Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Production and partial characterization of alkali-tolerant xylanase from an alkalophilic Streptomyces sp. CD3

Of the 30 isolates screened, Streptomyces sp CD3, an alkalophilic isolate, showed maximum xylanase production. Organism efficiently used wheat bran and bagasse as substrates and produced 2.211 and 1.896 U/ml of xylanase, respectively. Soybean meal supplementation enhanced xylanase production substantially, while yeast extract and gelatin did so moderately. Although, optimum enzyme activity was at pH 8 and temperature (50 o C), but enzyme retained considerable activity at higher pH (80% at 9-10) and temperature (60 % at 70-90 o C). The enzyme was strongly inhibited by Hg 2+ , while Fe 3+ , Ca 2+ and Zn 2+ were slight inducers of xylanase. Zymogram analysis suggested the presence of three xylanases (mol wt, 69.18, 63.09 & 43.65 kDa). Purification (108-fold) was achieved by carboxymethyl sephadex chromatography. Enzyme obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (K m 3.9 mg/ml). Industrially desirable characteristics of the enzyme like thermostability and alkali-stability, and highly alkalophilic nature of the organism, and its ability to grow and produce enzyme on low value agricultural by-products reflects the potential commercial importance of this study.
Aptidão dos campos de Lages (SC) para produção de milho em diferentes épocas de semeadura

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar o potencial de producao de graos de cultivares de milho, em diferentes epocas de semeadura, na regiao dos campos de Lages, localizada no planalto catarinense. O experimento foi conduzido em dois anos agricolas: 1986/87 e 1988/89. Em cada ano agricola foram testadas duas cultivares e quatro epocas de semeadura. No ano agricola de 1986/87 foram testados os hibridos Cargill 511 e Agroceres 28C, os quais foram semeados em 30.09, 28.10, 01.12 e 06.01. Ja em 1988/89 foram testados os hibridos Cargill 511 e Agroceres 104, semeados em 16.09, 14.10, 17.11 e 14.12. Os maiores rendi-mentos de graos foram obtidos nas semeaduras realizadas no periodo compreendido entre em 16.09 e 17.11. A medida que a semeadura foi retardada em relacao a este periodo, diminuiu-se o numero de espigas produzidas por planta, bem como o peso medio de graos formados por espiga, o que determinou a obtencao de menores rendimentos de grao nas semeaduras mais tardias.
Introduction of α(1,2)‐fucosyltransferase and its effect on a‐Gal epitopes in transgenic pig

Abstract: Hyperacute rejection (from pig to human) is thought to result from activation of complement initiated by the binding of host natural antibodies to α‐galactosyl (α‐Gal) epitopes of donor endothelial cells. However, α‐Gal epitope shares a common precursor with H antigen in humans. This means that H antigens as well as α‐Gal epitopes are synthesized in a competitive manner by different enzymes. We thought that it would be possible to convert α‐Gal epitopes into H antigens by introducing cDNA of α(1,2)‐fucosyltransferase (α1–2FT) into porcine cells, and so, pig embryos were microinjected with αl‐2FT cDNA. Transgenic pigs that carried α1–2FT were thus established. Cytotoxicity of fibrocytes derived from skin of transgenic pig was measured by 51Cr release assay, which showed that H antigen‐expressing cells were significantly resistant to a challenge with human sera. These experiments indicate that our method provides a new strategy which contributes to a successful discordant xenotransplantation.
Adaptation and speciation of Dolichopoda cave crickets (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae): geographic variation of morphometric indices and allozyme frequencies

Morphometric analyses were carried out for 14 cave dwelling populations of Dolichopoda (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from peninsular Italy belonging to the laetitiae-geniculata complex. The selected set of variables includes linear measures of body parts and appendages whose variation is expected to be adaptive and to reflect the degree of specialization to the cave environment. Inter-population morphometric variation was compared with the patterns of allozyme variation, investigated electrophoretically in a previous paper, by means of ordination and classification multivariate analyses. Results from this comparison reject the hypothesis of parallel geographic variation of morphometric indices and allele frequencies, revealing independent trends for the two sets of characters.
Using Language Representation Learning Approach to Efficiently Identify Protein Complex Categories in Electron Transport Chain

We herein proposed a novel approach based on the language representation learning method to categorize electron complex proteins into 5 types. The idea is stemmed from the the shared characteristics of human language and protein sequence language, thus advanced natural language processing techniques were used for extracting useful features. Specifically, we employed transfer learning and word embedding techniques to analyze electron complex sequences and create efficient feature sets before using a support vector machine algorithm to classify them. During the 5‐fold cross‐validation processes, seven types of sequence‐based features were analyzed to find the optimal features. On an average, our final classification models achieved the accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and MCC of 96 %, 96.1 %, 95.3 %, and 0.86, respectively on cross‐validation data. For the independent test data, those corresponding performance scores are 95.3 %, 92.6 %, 94 %, and 0.87. We concluded that using feature extracted using these representation learning methods, the prediction performance of simple machine learning algorithm is on par with existing deep neural network method on the task of categorizing electron complexes while enjoying a much faster way for feature generation. Furthermore, the results also showed that the combination of features learned from the representation learning methods and sequence motif counts helps yield better performance.
The miR‐140‐5p/KLF9/KCNQ1 axis promotes the progression of renal cell carcinoma

Although renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignant urological cancer, its pathogenesis remains unclear. Previous studies have indicated that miR‐140‐5p acts as a tumor suppressor in various tumors, including bladder cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and gastric cancer, but its biological function in RCC remains unknown. In the present study, we found that miR‐140‐5p was upregulated in RCC tissues, whereas Krüppel‐like factor 9 (KLF9) was downregulated and correlated inversely with miR‐140‐5p in RCC tissues. miR‐140‐5p promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of RCC cells in vitro, and knockdown of miR‐140‐5p significantly suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in nude mouse model of RCC. We also found that miR‐140‐5p significantly suppressed the expression of KLF9 by binding to the 3ʹ‐UTR of KLF9 mRNA and that KLF9, as a transcription factor, upregulates KCNQ1 (also called Kv7.1 and KvLQT1) expression by binding to the site (−841/−827) in the KCNQ1 promoter region in RCC cells. Moreover, forced expression of KCNQ1 decreased the growth and metastasis of RCC cells. These results suggest that the miR‐140‐5p/KLF9/KCNQ1 axis functions as a key signaling pathway in RCC progression and metastasis and represents a potential target of RCC therapies.
Diversity in the acute CD8 T cell response to vaccinia virus in humans

Abi-Rached, L. , K. Dorighi, P. J. Norman, M. Yawata, and P. Parham. 2007. Episodes of natural selection shaped the interactions of IgA-Fc with Fc RI and bacterial decoy proteins. J. Immunol. 178: 7943–7954. In Fig. 7, several fonts were not properly converted during production. Greek symbols were replaced by a question mark (? ). The characters used to display the statistical support in panel C were not set in boldface; consequently, the statistical support for several sites was not evident. The figure legend is correct. The corrected figure is shown below. The Journal of Immunology
A comparison of diet versus diet + exercise programs for health improvement in middle-aged overweight women

Background: Obesity is an independent risk factor for many diseases. Many studies have investigated the benefits of losing weight as well as the best methods for weight loss. This research evaluated the impact of various weight loss programs on health enhancement among overweight women aged 40–60 years. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study that analyzed data from 145 overweight women in weight loss programs. Each woman joined one of four programs: 8 weeks of exercise plus diet (exe + nutr), 8 weeks of diet only (nutrition), 8 weeks of exercise only, or a control group. Women completed a psychological questionnaire and also underwent anthropometric tests, blood pressure checks, a predicted maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) test on an ergometer bicycle, a one-leg balance test, straight leg test, and a sit and reach test, both before and after the program. Participants also provided a blood sample. Results: All of the measured variables improved in the exe + nutr and nutrition programs when compared with the control group; the exe + nutr group improved the most: body mass index, −1.3 kg/m2; body fat, −2.9%; lean body mass, +1.1; VO2 max, +4.8; body image, +1.02; and p < 0.01. Conclusion: The hypothesis-generating findings showed that weight loss programs improved anthropometric, biochemical, physiological, physical, and psychological variables in women aged 40–60 years. The program that included diet restriction with exercise, guidance, and regular counseling showed the best results.
In vitro antimicrobial activity of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (periplocaceae).

The aim of the present study was to investigate in vitro, the effect of three different preparations of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, obtained from 2 mg/ml each of 70% ethanol, hot and cold aqueous extract, as antimicrobial agents using agar diffusion method. The microbes used in this study consisted of one strain of Salmonella typhimurium, two strains each of Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, three strains each of Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumo pneumoniae and four strains of Escherichia coli. The ethanolic extract, inhibited the growth of 85% of the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 16 - 30 mm (averaging 23.8 ± 0.88 mm). The hot water extract, inhibited 75% of the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 13 - 30 mm (averaging 23.0 ± 1.07 mm) whilst the cold water extract inhibited 75% of the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 8 - 23 mm (averaging 17.2 ± 1.23 mm). Thus, all the three extracts of C. sanguinolenta exhibited different degrees of antimicrobial activity.
Perdurable and Long-term Knowledge Retention Using Project-based Learning

Higher education needs to evolve and innovate to prepare students for future challenges and, especially, for developing the competencies to meet the needs of industry. One of the main considerations underlying this achievement is how to improve long-term knowledge retention. Research projects often involve experiential learning; this paper discusses how Semestre i, a project/challenge-based learning initiative, improved the students’ long-term retention of knowledge. Having participated in this project for two years, the students involved showed a higher level of knowledge retention compared to the students who participated in the traditional educational model. This was validated by a comparison of student grades obtained in the official national undergraduate exam.
An Observer based Algorithm for Input Current Quality Optimization in AC/DC Boost Converters

Modern power supplies include AC/DC boost converters as active power filters for improving Power Factor (PF) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Traditional methods comprising Proportional-Integral (PI) regulator cascaded with a notch filter perform well in bus voltage regulation. This paper presents a disturbance observance-based controller to replace the notch-based controller in on-time controlled Critical Conduction Mode (CrCM) quasi-resonant topologies. The paper highlights the improvement in input current quality in terms of PF and THD using the proposed controller and shows comparative results to a notch controller. The paper presents theory behind the proposed controller, discretization steps for implementing in digital domain, and simulation results in a mixed-signal environment. The paper concludes by providing results of the proposed algorithm in an embedded power control application. Simulation and hardware results confirm the suitability of the proposed methodology for AC/DC boost converters to improve input current quality in terms of PF, THD, and harmonics as per IEC/EN 61000-3-2 Class C used in lighting applications.
Design of DPWM with high resolution under 80 ps using low-cost Xilinx FPGA

There is an interest in industry to miniaturize the power converters, and increasing the switching frequency yields to a reduced sized of the reactive components and thus to a smaller size of the circuit. However, this increased switching frequency has resulted in the need for digital pulse width modulators (DPWM) with high resolution to improve the performance of the control circuit. When the switching frequency increases, the requirement of a very high-performance DPWMs is necessary because DPWMs resolution is limited. This work presents and compares two architectures of hybrid DPWM where the finest resolution is achieved using standard logic components of vendor’s libraries. The main advantages of the proposal are that the implementation does not require any placement and routing effort and the resolution is very high (80 ps) even when implemented in a low- cost Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA.
Sub-Nyquist Spectrum Sensing of Sparse Wideband Signals Using Low-Density Measurement Matrices

The problem of wideband spectrum sensing/sampling in the sub-Nyquist domain is solved in this paper using sparse (low-density) binary-valued measurement matrices. Key objectives are (i) to achieve an efficient compression ratio, and (ii) improve the signal reconstruction performance. We propose a novel RF front-end with parallel branches that we have called Low-Density Wideband Converter (LDWC). We show that the LDWC implements a binary Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) matrix as the compressive sensing (CS) measurement matrix. We evaluate, using an Information-Theoretic approach, the asymptotic bound on the required number of LDWC parallel branches for sparsity detection. We develop two new belief propagation (BP) algorithms that operate on the Tanner graph of the CS measurements. We have derived the first algorithm by assuming independence among the variable nodes (VNs) of the Tanner graph. For the second method, we have accounted for the joint probability distribution of the VNs. Analytical and simulated performance results prove the concepts of the LDWC and the proposed BP algorithms and quantify the attainment of objectives (i) and (ii) stated above.
μLAB A remote laboratory to teach and learn the ATmega328p μC

Remote laboratories, also known as weblabs, are presently widely adopted in engineering education, since they provide more flexibility to access a real laboratory. As a contribution to teach and learn μCs (microcontrollers), this paper presents a remote laboratory based on the ATmega328p μC. The laboratory allows students and teachers to remotely program a hardware infrastructure based on the ATmega328p μC and control/observe a set of attached experiments.
Improving Google’s BBR for Reduced Latency and Increased Fairness

BBR is a low latency congestion control algorithm developed by Google as an alternative to the traditional lossbased TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) algorithms, such as CUBIC. However, recent work shows that BBR suffers from 1) additional queuing delay due to competing flows and 2) poor fairness among flows with different Round Trip Times (RTTs). In this paper, we derive an analytic model for BBR’s Multiplicative Increase/Multiplicative Decrease (MIMD) sending rate control that reveals the origin of these issues. Inspired by Google’s recent patch for reducing queuing delay, we further improve BBR for lower latency. Moreover, our analysis suggests that applying a RTT-based adaptive pacing gain to probe bandwidth helps mitigating the fairness issue. Finally, we validate these improvements through simulations using the ns-3 network simulator.
Explosive Evolution in ostafrikanischen Seen

Buntbarsche aus der Familie der Cichlidae, die in den grosen ostafrikanischen Seen leben, gehoren zu den klassischen Beispielen der Evolutionsbiologie. Durch „adaptive Radiation” haben Cichliden - ebenso wie die Darwinfinken des Galapagos- Archipels order die wegen ihres vielfaltig bunten Gefieders so benannten Kleidervogel und die Fruchtfliegen der Hawaii- Inseln - weitgehend endemische, nur dort vorkommende Artenschwarme herausgebildet. Doch auch die gleichfalls in den Rift- Seen lebenden Kronenschnecken (Thiaridae) liefern Einblicke in die Entstehung neuer Arten und die evolutiven Mechanismen, etwa raumliche Sonderung (Separation) und okologische Anpasssung (Adaptation). Der Vergleich zwischen Cichliden und Thiariden kann dabei zugleich als Testfall evolutionsbiologischer Hypothesen dienen.
Online Harmonic Elimination Pulse Width Modulation Method for Modular Multilevel Converter

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are widely used for DC to AC power conversion; however, they produce switching harmonics resulting in poor power quality and system performance. Several offline methods including harmonic elimination pulse width modulation (HEPWM) have been proposed to suppress these harmonics; however, they do not guarantee smooth and rapid operation of power system under varying loads. In this work, novel online technique which combines merits of Differential Evolution (DE) and Newton Raphson (NR) methods to solve complex simultaneous transcendental trigonometric set of HEPWM equations is proposed. Simulation results have cemented the viability of the algorithm as it solves HEPWM equations in only (on average) 5 iterations (normally hundreds of iterations are required in offline solution). In addition, the THD value of filtered line to line output voltage is restricted to less than 0.5% of the fundamental component which is significantly better than 8% and 5% limits allowed by IEEE standard 519-2014. Hardware results are also presented which verify the applicability of proposed algorithm under online conditions.
Optimized Coded Prefetching Scheme in Hierarchical Cache-Enabled Networks

Caching popular content at small base stations (SBSs) of a wireless edge network is a good choice to reduce user request latency and backhaul load. However, an effective coded caching scheme to solve the challenges in hierarchical cacheenabled networks (HCENs), including the limited SBS cache capacity, rich content amount, especially the deployment of coded prefetching, has not yet been fully studied. In this paper, we propose a caching scheme based on coded prefetching and coded transmission in HCENs. In particular, considering the impact of preference of users, the SBSs cache capacity, and the number of contents of coded linear combination, we design a cache probability matrix, where contents is stored at each SBS by linear combination with caching probability. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm including prefetching and transmission is analyzed, the expression of the system average delay is derived, and an optimization problem of minimizing the average delay is established to obtain the optimal cache probability matrix. Finally, the simulation results verify the effectiveness of our coded prefetching caching scheme, which can achieve lower average delay than other caching schemes with uncoded prefetching and coded transmission in HCENs.
A Robust Approach for Characterization of Junction Temperature of SiC Power Devices via Quasi-Threshold Voltage as Temperature Sensitive Electrical Parameter

This paper presents a robust and easy-to-implement approach to measure junction temperature of SiC power devices using quasi-threshold voltage as temperature sensitive electrical parameter with adjustable temperature sensitivity. Static and dynamic measurements were performed and compared on a commercially available 1.2 kV/120 A SiC power module. The voltage drop across the parasitic inductor is used as the trigger for the data acquisition circuit. A robust approach by using a D-flip-flop for latching in data acquisition circuit while keeping fast turn-on behavior and low noise susceptibility in consideration with the option of variable sensitivity has been successfully implemented and presented.
Apollon Project: A Massive Online Open Lab for Citizen Science Driven Environmental Monitoring

The collaborative power of ICT systems is a key enabler of social and technological advances disclosing multiple opportunities for involving students and teachers in STEM, thanks to novel paradigms like citizen science and mobile crowd sensing These paradigms, if applied according to specific methodologies, promise to increase the pervasiveness of current environmental monitoring technological solutions. In this paper, we propose an approach, for enabling universities and schools to develop environmental monitoring experiments based on massive online open labs and citizen science concepts. The approach has been implemented and validated in an educational context, where students participate to scientific research activities. In the paper, we firstly describe the approach to produce successful experiments, the supporting platform and the results achieved in a real context. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is discussed in terms of compliance with a set of reference guidelines addressing the citizen science domain.
Chemopreventive effect of Tricholoma giganteum against benzo(a)pyrene-induced forestomach cancer in Swiss albino mice

A convenient animal model of forestomach cancer is compelling for development of chemopreventive strategies. The present study was an effort to identify the chemopreventive role of Tricholoma giganteum Fa fraction (80% ethanolic extract) against benzo[a]pyrene-induced forestomach cancer in Swiss albino mice. B[a]P-induced large numbers of tumors at forestomach and also caused abnormal alterations in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, reduced glutathione and lactate dehydrogenase. Fa fraction administration effectively suppressed forestomach cancer as revealed by the decrease in lipid peroxidation and all the above alterations were observed to return towards normal. The preventive effect could be occurring possibly by regulating expression of some critical genes associated with cell cycle and apoptosis such as p53, p21, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bax and cyclinD1. The treatment profoundly reverted back the histopathological changes observed in cancerous animals and thus further supports our findings. Our present data suggests that the Fa fraction of T. giganteum might extend its chemopreventive potential by modulating lipid peroxidation, augmenting antioxidant defense system, inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.
Detection of Power Switch Failures Using Discrete Fourier Transform for DC-DC Flying Capacitor Multilevel Converters

Prompt detection of power switch failure is crucial for fault-tolerant operation of multilevel converters. The paper presents a new technique of detecting, identifying, and locating a device fault in a multilevel DC-DC flying capacitor (FC) converter. This is realized by continuously analyzing the magnetic component (inductor or transformer) voltage harmonics for failure detection and subsequently identifying failure type and location with look up table method. The harmonics analysis is performed by the existing FPGA controller using discrete Fourier transform (DFT). This new approach uses only existing an auxiliary winding in the magnetic core without adding any new hardware, and can identify the location and fault type with good accuracy and speed. The experimental results validate the proposed concept on a 3-level SiC based FC buck converter prototype. 1