Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and Evaluation of Cell Interaction Based Vedic Multiplier Using Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata

A multiplier is one of the main units for digital signal processing and communication systems. In this paper, a high speed and low complexity multiplier is designed on the basis of quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA), which is considered promising nanotechnology. We focus on Vedic multiplier architectures according to Vedic mathematics from ancient Indian sculptures. In fact, an adder is an important block in the design of almost all types of multipliers and a ripple carry adder is used to design simple multiplier implementations. However, a high-speed multi-bit multiplier requires high-speed adder owing to carry propagation. Cell-interaction-based QCA adders have better improvements over conventional majority-gate-based adders. Therefore, a two-bit Vedic multiplier is proposed in QCA and it is used to implement a four-bit form of the multiplier. The proposed architecture has a lower cell count and area compared to other existing structures. Moreover, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed design is sustainable and can be used to realize complex circuit designs for QCA communication networks.
SLAP2 adaptor binding disrupts c-CBL autoinhibition to activate ubiquitin ligase function

CBL is a RING type E3 ubiquitin ligase that functions as a negative regulator of tyrosine kinase signaling and loss of CBL E3 function is implicated in several forms of leukemia. The Src-like adaptor proteins (SLAP/SLAP2) bind to CBL and are required for CBL-dependent downregulation of antigen receptor, cytokine receptor, and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Despite the established role of SLAP/SLAP2 in regulating CBL activity, the nature of the interaction and the mechanisms involved are not known. To understand the molecular basis of the interaction between SLAP/SLAP2 and CBL, we solved the crystal structure of CBL tyrosine kinase binding domain (TKBD) in complex with SLAP2. The carboxy-terminal region of SLAP2 adopts an α-helical structure which binds in a cleft between the 4H, EF-hand, and SH2 domains of the TKBD. This SLAP2 binding site is remote from the canonical TKBD phospho-tyrosine peptide binding site but overlaps with a region important for stabilizing CBL in its autoinhibited conformation. In addition, binding of SLAP2 to CBL in vitro activates the ubiquitin ligase function of autoinhibited CBL. Disruption of the CBL/SLAP2 interface through mutagenesis demonstrated a role for this protein-protein interaction in regulation of CBL E3 ligase activity in cells. Our results reveal that SLAP2 binding to a regulatory cleft of the TKBD provides an alternative mechanism for activation of CBL ubiquitin ligase function.
A Predictive Fleet Management Strategy for On-Demand Mobility Services: A Case Study in Munich

The global market for MoD services is in a state of rapid and challenging transformation, with new market entrants in Europe, such as Uber, MOIA, and CleverShuttle, competing with traditional taxi providers. Rapid developments in available algorithms, data sources, and real-time information systems offer new possibilities of maximizing the efficiency of MoD services. In particular, the use of demand predictions is expected to contribute to a reduction in operational costs and an increase in overall service quality. This paper examines the potential of predictive fleet management strategies applied to a large-scale real-world taxi dataset for the city of Munich. A combination of state-of-the art dispatching algorithms and a predictive RHC optimization for idle vehicle rebalancing was developed to determine the scale by which a fleet size can be reduced without affecting service quality. A simulation study was conducted over a one-week period in Munich, which showed that predictive fleet strategies clearly outperform the present strategy in terms of both service quality and costs. Furthermore, the results showed that current taxi fleets could be reduced to 70% of their original size without any decrease in performance. In addition, the results indicated that the reduced fleet size of the predictive strategy was still 20% larger compared to the theoretical optimum resulting from a bipartite matching approach.
The concept of control in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Development of the criteria and validation for use in clinical practice

Guidelines of treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) identify symptom reduction and prevention of exacerbations as the main goals of therapy. Initial pharmacological treatment must be guided by these parameters, and effectiveness must be assessed at each clinical visit. However, there is no clear guidance as to how this assessment must be performed. The concept of control has been well developed in asthma, but it has been elusive in COPD. Patients with COPD may not be completely free from symptoms or exacerbations even under optimized therapy; therefore, control in COPD does not mean cure or absence of symptoms, but rather reaching the best clinical status possible according to the level of disease severity. A control tool has been developed based on a cross sectional evaluation of the impact of the disease and a longitudinal evaluation of stability. Low impact is a disease status defined by at least 3 of the following: low levels of dyspnoea, absence of or white sputum, low use of rescue medication and self-declared walking time of more than 30 minutes a day, and stability is the absence of moderate or severe exacerbations in the previous 3 months. Control can also be defined by COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores ≤ 10 units for patients with FEV1 ≥ 50% and 16 for patients with FEV1 < 50% and stability as a change in CAT ≤ 2 units. Control of COPD is then defined as a status of low impact and stability. The control tool has been validated prospectively in several studies and has demonstrated to be sensitive to clinical changes and to have a good predictive value for poor outcomes. Clinical criteria are more reliable than CAT scores for the evaluation of control. The control tool is a quick and inexpensive method to evaluate clinical status and future risk of exacerbations that can be used at all levels of healthcare.
Hemokinin-1 as a Mediator of Arthritis-Related Pain via Direct Activation of Primary Sensory Neurons

The tachykinin hemokinin-1 (HK-1) is involved in immune cell development and inflammation, but little is known about its function in pain. It acts through the NK1 tachykinin receptor, but several effects are mediated by a yet unidentified target. Therefore, we investigated the role and mechanism of action of HK-1 in arthritis models of distinct mechanisms with special emphasis on pain. Arthritis was induced by i.p. K/BxN serum (passive transfer of inflammatory cytokines, autoantibodies), intra-articular mast cell tryptase or Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA, active immunization) in wild type, HK-1- and NK1-deficient mice. Mechanical- and heat hyperalgesia determined by dynamic plantar esthesiometry and increasing temperature hot plate, respectively, swelling measured by plethysmometry or micrometry were significantly reduced in HK-1-deleted, but not NK1-deficient mice in all models. K/BxN serum-induced histopathological changes (day 14) were also decreased, but early myeloperoxidase activity detected by luminescent in vivo imaging increased in HK-1-deleted mice similarly to the CFA model. However, vasodilation and plasma protein extravasation determined by laser Speckle and fluorescent imaging, respectively, were not altered by HK-1 deficiency in any models. HK-1 induced Ca2+-influx in primary sensory neurons, which was also seen in NK1-deficient cells and after pertussis toxin-pretreatment, but not in extracellular Ca2+-free medium. These are the first results showing that HK-1 mediates arthritic pain and cellular, but not vascular inflammatory mechanisms, independently of NK1 activation. HK-1 activates primary sensory neurons presumably via Ca2+ channel-linked receptor. Identifying its target opens new directions to understand joint pain leading to novel therapeutic opportunities.
The Effectiveness of Safe Surfing Intervention Program in Reducing WhatsApp Cyberbullying and Improving Classroom Climate and Student Sense of Class Belonging in Elementary School

Schools have prioritized fighting cyberbullying by implementing intervention programs. Yet few interventions have been studied for their effectiveness in reducing cyberbullying and improving socio-emotional aspects in the classroom. This study reports the results of the Safe Surfing intervention program designed to reduce cyberbullying in WhatsApp classmate discourse. Data were collected in the 2017-2018 school year from 533 students in 25 fourth- to sixth-grade classes (50% females) in six elementary schools in Israel. Two of the schools served as the control group. Results indicated a significant decrease in WhatsApp cyberbullying victimization and a significant improvement of classroom climate and student sense of class belonging in the experiment group. This compared with a significant increase in cyberbullying and a significant decrease in classroom climate and student sense of belonging in the control group. Educational implications are discussed. The findings demonstrate the achievements of the anti-cyberbullying intervention program, alongside the threats of avoiding intervention.
Multi-omics characterization of the osmotic stress resistance and protease activities of the halophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas phenolica in response to salt stress

The halophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas phenolica is well known as a promising candidate that enables the recycling of organic wastes at high salinity. However, for industrial applications of P. phenolica further research is required to explore the biological mechanism for maximizing the activities and productivities of this bacterium. In this study, we investigated the osmotic stress resistance and specific protease activities of P. phenolica in a normal-salt medium (0.3 M NaCl) and high-salt medium (1 M NaCl) based on intra- and extracellular multi-omics approaches. Proteins related to betaine and proline biosynthesis were increased under high salt stress. The targeted metabolite analysis found that proline was overproduced and accumulated outside the cell at high salinity, and betaine was accumulated in the cell by activation of biosynthesis as well as uptake. In addition, extracellular serine proteases were shown to be upregulated in response to salt stress by the extracellular proteomic analysis. The specific proteolytic activity assay indicated that the activities of serine proteases, useful enzymes for the recycling of organic wastes, were increased remarkably under high salt stress. Our results suggest that betaine and proline are key osmoprotectant metabolites of P. phenolica, and they can be used for the improvement of protease production and P. phenolica activities for the recycling of high-salt organic wastes in the future.
Purification and Characterization of Protease Enzyme from Oleander (Nerium oleander) Flowers of Different Colors

ollected from Mugla countryside in June-September period. Protease catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins to peptides and amino acids. It is one of the most important enzyme groups in both industrial and biochemical applications. Using the TPP method, the protease enzyme from oleander flowers (white, pink and red) was obtained in order of high efficiency. Optimum pH and optimum temperature for enzyme, KM and Vmax values for casein substrates were determined. SDS-PAGE was used to control the purity of the protease enzyme purified from oleander flowers. The molecular weight of protease enzyme purified from oleander flowers was determined by gel filtration chromatography to be white oleander 40,537 kea pink oleander 21,386 kDa and 22,516 kDa.
Density Functional Theory (DFT) investigation and molecular docking simulation of 1, 2, 4-Triazole derivatives as potent inhibitors against a receptor (DNA gyrase)

Abstract Time consumed and expenses in discovering and synthesizing new hypothetical drugs with improved biological activity have been a major challenge toward the treatment of multi-drug resistance strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). To solve the above problem, Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) is a recent approach developed to discover a novel drug with a better biological against M. Tuberculosis. The developed model was validated through internal and external validation test. Molecular docking studies was as well carried for all the studied compounds in order to show the interactions and binding modes between the ligand and the receptor (DNA gyrase). The lead compound (compound 3) with higher anti-tubercular activity was observed with prominent binding affinity of -11.8 kcal/mol. Therefore, compound 3 could serve as a template structure to designed compounds with more efficient activities. The outcome of this research is recommended for pharmaceutical and medicinal chemists to design and synthesis more potent compounds with prominent anti-tubercular activities using the model designed in this study.
Détection de flou en temps réel basée sur les motifs binaires locaux

Notre objectif est la détection de flou en temps réel sans référence et sans apprentissage dans des images peu texturées. Cette phase est utile, par exemple, pour la détection de fissures fines qui n’est possible qu’avec une acquisition d’images de qualité suffisante. En effet, une image de mauvaise qualité est difficile à traiter et les détériorations n’ont pas les mêmes conséquences sur les traitements. De manière générale, la phase d’acquisition est la première étape cruciale dans beaucoup de domaines comme la photogrammétrie ou le contrôle de qualité et sa réussite dépend de la qualité des données récoltées. Les acquisitions massives automatiques d’images ne sont pas envisageables si un opérateur humain doit vérifier la qualité de chaque photo. Dans le cas particulier qui nous intéresse ici, celui de la surveillance d’ouvrage d’art, l’effet indésirable le plus contraignant est le flou. Il peut être causé par un mouvement au moment de la prise de photo ou par un effet de mauvaise focalisation (out-of-focus) qui peut survenir très facilement en utilisant une focale fixe qui impose une profondeur de champs réduite. Nous avons élaboré une nouvelle mesure pour la détection de flou sans référence et sans apprentissage, destinée à évaluer en temps réel la qualité d’une image dans un contexte d’images très peu texturées et avec très peu de contraste. Les images de tests sont des images de surfaces de béton issues de la surveillance d’ouvrage d’art. La détection de flou est utilisée pendant l’acquisition et avant la détection de défauts comme les fissures. Nous présentons ici plusieurs méthodes génériques aux problèmes de contrôle qualité des images. Puis nous présenterons notre méthode, dérivée directement du détecteur de fissures FLASH présenté dans [1], afin de réaliser les calculs directement en une seule passe au moment de l’acquisition.
Characteristics of Neisseria Species Colonized in the Human’s Nasopharynx

Context: Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of a life-threatening infection with high mortality and morbidity worldwide. The most common types of this bacterium are serogroups A, B, C, W135, X, and Y. Although in some countries, such as Iran, the meningococcal meningitis has been well monitored and controlled by the use of divalent and quadrivalent vaccines, other fatal infections caused by these bacteria are still an important threat. For the above reason, this review focused on the differences of Neisseria characteristics, particularly in capsular composition, pathogenic and commensal stages to a better understanding of how to manage Neisseria infections. Evidence Acquisition: In this review, PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for English-language publications on pathogenic or commensal strains of Neisseria, meningococcal disease, Neisseria biology, genetic diversity, molecular typing, serogroups, diagnostic, and epidemiology around the world up to July 2019. All articles and academic reports in the defined area of this research were considered too. The data were extracted and descriptively discussed. Results: We included 85 studies in the survey. The data analysis revealed that the distribution of meningococcal serogroups was different regionally. For example, the serogroups C and W-135 accounted for Africa and Latin America regions, serogroup B in the European countries, and rarely in the Western Pacific, and serogroups A and C were dominant in Asian countries. Although data set for laboratory-based diagnosis of N. meningitidis are available for all countries, only 30% of the countries rely on reference laboratories for serogroup determination, and more than half of the countries lack the ability of surveillance system. Nevertheless, molecular detection procedure is also available for all countries. The use of the meningococcal vaccine is a variable country by country, but most countries have applied the meningococcal vaccine, either divalent or quadrivalent, for the protection of high-risk groups. Conclusions: Owing to the geographical distribution of N. meningitidis serogroups in circulating, each country has to monitor for changes in serogroups diversity and its control management. Furthermore, laboratories should scale up the epidemiology and disease burden. It should be mentioned that quadrivalent meningococcal vaccines reduce the meningococcal disease burden sharply.
Hamiltonian-Jacobi Treatment of Damped Harmonic Oscillator Based on Employing the Method of Dual Coordinates

Hamiltonian-Jacobi Treatment of Damped Harmonic Oscillator Based on Employing the Method of Dual Coordinates Mohammad A. Al-Btoush* Amal F. Al-Maaitah Khaled I. Nawafleh Abstract In this paper, we provide the canonical approach for studying the damped harmonic oscillator based on the doubling of degrees of freedom approach. Explicit expressions for Lagrangians of the elementary modes of the problem and characterising both forward and backward time propagations are given. A Hamiltonian analysis showing the equivalence with the Lagrangian approach is also done. To this end, the techniques of separation of variables were applied. Keywords: Doubling of degrees of freedom; Dissipated harmonic oscillator; Hamilton-Jacobi; Time-independent Lagrangians.
Terrestrial support of zooplankton biomass in northern rivers

The contribution of terrestrially derived carbon to micro‐crustacean zooplankton biomass (i.e., allochthony) has been previously studied in lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries, but little is known about zooplankton allochthony in rivers. In lacustrine environments, allochthony is regulated by distinct selective feeding behavior of different taxa. However, we hypothesized that restricted possibility for selective grazing in turbulent environments such as rivers would decouple zooplankton from specific microbial and algal food resources, such that their allochthony would mirror the terrestrial contribution to the surrounding bulk particle pool. We tested this idea by analyzing allochthony in 13 widely distributed Swedish rivers, using a dual‐isotope mixing model. Zooplankton biomasses were generally low, and allochthony in different micro‐crustacean groups (Cladocera, Cyclopoida, Calanoida) varied from 2% to 77%. As predicted, there were no correlations between allochthony and variables indicating the supply of algal and microbial food resources, such as chlorophyll a and bacterial production. Instead, the allochthony was generally similar to the share allochthonous contribution in bulk particulate organic matter, with relationships close to the 1 : 1 line. The zooplankton community allochthony was strongly regulated by the ecosystem metabolic balance between production and respiration, which in turn was dependent upon the ratio between total autochthonous organic carbon concentrations and water color. Our study for the first time shows that micro‐crustacean allochthony is regulated differently in rivers compared to in lacustrine systems, and points to inefficient support of zooplankton biomass by algal resources in turbulent waters.
Influence of Brand Image of a Sports Event on the Recommendation of Its Participants

The aim of this research is to test the psychometric properties and relationships of a model where, from brand congruence of a sport event, trust and commitment to it can be generated, influencing future behavior of participants and resulting in a higher recommendation also called Word of Mouth (hereinafter WOM). A quantitative approach has been carried out by means of a validated questionnaire with Likert-type responses, and data were analyzed with the EQS 6.4 software. The findings indicated that the model is adequate, and also confirm that from congruence, we can explain, at a theoretical level, 45% of trust, and in the same way, from the congruence and trust, we can explain 67% of the commitment with the brand. Finally, it is confirmed that trust and brand commitment significantly influence WOM, predicting it up to 51%. These conclusions provide implications to managers, to guide their marketing strategies more effectively and to know what is important to achieve the desired behaviors, which will favor the sustainability of the event and the generation of positive impacts in the host location. This research also provides original information in a context such as sporting events where the study of brand image is practically non-existent.
Plant The Future using Deep Learning

- Trees restore our air supply by producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide. The amount of oxygen generated by an acre of trees annually equals the amount of oxygen consumed by 18 people over the year. In cities, the majority of trees are being cut down for the construction of roads and bridges. The vehicle traffic is the root cause for these constructions. As we observe the traffic density of any area in a country is increasing continuously. This continuous growth demands more and more roads and Fly-overs for easier and faster transportation. But these constructions, in turn, demand the cutting down of roadside and/or nearby trees. As we know “Deforestation is the root cause of all the pollution”. In these cases, the cutting down of trees becomes mandatory. The roadside trees are most vulnerable to getting cut-down. This aim is used to predict the probability of roadside trees going to be cut down for the construction of roads and flyovers in a given area in the given time-period. The idea is divided into 3 stages. 1. Predicting the traffic density of a given area using Machine Learning techniques. 2. Getting the satellite images of the related area to find the number of trees going to cut down and the amount of oxygen produced by those trees. 3. Finding the suitable empty(government) / nonempty(private) land(s) using Deep Learning to plant the tree saplings suitable for that region. From this, we can plant the number of trees which are going to cut down in the next couple of years so that when they are finally cut down, the oxygen levels can be maintained by the already planted young trees.