Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective Binding of Distamycin A Derivative to G-Quadruplex Structure [d(TGGGGT)]4

Guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences can adopt G-quadruplex structures stabilized by layers of four Hoogsteen-paired guanine residues. Quadruplex-prone sequences are found in many regions of human genome and in the telomeres of all eukaryotic organisms. Since small molecules that target G-quadruplexes have been found to be effective telomerase inhibitors, the identification of new specific ligands for G-quadruplexes is emerging as a promising approach to develop new anticancer drugs. Distamycin A is known to bind to AT-rich sequences of duplex DNA, but it has recently been shown to interact also with G-quadruplexes. Here, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and NMR techniques have been employed to characterize the interaction between a dicationic derivative of distamycin A (compound 1) and the [d(TGGGGT)]4 quadruplex. Additionally, to compare the binding behaviour of netropsin and compound 1 to the same target, a calometric study of the interaction between netropsin and [d(TGGGGT)]4 has been performed. Experiments show that netropsin and compound 1 are able to bind to [d(TGGGGT)]4 with good affinity and comparable thermodynamic profiles. In both cases the interactions are entropically driven processes with a small favourable enthalpic contribution. Interestingly, the structural modifications of compound 1 decrease the affinity of the ligand toward the duplex, enhancing the selectivity.
Constrained model predictive control of PEM fuel cell with guaranteed stability

In this paper, a constrained model predictive controller with guaranteed stability is proposed for a PEM fuel cell. The aim is to prevent oxygen starvation by controlling the air supply system, when the control system is affected by required stack current as a measurable disturbance. The compressor voltage is controlled to regulate the oxygen excess ratio towards a desired equilibrium to avoid oxygen starvation. A dual-mode controller is utilized to guarantee input-to-state stability. In a neighborhood of the target state, the control action is generated by a local state feedback controller and outside this neighborhood model predictive control is employed. Linear Matrix Inequalities is used to obtain a terminal cost and a local state-feedback control law to satisfy MPC input-to-state stabilization conditions. A nonlinear dynamical model of PEM fuel cell is used as a simulator. Simulation results indicate that the proposed controller leads to improved stability and much less computations with respect to conventional GPC controllers.
Economic Challenges for Global Governance

Trade and investment liberalization policies put in place in the 1980’s ushered in a new era of globalization and currently form the mainstay of global development policy. However, underdevelopment itself originated in the context of globalization in the 19th century. I first summarize the salient facts of global economic growth and development since the Industrial Revolution, namely: the central roles of productivity, trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), the concentration of innovation, the deindustrialization of the periphery, the Great Divergence, persistence of middle per-capita income levels, miracle growth, the demographic transition, the role of institutions and conditional convergence. I then present, in diagrammatic form, a model of endogenous technological change explaining how trade and FDI raise the world growth rate but focus innovation in advanced and larger countries, thus generating multiple steady states in economic growth. The theory explains the simultaneous historical emergence of development and underdevelopment. So long as underdevelopment persists this generates a polarized, rather than an equal, form of globalization. Nevertheless, an adequate orchestration of the forces of globalization ensuring that technological change accrues equally across countries can break the cycle of inequality and generate economic development everywhere. Such policies, based on export promotion, technological adoption, human capital formation and infrastructure investment, not only are economically favorable to all, tending to raise the world growth rate, but also tend to strengthen democratic institutions everywhere, to accelerate the demographic transition in the Third World, and promote a more harmonious global economic integration.
High Payload Reversible Data Hiding Scheme Using Difference Segmentation and Histogram Shifting

Steganography is a technique that conceals secret data into a cover medium for delivering secret data over public computer networks. Reversible data hiding schemes not only can achieve secret data delivery, but also can restore the cover medium. Histogram shifting is one of the most popular reversible data hiding techniques. Luo et al. presented a reversible data hiding technique that shifts the histogram of prediction error. But the embedding payload of Luo et al.'s method can further be improved. The proposed method uses a difference segmentation strategy and pseudo pixel generation to increase the height of peak in the prediction error histogram. The experimental results show that the embedding payload of the proposed method is higher than that of Luo et al.'s method.
Prognostic Value of RT-PCR Tyrosinase Detection in Peripheral Blood of Melanoma Patients

Malignant melanoma (MM) prognosis has been related to tumour thickness and clinical stage and metastasis risk has been associated with presence of tumour cells in peripheral blood. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between presence of tyrosinase in peripheral blood of MM patients and their clinical prognosis. Blood samples from 58 MM patients (stage I–IV) were analysed, using RT-PCR assay to detect tyrosinase mRNA. The results showed that positive RT-PCR assay for tyrosinase were significantly associated with clinical status and tumour thickness. After a median follow-up of 24 months, RT-PCR results were found to be significant correlated with recurrence (p < 0.05) and clinical stage III (p < 0.05). Separate analysis of stage III tumours to determine the prognostic value of tyrosinase presence in peripheral blood showed an overall 24-month survival rate of 70% in the RT-PCR negative group versus 10% in the positive group (p < 0.02). These results suggest that detection of circulating melanoma cells may be especially relevant in stage III patients, in whom RT-PCR positivity defines a subpopulation at high risk of recurrence.
Analytical and numerical analysis of dead-time distortion in power inverters

The analytical spectrum of a pulse width modulated signal with dead-times is derived in this paper. The results are valid for any bounded, bandlimited signal. The harmonic content of the output voltage is computed by dividing the PWM signal in three components: a 50% duty cycle square-wave, a symetrical, time-varying duty cycle square wave, and a pulse train that accounts for the dead-time. Specific expressions are obtained for simple modulating signals. Some numerical examples are included for comparison with theoretical results.
Handbook of Party Politics

Introduction - Richard S Katz and William Crotty PART ONE: DEFINITION OF PARTY What is a Political Party? - John Kenneth White The Nineteenth-Century Origins of Modern Political Parties - Susan E Scarrow The Unwanted Emergence of Party-Based Politics Party Origins and Evolution in the United States - William Crotty Party in Democratic Theory - Richard S Katz Political Parties and Deliberative Democracy? - James Johnson Party Systems and Party System Types - Steven Wolinetz PART TWO: FUNCTIONS OF PARTY Political Parties as Mechanisms of Social Choice - Marjorie Randon Hershey Recruitment - Pippa Norris Candidate Selection - Reuven Y Hazan and Gideon Rahat Methods and Consequences Political Parties in a Changing Campaign Environment - David M Farrell On the Cusp of Change - John Green Party Finance in the United States Political Parties, American Campaigns, and Effects on Outcomes - Brian J Brox and Daron R. Shaw Parties and Government - Hans Keman Features of Governing in Representative Democracies Parties into Government - Lieven de Winter and Patrick Dumont Still Many Puzzles Party Patronage and Colonization of the State - Wolfgang C M[um]uller Exceptionalism in the United States - Nicol C Rae Party System Institutionalization and Party System Theory After the Third Wave of Democratization - Scott Mainwaring and Mariano Torcal Party Politics in Post-Communist Transitions - Zsolt Enyedi Party, Ethnicity and Democratization in Africa - Shaheen Mozaffar PART THREE: PARTY ORGANIZATION Party Models - Andr[ac]e Krouwel American Exceptionalism - Alan Ware Movement Parties - Herbert Kitschelt Political Parties as Multi-Level Organizations - Kris Deschouwer Party Membership and Participation - Knut Heidar Electoral Mobilization in the United States - James W Endersby, John R Petrocik and Daron R Shaw Professional Staff in Political Parties - Paul Webb and Robin Kolodny Party Crashers? The Relationship Between Political Consultants and Political Parties - David A Dulio PART FOUR: PARTY AND SOCIETY Party and Social Structure - Peter M Siavelis Cleavages - Peter Mair Political Parties and Social Capital, Political Parties or Social Capital - Eric M Uslaner Political Parties and Social Structure in the Developing World - Vicky Randall Political Parties and Other Organizations - Thomas Poguntke Clientelism and Party Politics - Jonathan Hopkin Party as a Carrier of Ideas - Francesca Vassallo and Clyde Wilcox Identifying Dimensions and Locating Parties - Ian Budge Methodological and Conceptual Problems PART FIVE: PARTIES AND THE STATE Party Law - Wolfgang C M[um]uller and Ulrich Sieberer Regulation of Party Finance - Karl-Heinz Nassmacher Legal Regulation and Protection of American Parties - Daniel H Lowenstein Party States and State Parties - Paul G Lewis PART SIX: PARTIES IN THE FUTURE The International Role of Political Parties - Kay Lawson European Union and Political Parties - Robert Ladrech Party Transformations - William Crotty The United States and Western Europe Parties in the Media Age - Holli A Semetko Cyber Parties - Helen Margetts
Inter-Laboratory Assessment of a Prototype Multiplex Kit for Determination of Recent HIV-1 Infection

Background Accurate and reliable laboratory-based assays are needed for estimating HIV-1 incidence from cross-sectional samples. We recently described the development of a customized, HIV-1-specific Bio-Plex assay that allows for the measurement of HIV-specific antibody levels and avidity to multiple analytes for improved HIV-1 incidence estimates. Methods To assess intra- and inter-laboratory assay performance, prototype multiplex kits were developed and evaluated by three distinct laboratories. Longitudinal seroconversion specimens were tested in parallel by each laboratory and kit performance was compared to that of an in-house assay. Additionally, the ability of the kit to distinguish recent from long-term HIV-1 infection, as compared to the in-house assay, was determined by comparing the reactivity of known recent (infected <6 months) and long-term (infected >12 months) drug naïve specimens. Results Although the range of reactivity for each analyte varied between the prototype kit and in-house assay, a measurable distinction in reactivity between recent and long-term specimens was observed with both assays in all three laboratories. Additionally, kit performance was consistent between all three laboratories. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV), between sample replicates for all laboratories, ranged from 0.5% to 6.1%. The inter-laboratory CVs ranged from 8.5% to 21.3% for gp160-avidity index (a) and gp120-normalized mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) value (n), respectively. Conclusion We demonstrate the feasibility of producing a multiplex kit for measuring HIV antibody levels and avidity, with the potential for improved incidence estimates based on multi-analyte algorithms. The availability of a commercial kit will facilitate the transfer of technology among diverse laboratories for widespread assay use.
Efficient Energy-Optimal Routing for Electric Vehicles

Traditionally routing has focused on finding shortest paths in networks with positive, static edge costs representing the distance between two nodes. Energy-optimal routing for electric vehicles creates novel algorithmic challenges, as simply understanding edge costs as energy values and applying standard algorithms does not work. First, edge costs can be negative due to recuperation, excluding Dijkstra-like algorithms. Second, edge costs may depend on parameters such as vehicle weight only known at query time, ruling out existing preprocessing techniques. Third, considering battery capacity limitations implies that the cost of a path is no longer just the sum of its edge costs. This paper shows how these challenges can be met within the framework of A* search. We show how the specific domain gives rise to a consistent heuristic function yielding an O(n2) routing algorithm. Moreover, we show how battery constraints can be treated by dynamically adapting edge costs and hence can be handled in the same way as parameters given at query time, without increasing run-time complexity. Experimental results with real road networks and vehicle data demonstrate the advantages of our solution.
On the Eeciency of the Orthogonal Least Squares Training Method for Radial Basis Function Networks

The eeciency of the Orthogonal Least Squares (OLS) method for training approximation networks is examined using the criterion of energy compaction. We show that the selection of basis vectors produced by the procedure is not the most compact when the approximation is performed using a non-orthogonal basis. Hence, the algorithm does not produce the smallest possible networks for a given approximation error. Speciic examples are given using the Gaussian Radial Basis Functions (RBF) type of approximation networks.
Ionic selectivity in L-type calcium channels by electrostatics and hard-core repulsion

A physical model of selective “ion binding” in the L-type calcium channel is constructed, and consequences of the model are compared with experimental data. This reduced model treats only ions and the carboxylate oxygens of the EEEE locus explicitly and restricts interactions to hard-core repulsion and ion–ion and ion–dielectric electrostatic forces. The structural atoms provide a flexible environment for passing cations, thus resulting in a self-organized induced-fit model of the selectivity filter. Experimental conditions involving binary mixtures of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal ions are computed using equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble. The model pore rejects alkali metal ions in the presence of biological concentrations of Ca2+ and predicts the blockade of alkali metal ion currents by micromolar Ca2+. Conductance patterns observed in varied mixtures containing Na+ and Li+, or Ba2+ and Ca2+, are predicted. Ca2+ is substantially more potent in blocking Na+ current than Ba2+. In apparent contrast to experiments using buffered Ca2+ solutions, the predicted potency of Ca2+ in blocking alkali metal ion currents depends on the species and concentration of the alkali metal ion, as is expected if these ions compete with Ca2+ for the pore. These experiments depend on the problematic estimation of Ca2+ activity in solutions buffered for Ca2+ and pH in a varying background of bulk salt. Simulations of Ca2+ distribution with the model pore bathed in solutions containing a varied amount of Li+ reveal a “barrier and well” pattern. The entry/exit barrier for Ca2+ is strongly modulated by the Li+ concentration of the bath, suggesting a physical explanation for observed kinetic phenomena. Our simulations show that the selectivity of L-type calcium channels can arise from an interplay of electrostatic and hard-core repulsion forces among ions and a few crucial channel atoms. The reduced system selects for the cation that delivers the largest charge in the smallest ion volume.
Microlearning and the Knowledge Maturing Process : Towards Conceptual Foundations for Work-Integrated Microlearning Support

As a response to the new flexibility in work environments, work-integrated learning on demand is an appropriate form of learning which is in line with microlearning ideas. But in a world of microcontent, we need to consider that not all content is appropriate for everybody. The knowledge maturing process allows for distinguishing between different levels of maturity, and technical learning support based on the maturity level can provide automated guidance to make microlearning more efficient.
Discriminating children with language impairment among English-language learners from diverse first-language backgrounds.

PURPOSE In this study, the authors sought to determine whether a combination of English-language measures and a parent questionnaire on first-language development could adequately discriminate between English-language learners (ELLs) with and without language impairment (LI) when children had diverse first-language backgrounds. METHOD Participants were 152 typically developing (TD) children and 26 children with LI; groups were matched for age (M = 5;10 [years;months]) and exposure to English (M = 21 months). Children were given English standardized tests of nonword repetition, tense morphology, narrative story grammar, and receptive vocabulary. Parents were given a questionnaire on children's first-language development. RESULTS ELLs with LI had significantly lower scores than the TD ELLs on the first-language questionnaire and all the English-language measures except for vocabulary. Linear discriminant function analyses showed that good discrimination between the TD and LI groups could be achieved with all measures, except vocabulary, combined. The strongest discriminator was the questionnaire, followed by nonword repetition and tense morphology. CONCLUSION Discrimination of children with LI among a diverse group of ELLs might be possible when using a combination of measures. Children with LI exhibit deficits in similar linguistic/cognitive domains regardless of whether English is their first or second language.
Incremental Top-k List Comparison Approach to Robust Multi-Structure Model Fitting

Random hypothesis sampling lies at the core of many popular robust fitting techniques such as RANSAC. In this paper, we propose a novel hypothesis sampling scheme based on incremental computation of distances between partial rankings (top-$k$ lists) derived from residual sorting information. Our method simultaneously (1) guides the sampling such that hypotheses corresponding to all true structures can be quickly retrieved and (2) filters the hypotheses such that only a small but very promising subset remain. This permits the usage of simple agglomerative clustering on the surviving hypotheses for accurate model selection. The outcome is a highly efficient multi-structure robust estimation technique. Experiments on synthetic and real data show the superior performance of our approach over previous methods.
Mathematical relationships between representations of structure in linear interconnected dynamical systems

A dynamical system can exhibit structure on multiple levels. Different system representations can capture different elements of a dynamical system's structure. We consider LTI input-output dynamical systems and present four representations of structure: complete computational structure, subsystem structure, signal structure, and input output sparsity structure. We then explore some of the mathematical relation ships that relate these different representations of structure. In particular, we show that signal and subsystem structure are fundamentally different ways of representing system structure. A signal structure does not always specify a unique subsystem structure nor does subsystem structure always specify a unique signal structure. We illustrate these concepts with a numerical example.
Trust and betrayal in Knowledge Management

Positivist accounts of the KM literature neglect the diverse and socially created nature of knowledge and organizational relations. However, more critical accounts stress a less epidermal approach to the interpretation of KM phenomena and emphasize the contextual and situated nature of KM phenomena. The paper builds on this critique and proposes an alternative approach to trust that allows for the occurrence of betrayal. Here, trust is defined as the faith and belief that one has in their co-workers, the company and its system of ideas. The paper draws on two multinational telecommunications companies that employ similar KM initiatives and reflect polar opposites, i.e. a case of trust and a case of betrayal. Focusing on the individual, as the primary agent of knowledge transactions, the research findings propose that in the presence of organizational and interpersonal mismatches, employees will experience varying levels of trust that will have a significant impact on knowledge-sharing behavior. The egalitarian and unrestricted view associated with 'sharing' was contested in both cases.
A study on residual prediction techniques for voice conversion

Several well-studied voice conversion techniques use line spectral frequencies as features to represent the spectral envelopes of the processed speech frames. In order to return to the time domain, these features are converted to linear predictive coefficients that serve as coefficients of a filter applied to an unknown residual signal. We compare several residual prediction approaches that have already been proposed in the literature dealing with voice conversion. We also present a novel technique that outperforms the others in terms of voice conversion performance and sound quality.
An Opinion Mining Task in Turkish Language： A Model for Assigning Opinions in Turkish Blogs to the Polarities

In our day, social networks are also called as the new generation media, which give the daily increasing users the change to gather at these environments and thus interactive environments get created with the messages noteworthy enough to share. Thereby, the cooperation of big masses and joint production are rendered possible and new tendencies are provided a change. Thanks to these environments, users improved their position from “content consumer” to “content creator”. To wit, while the users share their views on the product/service with the ones they know and their close ones use the spreading by word of mouth method, they’ve already started to cover these environments as well. These environments, which in a way globalize the customer opinions, are analysis tools for businesses due to customer focused structuring of our day. By analyzing the data they acquire from such environments, businesses are required to develop suitable strategies Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
Modeling Melodic Improvisation in Turkish Folk Music Using Variable-Length Markov Models

The paper describes a new database, which currently consists of 64 songs encompassing approximately 6600 notes, and a system, which uses Variable-Length Markov Models (VLMM) to predict the melodies in the uzun hava (long tune) form, a melodic structure in Turkish folk music. The work shows VLMMs are highly predictive. This suggests that variable-length Markov models (VLMMs) may be applied to makam-based and non-metered musical forms, in addition to Western musical traditions. To the best of our knowledge, the work presents the first symbolic, machine readable database of uzun havas and the first application of predictive modeling in Turkish folk music.