. Their age ranged between 4 -12 years, with mean ± SD of 7.68 ± 2.34 years. Twenty-four (70.6%) fractures were fixed with crossed pins whereas ten (29.4%) fractures with two lateral pins. The two lateral pins fixation was found to be significantlyassociated with loss of reduction (p=0.004).Conclusion: PCP is safe and effective with good functional outcome in treatment of unstable supracondylar fractures. The best wires configuration is that which gives ability to extend elbow with much stability

Optical gating of photoluminescence from color centers in hexagonal boron nitride.

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.We report on multicolor excitation experiments with color centers in hexagonal boron nitride at cryogenic temperatures. We demonstrate controllable optical switching between bright and dark states of color centers emitting around 2eV. Resonant, or quasi-resonant excitation of photoluminescence also pumps the color center, via a two-photon process, into a dark state, where it becomes trapped. Repumping back into the bright state has a step-like spectrum with a defect dependent threshold between 2.25 and 2.6eV. This behavior is consistent with photoionization and charging between optically bright and dark states of the defect. Furthermore, a second zero phonon line, detuned by +0.4eV, is observed in absorption with orthogonal polarization to the emission, evidencing an additional energy level in the color center.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

A comparison of graph- and kernel-based –omics data integration algorithms for classifying complex traits

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