Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase is expressed in the testes of transgenic mice under the control of a cryptic promoter

We reported previously that the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) thymidine kinase reporter gene (tk) was expressed in the testes of transgenic mice when coupled to the promoter of a liver-specific mouse major urinary protein (MUP) gene. Here we show that HSV-1 tk is also expressed in the testis when coupled to a MUP pseudogene promoter, to a truncated MUP promoter that is not active in the liver, and to the promoter of the bovine thyroglobulin gene. Furthermore, HSV-1 tk itself was expressed in the testis, although its normal expression had been disabled by removing an upstream regulator of transcription. In every case, the same multiple transcripts were observed, with their 5' ends located downstream of the normal HSV-1 tk translation initiation codon. We conclude that the transcription of HSV-1 tk in the testis is directed by a cryptic TATA box-independent promoter located in the coding region of the gene. The longest HSV-1 thymidine kinase (TK) polypeptides synthesized in the testis were shorter than full-length TK and probably result from translational initiation at Met46 and Met60, the second and third ATG codons of the tk reading frame. Male mice of most transgenic lines were sterile, and the severity of the lesion in spermatogenesis was directly related to the level of TK expression. In the most highly expressing lines, sperm counts were low and morphologically defective sperm were common. In other sterile lines, TK was expressed at a lower level and sperm counts were normal but sperm motility was greatly reduced. Lines with the lowest levels of HSV-1 TK expression were fertile. HSV-1 TK was expressed in germ line cells, mainly in the haploid spermatids. However, low-level HSV-1 TK activity was found in the testis before the first germ cells entered meiosis, showing that if expression is confined to the germ cells, it also occurs in spermatogonia.
Using duration to learn activities of daily living in a smart home environment

Recognition of inhabitants' activities of daily living (ADLs) is an important task in smart homes to support assisted living for elderly people aging in place. However, uncertain information brings challenge to activity recognition which can be categorised into environmental uncertainties from sensor readings and user uncertainties of variations in the ways to carry out activities in different contexts, or by different users within the same environment. To address the challenges of these two types of uncertainty, in this paper, we introduce the innovative idea of incorporating activity duration into the framework of learning inhabitants' behaviour patterns on carrying out ADLs in smart home environment. A probabilistic learning algorithm is proposed with duration information in the context of multi-inhabitants in a single home environment. The prediction is for both inhabitant and ADL using the learned model representing what activity is carried out and who performed it. Experiments are designed for the evaluation of duration information in identifying activities and inhabitants. Real data have been collected in a smart kitchen laboratory, and realistic synthetic data are generated for evaluation. Evaluations show encouraging results for higher-level activity identification and improvement on inhabitant and activity prediction in the challenging situation of incomplete observation due to unreliable sensors compared to models that are derived with no duration information. The approach also provides a potential opportunity to identify inhabitants' concept drift in long-term monitoring and respond to a deteriorating situation at as early stage as possible.
Using Edge-A Dynamic General Equilibrium Model of the Euro Area. NCRE Online Paper No. 01/01

This paper presents a new dynamic general equilibrium model with some nominal rigidities that has been calibrated on Euro area data. The model includes consumption/saving decisions using a Blanchard stochastic lifetimes approach; valuation of private financial wealth according to the present value of capital income; overlapping Calvo wage contracts in the labour market and a neoclassical supply side with Cobb-Douglas technology. The structure of the model is explained as is its calibration, using data from new Euro area statistics and experience from the US. The model has been developed for both forecasting and policy stimulation purposes.
Computing correlation integral with the Euclidean distance normalized by the embedding dimension

The Grassberger-Procaccia method is revisited in this paper with a modified approach to compute the correlation integral through a Euclidean distance measure normalized by the embedding dimension. The performance of the suggested modification is assessed using three different types of signals, including Lorenz attractor, mechanical vibrations of helicopter flight, and biological data of animal sleep EEG. Results have shown consistent improvements over the original approach when the normalized Euclidean distance measure is used-correlation integrals for different embedding dimensions not only converge faster in scaling radius but also are more uniformly clustered within the same region. The implementation of the suggested modification is straightforward and resultant correlation integrals and linearly scaling regions for correlation dimension estimation are less sensitive to the varying embedding dimension.
LabVIEW Based Performance Optimization of Single Phase Induction Motors

Induction motors are widely used in most of the industrial applications due to their ruggedness, reliability and low cost. Even a small amount of improvement in efficiency will have a bigger effect in conserving energy. This paper incorporates an efficiency optimization scheme to operate the single phase induction machine at its maximum efficiency point. Efficiency is improved by operating the machine at an optimum slip. Optimum slip is obtained by testing the machine in open loop. Simulation results to prove the concept of optimum slip are presented and are validated through LabVIEW based implementation for a fan motor to operate it at its maximum efficiency point for a given speed. An online efficiency control is implemented using Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithm so that errors in parameter estimation do not affect the performance.
UC Berkeley Sustainable Infrastructures Title BTrDB : Optimizing Storage System Design for Timeseries Processing

The increase in high-precision, high-sample-rate telemetry timeseries poses a problem for existing timeseries databases which can neither cope with the throughput demands of these streams nor provide the necessary primitives for effective analysis of them. We present a novel abstraction for telemetry timeseries data and a data structure for providing this abstraction: a timepartitioning version-annotated copy-on-write tree. An implementation in Go is shown to outperform existing solutions, demonstrating a throughput of 53 million inserted values per second and 119 million queried values per second on a four-node cluster. The system achieves a 2.9x compression ratio and satisfies statistical queries spanning a year of data in under 200ms, as demonstrated on a year-long production deployment storing 2.1 trillion data points. The principles and design of this database are generally applicable to a large variety of timeseries types and represent a significant advance in the development of technology for the Internet of Things.
Pharmacological Interventions for Acceleration of the Onset Time of Rocuronium: A Meta-Analysis

Background Rocuronium is an acceptable alternative when succinylcholine is contraindicated for facilitating the endotracheal intubation. However, the onset time of rocuronium for good intubation condition is still slower than that condition of succinylcholine. This study systematically investigated the most efficacious pharmacological interventions for accelerating the onset time of rocuronium. Methods Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library databases, www.clinicaltrials. gov, and hand searching from the reference lists of identified papers were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing drug interventions with placebo or another drug to shorten the onset time of rocuronium. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan5.2 and ADDIS 1.16. 5 softwares. Mean differences (MDs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to analyze the effects of drug interventions on the onset time of rocuronium. Results 43 randomized controlled trials with 2,465 patients were analyzed. The average onset time of rocuronium was 102.4±24.9 s. Priming with rocuronium [Mean difference (MD) −21.0 s, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (−27.6 to −14.3 s)], pretreatment with ephedrine [−22.3 s (−29.1 to −15.5 s)], pretreatment with magnesium sulphate [−28.2 s (−50.9 to −5.6 s)] were all effective in reducing the onset time of rocuronium. Statistical testing of indirect comparisons showed that rocuronium priming, pretreatment with ephedrine, and pretreatment with magnesium sulphate had the similar efficacy. Conclusion Rocuronium priming, pretreatment with ephedrine, and pretreatment with magnesium sulphate were all effective in accelerating the onset time of rocuronium, and furthermore their efficacies were similar. Considering the convenience and efficacy, priming with rocuronium is recommended for accelerating the onset time of rocuronium. However, more strict clinical trials are still needed to reach a more solid conclusion due to the large heterogeneities exist among different studies.
Vaccination with Lipid Core Peptides Fails to Induce Epitope-Specific T Cell Responses but Confers Non-Specific Protective Immunity in a Malaria Model

Vaccines against many pathogens for which conventional approaches have failed remain an unmet public health priority. Synthetic peptide-based vaccines offer an attractive alternative to whole protein and whole organism vaccines, particularly for complex pathogens that cause chronic infection. Previously, we have reported a promising lipid core peptide (LCP) vaccine delivery system that incorporates the antigen, carrier, and adjuvant in a single molecular entity. LCP vaccines have been used to deliver several peptide subunit-based vaccine candidates and induced high titre functional antibodies and protected against Group A streptococcus in mice. Herein, we have evaluated whether LCP constructs incorporating defined CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cell epitopes could induce epitope-specific T cell responses and protect against pathogen challenge in a rodent malaria model. We show that LCP vaccines failed to induce an expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells following primary immunization or by boosting. We further demonstrated that the LCP vaccines induced a non-specific type 2 polarized cytokine response, rather than an epitope-specific canonical CD8+ T cell type 1 response. Cytotoxic responses of unknown specificity were also induced. These non-specific responses were able to protect against parasite challenge. These data demonstrate that vaccination with lipid core peptides fails to induce canonical epitope-specific T cell responses, at least in our rodent model, but can nonetheless confer non-specific protective immunity against Plasmodium parasite challenge.
Some Experiments Around a Neural Network for Multimodal Associations

This paper presents a study of the model of triple BAM by [11] which is an improved variation of the original BAM model by [7]. This class of model aims at integrating different sensory inputs in order to memorize a unified and distributed representation. An experimental evaluation of the model is presented that underlines its limitations in terms of noise robustness and learning capacities. A new model is presented in order to overcome those initial limitations by introducing a new online learning algorithm adapted from the PRLAB initial algorithm that improve both noise robustness and learning capacities. Finally, model properties and limitations are considered and discussed within the context of multi-modal integration and brain modeling.
Adaptive counter-based broadcasting scheme in mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) are formed by wireless devices that communicate without necessarily using the pre-existing network infrastructure such as base station/access point. Broadcasting is a common operation in wireless Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) that can be simply applied by using flooding. However, this technique suffers from a number of drawbacks in terms of high redundancy, collision, and contention. This phenomenon is known as the broadcast storm problem. Many schemes have been proposed to address this problem. In this paper we examine the performance of counter-based scheme with adaptive threshold which aims to increase the reachability percentage of the transmission packets which receive the broadcast message, to all nodes with high reachability. The proposed scheme increases the throughput of the network, as the simulation experiments conducted by using ns-2 simulations, show. We evaluate the performance of our approach by comparing it with the simple flooding. Simulation results show that our approach performs better than simple flooding in the average end-to-end delay (Latency), The Packet Delivery Ratio, and Routing Overhead.
Output feedback tracking control for spacecraft relative translation subject to input constraints and partial loss of control effectiveness

In this paper, an adaptive output feedback tracking control scheme is proposed for spacecraft formation flying (SFF) in the presence of external disturbances, uncertain system parameters, input constraints and partial loss of control effectiveness. The proposed controller incorporates a pseudo-velocity filter to account for the unmeasured relative velocity, and the neural network (NN) technique is implemented to approximate the desired nonlinear function and bounded external disturbances. In order to guarantee that the output of the NN used in the controller is bounded by the corresponding bound of the approximated nonlinear function, a switch function is employed to generate a switching between the adaptive NN control and the robust controller. Moreover, a fault tolerant part is included in the controller to compensate the partial loss of actuator effectiveness fault. It is shown that the derived controller not only guarantees the tracking error in the closed-loop system to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) but also ensures the control input can rigorously enforce actuator magnitude constraints. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A sub-optimal second order sliding mode controller for current-fed induction motors

A second order sliding mode controller for current-fed induction motors is proposed in this paper. The design of the controller is based on a reduced order model of the machine, and the control variables are non-discontinuous currents, obtained integrating a discontinuous auxiliary control signal. The phase voltages are then generated using a current regulated pulse width modulation inverter, while the rotor flux value is obtained by means of a simple observer. The convergence properties of the proposed control strategy are studied in the paper, and verified in simulation.
A Functional Approach to the Heat Kernel in Curved Space

The heat kernel $M_{xy} = $ is of central importance when studying the propagation of a scalar particle in curved space. It is quite convenient to analyze this quantity in terms of classical variables by use of the quantum mechanical path integral; regrettably it is not entirely clear how this path integral can be mathematically well defined in curved space. An alternate approach to studying the heat kernel in terms of classical variables was introduced by Onofri. This technique is shown to be applicable to problems in curved space; an unambiguous expression for $M_{xy}$ is obtained which involves functional derivatives of a classical quantity. We illustrate how this can be used by computing $M_{xx}$ to lowest order in the curvature scalar R.
Topological entanglement entropy.

We formulate a universal characterization of the many-particle quantum entanglement in the ground state of a topologically ordered two-dimensional medium with a mass gap. We consider a disk in the plane, with a smooth boundary of length L, large compared to the correlation length. In the ground state, by tracing out all degrees of freedom in the exterior of the disk, we obtain a marginal density operator rho for the degrees of freedom in the interior. The von Neumann entropy of rho, a measure of the entanglement of the interior and exterior variables, has the form S(rho) = alphaL - gamma + . , where the ellipsis represents terms that vanish in the limit L --> infinity. We show that - gamma is a universal constant characterizing a global feature of the entanglement in the ground state. Using topological quantum field theory methods, we derive a formula for gamma in terms of properties of the superselection sectors of the medium.
Polymorphisms of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene as the genetic predispositions of coronary artery diseases in eastern India

Background: Gene–environment interaction is an important aspect in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The mutation (677C-T) of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene results in a decrease of the enzyme activity that leads to mild hyperhomocysteinemia. Elevated plasma level of homocysteine has been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A case–control study was designed to assess whether the prevalence of some MTHFR gene polymorphisms have any role in the development of CAD. Materials and Methods: The study included unrelated 217 cases with CAD and 255 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. MTHFR genotypes were identified by seeing the presence or absence of 677C→T mutation obtained by PCR followed by Hinf1 restriction digestion. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to find association between studied genotypes and lifestyle as well as biochemical risk factors. Results: The T allele was found to be associated with the disease. Significant associations were found with smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and family history of CAD. Conclusion: The results indicate that MTHFR 677C-T polymorphism has significant association with CADs in the population of eastern India.
The use of Fourier Descriptors to recognize particle profile

Microscopic size wear debris transported through oil-lubricated systems provides important information about the condition of machinery, in particular the state of wear. Experts extract this information to monitor the operation of the machine to ensure safety, efficiency and economy of operation. This paper describes the analysis of microscopic particles generated by wear mechanisms by using Fourier series in terms of Fourier Descriptors and image processing techniques. The aim of the work is to develop an automated system to classify wear particles and thereby predict wear failure modes in machines. An interactive image analysis system is devised, which is used to process and store the quantitative information of particle profile. Further analysis on the stored data in the form of three Fourier Descriptors is described which extracts wear particle profile features and permits systematic profile analysis.
Study of Gender Preferences for Locations Around the World Using Social Media Data

Traditional methods for obtaining data to conduct gender studies may be cumbersome because, usually, data are obtained manually through questionnaires. However, this poses challenges in conducting such studies on a large scale. Thus, available studies using traditional methods often provide analysis only at country level. In this paper, we explore the use of check-ins data collected from Foursquare to estimate the cultural gender preferences for locations in the physical world. Our results suggest that gender preferences can be captured for locations at different spatial granularity -- not just for countries. This indicates that our proposed methodology could inspire a complementary approach to conduct studies of gender preferences for locations.
A Bandwidth Resource Allocation Method for Next Generation Network Based on Cooperative Game

It's an important research direction to guarantee QoS dynamically for diverse services of next generation network (NGN), especially to guarantee their required bandwidth resource. Firstly, a general frame about NGN resource allocation was introduced. Then, a NGN bandwidth resource allocation method based on cooperative game theory was put forwarded, which adopted cooperative game constrains, modeled and solved the bandwidth resource allocating. Finally, simulation results show this method can optimize the efficiency of whole network and can guarantee every service required bandwidth simultaneously.
Message Passing , Remote Procedure Calls and Distributed Shared Memory as Communication Paradigms for Distributed Systems

Message passing and remote procedure calls are the most commonly used communication paradigms for interprocess communication in distributed systems. Distributed shared memory is an equally valuable but less often used paradigm. The advantage offered by distributed shared memory is that it abstracts away from the fact that the memory is distributed and allows the programmer to use the familiar shared memory model. However, this ease of use comes at a price, the overheads of DSM, at the operating system level, are significant compared with those of the other two paradigms. In order to establish whether DSM is worth implementing these overheads need to weighed up against the advantages offered by the paradigm. To this end we have evaluated and compared the three paradigms. In particular they are evaluated at the programming and operating system level and then compared based on their performance when used to solve the producer-consumer problem.
What you see is where you go: testing a gaze-driven power wheelchair for individuals with severe multiple disabilities

Individuals with severe multiple disabilities have little or no opportunity to express their own wishes, make choices and move independently. Because of this, the objective of this work has been to develop a prototype for a gaze-driven device to manoeuvre powered wheelchairs or other moving platforms. The prototype has the same capabilities as a normal powered wheelchair, with two exceptions. Firstly, the prototype is controlled by eye movements instead of by a normal joystick. Secondly, the prototype is equipped with a sensor that stops all motion when the machine approaches an obstacle. The prototype has been evaluated in a preliminary clinical test with two users. Both users clearly communicated that they appreciated and had mastered the ability to control a powered wheelchair with their eye movements.