Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A+-Helix of Protein C Inhibitor (PCI) Is a Cell-penetrating Peptide That Mediates Cell Membrane Permeation of PCI

Background: Extracellular protein C inhibitor (PCI) can cross the cellular plasma membrane. Results: Testisin (fluid-phase and cell membrane-anchored) cleaves PCI close to its N terminus. N-terminally truncated PCI can no longer be internalized by cells. Conclusion: Testisin removes helix A+, a cell-penetrating peptide, which mediates cell membrane permeation of PCI. Significance: Testisin or other proteases could regulate PCI internalization by removing its N terminus. Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a serpin with broad protease reactivity. It binds glycosaminoglycans and certain phospholipids that can modulate its inhibitory activity. PCI can penetrate through cellular membranes via binding to phosphatidylethanolamine. The exact mechanism of PCI internalization and the intracellular role of the serpin are not well understood. Here we showed that testisin, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored serine protease, cleaved human PCI and mouse PCI (mPCI) at their reactive sites as well as at sites close to their N terminus. This cleavage was observed not only with testisin in solution but also with cell membrane-anchored testisin on U937 cells. The cleavage close to the N terminus released peptides rich in basic amino acids. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the released peptides of human PCI (His1–Arg11) and mPCI (Arg1–Ala18) functioned as cell-penetrating peptides. Because intact mPCI but not testisin-cleaved mPCI was internalized by Jurkat T cells, a truncated mPCI mimicking testisin-cleaved mPCI was created. The truncated mPCI lacking 18 amino acids at the N terminus was not taken up by Jurkat T cells. Therefore our model suggests that testisin or other proteases could regulate the internalization of PCI by removing its N terminus. This may represent one of the mechanisms regulating the intracellular functions of PCI.
On the accuracy of de-embedding technologies for on-wafer measurement up to 170GHz

With the available operation frequency of circuit increasing into tens of gigahertz or even terahertz. The accurate device model will help designer to get excellent circuit performance and reduce design cycles. So for device modeling, the de-embedding technology becomes more critical. In this paper, a new S-parameter matrix calculation de-embedding technology is proposed. A comparison of different de-embedding up to 170GHz is performed. The results showed that proposed method is with good agreement with measurement and EM 3D simulation result, even up to 170 GHz
Does the use of derivatives affect firm value? Evidence from Turkey

ABSTRACT In the study, the effect of derivative usage on the firm’s value is examined by testing 72 Turkish non-financial firms from 2009 to 2013. The aim of the study is to determine whether the use of derivatives increases or decreases firm value. Using Tobin’s Q as a proxy for firm value on multivariate tests, a positive relation is found between hedging and firm value. However, the coefficients of hedging variables are insignificant. Thus, there is no evidence that hedging has any significant positive effect on firm value. The finding of this study is consistent with MM theory.
Nonamplifying alleles at microsatellite loci: a caution for parentage and population studies

While genotyping wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) at microsatellite loci for paternity assignment, we found three loci (MAP65, BOVIRBP and CelJP23) with segregating nonamplifying alleles. Nonamplifying alleles were detected through mismatches between known mother‐offspring pairs and by significant deviations from Hardy‐Weinberg equilibria. In a wide range of molecular ecology applications, and especially in parentage assignment, the possible existence of undetectable alleles must be taken into account; this may be particularly important for microsatellite data.
Negotiating Accountability and Integrated Curriculum from a Global Perspective

In an age of educational accountability there is tension between the pressure for success in large-scale testing and the need to develop students’ 21 st Century skills such as creativity and problem-solving to prepare them for a complex global world. Integrated curriculum is popular way to develop these skills yet it is often dismissed because of accountability issues. This article explores the policy directions of several countries or jurisdictions around the world to provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two positions. The analysis concludes that integrated curriculum approaches do not seem to have a negative impact on large-scale testing scores.
TNF-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand Delivered by rNDV is a Novel Agent for Cancer Gene Therapy

Recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rNDV) as antitumor agent has been shown to be effective for cancer therapy. And TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) also has been demonstrated potentially cancer-therapeutic effects. In this study, we constructed TRAIL delivered by rNDV (rNDV-TRAIL) and investigated whether TRAIL would generate the potential synergistic therapeutic effects with rNDV for cancer therapy. In vitro experiments indicated that TRAIL expressed by rNDV demonstrated good biological activity. TRAIL significantly enhanced inducing apoptosis of rNDV in death receptor expression cancer cell lines. Experiments in malignant melanoma-bearing mice demonstrated that expression of TRAIL delivered by rNDV significantly inhibited the tumor growth and prolonged the survival of treated animals compared to control. In conclusion, oncolytic capacity of rNDV was augmented by TRAIL and the inherent anti-neoplastic properties of NDV were enhanced by the introduction of therapeutic TRAIL gene.
Simple, Fast, and Exact RNS Scaler for the Three-Moduli Set $\{2^{n} - 1, 2^{n}, 2^{n} + 1\}$

Scaling in RNS has always been conceived as a performance bottleneck similar to the residue-to-binary conversion problem due to the inefficient intermodulo operation. In this paper, a simple and fast scaling algorithm for the three-moduli set {2n - 1, 2n, 2n + 1} RNS is proposed. The complexity of intermodulo operation has been resolved by a new formulation of scaling an integer in RNS domain by one of its moduli. By elegant exploitation of the Chinese Remainder Theorem and the number theoretic properties for this moduli set, the design can be readily implemented by a standard cell based design methodology. The low cost VLSI architecture without any read-only memory (ROM) makes it easier to fuse into and pipeline with other residue arithmetic operations of a RNS-based processor to increase the throughput rate. The proposed RNS scaler possesses zero scaling error and has a critical path delay of only 2[log2n]+ 9 units in unit-gate model. Besides the scaled residue numbers, the scaled integer in normal binary representation is also produced as a byproduct of this process, which saves the residue-to-binary converter when the binary representation of scaled integer is also required. Our experimental results show that the proposed RNS scaler is smaller and faster than the most area-efficient adder-based design and the fastest ROM-based design besides being the most power efficient among all scalers evaluated for the same three-moduli set.
INTEGRATING SIMULATED TENSEGRITY MODELS WITH EFFICIENT MOTION PLANNING FOR PLANETARY NAVIGATION

One of the more interesting advancements in prototype robotics are tensegrity-based robots. These robots use compression elements and tension cables to create lightweight structures that can reconfigure their shape. While these capabilities are good for transport of the robot and costs of materials, they complicate planning and control of locomotion. With so these dynamic and reconfiguring parts, both simulating the motions of the robot and planning future motions become more challenging. New software packages and state-of-the-art planning algorithms are helping to address these challenges, but have yet to be used in tandem. This work shows the interaction of these two advancements in control and planning for tensegrity-based robots.
GeneCodeq: quality score compression and improved genotyping using a Bayesian framework

MOTIVATION The exponential reduction in cost of genome sequencing has resulted in a rapid growth of genomic data. Most of the entropy of short read data lies not in the sequence of read bases themselves but in their Quality Scores-the confidence measurement that each base has been sequenced correctly. Lossless compression methods are now close to their theoretical limits and hence there is a need for lossy methods that further reduce the complexity of these data without impacting downstream analyses. RESULTS We here propose GeneCodeq, a Bayesian method inspired by coding theory for adjusting quality scores to improve the compressibility of quality scores without adversely impacting genotyping accuracy. Our model leverages a corpus of k-mers to reduce the entropy of the quality scores and thereby the compressibility of these data (in FASTQ or SAM/BAM/CRAM files), resulting in compression ratios that significantly exceeds those of other methods. Our approach can also be combined with existing lossy compression schemes to further reduce entropy and allows the user to specify a reference panel of expected sequence variations to improve the model accuracy. In addition to extensive empirical evaluation, we also derive novel theoretical insights that explain the empirical performance and pitfalls of corpus-based quality score compression schemes in general. Finally, we show that as a positive side effect of compression, the model can lead to improved genotyping accuracy. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION GeneCodeq is available at: github.com/genecodeq/eval CONTACT: dan@petagene.comSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Development of a SYBR Green Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Quantitative Detection of Babesia Gibsoni (Asian Genotype) DNA

A real-time fluorogenic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay based on SYBR green that allows for sensitive, reproducible, and accurate quantification of Babesia gibsoni (Asian genotype). DNA from peripheral blood of infected dogs was developed. Standard curves were created by plotting the input amount of a standard template, constructed with plasmid DNA containing 182 base pairs (bp) of the p18 gene, against threshold cycle numbers. The curves showed a wide dynamic range (1,000,000-fold input) and high correlation values (>0.99). The PCR amplification efficacy of the standard template was similar to that of intact genomic DNA obtained from peripheral blood with B. gibsoni infection. The detection limit of the assay was 9 parasites/μl of blood with B gibsoni infection. The intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation of the threshold cycles ranged from 0.70% to 1.89% and from 1.18% to 1.92%, respectively. This assay system was found to be reproducible and accurate for the quantification of parasite DNA in experimentally infected dogs and far more sensitive than traditional microscopic examination.
BUDAYA TRI HITA KARANA SEBAGAI PEMODERASI KOMPLEKSITAS TUGAS DAN TEKANAN WAKTU TERHADAP KINERJA AUDITOR

This study aims to determine the effect of task complexity, time pressure on the performance auditors with tri hita karana culture as moderating the public accounting firm in Bali. The data collection method used was a questionnaire with non-probability sampling technique and obtained 42 samples. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) to test the coefficient of determination, test the feasibility of the model and t test to test the hypothesis. Based on the results of this study indicate that the complexity of the task and the time pressures negatively affect the performance of auditors. This shows that the higher the complexity of the task and tenakan time in the process of auditing the auditor's performance will decrease. The results also showed the culture of Tri Hita Karana is not able to moderate the influence of the complexity of the task of the performance auditor, but the culture of the Tri Hita Karana able to moderate the effect of time pressure on the performance auditors.
Biased escorts: offspring sex, not relatedness explains alloparental care patterns in a cooperative breeder

Kin selection theory predicts that animals should direct costly care where inclusive fitness gains are highest. Individuals may achieve this by directing care at closer relatives, yet evidence for such discrimination in vertebrates is equivocal. We investigated patterns of cooperative care in banded mongooses, where communal litters are raised by adult ‘escorts’ who form exclusive caring relationships with individual pups. We found no evidence that escorts and pups assort by parentage or relatedness. However, the time males spent escorting increased with increasing relatedness to the other group members, and to the pup they had paired with. Thus, we found no effect of relatedness in partner choice, but (in males) increasing helping effort with relatedness once partner choices had been made. Unexpectedly, the results showed clear assortment by sex, with female carers being more likely to tend to female pups, and male carers to male pups. This sex-specific assortment in helping behaviour has potential lifelong impacts on individual development and may impact the future size and composition of natal groups and dispersing cohorts. Where relatedness between helpers and recipients is already high, individuals may be better off choosing partners using other predictors of the costs and benefits of cooperation, without the need for possibly costly within-group kin discrimination.
The Peer Network as a Context for the Socialization of Academic Engagement

The school environment is one of the primary contexts for children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. While teachers are likely to be primarily focused on students’ motivation and learning, for adolescents, one of the most enjoyable and important aspects of school life is likely to be centered around the time spent interacting with peers. It is well recognized that peers socialize one another but although many studies have examined the influence of peers on adolescents’ risky behaviors far fewer have focused on the influence peers may have on individuals’ positive behaviors. As a result this study focuses on academic development replicating previous research designed to examine whether peer group affiliation has an effect on student academic engagement. A cohort of 343 seventh grade students, primarily Caucasian, 52% male, was followed for a period of one school year. Teachers reported on students’ academic engagement in the fall and again in spring using a 14-item scale (Wellborn, 1991), and students reported on their teachers’ and parents’ involvement in fall using 8and 4item scales respectively. Student grades were collected from school administrative
Increased platelet aggregation and turnover in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Newly produced platelets are present in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This may influence the antiplatelet effect of aspirin and clopidogrel administered prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). The aims of this study were to investigate the antiplatelet effect of aspirin and clopidogrel and evaluate platelet turnover in the acute phase of STEMI compared to a stable phase 3 months later. In this observational follow-up study on 48 STEMI patients transferred for PPCI, loading doses of aspirin (300 mg) and clopidogrel (600 mg) were given orally in the ambulance. Blood samples were obtained immediately prior to PPCI, at 4 and 12 hours after administration of bolus doses and at follow-up after 3 months. Residual platelet aggregation was evaluated by Multiplate® and VerifyNow® aggregometry. Platelet turnover was evaluated by automated flow cytometry. In the acute phase of STEMI at the time of PPCI, residual platelet aggregation was significantly higher prior to PPCI compared to 4 and 12 hours after loading doses of aspirin and clopidogrel and 3 months later (p-values < 0.01). Furthermore, platelet turnover indices (mean platelet volume, immature platelet fraction, and immature platelet count) were increased in the acute phase of STEMI compared to 3 months after PPCI (p-values < 0.0001). In conclusion, residual platelet aggregation was high in the acute phase of STEMI despite dual antiplatelet treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel. Increased platelet turnover may partly explain the reduced efficacy of antiplatelet drugs in the acute phase of STEMI.
Effect of aerobic training on orthostatic tolerance, circulatory response, and heart rate dynamics.

BACKGROUND This study was performed to investigate the effects of aerobic training on orthostatic tolerance and to quantify the post-training changes in cardiovascular response and heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS Tolerance and circulatory responses to two types of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) were examined and compared in a group of healthy male students before and after 6 mo of aerobic training, and the results were further compared with a group of athletes (runners). Changes in HRV associated with training were analyzed by conventional and time-varying autoregressive spectral analysis, as well as by approximate entropy measurement (ApEn)--a statistic quantifying heart rate "complexity" derived from non-linear dynamics. RESULTS After aerobic training, there was an initial transient hypotension during the supine -50 mmHg LBNP testing and a significant decrease in tolerance to upright graded LBNP in most of the student-subjects. Moreover, after training, there was a significant decrease in ApEn value of the HRV time series during both supine control and LBNP testing, and the rate of cardiac vagal withdrawal and sympathetic activation during the onset of LBNP was faster than that before training. CONCLUSIONS The present study has provided further evidence that certain types of aerobic training may affect orthostatic tolerance and may be associated with a loss of complexity of HRV during supine resting and orthostatic stress.
A comparison of artificial neural networks and random forests to predict native fish species richness in Mediterranean rivers

Machine learning (ML) techniques have become important to support decision making in management and conservation of freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Given the large number of ML techniques and to improve the understanding of ML utility in ecology, it is necessary to perform comparative studies of these techniques as a preparatory analysis for future model applications. The objectives of this study were (i) to compare the reliability and ecological relevance of two predictive models for fish richness, based on the techniques of artificial neural networks (ANN) and random forests (RF) and (ii) to evaluate the conformity in terms of selected important variables between the two modelling approaches. The effectiveness of the models were evaluated using three performance metrics: the determination coefficient (R 2 ), the mean squared error (MSE) and the adjusted determination coefficient (R 2 adj and both models were developed using a k -fold crossvalidation procedure. According to the results, both techniques had similar validation performance (R 2 = 68% for RF and R 2 = 66% for ANN). Although the two methods selected different subsets of input variables, both models demonstrated high ecological relevance for the conservation of native fish in the Mediterranean region. Moreover, this work shows how the use of different modelling methods can assist the critical analysis of predictions at a catchment scale.
Evolutionary Basis of Adaptation in Resilience and Vulnerability

Abstract: This masterful and wide‐ranging paper gives us a clear picture of the need for interdisciplinary studies of resilience and vulnerability. We need to go beyond the interacting events at the different levels to see clearly that multiple levels of analysis and concept do not themselves interact, but instead give us different aspects of a biological, psychological, or behavioral event. Thus, no levels are reducible to any of the others. In the rest of my discussion, I raise the likelihood that the multiple level responses of “resilience” are no more adaptive in their evolutionary history than the very different responses we call “vulnerability. ” Keeping in mind the evolved functions of these responses, and the circumstances of their selection during evolution, will provide us with new ideas and approaches for understanding and intervention.
Teacher Leaders’ Perceptions Of Their Influence On The Distributed Leadership Process At A Middle School

This interpretive, qualitative study explores the perspectives of teacher leaders within the middle school setting as to how they perceive their role influences the distributed leadership process. Five significant themes, with subthemes emerged from the data as a result of the analysis process. These themes were identified as Leadership style, Empowerment, Social Influence, Commitment and Job Role Confusion . This data allowed the researcher to develop several conclusions, including the need to clarify the specific responsibilities associated with the team leader role and the importance of developing more appropriate professional development opportunities for team leaders, specifically in the areas of team building or leadership strategies and data literacy. Recommendations include revisiting the role of the team leaders in the decision-making process within the distributed leadership team, and evaluating the job role responsibilities in relation to the corresponding level of compensation and allotted work time.
Development of through silicon via (TSV) interposer technology for large die (21×21mm) fine-pitch Cu/low-k FCBGA package

Because of Moore's (scaling/integration) law, the Cu/low-k silicon chip is getting bigger, the pin-out is getting higher, and the pitch is getting finer. Thus, the conventional organic buildup substrates cannot support these kinds of silicon chips anymore. To address these needs, Si interposer with TSV has emerged as a good solution to provide high wiring density interconnection, to minimize CTE mismatch to the Cu/low-k chip that is vulnerable to thermal-mechanical stress, and to improve electrical performance due to shorter interconnection from the chip to the substrate. This paper presents the development of TSV interposer technology for a 21×21 mm Cu/low-k test chip on FCBGA package. The Cu/low-k chip is a 65 nm, 9-metal layer chip with 150 µm SnAg bump pitch of total 11,000 I/O, with via chain and daisy chain for interconnect integrity monitoring and reliability testing. The TSV interposer size is 25×25×0.3 mm with CuNiAu as UBM on the top side, and SnAgCu bumps on the underside. The conventional BT substrate size is 45×45 mm with BGA pad pitch of 1 mm and core thickness of 0.8 mm. Mechanical and thermal modeling and simulation for the FCBGA package with TSV interposer have been performed. TSV interposer fabrication processes and assembly process of the large die mounted on TSV interposer with Pb-free micro solder bumps and underfill have been set up. The FCBGA samples have been subjected to moisture sensitivity test and thermal cycling (TC) reliability assessments.
On the Representation of Primes in Q ( √ 2 ) as Sums of Squares

It is shown that the set of prime integers in Q( √ 2) is partitioned into two sets with respect to their representation as a sum of squares: 1) a set S0 of primes that cannot be represented as a sum of squares; 2) a set S2 of primes that can be represented as a sum of two squares. Moreover, we give an effective, polynomial-time Euclidean Algorithm for the ring of integers of the cyclotomic field Q(ζ8) and use it to show how such representations in Q( √ 2) can be found with deterministic polynomial complexity.