Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Ph1 Locus of Wheat Does Not Discriminate between Identical and Non-Identical Homologues in Rye

The main locus responsible for diploid-like behavior of polyploid wheat in meiosis, Ph1, is located on the long arm of chromosome 5B (5BL). It restricts metaphase I pairing to essentially identical homologues. Introduction of 5BL into outcrossing autotetraploid rye severely reduced multivalent formation and increased the frequency of bivalents and univalents, but the key by which homologues were selected for effective pairing was not clear. We created doubled haploids of autotetraploid rye with the long arm of wheat 5BL, verified their nature by DNA markers, and analyzed metaphase I chromosome pairing. The doubled haploid nature guaranteed the presence of pairs of identical and non-identical homologues in each homologous group. The metaphase I pairing patterns were essentially the same as in plants from open pollination, with frequent bivalents and univalents and rare multivalents. The level of pairing was low and depended on the dosage of 5BL. The pairing levels show that unlike in wheat, in rye the Ph1 locus does not use homologue similarity as the criterion in selection of pairing partners. It is possible that the Ph1 of wheat and the rye chromosome pairing system are mutually exclusive. The minimum level of chromosome differences required for effective pairing in rye may be well above the maximum difference level tolerated by the Ph1 system of wheat. In other words, effective chromosome pairing in rye may be possible between non-identical chromosomes that might not normally pair in the Ph1 wheat background.
Monocular Vision Based Boundary Avoidance for Non-Invasive Stray Control System for Cattle: A Conceptual Approach

Building fences to manage the cattle grazing can be very expensive; cost inefficient. These do not provide dynamic control over the area in which the cattle are grazing. Existing virtual fencing techniques for the control of herds of cattle, based on polygon coordinate definition of boundaries is limited in the area of land mass coverage and dynamism. This work seeks to develop a more robust and an improved monocular vision based boundary avoidance for non-invasive stray control system for cattle, with a view to increase land mass coverage in virtual fencing techniques and dynamism. The monocular vision based depth estimation will be modeled using concept of global Fourier Transform (FT) and local Wavelet Transform (WT) of image structure of scenes (boundaries). The magnitude of the global Fourier Transform gives the dominant orientations and textual patterns of the image; while the local Wavelet Transform gives the dominant spectral features of the image and their spatial distribution. Each scene picture or image is defined by features v, which contain the set of global (FT) and local (WT) statistics of the image. Scenes or boundaries distances are given by estimating the depth D by means of the image features v. Sound cues of intensity equivalent to the magnitude of the depth D are applied to the animal ears as stimuli. This brings about the desired control as animals tend to move away from uncomfortable sounds.
High-Reliable and High-Speed 1.3 $\mu$m Complex-Coupled Distributed Feedback Buried-Heterostructure Laser Diodes With Fe-Doped InGaAsP/InP Hybrid Grating Layers Grown by MOCVD

In this paper, we report the fabrication of high-reliability and high-speed 1.3 mum complex-coupled distributed feedback (CC-DFB) buried heterostructure (BH) laser diodes (LDs) with Fe-doped InGaAsP/InP hybrid grating layers. High optical coupling coefficient and eminent current confining ability are accomplished by combining the Fe-doped InGaAsP/InP current-blocking-grating (CBG) layers to provide both the distributed-feedback index-and gain-coupling coefficients. Besides, the narrow-stripe BH LDs are implemented by burying the active region with a Fe-doped InP current-blocking layer during the epitaxial regrowth. The fabricated CBG CC-DFB BH LDs at 20degC shows a low threshold current of 5.3 mA, a maximum light output power of 36 mW at 100 mA, a high slope efficiency of 0.41 mW/mA, and a side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 42 dB at twice the threshold. In addition, these LDs exhibit a maximum operation temperature of 125degC, an extremely low threshold current of 15.8 mA at 90degC, a small variation in slope efficient of only -1 dB in the temperature range from 20degC to 80degC, and a characteristic temperature of 77 K and 56 K between 20 degC and 60degC, and 70degC and 120degC, respectively. Furthermore, these 1.3 mum CBG CC-DFB BH LDs exhibit a high-speed characteristic up to 11.8 GHz at room temperature and an estimated median lifetime of more than 1.1 times 105 h or 12.5 years at 5 mW and 85degC.
Confident-based Adaptable Connected objects discovery to HArmonize smart City Applications

With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its need to boost cooperation between different objects in order to improve the quality and the completeness of the produced information, it is important to understand and to evaluate data which comes out and goes into each thing. In this paper we propose CACHACA, a ranking mechanism for Sensor Networks that facilitate the discovery of services provided by each network element. By running the proposed algorithm, it is possible to evaluate and classify the neighborhood and the available services for each node. Performances of CACHACA has been first evaluated through extensive simulations and them stressed when facing a realistic environment through experimentations run on the FIT IoT-LAB testbed. Achieved results demonstrate its effectiveness in the discovery of services process with regards to traditional approaches.
Latent Membrane Protein 2A of Epstein-Barr Virus Binds WW Domain E3 Protein-Ubiquitin Ligases That Ubiquitinate B-Cell Tyrosine Kinases

ABSTRACT The latent membrane protein (LMP) 2A of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is implicated in the maintenance of viral latency and appears to function in part by inhibiting B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling. The N-terminal cytoplasmic region of LMP2A has multiple tyrosine residues that upon phosphorylation bind the SH2 domains of the Syk tyrosine kinase and the Src family kinase Lyn. The LMP2A N-terminal region also has two conserved PPPPY motifs. Here we show that the PPPPY motifs of LMP2A bind multiple WW domains of E3 protein-ubiquitin ligases of the Nedd4 family, including AIP4 and KIAA0439, and demonstrate that AIP4 and KIAA0439 form physiological complexes with LMP2A in EBV-positive B cells. In addition to a C2 domain and four WW domains, these proteins have a C-terminal Hect catalytic domain implicated in the ubiquitination of target proteins. LMP2A enhances Lyn and Syk ubiquitination in vivo in a fashion that depends on the activity of Nedd4 family members and correlates with destabilization of the Lyn tyrosine kinase. These results suggest that LMP2A serves as a molecular scaffold to recruit both B-cell tyrosine kinases and C2/WW/Hect domain E3 protein-ubiquitin ligases. This may promote Lyn and Syk ubiquitination in a fashion that contributes to a block in B-cell signaling. LMP2A may potentiate a normal mechanism by which Nedd4 family E3 enzymes regulate B-cell signaling.
Attentional Demands on Motor-Respiratory Coordination

Athletic performance requires the pacing of breathing with exercise, known as motor-respiratory coordination (MRC). In this study, we added cognitive and physical constraints while participants intentionally controlled their breathing locations during rhythmic arm movement. This is the first study to examine a cognitive constraint on MRC. Cognitive constraints included either instruction (Experiments 1 and 2) or signal detection (Experiment 1). Physical constraints were nonoptimal movement frequencies (Experiment 2). Instruction shifted breathing locations and both shifted and increased variability in the number of movements produced per breath (frequency ratio). Signal detection had no effect on MRC. Fast movement frequency resulted in higher, more variable frequency ratios. Cognitive and physical constraints can generate unnatural and variable breathing during athletic performance.
Attentional set protects visual marking from visual transients

When some distractors (old items) appear before others (new items) in an inefficient visual search task, the old items are excluded from the search (visual marking). Previous studies have shown that changing the shape of old items eliminates this effect, suggesting that shape identity must be maintained for successful visual marking. However, the contribution of top-down target knowledge to the maintenance of visual marking under shape change conditions has not been systematically examined. The present study tested whether the vulnerability of visual marking to shape change is contingent on observers' attentional set, by manipulating compatibility of the set and the domains in which the change occurs. The results indicated that visual marking survived shape changes when the observer's attentional set was consistent with critical features between the old and new items. This protection was observed when the set was based on explicit instructions at the beginning of the experiment, and when the task set was implicitly carried over from the previous task. These results suggest that top-down processes play a role in maintaining memory templates by enhancing the grouping and suppression processes during visual search, despite disruptive bottom-up signals.
Association of High-Molecular-Weight to Total Adiponectin Ratio with Pulse Wave Velocity in Hemodialysis Patients

High-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW ADPN) plays an important role in the regulation of insulin action and atherogenic processes, but the role of HMW ADPN remains to be determined in hemodialysis (HD) patients. In this study, we measured serum total and HMW ADPN in 67 HD patients (age: 67 ± 14 years, time on HD: 75 ± 68 months, male/female = 39/28), and examined an association between HMW ADPN and arteriosclerotic parameters such as aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI). PWV was significantly correlated positively with log-transformed IL-6 (r = 0.33, p < 0.01). CAVI was significantly related to the percentile of aortic calcification area (%ACA) (r = 0.28, p = 0.03) and log-transformed IL-6 (r = 0.25, p = 0.05). ABI was associated negatively with log-transformed IL-6 (r = –0.35, p < 0.01) and %ACA (r = –0.36, p < 0.01), but positively with albumin (r = 0.33, p < 0.01). The HMW-to-total ADPN ratio, a better predictor for insulin resistance, was significantly and positively correlated with PWV (r = 0.34, p < 0.01) and CAVI (r = 0.24, p = 0.05). A multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that the HMW-to-total ADPN ratio was an independent determinant for PWV and CAVI but not for ABI. The findings suggest that HMW-to-total ADPN ratio may be positively associated with aortic stiffness in HD patients.
Efficient and High Fidelity Incorporation of dCTP Opposite 7,8-Dihydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine by Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA Polymerase Dpo4*

DNA polymerases insert dATP opposite the oxidative damage product 7,8-dihydro-8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxoG) instead of dCTP, to the extent of >90% with some polymerases. Steady-state kinetics with the Y-family Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4) showed 90-fold higher incorporation efficiency of dCTP > dATP opposite 8-oxoG and 4-fold higher efficiency of extension beyond an 8-oxoG:C pair than an 8-oxoG:A pair. The catalytic efficiency for these events (with dCTP or C) was similar for G and 8-oxoG templates. Mass spectral analysis of extended DNA primers showed ≥95% incorporation of dCTP > dATP opposite 8-oxoG. Pre-steady-state kinetics showed faster rates of dCTP incorporation opposite 8-oxoG than G. The measured Kd,dCTP was 15-fold lower for an oligonucleotide containing 8-oxoG than with G. Extension beyond an 8-oxoG:C pair was similar to G:C and faster than for an 8-oxoG:A pair, in contrast to other polymerases. The Ea for dCTP insertion opposite 8-oxoG was lower than for opposite G. Crystal structures of Dpo4 complexes with oligonucleotides were solved with C, A, and G nucleoside triphosphates placed opposite 8-oxoG. With ddCTP, dCTP, and dATP the phosphodiester bonds were formed even in the presence of Ca2+. The 8-oxoG:C pair showed classic Watson-Crick geometry; the 8-oxoG:A pair was in the syn:anti configuration, with the A hybridized in a Hoogsteen pair with 8-oxoG. With dGTP placed opposite 8-oxoG, pairing was not to the 8-oxoG but to the 5′ C (and in classic Watson-Crick geometry), consistent with the low frequency of this frameshift event observed in the catalytic assays.
Evaluation of the Clinical–Diffusion and Perfusion–Diffusion Mismatch Models in DEFUSE

Background and Purpose— The perfusion–diffusion mismatch (PDM) model has been proposed as a tool to select acute stroke patients who are most likely to benefit from reperfusion therapy. The clinical–diffusion mismatch (CDM) model is an alternative method that is technically less challenging because it does not require perfusion-weighted imaging. This study is an evaluation of these 2 models in the DEFUSE dataset. Methods— DEFUSE is an open-label multicenter study in which acute stroke patients were treated with intravenous tPA between 3 and 6 hours after symptoms onset and an MRI was obtained before and 3 to 6 hours after treatment. Presence of PDM and CDM was determined for each patient. Results— Based on conventional predefined mismatch criteria, PDM was present in 54% of the DEFUSE population and CDM in 62%. There was no agreement beyond chance between the 2 mismatch models (kappa 0.07). The presence of PDM was associated with an increased chance of favorable clinical response after reperfusion (OR, 5.4; P=0.039). Reperfusion was not associated with a significant increase in the rate of favorable clinical response in patients with CDM (OR, 2.2; P=0.34). Using optimized mismatch criteria, determined retrospectively based on DEFUSE data, the OR for favorable clinical response was 70 (P=0.001) for PDM and 5.1 (P=0.066) for CDM. Conclusion— The PDM model appears to be more accurate than the CDM model for selecting patients who are likely to benefit from reperfusion therapy in the 3- to 6-hour time window.
Design of optimized arithmetic circuits for multiplier realization

Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) is a critical element in a CPU and multiplier is one of the important element in the ALU. In multipliers, for reducing partial products and computing result, multi-operand adders and fast adders are required. Fast adders can be constructed by parallel prefix networks but need new design methodologies for multi-operand adders. A special structure known as counters/compressors can be used for addition of multi-operands. In this paper a new counter architectures is presented for efficient multiplier design. Moreover, a fast sparse adder is proposed that can be used for final addition in the multiplier.
Real Exchange Rates, PPP and the Relative Price of Nontraded Goods

The purchasing power parity hypothesis (PPP) states that nominal exchange rates move with differences in relative prices between economies. The theory has received considerable attention in the economic literature since Cassell [6], and is the foundation of many long-run theoretical hypotheses in international finance; yet, its empirical validity remains in question. Many tests of PPP focus on the stationarity of the real exchange rate, the nominal exchange rate adjusted for changes in price levels between economies. If domestic and foreign price levels and the nominal exchange rate are integrated, then cointegration between these variables implies the existence of both a long-run equilibrium relationship and PPP. The residual, the real exchange rate, then follows a stationary process. The paper uses the multivariate cointegration methodology of Johansen [16] and Johansen and Juselius [17; 18] to examine the source of real exchange rate nonstationarity. Is the nonstationarity due to shifts in the domestic and foreign price of nontradeables or productivity differentials between traded and nontraded sectors? Or is the nonstationarity a possible outcome of difficulties in intercountry comparisons of prices movements associated with construction of these price indices? Most research finds the real exchange rate follows a nonstationary process due to the presence of a unit root [8; 12; 1; 9; 19; 27]. However, the existence of a variable trend in the real exchange rate does not imply the absence of a long-run relationship between relative prices levels and nominal exchange rates for two reasons. First, a long-run relationship between price levels and nominal exchange rates may exist but not the one-for-one relationship implicit in the calculation of real exchange rates due to measurement differences in the construction of price indices between economies. Second, PPP violations may occur due to the presence of permanent productivity innovations which affect the relative price of nontradeables. If these shocks are not represented by measurable variables, a cointegrating relationship will not exist. The paper constructs traded and nontraded GDP price indices and productivity rates for 14 OECD economies, and tests: (1) if the variable trend (the nonstationary process) in the real exchange rate is due to permanent innovations in relative price of domestic and foreign nontradeables; (2) if long-run PPP violations are due to permanent movements in the relative price of nontradeables; (3) if the nonstationarity in the real exchange rate is due to permanent innovations in domestic and foreign productivity differentials between the traded and nontraded sectors; (4) if the variable trend in the relative price of nontradeables is due to permanent innovations in productivity between sectors. Lastly, the paper constructs a cointegrating error correction model
Effect of 1,5-Anhydro-D-Fructose on the Inhibition of Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

1,5-Anhydro-D-fructose (1,5-AF) is a monosaccharide that shares a structural similarity to glucose. 1,5-AF is found in fungi, algae, Escherichia coli and rat liver and is produced by the degradation of starch and glycogen, which is catalyzed by the enzyme α-1,4-glucan lyase. However, the physiological role of 1,5-AF in mammalian tissues is not well understood. Here, we investigated the anti-obesity potential of 1,5-AF on adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 1,5-AF caused a significant decrease in GPDH activity in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and mature adipocytes without eliciting cytotoxicity, and inhibited cellular lipid accumulation through down-regulation of transcription factors such as PPARγ and C/EBPα. 1,5-AF also induced dose-dependent phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular energy sensor. However, the total AMPK protein content remained unchanged. Furthermore, 1,5-AF increased the levels of reactive oxygen species, an important upstream signal for AMPK activation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our results show that 1,5-AF exerts anti-obesity action in vitro and suggest that 1,5-AF is potentially a novel preventative agent for obesity and other metabolic diseases.
Comparison of ceftriaxone versus triple drug regimen in the prevention of cesarean section infectious morbidities

Objective. To compare the effectiveness of single dose ceftriaxone versus multiple doses of ampiclox, gentamicin, and metronidazole to prevent infectious morbidity at elective cesarean section. Methods. This was a randomized clinical trial involving 200 pregnant women who had an elective cesarean section for various reasons during the study period. Outcome measures included endometritis, urinary tract infections, febrile morbidities, wound infections, duration of hospital stay, and cost of antibiotic therapy. Data were managed using SPSS. Results. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean duration of hospital stay between the two groups, but a significant statistical difference was found in the mean cost of antibiotic treatment ($15 for the combination and $9 for ceftriaxone; p = 0.000), with the group of patients taking a single dose of ceftriaxone (ROPHEX) having a lower mean cost of treatment than those taking a combination of ampiclox, gentamicin, and metronidazole. The study groups did not differ significantly in the incidence of endometritis (14% versus 15%), urinary tract infection (11% versus 15%), wound infections (7% versus 8%), febrile morbidity (7% versus 6%), and peritonitis (0% versus 0%). Conclusion. Single dose ceftriaxone was as effective as a combination of ampiclox, gentamicin, and metronidazole in preventing post-elective cesarean section complications.
Single‐beat estimation of the left ventricular end‐systolic pressure–volume relationship in patients with heart failure

Aim: The end‐systolic pressure–volume relationship (ESPVR) constructed from multiple pressure–volume (PV) loops acquired during load intervention is an established method to asses left ventricular (LV) contractility. We tested the accuracy of simplified single‐beat (SB) ESPVR estimation in patients with severe heart failure.
Characterization of a Nerve Growth Factor‐Stimulated Protein Kinase in PC12 Cells Which Phosphorylates Microtubule‐Associated Protein 2 and pp250

Treatment of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor (NGF) resulted in the rapid, but transient, activation of a protein kinase which specifically phosphorylated an endogenous 250‐kDa cytoskeletal protein (pp250). We report that the microtubule‐associated protein, MAP2, is an alternative substrate for the NGF‐activated kinase. NGF treatment maximally activated the kinase within 5 min; however, the activity declined with longer exposure to NGF. The enzyme was localized predominantly in microsomal and soluble fractions and phosphorylated MAP2 on serine and threonine residues. The soluble enzyme was fractionated by DEAE chromatography and gel filtration and had an apparent Mr of 45,000. The enzyme was purified to near homogeneity by chromatofocussing and had a pl of 4.9. Kinetic analysis revealed that NGF treatment caused a sevenfold increase in Vmax for MAP2. The Km with respect to the MAP2 substrate was approximately 50 nM and was not altered by NGF treatment. A novel feature of the NGF‐stimulated enzyme was its sharp dependence on Mn2+ concentration. The active enzyme is likely to be phosphorylated, because inclusion of phosphatase inhibitors was required for recovery of optimal activity and the activity was lost on treatment of the enzyme with alkaline phosphatase. Histones, tubulin, casein, bovine serum albumin, and the ribosomal subunit protein S‐6 were not phosphorylated by this enzyme. The NGF‐stimulated kinase was distinct from A kinase, C kinase, or other NGF‐stimulated kinases. The rapid and transient activation of the protein kinase upon NGF treatment suggests that the enzyme may play a role in signal transduction in PC12 cells.