Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Small virulence plasmid of Shigella dysenteriae 1 strain W30864 encodes a 41,000-dalton protein involved in formation of specific lipopolysaccharide side chains of serotype 1 isolates

A 6-megadalton plasmid, pHW400, of Shigella dysenteriae 1 strain W30864 was previously found to specify one or more functions for O-antigen production and bacterial virulence (H. Watanabe and K. N. Timmis, Infect. Immun. 43:391-396, 1984). The region of pHW401, a Tn801-tagged derivative of pHW400, responsible for O-antigen production has been localized by gene cloning and Tn5 transposon mutagenesis. Analysis of lipopolysaccharide isolated from S. dysenteriae 1 bacteria carrying mutant plasmids revealed that the determinant for O-antigen synthesis, designated rfp, codes for a function involved in the formation of the O-polysaccharide side chain structure of lipopolysaccharide. Analysis of radioactively labeled proteins synthesized in minicells of Escherichia coli carrying mutant plasmids identified the product of the rfp gene as a 41,000-dalton protein. Southern hybridization with a DNA fragment carrying the rfp gene demonstrated that this determinant is present on 6-megadalton plasmids in other isolates of S. dysenteriae 1 but is not present at all in a variety of other Shigella, E. coli, and Salmonella typhimurium strains that were tested.
A self-tuning cache architecture for embedded systems

Memory access can account for about half of a microprocessor system's power consumption. Customizing a microprocessor cache's total size, line size and associativity to a particular program is well known to have tremendous benefits for performance and power. Customizing caches has until recently been restricted to core-based flows, in which a new chip will be fabricated. However, several configurable cache architectures have been proposed recently for use in pre-fabricated microprocessor platforms. Tuning those caches to a program is still however a cumbersome task left for designers, assisted in part by recent computer-aided design (CAD) tuning aids. We propose to move that CAD on-chip, which can greatly increase the acceptance of configurable caches. We introduce on-chip hardware implementing an efficient cache tuning heuristic that can automatically, transparently, and dynamically tune the cache to an executing program. We carefully designed the heuristic to avoid any cache flushing, since flushing is power and performance costly. By simulating numerous Powerstone and MediaBench benchmarks, we show that such a dynamic self-tuning cache can reduce memory-access energy by 45% to 55% on average, and as much as 97%, compared with a four-way set-associative base cache, completely transparently to the programmer.
Quantitative semantics of the lambda calculus: Some generalisations of the relational model

We present an overview of some recent work on the quantitative semantics of the λ-calculus. Our starting point is the fundamental degenerate model of linear logic, the relational model MRel. We show that three quantitative semantics of the simply-typed λ-calculus are equivalent: the relational semantics, HO/N game semantics, and the Taylor expansion semantics. We then consider two recent generalisations of the relational model: first, R-weighted relational models where R is a complete commutative semiring, as studied by Laird et al.; secondly, generalised species of structures, as introduced by Fiore et al. In each case, we briefly discuss some applications to quantitative analysis of higher-order programs.
Optimizing GAN parameters for efficient and accurate image generation: A study of WGAN-GP in brain tumor dataset

In this era of unprecedented rapid development of artificial intelligence, researchers are moving forward to develop new neural networks. Nevertheless, few have considered optimizing the extant generative adversarial network (GAN) to achieve the most effective and accurate solutions to provide optimal results for the challenges. This study aims to investigate the critical role of parameter optimization in GAN neural networks, with a particular focus on the Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network with Gradient Penalty (WGAN-GP) architecture applied to the generation of medical images, especially images depicting brain tumors. Therefore, the project used Kaggles brain tumor data set as a canvas to conduct an in-depth study of the impact of these parameters on the training model and generated results. For the starter, to investigate how alterations in the learning rate impact the model, this article selects a series of values for meticulous analysis to determine the most effective configuration. Then, evaluate and find a better and more suitable choice between Adam and SGD optimizers through comparison, focusing on their impact on training dynamics. As the last one, this study examines how the Tanh activation function constrains pixel values and shapes image realism through comparative results. By dissecting and understanding the interaction of these parameters in detail, we lay the foundation for optimizing GAN neural networks, increasing their efficiency, and producing accurate solutions for accurate diagnostics and healthcare applications. The journey through the labyrinth of GAN parameter tuning ultimately provided valuable insights into seamlessly synthesizing medical images.
Medication Use in the Last Days of Life in Hospital, Hospice, and Home Settings in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND The purpose of medication management in the last days of life is to optimize patient's comfort. Little is known about the medication use in the days before death and how this relates to the care setting. OBJECTIVE To describe medication use in the last week of life for patients dying in hospital, hospice, and home settings in the Netherlands. DESIGN Retrospective chart review study. SETTING A convenience sample of patient records from the three settings in three different regions in the Netherlands that cover more than half the country. MEASUREMENTS Information about medication use in the last week of life of patients who ultimately died an expected death was registered, including type of medication, start and if applicable stop dates, administration routes, and doses. RESULTS One hundred seventy-nine records were analyzed. Medications most frequently used in the last week of life were analgesics (n = 168, 94.1%) and psycholeptics (n = 150, 84.7%), in particular by hospice patients. The mean number of medications used per patient was nine during day 7 before death and six on the day of dying. On the day of death, 48 (26.8%) patients used a preventive medication. This percentage was highest for patients dying in the hospital or at home. CONCLUSIONS Patients who die an expected death receive many medications in the last week of life, part of which are preventive medications. Medication management in patients' final days of life can be improved, especially in the hospital and home setting.
Mitochondrial Pathway Mediates the Antileukemic Effects of Hemidesmus Indicus, a Promising Botanical Drug

Background Although cancers are characterized by the deregulation of multiple signalling pathways, most current anticancer therapies involve the modulation of a single target. Because of the enormous biological diversity of cancer, strategic combination of agents targeted against the most critical of those alterations is needed. Due to their complex nature, plant products interact with numerous targets and influence several biochemical and molecular cascades. The interest in further development of botanical drugs has been increasing steadily and the FDA recently approved the first new botanical prescription drug. The present study is designed to explore the potential antileukemic properties of Hemidesmus indicus with a view to contributing to further development of botanical drugs. Hemidesmus was submitted to an extensive in vitro preclinical evaluation. Methodology/Principal Findings A variety of cellular assays and flow cytometry, as well as a phytochemical screening, were performed on different leukemic cell lines. We have demonstrated that Hemidesmus modulated many components of intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell viability and proliferation and altered the protein expression, eventually leading to tumor cell death, mediated by a loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. ADP, adenine nucleotide translocator and mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitors did not reverse Hemidesmus-induced mitochondrial depolarization. Hemidesmus induced a significant [Ca2+]i raise through the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores. Moreover, Hemidesmus significantly enhanced the antitumor activity of three commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs (methotrexate, 6-thioguanine, cytarabine). A clinically relevant observation is that its cytotoxic activity was also recorded in primary cells from acute myeloid leukemic patients. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate the molecular basis of the antileukemic effects of Hemidesmus and identify the mitochondrial pathways and [Ca2+]i as crucial actors in its anticancer activity. On these bases, we conclude that Hemidesmus can represent a valuable tool in the anticancer pharmacology, and should be considered for further investigations.
On the nature of the Tsallis-Fourier Transform

By recourse to tempered ultradistributions, we show here that the effect of a q-Fourier transform (qFT) is to map equivalence classes of functions into other classes in a one-to-one fashion. This suggests that Tsallis’ q-statistics may revolve around equivalence classes of distributions and not individual ones, as orthodox statistics does. We solve here the qFT’s non-invertibility issue, but discover a problem that remains open.
Suppressing Non-Ideal Resonance in Defected Ground Structure Based on Grounded Coplanar Waveguide

In this paper, a new method is proposed and verified to eliminate the non-ideal resonance caused by DGS application in GCPW by adding via holes to reduce electromagnetic leakage. By adding a dense through-hole array around the dumbbell DGS can form an electrical wall to confine the electromagnetic to the central conductor. The test results show that the non-ideal resonance is eliminated after adding the through hole and a wide stopband from 16.1 GHz to 17.8 GHz with rejection larger than 20 dB. A double-dumbbell bandpass filter was successfully designed with this tech eliminating the non-ideal resonance at 8.053 GHz and 14.232 GHz. The results show that this structure can effectively eliminate the irrational resonance caused by electromagnetic leakage.
Extending X3D for distributed multimedia processing and control

Web-based applications of interactive 3D computer graphics are showing a tendency to get more interconnected and visually complex. Virtual communities like Second Life demand realism not only in terms of realistic rendering, but also in terms of integrated multimedia content. For these Web-based applications, X3D is the ISO-standard way to specify and manipulate scene descriptions. In terms of multimedia integration, however, X3D offers to specify content only in the form of URLs pointing to files. Modern middleware for distributed multimedia, on the other hand, allows applications to harness the full range of multimedia processing as well as transparent use and full control of both local and remote components. Integrating a full multimedia processing pipeline into X3D would enable Web authors to use, for example, streaming media, post-processing on media streams, or routing between scene elements (e.g., sensors) and elements of multimedia processing (e.g., TV cards). A full integration of multimedia in X3D is yet missing. In this paper, we propose X3D extensions for a seamless mapping of a distributed multimedia flow graph onto an X3D scene graph, making all the features of a distributed multimedia middleware accessible and usable within an X3D scene. We present our proposed specification and implementation of multimedia nodes for X3D. Using examples and implemented X3D application scenarios, we show the simplicity and feasibility of our approach.
Regulated Expression of Arabidopsis Phosphate Transporters1

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting plant growth. Plants respond to the persistent deficiency of phosphate (Pi) by coordinating the expression of genes involved in alleviation of the stress. The high-affinity Pi transporters are among the major molecular determinants that are activated during Pi stress. In this study, using three reporter genes (green fluorescent protein, luciferase, and β-glucuronidase) regulated by two Pi transporter promoters, we have carried out an extensive analysis of transcriptional and spatial regulation of gene expression. Activation of the genes was rapid, repressible, and specific in response to changes in Pi availability. The phytohormones auxin and cytokinin suppressed the expression of the reporter gene driven by the AtPT1promoter, and that of the native gene, suggesting that hormones may be involved in regulation of some component(s) of Pi starvation response pathway. These studies also provide molecular evidence for a potential role of high-affinity Pi transporters in mobilizing Pi into reproductive organs. The results suggest that members of the Pi transporter family may have similar but nonredundant functions in plants.
Interactions Between Therapeutic Proteins and Small Molecules: The Shared Role of Perpetrators and Victims

Therapeutic proteins (TPs) are becoming increasingly important as therapeutic agents. A consequence of expanding their clinical indications is coadministration with well‐established small‐molecule drugs (sMDs), which could lead to unpredictable effects. According to the existing regulatory guidance, the development of an sMD includes the evaluation of potential drug‐drug interactions (DDIs). For TPs, only a few drug interaction studies have been published. Limited clinically relevant models, long half‐lives, and complex elimination pathways are among the associated difficulties.
Deletion of the thyroid hormone receptor α1 prevents the structural alterations of the cerebellum induced by hypothyroidism

Thyroid hormone (T3) controls critical aspects of cerebellar development, such as migration of postmitotic granule cells and terminal differentiation of Purkinje cells. T3 acts through nuclear receptors (TR) of two types, TRα1 and TRβ, that either repress or activate gene expression. We have analyzed the cerebellar structure of developing mice lacking the TRα1 isoform, which normally accounts for about 80% of T3 receptors in the cerebellum. Contrary to what was expected, granule cell migration and Purkinje cell differentiation were normal in the mutant mice. Even more striking was the fact that when neonatal hypothyroidism was induced, no alterations in cerebellar structure were observed in the mutant mice, whereas the wild-type mice showed delayed granule cell migration and arrested Purkinje cell growth. The results support the idea that repression by the TRα1 aporeceptor, and not the lack of thyroid hormone, is responsible for the hypothyroid phenotype. This conclusion was supported by experiments with the TRβ-selective compound GC-1. Treatment of hypothyroid animals with T3, which binds to TRα1 and TRβ, prevents any defect in cerebellar structure. In contrast, treatment with GC-1, which binds to TRβ but not TRα1, partially corrects Purkinje cell differentiation but has no effect on granule cell migration. Our data indicate that thyroid hormone has a permissive effect on cerebellar granule cell migration through derepression by the TRα1 isoform.
Novel Widely Tunable Monolithically Integrated Laser Source Volume 7 , Number 6 , December 2015

We report a novel type of monolithically integrated tunable semiconductor laser. The tuning is achieved by three intracavity Mach–Zehnder interferometers, realized in passive waveguides and using voltage-controlled electro-optic phase modulators requiring only four control voltages. The potential of the design is demonstrated by a realized laser system that shows an optical linewidth of 363 kHz, output power of 3 mW, and a record tuning range of 74.3 nm. Such a continuous wavelength span is in excess of any monolithic semiconductor laser reported up to date. Precision of the tuning mechanism is demonstrated by a scan over a 0.89-GHz-wide absorption line of acetylene. The laser design is suitable for a number of applications, including gas spectroscopy, telecommunication, and optical coherence tomography. The laser has been fabricated in a multi-project wafer run on an indium phosphide-based generic photonic foundry platform and demonstrates the potential of these technology platforms.
A STUDY ON INFORMATION EXTRACTION FROM HYPER SPECTRAL IMAGE BASED ON SAMC & EPV

Spectral reflectance in hyper spectral image provides useful information of surface objects. In this paper, two algorithms have been introduced, and the characteristics of the two main types of algorithms are discussed: spectral angle mapping classification (SAMC) is used to identify objects and endmember projection vector (EPV) to distinguish between object and its background. And then, a new method integrated SAMC with EPV has been explored and proved by experiment to extract hyper spectral information. The result indicates that a combination of spectral angle mapping classification and endmember projection vector can evidently improve the precision of hyper spectral information extraction.
Residual shear strength variability as a primary control on movement of landslides reactivated by earthquake‐induced ground motion: Implications for coastal Oregon, U.S.

Most large seismogenic landslides are reactivations of preexisting landslides with basal shear zones in the residual strength condition. Residual shear strength often varies during rapid displacement, but the response of residual shear zones to seismic loading is largely unknown. We used a ring shear apparatus to perform simulated seismic loading tests, constant displacement rate tests, and tests during which shear stress was gradually varied on specimens from two landslides to improve understanding of coseismic landslide reactivation and to identify shear strength models valid for slow gravitational failure through rapid coseismic failure. The landslides we studied represent many along the Oregon, U.S., coast. Seismic loading tests resulted in (1) catastrophic failure involving unbounded displacement when stresses represented those for the existing landslides and (2) limited to unbounded displacement when stresses represented those for hypothetical dormant landslides, suggesting that coseismic landslide reactivation may be significant during future great earthquakes occurring near the Oregon Coast. Constant displacement rate tests indicated that shear strength decreased exponentially during the first few decimeters of displacement but increased logarithmically with increasing displacement rate when sheared at 0.001 cm s−1 or greater. Dynamic shear resistance estimated from shear strength models correlated well with stresses observed during seismic loading tests, indicating that displacement rate and amount primarily controlled failure characteristics. We developed a stress‐based approach to estimate coseismic landslide displacement that utilizes the variable shear strength model. The approach produced results that compared favorably to observations made during seismic loading tests, indicating its utility for application to landslides.
Optimization and Self-Optimization in LTE-Advanced Networks. (Optimisation et Auto-Optimisation dans les réseaux LTE)

The mobile network of Orange in France comprises more than 100 000 2G, 3G and 4G antennas with severalfrequency bands, not to mention many femto-cells for deep-indoor coverage. These numbers will continue toincrease in order to address the customers’ exponentially increasing need for mobile data. This is an illustrationof the challenge faced by the mobile operators for operating such a complex network with low OperationalExpenditures (OPEX) in order to stay competitive. This thesis is about leveraging the Self-Organizing Network(SON) concept to reduce this complexity by automating repetitive or complex tasks. We specifically proposeautomatic optimization algorithms for scenarios related to network densification using either small cells orActive Antenna Systems (AASs) used for Vertical Sectorization (VeSn), Virtual Sectorization (ViSn) and multilevelbeamforming. Problems such as load balancing with limited-capacity backhaul and interference coordination eitherin time-domain (eICIC) or in frequency-domain are tackled. We also propose optimal activation algorithms forVeSn and ViSn when their activation is not always beneficial. We make use of results from stochastic approximationand convex optimization for the mathematical formulation of the problems and their solutions. We also proposea generic methodology for the coordination of multiple SON algorithms running in parallel using results fromconcave game theory and Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI)-constrained optimization.
Inducing Frame Semantic Verb Classes from WordNet and LDOCE

This paper presents SemFrame, a system that induces frame semantic verb classes from WordNet and LDOCE. Semantic frames are thought to have significant potential in resolving the paraphrase problem challenging many language-based applications.When compared to the handcrafted FrameNet, SemFrame achieves its best recall-precision balance with 83.2% recall (based on SemFrame's coverage of FrameNet frames) and 73.8% precision (based on SemFrame verbs' semantic relatedness to frame-evoking verbs). The next best performing semantic verb classes achieve 56.9% recall and 55.0% precision.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Performance in Refurbished Projects: A Case Study of Two Private Schools in Selangor

This study discusses the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in two refurbished private schools in Shah Alam, Selangor. The level of IAQ may affect the comfort, health and well-being of the occupants of the building. Lack of monitoring IAQ in a school may affect the academic performance of the children. The objectives of the research are to observe the ventilation system used in the selected school and the comfort of the occupants; to measure the IAQ; and finally to provide an improvement plan for better air quality. The result shows that the IAQ level of both schools was average, so both were classified as safe for occupation. It is anticipated that this study will benefit the school owners in making sure that their school buildings are conducive to teaching and learning.
LaZy Superscalar

LaZy Superscalar is a processor architecture which delays the execution of fetched instructions until their results are needed by other instructions. This approach eliminates dead instructions and provides the necessary means to fuse dependent instructions across multiple control dependencies by explicitly tracking control and data dependencies through a matrix based scheduler. We present this novel redesign of scheduling, recovery and commit mechanisms and evaluate the performance of the proposed architecture. Our simulations using Spec 2006 benchmark suite indicate that LaZy Superscalar can achieve significant speed-ups while providing respectable power savings compared to a conventional superscalar processor.