Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collective motion of quantized vortex lines in rotating superfluid 3He-B.

Insight in the dynamics of quantized vortex lines has been obtained by performing NMR measurements in uniformly rotating superfluid [sup 3]He-[ital B]. Compared to superfluid [sup 4]He, in [sup 3]He-[ital B] the viscosity of the normal component is three orders of magnitude larger and the pinning of vortices is weaker. The collective modes governing the hydrodynamic response of an array of vortex lines are highly overdamped. Two distinct modes are identified: (1) a relatively fast mutual-friction-resisted mode, which controls the redistribution of the vortex density on a time scale of a few seconds, and (2) an exponentially relaxing slow mode with a time constant of a few minutes, which governs asymptotically the approach to equilibrium at nearly constant vortex density. Measurement of the fast motion allows us to extract the dissipative mutual friction. The slow mode is dominated by the elastic tension along the vortex line and by weak pinning at the top and bottom surfaces of the rotating container. With increasing vortex density the surface pinning becomes a collective process, in which coherently moving groups of vortices are pinned in unison. Collective pinning is a result of the shear elasticity related to the crystalline order of the vortex lattice.more » Our measurements on the slow mode indicate that the crystalline correlation extends over many lattice spacings. « less
Authentication and Authorization Rules Sharing for Internet of Things

Signiﬁcant interest in internet of things drives both research and industry production these days. A lot of important questions has been solved but some remain opened. One of the essential unresolved issue is the identity management of particular end devices. Having possibility to share authorization and authentication rules across network between various sensors, applications and users have clear advantages. It reduces duplication of those policies, while ensuring that they are coherent across the board. There are various proposals, methods and frameworks for identity management in normal environment. However, just few of them is usable in internet of things environment and even less have been made directly for the usage in the internet of things devices. This paper proposes solution for management of devices for internet of things. The solution is based on central identity store. Each device has an associated account in the store that any device and application in the network can verify the device’s identity against. The central element does not provide only authentication of the devices, but the devices can be associated with different roles. Those roles can be used for authorization. Case study for the proposed framework is built on top of the current web standards as OpenID Connect, OAuth and JSON Web Token. Also, central identity store is based on well-established open source solution.
DNA sequences and expression in Streptomyces lividans of an exoglucanase gene and an endoglucanase gene from Thermomonospora fusca

Two genes encoding cellulases E1 and E4 from Thermomonospora fusca have been cloned in Escherichia coli, and their DNA sequences have been determined. Both genes were introduced into Streptomyces lividans, and the enzymes were purified from the culture supernatants of transformants. E1 and E4 were expressed 18- and 4-fold higher, respectively, in S. lividans than in E. coli. Thin-layer chromatography of digestion products showed that E1 digests cellotriose, cellotetraose, and cellopentaose to cellobiose and a trace of glucose. E4 is poor at degrading cellotriose and cleaves cellopentaose to cellotetraose and glucose or cellotriose and cellobiose. It readily cleaves cellotetraose to cellobiose. E1 shows 59% identity to Cellulomonas fumi CenC in a 689-amino-acid overlap, and E4 shows 80% identity to the N terminus of C. fimi CenB in a 441-amino-acid overlap; all of these proteins are members of cellulase family E. Alignment of the amino acid sequences of Clostridium thermocellum celD, E1, E4, and four other members of family E demonstrates a clear relationship between their catalytic domains, although there is as little as 25% identity between some of them. Residues in celD that have been identified by site-directed mutagenesis and chemical modification to be important for catalytic activity are conserved in all seven proteins. The catalytic domains of E1 and E4 are not similar to those of T. fusca E2 or E5, but all four enzymes share similar cellulose-binding domains and have the same 14-bp inverted repeat upstream of their initiation codons. This sequence has been identified previously as the binding site for a protein that regulates induction.
Shape from shading and optical flow used for 3-dimensional reconstruction of endoscope image

Abstract Conclusion: The shape from shading and optical flow are implemented to three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. Objective: Solve the problem of 3D reconstruction in endoscope imaging. Method: One of the fundamental approaches in the domain of computer vision is shape from shading. This algorithm was proposed to obtain the shape of an object from a single intensity image. Because of the severe conditions are required in shape from shading to reconstruct 3D surface. The photometric calibration is proposed from the view of image processing. The calibration is important for illumination-based visualization techniques such as SFS (shape-from-shading). However, the surface reconstruction from SFS is the relative variation in the grey gradient field. So the change from relative variation to absolute variation is necessary when the actual size of surroundings has to be known. Then the optical flow is introduced to solve this change in the paper. The optical tracker is also used in this system to capture the pose of endoscopy. Result: The stability of surface reconstruction is improved when the photometric calibration is used before shape from shading.
The Effect of Using Photographs in Idea Generation Support System

: To investigate how the use of photographs a ﬀ ects creativity, we have developed a system called GUNGEN-PHOTO, in which photographs are used to support idea generation. It consists of a collaborative workspace and personal workspaces and includes two main functions: photograph expansion for e ﬀ ectively extracting ideas from photographs, and outside comment addition for adding comments from personal workspaces. These functions are expected to increase the number of ideas generated. We conducted experiments on idea generation under the themes of “improvement” and “discovery,” and found that more ideas were generated when photographs were used than when only text was used. We also found there were no signiﬁcant di ﬀ erences in the quality of generated group between them.
Compensating for deficiencies in perinatal data sets: parametric perspectives.

Considering the investments made in a research demonstration project— including the hours of work in research design, provision of services, data collection, data entry, money spent, and professional reputation—great care should be taken when testing hypotheses, but often it is not. A small amount of extra effort at the data analysis stage frequently can yield great benefits in terms of more accurate findings. The reason: Very few data sets are ideal, and among nonideal data sets, those of perinatal drug abuse treatment projects have few equals.
Remanufacturing Services In The Construction Machinery Value Chain

The following sections are included:Firm OverviewHistory of the FirmSituation within Construction Machinery IndustryRemanufacturing at the FirmManufacturing Services Value ChainGlobal Value Chain Analysis of the Firm's ServicesValue Chain Diagram of Firm ServicesThe Impact of Trade Policy and the Regulatory Environment on the Firm's Services Value ChainTrade Facilitation of Remanufactured GoodsSustainable DevelopmentConclusionsAppendixReferences
Persona comme outil de design de services interactifs: principes et exemple en e-maintenance

This research investigates the role of using persona, as a tool for modeling and analyzing user experiences (UX). Persona was first introduced in marketing research. Its main goal is a better understanding and of the user experiences. Customer or user experiences is a generic term referring here to a collection of information on user behavior, expectations, and perceptions as well as the service and user characteristics. User characteristics include knowledge, expertise, personality and demographics information. A case study on e-maintenance services illustrates how to use persona in the context of Software as a Service (SasS) engineering. SasS is a new type of packaging and deploying on demand software via the web instead of desktop or client-servers.
The effects of long-term credit on entrepreneurial behaviour and enterprise performance among small and medium size enterprises in Kenya

Overthe past four decades, Kenya has implemented actions to provide long-term credit to small andmedium sized enterprises (SMEs). This is on the premise that long-term credit stimulates both entrepreneurial behavior and improves performance of SMEs. To date, empirical literature is inconclusive on the effect of long-term credit on entrepreneurial behaviour and enterprise performance. The specific objectives of this study were to investigate effect of long-term credit on both entrepreneurial behavior and each of its dimensions, namely pro-activeness, risk-taking, competitive. aggressiveness and innovativeness. In addition, the study sought to examine how long term credit affects enterprise performance. Past research studies were reviewed which revealed definitive evidence of knowledge gaps in this stream of literature. The philosophical base of the research was realism while the research design was both explanatory and descriptive. A sample of 81 SMEs was drawn from enterprises funded under the European Investment Bank Global' loan scheme in Kenya. Data was collected using standardized measurement instruments developed by Miller (1983), Covin and Slevin (1989, 1991) and Gupta and Govindarajan (1984). A 58 percent response rate was attained on the basis of 47 duly filled questionnaires. Using hierarchical regression analysis, empirical results showed that long term credit had a positive and statistically significant effect on entrepreneurial behavior. 'It also revealed that while long term credit had a positive and statistically significant effect on each dimension of entrepreneurial behaviour, the quantum of the effects on each dimension was not the same. The effect oflongterm credit on enterprise performance was positive but statistically not significant. The study makes key research and practical contributions. The new approach of examining the' effects of long term credit on each dimension of entrepreneurial behavior revealed better understanding on how long term credit stimulates entrepreneurship. On a practical perspective, financing of SME through long term credit may not be an optimal financing strategy. If the goal was to maximize value of SME, it would appear that one way to do this was to minimize long term debt in the capital structure of the enterprise.
Employee retention as a strategy for gaining competitive advantage among hotels in Nairobi

The last five years have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the number of hotels entering the Nairobi market. Seventeen hotels have opened in the last one and a half years, and currently eight more hotels are under construction with thirteen more hotel projects having been committed. Expansion of such a massive scale is likely to result in both intensified competition for customers and for recruitment and retention of employees. This study was anchored on the resource based theory and the human capital theory to develop employee retention as an organizational capability in hotels and other service intensive organizations, and empirically examined the relationship between retention and competitive advantage. Data was sought from human resource managers of 53 hotels in Nairobi. 34 of them filled the questionnaires giving a response rate of 64%. Data was analyzed using simple regression analysis. The results of the analysis revealed that the coefficient of correlation was 45%, coefficient of determination was 20% and the coefficient of the predictor variable (employee retention) was 46%. These results confirmed that employee retention had a high positive impact on the competitive advantage in the hotels. It was therefore concluded that employee retention has a strong positive contribution to competitive advantage in Nairobi hotels and by extension to other service intensive organizations. Following these findings, it was recommended that there was need for hotels to develop employee retention capabilities that have the effect of encouraging and motivating employees to stay with the organization for longer tenures as a strategy to enhance sustainable competitive advantage.
Autophagy and 3‐Phosphoinositide‐Dependent Kinase 1 (PDK1)‐Related Kinome in Pagetic Osteoclasts

In Paget's disease of bone (PDB), a major contributory factor are osteoclasts (OCs) that are larger, more numerous, resistant to apoptosis, and hyperactive. The aim of this human in vitro study was to identify kinase cascades involved in the OC phenotype and to determine their impact on downstream processes. Basal phosphorylation levels of Akt and ERK were found to be elevated in PDB OCs. Given our previous findings that 3‐phosphoinositide‐dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) associates with the crucial adaptor p62 in OCs, we hypothesized that PDK1 may play an important role in OC‐related kinome regulation. The increased phosphorylation of Akt and its substrate GSK3β observed in PDB OCs was reduced significantly upon PDK1 inhibition, as well as that of 4EBP1 and Raptor. This suggests a PDK1/Akt‐dependent activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in PDB OCs. The resistance to apoptosis and the bone resorption were also overcome upon PDK1 inhibition. Studying autophagy by LC3B expression, we found a less inducible autophagy compared with control cells, which was reversed by PDK1 inhibition. In addition, PBD OCs exhibited higher LC3B‐II/LC3B‐I ratios and numbers of p62 and LC3B puncta per OC area, which did not further increase in the presence of lysosomal protease inhibitors, suggesting an accumulation of non‐degradative autophagosomes. Together these results indicate a strong potential regulatory role for PDK1 in OC stimulatory pathways (Akt, ERK) and autophagy induction (via mTORC1), which may contribute to the OC phenotype in PDB. We also identified defects in late autophagosome maturation in these cells, the mechanism of which remains to be determined. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Comparative study and improvement of battery open-circuit voltage estimation methods

Due to the steadily-increasing demands on more powerful electronic devices, an accumulator's operating lifetime plays an essential role for the usability of battery-powered devices. To avoid an insufficient utilization of a cell's energy and/or lifetime, a reliable and reasonably accurate knowledge of its internal parameters like the state-of-charge (SoC) is indispensable. The determination of the SoC is often directly related to the estimation of a battery's open-circuit voltage (OCV). In this work, various OCV estimation methods are compared with respect to their inherent accuracy. Additionally, the observability-Gramian-based OCV estimation method is extended to deal with expanded kinds of cell currents. Moreover, interpolation-based methodologies are presented which considerably reduce the average OCV estimation error over the entire SoC range, compared to state-of-the-art implementations.
Significance of cellulose power transformer condition assessment

Power transformers are designed to withstand system abnormalities such as over voltages and external short-circuits. Transformer monitoring and diagnostics are the effective techniques in preventing the eventual failures and contribute to ensure the plant's reliability. Transformer life mainly depends on the integrity of its solid insulation (cellulose). The solid insulation in transformers degrades with time at rates which depend on the temperature and the amount of moisture, oxygen and acids in the insulation system. Moisture and oxygen cause the paper insulation to decay much faster than normal. Moisture in a transformer accelerates the aging process and causes severe deterioration in the mechanical and electrical properties of insulation system. The aging of paper insulation is irreversible. The degree of polymerization value is a main relation between insulation deterioration and formation of aging products. To predict a failure or an unusual behavior, an accurate interpretation of monitoring, diagnostics and maintenance data is required. The monitoring of insulation system and verification of core and winding mechanical integrity allow optimization of the lifecycle management of an asset. This paper presents an investigation and condition assessment of 152 MVA, 512 kV, 1-phase, 2-winding generator step-up transformer having a history of combustible gases.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

The wide use of ABPM has resulted in greater appreciation of the circadian time structure of BP variability and its clinical relevance. It is now recognized that the day-night change in BP results from an interplay of circadian rhythms in neurohumoral mechanisms coupled with temporal patterns in physical activity and mental load. The composite effect and balance of these endogenous and exogenous cyclic phenomena give rise to elevated BP during diurnal activity and reduced BP during nighttime repose in both normotension and uncomplicated essential hypertension. The balance is frequently disturbed in complicated and secondary forms of hypertension causing gross alteration of the 24-hour BP profile. ABPM also reveals the efficiency of antihypertensive treatment throughout the 24 hours and as a function of drug administration time. The pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics of antihypertensive medications have been demonstrated to vary with ingestion time. Such time-dependencies arise from circadian rhythms in BP and underlying mechanisms. The effect of antihypertensive medications is not simply superimposed upon endogenous bioperiodicities. Rhythms in neurohumoral mechanisms of BP control may modulate treatment effect. Certain aspects of the shape of the 24-hour BP profile, such as the magnitude of the morning surge and nocturnal decrease, have been implicated as determinants of morbid and mortal cardiovascular events. One large clinical multicenter investigation, known as the CONVINCE (Controlled Onset Verapamil Investigation of Clinical Endpoints) trial, is aimed at assessing the impact (cardiovascular morbidity and mortality) of verapamil chronotherapy over standard diuretic or beta anatagonist treatment in hypertensive patients with at least one risk factor of coronary heart disease. ABPM will help ascertain to what extent depression of the morning surge in BP relates to reduction in cardiac morbidity and mortality in this as well as other such trials. In any event, the importance of ABPM and the indices derived from its application are just beginning to be appreciated and explored.
Anatomical substrates for the central control of sympathetic outflow to interscapular adipose tissue during cold exposure

The thermogenic activity of interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) in response to physiologic stimuli, such as cold exposure, is controlled by its sympathetic innervation. To determine which brain regions might be involved in the regulation of cold‐evoked increases in sympathetic outflow to IBAT, the present study compared central nervous system (CNS) areas activated by cold exposure with brain regions anatomically linked to the sympathetic innervation of IBAT. Immunocytochemical localization of Fos was examined in the brains of rats exposed to 4°C for 4 hours. In a separate group of rats, the neural circuit involved in IBAT control, including the location of sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord, was characterized with pseudorabies virus, a retrograde transynaptic tracer. Central noradrenergic and serotonergic groups related to the sympathetic outflow to IBAT also were identified. Localization of viral antigens at different survival times (66–96 hours) revealed infection in circumscribed CNS populations, but only a subset of the regions comprising this circuitry showed cold‐evoked Fos expression. The raphe pallidus and the ventromedial parvicellular subdivision of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH), both infected at early survival times, were the main areas containing sympathetic premotor neurons activated by cold exposure. Major cold‐sensitive areas projecting to spinal interneurons or to regions containing sympathetic premotor neurons, which became infected at intermediate intervals, included lateral hypothalamic, perifornical, and retrochiasmatic areas, anterior and posterior PVH, ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, and Barrington's nucleus. Areas infected later, most likely related to reception of cold‐related signals, comprised the lateral preoptic area, parastrial nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, lateral parabrachial nucleus, and nucleus of the solitary tract. These interconnected areas, identified by combining functional and retrograde anatomic approaches, likely constitute the central circuitry responsible for the increase in sympathetic outflow to IBAT during cold‐evoked thermogenesis. J. Comp. Neurol. 460:303–326, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Crystal structures of the G protein Gi alpha 1 complexed with GDP and Mg2+: a crystallographic titration experiment.

The effect of Mg2+ binding on the conformation of the inactive GDP-bound complex of the heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunit Gi alpha 1 has been investigated by X-ray crystallography. Crystal structures of the Gi alpha 1.GDP complex were determined after titration with 5, 10, 100, and 200 mM Mg2+. Comparison of these structures with that of the Mg2+-free complex revealed Mg2+ bound at the same site as observed in the structure of the active, Gi alpha 1. GTP gamma S.Mg2+-bound complex of Gi alpha 1, with a similar coordination scheme except for the substitution of a water molecule for an oxygen ligand of the gamma-phosphate of Gi alpha 1.GTP gamma S. Mg2+. In contrast to the GDP.Mg2+ complex of Gt alpha and of other G proteins, switch I residues of Gi alpha 1 participate in Mg2+ binding and undergo conformational changes as a consequence of Mg2+ binding. Partial order is induced in switch II, which is disordered in the Mg2+-free complex, but no order is observed in the switch III region. This contrasts with the GDP.Mg2+ complex of Gt alpha in which both switch II and III switch are ordered. Mg2+ binding also induces binding of an SO42- molecule to the active site in a manner which may mimic a Gi alpha 1.GDP. PO42-. Mg2+ product complex. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Insulated hsp70B′ promoter: stringent heat‐inducible activity in replication‐deficient, but not replication‐competent adenoviruses

Key to the realization of gene therapy is the development of efficient and targeted gene transfer vectors. Therapeutic gene transfer by replication‐deficient or more recently by conditionally replication‐competent/oncolytic adenoviruses has shown much promise. For specific applications, however, it will be advantageous to provide vectors that allow for external control of gene expression. The efficient cellular heat shock system in combination with available technology for focused and controlled hyperthermia suggests heat‐regulated transcription control as a promising tool for this purpose.