Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of vascular myoglobin in nitrite-mediated blood vessel relaxation

Aims This work investigates the role of myoglobin in mediating the vascular relaxation induced by nitrite. Nitrite, previously considered an inert by-product of nitric oxide metabolism, is now believed to play an important role in several areas of pharmacology and physiology. Myoglobin can act as a nitrite reductase in the heart, where it is plentiful, but it is present at a far lower level in vascular smooth muscle—indeed, its existence in the vessel wall is controversial. Haem proteins have been postulated to be important in nitrite-induced vasodilation, but the specific role of myoglobin is unknown. The current study was designed to confirm the presence of myoglobin in murine aortic tissue and to test the hypothesis that vascular wall myoglobin is important for nitrite-induced vasodilation. Methods and results Aortic rings from wild-type and myoglobin knockout mice were challenged with nitrite, before and after exposure to the haem-protein inhibitor carbon monoxide (CO). CO inhibited vasodilation in wild-type rings but not in myoglobin-deficient rings. Restitution of myoglobin using a genetically modified adenovirus both increased vasodilation to nitrite and reinstated the wild-type pattern of response to CO. Conclusion Myoglobin is present in the murine vasculature and contributes significantly to nitrite-induced vasodilation.
Impact of Seed Exudates on Growth and Biofilm Formation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ALB629 in Common Bean

We aimed to unravel the events which favor the seed-rhizobacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain ALB629 (hereafter ALB629) interaction and which may interfere with the rhizobacterium colonization and growth on the spermosphere of common bean. Seed exudates from common bean were tested in vitro for ALB629 biofilm formation and bacterial growth. Furthermore, the performance of ALB629 on plant-related variables under drought stress was checked. Seed exudates (1 and 5% v/v) increased ALB629 biofilm formation. Additionally, the colony forming units for ALB629 increased both in culture and on the bean seed surface. The bean seed exudates up-regulated biofilm operons in ALB629 TasA and EpsD by ca. two and sixfold, respectively. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-coupled with MS showed that malic acid is present as a major organic acid component in the seed exudates. Seeds treated with ALB629 and amended with malic acid resulted in seedlings with a higher bacterial concentration, induced plant drought tolerance, and promoted plant growth. We showed that seed exudates promote growth of ALB629 and malic acid was identified as a major organic acid component in the bean seed exudates. Our results also show that supplementation of ALB629 induced drought tolerance and growth in plants. The research pertaining to the biological significance of seed exudates in plant–microbe interaction is unexplored field and our work shows the importance of seed exudates in priming both growth and tolerance against abiotic stress.
Indexing Strategies for Constrained Shortest Paths over Large Social Networks

In this work we introduced the label-constrained shortest path problem as an extension to the shortest path problem that allows a shortest path query to specify which edge labels are allowed on shortest paths. Furthermore we analyse its theoretical difficulty for exact indexing strategies and come to the conclusion that exact indexing is hard for graphs with not trivially small label sets. We then give simple and efficient extensions of the Sketch algorithms from [1] to support these queries and analyse the performance of our algorithms on different constraint sizes. We come to the conclusion that the recall especially for small constraint sizes needs to be improved and provide a simple but powerful extension of the indexing step that increases recall significantly.
Women in leisure services: managing the social-cultural nexus of gender equity

Poststructural analyses have recently transformed gender theory and methodology within many social science disciplines and subject fields including management studies. Leisure management, however, has retained a focus on structural analyses of power. As a result, cultural representations of gender-power relations have remained largely untheorized within the leisure management literature. This paper draws on poststructural feminist theory to supplement and complement previous structural analyses of gendered power in leisure management. The paper cites empirical evidence from research into Gender Equity in Leisure Management, commissioned by the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management and undertaken by the author. Analysis of the results concurs with similar research undertaken in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, demonstrating that gender-power relations are frequently produced, legitimated and reproduced at the intersection of social and cultural forces in organizations.
The Gilbert-Elliott Model for Packet Loss in Real Time Services on the Internet

The estimation of quality for real-time services over telecommunication networks requires realistic models for impairments and failures during transmission. We focus on the classical Gilbert-Elliott model whose second order statistics is derived over arbitrary time scales and used to fit packet loss processes of traffic traces measured in the IP backbone of Deutsche Telekom. The results show that simple Markov models are appropriate to capture the observed loss pattern.
Breeding for body condition score in dairy cows.

Body condition score has been proposed as an additional trait in New Zealand’s national breeding objective. To be considered for inclusion, genetic parameters and an economic value are required. We propose genetic evaluation of body condition score using a random regression model that includes 2 order orthogonal Legendre polynomials fitted to the genetic variance and a link function to account for heterogeneity of error variance over time. Multivariate analyses have shown that in New Zealand, body condition score is not genetically correlated with first lactation milksolids yield traits (when projected to a single common lactation length of 270 days). Moderate genetic correlations with fertility, survival and live weight were estimated. The economic value for body condition score is likely to include feed demands required to replenish lost body condition in a typical New Zealand farm. The relationship between body condition score and fertility will be accounted for in the breeding value for fertility.
Recommendations Based QoS Trust Aggregation and Routing in Mobile Adhoc Networks

In mobile adhoc netwotk (MANET), a node’s quality of service (QoS) trust represents how much it is reliable in quality. QoS trust of a node is computed based on its multiple quality parameters and it is an interesting and challenging area in MANETs. In this work, QoS trust is evaluated by taking into consideration quality parameters like node residual energy, bandwidth and mobility. The proposed method “Recommendations Based QoS Trust Aggregation and Routing in Mobile Adhoc Networks-QTAR” is a frame work. Where the trust is established through four phases like QoS trust computation, aggregation, propagation and routing. The Dempster Shafer Theory (DST) is used for aggregation of trust recommendations. In the network, trust information is propagated through HELLO packets. Each node stores the QoS trust information of other nodes in the form of trust matrices. We applied matrix algebra operations on trust matrices for route establishment from source to destination. The time and space complexity of proposed method is discussed theoretically. The simulation is conducted for the varying of node velocity and network size, where the proposed method shown considerable improvement over existing protocols.
Is Competitive Anxiety an Observable Behavior?: A Sociometric Validity Study of the SCAT

Much research has been conducted over the past 10 years using the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT). However, following Martens (1977) initial publication of the test, there has been little supporting evidence for the validity of the SCAT. The results of my sociometric study give strong support to the ability of the SCAT to predict who will view themselves and who teammates will view as being anxious in competitive situations. My results also indicate that the SCAT (as well as self- and teammate rankings) distinguishes between anxiety and other variables, such as complaining or athletic ability. Thus, the test appears to have both convergent and discriminant validity. The results further extend previous findings, indicating that although coaches may be skilled at rating sports-related behaviors and attributes, they are less reliable at assessing competitive anxiety in their team members.
A comparison of several methods for haplotype frequency estimation and haplotype reconstruction for tightly linked markers from general pedigrees

Haplotype inference for tightly linked markers from general pedigrees remains a challenging problem. Only a few methods are available to efficiently and accurately estimate haplotype frequencies and reconstruct haplotypes for a large number of tightly linked markers from general pedigrees in the presence of missing data, and their performance has not been carefully and extensively evaluated. In this paper, we compare four published methods for haplotype reconstruction and frequency estimation for tightly linked markers from general pedigrees, including HAPLORE, GENEHUNTER, PedPhase, and MERLIN. We review these methods and discuss the differences between them in terms of the models and computational strategies employed. We assess their performance based on simulations using pedigrees and haplotypes on tightly linked single nucleotide polymorphisms from real studies. We investigate the effect of several factors, including the missing rate, the departure from Hardy‐Weinberg Equilibrium, and the sample size, on the accuracy for haplotype inference. We also compare these methods with a widely used method for haplotype inference from unrelated individuals, PHASE, by treating individuals within a pedigree as unrelated samples. This comparison allows us to investigate the relative efficiency in haplotype inference using pedigree data. Our results indicate that incorporation of pedigree information can improve the precision for haplotype frequency estimation and the accuracy for haplotype reconstruction. Among four haplotyping methods capable of analyzing general pedigrees, HAPLORE and MERLIN have comparable performance and outperform the other two methods in almost all situations. Genet. Epidemiol. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The cost of variability

We explore the robustness of synchronization performed in the presence of variable latencies using two software clocks: the TSCclock, designed to replace ntpd for Internet synchronisation, and ptpd, a software implementation of IEEE-1588. Using a precise comparison methodology the TSCclock is shown to be more accurate and far more robust. We discuss the reasons why and the implications for IEEE-1588 more generally.
Validation of the Brief Assessment of Mealtime Behavior in Children (BAMBIC) for children in a non-clinical sample

ABSTRACT The Brief Assessment of Mealtime Behavior in Children (BAMBIC) was developed with a sample of children referred to a hospital-based feeding clinic. The purpose of this study was to validate the BAMBIC with a non-clinic sample. Parents reported child demographics and completed the BAMBIC and the Parent Mealtime Action Scale (PMAS). BAMBIC feeding problems were more common in children who were younger, male, had oral motor problems, and had autism spectrum disorder (ASD). BAMBIC child feeding problems were strongly associated with parent mealtime actions of less snack limits, less fat reduction, and preparation of special meals. The scale psychometrics and the variables associated with BAMBIC subscales were similar to a previous sample of children from a feeding clinic.
Node Stability in Dynamic Communication Networks

Clustering techniques create hierarchal network structures, called clusters, on an otherwise flat network. Neighboring devices elect one appropriate device as clusterhead. Due to the dynamic environment, clusterhead selection becomes an important issue. We consider the problem of appropriate clusterhead selection in wireless ad-hoc networks and sensor networks. This work analyzes synchronous as well as asynchronous heuristics for discovering nodes with prolonged topological stability. These nodes appear more appropriate to be elected as clusterheads, since the frequency of clusterhead re-election and re-clustering can be decreased. The heuristics described rely on 2-hop topological information and avoid any use of geographical data
Robust Q Features for Speaker Identification

In this paper, a nonlinear AM-FM speech model is used to extract robust features for speaker identification. The proposed features measure the amount of amplitude and frequency modulation that the commonly used linear source-filter model and the Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) feature fails to capture. From the short time estimates of the frequency and bandwidth, a novel set of features is proposed. The robustness and discriminability of the features is investigated in comparison with the MFCC features using the clean speech corpus from TIMIT database and noise from the NOISEX-92 database. The proposed feature set provides significant improvement in the identification accuracy over the MFCC features under mismatched training and testing environments. The results show that better speaker identification rates are attainable under mismatched conditions especially at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Human cardiomyopathy mutations induce myocyte hyperplasia and activate hypertrophic pathways during cardiogenesis in zebrafish

SUMMARY To assess the effects during cardiac development of mutations that cause human cardiomyopathy, we modeled a sarcomeric gene mutation in the embryonic zebrafish. We designed morpholino antisense oligonucleotides targeting the exon 13 splice donor site in the zebrafish cardiac troponin T (tnnt2) gene, in order to precisely recapitulate a human TNNT2 mutation that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM is a disease characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, myocyte and myofibrillar disarray, as well as an increased risk of sudden death. Similar to humans with HCM, the morphant zebrafish embryos displayed sarcomere disarray and there was a robust induction of myocardial hypertrophic pathways. Microarray analysis uncovered a number of shared transcriptional responses between this zebrafish model and a well-characterized mouse model of HCM. However, in contrast to adult hearts, these embryonic hearts developed cardiomyocyte hyperplasia in response to this genetic perturbation. The re-creation of a human disease-causing TNNT2 splice variant demonstrates that sarcomeric mutations can alter cardiomyocyte biology at the earliest stages of heart development with distinct effects from those observed in adult hearts despite shared transcriptional responses.
Design of hierarchical crossconnect WDM networks employing a two-stage multiplexing scheme of waveband and wavelength

The authors propose a design method for hierarchical crossconnect wavelength-division-multiplexed networks employing a two-stage multiplexing scheme of waveband and wavelength, in order to reduce the complexity and size of optical crossconnect at the nodes. The waveband is formed by grouping lightpaths with the same destination in a network. The authors present an integer linear programming formulation for the routing and grouping of lightpaths, and a heuristic design method is also proposed as a practical method to find a design solution for general large-scale networks. It is found that the proposed design method can largely reduce crossconnect requirements, although it slightly increases the wavelength requirements.
Edge Computing and the Role of Cellular Networks

Despite widespread interest in edge computing and various successful implementations, some confusion remains about the technology. The author revisits the rationale for edge computing, highlights relevant applications, surveys the latest research and industrial efforts, discusses edge computing’s potential to transform telecommunications by leveraging the existing wide area network infrastructure of cellular networks, and describes several open challenges and possible solutions.
Antigen‐Antibody Binding Kinetics for Biosensors: The Fractal Dimension and the Binding Rate Coefficient

The diffision‐limited binding kinetics of antigen (or antibody or substrate)in solution to antibody (or antigen or enzyme) immobilized on a biosensor surface is analyzed within a fractal framework. The change in the fractal dimension, Df, is in the same direction as that in the forward binding rate coefficient, k1. An increase or decrease in the fractal dimension, Df leads to an increase or decrease in the forward binding rate coefficient, k1 respectively, irrespective of whether the antigen or the antibody is immobilized on the biosensor surface. For example, an increase in the concentration of IgG (MRC OX‐19) (antigen) in solution from 1 to 10 μg/mL bound to polyclonal sheep anti‐mouse IgG (antibody) immobilized on immunomagnetic beads leads to decreases in Df from 1.93 to 0.517 and in k1 from 2.72 to 0.064, respectively. The different examples analyzed and presented together indicate one means by which the forward binding rate coefficient, k1, may be controlled, that is, by changing the fractal dimension or the disorder on the surface. The versatility of the analysis is indicated by applying it to different examples for both types of systems, wherein either the antigen or antibody is immobilized on the surface. The analysis should assist in improving the stability, sensitivity, and response time of biosensors.
Learning Discriminative Visual N-grams from Mid-level Image Features

Mid-level image features have been shown to be helpful to bridge the semantic gap between low-level and high-level image representations. Many existing methods to learn mid-level visual elements consider each mid-level feature individually, and do not take their mutual relationships into account. We follow the intuitive idea that learning discriminative combinations of visual elements can help us deal with ambiguities better, and propose the concept of visual n-grams to effectively represent combinations of visual elements along with their relative spatial configuration and co-occurrence relationships. An overview of our approach is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 (a) shows the process of learning discriminative visual n-grams based on relative spatial position, orientation and co-occurrence relationships of mid-level image patches. Figure 1 (b) further shows how these visual n-grams are used to finally learn a feature vector representing test and training images.
Behind the Smile: Reading Cultural Values in Thai Advertising

This study investigates how Thai cultural values are expressed in advertising messages. Manifest cultural values in Thai TV commercials were compared with value clusters identified by S. Komin in Psychology of the Thai people: Values and behavioral patterns (1991). Findings suggest that values expressed in the advertisements differ somewhat from those important to Thai people. While commercials were most likely to emphasize ego, a value rated as important to Thai people, the ads also focused on fun and pleasure and achievement/task orientation which are of lesser importance to Thais. Similarly, advertisements focused on maintaining smooth and gratifying interpersonal relationships were downplayed, despite the fact that these values are important in Thai society.
Reducing failures in software development projects: effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies

Risks as uncertain conditions with negative consequences on a software project could increase the failure rate of a project if it is ignored. To identify the effectiveness of risk management strategies, a questionnaire survey among over 1000 software professionals was conducted. Post Hoc Multiple Comparison Test and Kendal’s non-parametric test were employed to analyse risk mitigation strategies in terms of effectiveness in reducing time and cost overruns. Findings reveal risk mitigation strategies related to the technical part are not as efficient as that in the managerial part such as the users’ involvement and commitment in reducing time and cost overruns.
The Physiology of Life‐History Trade‐offs: Experimental Analysis of a Hormonally Induced Life‐History Trade‐off in Gryllus assimilis

Adult Gryllus assimilis given an analog of juvenile hormone exhibited reduced flight muscles and enlarged ovaries similar to those found in naturally occurring flightless individuals of species that are polymorphic for dispersal capability. Control and hormone‐treated (flightless) G. assimilis did not differ in the amount of food consumed or assimilated on any of three diets that differed in nutrient quantity. Thus, enhanced ovarian growth of flightless individuals resulted from increased allocation of internal nutrients to reproduction (i.e., a trade‐off) rather than from increased acquisition of nutrients. Compared with flight‐capable controls, flightless G. assimilis also had reduced whole‐organism respiration, reduced respiration of flight muscles, and reduced lipid and triglyceride (flight fuel) reserves. These differences are remarkably similar to those between naturally occurring flightless and flight‐capable morphs of other Gryllus species. Results collectively suggest that the increased allocation of nutrients to ovarian growth in flightless G. assimilis and other Gryllus species results from reduced energetic costs of flight muscle maintenance and/or the biosynthesis or acquisition of lipids. Reduction in these energetic costs appears to be an important driving force in the evolution of flightlessness in insects. Respiratory metabolism associated with flight capability utilizes an increasing proportion of the energy budget of crickets as the quantity of nutrients in the diet is decreased. This leads to a magnification of greater ovarian growth of flightless versus flight‐capable individuals on nutrient‐poor diets.
Response coincidence analysis as evidence for language acquisition strategies

ABSTRACT New analytical techniques were developed for the identification of subject groups based on within-subject patterns of cooccurrences of responses. These “response coincidence analyses” provided an empirical basis for conjectures about stages or strategies in terms of the rules which characterize group performances. The nature of the operative rules was inferred from an analysis of item response similarities within the subject groups. These techniques were applied to a data set originally obtained by Innes (1974) from 120 children (20 at each age from 2 to 7 years), for a study of the acquisition of the English inflectional morphology for pluralization. The results show quite clearly how the pluralization system is acquired and indicate how such data can be used to develop the specification of rules sensitive to psycholinguistic evidence.
A Pilot Experiment in Knowledge Authoring as Dialogue

This project aims to build an ontology authoring interface in which the user is engaged in a dialogue with the system in controlled natural language. To investigate what such a dialogue might be like, a layered annotation scheme is being developed for interactions between ontology authors and the Prot�g� ontology authoring environment. A pilot experiment has been conducted with ontology authors, which reveals the complexity of mapping between user-interface actions and acts that appear in natural language dialogues; it also suggests the addition of some unanticipated types of dialogue acts and points the way to some possible enhancements of the authoring interface.