Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strong differences in genetic structure across disjunct, edge, and core populations of the distylous forest herb Pulmonaria officinalis (Boraginaceae).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Populations at the edge of a species' distribution area are often small and have low levels of gene flow resulting in lower genetic variation and higher differentiation compared to core populations. This study examined genetic variation among populations of the distylous temperate forest herb Pulmonaria officinalis located in the core, the edge, and outside the species' main distribution range. METHODS We compared patterns of genetic variation for eight microsatellite loci between disjunct (Belgium), edge (western Germany), and core (eastern Germany) populations of P. officinalis. KEY RESULTS Disjunct populations contained only a subset of alleles found in edge and core populations and had significantly lower within-population genetic variation. No significant differences, however, in within-population genetic variation were found between edge and core populations, except for allelic and genotypic richness. Genetic differentiation was highest among disjunct (F(ST) = 0.11) and lowest among core populations (F(ST) = 0.03). Significant (P < 0.01) isolation by distance was found for disjunct and edge populations (r(M) = 0.29 and 0.50, respectively), but not for core populations (r(M) = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS The results are best interpreted from a "dynamic range" point of view in which the observed low levels of genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation in disjunct populations are best explained through historical processes, most likely the introduction of the species in medieval times. Lower levels of gene flow caused by the pronounced fragmentation of forests in Belgium may further have contributed to the genetic structure of P. officinalis in these disjunct populations.
Ethylene Formation by Catalytic Dehydration of Ethanol with Industrial Considerations

Ethylene is the primary component in most plastics, making it economically valuable. It is produced primarily by steam-cracking of hydrocarbons, but can alternatively be produced by the dehydration of ethanol, which can be produced from fermentation processes using renewable substrates such as glucose, starch and others. Due to rising oil prices, researchers now look at alternative reactions to produce green ethylene, but the process is far from being as economically competitive as using fossil fuels. Many studies have investigated catalysts and new reaction engineering technologies to increase ethylene yield and to lower reaction temperature, in an effort to make the reaction applicable in industry and most cost-efficient. This paper presents various lab synthesized catalysts, reaction conditions, and reactor technologies that achieved high ethylene yield at reasonable reaction temperatures, and evaluates their practicality in industrial application in comparison with steam-cracking plants. The most promising were found to be a nanoscale catalyst HZSM-5 with 99.7% ethylene selectivity at 240 °C and 630 h lifespan, using a microreactor technology with mechanical vapor recompression, and algae-produced ethanol to make ethylene.
Transcriptional regulation of secondary growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Despite its economic and environmental significance, understanding the molecular biology of secondary growth (i.e. wood formation) in tree species has been lagging behind that of primary growth, primarily due to the inherent difficulties of tree biology. In recent years, Arabidopsis has been shown to express all of the major components of secondary growth. Arabidopsis was induced to undergo secondary growth and the transcriptome profile changes were surveyed during secondary growth using 8.3 K Arabidopsis Genome Arrays. Twenty per cent of the approximately 8300 genes surveyed in this study were differentially regulated in the stems treated for wood formation. Genes of unknown function made up the largest category of the differentially expressed genes, followed by transcription regulation-related genes. Examination of the expression patterns of the genes involved in the sequential events of secondary growth (i.e. cell division, cell expansion, cell wall biosynthesis, lignification, and programmed cell death) identified several key candidate genes for the genetic regulation of secondary growth. In order to gain further insight into the transcriptional regulation of secondary growth, the expression patterns of the genes encoding transcription factors were documented in relation to secondary growth. A computational biology approach was used to identify regulatory cis-elements from the promoter regions of the genes that were up-regulated in wood-forming stems. The expression patterns of many previously unknown genes were established and various existing insights confirmed. The findings described in this report should add new information that can lead to a greater understanding of the secondary xylem formation process.
An Approach for Compression and Synthesis of BTF

This paper presents an approach for compression and synthesis of BTF (bidirectional texture function), and using it BTF can be mapped on arbitrary surfaces. BTF is a kind of multidimensional texture data, which can perfectly shows the self-shadow, self-occlusion and inter-reflection reflectance of object surfaces under varying light directions. However, it is difficult to use BTF on object surfaces because of its enormous data and small size. Our method uses PCA algorithm to compress enormous BTF data, and we propose a synthesis algorithm to solve its size problem and insure multidimensional consistency, while we also propose an algorithm of error calculation for Wang tiles' construction. Using the method we proposed this paper we can rendering BTF on arbitrary object surfaces efficiently and quickly.
Treatment-emergent mania/hypomania during antidepressant monotherapy in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE To study treatment-emergent mania/hypomania (TEM) associated with second-generation antidepressant monotherapy in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder (RCBD). METHODS Data of patients with RCBD (n = 180) enrolled into two clinical trials were used to study the risk for TEM during second-generation antidepressant monotherapy. History of TEM was retrospectively determined at the initial assessment by asking patients whether they were exposed to second-generation antidepressants and if a hypomania/mania episode emerged during the first four weeks of treatment. Data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression. RESULTS Of the 180 patients (bipolar I disorder, n = 128; bipolar II disorder, n = 52) with RCBD, 85% (n = 153) had at least one antidepressant treatment. Among these patients, 94.1% (144/153) had at least one antidepressant monotherapy treatment. Overall, 49.3% of patients had at least one TEM and 29.1% (116/399) of treatment trials were associated with TEM. In regression analysis, an inverse association between the number of mood episodes in the last 12 months and TEM was observed with an odds ratio of 0.9. However, gender, bipolar subtype, a lifetime history of comorbid anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, or psychosis, and age of mood disorder onset were not associated with TEM. For individual antidepressants, the rates of TEM varied from 42.1% for fluoxetine to 0% for fluvoxamine and mirtazapine. As a group, there was no difference between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and venlafaxine or bupropion in the incidence of TEM. CONCLUSIONS Use of second-generation antidepressants as monotherapy in RCBD is accompanied by clinically relevant rates of TEM. Even in patients with RCBD, differential vulnerabilities to antidepressant TEM may exist.
Kinetic approach to granular gases.

We address the problem of the so-called "granular gases," i.e., gases of massive particles in rapid movement undergoing inelastic collisions. We introduce a class of models of driven granular gases for which the stationary state is the result of the balance between the dissipation and the random forces which inject energies. These models exhibit a genuine thermodynamic limit, i.e., at fixed density the mean values of kinetic energy and dissipated energy per particle are independent of the number N of particles, for large values of N. One has two regimes: when the typical relaxation time tau of the driving Brownian process is small compared with the mean collision time tau(c) the spatial density is nearly homogeneous and the velocity probability distribution is Gaussian. In the opposite limit tau>>tau(c) one has strong spatial clustering, with a fractal distribution of particles, and the velocity probability distribution strongly deviates from the Gaussian one. Simulations performed in one and two dimensions under the Stosszahlansatz Boltzmann approximation confirm the scenario. Furthermore, we analyze the instabilities bringing to the spatial and the velocity clusterization. Firstly, in the framework of a mean-field model, we explain how the existence of the inelasticity can lead to a spatial clusterization; on the other hand, we discuss, in the framework of a Langevin dynamics treating the collisions in a mean-field way, how a non-Gaussian distribution of velocity can arise. The comparison between the numerical and the analytical results exhibits an excellent agreement.
L1 - An Intermediate Language for Mixed-Protocol Secure Computation

Secure Computation (SC) enables secure distributed computation of arbitrary functions of private inputs. It has many useful applications, e.g. benchmarking or auctions. Several general protocols for SC have been proposed and recently been implemented in a number of compilers and frameworks. These compilers or frameworks implement one general SC protocol and then require the programmer to implement the function he wants the protocol to compute. Performance remains a challenge for this approach and it has been realized early on that special protocols for important problems can deliver superior performance. In this paper we propose a new intermediate language (L1) for optimizing SC compilers which enables efficient implementation of special protocols potentially mixing several general SC protocols. We show by three case studies -- one for computation of the median, one for weighted average, one for division -- that special protocols and mixed-protocol implementations in our language L1 can lead to superior performance. Moreover, we show that only a combined view on algorithm \emph{and} cryptographic protocol can discover SCs with best run-time performance.
Effect of adhesive properties on elastic wave generation by bonded sensors

Surface bonded sensors have significant potential for detecting and characterizing damage in legacy aircraft structures as part of a Structural Health Monitoring system. In this effort, research has been undertaken to understand the impact of adhesive viscoelastic properties on the generation of elastic wave energy by surface-bonded sensors in thin plates. Previous work has shown that bonded sensors can degrade and fail due to exposure to weather, vibration, temperature, and mechanical loading. In that work, experimental and analytical studies were performed to characterize the transfer of static load from a structure into a surface-bonded sensor. The results indicated that the sensor should be decoupled from the nearly static loading induced from the structure to improve its durability. In this effort, we build on that original work to determine what effect the adhesive has on elastic wave generation and reception in the host structure. The results indicate that strong coupling with the structure is required for effective generation and reception of elastic waves, where the elastic material properties of the sensor, bond, and host structure were considered. Although the two goals appear to be contradictory (sensor durability and elastic wave generation), the use of a strongly viscoelastic adhesive is viewed as potential solution for both by allowing weak coupling at low frequencies and strong coupling at high frequencies.
Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT) Transcription Requires Sp1/Sp3 Binding to the Promoter and a Permissive Chromatin Environment*

Background: Regulation of telomerase gene (hTERT) by Sp1 family proteins remains contradictory in previous studies. Results: In chromatinized BAC reporters, Sp1/Sp3 binding to the promoter was essential for hTERT transcription, but did not affect its repression. Conclusion: Chromatin remodeling, not Sp1 binding to the promoter, was a limiting step in hTERT transcription. Significance: Chromatinized reporters are better models for studying telomerase regulation. The transcription of human telomerase gene hTERT is regulated by transcription factors (TFs), including Sp1 family proteins, and its chromatin environment. To understand its regulation in a relevant chromatin context, we employed bacterial artificial chromosome reporters containing 160 kb of human genomic sequence containing the hTERT gene. Upon chromosomal integration, the bacterial artificial chromosomes recapitulated endogenous hTERT expression, contrary to transient reporters. Sp1/Sp3 expression did not correlate with hTERT promoter activity, and these TFs bound to the hTERT promoters in both telomerase-positive and telomerase-negative cells. Mutation of the proximal GC-box resulted in a dramatic decrease of hTERT promoter activity, and mutations of all five GC-boxes eliminated its transcriptional activity. Neither mutations of GC-boxes nor knockdown of endogenous Sp1 impacted promoter binding by other TFs, including E-box-binding proteins, and histone acetylation and trimethylation of histone H3K9 at the hTERT promoter in telomerase-positive and -negative cells. The result indicated that promoter binding by Sp1/Sp3 was essential, but not a limiting step, for hTERT transcription. hTERT transcription required a permissive chromatin environment. Importantly, our data also revealed different functions of GC-boxes and E-boxes in hTERT regulation; although GC-boxes were essential for promoter activity, factors bound to the E-boxes functioned to de-repress hTERT promoter.
Acceptability of an A2R Application: Analysis of Correlations between Factors in a TAM

Adaptive Augmented Reality (A2R) presents the environment and useful information for the user decision making, this is in real time. Nowadays, there is a gap in A2R acceptance research, although A2R is an emergent technology, specific studies of A2R acceptance has not been conducted yet. In contrast, Augmented Reality (AR) acceptance and recommendation acceptance has actually been addressed in several works. Thus, to analyze A2R acceptance, an A2R prototype was developed relying on hybrid and mobile technology. This application guides visitants to locate remarkable places at the historic center of Quito. The guide proposes places according to the user's preferences or interests gathered from a social network. Based on this prototype, an experiment with a sample of young people between 18 and 25 years old was carried out in order to determine the acceptance of A2R technology. An adaptation of Davis, Leues and Vecandesh's Technology acceptance models was applied. This study analyzed the correlations among different variables such as perceived adaptability, perceived enjoyment, perceived easy of use, perceived usefulness and attitude towards using. The results show that the perceived adaptability, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are crucial in the success of A2R application.
Centralized Arbitration in a Behavior-Based Architecture

An architecture is presented in which distributed decision-making processes cooperatively determine a mobile robot’s path by sending votes to a centralized arbiter. One type of arbiter defined within this DAMN architecture performscommand fusion to select that action which best satisfies the combined behavior votes, allowing multiple goals and constraints to be considered simultaneously. Another type of arbiter performs action selection via utility fusion. Within the utility fusion framework, behaviors indicate the utility of various possible world states and the arbiter determines the next action based on the maximization of expected utility. Thus, DAMN performs centralized arbitration of votes from distributed behaviors and in so doing provides coherent, rational, goal-directed behavior while preserving real-time responsiveness to its immediate physical environment
Chronic sensory-motor activity in behaving animals using regenerative multi-electrode interfaces

Regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces have been proposed as viable alternatives for the natural control and feel of robotic prosthetic limbs. We have developed a Regenerative Multi-electrode Interface (REMI) that guides re-growing axons through an electrode array deployed in the lumen of a nerve guide. While acute studies have shown the use of the REMI in the rat sciatic nerve, the quality of chronic signal recording has not been reported. Here we show that implantation of this interface in the sciatic nerve is stable with high quality recordings up to 120 days and failures mainly attributable to abiotic factors related to pedestal detachment and wire breakage. We further tested the interfacing of REMI with fascicles of the sciatic nerve that primarily innervate muscles (tibial) and skin (sural). When implanted into the tibial nerve, bursting activity was observed synchronous to stepping. However, implantation of REMI into the sural nerve failed due to its small size. While fascicles smaller than 300 μm are a challenge for regenerative interfacing, we show that a modified REMI can be used in an insertion mode to record sensory signals from skin. In summary, the REMI represents an effective tool for recording firing patterns of specific axon types during voluntary movement, which may be used to improve the motor control and sensory feedback in closed loop control systems for robotic prosthesis.
Paraneoplastic Pemphigus and Castleman’s Disease in the Setting of Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

Abstract: A 14‐year‐old girl presented with a 3‐week history of mucosal erosions, injected conjunctiva, dehydration, and respiratory distress. She had been treated with intravenous acyclovir for herpes simplex infection with positive herpes simplex virus immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G. Physical examination and imaging revealed a large abdominal mass. Incisional biopsy was obtained, and pathology demonstrated angiofollicular hyperplasia with hyalinized germinal centers and Castleman’s syndrome‐like features. Based on the mucosal erosions, herpes simplex virus serology and positive herpes simplex virus‐1 direct fluorescent antibody, Castleman’s disease secondary to overwhelming herpes simplex virus infection was the initial impression. The poor response to antivirals and subsequent development of a bullous eruption on the hands resulted in dermatology consultation. Skin biopsy was obtained from a bullae and revealed suprabasilar acantholysis with necrosis as well as upper dermal, perivascular, and interface infiltrate of lymphocytes and eosinophils. No viropathic changes were present. Direct immunofluorescence was significant for immunoglobulin G deposition intercellularly and along the dermoepidermal junction and focal trace C3 deposition along the dermoepidermal junction consistent with paraneoplastic pemphigus, later confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence. We report this case of paraneoplastic pemphigus secondary to Castleman’s syndrome confounded by herpes simplex virus‐1 positive mucosal erosions.
Cholesterol depletion induces large scale domain segregation in living cell membranes

Local inhomogeneities in lipid composition play a crucial role in regulation of signal transduction and membrane traffic. Nevertheless, most evidence for microdomains in cells remains indirect, and the nature of membrane inhomogeneities has been difficult to characterize. We used lipid analogs and lipid-anchored proteins with varying fluidity preferences to examine the effect of modulating cellular cholesterol on domain formation. We show that lowering cholesterol levels induces formation of visible micrometer-scale domains in the plasma membrane of several mammalian cell types with complementary distributions of fluorescent lipid analogs with preferences for fluid or ordered domains. A uniform distribution is restored by cholesterol repletion. Unexpectedly, cholesterol depletion does not visibly alter the distribution of a crosslinked or uncrosslinked glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein (the folate receptor). We also examined the effect of varying cholesterol content on the cold Triton X-100 solubility of several membrane constituents. Although a cholesterol analog, dehydroergosterol, and a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein are largely retained after extraction, a lipid analog with saturated 16-carbon acyl chains is largely removed when the cellular cholesterol level is lowered. This result indicates that after cholesterol depletion molecules in the more ordered domains can be extracted differentially by cold nonionic detergents.
Effects of reflow on the interfacial characteristics between Zn nanoparticles containing Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu solder and copper substrate

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of zinc (Zn) nanoparticles on the interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) between Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu (SAC) solder and Cu substrate during multiple reflow.Design/methodology/approach – The nanocomposite solders were prepared by manually mixing of SAC solder paste with varying amounts of Zn nanoparticles. The solder pastes were reflowed on a hotplate at 250°C for 45 s for up to six times. The actual Zn content after reflow was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES). The wetting behavior of the solders was characterized by analyzing the contact angles and spreading rates according to the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS 23198‐3, 2003). The interfacial microstructure of the solder joints were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Findings – It was found that upon the addition of 0.3 wt% Zn nanoparticles to the SAC solder, the gr.
AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Yihai Xiang for the degree of Master of Science in Electrical and Computer

approved: David J. Allstot Multi-level decision feedback equalization (MDFE) is an effective technique to remove inter-symbol interference (ISI) from disk readback signals, which uses the simple architecture of decision feedback equalization. Parallelism which doubles the symbol rate can be realized by setting the first tap of the feedback filter to zero. A mixed-signal implementation has been chosen for the parallel MDFE, in which coefficients for the 9-tap feedback filter are adapted in the digital domain by 10-bit up/ down counters; 6-bit current mode D/A converters are used to convert digital coefficients to differential current signals which are summed with the forward equalizer (FE) output, and a flash A/D is used to make decisions and generate error signals for adaptation. In this thesis, a description of the parallel structure and the adaptation algorithm are presented with behavioral level verification. The circuit design and layout were carried out in HP 1.2um n-well CMOS process. The design of the high-speed counter and the current-mode D/A are discussed. HSPICE simulations show that a symbol rate of 100Mb/s for the feedback equalizer is readily achieved. Redacted for privacy Design of High-Speed Adaptive Parallel Multi-Level Decision Feedback Equalizer