Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence for an Extracellular Reception Site for Abscisic Acid in Commelina Guard Cells

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) triggers stomatal closing as a physiological response to drought stress. Several basic questions limit an understanding of the mechanism of ABA reception in guard cells. Whether primary ABA receptors are located on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane, within the intracellular space of guard cells, or both remains unknown. Furthermore, it is not clear whether ABA must be transported into guard cells to exert control over stomatal movements. In the present study, a combination of microinjection into guard cells and physiological assays of stomatal movements have been performed to determine primary sites of ABA reception in guard cells. Microinjection of ABA into guard cells of Commelina communis L. resulted in injected cytosolic concentrations of 50 to 200 [mu]M ABA and in additional experiments in lower concentrations of approximately 1 [mu]M ABA. Stomata with ABA-loaded guard cells (n > 180) showed opening similar to stomata with uninjected guard cells. The viability of guard cells following ABA injection was demonstrated by neutral red staining as well as monitoring of stomatal opening. Extracellular application of 10 [mu]M ABA inhibited stomatal opening by 98% at pH 6.15 and by 57% at pH 8.0. The pH dependence of extracellular ABA action may suggest a contribution of an intracellular ABA receptor to stomatal regulation. The findings presented here show that intracellular ABA alone does not suffice to inhibit stomatal opening under the imposed conditions. Furthermore, these data provide evidence that a reception site for ABA-mediated inhibition of stomatal opening is on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane of guard cells.
The agile professional culture: A source of agile quality

Ever since agile software development was introduced in the millennium shift, it has become a controversial software engineering topic with practitioners and researchers arguing about the benefits of it. The opinions have been widely divergent, on one side the supporters of the plan-driven predictable Software Process Improvement (SPI) embracing repeatable processes and continuous improvements, and on the other the agile development putting individuals and interactions over process and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation and change response over comprehensive plans. In this article, the agile methodology is examined from the human and cultural points of view. The concept of culture is analysed for deeper understanding of human and cultural dynamics influencing the agile professional culture. Parallels are drawn to success factors identified in recognised management approaches, such as the Effective Technical and Human Implementation of Computer Systems (ETHICS) and Total Quality Management (TQM). The type of organisation, suitable to embrace the agile professional development culture, is identified by examining the success factors observed. The democratic type of organisation in the C.HI. D.DI. (Clan-HIerarchical-Democratic-DIsciplined) typology is proposed to be the most suitable to create and sustain added business value and competitive advantage for agile software development. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonlinear Image Filtering for Materials Classification

The Ruderman Bialek paradigm An image, or a general pattern of (Euclidean) dimension two or three, can be often analysed and classified according to its autocorrelation properties. By means of a well-known theorem of Fourier analysis (the Wiener Khinchin Einstein theorem), the autocorrelation function relates to the power spectral density (of the image, of the pattern). With reference to image analysis, D. L. Ruderman and W. Bialek, in the introductory paragraph of a paper of theirs [1], wrote
Angular information resolution limit of sensor arrays

A measure of the ability of a sensor array to resolve two closely spaced point sources in angle is proposed here based on the framework of information geometry. The consideration of the geometric structure of a measurement model leads to the concept of information resolution which serves as a new metric to measure intrinsic similarities and differences between signal distributions that generate the manifold geometry. The statistical divergence between two sources is characterized in terms of the geodesic distance induced by the Fisher information metric. An analytical expression of the angular information resolution limit (AIRL) is derived using the constraints on the probability of error for a binary hypothesis test associated with the resolution of two sources. The influence of the detection error as well as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on resolvability are demonstrated. The proposed AIRL can be used as a performance measure for sensor arrays in localizing remote sources and is applicable to various applications (e.g. radar, sonar, or astronomy).
Product of Gaussians as a distributed representation for speech recognition

Distributed representations allow the effective number of Gaussian components in a mixture model, or state of an HMM, to be increased without dramatically increasing the number of model parameters. Various forms of distributed representation have previously been investigated. In this work it shown that the product of experts (PoE) framework may be viewed as a distributed representation when the individual experts are mixtures of Gaussians. However, in contrast to the standard PoE model, the individual experts are not required to be valid distributions, thus allowing additional ﬂexibility in the component priors and variances. The performance of PoE models when used as a distributed representation on a large vocabulary speech recognition task, SwitchBoard, is evaluated.
Nurse Leaders’ Experiences of Implementing Career Advancement Programs for Nurses in Iran

Background and purpose: Career advancement programs are currently implemented in many countries. In Iran, the first career advancement program was Nurses’ Career Advancement Pathway. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse leaders’ experiences about implementing the Nurses’ Career Advancement Pathway program in Iran. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study was conducted in 2013. Sixteen nurse managers were recruited from the teaching hospitals affiliated to Shahid Behesthi, Qazvin, and Iran Universities of Medical Sciences in Iran. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling method. Study data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The conventional content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Results: participants’ experiences about implementing the Nurses’ Career Advancement Pathway fell into three main categories including: a) the shortcomings of performance evaluation, b) greater emphasis on point accumulation, c) the advancement-latitude mismatch. Conclusion: The Nurses’ Career Advancement pathway has several shortcomings regarding both its content and its implementation. Therefore, it is recommended to revise the program.
Monitoring the initial DNS behavior of malicious domains

Attackers often use URLs to advertise scams or propagate malware. Because the reputation of a domain can be used to identify malicious behavior, miscreants often register these domains "just in time" before an attack. This paper explores the DNS behavior of attack domains, as identified by appearance in a spam trap, shortly after the domains were registered. We explore the behavioral properties of these domains from two perspectives: (1) the DNS infrastructure associated with the domain, as is observable from the resource records; and (2) the DNS lookup patterns from networks who are looking up the domains initially. Our analysis yields many findings that may ultimately be useful for early detection of malicious domains. By monitoring the infrastructure for these malicious domains, we find that about 55% of scam domains occur in attacks at least one day after registration, suggesting the potential for early discovery of malicious domains, solely based on properties of the DNS infrastructure that resolves those domains. We also find that there are a few regions of IP address space that host name servers and other types of servers for only malicious domains. Malicious domains have resource records that are distributed more widely across IP address space, and they are more quickly looked up by a variety of different networks. We also identify a set of "tainted" ASes that are used heavily by bad domains to host resource records. The features we observe are often evident before any attack even takes place; ultimately, they might serve as the basis for a DNS-based early warning system for attacks.
Primal sparse Max-margin Markov networks

Max-margin Markov networks (M<sup>3</sup>N) have shown great promise in structured prediction and relational learning. Due to the KKT conditions, the M<sup>3</sup>N enjoys dual sparsity. However, the existing M<sup>3</sup>N formulation does not enjoy primal sparsity, which is a desirable property for selecting significant features and reducing the risk of over-fitting. In this paper, we present an <i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-norm regularized max-margin Markov network (<i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-M<sup>3</sup>N), which enjoys dual and primal sparsity simultaneously. To learn an <i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-M<sup>3</sup>N, we present three methods including projected sub-gradient, cutting-plane, and a novel EM-style algorithm, which is based on an equivalence between <i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-M<sup>3</sup>N and an adaptive M<sup>3</sup>N. We perform extensive empirical studies on both synthetic and real data sets. Our experimental results show that: (1) <i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-M<sup>3</sup>N can effectively select significant features; (2) <i>l</i><sub>1</sub>-M<sup>3</sup>N can perform as well as the pseudo-primal sparse Laplace M<sup>3</sup>N in prediction accuracy, while consistently outperforms other competing methods that enjoy either primal or dual sparsity; and (3) the EM-algorithm is more robust than the other two in pre-diction accuracy and time efficiency.
Inhibition of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-induced target cell DNA fragmentation, but not lysis, by inhibitors of DNA topoisomerases I and II

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) kill their target cells via a contact- dependent mechanism that results in the perturbation of the target cell's plasma membrane and the fragmentation of the target cell's DNA into nucleosomal particles. The membrane disruption is presumed to be due to the action of perforin, while the DNA fragmentation is thought to be by the activation of an endogenous nuclease(s). DNA topoisomerases I and II are nuclear enzymes with inherent endonuclease activities. We have investigated their role in the CTL-induced DNA fragmentation process. We report that in CTL killing assays, the treatment of target cells with topoisomerase I and II inhibitors blocks the CTL-induced DNA fragmentation process, but not the lysis of the target cell.
Confirming the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy: a taxometric analysis.

Meehl's (1962, 1990) model of schizotypy and the development of schizophrenia implies that the structure of liability for schizophrenia is dichotomous and that a "schizogene" determines membership in a latent class, or taxon (Meehl & Golden, 1982). The authors sought to determine the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy. They applied Meehl's (1973; Meehl & Golden, 1982) MAXCOV-HITMAX taxometric analytic procedures to a subset of items from the Perceptual Aberration Scale (PAS; Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin, 1978), a prominent psychometric index of schizotypy, derived from a randomly ascertained nonclinical university sample (N = 1,093). The results, in accordance with Meehl's conjectures, strongly suggest that schizotypy, as assessed by the PAS, is taxonic at the latent level with a general population taxon base rate of approximately . 10.
Human Dendritic Cell Functional Specialization in Steady-State and Inflammation

Dendritic cells (DC) represent a heterogeneous population of antigen-presenting cells that are crucial in initiating and shaping immune responses. Although all DC are capable of antigen-uptake, processing, and presentation to T cells, DC subtypes differ in their origin, location, migration patterns, and specialized immunological roles. While in recent years, there have been rapid advances in understanding DC subset ontogeny, development, and function in mice, relatively little is known about the heterogeneity and functional specialization of human DC subsets, especially in tissues. In steady-state, DC progenitors deriving from the bone marrow give rise to lymphoid organ-resident DC and to migratory tissue DC that act as tissue sentinels. During inflammation additional DC and monocytes are recruited to the tissues where they are further activated and promote T helper cell subset polarization depending on the environment. In the current review, we will give an overview of the latest developments in human DC research both in steady-state and under inflammatory conditions. In this context, we review recent findings on DC subsets, DC-mediated cross-presentation, monocyte-DC relationships, inflammatory DC development, and DC-instructed T-cell polarization. Finally, we discuss the potential role of human DC in chronic inflammatory diseases.
A knowledge-based system for arrhythmia detection

Current arrhythmia detectors perform well on patients who have stable normal QRS complex morphologies and distinct ventricular QRS complex morphologies in clean ECG signals. However when normal QRS complex morphologies are not stable and/or noise is present, these arrhythmia detectors perform poorly. The result is an intolerable number of false positive arrhythmia alarms and some missed arrhythmias. Thus, there is a tremendous need for a highly sensitive and accurate arrhythmia detector. In this work, we have developed such a highly sensitive and accurate arrhythmia detector. We employed a set of features used by clinicians to classify ECG beats. These features are obtained from single or multiple ECG channels as available. The posterior probability of a class given a feature was used to represent the classification knowledge. This knowledge is derived from a subset of the MIT-BIH database. The new arrhythmia detector was tested on both the MIT-BIH and AHA databases. It exhibited a significant improvement over the existing state-of-the-art arrhythmia detector.
Effects of nucleoid proteins on DNA repression loop formation in Escherichia coli

The intrinsic stiffness of DNA limits its ability to be bent and twisted over short lengths, but such deformations are required for gene regulation. One classic paradigm is DNA looping in the regulation of the Escherichia coli lac operon. Lac repressor protein binds simultaneously to two operator sequences flanking the lac promoter. Analysis of the length dependence of looping-dependent repression of the lac operon provides insight into DNA deformation energetics within cells. The apparent flexibility of DNA is greater in vivo than in vitro, possibly because of host proteins that bind DNA and induce sites of flexure. Here we test DNA looping in bacterial strains lacking the nucleoid proteins HU, IHF or H-NS. We confirm that deletion of HU inhibits looping and that quantitative modeling suggests residual looping in the induced operon. Deletion of IHF has little effect. Remarkably, DNA looping is strongly enhanced in the absence of H-NS, and an explanatory model is proposed. Chloroquine titration, psoralen crosslinking and supercoiling-sensitive reporter assays show that the effects of nucleoid proteins on looping are not correlated with their effects on either total or unrestrained supercoiling. These results suggest that host nucleoid proteins can directly facilitate or inhibit DNA looping in bacteria.
Effect of Polymer-Filler and Filler-Filler Interactions on Dynamic Properties of Filled Vulcanizates

Abstract In the past few years, an enormous amount of work has been reported on the progress in the application of conventional fillers and the development of new products to improve the reinforcement of rubber, dynamic properties in particular. While all agree that the filler as one of the main components of the filled-rubber composite, has a very important role in improving the dynamic performances of the rubber products; many new ideas, theories, practices, phenomena, and observations about how and especially why the filler alters the dynamic stress-strain response have been presented. This, of course, suggests that not only is the real world of the filled rubber complex and sophisticated but also multiple mechanisms may be involved. However, it must be admitted that the possibility exists for explaining the effect of all fillers on rubber properties ultimately in similar and relatively nonspecific terms, i.e., the phenomenon related to all filler parameters should follow a general rule or principle. I.
A Monte Carlo analysis of a write method used in passive nanoelectronic crossbars

The performance of a method for robustly writing conductive states into resistive switches is analyzed. The focus is set on the variability of the conductance distribution which has a strong impact on the signal margin and the robustness of the circuit performance. In order to be able to capture cycle-to-cycle as well as device-to-device variability an existing device model for ECM cells was extended and prepared to be executable on standard circuit simulation platforms. The ECM devices were embedded into a passive crossbar whereby electrical worst case conditions were identified by Monte Carlo simulations. Under the constraint of specified signal margins to be maintained for the read operation the underlying write circuit was optimized.
Lyapunov functions for ℒ2 and input-to-state stability in a class of quantized control systems

ℒ2 and input-to-state stability (ISS) properties of a class of linear quantized control systems are considered. The quantized control system differs slightly from the ones considered in the literature previously. A recently proposed hybrid modeling framework and corresponding Lyapunov analysis tools are used to calculate the finite gains of the closed loop system.
Major Sport Events and Long-Term Tourism Impacts

Hosting major sport events can cause positive shifts in tourism demand on a long-term basis, but the additional revenues might not counterbalance the investment costs that are required of the host destination. Whether positive shifts have actually occurred cannot be measured solely by counting the additional number of tourists. Increases might also come from positive shifts in supply. Megaevents require expensive investments in sport facilities, as well as in nonsport city-related infrastructure. These investments must fit into the city’s long-term plan to make the event economically successful. The demand from tourists can subsidize the production of goods and services that are characterized by the advantages of economies of scale. This provides local residents with goods and services that they otherwise could have only consumed outside the region. Many of the benefits from sport events fall into the category of public goods. This represents a rationale for governmental funding if those who benefit are d.
Sol-Gel Synthesis of Nanocomposite Li4Ti5O12/Carbon Nanotubes as Anode Materials for High-Rate Performance Lithium Ion Batteries

Abstract. Nanocomposite Li4Ti5O12/carbon nanotubes (Li4Ti5O12/CNTs) are facilely synthesized by a sol-gel method. The crystal structure and morphology of the nanocomposite Li4Ti5O12/CNTs are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. CNTs play the important role just like a big network connecting the nanoparticles of Li4Ti5O12, which provides a good channel for electronic conductivity and ion transport. Within the cut-off voltage between 1-2.4V, the initial discharge capacity of Li4Ti5O12/CNTs material is 179.6 mAh/g at the rate of 0.1C. The capacity retentions are 95.5% and 90.6% of Li4Ti5O12 with and without CNTs, respectively. At high current density of 10C, Li4Ti5O12/CNTs delivers the initial capacity of 141.5 mAh/g, and without any capacity loss after charge/discharge 100 cycles. The matrix of CNTs plays important roles in increasing the conductivity and avoiding the aggregation of Li4Ti5O12, which lead to high-rate capacity and cycling performance.
A comparison of approaches to the evolution of homogeneous multi-robot teams

The application of artificial evolution to the design of homogeneous multi-robot teams encounters the basic yet important issue of how such teams are to be generated. The standard approach used with homogeneous systems is to evaluate teams comprising identical copies of a single evolutionary individual. However an alternative would be to use a separate evolutionary individual to specify each member of a team. Intuitively the former seems a far better choice, however, so little consideration has been given to the latter approach that there is insufficient empirical evidence on which to discount it. The paper reports on a comparison of the two approaches over multiple runs in the context of a non-trivial co-operative task carried out by simulated mobile robots controlled by arbitrarily recurrent neural networks. Surprisingly, it was found that the latter approach performed significantly better than the former. Analysis and further experimentation were undertaken yielding a possible explanation of this result.
Direct and Indirect Causal Effects via Potential Outcomes *

Abstract. The use of the concept of ‘direct’ versus ‘indirect’ causal effects is common, not only in statistics but also in many areas of social and economic sciences. The related terms of ‘biomarkers’ and ‘surrogates’ are common in pharmacological and biomedical sciences. Sometimes this concept is represented by graphical displays of various kinds. The view here is that there is a great deal of imprecise discussion surrounding this topic and, moreover, that the most straightforward way to clarify the situation is by using potential outcomes to define causal effects. In particular, I suggest that the use of principal stratification is key to understanding the meaning of direct and indirect causal effects. A current study of anthrax vaccine will be used to illustrate ideas.
Hot Embossing: An Alternative Method to Produce Cavities in Ceramic Multilayer

New applications of ceramic multilayers, for example, in biotechnology, sensor technology, and chemical micro-reaction technique, call for cavities with complex geometries. Hot embossing offers a promising, cost-effective way to generate these structures on the surfaces of green tapes or laminates. Cavities inside low-temperature co-fired ceramic multilayer were manufactured by a combination of hot embossing, lamination by a special adhesive technique, and zero shrinkage sintering. The edge and surface quality in the green state as well as the sintered multilayers with surface structures and cavities were extensively characterized by laser surface scanning, optical and ultrasound microscopy. Sintering shrinkage of hot-embossed laminates could be reduced in the x and y directions to less than 0.5%.