Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TOXIN PRODUCTION AS A CRITERION FOR DIFFERENTIATING BACILLUS CEREUS AND BACILLUS ANTHRACIS

Arboretum . 10 0 4 6 10 0 Boozer's Pond. 1 0 0 1 1 0 Boyden Arbor. 4 1 1 4 5 0 Columbia Country Club. 1 2 0 3 2 1 Forest Lake . 4 1 0 5 5 0 Gill's Creek. 8 1 5 4 9 0 Lake Katherine . 11 3 9 5 14 0 Lake Swansea. 1 0 0 1 1 0 Lower Rockyford Lake . 2 0 1 1 2 0 Silver Lake. 1 1 1 1 2 0 Spring Lake. 5 1 2 4 4 2 Sunview Lake. 3 0 1 2 3 0 Upper Forest Lake . 4 1 0 5 5 0 Upper Rockyford Lake . 4 1 0 5 5 0 YMCA Camp. 4 0 1 3 4 0
Lrp4 Modulates Extracellular Integration of Cell Signaling Pathways in Development

The extent to which cell signaling is integrated outside the cell is not currently appreciated. We show that a member of the low-density receptor-related protein family, Lrp4 modulates and integrates Bmp and canonical Wnt signalling during tooth morphogenesis by binding the secreted Bmp antagonist protein Wise. Mouse mutants of Lrp4 and Wise exhibit identical tooth phenotypes that include supernumerary incisors and molars, and fused molars. We propose that the Lrp4/Wise interaction acts as an extracellular integrator of epithelial-mesenchymal cell signaling. Wise, secreted from mesenchyme cells binds to BMP's and also to Lrp4 that is expressed on epithelial cells. This binding then results in the modulation of Wnt activity in the epithelial cells. Thus in this context Wise acts as an extracellular signaling molecule linking two signaling pathways. We further show that a downstream mediator of this integration is the Shh signaling pathway.
Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Applied in the Full p-i-n a-Si:H Solar Cell Device Configuration

Assessment of the performance of single-junction hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) p-i-n configuration solar cells has been developed with a combination of real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) and current-voltage (I-V) measurements. For each layer, RTSE measurements enabled the determination of thickness and optical properties in the form of the complex dielectric function (ε = ε1 + iε2) spectra. RTSE tracked changes in a as a function of depth and was used to extract profiles in the i-layer bandgap and crystallite fraction in the n-layer. Through mapping I-V characteristic measurements, spatial variations in device performance were determined. By comparing individual devices at the location of the RTSE beam spot, the influence of a and thickness for each layer on device performance was identified through simulations of quantum efficiency yielding the shortcircuit current. This study compares two devices prepared with different superstrate preheating processes and finds that the combination of RTSE and I-V measurements along with quantum efficiency simulations were able to identify plasma damage to the transparent conducting oxide as the likely cause for variation in device performance. This comparison serves as one example of how the optically obtained information, such as thickness and a for each layer, can be used to understand the final device performance.
AC-TR-17-012 December 2017 SAT-Encodings for Special Treewidth and Pathwidth

Decomposition width parameters such as treewidth provide a measurement on the complexity of a graph. Finding a decomposition of smallest width is itself NP-hard but lends itself to a SAT-based solution. Previous work on treewidth, branchwidth and clique-width indicates that identifying a suitable characterization of the considered decomposition method is key for a practically feasible SAT-encoding. In this paper we study SAT-encodings for the decomposition width parameters special treewidth and pathwidth. In both cases we develop SAT-encodings based on two different characterizations. In particular, we develop two novel characterizations for special treewidth based on partitions and elimination orderings. We empirically obtained SAT-encodings.
Transient Expression of a Mutator Phenotype in Cancer Cells

Adaptive mutation has been a controversial topic in bacterial genetics because it posits that cells can mutate "at will" when they find themselves in adverse conditions. Now in a report on p. [1523][1] of this issue, Richards et al. describe a similar phenomenon in cancer cells in which the cells acquire a mutator phenotype when they are not dividing. In his Perspective Loeb describes how these states of increased mutation may underlie the enormous numbers of translocations, deletions, and insertions in the DNA of cancer cells and howthey may actually contribute to the generation of tumors. [1]: http://www.sciencemag. org/cgi/content/short/277/5331/1523
Endothelin 1 and Thrombin Synergistically Stimulate IL‐6 mRNA Expression and Protein Production in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Summary: We investigated the effects of endothelin (ET) and thrombin on the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). ET-1 increased IL-6 production twofold in HUVECs incubated for 18 h with 10-10 M ET-1. Thrombin also significantly increased IL-6 production. However, stimulation of HUVECs with ET-1 together with thrombin produced an 18-fold increase in IL-6 production. The ET-1-induced increase was concentration-dependent, with an optimal effect at 100 pM. We then examined the effect of ET-1 on IL-6 mRNA expression in thrombin-stimulated HUVECs. Unstimulated HUVECs spontaneously expressed IL-6 mRNA, which was not modulated by thrombin. Endothelin 1 upregulated IL-6 mRNA expression, with a maximal increase at 100 pM ET-1. These data indicate that the interaction of thrombin and ET-1 induces a synergistic increase in IL-6 production by HUVEC and suggest that ET-1 may therefore play a significant role in inflammation.
Optimal placement of access points for indoor positioning using a genetic algorithm

Currently, building accurate indoor positioning systems is a crucial challenge facing scientific researchers. One of the most effective metrics that increases positioning accuracy is the placement of access points (APs) in the service area. In this paper, we propose a genetic algorithm based framework, GenoPlacement, to solve APs placement problem. GenoPlacement handles different types of building walls such as concrete, brick, and glass. Our objective is to find an APs setup with unique fingerprints at each signal test point (STP) while maximizing diversity among these fingerprints. To evaluate GenoPlacement, we compare the proposed objective function with the traditional one which maximizes the received signal strength at each STP. Then, we compare GenoPlacement with two nominated approaches. The results confirm that building indoor positioning system considering the optimal places of APs decreases the positioning error down to four meters at 90% precision.
Quality Indicators as a Tool in Improving the Introduction of New Medicines

Quality indicators are increasingly used as a tool to achieve safe and quality clinical care, cost‐effective therapy, for professional learning, remuneration, accreditation and financial incentives. A substantial number focus on drug therapy but few address the introduction of new medicines even though this is a burning issue. The objective was to describe the issues and challenges in designing and implementing a transparent indicator framework and evaluation protocol for the introduction of new medicines and to provide guidance on how to apply quality indicators in the managed entry of new medicines. Quality indicators need to be developed early to assess whether new medicines are introduced appropriately. A number of key factors need to be addressed when developing, applying and evaluating indicators including dimensions of quality, suggested testing protocols, potential data sources, key implementation factors such as intended and unintended consequences, budget impact and cost‐effectiveness, assuring the involvement of the medical professions, patients and the public, and reliable and easy‐to‐use computerized tools for data collection and management. Transparent approaches include the need for any quality indicators developed to handle conflict of interests to enhance their validity and acceptance. The suggested framework and indicator testing protocol may be useful in assessing the applicability of indicators for new medicines and may be adapted to healthcare settings worldwide. The suggestions build on existing literature to create a field testing methodology that can be used to produce country‐specific quality indicators for new medicines as well as a cross international approach to facilitate access to new medicines.
Multivesicular endosomes containing internalized EGF-EGF receptor complexes mature and then fuse directly with lysosomes

We have followed the transfer of EGF-EGF receptor (EGFR) complexes from endosomal vacuoles that contain transferrin receptors (TfR) to lysosome vacuoles identified by their content of HRP loaded as a 15-min pulse 4 h previously. We show that the HRP-loaded lysosomes are lysosomal- associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) positive, mannose-6-phosphate receptor (M6PR) negative. and contain active acid hydrolase. EGF-EGFR complexes are delivered to these lysosomes intact and are then rapidly degraded. Preactivating the HRP contained within the preloaded lysosomes inhibits the delivery of EGFR and degradation of EGF, and results in the accumulation of EGFR-containing multivesicular bodies (MVB). With time these accumulating MVB undergo a series of maturation changes that include the loss of TfR, the continued recruitment of EGFR, and the accumulation of internal vesicles, but they remain LAMP-1 and M6PR negative. The mature MVB are often seen to make direct contact with lysosomes containing preactivated HRP, but their perimeter membranes remain intact. Together our observations suggest that the transfer of EGF-EGFR complexes from the TfR-containing endosome compartment to the lysosomes that degrade them employs a single vacuolar intermediate, the maturing MVB, and can be achieved by a single heterotypic fusion step.
Somatomedin C response to growth hormone in psychosocial growth retardation.

Three children with psychosocial growth retardation increased their serum somatomedin C levels from 0.20 +/- . 02 to 0.81 +/- 0.2 U/ml in response to exogenous growth hormone. The pattern of somatomedin C response to growth hormone was no different from that seen in 11 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency who received growth hormone according to the same acute treatment regimen. This result suggests that the poor growth response of children with psychosocial growth retardation to exogenous growth hormone is not due to an inability to synthesize somatomedin C, and that it may represent a degree of resistance to the actions of somatomedin C.
Reptile: First-Order Meta-Learning Implementation for Pendulum Reinforcement Learning Problem

Meta Learning has been grabbed much attentions recently after a lot of significant improvements in deep learning. As usual, the deep learning neural network is trained from scratch and learn to handle a specific task according to knowledge gained from very large number of observations presented to the system during the training time. Although the trained model can handle the trained task properly after sufficient training, it hardly keeps its performance to the few-shot learning problem. Meta learning is introduced as an learning method for the network so that it can be trained in condition of data sparsity for faster convergence compared to learning from scratch. Introduced in 2018, Reptile, a simple algorithm for First-Order Meta-Learning, has shown its optimality as an initialization method in dealing with an entire task distribution. To address the challenge of applying Reptile to Reinforcement Learning problems as stated in its original paper, the authors will propose an implementation of Reptile to Pendulum environment with the hope to propagate this algorithm in Reinforcement Learning area.
Extending Classical Planning to Real-World Execution with Machine Learning

In previous work (Bennett 1993 DeJong and Bennetl 1993) we proposed a machine learning approach called permissive planning to extend classical planning into the realm of real world plan execution. Our prior results have been favorable but empirical (Bennett and DeJong 1991). Here we examine the analytic foundations of our empirical success. We advance a formal account of realworld planning adequacy. We prove that permissive planning does what it claims to do it probabilistically achieves adequate real-world performance or guarantees that no adequate real-world planning behavior is possible within the flexibility allowed. We prove that the approach scales tractably We prove that restrictions are necessary without them permissive planning is impossible. We also show how these restrictions can be quite naturally met through schema based planning and explanation-based learning.
A Single parS Sequence from the Cluster of Four Sites Closest to oriC Is Necessary and Sufficient for Proper Chromosome Segregation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Among the mechanisms that control chromosome segregation in bacteria are highly-conserved partitioning systems comprising three components: ParA protein (a deviant Walker-type ATPase), ParB protein (a DNA-binding element) and multiple cis-acting palindromic centromere-like sequences, designated parS. Ten putative parS sites have been identified in the P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome, four localized in close proximity of oriC and six, diverged by more than one nucleotide from a perfect palindromic sequence, dispersed along the chromosome. Here, we constructed and analyzed P. aeruginosa mutants deprived of each single parS sequence and their different combinations. The analysis included evaluation of a set of phenotypic features, chromosome segregation, and ParB localization in the cells. It was found that ParB binds specifically to all ten parS sites, although with different affinities. The P. aeruginosa parS mutant with all ten parS sites modified (parS null) is viable however it demonstrates the phenotype characteristic for parA null or parB null mutants: slightly slower growth rate, high frequency of anucleate cells, and defects in motility. The genomic position and sequence of parS determine its role in P. aeruginosa biology. It transpired that any one of the four parS sites proximal to oriC (parS1 to parS4), which are bound by ParB with the highest affinity, is necessary and sufficient for the parABS role in chromosome partitioning. When all these four sites are mutated simultaneously, the strain shows the parS null phenotype, which indicates that none of the remaining six parS sites can substitute for these four oriC-proximal sites in this function. A single ectopic parS2 (inserted opposite oriC in the parS null mutant) facilitates ParB organization into regularly spaced condensed foci and reverses some of the mutant phenotypes but is not sufficient for accurate chromosome segregation.
Swiss alpine and midland intonation

The present paper discusses the intonational features of 3 Swiss German dialects: Valais Swiss German (WS), representing the Alpine variety, and Zurich (ZH) and Berne (BE) Swiss German, representing the Midland dialects. By application of the Fujisaki intonation model, 24 speakers of the mentioned dialects are investigated according to their global as well as local intonational features. The BE and WS show similar intonational features in 4 out of 9 observed variables. Yet the WS group seems to distinguish itself with a high pitch range; the BE, on the other hand, is especially characterized with a late pitch onset in local accents. The ZH speakers, in contrast, stand out in that they show distinct intonational features which are largely unparalleled in the other 2 dialects. The paper ends with an outlook of a practical extension to the Fujisaki model, the integration of a slow-rise component – a component introduced by Mixdorff in writing, yet never implemented into his Fujisaki parameter extraction program.
Combined Heat and Power Economic Dispatch Using Hybrid Constriction Particle Swarm Optimization

The Combined Heat and Power Economic Load Dispatch (CHPED) is an optimization problem to minimize the cost while ensuring the minimum transmission loss and fulfilling the power and heat demand. This paper presents the hybrid constriction particle swarm optimization (HCPSO) technique to solve CHPED with bounded feasible operating region. The main potential of this technique is that it enhances the balance between global and local search area in comparison to PSO. A comparative analysis of the proposed technique with PSO, evolutionary programming (EP), differential evolution (DE), and classic particle swarm optimization (CPSO) respectively is presented. Keywords— Combined Heat And Power; Economic Load Dispatch; Hybrid Constriction Particle Swarm Optimization
Socioeconomic determinants of eating pattern of adolescent students in Mansoura, Egypt

Introduction During the last few decades, Egypt experienced rapid socio-cultural changes that were associated with major changes in the food choices and eating habits, which, progressively, becomes more westernized. The objective of this study was to investigate the meal patterns of secondary school adolescent students in Mansoura, Egypt. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 891 adolescent students. Thirty clusters were selected to cover both general and vocational public schools of both sexes in urban and rural areas. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data about sociodemographic features of the students and their families, as well as meal habits of students. Results About 46% of students eat three meals per day. About 72%, 93% and 95% of respondents consume breakfast, lunch and dinner on daily bases, respectively. Snacks were eaten daily by 34.1% of students. Eating always with the family was stated by the majority (62.5%) of students and taking home made sandwiches during school time was mentioned by 35.8% of students. On logistic regression socioeconomic status is the only predictor associated with daily intake of breakfast, lunch and dinner; with high likelihood of eating with the family and intake of school meal. Conclusion Students practice many faulty meal patterns. School-, family- and community-based interventions are timely needed to promote healthy eating habit in adolescents.
Contextual Symmetries in Probabilistic Graphical Models

An important approach for efficient inference in probabilistic graphical models exploits symmetries among objects in the domain. Symmetric variables (states) are collapsed into meta-variables (meta-states) and inference algorithms are run over the lifted graphical model instead of the flat one. Our paper extends existing definitions of symmetry by introducing the novel notion of contextual symmetry. Two states that are not globally symmetric, can be contextually symmetric under some specific assignment to a subset of variables, referred to as the context variables. Contextual symmetry subsumes previous symmetry definitions and can rep resent a large class of symmetries not representable earlier. We show how to compute contextual symmetries by reducing it to the problem of graph isomorphism. We extend previous work on exploiting symmetries in the MCMC framework to the case of contextual symmetries. Our experiments on several domains of interest demonstrate that exploiting contextual symmetries can result in significant computational gains.
Cerebellar Contributions to Visual Attention and Visual Working Memory Revealed by Functional MRI and Intrinsic Functional Connectivity.

The study of cerebellum function has been traditionally limited to the motor domain. Recent research, however, has begun to characterize the cerebellum's role in cognition (see Schmahmann, 2010) and has demonstrated intrinsic functional connectivity between cerebral cortical networks and distinct cerebellar regions (Buckner et al., 2011). Here, in two separate fMRI experiments, we investigated whether cerebro-cerebellar connectivity of dorsal attention network (DAN) predicts cerebellar activation during visual attention and visual working memory (VWM) task performance. In experiment 1 (N=8), subjects performed a multiple-object tracking task. In experiment 2 (N=9), subjects performed a VWM change detection task using oriented bars. Memory load was varied across blocks (set size: SS0, SS1, or SS4). Both experiments employed resting-state functional connectivity analysis using cortical network seeds (Yeo et al., 2011) to parcellate cerebro-cerebellar networks in individual subjects. In experiment 1, a region-of-interest analysis revealed a robust attentional effect within cerebellar regions functionally connected to the cortical DAN (p< .01). Conversely, cerebellar regions functionally connected to the cortical default mode network (DMN) showed reliable deactivation (p< .001). In experiment 2, contrasting SS4 with SS0 and SS1 resulted in a similar pattern of competitive interaction between cerebellar nodes of the DAN and DMN. Load-dependent activation spatially corresponded with cerebellar DAN nodes (SS4-SS0: p< .005; SS4-SS1: p< .0001) and load-dependent deactivation was observed within cerebellar DMN nodes (SS4-SS0: p< .005; SS4-SS1: p< .0005). Across both experiments the strength of intrinsic functional connectivity, with either the cortical DAN or the cortical DMN, significantly predicted the response of individual cerebellar voxels (Experiment 1: rDAN =.67, rDMN =-.71; Experiment 2: rDAN =.60, rDMN =-.56). Our results indicate that cerebellar nodes of the DAN contribute to network function across a diverse range of attentive and working memory conditions. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.
Respiration of oranges and grapefruits harvested at different stages of development.

Young and unripe oranges and grapefruits stored at 15 degrees or 20 degrees evidenced shortly after harvest a marked increase in respiratory rate, and then a well-defined maximum which was followed by a decrease.Ethylene production by oranges (measured by the manometric method) was observed, with curves parallel to the respiratory curves.The respiratory upsurge was accompanied by color changes typical of maturity in the above fruits, and by abscission of stem-ends.When fruit was harvested close to or at commercial maturity, it evidenced a gradual respiration decrease without any upsurge. No ethylene production was detected in oranges of this stage.
GaN technologies for applications from L- to Ka-band

A set of GaN technologies are presented including a revised 0. 25μm GaN HEMT technology in WIN Semiconductors' NP25 platform. The new improvements to the NP25 GaN HEMT were realized by the optimizing device layout, the fabrication process and the epitaxy enabling improved performance while still maintaining highly reliable operation for X-band applications. Pulse I-V shows low gatelag and drain-lag ratio of 16% and 6%, respectively. The maximum power-added efficiency (PAE) could be improved from 59.6% to 64.7% at 10GHz. The 0. 45μm GaN HEMT technology for L-, C-, and S-band applications has 60.5 % PAE at 2.7 GHz. The 0. 15μm GaN HEMT technology for Ka-band applications has PAE 39.6% and power density up to 5.4W/mm.
Textured voxel-bounded planes: Efficient representation of color points for 3D mapping and visualization

Recent developments in mobile robotics sensor technology have seen the introduction of color and depth (RGB-D) sensors which deliver large quantities of data. For mobile robots this data, consisting of RGB colored xyz points, needs to be continuously and quickly incorporated into a global representation as it streams from the sensors. The resulting representation must support visualization for effective human-robot supervisory control and be efficient for robotics algorithms such as SLAM and path planning.