Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and physiological responses of the citrus rootstock Swingle citrumelo seedlings to partial rootzone drying and deficit irrigation

SUMMARY The effects of deficit irrigation (DI) and partial rootzone drying (PRD) on the growth and mineral nutrition of citrus rootstock seedlings in the glasshouse were determined, as well as the potential of DI and PRD to trigger root-to-shoot signalling of abscisic acid (ABA) to increase the growth per amount of water used (water use efficiency (WUE)). In the DI study, 3-month-old seedlings of the important citrus rootstock Swingle citrumelo with intact roots received three irrigation treatments: control (1·00 evapotranspiration (ET)), 0·75 ET and 0·50 ET. DI clearly decreased growth, the net assimilation of CO2 (ACO2), WUE and the total content of N and K in leaves, even though concentrations of leaf N and K were increased in the drought-stressed smaller plants. Root K was not affected by DI treatments. Leaf ABA concentration increased linearly with DI. For the PRD study, root systems of 6-month-old Swingle citrumelo were split into half and allowed to become established in adjacent pots. There were three irrigation treatments: control (1·00 of the total crop ET, 0·50 in each pot), PRD 50-0 (0·50 ET by weight applied to only one-half of root zone) and DI 25-25 (0·50 ET in total, with 0·25 ET applied to each root half). Although the total root length was decreased by the DI 25-25 treatment, PRD 50-0 did not affect any growth characteristics compared to control plants. The dry root zone of the PRD 50-0 treatment had a higher specific root length, longer roots per dry weight, than the wet root zone. Leaf ACO2 and WUE of the DI 25-25 treatment were significantly lower than control plants after 11 weeks. Although the total contents of N and K in leaves were not affected by either PRD treatment, the concentrations of N and K in leaves were increased by DI 25-25. Root K was decreased by PRD treatments. Leaf ABA concentration was increased by PRD 50-0 but not by DI 25-25. Although all drought stress treatments increased the levels of ABA in leaves, DI and PRD treatments did not affect the whole plant WUE. Compared to well-irrigated control plants, DI reduced growth, whereas PRD 50-0 did not.
Relationship between muscular effort and generalized central fatigue following marathon running in man

The study by Ross et al. (2007) represents a significant advancement in the understanding of muscular fatigue following long duration exercise and perhaps finally establishes that the brain ‘decides’ how much drive to the muscle is directed in the postexercise period. Ross et al. (2007) established that, following a marathon, the voluntary activation and force output of the tibialis anterior immediately postexercise was significantly reduced. The authors also reported that the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the wrist flexors was not reduced following the marathon. This protocol where the subsequent force output and voluntary activation of the ‘used’ muscles (in this case the tibialis anterior) are compared with that of the ‘unused’ muscles (wrist flexors) in the preceding exercise has been used previously to extrapolate whether or not the fatigue induced by the exercise is
Total Variation Discrepancy of Deterministic Random Walks for Ergodic Markov Chains

Abstract Motivated by a derandomization of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), this paper investigates a deterministic random walk, which is a deterministic process analogous to a random walk. There is some recent progress in the analysis of the vertex-wise discrepancy (i.e., L ∞ -discrepancy), while little is known about the total variation discrepancy (i.e., L 1 -discrepancy), which plays an important role in the analysis of an FPRAS based on MCMC. This paper investigates the L 1 -discrepancy between the expected number of tokens in a Markov chain and the number of tokens in its corresponding deterministic random walk. First, we give a simple but nontrivial upper bound O ( m t ⁎ ) of the L 1 -discrepancy for any ergodic Markov chains, where m is the number of edges of the transition diagram and t ⁎ is the mixing time of the Markov chain. Then, we give a better upper bound O ( m t ⁎ ) for non-oblivious deterministic random walks, if the corresponding Markov chain is ergodic and lazy. We also present some lower bounds.
Formative studies for dynamic wayfinding support with in-building situated displays and mobile devices

There is a significant disparity between wayfinding support services available in outdoor and in-building locations. Services such as Google Maps and in-car GPS allow users to examine unknown outdoor locations in advance as well as receive guidance en-route. In contrast, there is relatively little digital technology to support users in complex building architectures, e.g. institution buildings where users are generally limited to using traditional signage or asking for directions at the reception. However, recent advances in pervasive digital display technology are enabling a new range of possibilities and are making this topic increasingly subject to study. In this paper, we describe five formative studies involving 39 participants using situated digital displays, a Person Locator Kiosk, and personal mobile devices. We report our findings by gaining insights and feedback from users in order to develop wayfinding assistance for visitors in an in-building environment.
Microstructure and high temperature deformation of an ultra-fine grained ECAP AA7075 aluminium alloy

Abstract An AA 7075 aluminium alloy with an ultra-fine grained structure was prepared through equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at pressing temperatures TECAP of 120, 170, and 220 °C. A decrease in TECAP from 220 to 120 °C was found to lead to a more pronounced refinement of the microstructure and to worse stability of the microstructure – the onset of grain coarsening was displaced to lower temperatures. The material pressed with the highest TECAP exhibited superplastic behaviour at temperatures close to 400 °C and grain boundary sliding was identified as the dominant operating deformation mechanism. The materials prepared with both of the lower TECAP exhibited only enhanced ductility of about 200 %, however this behaviour was observed at temperatures as low as 200 °C. It was found that this “low temperature superplasticity” resulted from a combined operation of grain boundary sliding at selected grain boundaries and glide of lattice dislocations.
I-Through-We: How Supportive Social Relationships Facilitate Personal Growth

Personal growth is usually considered an outcome of intrapersonal processes—personal resources residing within the person. Comparatively, little research has examined the interpersonal processes underlying personal growth. We investigated how one interpersonal factor—people’s relationships with others—influences personal growth. Study 1 showed that brief reminders of a supportive (vs. nonsupportive) other led people to choose a job that promoted personal growth over one that offered a higher salary. Moreover, feelings of self-confidence from thinking about a supportive (vs. nonsupportive) other mediated personal growth. Extending these results, Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that people’s perceptions of how supportive their close others are predicted personal growth in two distinct cultures with varying emphasis on individual (vs. collective) growth. Consistent with Study 1’s findings, the results were also mediated by feelings of self-confidence. These findings suggest that the link between supportive relationships and personal growth may reflect a general process.
Weaning results of beef Hungarian Fleckvieh calves. 2. Genetic parameters, breeding values.

Abstract. Weaning weight, preweaning daily gain and 205-day weight of Hungarian Fleckvieh calves (n=8 929, bulls =4 539, heifers =4 390) born from 232 sires between 1980 and 2003 were examined. Variance, covariance components and heritability values and correlation coefficients were estimated. The effect of the maternal permanent environment on genetic parameters and breeding values were examined. Two animal models were used for breeding value estimation. The direct heritability (hd2) of weaning weight, preweaning daily gain and 205-day weight was between 0.37 and 0.42. The maternal heritability (hm2) of these traits was 0.06 and 0.07. The direct-maternal correlations (rdm) were medium and negative −0.52 and −0.74. Contribution of the maternal heritability and maternal permanent environment to phenotype is smaller than that of direct heritabilities (hm2+c2
The Importance of Conditioned Stimuli in Cigarette and E-Cigarette Craving Reduction by E-Cigarettes

This study examined the impact of four variables pertaining to the use of e-cigarettes (e-cigs) on cravings for tobacco cigarettes and for e-cigs after an overnight abstinence period. The four variables were the nicotine level, the sensorimotor component, the visual aspect, and the aroma of the e-cig. In an experimental study, 81 participants without prior vaping experience first got acquainted with using e-cigs in a one-week tryout period, after which they participated in a lab session assessing the effect of five minutes of vaping following an abstinence period of 12 h. A mixed-effects model clearly showed the importance of nicotine in craving reduction. However, also non-nicotine factors, in particular the sensorimotor component, were shown to contribute to craving reduction. Handling cues interacted with the level (presence/absence) of nicotine: it was only when the standard hand-to-mouth action cues were omitted that the craving reducing effects of nicotine were observed. Effects of aroma or visual cues were not observed, or weak and difficult to interpret, respectively.
Stakeholder Value Driven Threat Modeling for Off the Shelf Based Systems

As the trend of the usage of third party commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) and open source software continuously increases, COTS security has become a major concern for many organizations whose daily business extensively relies upon a healthy IT infrastructure. But, according to the 2006 CSI/FBI computer criminal survey, 47% of the surveyed organizations only spent no more than 2% of the IT budget in security. Often, competing with limited IT resources and the fast changing Internet threats, the ability to prioritize security vulnerabilities and address them efficiently has become a critical success factor for every security manager.
A new electrophysiological index for working memory load in humans

Working memory, the ability to store and simultaneously manipulate information, is affected in several neuropsychiatric disorders which lead to severe cognitive and functional deficits. An electrophysiological marker for this process could help identify early cerebral function abnormalities. In subjects performing working memory-specific n-back tasks, event-related potential analysis revealed a positive–negative waveform (PNwm) component modulated in amplitude by working memory load. It occurs in the expected time range for this process, 140–280 ms after stimulus onset, superimposed on the classical P200 and N200 components. Independent Component Analysis extracted two functional components with latencies and topographical scalp distributions similar to the PNwm. Our results imply that the PNwm represents a new electrophysiological index for working memory load in humans.
A modified fuzzy c-regression model clustering algorithm for T-S fuzzy model identification

In this paper, a modified fuzzy c-regression model (FCRM) clustering algorithm for identification of Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is proposed. The FCRM clustering algorithm has considerable sensitive to noise. To overcome this problem, a modified FCRM clustering algorithm is presented. This latter is based to adding a second regu-larization term in the alternative optimization process of FCRM. This regularization term is introduce in objective function in order to take in account the data are noisy. The parameters of the local linear models are identified based on orthogonal least squares (OLS). The proposed approach is demonstrated by means of the identification of nonlinear numerical examples.
A Modeling Study of the Effect of Underfill Materials on Solder Joint Thermal Fatigue of Ball Grid Array Package

Flip Chip Ball Grid Array packages (FCBGA) have been widely used in microelectronic industry in integrated circuit (IC) packages. Due to the intrinsic mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between silicon chip and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) material, solder joint fatigue failure due to thermal cycling becomes the most important concern for this technology. Underfill materials have been widely used as a solution to improving solder joint fatigue life. It is of importance to understand the effect of underfill material properties on the solder joint fatigue life. In this study, finite element method (FEM) was employed to study the effect of underfill materials on solder joint low cycle fatigue life in thermal cycling. ANSYS code was used to calculate the inelastic energy density generated in temperature cycling. The viscoplastic model was used for the solder to consider the inelastic and time dependent behavior under thermal cycling. By using the FEM model, the underfill material properties, the Young’s modulus and CTE were examined to study their effects on the solder joint fatigue life. It was found that the improvement of solder fatigue life could be achieved only when the CTE was low. This improvement could be strengthened by large Young’s modulus to increase the solder strength. In contrast, a large CTE underfill material could deepen the solder joint fatigue damage. This worsening effect became more significant as the Young’s modulus became larger. This study could serve as a foundation for understanding the mechanism of solder joint fatigue in the presence of underfill materials and provide guidance to choose appropriate underfill materials to improve BGA solder joint thermal fatigue in temperature cycling. © 2014 ASME
Structure-Thermodynamics-Antioxidant Activity Relationships of Selected Natural Phenolic Acids and Derivatives: An Experimental and Theoretical Evaluation

Phenolic acids and derivatives have potential biological functions, however, little is known about the structure-activity relationships and the underlying action mechanisms of these phenolic acids to date. Herein we investigate the structure-thermodynamics-antioxidant relationships of 20 natural phenolic acids and derivatives using DPPH• scavenging assay, density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels of theory, and quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling. Three main working mechanisms (HAT, SETPT and SPLET) are explored in four micro-environments (gas-phase, benzene, water and ethanol). Computed thermodynamics parameters (BDE, IP, PDE, PA and ETE) are compared with the experimental radical scavenging activities against DPPH•. Available theoretical and experimental investigations have demonstrated that the extended delocalization and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds are the two main contributions to the stability of the radicals. The C = O or C = C in COOH, COOR, C = CCOOH and C = CCOOR groups, and orthodiphenolic functionalities are shown to favorably stabilize the specific radical species to enhance the radical scavenging activities, while the presence of the single OH in the ortho position of the COOH group disfavors the activities. HAT is the thermodynamically preferred mechanism in the gas phase and benzene, whereas SPLET in water and ethanol. Furthermore, our QSAR models robustly represent the structure-activity relationships of these explored compounds in polar media.
A deep Chandra observation of the Centaurus cluster: bubbles, filaments and edges

X-ray images and gas temperatures taken from a deep {approx}200 ks Chandra observation of the Centaurus cluster are presented. Multiple inner bubbles and outer semicircular edges are revealed, together with wispy filaments of soft X-ray emitting gas. The frothy central structure and eastern edge are likely due to the central radio source blowing bubbles in the intracluster gas. The semicircular edges to the surface brightness maps 32 kpc to the east and 17.5 kpc to the west are marked by sharp temperature increases and abundance drops. The edges could be due to sloshing motions of the central potential, or are possibly enhanced by earlier radio activity. The high abundance of the innermost gas (about 2.5 times Solar) limits the amount of diffusion and mixing taking place.
Vertebral Column Length and Spread of Hyperbaric Subarachnoid Bupivacaine in the Term Parturient

Patient height is considered an important determinant of the dose of spinal anesthesia. However, the relationship between body height and the level of sensory anesthesia with a fixed dose of spinal anesthetic has not been clearly documented. Recent evidence suggests no correlation between height or weight of parturients and spread of spinal anesthesia. Vertebral column length rather than body height may be more important in determining anesthetic spread. We studied the correlation between vertebral length measured from C7 to the level of the iliac crest (IC) and to the sacral hiatus (SH) and the sensory anesthetic level after the subarachnoid administration of 12 mg hyperbaric bupivacaine in term pregnant patients. There was no correlation between patient height, weight or body mass index and sensory anesthesia level. However, a significant correlation existed between vertebral length measured from C7 to IC ( r = 0.32, p = 0.025) or to SH ( r = 0.38, p = 0.006) and the level of anesthesia.
Uptake of extracellular biotin by Escherichia coli biotin prototrophs

Uptake of exogenous biotin by two Escherichia coli biotin prototroph strains, K-12 and Crookes, appeared to involve incorporation at a fixed number of binding sites located at the cell membrane. Incorporation was characterized as a binding process specific for biotin, not requiring energy, and stimulated by acidic pH. Constant saturation quantities of exogenous biotin were incorporated by these cells, and the amounts, which were titrated, depended on whether the cells were resting or dividing. Resting cells incorporated exogenous biotin amounting to 2% of their total intracellular biotin content. Fifty percent of the exogenous biotin was incorporated into their free biotin fraction, and 50% was incorporated into their bound biotin fraction. On the other hand, dividing cells incorporated exogenous biotin into all of their intracellular sites, 88% going into the intracellular-bound biotin fraction, and 12% going into the free biotin fraction. Calculations suggested that each cell contained approximately 3,000 binding sites for biotin. It was postulated that biotin incorporation sites might have been components of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase located at or near the membrane.
Epitope Mapping and Topographic Analysis of VAR2CSA DBL3X Involved in P. falciparum Placental Sequestration

Pregnancy-associated malaria is a major health problem, which mainly affects primigravidae living in malaria endemic areas. The syndrome is precipitated by accumulation of infected erythrocytes in placental tissue through an interaction between chondroitin sulphate A on syncytiotrophoblasts and a parasite-encoded protein on the surface of infected erythrocytes, believed to be VAR2CSA. VAR2CSA is a polymorphic protein of approximately 3,000 amino acids forming six Duffy-binding-like (DBL) domains. For vaccine development it is important to define the antigenic targets for protective antibodies and to characterize the consequences of sequence variation. In this study, we used a combination of in silico tools, peptide arrays, and structural modeling to show that sequence variation mainly occurs in regions under strong diversifying selection, predicted to form flexible loops. These regions are the main targets of naturally acquired immunoglobulin gamma and accessible for antibodies reacting with native VAR2CSA on infected erythrocytes. Interestingly, surface reactive anti-VAR2CSA antibodies also target a conserved DBL3X region predicted to form an α-helix. Finally, we could identify DBL3X sequence motifs that were more likely to occur in parasites isolated from primi- and multigravidae, respectively. These findings strengthen the vaccine candidacy of VAR2CSA and will be important for choosing epitopes and variants of DBL3X to be included in a vaccine protecting women against pregnancy-associated malaria.
Inhibition of Proliferation by PERK Regulates Mammary Acinar Morphogenesis and Tumor Formation

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling can be mediated by the ER kinase PERK, which phosphorylates its substrate eIF2α. This in turn, results in translational repression and the activation of downstream programs that can limit cell growth through cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. These responses can also be initiated by perturbations in cell adhesion. Thus, we hypothesized that adhesion-dependent regulation of PERK signaling might determine cell fate. We tested this hypothesis in a model of mammary acini development, a morphogenetic process regulated in part by adhesion signaling. Here we report a novel role for PERK in limiting MCF10A mammary epithelial cell proliferation during acinar morphogenesis in 3D Matrigel culture as well as in preventing mammary tumor formation in vivo. We show that loss of adhesion to a suitable substratum induces PERK-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α and selective upregulation of ATF4 and GADD153. Further, inhibition of endogenous PERK signaling during acinar morphogenesis, using two dominant-negative PERK mutants (PERK-ΔC or PERK-K618A), does not affect apoptosis but results instead in hyper-proliferative and enlarged lumen-filled acini, devoid of proper architecture. This phenotype correlated with an adhesion-dependent increase in translation initiation, Ki67 staining and upregulation of Laminin-5, ErbB1 and ErbB2 expression. More importantly, the MCF10A cells expressing PERKΔC, but not a vector control, were tumorigenic in vivo upon orthotopic implantation in denuded mouse mammary fat pads. Our results reveal that the PERK pathway is responsive to adhesion-regulated signals and that it is essential for proper acinar morphogenesis and in preventing mammary tumor formation. The possibility that deficiencies in PERK signaling could lead to hyperproliferation of the mammary epithelium and increase the likelihood of tumor formation, is of significance to the understanding of breast cancer.