Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
H-NS Represses inv Transcription in Yersinia enterocolitica through Competition with RovA and Interaction with YmoA

ABSTRACT Yersinia enterocolitica is able to efficiently invade Peyer's patches with the aid of invasin, an outer member protein involved in the attachment and invasion of M cells. Invasin is encoded by inv, which is positively regulated by RovA in both Y. enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis while negatively regulated by YmoA in Y. enterocolitica and H-NS in Y. pseudotuberculosis. In this study we present data indicating H-NS and RovA bind directly and specifically to the inv promoter of Y. enterocolitica. We also show that RovA and H-NS from Y. enterocolitica bind to a similar region of the inv promoter and suggest they compete for binding sites. This is similar to recently published data from Y. pseudotuberculosis, revealing a potentially conserved mechanism of inv regulation between Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis. Furthermore, we present data suggesting H-NS and YmoA form a repression complex on the inv promoter, with H-NS providing the binding specificity and YmoA interacting with H-NS to form a repression complex. We also demonstrate that deletion of the predicted H-NS binding region relieves the requirement for RovA-dependent transcription of the inv promoter, consistent with RovA acting as a derepressor of H-NS-mediated repression. Levels of H-NS and YmoA are similar between 26°C and 37°C, suggesting that the H-NS/YmoA repression complex is present at both temperatures, while the levels of rovA transcript are low at 37°C and high at 26°C, leading to expression of inv at 26°C. Expression of RovA at 37°C results in transcription of inv and production of invasin. Data presented here support a model of inv regulation where the level of RovA within the cell governs inv expression. As RovA levels increase, RovA can successfully compete for binding to the inv promoter with the H-NS/YmoA complex, resulting in derepression of inv transcription.
Reactive power planning and its cost allocation for distribution systems with distributed generation

This paper addresses some of the modeling and economic issues pertaining to the optimal reactive power planning of radial distribution systems with distributed generation. When wind power generation (WPG) units are installed in a distribution system, they may cause reverse power flows and voltage variations due to the random-like outputs of wind turbines. To solve this problem, we introduce static VAr compensator (SVC) into distribution systems, and combine the reactive power support from distributed diesel units for voltage control. An optimal reactive power planning model is proposed in this paper. Monte-Carlo simulation is used to simulate the uncertainty of wind power generation. The locations and the outputs of SVCs and distributed diesel units are determined using our proposed optimal reactive power planning model. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to solve the optimization problem. Furthermore, we apply the Shapley value axiom in cooperative game theory to allocate the reactive power cost of SVC among wind power turbines, which have caused voltage variations. Finally, we discuss the allocation results from an economic point of view
Calculation of Human Arm Stiffness using a Biomechanical Model

A novel hand-arm system (HASy), being developed in DLR as an anthropomorphic system, requires as an input parameter the realistic instantaneous joint stiffness of human upper limb in different postures and movements. Because muscles in our musculokeletal system are the active component (actuator), joint stiffness is driven by muscle stiffness. In this thesis, the theoretical fundamentals in extracting skeletal muscle stiffness from Delft ShoulderElbow Model (DSEM), a 3D finite element model of human upper limb, are presented in this thesis. The basics of musculoskeletal biomechanics and also skeletal muscle properties were studied in order to understand the arm stiffness, especially the skeletal muscle stiffness. In order to complete the discussion of human arm stiffness, the three parameters contributing to arm stiffness, namely the end-point stiffness, the joint stiffness, and the muscle stiffness, were reviewed and their relationship with each other is discussed. Firstly, the mapping from muscle stiffness to joint stiffness will need to be done because HASy requires the joint stiffness value. Second, the most available arm stiffness research deals with end-point stiffness. Thus, knowing the corresponding end-point stiffness from the calculated muscle stiffness is good for future data validation. Finally, the potential applications of this study are proposed. This study has implication in both robotics and biomechanics fields. In fields of robotics, specific application in HASy and also the possible application in general robotics are discussed briefly.
A Probabilistic Approach to Syntax-based Reordering for Statistical Machine Translation

Inspired by previous preprocessing approaches to SMT, this paper proposes a novel, probabilistic approach to reordering which combines the merits of syntax and phrase-based SMT. Given a source sentence and its parse tree, our method generates, by tree operations, an n-best list of reordered inputs, which are then fed to standard phrase-based decoder to produce the optimal translation. Experiments show that, for the NIST MT-05 task of Chinese-toEnglish translation, the proposal leads to BLEU improvement of 1.56%.
Shear Stress Induces Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Flk-1/KDR Through the CT-Rich Sp1 Binding Site

Fluid shear stress is 1 of the major factors that control gene expression in vascular endothelial cells. We investigated the role of shear stress in the regulation of the expression of fetal liver kinase-1/kinase domain region (Flk-1/KDR), a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, by using human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Laminar shear stress (15 dyne/cm2) elevated Flk-1/KDR mRNA levels by ≈3-fold for 8 hours, and the expression was upregulated within the range of 5 to 40 dyne/cm2. Deletion analysis of the 5′-flanking region of the Flk-1/KDR gene promoter by use of a luciferase reporter vector revealed that a shear stress–responsive element resided in the sequence between −94 and −31 bp, which contained putative nuclear factor-&kgr;B, activator protein-2, and GC-rich Sp1 and CT-rich Sp1 binding sites. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that nuclear extract was bound to the GC-rich Sp1 sites and the CT-rich Sp1 site with a similar pattern. However, shear stress enhanced the DNA-protein interactions only on the CT-rich Sp1 site but not on the GC-rich Sp1 sites. A 3-bp mutation in the CT-rich Sp1 site eliminated the response to shear stress in electrophoretic mobility shift assay and luciferase reporter assay. These results suggest that shear stress induces Flk-1/KDR expression through the CT-rich Sp1 binding site.
A Novel Fast Tensor-Based Preconditioner for Image Restoration

Image restoration is one of the main parts of image processing. Mathematically, this problem can be modeled as a large-scale structured ill-posed linear system. Ill-posedness of this problem results in low-convergence rate of iterative solvers. For speeding up the convergence, preconditioning usually is used. Despite the existing preconditioners for image restoration, which are constructed based on approximations of the blurring matrix, in this paper, we propose a novel preconditioner with a different viewpoint. Here, we show that image restoration problem can be modeled as a tensor contractive linear equation. This modeling enables us to propose a new preconditioner based on an approximation of the blurring tensor operator. Due to the particular structure of the blurring tensor for zero boundaries, we show that the truncated higher order singular value decomposition of the blurring tensor is obtained very fast and so could be used as a preconditioner. Experimental results confirm the efficiency of this new preconditioner in image restoration and its outperformance in comparison with the other well-known preconditioners.
Hepatitis B surface antigen quantification as a predictor of seroclearance during treatment in HIV‐hepatitis B virus coinfected patients from Sub‐Saharan Africa

In Sub‐Saharan Africa, seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B “e” antigen (HBeAg), including their quantifiable markers, have rarely been evaluated during long‐term antiviral treatment among patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV).
Strain-Specific Barriers against Bovine Prions in Hamsters

ABSTRACT We investigated the susceptibilities of Syrian golden hamsters to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents from cattle. We report efficient transmission of the L-type atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent into hamsters. Importantly, hamsters were also susceptible to the transmissible mink encephalopathy agent from cattle, which has molecular features similar to those of the L-type BSE agent, as also shown in bovinized transgenic mice. In sharp contrast, hamsters could not be infected with classical or H-type BSE agents from cattle. However, previous adaptation of the classical BSE agent in wild-type mice led to efficient transmission. Thus, this study demonstrates the existence of distinct “strain barriers” upon the transmission of bovine prions in hamsters.
The Paradox of the Mobile Internet: Acceptance of Gadgets and Rejection of Innovations

Using the decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB), this paper addresses the drivers and inhibitors for end-consumer use of the mobile Internet. Qualitative interviews with 15 adopters who themselves classify them as adopters of the mobile Internet, indicates that the adoption of the innovative parts beyond voice and SMS is evolving slowly despite a high penetration rate of mobile phones (70%) and substantial amount invested in the mobile area. Larger displays, change in key boards, and improved convergence with other technologies are highlighted as the key areas that needs improvements.
Dissent: accountable anonymous group messaging

Users often wish to participate in online groups anonymously, but misbehaving users may abuse this anonymity to disrupt the group's communication. Existing messaging protocols such as DC-nets leave groups vulnerable to denial-of-service and Sybil attacks, Mix-nets are difficult to protect against traffic analysis, and accountable voting protocols are unsuited to general anonymous messaging. We present the first general messaging protocol that offers provable anonymity with accountability for moderate-size groups, and efficiently handles unbalanced loads where few members wish to transmit in a given round. The N group members first cooperatively shuffle an N x N matrix of pseudorandom seeds, then use these seeds in N "pre-planned" DC-nets protocol runs. Each DC-nets run transmits the variable-length bulk data comprising one member's message, using the minimum number of bits required for anonymity under our attack model. The protocol preserves message integrity and one-to-one correspondence between members and messages, makes denial-of-service attacks by members traceable to the culprit, and efficiently handles large, unbalanced message loads. A working prototype demonstrates the protocol's practicality for anonymous messaging in groups of 40+ members.
Adaptive identification and control of hysteresis in smart materials

Hysteresis hinders the effective use of smart materials in sensors and actuators. This paper addresses recursive identification and adaptive inverse control of hysteresis in smart material actuators, where hysteresis is modeled by a Preisach operator with a piecewise uniform density function. Two classes of identification schemes are proposed and compared, one based on the hysteresis output, the other based on the time-difference of the output. Conditions for parameter convergence are presented in terms of the input to the Preisach operator. An adaptive inverse control scheme is developed by updating the Preisach operator (and thus its inverse) with the output-based identification method. The asymptotic tracking property of this scheme is established, and for periodic reference trajectories, the parameter convergence behavior is characterized. Practical issues in the implementation of the adaptive identification and inverse control methods are also investigated. Simulation and experimental results based on a magnetostrictive actuator are provided to illustrate the proposed approach.
Training Data Augmentation for Low-Resource Morphological Inflection

This work describes the UoE-LMU submission for the CoNLL-SIGMORPHON 2017 Shared Task on Universal Morphological Reinﬂection, Subtask 1: given a lemma and target morphological tags, generate the target inﬂected form. We evalu-ate several ways to improve performance in the 1000-example setting: three methods to augment the training data with identical input-output pairs (i.e., autoencod-ing), a heuristic approach to identify likely pairs of inﬂectional variants from an unlabeled corpus, and a method for cross-lingual knowledge transfer. We ﬁnd that autoencoding random strings works sur-prisingly well, outperformed only slightly by autoencoding words from an unlabelled corpus. The random string method also works well in the 10,000-example setting despite not being tuned for it. Among 18 submissions our system takes 1st and 6th place in the 10k and 1k settings, respec-tively.
Advances in the use of topical imiquimod to treat dermatologic disorders

Imiquimod (IQ) is an immune-response modifying agent, first approved by FDA for the topical treatment of external genital and perianal warts in 1997. It induces, through stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) localized on the surface of antigen-presenting cells, synthesis and release of several endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-α (IFN-α), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL) 6 and 12, which in turn stimulate both the innate and acquired immune pathways, resulting in upregulation of natural antiviral and antitumor activity. IQ 5% cream has been used for the treatment of a wide variety of dermatologic conditions in which the immune system is thought to play a role in regression of the disease. In some disorders, such as genital and perianal warts, actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas, Bowen’s disease and molluscum contagiosum, relative safety and efficacy are supported by randomized controlled trials of IQ. However, it is common for patients to experience local skin reactions, which can range from mild to severe in intensity, but usually resolve 1–2 weeks after interrupting treatment. Additional randomized trials are encouraged to assess safety and efficacy of IQ in the treatment of an even wider range of cutaneous disorders.
An Acceptance Model of Wireless Mobile Data Services in China: Combining TAM with Consumer Behavior Model

With the development of mobile communication technology, wireless mobile data services have experienced a rapid growth in China. But the acceptance of those services is not well enough. In this paper, we considered the wireless mobile data services as an integrated service, and constructed an acceptance model by combining the technology acceptance model with Hawkins's consumer behavior model to analyze the adoption of wireless mobile data services in China. Through the analysis of the data collected online from 6 provinces, we find out personal innovativeness to information technology and superior social influence impact acceptance of wireless mobile data services through user's perceptional beliefs, and personal curiosity and peer social influence the actual using behavior directly.
Effectiveness of Capital Regulation at U.S. Commercial Banks, 1985 to 1994

Unless priced and administered appropriately, a governmental safety net enhances risk-shifting opportunities for banks. This paper quantifies regulatory efforts to use capital requirements to control risk-shifting by U.S. banks during 1985 to 1994 and investigates how much risk-based capital requirements and other deposit-insurance reforms improved this control. We find that capital discipline did not prevent large banks from shifting risk onto the safety net. Banks with low capital and debt-to-deposits ratios overcame outside discipline better than other banks. Mandates introduced by 1991 legislation have improved but did not establish full regulatory control over bank risk-shifting incentives. Copyright The American Finance Association 2000.
A robust moving shadow detection algorithm based on semi-supervised hierarchical mixture of MLP-experts

Detection and elimination of the shadows of moving objects in video sequences have been one of the major challenges in tracking applications. Since moving shadows can't be removed from foreground by background subtraction methods, they lead to confusion and error in moving object tracking. In this paper, we propose a novel classification method based on hierarchical mixture of experts learning for detecting shadows from foreground. We propose Hierarchical Mixture of MLP Experts method (HMOE) with semi-supervised learning (SSP-HMOE) that uses a two level MOE system for shadow detection. The main superiority of this method is that it is almost robust and it works in all types of indoor and outdoor environments without any restrictions on the number of light sources, illumination conditions, surface orientations, object sizes, etc. The result of experiments in outdoor and indoor environments show the validity of the method in the improvement on the accuracy of both detection and discrimination rate for moving shadows in video sequences. The results of the experiments show the accuracy rate of 92% in average in different indoor and outdoor environmental conditions that is about 6% better than well-known similar methods.
Development of a new wrist for the next generation of the humanoid robot ARMAR

The development of a humanoid robot within the scope of the collaborative research centre 588 has the objective of creating a machine that can closely cooperate with humans. This development area presents new challenges for designers. In contrast to industrial robots - for which mechanical rigidity, precision and high velocities are primary requirements - the key aspects here are prevention of hazards to users, a motion space that corresponds to that of human beings, and a lightweight design. In order to meet these requirements, the robot must have humanlike appearance, motion space, and dexterity. Additionally, its kinematics should be familiar to the user, and its motions predictable, so as to encourage inexperienced persons to interact with the machine. This article gives insight into the design of a new wrist for the next generation of the humanoid robot ARMAR. The goals of the development project are both to improve the motion space and to achieve a humanlike appearance. The new mechanical design is described in detail completed by a study of a first prototype.
Spirometric reference values for the 6-s FVC maneuver.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The guidelines of the National Lung Health Education Program for COPD screening proposed a shorter FVC maneuver (forced expiratory volume at 6 s of exhalation [FEV(6)]). Although reference values for FEV(6) are available from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF(25-75%)) reference values for the shorter 6-s maneuver are not available and are needed. In particular, calculation of largest observed volume during the first 6 s of an FVC maneuver (FVC(6)), from a shortened FVC maneuver, is necessary because the FEF(25-75%) measurement is based on a percentage of FVC or, for a shorter maneuver, FVC(6). DESIGN We reanalyzed the raw volume-time curves from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to calculate FVC(6), forced expiratory volume at 0.5 s of exhalation, forced expiratory volume at 3 s of exhalation, ratio of the FEV(1) to largest observed volume during the first 6 s of an FVC maneuver expressed as a percentage (FEV(1)/FEV(6)%), and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the largest observed volume during the first 6 s of an FVC maneuver (FEF(25-75%6)) in addition to the previously reported values for FEV(1), FEV(6), and FEV(1)/FEV(6)%. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS Using the same normal, asymptomatic, nonsmoking reference population from a previous study, reference values for these parameters were derived from best values. RESULTS A total of 2,261 white, 2,564 African-American, and 2,666 Mexican-American subjects aged 8 to 80 years were included in the analysis. Fifty-four subjects from the previous study were not included due to missing raw volume-time curves. CONCLUSIONS These reference values, utilizing the FVC(6), provide investigators with the means of evaluating the relative merits of using the shorter FVC maneuver as a surrogate for the traditional FVC. They are needed particularly for calculating FEF(25-75%), as statistically significant differences were observed between the FEF(25-75%) and FEF(25-75%6).
HENRY-CORE: Domain Adaptation and Stacking for Text Similarity

This paper describes a system for automatically measuring the semantic similarity between two texts, which was the aim of the 2013 Semantic Textual Similarity (STS) task (Agirre et al., 2013). For the 2012 STS task, Heilman and Madnani (2012) submitted the PERP system, which performed competitively in relation to other submissions. However, approaches including word and n-gram features also performed well (B¨ ar et al., 2012;
Exploring Hindu Indian Emotion Expressions: Evidence for Accurate Recognition by Americans and Indians

Subjects were presented with videotaped expressions of 10 classic Hindu emotions. The 10 emotions were (in rough translation from Sanskrit) anger, disgust, fear, heroism, humor-amusement, love, peace, sadness, shame-embarrassment, and wonder. These emotions (except for shame) and their portrayal were described about 2,000 years ago in the Natyasastra, and are enacted in the contemporary Hindu classical dance. The expressions are dynamic and include both the face and the body, especially the hands. Three different expressive versions of each emotion were presented, along with 15 neutral expressions. American and Indian college students responded to each of these 45 expressions using either a fixed-response format (10 emotion names and “neutral/no emotion”) or a totally free response format. Participants from both countries were quite accurate in identifying emotions correctly using both fixed-choice (65% correct, expected value of 9%) and free-response (61% correct, expected value close to zero) methods.
Role of the 12q24.12 locus in the onset of preeclampsia: an Italian case-control study

Objective: The 12q24.12 locus has been reported to be involved in the control of many traits and also in severe diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and some immune-related disease. To our knowledge, no study has been published so far investigating the role of this locus in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). Methods: We genotyped four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 12q24.12 locus in 198 preeclamptic, 224 chronic hypertensive and 265 normotensive women from Italy, to test the contribution polymorphisms/haplotypes on the onset of preeclampsia and their association with chronic hypertension. Results. No association was observed for any single SNP, while a common haplotype CGTG (21% in normotensive women) revealed a possible protective effect (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42–0.97) against preeclampsia. Conclusions: Our data suggest that a common haplotype within 12q24.12 locus may be associated with a protective effect against preeclampsia. This observation may be linked with the potential role of this region in the control of microcirculation. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first one that links the 12q24.12 locus with this life-threatening perinatal complication of unknown etiology. Further physiological and functional studies are needed to clarify the molecular mechanisms and pathways of preeclampsia.