Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of NaCl and CaCl(2) on Water Transport across Root Cells of Maize (Zea mays L.) Seedlings.

The effect of salinity and calcium levels on water flows and on hydraulic parameters of individual cortical cells of excised roots of young maize (Zea mays L. cv Halamish) plants have been measured using the cell pressure probe. Maize seedlings were grown in one-third strength Hoagland solution modified by additions of NaCl and/or extra calcium so that the seedlings received one of four treatments: control; +100 millimolar NaCl; +10 millimolar CaCl(2); +100 millimolar NaCl + 10 millimolar CaCl(2). From the hydrostatic and osmotic relaxations of turgor, the hydraulic conductivity (Lp) and the reflection coefficient (sigma(s)) of cortical cells of different root layers were determined. Mean Lp values in the different layers (first to third, fourth to sixth, seventh to ninth) of the four different treatments ranged from 11.8 to 14.5 (Control), 2.5 to 3.8 (+NaCl), 6.9 to 8.7 (+CaCl(2)), and 6.6 to 7.2 . 10(-7) meter per second per megapascal (+NaCl + CaCl(2)). These results indicate that salinization of the growth media at regular calcium levels (0.5 millimolar) decreased Lp significantly (three to six times). The addition of extra calcium (10 millimolar) to the salinized media produced compensating effects. Mean cell sigma(s) values of NaCl ranged from 1.08 to 1.16, 1.15 to 1.22, 0.94 to 1.00, and 1.32 to 1.46 in different root cell layers of the four different treatments, respectively. Some of these sigma(s) values were probably overestimated due to an underestimation of the elastic modulus of cells, sigma(s) values of close to unity were in line with the fact that root cell membranes were practically not permeable to NaCl. However, the root cylinder exhibited some permeability to NaCl as was demonstrated by the root pressure probe measurements that resulted in sigma(sr) of less than unity. Compared with the controls, salinity and calcium increased the root cell diameter. Salinized seedlings grown at regular calcium levels resulted in shorter cell length compared with control (by a factor of 2). The results demonstrate that NaCl has adverse effects on water transport parameters of root cells. Extra calcium could, in part, compensate for these effects. The data suggest a considerable apoplasmic water flow in the root cortex. However, the cell-to-cell path also contributed to the overall water transport in maize roots and appeared to be responsible for the decrease in root hydraulic conductivity reported earlier (Azaizeh H, Steudle E [1991] Plant Physiol 97: 1136-1145). Accordingly, the effect of high salinity on the cell Lp was much larger than that on root Lp(r).
Association between Growth Hormone-Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Axis Gene Polymorphisms and Short Stature in Chinese Children

Objective This study was designed to analyze the association between the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH-IGF-1) axis gene polymorphisms and short stature in Chinese children. Methods 181 growth hormone deficiency (GHD) patients and 206 normal stature controls were enrolled to attend this study. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the GH receptor (GHR) and 5 SNPs within the GH-signaling pathway were genotyped by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. We conducted an association study between these SNPs and the risk of developing short stature. Linkage disequilibrium analysis was performed using Haploview software and the associations of the SNPs frequencies with short stature were analyzed using X2 tests. Results No significant difference was found in gender, weight, height, and BMI between the GHD and control groups, except that the age of GHD group was older than the control one. Allele and genotype frequencies were consistent with those expected from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Compared with the controls, heterozygous genotype frequencies (CT) of rs12515480 and rs6873545 of GHR gene were significantly lower. Genotype frequencies of the other 8 SNPs did not show significant difference between these two groups. Considering a dominant model, an OR < 1 was observed for genotypes rs12515480 (OR = 0.532, P = 0.019) and rs6873545 (OR = 0.587, P = 0.017). Conclusions The heterozygous genotypes of rs12515480 and rs6873545 of GHR gene were associated with decreased risk of GHD in Chinese children.
HIV-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: current perspectives

: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, caused by the polyomavirus JC and occurring almost exclusively in the context of severe immune depression. AIDS represents the most common predisposing condition for PML development. Antiretroviral treatment has reduced PML incidence in HIV-infected subjects, but the disease remains a severe and life-threatening complication of AIDS, considering thus far the lack of an effective anti-JC virus (JCV) direct-acting antiviral drug. In the last decade, the use of monoclonal antibodies for treating immune-based diseases evidenced new predisposing conditions for PML development, promoting a renewed interest in PML pathogenesis. In this article, we review the current knowledge on JCV epidemiology and AIDS-associated PML incidence, JCV viral cycle, pathogenesis, and the interplay with HIV infection. We give an updated overview of diagnostic and prognostic tools available for PML diagnosis and describe past and current therapeutic approaches, including new strategies for PML cure.
SUBARU SPECTROSCOPY AND SPECTRAL MODELING OF CYGNUS A

We present high angular resolution (∼0.″5) MIR spectra of the powerful radio galaxy, Cygnus A (Cyg A), obtained with the Subaru telescope. The overall shape of the spectra agree with previous high angular resolution MIR observations, as well as previous Spitzer spectra. Our spectra, both on and off nucleus, show a deep silicate absorption feature. The absorption feature can be modeled with a blackbody obscured by cold dust or a clumpy torus. The deep silicate feature is best fit by a simple model of a screened blackbody, suggesting that foreground absorption plays a significant, if not dominant, role in shaping the spectrum of Cyg A. This foreground absorption prevents a clear view of the central engine and surrounding torus, making it difficult to quantify the extent the torus attributes to the obscuration of the central engine, but does not eliminate the need for a torus in Cyg A.
Reproducibility of quantitative fiber tracking measurements in diffusion tensor imaging of frontal lobe tracts: A protocol based on the fiber dissection technique

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based tractography is a noninvasive in vivo method for tracing white matter bundles. This raises possibilities for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the structural organization of tracts. Nevertheless, questions remain about neuroanatomical accuracy, reproducibility for clinical purposes, and accessibility of the best method for broader application. The aim of this study was to combine the fiber dissection technique and tractography to provide more pertinent insight into brain anatomy and, as a result, to test a protocol for reconstruction of six major frontal lobe tracts. Methods: A combination of fiber dissection of formalin-fixed brain tissue after freezing (Klingler's technique) and virtual dissection (tractography) was used to develop a protocol to reconstruct major frontal tracts. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), number of voxels (NVO), volume (VOL), number (NTR), and length (LEN) of tracts were evaluated to assess intra- and interobserver reproducibility. Statistical reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the Pearson association coefficient (r). Results: The virtual dissection obtained by tractography seemed to reproduce the anatomic knowledge of the white matter tracts obtained through the classic method. In reliability study, most ICC and r values corresponded at least to large correlation. The magnitude of correlation was very high (ICC 0.7-0.9) or almost perfect (ICC 0.9-1.0) for the FA and ADC measures of every tract studied. Conclusion: The DTI protocol proposed herein provided a reliable method for analysis of reconstructed frontal lobe tracts, especially for the FA and ADC variables.
Efficiency of energy transfer in a light-harvesting system under quantum coherence

We investigate the role of quantum coherence in the efficiency of excitation transfer in a ring-hub arrangement of interacting two-level systems, mimicking a light-harvesting antenna connected to a reaction center as it is found in natural photosynthetic systems. By using a quantum jump approach, we demonstrate that in the presence of quantum coherent energy transfer and energetic disorder, the efficiency of excitation transfer from the antenna to the reaction center depends intimately on the quantum superposition properties of the initial state. In particular, we find that efficiency is sensitive to symmetric and asymmetric superposition of states in the basis of localized excitations, indicating that initial-state properties can be used as an efficiency control parameter at low temperatures.
Corporate Leniency Programs when Firms have Private Information: The Push of Prosecution and the Pull of Pre‐emption

A corporate leniency program provides relief from government penalties to the first member of a cartel to cooperate with the authorities. This study explores the incentives to apply for leniency when each cartel member has private information as to the likelihood that the competition authority will be able to convict them without a cooperating firm. A firm may apply for leniency because it fears being convicted (‘prosecution effect’) or because it fears another firm will apply (‘pre‐emption effect’). Policies by the competition authority to magnify concerns about pre‐emption - and thereby induce greater use of the leniency program - are also explored.
Developing a Two-Level Framework for Residential Energy Management

Residential energy management (REM) program is a demand response (DR) tool that automatically manages energy consumption of controllable household appliances to improve the energy consumption profile of a house according to electricity price. REM intends not only to improve technical aspects of distribution systems but also motivate customers for active participation in DR programs. In this regard, this paper proposes a two-level REM framework. In the first level, each customer runs an optimization problem to minimize his payment cost and sends the desired operation scheduling of appliances and the payment cost to the system operator. In the second level, a multiobjective (MO) optimization framework is designed to improve technical characteristics of the distribution system such as total load demand deviation, given the least desired payment cost of each customer. The objective functions of this MO optimization structure are to minimize deviation of distribution system load and to minimize costs of modifying the desired scheduling of customers. The proposed algorithm is mathematically modeled and applied to the IEEE 34-node test feeder to prove its advantages for customers and system operators in comparison with the available REM strategies.
Teaming and competition for demand-side management in office buildings

Energy conservation at public/office buildings can be tricky, due to the absence of direct incentives, e.g., regarding the electricity bill, and the potentially higher aversion of employees to comfort loss. Few serious games have been developed for motivating occupants to save energy based on peer pressure and/or prizes. However, the design of these games has mostly been based on a genre-adoption approach, while behavioral traits of employees were either considered on average only (rather than per individual player) or not considered at all. In this paper, we analytically study the design of an effective serious game in a work environment involving team competition and prizes. We introduce an innovative model of the energy-consumption decisions of an employee that includes several factors, namely sensitivity to comfort loss, desire for conformance to the social norm, desire for teaming and appreciation of monetary rewards. We formulate the problem of maximizing the effectiveness of the serious game with respect to the team size and the amount of rewards. Based on numerical evaluation with synthetic and real datasets, we show the significant impact of these game parameters to the effectiveness of the serious game as an incentive mechanism for energy conservation in this context.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Targeting the Parasite ' s DNA with Methyltriazenyl Purine Analogs Is a Safe , Selective , and Efficacious Antitrypanosomal Strategy

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ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE BROAD-LINE REGION IN LOW-LUMINOSITY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

The disk-wind scenario for the broad-line region (BLR) and toroidal obscuration in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) predicts the disappearance of the BLR at low luminosities. In accordance with the model predictions, data from a nearly complete sample of nearby AGNs show that the BLR disappears at luminosities lower than 5 × 1039(M/107 M☉)2/3 ergs-1, where M is the black hole mass. The radiative efficiency of accretion onto the black hole is ≲10-3 for these sources, indicating that their accretion is advection-dominated.
Acute effects of dietary fat composition on postprandial plasma bile acid and cholecystokinin concentrations in healthy premenopausal women

Bile acids derived from intestinal bacterial metabolism and transported to the breast in plasma may influence risk of breast cancer. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that fatty acid chain length and degree of unsaturation differ with regard to their influence on the postprandial release of cholecystokinin (CCK) and the subsequent increase in plasma bile acid concentrations that occur following a meal. A randomized crossover design was used to compare five high-fat test meals (50 g fat) with a low-fat test meal (15 g) on plasma bile acid and CCK concentrations in eighteen healthy premenopausal women. The high-fat meals were enriched in oleate or palmitate, or linoleate or medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCT) or a blend of oleate and long-chain n-3 fatty acids. The postprandial increase in plasma CCK concentration was lower on the MCT meal compared with all meals and was greater following the linoleate compared with the low-fat meal. Plasma bile acid concentrations increased 2–3-fold postprandially but the increase was lower following the MCT meal compared with the other meals and was greater on the linoleate meal compared with the low-fat meal. The postprandial increases in plasma chenodeoxycholic acid concentration showed a trend to rise with increasing unsaturation of the test meal. In conclusion, meals rich in linoleate are a potent stimulus for CCK release and lead to prolonged elevations of plasma bile acids and meals containing MCT inhibit CCK release and the subsequent increase in plasma bile acid concentrations.
Effects of Age and Caloric Restriction on Lipid Peroxidation : Measurement of Oxidative Stress by F 2-Isoprostane Levels

The free radical theory of aging proposes that the accumulation of oxidative damage is a key component of the aging process. The discovery of F2-isoprostanes (F2-isoPs) and their establishment as a sensitive and accurate biomarker of lipid peroxidation represents a major advance for measuring the oxidative stress status of an organism. We have shown that plasma free and total (free plus esterified) F2-isoPs increase with age (185% and 66%, respectively), and that these increases are reduced by life-extending caloric restriction (50% and 23%, respectively). In addition, we found that levels of esterified F2-isoPs increase 68% with age in liver, and 76% with age in kidney. Caloric restriction modulated the age-related increase, reducing the esterified F2-isoPs levels 27% in liver and 35% in kidney. These age-related increases in esterified F2-isoPs levels correlate well with DNA oxidation, as measured by 8-oxodeoxyguanosine production demonstrating that F2-isoPs are an excellent biomarker for age-related changes in oxidative damage to membranes.
Household Savings and Marriage Payments: Evidence from Dowry in India

This paper examines how traditional marriage market institutions affect households' financial decisions. We study how bride-to-groom marriage payments, i.e., dowries, influence saving behavior in rural India. Exploiting variation in firstborn gender and heterogeneity in dowry amounts across marriage markets, we find that the prospect of paying higher dowry increases household savings, which are primarily financed through increased paternal labor supply. This is the first paper that highlights this alternative motive for savings in dowry-paying societies. However, we find no impacts of dowry expectations on son-preferring fertility behaviors and investments in girls.
Estimation and Mitigation of Channel Non-Reciprocity in Massive MIMO

Time-division duplex (TDD)-based massive MIMO systems rely on the reciprocity of the wireless propagation channels when calculating the downlink precoders based on uplink pilots. However, the effective uplink and downlink channels incorporating the analog radio front-ends of the base station (BS) and user equipments (UEs) exhibit non-reciprocity due to non-identical behavior of the individual transmit and receive chains. When the downlink precoder is not aware of such channel non-reciprocity (NRC), system performance can be significantly degraded due to the NRC-induced interference terms. In this paper, we consider a general TDD-based massive MIMO system where frequency-response mismatches at both the BS and UEs, as well as the mutual coupling mismatches at the BS large-antenna system all coexist and induce channel NRC. Based on the NRC-impaired signal models, we first propose a novel iterative estimation method for acquiring both the BS and UE side NRC matrices and then also propose an efficient NRC-aware downlink precoder design which utilizes the obtained estimates. Furthermore, an efficient pilot signaling scheme between the BS and UEs is introduced in order to facilitate executing the proposed estimation method and the NRC-aware precoding technique in practical systems. Comprehensive numerical results indicate substantially improved spectral efficiency performance when the proposed NRC estimation and NRC-aware precoding methods are adopted, compared to the existing state-of-the-art methods.
Towards playful learning and computational thinking — Developing the educational robot BRICKO

Educational Robotics has proven a feasible way of supporting and exemplifying Computational Thinking. With this paper, we describe the user-centered iterative and incremental development of a new educational robotic system, BRICKO, to support tangible, social and playful interaction while educating children in 1st–3rd grade in Computational Thinking. We develop the system through seven main iterations including a total of 108 participant pupils and their teachers. The methodology is a mixture of observation and interviews using Wizard of OZ testing with the early pilot prototypes as well as usability and user experience testing with the following incrementally improved digital prototypes. Our results for development and evaluation are presented for each iteration leading onto the next and describes the evolution of both the BRICKO driving robot as well as the BRICKO programming-board and its different categories of command-bricks. We discuss the methodologies used for assuring a playful and social educational robotic system and conclude that we achieved a useful prototype for supporting education in Computational Thinking.
Remaining Useful Life Prediction for Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Exponential Model and Particle Filter

As the secondary widely used battery, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become the core component of the energy supply for most devices. Accurately predicting the current cycle time of LIBs is of great importance to ensure the reliability and safety of the equipment. In this paper, considering the nonlinear and non-Gaussian capacity degradation characteristics of LIBs, a remaining useful life (RUL) prediction method based on the exponential model and the particle filter is proposed. The cycle life test data of LIBs published by prognostics center of excellence in national aeronautics and space administration were exponentially experiencing the rule of degradation. And then the extrapolation method was used to get the quantitative expression of the uncertainty of life expectancy of LIBs, i.e. the prediction mean and the probability distribution histogram. The prognostic horizon index and the new specific accuracy index were applied to evaluate the prediction performance. Moreover, the prediction error under different prediction starting points is given. Compared with other methods such as the auto-regressive integrated moving average model, the fusion nonlinear degradation autoregressive model and the regularized particle filter algorithm, the proposed algorithm has a better prediction performance. According to the accuracy index, the proposed prediction method has better prediction accuracy and convergence. The RUL prediction for LIBs can provide a better decision support for the maintenance and support systems to optimize maintenance strategies, and reduce maintenance costs.
An Efficient and Privacy-Preserving Biometric Identification Scheme in Cloud Computing

Biometric identification has become increasingly popular in recent years. With the development of cloud computing, database owners are motivated to outsource the large size of biometric data and identification tasks to the cloud to get rid of the expensive storage and computation costs, which, however, brings potential threats to users’ privacy. In this paper, we propose an efficient and privacy-preserving biometric identification outsourcing scheme. Specifically, the biometric To execute a biometric identification, the database owner encrypts the query data and submits it to the cloud. The cloud performs identification operations over the encrypted database and returns the result to the database owner. A thorough security analysis indicates that the proposed scheme is secure even if attackers can forge identification requests and collude with the cloud. Compared with previous protocols, experimental results show that the proposed scheme achieves a better performance in both preparation and identification procedures.