Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Rapid Single-Tube Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for the Seven Most Prevalent α-Thalassemia Deletions and αααanti 3.7 α-Globin Gene Triplication

α-Globin gene triplications may exacerbate the α chain and β chain imbalance in β-thalassemia (β-thal) and may compensate for the effect of α-globin gene deletion in α-thal. Identification of an α-globin gene triplication is, therefore, valuable in predicting the clinical phenotype of the thalassemias. To be able to detect α-globin gene triplications, we have modified an existing multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the seven most prevalent α-globin gene deletions by incorporating two triplication-specific primers and concurrently substituting one of the original primers by a newly designed primer. This modified multiplex PCR assay was evaluated by performing the assay on archival DNA samples and on peripheral blood samples from 163 suspected thalassemia cases. It was found to function properly. Our assay thereby represents the first multiplex PCR assay that can detect both the seven most prevalent α-globin gene deletions and the αααanti 3.7 α-globin gene triplication in a single-tube reaction.
Retinoic Acid Utilizes CREB and USF1 in a Transcriptional Feed-Forward Loop in Order To Stimulate MKP1 Expression in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Podocytes

ABSTRACT Nef-induced podocyte proliferation and dedifferentiation via mitogen-activated protein kinase 1,2 (MAPK1,2) activation plays a role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) nephropathy pathogenesis. All-trans retinoic acid (atRA) reverses the HIV-induced podocyte phenotype by activating cyclic AMP (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA) and inhibiting MAPK1,2. Here we show that atRA, through cAMP and PKA, triggers a feed-forward loop involving CREB and USF1 to induce biphasic stimulation of MKP1. atRA stimulated CREB and USF1 binding to the MKP1 gene promoter, as shown by gel shifting and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. CREB directly mediated the early phase of atRA-induced MKP1 stimulation; whereas the later phase was mediated by CREB indirectly through induction of USF1. These findings were confirmed by a reporter gene assay using the MKP1 promoter with mutation of CRE or Ebox binding sites. Consistent with these findings, the biological effects of atRA on podocytes were inhibited by silencing either MKP1, CREB, or USF1 with small interfering RNA. atRA also induced CREB phosphorylation and MKP1 expression and reduced MAPK1,2 phosphorylation in kidneys of HIV type 1-infected transgenic mice. We conclude that atRA induces sustained activation of MKP1 to suppress Nef-induced activation of the Src-MAPK1,2 pathway, thus returning the podocyte to a more differentiated state. The mechanism involves a feed-forward loop where activation of one transcription factor (TF) (CREB) leads to induction of a second TF (USF1).
The Role of Industrial Clustering and Manufacturing Flexibility in Achieving High Innovation Capability and Operational Performance in Indonesian Manufacturing SMEs

This study aims to examine the effects of industrial clustering and manufacturing flexibility on innovation capability and operational performance. This study follow a survey method to collect data pertaining to the phenomena of industrial clustering, manufacturing flexibility, innovation capability, and operational performance by utilizing a single respondent design. A total of 124 Indonesian manufacturing SMEs are taken to test the proposed theoretical model by utilizing covariance-based structural equations modeling approach. It was found that both industrial clustering and manufacturing flexibility was positively associated with operational performance and innovation capability as well. In addition, innovation capability may account for the effects of industrial clustering and manufacturing flexibility on operational performance. This implies that manufacturing SMEs have to reorient their production and operation perspectives, including agglomerate with other similar or related SMEs to develop and utilize their own resources. The SMEs also need to possess some degree of manufacturing flexibility in respond to the uncertain environment and market changes. In addition, the SMEs should put a greater emphasize to use industrial cluster and manufacturing flexibility benefits to generate innovation capability to achieve high performance.
Indoor channel capacity measurement of wide-band MIMO antenna with isolation enhancement

In this paper, indoor channel capacity measurements are performed for 2-element wide-band multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system using two Lyrtech software defined radios (SDR) platforms. The wideband antenna system operates over a frequency band between 1870 MHz to 2530 MHz while the channel capacity measurements are performed at 2.45 GHz WLAN band. The measurements are performed for both line-of-sight (LOS) and Non-LOS (NLOS) environment. At 20 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the measured channel capacity is 7.22 bits/sec/Hz in LOS and 7.88 bits/sec/Hz in NLOS indoor environment compared to 11.34 bits/sec/Hz for an ideal 2×2 MIMO system. Ground (GND) slots between antenna elements are utilized to enhance isolation by 5 dB in the desired band of interest.
Large Area Mapping of Boreal Growing Stock Volume on an Annual and Multi-Temporal Level Using PALSAR L-Band Backscatter Mosaics

The forests of the Russian Taiga can be described as an enormous biomass and carbon reservoir. Therefore, they are of utmost importance for the global carbon cycle. Large-area forest inventories in these mostly remote regions are associated with logistical problems and high financial efforts. Remotely-sensed data from satellite platforms may have the capability to provide such huge amounts of information. This study presents an application-oriented approach to derive aboveground growing stock volume (GSV) maps using the annual large-area L-band backscatter mosaics provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Furthermore, a multi-temporal map has been created to improve GSV estimation accuracy. Based on information from Russian forest inventory data, the maps were generated using the machine learning algorithm, RandomForest. The results showed the high potential of this method for an operational, large-scale and high-resolution biomass estimation over boreal forests. An RMSE from 55.2 to 63.3 m3/ha could be obtained for the annual maps. Using the multi-temporal approach, the error could be slightly reduced to 54.4 m3/ha.
Division of Labor between Locals and Foreign VC's in Cross National Investments

Using a newly constructed database on VC investments in Israel between the years 1990-2008, this paper documents a division of labor between local VCs and foreign VCs such that local VCs invest in early stages of the company and foreign VCs invest in later stages. This difference is moderated by: longer years of operation in the local market by the foreign VC; the foreign VC syndicating with a local partner; the foreign VC opening a local subsidiary. This phenomenon is consistent with the liability of foreignness concept and is driven by knowledge asymmetries between foreign and local VCs. This paper illustrates the profound impact of knowledge asymmetries and of intra-firm & inter-firm international knowledge transfer on the internationalization process of companies.
The Role of Plant Tissue Culture to Supply Disease Free Planting Materials of Major Horticultural Crops in Ethiopia

Agricultural diversification to meet our future needs call for the adoption of new technologies in agriculture . Utilization of the best cultural practices, fertilization, pest control measures will not give the necessary results without the use of best planting material. Tissue culture has been significant role in producing disease free planting materials of vegetative propagated crops in horticulture industry of many countries. Among these crops potato, sweet potato, banana and citrus are the major crops being propagated intensively to produce disease free planting materials. Many research works have being conducted on the potential of in vitro plantlets over conventional one on productively per unit area particularly in horticultural crops. Almost all research results revealed that in vitro plantlets significantly perform better than conventional in terms of uniformity, earliness, yield, and quality due to free from disease load. The limiting factor of using in vitro plantlets from the point of view of farmers is the higher price of the material if compared to conventional and TC plants require additional care and improved management. Higher cost is justified by achieved high economic returns. In addition, the technology has created several employment opportunities and opened up many entrepreneurial fields. This industry has made available different unique commercial plant species such as ornamentals and foliages in large scale, which were not produced earlier by the conventional methods. Keywords: Tissue culture, in vitro and plantlets.
Continuous stroke volume monitoring by modelling flow from non-invasive measurement of arterial pressure in humans under orthostatic stress.

The relationship between aortic flow and pressure is described by a three-element model of the arterial input impedance, including continuous correction for variations in the diameter and the compliance of the aorta (Modelflow). We computed the aortic flow from arterial pressure by this model, and evaluated whether, under orthostatic stress, flow may be derived from both an invasive and a non-invasive determination of arterial pressure. In 10 young adults, Modelflow stroke volume (MFSV) was computed from both intra-brachial arterial pressure (IAP) and non-invasive finger pressure (FINAP) measurements. For comparison, a computer-controlled series of four thermodilution estimates (thermodilution-determined stroke volume; TDSV) were averaged for the following positions: supine, standing, head-down tilt at 20 degrees (HDT20) and head-up tilt at 30 degrees and 70 degrees (HUT30 and HUT70 respectively). Data from one subject were discarded due to malfunctioning thermodilution injections. A total of 155 recordings from 160 series were available for comparison. The supine TDSV of 113+/-13 ml (mean+/-S.D.) dropped by 40% to 68+/-14 ml during standing, by 24% to 86+/-12 ml during HUT30, and by 51% to 55+/-15 ml during HUT70. During HDT20, TDSV was 114+/-13 ml. MFSV for IAP underestimated TDSV during HDT20 (-6+/-6 ml; P<0.05), but that for FINAP did not (-4+/-7 ml; not significant). For HUT70 and standing, MFSV for IAP overestimated TDSV by 11+/-10 ml (HUT70; P<0.01) and 12+/-9 ml (standing; P<0.01). However, the offset of MFSV for FINAP was not significant for either HUT70 (3+/-8 ml) or standing (3+/-9 ml). In conclusion, due to orthostasis, changes in the aortic transmural pressure may lead to an offset in MFSV from IAP. However, Modelflow correctly calculated aortic flow from non-invasively determined finger pressure during orthostasis.
A review of recent power amplifier IC

This paper given a brief and concise discussion on latest research of RFIC power amplifier (PA) designs, showing the frontier state-of-the-art developments, and then present our PA designs and some typical newest designs in expertise area with three technologies, a.k. a CMOS, SiGe, and III-V semiconductor. At last, three research hotspots and research trends about on chip PA are summarized and discussed.
Reed Nevus (Pigmented Spindle Cell Nevus) in an 11-Month-Old Japanese Infant

Reed nevus (pigmented spindle cell nevus) is a nevus with the histopathological features of abundant melanin, monomorphic spindle-epithelioid melanocytes, spindle cell nests confined within the epidermis and papillary dermis, and occasional upward interepidermal progression of melanocytes. Here, we reported an unusual case of Reed nevus in an 11-month-old Japanese male infant. Infantile Reed nevus should be included as a differential diagnosis for nevus pigmentosus in infancy.
Mechanical manipulator for intuitive control of endoscopic instruments with seven degrees of freedom

During minimally invasive surgery (MIS), surgeons operate through small holes in the patient's body and the movements of the instruments' handles about the incision are scaled and mirrored. Complex tasks like suturing are very demanding due to disturbed hand-eye coordination and instruments with limited degrees of freedom (DOFs). Robotic systems enhance surgical dexterity by providing up to 7 DOFs. This allows the surgeon to operate with more intuitive manipulation of the instruments. Robotic systems, however, are very bulky, expensive and do not provide any force feedback. A relatively simple mechanical manipulator for MIS is developed as an alternative to robotic systems avoiding these drawbacks.
Financial Structure, Misallocation and TFP

This paper studies the quantitative relevance of the cross-sectional dispersion of firm financial structure in explaining the intra-industry allocation efficiency of productive factors. I solve a heterogenous firms model with financial constraints and distortions to the marginal rental-rate of capital, and develop a measure for the intra-industry misallocation of factors of production. The distribution of rental rate of capital and two types of firm-level balance sheet characteristics (pledgeability and collateralizable asset positions) determine the extent of misallocation and industry level total factor productivity (TFP). In the model firms that face high capital rental rates borrow in the financial market to lower the marginal cost of production and increase the scale of investment up to the limit that is allowed by the balance sheet positions. Using Compustat data, I calibrate the model for seven major industry clusters from the U.S. economy. The counterfactual policy experiments show that weakening the observed balance sheet positions for financially constrained firms leads to a reallocation of production factors from firms that face high cost distortions to firms with low cost distortions and cause industry level TFP losses. The value added from firm-level financial access for aggregate industry performance varies across sectors: For example, in IT and Textile & Fabrics industries where external finance dependence plays an important role for industry performance shutting down financial access lowers aggregate industry TFP to 50% of the existing level. The results suggest that the aggregate economic benefits from financial sector development vary with external finance dependence of industries confirming the results obtained by Rajan and Zingales (1998).
Probing crystallography-induced anisotropy and periodic property of atomic friction in MoS2 via fast Fourier transform processing

An theoretical and experimental study on friction anisotropy and 120 degree periodicity variation in atomic friction of MoS2 is presented in this paper. To clearly clarify these properties, fast Fourier transform(FFT) is utilized by Matlab software to perform the frequency variation of the actual friction signal wave acquired from the lateral friction experiment. Characteristic of the computed frequency ratios periodically varying with lattice orientation is clearly observed and well explained in terms of the periodical variation in atomic friction. The consistency between the theoretical analysis and experimental result ultimately verify the validity of the assumption. The discovery of this paper promises future application in real-time crystallographic orientation detecting.
Question Answering Systems in E-Government: A Proposal for the Colombian Context

Given the staggering quantity of textual information on the Internet, several systems of information search and retrieval have been proposed in recent years, such as Question-Answering Systems (QAS), whereby users employ natural language in their search, retrieving a specific answer to their question instead of a list of relevant documents. Government websites publish a wide array of textual information such as laws, procedures, and policies. Users generally do not perform searches in government websites due to the complexity of search mechanisms, which are sometimes too technical for lay people. The article proposes an architecture for the integration of QAS with government web portals in order to improve the search process on the part of citizens, thereby improving the interaction between citizens and government. It also discusses the research findings related to the design and implementation of a QAS in the Colombian context proposed for a local government. Keywords—e-government, Question Answering, citizens interaction
Effect of organic and inorganic sources of fertilizer on growth, yield and fruit quality of eggplant (Solanum Melongena L)

Declining soil fertility resulting from continuous cultivation of small holder farms and escalating cost of imported fertilizers and the need to conserve and build natural resource capital and biodiversity, has led to renewed interest in the use of local nutrient resources for soil fertility management in Kenya. The study was conducted at Bukura Agricultural college farm during the short (SRS) and long rain seasons (LRS) of the year 2009 and 2010 respectively. The LRS occurs between March and July and SRS from September/October to December with peaks in April and November, respectively. The experiment aimed at evaluating the effect of combination between two levels of the recommended mineral fertilizers(50% and 100% of research recommended rates) with three types of organic manures on growth, fruit yield and quality of egg plant (Solanum melongena L) var. black beauty. The experimental design was split plot design with three replications, where two levels of mineral fertilizers treatments (50% and 100%) were randomized in main plots while three types of organic manures(FYM, Compost and Tithonia) and control treatments were randomized in the subplots. Topsoil (0-20cm depth) were sampled before transplanting seedlings and analyzed for soil physical properties, PH, N, P, K, OC and CEC. Also the organic manures were also analyzed for their chemical properties i.e. PH, N, P, K, OC and CEC. Results showed significant differences in eggplant growth, fruit yield and quality (p<0.05) between the two main treatments (50%RRR and 100%RRR), the three organic manures and their control. Similarly, there was significant difference between and the interactions between the two inorganic fertilizer levels and the organic manures. Increasing NPK from 50% to 100% of the research recommended rates encouraged the vegetative growth of eggplants as expressed as plant height and fresh weight besides increasing the total yield it enhanced the fruit quality. The plants in the organic manure treated plots were characterized with vigorous vegetative growth, which in turn led to increase in total fruit yields as well as improving fruit quality. The farm yard manure was considered the superior source of manure to obtaining the highest value of the parameters under study as compared to compost and Tithonia diversifolia (tithonia). Soil fertilized with 100% recommended NPK combined with organic manures produced the superior growth of plants and the highest amount of total fruit yields. The promising combination was 100% of recommended NPK combined with farm yard manure produced the best response.
GAAP Difference or Accounting Fraud? Evidence from Chinese Reverse Mergers Delisted from U.S. Markets

In 2012, one in four federal securities class-action lawsuits filed in the U.S. involved Chinese Reverse Merger companies (CRMs). However, these lawsuits sometimes have encountered difficulties in court due to insufficient direct evidence of accounting fraud. We propose a new method for fraud detection: use Chinese companies dual-listed in the U.S. and China to establish a benchmark for the normal GAAP difference between the two countries. Using this methodology, we find that only a small fraction of the discrepancies between delisted CRMs’ financial statements filed in the U.S. and those filed in China can be attributed to GAAP difference. This fact suggests that the remaining discrepancies, which are large and unexplained, are indeed due to accounting fraud. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that delisted Chinese Reverse Merger companies enticed U.S. investors with favorable and fraudulent accounting and financial data.
Adaptive neuro-control for spacecraft attitude control

The spacecraft attitude control which combines the concepts of artificial neural networks and nonlinear adaptive control, is investigated as an alternative to linear control approaches. Two capabilities of neuro-controllers are demonstrated using a nonlinear model of the Space Station Freedom. These capabilities are: 1) synthesis of robust nonlinear controllers using neural networks; and 2) adaptively modifying neuro-controller characteristics for varying inertia characteristics. The main components of the adaptive neuro-controllers include an identification network and a controller network. Both these networks are trained using the backpropagation of error learning paradigm. To ensure robustness of the neuro-controller, an optimally connected neural network is synthesized for the identification network. For the online adaptive control problem, a new technique using a memory filter for error backpropagation is introduced. The performances of the nonlinear neuro-controllers for cases listed above are verified using a nonlinear simulation of the Space Station. Results presented substantiate the feasibility of using neural networks in robust nonlinear adaptive control of spacecraft. <<ETX>>
Trustworthy Remote Entities in the Smart Grid

It has been demonstrated that the frequent energy measurements from smart meters could pose a risk to individual privacy. Although various solutions have been proposed, this remains an open research challenge. This proposed research endeavour aims to enhance user privacy by introducing a novel element into the smart grid architecture. The Trustworthy Remote Entity (TRE) is a computational and communication system situated as an intermediary between a group of smart meters and the external smart grid entities. The TRE enhances user privacy by providing a degree of indirection in this bidirectional communication architecture. The proposed research methodology involves first modelling the behaviour of the TRE and then architecting this system using Trusted Computing technologies. Given the current state of smart grid development, it is anticipated that this research will have a significant impact on the smart grid.
Bankruptcy prediction models in Galician companies. Application of parametric methodologies and artificial intelligence

This paper provides empirical evidence on the prediction of non-financial companies’ failure. We develop several models to evaluate failure risk in companies from Galicia. We check the predictive ability of parametric models (multivariate discriminant, logit) compared with auditor’s report. Models are based on relevant financial variables and ratios, in financial logic and a in financial distress situations. We examine a random sample of companies in cross-sectional perspective, checking the predictive capacity at any given time, also verifying is models give reliable signals to anticipate future events of financial distress. Findings suggest that our models are extremely effective when applied in medium and long term, and that they offer higher predictive capabilities than external audit.