Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of influencing factors on the location and displacement of Ostrinia nubilalis larvae in maize stalks measured by computed tomography

Ecology and life characteristics of overwintering larvae of the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) (Lep.: Crambidea) are partly unexplored due to their hidden lifestyle. In plant protection research the best way to study these phenomena is to apply less used, non-destructive, in vivo methods. The objective of our CT survey was to examine the factors influencing the location of the overwintering O. nubilalis larvae in maize stalks. The findings obtained by CT-analysis can be used for monitoring the presence and location of O. nubilalis larvae in the stalk, as well as both their displacement and movement. Our results showed that both the location and the distance from the brace root of O. nubilalis larvae were significantly influenced by the sampling time, the number of larvae per plant, the stalk diameter and finally the prevailing temperature. The location of the larvae situated nearest to the brace roots (first larvae) was significantly lower in stalks containing several larvae, than those where only a single larva was found in the stalk. The thickness of stalks was related to the simultaneous presence of more larvae, and to the ground level position of the first larvae. These overwintering larvae were located closer to the brace root (and to the soil), possibly because of having moved downwards inside the stalk, where the temperature is slightly milder than in the upper part of the stalk.
Functional bases of fiber length and angulation in muscle

The differences in angulation and length observed for the fibers of anatomical muscles may reflect two distinct mechanical requirements: (1) arrangement for pinnation, reflecting an increase in physiological crosssection and (2) arrangement for equivalent placement of sarcomeres, possibly associated with coordination. The observed differences in fiber angulation and length have different effects upon the responses of sarcomeres, specifically on their extent and rate of shortening and on the force they may generate. The basic mechanisms governing these effects and the various arrangements of muscles are reviewed. Fiber length and angulation in the complex M. adductor mandibulae externus 2 of a lizard were measured stereotactically; these values correlace well with the hypothesis that the muscle shows equivalence and demonstrate that angulation for pinnation is less constant. An outline for the study of muscle architecture and function, detailing the kinds of information required to estimate forces and evaluate muscle and fiber placements, is presented.
Modeling of moving object trajectory by spatio-temporal learning for abnormal behavior detection

This paper proposes a trajectory analysis method by handling the spatio-temporal property of trajectory. Not using similarity measures of two trajectories, our model analyzes overall path of a trajectory. Learning of spatio property is presented as semantic regions (e.g. go straight, turn left, turn right) that are clustered effectively using topic model. The temporal order of observations on a trajectory is taken into account using HMM for detecting global anomaly. Results of experiments show that modeling of semantic region and detecting of unusual trajectories are successful even in complex scenes.
Worldwide biogeography of Symbiodinium in tropical octocorals

Although octocorals are important components of coral reefs, most research on the genetic diversity of symbiotic zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium spp.) has focused on scleractinian (stony) corals. For both groups, most geographic comparisons have occurred within the same ocean or only included a few geographic sites. We characterized the genetic diversity of Symbiodinium in tropical octocorals in 15 geographic areas throughout the world. By combining octocoral samples analyzed in this study with published data, the cladal identities of zooxanthellae in 117 octocoral species were identified and a global analysis was performed. For 63 octocoral species, the Symbiodinium type was also identified. The vast majority (87.2%) of octocorals hosted a single zooxanthella clade. Most octo- corals also hosted specific Symbiodinium types. A biogeographic pattern emerged. Octocorals from 4 geographic areas in the Indo-west Pacific hosted Symbiodinium C. In the Great Barrier Reef, 11 octo- coral species (24.4%) hosted Symbiodinium D, 3 species hosted Symbiodinium G, and 1 species each hosted Symbiodinium A and B. Red Sea octocorals hosted predominantly Symbiodinium C, with Symbiodinium A occurring in 3 species. In Hawaii, 2 octocorals hosted Symbiodinium C and 1 hosted Symbiodinium A. In Bermuda, only clade B was found. In the Caribbean, unlike in the Indo-Pacific, the dominant Symbiodinium was B, predominantly type B1, with Symbiodinium C occurring in a few species. Understanding the similarities and differences between octocoral and scleractinian coral symbioses with zooxanthellae may enable predictions of which symbioses will survive in periods of environmental change.
Bioengineering solutions for neural repair and recovery in stroke.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review discusses emerging bioengineering opportunities for the treatment of stroke and their potential to build on current rehabilitation protocols. RECENT FINDINGS Bioengineering is a vast field that ranges from biomaterials to brain-computer interfaces. Biomaterials find application in the delivery of pharmacotherapies, as well as the emerging field of tissue engineering. For the treatment of stroke, these approaches have to be seen in the context of physical therapy in order to maximize functional outcomes. There is also an emergence of rehabilitation that engages engineering solutions, such as robot-assisted training, as well as brain-computer interfaces that can potentially assist in the case of paralysis. SUMMARY Stroke remains the main cause of adult disability with rehabilitation therapy being the focus for chronic impairments. Bioengineering is offering new opportunities to both support and synergize with currently available treatment options, and also promises to potentially dramatically improve available approaches. VIDEO ABSTRACT AVAILABLE See the Video Supplementary Digital Content 1 (http://links.lww.com/CONR/A21).
One Implementation of Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP

This paper describes one implementation of adaptive streaming over HTTP for Android based DTV platform. We have proposed a software solution that enables full adaptive streaming over HTTP protocol. The proposition includes two key standards to be implemented: HTTP Live Streaming and MPEG DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). The focus is on implementation of modular architecture that enables adaptive streaming using basic adaptation algorithms leaving a simple interface for integration of advanced adaptation algorithms.
Novel COCH p.V123E Mutation, Causative of DFNA9 Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Vestibular Disorder, Shows Impaired Cochlin Post‐Translational Cleavage and Secretion

DFNA9 is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by late‐onset, non‐syndromic hearing loss, and vestibular dysfunction. Mutations in the COCH (coagulation factor C homology) gene encoding cochlin are etiologically linked to DFNA9. Previous studies have shown that cochlin is cleaved by aggrecanase‐1 during inflammation in the spleen and that the cleaved LCCL domain functions as an innate immune mediator. However, the physiological role of cochlin in the inner ear is not completely understood. Here, we report that cochlins containing DFNA9‐linked mutations (p.P51S, p.V66G, p.G88E, p.I109T, p.W117R, p.V123E, and p.C162Y) demonstrate reduced cleavage by aggrecanase. Notably, in families affected with DFNA9, we found a novel COCH mutation causing p.V123E substitution in cochlin, which significantly reduced protein susceptibility to cleavage by aggrecanase (to about 20.5% of the wild‐type). These results suggest that the impaired post‐translational cleavage of cochlin mutants may be associated with pathological mechanisms underlying DFNA9‐related sensorineural hearing loss.
Critical Issues: What Counts When Context Counts?: The Uncommon “Common” Language of Literacy Research

Research into literacy published in journals such as the Journal of Literacy Research spans a range of disciplines and areas of study (e.g., reading, English education, composition). Even individual studies frequently take up interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g., anthropological, sociological, linguistic, educational, textual). The results are journals far ranging in their reach and rich in the knowledge they bring to literacy issues. However, such diversity of theoretical perspectives, research methods, and analytical methodologies also contributes to a confounding effect. In this article, we explore one such effect that occurs when a common term is used with different meanings. Although this may appear on the surface to be a problem easily remedied or even a rather trivial issue, in this article, we show just how consequential this practice can be when the goal is building knowledge from research that can inform practice, policy, and theory. This critical issue can be posed as a set of interrelated questions: Are we all talking about the same thing when we use words like literacy, reading, and even seemingly less resonant ones like context, the one addressed in this commentary? If we are, how do we know? And if we are not, what price are we paying for not considering the issue?
Structural and Functional Analysis of Hepatitis C Virus Strain JFH1 Polymerase

ABSTRACT The hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolate JFH1 represents the only cloned wild-type sequence capable of efficient replication in cell culture, as well as in chimpanzees. Previous reports have pointed to the viral polymerase NS5B as a major determinant for efficient replication of this isolate. To understand the underlying mechanisms, we expressed and purified NS5B of JFH1 and of the closely related isolate J6, which replicates below the limit of detection in cell culture. The JFH1 enzyme exhibited a 5- to 10-fold-higher specific activity in vitro, consistent with the polymerase activity itself contributing to efficient replication of JFH1. The higher in vitro activity of the JFH1 enzyme was not due to increased RNA binding, elongation rate, or processivity of the polymerase but to higher initiation efficiency. By using homopolymeric and heteropolymeric templates, we found that purified JFH1 NS5B was significantly more efficient in de novo initiation of RNA synthesis than the J6 counterpart, particularly at low GTP concentrations, probably representing an important prerequisite for the rapid replication kinetics of JFH1. Furthermore, we solved the crystal structure of JFH1 NS5B, which displays a very closed conformation that is expected to facilitate de novo initiation. Structural analysis shows that this closed conformation is stabilized by a sprinkle of substitutions that together promote extra hydrophobic interactions between the subdomains “thumb” and “fingers. ” These analyses provide deeper insights into the initiation of HCV RNA synthesis and might help to establish more efficient cell culture models for HCV using alternative isolates.
Stabilization of nonlinear nonminimum phase systems: adaptive parallel approach using recurrent fuzzy neural network

In this paper, an adaptive parallel control architecture to stabilize a class of nonlinear systems which are nonminimum phase is proposed. For obtaining an on-line performance and self-tuning controller, the proposed control scheme contains recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) identifier, nonfuzzy controller, and RFNN compensator. The nonfuzzy controller is designed for nominal system using the techniques of backstepping and feedback linearization, is the main part for stabilization. The RFNN compensator is used to compensate adaptively for the nonfuzzy controller, i.e., it acts like a fine tuner; and the RFNN identifier provides the system's sensitivity for tuning the controller parameters. Based on the Lyapunov approach, rigorous proofs are also presented to show the closed-loop stability of the proposed control architecture. With the aid of the RFNN compensators, the parallel controller can indeed improve system performance, reject disturbance, and enlarge the domain of attraction. Furthermore, computer simulations of several examples are given to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of this proposed controller.
A Hadoop-based Principle Component Analysis on embedded heterogeneous platform

Hadoop is a widely adopted distributed processing framework which assumes each computing node a CPU-based system with local memory. This design scheme cannot effectively take full advantage of an embedded heterogeneous many-core platform due the mismatch of data collection and management paradigms between the Hadoop environment and embedded heterogeneous systems. This paper proposes a Hadoop-based design of Principle Component Analysis (PCA) to efficiently leverage the distributed embedded heterogeneous many-core systems. By taking the same data layout of conventional Hadoop applications, the proposed design introduces efficient manners to collect and manage the fine-grained data chunks. The experiments on a Tegra K1 has achieved 5.9× performance enhancement.
Reconstruction of an Acetogenic 2,3-Butanediol Pathway Involving a Novel NADPH-Dependent Primary-Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase

ABSTRACT Acetogenic bacteria use CO and/or CO2 plus H2 as their sole carbon and energy sources. Fermentation processes with these organisms hold promise for producing chemicals and biofuels from abundant waste gas feedstocks while simultaneously reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions. The acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum is known to synthesize the pyruvate-derived metabolites lactate and 2,3-butanediol during gas fermentation. Industrially, 2,3-butanediol is valuable for chemical production. Here we identify and characterize the C. autoethanogenum enzymes for lactate and 2,3-butanediol biosynthesis. The putative C. autoethanogenum lactate dehydrogenase was active when expressed in Escherichia coli. The 2,3-butanediol pathway was reconstituted in E. coli by cloning and expressing the candidate genes for acetolactate synthase, acetolactate decarboxylase, and 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase. Under anaerobic conditions, the resulting E. coli strain produced 1.1 ± 0.2 mM 2R,3R-butanediol (23 μM h−1 optical density unit−1), which is comparable to the level produced by C. autoethanogenum during growth on CO-containing waste gases. In addition to the 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase, we identified a strictly NADPH-dependent primary-secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (CaADH) that could reduce acetoin to 2,3-butanediol. Detailed kinetic analysis revealed that CaADH accepts a range of 2-, 3-, and 4-carbon substrates, including the nonphysiological ketones acetone and butanone. The high activity of CaADH toward acetone led us to predict, and confirm experimentally, that C. autoethanogenum can act as a whole-cell biocatalyst for converting exogenous acetone to isopropanol. Together, our results functionally validate the 2,3-butanediol pathway from C. autoethanogenum, identify CaADH as a target for further engineering, and demonstrate the potential of C. autoethanogenum as a platform for sustainable chemical production.
A note on the generalization of William Brass’s model

The purpose of the present communication is to generalize a model of Brass’s (1958), relating to the probability distribution of births to mothers with completed fertility. A simple method of estimating the parameters of the model, based on successive iterations, has been dealt with. Finally, the improvement obtained by generalizing the Brass model has been tested by fitting the same to the maternity data of 5190 women in the United States in the age sector 45-49. An alternative variant of the model for quick computation of probabilities for higher order of births has been included. The application of the model for obtaining a refined index of fecundability and sterility has also been discussed.
Randall Pearson: Framing Black Identity, Masculinity, Adoption and Mental Health in Television

Abstract Entertainment media shape audience perceptions about various demographic groups, including Black Americans. Researchers took a summative approach to performing a qualitative content analysis of the self-reflections and interactions that Randall Pearson experiences on the U.S. American television series This Is Us. Frames related to Black identity, masculinity, adoption, and mental health are discussed.
Tissue plasminogen activator combined with human recombinant deoxyribonuclease is effective therapy for empyema in a rabbit model.

OBJECTIVES There have been no controlled studies to test the efficacy of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or recombinant human deoxyribonuclease (rhDNase) in the treatment of empyema. In vitro studies show that streptokinase without rhDNase does not liquefy empyemic material from rabbits. However, the combination of streptokinase and streptodornase and rhDNase have been shown to liquefy pus in vitro. The aim of this study was to determine if tPA or rhDNase, or a combination of the two, is more effective than saline solution in the treatment of empyema in rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS Empyema was induced in rabbits using 10(9) Pasteurella multicoda organisms in infusion agar injected via a surgically placed chest tube. Once empyema was verified, a blinded investigator administered one of four treatments via the chest tube: 3 mL of saline solution; 4 mg of alteplase (recombinant tPA); 1 mg of rhDNase; or 4 mg of alteplase and 1 mg of rhDNase. The rabbits received a treatment every 12 h following the initial for a total of six treatments. The animals were killed at day 10, and the degree of empyema and pleural peel was scored macroscopically on a scale of 0 to 4. RESULTS The combination group had a significantly lower mean empyema score (1.83 +/- 0.75) than did the saline solution group (3.86 +/- 0.38, p = 0.001), rhDNase group (3.17 +/- 0.75, p = 0.012), and alteplase group (3.71 +/- 0.49, p = 0.02) [+/- SD]. The total volume of pleural fluid was markedly higher in the alteplase and rhDNase combination group (142 +/- 79.1 mL) or the alteplase group (231 +/- 78.0 mL) compared to either the rhDNase group (0.8 +/- 1.6 mL) or the saline solution group (5.8 +/- 14.0 mL). CONCLUSION The combination of alteplase and rhDNase is more effective in the treatment of rabbit empyema than either agent alone. The intrapleural injection of alteplase alone or in combination with rhDNase leads to the production of large amounts of pleural fluid.
Using probabilistic movement primitives for striking movements

Due to its strong requirements in motor abilities, robot table tennis is an important test bed for new robot learning approaches. Learning approaches have to generalize a complex hitting behavior from relatively few demonstrated trajectories, which neither cover all ball trajectories nor all desired hitting directions. Therefore, past approaches that only modeled a deterministic mean behavior without capturing the variability of the movement have been fairly limited. Recent work on capturing trajectory distributions using probabilistic movement representations opens important new possibilities for robot table tennis. In this paper, we present two new methods to adapt probabilistic movement primitives. First we present a method to adapt a probability distribution of hitting movements learned in joint space to have a desired end effector position, velocity and orientation. Subsequently, we present a method to find the initial time and duration of the movement primitive in order to intercept a moving object like the table tennis ball. The resulting methods rely on simple operations from probability theory. Providing a more principled approach to solve some of the challenges of robot table tennis compared to previous approaches. Additionally, the presented method has the potential of generalizing to many other motor tasks.
Design of biped walking gait on biped robot

The purpose of this paper is design a stable walking gait for robot UXA-90. We applied Zero Moment Point (ZMP) based preview control to generate Center of Mass (CoM) trajectory. The ankle trajectories were created by spline interpolation method. Experiment results show that our method can make robot walking stable.
Graph Representation Learning Network via Adaptive Sampling

Graph Attention Network (GAT) and GraphSAGE are neural network architectures that operate on graph-structured data and have been widely studied for link prediction and node classification. One challenge raised by GraphSAGE is how to smartly combine neighbour features based on graph structure. GAT handles this problem through attention, however the challenge with GAT is its scalability over large and dense graphs. In this work, we proposed a new architecture to address these issues that is more efficient and is capable of incorporating different edge type information. It generates node representations by attending to neighbours sampled from weighted multi-step transition probabilities. We conduct experiments on both transductive and inductive settings. Experiments achieved comparable or better results on several graph benchmarks, including the Cora, Citeseer, Pubmed, PPI, Twitter, and YouTube datasets.
The Power Spherical distribution

There is a growing interest in probabilistic models defined in hyper-spherical spaces, be it to accommodate observed data or latent structure. The von Mises-Fisher (vMF) distribution, often regarded as the Normal distribution on the hyper-sphere, is a standard modeling choice: it is an exponential family and thus enjoys important statistical results, for example, known Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence from other vMF distributions. Sampling from a vMF distribution, however, requires a rejection sampling procedure which besides being slow poses difficulties in the context of stochastic backpropagation via the reparameterization trick. Moreover, this procedure is numerically unstable for certain vMFs, e.g., those with high concentration and/or in high dimensions. We propose a novel distribution, the Power Spherical distribution, which retains some of the important aspects of the vMF (e.g., support on the hyper-sphere, symmetry about its mean direction parameter, known KL from other vMF distributions) while addressing its main drawbacks (i.e., scalability and numerical stability). We demonstrate the stability of Power Spherical distributions with a numerical experiment and further apply it to a variational auto-encoder trained on MNIST. Code at: this https URL
Interdisciplinary Behavioral Intervention for Life-Threatening Obesity in an Adolescent with Prader-Willi Syndrome - A Case Report

Objective: To demonstrate interdisciplinary behavioral rehabilitation for life-threatening obesity in an adolescent female with Prader-Willi syndrome. Methods: Body Mass Index (BMI), supplemental oxygen requirement, mobility, and tantrums were documented. A 600 kcal per day diet, physical therapy, and exercise were implemented in an inpatient setting. A behavioral program was employed by an interdisciplinary team to ensure dietary adherence and to increase patient compliance with therapy demands. Family caregivers were trained and continued the intervention at home. Results: Important improvements were achieved and maintained including weight loss, decreased need for supplemental oxygen, greater exercise tolerance, and fewer tantrums. The patient's BMI decreased from 84.3 to 59.8 during inpatient treatment, and to 41.0 at last follow-up. Conclusions: Behavioral rehabilitation can be beneficial and potentially life saving for morbidly obese children with Prader-Willi syndrome, and perhaps for other obese youth with developmental or behavioral problems.