Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Calculation of the electrical conduction of molecules and nanowires

As electronics become more and more miniaturised, there is much interest in increasing knowledge about the electronic and transport properties of nano-systems. In particular, there has been some focus on understanding the physics of nanowires with prescribed properties. Two different groups of systems have been considered that of 1D organic molecular nanowires and 2D interconnects based on graphene. In order to develop a deeper insight of the factors that determine the electronic structure and consequently the electrical transport properties, it is desirable to carry out computer simulation studies of these systems. The work reported in this thesis has focused on studying the porphyrin and DNA molecules as well as investigating the consequences of engineered 2D graphene interconnect. The latter class of systems has included graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), graphene sheets with grain boundaries (GGBs) and graphene nanomeshes (GNMs). The methodology was to use self-consistent extended Huckel theory (SC-EHT) and density functional theory (DFT) in combination with non-equilibrium Green functions (NEGFs) formalism to investigate the electronic and transport properties of these systems. The SC-EHT calculations were performed using an in-house developed C++ code named EHTransport. While the SIESTA package was employed for the DFT. It was found that the SC-EHT approach produced comparable results with that obtained by DFT. This supports the idea that the semi-empirical methods can be as valid as ab-initio approaches. The findings demonstrated that porphyrin, DNA, and graphene based systems are very promising candidates to incorporate in future electronics.
Evolution of a Distinct Genomic Domain in Drosophila: Comparative Analysis of the Dot Chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis

The distal arm of the fourth (“dot”) chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster is unusual in that it exhibits an amalgamation of heterochromatic properties (e.g., dense packaging, late replication) and euchromatic properties (e.g., gene density similar to euchromatic domains, replication during polytenization). To examine the evolution of this unusual domain, we undertook a comparative study by generating high-quality sequence data and manually curating gene models for the dot chromosome of D. virilis (Tucson strain 15010–1051.88). Our analysis shows that the dot chromosomes of D. melanogaster and D. virilis have higher repeat density, larger gene size, lower codon bias, and a higher rate of gene rearrangement compared to a reference euchromatic domain. Analysis of eight “wanderer” genes (present in a euchromatic chromosome arm in one species and on the dot chromosome in the other) shows that their characteristics are similar to other genes in the same domain, which suggests that these characteristics are features of the domain and are not required for these genes to function. Comparison of this strain of D. virilis with the strain sequenced by the Drosophila 12 Genomes Consortium (Tucson strain 15010–1051.87) indicates that most genes on the dot are under weak purifying selection. Collectively, despite the heterochromatin-like properties of this domain, genes on the dot evolve to maintain function while being responsive to changes in their local environment.
Hybrid model and structured sparsity for under-determined convolutive audio source separation

We consider the problem of extracting the source signals from an under-determined convolutive mixture, assuming known filters. We start from its formulation as a minimization of a convex functional, combining a classical I2 discrepancy term between the observed mixture and the one reconstructed from the estimated sources, and a sparse regularization term of source coefficients in a time-frequency domain. We then introduce a first kind of structure, using a hybrid model. Finally, we embed the previously introduced Windowed-Group-Lasso operator into the iterative thresholding/shrinkage algorithm, in order to take into account some structures inside each layers of time-frequency representations. Intensive numerical studies confirm the benefits of such an approach.
Selenium and thyroid autoimmunity

The trace element selenium (Se) occurs in the form of the amino acid selenocysteine in selenoproteins. Selenoproteins exerts multiple physiological effects in human health, many of which are related with regulation of reduction-oxidation processes. In fact, the selenoenzyme families of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thioredoxin reductase (TRx) display the ability to act as antioxidants, protecting cells from oxidative damage. Furthermore, another class of selenoproteins are the iodothyronine deiodinase enzymes (DIO), which catalyze the conversion of thyroxine (T4) in triiodothyronine (T3), then exerting a fine tuned control on thyroid hormones metabolism. Several studies have investigated the potential positive effects of Se supplementation in thyroid diseases, characterized by increased levels of hydrogen peroxide and free radicals, like autoimmune chronic thyroiditis. These studies have supplied evidences indicating that Se supplementation, maximizing the antioxidant enzymes activity, may reduce the thyroid inflammatory status. Then, it may be postulated that Se could play a therapeutical role in thyroid autoimmune diseases. Despite the fact that recent studies seem to be concordant about Se beneficial effects in decreasing thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) titers and ameliorating the ultrasound echogenicity pattern, several doubts have to be still clarified, before advising Se supplementation in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.
A Critical Role of Interleukin-10 in Modulating Hypoxia-Induced Preeclampsia-Like Disease in Mice

Hypoxia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. However, in vivo evidence and mechanistic understanding remain elusive. Preeclampsia is associated with impaired placental angiogenesis. We have recently shown that interleukin (IL)-10 can support trophoblast-driven endovascular crosstalk. Accordingly, we hypothesize that pathological levels of oxygen coupled with IL-10 deficiency induce severe preeclampsia-like features coupled with elevated production of antiangiogenic factors, apoptotic pathways, and placental injury. Exposure of pregnant wild-type and IL-10−/− mice to 9.5% oxygen resulted in graded placental injury and systemic symptoms of renal pathology, proteinuria (wild-type 645.15±115.73 versus 198.09±93.45; IL-10−/− 819.31±127.85 versus 221.45±82.73 &mgr;g/mg/24 hours) and hypertension (wild-type 118.37±14.45 versus 78.67±14.07; IL-10−/− 136.03±22.59 versus 83.97±18.25 mm Hg). Recombinant IL-10 reversed hypoxia-induced features in pregnant IL-10−/− mice confirming the protective role of IL-10 in preeclampsia. Hypoxic exposure caused marked elevation of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (110.8±20.1 versus 44.7±11.9 ng/mL) in IL-10−/− mice compared with their wild-type counterparts (81.6±13.1 versus 41.2±8.9 ng/mL), whereas soluble endoglin was induced to similar levels in both strains (approximately 380±50 versus 180±31 ng/mL). Hypoxia-induced elevation of p53 was associated with marked induction of proapoptotic protein Bax, downregulation of Bcl-2, and trophoblast-specific apoptosis in utero-placental tissue. Collectively, we conclude that severe preeclampsia pathology could be triggered under certain threshold oxygen levels coupled with intrinsic IL-10 deficiency, which lead to excessive activation of antiangiogenic and apoptotic pathways.
Analytical design of extremely high-gain Fabry-Perot/leaky antennas by using multiple feeds

The limitations of single feed FabryPerot type leaky antennas are analyzed and the need of multiple feeds for obtaining a very large gain while preserving a reasonable bandwidth are discussed. An efficient analysis tool for multi-feed Fabry-Perot leaky wave antennas is proposed. The radiation pattern of the antenna is analytically derived as a function of all design parameters.
A Conserved, Mg2+-Dependent Exonuclease Degrades Organelle DNA during Arabidopsis Pollen Development[C][W]

Extrachromosomal DNAs, present in plastids and mitochondria, are present in multiple copies and appear to be degraded in the mature pollen of most angiosperm species. This study, by deciphering a tissue-specific organelle DNA degradation mechanism, identifies the organellar nuclease that degrades these extrachromosomal DNAs during Arabidopsis pollen development. In plant cells, mitochondria and plastids contain their own genomes derived from the ancestral bacteria endosymbiont. Despite their limited genetic capacity, these multicopy organelle genomes account for a substantial fraction of total cellular DNA, raising the question of whether organelle DNA quantity is controlled spatially or temporally. In this study, we genetically dissected the organelle DNA decrease in pollen, a phenomenon that appears to be common in most angiosperm species. By staining mature pollen grains with fluorescent DNA dye, we screened Arabidopsis thaliana for mutants in which extrachromosomal DNAs had accumulated. Such a recessive mutant, termed defective in pollen organelle DNA degradation1 (dpd1), showing elevated levels of DNAs in both plastids and mitochondria, was isolated and characterized. DPD1 encodes a protein belonging to the exonuclease family, whose homologs appear to be found in angiosperms. Indeed, DPD1 has Mg2+-dependent exonuclease activity when expressed as a fusion protein and when assayed in vitro and is highly active in developing pollen. Consistent with the dpd phenotype, DPD1 is dual-targeted to plastids and mitochondria. Therefore, we provide evidence of active organelle DNA degradation in the angiosperm male gametophyte, primarily independent of maternal inheritance; the biological function of organellar DNA degradation in pollen is currently unclear.
Adult Olfactory Bulb Interneuron Phenotypes Identified by Targeting Embryonic and Postnatal Neural Progenitors

Neurons are generated during embryonic development and in adulthood, although adult neurogenesis is restricted to two main brain regions, the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles generates neural stem/progenitor cells that continually provide the olfactory bulb (OB) with new granule or periglomerular neurons, cells that arrive from the SVZ via the rostral migratory stream. The continued neurogenesis and the adequate integration of these newly generated interneurons is essential to maintain homeostasis in the olfactory bulb, where the differentiation of these cells into specific neural cell types is strongly influenced by temporal cues. Therefore, identifying the critical features that control the generation of adult OB interneurons at either pre- or post-natal stages is important to understand the dynamic contribution of neural stem cells. Here, we used in utero and neonatal SVZ electroporation along with a transposase-mediated stable integration plasmid, in order to track interneurons and glial lineages in the OB. These plasmids are valuable tools to study the development of OB interneurons from embryonic and post-natal SVZ progenitors. Accordingly, we examined the location and identity of the adult progeny of embryonic and post-natally transfected progenitors by examining neurochemical markers in the adult OB. These data reveal the different cell types in the olfactory bulb that are generated in function of age and different electroporation conditions.
Characteristics of NR/CB Composites: Preparation Methods and Correlations of Electrical and Mechanical Properties

This work aims to correlate the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of binary composites made of natural rubber (NR) and carbon black (CB). The samples were prepared using both a wet and dry mixing method before making the composites with a conventional rubber vulcanization process. The dry-mixing method was found to achieve higher electrical conductivity than the wet-mixing method. The composite made by efficient vulcanization (EV) had lower compression set than the composite made by conventional vulcanization (CV) and the compression set increased with an increase of CB. The highest tensile strength of the composite was found at CB content of 20 phr. The percolation threshold concentration of the binary composite was observed at 10 phr CB. Electrical conductivity of the composite depended on sample thickness where thinner samples had higher conductivity than the thick sample.
Autonomous load disaggregation approach based on active power measurements

With the help of smart metering valuable information of the appliance usage can be retrieved. In detail, nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM), also called load disaggregation, tries to identify appliances in the power draw of an household. In this paper an unsupervised load disaggregation approach is proposed that works without a priori knowledge about appliances. The proposed algorithm works autonomously in real time. The number of used appliances and the corresponding appliance models are learned in operation and are progressively updated. The proposed algorithm is considering each useful and suitable detected power state. The algorithm tries to detect power states corresponding to on/off appliances as well as to multi-state appliances based on active power measurements in 1s resolution. We evaluated the novel introduced load disaggregation approach on real world data by testing the possibility to disaggregate energy demand on appliance level.
High gain printed dipole array with reflectors and directors

Since many years, a lot of studies has been lead to developed reconfigurable antennas. Phase scanning, beam steering or frequency tuning are, notably, the main interests of the antennists. Therefore planar array antennas has been developed, in order to control all of those parameters (examples in [1],[2],[3],[6]). In our letter, the simplicity of the design of a directive antenna with only printed dipoles is shown. We extend a technique used in [4], which aims to get a high gain, a high sidelobe level rejection and a low level of back radiations. In the first part of this paper, we present the basic printed structure (compouned of one radiating element, one reflector and one director). In the second part, we present a 8×1 array of the basic structure, with a balanced power distribution in order to increase the gain and decrease the side lobe level. We optimize those antennas with the software CST Microwave Studio.
Relación entre los comportamientos no lineales dieléctrico y mecánico en cerámicas piezoeléctricas de PZT

Elastic and dielectric coefficients of PZT piezoceramics are perturbed by applying high electric field or high mechanical stress. In this work, a procedure is described in order to compare non-linear dielectric and elastic behaviour, by using suitable quantities. Qualitative differences are observed between soft and hard materials. But, for a given material, dielectric and mechanic behaviours are very similar, as well as the losses of both kinds. This fact can be understood by assuming that non-linearity is produced by interaction between domain walls and defects, and that 180° walls are negligible in front of non-180" walls. Some facts must be taken into account in order to compare both behaviours, as the non-linear model, the domain wall orientation distribution, or the non uniformity of the fields. This allows to relate the non linear behaviour with the distribution function, that defines the material state, or to understand the non-linearity produced at the overtones.
Effect of age on the in vitro reflection coefficient of the aortoiliac bifurcation in humans.

The local reflection coefficient (r) at the aortoiliac junction was estimated in vessels removed at autopsy from 15 females and 31 males aged 2 months to 88 years by calculating the characteristic impedance (Zc) of the abdominal aorta and the two common iliac arteries. Zc was evaluated for each vessel by measuring cross-sectional area from radiographs and propagation velocity of an isolated pressure impulse generated by a solenoid-driven piston connected to the distal end of the abdominal aorta, and detected at several sites a known distance from the junction. Attenuation coefficients in the aorta were estimated from the peak amplitude of the impulse at these several sites. We observed significant decreases with age in abdominal aortic attenuation coefficient (gamma = 0.053-5 x 10(-4) age [yr], r = -0.42, p less than 0.005), and the area ratio (AR) of the junction (sum of the iliac cross-sectional areas/aortic cross-sectional area) (AR = 0.93-0.002 x age [yr], r = -0.31, p less than 0.05). Bifurcation angle (Angle) and aortic propagation velocity (caorta) increased significantly (angle = 40.2 + 0.26 x age [yr], r = 0.41, p less than 0.01; caorta (ms-1) = 7.59 + 0.175 x age [yr], r = 0.69, p less than 0.0001). No significant association between age and iliac propagation velocity was found. On the basis of area measurements alone, it has been argued that the observed decrease in area ratio with age causes r to become more positive. The lack of age-related changes in iliac propagation velocity (and hence stiffness), an observation confirmed by most of the few reports in the literature, and the large increase in abdominal aortic stiffness, however, greatly outweighed the area ratio changes and caused a significant decline in reflection coefficient from +0.3 in early life to -0.3 in old age. (Reflection coefficient = 0.30-0.0065 x age [yr], r = -0.68, p less than 0.0001). Between the ages of 30 and 60 years, its absolute value was less than 0.1, confirming in vivo work on subjects within this age range. In children, a significant positive reflection at the distal end of the aorta will amplify the pulse wave in this region. As this vessel becomes stiffer with increasing age, amplification will increase, whereas the increasingly negative value of r will partially offset this rise, reducing pulse pressure on either side of the junction. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Serum and red cell folates, and serum vitamin B12 in protein calorie malnutrition

In 22 cases of kwashiorkor, 19 cases of marasmus, and 16 normal controls, red cell folate, serum folate, and serum vitamin B12 were estimated, and the bone marrow and peripheral blood examined. Erythrocyte folate deficiency was shown in 9 cases of kwashiorkor and 7 cases of marasmus. Serum folate deficiency was present in 14 cases of kwashiorkor and 7 cases of marasmus. Megaloblastosis was found in 45% of cases of kwashiorkor and 37% of cases of marasmus. Megaloblastosis and macrocytosis correlated more with erythrocyte than with serum folate deficiency. Serum vitamin B12 levels in children with kwashiorkor or marasmus did not differ from those of normal controls. The role of folate deficiency in the pathogenesis of megaloblastosis in protein calorie malnutrition was confirmed.
Chromatin modifications during repair of environmental exposure‐induced DNA damage: A potential mechanism for stable epigenetic alterations

Exposures to environmental toxicants and toxins cause epigenetic changes that likely play a role in the development of diseases associated with exposure. The mechanism behind these exposure‐induced epigenetic changes is currently unknown. One commonality between most environmental exposures is that they cause DNA damage either directly or through causing an increase in reactive oxygen species, which can damage DNA. Like transcription, DNA damage repair must occur in the context of chromatin requiring both histone modifications and ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling. These chromatin changes aid in DNA damage accessibility and signaling. Several proteins and complexes involved in epigenetic silencing during both development and cancer have been found to be localized to sites of DNA damage. The chromatin‐based response to DNA damage is considered a transient event, with chromatin being restored to normal as DNA damage repair is completed. However, in individuals chronically exposed to environmental toxicants or with chronic inflammatory disease, repeated DNA damage‐induced chromatin rearrangement may ultimately lead to permanent epigenetic alterations. Understanding the mechanism behind exposure‐induced epigenetic changes will allow us to develop strategies to prevent or reverse these changes. This review focuses on epigenetic changes and DNA damage induced by environmental exposures, the chromatin changes that occur around sites of DNA damage, and how these transient chromatin changes may lead to heritable epigenetic alterations at sites of chronic exposure. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:278–291, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PREDICTING OZONE CONCENTRATIONS LEVELS USING PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

Ozone (O3) is one of the strongest atmospheric oxidants and is designated as a criteria pollutant in the atmospheric surface layer. Surface O3 contributes to a number of environmental problem including adverse effects on health, vegetation and materials, as well as climate forcing. Thus it is necessary to gain a good understanding of the characteristics of O3 pollution. In this research, four theoretical distributions namely Weibull, Beta, Lognormal and Inverse Gaussian distribution were used to find the best distribution that can fit the O3 data at Cheras, Selangor. Statistical distribution models are based upon probability and capable of estimating the entire range of pollutant concentration. Probability density functions (pdf) and cumulative distribution functions (cdf) will be used to predict the time of the day with high ozone concentrations and hence can be used as a prediction tool. Parameter estimation for each type of distribution was estimated by using the method of maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The best distribution was determined using the plots of cumulative distribution functions (cdf) and performance indicator including Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Prediction Accuracy (PA) and Coefficient of Determination (R). The results revealed that the best distribution to represent O3 concentration level in Cheras for 2010 is the Beta distribution. Based on the prediction using Beta distribution, it can be concluded that the O3 concentration level in Cheras exceed the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guidelines of 0.01 parts per million (ppm).
Boosting-Based On-Road Obstacle Sensing Using Discriminative Weak Classifiers

This paper proposes an extension of the weak classifiers derived from the Haar-like features for their use in the Viola-Jones object detection system. These weak classifiers differ from the traditional single threshold ones, in that no specific threshold is needed and these classifiers give a more general solution to the non-trivial task of finding thresholds for the Haar-like features. The proposed quadratic discriminant analysis based extension prominently improves the ability of the weak classifiers to discriminate objects and non-objects. The proposed weak classifiers were evaluated by boosting a single stage classifier to detect rear of car. The experiments demonstrate that the object detector based on the proposed weak classifiers yields higher classification performance with less number of weak classifiers than the detector built with traditional single threshold weak classifiers.