Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dual Mechanisms of Translation Initiation of the Full-Length HIV-1 mRNA Contribute to Gag Synthesis

The precursor group-specific antigen (pr55Gag) is central to HIV-1 assembly. Its expression alone is sufficient to assemble into virus-like particles. It also selects the genomic RNA for encapsidation and is involved in several important virus-host interactions for viral assembly and restriction, making its synthesis essential for aspects of viral replication. Here, we show that the initiation of translation of the HIV-1 genomic RNA is mediated through both a cap-dependent and an internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-mediated mechanisms. In support of this notion, pr55Gag synthesis was maintained at 70% when cap-dependent translation initiation was blocked by the expression of eIF4G- and PABP targeting viral proteases in two in vitro systems and in HIV-1-expressing cells directly infected with poliovirus. While our data reveal that IRES-dependent translation of the viral genomic RNA ensures pr55Gag expression, the synthesis of other HIV-1 proteins, including that of pr160Gag/Pol, Vpr and Tat is suppressed early during progressive poliovirus infection. The data presented herein implies that the unspliced HIV-1 genomic RNA utilizes both cap-dependent and IRES-dependent translation initiation to supply pr55Gag for virus assembly and production.
Efficient Computation of Shortest Paths in Networks Using Particle Swarm Optimization and Noising Metaheuristics

This paper presents a novel hybrid algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and noising metaheuristics for solving the single-source shortest-path problem (SPP) commonly encountered in graph theory. This hybrid search process combines PSO for iteratively finding a population of better solutions and noising method for diversifying the search scheme to solve this problem. A new encoding/decoding scheme based on heuristics has been devised for representing the SPP parameters as a particle in PSO. Noising-method-based metaheuristics (noisy local search) have been incorporated in order to enhance the overall search efficiency. In particular, an iteration of the proposed hybrid algorithm consists of a standard PSO iteration and few trials of noising scheme applied to each better/improved particle for local search, where the neighborhood of each such particle is noisily explored with an elementary transformation of the particle so as to escape possible local minima and to diversify the search. Simulation results on several networks with random topologies are used to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed hybrid algorithm for shortest-path computation. The proposed algorithm can be used as a platform for solving other NP-hard SPPs.
Nested or Networked? Future Directions for Ecological Systems Theory

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (EST) is among the most widely adopted theoretical frameworks for studying individuals in ecological contexts. In its traditional formulation, different levels of ecological systems are viewed as nested within one another. In this paper, we use Simmel’s notion of intersecting social circles and Bronfenbrenner’s earlier writing on social networks to develop an alternative “networked” model that instead views ecological systems as an overlapping arrangement of structures, each directly or indirectly connected to the others by the direct and indirect social interactions of their participants. We redefine each of the systems discussed by EST – micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono – based on patterns of social interaction, and then illustrate how this alternative model might be applied in the classic context of the developing child. We conclude by discussing future directions for how the networked model of EST can be applied as a conceptual framework, arguing that this approach offers developmental researchers with a more precise and flexible way to think about ecological contexts. We also offer some initial suggestions for moving a networked EST model from theory to method.
Technology acceptance in situations with alternative technologies

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been widely used to predict user acceptance and use based on perceived usefulness and ease of use. However, the empirical tests of this model have given mixed and inconclusive results. In part, this may be due to the fact that the tests generally have treated every setting in agreement with a one choice situation. That is, a situation where the user have no alternative technologies to choose among. In this paper it is argued for that some situations are multiple-choice situations and that these situations require a particular approach. To address this issue, this paper reports on a study of 1009 white-collar workers in a Norwegian oil company that could choose between several technologies when they communicate with others. The setting provides empirical data for assessing how well TAM explain the usage of the different communication technologies in the setting when the situation is treated as a one choice situation versus a multiple-choice situation. The results demonstrate that TAM explain the usage behavior for 5 out of 7 technologies better when the model is treated in accordance with the real situation, that is, a multiple-choice reality. Although this result has important implications for the study of technology acceptance, future studies will have to explore the potential importance of technology comparisons on several other variables than included in this research. The existence of situations involving alternative technologies could have important implications for the development and test of several of the theoretical models available in the ISfield.
Mapping the Ligand-Binding Region of Borrelia hermsii Fibronectin-Binding Protein

Many pathogenic microorganisms express fibronectin-binding molecules that facilitate their adherence to the extracellular matrix and/or entry into mammalian cells. We have previously described a Borrelia recurrentis gene, cihC that encodes a 40-kDa surface receptor for both, fibronectin and the complement inhibitors C4bp and C1-Inh. We now provide evidence for the expression of a group of highly homologues surface proteins, termed FbpA, in three B. hermsii isolates and two tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes, B. parkeri and B. turicatae. When expressed in Escherichia coli or B. burgdorferi, four out of five proteins were shown to selectively bind fibronectin, whereas none of five proteins were able to bind the human complement regulators, C4bp and C1-Inh. By applying deletion mutants of the B. hermsii fibronectin-binding proteins a putative high-affinity binding site for fibronectin was mapped to its central region. In addition, the fibronectin-binding proteins of B. hermsii were found to share sequence homology with BBK32 of the Lyme disease spirochete B. burgdorferi with similar function suggesting its involvement in persistence and/or virulence of relapsing fever spirochetes.
Validation of a German Version of the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) in German Craft Companies

Abstract. An explicit learning culture can help to systematize learning in small companies with a high degree of informal human resource development. The Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ; Marsick & Watkins, 2003 ) has already been used to assess learning culture in many international studies mainly with large organizations. However, the multidimensional structure of the DLOQ was criticized in the past. Therefore, this study (N = 856) investigated the dimensionality of a German translation of the DLOQ in the German crafts sector and the effect of the DLOQ dimensions on two criterions (i. e., commitment, job satisfaction). The results confirm the expected seven-factor structure of the German DLOQ (21 items) with good psychometric characteristics that were stable in different subsamples (i. e., different work levels and sectors). The correlations with the criterions confirm the external validity of the DLOQ. Furthermore, leaders rated all seven DLOQ dimensions higher than nonleaders did.
Information-based models for ad hoc IR

We introduce in this paper the family of information-based models for ad hoc information retrieval. These models draw their inspiration from a long-standing hypothesis in IR, namely the fact that the difference in the behaviors of a word at the document and collection levels brings information on the significance of the word for the document. This hypothesis has been exploited in the 2-Poisson mixture models, in the notion of eliteness in BM25, and more recently in DFR models. We show here that, combined with notions related to burstiness, it can lead to simpler and better models.
Global cancer incidence and mortality caused by behavior and infection.

OBJECTIVE The objective is to systematically estimate the current cancer incidence and mortality from the six leading cancer types globally and by sub-regions resulting from exposure to known risk factors such as tobacco use, elevated body weight, alcohol consumption, inadequate physical activity, unhealthy diet and infections. METHODS Cancer incidence, mortality and burden of disease caused by the main cancer risk factors were calculated using comparative risk assessment methods and updated data on mortality and risks. RESULTS Lung cancer was the most common cancer in men and breast cancer the most common cancer in women, both in terms of incidence and mortality. The five leading behavioral and dietary risks--high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, physical inactivity, tobacco use and alcohol use--were responsible for 24% of new cancer cases and 30% of cancer deaths. Cancers with the largest proportions attributable to preventable risk factors were cervical cancer (100%) and lung cancer (71%). Seventy percent of liver cancers and 60% of stomach cancers were due to infectious agents. A higher proportion of cancer deaths was attributed to infections in low- and middle-income than in high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS The cancer burden is driven by changes in exposure to influential risk factors and can be influenced by preventive interventions aimed at reducing these exposures.
Regression Methods for Stochastic Control Problems and Their Convergence Analysis

In this paper we develop several regression algorithms for solving general stochastic optimal control problems via Monte Carlo. This type of algorithm is particularly useful for problems with a high-dimensional state space and complex dependence structure of the underlying Markov process with respect to some control. The main idea behind the algorithms is to simulate a set of trajectories under some reference measure and to use the Bellman principle combined with fast methods for approximating conditional expectations and functional optimization. Theoretical properties of the presented algorithms are investigated, and the convergence to the optimal solution is proved under some assumptions. Finally, the presented methods are applied in a numerical example of a high-dimensional controlled Bermudan basket option in a financial market with a large investor.
A p-adic analogue of the Borel regulator and the Bloch–Kato exponential map

Abstract In this paper we define a p-adic analogue of the Borel regulator for the K-theory of p-adic fields. The van Est isomorphism in the construction of the classical Borel regulator is replaced by the Lazard isomorphism. The main result relates this p-adic regulator to the Bloch–Kato exponential and the Soulé regulator. On the way we give a new description of the Lazard isomorphism for certain formal groups. We also show that the Soulé regulator is induced by continuous and even analytic classes.
Japanese College Students' Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material (SEIM) and Sexual Attitudes

This study examined Japanese college students’ (N=476) use of sexually explicit material in mass media (i.e., print, electronic, and the Internet) and its association with their sexually permissive attitudes and perceptions of women. Results indicated that Japanese college students were most exposed to sexually explicit material in the print media followed by the Internet and the electronic media. In addition, participants’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material (SEIM) was a stronger predictor of their sexually permissive attitudes than their exposures to sexually explicit material in the traditional media (i.e., print and electronic media) However, participants’ exposures to sexually explicit material in the traditional media were stronger predictors of Japanese college students’ perceptions of women than their exposure to SEIM. Furthermore, sexual interest mediated the relationship between exposure to sexually explicit material on the internet and perceptions of women. Results are discussed in light of cultivation theory, the uses and gratifications perspective, and prior literature in the use of sexually explicit material and its associations with sexually permissive attitudes and perceptions of women.
The diffuse radio emission from the Coma cluster at 2.675 GHz and 4.85 GHz

We present new measurements of the diuse radio halo emission from the Coma cluster of galaxies at 2.675 GHz and 4.85 GHz using the Eelsberg 100-m telescope. After correction for the contribution from point sources we derive the integrated flux densities for the halo source (Coma C), S 2:675 GHz= (107 28) mJy and S 4:85 GHz= (26 12) mJy. These values verify the strong steepening of the radio spectrum of Coma C at high frequencies. Its extent strongly depends on frequency, at 4.85 GHz it is only marginally visible. The measurement at 4.85 GHz is the first flux density determination for Coma C at this high frequency. In order to quantify the spectral steepening we compare the expectations for the spectrum of Coma C with the observations, resorting to basic models for radio halo formation. The in-situ acceleration model provides the best fit to the data. From equipartition assumptions we estimate a magnetic field strength Beq= 0:57 (1+k) 0:26 G in the intracluster medium of Coma, where k is the energy ratio of the positively and negatively charged particles. As a by-product of the 2.675 GHz observation we present a new flux density for the diuse emission of the extended source 1253+275 (S 2:675GHz= 112 10). This measurement provides a smaller error range for the power-law fit to the spectrum (= 1:18 0:02) compared to previous investigations and yields an equipartition magnetic field strength of Beq= 0:56 (1+k) 0:24 G.
A Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence for Kaehler fibrations

Let $X$ be a compact Kaehler manifold and $E\to X$ a principal $K$ bundle, where $K$ is a compact connected Lie group. Let ${\cal A}^{1,1}$ be the set of connections on $E$ whose curvature lies in $\Omega^{1,1}(E\times_{Ad} {\frak k})$, where ${\frak k}$ is the Lie algebra of $K$. Endow $\frak k$ with a nondegenerate biinvariant bilinear pairing. This allows to identify $\{\frak k}\simeq{\frak k}^*$. Let $F$ be a Kaehler left $K$-manifold and suppose that there exists a moment map $\mu$ for the action of $K$ on $F$. Let ${\cal S}=\Gamma(E\times_K F)$. In this paper we study the equation $$\Lambda F_A+\mu(\Phi)=c$$ for $A\in {\cal A}^{1,1}$ and a section $\Phi\in {\cal S}$, where $c\in{\frak k}$ is a fixed central element. We study which orbits of the action of the complex gauge group on ${cal A}^{1,1}\times{\cal S}$ contain solutions of the equation, and we define a positive functional on ${cal A}^{1,1}\times{\cal S}$ which generalises the Yang-Mills-Higgs functional and whose local minima coincide with the solutions of the equation.
The Recognition of Unusual Objects in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Color System

We present five‐filter photometry of 21 carbon stars; 15 asteroids; 15 cataclysmic variables; six metal‐poor stars; five Cepheids; 1775 field stars, blue horizontal‐branch (BHB) stars, and RR Lyrae stars in the globular clusters M15 and M2; two primary standards; and 19 secondary standards. The photometry was carried out using a filter set identical to that which will be used for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find that carbon stars, CVs, R‐type, J‐type, and V‐type asteroids, BHB stars, and RR Lyr stars should be identifiable on the basis of Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometry alone, whereas Cepheids, metal‐poor stars, and many types of asteroids are indistinguishable from the stellar locus of field stars.
CapWalk: a capacitive recognition of walking-based activities as a wearable assistive technology

In this research project, we present an alternative approach to recognize various walking-based activities based on the technology of capacitive sensing. While accelerometry-based walking detections suffer from reduced accuracy at low speeds, the technology of capacitive sensing uses physical distance parameters, which makes it invariant to the duration of step performance. Determining accurate levels of walking activity is a crucial factor for people who perform walking with tiny step lengths such as elderlies or patients with pathologic conditions. In contrast to other gait analysis solutions, CapWalk is mobile and less affected by external influences such as bad lighting conditions, while it is also invariant to external acceleration artifacts. Our approach enables a reliable recognition of very slow walking speeds, in which accelerometer-based implementations can fail or provide high deviations. In CapWalk we present three different capacitive sensing prototypes (Leg Band, Chest Band, Insole) in the setup of loading mode to demonstrate recognition of sneaking, normal walking, fast walking, jogging, and walking while carrying weight. Our designs are wearable and could easily be integrated into wearable objects, such as shoes, pants or jackets. We envision such gathered information to be used to assist certain user groups such as diabetics, whose optimal insulin dose is depending on bread units and physical activity or elderlies whose personalized dosage of medication can be better determined based on their physical activity.
Eliminating data invalidation in debugging multiple-clock chips

A critical concern for post-silicon debug is the need to control the chip at clock cycle level. In a single clock chip, run-stop control can be implemented by gating the clock signal using a stop signal. However, data invalidation might occur when it comes to multiple-clock chips. In this paper, we analyze the possible data invalidation, including data repetition and data loss, when stopping and resuming a multiple-clock chip. Furthermore, we propose an efficient solution to eliminate data repetition and data loss. Theoretical analysis and simulation experiments are both conducted for the proposed solution. We implement the proposed Design-for-Debug (DfD) circuit with SMIC 0.18/Ltm technology and simulate the data transfer across clock domains using SPICE tool. The results show that both data repetition and data loss can be avoided with the proposed solution, even if metastability occurs.
Surface Quasigeostrophic Solutions and Baroclinic Modes with Exponential Stratification

AbstractThe author derives baroclinic modes and surface quasigeostrophic (SQG) solutions with exponential stratification and compares the results to those obtained with constant stratification. The SQG solutions with exponential stratification decay more rapidly in the vertical and have weaker near-surface velocities. This then compounds the previously noted problem that SQG underpredicts the velocities associated with a given surface density anomaly.The author also examines how the SQG solutions project onto the baroclinic modes. With constant stratification, SQG waves larger than deformation scale project primarily onto the barotropic mode and to a lesser degree onto the first baroclinic mode. However, with exponential stratification, the largest projection is on the first baroclinic mode. The effect is even more pronounced over rough bottom topography. Therefore, large-scale SQG waves will look like the first baroclinic mode and vice versa, with realistic stratification.
A Radio through X-Ray Study of the Jet/Companion-Galaxy Interaction in 3C 321

We present a multiwavelength study of the nucleus, environment, jets, and hot spots of the nearby FR II radio galaxy 3C 321, using new and archival data from MERLIN, the VLA, Spitzer, HST, and Chandra. An initially collimated radio jet extends northwest from the nucleus of its host galaxy and produces a compact knot of radio emission adjacent (in projection) to a companion galaxy, after which it dramatically flares and bends, extending out in a diffuse structure 35 kpc northwest of the nucleus. We argue that the simplest explanation for the unusual morphology of the jet is that it is undergoing an interaction with the companion galaxy. Given that the northwest hot spot that lies ≳250 kpc from the core shows X-ray emission, which likely indicates in situ high-energy particle acceleration, we argue that the jet-companion interaction is not a steady state situation. Instead, we suggest that the jet has been disrupted on a timescale less than the light-travel time to the end of the lobe, ~106 yr, and that the jet flow to this hot spot will only be disrupted for as long as the jet-companion interaction takes place. The host galaxy of 3C 321 and the companion galaxy are in the process of merging, and each hosts a luminous AGN. As this is an unusual situation, we investigate the hypothesis that the interacting jet has driven material on to the companion galaxy, triggering its AGN. Finally, we present detailed radio and X-ray observations of both hot spots, which show that there are multiple emission sites, with spatial offsets between the radio and X-ray emission.
SAR, SA, and Temperature Variation in the Human Head Caused by IR-UWB Implants Operating at 4 GHz

With the extensive use of wireless devices within or at close proximity to the human body, electromagnetic effects caused by the interaction between RF waves and human tissues need to be considered with paramount importance. The ultra-wideband (UWB) communication spectrum has recently been utilized in bio-telemetry applications, such as neural recording, brain-computer interfaces, and physiological data monitoring requiring high data rate and low power. This paper reports the electromagnetic effects of head-implantable transmitting devices operating based on impulse radio UWB wireless technology. Simulations illustrate the performance of an implantable UWB antenna tuned to operate at 4 GHz with an -10-dB bandwidth of approximately 1 GHz when it is implanted in a human head model. Specific absorption rate (SAR), specific absorption (SA), and temperature increase are analyzed to compare the compliance of the transmitting device with international safety regulations. The frequency- and age-dependent nature of the tissue properties, such as relative permittivity, is taken into account. The SAR/SA variation of the human head is presented with varying input power, different antenna orientations, and different signal bandwidths. We also present the percentage of SAR variation for each tissue type in the head model used for the simulations.