Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological and genetic analysis of CO2-induced breakdown of self-incompatibility in Brassica rapa

Self-incompatibility (SI) of the Brassicaceae family can be overcome by CO2 gas treatment. This method has been used for decades as an effective means to obtain a large amount of inbred seeds which can then be used for F1 hybrid seed production; however, the molecular mechanism by which CO2 alters the SI pathway has not been elucidated. In this study, to obtain new insights into the mechanism of CO2-induced SI breakdown, the focus was on two inbred lines of Brassica rapa (syn. campestris) with different CO2 sensitivity. Physiological examination using X-ray microanalysis suggested that SI breakdown in the CO2-sensitive line was accompanied by a significant accumulation of calcium at the pollen–stigma interface. Pre-treatment of pollen or pistil with CO2 gas before pollination showed no effect on the SI reaction, suggesting that some physiological process after pollination is necessary for SI to be overcome. Genetic analyses using F1 progeny of a CO2-sensitive×CO2-insensitive cross suggested that CO2 sensitivity is a semi-dominant trait in these lines. Analysis of F2 progeny suggested that CO2 sensitivity could be a quantitative trait, which is controlled by more than one gene. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses identified two major loci, BrSIO1 and BrSIO2, which work additively in overcoming SI during CO2 treatment. No QTL was detected at the loci previously shown to affect SI stability, suggesting that CO2 sensitivity is determined by novel genes. The QTL data presented here should be useful for determining the responsible genes, and for the marker-assisted selection of desirable parental lines with stable but CO2-sensitive SI in F1 hybrid breeding.
Novel Technique of Quantitative Nested Real-Time PCR Assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA

ABSTRACT The diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains a complex issue because the most widely used conventional diagnostic tools, such as culture and PCR assay for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples, are unable to rapidly detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis with sufficient sensitivity in the acute phase of TBM. Based on TaqMan PCR, we designed a novel technique consisting of an internally controlled quantitative nested real-time (QNRT) PCR assay that provided a marked improvement in detection sensitivity and quantification. We applied this novel technique to quantitatively detect M. tuberculosis DNA in CSF samples from patients with suspected TBM. For use as the internal control in the measurement of the M. tuberculosis DNA copy numbers in the QNRT-PCR assay, the original mutation (M) plasmid, which included an artificial random 22-nucleotide sequence within an inserted DNA fragment of the MPB64 gene of M. tuberculosis, was prepared. The QNRT-PCR assay showed high sensitivity and specificity that were approximately equivalent to those of the conventional nested PCR assay. Moreover, the QNRT-PCR assay made it possible to precisely and quantitatively detect the initial copy number of M. tuberculosis DNA in CSF samples. Therefore, compared to the conventional PCR assay, the QNRT-PCR assay can be considered a more useful and advanced technique for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of TBM. To establish the superiority of this novel technique in TBM diagnosis, it will be necessary to accumulate data from a larger number of patients with suspected TBM.
The paradox of social capital: structural, cognitive and relational dimensions

Recently, there has been a shift in the way management scholars view the firm, from more traditional models that are based on ideas of opportunism and market failure (Williamson, 1975), to newer knowledge-based theories that argue for a more socialized perspective (Kogut & Zander, 1992). One of the key components of these theories is the notion of social capital. Social capital is the set of resources that accrue to an individual or group by virtue of possessing a set of relationships. Scholarly research suggests that firms can leverage the social capital that is embedded in the relationships of their members to develop intellectual capital (Naphiet & Ghoshal, 1988). As such, social capital can be used to create differential organizational advantage. In this paper, we question the contention that the accumulation of social capital has a positive and proportionate effect on the performance of projects in organizations. To do this, we use data collected from over 38 interviews of senior and middle managers in five firms operating in different industrial sectors in the United Kingdom. Our findings indicate that while social capital has many beneficial effects with respect to information access and retrieval, that there are also a host of lessbeneficial aspects to utilizing social capital, which are under-explored in the current empirical literature. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
The Time-Varying Dependency Patterns of NetFlow Statistics

We investigate where and how key dependency structure between measures of network activity change throughout the course of daily activity. Our approach to data-mining is probabilistic in nature, we formulate the identification of dependency patterns as a regularised statistical estimation problem. The resulting model can be interpreted as a set of time-varying graphs and provides a useful visual interpretation of network activity. We believe this is the first application of dynamic graphical modelling to network traffic of this kind. Investigations are performed on 9 days of real-world network traffic across a subset of IP's. We demonstrate that dependency between features may change across time and discuss how these change at an intra and inter-day level. Such variation in feature dependency may have important consequences for the design and implementation of probabilistic intrusion detection systems.
Comparisons of head direction cell activity in the postsubiculum and anterior thalamus of freely moving rats

Single cells in the rat anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) and postsubiculum (PoS) discharge as a function of the rat's directional heading in the horizontal plane, independent of its location. A previous study that compared cell firing during clockwise and counterclockwise head turns concluded that ATN ‘head direction’ (HD) cell discharge anticipates the rat's future directional heading, while PoS HD cell discharge is in register with the rat's current directional heading (Blair and Sharp [1995] J Neurosci 15:6260–6270). In the current study we extend these findings by using a different method of analysis. HD cells in the ATN and PoS were first characterized by three different measures: peak firing rate, range width, and information content. We then examined how these measures varied when cell firing was aligned with past (negative time shift) or future (positive time shift) head direction of the rat. We report that all three measures were optimized when ATN cell firing was aligned with the animal's future directional heading by about +23 msec. In contrast, PoS HD cell firing was optimized when cell firing was aligned with the rat's past head direction by about ‐7 msec. When the optimal value was plotted as a function of the amount of time spikes were shifted relative to head orientation, the mean ATN function was shifted to the right of the PoS function only at negative time shifts; at positive time shifts the two functions overlapped. Analysis of two recording sessions from the same cell indicated that each cell in a particular brain area is ‘tuned’ to a specific time shift so that all cells within a brain area are not uniformly tuned to the same time shift. Other analyses showed that the clockwise and counterclockwise tuning functions were not skewed in the direction of the head turn as postulated by Redish et al. ([1996] Network: Computation in Neural Systems 7:671–685) and Blair et al. ([1997] J Neurophysiol 17:145–159). Additional analysis on episodes when the rat happened to continually point its head in the preferred direction indicated that HD cell firing undergoes little adaptation. In the Discussion, we argue that these results are best accounted for by a motor efference copy signal operating on both types of HD cells such that the copy associated with the PoS HD cells is delayed in time by about 30 msec relative to the copy associated with ATN HD cells. Hippocampus 1998; 8:87–108. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
School-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention in Chilean Children: Effective in Controlling, but not Reducing Obesity

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-month multicomponent obesity prevention intervention. Setting. 9 elementary schools in Santiago, Chile. Subjects. 6–8 y old low-income children (N = 1474). Design. Randomized controlled study; 5 intervention/4 control schools. We trained teachers to deliver nutrition contents and improve the quality of PE classes. We determined % healthy snacks brought from home, children's nutrition knowledge, nutritional status, duration of PE classes, and % time in moderate/vigorous activity (MVA). Effectiveness was determined by comparing Δ BMI Z between intervention and control children using PROCMIXED. Results. % obesity increased in boys from both types of schools and in girls from control schools, while decreasing in girls from intervention schools (all nonsignificant). % class time in MVA declined (24.5–16.2) while remaining unchanged (24.8–23.7%) in classes conducted by untrained and trained teachers, respectively. In boys, BMI Z declined (1.33–1.24) and increased (1.22–1.35) in intervention and control schools, respectively. In girls, BMI Z remained unchanged in intervention schools, while increasing significantly in control schools (0.91–1.06, P = 0.024). Interaction group ∗ time was significant for boys (P < 0.0001) and girls (P = 0.004). Conclusions. This intervention was effective in controlling obesity, but not preventing it. Even though impact was small, results showed that when no intervention is implemented, obesity increases.
Exploring Indian Surrogates’ Perceptions of the Ban on International Surrogacy

This study examined surrogate women’s perceptions on the Indian ban on international surrogacy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 surrogate women at a fertility clinic in Gujarat, India. Three themes emerged: (1) perceptions of the ban; (2) impact of the ban on surrogates, international couples, and fertility clinics; and (3) long-term economic results of surrogacy. Women stated that international surrogacy should not be banned, because it provides substantial economic benefits. They also noted that the ban affects childless couples and clinics by cutting off a source of income. This research provides recommendations for social work action.
A fast and accurate SNP detection method on the cloud platform

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide abundant information about genetic variation, and it is crucial for further genetic analysis. The detection and annotation of SNPs from next-generation sequencing (NGS) data play an important role on the manifestation of phenotypic events. Various methods have been developed for single-nucleotide polymorphisms from next-generation sequencing data, however, most of these methods for identifying single-nucleotide polymorphisms are slow to detect SNPs and need highly resource share. A fast and accurate single-nucleotide polymorphism detection program based on the logistic regression model and Bayesian framework is proposed. In order to evaluate the performance of this program, the time for identifying SNPs has compared with other programs on the cloud platform. The result shows that the proposed method can save nearly half of the time in the same operating conditions and data.
A Decentralized Multiagent-Based Voltage Control for Catastrophic Disturbances in a Power System

In this paper, a multiagent-based voltage and reactive power control in the case of a multiple contingency is presented. Incorporating the agent-based autonomous feature to the intelligence of the remote terminal units, the present power system control structure can be used to help in preventing system voltage collapse during catastrophic disturbances. The control algorithm is based on a decentralized architecture of intelligent agents and the determination of a local zone that can carry out quick countermeasures in a decentralized manner as a multiagent system (MAS) during an emergency situation. An adaptive determination of the local zones undergoing voltage collapse has been developed based on the electrical distances among the generators and loads. Once assigned, the elements of the Jacobian matrix can be used to determine the optimum actions that need to be carried out at each power system element (such as increasing the voltages of generators and load shedding) within the assigned local zone. The contract net protocol is used for agent interactions. Simulation results using the IEEE-57 bus system show that the proposed method can act quickly to respond to emergency conditions to ensure that voltage collapse can be avoided.
Cluster-based Face Image Retrieval and Its Relevance Feedback

This paper proposes a novel cluster-based face image retrieval algorithm.By using normalized cuts(NCuts)to cluster faces in each time span into optimal partitions,various face images of the same character can be grouped together. A face recognition classifier learned by real AdaBoost is used for measuring similarity between two faces,and a similarity measure for the query face and the face cluster is further proposed for retrieval.To further improve the performance,we design an online step,in which users can interactively label false positives and missing retrieval,so that some constraints are involved to revise the clustering results.The algorithm is integrated into an automatic retrieval system,and the experiment on a family album containing over a thousand face images confirms its effectiveness in comparison to other alternative algorithms.
Role of cerebral blood flow in extreme breath holding

Abstract The role of cerebral blood flow (CBF) on a maximal breath-hold (BH) in ultra-elite divers was examined. Divers (n = 7) performed one control BH, and one BH following oral administration of the non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (1.2 mg/kg). Arterial blood gases and CBF were measured prior to (baseline), and at BH termination. Compared to control, indomethacin reduced baseline CBF and cerebral delivery of oxygen (CDO2) by about 26% (p < 0.01). Indomethacin reduced maximal BH time from 339 ± 51 to 319 ± 57 seconds (p = 0.04). In both conditions, the CDO2 remained unchanged from baseline to the termination of apnea. At BH termination, arterial oxygen tension was higher following oral administration of indomethacin compared to control (4.05 ± 0.45 vs. 3.44 ± 0.32 kPa). The absolute increase in CBF from baseline to the termination of apnea was lower with indomethacin (p = 0.01). These findings indicate that the impact of CBF on maximal BH time is likely attributable to its influence on cerebral H+ washout, and therefore central chemoreceptive drive to breathe, rather than to CDO2.
Fgf8 induces pillar cell fate and regulates cellular patterning in the mammalian cochlea

The mammalian auditory sensory epithelium (the organ of Corti) contains a number of unique cell types that are arranged in ordered rows. Two of these cell types, inner and outer pillar cells (PCs), are arranged in adjacent rows that form a boundary between a single row of inner hair cells and three rows of outer hair cells (OHCs). PCs are required for auditory function, as mice lacking PCs owing to a mutation in Fgfr3 are deaf. Here, using in vitro and in vivo techniques, we demonstrate that an Fgf8 signal arising from the inner hair cells is the key component in an inductive pathway that regulates the number, position and rate of development of PCs. Deletion of Fgf8 or inhibition of binding between Fgf8 and Fgfr3 leads to defects in PC development, whereas overexpression of Fgf8 or exogenous Fgfr3 activation induces ectopic PC formation and inhibits OHC development. These results suggest that Fgf8-Fgfr3 interactions regulate cellular patterning within the organ of Corti through the induction of one cell fate (PC) and simultaneous inhibition of an alternate fate (OHC) in separate progenitor cells. Some of the effects of both inhibition and overactivation of the Fgf8-Fgfr3 signaling pathway are reversible, suggesting that PC differentiation is dependent upon constant activation of Fgfr3 by Fgf8. These results suggest that PCs might exist in a transient state of differentiation that makes them potential targets for regenerative therapies.
The Effects of Usury Laws: Evidence from the Online Loan Market

Abstract Usury laws cap the interest rates that lenders can charge. Using data from Prosper.com, an online lending marketplace, I investigate the effects of these laws. The key to my empirical strategy is that there was initially substantial variability in states' interest rate caps, ranging from 6% to 36%. A behind-the-scenes change in loan origination, however, suddenly increased the cap to 36%. The main findings of the study are that higher interest rate caps increase the probability that a loan will be funded, especially if the borrower was previously just "outside the money. " I do not find, however, changes in loan amounts and default probability. The interest rate paid rises slightly, probably because online lending is substantially, yet imperfectly, integrated with the general credit market.
Effect of Fishing on the Complex Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems

Marine ecosystems are complex nonlinear systems, and there biological varibles have low-dimensional nonlinear chaos characteristics. Under certain conditions, marine planktonic ecosystem can have different nonlinear dynamic properties, such as point attractor, periodic attractor as well as chaotic attractor. In this paper, a phytoplankton-fish (herbivorous) model was constructed. With the fishing intensity changed, we studied the nonlinear dynamic properties such as the stability and bifurcation of this model. Futhermore, a model consisting of 6 phytoplankton species and 4 zooplankton species extended with fishing factor was used to analyze the different attractors of the system under different fishing intensity. Results showed that fishing can promote the occurrence of alternative attractors. Futhermore, fishing will decrease the relative frequency of chaos. Under median fishing intensity, there will be more cyclic attractors which mean that population abundance varies mostly.
MISO Amplify Forward scheme and its viability

In this paper, we consider a MISO equivalent of a three node cooperative communication system as described in [1] and compare its energy efficiency with a pure relaying scheme. Specifically, we first quantify the transmit energy required to maintain a target error probability at the destination in an Amplify Forward (AF) based MISO scheme. Based on theoretical analysis, we reason that AF based MISO scheme is not a viable option from an energy efficiency standpoint - pure relaying strategy is shown to be more energy efficient in this framework.
The chirplet transform: physical considerations

We consider a multidimensional parameter space formed by inner products of a parameterizable family of chirp functions with a signal under analysis. We propose the use of quadratic chirp functions (which we will call q-chirps for short), giving rise to a parameter space that includes both the time-frequency plane and the time-scale plane as 2-D subspaces. The parameter space contains a "time-frequency-scale volume" and thus encompasses both the short-time Fourier transform (as a slice along the time and frequency axes) and the wavelet transform (as a slice along the time and scale axes). In addition to time, frequency, and scale, there are two other coordinate axes within this transform space: shear in time (obtained through convolution with a q-chirp) and shear in frequency (obtained through multiplication by a q-chirp). Signals in this multidimensional space can be obtained by a new transform, which we call the "q-chirplet transform" or simply the "chirplet transform". The proposed chirplets are generalizations of wavelets related to each other by 2-D affine coordinate transformations (translations, dilations, rotations, and shears) in the time-frequency plane, as opposed to wavelets, which are related to each other by 1-D affine coordinate transformations (translations and dilations) in the time domain only.
Passive IP Traceback: Disclosing the Locations of IP Spoofers From Path Backscatter

It is long known attackers may use forged source IP address to conceal their real locations. To capture the spoofers, a number of IP traceback mechanisms have been proposed. However, due to the challenges of deployment, there has been not a widely adopted IP traceback solution, at least at the Internet level. As a result, the mist on the locations of spoofers has never been dissipated till now. This paper proposes passive IP traceback (PIT) that bypasses the deployment difficulties of IP traceback techniques. PIT investigates Internet Control Message Protocol error messages (named path backscatter) triggered by spoofing traffic, and tracks the spoofers based on public available information (e.g., topology). In this way, PIT can find the spoofers without any deployment requirement. This paper illustrates the causes, collection, and the statistical results on path backscatter, demonstrates the processes and effectiveness of PIT, and shows the captured locations of spoofers through applying PIT on the path backscatter data set. These results can help further reveal IP spoofing, which has been studied for long but never well understood. Though PIT cannot work in all the spoofing attacks, it may be the most useful mechanism to trace spoofers before an Internet-level traceback system has been deployed in real.
Contextualized mobile information retrieval in hybrid P2P environment

Context-aware computing benefits mobile applications by adapting systems behavior through user surrounding. However, Contextualized Information Retrieval for mobile user in mobile p2p environment still remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we present JHPeer framework for mobile information retrieval (IR) in hybrid peer to peer (P2P) networks. JHPeer incorporates context engine to fit on mobile devices to enable context-based personal information retrieval. A prototype system has been developed based on JHPeer framework for retrieving, indexing and sharing user information on mobile devices in P2P environment.
Attribute Credibility Based Sybil Goup Detection in Online Social Networks

Recent years, online social networks (OSNs) are facing increasingly serious Sybil attack, which results in unexpected terrible impacts on social network services with illegal behaviors as manipulating online votes, publishing large amount of annoying advertises, etc. To detect Sybil account among ordinary users, several attributes and behavioral characteristics based detection algorithms were proposed, most of them claimed to have desirable results in corresponding experiments. Among these well designed algorithms, VoteTrust deserves special attention, which successfully reduced high false detection rate due to Sybil users' invasion to real users' social community. However, this algorithm cannot deal with real users' relatively high false follow rate in follow-forwarding social networks. In this paper, an attribute credibility based Sybil group detection approach is proposed to tackle the drawback of VoteTrust mentioned earlier. It applies Euclidean distance between user's attribute and the center of Sybil attribute as a measure to calculate the credibility, then utilize the value as a key parameter to obtain user's trueness, finally Sybil group can be classified by trueness. Extensive experiments have been conducted based on Sina Weibo dataset. The results show that the proposed approach based on the attribute and behavior characteristics has higher detection accuracy than state-of-the-art related algorithms.