Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of lptA and lptB, Two Essential Genes Implicated in Lipopolysaccharide Transport to the Outer Membrane of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The outer membrane (OM) of gram-negative bacteria is an asymmetric lipid bilayer that protects the cell from toxic molecules. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an essential component of the OM in most gram-negative bacteria, and its structure and biosynthesis are well known. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of transport and assembly of this molecule in the OM are poorly understood. To date, the only proteins implicated in LPS transport are MsbA, responsible for LPS flipping across the inner membrane, and the Imp/RlpB complex, involved in LPS targeting to the OM. Here, we present evidence that two Escherichia coli essential genes, yhbN and yhbG, now renamed lptA and lptB, respectively, participate in LPS biogenesis. We show that mutants depleted of LptA and/or LptB not only produce an anomalous LPS form, but also are defective in LPS transport to the OM and accumulate de novo-synthesized LPS in a novel membrane fraction of intermediate density between the inner membrane (IM) and the OM. In addition, we show that LptA is located in the periplasm and that expression of the lptA-lptB operon is controlled by the extracytoplasmic σ factor RpoE. Based on these data, we propose that LptA and LptB are implicated in the transport of LPS from the IM to the OM of E. coli.
On the Reduction of Side Effects in Tomography

As the Computed Tomography(CT) requires normally hundreds of projections to reconstruct the image, patients are exposed to more X-ray energy, which may cause side effects such as cancer. Even when the variability of the particles in the object is very less, Computed Tomography requires many projections for good quality reconstruction. In this paper, less variability of the particles in an object has been exploited to obtain good quality reconstruction. Though the reconstructed image and the original image have same projections, in general, they need not be the same. In addition to projections, if a priori information about the image is known, it is possible to obtain good quality reconstructed image. In this paper, it has been shown by experimental results why conventional algorithms fail to reconstruct from a few projections, and an efficient polynomial time algorithm has been given to reconstruct a bi-level image from its projections along row and column, and a known sub image of unknown image with smoothness constraints by reducing the reconstruction problem to integral max flow problem. This paper also discusses the necessary and sufficient conditions for uniqueness and extension of 2D-bi-level image reconstruction to 3D-bi-level image reconstruction. Keywords— Discrete Tomography, Image Reconstruction, Projection, Computed Tomography, Integral Max Flow Problem, Smooth Binary Image.
Denoising Using Inverse-Distance Weighting with Sparse Approximation

Efficient image reconstruction, which removes high-density impulse noise from a single corrupted image, is the key technology of computer-vision systems such as for people counting, crowd analysis, action recognition, and human tracking. Recently, a surge in state-of-the-art sparse approximation approaches has occurred in the area of impulse noise removal using corrupted texture information or remnant noise-free information to recover a corrupted image. However, these sparse approximation approaches are recognized to fail when used for an image corrupted with high-density impulse noise. This is because there is insufficient noise-free information within each cropped window for these state-of-the-art sparse approximation approaches to make a sparse approximation. Thus, we propose a novel image restoration approach based on inverse-distance weighting with sparse approximation for high-density impulse noise removal from a single image. The proposed method uses an inverse-distance weighting-based prediction model to produce potential noise-free pixels. Unlike other recent noise removal methods, it does not utilize the corrupted texture information to recover the corrupted image. Evaluations on popular image benchmark datasets show that our image restoration approach has much better performance than the previous state-of-the-art methods, which are more complex and require either corrupted texture or remnant noise-free pixel information.
Clustering analysis of seismicity and aftershock identification.

We introduce a statistical methodology for clustering analysis of seismicity in the time-space-energy domain and use it to establish the existence of two statistically distinct populations of earthquakes: clustered and nonclustered. This result can be used, in particular, for nonparametric aftershock identification. The proposed approach expands the analysis of Baiesi and Paczuski [Phys. Rev. E 69, 066106 (2004)10.1103/PhysRevE.69. 066106] based on the space-time-magnitude nearest-neighbor distance eta between earthquakes. We show that for a homogeneous Poisson marked point field with exponential marks, the distance eta has the Weibull distribution, which bridges our results with classical correlation analysis for point fields. The joint 2D distribution of spatial and temporal components of eta is used to identify the clustered part of a point field. The proposed technique is applied to several seismicity models and to the observed seismicity of southern California.
Eviction of Misbehaving and Faulty Nodes in Vehicular Networks

Vehicular networks (VNs) are emerging, among civilian applications, as a convincing instantiation of the mobile networking technology. However, security is a critical factor and a significant challenge to be met. Misbehaving or faulty network nodes have to be detected and prevented from disrupting network operation, a problem particularly hard to address in the life-critical VN environment. Existing networks rely mainly on node certificate revocation for attacker eviction, but the lack of an omnipresent infrastructure in VNs may unacceptably delay the retrieval of the most recent and relevant revocation information; this will especially be the case in the early deployment stages of such a highly volatile and large-scale system. In this paper, we address this specific problem. We propose protocols, as components of a framework, for the identification and local containment of misbehaving or faulty nodes, and then for their eviction from the system. We tailor our design to the VN characteristics and analyze our system. Our results show that the distributed approach to contain nodes and contribute to their eviction is efficiently feasible and achieves a sufficient level of robustness.
AVALIAÇÃO DE PIZZARIAS SOB A PERCEPÇÃO DOS CLIENTES: DETERMINAÇÃO DA VALIDADE DE ITENS DO QUESTIONÁRIO

O objetivo do presente trabalho e verificar a validade de itens de um questionario para avaliacao de pizzarias no municipio de Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Justifica-se esta pesquisa pela expressividade do setor de servicos de alimentacao, no qual estao inseridas as pizzarias, e pela ausencia de tratamento estatistico para definicao de quais itens sao pertinentes ao elaborar um questionario para avaliacao da satisfacao dos clientes. Inicialmente foram selecionados, com base na revisao de literatura, 75 itens distribuidos em 5 dimensoes (Aspectos Tangiveis, Confiabilidade, Receptividade, Seguranca e Empatia). Com estes dados foi compilado um questionario aplicado a clientes, os quais avaliaram cada um dos itens como essencial, importante mas nao essencial ou nao essencial. Apos isso foi aplicado o metodo de Lawshe para validar ou excluir os itens. Dos 75 itens analisados, 33 foram excluidos, com base na metodologia adotada. A exclusao de alguns itens na dimensao “Aspectos tangiveis”, e a conservacao de quase todos os outros listados nas demais dimensoes, demonstra que os criterios adotados por clientes para selecao e avaliacao de pizzaria tendem a priorizar as caracteristicas intangiveis desta relacao de consumo. Palavras-chave: Qualidade; Satisfacao, Servicos, Restaurantes, Questionario, Lawshe.
Fishing‐induced evolution of growth: concepts, mechanisms and the empirical evidence

The interest in fishing-induced life-history evolution has been growing in the last decade, in part because of the increasing number of studies suggesting evolutionary changes in life-history traits, and the potential ecological and economic consequences these changes may have. Among the traits that could evolve in response to fishing, growth has lately received attention. However, critical reading of the literature on growth evolution in fish reveals conceptual confusion about the nature of ‘growth’ itself as an evolving trait, and about the different ways fishing can affect growth and size-at-age of fish, both on ecological and on evolutionary time-scales. It is important to separate the advantages of being big and the costs of growing to a large size, particularly when studying life-history evolution. In this review, we explore the selection pressures on growth and the resultant evolution of growth from a mechanistic viewpoint. We define important concepts and outline the processes that must be accounted for before observed phenotypic changes can be ascribed to growth evolution. When listing traits that could be traded-off with growth rate, we group the mechanisms into those affecting resource acquisition and those governing resource allocation. We summarize potential effects of fishing on traits related to growth and discuss methods for detecting evolution of growth. We also challenge the prevailing expectation that fishing-induced evolution should always lead to slower growth.
Novel multivariate data analysis techniques to determine functionally connected networks within the brain from EEG or MEG data

To understand the functionality of the brain, it is crucial to understand the interplay between sources of ongoing activity inside the brain. The synchronization of oscillatory signals generated by large populations of neurons has been identified to serve as a communication mechanism. Due to their excellent temporal resolution in the millisecond range and their non-invasiveness, the electrophysiological measurement modalities Electroencephalography (EEG) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) are well-suited tools to investigate these synchronization effects. However, due to the mixing of source signals inside the brain into measurement sensors outside the head which is called volume conduction, it is neither possible to uniquely reconstruct the sources nor to study relationships among them. Artifacts of volume conduction impede the interpretation of relationships between sensors as well as between estimated sources. Within this thesis a novel series of multivariate data analysis methods is introduced that aims at detecting synchronization between large-scale brain sources robust to any volume conduction artifacts. All methods are based upon the concept of an established connectivity measure called the imaginary part of coherency (ImCoh). The ImCoh neglects instantaneous synchronization effects as they are most likely due to source mixing as true source synchronization usually requires some time to evolve. The computational procedure presented in this thesis is constructed out of four individual methods which can be used sequentially. First, the maximization of the imaginary part of coherency is introduced which leads to an increase of the signal-to-noise ratio for subsequent connectivity analysis and source localization. Furthermore, connectivity measures are derived from this maximization, which are, in contrast to the ImCoh, independent of the particular source mixing. Due to these properties, one of the measures, the Global Interaction Measure (GIM), is used to objectively compare the measurement modalities EEG and MEG. Moreover, the GIM serves as a basis to automatically determine subject specific frequency peaks of synchronization effects. Second, synchronized sources are determined with a novel technique called Self Consistent Multiple Signal Classification (SC Music). It forms an algorithmic improvement over the existing data analysis technique Rap Music
Path Generation and Tracking in 3-D for UAVs

In this brief, we consider the problem of 3-D path generation and tracking for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The proposed path generation algorithm allows us to find a path satisfying arbitrary initial and final conditions, specified in terms of position and velocity. Our method assumes that aircraft structural and dynamic limitations can be translated in a turn radius constraint; therefore, the generated paths satisfy a constraint on the minimum admissible turning radius. The proposed algorithm for the path tracking guarantees, under specified assumptions, that the tracking error, both in position and in attitude, asymptotically tends to zero. The work has been carried out with reference to the UAV of the Italian Aerospace Research Center (CIRA). Simulation results for both the path generation and the tracking algorithms are presented; the latter have been obtained using a detailed 6-degree-of-freedom model of the CIRA UAV in the presence of wind and turbulence.
Hormone-Replacement Therapy, Dementia and Stroke

Hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) has been used for more than 40 years to reduce perimenopausal symptoms. Estrogens may protect brain structures and functional systems affected by Alzheimer's disease, which suggests that maintaining high levels of hormones with HRT can protect against Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, high premenopausal estrogen concentrations are thought to be protective against stroke and, consequently, in the past, HRT was considered to be a potential protective agent against stroke. However, large clinical trials have failed to demonstrate a benefit from HRT on either cognitive performance or risk of dementia. In addition, although HRT has been associated with a reduction in the risk of heart disease in observational studies, results regarding stroke have been less clear. Recently, evidence has shown that HRT does not reduce but actually increases vascular risk. Here, the data from the most important studies are examined, concluding that HRT has no beneficial effect on dementia or stroke risk reduction in postmenopausal women.
Improved time bounds for near-optimal sparse Fourier representations

•We study the problem of finding a Fourier representation R of m terms for a given discrete signal A of length N. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) can find the optimal N-term representation in time O(N log N) time, but our goal is to get sublinear time algorithms when m << N. Suppose ||A||2 ≤M||A-Ropt||2, where Ropt is the optimal output. The previously best known algorithms output R such that ||A-R||22≤(1+ε))||A-Ropt||22 with probability at least 1-δ in time* poly(m,log(1/δ),log N,log M,1/ε). Although this is sublinear in the input size, the dominating expression is the polynomial factor in m which, for published algorithms, is greater than or equal to the bottleneck at m2 that we identify below. Our experience with these algorithms shows that this is serious limitation in theory and in practice. Our algorithm beats this m2 bottleneck. Our main result is a significantly improved algorithm for this problem and the d-dimensional analog. Our algorithm outputs an R with the same approximation guarantees but it runs in time m•poly(log(1/δ),log N,log M,1/ε). A version of the algorithm holds for all N, though the details differ slightly according to the factorization of N. For the d-dimensional problem of size N1 × N2 × •• × Nd, the linear-in-m algorithm extends efficiently to higher dimensions for certain factorizations of the Ni's; we give a quadratic-in-m algorithm that works for any values of Ni's. This article replaces several earlier, unpublished drafts.
COMBINING THE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS AND THE DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS IN VIEW OF MULTIPLE CRITERIA DECISION MAKING: A NEW MODEL

In this paper, a new classification model which combines the discriminant analysis and the data envelopment analysis and bases on on the multicriteria decision making is developed. Our suggested model utilizes the relative efficiency concept of the data envelopment analysis in predicting group membership of units. The study is supported with an application which examines a few selected socioeconomic indicators of some member and candidate countries of European Union.
Huntington’s disease-like 2 can present as chorea-acanthocytosis

To the Editor: We read with interest the article by Munger et al.1 A protective effect of sunlight on multiple sclerosis (MS) risk was first suggested by Acheson et al.2 Vitamin D is a potential mediator of this relationship. We are sympathetic to the hypothesis being tested3 by Munger et al. but have the following concerns. 1) NHS studied women age 30, but more than half of female patients with MS have onset below this age. Of those accrued, some 50,000 were excluded from analysis.1 Was this done before testing the vitamin D hypothesis? What were the characteristics, when known, of exclusions for calculated vitamin D estimates compared to those retained? Perhaps MS risk can be altered after age 30, but earlier ages are implicated from migration studies. 2) 61 and then 130 questions were asked in the NHS and NHS II questionnaires. Was correction made for multiple analyses? Could the authors explain the assumptions and approach used to calculate the “p trend” statistic that forms the basis of this report? 3) The apparent association of low MS risk with intake of 400 units of vitamin D from supplements per day seems at odds with the recent report that those intakes of supplements have minimal effects on 25(OH)D levels. Furthermore, young women who took multivitamins were more likely to exercise outdoors. Multivitamin use correlated better with summer 25(OH)D levels than winter.5 Vitamin D production in the skin requires UVB that is not intense enough at latitudes 30 for at least 1 month each winter. 4) The association of MS with latitude seems unambiguous from Kurtzke’s US Veterans’ studies and from Australia.6 The lack of interaction with latitude in this study4 is surprising if vitamin D intake in adulthood is causally related to MS risk, since D levels and putative functional effects are dependent on latitude related UVB. 5) We note that the NHSII cohort had more MS “cases/ person–y” (97/7.5 10) compared to the NHS cohort (76/1.5 10). These data are difficult to compare. As age specific incidences seem less in NHSII, is there evidence for a decreasing incidence or prevalence in the areas surveyed? 6) How does the nurses’ D intake relate to that in the general population? Vitamin intake could vary by ethnicity. Did the definition of “white” include ethnic groups known to be resistant to MS? Recall bias has been reported within weeks of illnessassociated events. Has the accuracy of four yearly reports been validated for the measures in this article?
Moving Beyond the Verbal Learning Domain: An Empirical Investigation of the Effectiveness of Feedback Parameters on Learning.

KELLEY, CHRISOPHER MICHAEL. Moving Beyond the Verbal Learning Domain: An Empirical Investigation of the Effectiveness of Feedback Parameters on Learning. (Under the direction of Dr. Anne Collins McLaughlin). The amount of support required for learning remains unclear. For example, some argue more support is necessary for learning as it frees the cognitive resources needed to learn (Sweller, 1988); others, however, contend less support adds “desirable difficulties” that force the practice of the retrieval processes necessary once support is removed (see Salmoni, Schmidt, & Walter, 1984; Schmidt & Bjork, 1992, for reviews). Despite the lack of a unifying theory for support requirements, a literature review revealed some general patterns regarding the parameters of feedback. The goal of the current research was to identify empirically based feedback principles that maximize learning in a higher-order learning task. The task was designed to require the learning of relationships, or rules required to differentiate legitimate emails from “phishing” emails. High and low levels of feedback content and timing were provided. Learning was assessed using a cued recall test and a test of transfer to novel stimuli. Additionally, signal detection theory (SDT) was used to further explore feedback effects. Results showed high feedback content led to an increase in the detection of phishing emails. In addition, while delayed feedback led to higher accuracy and better detection of phishing emails, this effect was not independent of feedback content. © Copyright 2014 Christopher Michael Kelley All Rights Reserved Moving Beyond the Verbal Learning Domain: An Empirical Investigation of the Effectiveness of Feedback Parameters on Learning by Christopher M Kelley A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
The inflammasome promotes adverse cardiac remodeling following acute myocardial infarction in the mouse

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) initiates an intense inflammatory response that promotes cardiac dysfunction, cell death, and ventricular remodeling. The molecular events underlying this inflammatory response, however, are incompletely understood. In experimental models of sterile inflammation, ATP released from dying cells triggers, through activation of the purinergic P2X7 receptor, the formation of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex necessary for caspase-1 activation and amplification of the inflammatory response. Here we describe the presence of the inflammasome in the heart in an experimental mouse model of AMI as evidenced by increased caspase-1 activity and cytoplasmic aggregates of the three components of the inflammasome—apoptosis speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (ASC), cryopyrin, and caspase-1, localized to the granulation tissue and cardiomyocytes bordering the infarct. Cultured adult murine cardiomyocytes also showed the inducible formation of the inflammasome associated with increased cell death. P2X7 and cryopyrin inhibition (using silencing RNA or a pharmacologic inhibitor) prevented the formation of the inflammasome and limited infarct size and cardiac enlargement after AMI. The formation of the inflammasome in the mouse heart during AMI causes additional loss of functional myocardium, leading to heart failure. Modulation of the inflammasome may therefore represent a unique therapeutic strategy to limit cell death and prevent heart failure after AMI.
Analyzing and modeling of far-end crosstalk in twisted multi-pair metallic cables

Crosstalk and especially far-end crosstalk represents the most serious source of disturbance in today's digital transmission systems. It mostly limits the information capacity of current xDSL digital subscriber lines and also local data networks with unshielded and or shielded twisted pairs (UTP/STP). For the proper and efficient operation of Vectored Discrete Multi-tone modulation (VDMT), which could reduce the influence of far-end crosstalk, it will be necessary to implement advanced methods for modeling of FEXT to obtain the required predictions of crosstalk behavior in a cable. The standard simple FEXT model is not very accurate and does not provide realistic results. That is why a new method for modeling of FEXT was developed and is presented in this paper. The main idea of the model is based on the assumptions concerning the propagation of electromagnetic waves through the cable and its simulation by proper harmonic functions. The results of the model are also compared with measured characteristics for a typical UTP a PEPKFH cable. On the other hand, proposed advanced FEXT model with minor modifications is applicable for any metallic cable to provide accurate and realistic FEXT characteristics.