Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal sequencing of design projects' activities using discrete particle swarm optimisation

The design structure matrix (DSM) has received considerable attention in literature as a tool that provides a compact and clear representation of activities and the relationships among these activities in product development projects. As much of the time and cost of such projects is attributable to its iterative nature, determining the optimal sequence of project activities for efficient execution becomes a necessity. This paper presents a discrete particle swarm optimisation (DPSO) algorithm that determines the optimal sequence of activities execution within a product development or a design project that minimises project total iterative time. Algorithm performance was compared with published results and outperformed used methods. It was also used to minimise three other objective functions: iterative time/cost, number of feedbacks and total feedback length.
Molecular Docking and 3D QSAR Studies of Chk2 Inhibitors

Isothiazole‐carboxamidines are potent ATP competitive checkpoint kinases (Chk2) inhibitors. Three‐dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship models were developed using comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis. The study was performed using three different geometrical methods. In geometrical method‐1, molecules were fully optimized by PM3 Hamiltonian and aligned using common substructure. This alignment was subsequently used for Ligand‐based comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis. In receptor‐guided analyses, the receptor coordinates were obtained from public domine (PDB 2cn8). The molecule‐7 was docked into receptor protein using FlexX and two plausible binding modes were identified. These modes were used as templates for geometrical method‐2 and 3. These methods were used for 3D QSAR. The geometrical method‐3‐based comparative molecular field analysis (q 2 = 0.75, r 2 = 0.87 and r 2predict = 0.81) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (q 2 = 0.90, r 2 = 0.96 and r 2predict = 0.75) gave better result. The steric, hydrophobic and hydrogen bond donor fields effects significantly contribute to activity. In this way, the receptor‐guided study presents a more detailed understanding about chk2 active site interactions. The study indicated some modifications to the active molecule which might be valuable to improve the activity.
Mercury methylation and hydrogen sulfide production among unexpected strains isolated from periphyton of two macrophytes of the Amazon.

The periphyton of macrophytes had previously been identified as important spots for mercury methylation in the Amazon basin, but the microorganisms that facilitate methylation in such compartment are still to be identified. Here, bacteria were isolated from periphyton associated with Eichhornia crassipes and Polygonum densiflorum in Widdel and Pfennig medium and tested for mercury methylation with a stable isotope tracer technique using (198)HgCl, hydrogen sulfide production and molybdate inhibition. Three Pleomorphomona spp. , one unidentified Deltaproteobacteria, two Klebsiella spp. , and one Tolumonas sp. were isolated. All except Tolumonas sp. were able to methylate mercury (up to 5% of the (198)HgCl added) and produce up to 4 mM of H(2)S, while the Deltaproteobacteria was also able to demethylate methylmercury. Although these bacteria may not be as strong mercury methylators as sulfate-reducing bacteria, they have the potential to contribute to methylmercury accumulation in the system.
Competitive release leads to range expansion and rampant speciation in malagasy dung beetles.

Competition is often thought to promote ecological diversification and thereby to facilitate the coexistence of competitors during evolutionary radiations. At large spatial scales, species may also coexist by having allopatric distributions, which raises the question about the role of range expansion in the proliferation of species during radiations. Here, we integrate a well-sampled (50 out of 74 species) and timed phylogeny of Nanos and Apotolamprus dung beetles (Canthonini) in Madagascar with data on species' geographical ranges, abundances, and body sizes. There is an overall decline in lineage accumulation through time since the colonization of northern Madagascar in the mid Miocene (24-13 Ma). A clade of 24 extant Nanos species (clade L) originating 6.0 Ma exhibits an increase in speciation rate, which is associated with a significant increase in body size and strikingly allopatric distributions of the species. Large body size typically confers a competitive advantage in dung beetles, which is here reflected by strong numerical dominance of clade L species in local communities. We suggest that the "key innovation" of large body size has allowed range expansion due to competitive release, which has created extensive opportunities for allopatric speciation and differentiation along environmental gradients. Most theories to explain diversification patterns in Madagascar rely on allopatric modes of speciation, but they fail to explain how ancestral species became widespread in the first place. The mechanism proposed here, involving range expansion following competitive release via a "key innovation", may have operated in other Malagasy taxa with large numbers of species with small geographic ranges. [biodiversity hotspot; competition; Madagascar; microendemism; radiation. ].
Stenting of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection From a Pathological Point of View.

A 32-year-old female recently postpartum was admitted with chest pain and shortness of breath. She was diagnosed with acute inferior myocardial infarction and taken to catheterization laboratory in cardiogenic shock. The proximal right coronary artery was occluded, and an everolimus-eluting stent (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA) was implanted successfully. Left coronary angiography showed 50% stenosis of proximal left anterior descending (LAD) and total occlusion of left circumflex. The patient remained in cardiogenic shock despite insertion of an intra-aortic balloon pump and temporary pacemaker and died after cardiac arrest. At autopsy (Figure [A]), coronary arteries showed no gross atherosclerosis, but diffuse coronary artery dissections, involving left main, LAD, left circumflex, and right coronary artery. The stent was implanted in the true lumen (TL, Figure [A3 through A5]), though it was not well expanded and the underlying dissection was still observed. The dissection in the right coronary artery extended both proximally and distally, but severe narrowing was only observed in the distal right …
New Insights into the Catalytic Activation of the MAPK Phosphatase PAC-1 Induced by its Substrate MAPK ERK 2 Binding

0022-2836/$ see front matter q 2005 E Abbreviations used: ERK, extrace regulated kinase; GST, glutathionec-Jun NH2-terminal kinase; KIM, kin MAP, mitogenactivated protein; M activated protein kinase; MKP, MA p-NPP, p-nitrophenyl phosphate; pT pY, phosphotyrosine. E-mail address of the correspond ming-ming.zhou@mssm.edu PAC-1 is an inducible, nuclear-specific, dual-specificity mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphatase that has been shown recently to be a transcription target of the human tumor-suppressor protein p53 in signaling apoptosis and growth suppression. However, its substrate specificity and regulation of catalytic activity thus far remain elusive. Here, we report in vitro characterization of PAC-1 phosphatase activity with three distinct MAP kinase subfamilies. We show that the recombinant PAC-1 exists in a virtually inactive state when alone in vitro, and dephosphorylates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) but not p38a or c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 2 (JNK2). ERK2 dephosphorylation by PAC-1 requires association of its amino-terminal domain with ERK2 that results in catalytic activation of the phosphatase. p38a also interacts with but does not activate PAC-1, whereas JNK2 does not bind to or cause catalytic activation by PAC-1. Moreover, our structure-based analysis reveals that individual mutation of the conserved Arg294 and Arg295 that likely comprise the phosphothreonine-binding pocket in PAC-1 to either alanine or lysine results in a nearly complete loss of its phosphatase activity even in the presence of ERK2. These results suggest that Arg294 and Arg295 play an important role in PAC-1 catalytic activation induced by ERK2 binding. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Draft Genome Sequence of mc251, a Highly Hydrogen Peroxide-Resistant Mycobacterium smegmatis Mutant Strain

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis-like Mycobacterium smegmatis mutant strain, mc251, compared to that of wild-type strain M. smegmatis mc2155. The draft genome sequence comprises 6,823,739 bp, revealing 6,569 coding DNA sequences (CDSs) and 50 RNA genes (4 rRNA genes and 46 tRNA genes).
Author ' s personal copy No one listens to me , nobody believes me : Self management and the experience of living with encephalitis q

Over the past twenty years, there has been considerable interest in individuals’ experience of chronic illness. In addition to the more established concerns of medical sociology, recent policy reflects an interest in how individuals manage their condition. Using material from qualitative interviews with 23 individuals carried out in the United Kingdom, this paper examines a person’s experience following encephalitis, as a way of exploring the potential value of current policy initiatives associated with selfmanagement. Our findings suggest that individuals’ illness experiences become embedded in conditional acceptance derived from and sustained through their social relationships. This raises a fundamental policy tension: is the purpose of current self-management strategies to help individuals cope better with illness or with the context in which their illness experience is realised? We conclude that policy needs to question how it ‘imagines’ long-standing conditions, without recourse to generalised notions of coping and adjustment. This, in turn, means adapting a less instrumental and more contextualised approach to
Towards a More Secure Internet

Lack of widely available Internet security has discouraged some commercial users. The author describes efforts to make cryptographic security more widely available and looks at efforts to secure the Internet infrastructure. Security capabilities must continue to evolve to meet increasingly sophisticated threats. The Internet community is now more aware of the importance of security. This awareness, coupled with new technology, should produce a much more secure Internet that is appropriate for widespread commercial use.
Television Transient Response Computations Using A New Simulation Program

Quantitative analysis of the time-domain response of vestigial sideband television has not been possible through mathematical modeling, since no closed form solution for such a system is known to exist. Experimentation with physical systems is cumbersome and time consuming and generally does not permit accurate evaluation of the effect of individual parameter variations. This paper describes modeling by a new computer program, which does permit quantitative analysis of the time-domain response, of a vestigial sideband television system with a high degree of accuracy.
Measuring Hiring Discrimination – A History of Field Experiments in Discrimination Research

Ethnic and racial discrimination in the hiring process is a common and documented problem. Scientists from different backgrounds and numerous countries have tried to measure the extent of this form of discrimination, mostly by using field experiments such as audit or correspondence tests. This paper will provide an overview of the literature on measuring discrimination in more general terms as well as reviewing the studies already conducted that focus on ethnic or racial discrimination in hiring. It will focus on how discrimination is defined in different disciplines, on the historical political context in which field experiments have emerged once anti-discrimination legislation was adopted in the US and the UK and how the technique was developed further over time. Methodological issues such as the difference between audit (i.e. in-person) and correspondence test (i.e. CV-based) will be addressed as well as the ethical and legal stumbling blocks researchers can encounter when conducting field experiments. It will be shown that today’s field experiments not only cover a wider group of countries, professions or minority groups, but also increasingly add more variables to the testing. Despite this variety in the research designs, this paper concludes that certain trends can be observed in all tests and that discrimination in hiring can be found in all countries where field experiments were conducted.
Non-linear optical properties and absolute structure of metastable 4-methyl benzophenone

Abstract Metastable 4-methyl benzophenone (4-MBP, C14H12O) crystallizes in the polar (pyroelectric) and enantiomorphic space groups (SG) P31 and P32. The optical rotation tensor has been measured for 670 nm and the material was tested for evidence of phase-matchability. The absolute structure was determined via three-beam diffraction, showing that the structural right-hand screw 31 is combined with positive (right-handed, i.e. clockwise when looking towards the light source) optical rotation, for both tensor components ρ11 = ρ22 = 26(5)°/mm, ρ33 = 8.3(5)°/mm (contrary to low-quartz which shows negative optical rotation for ρ33 and positive rotation for ρ11 in right-hand SG P312). The non-linear optical tensors for optical rotation, d-coefficients, electro-optic effect and electrogyration have been calculated using a set of electronic polarizabilities as input parameters for a dipole-dipole interaction model that reproduces the experimental refractive indices and optical rotation. Unusually high polarizability volumes are needed for hydrogen atom bonding to aromatic carbons in order to model the optical tensors. The non-linear optical coefficients are of medium size.
Development of Murine Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Defined by Increased Expression of an Inhibitory NK Receptor, Ly49Q1

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are defined in mice by a unique combination of markers: CD11c, B220, and Ly6C/G. We have reported previously that PDCs express Ly49Q, a lectin-type killer cell inhibitory receptor. We now find that different expression levels of Ly49Q define sequential developmental stages of PDCs in bone marrow. Although PDCs in spleen and lymph nodes express high levels of Ly49Q, a significant portion of CD11c+B220+ PDCs in bone marrow lack Ly49Q, as well as the CD4 and MHC II. Purified Ly49Q− marrow PDCs spontaneously up-regulate Ly49Q after overnight culture without cell proliferation and acquire most features of typical PDCs in spleen. When exposed to TLR ligands, such as CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide and hemagglutinating virus of Japan (Sendai virus), Ly49Q− PDCs increase CD86 and MHC class II expression but produce less IFN-αβ, IL-6, and IL-12p70 than Ly49Q+ PDCs, although they are able to produce comparable amounts of TNF-α. However, interestingly, Ly49Q− PDCs do not produce TNF-α in response to the TLR2 ligand, Pam3SCK4, whereas Ly49Q+ PDCs did. Therefore, Ly49Q is a new marker to identify a precursor form of PDCs that participates in innate immunity.
Application of the MmCn-BBO algorithms to the optimization of antenna problems

In this paper some results on the analysis of a recently introduced family of optimization algorithms, named MmCn-BBO are presented. The algorithms have been generated starting from the Biogeography Based Optimization (BBO) algorithm, introducing new features aimed to improve the convergence and the reliability of the methods. Here, MmCn-BBO is applied to the optimization of antenna problems: the results show the efficiency of the proposed schemes, that in all the considered cases outperform standard BBO.
Characteristics of misreporters of dietary intake and physical activity

Abstract Objective To characterise misreporters of energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE). Design Cross-sectional study, using a validated position and motion instrument, ActiReg®, as the reference method to study misreporters of EI and of EE. EI was measured using a dietary record and EE using a physical activity questionnaire (PAQ). Misreporters were defined as subjects outside the 95% confidence limits of agreement between EI or EE reported/EE measured. Setting Free-living Danish volunteers. Subjects One hundred and thirty-eight volunteers aged between 20 and 59 years. Results Body mass index, smoking, ‘try to eat healthily’ and worries about weight were related to degree of under-reported EI. The percentage energy from added sugar was lowest (P < 0.001) and the percentage energy from protein (P < 0.001) highest in under-reporters compared with acceptable reporters. Subjects who reported being very physically active at work or in leisure time reported a higher EE than measured EE compared with less physically active subjects (P < 0.05). Likewise, subjects who regard themselves as fit or very fit reported a higher EE than subjects who regard themselves as moderately fit (P < 0.05). Possible over-reporters reported less time as very light activity (P = 0.007), more time as moderate activity (P = 0.01) and more time as vigorous activity (P = 0.02) than acceptable reporters. Conclusions Under-reporting of EI should always be taken into consideration; however, only a few characteristics of under-reporters are consistent among studies. Misreporting of EI was more prevalent than misreporting of EE. The level of physical activity more than the time spent involved in various activities was misreported.
Orthogonal space-time block codes for large MIMO systems

Currently, detailed study of Orthogonal Space-Time Block Codes (OSTBC) in MIMO literature is mostly limited to conventional MIMO, i.e. MIMO systems with at most 8 transmit and 8 receive antennas. In view of the situation, this paper studies the implementation of OSTBC in Large MIMO systems. The paper presents OSTBC for transmission of real symbols that can support up to 32 transmit and 32 receive antennas. Simulation results show that real OSTBC system performance is highly dependent on the code rate of the transmission matrix as well and the number of antennas used. In general, lower code rate OSTBC has better BER performance than higher code rate OSTBC, but for systems with less than 32 transmit or receive antennas, higher code rate OSTBC can outperform the lower code rate OSTBC if the receive diversity gain is significant.
Desulfonatronum thiodismutans sp. nov., a novel alkaliphilic, sulfate-reducing bacterium capable of lithoautotrophic growth.

A novel alkaliphilic, sulfate-reducing bacterium, strain MLF1(T), was isolated from sediments of soda Mono Lake, California. Gram-negative vibrio-shaped cells were observed, which were 0.6-0.7x1. 2-2.7 micro m in size, motile by a single polar flagellum and occurred singly, in pairs or as short spirilla. Growth was observed at 15-48 degrees C (optimum, 37 degrees C), >1-7 % NaCl, w/v (optimum, 3 %) and pH 8.0-10.0 (optimum, 9.5). The novel isolate is strictly alkaliphilic, requires a high concentration of carbonate in the growth medium and is obligately anaerobic and catalase-negative. As electron donors, strain MLF1(T) uses hydrogen, formate and ethanol. Sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate (but not sulfur or nitrate) can be used as electron acceptors. The novel isolate is a lithoheterotroph and a facultative lithoautotroph that is able to grow on hydrogen without an organic source of carbon. Strain MLF1(T) is resistant to kanamycin and gentamicin, but sensitive to chloramphenicol and tetracycline. The DNA G+C content is 63.0 mol% (HPLC). DNA-DNA hybridization with the most closely related species, Desulfonatronum lacustre Z-7951(T), exhibited 51 % homology. Also, the genome size (1.6x10(9) Da) and T(m) value of the genomic DNA (71+/-2 degrees C) for strain MLF1(T) were significantly different from the genome size (2.1x10(9) Da) and T(m) value (63+/-2 degrees C) for Desulfonatronum lacustre Z-7951(T). On the basis of physiological and molecular properties, the isolate was considered to be a novel species of the genus Desulfonatronum, for which the name Desulfonatronum thiodismutans sp. nov. is proposed (the type strain is MLF1(T)=ATCC BAA-395(T)=DSM 14708(T)).
Intermittency detection and mitigation in Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages

An update on a method (SJ BISTtrade) to detect intermittencies in Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages is presented, and another method (SJ Monitortrade) is introduced. SJ BISTtrade is primarily firmware embedded in the FPGA application; SJ Monitortrade is hardware on an IC chip. Failure of monitored I/O pins on operational, fully-programmed FPGAs is reported by SJ BIST and SJ Monitor to provide positive indication of damage to one or more I/O solder-joint networks of an FPGA on an electronic digital board. The board can then be replaced before accumulated fatigue damage results in intermittent or long-lasting operational faults.
Bridging Music Using Sound-Effect Insertion

In this article, the authors offer a general overview of audio music concatenation, then deliberate on how to connect not-so-coherent music clips in response to the rising awareness of user-preference in music recomposition. In particular, they introduce sound-effect insertion into the proposed bridging process to make the transition natural and euphonious. To systematically verify the feasibility of the proposed music concatenation methods, they conducted specifically designed experiments to collect subjective opinions and reduce the cognitive loads of the participants. The results indicate that using suitable sound effects greatly enhances the listening experiences among various subjects.
Delayed antibiotics for children with acute otitis media: is practice change sustainable?

Overuse of antibiotics is an ongoing concern because of antibiotic resistance. We previously found that half of the antibiotic suspensions prescribed to children in our practice were given for acute otitis media. We were not convinced that all of these children needed antibiotics in view of a systematic review of the evidence,1 and in July 1997, we decided to see if we could change our practice. Manor View and Attenborough practices serve the population in Bushey and Oxhey, a suburban setting in south west Hertfordshire. They are both training practices, with similar list sizes of about 11 000 patients and relatively few patients who do not have English as their first language. We adopted an evidence-based patient handout for parents and also started to offer a deferred antibiotic prescription (with advice not to give the antibiotics immediately) for children with earache and inflamed eardrums who were not unduly ill. In March 1999, we published the results of a before–after study in which we compared prescribing of amoxicillin suspensions in our practice (Manor View) with that of a nearby control practice (Attenborough) over the first year after we changed practice.2 We now report what happened to prescribing in the subsequent 3 years. Reduction in antibiotic load on children is important to their parents, and therefore, this was the key outcome measure. PACT (Prescribing …
Towards (Semi-)automatic Generation of Bio-medical ontologies

The design and construction of domain specific ontologies and taxonomies requires allocation of huge resources in terms of cost and time. These efforts are human intensive and we need to explore ways of minimizing human involvement and other resources. In the biomedical domain, we seek to leverage resources such as the UMLS Metathesaurus and NLP-based applications such as MetaMap in conjunction with statistical clustering techniques, to (partially) automate the process. This is expected to be useful to the team involved in developing MeSH and other biomedical taxonomies to identify gaps in the existing taxonomies, and to be able to quickly bootstrap taxonomy generation for new research areas in biomedical informatics.