Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Node Reliability Approach to Broadcasting in Manets: Raising Reliability With Low End-to-End Delay

This paper evaluates how well a significant number of broadcasting protocols for MANETs behave when under a realistic scenario of momentary failures and topology changes, which is represented by an omission fault model. Reliable protocols which use additional mechanisms to ensure higher delivery rates beyond best- effort guarantees - have been proposed, but they exhibit unacceptably high end-to-end delays. As a result of the study conducted, a new mechanism that helps to enhance the reliability of deterministic broadcasting protocols is proposed. The mechanism allows for scalability, and is capable of ensuring good delivery rates (in spite of failures) while maintaining lower end-to-end delays. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the mechanism.
Characterization of the rRNA Locus of Pfiesteria piscicida and Development of Standard and Quantitative PCR-Based Detection Assays Targeted to the Nontranscribed Spacer

ABSTRACT Pfiesteria piscicida is a heterotrophic dinoflagellate widely distributed along the middle Atlantic shore of the United States and associated with fish kills in the Neuse River (North Carolina) and the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland and Virginia). We constructed a genomic DNA library from clonally cultured P. piscicida and characterized the nontranscribed spacer (NTS), small subunit, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S region, ITS2, and large subunit of the rRNA gene cluster. Based on the P. piscicida ribosomal DNA sequence, we developed a PCR-based detection assay that targets the NTS. The assay specificity was assessed by testing clonal P. piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae, 35 additional dinoflagellate species, and algal prey (Rhodomonas sp.). Only P. piscicida and nine presumptive P. piscicida isolates tested positive. All PCR-positive products yielded identical sequences for P. piscicida, suggesting that the PCR-based assay is species specific. The assay can detect a single P. piscicida zoospore in 1 ml of water, 10 resting cysts in 1 g of sediment, or 10 fg of P. piscicida DNA in 1 μg of heterologous DNA. An internal standard for the PCR assay was constructed to identify potential false-negative results in testing of environmental sediment and water samples and as a competitor for the development of a quantitative competitive PCR assay format. The specificities of both qualitative and quantitative PCR assay formats were validated with >200 environmental samples, and the assays provide simple, rapid, and accurate methods for the assessment of P. piscicida in water and sediments.
Mechanism for controlling the monomer–dimer conversion of SARS coronavirus main protease

The Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) main protease (Mpro) cleaves two virion polyproteins (pp1a and pp1ab); this essential process represents an attractive target for the development of anti‐SARS drugs. The functional unit of Mpro is a homodimer and each subunit contains a His41/Cys145 catalytic dyad. Large amounts of biochemical and structural information are available on Mpro; nevertheless, the mechanism by which monomeric Mpro is converted into a dimer during maturation still remains poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested that a C‐terminal residue, Arg298, interacts with Ser123 of the other monomer in the dimer, and mutation of Arg298 results in a monomeric structure with a collapsed substrate‐binding pocket. Interestingly, the R298A mutant of Mpro shows a reversible substrate‐induced dimerization that is essential for catalysis. Here, the conformational change that occurs during substrate‐induced dimerization is delineated by X‐ray crystallography. A dimer with a mutual orientation of the monomers that differs from that of the wild‐type protease is present in the asymmetric unit. The presence of a complete substrate‐binding pocket and oxyanion hole in both protomers suggests that they are both catalytically active, while the two domain IIIs show minor reorganization. This structural information offers valuable insights into the molecular mechanism associated with substrate‐induced dimerization and has important implications with respect to the maturation of the enzyme.
Sibling reactions to mental handicap: a comparison of the brothers and sisters of Mongol children.

SUMMARY Parents and teachers completed behavioural rating scales on 89 sisters and 85 brothers of 104 mongol children living at home. Disturbance in the boys, known to be not significantly more frequent than in controls, was related to family size and social class. Disturbance in the girls, known to be more frequent than in controls, was related also to type of school, birth order and age in relation to the mongol child. The conclusion drawn is that the presence of a mongol child in the home is associated with deviant behaviour as assessed by parents and teachers and educational failure in elder sisters who are probably carrying a large share of the burden of care.
Placing intracerebral probes to optimise detection of delayed cerebral ischemia and allow for the prediction of patient outcome in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

Cerebral microdialysis could be useful to detect delayed cerebral ischemia in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. The optimal location of the probes, however, remains controversial. Here, we determined the vascular territories with the highest infarct risk in relation to aneurysm location to define probe implantation guidelines. These guidelines were retrospectively validated by studying the likelihood of probe to fall in a secondary infarct area, and by analysing their influence to predict patient outcome. The vascular territories with highest risk of infarction were the anterior cerebral arteries for anterior communicating artery aneurysms and the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery for internal carotid artery, posterior communicating artery and middle cerebral artery aneurysms. When cerebral microdialysis probes had been implanted in these territories, 79% were located within an infarcted area versus 54% when they were implanted in other territories. Delayed cerebral ischemia was detected only when the probe was located within a brain area later affected by secondary infarction, which could justify the use of implantation guidelines. Moreover, individual patient outcomes could be predicted when probes were placed in the brain territories as suggested by this study. Thus, a precise probe placement algorithm can improve delayed cerebral ischemia detection sensitivity and allow for a better prediction concerning patient outcome.
Effects of Different Amounts of Blue Lupine (L. Angustifolius L.) in The Diets of Heavy-Type Turkeys on Their Growth Rate, Carcass and Meat Qualities

ABSTRACT A study was carried out to determine the effects of soybean meal replacement with different amounts of blue lupine in the diets of turkeys on the growth rate, anatomic carcass dissection data, chemical indicators of breast and thigh muscles and the content of tryptophan and oxyprolin. In total three hundred and sixty cross BIG-6 turkeys were allotted to two control and ten experimental groups of 30 one-day-old turkeys. The control group of turkeys was fed the diet containing soybean meal, whereas the trial groups were offered different amounts (from 20 to 30%) of lupines. Group 4 and 5 were additionally given probiotic mixture Bio Plus 2B and allzyme SSF, respectively. Soybean oil replacement from 20 to 30% lupine in the diet had no influence on the growth rate, dressing percentage, edible parts and abdominal fat content of turkeys. The study indicated that lupines in the diet of turkeys had a different effect on the meat quality of different genders. Lupines did not have any negative effect on the meat quality of female turkeys and 30% lupines even improved the protein value index of breast muscles. However, 20–30 and 25–30% lupines in male turkey diets lowered dry matter and protein contents in breast muscles but had no negative influence on the main quality indicators in thigh muscles. The results of the study showed that the negative effect on the male breast muscle quality might be avoided using Bio Plus 2B or allzyme SSF additives in the male diets containing 30% lupines.
Chemical inhibitors of TNF signal transduction in human neutrophils point to distinct steps in cell activation

Chemical screening identified three small compounds that selectively inhibited activation of the respiratory burst (RB) of human neutrophils in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and formylated peptide but not phorbol ester and spared the ability of neutrophils to kill bacteria. These compounds partially inhibited TNF‐triggered cytoskeletal rearrangements without blocking adhesion or transmigation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils through TNF‐activated monolayers of endothelial cells. The compounds were nontoxic to neutrophils and endothelial cells. They had no direct inhibitory effect on the tyrosine kinases Src, Syk, or Pyk2. However, their differential effects on cell spreading, bacteria‐induced RB, TNF‐induced degranulation, TNF‐induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and TNF‐induced Syk activation suggested that each may act on different elements of neutrophil signaling pathways.
How Posture-Profile Misalignment in IT Innovation Diminishes Returns: Conceptual Development and Empirical Demonstration

We conceive of information technology (IT) innovation posture-profile misalignment as a condition that exists when a firm's innovation posture (the extent to which a firm leads with IT innovation) does not match up with its innovation resource profile (the firm's stock of resources conducive to effective innovation). We theorize that firms with a posture-profile misalignment will see diminished returns from IT adoption because they will be less likely to possess (and be less effective at exploiting) crucial innovation resources when they need them most. We demonstrate how misalignment conditions the link between IT innovation adoption and organizational performance using a data set comprising electronic networking technologies in over 25,000 U.S. manufacturing plants. Productivity regression estimations reveal a consistent pattern that the association between IT innovation adoption and productivity is substantially diminished among misaligned firms. These empirical results provide initial confirmation of the theoretical value of innovation posture, innovation resource profile, and innovation posture-profile misalignment. We consider the implications for research on business value and innovation as well as for the practice of management.
An evolutionary distribution system for Web-based teaching materials

This paper describes an evolutionary distribution system for Web-based teaching materials that can spontaneously make teaching materials stored in the system more sophisticated. The system consists of a Web server, assisting tools and a repository of teaching materials represented as HTML/XML data. The layered structure of the teaching materials' information model enables one to treat the content of the teaching materials as scenarios, subjects and elements independently. For this purpose, XML is used to represent the teaching materials. The proposed system is being built at the Nippon Institute of Technology to evaluate its usefulness for the Internet in the year 2001.
A systematic review of factors affecting the adoption of cloud computing for e-Government implementation

E-Government refers to the use of information and communication technology by the government agencies to electronically deliver their services to citizens. Despite the huge benefits and synergies it grants to governments and societies, many obstacles and challenges arise in the successful implementation of e-Government, especially, in the developing countries. Cloud computing is a promising technology that has been proposed to overcome the challenges to implement e-Government. This paper systematically reviews factors that affect the adoption of cloud computing for e-Government and public sectors. Salient factors based on their frequencies were identified. Related studies found in different databases such as IEEE Xplore, Emerald, and Science Direct were identified for the review. On the whole, fifty-nine factors were identified and the results show that the following seven factors appear most frequently: compatibility, relative advantage, complexity, top management support, security, trust, and technology readiness. Most of the influential factors are seen to be related to technology. This review will be useful to decision makers in governments and public sectors who intend to leverage on cloud computing to overcome the challenges they face in implementing e-Government successfully.
Parameter estimation and blind channel identification in impulsive signal environments

New methods for parameter estimation and blind channel identification in impulsive signal environments are presented, where the signals/noise are modeled as symmetric /spl alpha/-stable (S/spl alpha/S) processes. First, we present methods for estimating the parameters (characteristic exponent /spl alpha/ and dispersion /spl gamma/) of a S/spl alpha/S distribution from a time series. The fractional lower order moments, with both positive and negative orders, and their applications to signal processing are introduced. Then we present a new algorithm for blind channel identification using the output fractional lower order moments, and the /spl alpha/-Spectrum, a new spectral representation for impulsive signals, is introduced. From the /spl alpha/-Spectrum, we establish the blind identifiability conditions of any FIR channel (mixed-phase, unknown order) with i.i. d. S/spl alpha/S (/spl alpha/>1) input. As a byproduct, a simple algorithm for recovering the phase of any type of a signal from the magnitude of its z-transform is presented. The novelty of our paper is in parameter estimation and blind identification of the FIR channel based on fractional lower order moments of its output data. Monte Carlo simulations clearly demonstrate the performance of the new methods.
Current-mode Memristor Crossbars for Neuromemristive Systems

Motivated by advantages of current-mode design, this brief contribution explores the implementation of weight matrices in neuromemristive systems via current-mode memristor crossbar circuits. After deriving theoretical results for the range and distribution of weights in the current-mode design, it is shown that any weight matrix based on voltage-mode crossbars can be mapped to a current-mode crossbar if the voltage-mode weights are carefully bounded. Then, a modified gradient descent rule is derived for the current-mode design that can be used to perform backpropagation training. Behavioral simulations on the MNIST dataset indicate that both voltage and current-mode designs are able to achieve similar accuracy and have similar defect tolerance. However, analysis of trained weight distributions reveals that current-mode and voltage-mode designs may use different feature representations.
Estimation of effective permeability of magnetic composite materials

This paper describes a method to estimate effective permeability of magnetic composite materials for static field. In the present method, the structures of the composite materials are assumed to be periodic, and the unit cell is defined. The effective permeability is determined on the basis of magnetic energy balance in the unit cell. The present method considers magnetic interaction between inclusions of the composite materials, and is more accurate and useful. Therefore, the present method can be more widely applied than conventional models, for example, the Maxwell-Garnett formula and the Bruggeman formula. Validity of the present method is confirmed by numerical analyses. This approach can be applied also to nonlinear magnetic composite materials.
Advanced deep learning for blood vessel segmentation in retinal fundus images

Rising of deep learning methodologies draws huge attention to their application in image processing and classification. Catching up the trends, this study briefly presents state-of-the-art of deep learning applications in medical imaging interfered with achievements of blood vessel segmentation methods in neurosensory retinal fundus images. Successful segmentation based on deep learning offers advantage in diagnosing ophthalmological disease or pathology.
Fast True Random Generator in FPGAs

Most hardware "true" random number generators (TRNGs) take advantage of the thermal agitation around a flip-flop metastable state. In field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), the classical TRNG structure uses two clocks, either from a PLL or from ring oscillators, in order to sample one by the other. This creates good TRNGs albeit limited in frequency by the interference rate which cannot exceed a few Mbit/s. This article presents an architecture allowing higher bit rates while maintaining provable unconditional security. This requirement becomes stringent for secure communication applications such as the cryptographic quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols. The proposed architecture is very simple as it is based on an open loop structure without any specific component such as PLLs.
Access to credit and determinants of technical inefficiency of specialized smallholder farmers in Chile

Access to credit and credit constraint are critical determinants of competitiveness in agriculture; they have an impact on the technical efficiency of farms. The objective of this study was to analyze how credit variables influence the technical efficiency of two groups of specialized smallholder farmers in Chile. The translog stochastic production frontier model was used to predict the level of farm technical efficiency by the maximum likelihood method. Based on 2004 data, production functions and technical inefficiency score were estimated for 109 livestock and 342 crop producers. Results showed that the mean technical efficiency was 89% and 78% for crop and livestock producers, respectively. Technical efficiency increased with the decreasing use of inputs, dependence on on-farm income, farmer education, family size, and age of the head of household. Credit volume had a significant impact by increasing and decreasing efficiency in crop and livestock production, respectively. Correspondingly, credit-constrained farmers were less efficient in crop production and more efficient in livestock production. For livestock producers, credit volume and credit constraints were found to be endogenous to technical efficiency. A possible explanation is the organization of public support for small livestock producers in Chile, which provides lenders with information about individual livestock producers. Correcting for this endogeneity did not lead to qualitatively different results, but it did influence point estimates of parameters in the production function and inefficiency models, suggesting that it is important to test for endogeneity in the variables used to model inefficiency effects.
Ethanol inhibition of a T-type Ca²+ channel through activity of protein kinase C.

BACKGROUND T-type calcium channels (T-channels) are widely distributed in the central and peripheral nervous system, where they mediate calcium entry and regulate the intrinsic excitability of neurons. T-channels are dysregulated in response to alcohol administration and withdrawal. We therefore investigated acute ethanol (EtOH) effects and the underlying mechanism of action in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell lines, as well as effects on native currents recorded from dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons cultured from Long-Evans rats. METHODS Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were performed at 32 to 34°C in both HEK cell lines and DRG neurons. The recordings were taken after a 10-minute application of EtOH or protein kinase C (PKC) activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA]). RESULTS We recorded T-type Ca²⁺ currents (T-currents) from 3 channel isoforms (CaV3.1, CaV3.2, and CaV3.3) before and during administration of EtOH. We found that only 1 isoform, CaV3.2, was significantly affected by EtOH. EtOH reduced current density as well as producing a hyperpolarizing shift in steady-state inactivation of both CaV3.2 currents from HEK 293 cell lines and in native T-currents from DRG neurons that are known to be enriched in CaV3.2. A myristoylated PKC peptide inhibitor (MPI) blocked the major EtOH effects, in both the cell lines and the DRG neurons. However, PMA effects were more complex. Lower concentration PMA (100 nM) replicated the major effects of EtOH, while higher concentration PMA (1 μM) did not, suggesting that the EtOH effects operate through activation of PKC and were mimicked by lower concentration of PMA. CONCLUSIONS EtOH primarily affects the CaV3.2 isoform of T-type Ca²⁺ channels acting through PKC, highlighting a novel target and mechanism for EtOH effects on excitable membranes.
Protamine mRNA ratio in stallion spermatozoa correlates with mare fecundity

Highly compacted sperm DNA in protamine toroids and a minor fraction of nucleohistones are prerequisites for the efficient transmission of the paternal genome into the oocyte at fertilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether protamines might serve as a prognostic factor for stallion fertility. In situ hybridization detected specific expression of P1 mRNA in the cytoplasm of stage I to VII spermatids, whereas comparable immunohistochemical stainings showed that protein expression was delayed till elongating spermatids in differentiation stages III to VIII. No staining was detectable in cryptorchid testis because of the lack of spermatids in the seminiferous tubules. Using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, we identified mRNA transcripts of P1 and 2 variants of protamine‐ 2 (P2, P3) in ejaculated spermatozoa from 45 thoroughbred stallions. According to the mare fertility descriptor (i.e. the ‘none‐return‐rate 28 percentage’ or NRR28%), stallions were divided into three groups (i.e. high, reduced and low fertility). The P2/P1 mRNA ratio was found to be significantly reduced in the group with lower fertility (p = 0.016) and was slightly correlated with sperm concentration (correlation coefficient r = 0.263). Furthermore, morphologically abnormal sperm count negatively correlated with P2/P1 mRNA ratio, indicating that spermatozoa carrying head defects display a diminished protamine ratio (r = −0.348). Conversely, the P2/P1 ratio was positively correlated with mare fertility or NRR28% (r = 0.274). Interestingly, P3/P1 mRNA ratio remained unaltered in the investigated groups indicating that this variant plays a minor role in equine sperm chromatin compaction. Aberrant protamine transcripts content in equine spermatozoa was not associated with DNA defragmentation rate as measured by flow cytometric acridine orange test. On the basis of these results, we suggest that, similar to human, equine protamine expression constitutes a checkpoint of spermatogenesis and as a corollary the level of protamine mRNA may reflect the quality of spermatogenesis and spermatozoa's fertilizing capacity.