Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress in owned cats: behavioural changes and welfare implications

Domestic cats are exposed to a variety of stressful stimuli, which may have a negative effect on the cats’ welfare and trigger a number of behavioural changes. Some of the stressors most commonly encountered by cats include changes in environment, inter-cat conflict, a poor human–cat relationship and the cat’s inability to perform highly motivated behaviour patterns. Stress is very likely to reduce feed intake, and stress-related anorexia may contribute to the development of potentially serious medical conditions. Stress also increases the risk of cats showing urine marking and some forms of aggression, including redirected aggression. A number of compulsive disorders such as over-grooming may also develop as a consequence of stressful environments. Some of the main strategies to prevent or reduce stress-related behavioural problems in cats are environmental enrichment, appropriate management techniques to introduce unfamiliar cats to each other and the use of the synthetic analogue of the feline facial pheromone. As the stress response in cats depends, to a large extent, on the temperament of the animal, breeding and husbandry strategies that contribute to the cat developing a well-balanced temperament are also very useful.
env-encoded residues are not required for transformation by p48v-myb

The v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus induces acute myeloblastic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. The protein product of this oncogene, p48v-myb, is partially encoded by the retroviral gag and env genes. We demonstrated that the env-encoded carboxyl terminus of p48v-myb is not required for transformation. Our results showed, in addition, that a coding region of c-myb which is not essential for transformation was transduced by avian myeloblastosis virus.
Heterogenic Distributed System for Cryptanalysis of Elliptic Curve Based Cryptosystems

Public-key cryptosystems allow secure connections and data exchange through unsafe communication channel without the need of a previous secure key exchange. The most popular cryptosystem used nowadays is RSA. However recently a serious rival appeared - elliptic curve cryptosystems (ECC). Cryptanalytic attack on ECC system involves solving the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP). The best known algorithm used to solve ECDLP is Pollardpsilas rho method. So far successful attacks on ECC systems were mostly based on distributed computer networks.In this paper a heterogenic (software & hardware) distributed cryptanalytic system is presented. Proposed solution utilizes the concept of distributing computation in network of general purpose computers and specialized hardware units with FPGA structures. Such hybrid system allows for very efficient cryptanalysis of cryptosystems based on elliptic curves.Estimated computation time of attacks on specific curves from Certicom Challenge list using proposed system is presented.
MEASUREMENT OF DOUBLE DIFFERENTIAL CROSS-SECTIONS FOR LIGHT CHARGED PARTICLES PRODUCTION IN NEUTRON INDUCED REACTIONS AT 62 . 7 MeV ON LEAD TARGET

In the framework of nuclear waste transmutation, we have measured dE d d Ω / σ for protons, deuterons, tritons and alpha production in neutron induced reactions on a lead target. Due to the structure of the neutron beam, incident neutron energies between 30 and 62.7 MeV have been obtained at once. The analysis of 62.7 MeV neutron is now complete for hydrogen isotopes and a first set of comparisons has been done with calculations. On one hand, it is found that the GNASH-ICRU data do not give the correct cross-sections (neither absolute value nor shape). In the other hand, a comparison for protons using FLUKA is working reasonably well except an underestimation of the pre-equilibrium emission around 30 MeV at forward angles and an overestimation of thermal emission at backward angles. Further data on protons induced reactions at the same energy, obtained within an European concerted action, will be available soon allowing a stronger constraint on theoretical calculations.
CHD8 Is an ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodeling Factor That Regulates β-Catenin Target Genes

ABSTRACT ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling by the CHD family of proteins plays an important role in the regulation of gene transcription. Here we report that full-length CHD8 interacts directly with β-catenin and that CHD8 is also recruited specifically to the promoter regions of several β-catenin-responsive genes. Our results indicate that CHD8 negatively regulates β-catenin-targeted gene expression, since short hairpin RNA against CHD8 results in the activation of several β-catenin target genes. This regulation is also conserved through evolution; RNA interference against kismet, the apparent Drosophila ortholog of CHD8, results in a similar activation of β-catenin target genes. We also report the first demonstration of chromatin remodeling activity for a member of the CHD6-9 family of proteins, suggesting that CHD8 functions in transcription through the ATP-dependent modulation of chromatin structure.
Role of domain wall fluctuations in non-Fermi-liquid behavior of metamagnets

In this paper we study the resistivity temperature dependence of a three-dimensional metamagnet near the metamagnetic phase transition point. The phase transition is characterized by a phase separation of regions with high and low magnetization. We show that, in the case of weak pinning, the spin relaxation time of the domain wall, which separates the two phases, is much larger than that of the volume spin fluctuations. This opens a temperature range where resistivity temperature dependence is determined by scattering of conducting electrons by the domain wall fluctuations. We show that it leads to quasi-linear low temperature dependence of resistivity.
Memory Management and Efficient Graph Processing in Rust

Rust is a systems programming language designed to have memory-safe abstractions, but not sacrifice performance in the process (as many compiled and interpreted programming languages do). In this project, we wanted to focus on how the language allowed us to build a performant graph library comparable to one implemented in any low-level programming language, but also allowed us to do so in a relatively ergonomic and typesafe way. Constructing graphs in Rust is quite challenging due to Rust’s strict lifetime and mutability constraints. In most languages we can rely on the garbage collector to collect objects that we no longer care about, but Rust forces us to take into consideration the lifetime of our graph objects. In most cases the lifetime of values can be inferred (e.g. when they go out of scope), but the problem is a little more subtle for the case of graphs, in which many objects hold valid pointers to many other objects. Mutability is another concern; Rust tries to favor immutable objects so that pointers remain valid, whereas graphs should be able to change at a moment’s notice. Thus, there are two main problems that we must solve in order to implement graphs:
Sexing chick embryos: A rapid and simple protocol

1. Analysis of gene expression in the developing chick gonads requires the collection of male and female tissues from embryos between 3.5 d and 8.5 d of development. However, male and female chick embryos are indistinguishable by morphological examination before d 7.5 of development. 2. Sex identification of earlier embryos is only possible by molecular methods, which at present are laborious and time consuming. 3. We have devised a PCR-based sexing protocol which combines both sex specific and control reactions in a single tube assay. The assay is rapid and effective over a wide range of DNA concentrations and is tolerant of poor quality DNA. 4. Procedures are described for identifying the sex of individual embryos using either tissue samples or a small number of cells recovered from amniotic fluid.
Structure and transcription of the genes encoding the B1015 light-harvesting complex beta and alpha subunits and the photosynthetic reaction center L, M, and cytochrome c subunits from Rhodopseudomonas viridis

The genes encoding the beta and alpha subunits of the B1015 light-harvesting complex (LHC) and the L, M, and cytochrome c subunits of the photosynthetic reaction center from Rhodopseudomonas viridis are organized in an operon, in analogy to other nonsulfur purple bacteria, named the puf operon. In photoheterotrophically grown cells, two abundant puf operon mRNA species of 3,581 and 621 bases were present. The large transcript encoded the LHC beta, LHC alpha, and reaction center L, M, and cytochrome c polypeptides, whereas the small transcript only coded for the LHC beta and alpha polypeptides. Both transcripts share a common 5' end which is located 115 bases upstream from the initiation codon of the LHC beta gene. Two additional low-level transcripts of 3,718 and 758 bases with 5' ends 254 +/- 3 bases upstream from the LHC beta gene were detected. Analysis of the DNA sequence preceding the different 5' ends revealed DNA elements of striking homology. The 3' ends of the small transcripts were mapped within the alpha-L intercistronic DNA region downstream from a sequence capable of forming a very stable stem-loop when transcribed into RNA. The 3' termini of the large transcripts are located immediately downstream from the region coding the cytochrome c subunit in two areas resembling rho-independent transcription terminators. No open reading frames corresponding to pufQ and pufX from Rhodobacter capsulatus and Rhodobacter sphaeroides were present in the flanking DNA regions of the puf operon. In contrast, an open reading frame ending 191 base pairs upstream from the LHC beta gene showed 50% homology at the amino acid level to the available sequence of the bchA gene from R. capsulatus. The genes coding for the B1015 LHC subunits had C-terminal extensions of 13 (beta) and 10 (alpha) amino acids which were not present in the proteins isolated from intracytoplasmic membranes.
Associations between quality of life and duration and frequency of physical activity and sedentary behaviour: Baseline findings from the WALK 2.0 randomised controlled trial

While physical and mental health benefits of regular physical activity are well known, increasing evidence suggests that limiting sedentary behaviour is also important for health. Evidence shows associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviour with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), however, these findings are based predominantly on duration measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviour (e.g., minutes/week), with less attention on frequency measures (e.g., number of bouts). We examined the association of HRQoL with physical activity and sedentary behaviour, using both continuous duration (average daily minutes) and frequency (average daily bouts≥10 min) measures. Baseline data from the WALK 2.0 trial were analysed. WALK 2.0 is a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of Web 2.0 applications on engagement, retention, and subsequent physical activity change. Daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour (duration = average minutes, frequency = average number of bouts ≥10 minutes) were measured (ActiGraph GT3X) across one week, and HRQoL was assessed with the ‘general health’ subscale of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate associations. Participants (N = 504) were 50.8±13.1 (mean±SD) years old with a BMI of 29.3±6.0. The 465 participants with valid accelerometer data engaged in an average of 24.0±18.3 minutes and 0.64±0.74 bouts of moderate-vigorous physical activity per day, 535.2±83.8 minutes and 17.0±3.4 bouts of sedentary behaviour per day, and reported moderate-high general HRQoL (64.5±20.0). After adjusting for covariates, the duration measures of physical activity (path correlation = 0.294, p<0.05) and sedentary behaviour were related to general HRQoL (path coefficient = -0.217, p<0.05). The frequency measure of physical activity was also significant (path coefficient = -0.226, p<0.05) but the frequency of sedentary behaviour was not significantly associated with general HRQoL. Higher duration levels of physical activity in fewer bouts, and lower duration of sedentary behaviour are associated with better general HRQoL. Further prospective studies are required to investigate these associations in different population groups over time.
Endmember extraction by L2,0 constrained sparse dictionary selection

Endmembers play an important role in many hyperspectral remote sensing applications, such as classification and Spectral Mixture Unmixing (SMU). In this paper, by considering endmembers as a small subset of pixels in a hyperspectral image, a sparse Linear Mixture Model (sLMM) is constructed to model the mixed pixels. As a result, an L2,0 based sparse dictionary selection model is proposed for endmember extraction (EE) of hyperspectral images. Moreover, a Simultaneous Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (SOMP) based algorithm is adopted to extract endmembers efficiently. Experimental results on both synthetic and real hyperspectral data demonstrate our proposed EE algorithm outperforms several popular pure-pixel EE algorithms.
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole for Treatment of Severe Staphylococcus aureus Infections

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) as an alternative to vancomycin for the treatment of severe Staphylococcus aureus infections. DATA SOURCES Clinical literature was accessed through MEDLINE (1966–February 2003) and EMBASE (1980–February 2003). Key search terms included trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole combination and Staphylococcus aureus. DATA SYNTHESIS An evaluation of case reports, case series, and clinical studies focusing on the use of TMP/SMX for treatment of severe S. aureus infections was conducted. The majority of the reports indicate that TMP/SMX may be effective for the treatment of infections due to low bacterial burdens of susceptible strains of S. aureus. CONCLUSIONS In select infections, TMP/SMX may be a useful alternative to vancomycin for treatment of severe S. aureus infections. Additional randomized studies should be conducted comparing this agent with vancomycin and linezolid.
AES Cardless Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) Biometric Security System Design Using FPGA Implementation

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is an electronic banking outlet that allows bank customers to complete a banking transactions without the aid of any bank official or teller. Several problems are associated with the use of ATM card such card cloning, card damaging, card expiring, cast skimming, cost of issuance and maintenance and accessing customer account by third parties. The aim of this project is to give a freedom to the user by changing the card to biometric security system to access the bank account using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. The project is implemented using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) DE2-115 board with Cyclone IV device, fingerprint scanner, and Multi-Touch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Second Edition (MTL2) using Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware (VHSIC) Description Language (VHDL). This project used 128-bits AES for recommend the device with the throughput around 19.016Gbps and utilized around 520 slices. This design offers a secure banking transaction with a low rea and high performance and very suited for restricted space environments for small amounts of RAM or ROM where either encryption or decryption is performed.
3D User Interfaces for Interactive Annotation of Vascular Structures

A large number of scientific documents show additional information through annotations, which can also be used in interactive 3D environments. Here, labels are usually placed on an image plane and do not benefit from the 3D domain to convey, e.g., depth cues. These are especially important for spatially complex structures, such as the Circle of Willis, which is the central part of the cerebral vessel system. We present an approach for diegetic annotations, i.e., labels which are part of the 3D world. Based on the wide space for possible label positions and orientations, we enable the user to interactively create and position labels. For this, we present a concept for a 3D User Interface (3D UI) setup in a semiimmersive and a fully-immersive environment. Furthermore, we describe an evaluation design to evaluate the different setups.
The RxxRxRxxC motif conserved in all Rel/kappa B proteins is essential for the DNA-binding activity and redox regulation of the v-Rel oncoprotein

The v- and c-Rel oncoproteins bind to oligonucleotides containing kappa B motifs, form heterodimers with other members of the Rel family, and modulate expression of genes linked to kappa B motifs. Here, we report that the RxxRxRxxC motif conserved in all Rel/kappa B family proteins is absolutely required for v-Rel protein-DNA contact and its resulting transforming activity. We also demonstrate that serine substitution of the cysteine residue conserved within this motif enables v-Rel to escape redox control, thereby promoting overall DNA binding. These mutant proteins retained the ability to competitively inhibit kappa B-mediated transcriptional activation of the human immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat but failed to efficiently transform chicken lymphoid cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicate that reduction of the conserved cysteine residue in the RxxRxRxxC motif may be required for optimal DNA-protein interactions. These results provide direct biochemical evidence that the DNA-binding activity of v-Rel is subject to redox control and that the conserved cysteine residue in the RxxRxRxxC motif is critical for this regulation. These studies suggest that the DNA-binding, transcriptional, and biological activities of Rel family proteins may also be subject to redox control in vivo.
Two kinesin-like proteins mediate actin-based chloroplast movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Organelle movement is essential for efficient cellular function in eukaryotes. Chloroplast photorelocation movement is important for plant survival as well as for efficient photosynthesis. Chloroplast movement generally is actin dependent and mediated by blue light receptor phototropins. In Arabidopsis thaliana, phototropins mediate chloroplast movement by regulating short actin filaments on chloroplasts (cp-actin filaments), and the chloroplast outer envelope protein CHUP1 is necessary for cp-actin filament accumulation. However, other factors involved in cp-actin filament regulation during chloroplast movement remain to be determined. Here, we report that two kinesin-like proteins, KAC1 and KAC2, are essential for chloroplasts to move and anchor to the plasma membrane. A kac1 mutant showed severely impaired chloroplast accumulation and slow avoidance movement. A kac1kac2 double mutant completely lacked chloroplast photorelocation movement and showed detachment of chloroplasts from the plasma membrane. KAC motor domains are similar to those of the kinesin-14 subfamily (such as Ncd and Kar3) but do not have detectable microtubule-binding activity. The C-terminal domain of KAC1 could interact with F-actin in vitro. Instead of regulating microtubules, KAC proteins mediate chloroplast movement via cp-actin filaments. We conclude that plants have evolved a unique mechanism to regulate actin-based organelle movement using kinesin-like proteins.
Moderate acute exercise (70% VO2 peak) induces TGF-β, α-amylase and IgA in saliva during recovery.

Strenuous exercise promotes changes in salivary IgA and can be associated with a high incidence of upper respiratory tract Infections. However, moderate exercise enhances immune function. The effect of exercise on salivary IgA has been well studied, but its effect on other immunological parameters is poorly studied. Thus, this study determined the effect of moderate acute exercise on immunological salivary parameters, such as the levels of cytokines (TGF-β and IL-5), IgA, α-amylase and total protein, over 24 h. Ten male adult subjects exercised for 60 min at an intensity of 70% VO2 peak. Saliva samples were collected before ('basal') and 0, 12 and 24 h after an exercise session. The total salivary protein was lower after 12 and 24 h than immediately after exercise, whereas α-amylase increased at 12 and 24 h after exercise compared with basal levels. The IgA concentration was increased at 24 h after exercise relative to immediately after exercise, and there was no difference in the IL-5 while TGF-β concentration increased in recovery. In conclusion, 70% VO2 peak exercise does not induce changes immediately after exercise, but after 24 h, it produces an increase in salivary TGF-β without changing IL-5.
Turma da Mônica

Embora sejam frequentemente consideradas subliteratura, as Historias em Quadrinhos, alem de serem uma forma de entretenimento e apresentarem linguagem de facil compreensao, abordam questoes filosoficas, linguisticas, ecologicas, cientificas, comportamentais, entre outras. A Literatura Infantil, da qual as HQs fazem parte, nao foi considerada arte por muito tempo devido a sua origem com intuito pedagogizante, em virtude de seu carater utilitario – presente desde seu surgimento ate hoje. No entanto, apesar de seu desprestigio, e com ela que se forma leitores. Reconhecendo sua importância, esse Trabalho de Conclusao de Curso pretende mostrar que, apesar de ser uma leitura aparentemente despreocupada, as HQs podem objetivar muito mais do que a simples leitura por prazer. Por meio da analise da abordagem dos temas apresentados nos gibis da Turma da Monica, de Mauricio de Sousa, desde sua criacao ate os dias de hoje, foi possivel entender que seu discurso nao tem carater utilitario ou estetico, simplesmente, mas que o autor se utiliza do que ousei nomear de um “utilitarismo as escuras”. Por fim, e sugerido um trabalho com os quadrinhos em sala de aula, seguindo o Metodo Recepcional.
A wide-range, high-resolution time to digital converter using a three-level structure

This paper describes a wide range, area efficient, high resolution Time to Digital Converter (TDC), which has applications in pulsed time-of-flight laser radar. A novel 3-level structure of TDC is proposed, which consists of a time conversion module, a time delay line and a Vernier delay line. The new structure get a wider range, higher and more accurate resolution than the traditional and the 2-level TDC in the same area. The TDC Circuit was designed and implemented in 65nm CMOS technology and achieves a resolution of 10ps, a range of 30ns. The simulation results are presented.