Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Raman spectroscopy with graphenated anodized aluminum oxide substrates

We measured the Raman scattering of graphene deposited nanohole arrays. As the sample was azimuthally rotated, periodicities of 7.5° and 5° were revealed for the 2700 cm−1 and 1600 cm−1 Raman lines of graphene, respectively. This is contrary to the scattered laser line azimuthal symmetry of 30° for the hole array alone. When a reference dye (stilbene) was deposited on the graphenated platforms, its Raman peak shifted as a function of incident (tilt) angle; this was contrary to the unshifted 1600 cm−1 peak of graphene itself. The data suggest strong coupling between the molecular vibrations as portrayed by Raman spectra and surface plasmon polariton waves propagating along the graphene surface.
Krox20 and kreisler co‐operate in the transcriptional control of segmental expression of Hoxb3 in the developing hindbrain

In the segmented vertebrate hindbrain, the Hoxa3 and Hoxb3 genes are expressed at high relative levels in the rhombomeres (r) 5 and 6, and 5, respectively. The single enhancer elements responsible for these activities have been identified previously and shown to constitute direct targets of the transcription factor kreisler, which is expressed in r5 and r6. Here, we have analysed the contribution of the transcription factor Krox20, present in r3 and r5. Genetic analyses demonstrated that Krox20 is required for activity of the Hoxb3 r5 enhancer, but not of the Hoxa3 r5/6 enhancer. Mutational analysis of the Hoxb3 r5 enhancer, together with ectopic expression experiments, revealed that Krox20 binds to the enhancer and synergizes with kreisler to promote Hoxb3 transcription, restricting enhancer activity to their domain of overlap, r5. These analyses also suggested contributions from an Ets‐related factor and from putative factors likely to heterodimerize with kreisler. The integration of multiple independent inputs present in overlapping domains by a single enhancer is likely to constitute a general mechanism for the patterning of subterritories during vertebrate development.
Anti-folksonomical Item Recommendation System based on Similarities between Item Clusters in Social Bookmarking

: Web-based bookmark management services called social bookmarking has been in the spotlight recently. Social bookmarking allows users to add several keywords called tags to items they bookmarked. Many previous works on social bookmarking using actual words for tags, called folksonomy, have come out. However, essential information of tags is not represented in their tag names, but in the classiﬁcation of items by tags. Based on this assumption, we propose an anti-folksonomical recommendation system for calculating similarities be-tween groups of items classiﬁed according to tags. In addition, we use hypothesis testing to improve these similarities based on statistical reliability. The experimental results show that our proposed system provides an appropriate recommendation result even if users tagged with different keywords.
IT Governance Framework Applied to SMEs

The need to effectively manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms makes IT governance ITG an important issue for both IS researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to build a conceptual framework for ITG in small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs. The authors first analyze the main theories applied in ITG research, and confront them with the specificities of SMEs. The authors then highlight the limits of those theories in SMEs context and discuss adaptations needed or alternative theories in such context. The resulting framework is then applied to generate a set of six research propositions on ITG in SMEs.
Waze : Congestion-Aware Load Balancing at the Virtual Edge for Asymmetric Topologies Naga

Most datacenters still use Equal Cost Multi-Path (ECMP), which performs congestion-oblivious hashing of flows over multiple paths, leading to an uneven distribution of traffic. Alternatives to ECMP come with deployment challenges, as they require either changing the tenant VM network stacks (e.g., MPTCP) or replacing all of the switches (e.g., CONGA). We argue that the hypervisor provides a unique point for implementing load-balancing algorithms that are easy to deploy, while still reacting quickly to congestion. We propose Waze, a scalable load-balancer that (i) runs entirely in the hypervisor, requiring no modifications to tenant VM networking stacks or physical switches and (ii) works on any topology and adapts quickly to topology changes and traffic shifts. Waze relies on standard ECMP in physical switches, discovers paths using a novel traceroute mechanism, uses software-based flowletswitching, and continuously learns congestion (or path utilization) state using standard switch features. It then manipulates packet-header fields in the hypervisor switch to direct traffic over less congested paths. Waze achieves 1.5 to 7 times smaller flow-completion times at 70% network load than other load-balancing algorithms that work with existing hardware. Waze also captures some 80% of the performance gain of best-of-breed hardware-based load-balancing algorithms like CONGA that require new equipment.
Drug samples. A conflict of interest?

Providing drug samples is only one way that drug companies interact with dermatologists. Selling drugs is the primary goal of the drug industry. When pharmaceutical companies use drug sampling to encourage specific drug prescribing by dermatologists, the quality of patient care may be lessened. In the essay, Doctors and the Drug Makers , Rawlins notes, "No drug company gives away its shareholders money in an act of disinterested generosity". 1 In order to accumulate drug samples, dermatologists must meet and listen to drug representatives (reps). In this new age of medical commerce, these "reps" are armed with sophisticated marketing and educational techniques. When a physician's education in drug usage comes from drug reps, can a patient's interests be threatened? This subject is highly controversial. I give drug samples to my patients. I would, however, ask my colleagues whether we are really serving our patients' best interests when we serve as the
Sequence analysis of the clpG gene, which codes for surface antigen CS31A subunit: evidence of an evolutionary relationship between CS31A, K88, and F41 subunit genes

The clpG gene coding for the CS31A subunit was localized on a 0.9-kb SphI fragment from the recombinant plasmid pAG315. This was established by testing the ability of subclones to hybridize with a 17-meric oligonucleotide probe obtained from N-terminal analysis of the CS31A subunit. The nucleotide sequence of the region coding for CS31A was determined. From primer extension analysis, two initiation translation start sites were detected. Two possible promoterlike sequences were identified; the ribosome binding site and the translation terminator are proposed. Inverted repeat sequences leading to the formation of possible hairpin structures of the transcripts were found on the 5' untranslated region of clpG. The deduced amino acid composition was in close agreement with the chemical amino acid composition and sequence match with the first 25 N-terminal amino acids from the published N-terminal sequence of the purified CS31A subunit. The clpG gene codes for a mature protein of 257 amino acids with a molecular size of 26,777 Da. An obvious homology was observed when the amino acid sequence of CS31A was compared with those of K88 and F41. This homology includes five different conserved sequences of up to 19 identical amino acids, which is associated with conserved proline. An extensive change in the CS31A region homologous to that identified to contain the K88 receptor binding site might be responsible for the functional divergence between CS31A and K88.
SQLET : Short Query Linguistic Expansion Techniques: Palliating One or Two-word Queries by Providing Intermediate Structure to WWW Pages

A circuit implemented in CMOS technology that controls the rise and fall times of signals applied to conducting paths of a printed circuit board. The circuit consists of an input inverter circuit stage that controls the slope of an output signal from the inverter stage produced in response to an input signal. A second stage is implemented as a source follower and, in response to the inverter stage output signal, provides the output signal applied to the conducting paths of the printed circuit board. A final stage of the circuit compensates for the inability of the source follower stage to utilize, because of the characteristics of the CMOS field effect transistors, the range of voltages provided by the power supplies. The circuit, by controlling the rise and fall time of signal applied to the printed circuit board, reduces the ringing (i.e. the signal undershoot or overshoot) that can accompany application of pulsed signals to the printed circuit board.
RELAÇÕES ÁGUA-SOLO-PLANTA-ATMOSFERA SUNLIT AND SHADED MAIZE CANOPY WATER LOSS UNDER VARIED WATER STRESS 1

The precise estimation of transpiration from plant canopies is important for the monitoring of crop water use and management of many agricultural operations related to water use planning. The aim of this study was to estimate transpiration from sunlit and shaded fractions of a maize ( Ze mays L .) canopy, using the Penman-Monteith energy balance equation with modifications introduced by Fuchs et al. (1987) and Fuchs & Cohen (1989). Estimated values were validated by a heat pulse system, which was used to measure stem sap flow and by a weighing lysimeter. A relationship between incident radiation and leaf stomatal conductance for critical levels of leaf water potential was used to estimate transpiration. Results showed that computed transpiration of the shaded canopy ranged from 27 to 45% of the total transpiration when fluctuations in atmospheric demand and the level of water stress were taken in account. Hourly and daily estimates of transpiration showed agreement with lysimeter and heat pulse measurements on the well-watered plots. For the water-limited plots the precision of the estimate decreased due to difficulties in simulating the canopy stomatal conductance.
Analysis of Frequency Selective Surfaces on Periodic Substrates Using Entire Domain Basis Functions

The paper presents an efficient procedure to utilize the existing method of moments/boundary integral-resonant mode expansion approach for the analysis of frequency selective surfaces printed on periodic and inhomogeneous substrates. The Green's function matrix of the structure is obtained using a multiconductor transmission line model. The resulting series equations are solved by using the periodic method of moments with entire domain functions as both basis and test functions. The required entire domain functions are extracted using boundary integral-resonant mode expansion. The Fourier coefficients of the basis functions are evaluated from the coupling integrals by applying a coordinate transformation. Some examples are analyzed and compared to measurement data. To illustrate the excellent convergence of the method, a comparison between using entire domain and sub-domain functions is made. It is shown that by using the proposed approach not only the number of required basis functions reduces but also lower truncation orders in the Fourier expansions need to be considered. This leads to a drastic reduction of the computation time.
Chemical Modification of Porcine Acelluar Extracellular Matrix for Cardiovascular Tissue Regeneration

Vascularization remains a critical requirement for the long term survival of engineered tissue constructs, especially thick ones [1, 2]. Such thick constructs for cardiac tissue engineering has been reported by our group [3] and others [4] based on decellularized porcine cardiac extracellular matrix (pcECM) that has been shown to resemble the native tissue both structurally and chemically. The network of inherent vasculature which was largely retained within our pcECM, can be used as a platform for re-endothelialization [5] and neo-vascularization with cell lineages possessing regenerative potential. Endothelial cells alone, seeded onto the ECM, not only attached and survived but also rearranged into typical confluent monolayer morphology with self-alignment. Sequential co-cultures of endothelial cells (HUVEC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were shown to support the growth of both lineages on the surface and in the vasculature of reseeded pcECM. After ECM treatment with gelatin or fibronectin, cell proliferation increased significantly for both MSCs and HUVECs. Preliminary results showed that future efforts combining co-culture, treated scaffolds and dynamic culture environment may result in re-endothelialization leading to functional blood vessels in thick engineered tissue for cardiac replacement therapy.
Hepatocyte-specific gene expression by a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector carrying the apolipoprotein E enhancer and 1 -antitrypsin promoterArticle

Summary An adeno-associa ted virus vector was constructed to express exogenous genes to the liver. The original plasmid construct carried two expression units; a neomycin resistant gene and human 1antitrypsin cDNA under the control of hepatocyte specific transcription elements. Cells were transfected with the constructed plasmid DNA with another packaging plasmid, and recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) were then recovered after adenovirus infection. Alternatively, rAAV were recovered by transduction of DNAs of the packaging plasmid and adenovirus into preselected cells carrying constructed proviral DNA. When the transducing abilities were evaluated based on G418 resistant colony formation on HeLa cells, the latter method was found to give almost 10-fold more rAAV. We then isolated G418 resistant colonies and established several independent clones for the HeLa and Hepa1A cells infected with the rAAV. All of the eight clones derived from Hepa1A cells produced significant amounts of the human 1-antitrypsin protein. In contrast, none of the five clones derived from HeLa cells produced a detectable level of 1 antitrypsin. Our results suggest that liver-specific promoter and enhancer maintain the tissue specificity in the rAAV construct, and that the rAAV vector system would be useful in hepatocyte directed gene therapy.
Using metabolic flux data to further constrain the metabolic solution space and predict internal flux patterns: the Escherichia coli spectrum

Constraint‐based metabolic modeling has been used to capture the genome‐scale, systems properties of an organism's metabolism. The first generation of these models has been built on annotated gene sequence. To further this field, we now need to develop methods to incorporate additional “omic” data types including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and fluxomics to further facilitate the construction, validation, and predictive capabilities of these models. The work herein combines metabolic flux data with an in silico model of central metabolism of Escherichia coli for model centric integration of the flux data. The extreme pathways for this network, which define the allowable solution space for all possible flux distributions, are analyzed using the α‐spectrum. The α‐spectrum determines which extreme pathways can and cannot contribute to the metabolic flux distribution for a given condition and gives the allowable range of weightings on each extreme pathway that can contribute. Since many extreme pathways cannot be used under certain conditions, the result is a “condition‐specific” solution space that is a subset of the original solution space. The α‐spectrum results are used to create a “condition‐specific” extreme pathway matrix that can be analyzed using singular value decomposition (SVD). The first mode of the SVD analysis characterizes the solution space for a given condition. We show that SVD analysis of the α‐spectrum extreme pathway matrix that incorporates measured uptake and byproduct secretion rates, can predict internal flux trends for different experimental conditions. These predicted internal flux trends are, in general, consistent with the flux trends measured using experimental metabolic flux analysis techniques. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chemo‐radiotherapy for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer: concurrent or sequential? It's no longer the question: a systematic review

There has been conflicting evidence concerning the best sequence of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) for advanced non‐small‐cell‐lung‐cancer (NSCLC). To investigate whether current clinical trials can clarify this schedule and offer further bases for clinical decision making, we performed a systematic review of 11 trials (2,043 patients; concurrent–1,019, sequential–1,024) that compared concurrent RT‐CT with sequential arm in advanced NSCLC patients. Primary end point was overall survival (OS). Pooled median ratios (MRs) and progression‐free‐survival ratios (FRs) for median survival and progression‐free survival (PFS) were calculated using the weighted sum of the log ratio of MR and FR of individual study. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) for the objective response rate, relapse control rate, and toxic events were calculated using the Mantel‐Haenszel estimate. Results confirmed that concurrent RT‐CT determined a statistically significant increase in median survival time (16.3 vs. 13.9 months; MR = 1.17,95%CI:1.09–1.26), response rate (64.0% vs. 56.3%; OR = 1.38,95%CI:1.10–1.72), and tumor‐relapse control (OR = 0.82,95%CI:0.69–0.97), though at the expense of increased hematological toxicity (neutropenia and thrombocytopenia) and non‐hematological toxicity (nausea/vomiting, stomatitis, and esophagitis). Similar results were obtained from the sensitivity analysis of all Phase‐III/trials designed to evaluate the primary end point of OS. Subgroup analysis revealed that concurrent strategy was mainly associated with improved loco‐regional control (OR = 0.68,95%CI:0.52–0.87). However, no difference in PFS is shown. While careful interpretation of our conclusions is required because of potential bias, the present study, to some extent, exhibits the superiority of the concurrent arm over the sequential in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Further improvements will be obtained by optimizing the conditions for a concurrent regimen.
Identification of mRNA/Protein (mRNP) Complexes Containing Purα, mStaufen, Fragile X Protein, and Myosin Va and their Association with Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum Equipped with a Kinesin Motor*

Purα, which is involved in diverse aspects of cellular functions, is strongly expressed in neuronal cytoplasm. Previously, we have reported that this protein controls BC1 RNA expression and its subsequent distribution within dendrites and that Purα is associated with polyribosomes. Here, we report that, following treatment with EDTA, Purα was released from polyribosomes in mRNA/protein complexes (mRNPs), which also contained mStaufen, Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP), myosin Va, and other proteins with unknown functions. As the coimmunoprecipitation of these proteins by an anti-Purα antibody was abolished by RNase treatment, Purα may assist mRNP assembly in an RNA-dependent manner and be involved in targeting mRNPs to polyribosomes in cooperation with other RNA-binding proteins. The immunoprecipitation of mStaufen- and FMRP-containing mRNPs provided additional evidence that the anti-Purα detected structurally or functionally related mRNA subsets, which are distributed in the somatodendritic compartment. Furthermore, mRNPs appear to reside on rough endoplasmic reticulum equipped with a kinesin motor. Based on our present findings, we propose that this rough endoplasmic reticulum structure may form the molecular machinery that mediates and regulates multistep transport of polyribosomes along microtubules and actin filaments, as well as localized translation in the somatodendritic compartment.
Cryptococcosis in Atlántico, Colombia: an approximation of the prevalence of this mycosis and the distribution of the etiological agent in the environment.

INTRODUCTION Cryptococcosis is an invasive disease acquired by inhalation of infectious propagules from the environment. Currently, compulsory notification of the spread of this disease is not required in Colombia. However, reporting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome cases to the National Surveillance System has suggested that there is a growing population at risk of contracting cryptococcosis. Few studies have described the occurrence of cryptococcosis in Colombia. Therefore, in this study, we examined the pathology of this disease in Atlántico, Colombia and determined the distributions of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii in the environment. METHODS Clinical samples/isolates were gathered from cases of cryptococcosis previously diagnosed at health institutions in Atlántico, and surveys were completed by clinicians. The environmental study considered 32 sampling points and three tree species, i.e., Quickstick ( Gliricidia sepium ), Almond ( Terminalia catappa ), and Pink trumpet ( Tabebuia rosea ). Environmental and clinical samples/isolates were analyzed for phenotypic and genotypic confirmation. RESULTS From 1997-2014, 41 cases of cryptococcosis were reported. The mean patient age was 40.5 years (range: 18-63 years); 76% were men, and 78% were HIV positive. Isolation was possible in 38 cases ( C. neoformans , molecular type VNI in 37 cases and C. gattii , molecular type VGI in one case). In 2012-2014, 2,068 environmental samples were analyzed with a positivity of 0.4% ( C. neoformans , molecular type VNI) in Almond and Pink trumpet trees. CONCLUSIONS Cryptococcus neoformans , molecular type VNI had a higher prevalence than C. gattii and was associated with human exposure and the pathogenesis of cryptococcosis in this geographical region.
Implementation of Context Window and Context Identification Array for Identification and Interpretation of Non Standard Word in Bengali News Corpus

Non Standard Word (NSW) identification and its interpretation is a major challenge in information retrieval system. Real text not only contains ordinary words and names but also contains non-standard "words" including numbers, abbreviations, dates, months, currency, amounts and different types of numbers. In reality, we can not find NSWs in a dictionary, nor can one find their pronunciation by an application of ordinary "letter-to-sound" rules. Non standard words have greater inclination towards ambiguity in terms of their interpretation and pronunciation than ordinary words. So it is very much required to identify and interpret the NSW properly while we are going for further analysis of text. In real text, NSW are represented in diversified formats. It could be represented by digits, words or combination of both. There are different ways to identify and interpret the NSW such as n-gram language model, decision tree, supervised and unsupervised tech- niques, weighted finite-state transducers and pattern identification using regular expression. In this paper we presented a novel work to identify and interpret the non standard words in Bengali news corpus. We introduced the coupling of the normal text normalization using the three components of analysis, viz. (i) generation of optimized regular expression for different semiotic classes, (ii) consideration of optimized context window size, and (iii) employ the concept of context identification array (CIA).