Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural Requirements of N-alpha-Mercaptoacetyl Dipeptide (NAMdP) Inhibitors of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Virulence Factor LasB: 3D-QSAR, Molecular Docking, and Interaction Fingerprint Studies

The zinc metallopeptidase Pseudomonas elastase (LasB) is a virulence factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a pathogenic bacterium that can cause nosocomial infections. The present study relates the structural analysis of 118 N-alpha-mercaptoacetyl dipeptides (NAMdPs) as LasB inhibitors. Field-based 3D-QSAR and molecular docking methods were employed to describe the essential interactions between NAMdPs and LasB binding sites, and the chemical features that determine their differential activities. We report a predictive 3D-QSAR model that was developed according to the internal and external validation tests. The best model, including steric, electrostatic, hydrogen bond donor, hydrogen bond acceptor, and hydrophobic fields, was found to depict a three-dimensional map with the local positive and negative effects of these chemotypes on the LasB inhibitory activities. Furthermore, molecular docking experiments yielded bioactive conformations of NAMdPs inside the LasB binding site. The series of NAMdPs adopted a similar orientation with respect to phosphoramidon within the LasB binding site (crystallographic reference), where the backbone atoms of NAMdPs are hydrogen-bonded to the LasB residues N112, A113, and R198, similarly to phosphoramidon. Our study also included a deep description of the residues involved in the protein–ligand interaction patterns for the whole set of NAMdPs, through the use of interaction fingerprints (IFPs).
Flow Cytometric Detection of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

1 Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taipei; 2 Institute of Biomedical Informatics, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; 4 Department of Life Science, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan *For correspondence: yukijuan@ntu.edu. tw
Catalyst-Free Growth Of ZnO Nanowire Balls On Ito Seeds/Glass By Thermal Evaporation

A seed/catalyst-free growth of ZnO nanowire balls on ITO seed layer coated glass substrate by thermal evaporation was successfully fabricated by using an intermittently pumped of carrier gas. These ZnO balls were grown on sputtered ITO seeds that were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The sputtered ITO seed layer was annealed using the continuous wave (CW) CO2 laser at 450 °C in air for 15 min. Studies were carried out on ZnO balls using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results showed good quality of ZnO balls with high growth rate could reach a length of 20 μm with diameter of 60 nm. The result in the present study suggests that the morphology control of nanostructures is important to enhance the efficient nanodevices for various applications.
Advances in coastal altimetry using SARAL/AltiKa data in a multi-platform approach

In this paper we illustrate the capability of satellite altimetry in the coastal ocean, a key technological priority for the present decade. To this end, we present the results of the G-AltiKa mission conducted along a SARALAltiKa track south-west of Ibiza (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean Sea) from 1 to 5 August 2013. The main feature of the mission is that the glider measurements are almost synchronous with the altimeter pass. The HF radar system operated by the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) constitutes a complementary tool to describe the circulation in the study area. The work is focused on the data processing step (interpolation, filtering, corrections) applied to the measurements and on the comparison of the geostrophic velocity across the satellite track. The absolute dynamic topography, computed by adding filtered 1 Hz and 40 Hz along-track sea-level anomalies Mediterranean Sea Mean Dynamic Topography, and the dynamic height, computed from glider temperature and salinity, both exhibited a signal characterized by weak gradients and amplitudes (2 cm), close to the expected accuracy of the AltiKa instrument. The corresponding geostrophic velocities and the HF radar velocities projected on the SARAL/AltiKa track all depicted a north-westward coastal current with a maximal velocity larger than 20 cms−1. The lack of synopticity due to the time interval between the satellite pass
Willingness to Pay for Eco-Labeled Food in Forests: Integrated View from South Korea

Due to global interest in the improvement of national income and quality of life, eco-labeled food (ELF) for sustainable consumption and personal healthcare has been increasing. This study aims to contribute to two research streams by examining the quality of ELF in forests (ELFF). First, this study intends to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of ELFF producers for the certification verified by the government-supported institution and investigate the difference in certification costs between the actual certificating authority and ELFF producers. Second, this study aims to figure out the perception mechanism of how consumers who would like to purchase ELFFs recognize the effect of enhanced certification. These efforts may contribute to the research on how to raise interest in the production of ELF-related products and sustainable consumption. To achieve the purpose of this study, we adopted contingent valuation methods (CVM) to measure WTPs using interview-based surveys with 40 ELF producers and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to examine the effect of certification with 112 consumers who experienced ELF consumption. Results of this study provide theoretical and practical implications by looking at the relationship between ELF certification and sustainable consumption from a stakeholder’s perspective. This study intends to expand the research field of ELF from agriculture to forestry products. It provides a basis for providing practical implications for policymakers who propose sustainable consumption.
Effect of Microwave Irradiation on Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Carrier of Silver Nanoparticles in Short Exposure Time

Microwave heating of Ag+ in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is an effective method to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), a broad-range antibacterial agent. However, the microwave may cause PVA solution to dry out and degrade. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of microwave irradiation on different concentrations of PVA in PVA/Ag+ solution in short periods of exposure. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to evaluate chemical changes of samples with different exposure times and PVA concentration. The results confirm the redox reaction of Ag+ with PVA. In addition, Ag+ reduces the rate of hydrolysis of PVA, and the ether bridges are limited by the spatial structure.
Phytochemical screening and quantitative variation of some secondary metabolites in five cultivated rice varieties

Objectives: Rice is an important food crop in West Africa whose production is known to be limited by biotic and abiotic constraints. Plants contain many chemical compounds beneficial for the control of pests. This study aims to compare the secondary metabolites profile and content in five rice varieties in relation with their resistance against pests. Methodology and results: This research makes qualitative and quantitative assessment of secondary metabolites present in leaves of five rice varieties (WAB56-104, ITA306, CG14, TOG5681 and RAM55) using standard methods. Phytochemical screening revealed the absence of alkaloids and the presence of many other molecules including reducing sugars and phenolic compounds. Some other molecules were noticed in specific varieties such as catechetic tannins (variety CG14), terpenoids (variety WAB56-104) and saponosides (variety CG14). Quantitative estimation revealed that total phenols, flavonoids and tannins contents varied significantly among varieties whereas total anthocyanins content was similar in the five
Assessing trophic relationships between shallow-water black corals (Antipatharia) and their symbionts using stable isotopes

Shallow-water antipatharians host many symbiotic species, which spend their adult life with their host and/or use them to have access to food. Here we determine the trophic relationships between four common macrosymbionts observed on/in Cirripathes anguina , Cirrhipathes densiflora and Stichopathes maldivensis in SW Madagascar. These include the myzostomid Eenymeenymyzostoma nigrocorallium , the gobiid fish Bryaninops yongei , and two palaemonid shrimps, Pontonides unciger and Periclimenes sp. The first is an endosymbiont living in the digestive tract, while the others are ectosymbionts. The analyses show that most likely (i) none of the symbionts uses the host as a main food source, (ii) nocturnal plankton represents a main part of the diet of antipatharians while the symbionts feed preferentially on diurnal plankton, (iii) the myzostomid has the narrowest trophic niche, (iv) the two shrimps have distinct trophic niches and feed at lower trophic level than do the other symbionts. Concerning the myzostomids, they had the same δ13C values but had significantly higher δ15N values than the hosts. TEFs (Trophic Enrichment Factors) recorded were Δ13C = 0.28 ± 0.25 ‰ and Δ15N = 0.51 ± 0.37 ‰, but these were not high enough to explain a predator-prey relationship. These worms rely on the coral diet but may also ingest host fluids explaining the slight enrichment in heavier nitrogen isotopes. On the other hand, the ectosymbionts use the coral as a pathway to have access to food from the midwater: they feed from the water passing nearby the black corals, but a kleptoparasitic behaviour cannot be excluded.
Screening of Different Carbon Nanotubes in Melt-Mixed Polymer Composites with Different Polymer Matrices for Their Thermoelectrical Properties

The aim of this study is to reveal the influences of carbon nanotube (CNT) and polymer type as well as CNT content on electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient (S), and the resulting power factor (PF) and figure of merit (ZT). Different commercially available and laboratory made CNTs were used to prepare melt-mixed composites on a small scale. CNTs typically lead to p-type composites with positive S-values. This was found for the two types of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNT) whereby higher Seebeck coefficient in the corresponding buckypapers resulted in higher values also in the composites. Nitrogen doped MWCNTs resulted in negative S-values in the buckypapers as well as in the polymer composites. When using single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) with a positive S-value in the buckypapers, positive (polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)) or negative (polyamide 66 (PA66), polyamide 6 (PA6), partially aromatic polyamide (PARA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)) S-values were obtained depending on the matrix polymer and SWCNT type. The study shows that the direct production of n-type melt-mixed polymer composites from p-type commercial SWCNTs with relatively high Seebeck coefficients is possible. The highest Seebeck coefficients obtained in this study were 66.4 µV/K (PBT/7 wt % SWCNT Tuball) and −57.1 µV/K (ABS/0.5 wt % SWCNT Tuball) for p- and n-type composites, respectively. The highest power factor and ZT of 0.28 µW/m·K2 and 3.1 × 10−4, respectively, were achieved in PBT with 4 wt % SWCNT Tuball.
The Effect of Jumps in the Crude Oil Market on the Sovereign Risks of Major Oil Exporters

We study the jump behaviour in the sovereign risks of major oil-exporting countries and examine whether it is affected by jumps in the price and volatility of crude oil. Data used are daily from 14 February 2011, to 31 July 2019. We detect the presence of jumps in many oil exporters and find evidence of less frequent jumps in the crude oil market. The jumps in sovereign risks of oil-exporters are significantly affected by oil volatility jumps, not by oil price jumps. These findings suggest that the sovereign risks of oil-exporters are affected by abrupt movements in oil implied volatility, which points to a contagion effect. The findings are useful not only for refining the prediction of the sovereign risks of oil-exporters but also in reducing the potential effect of price discontinuity of sovereign risks on public finances sustainability and financial health.
bject-oriented approach for the pore-scale simulation of DC electrical onductivity of two-phase saturated porous media

Archie’s empirical power laws are strictly valid only for homogeneous, water-wet WW rocks deprived of microporosity or substantial clay-exchange cations. When these conditions are not met, non-Archie electrical behavior arises whereby relationships among rock resistivity, porosity, and water saturation no longer exhibit power-law dependence. Currently, such an unreliable behavior of empirical laws can be quantified only through porescale modeling of electrical conductivity under specific sets of geometric assumptions and with substantial computation memory requirements. We introduce a new geometric concept to simulate direct-current electrical-conductivity phenomena in arbitrary rock models on the basis of 3D grain and pore objects that include explicit distributions of intragranular porosity, clay-exchange cations, nonwetting fluid blobs, thin films, and pendular rings. These objects are distributed in the pore space following simple heuristic principles of drainage/imbibition that honor
Analysis of Electrical and Thermal Coupling Effects in Integrated MIMO Transmitters

The main objective of this project is to investigate and experimentally validate a new technique for prediction of joint thermal and electrical characteristics in integrated wireless transmitters. A MIMO transmitter consisting of two power amplifiers was built and modeled through microwave and thermal characterizations. Mathematical predictions obtained from the proposed analysis technique were validated against measurements with modulated communication signals and infrared imaging.
OPIA: A Tool for On-Device Testing of Vulnerabilities in Android Applications

Mobile developers constantly have to deal with users pressure for continuous delivery of apps while keeping quality attributes such as confidentiality and data integrity. To better support developers in testing security vulnerabilities during evolution and maintenance of mobile apps, in this demo we present a novel tool, OPIA, for on-device security testing. OPIA allows developers/testers to (i) conduct SQL-injection attacks and collect logs to identify leaks of sensitive information through record-and-replay testing, and (ii) extract data stored in local databases and shared preferences to identify sensitive information that is not properly encrypted, anonymized. OPIA is publicly available at GitHub.
Profiling of Microcantilever Vibration Modes by Scanning Astigmatic System

The measurement of vibration shape modes in micromechanical devices is a task restricted to expensive and complex equipment like scanning laser doppler vibrometers or white light interferometers. At this work we show that using an optical pick-up extracted from a commercial CD-ROM drive, is possible with off-the-shelf equipment, measure the vibration modes of microcantilevers in one dimension, taking advantage of the built-in movable lens present in CD-ROM laser pick-up assembly. The focus lens scans the device in one dimension, measuring the vibration at various point of the structure with velocities in the range of$150~\mu \text{m}$/s while the device is excited with a piezo driven by composed frequency signal. The first 3 shape modes flexural vibration of a cantilever with micrometer dimensions were measured and compared to the theoretical shape. We also measured the noise density of the pick-up, comparing with the theoretical Brownian motion resulting in 3 pm/Hz1/2 noise floor.
Skeleton-Based Action Recognition With Key-Segment Descriptor and Temporal Step Matrix Model

Human action recognition based on skeleton has played a key role in various computer vision-related applications, such as smart surveillance, human-computer interaction, and medical rehabilitation. However, due to various viewing angles, diverse body sizes, and occasional noisy data, etc., this remains a challenging task. The existing deep learning-based methods require long time to train the models and may fail to provide an interpretable descriptor to code the temporal-spatial feature of the skeleton sequence. In this paper, a key-segment descriptor and a temporal step matrix model are proposed to semantically present the temporal-spatial skeleton data. First, a skeleton normalization is developed to make the skeleton sequence robust to the absolute body size and initial body orientation. Second, the normalized skeleton data is divided into skeleton segments, which are treated as the action units, combining 3D skeleton pose and the motion. Each skeleton sequence is coded as a meaningful and characteristic key segment sequence based on the key segment dictionary formed by the segments from all the training samples. Third, the temporal structure of the key segment sequence is coded into a step matrix by the proposed temporal step matrix model, and the multiscale temporal information is stored in step matrices with various steps. Experimental results on three challenging datasets demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms all the hand-crafted methods and it is comparable to recent deep learning-based methods.
Mobile Positioning for IoT-based Bus Location System Using LoRaWAN

This article aims to describe, explain and propose the implementation of a Mobile LoRaWAN Gateway device and how this can use the benefits of the LoRaWAN communication protocol and system architecture along with IoT to bring a new solution for applications which need a mobile alternative, or which not have the resources to support a conventional LoRaWAN gateway solution. The purpose of this project is to test the capabilities of the LoRaWANtaking a different approach and prove its advantages against other similar solutions that do not use LoRaWANfor some applications.
Systematically Testing and Diagnosing Responsiveness for Android Apps

App responsiveness is the most intuitive interpretation of app performance from user's perspective. Traditional performance profilers only focus on one kind of program activities (e.g., CPU profiling), while the cause for slow responsiveness is diverse or even due to the joint effect of multiple kinds. Also, various test configurations, such as device hardware and wireless connectivity can have dramatic impact on particular program activities and indirectly affect app responsiveness. Conventional mobile testing lacks mechanisms to reveal configuration-sensitive bugs. In this paper, we propose AppSPIN, a tool to automatically diagnose app responsiveness bugs and systematically explore configuration-sensitive bugs. AppSPIN instruments the app to collect program events and UI responsiveness. The instrumented app is exercised with automated monkey testers and AppSPIN correlates excessive and lengthy program events with bad responsiveness detected at runtime. The diagnosis process also synthesizes the major resource bottleneck for the app. After one test run, AppSPIN automatically alters the test configuration to with most bottlenecked resource to further explore responsiveness bugs happened only with particular test configurations. Our preliminary experiments with 30 real-world apps show that AppSPIN can detect 123 responsiveness bugs and successfully diagnose the cause for 87% cases, within an average of 15-minute test time. Also with altered test configurations, AppSPIN uncovers a notable number of new bugs within four extra test runs.
GPU-Based Rendering of Arbitrarily Complex Cutting Surfaces for Black Oil Reservoir Models

Numerical simulation of black oil reservoir models is extensively used by the oil industry to predict and plan field exploration. Such simulations produce a large amount of volume data that need to be inspected. One popular visualization technique to inspect volume data is the rendering of cutting surfaces, shaded by mapping properties associated with model elements. In this work, an efficient GPU-based algorithm for rendering arbitrarily complex cutting surfaces for reservoir models is presented. The rendering strategy is based on an efficient point location algorithm. The proposal includes a compact representation of reservoir models in the GPU memory, the use of a compact regular grid as the acceleration technique, and an accurate point location algorithm for handling hexahedral elements with non-planar faces. Computational experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach, even when applied to large models. A set of applications is discussed in the context of inspecting reservoir simulation results.
An Efficient Diminished Reality Approach Using Real-Time Surface Reconstruction

Augmented reality applications become more and more important to enhance our daily life and workflows. The possibility of showing additional virtual content in a camera stream is helpful for many different use cases like room planning where such applications can offer a simple and intuitive visualization. However, augmented reality applications can suffer from the interference by real objects that may disrupt the user experience. In recent years, there has been research regarding the removal of real objects from camera streams by applying diminished reality techniques. Current approaches are generally limited to flat objects, video streams with little camera movement, or can only remove objects in front of simple and mostly planar backgrounds. In our approach, we show a robust and efficient way to remove a selected 3D object from the camera stream visually. The removal is based on a dense 3D reconstruction of the physical environment stored in a voxel grid that can be created and extended on-the-fly. Hereby, an undesired object can be replaced by a background rendered from the reconstruction allowing for more complex environments than previous approaches. Furthermore, remaining holes by the removal of the object are removed applying an inpainting approach. Finally, we apply color correction to get a seamless transition between the virtual content and the camera image.
Secured Cyber-Attack Signatures Distribution using Blockchain Technology

The proliferation of cloud database has increased its vulnerability to cyberattacks. Despite several proposed methods of securing databases, malicious intruders find ways to exploit their vulnerabilities and gain access to data. This is because cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. As a result, it is becoming very difficult for a single or isolated intrusion detection system (IDS) node to detect all attacks. With the adoption of cooperative intrusion detection system, all attacks can be detected by an IDS node with the help of other IDS nodes. In cooperative intrusion detection, IDS nodes exchange attack signatures with the view of promptly detecting any attack that has been detected by other IDS. Therefore, the security of the database that houses these shared attack signatures becomes a huge problem. More specifically, detecting and/or preventing malicious signature injection, manipulation or deletion becomes important. This paper proposed an architecture that securely stores and distribute these attack signatures in real time for the purpose of prompt detection. Our proposed architecture leverages the distributed ledger technology, data immutability and tamper-proof abilities of blockchain technology. The performance of our system was examined by using the latency of the blockchain network.