Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
StreamScope: Continuous Reliable Distributed Processing of Big Data Streams

STREAMSCOPE (or STREAMS) is a reliable distributed stream computation engine that has been deployed in shared 20,000-server production clusters at Microsoft. STREAMS provides a continuous temporal stream model that allows users to express complex stream processing logic naturally and declaratively. STREAMS supports business-critical streaming applications that can process tens of billions (or tens of terabytes) of input events per day continuously with complex logic involving tens of temporal joins, aggregations, and sophisticated user-defined functions, while maintaining tens of terabytes in-memory computation states on thousands of machines. STREAMS introduces two abstractions, rVertex and rStream, to manage the complexity in distributed stream computation systems. The abstractions allow efficient and flexible distributed execution and failure recovery, make it easy to reason about correctness even with failures, and facilitate the development, debugging, and deployment of complex multi-stage streaming applications.
Human RNase P: a tRNA-processing enzyme and transcription factor

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) has been hitherto well known as a catalytic ribonucleoprotein that processes the 5′ leader sequence of precursor tRNA. Recent studies, however, reveal a new role for nuclear forms of RNase P in the transcription of tRNA genes by RNA polymerase (pol) III, thus linking transcription with processing in the regulation of tRNA gene expression. However, RNase P is also essential for the transcription of other small noncoding RNA genes, whose precursor transcripts are not recognized as substrates for this holoenzyme. Accordingly, RNase P can act solely as a transcription factor for pol III, a role that seems to be conserved in eukarya.
Urea Unfolding of Opsin in Phospholipid Bicelles †

Opsin is the unstable apo‐protein of the light‐activated G protein‐coupled receptor rhodopsin. We investigated the stability of bovine opsin, solubilized in 1,2‐dimyristoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (DMPC)/detergent bicelles, against urea‐induced unfolding. A single irreversible protein unfolding transition was observed from changes in intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and far‐UV circular dichroism. This unfolding transition correlated with loss of protein activity. Changes in tertiary structure, as indicated by fluorescence measurements, were concomitant with an approximate 50% reduction in α‐helical content of opsin, indicating that global unfolding had been induced by urea. The urea concentration at the midpoint of unfolding was dependent on the lipid/detergent environment, occurring at approximately 1.2 m urea in DMPC/1,2‐dihexanoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine bicelles, while being significantly stabilized to approximately 3.5 m urea in DMPC/3‐[(cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]‐1‐propanesulfonate bicelles. These findings demonstrate that interactions with the surrounding lipids and detergent are highly influential in the unfolding of membrane protein structure. The urea/bicelle system offers the possibility for a more detailed understanding of the structural changes that take place upon irreversible unfolding of opsin.
Generation control circuit for photovoltaic modules

Photovoltaic modules must generally be connected in series in order to produce the voltage required to efficiently drive an inverter. However, if even a very small part of photovoltaic module (PV module) is prevented from receiving light, the generation power of the PV module is decreased disproportionately. This greater than expected decrease occurs because PV modules which do not receive adequate light cannot operate on the normal operating point, but rather operate as loads. As a result, the total power from the PV modules is decreased if even only a small part of the PV modules are shaded. In the present paper, a novel circuit, referred to as the generation control circuit (GCC), which enables maximum power to be obtained from all of the PV modules even if some of the modules are prevented from receiving light. The proposed circuit enables the individual PV modules to operate effectively at the maximum power point tracking, irrespective of the series connected PV module system. In addition, the total generated power is shown experimentally to increase for the experimental set-up used in the present study.
MPact: the MIPS protein interaction resource on yeast

In recent years, the Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS) yeast protein–protein interaction (PPI) dataset has been used in numerous analyses of protein networks and has been called a gold standard because of its quality and comprehensiveness [H. Yu, N. M. Luscombe, H. X. Lu, X. Zhu, Y. Xia, J. D. Han, N. Bertin, S. Chung, M. Vidal and M. Gerstein (2004) Genome Res., 14, 1107–1118]. MPact and the yeast protein localization catalog provide information related to the proximity of proteins in yeast. Beside the integration of high-throughput data, information about experimental evidence for PPIs in the literature was compiled by experts adding up to 4300 distinct PPIs connecting 1500 proteins in yeast. As the interaction data is a complementary part of CYGD, interactive mapping of data on other integrated data types such as the functional classification catalog [A. Ruepp, A. Zollner, D. Maier, K. Albermann, J. Hani, M. Mokrejs, I. Tetko, U. Güldener, G. Mannhaupt, M. Münsterkötter and H. W. Mewes (2004) Nucleic Acids Res., 32, 5539–5545] is possible. A survey of signaling proteins and comparison with pathway data from KEGG demonstrates that based on these manually annotated data only an extensive overview of the complexity of this functional network can be obtained in yeast. The implementation of a web-based PPI-analysis tool allows analysis and visualization of protein interaction networks and facilitates integration of our curated data with high-throughput datasets. The complete dataset as well as user-defined sub-networks can be retrieved easily in the standardized PSI-MI format. The resource can be accessed through .
A flexible volumetric comparison of protein cavities can reveal patterns in ligand binding specificity

Conformational flexibility is an underlying cause of error in all comparisons of protein structure. Using flexible representations, some comparison algorithms can identify subtle functional similarities among distantly related proteins even when they exhibit different backbone conformations. The same techniques are not designed to identify subtle variations among closely related proteins that might cause differences in specificity. In such cases, molecular flexibility obscures structural details that influence the specific recognition of similar but non-identical ligands. To enhance the analysis of ligand binding specificity, this paper presents FAVA (Flexible Aggregate Volumetric Analysis), a conformationally robust tool for comparing similar binding cavities with different binding preferences. FAVA examines a large number of conformational samples to characterize local flexibility using Constructive Solid Geometry. Using molecular dynamics simulations as a source for conformational samples, we used FAVA to analyze a nonredundant sample of serine protease and enolase structures. Different snapshots from the same proteins exhibited significant variations in binding cavity shape. Nonetheless, analysis with FAVA revealed subfamilies with different binding preferences. FAVA also identified amino acids associated with differences in binding preferences, predicting established experimental results. These results illustrate a new approach to flexible comparison that uses sampled conformational data. It reveals that detailed comparisons of very similar proteins, such as those within small ligand binding cavities, are possible even in the presence of conformational flexibility. Identifying influences on specificity in this manner points to new applications of protein engineering and drug design.
Monitoring mortality as an indicator of influenza in Catalonia, Spain.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the behaviour of two indicators of influenza activity in the area of Barcelona and to evaluate the usefulness of modelling them to improve the detection of influenza epidemics. DESIGN: Descriptive time series study using the number of deaths due to all causes registered by funeral services and reported cases of influenza-like illness. The study concentrated on five influenza seasons, from week 45 of 1988 to week 44 of 1993. The weekly number of deaths and cases of influenza-like illness registered were processed using identification of a time series ARIMA model. SETTING: Six large towns in the Barcelona province which have more than 60,000 inhabitants and funeral services in all of them. MAIN RESULTS: For mortality, the proposed model was an autoregressive one of order 2 (ARIMA (2,0,0)) and for morbidity it was one of order 3 (ARIMA (3,0,0)). Finally, the two time series were analysed together to facilitate the detection of possible implications between them. The joint study of the two series shows that the mortality series can be modelled separately from the reported morbidity series, but the morbidity series is influenced as much by the number of previous cases of influenza reported as by the previous mortality registered. CONCLUSIONS: The model based on general mortality is useful for detecting epidemic activity of influenza. However, because there is not an absolute gold standard that allows definition of the beginning of the epidemic, the final decision of when it is considered an epidemic and control measures recommended should be taken after evaluating all the indicators included in the influenza surveillance programme.
EFFECT OF SALT COMPOSITION ON THE SEPARATION PROFILE OF CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER IONS BY ELECTRODIALYSIS

Chloride, nitrate, sulfate, and fluoride ions are sometimes available in groundwater at an elevated level, which is harmful to humans and the environment. The membrane separation technique has been widely explored for controlling the level of those ions in drinking water, particularly the electrodialysis method. In the present study, divalent (AMX) and monovalent ion selective (ACS) anion exchange membranes were used to remove the high concentrations of chloride and other co-existent ions from groundwater samples. The study focuses on the effect of the composition of the salt in the groundwater on the reducing profile of ions, the number of deionized ions, and the rate of ion removal in the diluting compartment. To achieve these experimental objectives, two series of ion samples composed of sodium and calcium were designed. The compositions of the ions were NaCl, Na2NO3, Na2SO4 for the Na-compound, and CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2.4H2O, CaSO4∙2H2O, and CaF2 for the Cacompound. The electrodialysis experiment was run at a constant applied voltage (8 volts), using sodium nitrate as the electrode solution. In summary, the ED performance for all the investigated parameters was better in the case of ions composed of sodium. Furthermore, a change in the applied current against the electrodialysis operation time was also observed. The results indicated that the current requirement by ED to separate ions composed of calcium needed to be slightly higher than that for ions composed of sodium.
Toward a Rigorous Interpretation of ESML-Extended Systems Modeling Language

A graphics-based language known as ESML (extended systems modeling language), which is an extension of the data flow diagram notation for representing control logic in models of real-time systems, is analyzed and summarized to provide a rigorous interpretation of ESML symbols and their combinations. Based on elementary and compact (high-level) Petri nets (PNs), to which a succinct introduction is given, formal foundations for ESML, and in particular for its transformation schema (TS) notation, are proposed. Translation principles as well as examples of usual transformation and flow patterns are presented both in TS and PN notation. The resulting PN models are rigorous and accurate models of the dynamics of real-time systems with signals, prompts, and data flows of various kinds. Due to their formally defined token game they can be executed and used to study indeterminism and concurrency of events. >
Impact of temporal changes of land use on surface Run-offA case study on musi basin using soil and water assessment tool (SWAT)

Land and water are the two most vital natural resources of the world. Proper planning and management of these two most vital natural resources is, therefore, of utmost necessity. For proper planning and efficient utilization of the land and water resources it is necessary to understand the hydrological cycle and estimate the hydrological parameters. In the present study SWAT2012 (Soil and Water Assessment Tool, ArcSWAT10.2.2), a physical based semi distributed hydrologic model having an interface with ArcGIS 10.2. 2, GIS software was applied for Musi Basin, a sub-basin of river Krishna, covering an area of 11268.54 sq.km in order to model the various hydrological components and to assess the impact of land use/land cover on the surface flow. In order to study the impact of land use/land cover on surface runoff, simulations were carried out for the crop periods of kharif 2005-06 and kharif 2010-11 using the same precipitation file. Results indicated that with an increase in irrigated land and increase in urban land, during the period from 2005 to 2010 surface runoff has increased by 8.47mm (18.6% to 19.6% of precipitation) showing that the land use/land cover has an impact on the hydrological regime. Then the simulations were carried out for the land use of 2005-06 kharif with and without irrigation operation for a time period of 35 years (1979-2013) and the simulations showed that the surface runoff was more for the model under irrigation by 7.6%. Runoff had increased from 24.8% to 32.4 % of precipitation. These results clearly show how land use changes and agricultural management practices impact hydrological parameters like runoff.
Modification of Docosahexaenoic Acid Composition of Milk from Nursing Women Who Received Alpha Linolenic Acid from Chia Oil during Gestation and Nursing

α-Linolenic acid (ALA) is the precursor of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in humans, which is fundamental for brain and visual function. Western diet provides low ALA and DHA, which is reflected in low DHA in maternal milk. Chia oil extracted from chia (Salvia hispanica L.), a plant native to some Latin American countries, is high in ALA (up to 60%) and thereby is an alternative to provide ALA with the aim to reduce DHA deficits. We evaluated the modification of the fatty acid profile of milk obtained from Chilean mothers who received chia oil during gestation and nursing. Forty healthy pregnant women (22–35 years old) tabulated for food consumption, were randomly separated into two groups: a control group with normal feeding (n = 21) and a chia group (n = 19), which received 16 mL chia oil daily from the third trimester of pregnancy until the first six months of nursing. The fatty acid profile of erythrocyte phospholipids, measured at six months of pregnancy, at time of delivery and at six months of nursing, and the fatty acid profile of the milk collected during the first six months of nursing were assessed by gas-chromatography. The chia group, compared to the control group, showed (i) a significant increase in ALA ingestion and a significant reduction of linoleic acid (LA) ingestion, no showing modification of arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA; (ii) a significant increase of erythrocyte ALA and EPA and a reduction of LA. AA and DHA were not modified; (iii) a increased milk content of ALA during the six months of nursing, whereas LA showed a decrease. AA and EPA were not modified, however DHA increased only during the first three months of nursing. Consumption of chia oil during the last trimester of pregnancy and the first three months of nursing transiently increases the milk content of DHA.
Analytical model for coupled multispecies advective
dispersive transport subject to rate-limited sorption

Abstract. Mathematical models that analytically solve a set of simultaneous multispecies advection-dispersion transport equations coupled with a series of chemical reactions are cost-effective tools for predicting the plume migration of dissolved chlorinated solvents and nitrogen chains. However, few analytical solutions for coupled reactive multispecies transport equations have appeared in the literature. For convenience of mathematical derivation, most analytical models currently used to simulate multispecies transport assume instantaneous equilibrium between the dissolved and sorbed phases of the contaminant. However, research has demonstrated that rate-limited sorption process can have a profound effect upon solute transport in the subsurface environment. Making the instantaneous equilibrium sorption assumption precludes consideration of potential effects of the rate-limited sorption. This study presents a novel analytical model for simulating the migrations of plumes of decaying or degradable contaminants subject to rate-limited sorption. The derived analytical model is then applied to investigate the effects of the rate-limited sorption on the plume migration of degradable contaminants. Results show that the kinetic sorption rate constant has significant impacts on the plume migration of degradable contaminants. Increasing the kinetic sorption rate constant results in a reduction of predicted concentration for all species in the degradable contaminants while the equilibrium-controlled sorption model lead to significant underestimation of the concentrations of degradable contaminants under conditions with low sorption Damköler number, Dai = βiLν. The equilibrium-controlled sorption model agrees well with the rate-limited sorption model when the Damköler number is greater than 2 to 3 order of magnitude. The invalidity of the equilibrium-controlled sorption model of low Damköler number case implies that the health risk could be underestimated if such a model is used for assessing the concentrations of the degradable contaminants in the health risk model.
Reconstruction of Current Flow and Imaging of Current-Limiting Defects in Polycrystalline Superconducting Films

Magneto-optical imaging was used to visualize the inhomogeneous penetration of magnetic flux into polycrystalline TlBa2Ca2Cu3Ox films with high critical current densities, to reconstruct the local two-dimensional supercurrent flow patterns and to correlate inhomogeneities in this flow with the local crystallographic misorientation. The films have almost perfect c-axis alignment and considerable local a- and b-axis texture because the grains tend to form colonies with only slightly misaligned a and b axes. Current flows freely over these low-angle grain boundaries but is strongly reduced at intermittent colony boundaries of high misorientation. The local (<10-micrometer scale) critical current density Jc varies widely, being up to 10 times as great as the transport Jc (scale of ∼1 millimeter), which itself varies by a factor of about 5 in different sections of the film. The combined experiments show that the magnitude of the transport Jc is largely determined by a few high-angle boundaries.
Convection-based realtime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) utilizing transparent graphene heaters

We present a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) chip incorporating graphene heaters and thermal convection. We adopted graphene heaters in order to replace the bulky metal heating blocks or opaque metal line heaters utilized in the previous PCR chips. Transparency of the CVD based graphene heaters allowed the realtime fluorescence detection of PCR product using a light-path passing through a reaction chamber. Thermal convection enabled rapid and automated PCR thermocycling.
INVESTIGATIONS OF CEMENT CLINKER GRINDABILITY USING DROP-WEIGHT TESTS AND ITS RELATION TO TUBE MILL PERFORMANCE

Mathematical models are increasingly used in the study of crushing and grinding operations. In this paper, progressive crushing of particles in beds of cement clinker using a drop-weight apparatus is described in terms of Breakage and Selection Functions. Experimental results are then investigated and empirical parameters compared with those of open circuit cement milling. It is shown that these functions can be practical means of mill performance evaluation.
Modeling task experience in user assistance systems

One of the major issues for user assistance systems consists of "providing help at an appropriate level". In this paper we analyze the problem of modeling task experience - a prerequisite for provisioning adequate help. In contrast to level-based approaches we propose an ontology-based model, which allows fine-grained modeling of task experience using the concepts of the task domain as granules. The model is semantic in the sense that it allows to take advantage of the relations between concepts to provide novel semantic services and interactions. We present the SACHS (Semantic Annotations for a Controlling Help System, a semantic help system for a spreadsheet-based financial controlling system) software as an exemplary application of the proposed task experience model.
An Online Mechanism for Resource Allocation and Pricing in Clouds

Cloud providers provision their various resources such as CPUs, memory, and storage in the form of virtual machine (VM) instances which are then allocated to the users. The users are charged based on a pay-as-you-go model, and their payments should be determined by considering both their incentives and the incentives of the cloud providers. Auction markets can capture such incentives, where users name their own prices for their requested VMs. We design an auction-based online mechanism for VM provisioning, allocation, and pricing in clouds that considers several types of resources. Our proposed online mechanism makes no assumptions about future demand of VMs, which is the case in real cloud settings. The proposed online mechanism is invoked as soon as a user places a request or some of the allocated resources are released and become available. The mechanism allocates VM instances to selected users for the period they are requested for, and ensures that the users will continue using their VM instances for the entire requested period. In addition, the mechanism determines the payment the users have to pay for using the allocated resources. We prove that the mechanism is incentive-compatible, that is, it gives incentives to the users to reveal their actual requests. We investigate the performance of our proposed mechanism through extensive experiments.
An efficient disparity algorithm based on adaptive window selection for 3D reconstruction in stereo

In this paper a novel matching algorithm is proposed that improve the quality of disparity map in order to increase the accuracy in stereo 3D reconstruction algorithm. In the stereo matching algorithm, moving windows over disparity map is used. However choosing an unsuitable window size can affect the quality of the disparity map. For instance, by using a large window size, the details may be lost; in contrast a small window can detect details while produces much noise. In this paper we try to benefit from the advantages of these large and small window sizes by computing disparity map using adaptive window size. For this reason, at first a disparity map with small window size is computed. After that, noise in this disparity map is detected, and replaced by the same pixel in the produced disparity map base on a large window size. Our simulations show that this procedure results in a high quality map with less noise and more details.