Localized Lasso for High-Dimensional Regression

We introduce the localized Lasso, which is suited for learning models that are both interpretable and have a high predictive power in problems with high dimensionality $d$ and small sample size $n$. More specifically, we consider a function defined by local sparse models, one at each data point. We introduce sample-wise network regularization to borrow strength across the models, and sample-wise exclusive group sparsity (a.k.a., $\ell_{1,2}$ norm) to introduce diversity into the choice of feature sets in the local models. The local models are interpretable in terms of similarity of their sparsity patterns. The cost function is convex, and thus has a globally optimal solution. Moreover, we propose a simple yet efficient iterative least-squares based optimization procedure for the localized Lasso, which does not need a tuning parameter, and is guaranteed to converge to a globally optimal solution. The solution is empirically shown to outperform alternatives for both simulated and genomic personalized medicine data

The impacts of physical, psychological, and environmental factors on employees job satisfaction among public accounting professionals in Malaysia / Sze Yin Koh, Tze San Ong and Adedeji Babatunji Samuel.

The issue of employees’ job satisfaction among public accounting professionals has become a very critical issue for employers as it might affect the quality, productivity, and sustainability of public accounting firms in today’s economy and business environment. Therefore, this research was attempted to provide insights on the variables influencing job satisfaction. Besides that, this research paper was also aimed at exploring whether job satisfaction plays a role in mediating the relationship between the six factors, organizational commitment, and employees’ loyalty. For data collection, a structured questionnaire was developed and a total of 103 responses were received from accountants, auditors, tax advisors, consultants and secretaries. Furthermore, the four step regression analysis was employed in this study in order to evaluate the mediating role of job satisfaction. The results have revealed that all the six variables (remuneration, relations with supervisors & co-workers, job security, job promotion, management/leadership style, and organizational culture) are significant factors in explaining the job satisfaction among public accounting professionals. Moreover, the findings have also shown that job satisfaction significantly mediates not only the relationship between supervisors & co-workers and organizational commitment, but also the relationship between job security and employees’ loyalty. These results have provided insight for public accounting firms in overcoming the issues of job satisfaction among their employees

A Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation method for determining chromium speciation and isotopic composition in seawater

Chromium (Cr) stable isotopes have emerged as a powerful tool for tracking environmental redox transfor- mations. This is because Cr isotopes are fractionated during redox reactions between Cr(III) and Cr(VI). In order to fully exploit the information recorded within Cr isotope compositions, we must be able to track changes in Cr speciation throughout the environment and, in particular, the changes in speciation between input to the ocean and eventual deposition in sediments. We must also be able to access the isotope compositions of each Cr species, rather than only total dissolved Cr. We have thus developed a magnesium hydroxide coprecipitation method that meets these objectives. This method achieves complete recovery and has a typical precision on concentration measurements of !8% (1σ). It was tested using seawater collected from Saanich Inlet, a persis- tently anoxic fjord on the Pacific coast of Canada. Chromium speciation profiles and proof-of-concept isotope ratio measurements on selected samples indicate that isotopically lighter Cr(III) can be isolated from coexisting isotopically heavier Cr(VI), effectively resolving species-specific Cr isotope compositions. While the oxygenated surface waters of Saanich Inlet follow the generally observed correlation between seawater Cr concentration and its isotopic composition, seawater from anoxic depths diverges from this array, indicating that different pro- cesses are responsible for setting the isotope composition of these deeper waters. Broader application of Mg(OH)2 coprecipitation has strong potential to yield new insights into the fractionation of Cr isotopes in the oceans and the pathways that ultimately set the Cr isotopic composition of marine sediments and sedimentary archives

Augmenting recombinant antibody production in HEK293E cells: Optimizing transfection and culture parameters

Background: Optimizing recombinant antibody production is important for cost-effective therapeutics and diagnostics. With impact on commercialization, higher productivity beyond laboratory scales is highly sought, where efficient production can also accelerate antibody characterizations and investigations. Methods: Investigating HEK293E cells for mammalian antibody production, various transfection and culture parameters were systematically analyzed for antibody light chain production before evaluating them for whole antibody production. Transfection parameters investigated include seeding cell density, the concentration of the transfection reagent and DNA, complexation time, temperature, and volume, as well as culture parameters such as medium replacement, serum deprivation, use of cell maintenance antibiotic, incubation temperature, medium volume, post-transfection harvest day, and common nutrient supplements. Results: Using 2 mL adherent HEK293E cell culture transfections with 25 kDa linear polyethylenimine in the most optimized parameters, we demonstrated a ~2-fold production increase for light chain alone and for whole antibody production reaching 536 and 49 μg, respectively, in a cost-effective manner. With the addition of peptone, κ light chain increased by ~4-fold to 1032 μg, whereas whole antibody increased to a lesser extent by ~2.5-fold to 51 μg, with benefits potentially for antibodies limited by their light chains in production. Conclusions: Our optimized findings show promise for a more efficient and convenient antibody production method through transfection and culture optimizations that can be incorporated to scale-up processes and with potential transferability to other mammalian-based recombinant protein production using HEK293E

The impacts of physical, psychological and environmental factors on employee job satisfaction among public accounting professional in Malaysian university

The issue of employees’ job satisfaction among public accounting professionals has become a very critical issue for employers as it might affect the quality, productivity, and sustainability of public accounting firms in today’s economy and business environment. Therefore, this research was attempted to provide insights on the variables influencing job satisfaction. Besides that, this research paper was also aimed at exploring whether job satisfaction plays a role in mediating the relationship between the six factors, organizational commitment, and employees’ loyalty. For data collection, a structured questionnaire was developed and a total of 103 responses were received from accountants, auditors, tax advisors, consultants and secretaries. Furthermore, the four step regression analysis was employed in this study in order to evaluate the mediating role of job satisfaction. The results have revealed that all the six variables (remuneration, relations with supervisors & co-workers, job security, job promotion, management/leadership style, and organizational culture) are significant factors in explaining the job satisfaction among public accounting professionals. Moreover, the findings have also shown that job satisfaction significantly mediates not only the relationship between supervisors & co-workers and organizational commitment, but also the relationship between job security and employees’ loyalty. These results have provided insight for public accounting firms in overcoming the issues of job satisfaction among their employees

Molecular Mechanisms of West Nile Virus Pathogenesis in Brain Cells

We analyzed the response of human glioma cells to West Nile virus infection by investigating host transcriptional changes. Changes in expression of 23 genes showed similarities to those in other neurodegenerative diseases. These changes may be useful as potential biomarkers and elucidate novel mechanisms behind the neuropathology of infection with this virus

Special Care Dentistry Curriculum at The Undergraduate Level : Students’ Prespective

Special needs patients (SNP) have difficulty accessing dental services, partly due to reluctance of dentists to treat them. Objective: We assess didactic and clinical training experiences of final-year dental students and new graduates in managing SNP. Methods: An online questionnaire was sent to 123 final year dental students and new graduates, assessing their experiences and readiness in handling SNP. Results: Majority of the respondents were not confident in attending to SNP. Majority gained knowledge in handling SNP via lectures while more than half had managed patients with complex medical history. Majority mentioned a lack of clinical training to treat SNP as their dental training experience had only been in a dental school clinical setting. Most of the respondents hope their curriculum would include more education to improve clinical skills in managing SNP. Conclusion: Respondents demonstrated minimum training and lack of confidence and skills that might contribute to a lack of preparedness to manage the oral health care needs of SNP. Clinical exposure in managing SNP at the undergraduate level is still inadequate and it needs to be emphasized in the curriculum.DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v22i3.976

Explaining Myanmar's Regime Transition: The Periphery is Central

In 2010, Myanmar (Burma) held its first elections after 22 years of direct military rule. Few compelling explanations for this regime transition have emerged. This article critiques popular accounts and potential explanations generated by theories of authoritarian ‘regime breakdown’ and ‘regime maintenance’. It returns instead to the classical literature on military intervention and withdrawal. Military regimes, when not terminated by internal factionalism or external unrest, typically liberalise once they feel they have sufficiently addressed the crises that prompted their seizure of power. This was the case in Myanmar. The military intervened for fear that political unrest and ethnic-minority separatist insurgencies would destroy Myanmar’s always-fragile territorial integrity and sovereignty. Far from suddenly liberalising in 2010, the regime sought to create a ‘disciplined democracy’ to safeguard its preferred social and political order twice before, but was thwarted by societal opposition. Its success in 2010 stemmed from a strategy of coercive state-building and economic incorporation via ‘ceasefire capitalism’, which weakened and co-opted much of the opposition. Having altered the balance of forces in its favour, the regime felt sufficiently confident to impose its preferred settlement. However, the transition neither reflected total ‘victory’ for the military nor secured a genuine or lasting peace