Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Portable Virtual LAB for Informatics Education using Open Source Software

The need for students to have hands-on experience is very important in many disciplines to match the requirements of today’s dynamic job market. Informatics, which is the science of information engineering, has been recently integrated into many academic programs. Teaching students the main skills in modern software and web development is essential for them to be successful informatics professionals. For any informatics program, students engage in working on projects as essential parts for some courses in their academic programs. This paper presents the development and evaluation of MiLAB (My Mobile Informatics Lab), a portable virtual lab environment for the teaching and learning of modern web development skills. MiLAB has been integrated into an undergraduate health informatics academic program to improve the teaching and learning of essential web development skills, such as databases management and customization of modern content management systems. The evaluation of MiLAB indicated that it served as an interactive personal environment for students to implement, collaborate, and present their web development projects. Strengths, weaknesses and possible improvements are also discussed.
Identification, Characterization, and Functional Analysis of a Gene Encoding the Ferric Uptake Regulation Protein inBartonella Species

ABSTRACT Environmental iron concentrations coordinately regulate transcription of genes involved in iron acquisition and virulence via the ferric uptake regulation (fur) system. We identified and sequenced the fur gene and flanking regions of threeBartonella species. The most notable difference betweenBartonella Fur and other Fur proteins was a substantially higher predicted isoelectric point. No promoter activity or Fur autoregulation was detected using a gfp reporter gene fused to the 204 nucleotides immediately upstream of the Bartonella fur gene. Bartonella henselae fur gene expression complemented a Vibrio cholerae fur mutant.
SERVO AND SENSOR CONTROL ON SMALL MOBILE PLATFORMS

System integration is an unavoidable and important part of a project. Considerable amounts of time and resources are always devoted to make sure that all the components in a project work not only properly, but also work together properly. This work discusses how different elements of a “desktop” robotic platform that was designed and constructed at FIU had to be controlled to achieve an effective and mechanically stable platform. For this purpose, we review the platform design, sensor utilization and servo control developed for this project. We then demonstrate that a proper servo and sensor control structure can indeed improve the platform performance appreciably.
The MMPI-2-RF Externalizing Scales : Shared and Unique Associations with Experimental Neurocognitive and Affective Tasks

ions, with three constructs at the highest level of the hierarchy (Higher-Order Scales), nine scales at the middle level (RC scales), and a number of narrow-bandwidth scales at the bottom of the hierarchy (SP scales, Interest Scales). Therefore, for the present study, we will use ESEM to model the factor structure of the MMPI-2-RF starting at the item-level, but also including factors at each of the three levels of the hierarchy. We will be using a dataset of MMPI-2-RF responses requested from the NCS Pearson archive (data delivery still pending). We have requested approximately 2,000 cases, including a combination of protocols from inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. Psychometric implications of the results will be discussed, as well as conclusions related to the usefulness of the ESEM approach in personality assessment research.
Metrics to Decide the Feedback Interval in Closed-Loop MIMO-OFDM Systems

In a closed-loop multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system, the receiver estimates the channel and sends updates on the channel state back to the transmitter. The issue of deciding when to send updates is addressed in this paper and two metrics for making this decision are compared. One is obtained from the correlation matrix distance (CMD) which measures how far the MIMO channel has moved over a time interval, the other is a novel approach using mutual information (MI), whereby two calculations of MI are made, the first assuming that water-filling is employed at the transmitter and the second assuming that it is not. Using CMD, updates are sent when the correlation distance becomes greater than a given threshold. Using MI, updates are sent when the channel changes to the extent that the capacity with water-filling becomes less than that without. Matlab simulation results for a 2 * 2 MIMO system show that the two metrics result in a similar overhead, both being more efficient than constant interval. Extension to larger antenna arrays should be straightforward. MI, although computationally more intensive, can extend easily to decide when to switch between spatial multiplexing (SM) and diversity modes using space-time block coding (STBC) if the channel rank collapses.
Distinct kinds of novelty processing differentially increase extracellular dopamine in different brain regions

Behaviourally relevant novel stimuli are known to activate the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic (DAergic) system. In this study we tested the reactivity of this system in response to distinct kinds of novelty processing. Using the in vivo microdialysis technique, we measured extracellular amounts of dopamine (DA) in different DAergic terminal regions during a social learning task in rats. In the first session (40 min) rats were exposed to two never previously encountered juveniles (i.e. unconditional novelty). Afterwards, the animals were divided into three groups: Control group was not exposed to any other stimulus; Discrimination group was exposed to one familiar and one new juvenile (i.e. novel stimulus discrimination); and Recognition group was re‐exposed to the two familiar juveniles (i.e. familiarity recognition). In both the medial prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens shell DA increased in response to the first presentation of the juveniles, showing that both structures are involved in processing unconditional social novelty. During the novel stimulus discrimination, we found no change in the prefrontal cortex, although DA increased in the accumbal shell in comparison with the group exposed to two familiar juveniles, showing that the shell is also involved in processing novel social stimulus discrimination. None of the stimuli presented affected DA in the accumbal core. This study provided the original evidence that DA in the various terminal regions is differentially coupled to distinct aspects of novelty processing.
Calf spleen NAD+ glycohydrolase: solubilization, purification, and properties of the intact form of the enzyme.

NAD+ glycohydrolase was solubilized from calf spleen microsomes with emulphogene, a nonionic detergent, and purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatographies and by affinity chromatography on Affi-Gel blue gel. In contrast to the hydrosoluble form of the enzyme, which can be obtained by a proteolytic treatment of the microsomes with steapsin, the intact form of NAD+ glycohydrolase is characterized by its high hydrophobicity; i.e., the enzyme interacts very strongly with hydrophobic gels such as octyl-Sepharose and partitions into Triton X-114-rich phases. The apparent M(r) of the intact form of calf spleen NAD+ glycohydrolase is about 30 kDa, as compared to 24 kDa for the hydrosoluble form. This difference in molecular mass could account for the polypeptide moiety which allows the anchoring of the enzyme to the membranes. Both forms of the enzyme are strongly adsorbed by immobilized concanavalin A gels and biospecifically eluted with alpha-methylmannoside; this glycoprotein (mannosylated) nature of NAD+ glycohydrolase is in agreement with the previous demonstration that it is an ectoenzyme.
Combining software-defined networking with Internet of Things: Survey on security and performance aspects

With increasing number of devices that are used in the paradigm of the Internet of Things, a need for managing these devices and its applications has popped up. In addition to the need for protecting it appropriately and effectively to ensure its full functional performance. Software-Defined Networking has been suggested so as to overcome the problems of Traditional Networking. The SDN became able to separate the logical and control operations in the distributed devices located in the network layer, by moving it to the central control layer that carries out administrative matters of this network. This survey paper contains a comparison between the Internet of Things that is enabled by Traditional Networking and Software-Defined Networking. Starting with defining different architectures, crossing to the main issues for both and ending with performance measuring to evaluate the SDN concluding to the possibility of applying it.
Use of an inactivated varicella vaccine in recipients of hematopoietic-cell transplants.

BACKGROUND The reactivation of varicella-zoster virus from latency causes zoster and is common among recipients of hematopoietic-cell transplants. METHODS We randomly assigned patients who were scheduled to undergo autologous hematopoietic-cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin's or Hodgkin's lymphoma to receive varicella vaccine or no vaccine. Heat-inactivated, live attenuated varicella vaccine was given within 30 days before transplantation and 30, 60, and 90 days after transplantation. The patients were monitored for zoster and for immunity against varicella-zoster virus for 12 months. RESULTS Of the 119 patients enrolled, 111 received a transplant. Zoster developed in 7 of 53 vaccinated patients (13 percent) and in 19 of 58 unvaccinated patients (33 percent) (P=0.01). After two patients in whom zoster developed before transplantation were excluded, the respective rates were 13 percent and 30 percent (P=0.02). In vitro CD4 T-cell proliferation in response to varicella-zoster virus (expressed as the mean stimulation index) was greater in patients who received the vaccine than in those who did not at 90 days, after three doses (P=0.04); at 120 days, after all four doses (P<0.001); at 6 months (P=0.004); and at 12 months (P=0.02). The risk of zoster was reduced for each unit increase in the stimulation index above 1.6; a stimulation index above 5.0 correlated with greater than 93 percent protection. Induration, erythema, or local pain at the injection site was observed in association with 10 percent of the doses. CONCLUSIONS Inactivated varicella vaccine given before hematopoietic-cell transplantation and during the first 90 days thereafter reduces the risk of zoster. The protection correlates with reconstitution of CD4 T-cell immunity against varicella-zoster virus.
Approach to thyroid cytology: rationale for standardisation

1PathWest, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands and University of Western Australia, WA, 2RCPAQAP Cytopathology, St Leonards, Sydney, NSW, 3Clinpath Laboratories and Flinders Medical Centre, SA, 4School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology and Department of Cytology, Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Qld, 5Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, 6Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Vic, Australia; 7Aotea Pathology Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand; 8Pathology North, c/o John Hunter Hospital, NSW, 9SA Pathology and Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 10Academic Unit of Surgery, ANU Medical School, ACT, 11Medical Imaging, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, 12PathWest, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA, 13Department of Anatomical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, and Southern IML Pathology, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; 14Department of Pathology, National University Hospital, Singapore; 15Perth Endocrine Surgery, Leederville, WA, 16Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands WA, 17Department of Anatomical Pathology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst, NSW, 18Australian Society of Cytology, Brooklyn Park, SA, 19Department of Anatomical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, 20Capital Pathology, Deakin, ACT, and 21Histology and Cytology Departments, Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, Indooroopilly, Qld, Australia
3D finite element study of biomechanical performances of short implant supporting fixed prosthesis

All-on-four oral rehabilitation by placing 2 tilted splint with 2 normal angulation implants, is one of an effective treatment but operator's experience are more required. Using short implant (not greater than 6 mm.) instead of tilted implant placement may interest. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the biomechanical performances of short implant for supporting fixed prosthesis in edentulous maxilla. Finite element models were designed into 3 conditions. In anterior region, two 4.1×8 mm. implants were used. In posterior region, a couple of short implant (4.1×6 mm. and 4.8×6 mm.) were used in condition 1 and 2, respectively. While condition 3 (original All-on-four) 2 pieces of 4.1×8 mm. implant were placed with 30° angulation. Both axial and oblique loading directions were applied with a magnitude of 150 N. at the first molar area. Strain, stress, strain energy density (SED), and implant displacement were evaluated. Results revealed that the strain, stress, and displacement from each condition were not greater than 4000 microstrains (bone's maximum strain value before resorption), 104 MPa (bone's yield strength), and 5 micrometers (physiologic movement of implant), respectively. The results indicated that marginal bone would not be affected. The application of short implant could safe to the bone in biomechanical aspect.
Spectral transmittance of lossy printed resonant-grid terahertz bandpass filters

In this paper, we present terahertz bandpass filters composed of resonant arrays of crossed slots in lossy metal films deposited on dielectric membranes. The filters exhibit insertion loss as low as 1.9 dB at room temperature and 1.2 dB at 77 K at a center frequency of 2.2 THz. It is found that the dielectric substrate introduces a downward shift in frequency not predicted by standard mean dielectric-constant approximations. This shift is proportional to the permittivity and thickness of the substrate, and is accurately modeled for polyester, fused quartz and silicon substrates using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) model. It is also found that the insertion loss and Q-factors of the filters vary with the product of the thickness and conductivity of the metal film for lead and gold films, even in cases when the thickness is several skin depths at the center frequency. The FDTD theory presented here accounts for some of the conductor losses.
Structural and functional analysis of cloned DNA segments containing the replication and incompatibility regions of a miniplasmid derived from a copy number mutant of NR1

A 1.45-megadalton segment of DNA cloned from a miniplasmid derived in vivo from a copy number mutant of the R plasmid NR1 has been shown to contain all functions essential for incompatibility and autonomous plasmid replication in Escherichia coli. Specific endonuclease cleavage sites within this DNA segment that localize functions required for replication have been mapped. A 0.45-megadalton fragment that specifies the FII incompatibility of NR1 has been identified within the replication region, and DNA fragments containing this incompatibility region, but lacking other functions required for replication, have been cloned.
The Role of Embryonic Stem Cell-expressed RAS (ERAS) in the Maintenance of Quiescent Hepatic Stellate Cells*

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were recently identified as liver-resident mesenchymal stem cells. HSCs are activated after liver injury and involved in pivotal processes, such as liver development, immunoregulation, regeneration, and also fibrogenesis. To date, several studies have reported candidate pathways that regulate the plasticity of HSCs during physiological and pathophysiological processes. Here we analyzed the expression changes and activity of the RAS family GTPases and thereby investigated the signaling networks of quiescent HSCs versus activated HSCs. For the first time, we report that embryonic stem cell-expressed RAS (ERAS) is specifically expressed in quiescent HSCs and down-regulated during HSC activation via promoter DNA methylation. Notably, in quiescent HSCs, the high level of ERAS protein correlates with the activation of AKT, STAT3, mTORC2, and HIPPO signaling pathways and inactivation of FOXO1 and YAP. Our data strongly indicate that in quiescent HSCs, ERAS targets AKT via two distinct pathways driven by PI3Kα/δ and mTORC2, whereas in activated HSCs, RAS signaling shifts to RAF-MEK-ERK. Thus, in contrast to the reported role of ERAS in tumor cells associated with cell proliferation, our findings indicate that ERAS is important to maintain quiescence in HSCs.
1 Hepatic TLR 4 signaling in Obese NAFLD 1 2

16 Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs frequently in the setting of metabolic syndrome, but the factors 17 leading to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are not fully understood. This study investigated toll-like 18 receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling in human liver with the goal of delineating whether activation of this pathway 19 segregates those with nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) from those with NASH. Experiments were performed 20 using liver biopsy tissue obtained from Class III obese subjects undergoing bariatric surgery, and extended to 21 an immortalized human hepatocyte HepaRG cell line and primary human hepatocytes. The bacterial 22 endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and total free fatty acid levels were significantly increased in plasma of 23 NASH patients. TLR4 mRNA levels were significantly increased in subjects with NASH compared to NAFL as 24 was IRF3 in the myeloid differentiation factor 88(Myd88-) independent signaling pathway. In HepaRG cells, 25 NF-ҡB nuclear translocation and functional activity increased following treatment with the fatty acid, palmitate, 26 and following exposure to LPS, when compared to hepatocytes stimulated with a lipogenic treatment that 27 induced de novo lipogenesis. Palmitateand LPS-induction of NF-ҡB activity was partially attenuated by 28 chemicalor siRNA-mediated inhibition of TLR4. Expression of TLR4 and its downstream mediators was up29 regulated with palmitate and LPS. Similar results were observed using primary human hepatocytes from a 30 lean donor. Interestingly, NF-ҡi activity assays showed obese donor hepatocytes were resistant to chemical 31 TLR4 inhibition. Conclusion: TLR4 expression is up-regulated in a large cohort of NASH patients, when 32 compared to those with NAFL, and this occurs within the setting of increased LPS and fatty acids. 33 34
Symbolic search and abstraction heuristics for cost-optimal planning in automated planning

La Planificacion Automatica puede ser definida como el problema de encontrar una secuencia de acciones (un plan) para conseguir una meta, desde un punto inicial, asumiendo que las acciones tienen efectos deterministas. La Planificacion Automatica es independiente de dominio porque los planificadores toman como informacion inicial una descripcion del problema y deben resolverlo sin ninguna informacion adicional. Esta tesis trata en particular de planificacion automatica ´optima, en la cual las acciones tienen un coste asociado. Los planificadores optimos deben encontrar un plan y probar que no existe ningun otro plan de menor coste. La mayoria de los planificadores optimos estan basados en la busqueda de estados explicita. Sin lugar a dudas, esta aproximacion ha sido la dominante en planificacion automatica optima durante los ultimos anos. No obstante, la busqueda simbolica se presenta como una alternativa interesante. En esta tesis, proponemos dos mejoras ortogonales para la planificacion basada en busqueda simbolica. En primer lugar, estudiamos diferentes metodos para mejorar la computacion de la “imagen”, operacion que calcula el conjunto de estados sucesores a partir de un conjunto de estados. Posteriormente, analizamos como explotar las invariantes de estado para mejorar el rendimiento de la busqueda simbolica. Estas propuestas suponen una mejora significativa en el desempeno de los algoritmos simbolicos en la mayoria de los dominios analizados. Hemos analizado dos tipos de heuristicas de abstraccion con el objetivo de extrapolar las mejoras que se han realizado en la busqueda explicita durante los ultimos anos a la busqueda simbolica. Las heuristicas analizadas son: las bases de datos de patrones (pattern databases, PDBs) y una generalizacion de estas, mergeand-shrink (MS y por lo tanto, pueden ser utilizadas de forma eficiente en la busqueda simbolica. Tambien proponemos una nueva heuristica”symbolic perimeter merge-andshrink” (SPM&S) que combina la fuerza de la busqueda hacia atras simbolica con la flexibilidad de M&S. Los resultados experimentales muestran que SPM&S es capaz de superar, no solo las dos tecnicas que combina, sino tambien otras heuristicas del estado del arte. Finalmente, hemos integrado las abstracciones simbolicas de perimetro, SPM&S, en la busqueda simbolica bidireccional. En resumen, esta tesis estudia diferentes propuestas para planificacion optima basada en Busqueda simbolica. Hemos implementado diferentes planificadores simbolicos basados en la Busqueda bidireccional y las abstracciones de perimetro. Los resultados experimentales muestran como los planificadores presentados como resultado de este trabajo son altamente competitivos y frecuentemente superan al resto de planificadores del estado del arte.
Origin and Ascendancy of a Chimeric Fusion Gene : The b / d-Globin Gene of Paenungulate Mammals

The d-globin gene (HBD) of eutherian mammals exhibits a propensity for recombinational exchange with the closely linked b-globin gene (HBB) and has been independently converted by the HBB gene in multiple lineages. Here we report the presence of a chimeric b/d fusion gene in the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) that was created by unequal crossing-over between misaligned HBD and HBB paralogs. The recombinant chromosome that harbors the b/d fusion gene in elephants is structurally similar to the ‘‘anti-Lepore’’ duplication mutant of humans (the reciprocal exchange product of the hemoglobin Lepore deletion mutant). However, the situation in the African elephant is unique in that the chimeric b/d fusion gene supplanted the parental HBB gene and is therefore solely responsible for synthesizing the b-chain subunits of adult hemoglobin. A phylogenetic survey of b-like globin genes in afrotherian and xenarthran mammals revealed that the origin of the chimeric b/d fusion gene and the concomitant inactivation of the HBB gene predated the radiation of ‘‘Paenungulata,’’ a clade of afrotherian mammals that includes three orders: Proboscidea (elephants), Sirenia (dugongs and manatees), and Hyracoidea (hyraxes). The reduced fitness of the human Hb Lepore deletion mutant helps to explain why independently derived b/d fusion genes (which occur on an anti-Lepore chromosome) have been fixed in a number of mammalian lineages, whereas the reciprocal d/b fusion gene (which occurs on a Lepore chromosome) has yet to be documented in any nonhuman mammal. This illustrates how the evolutionary fates of chimeric fusion genes can be strongly influenced by their recombinational mode of origin.
Les propietats dels verbs pronominals

L'A. analyse les proprietes des verbes pronominaux en catalan et montre que: a) les verbes pronominaux sont des verbes a argument interne ; b) le clitique du verbe est responsable des restrictions syntaxico-semantiques centrees sur la nature de l'argument interne du predicat ; c) l'aspect perfectif des predicats pronominaux est la consequence de la nature du clitique