Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of polyols on the stability of duplex DNA.

It has been observed that double stranded DNA in solution is thermally destabilized by the presence of several organic molecules, among which are alcohols and polyols. This finding, and the fact that sugar moieties are components of some nuclear proteins and DNA binding drugs, may suggest a role for oligosaccharides in DNA recognition and/or interaction. In order to investigate this possibility, the effect of several sugars and other polyols on the thermal stability and on the conformation of DNA has been studied by high sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism. While addition of small size polyols does not influence appreciably the melting enthalpy, it always results in a decrease in the DNA melting temperature. The magnitude of the destabilizing effect depends on the concentration of additives, reaching 13.5 degrees C in 50% (5.4M) glycerol. It also depends on the nature of the additives, e.g., sorbitol is more efficient than inositol, while dextran has no effect on the DNA melting temperature. According to circular dichroism results, DNA undergoes a significant structural change in the presence of small sugars or polyols: a continuous loss in 'B' character is observed as the glycerol concentration is gradually increased. This conformation change appears to be related to the decrease in thermostability.
Evaluating trust in grid certificates

Digital certificates are used to secure international computation and data storage grids used for e-Science projects, like the Worldwide Large Hadron Collider Computing Grid. The International Grid Trust Federation has defined the Grid Certificate Profile: a set of guidelines for digital certificates used for grid authentication. We have designed and implemented a program and related test suites for checking X.509 certificates against the certificate profiles and policies relevant for use on the Grid. The result is a practical tool that assists implementers and users of public key infrastructures to reach appropriate trust decisions.
Evaluating the Impact of Application Design Factors on Performance in Publish / Subscribe Systems over Wireline and Wireless Networks

The publish/subscribe interaction paradigm has recently received great attention due to its flexibility and scalability in distributed applications. The decoupling of publishers and subscribers in time and space along with the inherently asynchronous communication pattern make the publish/subscribe paradigm well-suited for mobile wireless environments. A careful design of the publish/subscribe applications is required however for achieving high performance. This paper evaluates the performance of a publish/subscribe system in wireline and wireless network domains. We first identify the factors that affect the performance of the publish/subscribe system and study their behavior in both network environments. In our analysis, we have used different test cases as a suitable means to cover a broad range of such factors and to motivate their selections. Based on our evaluation study, we observe that the performance of publish/subscribe system can be greatly affected by several factors. The results also show that wireless characterizations influence the system performance. We believe that our measurements provide valuable insights into system behavior and performance.
Gross primary production controls the subsequent winter CO2 exchange in a boreal peatland

In high‐latitude regions, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during the winter represent an important component of the annual ecosystem carbon budget; however, the mechanisms that control the winter CO2 emissions are currently not well understood. It has been suggested that substrate availability from soil labile carbon pools is a main driver of winter CO2 emissions. In ecosystems that are dominated by annual herbaceous plants, much of the biomass produced during the summer is likely to contribute to the soil labile carbon pool through litter fall and root senescence in the autumn. Thus, the summer carbon uptake in the ecosystem may have a significant influence on the subsequent winter CO2 emissions. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a plot‐scale shading experiment in a boreal peatland to reduce the gross primary production (GPP) during the growing season. At the growing season peak, vascular plant biomass in the shaded plots was half that in the control plots. During the subsequent winter, the mean CO2 emission rates were 21% lower in the shaded plots than in the control plots. In addition, long‐term (2001–2012) eddy covariance data from the same site showed a strong correlation between the GPP (particularly the late summer and autumn GPP) and the subsequent winter net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE). In contrast, abiotic factors during the winter could not explain the interannual variation in the cumulative winter NEE. Our study demonstrates the presence of a cross‐seasonal link between the growing season biotic processes and winter CO2 emissions, which has important implications for predicting winter CO2 emission dynamics in response to future climate change.
Engaging 'At-Risk' Students through Maker Culture Activities

This paper presents a set of lessons learnt from introducing maker culture and DIY paradigms to 'at-risk' students (age 12-14). Our goal is to engage 'at-risk' students through maker culture activities. While improved technology literacy is one of the outcomes we also wanted the learners to use technology to realize concepts and ideas, and to gain freedom of thinking similar to creators, artists and designers. We present our study and a set of high level suggestions to enable thinking about how maker culture activities can facilitate engagement and creative use of technology by 1) thinking about creativity in task, 2) facilitating different entry points, 3) the importance of personal relevance, and 4) relevance to education.
Cooperative Multiagent Systems: A Personal View of the State of the Art

Scientific research and practice in multiagent systems focuses on constructing computational frameworks, principles, and models for how both small and large societies of intelligent, semiautonomous agents can interact effectively to achieve their goals. This article provides a personal view of the key application areas for cooperative multiagent systems, the major intellectual problems in building such systems, the underlying principles governing their design, and the major directions and challenges for future developments in this field.
molecular flash cell with r educed variability for low power flash application s

In this work we present a modeling study of a conceptual low power non-volatile memory cell based on inorganic molecular metal oxide clusters (polyoxometalates (POM)) as a storage media embedded in the gate dielectric of a Fully Depleted SOI (FD SOI) with reduced statistical variability. The simulations were carried out using a multi-physics simulation framework, which allows us to evaluate the variability in the programming window of the molecular based flash cell with an 18 nm gate length. We have focused our study on the threshold voltage variability influenced by random dopant fluctuations and random special fluctuations of the molecules in the floating gate of the flash-cell. Our simulation framework and conclusions can be applied not only to POM-based flash cell but also to flash cells based on alternative molecules used as a storage media.
Practical privacy and security for opportunistic networks

When in physical proximity, data can be directly exchanged between the mobile devices people carry — for example over Bluetooth. If people cooperate to store, carry and forward messages on one another’s behalf, then an opportunistic network may be formed, independent of any fixed infrastructure. To enable performant routing within opportunistic networks, use of social network information has been proposed for social network routing protocols. But the decentralised and cooperative nature of the networks can however expose users of such protocols to privacy and security threats, which may in turn discourage participation in the network. In this thesis, we examine how to mitigate privacy and security threats in opportunistic networks while maintaining network performance. We first demonstrate that privacy-aware routing protocols are required in order to maintain network performance while respecting users’ privacy preferences. We then demonstrate novel social network routing protocols that mitigate specific threats to privacy and security while maintaining network performance.
Cleft Lip and Palate: Seasonal Incidence, Birth Weight, Birth Rank, Sex, Site, Associated Malformations and Parental Age

Cleft palate, with or without cleft lip, is one of the more common congenital malformations in man. Two recent English surveys have reported a birth incidence ofabout one in 600 (MacMahon and McKeown, 1953; Pleydell, 1960) and this conforms well to careful surveys carried out in other countries of Europe (Fogh-Andersen, 1942) and the U.S.A. (Ivy, 1957). For the past 10 years it has been the practice of the Plastic Surgery Unit at the Churchill Hospital to record in cases of this malformation, information regarding birth weight, date of birth, age of parents and birth rank. The site of the cleft (left, right or central) was always noted and in most cases the presence of any additional congenital malformations. In all, data are available in 456 cases, though the full information is not given in every instance. The present paper deals with an analysis of these data in an attempt to throw light on possible aetiological mechanisms of this deformity. Group I refers to cases ofisolated harelip, Group II to isolated cleft palate and Group III to combined harelip with cleft palate (Davis and Ritchie, 1922).
Induction of AIDS in Rhesus Monkeys by a Recombinant Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Expressing nef of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

ABSTRACT A nef gene is present in all primate lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus of macaque monkeys (SIVmac). However, thenef genes of HIV-1 and SIVmac exhibit minimal sequence identity, and not all properties are shared by the two. Nef sequences of SIVmac239 were replaced by four independentnef alleles of HIV-1 in a context that was optimal for expression. The sources of the HIV-1 nef sequences included NL 4-3, a variant NL 4-3 gene derived from a recombinant-infected rhesus monkey, a patient nef allele, and a nefconsensus sequence. Of 16 rhesus monkeys infected with these SHIVnef chimeras, 9 maintained high viral loads for prolonged periods, as observed with the parental SIVmac239, and 6 have died with AIDS 52 to 110 weeks postinfection. Persistent high loads were observed at similar frequencies with the four different SIV recombinants that expressed these independent HIV-1 nefalleles. Infection with other recombinant SHIVnef constructions resulted in sequence changes in infected monkeys that either created an open nef reading frame or optimized the HIV-1nef translational context. The HIV-1 nef gene was uniformly retained in all SHIVnef-infected monkeys. These results demonstrate that HIV-1 nef can substitute for SIVmac nef in vivo to produce a pathogenic infection. However, the model suffers from an inability to consistently obtain persisting high viral loads in 100% of the infected animals, as is observed with the parental SIVmac239.
Environmental Correlates, Plasticity, and Repeatability of Differences in Performance among Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) Populations across a Gradient of Urbanization

Urbanization alters stream and watershed hydrology so that fish from urban stream systems are confronted with extreme flows during storms and runoff events. To test whether residence in urban streams is associated with altered swimming ability, we compared sprint and endurance swimming performances of eight populations of blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) from different watersheds along an urban/rural gradient. Watershed impervious surface cover, a measure of urbanization, was significantly correlated with sprint performance in dace from all stream types and endurance swimming performance (Ucrit) when only fish from urban streams were analyzed. Three estimators of water flow in a stream system, watershed area, mean annual discharge, and base‐flow current speed, were all related to Ucrit in fish from nonurban streams. The Ucrit was significantly repeatable after 6 mo in the laboratory, but dace populations with exceptional Ucrit values lost ability under no‐flow, “detraining” conditions. Sprint performance changed substantially in individual dace after 10 wk under no‐flow conditions and was a significant function of the animal’s original performance. Animals with high sprint performance tended to lose ability, whereas those with poor performance gained ability. Interpopulation differences in both sprint and endurance swimming were robust over multiple years of collection from the same sites.
Interventions to reduce weight gain in schizophrenia.

Background Weight gain is common for people with schizophrenia and this has serious implications for health and well being. Objectives To determine the effects of both pharmacological (excluding medication switching) and non pharmacological strategies for reducing or preventing weight gain in people with schizophrenia. Search methods We searched key databases and the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's trials register (April 2006), reference sections within relevant papers, hand searched key journals, and contacted the first author of each relevant study and other experts to collect further information. Selection criteria We included all clinical randomised controlled trials comparing any pharmacological or non pharmacological intervention for weight gain (diet and exercise counselling) with standard care or other treatments for people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like illnesses. Data collection and analysis We reliably selected, quality assessed and extracted data from studies. As weight is a continuous outcome measurement, weighted mean differences (WMD) of the change from baseline were calculated. The primary outcome measure was weight loss. Main results Twenty-three randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria for this review. Five trials assessed a cognitive/behavioural intervention and eighteen assessed a pharmacological adjunct. In terms of prevention, two cognitive/behavioural trials showed significant treatment effect (mean weight change) at end of treatment (n=104, 2 RCTs, WMD -3.38 kg CI -4.2 to -2.0). Pharmacological adjunct treatments were significant with a modest prevention of weight gain (n=274, 6 RCTs, WMD - 1.16 kg CI -1.9 to -0.4). In terms of treatments for weight loss, we found significantly greater weight reduction in the cognitive behavioural intervention group (n=129, 3 RCTs, WMD -1.69 kg CI -2.8 to -0.6) compared with standard care. Authors' conclusions Modest weight loss can be achieved with selective pharmacological and non pharmacological interventions. However, interpretation is limited by the small number of studies, small sample size, short study duration and by variability of the interventions themselves, their intensity and duration. Future studies adequately powered, with longer treatment duration and rigorous methodology will be needed in further evaluating the efficacy and safety of weight loss interventions for moderating weight gain. At this stage, there is insufficient evidence to support the general use of pharmacological interventions for weight management in people with schizophrenia.
An Overview of Wireless Mesh Networks

Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) are communication networks which comprise radio nodes in which nodes are arranged in a mesh topology. Mesh topology is an interconnection of all nodes connected with all other nodes in the network. The network includes devices like nodes, clients, routers, gateways, etc. As the nodes are fully connected, mesh networks are usually less mobile as rerouting is less difficult in predicting the reroute results in delay in data transmission. Mesh clients can be of any wireless devices like cell phones, laptops, etc. The gateways which act as forwarding nodes may not be connected with the Internet. As different devices come under a single network, it is also referred as mesh cloud. WMN is self-healable. It works better with various different networks which include cellular networks and IEEE 802.11, 802.15, and 802.16 as well. WMN is flexible to work with more than one protocol. This chapter gives architecture, layer functionalities, and applications.
The Encapsidated Genome of Microplitis demolitor Bracovirus Integrates into the Host Pseudoplusia includens

ABSTRACT Polydnaviruses (PDVs) are symbionts of parasitoid wasps that function as gene delivery vehicles in the insects (hosts) that the wasps parasitize. PDVs persist in wasps as integrated proviruses but are packaged as circularized and segmented double-stranded DNAs into the virions that wasps inject into hosts. In contrast, little is known about how PDV genomic DNAs persist in host cells. Microplitis demolitor carries Microplitis demolitor bracovirus (MdBV) and parasitizes the host Pseudoplusia includens. MdBV infects primarily host hemocytes and also infects a hemocyte-derived cell line from P. includens called CiE1 cells. Here we report that all 15 genomic segments of the MdBV encapsidated genome exhibited long-term persistence in CiE1 cells. Most MdBV genes expressed in hemocytes were persistently expressed in CiE1 cells, including members of the glc gene family whose products transformed CiE1 cells into a suspension culture. PCR-based integration assays combined with cloning and sequencing of host-virus junctions confirmed that genomic segments J and C persisted in CiE1 cells by integration. These genomic DNAs also rapidly integrated into parasitized P. includens. Sequence analysis of wasp-viral junction clones showed that the integration of proviral segments in M. demolitor was associated with a wasp excision/integration motif (WIM) known from other bracoviruses. However, integration into host cells occurred in association with a previously unknown domain that we named the host integration motif (HIM). The presence of HIMs in most MdBV genomic DNAs suggests that the integration of each genomic segment into host cells occurs through a shared mechanism.
Relationship Between Music and Visual Art Preferences and Some Personality Traits

The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between musical and visual art preferences, and the role of personality traits in predicting preferences for different musical styles and visual art motives. Participants were asked to fill out the following instruments: Questionnaire of music preferences, Questionnaire of visual art preferences, Questionnaire for personality traits International Personality Item Pool [IPIP]; the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking. Results showed that most participants preferred popular and classical music, and landscape motives, while they showed the lowest preferences for heavy metal music and paintings that represented motives of violence and cultures of the world. With regard to the relationship between music and visual art preferences, classical music preferences were positively related to preferences for all visual art motives, while preferences for jazz and world music were positively related to visual art preferences of all motives except religious. Heavy metal music preferences were related to preferences for all motives except landscapes, and popular music preferences were positively associated with religious motives and landscapes. The results of this study suggest a relatively modest contribution of personality traits in explaining music and visual art preferences, although traits for intellect, sensation seeking, and agreeableness were shown to be significant predictors in many instances.
A low power low phase noise fractional-N synthesizer with linearization and mismatch noise shaping techniques for sub-GHz multi-band transceiver with narrow channel spacing

A fractional-N frequency synthesizer with a linearized phase-frequency detector and noise shaping of phase mismatch is presented. These techniques lead to spurious free operation over a wide frequency range (133-960M), and 15dB close in phase noise improvement. The core PLL consumes 15mW in 180nm CMOS and provides phase noise better than -94dBc/Hz@1kHz from a 924MHz carrier.
Measuring the adequacy of antenatal health care: a national cross-sectional study in Mexico

Abstract Objective To propose an antenatal care classification for measuring the continuum of health care based on the concept of adequacy: timeliness of entry into antenatal care, number of antenatal care visits and key processes of care. Methods In a cross-sectional, retrospective study we used data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) in 2012. This contained self-reported information about antenatal care use by 6494 women during their last pregnancy ending in live birth. Antenatal care was considered to be adequate if a woman attended her first visit during the first trimester of pregnancy, made a minimum of four antenatal care visits and underwent at least seven of the eight recommended procedures during visits. We used multivariate ordinal logistic regression to identify correlates of adequate antenatal care and predicted coverage. Findings Based on a population-weighted sample of 9 052 044, 98.4% of women received antenatal care during their last pregnancy, but only 71.5% (95% confidence interval, CI: 69.7 to 73.2) received maternal health care classified as adequate. Significant geographic differences in coverage of care were identified among states. The probability of receiving adequate antenatal care was higher among women of higher socioeconomic status, with more years of schooling and with health insurance. Conclusion While basic antenatal care coverage is high in Mexico, adequate care remains low. Efforts by health systems, governments and researchers to measure and improve antenatal care should adopt a more rigorous definition of care to include important elements of quality such as continuity and processes of care.
Online Internet Traffic Classification Based on Proximal SVM

Online and accurate traffic classification is a key challenge for network management. Internet traffic classification based on flow statistics using machine learning method has attracted great attention. To solve the drawback of the previous classification scheme to meet the requirements of the network activities, our work mainly focuses on how to build an online Internet traffic classification system based on flow statistics. We propose an online Internet traffic classification based on proximal SVM. Experiment results illustrate this method can classify online traffic with first p packet of flow with high accuracy. Meanwhile, the proximal SVM method is computationally more efficient than the previous SVM methods with similar accuracies.