Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity in Bradyrhizobium japonicum Serogroup 123 and Its Relation to Genotype-Specific Nodulation of Soybean

The genetic diversity among 20 field isolates of Bradyrhizobium japonicum serogroup 123 was examined by using restriction endonuclease digestions, one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total cell proteins, Southern hybridization analysis of nif and nod genes, and intrinsic antibiotic resistance profiles. All of the isolates were previously separated into three broad nodulation classes (low, medium, and high) based on their ability to form symbioses with specific soybean genotypes. Results of our studies indicate that there is a relationship between these three genotype-specific nodulation classes and groupings that have been made based on genomic DNA digestion patterns, sodium dodecyl sulfate-protein profiles, and Southern hybridizations to a nifHD gene probe. Intrinsic antibiotic resistance profiles and nodAB gene hybridizations were not useful in determining interrelationships between isolates and nodulation classes. Southern hybridizations revealed that two of the isolates had reiterated nod genes; however, there was no correlation between the presence of extra nodAB genes and the nodulation classes or symbiotic performance on permissive soybean genotypes. Hybridizations with the nif gene probe indicated that there is a relationship among serogroup, nodulation class, and the physical organization of the genome.
SDP-Based Quality Adaptation and Performance Prediction in Adaptive Streaming of VBR Videos

Recently, various adaptation methods have been proposed to cope with throughput fluctuations in HTTP adaptive streaming (HAS). However, these methods have mostly focused on constant bitrate (CBR) videos. Moreover, most of them are qualitative in the sense that performance metrics could only be obtained after a streaming session. In this paper, we propose a new adaptation method for streaming variable bitrate (VBR) videos using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). With this approach, the system should have a probabilistic characterization along with the definition of a cost function that is minimized by a control strategy. Our solution is based on a new statistical model where the future streaming performance is directly related to the past bandwidth statistics. We develop mathematical models to predict and develop simulation models to measure the average performance of the adaptation policy. The experimental results show that the prediction models can provide accurate performance prediction which is useful in planning adaptation policy and that our proposed adaptation method outperforms the existing ones in terms of average quality and average quality switch.
DCASE 2017 Task 1: Acoustic Scene Classification Using Shift-Invariant Kernels and Random Features

Acoustic scene recordings are represented by different types of handcrafted or Neural Network-derived features. These features, typically of thousands of dimensions, are classified in state of the art approaches using kernel machines, such as the Support Vector Machines (SVM). However, the complexity of training these methods increases with the dimensionality of these input features and the size of the dataset. A solution is to map the input features to a randomized lower-dimensional feature space. The resulting random features can approximate non-linear kernels with faster linear kernel computation. In this work, we computed a set of 6,553 input features and used them to compute random features to approximate three types of kernels, Gaussian, Laplacian and Cauchy. We compared their performance using an SVM in the context of the DCASE Task 1 - Acoustic Scene Classification. Experiments show that both, input and random features outperformed the DCASE baseline by an absolute 4%. Moreover, the random features reduced the dimensionality of the input by more than three times with minimal loss of performance and by more than six times and still outperformed the baseline. Hence, random features could be employed by state of the art approaches to compute low-storage features and perform faster kernel computations.
Sensing passive object existence within an antenna near field based on return loss

Measuring RF signal strength is crucial in many wireless applications such as spectrum sensing and localization. However signal strength is highly affected by the existence of nearby object and particularly metallic object. This paper suggests the use of change in antenna return loss caused by electromagnetic coupling with nearby object as an indicator for object existence. The antenna itself will act as sensor for nearby metallic object, therefore any distortion in received signal strength due to the object can be identified. Experiments with 2.4GHz dipole antenna is presented and verified with simulation.
Correlation between Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution and Dyslipidemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective To study the correlation between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) constitution and dyslipidemia. Methods CNKI, VIP, Wanfang database, CBMdisc, PubMed, and Embase were searched, and meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.2 software. Results Altogether 11 studies were included with 12890 individuals. The results showed that balanced constitution was a protective factor of dyslipidemia (OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.47~0.82) while phlegm-dampness constitution was a risk factor of it (OR = 2.50, 95% CI 2.22~2.80), and the effect of phlegm-dampness constitution in South China (OR = 3.31, 95% CI 1.71~6.43) was more obvious than that in East (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 2.06~2.80) and North China (OR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.81~2.78). Conclusion This study provides evidence for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia in TCM. However, most of the studies included are of moderate quality; more high quality, multicenter, large-sample studies are expected to provide higher level evidence.
Anatomizing the Mechanics of Structural Change

We characterize several possible mechanisms of structural change by using a general multisector growth model, where preferences and technologies are not parameterized. In this generic set up, we derive the growth rates of sectoral employment shares at the equilibrium. We find that the economic fundamentals governing structural change in the sectoral employment shares are: (i) the income elasticities of the demand for consumption goods; (ii) the Allen-Uzawa elasticities of substitution between consumption goods; (iii) the capital income shares in sectoral outputs; and (iv) the elasticity of substitution between capital and labor in each sector. These fundamentals determine the effect that the growth rates of aggregate income, relative prices, rental rates and technological progress have on structural change. Finally, we estimate the aforementioned fundamentals to develop an accounting exercise that quantifies the contribution of each mechanism to the U.S. structural change.
The Polymorphism in the Caudal‐Related Homeodomain Protein Cdx‐2 Binding Element in the Human Vitamin D Receptor Gene

The major physiological activity of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] is the regulation of calcium absorption in the small intestine, and the level of vitamin D receptor (VDR) is an important factor in this regulation. In a previous study, we indicated that the caudal‐related homeodomain Cdx‐2 played an important role in the intestine‐specific transcription of the human VDR gene. In this study, the polymorphism was identified in the core sequence 5′‐ATAAAAACTTAT‐3′ in the Cdx‐2 binding site in the VDR gene promoter. In 261 Japanese women with genotyped VDR polymorphisms, 48 were genotype Cdx‐A (adenine at −3731 nucleotides [nt] relative to the transcription start site of human VDR gene 5‐ATAAAAACTTAT), 82 were genotype Cdx‐G (guanine at −3731 nt, 5′‐GTAAAAACTTAT‐3′), and 131 were genotype Cdx‐A/G (heterozygote). In postmenopausal Japanese women, the bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine (L2‐L4) with the Cdx‐G homozygote was 12% lower than that with the Cdx‐A homozygote (p < 0.05). In electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay (EMSA), the oligonucleotide with Cdx‐G allele markedly decreased the binding to Cdx‐2 compared with that in the Cdx‐A allele. The transcriptional activity of the VDR promoter with Cdx‐G allele was decreased to 70% of the Cdx‐A allele. In addition, in the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter, the Cdx‐2 binding element with the G allele showed significantly lower transcriptional activity than that of the A allele. Thus, the polymorphism in the Cdx‐2 binding site of the VDR gene (Cdx‐polymorphism) would affect the expression of VDR in the small intestine. In addition, this polymorphism may modulate BMD in postmenopausal Japanese women.
Promising Pathways for Regional Disease Surveillance Networks

The globalization of trade and travel has led to the globalization of communicable diseases and, in turn, increased need for globalization of solutions to fight them. The self-organized regional disease surveillance networks described in this special issue of Emerging Health Threats are one such solution. They reflect the vision, commitment and leadership of country health leaders and their development partners ( 1 – 4 ). The networks described here are significantly different from and complementary to regional surveillance systems of the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) ( 5 , 6 ). (Published: 25 January 2013) Citation: Emerg Health Threats J 2013, 6 : 19961 - http://dx.doi. org/10.3402/ehtj.v6i0. 19961
Synthetic Biology between Self-Regulation and Public Discourse: Ethical Issues and the Many Roles of the Ethicist

Abstract: This article discusses the roles of ethicists in the governance of synthetic biology. I am particularly concerned with the idea of self-regulation of bioscience and its relationship to public discourse about ethical issues in bioscience. I will look at the role of philosophical ethicists at different levels and loci, from the “embedded ethicist” in the laboratory or research project, to ethicists’ impact on policy and public discourse. In a democratic society, the development of governance frameworks for emerging technologies, such as synthetic biology, needs to be guided by a well-informed public discourse. In the case of synthetic biology, the public discourse has to go further than merely considering technical issues of biosafety and biosecurity, or risk management, to consider more philosophical issues concerning the meaning and value of “life” between the natural and the synthetic. I argue that ethicists have moral expertise to bring to the public arena, which consists not only in guiding the debate but also in evaluating arguments and moral positions and making normative judgments. When ethicists make normative claims or moral judgments, they must be transparent about their theoretical positions and basic moral standpoints.
Home Health Nursing Care and Hospital Use for Medically Complex Children

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Home health nursing care (HH) may be a valuable approach to long-term optimization of health for children, particularly those with medical complexity who are prone to frequent and lengthy hospitalizations. We sought to assess the relationship between HH services and hospital use in children. METHODS: Retrospective, matched cohort study of 2783 hospitalized children receiving postdischarge HH services by BAYADA Home Health Care across 19 states and 7361 matched controls not discharged to HH services from the Children’s Hospital Association Case Mix database between January 2004 and September 2012. Subsequent hospitalizations, hospital days, readmissions, and costs of hospital care were assessed over the 12-month period after the initial hospitalization. Nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used for comparisons between HH and non-HH users. RESULTS: Although HH cases had a higher percentage of complex chronic conditions (68.5% vs 65.4%), technology assistance (40.5% vs 35.7%), and neurologic impairment (40.7% vs 37.3%) than matched controls (P ≤ .003 for all), 30-day readmission rates were lower in HH patients (18.3% vs 21.5%, P = .001). At 12 months after the index admission, HH patients averaged fewer admissions (0.8 vs 1.0, P < .001), fewer days in the hospital (6.4 vs 6.6, P < .001), and lower hospital costs ($22 511 vs $24 194, P < .001) compared with matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: Children discharged to HH care experienced less hospital use than children with similar characteristics who did not use HH care. Further investigation is needed to understand how HH care affects the health and health services of children.
Correction of a deletion mutant by gene targeting with an adenovirus vector

The usefulness of adenovirus type 5 as a vector for homologous recombination was examined in CHO cells by using the adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (aprt) gene. Infection of a hemizygous CHO APRT- cell line containing a 3-bp deletion in exon 5 of the aprt gene with a recombinant adenovirus containing the wild-type gene resulted in restoration of the APRT+ phenotype at a frequency of 10(-5) to 10(-6) per infected cell. A relatively high frequency (approximately 6 to 20%) of the transductants appears to result from a homologous recombination event. The mutation on the chromosomal aprt gene is corrected in the homologous recombinants, and APRT expression is restored to a normal hemizygous level. Neither adenovirus nor exogenous promoter sequences are detected in the homologous recombinants. The remaining transductants result from random integration of the aprt gene with the adenovirus sequence. A number of adenovirus vectors containing different promoter sequences linked to the hamster aprt gene were constructed. A possible role for the promoter region in the homologous recombination event was indicated by the lack of homologous recombination in constructs lacking an active promoter.
Psychometric Validation of a German Version of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale

Excessive Internet use and Internet addiction are currently increasing in many industrial nations. Verified and validated measuring instruments could contribute to a better understanding of this still quite recent development. The aim of this survey was to investigate the psychometric properties of a German version of the Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS). We surveyed a representative German quota sample of 1,723 adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years, as well as one parent each, with standardized questionnaires. In addition, adolescents and parents were asked whether the media use by the youth was considered problematic or excessive, and whether it led to arguments at home. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) with maximum likelihood estimation to examine the factorial validity of the German CIUS, as well as reliability and correlation analyses. The results of the CFA indicate good psychometric properties for the German version of the CIUS. They appear in line with the findings for the original version of the questionnaire. Furthermore, the CIUS showed high internal consistency, and we found significant correlations between the "CIUS-summary score" and different ratings of problems with the media usage by the youth and the parents. The German version of the CIUS seems to be a valid and suitable diagnostic tool for measuring problematic to pathological Internet use.
Phenotype of Microsatellite Unstable Colorectal Carcinomas: Well‐Differentiated and Focally Mucinous Tumors and the Absence of Dirty Necrosis Correlate With Microsatellite Instability

&NA; The phenotypic markers of colorectal carcinomas with microsatellite instability have been widely studied and include mucinous or poor differentiation, prominent host response, a circumscribed growth pattern, histologic heterogeneity, and right‐sided location. As part of a population‐based case–control study of colorectal cancer in northern Israel, we reviewed the pathology and microsatellite status of 528 consecutively diagnosed colorectal cancers. Phenotypic analysis was performed by one pathologist (J.K.G.) and included assessment of grade, mucinous histology (>50%, or focal), histologic heterogeneity, growth pattern, necrosis, and host response. Microsatellite status was determined on microdissected portions of formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue using a panel of 5 NCI consensus primers. Fifty‐two of 528 colorectal carcinomas were microsatellite unstable (9.85%). Multivariate analysis found that >2 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes per high power field (p <0.0001), the lack of dirty necrosis (p = 0.0054), a Crohn's‐like host response (p = 0.0064), right‐sided location (p = 0.032), well or poor differentiation (p = 0.037), and any mucinous differentiation (p = 0.039) were independent predictors of microsatellite instability. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were the single best histologic predictor of microsatellite instability. The absence of dirty necrosis and the presence of well‐differentiated tumors and tumors with only focal mucinous differentiation were also important markers for microsatellite instability that have not been emphasized previously. The combination of >2 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes per high power field and/or any mucinous differentiation and/or the absence of dirty necrosis identified all MSI‐H tumors in this study.
Modelling morphogenetic processes in excitable media using novel cellular automata.

As an efficient alternative to partial differential equations, cellular automata have been proposed for the simulation of excitable media. However, the automata proposed so far are anisotropic since the shapes of the propagating waves are related to the shapes of the cells (e.g. squares or hexagons). This problem is solved in the present work by automata based on a random distribution of excitable elements. The following results were obtained using a (minimal) model with only three parameters: a) Target patterns (concentric circular waves) and spirals in two dimensions in agreement with measurements in the Belousov-Zhabotinskii (BZ) reagent and in heart muscle during ventricular fibrillation. b) Waves rotating around a hole in agreement with observations on the cerebral cortex. c) A linear eikonal equation relating the normal velocity to the curvature of the wavefront in agreement with measurements in the BZ reagent and in the aggregating slime mold D. discoideum. d) Turbulences similar to those observed in experiments. e) Three-dimensional waves (scroll waves), some of which have been observed in thick heart muscle and in the BZ reagent. An extension of the model including two more parameters yields a dispersion relation comparable to that obtained from measurements and from an analysis of the relevant partial differential equations.
Generic Tool for Online Classification of Physical and Mental Workload

Physiological signals like the heart rate or the galvanic skin response are used to assess the mental [1] and physical stress of a subject during specific situations and tasks. Similar experiments are used to investigate and recognize emotions [2] and related emotional states of the subject in response to images [3]. Recent developments in the field of human machine [4, 5] and robot interaction require the online measurement and classification of physiological signals and features with respect to emotions and low level intentions in real-time. In the following sections the g.PhysioObserver system and its use for online real-time studies will be presented. The results of an initial test experiment on the detection of the mental and physical loads occurring during four different exercises and their discrimination based on corresponding physiological features and signals will be shown.
Adaptive tracking control for a class of unknown nonlinear time-delay systems using nonlinearly parameterized fuzzy approximators

A class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with unknown system functions and time delays are considered in this paper. Nonlinearly parameterized fuzzy systems with adaptive mechanism are employed to approximate the unknown functions in a backstepping procedure. By using Taylor series expansion, the parameters are separated successfully, then adaptive laws can be designed to update them on-line. The advantage of such a design is that the basis functions of the fuzzy approximators are not require known before design. The proposed controller can guarantee the closed-loop stability and good tracking performance.
Poverty, Politics and Local Diffusion - Resource Allocation in Bolivia’s Decentralized Social Fund

Social investment funds are prominent instruments in developing countries that aim at providing financial resources for social infrastructure projects to poor municipalities. In contrast to traditional, more centralised distribution mechanisms of such funds, the Bolivian Fondo de Inversion Productiva y Social was among the first that employed a selfselection mechanism: municipalities had to apply for funds through a decentralised allocation scheme embedded in the country’s overall fiscal decentralisation process. This study tests several hypotheses regarding potential factors at the local level that might have shaped the distribution pattern among municipalities. It finds positive non-linear relations with diminishing returns between a municipality’s level of poverty and alternative fiscal transfers that could be used for co-financing FPS projects, on the one hand, and the resources it received from the social fund, on the other. Moreover, local neighbourhood effects of FPS funding depended on a municipality’s institutionalised cooperation with its neighbours and its proximity to provincial capitals, which hosted the regional offices of the FPS. Finally, there is no evidence that major traditional parties have overproportionally profited from the FPS, but municipalities governed by Evo Morales’ antisystem party were significantly disadvantaged.