Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cluster Observations of a Dispersive Flapping Event of Magnetotail Current Sheet

A kink‐like flapping event of Earth magnetotail current sheet, which consists of two frequency bands successively, is studied by the multipoint observations of Cluster. The multipoint analysis of Cluster observations demonstrates that the higher frequency band (period is about 10 min) has faster propagation velocity (about 30 km/s), shorter wavelength (about 3 RE), and smaller amplitude (1–1.5 RE). In contrast, the lower frequency band (period is about 22 min) shows slower propagation velocity (about 21 km/s), longer wavelength (about 4.4 RE), and larger amplitude (2–3 RE). Comparison with the flapping models demonstrates that the dispersion of theoretical models does not show consistency with the results of this event, which suggests that new or more advanced kink‐like flapping theories or models in the future have to consider the constraints of the dispersive properties demonstrated by this event.
Updating the geographical distribution and frequency of Aedes albopictus in Brazil with remarks regarding its range in the Americas

The geographical distribution of Aedes albopictus in Brazil was updated according to the data recorded across the country over the last eight years. Countrywide house indexes (HI) for Ae. albopictus in urban and suburban areas were described for the first time using a sample of Brazilian municipalities. This mosquito is currently present in at least 59% of the Brazilian municipalities and in 24 of the 27 federal units (i.e., 26 states and the Federal District). In 34 Brazilian municipalities, the HI values for Ae. albopictus were higher than those recorded for Ae. aegypti, reaching figures as high as HI = 7.72 in the Southeast Region. Remarks regarding the current range of this mosquito species in the Americas are also presented. Nineteen American countries are currently infested and few mainland American countries have not confirmed the occurrence of Ae. albopictus. The large distribution and high frequency of Ae. albopictus in the Americas may become a critical factor in the spread of arboviruses like chikungunya in the new world.
Phospho‐Ser727 of STAT3 regulates STAT3 activity by enhancing dephosphorylation of phospho‐Tyr705 largely through TC45

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a latent cytoplasmic transcription factor. It is activated by cytokines, including interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) through phosphorylation at Tyr705 (pY705), which is required for its dimerization and nuclear translocation. However, the role of Ser727 phosphorylation, occurring during activation, remains poorly understood. Using a combination of HepG2‐stat3‐knockdown cells reconstituted with various STAT3 mutants and protein kinase inhibitors, we showed that phospho‐S727 has an intrinsic mechanism for shortening the duration of STAT3 activity, in turn shortening the duration of socs3 mRNA expression. Both STAT3WT and STAT3Ser727Asp (S727D) but not STAT3Ser727Ala (S727A) showed rapid dephosphorylation of pY705 after the inhibition of tyrosine kinases. We found that the nuclear TC45 phosphatase is most likely responsible for the phospho‐S727‐dependent pY705 dephosphorylation because TC45 knockdown caused prolonged pY705 with sustained socs3 mRNA expression in STAT3WT but not in STAT3S727A, and overexpressed TC45 caused rapid dephosphorylation of pY705 in STAT3WT but not in STAT3S727A. We further showed that phospho‐S727 did not affect the interaction of TC45 with STAT3, and that a reported methylation at K140 of STAT3 occurring after phospho‐S727 was not involved in the pY705 regulation. These findings indicate that phospho‐Ser727 determines the duration of STAT3 activity largely through TC45.
Unsupervised vs. supervised weight estimation for semantic MT evaluation metrics

We present an unsupervised approach to estimate the appropriate degree of contribution of each semantic role type for semantic translation evaluation, yielding a semantic MT evaluation metric whose correlation with human adequacy judgments is comparable to that of recent supervised approaches but without the high cost of a human-ranked training corpus. Our new unsupervised estimation approach is motivated by an analysis showing that the weights learned from supervised training are distributed in a similar fashion to the relative frequencies of the semantic roles. Empirical results show that even without a training corpus of human adequacy rankings against which to optimize correlation, using instead our relative frequency weighting scheme to approximate the importance of each semantic role type leads to a semantic MT evaluation metric that correlates comparable with human adequacy judgments to previous metrics that require far more expensive human rankings of adequacy over a training corpus. As a result, the cost of semantic MT evaluation is greatly reduced.
Mean and intra‐seasonal variability simulated by NCEP Climate Forecast System model (version 2.0) during boreal winter: Impact of horizontal resolution

This study demonstrates the fidelity of Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) in three horizontal resolutions: T62, T126 and T382, during boreal winter. As the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the major mode of variability during boreal winter, the emphasis of the study is on the fidelity of the models in capturing the MJO variability. CFSv2 shows moderate skill in simulating the intra‐seasonal oscillation and the skill is sensitive to the resolution of the model.
AtMYB41 activates ectopic suberin synthesis and assembly in multiple plant species and cell types

Suberin is a lipid and phenolic cell wall heteropolymer found in the roots and other organs of all vascular plants. Suberin plays a critical role in plant water relations and in protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. Here we describe a transcription factor, AtMYB41 (At4g28110), that can activate the steps necessary for aliphatic suberin synthesis and deposition of cell wall-associated suberin-like lamellae in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. Overexpression of AtMYB41 increased the abundance of suberin biosynthetic gene transcripts by orders of magnitude and resulted in the accumulation of up to 22 times more suberin-type than cutin-type aliphatic monomers in leaves. Overexpression of AtMYB41 also resulted in elevated amounts of monolignols in leaves and an increase in the accumulation of phenylpropanoid and lignin biosynthetic gene transcripts. Surprisingly, ultrastructural data indicated that overexpression led to the formation of suberin-like lamellae in both epidermal and mesophyll cells of leaves. We further implicate AtMYB41 in the production of aliphatic suberin under abiotic stress conditions. These results provide insight into the molecular-genetic mechanisms of the biosynthesis and deposition of a ubiquitous cell wall-associated plant structure and will serve as a basis for discovering the transcriptional network behind one of the most abundant lipid-based polymers in nature.
The chemical composition of the ejecta of the rare type IIb supernova 2013df

T. Szalai, J. Vinkóa,b, J.M. Silverman, G.H. Marion, J.C. Wheeler, G. Dhungana, R. Kehoe a Department of Optics and Quantum Electronics, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 9. , Szeged H-6720, Hungary E-mail: szaszi@titan.physx. u-szeged.hu b Department of Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1400, Austin, TX 78712-0259, USA NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow c Department of Physics, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, 75275, USA
Host-parasitoid interactions relating to penetration of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, by the parasitoid wasp, Eretmocerus mundus

Abstract It has been reported that the aphelinid wasp Eertmocerus mundus parasitizes all four nymphal instars of the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Biotype B), with 3rd instars being the preferred hosts. The parasitoid lays its egg on the leaf underneath the host nymph. First instars hatch and later penetrate the whitefly. Previous studies have shown that the initiation of parasitoid penetration induces the host to form a cellular capsule around the parasitoid. As described here, females never oviposited once the 4th instar whitefly nymph had initiated adult development. First instar E. mundus larvae were observed under 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar whitefly nymphs, however, penetration did not occur until the whitefly had reached the 4th instar. The non-penetrating E. mundus larva almost always induced permanent developmental arrest in its 4th instar whitefly host and also caused a reduction in whole body host ecdysteroid titers. Therefore, unless there is a peak in molting hormone titer in the area local to penetration, it appears that the induction of capsule formation is not due to an increase in ecdysteroid titer. As the capsule formed around the penetrating parasitoid, host epidermal cells multiplied and became cuboidal and columnar, and relatively thick layers of new cuticle were deposited within the developing capsule, particularly near its ventral opening. The newly formed host cuticle was thinner in the dorsal part of the capsule and appeared to be absent at its apex. These results provide new information regarding the timing and dynamics of parasitoid oviposition and egg hatch as related to larval penetration, parasitoid-induced changes in whitefly development, molting hormone titers and the process of capsule formation.
Influence of Soil Parameters on the Establishment of Turf Grass Species under Different Methods of Planting

Climate change is posing many challenges to the living organisms including the survival of human beings. Rapid changes in the climate are considered mainly due to deforestation, industrialization, increased vehicle trafficking, increased urbanization and changes in the lifestyle with increased usage of electronic gadgets which are also emanating lot of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 03 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Needle-Electrode-Based Electromechanical Reshaping of Rabbit Septal Cartilage: A Systematic Evaluation

Electromechanical reshaping (EMR) provides a means of producing shape change in the cartilage by initiating oxidation-reduction reactions in mechanically deformed specimens. This paper evaluates the effect of voltage and application time on specimen shape change using needle electrodes. Rabbit septal cartilage specimens (20 mm × 8 mm × 1 mm, n = 200) were bent 90° in a precision-machined plastic jig. Optimal electrode placement and the range of applied voltages were estimated using numerical modeling of the initial electric field within the cartilage sample. A geometric configuration of three platinum needle electrodes 2 mm apart from each other and inserted 6 mm from the bend axis on opposite ends was selected. One row of electrodes served as the anode and the other as the cathode. Constant voltage was applied at 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 V for 1, 2, and 4 min, followed by rehydration in phosphate buffered saline. Samples were then removed from the jig and bend angle was measured. In accordance with previous studies, bend angle increased with increasing voltage and application time. Below a voltage threshold of 4 V, 4 min, no clinically significant reshaping was observed. The maximum bend angle obtained was 35.7 ± 1.7° at 8 V, 4 min.
Dynamics of extinction and the selection of nature reserves

Familiar quantitative reserve–selection techniques are tailored to simple decision problems, where the representation of species is sought at minimum cost. However, conservationists have begun to ask whether representing species in reserve networks is sufficient to avoid local extinctions within selected areas. An attractive, but previously untested idea is to model current species' probabilities of occurrence as an estimate of local persistence in the near future. Using distribution data for passerine birds in Great Britain, we show that (i) species' probabilities of occurrence are negatively related to local probabilities of extinction, at least when a particular 20–year period is considered, and (ii) local extinctions can be reduced if areas are selected to maximize current species' probabilities of occurrence. We suggest that more extinctions could be avoided if even a simple treatment of persistence were to be incorporated within reserve selection methods.
Anesthetic Block of Pain-related Cortical Activity in Patients with Peripheral Nerve Injury Measured by Magnetoencephalography

Background:This study examined whether chronic neuropathic pain, modulated by a local anesthetic block, is associated with cortical magnetic field changes. Methods:In a group of 20 patients with pain caused by unilateral traumatic peripheral nerve injury, a local block with lidocaine 1% was administered and the cortical effects were measured and compared with a control group. The global field power (GFP), describing distribution of cortical activation after median and ulnar nerve stimulation, was plotted and calculated. The effects on the affected hemisphere and the unaffected hemisphere (UH) before and after a block of the injured nerve were statistically evaluated. Results:Major differences based on the GFP curves, at a component between 50 ms - 90 ms (M70), were found in patients: in the affected hemisphere the M70 GFP peak values were statistically significantly larger in comparison with the UH, and the GFP curves differed morphologically. Interestingly, the mean UH responses were reduced in comparison with the control group, a finding suggesting that the UH is also part of the cortical changes. At M70, the GFP curves and values in the affected hemisphere were modulated by a local block of the median or the ulnar nerve. The most likely location of cortical adaptation is in the primary somatosensory cortex. Conclusions:Cortical activation is enhanced in the affected hemisphere compared with the UH and is modulated by a local block. The UH in neuropathic pain changes as well. Evoked fields may offer an opportunity to monitor the effectiveness of treatments of neuropathic pain in humans.
Some constraints and tradeoffs in the design of network communications

A number of properties and features of interprocess communication systems are presented, with emphasis on those necessary or desirable in a network environment. The interactions between these features are examined, and the consequences of their inclusion in a system are explored. Of special interest are the time-out feature which forces all system table entries to “die of old age” after they have remained unused for some period of time, and the insertion property which states that it is always possible to design a process which may be invisibly inserted into the communication path between any two processes. Though not tied to any particular system, the discussion concentrates on distributed systems of sequential processes (no interrupts) with no system buffering.
From ‘Understanding the Brain by Creating the Brain’ towards manipulative neuroscience

Ten years have passed since the Japanese ‘Century of the Brain’ was promoted, and its most notable objective, the unique ‘creating the brain’ approach, has led us to apply a humanoid robot as a neuroscience tool. Here, we aim to understand the brain to the extent that we can make humanoid robots solve tasks typically solved by the human brain by essentially the same principles. I postulate that this ‘Understanding the Brain by Creating the Brain’ approach is the only way to fully understand neural mechanisms in a rigorous sense. Several humanoid robots and their demonstrations are introduced. A theory of cerebellar internal models and a systems biology model of cerebellar synaptic plasticity is discussed. Both models are experimentally supported, but the latter is more easily verifiable while the former is still controversial. I argue that the major reason for this difference is that essential information can be experimentally manipulated in molecular and cellular neuroscience while it cannot be manipulated at the system level. I propose a new experimental paradigm, manipulative neuroscience, to overcome this difficulty and allow us to prove cause-and-effect relationships even at the system level.
The effects of preterm birth on visual development

Children born very preterm are at a greater risk of abnormal visual and neurological development when compared to children born at full term. Preterm birth is associated with retinopathy of prematurity (a proliferative retinal vascular disease) and can also affect the development of brain structures associated with post‐retinal processing of visual information. Visual deficits common in children born preterm, such as reduced visual acuity, strabismus, abnormal stereopsis and refractive error, are likely to be detected through childhood vision screening programs, ophthalmological follow‐up or optometric care. However, routine screening may not detect other vision problems, such as reduced visual fields, impaired contrast sensitivity and deficits in cortical visual processing, that may occur in children born preterm. For example, visual functions associated with the dorsal visual processing stream, such as global motion perception and visuomotor integration, may be impaired by preterm birth. These impairments can continue into adolescence and adulthood and may contribute to the difficulties in learning (particularly reading and mathematics), attention, behaviour and cognition that some children born preterm experience. Improvements in understanding the mechanisms by which preterm birth affects vision will inform future screening and interventions for children born preterm.
Management of Cancer in the Older Person : A Practical Approach

The management of cancer in the older aged person is an increasingly common problem. The questions arising from this problem are: Is the patient going to die with cancer or of cancer? Is the patient able to tolerate the stress of antineoplastic therapy? Is the treatment producing more benefits than harm? This article explores a practical, albeit evolving, approach to these questions including a multidimensional assessment of the older person and simple pharmacologic interventions that may ameliorate the toxicity of antineoplastic agents. Age may be construed as a progressive loss of stress tolerance, due to decline in functional reserve of multiple organ systems, high prevalence of comorbid conditions, limited socioeconomic support, reduced cognition, and higher prevalence of depression. Aging is highly individualized: chronologic age may not reflect the functional reserve and life expectancy of an individual. A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) best accounts for the diversities in the geriatric population. The advantages of the CGA include: A. Recognition of potentially treatable conditions such as depression or malnutrition, that may lessen the tolerance of cancer treatment and be reversed with proper intervention; B. Assessment of individual functional reserve; C. Gross estimate of individual life expectancy; and D. Adoption of a common language to classify older cancer patients. The CGA allows the practitioner to recognize at least three stages of aging: A. People who are functionally independent and without comorbidity, who are candidates for any form of standard cancer treatment, with the possible exception of bone marrow transplant. B. People who are frail (dependence in one or more activities of daily living, three or more comorbid conditions, one or more geriatric syndromes), who are a candidate only for palliative treatment; and C. People in between, who may benefit from some special pharmacological approach, such as reduction in the initial dose of chemotherapy with subsequent does escalations. The pharmacological changes of age include decreased renal excretion of drugs and increased susceptibility to myelosuppression, mucositis, cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Based on these findings, the proposal was made that all persons aged 70 and older, treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy of dose intensity comparable to CHOP, receive prophylactic growth factor treatment, and that the hemoglobin of these patients be maintained ≥12 gm/dl. The Oncologist
Energy efficient routing in ad hoc disaster recovery networks

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have drawn attention to the use of wireless technology in order to locate survivors of structural collapse. We propose to construct an ad hoc network of wireless smart badges in order to acquire information from trapped survivors. We investigate the energy efficient routing problem that arises in such a network and show that since smart badges have very limited power sources and very low data rates, which may be inadequate in an emergency situation, the solution of the routing problem requires new protocols. The problem is formulated as an anycast routing problem in which the objective is to maximize the time until the first battery drains-out. We present iterative algorithms for obtaining the optimal solution of the problem. Then, we derive an upper bound on the network lifetime for specific topologies. Finally, a polynomial algorithm for obtaining the optimal solution in such topologies is described.
Differential methylation persists at the mouse Rasgrf1 DMR in tissues displaying monoallelic and biallelic expression

A subset of mammalian genes exhibits genomic imprinting, whereby one parental allele is preferentially expressed. Differential DNA methylation at imprinted loci serves both to mark the parental origin of the alleles and to regulate their expression. In mouse, the imprinted gene Rasgrf1 is associated with a paternally methylated imprinting control region which functions as an enhancer blocker in its unmethylated state. Because Rasgrf1 is imprinted in a tissue-specific manner, we investigated the methylation pattern in monoallelic and biallelic tissues to determine if methylation of this region is required for both imprinted and non-imprinted expression. Our analysis indicates that DNA methylation is restricted to the paternal allele in both monoallelic and biallelic tissues of somatic and extraembryonic lineages. Therefore, methylation serves to mark the paternal Rasgrf1 allele throughout development, but additional factors are required for appropriate tissue-specific regulation of expression at this locus.
An improved SVM-based real-time P300 speller for brain-computer interface

We present a novel one-class classification method called conformal-kernel support vector data description (CK-SVDD) for P300 speller brain-computer interface (BCI). The CK-SVDD has lower computational complexity than the widely-used SVM, and better classification accuracy than both SVM and SVDD, thus being able to improve the usability of the P300 speller when it is used in an online mode. We also developed a real-time EEG acquisition and preprocessing module, as well as the software written in C#, which executes the functions of data processing and classification. The results, carried out on three subjects, show that the proposed CK-SVDD consistently performs better than the SVM and the original SVDD in different numbers of rounds. The results also indicate that it can achieve a high character classification accuracy of over 95% for all subjects, even when the number of rounds is less than 4 in some cases, thus being able to provide a fast online testing speed without losing classification accuracy.