Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lesion-induced DNA weak structural changes detected by pulsed EPR spectroscopy combined with site-directed spin labelling

Double electron-electron resonance (DEER) was applied to determine nanometre spin–spin distances on DNA duplexes that contain selected structural alterations. The present approach to evaluate the structural features of DNA damages is thus related to the interspin distance changes, as well as to the flexibility of the overall structure deduced from the distance distribution. A set of site-directed nitroxide-labelled double-stranded DNA fragments containing defined lesions, namely an 8-oxoguanine, an abasic site or abasic site analogues, a nick, a gap and a bulge structure were prepared and then analysed by the DEER spectroscopic technique. New insights into the application of 4-pulse DEER sequence are also provided, in particular with respect to the spin probes’ positions and the rigidity of selected systems. The lesion-induced conformational changes observed, which were supported by molecular dynamics studies, confirm the results obtained by other, more conventional, spectroscopic techniques. Thus, the experimental approaches described herein provide an efficient method for probing lesion-induced structural changes of nucleic acids.
Exact unknown-state, unknown-input reconstruction: A geometric framework for discrete-time systems

The complete solution of the unknown-state, unknown-input reconstruction problem in systems with invariant zeros is intrinsically limited by the fact that for any invariant zero, at least one initial state exists, such that, when the mode associated to the invariant zero is suitably injected into the system, the corresponding output is zero. Although in the awareness of this restriction, the problem of reconstructing the initial state and the inaccessible inputs from the available measurements is the object of a fair amount of research activities because of its impact on a wide range of applications, specifically those dealing with the synthesis of enhanced-reliability control systems. In this context, the present paper contributes a geometric method aimed at solving the exact unknown-state, unknown-input reconstruction problem in discrete-time linear time-invariant multivariable systems with nonminimum-phase zeros. The case where all the system invariant zeros lie in the open set outside the unit disc of the complex plane is regarded as the basic one. The difficulties related to the presence of those invariant zeros are overcome by allowing a reconstruction delay commensurate to the invariant zero time constants. The same technique also applies to the case of systems without invariant zeros. In the latter circumstance, however, the reconstruction delay is related to the number of iteration required by the algorithm for the computation of a specific subspace to converge. Finally, the more general case where the problem is stated for a system whose invariant zeros lie both inside and outside the unit disc of the complex plane is reduced to the basic problem referred to a new system, derived from the original one through a procedure aimed at replacing the minimum-phase zeros with their mirror images with respect to the unit circle.
Sentence Subjectivity Analysis in Social Domains

Subjectivity analysis recognizes the contextual polarity of opinions, attitudes, emotions, feelings etc. regarding products, services, topics, or issues. Subjectivity classification categorizes the given text as subjective or objective. While an objective text contains one or more facts about a product or an issue, a subjective text expresses author's opinions. Statistical analysis shows that subjectivity analysis of social issues is different from that of products. This paper focuses on subjectivity analysis of social issues. Subjectivity of a document strongly depends on its sentences. Hence, a lexical-syntactical approach is proposed to recognize and classify subjectivity at the sentence level. This approach considers the role of various opinion terms especially verbs on opinions regarding social issues. Evaluation of the proposed approach on a data-set consisting comments about abortion shows that it slightly outperforms other similar works. It has a good accuracy especially on the strong sentences which express explicit opinions. Its reasonable F-measure demonstrates a good balance between the precision and recall which makes it suitable for applications such as sentiment polarity classification, text sentiment summarization, and opinion question answering.
Determinants of Undergraduate GPA and Persistence at Connecticut College

This thesis uses a unique dataset of five class-years to determine the factors that affect the academic experience of students at Connecticut College, particularly their cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) and persistence into sophomore year. Chapter I examines how changes in high school inputs affect students’ performance at Connecticut College. This chapter finds that high school inputs (viz., pupil-teacher ratio, total expenditure per pupil, and expenditure on teacher salaries per pupil) have a significant effect on college GPA even after controlling for demographics and prior academic performance. Chapter II examines the factors affecting persistence at Connecticut College. It finds that various measures of fit between a student and his or her peers have a strong impact on persistence into sophomore year. CONNECTICUT COLLEGE NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT MAY 2014
Detecting moving object outliers in massive-scale trajectory streams

The detection of abnormal moving objects over high-volume trajectory streams is critical for real time applications ranging from military surveillance to transportation management. Yet this problem remains largely unexplored. In this work, we first propose classes of novel trajectory outlier definitions that model the anomalous behavior of moving objects for a large range of real time applications. Our theoretical analysis and empirical study on the Beijing Taxi and GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) datasets demonstrate its effectiveness in capturing abnormal moving objects. Furthermore we propose a general strategy for efficiently detecting the new outlier classes. It features three fundamental optimization principles designed to minimize the detection costs. Our comprehensive experimental studies demonstrate that our proposed strategy drives the detection costs 100-fold down into practical realm for applications producing high volume trajectory streams to utilize.
Distinct Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes Contribute to Stability and Growth, But Not Compensatory Plasticity, of Neuromuscular Synapses

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) modulate synaptic function, but whether they influence synaptic structure remains unknown. At neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), mAChRs have been implicated in compensatory sprouting of axon terminals in paralyzed or denervated muscles. Here we used pharmacological and genetic inhibition and localization studies of mAChR subtypes at mouse NMJs to demonstrate their roles in synaptic stability and growth but not in compensatory sprouting. M2 mAChRs were present solely in motor neurons, whereas M1, M3, and M5 mAChRs were associated with Schwann cells and/or muscle fibers. Blockade of all five mAChR subtypes with atropine evoked pronounced effects, including terminal sprouting, terminal withdrawal, and muscle fiber atrophy. In contrast, methoctramine, an M2/4-preferring antagonist, induced terminal sprouting and terminal withdrawal, but no muscle fiber atrophy. Consistent with this observation, M2−/− but no other mAChR mutant mice exhibited spontaneous sprouting accompanied by extensive loss of parental terminal arbors. Terminal sprouting, however, seemed not to be the causative defect because partial loss of terminal branches was common even in the M2−/− NMJs without sprouting. Moreover, compensatory sprouting after paralysis or partial denervation was normal in mice deficient in M2 or other mAChR subtypes. We also found that many NMJs of M5−/− mice were exceptionally small and reduced in proportion to the size of parental muscle fibers. These findings show that axon terminals are unstable without M2 and that muscle fiber growth is defective without M5. Subtype-specific muscarinic signaling provides a novel means for coordinating activity-dependent development and maintenance of the tripartite synapse.
Fatty acids composition of macroalgae from Bulgarian Black Sea coast

Abstract Lipids and fatty acids (FA) composition of three Black Sea macroalgae Cladophora vagabunda,Ceramium rubrum and Cystoseira barbata were studied. Fatty acids composition was analyzed by GC/MS. Total lipids content varied widely among the species and ranged between 0.66 and 0.98 g per 100 g fresh weight. Generally, saturated fatty acids were major components (62-71%), with 16:0 as the most abundant saturate (41- 57%). Total polyunsaturated FAs and monounsaturated FAs ranged from 28% to 38%. The green alga Cladophora vagabunda showed higher C18 PUFAs contents than did C20 PUFAs while for red alga Ceramiumrubrum the trend was opposite. Cystoseira barbata belonging to the group of brown algae showed similar amounts of C18 and C20 PUFAs contents. Cladophora vagabunda was rich in linoleic acid and Ceramiumrubrum in arachidonic acid (AA) while Cystoseira barbata was rich in both linoleic acid and eicosopentaenoic acid. All of the studied species had a nutritionally beneficial n6/n3 ratio (1.24-2.84:1).
Constrained motion control using vector potential fields

Discusses the generation of a control signal that would instruct the actuators of a robotics manipulator to drive motion along a safe and well-behaved path to a desired target. The proposed concept of navigation control along with the tools necessary for its construction achieve this goal. The most significant tool is the artificial vector potential field which shows a better ability to steer motion than does a scalar potential field. The synthesis procedure emphasizes flexibility so that the effort needed to modify the control is commensurate with the change in the geometry of the workspace. Theoretical development along with simulation results are provided.
The Order Matters: Asking About Creative Activity Calibrates Creative Self-Concept

People tend to perceive and assess their own creativity in a positive, yet not always accurate, way. This study explores whether differences in self-ratings of the creative self-concept (creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity) are related to the sequence in which self-report measures are applied: the order effect. A randomly chosen half of a representative sample of Poles, contacted via a telephone interview, answered the items related to their creative self-concept first, followed by the items related to their previous creative activity. Another half of the sample completed these measures in a reversed order: The creative activity scale was completed first and then creative self-concept items were asked. The results demonstrated that people who were first asked about their previous creative activities reported a lower level of creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity than those asked about their creative self-concept first. Further analyses demonstrated that creative activity moderated this pattern: Participants without previous creative activity and those who engaged solely in everyday creative activities in the past, were susceptible to the order effect, but this effect was not observed among the participants with previous experience in art or science.
Making Sense of Heterogeneity in the Influence of Childhood Abuse, Mental Health, and Drug Use on Women’s Offending Pathways

Building from the developmental and life course literature and the feminist pathways literature, we aim to detail when and how exposure to abuse in childhood shapes female offending trajectories. Using data from 470 female offenders in Australia, our analyses assess whether internalizing symptoms and drug use help explain the link between early abuse and later offending among females. We then examine whether these links are most acute for females who onset early and evidence chronic involvement in offending. In support of the feminist pathways model, we find evidence for a pathway from early abuse to internalizing symptoms to drug use and then offending. In addition, and in line with the life course literature, we also find important differences in how these risks unfold across women, depending particularly on age of onset and offending chronicity. We reflect on the implications of our findings for theory and intervention with respect to female offending.
Performance Training with or without Ball: A Comparison between Helgerud Method in Female Soccer

: It is well known that intermittent running can bring great improvements in oxygen consumption, a similar physiological load deriving from intermittent run could be obtained by using ball during the football training, and in this way increase value of aerobic fitness. The present study aims to compare internal load (heart rate), between Helgerud method without the ball and the Helgerud 4vs4 method carried out with ball, to understand if it is possible to achieve improvements in aerobics fitness using exercise with ball in female soccer. The sample consisted of 11 female soccer players with an average age of 24.7 ± 4.22, HRmax (heart rate max) 191.9 ± 4.87 and BMI (Body Mass Index) 21 ± 2.63. Helgerud method was performed at 90-95% of HRmax lasting 4 minutes, repeated 4 times, with active intervals recovery at 70/75% of HRmax lasting 3 minutes, both with and without a ball. The evaluation was carried out through a test for aerobic endurance (YYRI1) in August (pre-test) and December (post-test). The 4vs4 continuous game (45 × 50 m) confirmed the same internal load as Helgerud without a ball. Moreover, the only use of ball in physical sessions during the first competitive period (September-December) has led to a significant improvement of the VO 2 max.
Does Option Compensation Increase Managerial Risk Appetite?

This paper solves the dynamic investment problem of a risk averse manager compensated with a call option on the assets he controls. Under the manager's optimal policy, the option ends up either deep in or deep out of money. As the asset value goes to zero, volatility goes to infinity. However, the option compensation does not strictly lead to greater risk-seeking. Sometimes, the manager's optimal volatility is less with the option than it would be if he were trading his own account. Furthermore, giving the manager more options causes him to reduce volatility.
MIMO conditional integrator control for unmanned airlaunch

A Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) controller based on the conditional integrator technique is designed for the robust stabilization of a new satellite launching strategy called (unmanned) airlaunch. This strategy consists in using a two-stages launching system. The first stage is composed of an airplane (manned or unmanned) that carries a rocket launcher which constitute the subsequent stages. The control objective is to stabilize the aircraft in the launch phase. It is developed separately for two nonlinear motion modes of the model, the longitudinal and lateral modes, and is applied to the full multi-input multi-output model of the aircraft. The considered model is highly nonlinear, mostly as a consequence of possible large angle of attack, sideslip and roll angle. Finally, the present work illustrates through simulations the good performance of the proposed control algorithm.
Condensation of handles in the interface of 3-D Ising model

We analyze the microscopic, topological structure of the interface between domains of opposite magnetization in 3D Ising model near the critical point. This interface exhibits a fractal behaviour with a high density of handles. The mean area is an almost linear function of the genus. The entropy exponent is affected by strong finite-size effects.
Evaluating OpenMP 4.0's Effectiveness as a Heterogeneous Parallel Programming Model

Although the OpenMP 4.0 standard has been available since 2013, support for GPUs has been absent up until very recently, with only a handful of experimental compilers available. In this work we evaluate the performance of Cray's new NVIDIA GPU targeting implementation of OpenMP 4.0, with the mini-apps TeaLeaf, CloverLeaf and BUDE. We successfully port each of the applications, using a simple and consistent design throughout, and achieve performance on an NVIDIA K20X that is comparable to Cray's OpenACC in all cases. BUDE, a compute bound code, required 2.2x the runtime of an equivalently optimised CUDA code, which we believe is caused by an inflated frequency of control flow operations and less efficient arithmetic optimisation. Impressively, both TeaLeaf and CloverLeaf, memory bandwidth bound codes, only required 1.3x the runtime of hand-optimised CUDA implementations. Overall, we find that OpenMP 4.0 is a highly usable open standard capable of performant heterogeneous execution, making it a promising option for scientific application developers.
On the Importance of Clar Structures of Polybenzenoid Hydrocarbons as Revealed by the π-Contribution to the Electron Localization Function

The degree of -electron (de)localization and aromaticity of a series of polybenzenoid hydrocarbons (PBHs) has been analyzed through the π-contribution to the electron localization function (ELFπ), calculated at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) hybrid density functional theory level. The extent of -electron delocalization in the various hexagons of a PBH was determined through analysis of the bifurcation values of the ELF basins (BV(ELF)), the spans in the bifurcation values in each hexagon (ΔBV(ELFπ)), and the ring-closure bifurcation values of the ELFπ (RCBV(ELFπ)). These computed results were compared to the qualitative description of local aromaticities of the different hexagons in terms of Clar structures with -sextets. Benzene, (18)annulene, and thirty two PBHs were analyzed at their equilibrium geometries, and benzene and triphenylene were also analyzed at bond length distorted structures. In general, the description of PBHs in terms of Clar valence structures is supported by the ELF properties, although there are exceptions. For PBHs at their equilibrium geometries there is a clear sigmoidal relationship between the CC bond lengths and the amount of -electron (de)localization at these bonds, however, this relationship is lost for bond distorted geometries. In the latter cases, we specifically examined benzene in D3h symmetric "1,3,5-cyclohexatriene" structures and triphenylene in eight different structures. From the distorted benzenes and triphenylenes it becomes clear
How self-construals relate to employee incremental and radical creativity: A behavioral strategy perspective

ABSTRACT We propose that employees with different types of self-construals use different behavioural strategies to deal with work-related problems, leading them to generate distinct forms of creative ideas for problem solutions. Specifically, we develop a conceptual model in which an other-reliant strategy of seeking creative help from in-group others mediates the relationship between an interdependent self-construal and incremental creativity, whereas a self-reliant strategy of independent creative process engagement mediates the relationship between an independent self-construal and radical creativity. In two studies, we consistently find that an interdependent self-construal drives employees to seek creative help from their group leader and group members when being faced with work-related problems. Help-seeking from the leader, rather than help-seeking from group members, in turn, leads employees to generate incremental ideas for problem solutions. In contrast, an independent self-construal drives employees to engage in creative processes in a self-reliant manner, leading them to generate radically creative ideas for problem solutions. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.
Book to Market , Turnaround Probability and Stock Returns

Book to market (BM) has long been associated with growth opportunities. We argue that after a negative shock to earnings, the BM of the firm is mainly determined by the shortterm recovery ability of the firm. Firms that have high (low) probability to recover from a negative shock will have low (high) BM after a negative shock. We confirm this relation both analytically and empirically and show that differences in growth opportunities are unlikely to explain our results. We also find that firms with high probability of successful turnaround have extremely low return. Heterogeneity in turnaround probability can also serve as an explanation to previous empirical findings. JEL Classification: G10, G33
The Species Identity of the Widely Cultivated Ganoderma, ‘G. lucidum’ (Ling-zhi), in China

Ling-zhi, a widely cultivated fungus in China, has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine. Although the name ‘Ganoderma lucidum’, a species originally described from England, has been applied to the fungus, their identities are not the same. This study aims to clarify the identity of this medicinally and economically important fungus. Specimens of Ling-zhi from China (field collections and cultivated basidiomata of the Chinese ‘G. lucidum’), G. lucidum from UK and other related Ganoderma species, were examined both morphologically and molecularly. High variability of basidioma morphology was found in the cultivated specimens of the Chinese ‘G. lucidum’, while some microscopic characters were more or less consistent, i.e. short clavate cutis elements, Bovista-type ligative hyphae and strongly echinulate basidiospores. These characters were also found in the holotype of G. sichuanense, a species originally described from Sichuan, China, and in recent collections made in the type locality of the species, which matched the diagnostic characters in the prologue. For comparison, specimens of closely related species, G. lucidum, G. multipileum, G. resinaceum, G. tropicum and G. weberianum, were also examined. DNA sequences were obtained from field collections, cultivated basidiomata and living strains of the Chinese ‘G. lucidum’, specimens from the type locality of G. sichuanense, and specimens of the closely related species studied. Three-gene combined analyses (ITS+IGS+rpb2) were performed and the results indicated that the Chinese ‘G. lucidum’ shared almost identical sequences with G. sichuanense. Based on both morphological and molecular data, the identity of the Chinese ‘G. lucidum’ (Ling-zhi) is considered conspecific with G. sichuanense. Detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided in addition to discussion of nomenclature implications.
Therapeutic Effects of hMAPC and hMSC Transplantation after Stroke in Mice

Stroke represents an attractive target for stem cell therapy. Although different types of cells have been employed in animal models, a direct comparison between cell sources has not been performed. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of human multipotent adult progenitor cells (hMAPCs) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on endogenous neurogenesis, angiogenesis and inflammation following stroke. BALB/Ca-RAG 2−/− γC−/− mice subjected to FeCl3 thrombosis mediated stroke were intracranially injected with 2×105 hMAPCs or hMSCs 2 days after stroke and followed for up to 28 days. We could not detect long-term engraftment of either cell population. However, in comparison with PBS-treated animals, hMSC and hMAPC grafted animals demonstrated significantly decreased loss of brain tissue. This was associated with increased angiogenesis, diminished inflammation and a glial-scar inhibitory effect. Moreover, enhanced proliferation of cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and survival of newly generated neuroblasts was observed. Interestingly, these neuroprotective effects were more pronounced in the group of animals treated with hMAPCs in comparison with hMSCs. Our results establish cell therapy with hMAPCs and hMSCs as a promising strategy for the treatment of stroke.