Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VICTour 1.1: Introducing Virtual Learning Environments and Gamification

Game engines are one of the few solutions to providing a true virtual campus tour experience. In this paper, we explore the evolution of the virtual campus tour and thereby the current and future work of game technology within virtual touring. An investigation is conducted into the application of objective-based gamification and its ability to encourage exploration of a virtual world. We also examine virtual campus tours as an alternate form of taught content via virtual learning environments (VLEs). An investigation into the use of head mounted displays to improve immersion is also explored.
Convex skeletons of complex networks

A convex network can be defined as a network such that every connected induced subgraph includes all the shortest paths between its nodes. A fully convex network would therefore be a collection of cliques stitched together in a tree. In this paper, we study the largest high-convexity part of empirical networks obtained by removing the least number of edges, which we call a convex skeleton. A convex skeleton is a generalization of a network spanning tree in which each edge can be replaced by a clique of arbitrary size. We present different approaches for extracting convex skeletons and apply them to social collaboration and protein interactions networks, autonomous systems graphs and food webs. We show that the extracted convex skeletons retain the degree distribution, clustering, connectivity, distances, node position and also community structure, while making the shortest paths between the nodes largely unique. Moreover, in the Slovenian computer scientists coauthorship network, a convex skeleton retains the strongest ties between the authors, differently from a spanning tree or high-betweenness backbone and high-salience skeleton. A convex skeleton thus represents a simple definition of a network backbone with applications in coauthorship and other social collaboration networks.
A new method based on computer vision for non-intrusive orange peel sorting

As it is well-known, orange peel is used for making jam and oil. For this purpose, orange samples with high peel thickness are best. In order to predict peel thickness in orange fruit, we present a system based in image features, comprising: area, eccentricity, perimeter, length/area, blue value, green value, red value, wide, contrast, texture, wide/area, wide/length, roughness, and length. A novel identification solution based on the hybrid of particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA) and artificial neural network (ANN) is proposed. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) has been applied to reduce the number of dimensions, without much loss of information. Taguchi's robust optimization technique has been applied to determine the optimal setting for parameters of PSO, GA, and ANN. The optimal level of factors were: Number of Neuron in first layer=7, Number of Neuron in second layer=2, Maximum Iteration=400, Crossover probability=0.7, Mutation probability=0.1, and Swarm (Population) Size=200. Results for prediction of orange peel thickness based on levels that are achieved by Taguchi method were evaluated by five performance measures: the coefficient of determination (R2), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), sum square error (SSE), and root mean square error (RMSE), reaching values of 0.8571, 0.0123, 0.0924, 1.392, and 0.1109, respectively.
Survival of the Fittest: The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Firm Exit

We study the impact of the minimum wage on firm exit in the restaurant industry, exploiting recent changes in the minimum wage at the city level. We find that the impact of the minimum wage depends on whether a restaurant was already close to the margin of exit. Restaurants with lower ratings are closer to the margin of exit at all observed minimum wage levels, and are disproportionately driven out of business by increases to the minimum wage. Our point estimates suggest that a one dollar increase in the minimum wage leads to a 14 percent increase in the likelihood of exit for a 3.5-star restaurant (which is the median rating on Yelp), but has no discernible impact for a 5-star restaurant (on a 1 to 5 star scale). Looking at data from delivery orders, we find that lower rated restaurants also increase prices in response to minimum minimum wage increases. Overall, our analysis also highlights how digital data can be used to shed new light on labor policy and the economy.
Effective Utilization of Available PEV Battery Capacity for Mitigation of Solar PV Impact and Grid Support With Integrated V2G Functionality

Utilizing battery storage devices in plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) for grid support using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept is gaining popularity. With appropriate control strategies, the PEV batteries and associated power electronics can be exploited for solar photovoltaic (PV) impact mitigation and grid support. However, as the PEV batteries have limited capacity and the capacity usage is also constrained by transportation requirements, an intelligent strategy is necessary for an effective utilization of the available capacity for V2G applications. In this paper, a strategy for an effective utilization of PEV battery capacity for solar PV impact mitigation and grid support is proposed. A controllable charging/discharging pattern is developed to optimize the use of the limited PEV battery capacity to mitigate PV impacts, such as voltage rise during midday or to support the evening load peak. To ensure an effective utilization of the available PEV battery capacity when used for travel (which is the main usage of the PEVs) or when interventions in the charging operation is caused by passing clouds, a strategy for dynamic adjustments in PEV charging/discharging rates is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is tested using a real distribution system in Australia based on practical PV and PEV data.
Competition between unions as a stimulus for initiating reform: the Israeli case, 1958–2015

Abstract The article identifies characteristics and consequences of competition between two teachers’ unions as a component of multi-unionism. The study aimed to clarify the consequences of this competition for the education system following the splitting of one teachers’ union and formation of a new union, which challenged both its rival and the policy-makers. The study focuses particularly on the development of the newer union. Data was gathered from documents written between 1958 and 2013, and supplementary interviews were conducted with 15 key figures in the unions, the Ministry of Education, and the Treasury. While research literature usually describes the conduct of teachers’ unions on a continuum between hindrance and facilitation of educational reforms, the study’s findings add an additional dimension relating to the possibility that competition between two teachers’ unions can engender competitive proposals for educational reform and act as a catalyst for change in educational policy. The rivalry led to the emergence of two similar, but competing, educational reforms, accepted by government and in effect today in all the schools. The study provides information on different levels of competition between the teachers’ unions, and the leeway for action that a union has as an interest group.
Estimating dioxin‐like polychlorinated biphenyl toxic equivalents from total polychlorinated biphenyl measurements in fish

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are 209 related compounds, a dozen of which are known as dioxin‐like PCBs (dl‐PCBs) and are among the most toxic PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls contribute to many adverse effects to human health, including cancer, and are a major cause of fish advisories in North America. It is a common perception that individual PCB compounds, especially dl‐PCBs, rather than total PCB need to be quantified to predict the environmental hazard because of differences in their toxicity potential and distribution among various environmental matrices, including aquatic food webs. Because the current analytical methods for quantifying dl‐PCBs are complex and four‐ to fivefold more expensive, limited fish samples are analyzed for dl‐PCBs. Using what likely is the largest dl‐PCB fish data set (n = 912) with a wide distribution of fish species (n = 22), size (19–112 cm), weight (100–14,300 g), sex (male:female, 51:49), and PCB contamination level (20‐7,300 ng/g wet wt), we show that the comparatively less expensive and rapid measurements of total PCB in fish can be utilized to assess dl‐PCB‐related toxicological hazard, measured as 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin toxic equivalents (TEQ). A regression equation of dl‐PCB‐related TEQ (i.e., TEQdl‐PCB) to total PCB in fish is presented (TEQdl‐PCB = [2.56 × 10−5]CtotalPCB, r = 0.89, p < 0.001). The regression was evaluated by applying it to three independent data sets of substantial sizes (n = 55, 141, and 176). The TEQdl‐PCB estimated using the regression and total PCB measurements were within a reasonable factor of two to three of the TEQdl‐PCB calculated from the dl‐PCB measurements. The successful evaluation indicates versatility of the regression.
MicroRNA-125a represses cell growth by targeting HuR in breast cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of naturally occurring, small, non-coding RNAs that control gene expression during development, normal cell function, and disease. Although there is emerging evidence that some miRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, there is limited understanding of the role of miRNAs in cancer. In this study, we observed that the expression of miR-125a was inversely correlated with HuR expression in several different breast carcinoma cell lines. HuR is a stress-induced RNA binding protein whose expression is elevated or localization perturbed in several different cancers. Increased cytoplasmic localization of HuR is a prognostic marker in breast cancer. Real time PCR and gene reporter assays indicated that HuR was translationally repressed by miR-125a. Re-establishing miR-125a expression in breast cancer cells decreased HuR protein level and inhibited cell growth. Using MCF-7 breast cancer cells, we further clarified that miR-125a inhibited cell growth via a dramatic suppression of cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis. In addition, cell migration was also inhibited by miR-125a overexpression. Importantly, the repression of cell proliferation and migration engendered by miR-125a was partly rescued by HuR re-expression. Our results suggest that miR-125a may function as a tumor suppressor for breast cancer, with HuR as a direct and functional target.
Binding of Cationic α-Helical Peptides to Plasmid DNA and Their Gene Transfer Abilities into Cells*

Polycationic reagents such as cationic lipids and poly-l-lysine are widely used for gene transfer into cells in vitro and show promise as vectors for in vivo gene therapy applications as nonviral gene transfer techniques. We have developed a novel transfection method using cationic amphiphilic α-helical oligopeptides with repeated sequences. Oligopeptide has the advantages of being easily designed and modified because of its simple structure. In this study, we synthesized five kinds of peptides of which the total chain length and the width of the hydrophobic region were changed. The binding of the peptides to plasmid DNA was evaluated by agarose gel electrophoresis. It was found that the long and/or hydrophobic peptides can strongly bind to the DNA. The formation of large aggregates with a 0.5–5-μm diameter, which consisted of the long peptides and the DNA, was observed by electron microscopy. The transfection abilities of the peptides were determined by the expression of luciferase from its cDNA in COS-7 cells. The long peptides showed high transfection abilities. As a result, it could be said that the transfection ability of these peptides was parallel to their ability to form aggregates with DNA. Furthermore, the transfection ability was increased by the addition of chloroquine in the transfection procedure. This result indicated that the internalization of the peptide-DNA aggregates would be mediated by the endocytosis pathway.
Demonstration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity in neurons of the mouse spinal dorsal horn

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated in neurons within the superficial laminae (I, II, III) of the mouse spinal dorsal horn by light-microscopic peroxidase immunocytochemistry. The immunoreactivity was distributed in a narrow dorsoventral band that enclosed the substantia gelatinosa (lamina II), with a higher concentration along the lamina II/III border. At present, the functional significance of these neurons is unknown. Their existence within the substantia gelatinosa suggests a role in sensory information processing.
The influence of changes in discharge frequency of corticospinal neurones on hand muscles in the monkey.

1. The possibility that the discharge pattern of monkey corticomotoneuronal cells influences the degree to which they facilitate their target hand muscles was tested by compiling spike‐triggered averages of EMG recorded from these muscles. 2. Records were made from area 4 corticomotoneuronal cells in three conscious macaque monkeys while they performed a precision grip between index finger and thumb. Simultaneous EMG recordings were made from up to six different intrinsic hand muscles. Twenty cells which produced clear post‐spike facilitation of one or more muscles were selected for further analysis. 3. Spikes recorded from these cells were grouped according to the occurrence of a previous spike in the periods 0‐10 ms, 10‐20 ms, and so on up to 60‐70 ms before the trigger spike. The post‐spike period in which no additional spikes were allowed to fall was kept at either 12.5 or 25 ms. 4. Spikes selected in this way produced a transient facilitation of their target muscle EMG activity. The peak amplitude of this facilitation was normalized as a percentage of modulation of the background EMG level. The background level was determined from a period in the average to which the cell could not have contributed, because of the post‐trigger spike interval. We verified that the percentage of modulation was not influenced by the overall level of EMG activity, since, for a given interval, the modulation was the same whether the relevant spikes were selected during periods of high‐ or low‐level EMG activity. 5. The relative amplitude of the post‐spike facilitation (i.e. the percentage of modulation) showed marked variation with interspike interval. A full analysis was completed for seventeen neurones. Spikes with the shortest intervals (less than 10 ms) usually produced the strongest effects, and evidence is presented that this was due to temporal summation and facilitation at the corticomotoneuronal synapse. Mid‐range intervals (10‐40 ms) were generally far less effective, although they constituted the highest proportion of cell activity. 6. A striking finding was the strong facilitation generated by the longer interspike intervals (40‐70 ms). Although the absolute size of this post‐spike effect was much smaller than that of the shortest intervals, its percentage of modulation was similar. It is suggested that this enhanced facilitation results from a combination of lower frequency discharge among the active motoneurones, and increased synchrony in the corticomotoneuronal input to them. 7. All of the above results were confirmed by examining cross‐correlations between single corticomotoneuronal cells and single motor units in their target muscle. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Coherent Equalization and POLMUX-RZ-DQPSK for Robust 100-GE Transmission

We discuss the use of a coherent digital receiver for the compensation of linear transmission impairments and polarization demultiplexing in a transmission system compatible with a future 100-Gb/s Ethernet standard. We present experimental results on the transmission performance of 111 Gbit/s POLMUX-RZ-DQPSK. For a dense WDM setup with channels carrying 111 Gbit/s with a 50 GHz channel spacing (2.0 bits/s/Hz), we show the feasibility of 2375 km transmission. This is enabled through coherent detection which results in excellent noise performance, and subsequent electronic equalization which provides the high tolerance to polarization mode dispersion and chromatic dispersion (CD). Furthermore, we discuss the impact of sampling and digital signal processing with either 1 or 2 samples/bit. We show that when combined with low-pass electrical filtering, 1 sample/bit signal processing is sufficient to obtain a large tolerance towards CD. The proposed modulation and detection techniques enable 111 Gbit/s transmission that is directly compatible with the existing 10 Gbit/s infrastructure.
A fast color barcode detection method through cross identification on mobile platforms

The use of color barcodes enables rich formation can be stored in a 2D scene image. However, automatic detection of color barcodes on a mobile platform is challenging due to the sensitivities to color, light condition, curved product surface and the distortions during camera capturing. In this paper, we present a novel approach for fast and robust color barcode detection in natural scenes. To be generic, we consider a color barcode to be a grid of colored squares consisting of at most 4 or 8 colors. A feature detector for finding crosses formed by differently colored cells is proposed. Next, candidate barcode regions are generated using a thresholding method and those regions containing more than a specific number of crosses are declared to be barcode regions. Comparisons with the base line Hough transform method for matrix code detection are performed, and the experimental results show the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method in the presences of blurry and complex background of scene images.
Short term load forecasting using data mining technique

Accurate load and price forecasting are become very essential in power system planning. This will increase the efficiency of electricity generation and distribution while maintaining sufficient security of operation. This paper proposes method for Short Term Load Forecasting using data mining technique. The data provided by utility of Malaysia were analyzed to see its behavior or load pattern in a day during weekday and weekend in Peninsular Malaysia. By considering day-type in a week, five model of SARIMA (Time Series approach) have been created using Minitab. The forecasting is held based on the similar repeating trend of patterns from historical load data. The half hourly load data for six weeks had been plotted according to day-type to forecast the load demand for a day ahead. The MAPEs (Mean Absolute Percentage Error) obtained were ranging from 1.07% to 3.26%. Hence this modeling had improved the accuracy of forecasting rather than using only one model for all day in a week.
Influence of genetic variability at the COMT gene on TMT-B performance in psychotic patients and their healthy siblings

The Val158Met catechol-O-methyl transferase functional polymorphism has been repeatedly associated to differences in performing the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in both, patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals. However, this association has not been consistently replicated for the Trail Making Test part-B (TMT-B). In a sample of 89 patients suffering from a functional psychotic disorder and their healthy siblings we aim (i) to explore if there is any difference completing the TMT-B between both groups and among the different psychotic categories, and (ii) to investigate the association between the catechol-O-methyl transferase genotype and the TMT-B performance. Psychotic patients executed the TMT-B worse than the siblings group (P⩽0.006). The patients (P=0.001) and the siblings (P=0.006) with the Val/Val genotype used more time to execute the test than those who carried the Met allele.
Inhibition of EZH2 triggers the tumor suppressive miR-29b network in multiple myeloma

Downregulation of tumor suppressor (TS) microRNAs (miRNAs) commonly occurs in human cancer, including multiple myeloma (MM). We previously demonstrated that miR-29b is a relevant TS miRNA, whose expression in MM cells is inhibited by HDAC4-dependent deacetylation. Here, we provide novel insights into epigenetic mechanisms suppressing miR-29b in MM. In MM patient-derived plasma cells, we found inverse correlation between miR-29b and EZH2 mRNA expression. Both siRNAs and pharmacologic inhibitors of EZH2 led to miR-29b upregulation, and this effect was ascribed to reduced H3K27-trimethylation (H3K27me3) of miR-29a/b-1 promoter regions. Induction of miR-29b upon EZH2 inhibition occurred together with downregulation of major miR-29b pro-survival targets, such as SP1, MCL-1 and CDK6. Knock-down of the EZH2-interacting long non-coding RNA MALAT1 also reduced H3K27me3 of miR-29a/b-1 promoter, along with induction of miR-29b and downregulation of miR-29b targets. Importantly, inhibition of miR-29b by antagomiRs dramatically reduced in vitro anti-MM activity of small molecule EZH2-inhibitors, indicating that functional miR-29b is crucial for the activity of these compounds. Altogether, these results disclose novel epigenetic alterations contributing to the suppression of miR-29b molecular network, which can be instrumental for the development of rationally designed miRNA-based anti-MM therapeutics.
Structural and Functional Evidence for the Role of the TLR2 DD Loop in TLR1/TLR2 Heterodimerization and Signaling*

The Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain of the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) plays an important role in innate host defense signaling. The TIR-TIR platform formed by the dimerization of two TLRs promotes homotypic protein-protein interactions with additional cytoplasmic adapter molecules to form an active signaling complex resulting in the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes. To generate a better understanding of the functional domains of TLR2 we performed a random mutagenesis analysis of the human TLR2 TIR domain and screened for TLR2/1 signaling-deficient mutants. Based upon the random mutagenesis results, we performed an alanine scanning mutagenesis of the TLR2 DD loop and part of the αD region. This resulted in the identification of four residues crucial for TLR2/1 signaling: Arg-748, Phe-749, Leu-752, and Arg-753. Computer-assisted energy minimization and docking studies indicated three regions of interaction in the TLR2/1 TIR-docked heterodimer. In Region I, residues Arg-748 and Phe-749 in TLR2 DD loop were involved in close contacts with Gly-676 in the TLR1 BB loop. Because this model suggested that steric hindrance would significantly alter the binding interactions between DD loop of TLR2 and BB loop of TLR1, Gly-676 in TLR1 was rationally mutated to Ala and Leu. As expected, in vitro functional studies involving TLR1 G676A and TLR1 G676L resulted in reduced PAM3CSK4 mediated NF-κB activation lending support to the computerized predictions. Additionally, mutation of an amino acid residue (TLR2 Asp-730) in Region II also resulted in decreased activity in agreement with our model, providing new insights into the structure-function relationship of TLR2/1 TIR domains.