Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Timing and localization of ionospheric signatures associated with substorm expansion phase onset

[1] In this paper, we present case studies of the optical and magnetic signatures of the characteristics of the first minute of substorm expansion phase onset observed in the ionosphere. We find that for two isolated substorms, the onset of magnetic pulsations in the 24–96 s period wavelet band are colocated in time and space with the formation and development of small-scale optical undulations along the most equatorward preexisting auroral arc prior to auroral breakup. These undulations undergo an inverse spatial cascade into vortices prior to the release of the westward traveling surge. We also present a case study of a multiple activation substorm, whereby discrete onsets of ULF wave power above a predetermined quiet time threshold are shown to be associated with specific optical intensifications and brightenings. Moreover, in the multiple activation substorm event, we show that neither the formation of the small-scale undulations nor the formation of similar structures along a north–south aligned arc is sufficient to produce auroral breakup associated with expansion phase onset. It is only ∼10 min after these two disparate activation regions initiate that auroral breakup and the subsequent formation of a westward traveling surge occur. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of the triggering mechanisms likely to be occurring during these specific events.
Effects of different methionine sources on production and reproduction performance, egg quality and serum biochemical indices of broiler breeders

Objective The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different methionine (Met) sources on production performance, reproduction performance, egg quality and serum biochemical indices in broiler breeders. Methods After receiving a basal diet (containing 0.25% Met) for a 2-wk pretreatment period, a total of 360 39-wk-old Lingnan yellow broiler breeders were randomly allocated to four treatments with six replicates each (15 birds per replicate). Breeders were fed with basal diets (control) or diets supplemented with DL-methionine (DLM), DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthio butytric calcium (MHA-Ca) and coated DL-Met (CME) respectively. Results The results showed that CME supplementation promoted laying rate and decreased feed-to-egg ratio (F/E) (p<0.05), DLM and MHA-Ca supplementation decreased F/E (p<0.05) when compared with control group. The rate of fertility, hatchability and birthrate were higher (p<0.05) in DLM, MHA-Ca, and CME groups than control group. Compared with control group, CME increased the eggshell thickness (p<0.05); MHA-Ca improved the eggshell thickness, shell ratio and eggshell strength (p<0.05). Results also showed that CME elevated the concentration of total protein in serum (p<0.05); MHA-Ca improved the concentration of calcium in serum (p<0.05). The concentration of serum uric acid in DLM, MHA-Ca, and CME groups was lower than that in control group (p<0.05). Besides, CME had higher concentrations of serum taurine, cysteine and cystanthionine (p<0.05) while MHA-Ca and DLM promoted the serum taurine concentration (p<0.05) compared with control group. Conclusion Based on the results, it was concluded that Met supplementation could enhance the production and reproduction performance as well as the antioxidant status and egg quality of broiler breeders. In terms of improving the production performance, reproduction performance and antioxidant performance, CME was superior to DLM and MHA-Ca; but in regard to the enhancement of eggshell quality and serum Ca concentration, MHA-Ca was superior to DLM and CME.
Decompression of test data using variable-length seed LFSRs

This paper presents a new and efficient scheme to decompress a set of deterministic test vectors for circuits with scan. The scheme is based on the reseeding of a Multiple Polynomial Linear Feedback Shift Register (MP-LFSR) but uses variable-length seeds to improve the encoding efficiency of test vectors with a wide variation in their number of specified bits. The paper analyzes the effectiveness of this novel approach both theoretically and through extensive experiments. A modular design of the decompression hardware re-uses the same LFSR used for pseudo-random vector generation and scan registers to minimize the area overhead.
A Survey on the Cryptographic Encryption Algorithms

Security is the major concern when the sensitive information is stored and transferred across the internet where the information is no longer protected by physical boundaries. Cryptography is an essential, effective and efficient component to ensure the secure communication between the different entities by transferring unintelligible information and only the authorized recipient can be able to access the information. The right selection of cryptographic algorithm is important for secure communication that provides more security, accuracy and efficiency. In this paper, we examine the security aspects and processes involved in the design and implementation of most widely used symmetric encryption algorithms such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), Blowfish, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Hybrid Cubes Encryption Algorithm (HiSea). Furthermore, this paper evaluated and compared the performance of these encryption algorithms based on encryption and decryption time, throughput, key size, avalanche effect, memory, correlation assessment and entropy. Thus, amongst the existing cryptographic algorithm, we choose a suitable encryption algorithm based on different parameters that are best fit to the user requirements.
Adding Depth to Classical Cartoon Animations

Theatres featuring stereoscopic projection such as IMAX become extremely popular in last decade and attract large audience. However, key limiting factor for such cinemas is expensive movie acquisition phase. Lack of depth information in classical film footage restricts offer to movies created by specialized multi-camera system or 3D computer animation. In this project we focus on developing a system that allows artists to add artificial depth information to classical cartoon animations. We first utilizes LazyBrush, flexible painting tool proposed in [13] to segment the image interactively and efficiently. Then we allow user to add depth value to every single regions we retrieved from the first step. The normals of the objects in the scene are then approximated with the help of the segmentation and depth information. With all the data we get from the previous steps, we are able to render the scene with realistic lighting and shading. By enhancing the image low-pass filtering the depth map, we are able to create stereoscopic 3D image that gives a very strong depth feel. And by applying proper shading to each region, we are able to get a final stereoscopic 3D effect that’s realistic and rich however simple in the underlying representation.
Exploiting Renewable Sources: When Green SLA Becomes a Possible Reality in Cloud Computing

While the proliferation of cloud services have greatly impacted our society, how green are these services is yet to be answered. Although, demand escalation for green services has grown due to societal awareness, the approaches to provide green services and establish Green SLAs remain oblivious for cloud or infrastructure providers. The main challenge for cloud provider is to manage Green SLAs with their customers while satisfying their business objectives, such as maximizing profits by lowering expenditure for green energy. Since, Green SLA needs to be proposed based on the presence of green energy, the intermittent nature of renewable sources makes it difficult to be achieved. In response, this paper presents a scheme for green energy management in the presence of explicit and implicit integration of renewable energy in data center. More specifically we propose three contributions: i) we introduce the concept of virtualization of green energy to address the uncertainty of green energy availability, ii) we extend the Cloud Service Level Agreement (CSLA) language to support Green SLA by introducing two new threshold parameters and iii) we introduce greenSLA algorithm which leverages the concept of virtualization of green energy to provide per interval specific Green SLA. Experiments were conducted with real workload profile from PlanetLab and server power model from SPECpower to demonstrate that, Green SLA can be successfully established and satisfied without incurring higher cost.
Interactions between the surface exclusion systems of some F-like plasmids.

Four surface exclusion systems have been identified amongst a group of F-like plasmids in E. coli : Sfx I (F), Sfx II (ColV2 and R538-1 fin − ), Sfx III (ColVB trp and R1-19) and Sfx IV (R100-1 and R136 fin − ). None of these systems was expressed in stationary phase cells or, except for ColVB trp , during fin + transfer inhibition, showing that the surface exclusion gene(s) is usually co-controlled with the transfer genes. Recipient cells carrying two plasmids specifying different surface exclusion systems did not always express both of these: the overall pattern suggested that the four systems and/or their sites of action are related. There was no surface exclusion between donor cells carrying two plasmids determining different surface exclusion systems and recipient cells carrying a plasmid determining either one of these. Our hypothesis to explain this and other results is that surface exclusion prevents interaction between the tip of the pilus on the donor cell and a receptor site on the recipient cell surface. Pili (probably mixed) with two types of tips would be present on cells carrying two different plasmids, the one unresponsive to the single surface exclusion system of the recipient cells allowing transfer of both plasmids.
Polarization confocal microscopy and Congo Red fluorescence: a simple and rapid method to determine the mean cellulose fibril orientation in plants

The mean or net preferential orientation of cellulose fibrils in plant cell walls is detected with polarization confocal laser scanning microscopy using the fluorescence dichroism of Congo Red. Single cells, arrays of cells in a tissue, or the epidermis of whole organs can be assayed in vivo. Aerial parts require an extra pectinase treatment because of the cuticle, which is impermeable to aqueous solutions. Peeling off the epidermis can be an elegant alternative, especially for leaves. With this method the net preferential fibril orientation can be related to the symmetry axis of the cell in quantitative terms. Data issuing from this approach are useful in current research on plant biomechanics.
Oceanirhabdus sediminicola gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium isolated from sea sediment.

A novel anaerobic bacterium, designated NH-JN4(T) was isolated from a sediment sample collected in the South China Sea. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, spore-forming, peritrichous and rod-shaped (0.5-1.2×2.2-7 µm). The temperature and pH ranges for growth were 22-42 °C and pH 6.0-8.5. Optimal growth occurred at 34-38 °C and pH 6.5-7.0. The NaCl concentration range for growth was 0.5-6 % (w/v) with an optimum of 2.5 %. Catalase and oxidase were not produced. Substrates which could be utilized were peptone, tryptone, yeast extract, beef extract and glycine. Main fermentation products from PYG medium were formate, acetate, butyrate and ethanol. Strain NH-JN4(T) could utilize sodium sulfite as an electron acceptor. No respiratory quinone was detected. The predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0, iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C17 : 0 and C16 : 0 DMA. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and glycolipids. The DNA G+C content was 35.8 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain NH-JN4(T) was a member of family Clostridiaceae, and was most closely related to Clostridium limosum ATCC 25620(T), Clostridium proteolyticum DSM 3090(T), Clostridium histolyticum ATCC 19401(T) and Clostridium tepidiprofundi SG 508(T), showing 94.0, 93.0, 92.9 and 92.3 % sequence similarity, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic properties, strain NH-JN4(T) represents a novel species of a new genus in the family Clostridiaceae, for which the name Oceanirhabdus sediminicola gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is NH-JN4(T) ( = JCM 18501(T) = CCTCC AB 2013103(T) = KCTC 15322(T)).
Bisphenol A Inhibits Follicle Growth and Induces Atresia in Cultured Mouse Antral Follicles Independently of the Genomic Estrogenic Pathway1

ABSTRACT Bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogenic chemical used to manufacture many commonly used plastic and epoxy resin-based products. BPA ubiquitously binds to estrogen receptors throughout the body, including estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) in the ovary. Few studies have investigated the effects of BPA on ovarian antral follicles. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that BPA alters cell cycle regulators and induces atresia in antral follicles via the genomic estrogenic pathway, inhibiting follicle growth. To test this hypothesis, we isolated antral follicles from 32- to 35-day-old control and Esr1-overexpressing mice and cultured them with vehicle control (dimethylsulfoxide [DMSO]) or BPA (1–100 μg/ml). Additionally, antral follicles were isolated from 32- to 35-day-old FVB mice and cultured with DMSO, BPA (1–100 μg/ml), estradiol (10 nM), ICI 182,780 (ICI; 1 μM), BPA plus ICI, or BPA plus estradiol. Follicles were measured for growth every 24 h for 96–120 h and processed either for analysis of estrogen receptor, cell cycle, and/or atresia factor mRNA expression, or for histological evaluation of atresia. Results indicate that estradiol and ICI do not protect follicles from BPA-induced growth inhibition and that estradiol does not protect follicles from BPA-induced atresia. Furthermore, overexpressing Esr1 does not increase susceptibility of follicles to BPA-induced growth inhibition. Additionally, BPA up-regulates Cdk4, Ccne1, and Trp53 expression, whereas it down-regulates Ccnd2 expression. BPA also up-regulates Bax and Bcl2 expression while inducing atresia in antral follicles. These data indicate that BPA abnormally regulates cell cycle and atresia factors, and this may lead to atresia and inhibited follicle growth independently of the genomic estrogenic pathway.
3D printing and milling a real-time PCR device for infectious disease diagnostics

Diagnosing infectious diseases using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) offers a conclusive result in determining the infection, the strain or type of pathogen, and the level of infection. However, due to the high-cost instrumentation involved and the complexity in maintenance, it is rarely used in the field to make a quick turnaround diagnosis. In order to provide a higher level of accessibility than current qPCR devices, a set of 3D manufacturing methods is explored as a possible option to fabricate a low-cost and portable qPCR device. The key advantage of this approach is the ability to upload the digital format of the design files on the internet for wide distribution so that people at any location can simply download and feed into their 3D printers for quick manufacturing. The material and design are carefully selected to minimize the number of custom parts that depend on advanced manufacturing processes which lower accessibility. The presented 3D manufactured qPCR device is tested with 20-μL samples that contain various concentrations of lentivirus, the same type as HIV. A reverse-transcription step is a part of the device’s operation, which takes place prior to the qPCR step to reverse transcribe the target RNA from the lentivirus into complementary DNA (cDNA). This is immediately followed by qPCR which quantifies the target sequence molecules in the sample during the PCR amplification process. The entire process of thermal control and time-coordinated fluorescence reading is automated by closed-loop feedback and a microcontroller. The resulting device is portable and battery-operated, with a size of 12 × 7 × 6 cm3 and mass of only 214 g. By uploading and sharing the design files online, the presented low-cost qPCR device may provide easier access to a robust diagnosis protocol for various infectious diseases, such as HIV and malaria.
Low area Elliptic Curve arithmetic unit

In this paper, a generic Elliptic Curve (EC) arithmetic unit with high flexibility and small chip covered area is proposed. This EC arithmetic unit is based on the one dimensional systolic architectural realization of a proposed modified multiplication - inversion algorithm that through appropriate initialization uses the algorithmic structure of inversion to also perform multiplication. The proposed architecture is realized on FPGA for GF(2163) and is compared with similar up-to-date designs. The proposed EC arithmetic unit has very small chip covered area without any serious penalty in calculation delay and since is designed on the affine coordinate plane, it offers a good side channel attack resistance base for further optimizations on this field.
Measuring User Involvement in Information System Development

' U s e r i n v o l v e m en t " i n i n f o r m a t i on sys t e m de v e l op m en t and management is generally accepted as an important mechanism for improving system quality and ensuring successful system implementation. This paper critically reviews research to date on user involvement and its relationship to system quality, sys t e m u s e , and u s e r a tt i t ude s t o w a r d i n f o r m a t i on sys t e m s . It presents a multi-dimensional framework for defining and measuring user involvement and explains the process undertaken to validate the framework and derive an adequate measure of user involvement in information system -development and management. ABSTRACT This paper describes the logical design of a data base to support the software development process by analyzing the i n f o r m a t i on c on t en t o f c o mm on sys t e m s ana l ys i s t e c hn i que s s u c h as IBM's Business Systems Planning, structured analysis, structured design, and data base design. It is shown that these techniques can be represented in a single data base schema. contro that are truly responsive to user needs and expensive process.
Annotation transfer by homology among closely related genomes helps to identify protein function in Plasmodium species

Malaria is a major killer disease causing heavy loss in terms of life and medical expenditure. The genome of Plasmodium falciparum sequenced in 2002 but more than 60% of its meaning still remains unknown. We compared protein sequences from P. falciparum in the genomic sequences with P. vivax and P. knowlesi through standalone blast tool from NCBI. We found many proteins annotated in one species sharing high similarity with unannotated proteins in the other/s species. Based on the 'annotation transfer by homology' method we annotated 715 hypothetical proteins. By the latest information available as of 1st September our method annotated 343 protein sequences. Gene Ontology annotation with BLAST2GO revealed 128 proteins with Enzyme Codes among the 561 sequences mapped with GO terms. The kognitor results showed 542 proteins similar to proteins belonging to various KOG categories. More attention should be paid to these 'hypothetical' proteins as they can reveal unknown insights on the biology of organisms and have an impact in the field of drug discovery and medicine.
Identification of Critical Residues on Thrombin Mediating Its Interaction with Fibrin

Summary Thrombin binding to fibrin may be important in localizing thrombin to the site of vascular injury. However, fibrin-bound thrombin retains its catalytic activity toward fibrinogen, and may be prothrombotic under certain conditions. A collection of 52 purified thrombin mutants was used to identify those residues mediating the thrombin-fibrin interaction. Comparison of fibrinogen clotting activity with fibrin binding activity identified twenty residues involved in fibrinogen recognition with four of these residues important in fibrin binding (Lys65, His66, Tyr71, Arg73). No mutant was identified with normal clotting activity and deficient fibrin binding, suggesting that these two properties are not readily dissociable. A DNA thrombin aptamer that binds to these residues was able to inhibit the thrombin-fibrin interaction, and displace thrombin that was already bound. Mapping of these fibrin-binding residues on thrombin revealed that they are localized within exosite I, and comprise a subset of the residues important in fibrinogen recognition.
Real Discrete Fractional Fourier, Hartley, Generalized Fourier and Generalized Hartley Transforms With Many Parameters

Real transforms require less complexity for computations and less memory for storages than complex transforms. However, discrete fractional Fourier and Hartley transforms are complex transforms. In this paper, we propose reality-preserving fractional versions of the discrete Fourier, Hartley, generalized Fourier, and generalized Hartley transforms. All of the proposed real discrete fractional transforms have as many as O(N2) parameters and thus are very flexible. The proposed real discrete fractional transforms have random eigenvectors and they have only two distinct eigenvalues 1 and -1. Properties and relationships of the proposed real discrete fractional transforms are investigated. Besides, for the real conventional discrete Hartley and generalized discrete Hartley transforms, we propose their alternative reality-preserving fractionalizations based on diagonal-like matrices to further increase their flexibility. The proposed real transforms have all of the required good properties to be discrete fractional transforms. Finally, since the proposed new transforms have random outputs and many parameters, they are all suitable for data security applications such as image encryption and watermarking.
Control of nucleation of protein crystals

Control of nucleation may be needed to obtain a reliable supply of large protein crystals, when standard techniques give many small or twinned crystals. Heterogeneous nucleation may be controlled by the use of fine filters, with the elimination of airborne contaminants by working under paraffin oil. The area of contact with the supporting vessel also has an important effect. A heterogeneous nucleant for lysozyme (identified earlier) has been shown to be effective for carboxypeptidase G2. Control of homogeneous nucleation (previously demonstrated by dilutions of a nucleating sample after various times of incubation) may also be achieved by incubating a sample at 1 temperature, where nucleation can occur, and changing the temperature to conditions where there is growth but no nucleation.