Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing Views towards Energy Sources with Social Media Data: The Case of Nuclear Energy in the UAE

Insights from the analysis of views towards energy sources are of paramount importance for the setting of successful energy policies, especially in instances where the public might be reluctant towards certain projects’ implementations. This work presents an analysis of social media comments data given in response to posts around the connection to the grid of a nuclear plant reactor in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We assessed comments on Facebook posts of local and international media, as well those written in response to a post of a social media influencer. We extracted the main themes and performed sentiment analysis. The results indicate the presence of mixed views towards nuclear energy when focusing on comments on international media’s posts as well as on the social media influencer’s post considered, whilst they were very positive when assessing comments to local media. All in all, nuclear waste and previous nuclear accidents appear to be as the top of the mind; at the same time, solar energy is often suggested in the comments as a viable energy source for the UAE. Implications for the communication of nuclear energy developments in social media are discussed.
Traffic Redundancy Elimination over a Programmable Data Plane: Design and Implementation

Traffic redundancy elimination (TRE) is a key solution for saving networking resources by removing redundant traffic transfers in networks. However, current TRE systems mainly rely on end-side software programs at the cost of packet processing performance due to their complex computational requirements. This makes it difficult to deploy the TRE technique for various networking scenarios in practice. This study proposes TRE-PRO, a TRE system over a programmable data plane (PDP) paradigm. PDP provides flexible and high-performance packet processing that enables the implementation of on-path deployable and high-performance TRE systems. This article explores the design and implementation of TRE-PRO in the state-of-the-art programmable switch architecture. It is shown that TRE-PRO overcomes the shortcomings of existing TRE systems, such as packet processing delay. The performance evaluation results show that TRE-PRO can eliminate redundant traffic at the modern programmable switch without compromising any processing delay.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene-Knockout of UPF3B Alters Expression of Cell Cycle and Neuron-Specific Genes

UPF3B is a constituent of the classical nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway that degrades both the aberrant transcripts and a set of physiological transcripts. In higher eukaryotes, UPF3B have significant biochemical functions in diverse cellular processes including NMD and translation. UPF3B plays a crucial role in neuronal development and differentiation. Next-generation sequencing technologies identified several loss-of-function mutations in the UPF3B gene that results in neuro-developmental disorders in humans. To uncover the mechanistic role of UPF3B in neuronal functions, we have generated the UPF3B-knockout mammalian cell line model system using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing method. RNA-Sequencing Analysis of cellular transcriptome from UPF3B-KO cells identified specific genes involved in cell growth and neuronal functions. Altered expression of genes related to the axon guidance pathway delineated the UPF3B function to regulate the neuron-specific genes. Functional enrichment analysis identified the genes involved in the disorders related to mental health and intellectual disability. Our study has the potential to identify the direct players of intellectual disability and will have broader implications.
A Key-Agreement Scheme for Cyber–Physical Systems

Traditional cryptographic approaches may not always be suitable for cyber–physical systems (CPSs). In this correspondence, we present a control-theoretic approach allowing a networked controller and a smart actuator of a stochastic CPS to agree on a common secret key without resorting to classical cryptographic approaches. More precisely, by utilizing the asymmetry in the system model knowledge available to the control system defender and to the eavesdropper, we propose a key-agreement scheme utilizing a simultaneous input and state estimation algorithm. The validity of the proposed solution is shown through a numerical example.
Dual matrix linear-code D/A converters

To design a high-speed flash D/A converter with high resolution we need to keep the glitch noise within acceptable levels. The current practice is to use a segmented converter structure where we can trade off hardware complexity and glitch performance by selecting a proper number of most significant bits to be thermometer coded. For the remaining least significant bits (LSB) binary-scale are used. A recently proposed alternative to this method is to design a converter with linearly increasing weights, i.e., 1 LSB, 2 LSB, 3 LSB,. In this paper, we propose two new converter structures that both have a dual linear-coded source matrix operating in parallel with the original linear-coded source matrix. Simulations show that we can expect up to 30% better glitch performance for one of the proposed structures, assuming signals with moderate transitions. However, for signals with large transitions there is no significant improvement.
The missing fit between ERP system and organizational structures : A qualitative case study of the implementation of PRIO in the Swedish Armed Forces

ERP systems which initially were developed for manufacturing organizations have in recent years spread to public sector organization. It is put forward that public sector organization differ from private organization and this might affect how successfully an ERP system is implemented. ERP systems are rarely studied in public sector organization and few researchers have explored the fit between ERP system and organizational structures. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore what relationship that exists or do not exist between ERP system and organizational social structures in a military organization, and how this has affected the implementation and use. This is done through a qualitative case study of the Swedish Armed Forces with data from semi-structured interviews with 14 platoon commanders and 3 company commanders. The findings suggest that there is a misfit between the ERP system, PRIO, and the social structures in the organization which have made the implementation and use problematic. The technical shortcomings, such as the user interface, are not the main problem and employees might have been negative about the system anyway. This since platoon commanders and company commanders do not think platoon commanders are the best suited to do the tasks with PRIO.
An Investigation of the Role of Influence Behaviors in Information System Implementation: A Case Study of the Air Force Institute of Technology School of Engineering and Management Student Academic Support System

Abstract : Organizations implement information systems (IS) for various reasons such as streamlining daily functions and keeping pace with changes in technology. Influence behaviors demonstrated by key leaders in reference to the implementation of such information systems play a key role in their acceptance and success. This research looks at a specific case of IS implementation and the role influence behaviors played in the successfulness of the system. This research is a case study of the Air Force Institute of Technology's (AFIT) implementation of an academic support system called my.afit. edu. Interviews and documentation gathered from key parties involved in the implementation provided a basis for understanding the implementation effort and the effect influence behaviors had on the successfulness. This research showed how the use of positive influence behaviors by key leaders results in a successful implementation effort. In addition to the use of positive influence behaviors by key leaders, the success of the implementation effort is tied to management and implementers and their ability to address user concerns early in the implementation effort.
Cross-Validation of Predictive Equation for Cardiorespiratory Fitness by Modified Shuttle Walk Test in Adults with Schizophrenia: A Secondary Analysis of the CORTEX-SP Study

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can be direct or estimated from different field tests. The Modified Shuttle Walk Test (MSWT) is suitable for all levels of function, allowing a peak response to be elicited. Therefore, we aimed (1) to validate the equation presented in the original study by Singh et al. for evaluating the relationship between MSWT with peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in adults with schizophrenia (SZ), (2) to develop a new equation for the MSWT to predict VO2peak, and (3) to validate the new equation. Participants (N = 144, 41.3 ± 10.2 years old) with SZ performed a direct measurement of VO2peak through a cardiopulmonary exercise test and the MSWT. A new equation incorporating resting heart rate, body mass index, and distance from MSWT (R2 = 0.617; adjusted R2 = 0.60; p < 0.001) performs better than the Singh et al. equation (R2 = 0.57; adjusted R2 = 0.57; p < 0.001) to estimate VO2peak for the studied population. The posteriori cross-validation method confirmed the model’s stability (R2 = 0.617 vs. 0.626). The findings of the current study support the validity of the new regression equation incorporating resting heart rate, body mass index, and distance from MSWT to predict VO2peak for assessment of CRF in people with SZ.
Precisely Monomeric Linear RNAs of Viroids Belonging to Pospiviroid and Hostuviroid Genera Are Infectious Regardless of Transcription Initiation Site and 5′-Terminal Structure

Infectious dimeric RNA transcripts are a powerful tool for reverse genetic analyses in viroid studies. However, the construction of dimeric cDNA clones is laborious and time consuming, especially in mutational analyses by in vitro mutagenesis. In this study, we developed a system to synthesize a precisely monomeric linear RNA that could be transcribed in vitro directly from the cDNA clones of four viroid species. The cDNA clones were constructed such that RNA transcription was initiated at the guanine nucleotide of a predicted processing and ligation site in the viroid replication process. Although the transcribed RNAs were considered to possess 5′-triphosphate and 3′-hydroxyl termini, the RNA transcripts were infectious even without in vitro modifications. Additionally, infectivity was detected in the monomeric RNA transcripts, in which transcription was initiated at guanine nucleotides distinct from the predicted processing/ligation site. Moreover, monomeric viroid RNAs bearing 5′-monophosphate, 5′-hydroxyl, or 5′-capped termini were found to be infectious. Northern blot analysis of the pooled total RNA of the plants inoculated with the 5′-terminal modified RNA of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) indicated that maximum PSTVd accumulation occurred in plants with 5′-monophosphate RNA inoculation, followed by the plants with 5′-triphosphate RNA inoculation. Our system for synthesizing an infectious monomeric linear viroid RNA from a cDNA clone will facilitate mutational analyses by in vitro mutagenesis in viroid research.
A new mapping method for phase estimation of single‐phase signals: A new generalization and new realizations of the DFT estimation method

This paper proposes and analyzes a new simple real‐time phase‐estimation method for single‐phase signals, which is based on a vector mapping theory of n‐dimensional to 2‐dimensional vectors. According to the analyses, the proposed mapping method can estimate instantly and properly the true phase of the signals that are contaminated by significant amplitude of noise and harmonics. The mapping method contains the conventional DFT method as a special case. In other words, it can be treated as a generalization of the DFT. Several simple realizations of the mapping method are also newly proposed as a single‐input and two‐output digital mapping filter in both nonrecursive and recursive forms. The recursive realization being able to decrease drastically computing load utilizes the normal form that is robust to finite word length effects. As an application of the proposed mapping method, inverter‐using power control system connected with a single‐phase grid is shown. All analytical results are verified by numerical experiments and the usefulness of the newly proposed mapping method is confirmed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 160(1): 27–38, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20263
Bayesian Approach for Reliability Assessment of Sunshield Deployment on JWST

Deployable subsystems are essential to mission success of most spacecraft. These subsystems enable critical functions including power, communications and thermal control. The loss of any of these functions will generally result in loss of the mission. These subsystems and their components often consist of unique designs and applications, for which various standardized data sources are not applicable for estimating reliability and for assessing risks. In this study, a Bayesian approach for reliability estimation of spacecraft deployment was developed for this purpose. This approach was then applied to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Sunshield subsystem, a unique design intended for thermal control of the observatory's telescope and science instruments. In order to collect the prior information on deployable systems, detailed studies of "heritage information", were conducted extending over 45 years of spacecraft launches. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Spacecraft Operational Anomaly and Reporting System (SOARS) data were then used to estimate the parameters of the conjugative beta prior distribution for anomaly and failure occurrence, as the most consistent set of available data and that could be matched to launch histories. This allows for an emperical Bayesian prediction for the risk of an anomaly occurrence of the complex Sunshield deployment, with credibility limits, using prior deployment data and test information.
From Points to Functions: Infinite-dimensional Representations in Diffusion Models

Diffusion-based generative models learn to iteratively transfer unstructured noise to a complex target distribution as opposed to Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) or the decoder of Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) which produce samples from the target distribution in a single step. Thus, in diffusion models every sample is naturally connected to a random trajectory which is a solution to a learned stochastic differential equation (SDE). Generative models are only concerned with the final state of this trajectory that delivers samples from the desired distribution. Abstreiter et. al showed that these stochastic trajectories can be seen as continuous filters that wash out information along the way. Consequently, it is reasonable to ask if there is an intermediate time step at which the preserved information is optimal for a given downstream task. In this work, we show that a combination of information content from different time steps gives a strictly better representation for the downstream task. We introduce an attention and recurrence based modules that ``learn to mix'' information content of various time-steps such that the resultant representation leads to superior performance in downstream tasks.
Pelt Biting as a Practical Indicator of Social and Environment Stress in Farmed Red Deer

Simple Summary Agonistic behavioural interactions play a decisive role in the competition for food, space, mating opportunities, and establishing social rank. We propose the use of the number of bites on the pelt of red deer as an index of agonistic interactions between group members. Using behavioural data from a 14-year time series of a captive population of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus), we found that deer that were of higher social rank, heavier, living in smaller groups, or under no heat stress conditions suffer less pelt bites than those of lower social rank, lighter, living in bigger groups, or under heat stressing conditions. Hinds that gave birth earlier in the parturition period suffered less pelt biting than those that gave birth around the peak of the parturition season. Pelt biting is useful to identify management situations in which deer welfare could be at stake. Abstract Agonistic behavioural interactions play a decisive role in the competition for food, space, mating opportunities, and establishing social rank. We used pelt biting (number of bites on an animal’s body) as a proxy for assessing the intensity of agonistic animal interactions and how it responded to social, population, and heat stress factors. We modelled a 14-year time series of pelt biting records and observational data of agonistic interactions on a population of captive Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus). We found that (i) the higher the social rank of deer, the lower the number of pelt bites received; (ii) increasing heat stress conditions caused deer to suffer more pelt bites; (iii) males received more bites than females; (iv) the heavier the deer, the lower the number of bites on their bodies; (v) the bigger the group, the more bites exhibited on its members; (vi) deer 5–6 years old suffered greater rate of pelt biting than younger or older deer; and (vii) hinds that gave birth earlier in the parturition period suffered less pelt biting than those that gave birth around the peak of the parturition season (p < 0.01 for all effects). Pelt biting is useful to predict management situations in which deer welfare could be at stake.
Heat Stress in Pinus halepensis Somatic Embryogenesis Induction: Effect in DNA Methylation and Differential Expression of Stress-Related Genes

In the current context of climate change, plants need to develop different mechanisms of stress tolerance and adaptation to cope with changing environmental conditions. Temperature is one of the most important abiotic stresses that forest trees have to overcome. Recent research developed in our laboratory demonstrated that high temperatures during different stages of conifer somatic embryogenesis (SE) modify subsequent phases of the process and the behavior of the resulting ex vitro somatic plants. For this reason, Aleppo pine SE was induced under different heat stress treatments (40 °C for 4 h, 50 °C for 30 min, and 60 °C for 5 min) in order to analyze its effect on the global DNA methylation rates and the differential expression of four stress-related genes at different stages of the SE process. Results showed that a slight decrease of DNA methylation at proliferating embryonal masses (EMs) can correlate with the final efficiency of the process. Additionally, different expression patterns for stress-related genes were found in EMs and needles from the in vitro somatic plants obtained; the DEHYDRATION INDUCED PROTEIN 19 gene was up-regulated in response to heat at proliferating EMs, whereas HSP20 FAMILY PROTEIN and SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE [Cu–Zn] were down-regulated in needles.
PDMS Microfabrication and Design for Microfluidics and Sustainable Energy Application: Review

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is popular for wide application in various fields of microfluidics, microneedles, biology, medicine, chemistry, optics, electronics, architecture, and emerging sustainable energy due to the intrinsic non-toxic, transparent, flexible, stretchable, biocompatible, hydrophobic, insulating, and negative triboelectric properties that meet different requirements. For example, the flexibility, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, good stability, and high transparency make PDMS a good candidate for the material selection of microfluidics, microneedles, biomedical, and chemistry microchips as well as for optical examination and wearable electronics. However, the hydrophobic surface and post-surface-treatment hydrophobic recovery impede the development of self-driven capillary microchips. How to develop a long-term hydrophilicity treatment for PDMS is crucial for capillary-driven microfluidics-based application. The dual-tone PDMS-to-PDMS casting for concave-and-convex microstructure without stiction is important for simplifying the process integration. The emerging triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) uses the transparent flexible PDMS as the high negative triboelectric material to make friction with metals or other positive-triboelectric material for harvesting sustainably mechanical energy. The morphology of PDMS is related to TENG performance. This review will address the above issues in terms of PDMS microfabrication and design for the efficient micromixer, microreactor, capillary pump, microneedles, and TENG for more practical applications in the future.
Deep learning based fringe-pattern analysis with model uncertainty quantification

This document provides the information about the theory and the implementation of the Bayesian convolutional neural network (BNN) using Concrete dropout, the optical set-up, the prediction of the phase and the uncertainty maps, the evaluation of predicted uncertainty, and other supplementary contents to the primary manuscript “Deep learning based fringe-pattern analysis with uncertainty estimation”
The structural basis for function of the Escherichia coli mechanosensitive channel of small conductance, MscS

Title of Document: THE STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR FUNCTION OF THE ESCHERICHIA COLI MECHANOSENSITIVE CHANNEL OF SMALL CONDUCTANCE, MSCS Bradley Chun-Yee Akitake, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Professor Sergei I. Sukharev, Department of Biology The ‘small’ mechanosensitive channel, MscS, resides in cytoplasmic membranes of most free-living bacteria. MscS is gated directly by membrane tension and functions as an osmolyte release valve in bacterial turgor regulation. In contrast to previously studied MscL, which is a strictly prokaryotic molecule, MscS homologs are found in eukaryotes increasing the value of this channel as a general model for gating by membrane stretch. Presented here are the results of three studies aimed at characterizing the structural basis for function of Escherichia coli MscS. In study one, we provide the first electrophysiological characterization of the wild-type channel in its native membrane free of other mechanosensitive channels. It is, to date, the most complete description the gating cycle specifying the kinetic scheme and dependencies of major rates on tension and voltage. Study two represents a collaborative effort to probe the strength of intersubunit contacts in the homo-heptameric MscS channel. In patchclamp experiments we show that the dissociating effects of TFE alter MscS gating in a manner that provides significant insight into the mechanics of channel inactivation. In the final study our research group utilized a novel extrapolated motion technique to explore the conformational pathways of the MscS functional cycle. Guided by these new models, channel mutants were generated to alter helical propensity along the pore lining TM3 helix. Patch-clamp analysis revealed a vivid picture of the functioning MscS in which these TM3 domains provide a structural frame for the open channel. Dynamic collapse of these ‘struts’ at flexible points along TM3 modulates transitions from the open state to the inactivated and closed states. My contributions to these studies have allowed for (1) refinement of the MscS functional cycle including identification of a new desensitized state; (2) determination of the physical parameters and spatial scales of channel opening, closing and inactivation; and (3) identification of key hinge elements, residing in TM3, that along with membrane tension serve to modulate the functional cycle of MscS. These findings have led to a better understanding of the biophysical principles that underlie mechanotransduction and provide insights into the larger family of mechanically activated phenomena. THE STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR FUNCTION IN THE ESCHERICHIA COLI MECHANOSENSITIVE CHANNEL OF SMALL CONDUCTANCE, MSCS