Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FtcR Is a New Master Regulator of the Flagellar System of Brucella melitensis 16M with Homologs in Rhizobiaceae

ABSTRACT The flagellar regulon of Brucella melitensis 16M contains 31 genes clustered in three loci on the small chromosome. These genes encode a polar sheathed flagellum that is transiently expressed during vegetative growth and required for persistent infection in a mouse model. By following the expression of three flagellar genes (fliF, flgE, and fliC, corresponding to the MS ring, hook, and filament monomer, respectively), we identified a new regulator gene, ftcR (flagellar two-component regulator). Inactivation of ftcR led to a decrease in flagellar gene expression and to impaired Brucella virulence. FtcR has a two-component response regulator domain as well a DNA binding domain and is encoded in the first flagellar locus of B. melitensis. Both the ftcR sequence and its genomic context are conserved in other related α-proteobacteria. During vegetative growth in rich medium, ftcR expression showed a peak during the early exponential phase that paralleled fliF gene expression. VjbR, a quorum-sensing regulator of the LuxR family, was previously found to control fliF and flgE gene expression. Here, we provide some new elements suggesting that the effect of VjbR on these flagellar genes is mediated by FtcR. We found that ftcR expression is partially under the control of VjbR and that the expression in trans of ftcR in a vjbR mutant restored the production of the hook protein (FlgE). Finally, FtcR binds directly to the upstream region of the fliF gene. Therefore, our data support the role of FtcR as a flagellar master regulator in B. melitensis and perhaps in other related α-proteobacteria.
18.3: Rendering Digital Cinema and Broadcast TV Content to Wide Gamut Display Media

Much more is possible in achieving brighter, more vibrant colors for a richer visual experience in emerging, wide‐gamut display media. Yet, both digital cinema and broadcast TV content fall well short of this promise. In this paper, we provide the means for realizing this promise by identifying certain memory colors e.g., green grass, red, and blue sky and rendering each independently making use of the full gamut of the display media while identifying and maintaining flesh tones to their original intent. Further, a means is provided for extending the gamut of not just wide‐gamut, but any display media by simply lowering the white point of the display.
Trade Intensity and Output Synchronisation : On the Endogeneity Properties of the EMU March 2013

Using annual bilateral data over the period 1988-2011 for a panel of 24 industrialised and emerging economies, we analyse in a time-varying framework the determinants of output synchronisation in EMU (European Monetary Union) distinguishing between core and peripheral member states. The results support the specialisation paradigm rather than the endogeneity hypothesis. Evidence is found in the euro period of diverging patterns between the core and the peripheral EMU countries raising questions about the future stability of EMU. JEL Classifications: F10, F15, F17, F4
Current Status of Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

The expanding indications for angioplasty coupled with the successful short and mid-term results of randomized controlled trials of drug-eluting stents have already had an unquestionable impact on the practice of coronary revascularization operations. However, coronary artery bypass grafting remains a major mode of therapy for coronary artery disease. It is likely that surgery will continue to be preferred for more complex subsets and that surgeons will have to continue to maintain good results in patients with more complex problems. Concerns regarding morbidity associated with conventional surgical myocardial revascularization on cardiopulmonary bypass have led to a resurgence of interest in off-pump bypass surgery during the last decade, with the expectation that it would be safer if cardiopulmonary bypass could be avoided. This review summarizes the impact of off-pump bypass surgery in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with conventional coronary artery bypass on cardiopulmonary bypass by evaluating the current best-available evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses comparing off-pump surgery with conventional bypass grafting.
Prey Capture, Ingestion, and Digestion Dynamics of Octopus vulgaris Paralarvae Fed Live Zooplankton

Octopus vulgaris is a species of great interest in research areas such as neurobiology, ethology, and ecology but also a candidate species for aquaculture as a food resource and for alleviating the fishing pressure on its wild populations. This study aimed to characterize the predatory behavior of O. vulgaris paralarvae and to quantify their digestive activity. Those processes were affordable using the video-recording analysis of 3 days post-hatching (dph), mantle-transparent paralarvae feeding on 18 types of live zooplanktonic prey. We show for the first time in a live cephalopod that octopus paralarvae attack, immobilize, drill, and ingest live cladocerans and copepods with 100% efficiency, which decreases dramatically to 60% on decapod prey (Pisidia longicornis). The majority (85%) of successful attacks targeted the prey cephalothorax while unsuccessful attacks either targeted the dorsal cephalothorax or involved prey defensive strategies (e.g., juvenile crab megalopae) or prey protected by thick carapaces (e.g., gammaridae amphipods). After immobilization, the beak, the buccal mass and the radula were involved in exoskeleton penetration and content ingestion. Ingestion time of prey content was rapid for copepods and cladocerans (73.13 ± 23.34 s) but much slower for decapod zoeae and euphausiids (152.49 ± 29.40 s). Total contact time with prey was always <5 min. Contrary to the conventional view of crop filling dynamics observed in adult O. vulgaris, food accumulated first in the stomach of paralarvae and the crop filled after the stomach volume plateaued. Peristaltic crop contractions (~18/min) moved food into the stomach (contractions ~30/min) from where it passed to the caecum. Pigmented food particles were seen to enter the digestive gland, 312 ± 32 s after the crop reached its maximum volume. Digestive tract contents passed into the terminal intestine by peristalsis (contraction frequency ~50/min) and defaecation was accompanied by an increased frequency of mantle contractions. Current results provide novel insights into both, O. vulgaris paralarvae—live prey capture strategies and the physiological mechanisms following ingestion, providing key information required to develop an effective rearing protocol for O. vulgaris paralarvae.
Design of a robotic agent that measures smile and facing behavior of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Although socially assistive robots are popularly studied as a powerful tool in therapeutic activities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there are several challenges particularly in automation of the robot's behavior due to difficulties of sensing children's social behaviors by the robotic agent. We developed measurement methods to quantitatively measure children's social behaviors, such as smiling and facing behavior, by means of a wearable device and an image processing. Smiling, facing behavior and their synchrony are usually considered as important social behaviors that imply positive affect and engagement of the participant during the therapeutic intervention. Therefore, the proposed approach would contribute not only to develop the robotic agent which is capable of performing in response to social behaviors of children with ASD, but also to support an evidence-based therapeutic intervention. In this article, the measurement performance of the proposed methods were verified by experiments with ten children with ASD, and the relationship between their smile and facing behavior were analyzed.
On the Distance Spectrum of Tail-Biting Repeat-Accumulate Codes

In this letter the impact of tail-biting (TB) on the distance spectrum of repeat accumulate (RA) codes is analyzed. The average weight enumerator (WE) functions for RA ensembles with and without TB are derived, showing that in the short and moderate block length regimes TB is effective in reducing the multiplicities of low weight codewords. Finally, the asymptotic case is discussed.
A software tool for assessing the financial and technical impacts of changing industrial bio-manufacturing processes

Growing pressures in the bioprocess industries are driving the need for simulations that rapidly evaluate strategies for achieving improvements in large-scale production. This paper presents a prototype simulation that evaluates the financial and technical impacts of developing and implementing a range of manufacturing changes to a pre-existing industrial process. The simulation evaluates each option with respect to development costs and timescales as well as annual production mass, cost of goods and batch times. These metrics are integrated together using a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) technique to produce a single value that quantitatively evaluates each strategy. The methodology is applied to development strategies being considered for an industrial process operated by Protherics U.K. Limited that manufactures an FDA-approved polyclonal Fab preparation for the treatment of rattlesnake envenomation. In the current process, an ovine serum feed containing anti-venom lgG is subjected to sodium sulphate precipitation to sediment the antibodies. The precipitate is separated from the contaminating supernatant by disk stack centrifugation, after which the lgG molecules are enzymatically digested by papain into their Faband Fccomponents. The latter is removed from the process stream by passing it through an ion exchange column, after which the venom-specific Fab is recovered in an affinity step. Process changes considered include replacing the precipitation and centrifugation stages by a synthetic Protein A column step operating in either packed or expanded modes, eliminating the ion exchanger, raising the volume of the ovine feed and increasing the venom-specific IgG titre. Of all the changes examined, using an expanded bed column with the highest increase in lgG titre that could be achieved and the greatest feed volume that could be handled within the facility, combined with the elimination of the ion exchanger results in the best MADM-based value. This would therefore be the most desirable alternative to current operation.
Singleton spectrum mobility games with incomplete information

In cognitive radio networks (CRNs), Secondary Users (SUs) are provided opportunities to access Primary Users' (PUs') idle spectrums but the availability of spectrums is dynamic due to PUs' uncertain activities of channel reclamation. In this paper, we investigate such spectrum mobility by proposing Singleton Bayesian Spectrum Mobility Games based on the Singleton Congestion Games, where each SU distributively reselects one switch-to (and available) channel which can bring it the maximum SINR when the spectrum environment varies, accounting for other SUs' switching strategies at the same time. Unlike previous game-theoretic schemes for handling the spectrum mobility that assume SUs' complete knowledge of the CRN, we present our scheme in two information scenarios. We first demonstrate the proposed game in the complete-information scenario and prove the existence of pure Nash equilibriums. Then the game is extended to the incomplete-information scenario with the existence of Bayesian equilibriums. Besides, the other major contribution of this paper is that we provide a polynomial-time algorithm for finding the socially optimal equilibrium among all possible equilibriums, which can optimize the (expected) overall performance of the entire CRN in terms of SUs' average SINR.
Cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD in residents of battered women's shelters: results of a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and initial efficacy of a new shelter-based treatment for victims of intimate partner violence (IPV; i.e., Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment [HOPE]). METHOD A Phase I randomized clinical trial comparing HOPE (n = 35) with standard shelter services (SSS) (n = 35) was conducted. Primary outcome measures included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS; D. D. Blake et al., 1995) and the Conflict Tactic Scales-Revised (M. A. Straus, S. L. Hamby, S. Boney-McCoy, & D. B. Sugarman, 1996). Participants were followed at 1-week, 3- and 6-months postshelter. RESULTS Participants reported HOPE to be credible and indicated a high degree of satisfaction with treatment. Only 2 women withdrew from treatment. Both intent to treat (ITT) and minimal attendance (MA) analyses found that HOPE treatment relative to SSS was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of reabuse over the 6-month follow-up period (OR = 5.1, RR = 1.75; OR = 12.6, RR = 3.12, respectively). Results of hierarchical linear model analyses found a significant treatment effect for emotional numbing symptom severity in the ITT sample, t(67) = -2.046, p < . 05, and significant treatment effects for effortful avoidance symptom severity, t(49) = -2.506, p < . 05, and arousal symptom severity, t(49) = -2.04, p < . 05, in the MA sample. Significant effects were also found for depression severity, empowerment, and social support. CONCLUSIONS Results support the acceptability and feasibility of HOPE and suggest that HOPE may be a promising treatment for IPV victims in shelter. However, results also suggest that modifications to HOPE may be required to improve treatment outcomes.
Using Reinforcement Learning to Make Optimal Use of Available Power and Improving Overall Speed of a Solar-Powered Boat

In preparation of the Frisian Solar Challenge 2010 (the world cup for solar powered boats), the Hanzehogeschool and RuG are designing a hydrofoiling solarboat. Hydrofoils are under water wings, providing lift, capable of raising a boat out of the water. This reduces drag significantly, enabling higher speeds with a decrease of power consumption. However a lot of energy has to be spent in order to get the boat out of the water. These large amounts of energy were previously not available through solar power, making hydrofoils state of the art in solar powered boats. The hydrofoils of the solarboat are retractable, meaning that during the race the solarboat has the ability to switch between states (sailing hullborne or foilborne). Deciding when to switch is a difficult task which has to take into account many different variables. We show how Reinforcement learning can be used to learn an optimal policy in a simulative environment which aims at finishing the race as fast as possible with a limited amount of energy. We use Artificial Neural Networks as function approximators for estimating the value for each action in an arbitrary state. The learned policy will have an advisory role to the pilot of the boat during the race. We set up several experiments, iteratively increasing the complexity of the model. First the partially observable Mountain car problem was modeled, our results show that through the use of artificial neural networks the value can be predicted more accurately than with a traditional tabular approach. This resulted in a significantly better performance than with the standard method. Next we modeled the solar boat in a simple race situation, competing on a linear track without an environment. We show how our algorithm is able to optimize the time required for the solar boat to reach the finish line. Finally we modeled the solar boat within his environment, taking into account position on the track, cornering, sun energy, changing weather and shadows. Two different policies were trained, the first was trained on one single track (Specific Policy Algorithm, SPA), the other was trained on all tracks (Generalizing Policy Algorithm, GPA). There was no significant difference between the performance of the SPA and the GPA. Both algorithms show a gradual decrease in time required to reach the goal, optimizing energy in a situation where energy is limited and unpredictable.
Entry into Cells and Selective Degradation of tRNAs by a Cytotoxic Member of the RNase A Family*

Onconase (P-30 protein), an enzyme in the ribonuclease A superfamily, exerts cytostatic, cytotoxic, and antiviral activity when added to the medium of growing mammalian cells. We find that onconase enters living mammalian cells and selectively cleaves tRNA with no detectable degradation of rRNA. The RNA specificity of onconase in vitro using reticulocyte lysate and purified RNA substrates indicates that proteins associated with rRNA protect the rRNA from the onconase ribonucleolytic action contributing to the cellular tRNA selectivity of onconase. The onconase-mediated tRNA degradation in cells appears to be accompanied by increased levels of tRNA turnover and induction of tRNA synthesis perhaps in response to the selective toxin-induced loss of tRNA. Degradation products of tRNA 3 Lys , which acts as a primer for HIV-1 replication, were clearly detected in cells infected with HIV-1 and treated with sublethal concentrations of onconase. However, a new synthesis of tRNA 3 Lys also seemed to occur in these cells resulting in plateauing of the steady-state levels of this tRNA. We conclude that the degradation of tRNAs may be a primary factor in the cytotoxic activity of onconase.
Health behaviors in a representative sample of older Canadians: prevalences, reported change, motivation to change, and perceived barriers.

PURPOSE Prevalence estimates of healthy behaviors and preventive care among older adults have not received sufficient attention, despite important health benefits such as longevity and better quality of life. Moreover, little is known about general population prevalences of older adults' efforts to change behavior, motivations to improve health behaviors, and perceived barriers to change. DESIGN AND METHODS This study estimates the prevalence of a wide range of health behaviors and preventive-care activities, self-reported behavior change, and perceived barriers to change in a 1996-1997 population-based survey of 17,354 Canadian adults aged 60 and older. RESULTS The findings indicate that a substantial proportion of older adults lead relatively inactive lives and often fall short of recommended standards for preventive health-care visits and screening tests. Moreover, nearly two thirds (63.2%) of older adults reported no efforts in the prior year to make changes to improve their health, and similar numbers (66.7%) indicated they thought no changes were needed. Differences in prevalences were found by gender, age, and education. IMPLICATIONS Results from this study are useful for policy makers who need to prioritize public health efforts, researchers studying interventions, and health professionals developing preventive-care guidelines.
Downlink multiuser massive MIMO in Rician channels under pilot contamination

In this paper, we investigate uplink channel estimation and multiuser downlink transmission of a massive MIMO time-division duplex system in the presence of pilot contamination, where the base station (BS) with M antennas communicates with N single-antenna users in a cell. We assume that all channels are affected by Rician fading. We also assume that angles of arrival from users to the BS are different. We first analyze the impact of pilot contamination on the channel estimation, based on which we derive a tight sum-rate approximation. We also obtain the asymptotic sum-rate for large Rician K-factor in the large signal to noise ratio regime. Furthermore, we examine the impact of the Rician K-factor on the sum-rate of the system, showing that the sum-rate increases as K-factor increases.
ASIP-based control system for LED matrix display

Along with the increasing applications of light emitting diodes (LEDs), the need for flexible LED controllers is also increasing. A general purpose processor provides excellent flexibility. However, compared to hard-wired controllers, it provides relatively low performance and its exact operation execution time is hard to predict. In addition, they are more expensive than other types of controllers. This paper presents a 16-bit processor-based LED controller, which consists of an application specific instruction set processor and several peripheral modules. Using a software program, the proposed LED controller provides the flexibility to implement various control schemes with small hardware revision. As using real-time operations only, the programmer can predict the execution time of operations exactly. We implemented the proposed LED controller using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The FPGA implementation of the controller runs at 100 MHz, and the system successfully displays motion pictures on the test LED matrix panel of 16×64 RGB pixels.
Retinal Adaptation Effects on the Patterned VEP and ERG

The patterned visually evoked potential (pVEP) and patterned electroretinogram (pERG) after light and dark adaptation were investigated in 10 visually normal human observers. The influence of retinal preadaptation on the pVEP appeared to be dependent on the stimulus field size. With a 6° field size retinal adaptation effects were not apparent, but with a 12° field size the amplitudes of the dark-adapted steady-state pVEP (ssVEP) and transient pVEP (tVEP) were significantly larger than the light-adapted amplitudes. Similarly pERG's elicited by a 12° field size produced larger amplitude darkadapted results. The implications of these findings are discussed. Monitoring the temporal changes in the pVEP subsequent to different retinal preadaptation levels proved to be inconclusive for the conditions studied.
Weight sharing on naive Bayes document model

In this paper, we study weight sharing on the naive Bayes document model. Firstly we consider splitting words into a relatively small number of groups such that words in each group have the same parameter value. This problem can be regarded as a probabilistic parameter sharing task. In this task, we formalize the problem in terms of maximum likelihood estimation, and then propose an algorithm for this purpose. Secondly we focus on an adaptive hyperparameter estimation problem based on prior distributions constructed by using such word groups. This problem can be regarded as a hyperparameter sharing task. In this task, we describe a framework and algorithm, which enables to derive the unique optimal solution in the context of leave-one-out cross validation. In our experiments using a benchmark document set called webkb, we show a series of simulation results using the proposed algorithms.
Molecular basis of the long-QT syndrome associated with deafness.

In 1957, Jervell and Lange-Nielsen reported a syndrome of congenital sensory deafness associated with a prolonged QT interval in four children of a Norwegian family.1 The affected children had multiple syncopal episodes, and three died suddenly at the ages of four, five, and nine years. Since 1957, other examples of the long-QT syndrome associated with deafness (the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome) have been described.2–4 In all cases, the apparent mode of inheritance was autosomal recessive. This syndrome is rare (estimated incidence, 1.6 to 6 cases per million). 2 Affected persons are susceptible to recurrent syncope, and they have a high .
Whole Genome Sequences of Two Xylella fastidiosa Strains (M12 and M23) Causing Almond Leaf Scorch Disease in California

ABSTRACT Xylella fastidiosa is a Gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacterium causing many economically important diseases, including almond leaf scorch disease (ALSD) in California. Genome information greatly facilitates research on this nutritionally fastidious organism. Here we report the complete genome sequences of two ALSD strains of this bacterium, M12 and M23.