Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aerobic Biodegradation of Methyltert-Butyl Ether by Aquifer Bacteria from Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites

ABSTRACT The potential for aerobic methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) degradation was investigated with microcosms containing aquifer sediment and groundwater from four MTBE-contaminated sites characterized by oxygen-limited in situ conditions. MTBE depletion was observed for sediments from two sites (e.g., 4.5 mg/liter degraded in 15 days after a 4-day lag period), whereas no consumption of MTBE was observed for sediments from the other sites after 75 days. For sediments in which MTBE was consumed, 43 to 54% of added [U-14C]MTBE was mineralized to14CO2. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of these sediments indicated the enrichment of species closely related to a known MTBE-degrading bacterium, strain PM1. At only one site, the presence of water-soluble gasoline components significantly inhibited MTBE degradation and led to a more pronounced accumulation of the metabolite tert-butyl alcohol. Overall, these results suggest that the effects of oxygen and water-soluble gasoline components on in situ MTBE degradation will vary from site to site and that phylogenetic analysis may be a promising predictor of MTBE biodegradation potential.
Chronic Arsenic Exposure and Cardiac Repolarization Abnormalities with QT Interval Prolongation in a Population-based Study

Background Chronic arsenic exposure is associated with cardiovascular abnormalities. Prolongation of the QT (time between initial deflection of QRS complex to the end of T wave) interval and profound repolarization changes on electrocardiogram (ECG) have been reported in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia treated with arsenic trioxide. This acquired form of long QT syndrome can result in life-threatening arrhythmias. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the cardiac effects of arsenic by investigating QT interval alterations in a human population chronically exposed to arsenic. Methods Residents in Ba Men, Inner Mongolia, have been chronically exposed to arsenic via consumption of water from artesian wells. A total of 313 Ba Men residents with the mean arsenic exposure of 15 years were divided into three arsenic exposure groups: low (≤ 21 μg/L), medium (100–300 μg/L), and high (430–690 μg/L). ECGs were obtained on all study subjects. The normal range for QTc (corrected QT) interval is 0.33–0.44 sec, and QTc ≥ 0.45 sec was considered to be prolonged. Results The prevalence rates of QT prolongation and water arsenic concentrations showed a dose-dependent relationship (p = 0.001). The prevalence rates of QTc prolongation were 3.9, 11.1, 20.6% for low, medium, and high arsenic exposure, respectively. QTc prolongation was also associated with sex (p < 0.0001) but not age (p = 0.486) or smoking (p = 0.1018). Females were more susceptible to QT prolongation than males. Conclusions We found significant association between chronic arsenic exposure and QT interval prolongation in a human population. QT interval may potentially be useful in the detection of early cardiac arsenic toxicity.
Slack-Time-Aware Energy Efficient Scheduling for Multiprocessor SoCs

Variable task execution time causes more complexity in task scheduling and thermal management. In this paper, we introduce a discrete probability distribution model to capture the variation of task execution time. And then we propose a slack-time-aware two-phase scheduling framework for parallel applications running on heterogeneous MPSoCs. It exploits slack time among tasks with precedence constraints and scale up or down processor frequency dynamically to control processor power and temperature. In the offline phase, considering expected execution times of tasks and a total deadline, an integer linear programming (ILP) method is designed to create an allocation solution for all tasks to minimize expected energy consumption. In the online phase, the scheduler dynamically scales frequency or migrates tasks to reduce hotspots of all processors. In particular, the slack-time-aware framework takes into account static and dynamic slack time to schedule tasks such that the energy consumption is minimized. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm decreases energy consumption by 5.2% in comparison with the pessimistic solution (using the worst case execution time), while maintaining a low deadline miss ratio.
Low Residual CBF Variability in Alzheimer’s Disease after Correction for CO2 Effect

We tested the claim that inter-individual CBF variability in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is substantially reduced after correction for arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2). Specifically, we tested whether the variability of CBF in brain of patients with AD differed significantly from brain of age-matched healthy control subjects (HC). To eliminate the CO2-induced variability, we developed a novel and generally applicable approach to the correction of CBF for changes of PaCO2 and applied the method to positron emission tomographic (PET) measures of CBF in AD and HC groups of subjects. After correction for the differences of CO2 tension, the patients with AD lost the inter-individual CBF variability that continued to characterize the HC subjects. The difference (ΔK1) between the blood-brain clearances (K1) of water (the current measure of CBF) and oxygen (the current measure of oxygen clearance) was reduced globally in AD and particularly in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. We then showed that oxygen gradients calculated for brain tissue were similar in AD and HC, indicating that the low residual variability of CBF in AD may be due to low functional demands for oxidative metabolism of brain tissue rather than impaired delivery of oxygen.
Multi-Objective Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing Using an Imperialist Competitive Algorithm

Cloud computing is being welcomed as a new basis to manage and provide services on the internet. One of the reasons for increased efficiency of this environment is the appropriate structure of the tasks scheduler. Since the tasks scheduling in the cloud computing environment and distributed systems is an NP-hard problem, in most cases to optimize the scheduling issues, the meta-heuristic methods inspired by nature are used rather than traditional or greedy methods. One of the most powerful meta-heuristic methods of optimization in the complex problems is an Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA). Thus, in this paper, a meta-heuristic method based on ICA is provided to optimize the scheduling issue in the cloud environment. Simulation results in MATLAB environment show the amount of 0.7 percent improvement in execution time compared with a Genetic Algorithm(GA).
Ant Colony Optimization Approaches for the Dynamic Load-Balanced Clustering Problem in Ad Hoc Networks

This paper presents three ant colony optimization (ACO) approaches for a difficult graph theoretic problem formulated from the task of computing load-balanced clusters in ad hoc networks. These three approaches contain novel strategies for adapting the search process to the new problem structure whenever an environment change occurs. An environment change occurs when nodes in the network move. Dynamic changes in problem structure pose a great challenge for ACO algorithms because the pheromone information is rendered inaccurate and inconsistent. Hence, all three strategies to enable ACO to work in a dynamic setting have a common objective, that is, to adapt the pheromone information to closely reflect the new problem structure. The first approach is the population-based ACO algorithm (P-ACO) that incorporates a novel solution repair procedure. The second approach, which we call PAdapt, works by adapting three major algorithm parameters following an innovative strategy. The third approach, which we term GreedyAnts, uses a greedy solution construction strategy to bias the pheromone information towards the new problem structure. Empirical results show that GreedyAnts is very competitive with P-ACO, while PAdapt is less impressive. The GreedyAnts approach is advantageous over P-ACO because it does not require a solution repair heuristic that incurs additional processing
TRPA1 gene polymorphisms and childhood asthma

Animal data have suggested that the transient receptor potential ankyrin‐1 (TRPA1) ion channel plays a key role in promoting airway inflammation in asthma and may mediate effects of paracetamol on asthma, yet confirmatory human data are lacking. To study associations of TRPA1 gene variants with childhood asthma and total IgE concentration, and interactions between TRPA1 and prenatal paracetamol exposure on these outcomes.
Spring Cleaning: Rural Water Impacts, Valuation and Property Rights Institutions

Using a randomized evaluation in Kenya, we measure health impacts of spring protection, an investment that improves source water quality. We also estimate households' valuation of spring protection and simulate the welfare impacts of alternatives to the current system of common property rights in water, which limits incentives for private investment. Spring infrastructure investments reduce fecal contamination by 66%, but household water quality improves less, due to recontamination. Child diarrhea falls by one quarter. Travel-cost based revealed preference estimates of households' valuations are much smaller than both stated preference valuations and health planners' valuations, and are consistent with models in which the demand for health is highly income elastic. We estimate that private property norms would generate little additional investment while imposing large static costs due to above-marginal-cost pricing, private property would function better at higher income levels or under water scarcity, and alternative institutions could yield Pareto improvements.
Location Distinction in a MIMO Channel

Location distinction is defined as determining when a device has changed its position. Previous work [4], [8] has shown that a wireless network can be exploited to successfully perform location distinction by measuring the characteristics of the SISO radio channel between the wireless device and one or more receivers. We propose methods and metrics for MIMO-based location distinction. Using a large set of MIMO channel measurements, we show that location distinction can be successfully applied to a MIMO channel. The accuracy of MIMObased location distinction improves as the number of antennas in the MIMO array is increased. In particular, a 2x2 MIMO channel demonstrates a significant performance improvement over the SISO channel, achieving, for example, a 0.0004 probability of false alarm for a 0.0001 probability of missed detection. The very high reliability of location distinction in MIMO enables location distinction systems to detect the change in position of a transmitter even when using only one receiver.
Nuclear transport of cancer extracellular vesicle-derived biomaterials through nuclear envelope invagination-associated late endosomes

Extracellular membrane vesicles (EVs) function as vehicles of intercellular communication, but how the biomaterials they carry reach the target site in recipient cells is an open question. We report that subdomains of Rab7+ late endosomes and nuclear envelope invaginations come together to create a sub-nuclear compartment, where biomaterials associated with CD9+ EVs are delivered. EV-derived biomaterials were also found in the nuclei of host cells. The inhibition of nuclear import and export pathways abrogated the nuclear localization of EV-derived biomaterials or led to their accumulation therein, respectively, suggesting that their translocation is dependent on nuclear pores. Nuclear envelope invagination-associated late endosomes were observed in ex vivo biopsies in both breast carcinoma and associated stromal cells. The transcriptome of stromal cells exposed to cancer cell-derived CD9+ EVs revealed that the regulation of eleven genes, notably those involved in inflammation, relies on the nuclear translocation of EV-derived biomaterials. Our findings uncover a new cellular pathway used by EVs to reach nuclear compartment.
Automated Text Summarization Base on Lexicales Chain and graph Using of WordNet and Wikipedia Knowledge Base

The technology of automatic document summarization is maturing and may provide a solution to the information overload problem. Nowadays, document summarization plays an important role in information retrieval. With a large volume of documents, presenting the user with a summary of each document greatly facilitates the task of finding the desired documents. Document summarization is a process of automatically creating a compressed version of a given document that provides useful information to users, and multi-document summarization is to produce a summary delivering the majority of information content from a set of documents about an explicit or implicit main topic. The lexical cohesion structure of the text can be exploited to determine the importance of a sentence/phrase. Lexical chains are useful tools to analyze the lexical cohesion structure in a text . In this paper we consider the effect of the use of lexical cohesion features in Summarization, And presenting a algorithm base on the knowledge base. Ours algorithm at first find the correct sense of any word, Then constructs the lexical chains, remove Lexical chains that less score than other, detects topics roughly from lexical chains, segments the text with respect to the topics and selects the most important sentences. The experimental results on an open benchmark datasets from DUC01 and DUC02 show that our proposed approach can improve the performance compared to sate-of-the-art summarization approaches.
Live bacterial vaccine vectors: An overview

Genetically attenuated microorganisms, pathogens, and some commensal bacteria can be engineered to deliver recombinant heterologous antigens to stimulate the host immune system, while still offering good levels of safety. A key feature of these live vectors is their capacity to stimulate mucosal as well as humoral and/or cellular systemic immunity. This enables the use of different forms of vaccination to prevent pathogen colonization of mucosal tissues, the front door for many infectious agents. Furthermore, delivery of DNA vaccines and immune system stimulatory molecules, such as cytokines, can be achieved using these special carriers, whose adjuvant properties and, sometimes, invasive capacities enhance the immune response. More recently, the unique features and versatility of these vectors have also been exploited to develop anti-cancer vaccines, where tumor-associated antigens, cytokines, and DNA or RNA molecules are delivered. Different strategies and genetic tools are constantly being developed, increasing the antigenic potential of agents delivered by these systems, opening fresh perspectives for the deployment of vehicles for new purposes. Here we summarize the main characteristics of the different types of live bacterial vectors and discuss new applications of these delivery systems in the field of vaccinology.
Localization of epileptic foci using a large‐area magnetometer and functional brain anatomy

We used a large‐area, 7‐channel, first‐order superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) gradiometer to preoperatively determine the sites of epileptic foci in 2 patients with intractable temporal lobe seizures. The equivalent dipoles for the epileptic spikes were located with respect to external landmarks of the skull and in relation to the generation sites of magnetic auditory evoked responses. It was also possible, for the first time, to determine the location of the equivalent source using simultaneously measured data from seven locations only. The sites of the equivalent dipoles, in the right temporal lobe, agreed with the electrocorticographic and depth electrode recordings made during the operation.
Efficient Resource Allocation for Power Minimization in MIMO-OFDM Downlink

In a downlink system using multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM), the subcarrier and power allocations can be optimized to minimize the overall transmit power given user target rates. If done efficiently, this resource allocation helps to reduce the interference ingress to neighbouring cells and limits the power consumption at the base station. The optimal solution can be found with a complexity of O(KM) for a system with K users and M subcarriers. This paper proposes an efficient method using a dual decomposition that has a lower complexity of only O(MK). Linear beamforming is assumed at both the transmitter and the receiver ends. Frequency-flat fading may adversely affect OFDM resource allocation if using a dual decomposition based approach. Flat fading management is thus proposed by using a certain dual proportional fairness, that handles all fading scenarios, including flat or partially frequency-selective fading. Simulations show fast convergence of the algorithm, quickly approaching the optimal solution.
JPSS-1 VIIRS pre-launch radiometric performance

The first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1 or J1) mission is scheduled to launch in January 2017, and will be very similar to the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) mission. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on board the J1 spacecraft completed its sensor level performance testing in December 2014. VIIRS instrument is expected to provide valuable information about the Earth environment and properties on a daily basis, using a wide-swath (3,040 km) cross-track scanning radiometer. The design covers the wavelength spectrum from reflective to long-wave infrared through 22 spectral bands, from 0.412 μm to 12.01 μm, and has spatial resolutions of 370 m and 740 m at nadir for imaging and moderate bands, respectively. This paper will provide an overview of pre-launch J1 VIIRS performance testing and methodologies, describing the at-launch baseline radiometric performance as well as the metrics needed to calibrate the instrument once on orbit. Key sensor performance metrics include the sensor signal to noise ratios (SNRs), dynamic range, reflective and emissive bands calibration performance, polarization sensitivity, bands spectral performance, response-vs-scan (RVS), near field response, and stray light rejection. A set of performance metrics generated during the pre-launch testing program will be compared to the sensor requirements and to SNPP VIIRS pre-launch performance.
Effect of composted manure plus chemical fertilizer application on aridity response and productivity of apple trees on the loess plateau, China

ABSTRACT Soil degradation and aridity due to long-term unbalanced fertilization and scarce precipitation limit the productivity of apple trees in the Loess Plateau of China. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of composted manure (CM) plus chemical fertilizer (CF) applications on the aridity response and yield of apple trees. Five treatments [CF (C), CF plus 5/10 kg CM I per tree (CM1-L/H), and CF plus 5/10 kg CM II per tree (CM2-L/H)] were applied in a 10-year-old Red Fuji apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) orchard over a 4-year study period. The application of CM plus CF increased soil organic carbon, decreased soil bulk density, and optimized porosity. Low (5 kg per tree; CML) and high (10 kg per tree; CMH) CM application rates respectively increased soil water storage in the 20–60 cm layer by 1.4% and 4.8%, increased available soil water content in the 0–100 cm soil layer by 4.1%–44.8% and 10.4%–60.2%, elevated the water content of apple leaves (w%) by 1.3% and 3.7%, improved leaf potential by 15.9% and 30.0%, and decreased proline content by 16.1% and 28.5%. Thus, CM application decreased damage due to aridity and enhanced the photosynthetic capacity of apple trees, ultimately elevating apple yield by 8.8% and 13.3% under CML and CMH. The application of CM plus CF is an effective fertilization strategy for mitigating aridity stress and improving apple yield in the Loess Plateau.
Common transcriptional effects in the mouse striatum following chronic treatment with heroin and methamphetamine

The molecular alterations that underlie the long‐lasting behavioural effects of drugs of abuse, such as psychomotor sensitization and physical dependence, are still not known. Moreover, it is not known which molecular effects are similar for addictive drugs from various pharmacological classes. In this study, we utilized whole‐genome microarray profiling to evaluate the detailed time‐course of transcriptional alterations in the mouse striatum during chronic treatment with heroin (HER) and methamphetamine (METH) and after period of spontaneous withdrawal. We identified 27 genes regulated by chronic drug administration. The overlap between lists of HER‐ and METH‐induced genes was highly significant. The most substantial impact on the gene expression profile was observed for circadian genes (Per1, Per2 and Nr1d1). However, changing the treatment scheme from diurnal to nocturnal was sufficient to attenuate the drug‐induced changes in circadian gene mRNA levels. Both of the drugs caused a dose‐dependent induction in glucocorticoid‐dependent genes with relatively long mRNA half‐lives (Fkbp5, Sult1a1 and Plin4). The analysis also showed a drug‐regulated group of transcripts enriched in the nucleus accumbens and includes well known (Pdyn, Cartpt and Rgs2) as well as new (Fam40b and Inmt) candidate genes. All identified alterations in the striatal transcriptome were transient and persisted up to 6 days after withdrawal. Behavioural sensitization, however, was maintained throughout the 12‐day withdrawal period for both HER and METH. We suggest that transient gene expression alterations during drug treatment and in the early period of withdrawal are involved in the establishment of persistent neuroplastic alterations responsible for the development of drug addiction.
Population History and Natural Selection Shape Patterns of Genetic Variation in 132 Genes

Identifying regions of the human genome that have been targets of natural selection will provide important insights into human evolutionary history and may facilitate the identification of complex disease genes. Although the signature that natural selection imparts on DNA sequence variation is difficult to disentangle from the effects of neutral processes such as population demographic history, selective and demographic forces can be distinguished by analyzing multiple loci dispersed throughout the genome. We studied the molecular evolution of 132 genes by comprehensively resequencing them in 24 African-Americans and 23 European-Americans. We developed a rigorous computational approach for taking into account multiple hypothesis tests and demographic history and found that while many apparent selective events can instead be explained by demography, there is also strong evidence for positive or balancing selection at eight genes in the European-American population, but none in the African-American population. Our results suggest that the migration of modern humans out of Africa into new environments was accompanied by genetic adaptations to emergent selective forces. In addition, a region containing four contiguous genes on Chromosome 7 showed striking evidence of a recent selective sweep in European-Americans. More generally, our results have important implications for mapping genes underlying complex human diseases.