Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Harnessing Single Cell Sorting to Identify Cell Division Genes and Regulators in Bacteria

Cell division is an essential cellular process that requires an array of known and unknown proteins for its spatial and temporal regulation. Here we develop a novel, high-throughput screening method for the identification of bacterial cell division genes and regulators. The method combines the over-expression of a shotgun genomic expression library to perturb the cell division process with high-throughput flow cytometry sorting to screen many thousands of clones. Using this approach, we recovered clones with a filamentous morphology for the model bacterium, Escherichia coli. Genetic analysis revealed that our screen identified both known cell division genes, and genes that have not previously been identified to be involved in cell division. This novel screening strategy is applicable to a wide range of organisms, including pathogenic bacteria, where cell division genes and regulators are attractive drug targets for antibiotic development.
A Minimally Invasive Sinus Augmentation Technique using a Novel Bone Graft Delivery System

A variety of surgical techniques and materials have been developed to increase the vertical bone height in the posterior maxilla. Minimally invasive crestal approaches for the elevation of the floor of the sinus using a crestal approach have been recently reported to minimize adverse events associated with the use of the osteotome technique for indirect sinus lift. The aim of this study is to report a surgical improvisation that minimizes risks associated with sinus floor elevation using a crestal approach and simplifies the clinical procedure. The technique is based on the use of a viscoelastic calcium phosphosilicate alloplastic putty (CPS putty) bone substitute that can be delivered utilizing a unique cartridge delivery system. CPS putty not only acts as a ‘protective cushion’ thanks to its physical properties, but also provides hydraulic pressure to lift the Schneiderian membrane when used in conjunction with the cartridge system. This approach minimizes risks of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or mechanical perforations of the Schneiderian membrane associated with the traditional osteotome technique.
An Adaptive OFDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Wireless Sensor Networks

Underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks (UAWSNs) have many applications across various civilian and military domains. However, they suffer from the limited available bandwidth of acoustic signals and harsh underwater conditions. In this work, we present an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocol that is configurable to suit the operating requirements of the underwater sensor network. The protocol has three modes of operation, namely random, equal opportunity and energy-conscious modes of operation. Our MAC design approach exploits the multi-path characteristics of a fading acoustic channel to convert it into parallel independent acoustic sub-channels that undergo flat fading. Communication between node pairs within the network is done using subsets of these sub-channels, depending on the configurations of the active mode of operation. Thus, the available limited bandwidth gets fully utilized while completely avoiding interference. We derive the mathematical model for optimal power loading and subcarrier selection, which is used as basis for all modes of operation of the protocol. We also conduct many simulation experiments to evaluate and compare our protocol with other Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based MAC protocols.
A formal design and implementation method for real-time embedded systems

This paper tackles the problem of using formal methods for practical real-time system development and verification, and is based on a real example. Many formal methods for real-time systems have been proposed but this technique (AORTA) is one of the few to address the issue of how formal designs are to be implemented. Earlier papers on AORTA have been based on providing the formal semantics of the language, and on particular aspects of implementation or verification. This paper concentrates on setting AORTA within the development life cycle, and demonstrating that the approach can be adopted for non-trivial examples.
Can gender differences during exercise-heat stress be assessed by the physiological strain index ?

Moran, Daniel S. , Yair Shapiro, Arie Laor, Sharona Izraeli, and Kent B. Pandolf. Can gender differences during exercise-heat stress be assessed by the physiological strain index? Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 45): R1798–R1804, 1999. —A physiological strain index (PSI) based on rectal temperature (Tre) and heart rate (HR) was recently suggested to evaluate exercise-heat stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate PSI for gender differences under various combinations of exercise intensity and climate. Two groups of eight men each were formed according to maximal rate of O2 consumption (V̇O2max). The first group of men (M) was matched to a group of nine women (W) with similar (P . 0.001) V̇O2max (46.1 6 2.0 and 43.6 6 2.9 ml·kg21 ·min21, respectively). The second group of men (MF) was significantly (P , 0.001) more fit than M or W with V̇O2max of 59.1 6 1.8 ml·kg21 ·min21. Subjects completed a matrix of nine experimental combinations consisting of three different exercise intensities for 60 min [low, moderate, and high (300, 500, and 650 W, respectively)] each at three climates 5comfortable, hot wet, and hot dry [20°C 50% relative humidity (RH), 35°C 70% RH, and 40°C 35% RH, respectively]6. No significant differences (P . 0.05) were found between matched genders (M and W) at the same exposure for sweat rate, relative V̇O2max (%V̇O2max), and PSI. However, MF had significantly (P , 0.05) lower strain than M and W as reflected by %V̇O2max and PSI. In summary, PSI applicability was extended for exercise-heat stress and gender. This index continues to show potential for wide acceptance and application.
Drought tolerance of selected Eragrostis species correlates with leaf tensile properties.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Previous studies on grass leaf tensile properties (behaviour during mechanical stress) have focused on agricultural applications such as resistance to trampling and palatability; no investigations have directly addressed mechanical properties during water stress, and hence these are the subject of this study. METHODS Critical (lethal) relative water contents were determined for three species of grass in the genus Eragrostis varying in their tolerance to drought. Measurements were taken for leaf tensile strength, elastic modulus, toughness and failure load under different conditions of hydration, and light microscopy and histochemical analyses were undertaken. KEY RESULTS Leaf tensile strength of fully hydrated leaves for the drought-intolerant E. capensis, the moderately drought-tolerant E. tef and the drought-tolerant E. curvula correlated well with drought tolerance (critical relative water content). Eragrostis curvula had higher tensile strength values than E. tef, which in turn had higher values than E. capensis. Measurements on the drought-tolerant grass E. curvula when fully hydrated and when dried to below its turgor loss point showed that tensile strength, toughness and the elastic modulus all increased under conditions of turgor loss, while the failure load remained unchanged. Additional tests of 100 mm segments along the lamina of E. curvula showed that tensile strength, toughness and the elastic modulus all decreased with distance from the base of the lamina, while again the failure load was unaffected. This decrease in mechanical parameters correlated with a reduction in the size of the vascular bundles and the amount of lignification, as viewed in lamina cross-sections. CONCLUSIONS The results confirm that leaf mechanical properties are affected by both water status and position along the lamina, and suggest a positive correlation between leaf internal architecture, tensile strength, cell wall chemistry and tolerance to dehydration for grasses.
BOOST: Berkeley’s Out-of-Order Stack Thingy

We present a novel scheme based on the Tomasulo algorithm to implement out-of-order execution in stack machines. This scheme not only reduces redundant data movement within the processor core, but also eliminates the stack cache and the associated problem of managing it. We present some preliminary quantitative evaluation of the proposed technique. For a suite of scientific benchmarks we obtain performance that appears to be competitive with out-of-order superscalar GPR processors.
Cryptographic key generation using handwritten signature

Based on recent works showing the feasibility of key generation using biometrics, we study the application of handwritten signature to cryptography. Our signature-based key generation scheme implements the cryptographic construction named fuzzy vault. The use of distinctive signature features suited for the fuzzy vault is discussed and evaluated. Experimental results are reported, including error rates to unlock the secret data by using both random and skilled forgeries from the MCYT database.
Genomewide Association Scan of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviour in Major Depression

Background Suicidal behaviour can be conceptualised as a continuum from suicidal ideation, to suicidal attempts to completed suicide. In this study we identify genes contributing to suicidal behaviour in the depression study RADIANT. Methodology/Principal Findings A quantitative suicidality score was composed of two items from the SCAN interview. In addition, the 251 depression cases with a history of serious suicide attempts were classified to form a discrete trait. The quantitative trait was correlated with younger onset of depression and number of episodes of depression, but not with gender. A genome-wide association study of 2,023 depression cases was performed to identify genes that may contribute to suicidal behaviour. Two Munich depression studies were used as replication cohorts to test the most strongly associated SNPs. No SNP was associated at genome-wide significance level. For the quantitative trait, evidence of association was detected at GFRA1, a receptor for the neurotrophin GDRA (p = 2e-06). For the discrete trait of suicide attempt, SNPs in KIAA1244 and RGS18 attained p-values of <5e-6. None of these SNPs showed evidence for replication in the additional cohorts tested. Candidate gene analysis provided some support for a polymorphism in NTRK2, which was previously associated with suicidality. Conclusions/Significance This study provides a genome-wide assessment of possible genetic contribution to suicidal behaviour in depression but indicates a genetic architecture of multiple genes with small effects. Large cohorts will be required to dissect this further.
OWNS: Cross-lingual Word Sense Disambiguation Using Weighted Overlap Counts and Wordnet Based Similarity Measures

We report here our work on English French Cross-lingual Word Sense Disambiguation where the task is to find the best French translation for a target English word depending on the context in which it is used. Our approach relies on identifying the nearest neighbors of the test sentence from the training data using a pairwise similarity measure. The proposed measure finds the affinity between two sentences by calculating a weighted sum of the word overlap and the semantic overlap between them. The semantic overlap is calculated using standard Wordnet Similarity measures. Once the nearest neighbors have been identified, the best translation is found by taking a majority vote over the French translations of the nearest neighbors.
Policies for predictive energy management with supercapacitors

This paper presents an algorithm to dynamically determine the maximum supported uniform demand for energy of sensor nodes powered by energy harvesters using supercapacitors as energy buffers. Knowledge about the maximum uniform consumption is required to adapt the sensor node's duty cycle or task schedule to achieve uniform, utility-maximizing, and depletion-safe operation. Our algorithm makes use of a supercapacitors' relationship between state-of-charge and voltage, is particularly designed to handle the non-linear system model, and is lightweight enough to run on low-power sensor node hardware. We define three energy policies, evaluate their performance using a real-world solar-harvesting trace, and analyze the influence of the supercapacitor's capacity and errors of the energy forecast.
How to Construct Quantum Random Functions

In the presence of a quantum adversary, there are two possible definitions of security for a pseudorandom function. The first, which we call standard-security, allows the adversary to be quantum, but requires queries to the function to be classical. The second, quantum-security, allows the adversary to query the function on a quantum superposition of inputs, thereby giving the adversary a superposition of the values of the function at many inputs at once. Existing techniques for proving the security of pseudorandom functions fail when the adversary can make quantum queries. We give the first quantum-security proofs for pseudorandom functions by showing that some classical constructions of pseudorandom functions are quantum-secure. Namely, we show that the standard constructions of pseudorandom functions from pseudorandom generators or pseudorandom synthesizers are secure, even when the adversary can make quantum queries. We also show that a direct construction from lattices is quantum-secure. To prove security, we develop new tools to prove the indistinguishability of distributions under quantum queries. In light of these positive results, one might hope that all standard-secure pseudorandom functions are quantum-secure. To the contrary, we show a separation: under the assumption that standard-secure pseudorandom functions exist, there are pseudorandom functions secure against quantum adversaries making classical queries, but insecure once the adversary can make quantum queries.
A grounded investigation of game immersion

The term immersion is widely used to describe games but it is not clear what immersion is or indeed if people are using the same word consistently. This paper describes work done to define immersion based on the experiences of gamers. Grounded Theory is used to construct a robust division of immersion into the three levels: engagement, engrossment and total immersion. This division alone suggests new lines for investigating immersion and transferring it into software domains other than games.
Planning high order trajectories with general initial and final conditions and asymmetric bounds

This paper presents a trajectory planning algorithm for linear multi-axis systems. It generates smooth trajectories of any order subject to general initial and final conditions, and constant state and control constraints. The algorithm is recursive, as it constructs a high order trajectory using lower order trajectories. Multi-axis trajectories are computed by synchronizing independent single-axis trajectories to reach their respective targets at the same time. The algorithm’s efficiency and ability to handle general initial and final conditions make it suitable for reactive real-time applications. Its ability to generate high order trajectories makes it suitable for applications requiring high trajectory smoothness. The algorithm is demonstrated in several examples for single- and dual-axis trajectories of orders 2–6.
Mechanisms for Security and Authentication of Wi-Fi devices

This paper presents an overview of the different approaches for Wi-Fi device security with particular focus on public hotspots. This mainly involves solving the authentication problem. Common, as well as alternative solutions are presented and critically discussed with respect to the user’s security and the usability. Today, public hotspots are not as secure as they could be if they implemented current standards and protocols for secure wireless networking. The issues with these new standards in public network environments are discussed and possible solutions presented. In order to facilitate this discussion, several concepts, protocols and standards in the context of wireless LAN security are presented. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the different approaches for hotspot authentication.
Cell Assembly Sequences Arising from Spike Threshold Adaptation Keep Track of Time in the Hippocampus

Hippocampal neurons can display reliable and long-lasting sequences of transient firing patterns, even in the absence of changing external stimuli. We suggest that time-keeping is an important function of these sequences, and propose a network mechanism for their generation. We show that sequences of neuronal assemblies recorded from rat hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells can reliably predict elapsed time (15–20 s) during wheel running with a precision of 0.5 s. In addition, we demonstrate the generation of multiple reliable, long-lasting sequences in a recurrent network model. These sequences are generated in the presence of noisy, unstructured inputs to the network, mimicking stationary sensory input. Identical initial conditions generate similar sequences, whereas different initial conditions give rise to distinct sequences. The key ingredients responsible for sequence generation in the model are threshold-adaptation and a Mexican-hat-like pattern of connectivity among pyramidal cells. This pattern may arise from recurrent systems such as the hippocampal CA3 region or the entorhinal cortex. We hypothesize that mechanisms that evolved for spatial navigation also support tracking of elapsed time in behaviorally relevant contexts.
Pipeline Oriented Implementation of NORX for ARM Processors

NORX is a family of authenticated encryption algorithms that advanced to the third-round of the ongoing CAESAR competition for authenticated encryption schemes. In this work, we investigate the use of pipeline optimizations on ARM platforms to accelerate the execution of NORX. We also provide benchmarks of our implementation using NEON instructions. The results of our implementation show a speed improvement up to 48% compared to the state-of-art implementation on Cortex-A ARMv8 and ARMv7 processors.
Major Amputation Incidence Decreases Both in Non-Diabetic and in Diabetic Patients in Helsinki

Background and Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the changes in diabetes-related lower extremity amputations and to compare it with the development of amputations for critical leg ischaemia in patients without diabetes. Material and Methods: Clinical records of 1094 patients undergoing major lower limb amputations for vascular disease in the town of Helsinki during 13 years from 1990 to 2002 were analyzed retrospectively. Data concerning patient factors, diagnosis, existence of diabetes and amputation level were recorded. The study period was divided into three parts (1990–1994, 1995–1998 and 1999–2002) and results were compared between diabetic and nondiabetic vascular amputees during these time periods. Results: From 1990 through 2002, 561 of patients undergoing major lower limb amputation had diabetes mellitus. The overall incidence of major amputations of diabetics reduced from the first time period to the last period by 23%. At the same time, the incidence of amputations in non-diabetic patient group decreased 40%. If the incidence rate for amputations is expressed per million individuals with diabetes, 33% decrease was observed during the study period. Conclusions: The decrease in major amputation rates among diabetic as well as non-diabetic patients can be attributed to the increased interest in amputation prevention, with a contribution by vascular surgeons being made in both groups.
Toward a semantics for French short positive feedback utterances

Although feedback utterances are ubiquitous in dialogue and identified as a crucial aspect of language interaction, existing semantic/pragmatic proposals do not offer a comprehensive model for them. The present abstract argues for a two-step formal model using fairly standard semantics for lexical item entries and attempting to derive the pragmatic communicative functions from the semantics thanks to rich context modeling. The objective is not only the formal model per se but the possibility of using it as the backbone for a more empirical approach, in the spirit of (Gravano et al., 2012) or (Neiberg et al., 2013) but in which the usefulness of the semantic layer will be investigated.
Modified Interface State Charge Model for 4H-SiC Power MOSFETs

We propose a modified model for interface-state charges to comprehend the device characteristics of 4H-SiC MOSFETs. Device characteristics, such as channel current and channel capacitance, and their dependence on temperature were intuitionally expected by regarding interface-state charges at the conduction band edge as stagnation. We also found that the observed mobility was underestimated through conventional experimental methods compared with actual channel mobility due to stagnant carriers.
Exponential distributed leader-follower consensus formation control of a networked fourth-order multi-quadrotor system

This paper presents two exponential leader-follower consensus formation control approaches with collision and obstacle avoidance for a networked, homogenous quadrotors cooperatively flying at a fixed altitude. The dynamic behavior of each quadrotor is modelled by a fourth-order system model and the multi-quadrotor system is modeled by a directed graph which has a spanning tree with the root being the leader. By using the Lyapunov and sliding-mode control techniques, two exponential, distributed consensus formation control approaches are presented to accomplish consensus formation control. Simulations are conducted to show the effectiveness and merits of the proposed methods with Collision - free and obstacle-avoidance methods.
Children's Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS): Psychometric Properties

This study describes the psychometric properties of the Children's Separation Anxiety Scale (CSAS), which assesses separation anxiety symptoms in childhood. Participants in Study 1 were 1,908 schoolchildren aged between 8 and 11. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: worry about separation, distress from separation, opposition to separation, and calm at separation, which explained 46.91% of the variance. In Study 2, 6,016 children aged 8–11 participated. The factor model in Study 1 was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency (α = 0.82) and temporal stability (r = 0.83) of the instrument were good. The convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated by means of correlations with other measures of separation anxiety, childhood anxiety, depression and anger. Sensitivity of the scale was 85% and its specificity, 95%. The results support the reliability and validity of the CSAS.