Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated monitoring and assessment of productivity in earthmoving projects

Continuous monitoring of productivity and assessment of its variations are crucial processes that significantly contribute to success of earthmoving projects. Numerous factors may lead to productivity variations. However, these factors are subjectively identified using manual knowledge-based expert judgment. Such manual recognition process is not only subject to errors but also time-consuming. There is a lack of research work that focuses on near real-time assessment of productivity variation and its effect on cost, schedule and effective utilization of resources in earthmoving projects. This paper presents a customized multi-source automated data acquisition model that acquires data from a variety of wireless sensing technologies. The acquired multi-sensor data are transmitted to a central MySQL database. Then a newly developed data fusion algorithm is applied for truck state recognition, and hence the duration of each earthmoving state. Multi-sensor data fusion facilitates measurement of actual productivity, and consequently the assessment of productivity ratios that support continuous monitoring of productivity variation in earthmoving operations. The developed tracking and monitoring model generates an early warning that supports proactive decisions to avoid schedule delays, cost overruns, and inefficient depletion of resources. A case study is used to reveal the applicability of the proposed model in monitoring and assessing actual productivity and its deviations from planned productivity. Finally, results are discussed and conclusions are drawn highlighting the features of the proposed model.
Recent Trends and Challenges in Microwave Power Dividers

This paper presents a review on recent trends and challenges in the development of power dividing components. Over these years, power dividers have been changing their structures and technology in order to be compatible with the newer changes adopted in designing of communication systems. From being operated as a single-frequency component to being flexible with dual-frequency bands, Wilkinson power dividers have come a long way to become an important and integral part of various RF/microwave devices. The recent technologies for cellular communication have motivated researchers to work on miniaturization and harmonic suppression of power dividers to make them more compact and efficient. Both equal and unequal power dividers are largely employed for L and S-Band applications (GSM, CDMA, Personnel communication systems). Sparameters such a return loss, insertion loss and isolation between output ports plays an important role in their designing.
Information Adoption in an Online Discussion Forum

This paper introduces the research model of user intention to continue adopting information in an online discussion forum. The model is built upon the information adoption model and the IS continuance model. Since the focus of this study is on continuance intention, the model takes user evaluation process into account and includes some important constructs (satisfaction, information quality, source credibility, and information usefulness) to explain the continuance behavior. An online survey was conducted and a total of 315 completed questionnaires were collected. Among the 315 respondents, 144 respondents have adopted the information in an online discussion forum. The research model explains 60% of the variance. The results also provide strong support for the existing theoretical links, as well as for those newly hypothesized in this study.
Glucose Uptake and Production During the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

During the three hours required for absorption of most of a U-C-14-glucose load (1 gm./kg.) given orally to an intact unanesthetized dog in the postabsorptive state, about three quarters of the load reaches the peripheral circulation. The absence of randomization of the label, seen when an equal oral load of 6-C-14-glucose is given, indicates that the glucose reaching the peripheral circulation has not been fragmented, then resynthesized into glucose. During the three-hour period, only 0.34 gm. per kilogram of new (unlabeled) glucose is released by liver instead of the 0.63 gm. per kilogram which would have been produced in the absence of oral glucose; the uptake of the glucose of peripheral circulating blood is 1.03 gm. per kilogram instead of 0.63 gm. per kilogram. Endogenous insulin secreted in response to the oral load exerts a somewhat larger effect to decrease hepatic glucose release (relative to the increase in glucose uptake from peripheral blood) than is the case when insulin is given by peripheral vein.
The Challenges of Treatment Evolution and Integration

When the editor of this journal asked me to write an introduction to the present issue I was frankly quite hesitant. After introducing EMDR to the research and clinical community more than 10 years ago (Shapiro, 1989), my primary goal has been to allow it to grow to maturity as an integrated approach to psychotherapy with a strong theoretical, clinical, and research base. Part of that process is one of individuation. It is important that “Shapiro” not be synonymous with EMDR and so I was loathe to once again link myself to an independent EMDR endeavor. But Dr. Frischholz is nothing if not persistent, and so I agreed. And having read the articles in this volume, I can affirm that this series is indeed a part of the individuation process I had hoped for.
A 24 000 MW Trypanosoma cruzi antigen is a B‐cell activator

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas’ disease, is a protozoan parasite that infects humans and other mammals in Central and Latin America. Several alterations of the immune response after infection have been described, such as severe immunosuppression of both cellular and humoral responses and massive polyclonal B‐ and T‐cell activation, including the expansion of self‐reactive clones. We have investigated the effects of the intraperitoneal injection of a recombinant 24 000 MW T. cruzi‐specific antigen (rTc24) on the immune response of normal and deficient strains of mice. We analysed the in vivo and ex vivo levels of lymphocyte activation and the proliferative responses to rTc24 by determining the expression of CD69 activation marker and the levels of thymidine incorporation by spleen cells. The numbers of antibody‐producing cells were determined by ELISPOT and the levels of immunoglobulin in the sera by isotype‐specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. We observed an increased [3H]thymidine ([3H]TdR) incorporation by spleen cells after rTc24 stimulation in vivo and in vitro. This proliferative activity induced by rTc24 was independent of the mouse strain used in the experiments (including C3H/HeJ mice) and ruled out the possibility that rTc24 preparations were contaminated by lipopolysaccharide. The injection of rTc24 protein induced preferentially the activation of B cells, as determined by the increased expression of CD69 molecules on IgM+ spleen cells. Considerable increases of IgM‐secreting B cells were determined in both athymic and euthymic BALB/c mice. Mice that are deficient in B cells (BALB.Xid) responded to rTc24 but to a lesser extent. These increases in IgM B‐cell numbers were accompanied by elevated levels of IgM immunoglobulins in the sera of injected animals. Our results suggest a role for rTc24 in B‐cell activation.
A New System for Stringent, High-Titer Vesicular Stomatitis Virus G Protein-Pseudotyped Retrovirus Vector Induction by Introduction of Cre Recombinase into Stable Prepackaging Cell Lines

ABSTRACT We report here on stable prepackaging cell lines which can be converted into packaging cell lines for high-titer vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G)-pseudotyped retrovirus vectors by the introduction of Cre recombinase-expressing adenovirus. The generated prepackaging cell lines constitutively express the gag-polgenes and contain an inducible transcriptional unit for the VSV-G gene. From this unit, the introduced Cre recombinase excised both a neomycin resistance (Neor) gene and a poly(A) signal flanked by a tandem pair of loxP sequences and induced transcription of the VSV-G gene from the same promoter as had been used for Neor expression. By inserting an mRNA-destabilizing signal into the 3′ untranslated region of the Neor gene to reduce the amount of Neor transcript, we were able efficiently to select the clones capable of inducing VSV-G at high levels. Without the introduction of Cre recombinase, these cell lines produce neither VSV-G nor any detectable infectious virus at all, even after the transduction of a murine leukemia virus-based retrovirus vector encoding β-galactosidase. They reproducibly produced high-titer virus stocks of VSV-G-pseudotyped retrovirus (1.0 × 106 infectious units/ml) from 3 days after the introduction of Cre recombinase. We also present evidence that VSV-G-producing cells are still fully susceptible to transduction by VSV-G pseudotypes. However, in this vector-producing system, which regulates VSV-G pseudotype production in an all-or-none manner, the integration of vector DNA into packaging cell lines would be minimized. We further show that heparin significantly inhibits retransduction of VSV-G pseudotypes in the culture fluids of packaging cell lines, leading to a two- to fourfold increase in the yield of the pseudotypes after induction. This vector-producing system was very stable and should be advantageous in human gene therapy.
ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES IN THE PEOPLE ’ S REPUBLIC OF CHINA : CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The opening of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the external world has changed the economic landscape around the world. With China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), past speculations about China as a world economic power in the 21st century has become a reality few would dispute anymore. With more than 25 percent of the world’s population, China is a market that promises exciting opportunities for all multinational corporations. In the past 20 years, its GDP has increased more than tenfold (Ahlstrom, Bruton, & Lui, 2000), and its economic growth has been sustained at 8 percent every year (The Economist, 2001). The Economist forecasts that if China continues on the path of a market-based economy and adheres to its commitment to the World Trade Organization, by 2020, it will have grown to the size of the United States economy today. Most forecasts put China as the second-largest economy in less than 15 years. Thus, encouraging evidence abounds to suggest a great potential for China’s continuing growth and expansion, domestically and globally. The leading companies in the major sectors in the domestic economy to date are all Chinese domestic firms. For example, Legend dominates the computer industry, Haier dominates the home appliances sector, and China Mobile has the majority market share in the mobile communications industry. Further, the private sector (comprising all non-state-owned firms), which was
Rate‐adaptive multipath routing: Distributed, centralized, and hybrid architectures

With the increasing volume and volatility of Internet traffic, the need for adaptive routing algorithms has become compelling lately. An adaptive routing algorithm controls the rate at which traffic is placed on forwarding paths in concert with the actual user demands, making it possible to avoid congestion even when no information on expected traffic is available. In this article, we present a new model for rate‐adaptive multipath routing, which allows one to analyze distributed, centralized, and hybrid routing architectures within a single framework, and to develop quantitative as well as qualitative arguments regarding their optimality, stability, and realizability. By a novel generalization of oblivious routing, we present a centralized algorithm with provable optimality, and we arrive at the conclusion that congestion can be completely eliminated even if routing decisions are completely precomputed. We find, although, that the complexity of the centralized scheme can become exponential. Therefore, we develop a hybrid distributed‐centralized algorithm that combines the simplicity of distributed algorithms with the efficiency of centralized ones, and we provide numerical studies demonstrating that the hybrid scheme performs well in a broad selection of realistic scenarios. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.NETWORKS, Vol. 66(2), 118–135 2015
A 2 GHz subharmonic sampler for signal downconversion

Subharmonic sampling is a discrete-time alternative for the signal downconversion problem. It can be used either to replace a traditional continuous-time mixer in a superheterodyne receiver or can be combined with other discrete-time analog signal processing blocks in novel receiver architectures. We present a 2 GHz bandwidth integrated mixer based on subharmonic sampling. The sampler uses a two-diode topology with a 3 V supply. The downconversion loss for the passive sampler is 1 dB and the total system gain 3 dB. The mixer achieves IIP3 of +16 dBm and -1 dB compression +7 dBm for a single-tone input.
Application of STAP in Advanced Sensor Systems

Abstract : Space time adaptive processing (STAP) is a multidimensional analog of the well-known, one-dimensional adaptive sidelobe canceler developed in the late 1950's. It enables adaptive cancellation of interference in a two-dimensional space. When the two-dimensional target power spectral density differs from that of the interference, STAP leads to enormous improvements in target detection potential. Owing to this potential, STAP has application to current and future airborne, spaceborne, bistatic and ground-based radar sensors; in this set of lecture notes, we consider the role STAP plays in each of these systems. We begin with the airborne case, describing the nature of ground clutter and its impact on target detection. This serves as segue to a discussion of STAP and its comparison with competing methods. Next, we consider spaceborne radar systems. Since STAP is a member of the class of super-resolution algorithms, it enables the design of spaceborne moving target indication radar with smaller aperture; this is an important consideration when launching the satellite radar system. Bistatic systems must contend with spectrally severe ground clutter returns, for which STAP offers a potential solution. Herein, we describe bistatic STAP, with particular emphasis on the nonstationary nature of the bistatic clutter environment. We conclude by considering STAP application to terrain scattered jamming; ground based radar serves as the focus of this final discussion.
Human Cytomegalovirus IE 86 Attenuates Virus-and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced NF B-Dependent Gene Expression

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection regulates a number of genes involved in the host antiviral response. We have previously reported that HCMV attenuates the expression of beta interferon (IFN) and a number of proinflammatory chemokines, and this attenuation is mediated by the HCMV immediate-early protein IE86. The present study seeks to identify the mechanism by which IE86 blocks IFNexpression. We demonstrate that the induction of IFNduring HCMV infection requires the activation of both the IRF-3 and the NF B pathways. Therefore, IE86 may target either pathway to block IFNexpression. Our results show that IE86 does not block IRF-3 phosphorylation, dimerization, nuclear translocation, or target gene expression. However, using gel shift analysis, we demonstrate that IE86 efficiently inhibits virus-induced binding of NF B to the IFNpromoter, resulting in attenuation of IFNand NF B-dependent gene expression. Furthermore, IE86 expression inhibits tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced NF B DNA binding and target gene expression. Together, these results identify IE86 as a NF B antagonist, which results in the suppression of NF B-dependent cytokine and chemokine gene expression.
Biosynthesis of the Linkage Region of the Mycobacterial Cell Wall (*)

The “core” structure of the cell wall of Mycobacterium and related genera is unique among prokaryotes, consisting of a covalently linked complex of mycolic acids, D-arabinan and D-galactan (mycolylarabinogalactan, mAG), which, in turn, is linked to peptidoglycan via a special linkage unit, -α-L-Rhap(13)-D-GlcNAc-P-. Little is known of the biosynthesis of this complex, although it is the site of action of several common anti-tuberculosis drugs. Isolated cell membranes of Mycobacterium smegmatis catalyzed the incorporation of [14C]GlcNAc from UDP-[14C]GlcNAc into two glycolipids (1 and 2) and of [14C]Rha from TDP-[14C]Rha into glycolipid 2. These products were characterized as polyprenol-P-P-GlcNAc (glycolipid 1) and polyprenol-P-P-GlcNAc-Rha (glycolipid 2) based on sensitivity of synthesis to tunicamycin, chromatographic characterization of the products of mild acid hydrolysis, and mass spectral analysis of the glycosyl and polyprenyl units. Glycolipids 1 and 2 were shown to be precursors of the linkage unit in polymerized cell wall. The inclusion in the assays of UDP-[14C]Galp and a preparation of cell walls allowed the incorporation of [14C]Gal into two further glycolipids (3 and 4). Preliminary evidence indicates a precursor-product relationship among glycolipids 1, 2, 3, and 4. Thus, the first steps in the biosynthesis of the mycobacterial cell wall involve synthesis of the linkage disaccharide on a polyprenyl-P-P carrier followed by growth of the galactan unit. Assays are thus defined for the screening of new anti-tuberculosis drugs active against cell wall synthesis.
Inhibition of Endothelial Cell Differentiation and Proinflammatory Cytokine Production During Angiogenesis by Allyl Isothiocyanate and Phenyl Isothiocyanate

Angiogenesis is a crucial step in the growth and metastasis of cancers. The activation of endothelial cells and their further behavior are very critical during angiogenesis. The authors analyze the effect of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) on angiogenesis in an in vitro model using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). AITC and PITC significantly inhibited endothelial cell migration, invasion, and tube formation. 3H-thymidine proliferation assay showed that AITC and PITC significantly inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs in vitro. The authors also studied the effect of AITC and PITC on the serum cytokine profiles of angiogenesis-induced animals and found that these compounds are highly potent in the downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)—1β , IL-6, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Treatment with these compounds showed an elevation in the levels of IL-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)—1, which are antiangiogenic factors. Moreover, studies using B16F-10 melanoma cells showed that both AITC and PITC significantly reduced VEGF mRNA expression. These findings suggest that AITC and PITC act as angiogenesis inhibitors through the downregulation of VEGF and proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, GM-CSF, and TNF-α and upregulation of IL-2 and TIMP.
In vivo activation of gelatinase B/MMP‐9 by trypsin in acute pancreatitis is a permissive factor in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes

Matrix metalloproteinases, in particular gelatinase B/MMP‐9, are key mediators in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, but their pathogenic roles in diabetes are not well established. Gelatinase B has previously been shown to be upregulated in pancreas tissue from patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis and was suggested to exacerbate diabetes by cleaving insulin. In this study, the role of gelatinase B in diabetes was investigated using two streptozotocin‐induced animal models of type I diabetes. In both a hyperacute and a subacute model, gelatinase B upregulation was found to be associated with disease activity. However, gelatinase B deficiency did not significantly protect against diabetes development, and wild‐type and gelatinase B‐deficient animals behaved similarly in terms of β‐cell apoptosis or necrosis. The fact that gelatinase B was found almost exclusively as the inactive pro‐enzyme in most of the streptozotocin‐induced diabetic animals may explain the lack of a gelatinase B effect. On the contrary, gelatinase B was completely activated in a minority (15%) of wild‐type animals. This coincided with exocrine pancreatic inflammation, as revealed by the presence of active trypsin. The discovery of in vivo activation of progelatinase B by trypsin in acute pancreatitis is extended in a model of caerulein‐induced pancreatitis. In the latter model, trypsinogen activation is systematically achieved and gelatinase B is found in its active form. In conclusion, gelatinase B itself is not a causative factor but, when activated by endogenous trypsin, is a permissive factor for insulin degradation and diabetes. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistical reanalysis of natural products reveals increasing chemical diversity

In their retrospective analysis of natural product (NP) discovery since the 1940s, Pye et al. (1) observe a gradual decline in the proportion of NPs discovered each year with low similarity to previously known compounds [defined by maximum Tanimoto coefficient (Tc) < 0.4]. Additionally, the authors report that the median maximum Tc for all NPs discovered in a given year has plateaued since the mid-1990s. Their analysis suggests that the pace of structurally unique NP discovery is decreasing. However, previous work by Shoichet and coworkers (2) suggests that the trends Pye et al. (1) observed might be expected to hold true for any randomly growing chemical database. Intuitively, as the number of structures in a database grows, it becomes increasingly likely that any comparison with the entire database will result in at least one pair with structural similarity. … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: magarv{at}mcmaster.ca. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Characterization of the Aminotransferase ThdN from Thienodolin Biosynthesis in Streptomyces albogriseolus

In Streptomyces albogriseolus the indolethiophen alkaloid thienodolin is derived from tryptophan. The first step in thienodolin biosynthesis is the regioselective chlorination of tryptophan in the 6‐position of the indole ring. The second step is catalyzed by the aminotransferase ThdN. ThdN shows sequence homology (up to 69 % similarity) with known pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate‐dependent aminotransferases of the aspartate aminotransferase family from Gram‐positive bacteria. thdN was heterologously expressed in Pseudomonas fluorescens, and the enzyme was purified by nickel‐affinity chromatography. ThdN is a homodimeric enzyme with a mass of 90 600 kDa and catalyzes the conversion of l‐tryptophan and a number of chlorinated and brominated l‐tryptophans. The lowest KM values were found for 6‐bromo‐ and 6‐chlorotryptophan (40 and 66 μm, respectively). For l‐tryptophan it was 454 μm, which explains why thienodolin is the major product and dechlorothienodolin is only a minor component. The turnover number (kcat) for 7‐chlorotryptophan (128 min−1) was higher than that for the natural substrate 6‐chlorotryptophan (88 min−1).