Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DesignSignatures: a tool for designing primers that yields amplicons with distinct signatures

UNLABELLED For numerous experimental applications, PCR primers must be designed to efficiently amplify a set of homologous DNA sequences while giving rise to amplicons with maximally diverse signatures. We developed DesignSignatures to automate the process of designing primers for high-resolution melting (HRM), fragment length polymorphism (FLP) and sequencing experiments. The program also finds the best restriction enzyme to further diversify HRM or FLP signatures. This enables efficient comparison across many experimental designs in order to maximize signature diversity. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION DesignSignatures is accessible as a web tool at www.DECIPHER. cee.wisc. edu, or as part of the DECIPHER open source software package for R available from BioConductor. CONTACT kalin@discovery.wisc. edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Epithelial polarity, villin expression, and enterocytic differentiation of cultured human colon carcinoma cells: a survey of twenty cell lines.

Twenty human colon carcinoma cell lines were studied for their ability to develop some of the characteristics of the normal intestinal epithelium, e.g., epithelial polarity, presence of the actin-binding protein villin, or the occurrence of an enterocytic differentiation either when cultured under standard conditions, as for Caco-2 cells, or when grown in a glucose-free medium, as for HT-29 cells. Except for the regular presence of villin, which can be considered a marker of the colonic origin of the cells, the cell lines of this study could be classified into four types with regard to their differentiation characteristics. In type 1 (only one cell line, i.e., Caco-2) the cells undergo spontaneously an enterocytic differentiation characterized by a polarization of the cell layer with the formation of domes and the presence of an apical brush border the membrane of which is endowed with hydrolases such as sucrase-isomaltase, lactase, amino-peptidase N, dipeptidylpeptidase IV and alkaline phosphatase. In type 2 (three cell lines: HT-29, HCT-EB, and HCT-GEO) the cells are undifferentiated when grown in the presence of glucose but undergo an enterocytic differentiation when grown in the absence of glucose. In type 3 (eight cell lines: HCT-GLY, HCT-FET, HCT-FRI, HCT-CBS, HCT-ALA, Co-115, HRT-18, and SW-1116) the cells are organized into a polarized monolayer with the formation of domes but without any enterocytic differentiation characteristics, whatever the culture conditions. In type 4 (eight cell lines: HCT-116a, HCT-R, HCT-RCA, HCT-Moser, HCT-8R, SW-480, LS-174T, and Vaco-9P) the cells are organized into a multilayer without any feature of epithelial polarity or enterocytic differentiation, whatever the culture conditions.
A collective model for inner shell ionization of very heavy targets

We present a theoretical study of the ionization of inner shells, such as L and M shells of Au, Pb and Bi or K-shell of Sb. The ionization is described using a collective response model, the shellwise local plasma approximation (SLPA). This model deals with each sub-shell of target electrons as an inhomogeneous electron gas with an ionization threshold. No parameters are included, just the theoretical wave functions of the ground state and the binding energies. The validity range is that of the perturbative approximation, high energies and asymmetric projectile target relation. In the case of Sb, known Hartree–Fock wave functions and energies are used. Instead, for Au, Pb and Bi, they were obtained in fully relativistic way by solving numerically the Dirac equation. The SLPA describes well the experimental data for K-shell ionization of Sb by O and F positive ions. However, it underestimates the data for C or lighter ions. Good results are obtained for M-shell ionization of Au and Bi above 2 MeV/amu, and for L-shell ionization of Au and Pb above 10 MeV/amu. For Land M-shells, the SLPA tends to underestimate the data for energies below the range of validity of the model but approaches the experimental data for higher energies.
Commercial fault tolerance: a tale of two systems

This paper compares and contrasts the design philosophies and implementations of two computer system families: the IBM S/360 and its evolution to the current zSeries line, and the Tandem (now HP) NonStop/spl reg/ Server. Both systems have a long history; the initial IBM S/360 machines were shipped in 1964, and the Tandem NonStop System was first shipped in 1976. They were aimed at similar markets, what would today be called enterprise-class applications. The requirement for the original S/360 line was for very high availability; the requirement for the NonStop platform was for single fault tolerance against unplanned outages. Since their initial shipments, availability expectations for both platforms have continued to rise and the system designers and developers have been challenged to keep up. There were and still are many similarities in the design philosophies of the two lines, including the use of redundant components and extensive error checking. The primary difference is that the S/360-zSeries focus has been on localized retry and restore to keep processors functioning as long as possible, while the NonStop developers have based systems on a loosely coupled multiprocessor design that supports a "fail-fast" philosophy implemented through a combination of hardware and software, with workload being actively taken over by another resource when one fails.
Two-dimensional distributed spectrum reusing in cognitive radio network: Based on game theory

We investigate the global throughput maximization of distributed spectrum reusing (DSR) in cognitive radio (CR) network, which reaches the two-dimensional spectrum multiplexing. Most previous works only consider the temporal-domain accessing, which greatly underutilize the spectrum resources. In this paper, we propose a new temporal-spatial spectrum reusing scheme by fully exploiting the location information of devices, where multiple users can access one channel simultaneously. In distributed applications, the global information will be unavailable, and therefore a non-cooperative game is formulated. It is proved as an exact potential game (EPG), which has at least one pure strategy Nash equilibrium (NE). Then, an improved decentralized reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm is developed to achieve the NE points. The network performance is evaluated by computer simulations.
Conceptual Spaces and the Consequences of Category Spanning

A general finding in economic and organizational sociology shows that objects that span categories lose appeal to audiences. This paper argues that the negative consequences of crossing boundaries are more severe when the categories spanned are distant and have high contrast. Available empirical strategies do not incorporate information on the distances among categories. Here we introduce novel measures of distance in conceptual space and derive measures for typicality, category contrast, and categorical niche width. Using the proposed measurement approach, we test our theory using data on online reviews of books and restaurants.
LEMap: Controlling leakage in large chip-multiprocessor caches via profile-guided virtual address translation

The emerging trend of larger number of cores or processors on a single chip in the server, desktop, and mobile notebook platforms necessarily demands larger amount of on-chip last level cache. However, larger caches threaten to dramatically increase the leakage power as the industry moves into deeper sub-micron technology. In this paper, with the aim of reducing leakage energy we introduce LEMap (low energy map), a novel virtual address translation scheme to control the set of physical pages mapped to each bank of a large multi-banked non-uniform access L2 cache shared across all the cores. Combination of profiling, a simple off-line clustering algorithm, and a new flavor of Irix-style application-directed page placement system call maps the virtual pages that are accessed in the L2 cache roughly together onto the same region of the cache. Thus LEMap makes the access windows of the pages mapped to a region roughly identical and increases the average idle time of a region. As a result, powering down a region after the last access to the clusters of the corresponding virtual pages saves a much bigger amount of L2 cache energy compared to a usual virtual address translation scheme that is oblivious to access patterns. Our execution-driven simulation of an eight-core chip-multiprocessor with a 16 MB shared L2 cache using a 65 nm process on eight shared memory parallel applications drawn from SPLASH-2, SPEC OMP, and DIS suites shows that LEMap, on average, saves 7% of total energy, 50% of L2 cache energy, and 52% of L2 cache power while suffering from a 3% loss in performance compared to a baseline system that employs drowsy cells as well as region power-down without access clustering.
Risky Choice and Type-Uncertainty in "Deal or No Deal?"

This paper uses data from the popular television game-show, "Deal or No Deal? ", to analyse the way individuals make choices under risk. In a unique approach to the problem, I present a formal game-theoretical model of the show in which both the contestant and the banker are modelled as strategic players. I use standard techniques to form hypotheses of how rational expected utility-maximisers would behave as players in the game and I test these hypotheses with the relevant choice data. The main result is that an increasing o¤er function is the result of optimal behaviour when the banker is uncertain about the contestant.s risk attitudes. This result provides a theoretical foundation to the empirical model of the banker that pervades the literature. Estimates of the coefficient of relative risk aversion are consistent with estimates from other studies and estimates of the discernment parameter suggest contestants have difficulty making choices.
Feasibility study on wireless power transfer for wearable devices

In cases where a user wears multiple devices, power supply and management for these devices can be a significant problem. In this research, we propose utilizing a wireless power transfer technique between items of clothing, with the aim of distributing power from a single (or a few) source(s) to multiple devices. Considering the power transfer between a pair of trousers and a shirt as a first step, we investigated three models of resonators attached to fabric on the surface of the clothing. Power transmission efficiencies were measured as a function of the misalignment of the resonator coils. The results showed that the helical model achieved stable wireless power transmission, while the single and array models could achieve higher efficiencies if the transmitter and receiver coils were kept in opportune alignment.
Multiplicative window generators of pseudo-random test vectors

New arithmetic two-dimensional generators of pseudo-random test vectors are presented. As an integral part of a recently proposed arithmetic built-in self test (ABIST) environment, all generation functions are executed by basic building blocks performing regular functions of data path architectures, yet the scheme is compatible with scan, parallel scan, partial scan and boundary scan designs. The need for extra hardware is either entirely eliminated or drastically reduced, test vectors can be easily distributed to different modules of the system, and there is virtually no performance degradation.
Active Polymer Gel Actuators

Many kinds of stimuli-responsive polymer and gels have been developed and applied to biomimetic actuators or artificial muscles. Electroactive polymers that change shape when stimulated electrically seem to be particularly promising. In all cases, however, the mechanical motion is driven by external stimuli, for example, reversing the direction of electric field. On the other hand, many living organisms can generate an autonomous motion without external driving stimuli like self-beating of heart muscles. Here we show a novel biomimetic gel actuator that can walk spontaneously with a worm-like motion without switching of external stimuli. The self-oscillating motion is produced by dissipating chemical energy of oscillating reaction. Although the gel is completely composed of synthetic polymer, it shows autonomous motion as if it were alive.
Effects of neurological damage on production of formulaic language

Early studies reported preserved formulaic language in left hemisphere damaged subjects and reduced incidence of formulaic expressions in the conversational speech of stroke patients with right hemispheric damage. Clinical observations suggest a possible role also of subcortical nuclei. This study examined formulaic language in the spontaneous speech of stroke patients with left, right, or subcortical damage. Four subjects were interviewed and their speech samples compared to normal speakers. Raters classified formulaic expressions as speech formulae, fillers, sentence stems, and proper nouns. Results demonstrated that brain damage affected novel and formulaic language competence differently, with a significantly smaller proportion of formulaic expressions in subjects with right or subcortical damage compared to left hemisphere damaged or healthy speakers. These findings converge with previous studies that support the proposal of a right hemisphere/subcortical circuit in the management of formulaic expressions, based on a dual‐process model of language incorporating novel and formulaic language use.
Early warning and tracking technology against large-scaleflow attack in information network for ITS

The critical security problem in ITS information network is network availability. It is important to avoid flow attack against network availability. This paper analyzes first several current IP-track technologies to find attack route, then analyzes and evaluates the “Vector edge router sampling” (RVES) method proposed by Chinese experts lately. We developed a prototype system based on RVES way, and carry on experiment in ITS network, results show that the RVES method is easy to implement and flexible for marking probability's strategy configuration, which can effectively solve the early warning and detect problem about flow attack. Lastly, we proposed possible real world applications of RVES.
Sign language recognition system via Kinect: Number and english alphabet

The population of deaf-mute in Taiwan is increasing every year. These deaf-mute persons usually use sign language to communicate with each other. However, most hearing persons cannot understand sign languages because they have not learned it. In order to let normal persons understand sign language, a sign language recognition system is necessary. In this paper, such a sign language recognition system is proposed. In the proposed system, a depth image is captured by Kinect sensor, palm area is segmented from depth image, palm binary image is thresholded by using Otsu thresholding method, and background noises are removed by morphological closing operators, and SURF features and descriptors are extracted to identify the sign language. Experimental results show that the proposed method is effective to detect and identify the numerals and letters in the English Alphabet used in the sign language.
Linearization method of voltage gain for VSI-PWM in overmodulation area

In paper is considered the problem of the extension of linear control range of output voltage of VSI-PWM due to use of overmodulation area. Linearization method of the voltage gain in the all range up to the six-step mode is offered. Comparing of the offered method with a method pulse-width control on quality of output voltage is carried out.
Association of exposure to violence and potential traumatic events with self-reported physical and mental health status in the Central African Republic.

CONTEXT For decades, the Central African Republic (CAR) has experienced violence, economic stagnation, and institutional failure. The latest wave of violence erupted in 2001 and continues to this day in some areas. Yet there has been little attention to the conflict and even less research to document and quantify the conflict's human cost. OBJECTIVE To study levels of violence in CAR, including mortality levels, and the association between exposure to violence and traumatic events with self-reported physical and mental health status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Multistage stratified cluster random survey of 1879 adults 18 years or older in selected households conducted in 5 administrative units of CAR (3 in the south, which has been free from recent violence, and 2 in the north, in which violence continues) between October and December 2009. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mortality, morbidity, exposure to potential traumatic events, sense of insecurity, and meeting of symptom criteria for depression and anxiety using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 with a cut-off score of 1.75. RESULTS The crude mortality rate (CMR) was 4.9 deaths (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.6-5.1) per 1000 population per month and self-reported CMR due to violence was 0.8 deaths (95% CI, 0.6-1.0) per 1000 population per month. Thirty-five percent reported their physical health status as being good or very good while 29% described it as bad or very bad. Respondents in northern prefectures reported higher rates of mortality, exposure to trauma, and insecurity and lower levels of physical health and access to health services compared with those in the south. The estimated prevalences of symptoms of depression and anxiety were 55.3% (95% CI, 51.6%-59.0%) and 52.5% (95% CI, 48.1%-56.8%), respectively. Exposure to violence and self-reported physical health were statistically associated with mental health outcomes (P < .001). Anxiety symptom scores were higher for respondents in the northern prefectures than those in the south (t = 2.54, P = .01). CONCLUSION A high proportion of adult respondents in CAR reported witnessing or having personally experienced traumatic events over the course of the conflicts, and more than half met symptom criteria for depression and anxiety.
How Deployments Affect Service Members

Abstract : The military operations under way in Iraq and Afghanistan require more-intensive and more-prolonged use of U.S. military power than at any time since the Vietnam War. Although greater in scale at its peak, the Gulf War was brief and did not extend into a long period of peacekeeping, reconstruction, and insurgency, and it did not involve urban conflict, suicide bombers, or roadside bombs. The one-third cut in active-duty manpower at the end of the Cold War, from 2.1 million to 1.4 million in uniform, has today resulted in the need for longer and repeated deployments, especially for the Army and the Marine Corps, and these deployments have posed challenges for active-duty service members and for their families. We undertook preparation of this monograph with the objective of offering insights into the challenges faced by active-duty service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, the resiliency they and their families have shown in coping with these challenges, and the adequacy of defense manpower policy in assisting members and families. The monograph draws on the perspectives of economics, sociology, and psychology; provides a formal model of deployment and retention; reviews published work; reports on the results of focus groups conducted in each of the services; and presents findings from an analysis of survey data. The focus groups and survey data relate to the period from 2003 to early 2004. And, although the circumstances in Iraq and Afghanistan have changed markedly from that time, we believe that many of the monograph's findings and implications remain relevant. The monograph may be of interest to the military services, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, individual service members and their families, members of Congress and their staff, and the media. It may also interest foreign militaries that have converted to a volunteer system and that want to be informed about the personnel strains caused by a high operating tempo.
Institutional change and the multinational change agent: A study of the temporary staffing industry in Spain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in local institutional change. To what extent do multinational organizations help or hinder change, in particular new industry creation? Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a qualitative case study examining the role of multinational temporary work agencies in the development of temporary agency market in Spain.Findings – The authors find that while multinational firms were less constrained by the norms, values and logics of the home environment, they also encountered specific challenges in the implementation of new practices. First, high‐profile introduction of a novel practice requires checks and balances to manage unanticipated developments, such as undesirable activities by opportunistic actors that may derail the change process. Second, rapid growth is not conducive to concerted efforts at industry level, leaving the public identity of the institutional innovation extremely vulnerable. Third, h.
SMart-Learning: State Machine Simulators for Developing Thinking Skills

This paper presents SMart-Learning, which is a set of state machine simulators for developing thinking skills. SMart-Learning handles a variant state machine diagram notation based on UML. The learners of the diagram require various thinking skills such as requirements analysis, concept formation including abstraction for a domain, and modeling conforming to the semantics. Evaluation of their diagrams is crucial in such learning but should not place an unnecessary burden on the learners when they use tools supporting the evaluation. However, usability aspects other than effectiveness of such tools has not received much attention. SMart-Learning provides three simulators to improve learners' skills step by step. Through an evaluation in which five learners use SMart-Learning, the effectiveness, especially usability, is discussed.
Activation of Basophils Is a New and Sensitive Marker of Biocompatibility in Hemodialysis

The hemodialysis procedure involves contact between peripheral blood and the surface of dialyzer membranes, which may lead to alterations in the pathways of innate and adaptive immunity. We aimed to study the effect of blood–membrane interaction on human peripheral basophils and neutrophils in hemodialysis with high- and low-permeability polysulfone dialyzers. The surface expression of CD203c (basophil selection marker) and CD63 (activation marker) after activation by the bacterial peptide formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) or anti-Fcε receptor I (FcεRI) antibody and the absolute number of basophils was investigated before and after hemodialysis with each of the dialyzers. Moreover, the expression on neutrophils of CD11b, the CD11b active epitope, and CD88 was analyzed in the same groups of individuals. The expression of CD63 in basophils following activation by fMLP was significantly higher in the patient group compared with that in healthy controls, but no differences were observed after activation by anti-FcεRI. During the hemodialysis procedure, the low-flux membrane induced up-regulation of CD63 expression on basophils, while passage through the high-flux membrane did not significantly alter the responsiveness. In addition, the absolute number of basophils was unchanged after hemodialysis with either of the dialyzers and compared with healthy controls. We found no significant differences in the expression of the neutrophil activation markers (CD11b, the active epitope of CD11b, and CD88) comparing the two different dialyzers before and after dialysis and healthy controls. Together, these findings suggest that alterations in basophil activity may be a useful marker of membrane bioincompatibility in hemodialysis.