Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure of Soybean Serine Acetyltransferase and Formation of the Cysteine Regulatory Complex as a Molecular Chaperone*

Background: Serine acetyltransferase (SAT) catalyzes the limiting step in cysteine biosynthesis. Results: Analysis of soybean SAT provides insight into catalysis and protein-protein interactions. Conclusion: Key structural features are required for catalysis and formation of a stable macromolecular complex. Significance: A new role for protein complex formation in plant cysteine biosynthesis is proposed. Serine acetyltransferase (SAT) catalyzes the limiting reaction in plant and microbial biosynthesis of cysteine. In addition to its enzymatic function, SAT forms a macromolecular complex with O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase. Formation of the cysteine regulatory complex (CRC) is a critical biochemical control feature in plant sulfur metabolism. Here we present the 1.75–3.0 Å resolution x-ray crystal structures of soybean (Glycine max) SAT (GmSAT) in apoenzyme, serine-bound, and CoA-bound forms. The GmSAT-serine and GmSAT-CoA structures provide new details on substrate interactions in the active site. The crystal structures and analysis of site-directed mutants suggest that His169 and Asp154 form a catalytic dyad for general base catalysis and that His189 may stabilize the oxyanion reaction intermediate. Glu177 helps to position Arg203 and His204 and the β1c-β2c loop for serine binding. A similar role for ionic interactions formed by Lys230 is required for CoA binding. The GmSAT structures also identify Arg253 as important for the enhanced catalytic efficiency of SAT in the CRC and suggest that movement of the residue may stabilize CoA binding in the macromolecular complex. Differences in the effect of cold on GmSAT activity in the isolated enzyme versus the enzyme in the CRC were also observed. A role for CRC formation as a molecular chaperone to maintain SAT activity in response to an environmental stress is proposed for this multienzyme complex in plants.
Transactive Memory, Self-Construal and Subjective Well-Being in a Group of Indian Couples

People in close relationships foster the development of shared memory schemas of each other. Their constellation of thoughts, feelings and actions shape their cognition, expression and experience of emotions. This shared mental model between the couples may lead to subjective well-being. The present study tries to explore the pattern of transactive memory system and self-construal in a group of urban Indian couples and how it relates to their subjective well-being. Transactive memory system was found to be the most significant predictor of subjective well-being. The results also reveal that the couple groups formed on the basis of different background variables did not differ significantly. But the pattern of relationships between the couple dyads was found to be strong for working wives group and couples having children. Future study with larger sample size from different regions of India with varied socio -economic and educational background will enhance understanding in this area.
Light-weight integration of molecular biological databases

MOTIVATION Due to the increasing number of molecular biological databases and the exponential growth of their contents, database integration is an important topic of research in bioinformatics. Existing approaches in this area have in common that considerable efforts are needed to provide integrated access to heterogeneous data sources. RESULTS This article describes the LIMBO architecture as a light-weight approach to molecular biological database integration. By building systems upon this architecture, the efforts needed for database integration can be significantly lowered. AVAILABILITY As an illustration of the principle usefulness of the underlying ideas, a prototypical implementation based upon the LIMBO architecture is described. This implementation is exclusively based on freely available open source components like the PostgreSQL database management system and the BioRuby project. Additional files and modified components are available upon request from the author.
Data adaptive filtering approach to improve the classification accuracy of motor imagery for BCI

This paper presents a data adaptive pre-filtering method to enhance the motor imagery (MI) classification for brain computer interface (BCI) implementation electroencephalography (EEG). The filtering is implemented using multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD). The MEMD decomposes multivariate EEG signal into a finite set of time varying basis functions called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Several IMFs are suppressed to improve the intelligibility of the EEG for better classification. The features from pre-filtered EEG are extracted by using common spatial pattern (CSP) which is a spatial filtering approach. The two class MI classification is performed by support vector machine (SVM). The proposed method is evaluated by BCI competition III of dataset IVa. Its performance is higher compared to that of the recently developed algorithm.
The Microvision Robot and its Capabilities

This paper describes the Microvision, a multipurpose robotic platform developed at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Distributed Robotics. The Microvision is equipped with a scanning laser range finder, RGB cameras, depth sensor, IMU sensor, and audio stream capture ability that allow it to navigate and sense the surrounding environment. Created with the goal of being a small, low-cost robot, the Microvision provides the functionality to process multi-sensory data on-board in real-time. Robotic applications are readily developed using open source software and commercially available hardware making the Microvision a robust research platform.
Multiphase Segmentation of SAR Images with Level Set Evolution

Segmentation is a fundamental problem for the automatic interpretation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. We propose an improved multiphase segmentation method for SAR images based on Chan-Vese level set evolution model. The costly re-initialization procedure of signed distance function in Chan-Vese model is eliminated through introducing a penalty term. The proposed method has two advantages over traditional multiphase segmentation scheme with level set evolution. First, regions with close gray scale could be segmented into different class correctly by utilizing several binary segmentations of irregular regions. Second, falsely segmented fractions with one pixel width on the edges of uniform regions are eliminated with morphological open operation. The numerical algorithm using finite differences is also presented, which has been applied to simulated images and real SAR images with more promising results.
Comparing the communication performance and scalability of a Linux and a NT cluster of PCs, a Cray origin 2000, an IBM SP and a Cray T3E-600

The paper presents scalability and communication performance results for a cluster of PCs running Linux with the GM communication library, a cluster of PCs running Windows NT with the HPVM communication library, a Cray T3E-600, an IBM SP and a Cray Origin 2000. Both PC clusters were using a Myrinet network. Six communication tests using MPI routines were run for a variety of message sizes and numbers of processors. The tests were chosen to represent commonly used communication patterns with low contention (a ping-pong between processors, a right shift, a binary tree broadcast and a synchronization barrier) to communication patterns with high contention (a naive broadcast and an all-to-all). For most of the tests, the T3E provides the best performance and scalability. For an 8 byte message the NT cluster performs about the same as the T3E for most of the tests. For all the tests but one, the T3E, the Origin and the SP outperform the two clusters for the largest message size (10 Kbytes or 1 Mbyte).
A predictive model for carcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis B undergoing entecavir therapy and its validation

AbstractWe created a model to predict the development of liver carcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) undergoing entecavir (ETV) therapy and to validate the accuracy using an independent dataset.A total of 328 CHB subjects were analyzed. Subjects were randomly assigned into 2 groups: the training group (n = 164) and the validation group (n = 164). Using data from the training group, we built a predictive model for liver carcinogenesis by performing univariate and multivariate analyses using variables associated with liver carcinogenesis. We subsequently assessed the applicability of the constructed model in the validation group.The median (range) follow-up periods in the training and the validation groups were 5.03 years (1.03–9.98) and 4.84 years (1.10–9.97), respectively. The proportion of hepatitis B virus-DNA at 24 weeks <1.9 log IU/mL in the training group was 70.7% (116/164), while that in the validation group was 71.3% (117/164). For the entire cohort (n = 328), the median alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) value at 24 weeks (3.45 ng/mL; range, 0.9–102.7 ng/mL) significantly decreased compared to the baseline values (5.55 ng/mL; range, 0.9–1039.5 ng/mL), while the median alanine aminotransferase (ALT) value at 24 weeks (24 IU/mL; range, 6–251 IU/mL) also significantly decreased compared to baseline values (57 IU/mL; range, 7–1450 IU/mL). During the observation period, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed in 15 (9.1%) patients in the training group and in 17 (10.4%) patients in the validation group. The 3- and 5-year cumulative HCC incidence rates in the entire cohort were 4.48% and 9.52%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis of the training group, age ≥54 years (P = 0.0273), ALT level at 24 weeks (P = 0.0456), and AFP at 24 weeks (P = 0.0485) were found to be significant predictors linked to HCC. Using these independent predictors, the risk for HCC development was well stratified in the validation group (overall significance, P < 0.0001). Similar results were observed in subgroup analyses of patients with or without cirrhosis and HBe antigen positivity.In conclusion, our predictive model was well verified; hence, it may be a promising model for the prediction of the development of liver carcinogenesis in CHB patients undergoing ETV therapy.
The database protection system against SQL attacks

With the rapid development of Internet, network database security has become the focus of network security. The research of database protection technology against SQL attacks has become very urgent. In this paper, we analyse principles of SQL attacks, study a database protection system which is used between the Web application and the database. The system provides different protective measures for ordinary users and administrators to effectively guarantee the security of the database. The role of a Web application and database in the database between the protection system for ordinary users and administrators were made by different users of protective measures to effectively guarantee the security of the database.
Another Trip to the Wall: How Much Will Stacked DRAM Benefit HPC?

First defined two decades ago, the memory wall remains a fundamental limitation to system performance. Recent innovations in 3D-stacking technology enable DRAM devices with much higher bandwidths than traditional DIMMs. The first such products will soon hit the market, and some of the publicity claims that they will break through the memory wall. Here we summarize our analysis and expectations of how such 3D-stacked DRAMs will affect the memory wall for a set of representative HPC applications. We conclude that although 3D-stacked DRAM is a major technological innovation, it cannot eliminate the memory wall.
Characterizations of promise problems with exact quantum query complexity

We give and prove an optimal exact quantum query algorithm with complexity $k+1$ for computing the promise problem (i.e., symmetric and partial Boolean function) $DJ_n^k$ defined as: $DJ_n^k(x)=1$ for $|x|=n/2$, $DJ_n^k(x)=0$ for $|x|$ in the set $\{0, 1,\ldots, k, n-k, n-k+1,\ldots,n\}$, and it is undefined for the rest cases, where $n$ is even, $|x|$ is the Hamming weight of $x$. The case of $k=0$ is the well-known Deutsch-Jozsa problem. We outline all symmetric (and partial) Boolean functions with degrees 1 and 2, and prove their exact quantum query complexity. Then we prove that any symmetrical (and partial) Boolean function $f$ has exact quantum 1-query complexity if and only if $f$ can be computed by the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm. We also discover the optimal exact quantum 2-query complexity for distinguishing between inputs of Hamming weight $\{ \lfloor n/2\rfloor, \lceil n/2\rceil \}$ and Hamming weight in the set $\{ 0, n\}$ for all odd $n$. In addition, a method is provided to determine the degree of any symmetrical (and partial) Boolean function.
Childhood Passive Smoking Exposure and Age at Menarche in Chinese Women Who Had Never Smoked: The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

Objective We examined the associations between childhood passive smoking exposure and age at menarche in women who had never smoked in southern China. Methods Among 30,518 participants in Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS) from 2003-2008, 20,061 women who had never smoked and had complete outcome data were included. Childhood passive smoking exposure was defined as living with 1 or more smokers in the same household during childhood. Data on the number of smokers in the household and frequency of exposure (density and frequency) were also obtained. Age at menarche was measured as a continuous variable. Results 11,379 (56.7%) participants were exposed to passive smoking during childhood. Compared to those with no passive smoking exposure during childhood, those with exposure ≥5 days/week had menarche 0.19 year (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13-0.25) earlier on average. Those exposed to more than two smokers had menarche 0.38 year earlier (95% CI: 0.29-0.47). Childhood exposure was associated with early age at menarche (≤13 vs. >13 years), with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.34 (95% CI: 1.21-1.48) for high density, and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.09-1.26) for high frequency of exposure. Conclusion Childhood passive smoking exposure was associated with earlier age at menarche, with a dose-response relationship in Chinese women who had never smoked. If causal, the results support the promotion of smoking cessation in families with children, particularly young girls.
Developing creativity of students in a computer-assisted learning process

The search for appropriate methods of improving the didactic process and development of new model solutions is currently based on the assumption that, in order to raise the level, it is necessary to employ a concept which would assure maximum activity of students. Experimental investigations presented in this research project follow this direction of exploration and try to determine whether the computer-assisted process of learning physics at a technical university can fulfil specified requirements. Investigation results were interpreted using a two-factor ANOVA analysis of the variance. The experiment demonstrated that the level of creativity of students could be improved if didactic computer programs were applied along with other known methods and resources of education. The investigations performed allowed us to draw many valuable conclusions showing that education computer programs can guarantee students active and creative participation in the processes of knowledge accumulation.
COINTEGRATION IN ECONOMETRIC ESTIMATION OF WHEAT IMPORTS DEMAND IN NIGERIA

This study applied the Autoregressive Distributed L ags (ARDL) modelling approach to cointegration to examine the economic factors which influence the wh at import demand in Nigeria between 1970 and 2008. The quantity of wheat imports was considered as a function of the amount of the lagged import, exchange rate, external reserves, structural adjust ment programme (SAP), per capita income and relative price of wheat. Econometrics estimates fro m the ARDL approach to cointegration and error correction modelling, show that the external reserv e, relative price of wheat and SAP significantly affected the wheat imports during the period under investigation. The results further show that, the e rror correction mechanism (ECM) indicated a feedback of about 56.8% of the previous year’s disequilibrium from long-run wheat import. It is co ncluded that if the Nigerian government wishes to stop or reduce importation of wheat in the face of increasing wheat demand without exacerbating food security problem, then Nigeria should not only rely on increasing domestic wheat production but also look at trade agreements between Nigeria and its tr ading partners in the efforts geared at reducing wh eat imports.
Ultraviolet Radiation Increases the Toxicity of Pyrene, 1-Aminopyrene and 1-Hydroxypyrene to Human Keratinocytes

Over the past several years, a great deal of interest has been focused on the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to human skin. UV light has been implicated in aging, sunburn and skin cancer. Few studies, however, have been done to determine the effects that UV light, in conjunction with other environmental contaminants, may have on human skin. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of compounds that have been reported to be toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic to many eukaryotic organisms. UV light is also known to increase the toxicity of PAHs through photo-activation and photo-modification. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of UV-A irradiated pyrene (Pyr), 1-aminopyrene (1-AP) and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) on human keratinocytes, the skin primary site of UV irradiated PAH exposure. Our findings indicate that simultaneous treatment of human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, with 1. 0μg/ml pyrene, 1-AP or 1-HP and 3.9 J/cm2/min UV-A light resulted in significant inhibition of cell proliferation. Approximately 100% of the cells died in the case of UV-A irradiated 1-AP and 1-HP. In the case of UV-A irradiated pyrene, more than 70% of the cells died, indicating that UV-A is able to transform these PAHs into more harmful intermediates.
Time and voltage dependence of dielectric charging in RF MEMS capacitive switches

A major issue in the reliability of RF MEMS capacitive switches is charge injection in the dielectric. In this study the authors try to establish the time and voltage dependence of dielectric charging in RF MEMS with silicon nitride as a dielectric. It is shown that the voltage shift of the CV-curve due to injected charge shows a radict dependence over a large time range. By doing measurements on a large number of devices (early development material made at NXP Semiconductors in Nijmegen) the authors further show that the charging rate increases exponentially with the applied stress voltage
THE EFFECT OF INSULIN SENSITIVITY ON CORTICOLIMBIC RESPONSES TO METABOLIC AND VISUAL FOOD CUES

Insulin is one of several molecules that signals the energy balance state to the brain. This study examined the effect of insulin sensitivity on the responsiveness of appetite regulatory brain regions to visual food cues. Nineteen participants diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were studied. Subjects were divided into insulin-sensitive (n=8) and insulin-resistant (n=11) groups based on the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR). Subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing food pictures following water or dextrose consumption. The corticolimbic Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) responses to high-calorie (HC) or low-calorie (LC) food pictures were compared within and between groups. BOLD responses to food pictures were reduced during a glucose challenge in numerous corticolimbic brain regions of insulin-sensitive subjects, but not in insulin-resistant subjects. In addition, a positive interaction was detected between insulin sensitivity and condition. Furthermore, the degree of insulin resistance positively correlated with the corticolimbic BOLD response in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate and ventral tegmental area (VTA) in response to HC pictures and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), mPFC, anterior cingulate, and insula in response to LC pictures following a glucose challenge. The activity in the OFC, midbrain, hippocampus, and amygdala was positively correlated with HOMA2-IR in response to HC>LC pictures following a glucose challenge. We conclude that the normal inhibition of corticolimbic brain responses to food pictures during a glucose challenge is compromised in insulin-resistant subjects. The increase in brain responsiveness to food pictures during postprandial hyperinsulinemia may lead to greater non-homeostatic eating and perpetuate obesity in insulin-resistant subjects. Understanding how insulin sensitivity affects appetite-regulating brain regions responses to food pictures is necessary for the iii development of prevention strategies and effective therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity, particularly obesity related to insulin resistance in PCOS. of insulin sensitivity on corticolimbic responses to food picture in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.induced inhibition of the appetitive brain response to visual food cues in polycystic ovary syndrome patients.
Behavioral Modeling for Public Safety Communication in Wireless Mesh Networking

Accompanying dramatic advances in wireless Mesh networking, the demand for advanced mechanisms to employ wireless Mesh networks in public safety continues to grow. However, this special field communication brings new security challenges. In this paper, we import the expectancy-value theory in cognitive psychology to behavioral evaluation of node and propose a behavioral model named NODE EYE for public safety communication in wireless Mesh networks and exercise the model to reason a variation of station-to-station key agreement protocol. We contend that our model facilitates reasoning about protocols designed for public safety by integrating the behavioral trust and cryptographic aspects of communication in the special field. We illustrate our concept by introducing the key agreement to support the special communication cases associated with the public safety.
What makes a difference? Evaluating the key distinctions and predictors of sexual and non-sexual offending among male and female juvenile offenders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ability of a comprehensive set of covariates to distinguish and predict juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) from non-sexual juvenile offenders (NSJOs) using demographic traits, criminality covariates, childhood trauma, and psychopathologies in a sample of male and female juvenile offenders in the USA. Design/methodology/approach A multivariate binary logistic regression will be conducted on a total of 64,329 juvenile offenders in Florida to determine what demographic, criminal history, childhood traumas, and psychopathologies make a difference in identifying sexual and NSJOs while controlling for the other key predictors in the model. Findings Results indicate that having an earlier age of criminal onset and more felony arrests, experiencing sexual abuse or being male, having low empathy, high impulsivity, depression, and psychosis all significantly increase the risk of sexual vs non-sexual offending among the male and female juvenile offenders, even while controlling for all other key covariates in the analysis. Originality/value This study uncovered many new findings regarding the key distinguishing traits of juvenile sex offending vs non-sexual offending, using a comprehensive list of predictors, a large sample of male and female offenders, and a rigorous statistical methodology.