Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electron microscopy study of pure and Sr-substituted LaCoO3

Two related perovskite material systems were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. La0.6Sr0. 4CoO3-d was studied with emphasis on phase stability and its suitability as cathode material for solid oxide fuel cells. The high efficiency of the investigated cells is attributed to an optimized microstructure and the formation of Co3O4 precipitates during fabrication. Furthermore, the microstructure and its effect on the magnetic properties of epitaxial strained LaCoO3 were studied.
SOC Test Scheduling with Test Set Sharing and Broadcasting

Due to the increasing test data volume needed to test corebased System-on-Chip, several test scheduling techniques minimizing the test application time have been proposed. In contrast to approaches where a fixed test set for each core is assumed, we explore the possibility to use overlapping test patterns from the tests in the system. The overlapping tests serves as alternatives to the original dedicated test for the cores and, if selected, they are transported to the cores in a broadcasted manner so that several cores are tested concurrently. We have made use of a Constraint Logic Programming technique to select suitable tests for each core in the system and schedule the selected tests such that the test application time is minimized while designer-specified hardware constraints are satisfied. The experimental results indicate that we can on average reduce the test application time with 23%.
Random walks on stochastic hyperbolic half planar triangulations

We study the simple random walk on stochastic hyperbolic half planar triangulations constructed in (Angel and Ray, Ann Probab, in press). We show that almost surely the walker escapes the boundary of the map in positive speed and that the return probability to the starting point after n steps scales like exp(−cn1/3) © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 49, 213–234, 2016
Combinatorial analysis of the minimum distance of turbo codes

In this paper, new upper bounds on the maximum attainable minimum Hamming distance of turbo codes with arbitrary-including the best-interleavers are established using a combinatorial approach. These upper bounds depend on the interleaver length, the code rate, and the scramblers employed in the encoder. Examples of the new bounds for particular turbo codes are given and discussed. The new bounds are tighter than all existing ones and prove that the minimum Hamming distance of turbo codes cannot asymptotically grow at a rate more than the third root of the codeword length.
Proteomic Assessment Shows That Many Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-resident Proteins Are Targeted by Nϵ-Lysine Acetylation in the Lumen of the Organelle and Predicts Broad Biological Impact*

Background: The functional impact of the Nϵ-lysine acetylation in the lumen of the ER is unknown. Results: Analysis of the ER acetyl-lysine proteome revealed that many resident and transiting proteins are acetylated in the ER lumen. Conclusion: The ER-based acetylation machinery regulates very diverse biological events. Significance: The ER-based acetylation machinery is predicted to play a fundamental role in human physiology and pathology. In addition to the nucleus, cytosol, and mitochondrial lumen, Nϵ-lysine acetylation also occurs in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the impact of such an event on ER functions is still unknown. Here, we analyzed the “ER acetyl-lysine proteome” by nano-LC-MS/MS and discovered that a large number of ER-resident and -transiting proteins undergo Nϵ-lysine acetylation in the lumen of the organelle. The list of ER-resident proteins includes chaperones and enzymes involved with post-translational modification and folding. Grouping of all acetylated proteins into major functional categories suggests that the ER-based acetylation machinery regulates very diverse biological events. As such, it is predicted to play a fundamental role in human physiology as well as human pathology.
Review Article Socio-economic determinants of micronutrient intake and status in Europe: a systematic review

Abstract Objective To provide the evidence base for targeted nutrition policies to reduce the risk of micronutrient/diet-related diseases among disadvantaged populations in Europe, by focusing on: folate, vitamin B12, Fe, Zn and iodine for intake and status; and vitamin C, vitamin D, Ca, Se and Cu for intake. Design MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched to collect original studies that: (i) were published from 1990 to 2011; (ii) involved >100 subjects; (iii) had assessed dietary intake at the individual level; and/or (iv) included best practice biomarkers reflecting micronutrient status. We estimated relative differences in mean micronutrient intake and/or status between the lowest and highest socio-economic groups to: (i) evaluate variation in intake and status between socio-economic groups; and (ii) report on data availability. Setting Europe. Subjects Children, adults and elderly. Results Data from eighteen publications originating primarily from Western Europe showed that there is a positive association between indicators of socio-economic status and micronutrient intake and/or status. The largest differences were observed for intake of vitamin C in eleven out of twelve studies (5–47 %) and for vitamin D in total of four studies (4–31 %). Conclusions The positive association observed between micronutrient intake and socio-economic status should complement existing evidence on socio-economic inequalities in diet-related diseases among disadvantaged populations in Europe. These findings could provide clues for further research and have implications for public health policy aimed at improving the intake of micronutrients and diet-related diseases.
Deep brain stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial forebrain bundle in a patient with major depressive disorder and anorexia nervosa

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be considered in severe cases of therapy‐refractory major depressive disorder (MDD). However, DBS for MDD is still an experimental therapy. Therefore, it should only be administered in clinical studies driven by multidisciplinary teams, including surgeons with substantial experience of DBS in the treatment of other conditions.
Latitudinal Diversity of Culex pipiens Biotypes and Hybrids in Farm, Peri-Urban, and Wetland Habitats in Europe

Despite the presence of Culex (Cx.) pipiens mosquitoes and circulation of West Nile virus (WNV), WNV outbreaks have so far not occurred in northern Europe. The species Cx. pipiens consists of two morphologically identical biotypes, pipiens and molestus, which can form hybrids. Until now, population dynamic studies of Cx. pipiens have not differentiated between biotypes and hybrids at the European scale, nor have they used comparative surveillance approaches. We therefore aimed to elucidate the relative abundance of Cx. pipiens biotypes and hybrids in three habitat types at different latitudes across Europe, using two different surveillance traps. BG-Sentinel and Mosquito-Magnet Liberty Plus traps were placed in three habitat types (farms, peri-urban, wetlands), in three European countries (Sweden, The Netherlands, Italy). Collected Cx. pipiens mosquitoes were identified to biotype with real-time PCR. Both trap types collected equal ratios of the biotypes and their hybrids. From northern to southern latitudes there was a significant decrease of pipiens and an increase of molestus. Habitat types influenced the relative ratios of biotypes and hybrids, but results were not consistent across latitudes. Our results emphasize the need to differentiate Cx. pipiens to the biotype level, especially for proper future WNV risk assessments for Europe.
Resource-constrained low-power bus encoding with crosstalk delay elimination

In deep-submicron (DSM) technology, minimizing power consumption of a bus is one of the most important design objectives in embedded system-on-chip (SoC) design. In this paper, we address the problem of design space exploration of lowenergy software bus encoding in embedded SoC design. Traditionally, finding a bus encoding that leads to a minimum energy consumption of bus has been an important research issue, but relatively little attention has been paid to the cost of software encoding implementation. In embedded system design, the memory space for storing the encoding information is strictly limited. Consequently, exploring the bus encoding implementation alternatives under such constraint becomes very necessary and/or useful. In this paper, we propose a systematic design space exploration algorithm for low-power bus encoding which completely eliminates the crosstalk delay. From experiments on a set of benchmark designs, the proposed algorithm was shown to consume 48% less power consumption on average over existing techniques with relatively little memory overhead.
Tumor necrosis factor promoter polymorphism TNF*-857 is a risk allele for psoriatic arthritis independent of the PSORS1 locus.

OBJECTIVE The strongest susceptibility locus of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region (psoriasis susceptibility region 1, or PSORS1), and HLA-Cw*06:02 has been reported as the PSORS1 susceptibility allele. Non-HLA genes within the MHC region have also been implicated in PsA, but because of the strong linkage disequilibrium at chromosome 6p21, it is difficult to make a distinction between susceptibility alleles and linked markers. Recent studies have demonstrated that the association between PsA and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) promoter polymorphism TNF*-857 is independent of PSORS1. The aim of this study was to replicate the independent association of TNF*-857 in patients with PsA. METHODS A total of 909 patients with PsA and 1,315 healthy controls originating from the UK, Germany, and Italy were typed for TNF*-857 and for the estimated risk alleles of HLA-Cw*06:02. RESULTS Overall, the results of genotyping in these 3 case-control cohorts replicated the finding that the frequency of carriers of TNF*-857 TT/CT who were negative for the PSORS1 risk allele was significantly higher among patients with PsA compared with control subjects (30% versus 21%; P = 9.17 × 10(-5)). CONCLUSION The results of this collaborative study indicate that TNF*-857T is a susceptibility allele for PsA independent of the PSORS1 allele.
The Adaptive Nature of Eye Movements in Linguistic Tasks: How Payoff and Architecture Shape Speed-Accuracy Trade-Offs

We explore the idea that eye-movement strategies in reading are precisely adapted to the joint constraints of task structure, task payoff, and processing architecture. We present a model of saccadic control that separates a parametric control policy space from a parametric machine architecture, the latter based on a small set of assumptions derived from research on eye movements in reading (Engbert, Nuthmann, Richter, & Kliegl, 2005; Reichle, Warren, & McConnell, 2009). The eye-control model is embedded in a decision architecture (a machine and policy space) that is capable of performing a simple linguistic task integrating information across saccades. Model predictions are derived by jointly optimizing the control of eye movements and task decisions under payoffs that quantitatively express different desired speed-accuracy trade-offs. The model yields distinct eye-movement predictions for the same task under different payoffs, including single-fixation durations, frequency effects, accuracy effects, and list position effects, and their modulation by task payoff. The predictions are compared to-and found to accord with-eye-movement data obtained from human participants performing the same task under the same payoffs, but they are found not to accord as well when the assumptions concerning payoff optimization and processing architecture are varied. These results extend work on rational analysis of oculomotor control and adaptation of reading strategy (Bicknell & Levy, ; McConkie, Rayner, & Wilson, 1973; Norris, 2009; Wotschack, 2009) by providing evidence for adaptation at low levels of saccadic control that is shaped by quantitatively varying task demands and the dynamics of processing architecture.
Physiological consequences of percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation: the different behaviour of volume- and pressure-overloaded ventricles.

AIMS To investigate the early clinical and physiological consequences of relieving chronic right ventricular (RV) volume overload with percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI). METHODS AND RESULTS We selected 17 patients (age 21.2 +/- 8.7 years), from a total of 125 who underwent PPVI, because they had important pulmonary regurgitation (PR) [regurgitant fraction > 25% on magnetic resonance (MR)] and an echocardiographic gradient < 50 mmHg across the RV outflow tract. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, tissue Doppler and MR were performed before and within 3 months of PPVI. Following PPVI, PR (40.7 +/- 7.3 to 4.1 +/- 6.1%, P < 0.001) and RV end-diastolic volume fell (115.4 +/- 33.1 to 98.9 +/- 32.0 mL/m(2), P = 0.001); effective RV stroke volume increased (34.3 +/- 7.8 to 44.4 +/- 9.3 mL/m(2), P < 0.001). Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (66.6 +/- 18.0 to 73.4 +/- 16.5 mL/m(2), P = 0.014), stroke volume (38.4 +/- 11.1 to 46.4 +/- 10.2 mL/m(2), P = 0.001) and ejection fraction (57.8 +/- 8.1 to 63.5 +/- 5.2 mL/m(2), P = 0.001) increased. Pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (8.9 +/- 4.5 to 12.5 +/- 5.2 mmHg, P = 0.041) and mitral E/Ea increased (from 9.0 +/- 2.0 to 11.6 +/- 3.1, P = 0.003). Patients felt better, but standard measures of exercise capacity were unchanged. CONCLUSION PPVI relieves PR and restores compensatory cardiac performance. The lack of improvement in exercise parameters suggests that, in contrast to pressure overload, the contractile reserve of chronically volume-overloaded myocardium is limited.
Fault Modelling in System-of-Systems Contracts

The nature of Systems of Systems (SoSs), large complex systems composed of independent, geographically distributed and continuously evolving constituent systems, means that faults are unavoidable. Previous work on defining contractual specifications of the constituent systems of SoSs does not provide any explicit consideration for faults. In this paper we address that gap by extending an existing pattern for modelling contracts with fault modelling concepts. The proposed extensions are introduced with respect to an Audio Visual SoS case study from Bang and Olufsen, before discussing how they relate to previous work on modelling faults in SoSs.
Regulation of the Fruit-Specific PEP Carboxylase SlPPC2 Promoter at Early Stages of Tomato Fruit Development

The SlPPC2 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.31) gene from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is differentially and specifically expressed in expanding tissues of developing tomato fruit. We recently showed that a 1966 bp DNA fragment located upstream of the ATG codon of the SlPPC2 gene (GenBank AJ313434) confers appropriate fruit-specificity in transgenic tomato. In this study, we further investigated the regulation of the SlPPC2 promoter gene by analysing the SlPPC2 cis-regulating region fused to either the firefly luciferase (LUC) or the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene, using stable genetic transformation and biolistic transient expression assays in the fruit. Biolistic analyses of 5′ SlPPC2 promoter deletions fused to LUC in fruits at the 8th day after anthesis revealed that positive regulatory regions are mostly located in the distal region of the promoter. In addition, a 5′ UTR leader intron present in the 1966 bp fragment contributes to the proper temporal regulation of LUC activity during fruit development. Interestingly, the SlPPC2 promoter responds to hormones (ethylene) and metabolites (sugars) regulating fruit growth and metabolism. When tested by transient expression assays, the chimeric promoter:LUC fusion constructs allowed gene expression in both fruit and leaf, suggesting that integration into the chromatin is required for fruit-specificity. These results clearly demonstrate that SlPPC2 gene is under tight transcriptional regulation in the developing fruit and that its promoter can be employed to drive transgene expression specifically during the cell expansion stage of tomato fruit. Taken together, the SlPPC2 promoter offers great potential as a candidate for driving transgene expression specifically in developing tomato fruit from various tomato cultivars.
Energy-Conscious Warm-Up of Li-Ion Cells From Subzero Temperatures

Lithium (Li)-ion battery cells suffer from significant performance degradation at subzero temperatures. This paper presents a predictive control-based technique that exploits the increased internal resistance of Li-ion cells at subzero temperatures to increase the cell's temperature until the desired power can be delivered. Specifically, the magnitude of a sequence of bidirectional currents is optimized such as to minimize total energy discharged. The magnitude of current is determined by solving an optimization problem that satisfies the battery manufacturer's voltage and current constraints. Drawing bidirectional currents necessitates that a temporary energy reservoir for energy shuttling, such as an ultracapacitor or another battery, be available. When compared with the case when no penalty on energy withdrawn is imposed, simulations indicate that reductions of up to 20% in energy dispensed as heat in the battery as well as in the size of external storage elements can be achieved at the expense of longer warm-up operation time.
Planktonic and Sediment-Associated Aerobic Methanotrophs in Two Seep Systems along the North American Margin

ABSTRACT Methane vents are of significant geochemical and ecological importance. Notable progress has been made toward understanding anaerobic methane oxidation in marine sediments; however, the diversity and distribution of aerobic methanotrophs in the water column are poorly characterized. Both environments play an essential role in regulating methane release from the oceans to the atmosphere. In this study, the diversity of particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) and 16S rRNA genes from two methane vent environments along the California continental margin was characterized. The pmoA phylotypes recovered from methane-rich sediments and the overlying water column differed. Sediments harbored the greatest number of unique pmoA phylotypes broadly affiliated with the Methylococcaceae family, whereas planktonic pmoA phylotypes formed three clades that were distinct from the sediment-hosted methanotrophs and distantly related to established methanotrophic clades. Water column-associated phylotypes were highly similar between field sites, suggesting that planktonic methanotroph diversity is controlled primarily by environmental factors rather than geographical proximity. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes from methane-rich waters did not readily recover known methanotrophic lineages, with only a few phylotypes demonstrating distant relatedness to Methylococcus. The development of new pmo primers increased the recovery of monooxygenase genes from the water column and led to the discovery of a highly diverged monooxygenase sequence which is phylogenetically intermediate to Amo and pMMO. This sequence potentiates insight into the amo/pmo superfamily. Together, these findings lend perspective into the diversity and segregation of aerobic methanotrophs within different methane-rich habitats in the marine environment.
Distribution of Malassezia species in patients with pityriasis versicolor in Northern Iran.

PURPOSE Malassezia yeasts are globally distributed agents of pityriasis versicolor and are implicated in the pathogenesis of seborrhoeic and atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study is to identify the Malassezia species obtained from pityriasis versicolor patients, using morphological, biochemical, physiological as well as Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS The identification of Malassezia species is performed according to microscopic features and physiological characteristics, including catalase reaction and Tween assimilation tests. The DNA is extracted from cultured Malassezia using the glass bead, phenol-chloroform method. The internal transcribed spacer 1(ITS1) region is amplified and there is restricted digestion of the PCR products with two enzymes Cfo I and Bst F5I. RESULTS The most commonly isolated species is M. globosa (47.6%). RFLP analysis of the PCR products of the ITS1 region is in complete agreement with those from the DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 region and the biochemical tests. CONCLUSION Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that PCR-RFLP is a relatively simple and quick method, completely comparable to the routine methods used for Malassezia identification.
Experimental Study of Foaming Agent Screening and Performance Evaluation of Nitrogen Foam Flooding in Daqing Oilfield

Through the laboratory experiment, the foaming properties of six kinds of foaming agent was evaluated comprehensively. Through the primary selection, foaming agent concentration selection and salt tolerance evaluation, HY-2 foaming agent was selected in follow-up experiments. The Liquid viscosity effect for foaming performance showed that there exists an optimal value of the liquid viscosity, corresponding to the concentration of foam stabilizing agent should not be less than 700mg/l. The impact of temperature on the performance of foaming agent was mainly on the foam stability, the higher the temperature, the stability of the bubble the worse. Due to the presence of crude oil, foaming volume and stability of the foam appeared a downward trend, the character of which is very advantageous to adjust fluidity difference between the layers of high permeable formation and low permeable formation.
Combined Spinal–Epidural versus Epidural Labor Analgesia

BackgroundDespite the growing popularity of combined spinal–epidural analgesia in laboring women, the exact role of intrathecal opioids and the needle-through-needle technique remains to be determined. The authors hypothesized that anesthetic technique would have little effect on obstetric outcome or anesthetic complications. MethodsData were prospectively collected from 2,183 laboring women randomly assigned to have labor analgesia induced with either 10 &mgr;g intrathecal sufentanil with or without 2.0 mg bupivacaine (n = 1,071) or 10 &mgr;g epidural sufentanil and 12.5–25.0 mg bupivacaine (n = 1,112). Immediately after induction, a continuous epidural infusion of 0.083% bupivacaine plus 0.3 &mgr;g/ml sufentanil was begun in all patients and continued until delivery. Labor was managed by nurses, obstetricians, and obstetric residents who were unaware of the anesthetic technique used. ResultsAnesthetic technique lacked impact on our primary outcome: mode of delivery or labor duration. Infants whose mothers were allocated to the combined spinal–epidural group had a slightly higher umbilical artery carbon dioxide partial pressure (54.2 ± 10.4 vs. 53.2 ± 10.2 mmHg). However, only achieving at least 5 cm cervical dilation before induction of analgesia and having a cesarean delivery were independent risk factors for elevated umbilical artery carbon dioxide partial pressure. The frequencies of accidental dural puncture, failed epidural analgesia, headache, and epidural blood patch were low and similar in the two groups. ConclusionsLabor progress and outcome are similar among women receiving either combined spinal–epidural or epidural analgesia. The difference in neonatal outcome appears related to the presence of confounding variables. The combined spinal– epidural technique is not associated with an increased frequency of anesthetic complications. Either technique can safely provide effective labor analgesia.