Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of Cluster Formation in Wireless Sensor Networks

Clustered-based wireless sensor networks have been extensively used in the literature in order to achieve considerable energy consumption reductions. However, two aspects of such systems have been largely overlooked. Namely, the transmission probability used during the cluster formation phase and the way in which cluster heads are selected. Both of these issues have an important impact on the performance of the system. For the former, it is common to consider that sensor nodes in a clustered-based Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) use a fixed transmission probability to send control data in order to build the clusters. However, due to the highly variable conditions experienced by these networks, a fixed transmission probability may lead to extra energy consumption. In view of this, three different transmission probability strategies are studied: optimal, fixed and adaptive. In this context, we also investigate cluster head selection schemes, specifically, we consider two intelligent schemes based on the fuzzy C-means and k-medoids algorithms and a random selection with no intelligence. We show that the use of intelligent schemes greatly improves the performance of the system, but their use entails higher complexity and selection delay. The main performance metrics considered in this work are energy consumption, successful transmission probability and cluster formation latency. As an additional feature of this work, we study the effect of errors in the wireless channel and the impact on the performance of the system under the different transmission probability schemes.
Fruits of Icacinaceae Miers from the Palaeocene of the Paris Basin (Oise, France)

ABSTRACT Icacinaceae Miers are a family of trees, shrubs, and lianas with a current pantropical distribution. The family is well known in the fossil record, especially from the Palaeogene of Europe and North America, with the modern genus Iodes being particularly well represented. Here, we describe five new species of Iodes based on fossil endocarps with horn-like protrusions from the late Palaeocene Rivecourt deposits (Oise, France). Moreover, we propose a new combination for Iodes israelii Soudry & Gregor, as Icacinicarytes israelii (Soudry & Gregor) Del Rio, Thomas & De Franceschi, because it lacks the diagnostic morphological and anatomical characters of the genus Iodes. The significance of papillae, which has been emphasised in the literature, is discussed in light of new data, and a more standardised system of terminology is proposed. Given that, among modern members of Iodes, horn-like protrusions are only known from Asian species; the fossils described here suggest an affinity between the late Palaeocene flora of Europe and the modern flora of Asia. Finally, this study represents the first detailed investigation of Icacinaceae from the Paris Basin, where palaeocarpology remains understudied.
On measuring the bending strength of septate grass stems.

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Reliable testing methodologies are a fundamental tenet of scientific research. However, very little information is found in the literature explaining how to accurately measure the structural bending strength of plant stems. It was hypothesized that the most commonly employed loading configuration used in bending experiments (placement of loading anvil at an internodal region of the stem or stalk) may significantly alter test results and introduce errors in bending strength measurements of plant stems. • METHODS Four types of mechanical tests were performed on bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea), giant reed (Arundo donax), and maize (Zea mays) to investigate how different loading configurations employed during three-point bending experiments affect test results of septate grass stems and to develop a testing protocol that provides reliable measures of stalk bending strength. • RESULTS RESULTS confirmed the hypothesis that internodal-loaded three-point bending test can produce erroneous bending strength measurements. This testing methodology causes plant stems to break prematurely and produces failure types and patterns incongruent with stalks that broke in their natural (in situ) environment. In contrast, a modified test configuration produces natural failure patterns and more accurate measurements of bending strength. • CONCLUSION Reliable measurements of stalk bending strength can be obtained by maximizing the span length of bending tests and placing the loading anvil at stronger and denser nodal tissues. These results are relevant to ecological and evolutionary plant biomechanics studies as well as agronomic breeding studies focused on measuring plant phenotypes such as stalk lodging strength, or on improving bending strength of septate plant stems.
Please Scroll down for Article Journal of New Music Research Automatic Classification of Musical Instrument Sounds

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Abstract We present an exhaustive review of research on automatic classification of sounds from musical instruments. Two different but complementary approaches are examined, the perceptual approach and the taxonomic approach. The former is targeted to derive perceptual similarity functions in order to use them for timbre clustering and for searching and retrieving sounds by timbral similarity. The latter is targeted to derive indexes for labeling sounds after culture-or user-biased taxonomies. We review the relevant features that have been used in the two areas and then we present and discuss different techniques for similarity-based clustering of sounds and for classification into pre-defined instrumental categories.
Charged Residues at the First Transmembrane Region Contribute to the Voltage Dependence of the Slow Gate of Connexins*

Connexins (Cxs) are a family of membrane-spanning proteins that form gap junction channels and hemichannels. Connexin-based channels exhibit two distinct voltage-dependent gating mechanisms termed slow and fast gating. Residues located at the C terminus of the first transmembrane segment (TM-1) are important structural components of the slow gate. Here, we determined the role of the charged residues at the end of TM-1 in voltage sensing in Cx26, Cx46, and Cx50. Conductance/voltage curves obtained from tail currents together with kinetics analysis reveal that the fast and slow gates of Cx26 involves the movement of two and four charges across the electric field, respectively. Primary sequence alignment of different Cxs shows the presence of well conserved glutamate residues in the C terminus of TM-1; only Cx26 contains a lysine in that position (lysine 41). Neutralization of lysine 41 in Cx26 increases the voltage dependence of the slow gate. Swapping of lysine 41 with glutamate 42 maintains the voltage dependence. In Cx46, neutralization of negative charges or addition of a positive charge in the Cx26 equivalent region reduced the slow gate voltage dependence. In Cx50, the addition of a glutamate in the same region decreased the voltage dependence, and the neutralization of a negative charge increased it. These results indicate that the charges at the end of TM-1 are part of the slow gate voltage sensor in Cxs. The fact that Cx42, which has no charge in this region, still presents voltage-dependent slow gating suggests that charges still unidentified also contribute to the slow gate voltage sensitivity.
The Resolution of Financial Distress

Most models of financial structure embody an assumption about financial distress that causes debt to be costly to the issuing firm. This approach has been criticized on the grounds that the assumed costs could be avoided by a costless financial reorganization. In this article we show that despite the possibility of costless reorganization, it may be rational for firms to incur significant costs in the resolution of financial distress. The main assumptions that give rise to our results are the existence of asymmetric courts to impose a reorganization on the claimants of a firm. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Bargaining over the interference channel with total power constraints

In this paper we study the computation of the Nash bargaining solution for the two players, K frequency bands case, under joint FDM/TDM spectrum allocations and total power constraint. The results improve previous analysis by Han et al.We provide a computationally efficient algorithm as well as detailed analysis of the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) equations necessary for proving the correctness of the algorithm. Simulation results demonstrating the gain of the NBS over competitive approaches are also provided.
Oblique Ion‐Scale Magnetotail Flux Ropes Generated by Secondary Tearing Modes

We examine Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of three ion‐scale magnetic flux ropes (diameter ~6–9 ion inertial lengths) in the Earth's magnetotail reconnection diffusion region with a small guide field. During the event, the electron reconnection exhaust reversed direction together with the reversal of normal magnetic field component. After that, the three ion‐scale flux ropes were observed near the ion diffusion region, in which flat‐top distributions were found at the field‐aligned electrons (<2 keV). The axis orientation and motion velocity of the flux ropes are determined by minimum variance analysis of the electric field component along the flux rope axis, using single‐spacecraft measurements. Results show that the three flux rope axes form 13°, 55°, and 55° to the guide field direction and are mostly tilted toward the direction of the reconnecting field. These results are also validated by multiple‐spacecraft analysis methods. It is found that the tilted angles agree reasonably well with the predicted angles for secondary tearing modes, suggesting that these ion‐scale flux ropes are likely generated by secondary tearing instabilities as those recently found in the three‐dimensional kinetic simulations of turbulent magnetic reconnection.
Structure-aware classification using supervised dictionary learning

In this paper, we propose a supervised dictionary learning algorithm that aims to preserve the local geometry in both dimensions of the data. A graph-based regularization explicitly takes into account the local manifold structure of the observations. A second graph regularization gives similar treatment to the feature domain and helps in learning a more robust dictionary. Both graphs can be constructed from the training data or learned and adapted along the dictionary learning process. The combination of these two terms promotes the discriminative power of the learned sparse representations and leads to improved classification accuracy. The proposed method was evaluated on several different datasets, representing both single-label and multi-label classification problems, and demonstrated better performance compared with other dictionary based approaches.
Development of a Human Monoclonal Antibody for Potential Therapy of CD27-Expressing Lymphoma and Leukemia

Purpose: The TNF receptor superfamily member CD27 is best known for its important role in T-cell immunity but is also recognized as a cell-surface marker on a number of B- and T-cell malignancies. In this article, we describe a novel human monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for CD27 with properties that suggest a potential utility against malignancies that express CD27. Experimental Design: The fully human mAb 1F5 was generated using human Ig transgenic mice and characterized by analytical and functional assays in vitro. Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice inoculated with human CD27-expressing lymphoma cells were administered 1F5 to investigate direct antitumor effects. A pilot study of 1F5 was conducted in non-human primates to assess toxicity. Results: 1F5 binds with high affinity and specificity to human and macaque CD27 and competes with ligand binding. 1F5 activates T cells only in combination with T-cell receptor stimulation and does not induce proliferation of primary CD27-expressing tumor cells. 1F5 significantly enhanced the survival of SCID mice bearing Raji or Daudi tumors, which may be mediated through direct effector mechanisms such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Importantly, administration of up to 10 mg/kg of 1F5 to cynomolgus monkeys was well tolerated without evidence of significant toxicity or depletion of circulating lymphocytes. Conclusions: Collectively, the data suggest that the human mAb 1F5, which has recently entered clinical development under the name CDX-1127, may provide direct antitumor activity against CD27-expressing lymphoma or leukemia, independent of its potential to enhance immunity through its agonistic properties. Clin Cancer Res; 18(14); 3812–21. ©2012 AACR.
Lawsonia intracellularis in Wild Mammals in the Slovak Carpathians

Feces of wild mammals were collected in the Bukovské Vrchy Hills (north-eastern Slovakia) in January and February 2002. The feces were examined for Lawsonia intracellularis by means of nested polymerase chain reaction. A total of 194 samples of feces from red deer (Cervus elaphus), 46 samples from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 31 samples from red fox (Vulpes vulpes), 23 samples from gray wolf (Canis lupus), and 12 samples from brown hare (Lepus europaeus) were examined. Lawsonia intracellularis was found in two samples from wolves, in two samples from foxes, and one sample from red deer. This is the first description of L. intracellularis in these three species.
Geochemical footprint of the Millennium unconformity-type uranium deposit, Canada: implications for vectoring new targets

The Millennium deposit, a c. 650-m deep monomineralic uranium deposit, is located in the southeastern Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, a region containing numerous high-grade unconformity-type U deposits. 3D modelling of the whole-rock lithogeochemistry of sandstones above the deposit reveals a distinct footprint with select major and trace elements showing increased concentrations towards mineralization. Molar Mg/K ratios increase from background levels 10 km north of the deposit, along the B1 conductive trend, whereas Mo, Co, Rb, and Ga exhibit elevated concentrations immediately above the deposit, extending vertically from the unconformity to surface. Lead, Ag, Bi, Sb, REE, and Y exhibit elevated concentrations up to 650 m above the main mineralized body. Increasing Mg/K values indicate the transition from diagenetic to hydrothermal alteration with shifts from illitic (K-dominant) to chloritic and dravitic (Mg-dominant) alteration, with the latter increasing more proximal to mineralization. Trace element enrichment patterns highlight that fractures and faults were conduits for fluid flow from the basement into the basin, both during ore formation and through tectonically driven post-depositional remobilization. Key indicators such as molar element ratios (Mg-K-Al) and trace elements related to redox reactions provide scalable vectors at the Millennium deposit that are likely applicable to similar unconformity-type U deposits elsewhere.
Functional conservation between members of an ancient duplicated transcription factor family, LSF/Grainyhead.

The LSF/Grainyhead transcription factor family is involved in many important biological processes, including cell cycle, cell growth and development. In order to investigate the evolutionary conservation of these biological roles, we have characterized two new family members in Caenorhabditis elegans and Xenopus laevis. The C.elegans member, Ce-GRH-1, groups with the Grainyhead subfamily, while the X.laevis member, Xl-LSF, groups with the LSF subfamily. Ce-GRH-1 binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner identical to that of Drosophila melanogaster Grainyhead. In addition, Ce-GRH-1 binds to sequences upstream of the C.elegans gene encoding aromatic L-amino-acid decarboxylase and genes involved in post-embryonic development, mab-5 and dbl-1. All three C.elegans genes are homologs of D.melanogaster Grainyhead-regulated genes. RNA-mediated interference of Ce-grh-1 results in embryonic lethality in worms, accompanied by soft, defective cuticles. These phenotypes are strikingly similar to those observed previously in D.melanogaster grainyhead mutants, suggesting conservation of the developmental role of these family members over the course of evolution. Our phylogenetic analysis of the expanded LSF/GRH family (including other previously unrecognized proteins/ESTs) suggests that the structural and functional dichotomy of this family dates back more than 700 million years, i.e. to the time when the first multicellular organisms are thought to have arisen.
Phosphorylation-Independent Regulation of the Diguanylate Cyclase WspR

Environmental signals that trigger bacterial pathogenesis and biofilm formation are mediated by changes in the level of cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), a unique eubacterial second messenger. Tight regulation of cellular c-di-GMP concentration is governed by diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases, which are responsible for its production and degradation, respectively. Here, we present the crystal structure of the diguanylate cyclase WspR, a conserved GGDEF domain-containing response regulator in Gram-negative bacteria, bound to c-di-GMP at an inhibitory site. Biochemical analyses revealed that feedback regulation involves the formation of at least three distinct oligomeric states. By switching from an active to a product-inhibited dimer via a tetrameric assembly, WspR utilizes a novel mechanism for modulation of its activity through oligomerization. Moreover, our data suggest that these enzymes can be activated by phosphodiesterases. Thus, in addition to the canonical pathways via phosphorylation of the regulatory domains, both product and enzyme concentration contribute to the coordination of c-di-GMP signaling. A structural comparison reveals resemblance of the oligomeric states to assemblies of GAF domains, widely used regulatory domains in signaling molecules conserved from archaea to mammals, suggesting a similar mechanism of regulation.
Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics Endogenous ( Re-) Distributive Policies and Economic Growth : A Comparative Static Analysis

This paper analyzes the interplay of growth, (re-)distribution and policies when the latter are set exogenously or when the latter depend on economically important fundamentals. A redistribution policy generally causes lower growth, but less so when there is technological progress. The model implies that high (endogenous) tax rates may not necessarily imply low growth. The paper shows that the longrun cross-country relationship between growth and endogenous policy is generally not clear-cut. But this relies on conditions that can be used for identification in empirical research. The paper also argues that workers benefit more from technical progress than capital owners, even though inequality might and growth would rise.
Circular hierarchical relationships in the UMLS: etiology, diagnosis, treatment, complications and prevention

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) is a large repository of some 800,000 concepts for the biomedical domain, organized by several millions of inter-concept relationships, either inherited from the source vocabularies, or specifically generated. This paper focuses on hierarchical relationships in the UMLS Metathesaurus, and especially, on circular hierarchical relationships. Using the metaphor of a disease, we first analyze the causal mechanisms for circular hierarchical relationships. Then, we discuss methods to identify and remove these relationships. Finally, we briefly discuss the consequences of these relationships for applications based on the UMLS, and we propose some prevention measures.
Survey of protein–DNA interactions in Aspergillus oryzae on a genomic scale

The genome-scale delineation of in vivo protein–DNA interactions is key to understanding genome function. Only ∼5% of transcription factors (TFs) in the Aspergillus genus have been identified using traditional methods. Although the Aspergillus oryzae genome contains >600 TFs, knowledge of the in vivo genome-wide TF-binding sites (TFBSs) in aspergilli remains limited because of the lack of high-quality antibodies. We investigated the landscape of in vivo protein–DNA interactions across the A. oryzae genome through coupling the DNase I digestion of intact nuclei with massively parallel sequencing and the analysis of cleavage patterns in protein–DNA interactions at single-nucleotide resolution. The resulting map identified overrepresented de novo TF-binding motifs from genomic footprints, and provided the detailed chromatin remodeling patterns and the distribution of digital footprints near transcription start sites. The TFBSs of 19 known Aspergillus TFs were also identified based on DNase I digestion data surrounding potential binding sites in conjunction with TF binding specificity information. We observed that the cleavage patterns of TFBSs were dependent on the orientation of TF motifs and independent of strand orientation, consistent with the DNA shape features of binding motifs with flanking sequences.
The disputed federalist papers: SVM feature selection via concave minimization

In this paper, we use a method proposed by Bradley and Mangasarian "Feature Selection via Concave Minimization and Support Vector Machines" to solve the well-known disputed Federalist Papers classification problem. We find a separating plane that classifies correctly all the "training set" papers of known authorship, based on the relative frequencies of only three words. Using the obtained separating hyperplane in three dimensions, all of the 12 disputed papers ended up on the Madison side of the separating plane. This result coincides with previous work on this problem using other classification techniques.
A parallel genetic algorithm for performance-driven VLSI routing

This paper presents a novel approach to solve the VLSI (very large scale integration) channel and switchbox routing problems. The approach is based on a parallel genetic algorithm (PGA) that runs on a distributed network of workstations. The algorithm optimizes both physical constraints (length of nets, number of vias) and crosstalk (delay due to coupled capacitance). The parallel approach is shown to consistently perform better than a sequential genetic algorithm when applied to these routing problems. An extensive investigation of the parameters of the algorithm yields routing results that are qualitatively better or as good as the best published results. In addition, the algorithm is able to significantly reduce the occurrence of crosstalk.