Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The binary pulsar PSR J1811-1736: evidence of a low amplitude supernova kick

Aims.The binary pulsar PSR J1811-1736 has been identified, since its discovery, as a member of a double neutron star system. Observations of such binary pulsars allow the measurement of general relativistic effects, which in turn lead to information about the orbiting objects, to their binary evolution and, in a few cases, to tests of theories of gravity. Methods: Regular timing observations have since January 1999 been carried out with three of the largest European radio telescopes involved in pulsar research. Pulse times of arrival were determined by convolving the observed profiles with standard templates, and were fitted to a model that takes into account general relativistic effects in binary systems. The prospects of continued observations were studied with simulated timing data. Pulse scattering times were measured using dedicated observations at 1.4 GHz and at 3.1 GHz, and the corresponding spectral index has also been determined. The possibility of detecting the yet unseen companion as a radio pulsar was investigated as a function of pulse period, observing frequency and flux density of the source. A study of the natal kick received by the younger neutron star at birth was performed considering the total energy and total angular momentum for a two body system. Results: We present an up to date and improved timing solution for the binary pulsar PSR J1811-1736. One post-Keplerian parameter, the relativistic periastron advance, is measured and leads to the determination of the total mass of this binary system. Measured and derived parameters strongly support the double neutron star scenario for this system. The pulse profile at 1.4 GHz is heavily broadened by interstellar scattering, limiting the timing precision achievable at this frequency. We show that a better precision can be obtained with observations at higher frequencies. This would allow one to measure a second post-Keplerian parameter within a few years. We find that interstellar scattering is unlikely to be the reason for the continued failure to detect radio pulsations from the companion of PSR J1811-1736. The probability distribution that we derive for the amplitude of the kick imparted on the companion neutron star at its birth indicates that the kick has been of low amplitude.
Parents’ Perspectives on Surf Therapy for Children with Disabilities

Abstract This qualitative study was designed to understand parents’ perceptions of their children’s participation in an inclusive surf therapy programme in the United States. Ten parents and one caregiver were interviewed about theirs and their children’s experience in the surf programme. Parent discussions centred on the child, parent/caregiver, instructor and challenges of parenting. Results indicate that parents perceive surf therapy to positively impact their child physically, socially and behaviourally. Findings also suggest cost, an inclusive, family-centred approach and opportunities for socialisation with other families were important to parents’ satisfaction.
Network Calculus Made Easy

We deene general concepts that extend, and simplify, the network calculus developed by Cruz 1, 2, 3] for guaranteed quality of service networks. We introduce a deenition of service curve, the extended service curve, which is the same for isolated queues and for networks of queues, and makes it possible to model nodes that otherwise do not t in the calculus of Cruz. We introduce two key technical tools, the and operators, on arrival and service curves. We show how their systematic use simpliies the derivation of many fundamental results. We obtain a simple characterization of the output ow from a shaper. We show that, if the shaping and the arrival curves are concave (which is the case in practice), then the output of a shaper is still constrained by the same arrival curve as the input, in addition to being constrained by the shaper curve. Lastly, we deene a general form of deterministic eeective bandwidth that is particularly simple and eecient.
Optimizing Trading Decisions for Hydro Storage Systems Using Approximate Dual Dynamic Programming

We propose a new approach to optimize operations of hydro storage systems with multiple connected reservoirs whose operators participate in wholesale electricity markets. Our formulation integrates short-term intraday with long-term interday decisions. The intraday problem considers bidding decisions as well as storage operation during the day and is formulated as a stochastic program. The interday problem is modeled as a Markov decision process of managing storage operation over time, for which we propose integrating stochastic dual dynamic programming with approximate dynamic programming. We show that the approximate solution converges toward an upper bound of the optimal solution. To demonstrate the efficiency of the solution approach, we fit an econometric model to actual price and inflow data and apply the approach to a case study of an existing hydro storage system. Our results indicate that the approach is tractable for a real-world application and that the gap between theoretical upper and a simulated lower bound decreases sufficiently fast.
KDEL Receptor (Erd2p)-mediated Retrograde Transport of the Cholera Toxin A Subunit from the Golgi Involves COPI, p23, and the COOH Terminus of Erd2p

A cholera toxin mutant (CTX–K63) unable to raise cAMP levels was used to study in Vero cells the retrograde transport of the toxin A subunit (CTX-A–K63), which possesses a COOH-terminal KDEL retrieval signal. Microinjected GTP-γ-S inhibits the internalization as well as Golgi–ER transport of CTX-A–K63. The appearance of CTX-A–K63 in the Golgi induces a marked dispersion of Erd2p and p53 but not of the Golgi marker giantin. Erd2p is translocated under these conditions most likely to the intermediate compartment as indicated by an increased colocalization of Erd2p with mSEC13, a member of the mammalian coat protein II complex. IgGs as well as Fab fragments directed against Erd2p, β-COP, or p23, a new member of the p24 protein family, inhibit or block retrograde transport of CTX-A–K63 from the Golgi without affecting its internalization or its transport to the Golgi. Anti-Erd2p antibodies do not affect the binding of CTX-A to Erd2p, but inhibit the CTX-K63–induced translocation of Erd2p and p53.
Dystromirs as Serum Biomarkers for Monitoring the Disease Severity in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that disrupt the open reading frame, while in frame mutations result in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) is due to mutations affecting collagen VI genes. Specific muscle miRNAs (dystromirs) are potential non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring the outcome of therapeutic interventions and disease progression. We quantified miR-1, miR-133a,b, miR-206 and miR-31 in serum from patients with DMD, BMD, UCMD and healthy controls. MiR-1, miR-133a,b and miR-206 were upregulated in DMD, but unchanged in UCMD compared to controls. Milder DMD patients had higher levels of dystromirs than more severely affected patients. Patients with low forced vital capacity (FVC) values, indicating respiratory muscle weakness, had low levels of serum miR-1 and miR-133b. There was no significant difference in the level of the dystromirs in BMD compared to controls. We also assessed the effect of dystrophin restoration on the expression of the five dystromirs in serum of DMD patients treated systemically for 12 weeks with antisense oligomer eteplirsen that induces skipping of exon 51 in the dystrophin gene. The dystromirs were also analysed in muscle biopsies of DMD patients included in a single dose intramuscular eteplirsen clinical trial. Our analysis detected a trend towards normalization of these miRNA between the pre- and post-treatment samples of the systemic trial, which however failed to reach statistical significance. This could possibly be due to the small number of patients and the short duration of these clinical trials. Although longer term studies are needed to clarify the relationship between dystrophin restoration following therapeutic intervention and the level of circulating miRNAs, our results indicate that miR-1 and miR-133 can be considered as exploratory biomarkers for monitoring the progression of muscle weakness and indirectly the remaining muscle mass in DMD.
Novel approach for diagnosis and detection of broken bar in induction motor at low slip using fuzzy logic

this paper presents a new automated practical implementation for noncontiguous broken bars diagnosis and detection in electrical induction machine. In this work, a method for detection and diagnosis based on spectral analysis via fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the stator current envelope (SCE) is used. According to the fault diagnosis objective, two features are selected from the (SCE) spectrum: the amplitude of the harmonic representing the broken bars defect 2sf (s is the slip and f the fundamental harmonic) and the dc value. These features will be used as inputs for fuzzy logic bloc, where the decision about the state of rotor is made. The results obtained are astonishing and its is capable to detect the correct number of broken bars.
Enhancing Chemotherapy Response with Bmi-1 Silencing in Ovarian Cancer

Undoubtedly ovarian cancer is a vexing, incurable disease for patients with recurrent cancer and therapeutic options are limited. Although the polycomb group gene, Bmi-1 that regulates the self-renewal of normal stem and progenitor cells has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many human malignancies, yet a role for Bmi-1 in influencing chemotherapy response has not been addressed before. Here we demonstrate that silencing Bmi-1 reduces intracellular GSH levels and thereby sensitizes chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin. By exacerbating ROS production in response to cisplatin, Bmi-1 silencing activates the DNA damage response pathway, caspases and cleaves PARP resulting in the induction apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. In an in vivo orthotopic mouse model of chemoresistant ovarian cancer, knockdown of Bmi-1 by nanoliposomal delivery significantly inhibits tumor growth. While cisplatin monotherapy was inactive, combination of Bmi-1 silencing along with cisplatin almost completely abrogated ovarian tumor growth. Collectively these findings establish Bmi-1 as an important new target for therapy in chemoresistant ovarian cancer.
Multi-objective optimization model for wireless sensor networks

In this paper we proposed a multi-objective optimization model for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The proposed model optimized several objectives, simultaneously. Indeed, by starting from a generic configuration we found new location for sensors, that the network have appropriate performance in terms of energy consumption and travelled distance. For the monotony of energy consumption and life time of sensors, the rate of energy consumption in each stage have been associated the previous stage. Through a series of calculations the behavior of the proposed model has been compared with other one-objective models.
Hyperspectral image segmentation using FSMLR with Jeffreys prior

The segmentation of satellite images is a valuable tool to obtain useful information about the spatial distribution of different land cover types. The use of segmentation algorithms instead of the traditional pixel-by-pixel classifiers used to produce land cover maps results on images that exhibit a more homogeneous distribution of classes, showing the piecewise spatial continuity of the real world. Several segmentation and classification methods are being developed to properly handle the high dimensionality of hyperspectral images. An example is a Bayesian segmentation procedure based on discriminative classifiers with a Multi-Level Logistic Markov-Gibbs prior. This method adopts the Fast Sparse Multinomial Logistic Regression as discriminative classifier, a method that promotes sparsity by including a Laplacian prior. However, the use of this type of prior re- quires an extensive search to for the best parameter of sparsity. In this work, a modification to this method is introduced. Instead of using the Laplacian Prior to enforce the sparsity of FSMLR classifier, the Jeffreys prior is used. This prior avoids the need to proceed to an extensive search for the best parameter, and also keeps the sparsity of the densities estimators, resulting on a fast- er and competitive segmentation procedure. The results of the application of this new approach to the benchmarked dataset Indian Pines show the effectiveness of the proposed method when compared with that using the Laplacian prior.
Bridge Arms Current Tracking Predictive Control of Modular Multilevel Converter for HVDC System

In order to suppress circulation current, a predictive control method based on error model of system is proposed. Firstly, we set up the discrete model of the controlled system by Eulor's formula, and then derive the tracking error discrete model, finally, the desired AC current is tracked completely by the actual current. The merits of the error model predictive control is that the error model eliminates the repeat errors in the time index and the predictive control and Kalman filter remove the random error. The calculated amount is too heavy to be implemented by the computer in the model predictive control for modular multilevel converters when the numbers of the sub-modular is high, a explicit optimal grouping method is bring forward according to the mean inequality, and reduce the computer burden. The simulation result show the proposed control strategy is of feasibility and superiority.
WHITE DWARF LUMINOSITY AND MASS FUNCTIONS FROM SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY SPECTRA

We present the first phase in our ongoing work to use Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data to create separate white dwarf (WD) luminosity functions (LFs) for two or more different mass ranges. In this paper, we determine the completeness of the SDSS spectroscopic WD sample by comparing a proper-motion selected sample of WDs from SDSS imaging data with a large catalog of spectroscopically determined WDs. We derive a selection probability as a function of a single color (g − i) and apparent magnitude (g) that covers the range −1.0 < g − i < 0.2 and 15 < g < 19.5. We address the observed upturn in log g for WDs with Teff≲ 12,000 K and offer arguments that the problem is limited to the line profiles and is not present in the continuum. We offer an empirical method of removing the upturn, recovering a reasonable mass function for WDs with Teff< 12,000 K. Finally, we present a WD LF with nearly an order of magnitude (3358) more spectroscopically confirmed WDs than any previous work.
Human MMS21/NSE2 Is a SUMO Ligase Required for DNA Repair

ABSTRACT DNA repair is required for the genomic stability and well-being of an organism. In yeasts, a multisubunit complex consisting of SMC5, SMC6, MMS21/NSE2, and other non-SMC proteins is required for DNA repair through homologous recombination. The yeast MMS21 protein is a SUMO ligase. Here we show that the human homolog of MMS21 is also a SUMO ligase. hMMS21 stimulates sumoylation of hSMC6 and the DNA repair protein TRAX. Depletion of hMMS21 by RNA interference (RNAi) sensitizes HeLa cells toward DNA damage-induced apoptosis. Ectopic expression of wild-type hMMS21, but not its ligase-inactive mutant, rescues this hypersensitivity of hMMS21-RNAi cells. ATM/ATR are hyperactivated in hMMS21-RNAi cells upon DNA damage. Consistently, hMMS21-RNAi cells show an increased number of phospho-CHK2 foci. Finally, we show that hMMS21-RNAi cells show a decreased capacity to repair DNA lesions as measured by the comet assay. Our findings suggest that the human SMC5/6 complex and the SUMO ligase activity of hMMS21 are required for the prevention of DNA damage-induced apoptosis by facilitating DNA repair in human cells.
Characterization of the Transcriptome of Nascent Hair Cells and Identification of Direct Targets of the Atoh1 Transcription Factor

Hair cells are sensory receptors for the auditory and vestibular system in vertebrates. The transcription factor Atoh1 is both necessary and sufficient for the differentiation of hair cells, and is strongly upregulated during hair-cell regeneration in nonmammalian vertebrates. To identify genes involved in hair cell development and function, we performed RNA-seq profiling of purified Atoh1-expressing hair cells from the neonatal mouse cochlea. We identified >600 enriched transcripts in cochlear hair cells, of which 90% have not been previously shown to be expressed in hair cells. We identified 233 of these hair cell genes as candidates to be directly regulated by Atoh1 based on the presence of Atoh1 binding sites in their regulatory regions and by analyzing Atoh1 ChIP-seq datasets from the cerebellum and small intestine. We confirmed 10 of these genes as being direct Atoh1 targets in the cochlea by ChIP-PCR. The identification of candidate Atoh1 target genes is a first step in identifying gene regulatory networks for hair-cell development and may inform future studies on the potential role of Atoh1 in mammalian hair cell regeneration.
Transmission Characteristics of 2x2 MIMOSystem Using OSTBC Multiplexing for Different Detector Systems

A detail analysis of the performance of 2X2 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna systems has been carried out for three different types of detectors at the receiver end by determining the transmit diversity using OSTBC multiplexing techniques. The transmission characteristics of the MIMO system have been determined for BPSK, QPSK and 16-QAM modulation schemes presuming Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and for the flat fading Rayleigh channel. On the receiver side, equalization detection technique are determined by combining Successive Interference Cancellation with Zero Forcing (ZF-SIC), Minimum Mean Square Equalization (MMSE-SIC) and Maximum Likelihood (ML-SIC) has been employed for determining the BER Vs SNR performance of the communication channel. The simulation results show that for BER of ~10-3, the SNR increases with higher modulation schemes from BPSK to 16-QAM. Further the results of the analysis for different detector systems indicate that for BPSK modulation at BER ~10-3 , the SNR values are found to be ~24.46 dB for ZF-SIC, SNR ~20.6 dB for MMSESIC and SNR ~14.46 dB for ML-SIC detectors. Thus the BER performance of 2X2 MIMO-OSTBC transmission channel shows the reduction of SNR ~10 dB for ML detectors. A comparison of the MIMO performance with OSTBC multiplexing techniques indicate that the 2x2 MIMO–OSTBC transmission channel for BPSK modulation depicts better performance for OSTBC multiplexing with ML detector system at the receiving end. The simulations results are presented and discussed in the paper.
Graded degeneration of cortical networks and medial temporal lobe dysconnectivity: Brain network dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease

Neurodegenerative diseases tackle large-scale intrinsic brain networks. Here I investigate two variants of network dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD): graded degeneration of cortical networks and medial temporal lobe (MTL) dysconnectivity. Cross-sectional multi-modal neuroimaging data of patients and healthy subjects reveale that amyloid pathology (AP) accumulates across network boundaries, while exerting a deleterious effect on brain activity. Network degeneration is linked with MTL dysconnectivity and aberrant levels of MTL hyperactivity, suggesting a mechanistic link between AP, network degeneration and MTL hyperactivity in AD.
Locality-Awareness in BitTorrent-Like P2P Applications

This paper presents the measurement study of locality-aware P2P solutions over real-world Internet autonomous systems (AS) topology. By using the accesses of nodes of PlanetLab testbed, we create a detailed AS-level map including the end-to-end path of all nodes, as well as the relationship of all involved ASes. Based on this map, we evaluate the performance of a set of locality-aware P2P solutions, including an optimal solution guaranteeing the minimum AS hop count, as well as modified BitTorrent system with locality-awareness built into its neighbor selection, peer choking/unchoking, and piece selection processes. Our findings suggest that locality-awareness can help existing P2P solution to significantly decrease load on Internet, and achieve shorter downloading time. By comparing the performance of different kinds of locality-aware and traditional BitTorrent systems, we also point out the necessity to tradeoff between the goals of optimizing AS-related performance and achieving fairness among peers such as intra-AS traffic and peer burden fairness.
Augmented training of hidden Markov models to recognize remote homologs via simulated evolution

Motivation: While profile hidden Markov models (HMMs) are successful and powerful methods to recognize homologous proteins, they can break down when homology becomes too distant due to lack of sufficient training data. We show that we can improve the performance of HMMs in this domain by using a simple simulated model of evolution to create an augmented training set. Results: We show, in two different remote protein homolog tasks, that HMMs whose training is augmented with simulated evolution outperform HMMs trained only on real data. We find that a mutation rate between 15 and 20% performs best for recognizing G-protein coupled receptor proteins in different classes, and for recognizing SCOP super-family proteins from different families. Contacts: anoop.kumar@tufts.edu;lenore.cowen@tufts.edu
The analysis of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate concentration in elderly age women depending on coexisting disease states.

PURPOSE The aim of the study was evaluation of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) serum concentration in elderly women and determining interdependence between DHEA-S levels and occurrence of diseases typical for this period of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was conducted on 103 elderly women (mean age 70.7 +/- 7.3 years). The control group consisted of 25 young and healthy women (mean age 33.5 +/- 1.7 years). The elderly patients were fully functional, well nourished, and only periodically required medical care due to chronic illnesses such as coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression. DHEA-S serum concentration was determined by Spectria DHEA(S) RIA radioimmunological kit. Statistically significantly important decrease of DHEA-S serum concentration was determined in elderly women compared with the control group. RESULTS Mean blood serum DHEA-S concentration in elderly group was significantly lower compared to controls. Mean blood serum DHEA-S concentration was statistically significantly lower in the group of patients suffering from coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression. Statistically significantly lower DHEA-S concentration was observed in patients with benign disorders of cognitive functions and depression compared with patients with correct MMSE and GDS results. CONCLUSIONS In elderly women DHEA-S concentration can turn out to be useful aging biomarker. Concentration of this hormone significantly decreases together with age, especially with coexisting diseases typical for this period of life.
Visual Scalability

Visual scalability is the capability of visualization tools effectively to display large datasets, in terms of either the number or the dimension of individual data elements. This article defines and structures the problem of visual scalability, with special emphasis on the role of visualization as a means of access to details of the data. This is done abstractly in terms of responses that measure the business or scientific impact of visualizations and factors that affect the responses, and concretely in terms of measures of visual scalability and factors inuencing them. We assess both current capabilities and future prospects along a number of dimensions. Our approach for increasing visual scalability includes improved visual metaphors, interactivity and perspectives that link multiple views.