Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunization of Mice with Recombinant Mosquito Salivary Protein D7 Enhances Mortality from Subsequent West Nile Virus Infection via Mosquito Bite

Background Mosquito salivary proteins (MSPs) modulate the host immune response, leading to enhancement of arboviral infections. Identification of proteins in saliva responsible for immunomodulation and counteracting their effects on host immune response is a potential strategy to protect against arboviral disease. We selected a member of the D7 protein family, which are among the most abundant and immunogenic in mosquito saliva, as a vaccine candidate with the aim of neutralizing effects on the mammalian immune response normally elicited by mosquito saliva components during arbovirus transmission. Methodology/Principal Findings We identified D7 salivary proteins of Culex tarsalis, a West Nile virus (WNV) vector in North America, and expressed 36 kDa recombinant D7 (rD7) protein for use as a vaccine. Vaccinated mice exhibited enhanced interferon-γ and decreased interleukin-10 expression after uninfected mosquito bite; however, we found unexpectedly that rD7 vaccination resulted in enhanced pathogenesis from mosquito-transmitted WNV infection. Passive transfer of vaccinated mice sera to naïve mice also resulted in increased mortality rates from subsequent mosquito-transmitted WNV infection, implicating the humoral immune response to the vaccine in enhancement of viral pathogenesis. Vaccinated mice showed decreases in interferon-γ and increases in splenocytes producing the regulatory cytokine IL-10 after WNV infection by mosquito bite. Conclusions/Significance Vector saliva vaccines have successfully protected against other blood-feeding arthropod-transmitted diseases. Nevertheless, the rD7 salivary protein vaccine was not a good candidate for protection against WNV disease since immunized mice infected via an infected mosquito bite exhibited enhanced mortality. Selection of salivary protein vaccines on the bases of abundance and immunogenicity does not predict efficacy.
HODGE COHOMOLOGY CRITERIA FOR AFFINE VARIETIES

We give several new criteria for a quasi-projective variety to be affine. In particular, we prove that an algebraic manifold Y with dimension n is affine if and only if H(Y, ΩjY ) = 0 for all j ≥ 0, i > 0 and κ(D, X) = n, i.e., there are n algebraically independent nonconstant regular functions on Y , where X is the smooth completion of Y , D is the effective boundary divisor with support X−Y and ΩjY is the sheaf of regular j-forms on Y . This proves Mohan Kumar’s affineness conjecture for algebraic manifolds and gives a partial answer to J.P. Serre’s Steinness question [36] in algebraic case since the associated analytic space of an affine variety is Stein [15, Chapter VI, Proposition 3.1]. Department of Mathematics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Email address: zhangj@math.missouri.edu 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 14J10, 14J30, 32E10.
An intervention resembling caloric restriction prolongs life span and retards aging in yeast

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a finite life span that is measured by the number of daughter cells an individual produces. The 20 genes known to determine yeast life span appear to function in more than one pathway, implicating a variety of physiological processes in yeast longevity. Less attention has been focused on environmental effects on yeast aging. We have examined the role that nutritional status plays in determining yeast life span. Reduction of the glucose concentration in the medium led to an increase in life span and to a delay in appearance of an aging phenotype. The increase in life span was the more extensive the lower the glucose levels. Life extension was also elicited by decreasing the amino acids content of the medium. This suggests that it is the decline in calories and not a particular nutrient that is responsible, in striking similarity to the effect on aging of caloric restriction in mammals. The caloric restriction effect did not require the induction of the retrograde response pathway, which signals the functional status of the mitochondrion and determines longevity. Furthermore, deletion of RTG3, a downstream mediator in this pathway, and caloric restriction had an additive effect, resulting in the largest increase (123%) in longevity described thus far in yeast. Thus, retrograde response and caloric restriction operate along distinct pathways in determining yeast longevity. These pathways may be exclusive, at least in part. This provides evidence for multiple mechanisms of metabolic control in yeast aging. Inasmuch as caloric restriction lowers blood glucose levels, this study raises the possibility that reduced glucose alters aging at the cellular level in mammals.
Evidence for Extremely High Dust Polarization Efficiency in NGC 3184

Recent studies have found the Type II-plateau supernova (SN) 1999gi to be highly polarized (pmax = 5.8%, where pmax is the highest degree of polarization measured in the optical bandpass) and minimally reddened [E(B-V) = 0.21 ± 0.09 mag]. From multiple lines of evidence, including the convincing fit of a "Serkowski" interstellar polarization (ISP) curve to the continuum polarization shape, we conclude that the bulk of the observed polarization is likely due to dust along the line of sight and is not intrinsic to SN 1999gi. We present new spectropolarimetric observations of four distant Galactic stars close to the line of sight to SN 1999gi (two are within 0.°02) and find that all are null to within 0.2%, effectively eliminating Galactic dust as the cause of the high polarization. The high ISP coupled with the low reddening implies an extraordinarily high polarization efficiency for the dust along this line of sight in NGC 3184: ISP/E(B-V) = 31% mag -1. This is inconsistent with the empirical Galactic limit [ISP/E(B-V) < 9% mag-1] and represents the highest polarization efficiency yet confirmed for a single sight line in either the Milky Way or an external galaxy.
Genetic Algorithms in Application to the Geometry Optimization of Nanoparticles

Applications of genetic algorithms to the global geometry optimization problem of nanoparticles are reviewed. Genetic operations are investigated and importance of phenotype genetic operations, considering the geometry of nanoparticles, are mentioned. Other efficiency improving developments such as floating point representation and local relaxation are described broadly. Parallelization issues are also considered and a recent parallel working single parent Lamarckian genetic algorithm is reviewed with applications on carbon clusters and SiGe core-shell structures.
Eigenmode analysis of transmission line-based phase-nonreciprocal metamaterials

Eigenmode analysis combining elements of field theory and transmission line model was applied to ferrite-embedded phase-nonreciprocal transmission line metamaterial. The dispersion of dominant TE-modes is described analytically from magnetic properties of the ferrite and asymmetry of the structure. The results were proved with fullwave numerical simulation and experiment.
The myth of national self-defence

The right of national self-defence—though deeply entrenched and of long-standing—is a myth, unsupported by coherent moral reasoning. Were states to possess the extraordinary defensive rights attributed by just war theory and the laws of armed conflict, it would have to be the case that states or proto-state groups possess an unusual form of moral value not shared by other social groups. Through an extended discussion of a corporate takeover example, the chapter shows this not to be the case. In the second part of the chapter a distinction is drawn between ‘genocidal aggression’ which threatens the core rights of all or a majority of a community, and ‘political aggression’ which does not. It is argued that coordinated violent defensive measures are justified in the first case, but not in the second.
Efficient Word Lattice Generation for Joint Word Segmentation and POS Tagging in Japanese

This paper investigates the importance of a word lattice generation algorithm in joint word segmentation and POS tagging. We conducted experiments on three Japanese data sets to demonstrate that the previously proposed pruning-based algorithm is in fact not efficient enough, and that the pipeline algorithm, which is introduced in this paper, achieves considerable speedup without loss of accuracy. Moreover, the compactness of the lattice generated by the pipeline algorithm was investigated from both theoretical and empirical perspectives.
Understanding experiences of engagement mentoring for ‘disaffected’ young people and their student mentors: problems of data analysis in qualitative research

This paper presents a reflexive account of recently completed qualitative research into mentoring relationships between 'disaffected' 16-19 year olds and university students. Despite the current popularity of mentoring for socially excluded youth, research has been dominated by quantitative psychological studies and evaluation projects, with little attempt to explore the meanings that participants bring to the processes of mentoring. It has also tended to disembed mentoring from its social, economic and political contexts. Addressing these gaps created challenges for the researcher, particularly in analysing the data and representing the findings. Interviewing teenagers with emotional and learning difficulties generated sometimes limited data. The more articulate and constructed views of the mentors often threatened to marginalise the mentees' experiences as the data was transformed. These experiences are considered in relation to issues of cultural capital. Using unconventional data analysis techniques led to a new theoretical understanding of mentoring as a process of producing specific forms of cultural capital (‘employability’) in both mentors and mentees. It also reveals how researchers need to be conscious of their own power to construct or reject respondents’ cultural resources as cultural capital. The paper concludes that the use of inappropriate research methods reinforces this power and limits the quality of research.
Analysing and Understanding the Singing Voice: Recent Progress and Open Questions

The breadth of expression in singing depends on fine control of physiology and acoustics. In this review, the basic concepts from speech acoustics, including the source-filter model, models of the glottal source and source-filter interactions, are described. The precise control, the extended pitch range, the timbre control and, in some cases, the uses of alternate phonation modes all merit further attention and explanation. Here we review features of the singing voice and the understanding that has been delivered by new measurement techniques. We describe the glottal mechanisms and the control of vocal tract resonances used in singing. We review linear and nonlinear components of the voice and the way in which they are measured and modelled and discuss the aero-acoustic models. We conclude with a list of open questions and active fields of research.
Thermal-electromagnetic analysis of a fault-tolerant dual-star flux-switching permanent magnet motor for critical applications

This study presents a fault-electromagnetic-thermal model of a fault-tolerant dual-star flux-switching permanent magnet motor. The analytical results in terms of phase currents, rotor velocity and output torque are firstly calculated by a Simulink-MATLAB-based fault (short-circuit) model. Then, the fault and normal phase currents are used in the motor 2D finite element method (FEM) model to calculate the copper and iron losses. As the main heat sources in electrical machines, the obtained copper and iron losses are used in the lumped parameter (LP) and the 3D FEM thermal models to calculate the temperatures of different machine components. Finally, the variation of temperatures of the machine in the presence of faults can be predicted. The results obtained by the LP and the 3D FEM models are also validated by experimental tests. A good agreement has been observed among the analytical, numerical and experimental results. In order to realise the 3D FEM model of the doubly salient rotating machine, a method to transform the salient rotor into a non-salient one have been proposed. Some methods are also proposed to enhance the performance of the cooling system and decrease the maximum temperature of the machine.
Improving Similarity Search in Time Series Using Wavelets

Sequences constitute a large portion of data stored in databases. Data mining applications require the ability to process similarity queries over a large amount of time series data. The query processing performance is an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration. This article proposes a similarity retrieval algorithm for time series. The proposed approach utilizes wavelet transformation in order to reduce the dimensionality of the time series. The transformed series are indexed using X-Trees, which is a spatial indexing technique able to efficiently index high-dimensional data. The article proves that this technique outperforms the usage of the Fourier transformation, since the wavelet transformation provides better approximation of the time series. Through the experiments, it can be concluded that the optimum performance is obtained using 16 to 20 wavelet coefficients. Furthermore, a novel mechanism for reducing the complexity of the calculation for the false alarms removal is proposed. Storing the approximation coefficients of the penultimate level of the decomposition tree, the Euclidean distance between the two sequences is calculated, thus reducing further the number of false alarms before calculating the actual Euclidean distance using the complete time series. The article concludes with a detailed performance evaluation of the proposed similarity retrieval algorithm using data from the Greek stock market and the temperature measurements from Athens. The comparison is done with techniques that use the Haar transform and the R*-Tree, and the proposed algorithm is shown to outperform them.
Molecular KCNQ 2 Is a Nodal K Channel

Mutations in the gene encoding the K channel KCNQ2 cause neonatal epilepsy and myokymia, indicating that KCNQ2 regulates the excitability of CNS neurons and motor axons, respectively. We show here that KCNQ2 channels are functional components of axon initial segments and nodes of Ranvier, colocalizing with ankyrin-G and voltage-dependent Na channels throughout the CNS and PNS. Retigabine, which opens KCNQ channels, diminishes axonal excitability. Linopirdine, which blocks KCNQ channels, prolongs the repolarization of the action potential in neonatal nerves. The clustering of KCNQ2 at nodes and initial segments lags that of ankyrin-G during development, and both ankyrin-G and KCNQ2 can be coimmunoprecipitated in the brain. KCNQ3 is also a component of some initial segments and nodes in the brain. The diminished activity of mutant KCNQ2 channels accounts for neonatal epilepsy and myokymia; the cellular locus of these effects may be axonal initial segments and nodes.
Speech enhancement for adaptive microphone arrays via a blocking matrix using leaky adaptive filters

This paper presents a new broadband adaptive beamformer structure specifically applicable to microphone arrays. The proposed beamformer structure contains a blocking matrix (BM) that uses leaky adaptive filters (LAF) to limit the attenuation of the noise signal at the output of the BM while maintaining high target signal cancellation in the look direction. Simulation results show that the interference suppression of this proposed beamformer can be as much as 10 dB better than the beamformer in Goh et al. (2003), and it still superior by 5 dB when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is as low as -5 dB.
A MAUT Approach for Reusing Ontologies

Knowledge resource reuse has become a popular approach within the ontology engineering field, mainly because it can speed up the ontology development process, saving time and money and promoting the application of good practices. The NeOn Methodology provides guidelines for reuse. These guidelines include the selection of the most appropriate knowledge resources for reuse in ontology development. This is a complex decision-making problem where different conflicting objectives, like the reuse cost, understandability, integration workload and reliability, have to be taken into account simultaneously. GMAA is a PC-based decision support system based on an additive multi-attribute utility model that is intended to allay the operational difficulties involved in the Decision Analysis methodology. The paper illustrates how it can be applied to select multimedia ontologies for reuse to develop a new ontology in the multimedia domain. It also demonstrates that the sensitivity analyses provided by GMAA are useful tools for making a final recommendation.
Modeling and synthesis of controllers for Multi-Robot Systems using game structures

This paper approaches the coordination problem in Multi-Robot Systems (MRS) and presents a framework based on game structures to modeling and synthesizing controllers in multi-robot applications. The proposed coordination structures for MRS are centralized or distributed and operate in dynamic environments. An example of MRS modeling using the proposed framework is also provided.
Performance analysis of path planning techniques for autonomous mobile robots

This paper presents a comparative study on path planning techniques for autonomous mobile robots in a cluttered environment. It investigates four well known path planning algorithms and compares their performance with the proposed free configuration eigen-spaces (FCE) path planning method. In total, five path planning algorithms are considered towards the solution of the path planning problem under certain working parameters. These working parameters are the computation time needed to find a solution, the distance traveled and the amount of turning by the autonomous mobile robot. A comparison of results has been analyzed. This study will enable readers to identify, which of the proposed methods is most suitable for application under the working parameters the user wants to optimize. The findings have been summarized in the conclusion section. The techniques were implemented in the real-time robotic software Player/Stage. Further analysis were done using MATLAB mathematical computation software.
Bet Hedging via Seed Banking in Desert Evening Primroses (Oenothera, Onagraceae): Demographic Evidence from Natural Populations

Bet hedging is one solution to the problem of an unpredictably variable environment: fitness in the average environment is sacrificed in favor of lower variation in fitness if this leads to higher long‐run stochastic mean fitness. While bet hedging is an important concept in evolutionary ecology, empirical evidence that it occurs is scant. Here we evaluate whether bet hedging occurs via seed banking in natural populations of two species of desert evening primroses (Oenothera, Onagraceae), one annual and one perennial. Four years of data on plants and 3 years of data on seeds yielded two transitions for the entire life cycle. One year was exceptionally dry, leading to reproductive failure in the sample areas, and the other was above average in precipitation, leading to reproductive success in four of five populations. Stochastic simulations of population growth revealed patterns indicative of bet hedging via seed banking, particularly in the annual populations: variance in fitness and fitness in the average environment were lower with seed banking than without, whereas long‐run stochastic mean fitness was higher with seed banking than without across a wide range of probabilities of the wet year. This represents a novel, unusually rigorous demonstration of bet hedging from field data.
Highly optimized full GPU-acceleration of non-hydrostatic weather model SCALE-LES

SCALE-LES is a non-hydrostatic weather model developed at RIKEN, Japan. It is intended to be a global high-resolution model that would be scaled to exascale systems. This paper introduces the full GPU acceleration of all SCALE-LES modules. Moreover, the paper demonstrates the strategies to handle the unique challenges of accelerating SCALE-LES using GPU. The proposed acceleration is important for identifying the expectations and requirements of scaling SCALE-LES, and similar real world applications, into the exascale era. The GPU implementation includes the optimized GPU acceleration of SCALE-LES for a single GPU with both CUDA Fortran and OpenACC. It also includes scaling SCALE-LES for GPU-accelerated clusters. The results and analysis show how the optimization strategies affect the performance gain in SCALE-LES when moving from conventional CPU clusters towards GPU-powered clusters.
Learning Syntax and Meanings Through Optimization and Distributional Analysis

It is perhaps misleading to use the word theory to describe the view of language acquisition and cognitive development, which is the subject of this chapter. This word is used as a matter of convenience; it applies here to what is best characterized as a partially completed program of research—a jigsaw puzzle in which certain pieces have been positioned with reasonable confidence, while others have been placed tentatively and many have not been placed at all. The most recent exposition of these ideas is developed in two papers: Wolff (1982) and Wolff (1987). Earlier papers in this program of research include Wolff (1975, 1976, 1977, 1980). Wolff (1982) describes a computer model of linguistic/cognitive development and some associated theory. Wolff (1987) describes extensions to the ideas in the first paper. These papers and previous publications are somewhat narrow in scope, concentrating on detailed discussion of aspects of the theory. The intention here is to provide a broader perspective on the set of ideas. The chapter begins with a brief summary of the presuppositions of the theory. Then the theory is described in outline: first a brief description of the computer model which is the main subject of Wolff (1982) and then a more abstract account, including the developments described in Wolff (1987). The body of the chapter reviews the empirical support for the theory.
Making Embedded Software Development More Efficient with SOA

SOA has been one of the most fascinating design paradigms for enterprise-level application software during the recent years. Key to its success has been the inherent support of reusability and scalability. This has brought forward significant advancements in the efficiency of SOA based software during development, deployment and runtime. As a result of the ongoing increase of computational power on embedded devices, and the ever-increasing connectivity of these, SOA has become relevant also for devices with medium computational capabilities like WiFi routers. Extrapolation suggests that SOA will soon be seen on typical embedded systems like sensors and actuators. In this paper we make a survey to outline the potential of SOA to become a key factor in embedded software development. We believe that by embracing this paradigm, current obstacles in the embedded development process can be addressed more effectively, leading to an efficient and less error prone design flow. Although some efforts in this direction have already been made, there are still areas open for research in order to optimize the development process for embedded SOA.