Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Binary codes for robust image hashing

In robust image hashing, the hash is obtained by binarizing a set of image features. Excepting some rare cases when the Gray code is used, the common solution for binarization is the natural binary code. By using as examples simulated and real data, we show that the choice of the binary code has effect on the hash properties and, consequently, on the collision probability. This probability is evaluated by estimating the mean of the hashes Hamming distance. For ideal hashes i.e., random and independent, the mean should be half of the hash length. Any correlation inside or between hashes has impact on the mean that falls down. We propose an algorithm for constructing codebooks with approximately constant Hamming distance between the consecutive codewords. With these codes, the mean bias reduces as the Hamming distance increases. The lowest bias is obtained for the maximum distance codebook.
Identifying Ecological Variability in Vegetation Dynamics Through Temporal Mixture Analysis

Large areas of forests, grasslands and agricultural land use are important contributors to the global carbon cycle and variations in the relative proportions of these biomes can have significant implications for climate change. Advances in time series analysis of multi-temporal satellite image sequences are important for these applications, particularly given international policies such as the Kyoto Protocol and the commitment to long-term terrestrial monitoring programs. In this study we use temporal mixture analysis (TMA) to assess regional-scale ecological change over an area of agriculture, grassland, and boreal forest in western North America. Interannual variations in vegetation dynamics are quantified by applying image-based temporal endmembers to NDVI products derived near the peak of the growing season from NOAA- AVHRR imagery over the 21-year period 1981 - 2001. Temporal fraction images provide comprehensive temporal information and display regional-scale patterns of spatial-temporal attributes of land cover change, with a sensitivity to climate events such as droughts.
Structure and Biosynthesis of Fimsbactins A–F, Siderophores from Acinetobacter baumannii and Acinetobacter baylyi

Novel chatechol/hydroxamate siderophores (named “fimsbactins”) were identified in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978 and Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1. The major compound, fimsbactin A, was isolated from low‐iron cultures of A. baylyi ADP1, and its chemical structure was elucidated by mass spectrometry, and detailed 1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy. From inverse feeding experiments following HPLC‐MS analysis, the structures of five additional derivatives were elucidated. The gene cluster encoding the fimsbactin synthetase (fbs) was identified in both genomes, and mutants in fbs genes in A. baylyi were analyzed, thus allowing prediction of the fimsbactin biosynthesis pathway.
New isoflavone and triterpene glycosides from soybeans.

Chemical investigation of a soybean phytochemical concentrate resulted in the isolation and identification of two new isoflavanones, dihydrodaidzin (1) and dihydrogenistin (2), a new isoflavone, 2' ',6' '-O-diacetyloninin (3), and two new triterpenoid saponins (13 and 14). Nine known isoflavonoids (4-12) and three known saponins (15-17) were also identified. Structures of the new compounds were established by a combination of extensive NMR (DEPT, DQF-COSY, HMBC, HMQC, and ROESY) studies and chemical degradation. Cytotoxic activities (ED(50)) of various extracts and selected isoflavonoids and saponins were measured against human stomach carcinoma (Hs 740.T, Hs 756 T), breast adenocarcinoma (Hs 578 T, Hs 742.T), and prostate carcinoma (DU 145, LNCaP-FGC) cell lines. Isoflavonoids 3 and 5 were more active than 1 and 2 versus at least one of the three cell lines examined, indicating the importance of the 2,3-double bond in cytotoxicity. Saponins 13, 14, and 15 were slightly more active than saponins 16 and 17, indicating that sugar attachments at position-22 enhance cytotoxic activity.
A Burden and a Blessing—Young Swedish Women's Experience of Fertility. A Study Among Women Lacking Experience of Pregnancy and Parenthood

We used, phenomenological method to describe fertility as it was experienced by young women who have chosen to take contraceptive pills. The women lacked experience from pregnancy and parenthood. We interviewed ten women aged 23–27 years. We found that fertility was experienced as paradoxical, as follows: fertility as a power that has to be suppressed, experiencing fertility in the present time and as a future finite possibility, and having one's own fertile responsibility governed by society. Striving for a perfect life was a central aspect of fertility. Expectations on female fertility seem to influence young women's planning in life.
Font recognition using shape-based quad-tree and kd-tree decomposition

The search for appropriate data representations and visual features for content-based image retrieval continues within the computer vision community, alongside the development of new matching and indexing techniques to facilitate fast search in large-scale image databases. In this study, we present a solution to the problem of typeface identification and character recognition in text-based images using this type of approach. Geometrical properties of a character are extracted from its binary image at different levels of spatial resolution, via a hierarchical abstraction of the image data. Two such abstractions are described here: a shape-based quad-tree, and a kd-tree. Unlike the traditional quad-tree representation in which an image is generally partitioned into 4 blocks of equal size at each level of decomposition, the block size in the centroidbased quad-tree is variable, being determined by the location of the centre of gravity of the regions represented in a sub-image. In a similar way, the kd-tree partitions the image data into two, again about an axis defined by the shape of the region represented in the image. Weighted and non-weighted feature vectors of the partitioning points are then used within a metric tree to index character images in a font database. We discuss factors that influence the performance of the resulting font retrieval system, both in terms of accuracy and speed.
Design and Tests of Prototype Hybrid Superconducting Fault Current Limiter With Fast Switch

This paper deals with design and operating tests of prototype hybrid superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) which is series connected non-inductive solenoid resistive coil and asymmetric non-inductively wound coils. The role of resistive SFCL is for reducing the fault current in the first swing. Moreover, resistive SFCL can reduce a load of dielectric strength in hybrid SFCL. Two kinds of high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires were used to fabricate asymmetric HTS coil. These HTS wires had different quench characteristics such as different critical current and n-value. Unbalanced current distribution between two HTS wires in the asymmetric HTS coil during the fault should occur. Thus, the asymmetric HTS coil generates impedance and repulsive force from magnetic flux. The finite element method was performed to calculate maximum repulsive force. From experimental tests and FEM simulation results, proper combination of HTS wires and configuration of asymmetric HTS coil with fast switch were determined to increase maximum repulsive force. Also, the prototype hybrid SFCL with fast switch was fabricated and performed.
The Assessment of Social Networks and Social Support in the Elderly

While functional assessments of the elderly have been common practice for some time, it is now apparent that important social conditions facilitate functional ability and independence and, in fact. may make significant contributions to the health and well-being of the elderly. Primary among these conditions is the provision of support by members of a social network. Measuring social networks and social support has not proved to be easy; measures generally are not well validated, and critical dimensions or characteristics of networks have yet to be identified. Yet, in spite of these problems, more and more evidence points to the importance of these factors. Clinical impressions also suggest that social networks must be particularly important to the elderly, especially those with some disabilities. The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with some background on the epidemiologic work being done in this area. In particular, attention is focused on why social networks have been suspected of playing a role in disease causation, what some important characteristics of networks are likely to be, what kinds of measures are currently being used, how social networks are related to social support, and what network issues are of special relevance to the study of older people.
Structures of mesophilic and extremophilic citrate synthases reveal rigidity and flexibility for function

Citrate synthase (CS) catalyses the entry of carbon into the citric acid cycle and is highly‐conserved structurally across the tree of life. Crystal structures of dimeric CSs are known in both “open” and “closed” forms, which differ by a substantial domain motion that closes the substrate‐binding clefts. We explore both the static rigidity and the dynamic flexibility of CS structures from mesophilic and extremophilic organisms from all three evolutionary domains. The computational expense of this wide‐ranging exploration is kept to a minimum by the use of rigidity analysis and rapid all‐atom simulations of flexible motion, combining geometric simulation and elastic network modeling. CS structures from thermophiles display increased structural rigidity compared with the mesophilic enzyme. A CS structure from a psychrophile, stabilized by strong ionic interactions, appears to display likewise increased rigidity in conventional rigidity analysis; however, a novel modified analysis, taking into account the weakening of the hydrophobic effect at low temperatures, shows a more appropriate decreased rigidity. These rigidity variations do not, however, affect the character of the flexible dynamics, which are well conserved across all the structures studied. Simulation trajectories not only duplicate the crystallographically observed symmetric open‐to‐closed transitions, but also identify motions describing a previously unidentified antisymmetric functional motion. This antisymmetric motion would not be directly observed in crystallography but is revealed as an intrinsic property of the CS structure by modeling of flexible motion. This suggests that the functional motion closing the binding clefts in CS may be independent rather than symmetric and cooperative. Proteins 2014; 82:2657–2670. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Measurement of polymorphic trinucleotide repeats in the androgen receptor gene by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Trinucleotide repeats are polymorphic in normal individuals. CAG repeats in the X-linked androgen receptor gene were counted by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI/TOF-MS). A region of approximately two hundred base-pairs containing the repeats was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, then measured after a simple purification procedure. The single-charged molecular ion species was detected using 0.1 pmol of DNA sample and the number of repeats was determined from the molecular mass. The results indicated that MALDI/TOF-MS is a high-throughput alternative to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for precise determination of polymorphic trinucleotide repeats.
A homologue of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens VirB and Bordetella pertussis Ptl type IV secretion systems is essential for intracellular survival of Brucella suis

Analysis of a TnblaM mutant of Brucella suis 1330, identified as being unable to multiply in Hela cells, allowed us to identify a 11 860 bp region of the B. suis genome encoding a type IV secretion system, homologous to the VirB system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the Ptl system of Bordetella pertussis. DNA sequence revealed 12 open reading frames (ORFs) encoding homologues of the 11 VirB proteins present in the pTi plasmid of Agrobacterium with a similar genetic organization, and a twelfth ORF encoding a putative lipoprotein, homologous to a protein involved in mating pair formation during bacterial conjugation and to adhesins used by Pseudomonas species to bind to plant roots. Phylogenetic trees based on the sequences of VirB4 and VirB9 protein homologues suggest that evolution of the systems from DNA transfer towards protein secretion did not stem from a single event but that the protein secretion systems have evolved independently. Four independent mutants in virB5, virB9 or virB10 were highly attenuated in an in vitro infection model with human macrophages. The virulence was restored by complementation with a plasmid containing the full virB region. The virB region appears to be essential for the intracellular survival and multiplication of B. suis.
On error rate performance of a MIMO WLAN system in the indoor hotspot scenario

In this paper, the error rate performance of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless local area network (WLAN) system is evaluated in the indoor hotspot scenario. A realistic three-port MIMO antenna is used at the access point (AP), whereas dipole antennas are assumed at the user terminal. The effects of the channel delay spread and oscillator phase noise on the MIMO WLAN system are studied with respect to the IEEE 802.11n protocol.
Effects of DksA and ClpP protease on sigma S production and virulence in Salmonella typhimurium

Salmonella typhimurium responds to a variety of environmental stresses by accumulating the alternative sigma factor σS. The repertoire of σS ‐dependent genes that are subsequently expressed confers tolerance to a variety of potentially lethal conditions including low pH and stationary phase. The mechanism(s) responsible for triggering σS accumulation are of considerable interest, because they help to ensure survival of the organism during encounters with suboptimal environments. Two genes associated with regulating σS levels in S. typhimurium have been identified. The first is clpP, encoding the protease known to be responsible for degrading σS in Escherichia coli. The second is dksA, encoding a protein of unknown function not previously associated with regulating σS levels. As predicted, clpP mutants accumulated large amounts of σS even in log phase. However, dksA mutants failed to accumulate σS in stationary phase and exhibited lower accumulation during acid shock in log phase. DksA appears to be required for the optimal translation of rpoS based upon dksA mutant effects on rpoS transcriptional and translational lacZ fusions. The region of rpoS mRNA between codons 8 and 73 is required to see the effects of dksA mutations. This distinguishes the role of DksA from that of HF‐I (hfq ) in rpoS translation, as the HF‐I target area occurs well upstream of the rpoS start codon. DksA appears to be involved in the expression of several genes in addition to rpoS based on two‐dimensional SDS–PAGE analysis of whole‐cell proteins. As a result of their effects on gene expression, mutations in clpP and dksA decreased the virulence of S. typhimurium in mice, consistent with a role for σS in pathogenesis.
Ultra-thin ALD MGO membranes as mems transmission dynodes in a timed photon counter

In this work we demonstrate how a novel single free electron detector “Timed Photon Counter” (TiPC) may benefit from ultra-thin MgO transmission dynodes (tynodes). These membranes are fabricated through MEMS process technologies, with atomic layer deposition (ALD) as the most apt technique for growing films of good quality, with excellent control over thicknesses and extremely low surface roughness. Large area arrays of ultra-thin (5–25 nm) free-standing MgO membranes are fabricated and characterized to determine the optimal thickness for application of ALD MgO in TiPC. Supremacy of MgO over other materials previously considered, such as SiN, Al2O3, SiC, Si is verified. The exceptional mechanical (low stress in particular, −200 MPa), chemical and electrical properties of MgO make this material a very attractive candidate for numerous MEMS applications, as the MEMS transmission dynodes in the timed photon counter.
Expression pro fi ling of claudins in the human gastrointestinal tract in health and during in fl ammatory bowel disease

Background. Claudins, being part of the tight junction protein family, partially determine the integrity and paracellular permeability of the intestinal epithelium. The aim of this study was twofold. First, the authors set out to create an overview of claudin mRNA expression along the proximal-distal axis of the healthy human intestine. Second, the authors aimed to analyze expression levels of claudins in patients with active and inactive inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods. mRNA expression levels of claudins were determined in gastrointestinal biopsies from healthy patients as well as patients diagnosed with IBD using SybrGreen real-time PCR. Results. Claudins show distinct expression patterns throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Some claudins show a proximal expression pattern, such as CLDN18 which is solely expressed in the stomach, and CLDN2 and -15 that are predominantly expressed in the proximal parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Other claudins, such as CLDN3, -4, -7 and -8, are predominantly expressed in the distal parts of the gastrointestinal tract or show a ubiquitous expression pattern throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract, which is the case for CLDN12. In addition, we show that changes in claudin expression in IBD are dependent on gastrointestinal location and inflammatory activity. Conclusions. This study provides detailed mRNA expression patterns of various claudins throughout the human gastrointestinal tract. Analysis of expression levels of claudins in patients with CD, active and inactive UC shows that changes in expression are confined to specific intestinal segments and strongly depend on inflammatory activity.
The efficacy and tolerability of a fixed combination of acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, and caffeine in patients with severe headache: A post-hoc subgroup analysis from a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, single-dose, placebo-controlled parallel group study

Background: We investigated efficacy and tolerability of two tablets of the fixed combination of 250 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) + 200 mg paracetamol + 50 mg caffeine (Thomapyrin) in comparison to two tablets of placebo in a post-hoc analysis of a subgroup of patients with severe headache. Methods: Patients where included if they were used to treating their episodic tension-type headache or migraine attacks with non-prescription analgesics and reported a history of headache attacks characterized by at least severe pain and greatly impaired usual daily activities and treated headaches with pain intensity of at least 48 mm assessed on a 100-mm visual analogue scale and associated with greatly impaired usual daily activities. Results: For the primary endpoint ‘time to 50% pain relief’ in this intention-to-treat subset (n = 179 patients), the fixed combination of ASA, paracetamol, and caffeine was statistically significantly superior to placebo (p = 0.0008). The superior efficacy of the triple combination could also be shown for all secondary endpoints such as time until reduction of pain intensity to 10 mm, weighted sum of pain intensity difference (%SPIDweighted), extent of impairment of daily activities, and global assessment of efficacy. Both treatments were well tolerated. The incidence of adverse events observed was low. The results for this subgroup analysis are consistent with respect to all endpoints and to the patients with non-severe headache and the overall patient population. As with all post-hoc subgroup analyses, the findings are hypothesis generating only and must be interpreted with caution. Discussion: The results of this subgroup analysis confirm that the fixed combination of ASA (250 mg), paracetamol (200 mg), and caffeine (50 mg) is effective and well tolerated in a broad spectrum from mild to severe migraine and tension-type headache severity independently of the headache diagnosis.
Inhibition of the V-ATPase by Archazolid A: A New Strategy to Inhibit EMT

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) induces tumor-initiating cells (TIC), which account for tumor recurrence, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Strategies to interfere with EMT are rare but urgently needed to improve cancer therapy. By using the myxobacterial natural compound Archazolid A as a tool, we elucidate the V-ATPase, a multimeric proton pump that regulates lysosomal acidification, as a crucial player in EMT and identify the inhibition of V-ATPase by Archazolid A as a promising strategy to block EMT. Genetic knockdown and pharmacologic inhibition of the V-ATPase by Archazolid A interfere with the EMT process and inhibit TIC generation, as shown by a reduced formation of mammospheres and decreased cell motility. As an underlying mechanism, V-ATPase inhibition by Archazolid A disturbs the turnover of E-cadherin: Archazolid abrogates E-cadherin loss during EMT by interfering with its internalization and recycling. Our study elucidates V-ATPase as essential player in EMT by regulating E-cadherin turnover. Archazolid A is suggested as a promising therapeutic agent to block EMT and the generation of TICs. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(11); 2329–39. ©2017 AACR.
Inducing Specific Chromosome Mis-Segregation in Human Cells

Cancer cells display persistent underlying chromosomal instability that results in chromosome mis-segregation, the formation of micronuclei, and abnormal numbers of chromosomes (aneuploidy). These features are common to nearly all human cancers, with individual tumour types intriguingly exhibiting characteristic subsets of whole, and sub-chromosomal aneuploidies. To date, few methods to induce specific aneuploidies at will exist, hampering the investigation of functional consequences of recurrent aneuploidies. Moreover, although some human cell lines with specific aneuploidies exist, the acute cellular responses to specific chromosomal instability events remain unknown. We therefore investigated the possibility of sabotaging the mitotic segregation of specific chromosomes using nuclease-dead CRISPR-Cas9 (dCas9) as a cargo carrier to specific genomic loci. We recruited the kinetochore-nucleating domain of centromere protein CENP-T to assemble ectopic kinetochores either near the centromere of chromosome 9, or the telomere of chromosome 1. Ectopic kinetochore assembly led to increased chromosome instability and aneuploidy of the target chromosomes, providing the potential to create ‘designer karyotypes’ and study their immediate downstream cellular responses in a wide range of cell types. Overall, our findings provide new insights into ectopic kinetochore biology, and also represent an important step towards investigating the role of specific aneuploidy and chromosome mis-segregation events in diseases associated with aneuploidy.