Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On a generalization of lifted polynomials over finite fields and their applications to DNA codes†

In this paper, we generalize the lifted polynomials which generate reversible codes over Fq, a finite field with q element. Lifted polynomials are introduced by the authors Oztas and Siap [Lifted polynomials over F16 and their applications to DNA codes, Filomat 27(3) (2013), pp. 459–466] over F16. Lifted polynomials have proven to be very advantageous. They are easy to construct and they can be used to construct codes with specific properties such as dimension and the length of codes. We also generalize the 4k-lifted polynomials which lead to reversible and reversible complement DNA codes over . Further we construct examples of codes over F8, F9, F16 and F256 that have the best possible parameters or attain the Griesmer bound, hence they are optimal codes generated by lifted polynomials.
Isolation and Role of PmRGL2 in GA-mediated Floral Bud Dormancy Release in Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume Siebold et Zucc.)

Bud dormancy release is regulated by gibberellins (GAs). DELLA proteins are highly conserved and act as negative regulators in GA signaling pathway. The present study established a relationship between PmRGL2 in Japanese apricot and GA4 levels during dormancy release of floral buds. Overexpression of PmRGL2 in poplar delayed the onset of bud dormancy and resulted in dwarf plants, relative to wild-type trees. PmRGL2 exhibited higher expression during ecodormancy and relatively lower expression during endodormancy. The relative level of GA4 exhibited an increasing trend at the transition from endodormancy to ecodormancy and displayed a similar expression pattern of genes related to GA metabolism, PmGA20ox2, PmGA3ox1, PmGID1b, in both Japanese apricot and transgenic poplar. These results suggests that PmRGL2 acts as an integrator and negative regulator of dormancy via a GA-signaling pathway. Moreover, an interaction between RGL2 and SLY1 in a yeast two hybrid (Y2H) system further suggests that SCF E3 ubiquitin ligases, such as SLY1, may be a critical factor in the regulation of RGL2 through an SCFSLY1-proteasome pathway. Our study demonstrated that PmRGL2 plays a negative role in bud dormancy release by regulating the GA biosynthetic enzymes, GA20ox and GA3ox1 and the GA receptor, GID1b.
Systematic review of alcohol screening tools for use in the emergency department

To ascertain which alcohol screening tool is most accurate in identifying alcohol misuse in patients in the emergency department a systematic review of diagnostic cohort studies of appropriate alcohol screening tools was performed. A thorough search of medical databases and relevant peer journals was conducted. Citation and author tracking was also utilised due to an initial paucity of relevant literature. Seven relevant papers were identified from this search, which allowed a review of the quality of the following alcohol screening tools: the fast alcohol screening tool (FAST), the Paddington alcohol test (PAT), the rapid alcohol problem screen (RAPS-4) and the TWEAK (where TWEAK is an acronym of the first letter of the key words in the questions of this screening tool: tolerance, worried, eye-opener, amnesia, K (cut-down)). The most sensitive screening tool within this review appears to be the FAST (93–94%), which has a specificity of 86–88% with a positive predicted value of 86–87%. Although the FAST appears to be the best for accurately identifying alcohol misuse within emergency department patients, it was assessed as a universal screening tool, and it may not be feasible (time or cost) to screen all who present to this service. In contrast, the PAT has been developed to be used on a select population within the emergency department and has already been shown to be cost-effective.
Role for the BRCA1 C-terminal Repeats (BRCT) Protein 53BP1 in Maintaining Genomic Stability*

p53-binding protein-1 (53BP1) is phosphorylated in response to DNA damage and rapidly relocalizes to presumptive sites of DNA damage along with Mre11 and the phosphorylated histone 2A variant, γ-H2AX. 53BP1 associates with the BRCA1 tumor suppressor, and knock-down experiments with small interfering RNA have revealed a role for the protein in the checkpoint response to DNA damage. By generating mice defective in m53BP1(m53BP1 tr/tr), we have created an animal model to further explore its biochemical and genetic roles in vivo. We find that m53BP1 tr/tr animals are growth-retarded and show various immune deficiencies including a specific reduction in thymus size and T cell count. Consistent with a role in responding to DNA damage, we find thatm53BP1 tr/tr mice are sensitive to ionizing radiation (γ-IR), and cells from these animals exhibit chromosomal abnormalities consistent with defects in DNA repair. Thus, 53BP1 is a critical element in the DNA damage response and plays an integral role in maintaining genomic stability.
Using a digital divide index among enterprises in the context of public policies in Brazil

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the relevance of an index that is capable of measuring the digital divide among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to discuss its importance in the context of public policy design. It is contended that the digital divide mainly affects microenterprises and SMEs, and that this phenomenon is related to the low productivity and high mortality rates of these organisations. The methodology for creating the index is replicated here in order to discuss the quality criteria necessary for this index within the scope of its utility for public managers.
Wings or winds: inferring bat migration in a stepping‐stone archipelago

Eocene ocean currents and prevailing winds correlate with over‐water dispersals of terrestrial mammals from Africa to Madagascar. Since the Early Miocene (about 23 Ma), these currents flowed in the reverse direction, from the Indian Ocean towards Africa. The Comoro Islands are equidistant between Africa and Madagascar and support an endemic land vertebrate fauna that shares recent ancestry predominantly with Madagascar. We examined whether gene flow in two Miniopterus bat species endemic to the Comoros and Madagascar correlates with the direction of current winds, using uni‐ and bi‐parentally inherited markers with different evolutionary rates. Coalescence‐based analyses of mitochondrial matrilines support a Pleistocene (approximately 180 000 years ago) colonization event from Madagascar west to the Comoros (distance: 300 km) in the predicted direction. However, nuclear microsatellites show that more recent gene flow is restricted to a few individuals flying against the wind, from Grande Comore to Anjouan (distance: 80 km).
Band-structure of ultra-thin InGaAs channels: Impact of biaxial strain and thickness scaling

The band-structure of ultra-thin InGaAs layers is calculated using a nearest neighbor sp3d5s* tight binding approach to assess the impact of compressive and tensile biaxial strain on effective in-plane masses, non-parabolicity factor α, and conduction band minimum (CBM) shift down to channel thicknesses of 4 nm. The reported results show that the effective mass increases with body thickness decrease, whereas it decreases with the strain increase from compressive to tensile. Furthermore, the difference between the position of pinned Fermi level and CBM increases with strain. The impact of band-structure effects on electron transport is demonstrated for the InGaAs-OI structure. The extracted band-structure parameters provide electron mobility results consistent with experiments. Our calculations make it possible to assess the electron mobility in a wide range of both compressive and tensile strain values and body thicknesses from 15 nm down to 4 nm.
Time-Frequency Detection of Slowly Varying Periodic Signals with Harmonics: Methods and Performance Evaluation

We consider the problem of detecting an unknown signal from an unknown noise type. We restrict the signal type to a class of slowly varying periodic signals with harmonic components, a class which includes real signals such as the electroencephalogram or speech signals. This paper presents two methods designed to detect these signal types: the ambiguity filter and the time-frequency correlator. Both methods are based on different modifications of the time-frequency-matched filter and both methods attempt to overcome the problem of predefining the template set for the matched filter. The ambiguity filter method reduces the number of required templates by one half; the time-frequency correlator method does not require a predefined template set at all. To evaluate their detection performance, we test the methods using simulated and real data sets. Experiential results show that the two proposed methods, relative to the time-frequency-matched filter, can more accurately detect speech signals and other simulated signals in the presence of coloured Gaussian noise. Results also show that all time-frequency methods outperform the classical time-domain-matched filter for both simulated and real signals, thus demonstrating the utility of the time-frequency detection approach.
Antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter sp strains isolated from calves with and without diarrhea in Minas Gerais state, Brazil

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 25 Campylobacter sp strains isolated from calves with and without diarrhea - 7 C. coli, 16 C. fetus and 2 C. jejuni was studied by the disk diffusion method. Eleven antimicrobial agents were tested amikacin, ampicillin, kanamycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, neomycin, nitrofurantoin, penicillin G, tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. All Campylobacter sp strains were susceptible to amikacin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, neomycin and nitrofurantoin. Three strains were moderately susceptible to kanamycin (2 C. coli and 1 C. fetus). All the strains were resistant to penicillin G. Two C. fetus strains were moderately susceptible to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and 1 C. coli, 9 C. fetus and 2 C. jejuni strains were resistant. Two C. fetus strains were moderately susceptible to tetracycline and 3 C. coli, 2 C. fetus and 1 C. jejuni strains were resistant. Eleven strains showed multidrug resistance (2 C. coli, 8 C. fetus and 1 C. jejuni). There was no correlation between resistance of Campylobacter sp strains to antimicrobials and the occurrence of diarrhea in calves. The frequency of resistance and, most importantly, multi drug resistance found among Campylobacter sp strains isolated from calves in Minas Gerais, Brazil, were high and the patterns of resistance observed are related to the antimicrobials agents most largely used in cattle in Brazil.
Catecholamine System Involvement in Age‐related Memory Dysfunction

There is a large and growing literature describing the many age-related psychobiological changes associated with memory decline in aging. ”+22-‘2*U The reader interested in delving further into these topics should additionally consider these excellent reviews. Pioneering studies by Ruch6’ and Gilbert” demonstrated clearly that, relative to young adults, the aged exhibit a decline in performance on tests of learning and memory capabilities. Once age-related performance deficits were established, experimental attention focused on identifying the particular aspects of cognitive functioning that are impaired with aging. There has been, and continues to be, a decided lack of agreement on this matter. In particular, changes in both nonspecific processes and in memory-specific processes have been invoked to account for the same behavioral performance deficit^. '^ The complicated task of localizing the source of cognitive impairment associated with aging is our goal as students of brain and behavior.
Assessing Customer Value of Net-Enabled Firms: Test of Panel Data

This research tests the creation and sustainability of customer value by net enabled enterprises employing customer centric IT systems. Internet based advanced information technologies have moved IT systems beyond the realm of production and operational processes into more customer interfacing functions and these systems have very different dynamics. While empirical research in IS has tested the link of IT capability to superior business value for the firm using accounting based measures, customer perceptions of the value offered by the firm has not been empirically tested yet. We use data from four online home delivery grocery stores to test the creation and sustainability of customer value by these firms. This study uses panel data collected from 304 users of online ordering system across the four home delivery grocers for two consecutive years to test the sustainability effects. Panel data is collected and analyzed to assess customer value created by IT systems after accounting for the other organizational and individual level factors as product quality, service quality (SERVQUAL), and perceived ease of use (PEoU).
Validating specifications: a contract-based approach

The role of contracts in validating specifications has been neglected in research, as they are thought of as commercial and legal documents with little value as far as validation is concerned. The term "validate" does not mean preapproval before production, but acceptance of performance of the supplier (through validation parameters contained in a contract) to deliver to specification during the development/production of the final product. This paper demonstrates the role of contracts in validating specifications by proposing the elements of a contract that can aid validation. Two in-depth case studies were conducted in one auto and one aircraft original-equipment manufacturing located in Europe. Data were collected through participant observation, interviews and analysis of archival sources. A strategic contract structure encompassing two categories of elements, the validation criteria for entry and the validation criteria for remaining in the business, is proposed. The strategic contract structure can aid managers involved in the specification process to structure development projects with suppliers. This will help attain planned goals.
Effects of music on target‐controlled infusion of propofol requirements during combined spinal‐epidural anaesthesia *

The sedative effects of music were evaluated using the bispectral index (BIS) during target‐controlled infusion (TCI) propofol. A total of 110 women undergoing hysterectomy were randomly allocated to receive either music or no music. Propofol was administered using target‐controlled infusion and the concentration adjusted gradually to achieve an observer's assessment of alertness/sedation (OAA/S) score of 3 intra‐operatively. The haemodynamic and bispectral index values during the sedation phase were recorded. Interleukin‐6 was evaluated before, immediately after and 1 h following intervention. The music group had a significant reduction in mean (SD) induction time of sedation: 12 (12) min vs. 18 (12) min, p < 0.01; propofol target concentration: 1.6 (0.3) μg. ml−1 vs. 2.4 (0.4) μg. ml−1, p < 0.0001; intra‐operative amount of propofol: 171 (98) mg vs. 251 (92) mg, p < 0.0001; and significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their peri‐operative care: 9.6 (0.6) compared to the control group: 8.1 (1.0), p < 0.0001. No other differences were found. The results show the influence of music on the induction time of sedation, concentration and level of propofol during surgery, and suggest sedative benefits of music.
Evaluation of Cardiac Auscultation Skills in Pediatric Residents

Auscultation skills are in decline, but few studies have shown which specific aspects are most difficult for trainees. We evaluated individual aspects of cardiac auscultation among pediatric residents using recorded heart sounds to determine which elements pose the most difficulty. Methods. Auscultation proficiency was assessed among 34 trainees following a pediatric cardiology rotation using an open-set format evaluation module, similar to the actual clinical auscultation description process. Results. Diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing normal from abnormal cases was 73%. Findings most commonly correctly identified included pathological systolic and diastolic murmurs and widely split second heart sounds. Those least likely to be identified included continuous murmurs and clicks. Accuracy was low for identifying specific diagnoses. Conclusions. Given time constraints for clinical skills teaching, this suggests that focusing on distinguishing normal from abnormal heart sounds and murmurs instead of making specific diagnoses may be a more realistic goal for pediatric resident auscultation training.
Addressing missing outcome data in meta-analysis

Objective Missing outcome data are a common problem in clinical trials and systematic reviews, as it compromises inferences by reducing precision and potentially biasing the results. Systematic reviewers often assume that the missing outcome problem has been resolved at the trial level. However, in many clinical trials a complete case analysis or suboptimal imputation techniques are employed and the problem is accumulated in a quantitative synthesis of trials via meta-analysis. The risk of bias due to missing data depends on the missingness mechanism. Most statistical analyses assume missing data to be missing at random, which is an unverifiable assumption. The aim of this paper is to present methods used to account for missing outcome data in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods The following methods to handle missing outcome data are presented: (1) complete cases analysis, (2) imputation methods from observed data, (3) best/worst case scenarios, (4) uncertainty interval for the summary estimate and (5) a statistical model that makes assumption about how treatment effects in missing data are connected to those in observed data. Examples are used to illustrate all the methods presented. Results Different methods yield different results. A complete case analysis leads to imprecise and potentially biased results. The best-case/worst-case scenarios give unrealistic estimates, while the uncertainty interval produces very conservative results. Imputation methods that replace missing data with values from the observed data do not properly account for the uncertainty introduced by the unobserved data and tend to underestimate SEs. Employing a statistical model that links treatment effects in missing and observed data, unlike the other methods, reduces the weight assigned to studies with large missing rates. Conclusions Unlike clinical trials, in systematic reviews and meta-analyses we cannot adapt pre-emptive methods to account for missing outcome data. There are statistical techniques implemented in commercial software (eg, STATA) that quantify the departure from the missing at random assumption and adjust results appropriately. A sensitivity analysis with increasingly stringent assumptions on how parameters in the unobserved and observed data are related is a sensible way to evaluate robustness of results.
Unit Root Tests for ESTAR Models

Since the introduction of augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root tests, many new types of unit root tests have been developed. Developments in nonlinear unit root tests occurred to overcome poor performance of standard linear unit root tests for nonlinear processes. Venetis et al. (2009) developed a unit root test for the k-ESTAR(p) model where k is the number of equilibrium levels and p is the order of autoregressive terms. Their approach may cause a singularity problem because some of the regressors might be collinear. To overcome the problem, they move collinear regressors into the error term. This paper extends the work of Venetis et al. (2009). Using a new approach given in this paper, the singularity problem can be avoided without worrying the issue of collinearity. For some cases, simulation results show that our approach is better than other unit root tests.
Fifty Years of Archaeology in the Northeastern United States: A Retrospect

Our editor has asked me to prepare a personal account of the most important processes and events that affected the archaeology of the northeastern United States during the last 50 years. This is no small undertaking, considering that the larger part of our knowledge of the prehistory of this area has accumulated during that time. Moreover, because the inception of my service in unraveling the prehistoric events in the Northeast precedes the period by a decade, it may be difficult to confine my summary to post-1935. As a further complication, my recollections, especially of the precise ordering of the theoretical deliberations, may not be wholly consonant with those of some of my colleagues. Nevertheless, I offer the following necessarily very concise summation.
Effects of graded levels of Fusarium toxin contaminated maize in diets for female weaned piglets

A dose response study was carried out with piglets to examine the effects of increasing amounts of Fusarium toxins in the diet on performance, clinical serum characteristics, organ weights and residues of zearalenone (ZON) and deoxynivalenol (DON) and their metabolites in body fluids and tissues. For this purpose, Fusarium toxin contaminated maize (1.2 mg ZON and 8.6 mg DON per kg maize) was incorporated into a maize based diet for piglets at 0, 6, 12.5, 25 and 50% at the expense of control maize. The experimental diets were tested on 100 female piglets allotted to 20 boxes (five animals per box) covering a body weight range of 12.4 ± 2.2 kg to 32.5 ± 5.6 kg. Voluntary feed intake and, consequently, body weight gain of the animals receiving the highest proportion of Fusarium toxin contaminated maize were significantly decreased while the feed conversion ratio was not affected by the treatment. The mean weight of the uterus related to the body weight of the animals of the same group was increased by almost 100% as compared to the control. For this group, significantly decreased values of total serum protein were determined, while the serum activity of the liver enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase and the serum concentration of the follicle stimulating hormone were decreased for all treatment groups receiving 6% contaminated maize or more in the diet. Serum concentrations of immune-globulins were not consistently altered by the treatment. Corresponding to the dietary exposure, increasing concentrations of ZON and α-zearalenol were detected in the bile fluid, liver and in pooled urine samples. The metabolite β-zearalenol was detected only in bile fluid. The total concentration of ZON plus its metabolites in bile fluid correlated well with the diet contamination (r = 0.844). DON was found in serum, bile fluid and pooled urine samples while de-epoxy-DON was detected only in urine. The serum concentration of DON correlated well with the respective toxin intake 3 - 4 h prior to slaughtering (r = 0.957). For all mentioned analyses of residues it has to be noted that toxin residues were detectable even if negligible concentrations were present in the diet.