Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of altered kinesthesia about the knee following increased skin temperature

EVIDENCE OF ALTERED KINESTHESIA ABOUT THE KNE FOLLOWING INCREASED SKIN TEMPERATURE Meghan Lamers Advisor: University of Guelph, 2018 Dr. Leah R. Bent Introduction: Skin information does contribute to knee joint position sense (Collins et al., 2005; Edin, 2001). It remains unclear if increased skin temperature can affect dynamic joint position sense (DJPS) about the knee. Purpose: To determine how increased skin temperature can affect knee DJPS. Method: Participants (n=11; F= 6) were seated in a HUMAC NORM dynamometer (CSMi Medical Solutions, Stoughton, MA). Participants pressed a trigger when they perceived their left knee reached a 90 angle. Five extension and five flexion trials were performed at baseline (28.74 ± 2.43 C). Skin temperature was increased (38.05 ± 0.16 C) and the protocol was repeated. Directional error (DE), absolute error (AE) and precision absolute error (PAE) were calculated. Results: Increasing knee-skin temperature improved extension AE (p= 0.032). Discussion: Information from muscle spindles may be preferentially weighted over information from cutaneous afferents during knee extension. Conclusion: Increased knee-skin temperature improves DJPS during knee extension.
An integral predictive / nonlinear H ∞ control structure for a quadrotor helicopter

This paper presents an integral predictive andnonlinear robust control strategy to solve the path following problem for a quadrotor helicopter. The dynamic motion equations are obtained by the Lagrange–Euler formalism. The proposed control structure is a hierarchical scheme consisting of a model predictive controller (mpc) to track the reference trajectory together with a nonlinear H∞ controller to stabilize the rotational movements. In both controllers the integral of the position error is considered, allowing the achievement of a null steady-state error when sustained disturbances are acting on the system. Simulation results in the presence of aerodynamic disturbances, parametric and structural uncertainties are presented to corroborate the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed strategy. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Does inflation impact on financial performance in the MENA region ?

This study gives some issues concerning the relationship between inflation and the financial sector performances for some MENA region countries. The negative association is confirmed through the estimation of a dynamic panel model using the GMM methodology. On the other hand, a threshold effect is also identified in order to show that negative effect of inflation on financial sector becomes effective once the rate of inflation exceeds some threshold.
Molecular Breeding Development of molecular markers tightly linked to Pvr 4 gene in pepper using next generation sequencing

Abstract: It is imperative to identify highly polymorphic and tightly linked markers of a known trait for molecular marker assisted selection (MAS). Potyvirus resistance 4 (Pvr4) locus in pepper confers resistance to three pathotypes of Potato Virus Y (PVY) and to pepper mottle virus (PepMoV). We describe the use of next generation sequencing technology to generate molecular markers tightly linked to Pvr4. Initially, comparative genomics was carried out and a syntenic region of tomato on chromosome ten was used to generate PCR-based markers and map Pvr4. Subsequently, the genomic sequence of pepper was used and more than 5000 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were identified within the interval. In addition, we identified nucleotide-binding siteleucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) type disease resistance genes within the interval. Several of these SNVs were converted to molecular markers desirable for large-scale molecular breeding programmes.
Optimal Tasks Assignment for Multiple Heterogeneous Processors with Dynamic Re-assignment

: Distributed Computing System [DCS] has attracted several researchers by posing several challenging problems. In this paper we have developed a mathematical model for allocating “M” tasks of distributed program to “N” multiple processors (M>N) that minimizes the total cost of the program. Relocating the tasks from one processor to another at certain points during the course of execution of the program that contributes to the total cost of the running program has been taken into account. Most of the researchers have considered the cost for relocating the task from one processor to another processor at the end of the phase as a constant. But in real life situations the reallocating cost of the tasks may very processor to processor this is due to the execution efficiency of the processors. Phase-wise execution cost [EC], inter task communication cost [ITCT], residence cost [RC] of each task on different processors and relocation cost [REC] for each task have been considered while preparing a dynamic tasks allocation model.
Genetic analysis of a recently detected urban population of Lutzomyia evansi (Diptera: Psychodidae)in Colombia

Lutzomyia evansi (Nunez-Tovar) is the vector of the parasite Leishmania infantum in rural zones of Northern Colombia. An attempt was made to determine the origin of a recently detected urban population of Lutzomyia evansi by genetically characterizing specimens from seven geographically distinct localities in the Colombian Caribbean. Insect specimens were collected in rural and urban environments of areas endemic for visceral leishmaniasis or free of the disease. Nine polymorphic sites, nine nucleotide haplotypes and a single aminoacid haplotype were found within the 315 bp fragment sequenced, corresponding to the 3' end of the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene. Paired genetic distances between the haplotypes, estimated with the Kimura two-parameters model, varied from 0,0032-0,0194. Analysis revealed low genetic variability between specimens from urban and rural localities. Several of the sand flies collected in the city of Sincelejo (department of Sucre), where autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis cases have appeared in recent years, were genetically similar to those of a rural focus of the disease (El Contento, on the neighboring department of Cordoba). The epidemiological implications of this finding for Leishmania infantum transmission in the Colombian Caribbean are discussed
Carabus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages of native forests and non-native plantations in Northern China

Yu,X. -D. ,Luo,T. -H.Z C. manifestus peaked in thelarchplantation,andC.sculptipennisintheoakforest. MeasuredbyPcoAusingBray-Curtisindexofdissimilarity,speciescompositionofthelarchplantation was different from the two native forests, but overlapped remarkably with them. Allthethreeabundantspeciesshowedasimilarpositiverelationshipbetweenlocal distribution and abundance. Captures of abundant species were clumped within the forest, but the extent of aggregation among forests was different. Monthly catches of total Carabus ,a ndC. crassesculptus alone, peaked in June– August in all the three forests, butC. manifestuspeaked in June and again in August.Ourresultssuggestthattheplantingofnon-nativelarchdoesnothaveadetrimentaleffectonCarabusassemblagesingeneral, butitchangesthespatialdistribution and abundance compared to the native forests.
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PRESERVICE TEACHERS' EFFORTS TO MAKE SENSE OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S SEXUAL ACTS TOWARDS ADULTS

This study explored Turkish early childhood education teacher candidates' efforts to make sense of sexual behaviors of both young girls and boys towards them or their colleagues during their field experience or in their daily experiences with young children. Semi-structred interviews with 13 female teacher candidates revealed that their perception of young children as "innocent beings," their education that emphasize teachers' responsibility to cultivate curiosity in children, and their position in the hegemonic heterosexual world make these teacher candidates to avoid naming sexual acts of young children as harassment; blame their friends who were the target of those acts; tend to find other explanations for children's sexual acts rather than seeing children as sexual beings; and see sexual harassment as something women actually can enjoy.
Pricing under rough volatility

From an analysis of the time series of realized variance using recent high-frequency data, Gatheral et al. [Volatility is rough, 2014] previously showed that the logarithm of realized variance behaves essentially as a fractional Brownian motion with Hurst exponent H of order 0.1, at any reasonable timescale. The resulting Rough Fractional Stochastic Volatility (RFSV) model is remarkably consistent with financial time series data. We now show how the RFSV model can be used to price claims on both the underlying and integrated variance. We analyse in detail a simple case of this model, the rBergomi model. In particular, we find that the rBergomi model fits the SPX volatility markedly better than conventional Markovian stochastic volatility models, and with fewer parameters. Finally, we show that actual SPX variance swap curves seem to be consistent with model forecasts, with particular dramatic examples from the weekend of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the Flash Crash.
Predicting the Oligomeric States of Fluorescent Proteins

Currently, monomeric fluorescent proteins (FP) are ideal markers for protein tagging. The prediction of oligomeric states is helpful for enhancing live biomedical imaging. Computational prediction of FP oligomeric states can accelerate the effort of protein engineering to create monomeric FPs by saving time and money. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first computational model for predicting and analyzing FP oligomerization directly from their amino acid sequences. An exhaustive dataset consisting of 397 unique FP oligomeric states was compiled from the literature. FP were described by 3 classes of protein descriptors including amino acid composition, dipeptide composition and physicochemical properties. The oligomeric states of FP was predicted using decision tree (DT) algorithm and results demonstrated that DT provided robust performance with accuracies in ranges of 79.97-81.72% and 80.76-82.63% for the internal (e.g. 10-fold cross-validation) and external sets, respectively. This approach was also benchmarked with other common machine learning algorithms such as artificial neural network, support vector machine and random forest. A thorough analysis of amino acid sequence features was conducted to provide informative insights into FP oligomerization, which may aid in engineering novel monomeric fluorescent proteins. The following differentiating characteristics of monomeric and oligomeric fluorescent proteins were derived from DT: (i) substitution of any amino acid to Glu led to the reduction of aggregated proteins and (ii) oligomerization of FP appears to be stabilized by several hydrophobic contacts. Datasets and R source code are available at http://dx.doi. org/10.6084/m9.figshare. 1348575.
Dictionary-based output-space dimensionality reduction

In this paper we propose a method for output dimensionality reduction based on dictionary learning. Our final goal is the prediction of complete time series from standard input vectorial data. To do so we formulate a single learning problem which on the one hand learns a new representation of the output space, using dictionary learning, and reduces its dimension, while on the other hand learns to predict from the input data the new output representation, using standard multi-output regression. As a result the choice the new representation is informed by the prediction error, and the regression model by the reconstruction error. We provide preliminary experiments which demonstrate the potential of our approach and discuss its limitations.
GENERATION OF CDNA CLONES FROM TRICOMES SPECIFIC CDNA LIBRARY OF MENTHA ARVENSIS

Partial sequencing of the cDNA clones together with homology search in sequence databases related the function of a specific EST isolated. Tissue specific cDNA library from glandular trichome of Mentha arvensis generated expressed sequence tags, which showed homology to the genes involved in the metabolic pathway and essential oil biosynthesis. One of the ESTs showed homology to a functional enzyme isopiperitenone reductase [Mentha x piperita] this enzyme is responsible for the conversion of (+) isopiperitenone into (+) cis isopulegone ,another enzyme (-) menthone reductase [Mentha x piperita] that is responsible for the conversion of (+) pullegone into (+)Menthofuran and menthol dehydrogenase [Mentha x piperita] converted menthone into menthol in the
Non-negative Tensor Factorization for Speech Enhancement

This paper proposes an algorithm for speech enhancement by non-negative tensor factorisation. We group adjacent time-frequency matrices in the spectrograms together to form a tensor as a basic input in our algorithm. The non-negative tensor factorisation is followed to perform sound source separation between speeches and noises. The proposed strategy benefits from both short time spectral analysis and long term information. From the consideration of auditory theory and linguistics, the latter preserves the temporal dynamics information and intrinsic structure of speech, which are important for the continuity and integrity of hearing. We collected several types of real-life noises and conducted experiments on the TIMIT database. Experimental results demonstrated that the segmental signal to noise ratio (SSNR) and the perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) were significantly improved respectively. Keywords-non-negative tensor factorization (NTF); speech enhancement; sound source separation
Virulence profiles of clinical and environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from Central Morocco

The pathogenic potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa comes from the expression of many secreted and cell surface virulence factors, and its biofilm formation. This study aimed to investigate and compare the virulence profiles of 123 clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolated in Meknes (Morocco). Using suitable culture media, phenotypic screening evaluated the production of β-haemolysin, caseinase, lipase, lecithinase, pyocyanin and pyoverdin, as well as the ability to swim, swarm and twitch. Biofilm formation kinetics was assessed using microtiter test plates. Data analysis was performed using Statistic Package of the Social Science software (version 21.0). High percentages of strains expressed caseinase (99.2%), β-heamolysin (95.1%), lipase (100%) and lecithinase (100%). 95.9% of isolates produced either pigment. All strains were able to swim, warm and twitch, at different levels. All strains were biofilm producers, and the evolution of adherent biomass over time varies greatly from strain to strain. Significant positive correlations were observed between proteolytic and hemolytic activities; biofilm formation and twitching; as well as swimming, swarming and twitching motilities. Twitching and swimming were significantly higher in environmental strains, which were also quickly adhered and formed denser biofilms. Clinical strains showing significantly higher proteolytic activity were isolated from cardiology ward, and those with higher twitching and denser biofilm were from the thoracic service. Inpatient strains were significantly earlier producer of denser biofilm than outpatient ones. P. aeruginosa strains tested have a collection of virulence markers required to cause disease in different tissues. Such bacteria present a serious therapeutic challenge for treatment of both community-acquired and nosocomial infections. Key words: Biofilm, clinical, environmental, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, virulence factors.
Hybrid Seiberg-Witten map, its θ-exact expansion, and the antifield formalism

We deduce an evolution equation for an arbitrary hybrid Seiberg-Witten map for compact gauge groups by using the antifield formalism. We show how this evolution equation can be used to obtain the hybrid Seiberg-Witten map as an expansion, which is θ-exact, in the number of ordinary fields. We compute explicitly this expansion up to order three in the number of ordinary gauge fields and then particularize it to case of the Higgs of the noncommutative standard model.
Hedge Fund Return Predictability Under the Magnifying Glass

Abstract This paper develops a unified approach to comprehensively analyze individual hedge fund return predictability, both in and out of sample. In sample, we find that variation in hedge fund performance across changing market conditions is widespread and economically significant. The predictability pattern is consistent with economic rationale, and largely reflects differences in key hedge fund characteristics, such as leverage or capacity constraints. Out of sample, we show that a simple strategy that combines the funds’ return forecasts obtained from individual predictors delivers superior performance. We exploit this simplicity to highlight the drivers of this performance, and find that in- and out-of-sample predictability are closely related.
PHYLOGENETIC AND STRUCTURAL SCRUTINY OF matK GENE FROM WHEAT REPRESENTING POACEAE FAMILY FOR DNA BARCODING

A Maturase-encoding gene (matK) is located within the intron of the chloroplast trnK gene of wheat and rice. It is highly conserved in plant systematic having ~1500bp length. It is known to be involved in Group II intron splicing. In the present study, phylogenetic tree and motifs were determined to identify the ideal regions that could b e used for defining inter and intra-family relationships among matK. Intra-family gene sequences of 21 species for Poaceae family and inter -family gene sequences of 17 important families have been analysed to determine relationships on the basis of matK. The scrutiny was performed by MEME, ClustalW and MEGA5. It determine motifs, variants, parsimony site, patterns, transition/ transversion rates and phylogeny for the above two datasets. The protein sequences of Triticum aestivumand Oryza sativa representing Poaceae were retrieved from UniProt database to determine secondary and tertiary structure furthermore representing the comparative analysis using MODELLER 9.10, PHYRE2, MUSTER, LOMETS, and PHYMOL. Results indicate that while in the intra -family (among Poaceae members) there is polyphylogeny whereas in the inter-family there subsist a phylogeny. It is suggested that the matK gene can be a good candidate for DNA barcoding for Poaceae plant family.
The Effect Of Capital Movements Liberalisation On EconomicalDevelopment: Boundary Test Approach

In this study, liberalization of capital movements‘ impact on economic growth in Turkey has been investigated by the approach of the bounds testing. According to the empirical findings of study, in both long and short-term, capital movements impact on economic growth is statistically insignificant. This result is far from meeting our theoretical expectations.
Acute-phase CD 4 + T-cell proliferation and CD 152 upregulation predict setpoint virus replication in vaccinated simian – human immunodeficiency virus strain 89 . 6 p-infected macaques

Received 1 August 2008 Accepted 4 December 2008 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in humans and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in macaques are accompanied by a combined early loss of CCR5 (CD195)-expressing CD4 memory T cells, loss of T-helper function and T-cell hyperactivation, which have all been associated with development of high virus load and disease progression. Here, a cohort of vaccinated simian–human immunodeficiency virus strain 89.6p (SHIV89.6p)-infected rhesus macaques, where preferential depletion of these memory T-cell subsets does not take place and CD4 T cells are relatively well maintained, was used to study the role of hyperactivation as an independent factor in the establishment of set-point virus load. In the acute phase of the infection, a transient loss of CD4 T cells, as well as strong increases in expression of proliferation and activation markers on CD4 and CD8 T cells, together with CD152 expression on CD4 T cells, were observed. Peak expression levels of these markers on CD4 T cells, but not on CD8 T cells, were correlated with high virus replication in the chronic phase of the infection. In addition, the peak expression level of these markers was correlated inversely with acute-phase, but not chronic-phase, HIV/SIV-specific gamma interferon responses. These data highlight a central role for an acute but transient CD4 decrease, as well as CD4 T-cell activation, as independent factors for prediction of set-point levels of virus replication.
The Impact of Microfinance in Rural Households in the Western Region of Ghana

In spite of the growth of microfinance programs by both governmental and non-governmental organizations currently going on in the rural areas of Ghana, there has been little attempt to assess the impact of microfinance at the rural household level. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of microfinance on households of women living in the rural communities of Western Region of Ghana. Specifically, the impact assessment was based on the effect of microfinance on: the accumulation of basic household assets such as radio and furniture, female autonomy which can be referred to as female empowerment, and the number of children women have. Data were collected from 384 rural households in the Western Region of Ghana. Using t-test and multiple regression analysis, it was found that microfinance participation increases female autonomy, increases number of household possessions and not contribute directly to reduced family size. The study recommends the continuation and expansion of the provision of microfinance to the women in the Region as it will facilitate the development in the lives of the village women as well as their households.
An Improved Object CNN Method for Classification of High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

Land cover and land use (LULC) classification of very fine spatial resolution remote sensing images is a challenging task. Though the object-based convolutional neural network (OCNN) has proven to be an effective method for LULC classification, it still has some shortcomings. For example, it is difficult to achieve a well-segmented result with few parameter adjustments. Besides, the traditional convolutional neural network (CNN) is hard to make full use of the spectral information in the remote sensing images. To this end, we propose an improved LULC classification method. Specifically, an adaptive segmentation algorithm is used to automatically adjust segmentation parameters to achieve the best-segmented results. Due to the different areas and shapes in segmented units, a unique sample extraction method is proposed to better extract representative samples. For better classification, a new CNN model is also constructed to fully use spectral information. The proposed method has been validated on two real remote sensing images and achieved excellent classification performance.
Molecular identification of some turfgrass cultivars and their resistance to Fusarium graminearum

Ten turfgrass cultivars (three cultivars of bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ) hybrids, Common bermudagrass, Paspalum, SaintAugustine, El-Toro ( Zoysia japonica ), Korean Velvetgrass ( Zoysia tenuifolia ), SI 2000, and Mahar cultivar were investigated using ISSR fingerprinting as genetic marker to assess genetic diversity. Analysis of the six ISSR primers among the turfgrass cultivars in this study generated 51 bands. Over 96% (49 bands) were found to be polymorphic in the turfgrass cultivars. The genetic similarity coefficients among all turfgrasses ranged from 0.43 to 0.88. The dendogram constructed with UPGMA analysis revealed two main clusters. Also, SCAR marker was performed on DNA extracts of rhizome of turfgrass cultivars for detection of the fungus F. graminearum . St. Augustine and Mahar cultivars were the most susceptible cultivars to infection F. graminearum , whereas the other turfgrass cultivars were resistant cultivars.