Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diverse mechanisms of post‐transcriptional repression by the small RNA regulator of glucose‐phosphate stress

The Escherichia coli small RNA SgrS controls a metabolic stress response that occurs upon accumulation of certain glycolytic intermediates. SgrS base pairs with and represses translation of ptsG and manXYZ mRNAs, which encode sugar transporters, and activates translation of yigL mRNA, encoding a sugar phosphatase. This study defines four new genes as direct targets of E. coli SgrS. These new targets, asd, adiY, folE and purR, encode transcription factors or enzymes of diverse metabolic pathways, including aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, arginine decarboxylase gene activator, GTP cyclohydrolase I and a repressor of purine biosynthesis, respectively. SgrS represses translation of each of the four target mRNAs via distinct mechanisms. SgrS binding sites overlapping the Shine–Dalgarno sequences of adiY and folE mRNAs suggest that SgrS pairing with these targets directly occludes ribosome binding and prevents translation initiation. SgrS binding within the purR coding sequence recruits the RNA chaperone Hfq to directly repress purR translation. Two separate SgrS binding sites were found on asd mRNA, and both are required for full translational repression. Ectopic overexpression of asd, adiY and folE is specifically detrimental to cells experiencing glucose‐phosphate stress, suggesting that SgrS‐dependent repression of the metabolic functions encoded by these targets promotes recovery from glucose‐phosphate stress.
Antixenosis to the Soybean Aphid in Soybean Lines

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, is a pest of soybean in Asia, and it has become a major pest of this crop in North America with large outbreaks that cause significant yield loss. Host-plant resistance is one management tactic being developed against soybean aphid in North America, and resistance may be manifested as antixenosis, antibiosis, or tolerance. In this study, choice tests were conducted to identify antixenosis to soybean aphids in several soybean lines. The soybean lines 'Dowling,' PI 230977, 'Jackson,' 'Cobb' and 'Palmetto' had strong antixenosis to soybean aphid, and lines PI 71506, G93-9223, 'Braxton,' 'Cook,' 'IAC-1,' 'Ripley,' and 'Tie feng 8' were moderately antixenotic. The intermediate level of antixenosis in PI 71506 contrasts with previous results, and suggests biotypic differences in the responses of soybean aphid to this line. Shoot length, shoot width, and seedling dry mass were also measured to test for any association between aphid host choice and plant size. Plant-size parameters varied by soybean line in all tests. However, the relation between aphid host choice and plant-size parameters was generally weak and not consistent across tests, suggesting that other undetermined plant characteristics were important in host selection. The identification of antixenosis in several soybean lines provides soybean breeders and pest management practitioners with additional options for managing soybean aphid through host-plant resistance. Antixenosis may be important on its own, and it may prove be complimentary to the antibiosis mode of resistance by reducing selection on resistance-breaking biotypes of soybean aphid, thereby prolonging the usefulness of plant resistance as a non-chemical means of managing soybean aphid.
Hepatitis D Virus Infection Among Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Carriers and in “Isolated anti-HBc” Antibodies Profile in Central Tunisia

Background: Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) causes accelerated liver diseases in patients with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection. There is lack of data about its prevalence, related risk factors and interaction with HBV carriers in our country. Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis delta and associated risk factors among Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and “isolated anti-HBc” profile carriers in central Tunisia. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 540 patients with positive HBsAg and 109 “isolated anti-HBc” profile receiving care in a teaching hospital were tested for the presence of HDV serum-markers using commercially available enzyme immunoassay kit. HBV-DNA was detected by nested PCR in “isolated anti-HBc” profile group. Results: Prevalence of HDV was 8.1% in HBsAg carriers group, but it was significantly higher in active than inactive hepatitis (30.2% and 4.5%, respectively, OR = 9, 95% CI: [4.48-18.58]). There was no significant association between studied risk factors and HDV infection. In the “isolated anti-HBc” profile group, prevalence of HDV was 4.6% and HBV-DNA had negative result in all patients with positive results for HDV. Conclusions: Although HDV had low prevalence in our area, it is vital to plan preventive strategies for HDV spread as well as HBV prevention. It is particularly important to suspect HDV infection in active HBV carriers to manage a particularly severe dual infection. HDV infection should be suspected even in negative HBsAg patients having “isolated anti-HBc” profile.
Directional Selection of Two-Dimensional Complex Discrete Wavelet Transform and its Application to Image Processing

In this study, a novel direction selection method using the two-dimensional complex discrete wavelet transform (2D-CDWT) is proposed. In order to achieve arbitrary direction selection, the directional filters are first designed. Calculation procedure of directional selection can be shown as follows: (1) The 16 sub-images are generally generated from the original image by the 2D-CDWT without a down-sampling process and the 12 sub-images that correspond to the high-frequency components are selected. (2) The 12 sub-images are filtered by using the designed directional filter. (3) The down-sampling process is carried out and the resulting images are obtained. Furthermore, this method is applied to the surface analysis of a wafer, and it is confirmed that our method is effective in detecting irregular direction components.
MenuOptimizer: interactive optimization of menu systems

Menu systems are challenging to design because design spaces are immense, and several human factors affect user behavior. This paper contributes to the design of menus with the goal of interactively assisting designers with an optimizer in the loop. To reach this goal, 1) we extend a predictive model of user performance to account for expectations as to item groupings; 2) we adapt an ant colony optimizer that has been proven efficient for this class of problems; and 3) we present MenuOptimizer, a set of inter-actions integrated into a real interface design tool (QtDesigner). MenuOptimizer supports designers' abilities to cope with uncertainty and recognize good solutions. It allows designers to delegate combinatorial problems to the optimizer, which should solve them quickly enough without disrupting the design process. We show evidence that satisfactory menu designs can be produced for complex problems in minutes.
Effects of Response Elaboration Training on Increased Length and Complexity of Utterances with Two Participants with Fluent Aphasia

A single subject, multiple baseline design across behaviors and subjects was implemented to examine the effect of Response Elaboration Training (RET) with two persons with fluent aphasia. Treatment was applied to picture descriptions and to personal recounts and its effects were evaluated in terms of production of correct information units (CIUs). For both participants, treatment effects were evident for only one treatment condition, with increases in efficiency observed in picture descriptions. Positive changes were noted on functional measures and post-treatment assessment.
Augmented reality audio for mobile and wearable appliances

The concept of augmented reality audio characterizes techniques where a real sound environment is extended with virtual auditory environments and communications scenarios. A framework is introduced for mobile augmented reality audio (MARA) based on a specific headset configuration where binaural microphone elements are integrated into stereo earphones. When microphone signals are routed directly to the earphones, a user is exposed to a pseudoacoustic representation of the real environment. Virtual sound events are then mixed with microphone signals to produce a hybrid, an augmented reality audio representation, for the user. An overview of related technology, literature, and application scenarios is provided. Listening test results with a prototype system show that the proposed system has interesting properties. For example, in some cases listeners found it very difficult to determine which sound sources in an augmented reality audio representation are real and which are virtual.
Odour Source Localisation of Multi-Sniffer Robots with upWind Formation Repeater Network Topology

method has successfully extended the exploration distance by multiplying the transmission distance range with the total number of multi-sniffer robots. I. INTRODUCTION In recent years, " Electronic Nose " technology has been an important development that can detect and recognize odours and smells. It is not only able to detect drugs and explosives but also detects cancer cell through the breath analysis of patient's lung [1]. Conversely, the biggest challenge in sniffer robot research is the sniffing strategy or sniffing algorithm. It is required to resolve the non-linearity of airflow in outdoor environment which could have turbulent airflow as it will cause a sniffer robot to derail or fail in its tracking of odour plume. Odour plumes are always stretched and twisted by the non-linearity turbulence airflow and causing odour plumes unpredictable and chaotic [2]. Therefore, OSL tasks are very difficult to be accomplished by using a single sniffer robot. To overcome the non-linearity problem of OSL task, researchers have proposed multi-sniffer robots' solutions [3]-[6]. The solutions can employ certain sophisticate sniffing algorithms
Molecular characterization and mutational screening of the PRKAG3 gene in the horse

The PRKAG3 gene encodes a muscle-specific isoform of the regulatory γ subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). A major part of the coding PRKAG3 sequence was isolated from horse muscle cDNA using reverse-transcriptase (RT)-PCR analysis. Horse-specific primers were used to amplify genomic fragments containing 12 exons. Comparative sequence analysis of horse, pig, mouse, human, Fugu, and zebrafish was performed to establish the exon/intron organization of horse PRKAG3 and to study the homology among different isoforms of AMPK γ genes in vertebrates. The results showed conclusively that the three different isoforms (γ1, γ2, and γ3) were established already in bony fishes. Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), five causing amino acid substitutions, were identified in a screening across horse breeds with widely different phenotypes as regards muscle development and intended performance. The screening of a major part of the PRKAG3 coding sequence in a small case/control material of horses affected with polysaccharide storage myopathy did not reveal any mutation that was exclusively associated with this muscle storage disease. The breed comparison revealed several potentially interesting SNPs. One of these (Pro258Leu) occurs at a residue that is highly conserved among AMPK γ genes. In an SNP screening, the variant allele was only found in horse breeds that can be classified as heavy (Belgian) or moderately heavy (North Swedish Trotter, Fjord, and Swedish Warmblood) but not in light horse breeds selected for speed or racing performance (Standardbred, Thoroughbred, and Quarter horse) or in ponies (Icelandic horses and Shetland pony). The results will facilitate future studies of the possible functional significance of PRKAG3 polymorphisms in horses.
Single-Stage Boost Inverter Applied to Photovoltaic System

This paper proposes one type of photovoltaic power (PV) system with single-stage boost inverter. The single-stage inverter circuit provides boost inversion ability which can eliminate the limitations of conventional voltage source inverter. By regulating the shoot-through zero state and the parameters of coupled inductor, the proposed inverter can boost the bus voltage and output desired output voltage even when input dc voltage is low. By controlling the shoot-through zero state when the coupled inductor is preset, the PV array output voltage is controlled and the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is realized. The operation principle, control method and characteristics of the system are presented. A prototype has been built to verify the theoretical analysis.
A Domain Information Retrieval Method based on Pension Insurance Ontology Concept Similarity

Matching key terms is the main method for most engines for information retrieval, but this method cannot meet the needs of people who want to retrieve useful domain information. This is because that it doesn’t consider the semantic relation of resources in the context. Ontology is an effective method that can solve the problem of domain knowledge sharing and semantic understanding. In this paper, an optimization strategy is presented for information retrieval domain, and an algorithm is also proposed for ontology concept similarity calculation. Experiments are carried out on the audit guidance system, and the results show that this method significantly improves the accuracy of information retrieval based on domain ontology
Understanding Mobile Traffic Patterns of Large Scale Cellular Towers in Urban Environment

Understanding mobile traffic patterns of large scale cellular towers in urban environment is extremely valuable for Internet service providers, mobile users, and government managers of modern metropolis. This paper aims at extracting and modeling the traffic patterns of large scale towers deployed in a metropolitan city. To achieve this goal, we need to address several challenges, including lack of appropriate tools for processing large scale traffic measurement data, unknown traffic patterns, as well as handling complicated factors of urban ecology and human behaviors that affect traffic patterns. Our core contribution is a powerful model which combines three dimensional information (time, locations of towers, and traffic frequency spectrum) to extract and model the traffic patterns of thousands of cellular towers. Our empirical analysis reveals the following important observations. First, only five basic time-domain traffic patterns exist among the 9,600 cellular towers. Second, each of the extracted traffic pattern maps to one type of geographical locations related to urban ecology, including residential area, business district, transport, entertainment, and comprehensive area. Third, our frequency domain traffic spectrum analysis suggests that the traffic of any tower among the 9,600 can be constructed using a linear combination of four primary components corresponding to human activity behaviors. We believe that the proposed traffic patterns extraction and modeling methodology, combined with the empirical analysis on the mobile traffic, pave the way toward a deep understanding of the traffic patterns of large scale cellular towers in modern metropolis.
Performance Comparisons between Greedy and Lagrange Algorithms in Adaptive MIMO MC-CDMA Systems

This paper describes two algorithms for adaptive power and bit allocations in a multiple input multiple output multiple-carrier code division multiple access (MIMO MC-CDMA) system. The first is the greedy algorithm, which has already been presented in the literature. The other one, which is proposed by the authors, is based on the use of the Lagrange multiplier method. The performances of the two algorithms are compared via Monte Carlo simulations. At present stage, the simulations are restricted to a single user MIMO MC-CDMA system, which is equivalent to a MIMO OFDM system. It is assumed that the system operates in a frequency selective fading environment. The transmitter has a partial knowledge of the channel whose properties are measured at the receiver. The use of the two algorithms results in similar system performances. The advantage of the Lagrange algorithm is that is much faster than the greedy algorithm
Lexicalised compositionality

In this paper, we discuss how distributional semantics can be formally related to a simple model-theoretic approach, with a view to proposing a single account for both the phenomena traditionally covered by formal semantics and those dealt with by lexical semantics. We define some of the traditional lexical semantic relationships within this framework, and also outline its treatment of some phenomena which have been considered within Generative Lexicon theory. We further discuss how the approach acknowledges linguistic differences amongst speakers of a same language.
Effectiveness of Problem Based Learning In Mathematics

The investigator makes an attempt to test the effectiveness of problem based learning (instructional method) in teaching the concepts of mathematics education at middle school level. Randomized control group pre test and post test experimental design was followed for the study. The sample consists of equal number (30) samples for both groups. The data were collected using appropriate tools and it was analyzed using mean, standard deviation and‘t’ test. Findings of the study revealed that problem based learning had effect in teaching mathematics and improve students understanding, ability to use concepts in real life.
Quantitative Analysis of TM Lateral Leakage in Foundry Fabricated Silicon Rib Waveguides

We show that thin, shallow ridge, silicon-on-insulator waveguides exhibiting a lateral leakage behavior can be designed and fabricated using a standard silicon photonic foundry platform. We analyze the propagation loss through the observation of the transmitted TM polarized guided mode and TE polarized radiation and experimentally demonstrate that propagation losses as low as 0.087 dB/mm can be achieved. This demonstration will open a new frontier for practical devices exploiting a lateral leakage behavior with potential applications in the fields of biosensing and quantum optics among others.
A Simulation Model for Doppler Ultrasound Signals from Pulsatile Blood Flow in Stenosed Vessels

A computer simulation model is proposed to generating Doppler ultrasound signals from pulsatile blood flow in the vessels with various stenosis degrees. The model take into account velocity field from pulsatile blood flow in the stenosed vessels, sample volume shape and acoustic factors that affect the Doppler signals. By solving the Navier-Stokes equations, the velocity distributions of pulsatile blood flow in the vessels with various stenosis degrees are firstly calculated according to the velocity at the axis of the circular tube. Secondly, power spectral density (PSD) of the Doppler signals is estimated by summing the contribution of all scatterers passing through the sample volume grouped into elemental volumes. Finally, Doppler signals are generated using cosine-superposed components that are modulated by a power spectral density function varying over the cardiac cycle. The model generates Doppler blood flow signals with the characteristics similar to those found in practice. The results show that the proposed approach is useful for simulating Doppler ultrasound signals from pulsatile blood flow in stenosed vessels.
Channel Allocation Employing Partially Overlapping Channels in Multirate Wireless Mesh Backbone

Due to the limited number of orthogonal channels in IEEE 802.11 b/g standards, the simple application of non-overlapping channels cannot completely eliminate the interference. POCs-based channel assignment has been identified as an emerging technology to further eliminate interference and improve system throughput. This research looks into the problem of partially overlapping channel assignment to improve the performance of multi-radio multi-channel multirate wireless mesh networks. Based on the analysis of the existing methods, we propose a greedy channel assignment method to maximize system throughput. Simulation results presents that our partially overlapping channel assignment method can be dramatically improved by fully exploiting partially overlapping channels as well as orthogonal channels.
Weighted Sum Rate Maximization for Multi-User Multi-Relay MIMO Systems with Direct Links

In this paper, we study a filter design which maximizes the weighted sum rate (WSR) in multi-user multi-relay systems equipped with multiple antennas at each node and account for the direct links between the base station and the mobile users. Since this problem is generally non-convex, it is quite complicated to analytically find a solution. Hence, we transform the WSR maximization problem to an equivalent weighted sum mean-squared-error (WSMSE) minimization problem which is more amenable. Then, we identify the filters at the base station and the relays for minimizing the WSMSE with a proper weight and propose an alternating computation algorithm which guarantees a local optimum solution. Through simulations, we confirm the effectiveness of our proposed scheme.
Evaluation of the concentration and bioactivity of adenovirus vectors for gene therapy

Development of adenovirus vectors as potential therapeutic agents for multiple applications of in vivo human gene therapy has resulted in numerous preclinical and clinical studies. However, lack of standardization of the methods for quantifying the physical concentration and functionally active fraction of virions in these studies has often made comparison between various studies difficult or impossible. This study was therefore carried out to define the variables for quantification of the concentration of adenovirus vectors. The methods for evaluation of total virion concentration included electron microscopy and optical absorbance. The methods for evaluation of the concentration of functional virions included detection of gene transfer (transgene transfer and expression) and the plaque assay on 293 cells. Enumeration of total virion concentration by optical absorbance was found to be a precise procedure, but accuracy was dependent on physical disruption of the virion to eliminate artifacts from light scattering and also on a correct value for the extinction coefficient. Both biological assays for enumerating functional virions were highly dependent on the assay conditions and in particular the time of virion adsorption and adsorption volume. Under optimal conditions, the bioactivity of the vector, defined as the fraction of total virions which leads to detected target cell infection, was determined to be 0.10 in the plaque assay and 0.29 in the gene transfer assay. This difference is most likely due to the fact that detection by gene transfer requires only measurement of levels of transgene expression in the infected cell whereas plaque formation is dependent on a series of biological events of much greater complexity. These results show that the exact conditions for determination of infectious virion concentration and bioactivity of recombinant adenovirus vectors are critical and must be standardized for comparability. These observations may be very useful in comparison of data from different preclinical and clinical studies and may also have important implications for how adenovirus vectors can optimally be used in human gene therapy.