Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insertional Mutagenesis by a Modified in Vitro Ty1 Transposition System

Transposable elements are useful tools for insertional mutagenesis and have many potential applications in the characterization of complex genomes. Here we describe a system which facilitates the construction of large transposon insertion libraries useful for genome sequencing and functional genomic analysis. We developed two transposons, TyK and TyK∞GFP+, which can be introduced into target DNAs by Ty1-mediated transposition in vitro, and several modifications which decrease the frequency of false transposition events and direct the recovery of transpositions into passenger rather than vector DNA. Insertions of TyK∞GFP+ additionally may yield fusions to the Aequorea green fluorescent protein (GFP), useful in studies of gene expression and protein targeting. Transposition in vitro was obtained into target DNAs of up to 50 kb in size, restriction mapping showed insertion to be relatively random, and the sequence of 55 insertion sites showed neither strong site nor base compositional preference. Our data suggest that TyK-based artificial transposons will be suitable for a variety of genetic applications in many organisms. 1. Introduction et al., 1986). Burns et al. (1994) used this approach to generate nearly 3000 independent Saccharomyces cere-visiae protein fusions to Escherichia coli b-galactosidase, The characterization of complex eukaryotic genomes facilitating studies of cellular localization and function. by determination of their complete sequence has resulted Similarly, Chun and Goebl (1996) used a related in a shift in emphasis by genome scientists (Johnston, approach to identify essential genes affecting bud mor-1996; Pennisi, 1996). Now, the major task is to gain an phogenesis in S. cerevisiae. Both of these studies required understanding of the cellular function of genes and their the generation of large, random transposon insertion utilization under different environmental or developmen-libraries, and here we describe a convenient system tal conditions. Transposable elements offer many poten-which facilitates their construction for use in any tial advantages suitable for incorporation into genome-organism. wide studies, as modified transposons are popular tools In selecting transposition systems, important factors for insertional mutagenesis, ''primer island'' sequencing are the randomness of insertion site and the ability to and the construction of gene fusions (Casadaban et al., design transposons for specific applications. for transposon delivery, which can prove daunting to 1996). One powerful approach for genome scientists is novices. A yeast Ty1-based transposition system was the method of shuttle transposon mutagenesis (Seifert recently described which offers several advantages (Devine and Boeke, 1994). The transposition reaction
Partisan Information Sources and Affective Polarization: Panel Analysis of the Mediating Role of Anger and Fear

Drawing on the 2012 American National Election Studies (ANES) panel data, this study explores the influence of the consumption of partisan information sources on affective polarization and investigates the mechanism underlying this relationship. The results show that exposure to pro-party television sources strengthens affective polarization among partisans. The polarizing effects of pro-party sources are mediated by the discrete negative emotions (i.e., anger and fear) toward presidential candidates. The study discusses the impact of selective exposure on deliberative and participatory democracies.
Time-correlated fading can mitigate rate anomaly in IEEE 802.11 WLANs

It is well known that rate anomaly may occur when more than two stations communicating with an AP use different data rates in IEEE 802.11 WLANs. This statement may be valid based on the assumption that each station equally attempts channel access. However, this paper confirms that if stations suffer from different time-correlated fading channels, they have a different access rate, i.e., the stronger the signal strength, the higher the access rate. Extensive simulation study supports this assertion on various channel environments.
Genetic Evidence That DNA Methyltransferase DRM2 Has a Direct Catalytic Role in RNA-Directed DNA Methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is a small RNA-mediated epigenetic modification in plants. We report here the identification of DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLTRANSFERASE 2 (DRM2) in a forward screen for mutants defective in RdDM in Arabidopsis thaliana. The finding of a mutation in the presumptive active site argues in favor of direct catalytic activity for DRM2.
A History of Zambia

Zambia is one of the most important states in modern Africa. Besides being a major exporter of copper, it plays a crucial frontier role in relations between black Africa and South Africa. This book draws together the results of recent research in a comprehensive survey of economic and social change, from the Stone Age to the completion of the Tamzam Railway. Dr Roberts has placed the Zambian past in a new perspective by combining evidence from archeology, anthropology and oral traditions, as well as written records. Pre-colonial history is revealed as much more than a mere amalgam of stones, bones, potsherds and stories of tribal migrations. Instead, such themes as the rise of chieftain ship and the expansion of trade are related to changes in patterns of settlement and production since the Early Iron Age.In tracing the origins of Zambia's present societies, Roberts focuses on the broad similarities and contrasts in language, religious belief and social institutions that underlie the confusing variety of pre-colonial kingdoms and chiefdoms. Here, as elsewhere, he draws upon unpublished research to provide a new picture not just of the area that is now Zambia but of the whole Savannah region of central Africa. The last three chapters relate the rise of African nationalism to the growth of modern industry on the Copper belt and to the major problems faced by Zambia since independence in 1964.
A direct method for computing extreme value (Gumbel) parameters for gapped biological sequence alignments

We develop a general method for computing extreme value distribution (Gumbel, 1958) parameters for gapped alignments. Our approach uses mixture distribution theory to obtain associated BLOSUM matrices for gapped alignments, which in turn are used for determining significance of gapped alignment scores for pairs of biological sequences. We compare our results with parameters already obtained in the literature.
Fourth-order cumulant based sources number estimation from mixtures of unknown number of sources

We consider the source number estimation problem in the presence of unknown spatially nonuniform noise and underdetermined mixtures. We develop a new attractive source number estimator by replacing the covariance with the Fourth-Order (FO) cumulant of the observations. Furthermore, a Modified Minimum Description Length (MMDL) principle is proposed to reduce the divergence of the singular values corresponding to noise thereby improving the performance of the estimator. Simulation experiments validate the superiority of the proposed FO cumulant MMDL method to the conventional Minimum Description Length (MDL) method.
Image Haze Removal of Wiener Filtering Based on Dark Channel Prior

If we use the image haze removal of dark channel prior, we're prone to color distortion phenomenon for some large white bright area in the image. Aimed at these problems, this paper presents an image haze removal of wiener filtering based on dark channel prior. The algorithm is mainly to estimate the median function in the use of the media filtering method based on the dark channel, to make the media function more accurate and combine with the wiener filtering closer. So that the fog image restoration problem is transformed into an optimization problem, and by minimizing mean-square error a clearer, fogless image is finally obtained. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can make the image more detailed, the contour smoother and the whole image clearer. In particular, this algorithm can recover the contrast of a large white area fog image. The algorithm not only compensates for the lack of dark channel prior algorithm, but also expands the application of dark channel prior algorithm and shortens the running time of the image algorithm.
Robust and real-time image-based tracking for markerless augmented reality

Augmented Reality has now progressed to the point where real-time applications are being considered and needed. At the same time it is important that synthetic elements are rendered and aligned in the scene in an accurate and visually acceptable way. In order to address these issues a real-time, robust and efficient 3D model-based tracking algorithm is proposed for a 'video see through' monocular vision system. The tracking of objects in the scene amounts to calculating the pose between the camera and the objects. Virtual objects can then be projected into the scene using the pose. Here, non-linear pose computation is formulated by means of a virtual visual servoing approach. In this context, the derivation of point-to-curves interaction matrices are given for different features including lines, circles, cylinders and spheres. A local moving edges tracker is used in order to provide real-time tracking of points normal to the object contours. A method is proposed for combining local position uncertainty and global pose uncertainty in an efficient and accurate way by propagating uncertainty. Robustness is obtained by integrating a M-estimator into the visual control law via an iteratively re-weighted least squares implementation. The method presented in this paper has been validated on several complex image sequences including outdoor environments. Results show the method to be robust to occlusion, changes in illumination and miss-tracking.
Distributed collaborative filtering for peer-to-peer file sharing systems

Collaborative filtering requires a centralized rating database. However, within a peer-to-peer network such a centralized database is not readily available. In this paper, we propose a fully distributed collaborative filtering method that is self-organizing and operates in a distributed way. Similarity ranks between multimedia files (items) are calculated by log-based user profiles and are stored locally at these items in so-called buddy tables. This intuitively creates a semantic overlay to organize multimedia files. Based on this semantic overlay and the items that a user has downloaded previously (indicating the profile of the user), recommendations can be performed and the recommended items can be easily located. We have tested our distributed collaborative filtering approach and compared it to centralized collaborative filtering, showing that it has similar performance. It is therefore a promising technique to facilitate filtering for relevant multimedia data in P2P networks.
Trajectory tracking control for a quadrotor helicopter based on backstepping using a decoupling quaternion parametrization

This paper presents a trajectory tracking control for the position and heading angle of a quadrotor helicopter. The control design is based on the backstepping approach and proves the asymptotic stability of the tracking problem. We use a beneficial quaternion-based attitude parametrization, which is composed of two rotations. The first describes the orientation of the thrust vector independently from the second, which describes the quadrotor's heading. As a result, the translational dynamics and the yaw dynamics decouple from each other, which augments the control design. In addition, this decoupling allows an analytical derivation of all control signals within the backstepping procedure with reasonable expense. Experimental results show the practical use of the suggested control design.
On the functional relation between security and dependability impairments

Problems related to security and dependability/ reliability are still treated separately in many contexts. It has been shown that there is a considerable conceptual overlap, however, and an integrated framework to the two disciplines has already been suggested. This paper shows that there is also a conceptual overlap of impairments from these areas and suggests an integrated approach that clarifies the functional relation between these, both from dependability and security viewpoints. The overall objective is to arrive at a general and clear-cut framework that would describe how trustable (dependable, secure) a system is, regardless of the reason for its not being totally trustable. For example, it should be possible to treat a system failure caused by an intentional intrusion or a hardware fault using the same methodology. A few examples from real-world situations are given to support the suggested approach.
Applications of Magnetosomes Synthesized by Magnetotactic Bacteria in Medicine

Magnetotactic bacteria belong to a group of bacteria that synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles covered by biological material that are called magnetosomes. These bacteria use the magnetosomes as a compass to navigate in the direction of the earth’s magnetic field. This compass helps the bacteria to find the optimum conditions for their growth and survival. Here, we review several medical applications of magnetosomes, such as those in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic hyperthermia, and drug delivery. Different methods that can be used to prepare the magnetosomes for these applications are described. The toxicity and biodistribution results that have been published are summarized. They show that the magnetosomes can safely be used provided that they are prepared in specific conditions. The advantageous properties of the magnetosomes compared with those of chemically synthesized nanoparticles of similar composition are also highlighted.
Process and Service Orientation in ERP Software

CIOs and CEOs are confronted with the key challenge of choosing the right ERP software for their company. Packaged software has become so powerful in recent years that after a thorough customization process it can fulfill the requirements of companies from different industries. However case studies and anecdotal evidence show that in many cases ERP implementation projects are demanding and results do not meet expectations. Companies are often forced to change their business processes because the new software system does not provide the flexibility to be adjusted to the company’s needs. The paradigm of service orientation, on the other hand, promises to break this vicious circle. This leads to the question whether and how ERP vendors are addressing the perceived problems of ERP adaptation possibilities. The topic stimulated an in-depth study of the German-speaking ERP software market. In a qualitative study based on thirty interviews with ERP vendors we draw a picture of the value proposition of future ERP software in the area of process and service orientation.
Offering Rainfall Insurance to Informal Insurance Groups: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Ethiopia

We show theoretically that the presence of basis risk in index insurance makes it a complement to informal risk sharing, implying that index insurance crowds-in risk sharing and leading to a prediction that demand will be higher among groups of individuals that can share risk. We report results from Ethiopia from a first attempt to market weather insurance to informal risk-sharing groups. The groups were offered training on risk management and insurance. We randomized the content of training provided to group leaders, with some sessions focusing on the benefits of informally sharing idiosyncratic basis risk. Consistent with learning informed by the theoretical results, we found that members of groups whose leaders had received training that emphasized risk-sharing had considerably higher uptake. We find that this effect can be explained either by a more careful selection of training participants by leaders or a direct impact of the treatment on insurance demand.
Medicalizing tensions in counselor education?

Abstract The aim of this paper is to summarize research into the tensions associated with medicalization in graduate counselor education in a primarily Canadian context. Counselor education, until recently, has largely embraced pluralistic traditions of practice that are potentially at odds with a medicalized approach to practice. Medicalization here refers to a diagnostic and treatment focus most commonly associated with use of DSM5 diagnostic procedures and evidence-based treatment. Tensions, in this study, refer to competing accountabilities encountered in reconciling medicalized with other approaches to practice. Following a review of relevant textbooks, graduate program websites and curricula, Master’s-level counseling students, counselor educators, and profession leaders were surveyed and/or interviewed regarding how medicalization influenced counselor education, and for how they responded to its influence. Data across all sources were analyzed using the mapping procedures of Situational Analysis, a method useful in analyzing contested phenomena and processes. We report our findings as navigable, negotiable, and dilemmatic tensions shaping the experiences of students and other stakeholders in counselor education. We recommend ways to enable students and educators to navigate and negotiate potential dilemmas associated with medicalizing influences on counselor education. We close by discussing the implications of our findings with respect to practice and training in the UK context.
Aggregated bounding Markov processes applied to the analysis of tandem queues

Performance evaluation of telecommunication and computer systems is essential but a complex issue in general. Quantitative analysis of systems represented by multidimensional Markov processes models is very difficult and may be intractable if there is no specific solution form. In this study, we propose an algorithm in order to derive aggregated Markov processes providing upper and lower bounds on performance measures. We prove using stochastic comparisons that these aggregated Markov processes give bounds on performance measures defined as increasing reward functions on the transient and stationary distributions. The stochastic comparison has been largely applied in performance evaluation however the state space is generally assumed to be totally ordered which induces less accurate bounds for multidimensional Markov processes. Our proposed algorithm assumes only a preorder on the state space, and is applied to the analysis of an open tandem queueing network with rejection in order to derive loss probability bounds. Numerical results are computed from two parametric aggregation schemes: a fine and a coarse in order to show the improvement of the accuracy of the bound with respect to the state space size. We propose an attractive solution to the performance study: given a performance measure threshold, we study if it is guaranteed or not by studying less complex aggregated bounding processes.
The generic competences in the Initial Teacher Training: A comparative study among students, teachers and graduates of university education degree

The principal objective of this study is to evaluate the level of development of the Generic Competences in the professors, students and graduates of the university Education degrees, using the Teacher Competence Evaluation (TCE) scale. The sample was formed of 1,243 Students, 491 Graduates and 351 Teachers from 23 Spanish universities. This study was carried out as part of the other R&D research project. The statistical analyses employed in order to achieve the objectives of this study were carried out using the following procedure: we first carried out a Conformational Factorial Analysis (CFA) of the TCE scale in order to compare the factorial structure of the instrument used and we went on to calculate the basic descriptive statistical analyses of the items of which the scale is composed. We subsequently carried out a variance analysis (ANOVA) with the objective of analysing the differences among the groups. The results obtained from the group of students and the groups comprising graduates and teaching staff demonstrate that certain competences from the Instrumental Competences, i.e. competence in a foreign language and technological competency, are perceived to be less developed. We noted that there were significant differences in the three groups as regards the questionnaire as a whole. It concludes with the need to encourage the development of these competences in Initial Teacher Training. Between the instrumental competences, the domination of a second language and technological ability continue to play a very relevant role as regards to guaranteeing a quality education. This study is useful for curricular reform in the European Higher Education’s study plans.
Volume Data Mining Using 3D Field Topology Analysis

This article proposes a novel approach to automating the settings of visualization parameter values for volume data mining. To this end, we extended the conventional Reeb graph-based approach to topological modeling of 3D surfaces to capture the topological skeleton of a volumetric field. The analyzed results take the form of hyper Reeb graphs which give the basic reference structure for designing comprehensible volume visualization.
Understanding Diamond Pricing Using Unconditional Quantile Regressions

This paper investigates the relationship between the selling price of diamonds and their weight in carats. For this purpose, we use a unique sample of 112,080 certified diamonds collected from www.info-diamond.com during the first week of July 2011. We find substantial differences in pricing depending on cut shape. The price of diamonds increases markedly with the carat weight, with a price elasticity equal to 1.94. However, estimates from unconditional quantile regressions show that the price-weight elasticity is not constant since it rises along the price distribution of diamonds. Finally, we observe the existence of significant increases in prices for diamonds featured with round weights compared to gems just below these threshold weights.
Attacking the Bottlenecks of Back � lling

Back lling is a simple and e ective way of improving the utilization of space sharing schedulers Simple rst come rst served approaches are ine ective because large jobs can fragment the available resources Back lling schedulers address this problem by allowing jobs to move ahead in the queue provided that they will not delay subsequent jobs Previous research has shown that inaccurate estimates of execution times can lead to better back lling sched ules In the rst part of this study we characterize this e ect on several workloads and show that average slow downs can be e ectively reduced by systematically lengthening estimated execution times Further we show that the average job slowdown metric can be addressed directly by sorting jobs by increasing execution time Fi nally we modify our sorting scheduler to ensure that incoming jobs can be given hard guarantees The resulting scheduler guarantees to avoid starvation and performs signi cantly better than previous back lling schedulers In the second part of this study we show how queue randomization and even more a combination of queue randomization and sorting by job length can improve performance We show that these improvements are better then with queue sorting by job length alone in the simulation with actual estimates of job running times We investigate the real characteristics of these estimates and show the wide range of overestimation To exploit even more randomization and queue sorting we eliminate guarantees from back lling algorithm and show signi cant improvements Finally we show a limited usefulness of these guarantees and show that queue sorting criteria can be modi ed to prevent starvation in the modi ed back lling algorithm