Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microhabitat partitioning in seagrass mesograzers is driven by consistent species choices across multiple predator and competitor contexts

Explanations for the coexistence of multiple species from the same functional group or taxonomic clade frequently include fine-scale resource partitioning. However, despite the hypothesized importance of niche partitioning, we know relatively little about the underlying mechanisms. For example, differences in resource use may be fixed consequences of organism traits, or they may be achieved via context-dependent behaviors. In this study we investigated mechanisms of microhabitat partitioning using eight species of marine mesograzers inhabiting seagrass and algae habitats, using laboratory trials to measure microhabitat use in the presence and absence of both predators and competitors. We found clear evidence for microhabitat partitioning between the species, which account for over 60% of the mesograzers commonly found in this system and vary in both body size and the ability to build tubes on habitat substrates. Species-specific microhabitat use was poorly predicted by these two traits, but remained remarkably consistent across contexts. Habitat use was not affected by the presence of fish predators common in this system, even though predation pressure is thought to place strong constraints on microhabitat in communities of plant-associated arthropods. The presence of competing species also did not affect the relative separation of microhabitat use. Behavioral responses to potential competitors did cause significant changes in microhabitat use in all of the smallest species, but these changes did not depend on competitor identity and were relatively small compared to among-species patterns of microhabitat partitioning. The consistency of species-specific microhabitat use, regardless of the presence of predators or competitors, should make coexistence most likely among species that differ in these choices. For these species, it appears that the benefits accrued from their selected microhabitats are not affected by species interactions, or that any benefits of alternative microhabitat use are outweighed by risks associated with movement.
The Yin and Yang of pain: variability in formalin test nociception and morphine analgesia produced by the Yin Yang 1 transcription factor gene

We recently observed a reliable phenotypic difference in the inflammatory pain sensitivity of a congenic mouse strain compared to its background strain. By constructing and testing subcongenic strains combined with gene‐expression assays, we provide evidence for the candidacy of the Yy1 gene – encoding the ubiquitously expressed and multifunctional Yin Yang 1 transcription factor – as responsible. To confirm this hypothesis, we used a Cre/lox strategy to produce mutant mice in which Yy1 expression was ablated in Nav1.8‐positive neurons of the dorsal root ganglion. These mutants also displayed reduced inflammatory pain sensitivity on the formalin test. Further testing of pain‐related phenotypes in these mutants revealed robustly increased sensitivity to systemic and spinal (but not supraspinal) morphine analgesia, and greatly increased endogenous (swim stress‐induced) opioid analgesia. None of the known biological roles of Yin Yang 1 were suggestive of such a phenotype, and thus a novel player in pain modulatory systems has been identified.
Immersive Virtual Reality application using Google Cardboard and Leap Motion technologies

Virtual Reality applications have known an accelerated development in the past few years stimulated by the advancements in the hardware capabilities and also by the benefits from the similarity with the real world. However, the available solutions for immersive VR are still very expensive and often lack the friendliness expected on user interaction techniques. In this paper we will present a low cost, immersive, VR capable setup based on two new technologies: Google Cardboard and Leap Motion. The proposed solution is showcased using an educational application that allows its users to virtually visit Elmwood Park Zoo, Pennsylvania and learn more on the wild animals in the process. Most of the user interactions are performed through hand described gestures inspired from the real world, helping the users to accommodate more easily and perform naturally in the virtual environment.
A 10-GHz frequency divider using selectively doped heterostructure transistors

We report the first complementary clocked frequency divider using dual gate selectively doped heterostructure transistors (SDHT's). The circuit employs a master-slave flip-flop design which consists of four direct coupled AND-NOR gates. The nominal gate length and the gate-gate, separation in the dual gate SDHT's are 1 µm. A maximum dividing frequency of 10.1 GHz at 77 K was achieved; at this frequency the circuit dissipated 49.9 mW at 1.67-V bias. This is the highest operating frequency reported for static frequency dividers at any temperature. At room temperature the dividers were operated successfully at frequencies up to 5.5 GHz with a total power dissipation of 34.8 mW at 1.97-V bias. The lowest speed-power product at room temperature was obtained at 5 GHz with 14.9-mW power dissipation at 1.45-V bias.
Hybrid halftoning using direct multi-bit search (DMS) screen algorithm

In this paper we propose a mathematical framework for multi-bit aperiodic clustered dot halftoning based on the Direct Multi-bit Search (DMS) algorithm. A pixel validation map is provided to the DMS algorithm to guide the formation of homogeneous clusters. The DMS algorithm operates without any user defined guidance, iteratively choosing the best drop absorptance level. An array of valid pixels is computed after each iteration that restricts the selection of pixels available to the DMS algorithm, improving the dot clustering. This process is repeated throughout the entire range of gray levels to create a visually pleasing multi-bit halftone screen. The resultant mask exhibits smoother appearance and improved detail rendering, compared to conventional clustered dot halftoning. Much of the improvements originate from the improved sampling of the aperiodic hybrid screen designs.
Structural Asymmetry of the Terminal Catalytic Complex in Selenocysteine Synthesis*

Background: SepSecS catalyzes the terminal step of selenocysteine synthesis in a reaction that requires tRNASec. Results: SepSecS simultaneously binds up to two tRNAs in a cross-dimer fashion. Conclusion: The SepSecS-tRNASec complex is asymmetric: one dimer is a noncatalytic platform that binds tRNAs, whereas the other one catalyzes the reaction. Significance: The study proposes allosteric regulation of selenocysteine and selenoprotein synthesis. Selenocysteine (Sec), the 21st amino acid, is synthesized from a serine precursor in a series of reactions that require selenocysteine tRNA (tRNASec). In archaea and eukaryotes, O-phosphoseryl-tRNASec:selenocysteinyl-tRNASec synthase (SepSecS) catalyzes the terminal synthetic reaction during which the phosphoseryl intermediate is converted into the selenocysteinyl moiety while being attached to tRNASec. We have previously shown that only the SepSecS tetramer is capable of binding to and recognizing the distinct fold of tRNASec. Because only two of the four tRNA-binding sites were occupied in the crystal form, a question was raised regarding whether the observed arrangement and architecture faithfully recapitulated the physiologically relevant ribonucleoprotein complex important for selenoprotein formation. Herein, we determined the stoichiometry of the human terminal synthetic complex of selenocysteine by using small angle x-ray scattering, multi-angle light scattering, and analytical ultracentrifugation. In addition, we provided the first estimate of the ratio between SepSecS and tRNASec in vivo. We show that SepSecS preferentially binds one or two tRNASec molecules at a time and that the enzyme is present in large molar excess over the substrate tRNA in vivo. Moreover, we show that in a complex between SepSecS and two tRNAs, one enzyme homodimer plays a role of the noncatalytic unit that positions CCA ends of two tRNASec molecules into the active site grooves of the other, catalytic, homodimer. Finally, our results demonstrate that the previously determined crystal structure represents the physiologically and catalytically relevant complex and suggest that allosteric regulation of SepSecS might play an important role in regulation of selenocysteine and selenoprotein synthesis.
Graph analytics on relational databases

Graph analytics has become increasing popular in the recent years. Conventionally, data is stored in relational databases that have been refined over decades, resulting in highly optimized data processing engines. However, the awkwardness of expressing iterative queries in SQL makes the relational queryprocessing model inadequate for graph analytics, leading to many alternative solutions. Our research explores the possibility of combining a more natural query model with relational databases for graph analytics. In particular, we bring together a graph-natural vertex-centric query interface to highly optimized column-oriented relational databases, thus providing the efficiency of relational engines and ease-of-use of new graph systems. Throughout the thesis, we used stochastic gradient descent, a loss-minimization algorithm applied in many machine learning and graph analytics queries, as the example iterative algorithm. We implemented two different approaches for emulating a vertex-centric interface on a leading column-oriented database, Vertica: disk-based and mainmemory based. The disk-based solution stores data for each iteration in relational tables and allows for interleaving SQL queries with graph algorithms. The main-memory approach stores data in memory, allowing faster updates. We applied optimizations to both implementations, which included refining logical and physical query plans, applying algorithm-level improvements and performing system-specific optimizations. The experiments and results show that the two implementations provide reasonable performance in comparison with popular graph processing systems. We present a detailed cost analysis of the two implementations and study the effect of each individual optimization on the query performance. Thesis Supervisor: Samuel Madden Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Adaptive Robust Three‐dimensional Trajectory Tracking for Actively Articulated Tracked Vehicles *

A new approach is proposed for an adaptive robust three‐dimensional (3D) trajectory‐tracking controller design. The controller is modeled for actively articulated tracked vehicles (AATVs). These vehicles have active sub‐tracks, called flippers, linked to the ends of the main tracks, to extend the locomotion capabilities in hazardous environments, such as rescue scenarios. The proposed controller adapts the flippers configuration and simultaneously generates the track velocities, to allow the vehicle to autonomously follow a given feasible 3D path. The approach develops both a direct and differential kinematic model of the AATV for traversal task execution correlating the robot body motion to the flippers motion. The benefit of this approach is to allow the controller to flexibly manage all the degrees of freedom of the AATV as well as the steering. The differential kinematic model integrates a differential drive robot model, compensating the slippage between the vehicle tracks and the traversed terrain. The underlying feedback control law dynamically accounts for the kinematic singularities of the mechanical vehicle structure. The designed controller integrates a strategy selector too, which has the role of locally modifying the rail path of the flipper end points. This serves to reduce both the effort of the flipper servo motors and the traction force on the robot body, recognizing when the robot is moving on a horizontal plane surface. Several experiments have been performed, in both virtual and real scenarios, to validate the designed trajectory‐tracking controller, while the AATV negotiates rubble, stairs, and complex terrain surfaces. Results are compared with both the performance of an alternative control strategy and the ability of skilled human operators, manually controlling the actively articulated components of the robot.
Unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation for children with acute myeloid leukemia beyond first remission or refractory to chemotherapy.

PURPOSE Identify prognostic factors that influence outcome after unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS Included are 268 patients (age <or= 18 years) with AML in second complete remission (n = 142), relapse (n = 90), or primary induction failure (n = 36) at transplantation. All patients received bone marrow grafts from an unrelated donor and a myeloablative conditioning regimen. Cox regression models were constructed to identify risk factors that influence outcome after transplantation. RESULTS In this analysis, the only risk factor that predicted leukemia recurrence and overall and leukemia-free survival was disease status at transplantation. The 5-year probabilities of leukemia-free survival were 45%, 20%, and 12% for patients who underwent transplantation at second complete remission, relapse, and primary induction failure, respectively. As expected, risk of acute but not chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was lower with T-cell-depleted bone marrow grafts; T-cell-depleted grafts were not associated with higher risks of leukemia recurrence. We observed similar risks of leukemia relapse in patients with and without acute and chronic GVHD. CONCLUSION Children who underwent transplantation in remission had a superior outcome compared with children who underwent transplantation during relapse or persistent disease. Nevertheless, 20% of children who underwent transplantation in relapse are long-term survivors, suggesting that unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation is an effective therapy in a significant proportion of children with recurrent or primary refractory AML.
Technology requirements to investigate the effects of sound on marine wildlife

There is little information about the effects of sound on marine life. In spite of this high uncertainty, several new legal limits to sound levels in the marine environment are being introduced. The present paper summarises the conclusions drawn at a workshop that took a prospective view of the technological developments necessary in order to make significant progress with reducing these uncertainties. These developments would mainly aim to further the understanding of how sound may affect some of the most vulnerable marine species. The most important methods available to examine the effects of sound will involve the development of instruments that measure the received levels of sound at the animal and its behavioural response. The availability of power to operate instruments used in remote sensing is the main factor that limits most aspects of technology capability. Alternatives need to be developed to using sparse data (from a few instruments that are attached to animals or that are widely spaced), and a coordinated approach is required between commercial suppliers and academics to overcome the current constraints, foster innovation and turn new approaches into operational tools. There is also a need to improve the technology used to attach instruments to animals, particularly in the case of small cetaceans. Improved bandwidth for data communication, recovery or retrieval is likely to develop alongside other innovations as a result of improvements in large-scale infrastructure such as satellite systems. There is scope for innovation of sensors to improve the ability to measure behavioural/ physiological response variables such as heart and/or respi-
Face detection and facial feature extraction based on a fusion of knowledge based method and morphological image processing

Detection of human face from an image is a very difficult process. There are many reasons that affect the detection process such as lighting condition, shadows, facial expression etc. Thus facial feature extraction itself becomes a difficult task. In order to propose an efficient method for facial feature extraction, we used the characteristic features of nostrils, eyes lips etc. In our method we assume that frontal face image is readily available. At first face regions detected by detecting the eye regions. After detecting the face region other feature points such as nostril, corners of eyes, corners of lips etc are extracted. At first eye pairs are obtained by finding and verifying possible eye regions. After detecting the eye regions, the distance between the eyes is used to find a possible face candidate. Next, the face is divided into different regions and facial features are extracted from the corresponding regions.
Database Security And Auditing Protecting Data Integrity And Accessibility

Thank you very much for reading database security and auditing protecting data integrity and accessibility. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search numerous times for their favorite readings like this database security and auditing protecting data integrity and accessibility, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some malicious bugs inside their computer.
A Novel Conus Peptide Ligand for K+Channels*

Voltage-gated ion channels determine the membrane excitability of cells. Although many Conus peptides that interact with voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+channels have been characterized, relatively few have been identified that interact with K+ channels. We describe a novelConus peptide that interacts with the ShakerK+ channel, κM-conotoxin RIIIK from Conus radiatus. The peptide was chemically synthesized. Although κM-conotoxin RIIIK is structurally similar to the μ-conotoxins that are sodium channel blockers, it does not affect any of the sodium channels tested, but blocks Shaker K+ channels. Studies using Shaker K+ channel mutants with single residue substitutions reveal that the peptide interacts with the pore region of the channel. Introduction of a negative charge at residue 427 (K427D) greatly increases the affinity of the toxin, whereas the substitutions at two other residues, Phe425 and Thr449, drastically reduced toxin affinity. Based on the Shaker results, a teleost homolog of theShaker K+ channel, TSha1 was identified as a κM-conotoxin RIIIK target. Binding of κM-conotoxin RIIIK is state-dependent, with an IC50 of 20 nm for the closed state and 60 nm at 0 mV for the open state of TSha1 channels.
Towards Self-Motivated, Cognitive, Continually Planning Agents

We present a ﬂexible initial framework for deﬁning self-motivated, self-aware agents in simulated worlds, planning continuously so as to maximize long-term rewards. While such agents employ reasoned exploration of feasible sequences of actions and corresponding states, they also behave opportunistically and recover from failure, thanks to their continual plan updates and quest for rewards. Our framework allows for both speciﬁc and general (quantiﬁed) knowledge, and for epistemic predicates such as knowing-that and knowing-whether. Because realistic agents have only partial knowledge of their world, the reasoning of the proposed agents uses a weakened closed world assumption; this has consequences for epistemic reasoning, in particular introspection. The planning operators allow for quantitative, gradual change and side eﬀects such as the passage of time, changes in distances and rewards, and language production, using a uniform procedural attachment method. Question answering (involving introspection) and experimental runs are shown for our particular agent ME in a simple world, demonstrating the value of continual deliberate, reward-driven planning. Though the primary merit of agents deﬁnable in our framework is that they combine all of the above features, they can also be conﬁgured as single or multiple goal-seeking agents, and as such perform comparably with some recent experimental agents.
Factors Influencing Retirement among Older Employees with a Low Occupational Status

: This study examined the factors that influence the retirement decision of older employees with a low occupational status in the creative industry in the Netherlands. Thirty semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted by telephone. The sample existed of employees with a low occupational status, aged 50 or above, in the creative industry in the Netherlands. All participants were member of the trade union of this industry. It was found that non-organizational factors play a more important role than organizational factors, such as HRM practices. Three key factors have been identified that might prevent older employees from retiring: a mentality change that is more welcoming towards older employees, a workplace that is highly flexible in the broadest sense of the concept, and regular open communication between the organization and its employees. The findings show that a welcoming mentality towards older employees, greater flexibility, and enhanced communication were found to strongly influence the retirement decision of older employees with a low occupational status.
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY: THE CASE OF THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY

Introduction of the mass rapid transit railway system through the Gautrain has not only addressed the transport issue in South Africa but has also motivated and promoted the country’s economic growth by creating employment. Despite the increase in research focusing on the importance of the Gautrain to the South African economy, the influence of perceived convenience, image and safety on commuter satisfaction and loyalty in the South African mass rapid transit railway system context is still limited. This paper used a data collected from 206 Gautrain commuters in the Gauteng province of South Africa to examine the interplay between perceived convenience, image, safety, commuter satisfaction and loyalty. Smart PLS software technique was used to statistically analyse the measurement and structural models. The results revealed that perceived convenience, image and safety positively influenced commuter satisfaction, which, in turn, influenced commuter loyalty. These results may be used by marketers in mass public railway systems to initiate strategies intended to increase both commuter satisfaction and loyalty.
Production of 2,3‐butanediol by Klebsiella oxytoca from various sugars in microalgal hydrolysate

A new fermentation process using a mixed sugar medium is proposed in this study for 2,3‐butanediol (2,3‐BDO) production. The medium contained seven different monosugars known to be present in Nannochloropsis oceanica hydrolysate. The performance of each sugar when existing alone or together with glucose was evaluated. All the sugars except fucose were successfully metabolized for 2,3‐BDO production. A 2,3‐BDO yield of 0.31g/g was achieved with the mixed sugar medium, which was very close to that with the glucose‐only medium. However, the 2,3‐BDO productivity (0.28 g L−1 h−1) was found to be about 30% lower than that with glucose, implying, as expected, the existence of glucose repression on the uptake of other sugars. Strain development is in need to remove such negative effect of glucose for improved process efficiency. Fucose with the lowest uptake rate and no contribution to 2,3‐BDO production can be a high value‐added byproduct, once recovered and purified. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 31:1669–1675, 2015