Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of dietary methionine and lysine sources on nutrient digestion, nitrogen utilization, and duodenal amino acid flow in growing goats.

This study investigated the effects of supplementation of various sources of Met and Lys on nutrient digestion, N utilization, and duodenal AA flows in growing goats. Four 4-mo-old Liuyang Black wether goats were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment and were assigned to 4 dietary treatments: (1) control, (2) control + lipid-coated Met-Zn chelate and Lys-Mn chelate (PML), (3) control + Met-Zn chelate and Lys-Mn chelate (CML), and (4) control + dl-Met, l-Lys-HCl, ZnSO(4). 7H(2)O, and MnSO(4). H(2)O (FML). Compared with control, PML reduced (P < 0.05) ruminal NH(3) concentration, urinary N excretion, and plasma urea N concentration and increased (P < 0.05) the activity of ruminal endo-1,4-beta-d-glucanase and beta-glucosidase, the duodenal flow of N, N retention (g/d as well as % of absorbed N), the duodenal flows of Met, Lys, His, Val, and total essential AA, and plasma concentrations of Lys, Val, Phe, and total essential AA. Supplementing Zn-Met and Mn-Lys chelates had similar (P > 0.05) but lesser effects on these measures compared with PML, and the effects on most of the measures were not statistically significant (P > 0.05) when compared with control. Supplementing free-form Met and Lys had no effects compared with control (P > 0.05). The results indicate that lipid coating and chelating of AA provide a protection, and to a lesser extent by only chelating, of the AA from microbial degradation in the rumen and possibly has effects on rumen fermentation, which increases MP supply. This technology could improve productive performance and be of potential benefit to ruminant production if cost-effective products are developed.
N-alpha-terminal Acetylation of Histone H4 Regulates Arginine Methylation and Ribosomal DNA Silencing

Post-translational modifications of histones play a key role in DNA-based processes, like transcription, by modulating chromatin structure. N-terminal acetylation is unique among the numerous histone modifications because it is deposited on the N-alpha amino group of the first residue instead of the side-chain of amino acids. The function of this modification and its interplay with other internal histone marks has not been previously addressed. Here, we identified N-terminal acetylation of H4 (N-acH4) as a novel regulator of arginine methylation and chromatin silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lack of the H4 N-alpha acetyltransferase (Nat4) activity results specifically in increased deposition of asymmetric dimethylation of histone H4 arginine 3 (H4R3me2a) and in enhanced ribosomal-DNA silencing. Consistent with this, H4 N-terminal acetylation impairs the activity of the Hmt1 methyltransferase towards H4R3 in vitro. Furthermore, combinatorial loss of N-acH4 with internal histone acetylation at lysines 5, 8 and 12 has a synergistic induction of H4R3me2a deposition and rDNA silencing that leads to a severe growth defect. This defect is completely rescued by mutating arginine 3 to lysine (H4R3K), suggesting that abnormal deposition of a single histone modification, H4R3me2a, can impact on cell growth. Notably, the cross-talk between N-acH4 and H4R3me2a, which regulates rDNA silencing, is induced under calorie restriction conditions. Collectively, these findings unveil a molecular and biological function for H4 N-terminal acetylation, identify its interplay with internal histone modifications, and provide general mechanistic implications for N-alpha-terminal acetylation, one of the most common protein modifications in eukaryotes.
Life History of Abedus herberti in Central Arizona (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)

Torre Bueno in I9O6 noted the meagerness o information on the biology and immature stages oi: aquatic Hemiptera. Although this condition has changed somewhat in the more than 60 subsequent years, complete lie histories or representatives o only two o the five genera belonging to the subfamily Belostomatinae (Lauck and Menke 96 are available. Belostoma is represented by B. flumineum Say (Torre Bueno 9o6), B. oxyurum Dufour B. bi[oveolatum Spinola (Schnack 97 ), and B. malkini Lauck (Cullen I969). The Old World genus Limnogeton is represented by L. fieberi Mayr (Voelker x968). Menke (96o) was successful in bringing a single individual Abedus dilatatus (Say) to its fifth instar, at which time it died. Life histories for representatives of the genus Lethocerus include: L. americanus (Leidy) (Rankin 935), L. cordofanus Mayr (nee. L. niloticus Stl) (Tawfik 969), L. mazzai De Carlo (De Carlo 962), and L. maximus De Carlo (Cullen I969). Nothing is known of the immature stages of Horvathinia (subfamily Horvathiniinae, Lauck and Menke 96I). The taxonomy and distribution of dbedus herberti, as well as a behavioral and ecological sketch of the genus, is provided by Menke (I96O).
Transmission of swine pathogens: different means, different needs*

Abstract There seems to be two main types of pathogens that cause diseases in swine: those that are mainly introduced through direct pig contacts, and those that are often, and in some situations mainly introduced by indirect transmission means. In this review, the mange mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), toxigenic Pasteurella multocida and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae will be used as examples of the first type, and foot and mouth disease virus, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus as examples of the second. It is now clear from various epidemiological studies as well as experimental and field data that aerosol transmission of some swine pathogens plays an important role in their epidemiology. As previous biosecurity programs did not take this factor into consideration, it can at least partially explain why many of these programs suffered frequent failures and why air filtration is now becoming increasingly popular in North America. Identifying and quantifying transmission means should be a priority for every important infectious disease for which it has not been done.
Image Restoration Using Functional and Anatomical Information Fusion with Application to SPECT-MRI Images

Image restoration is usually viewed as an ill-posed problem in image processing, since there is no unique solution associated with it. The quality of restored image closely depends on the constraints imposed of the characteristics of the solution. In this paper, we propose an original extension of the NAS-RIF restoration technique by using information fusion as prior information with application in SPECT medical imaging. That extension allows the restoration process to be constrained by efficiently incorporating, within the NAS-RIF method, a regularization term which stabilizes the inverse solution. Our restoration method is constrained by anatomical information extracted from a high resolution anatomical procedure such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This structural anatomy-based regularization term uses the result of an unsupervised Markovian segmentation obtained after a preliminary registration step between the MRI and SPECT data volumes from each patient. This method was successfully tested on 30 pairs of brain MRI and SPECT acquisitions from different subjects and on Hoffman and Jaszczak SPECT phantoms. The experiments demonstrated that the method performs better, in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, than a classical supervised restoration approach using a Metz filter.
Discovery and characterization of a novel extremely acidic bacterial N-glycanase with combined advantages of PNGase F and A

Peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-β-glucosaminyl) asparagine amidases [PNGases (peptide N-glycosidases), N-glycanases, EC 3.5. 1.52] are essential tools in the release of N-glycans from glycoproteins. We hereby report the discovery and characterization of a novel bacterial N-glycanase from Terriglobus roseus with an extremely low pH optimum of 2.6, and annotated it therefore as PNGase H+. The gene of PNGase H+ was cloned and the recombinant protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant PNGase H+ could liberate high mannose-, hybrid- and complex-type N-glycans including core α1,3-fucosylated oligosaccharides from both glycoproteins and glycopeptides. In addition, PNGase H+ exhibited better release efficiency over N-glycans without core α1,3-fucose compared with PNGase A. The facile expression, non-glycosylated nature, unusual pH optimum and broad substrate specificity of this novel type of N-glycanase makes recombinant PNGase H+ a versatile tool in N-glycan analysis.
Forces that influence the evolution of codon bias

The frequencies of alternative synonymous codons vary both among species and among genes from the same genome. These patterns have been inferred to reflect the action of natural selection. Here we evaluate this in bacteria. While intragenomic variation in many species is consistent with selection favouring translationally optimal codons, much of the variation among species appears to be due to biased patterns of mutation. The strength of selection on codon usage can be estimated by two different approaches. First, the extent of bias in favour of translationally optimal codons in highly expressed genes, compared to that in genes where selection is weak, reveals the long-term effectiveness of selection. Here we show that the strength of selected codon usage bias is highly correlated with bacterial growth rate, suggesting that selection has favoured translational efficiency. Second, the pattern of bias towards optimal codons at polymorphic sites reveals the ongoing action of selection. Using this approach we obtained results that were completely consistent with the first method; importantly, the frequency spectra of optimal codons at polymorphic sites were similar to those predicted under an equilibrium model. Highly expressed genes in Escherichia coli appear to be under continuing strong selection, whereas selection is very weak in genes expressed at low levels.
DORA: CAD Interface to Automatic Diagnostics

This paper will discuss a family of CAD tools supporting automatic diagnosis and the usage of those tools in Western Electric Company (WECo) testing. The CAD tools described in this paper are part of a package developed at the Engineering Research Center (ERC), Princeton, New Jersey. The Diagnostic Organization and Retrieval Algorithms (DORA) System is a complex of programs which provide audited test programs and diagnostic data files from the results of LAMP (Logic Analyzer for Maintenance Planning) [1] circuit simulation. DORA supports manufacturing and repair test facilities in all Divisions of Western Electric that produce circuit packs or digital custom devices. Improved engineering productivity in Bell Laboratories and Western Electric, efficient use of capital intensive test hardware, and reduced diagnostic costs are the goals of this package.
A self-administered rheumatoid arthritis disease activity index (RADAI) for epidemiologic research. Psychometric properties and correlation with parameters of disease activity.

OBJECTIVE To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of a self-administered Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI). METHODS Five items of the Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology (RADAR) questionnaire were aggregated into the RADAI and assessed for their factor loading, internal consistency, and construct validity. RESULTS In 55 patients with RA, the RADAI had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and correlated with physician's assessment of disease activity (r = 0.54, P < 0.01), the swollen joint count (r = 0.54, P < 0.01), and the C-reactive protein value (r = 0.43, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The RADAI is a highly reliable and valid self-administered measure of disease activity for clinical, health services, and epidemiologic research. Its sensitivity to change in longitudinal studies needs further study.
A Kidney Segmentation Framework for Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In the United States, more than 12000 renal transplantations are performed annually; but the transplanted kidneys face a number of surgical and medical complications that cause a decrease in their functionality. In an effort to understand the reasons for this functionality decrease, considerable attention has recently been focused on Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) due to its superior functional and anatomical information. The biggest challenge in the analysis of DCE-MRI is the segmentation of kidneys from abdomen images because of the high noise and partial volume effects introduced during the rapid and repeated scanning process. In this paper, a general framework is introduced for the segmentation of kidneys from DCE-MR images of the abdomen. The proposed segmentation algorithm consists of three main steps. In the first step, an average kidney shape is constructed from a dataset of previously segmented kidneys, and an average signed distance map density is obtained describing the shape of the kidneys. In the second step, the gray level density is calculated for a given new kidney image using a modified expectation maximization (EM) algorithm. In the third step, a deformable model is evolved based on the two density functions obtained from the previous two steps: the first one describes the prior shape of the kidney, and the second one describes the distribution of the gray level inside and outside the kidney region. The new deformable model is able to handle intricate shapes without getting stuck in edge points; and gives very promising results that are comparable to radiologists' segmentation.
Designing Designs

Interesing groups often occur as automorphism groups of some combinatorial objects. One may use these objects to obtain a representation of the constructed designs. Our combinatorial objects are graphs. Representing a design graphically may make certain properties of a combinatorial design obvious that otherwise would require tedious reasoning. This holds for symmetries, resolvability, and sub-design inclusion in appropriate cases. We describe how a graphical representation can be achieved in many cases and show several examples.
A Survey of Link Analysis Ranking

During the past decade, the World Wide Web became the most popular network in the World. WWW grows with a very fast speed, thus the information that can be found through it is huge. In the early 90s, the first search engines for the WWW appeared. The user could give some keywords and the system returned a number of URLs (uniform resource locators) that contained the keywords. The order of the URLs in the return list was initially based on the number of the keyword occurrences in each URL. Some more sophisticated systems were taking into account the importance and the frequency of the keywords. As WWW was growing, a simple keyword search could match hundreds of thousands of pages. A human can only check the first twenty or even some more of the URLs that the search engine returns. Consequently, the ordering of the search results became very important. The most important URLs that are related with the search keywords should be ranked first. The link analysis ranking (LAR) is an objective way to sort search results. There are many advantages of the LAR over older methods. First of all the ranking is feasible without getting any feedback from the users. It is also not necessary to store the content of the URLs, but only the links. Another advantage is that it is difficult for the site developers to cheat by repeating keywords in the documents and moreover it may be pre-computed for all URLs. There are even more benefits using LAR to sort the search results that make it the best method used so far. Existing LAr Algorithms
FL O G : graphics hardware accelerated image processing library

The search for realism at high frame rate leads to the development of programmable hardware graphics, with a powerful flow processor and large memory. In this paper we present FLOG (Filter Library on GPU) which is an example of general purpose computation boosted up by GPU.FLOG is an API designed to easily implement image filters on graphics hardware: from a combination of operations that manipulates images as operandsFLOG generates an optimized Cg source code that will run on graphics hardware, executing desired operations.
Model-based robust and pecise tracking embedded in smart cameras—the PFAAM-CAM

Top down tracking approaches like particle filtering are known for their robustness since they can handle multimodal probability density functions. Active appearance models (AAMs), on the other hand, allow for precise, model-based tracking but suffer from limited robustness. The particle filter AAM combination (PFAAM), exploits the best of both worlds. In this paper the PFAAM is embedded on a smart camera. We present the necessary changes to achieve faster performance for the limited resources available in this embedded environment. The proposed implementation of the PFAAM on the smart camera-the PFAAM cam-offers various benefits compared to a more traditional, centralised approach. All the processing is performed on the camera that allows it to run on the raw and thus artefact free video data. Also, only the resulting parameters of the AAM are transmitted; no video feed has thus to leave the camera that significantly reduces the necessary bandwidth.
Research of the Middleware Based Quality Management for Context-Aware Pervasive Applications

With the rapid development of the information technology, it is inevitable that the distributed mobile computing will evolve to the pervasive computing gradually whose final goal is fusing the information space composed of computers with the physical space in which the people are working and living in. To achieve this goal, one of the problems is how to continuously monitor/capture and interpret the environment related information efficiently to assure high context awareness. Many attentions have been paid to the research of the context-aware pervasive applications. However, most of them just use the raw context directly or take just some aspects of the Quality of Context (QoC) into account. Therefore, we propose a middleware based context-aware framework that support QoC management in various layers. By this framework we can refinery raw context, discard duplicate and inconsistent context so as to protect and provide QoS-enriched context information of users to context-aware applications and services.
Up- and down-regulation of feelings of being in love and the effect on positive and negative affect

Pervious research has shown that people are able to upand down-regulate emotions. In this study we examined whether people are capable to up and down-regulate feelings of being in love, and what happens with their positive and negative emotions during these regulations. Participants passively viewed neutral pictures and pictures of their beloved one, and got instructions to upor down-regulate their feelings of being in love by focusing on the positive aspects of their relationship (up-regulation) or on the negative aspects of their relationship (down-regulation). The amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) was taken as an objective index of regulation success. The LPP was not enhanced during up-regulation or reduced during down-regulation, suggesting that according to the LPP the motivational attention was not regulated, indicating that it might not be possible to regulate feelings of being in love. The PANAS was used to look at the positive and negative affect during the regulation task. The positive affect decreased and the negative affect increased in the downregulate condition and people who were broken-up had the most negative affect. In conclusion according to the LPP feelings of being in love could not be regulated but according to the PANAS emotions were affected in the down-regulate condition. Further research should investigate the discrepancy between the LPP and the PANAS.
Comprehensive Assessment of Osteoporosis and Bone Fragility with CT Colonography.

PURPOSE To evaluate the ability of additional analysis of computed tomographic (CT) colonography images to provide a comprehensive osteoporosis assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS This Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant study was approved by our institutional review board with a waiver of informed consent. Diagnosis of osteoporosis and assessment of fracture risk were compared between biomechanical CT analysis and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 136 women (age range, 43-92 years), each of whom underwent CT colonography and DXA within a 6-month period (between January 2008 and April 2010). Blinded to the DXA data, biomechanical CT analysis was retrospectively applied to CT images by using phantomless calibration and finite element analysis to measure bone mineral density and bone strength at the hip and spine. Regression, Bland-Altman, and reclassification analyses and paired t tests were used to compare results. RESULTS For bone mineral density T scores at the femoral neck, biomechanical CT analysis was highly correlated (R(2) = 0.84) with DXA, did not differ from DXA (P = .15, paired t test), and was able to identify osteoporosis (as defined by DXA), with 100% sensitivity in eight of eight patients (95% confidence interval [CI]: 67.6%, 100%) and 98.4% specificity in 126 of 128 patients (95% CI: 94.5%, 99.6%). Considering both the hip and spine, the classification of patients at high risk for fracture by biomechanical CT analysis--those with osteoporosis or "fragile bone strength"--agreed well against classifications for clinical osteoporosis by DXA (T score ≤-2.5 at the hip or spine), with 82.8% sensitivity in 24 of 29 patients (95% CI: 65.4%, 92.4%) and 85.7% specificity in 66 of 77 patients (95% CI: 76.2%, 91.8%). CONCLUSION Retrospective biomechanical CT analysis of CT colonography for colorectal cancer screening provides a comprehensive osteoporosis assessment without requiring changes in imaging protocols.
Amplitude limits and nonlinear damping of shear-Alfvén waves in high-beta low-collisionality plasmas

This work, which extends Squire et al (Astrophys. J. Lett. 2016 830 L25), explores the effect of self-generated pressure anisotropy on linearly polarized shear-Alfvén fluctuations in low-collisionality plasmas. Such anisotropies lead to stringent limits on the amplitude of magnetic perturbations in high-β plasmas, above which a fluctuation can destabilize itself through the parallel firehose instability. This causes the wave frequency to approach zero, ‘interrupting’ the wave and stopping its oscillation. These effects are explored in detail in the collisionless and weakly collisional ‘Braginskii’ regime, for both standing and traveling waves. The focus is on simplified models in one dimension, on scales much larger than the ion gyroradius. The effect has interesting implications for the physics of magnetized turbulence in the high-β conditions that are prevalent in many astrophysical plasmas.
A Low Cost Modular Autonomous Robot Vehicle

In this paper, we describe a modular autonomous platform that is being used for research and education in cooperative multi-vehicle systems. A two-layer hierarchical architecture has been implemented and tested in realistic environments. The lower-level controller accepts velocity commands from the higher-level and takes care of the nonlinear dynamics of the vehicle. The higher-level controller, on the other hand, integrates motion coordination and Kalman filter based localization techniques. The result is a cost effective mobile, flexible robot platform ideal for research in cooperative robotics and motion-enabled sensor nets. Experimental results validate the performance of the mobile robot and architecture described herein