Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Engineering Escherichia coli for renewable production of the 5‐carbon polyamide building‐blocks 5‐aminovalerate and glutarate

Through metabolic pathway engineering, novel microbial biocatalysts can be engineered to convert renewable resources into useful chemicals, including monomer building‐blocks for bioplastics production. Here we describe the systematic engineering of Escherichia coli to produce, as individual products, two 5‐carbon polyamide building blocks, namely 5‐aminovalerate (AMV) and glutarate. The modular pathways were derived using “parts” from the natural lysine degradation pathway of Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Endogenous over‐production of the required precursor, lysine, was first achieved through metabolic deregulation of its biosynthesis pathway by introducing feedback resistant mutants of aspartate kinase III and dihydrodipicolinate synthase. Further disruption of native lysine decarboxylase activity (by deleting cadA and ldcC) limited cadaverine by‐product formation, enabling lysine production to 2.25 g/L at a glucose yield of 138 mmol/mol (18% of theoretical). Co‐expression of lysine monooxygenase and 5‐aminovaleramide amidohydrolase (encoded by davBA) then resulted in the production of 0.86 g/L AMV in 48 h. Finally, the additional co‐expression of glutaric semialdehyde dehydrogenase and 5‐aminovalerate aminotransferase (encoded by davDT) led to the production of 0.82 g/L glutarate under the same conditions. At this output, yields on glucose were 71 and 68 mmol/mol for AMV and glutarate (9.5 and 9.1% of theoretical), respectively. These findings further expand the number and diversity of polyamide monomers that can be derived directly from renewable resources. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1726–1734. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DEP2SA: A Decentralized Efficient Privacy-Preserving and Selective Aggregation Scheme in Advanced Metering Infrastructure

This paper proposes a novel solution, called a decentralized, efficient, privacy-preserving, and selective aggregation (DEP2SA) scheme, designed to support secure and user privacy-preserving data collection in the advanced metering infrastructure. DEP2SA is more efficient and applicable in real-life deployment, as compared with the state of the art, by adopting and adapting a number of key technologies: 1) it uses a multi-recipient system model, making it more applicable to a liberalized electricity market; 2) it uses the homomorphic Paillier encryption and selective aggregation methods to protect users' consumption data against both external and internal attacks, thus making it more secure; 3) it aggregates data at the gateways that are closest to the data originator, thus saving bandwidth and reducing the risk of creating a performance bottleneck in the system; and 4) it uses short signature and batch signature verification methods to further reduce computational and communication overheads imposed on aggregating nodes. The scheme has been analyzed in terms of security, computational, and communication overheads, and the results show that it is more secure, efficient, and scalable than related schemes.
Microbial superoxide dismutase enzyme as therapeutic agent and future gene therapy

All aerobically growing organisms come into contact with reactive oxygen species or free radicals, generated as a byproduct of normal respiratory processes or from encounter with exogenous oxidants. To counter the damaging effect of reactive oxygen species, cells have evolved anti1oxidant defense systems, whose expression is usually induced by reactive oxygen species and/or oxidants. One of the most important antioxidant defense systems in nearly all cells exposed to oxygen is the production of superoxide dismutase enzyme. Superoxide dismutases discovered by Irwin Fridovich and Joe McCord, are class of metal cofactored enzymes that detoxify these free radicals by catalyzing the dismutation of superoxide into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Seen to their continuous exposure to high oxidative stress during growth and metabolism, aerobic microorganisms represent an excellent source for production of superoxide dismutases. Many studies clarified the efficacy of superoxide dismutases as a therapy in the treatment of many diseases, in addition to their inclusion in cosmetic products to reduce free radical damage to skin. Recently, superoxide dismutases became target for gene therapeutic approaches. In the present chapter, the history of the discovery of superoxide dismutase enzymes, their types, structure, therapeutic and cosmetic uses, in addition to their therapeutic potential in future gene therapy, have been reviewed and discussed.
Depression in Children and Adolescents with Malignancy*

This is a prospective and retrospective study of 35 children and adolescents with cancer treated at a pediatric Hematology-Oncology division. Using DSM-III diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Episode, 17% of the sample were found to be depressed. This study also describes some of the distinguishing characteristics of adults and children with cancer. For example, of particular note in this study was the apparent nonchalance of younger children diagnosed as having cancer. The children also, however, demonstrated anger more frequently, which is not a common finding in adult patients with cancer.
Use of least mean squares (LMS) adaptive filtering technique for estimating low-frequency electromechanical modes in power systems

The stability of heavily interconnected power systems is a primary concern in the power utility industry. Accurate knowledge of the low-frequency electromechanical modes in power systems gives vital information about the stability of the system. Current techniques for estimating electromechanical modes are computationally intensive and rely on complex system models. This research complements model-based approaches with the use of measurement-based techniques. Current measurement-based techniques typically require a ringdown from a disturbance. This paper involves the development of a least-mean squares (LMS) adaptive filtering technique to track these low-frequency electromechanical modes. The LMS adaptive filtering technique is applied to simulated data containing a stationary mode, a stationary mode with a fault, and a time-varying mode. The simulated data is generated from a 19-machine test model. The frequency and damping factor of the modes tracked with the LMS technique are compared with the actual modes
Multiscale Dictionary Learning via Cross-Scale Cooperative Learning and Atom Clustering for Visual Signal Processing

For sparse signal representation, the sparsity across the scales is a promising yet underinvestigated direction. In this paper, we aim to design a multiscale sparse representation scheme to explore such potential. A multiscale dictionary (MD) structure is designed. A cross-scale matching pursuit algorithm is proposed for multiscale sparse coding. Two dictionary learning methods, cross-scale cooperative learning and cross-scale atom clustering, are proposed each focusing on one of the two important attributes of an efficient MD: the similarity and uniqueness of corresponding atoms in different scales. We analyze and compare their different advantages in the application of image denoising under different noise levels, where both methods produce state-of-the-art denoising results.
Sensitivity Study on High-Resolution WRF Precipitation Forecast for a Heavy Rainfall Event

A high-resolution Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for a heavy rainfall case is configured and the performance of the precipitation forecasting is evaluated. Sensitivity tests were carried out by changing the model configuration, such as domain size, sea surface temperature (SST) data, initial conditions, and lead time. The numerical model employs one-way nesting with horizontal resolutions of 5 km and 1 km for the outer and inner domains, respectively. The model domain includes the capital city of Seoul and its suburban megacities in South Korea. The model performance is evaluated via statistical analysis using the correlation coefficient, deviation, and root mean squared error by comparing with observational data including, but not limited to, those from ground-based instruments. The sensitivity analysis conducted here suggests that SST data show negligible influence for a short range forecasting model, the data assimilated initial conditions show the more effective results rather than the non-assimilated high resolution initial conditions, and for a given domain size of the forecasting model, an appropriate outer domain size and lead time of <6 h for a 1-km high-resolution domain should be taken into consideration when optimizing the WRF configuration for regional torrential rainfall events around Seoul and its suburban area, Korea.
Physiological Testing of Basketball Players: Toward a Standard Evaluation of Anaerobic Fitness

Delextrat, A and Cohen, D. Physiological testing of basketball players: toward a standard evaluation of anaerobic fitness. J Strength Cond Res 00: 1-7, 2008-The aim of this study was to examine whether the changes in the rules of the game instituted in 2000 have modified the physiological factors of success in basketball. The performances of 8 elite male players and 8 average-level players were compared in order to identify which components of fitness among agility, speed, anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, and upper body strength were key determinants of performance in modern basketball. Each subject performed 7 tests, including vertical jump (VJ), 20-m sprint, agility T test, suicide sprint, 30-second Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), isokinetic testing of the knee extensors, and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press test. The statistical difference in the anaerobic performances was assessed by Student's t test. The main results showed that, compared to average-level players, elite-level players achieved significantly better performances in the agility T test (+6.2%), VJ test (+8.8%), peak torques developed by knee extensors (+20.2%), and 1RM bench press (+18.6%, p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant difference between groups was observed on 20-m sprint, suicide run, and parameters of the WAnT (p > 0.05). These results emphasized the importance of anaerobic power in modern basketball, whereas anaerobic capacity does not seem to be a key aspect to consider. In this context, coaches are advised to avoid using exercises lasting ≥30 seconds in their physical fitness programs, but instead to focus on short and intense tests such as VJ, agility T test, and sprints over very short distances (5 or 10 m).
Namnine-Hedu, Yet Another Ur III Princess

The royal family of the Ur III period (2112-2004 bc) has been the focus of numerous studies since the first publications of Neo-Sumerian cuneiform tablets. Its extent and familial relations are quite well known, although doubts still remain for example as to the paternity of the third and fourth kings of the Ur III Dynasty (Su-Sin and Ibbi-Sin). We know of several royal wives, "concubines," as well as queens (dam, lukur and nin respectively), such as Amat-Suen, Geme-Ninlila (Michalowski 1979), Sulgi-Simti, the lukur of Sulgi, and nin (MVN 8 97: 110). 1 We also know of several royal children (dumu lugal and dumu-munus lugal), such as Selepputum (Klein 1990);2 brothers and sisters of the kings or the royal wives, such as Babati, the brother of Abi-Simti and uncle of King Su-Sin (Whiting 1976; Walker 1983); and so on. Although our knowledge of the royal family is fairly good, undoubtedly many more members and their relations are bound to be discovered in the future and our knowledge revised. This paper is concerned with a new member of the Ur III royal family unknown until now, namely, the princess Namnine-hedu. The evidence comes from the study of tablets BM 115807 and Kyoto 18, and more specifically the identical seal impressions on both of them that explicitly mention the princess Namnine-hedu. Tablet BM 115807,3, now located in the British Museum, was recently published in the Nisaba Series (Politi and Verderame 2005); the authors acknowledged the existence of a seal impression on the tablet but presented it as mostly illegible. Tablet Kyoto 18,4 now located in the Kyoto University Museum, was pub lished in 1928 by Nakahara; the author however did not acknowledge the existence of a seal impression. Both tablets have been tentatively assigned to Drehern in their respective publications, with the Kyoto tablet dated with the Reichskalender; nonetheless, both Michalowski and the anonymous JCS reviewer
Italian Validation of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form on a College Group

The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form (CTQ–SF) is the most widely used measure of childhood traumatic experiences for the retrospective assessment of adolescents and adults. It facilitates the detection of co-occurrence of traumas during childhood, in effect overcoming the lack of standardized tools for adult assessment. Objective: The current study aimed to validate the Italian Childhood Trauma Questionnaire on college students. On this scope, we compared several factor structures proposed in the literature by the original authors (Bernstein et al., 2003), as well as in cross-cultural applications. In addition, we investigated psychometric properties of the Italian CTQ–SF in terms of internal consistency reliability and convergent validity with posttraumatic stress disorder and general psychopathology. Method: A total of 446 undergraduate students (M = 23 years, SD = 2.87) participated in the study. Results: The confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the 5-factor solution represents the model that best fits Italian data of nonclinical samples. The unidimensionality of the scale was also not supported by present findings. Additionally, internal consistency reliability was good across the 5 scales and in line with the original version, as well as with previous applications. Correlation of the CTQ–SF with posttraumatic stress disorder and general psychopathology suggested that current posttraumatic and general symptoms were moderately significantly associated with the emotional forms of childhood trauma. Conclusion: Findings highlighted reliability, structure, and concurrent validity for the Italian CTQ–SF and thus supported the implementation of the Italian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form in the assessment of traumatic experiences and the screening in nonclinical groups.
2-Amino-5-chloropyridinium trifluoroacetate

The asymmetric unit of the title salt, C5H6ClN2 +·C2F3O2 −, contains two independent 2-amino-5-chloropyridinium cations and two independent trifluoroacetate anions. The F atoms of both anions are disordered over two sets of positions, with occupancy ratios of 0.672 (12):0.328 (12) and 0.587 (15):0.413 (15). In the crystal, the cations and anions are linked via N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a two-dimensional network parallel to (001).
Suitability of selected free-gas and dissolved-gas sampling containers for carbon isotopic analysis.

RATIONALE Storage trials were conducted for 2 to 3 months using a hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide gas mixture with known carbon isotopic composition to simulate typical hold times for gas samples prior to isotopic analysis. A range of containers (both pierced and unpierced) was periodically sampled to test for δ(13)C isotopic fractionation. METHODS Seventeen containers were tested for free-gas storage (20°C, 1 atm pressure) and 7 containers were tested for dissolved-gas storage, the latter prepared by bubbling free gas through tap water until saturated (20°C, 1 atm) and then preserved to avoid biological activity by acidifying to pH 2 with phosphoric acid and stored in the dark at 5°C. Samples were extracted using valves or by piercing septa, and then introduced into an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for compound-specific δ(13)C measurements. RESULTS For free gas, stainless steel canisters and crimp-top glass serum bottles with butyl septa were most effective at preventing isotopic fractionation (pierced and unpierced), whereas silicone and PTFE-butyl septa allowed significant isotopic fractionation. FlexFoil and Tedlar bags were found to be effective only for storage of up to 1 month. For dissolved gas, crimp-top glass serum bottles with butyl septa were again effective, whereas silicone and PTFE-butyl were not. FlexFoil bags were reliable for up to 2 months. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a range of preferred containers as well as several that did not perform very well for isotopic analysis. Overall, the results help establish better QA/QC procedures to avoid isotopic fractionation when storing environmental gas samples. Recommended containers for air transportation include steel canisters and glass serum bottles with butyl septa (pierced and unpierced).
The dangers of clinical conviction: An “M&M” of endovascular therapies for stroke

The practice of medicine still relies extensively on the synthesis of low quality evidence. Clinical trials are too few to address all the different critical decisions clinicians make each day. We simply have to act on the best evidence we have, even if it is shaky. We shouldn’t be surprised that trials will come along and prove established practices are wrong from time to time. Trials of endovascular therapy for stroke are a dramatic recent example of how we can get it wrong. Over the last 20 years or so, we have been treating many patients with acute ischemic stroke with a catheter, first with thrombolytics delivered intra-arterially and then with devices designed to break up and retrieve clots. Now, three separate trials show no benefit of endovascular approaches to acute ischemic stroke — not even a wisp of benefit in a subgroup. This treatment strategy, employed in probably hundreds of thousands of patients all over the world, doesn’t seem to work, at least with the techniques and settings tested so far. Perhaps a morbidity/mortality review (M&M) of the treatment approach will reveal the root cause. In a nutshell, here was the evidence leading to widespread use of endovascular therapies for acute ischemic stroke:
Uniform Hazard Response Spectra and Ground Motions for Tabriz

Tabriz has experienced several large destructive historical earthquakes in the past. Due to the absence of ground motion records in this area, a simulation of future events based on a regional seismicity information and ground motion model is necessary. Based on a maximum likelihood method, earthquake magnitude is estimated for a 10% probability of exceedance within 50 years (475-year return period) and its corresponding strong ground motions have been simulated using stochastic nite fault modeling. Using di erent stress parameters, suites of ground motions have been simulated for a return period of 475 years and their spectral accelerations have been compared with the corresponding uniform hazard spectrum. It is observed that the t between simulated spectra and its corresponding uniform hazard spectrum has been improved including the directivity e ect especially at high periods.
Protecting User Privacy for Cloud Computing by Bivariate Polynomial Based Secret Sharing

Cloud computing is an Internet-based computing. In cloud computing, the service is fully served by the provider. Users need nothing but personal devices and Internet access. Computing services, such as data, storage, software, computing, and application, can be delivered to local devices through Internet. The major security issue of cloud computing is that cloud providers must ensure that their infrastructure is secure, and prevent illegal data accesses from outsiders, other clients, or even the unauthorized cloud employees. In this paper, we deal with key agreement and authentication for cloud computing. By using Elliptic Curve Diffie Hellman (ECDH) and symmetric bivariate polynomial based secret sharing, we design a secure cloud computing (SCC). Two types of SCC are proposed. One requires a trusted third party (TTP), and the other does not need a TTP. Additionally, via the homomorphism property of polynomial based secret sharing, our SCC can be extended to multi-server SCC (MSCC) to fit an environment where a multi-server system contains multiple servers to collaborate for serving applications.
Transport along the dendritic endoplasmic reticulum mediates the trafficking of GABAB receptors

ABSTRACT In neurons, secretory organelles within the cell body are complemented by the dendritic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi outposts (GOPs), whose role in neurotransmitter receptor trafficking is poorly understood. &ggr;-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B metabotropic receptors (GABABRs) regulate the efficacy of synaptic transmission throughout the brain. Their plasma membrane availability is controlled by mechanisms involving an ER retention motif and assembly-dependent ER export. Thus, they constitute an ideal molecular model to study ER trafficking, but the extent to which the dendritic ER participates in GABABR biosynthesis has not been thoroughly explored. Here, we show that GABAB1 localizes preferentially to the ER in dendrites and moves long distances within this compartment. Not only diffusion but also microtubule and dynein-dependent mechanisms control dendritic ER transport. GABABRs insert throughout the somatodendritic plasma membrane but dendritic post-ER carriers containing GABABRs do not fuse selectively with GOPs. This study furthers our understanding of the spatial selectivity of neurotransmitter receptors for dendritic organelles.
Efficient wideband processing without subbanding

A new method for wideband spatio-temporal processing in the context of clutter mitigation and target detection is addressed in this paper. The frequency dependent, spatio-temporal steering vectors, are separated using a series expansion that depends on a sequence of Bessel function terms, and this is used to focus data vectors corresponding to various frequency components to a single frequency component. As a result, narrowband space-time adaptive processing (STAP) can be carried out on the focused data vector for clutter mitigation and target detection.
New word-line driving scheme for suppressing oxide-tunneling leakage in sub-65-nm SRAMs

A new word-line driving scheme is proposed in this paper for suppressing oxide-tunneling leakage in sub-65-nm devices. Reducing oxide-tunneling leakage is very essential in sub-65-nm era because of this tunneling leakage component becoming more and more serious comparing with the subthreshold component. In this paper, we propose to raise the word-line-off voltage higher than 0V thereby relaxing the voltage stress across the oxides. This scheme can reduce not only oxide-tunneling leakage but also switching power because of the swing voltage of the word line being reduced. This scheme has been verified using the 65-nm devices obtained from the Predictive Technology Modeling group. The comparison with the conventional circuit shows the power consumption of the proposed one is lowered by as much as 11%, 19.7%, and 39.9%, at 75°C, 25°C, and ¿25°C, respectively, when all the rows are in sleep. And, during the read operation, the power consumption including both static and dynamic components is lowered by as much as 8.3%, 10.4%, and 10.9%, at 75°C, 25°C, and ¿25°C, respectively. At the write operation, amounts of power saving reach 37.5%, 38.7%, and 41.1%, for 75°C, 25°C, and ¿25°C, respectively, while showing very little delay overhead of word-line driving.