Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Segmental Deletion Series Generated by Sister-Chromatid Transposition of Ac Transposable Elements in Maize

Certain configurations of maize Ac/Ds transposon termini can undergo alternative transposition reactions leading to chromosome breakage and various types of stable chromosome rearrangements. Here, we show that a particular allele of the maize p1 gene containing an intact Ac element and a nearby terminally deleted Ac element (fAc) can undergo sister-chromatid transposition (SCT) reactions that generate large flanking deletions. Among 35 deletions characterized, all begin at the Ac termini in the p1 gene and extend to various flanking sites proximal to p1. The deletions range in size from the smallest of 12,567 bp to the largest of >4.6 cM; >80% of the deletions removed the p2 gene, a paralog of p1 located ∼60 kb from p1 in the p1-vv allele and its derivatives. Sequencing of representative cases shows that the deletions have precise junctions between the transposon termini and the flanking genomic sequences. These results show that SCT events can efficiently generate interstitial deletions that are useful for in vivo dissection of local genome regions and for the rapid correlation of genetic and physical maps. Finally, we discuss evidence suggesting that deletions induced by alternative transposition reactions can occur at other genomic loci, indicating that this mechanism may have had a significant impact on genome evolution.
Performance analysis of distributed tracking with consensus on noisy time-varying graphs

This paper considers a problem of distributed tracking with consensus on a time-varying graph with noisy communications links. A distributed tracking with consensus algorithm is proposed to handle a time-varying network topology in which every node generates own local tracking estimates and communicates over noisy links. The conditions on the connectivity graph are established so that distributed consensus can be achieved in the presence of noisy communication links when the graph topology is time-varying. The steady-state performance of the proposed distributed tracking with consensus algorithm is analyzed and compared with that of distributed local Kalman filtering with centralized fusion. Simulation results and performance analysis of the proposed algorithm are also given.
Stabilizing humanoids on slopes using terrain inclination estimation

This paper presents an integrated control framework for balancing humanoids on uneven terrains combining stabilization control and terrain inclination estimation. The stabilization is realized by passivity based admittance control that utilizes the force/torque feedback in feet to actively regulate the compliance. The logic-based terrain estimation algorithm exploits feet to probe the terrain inclination and deals with underactuation when feet tilt on the contact surface. The equilibrium position in the admittance control is thereby adapted for recovering balance on the slope. Both the theoretical work and experimental validation are presented. The method is implemented and validated on the real humanoid by demonstrating the capability of estimating terrain inclination, balancing on the slope with varying gradient, and maintaining upright posture in the meantime. Experimental data such as inclination estimation in the comparison study, center of pressure measurement, and body attitude compensation are presented and analyzed.
Mechanical Strength and Biocompatibility of Ultrafine-Grained Commercial Purity Titanium

The effect of grain refinement of commercial purity titanium by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on its mechanical performance and bone tissue regeneration is reported. In vivo studies conducted on New Zealand white rabbits did not show an enhancement of biocompatibility of ECAP-modified titanium found earlier by in vitro testing. However, the observed combination of outstanding mechanical properties achieved by ECAP without a loss of biocompatibility suggests that this is a very promising processing route to bioimplant manufacturing. The study thus supports the expectation that commercial purity titanium modified by ECAP can be seen as an excellent candidate material for bone implants suitable for replacing conventional titanium alloy implants.
Data stream processing with concurrency control

A recent trend in data stream processing shows the use of advanced continuous queries (CQs) that reference non-streaming resources such as relational data in databases and machine learning models. Since non-streaming resources could be shared among multiple systems, resources may be updated by the systems during the CQ-execution. As a consequence, CQs may reference resources inconsistently, and lead to a wide range of problems from inappropriate results to fatal system failures. In this paper, we address this inconsistency problem by introducing the concept of transaction processing onto data stream processing. In the first part of this paper, we introduce CQ-derived transaction, a concept that derives read-only transactions from CQs, and illustrate that the inconsistency problem is solved by ensuring serializability of derived transactions and resource updating transactions. To ensure serializability, we propose three CQ-processing strategies based on concurrency control techniques: two-phase lock strategy, snapshot strategy, and optimistic strategy. Experimental study shows our CQ-processing strategies guarantee proper results, and their performances are comparable to the performance of conventional strategy that could produce improper results. In the second part of this paper, we try to improve the performance of our proposed strategies from the viewpoint of operator scheduling. We notice a characteristic of our proposed strategies: operators could be re-evaluated to prevent non-serializable schedules causing performance degradation. We find the fact that the number of operator re-evaluation depends on operator scheduling, and propose a scheduling constraint that reduces the re-evaluation. Experimental study shows our constraint's effectiveness: if we add the proposed constraint to operator scheduling, throughput increases up to 5.2 times compared to the naïve scheduling without the constraint.
Generalized Bloch spheres for m-qubit states

m-qubit states are embedded in Clifford algebras. Their probability spectrum then depends on O(2m)- or O(2m + 1)-invariants, respectively. Parameter domains for O(2m(+1))-vector and -tensor configurations, generalizing the notion of a Bloch sphere, are derived.
Contending Discourses on ‘ Partnership ’ . A Comparative Analysis of the Rural Water and Sanitation Sector in Ghana

Today, ‘partnership’ is one of the most popular words in the ‘development dictionary’. The original meaning, carved out of the ideology of alternative development – partnership as an act of solidarity – has been hijacked by a new rationale: revisionist neo-liberalism. Here, ‘partnership’ acts as a means for efficiency. With the two models operating side-by-side in reality, the line between them becomes easily blurred. It is the aim of this essay to shed some light on these recent confusions. This will be done by examining the two models of ‘partnership’, based on the example of the rural water and sanitation sector in the Bolgatanga District of Northern Ghana. From the point of view of a local NGO, RuralAid, three main questions will be tackled: First, what are the main differences between the two concepts of ‘partnership’? Secondly, do the models in this example actually fulfil the necessary conditions for ‘partnership’? And finally, what consequences does their approach have for the sustainable delivery of water and sanitation to the rural areas of Ghana? Based on the findings it will be argued that the new model, ‘partnership’ as a means for efficiency, does not fulfil the necessary criteria underlying the concept and furthermore that the model is not conducive to the sustainable delivery of water and sanitation services because of its inherent economistic rationale.
The Reduced Plastid-Encoded Polymerase-Dependent Plastid Gene Expression Leads to the Delayed Greening of the Arabidopsis fln2 Mutant

In Arabidopsis leaf coloration mutants, the delayed greening phenomenon is common. Nonetheless, the mechanism remains largely elusive. Here, a delayed greening mutant fln2–4 of FLN2 (Fructokinase-Like Protein2) was studied. FLN2 is one component of Transcriptionally Active Chromosome (TAC) complex which is thought to contain the complete plastid-encoded polymerase (PEP). fln2–4 displayed albino phenotype on medium without sucrose. The PEP-dependent plastid gene expression and chloroplast development were inhibited in fln2–4. Besides interacting with thioredoxin z (TRX z), we identified that FLN2 interacted with another two members of TAC complex in yeast including its homologous protein FLN1 (Fructokinase-Like Protein1) and pTAC5. This indicates that FLN2 functions in regulation of PEP activity associated with these TAC components. fln2–4 exhibited delayed greening on sucrose-containing medium. Comparison of the PEP-dependent gene expression among two complete albino mutants (trx z and ptac14), two yellow mutants (ecb2–2 and ys1) and the fln2–4 showed that fln2–4 remains partial PEP activity. FLN2 and FLN1 are the target proteins of TRX z involved in affecting the PEP activity. Together with the data that FLN1 could interact with itself in yeast, FLN1 may form a homodimer to replace FLN1–FLN2 as the TRX z target in redox pathway for maintaining partial PEP activity in fln2–4. We proposed the partial PEP activity in the fln2 mutant allowed plastids to develop into fully functional chloroplasts when exogenous sucrose was supplied, and finally the mutants exhibited green phenotype.
Dynamic group behavior for real-time multi-agent crowd simulation

we present a real-time crowd simulation model with dynamic group behavior in virtual environment. In our model, we adopt a multi hierarchy structure composed of virtual dynamic groups and agents, and then we continue to divide the agents into leader-agent and follower-agents. At the same time, we adopt a situation-based control structure for the groups not for every agent. When groups enter a new situation, dynamic, situation-based group behaviors are composed on the fly. Through this method, we can strike a balance between the individuals' variability and the time complexity of controlling for the crowd behavior simulation. We demonstrate our model through manifesting the crowd simulation in a virtual street.
The relational value of professional dialogue for academics pursuing HEA fellowship

Abstract The question of how academics in higher education institutions demonstrate they have the ability to teach and provide a high quality learning experience challenges the sector. Within this context, the use of professional dialogue for recognising teaching expertise is growing. This qualitative research explored how 16 academics valued their engagement in professional dialogue, and its impact as a developmental opportunity. The findings underline the importance of the relational and social aspects and value of this type of professional learning.
Pragmatic Analysis of Some Expressions of Politeness in Kihavu (D52/J53)

This study investigates the pragmatic expressions of politeness in Kihavu. It analyzes pragmatically different expressions of politeness in accordance with the Havu culture and custom. To achieve this research, I used the documentary research, the questionnaire, the observation of gestures of politeness that accompany polite utterances, and the interviews, especially with mature speakers of Kihavu. After the analysis, the findings have revealed that polite utterances in Kihavu are culture-specific, i.e. they are specific to the Havu culture and custom, and most of them are partially gestural. Furthermore, the investigation has shown that Havu people do not use expressions of politeness randomly insofar as they have some culture-oriented goals, intentions, purposes and decisions while uttering them.
Efficient Estimation from Right-Censored Data When Failure Indicators are Missing at Random

The Kaplan-Meier estimator of a survival function is well known to be asymptotically efficient when cause of failure is always observed. It has been an open problem, however, to find an efficient estimator when failure indicators are missing at random. Lo showed that nonparametric maximum likelihood estimators are inconsistent, and this has led to several proposals of ad hoc estimators, none of which are efficient. We now introduce a sieved nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator, and show that it is efficient. Our approach is related to the estimation of a bivariate survival function from bivariate right-censored data.
A Novel Efficient Search Algorithm in Unstructured P2P Networks

There are two major problems of unstructured P2P systems, one is their heavy network traffic; the other is the problem of unpredictable delay. The popular search techniques in unstructured P2P networks such as flooding, dynamic query don't deal with these problems efficiently for they are lack of heuristic. In this paper, we proposed a new search algorithm, called immune based search (IBS) algorithm, to solve the problem. Firstly, an immune query model is proposed, which is inspired from the concept of similarity-governed clone proliferation and mutation. Secondly, based on the immune query model, IBS algorithm is proposed. Lastly, some assistant strategies, that is, shortcuts creation and peer traveling are incorporated into IBS to develop 'immune memory' for improving search performance, which can make IBS not be 'blind' but heuristic. The simulation results indicate that IBS show good performance.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells Contribute to the Stromal Myofibroblasts in Leukemic NOD/SCID Mouse In Vivo

We recently reported that chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells converted into myofibroblasts to create a microenvironment for proliferation of CML cells in vitro. To analyze a biological contribution of CML-derived myofibroblasts in vivo, we observed the characters of leukemic nonobese diabetes/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mouse. Bone marrow nonadherent mononuclear cells as well as human CD45-positive cells obtained from CML patients were injected to the irradiated NOD/SCID mice. When the chimeric BCR-ABL transcript was demonstrated in blood, human CML cells were detected in NOD/SCID murine bone marrow. And CML-derived myofibroblasts composed with the bone marrow-stroma, which produced significant amounts of human vascular endothelial growth factor A. When the parental CML cells were cultured with myofibroblasts separated from CML cell-engrafted NOD/SCID murine bone marrow, CML cells proliferated significantly. These observations indicate that CML cells make an adequate microenvironment for their own proliferation in vivo.
Monitoring and Control of QoE in Media Streams using the Click Software Router

Services provided Over-The-Top to Internet users are becoming more advanced and the business models for operating in this domain are becoming more sustainable. When services of this type are something which is paid for, the importance of optimizing Quality of Experience (QoE) is crucial. In this paper we study and test a selected mechanism PostACK for controlling TCP flows, and implement a home gateway testbed using the Click Modular Router for performing live experiments and measurements. The analysis and measurements show that it is highly likely that TCP mechanisms can be used to control the QoE of these services, assuming that there is a known user preference. One of the media streams investigated was an adaptive http streaming solution based on Microsoft Silverlight technology.
Evaluating industry-inspired pair programming communication guidelines with undergraduate students

A set of industry-inspired pair programming guidelines have been derived from qualitative examinations of expert pairs in order to aid novice programmers with their intra-pair communication. This research describes the evaluation of these guidelines with a set of student pairs, and demonstrates how novice pairs who were exposed to the guidelines were more comfortable communicating within their pairs.
Evaluating Aesthetics During Interaction Episodes

Many user studies have been conducted to understand the relationship between interface aesthetics and product's usability. Results of experiment by De Angeli et al. (2006) show that the link between aesthetics and usability is more complex than the strong claim --- "What is beautiful is usable". Interaction has an episodical nature where events follow each other in time and different stimuli affects users' decisions while completing the task. This Paper reports the preparation of upcoming user study which will attempt to explain how aesthetics is influencing quality of interaction. The idea is to use multiple methods --- usability metrics, psychophysiological metrics simultaneously with self-reported experience --- and collect data both during the study and retrospectively.
Guanylate Cyclase C Deficiency Causes Severe Inflammation in a Murine Model of Spontaneous Colitis

Background Guanylate Cyclase C (GC-C; Gucy2c) is a transmembrane receptor expressed in intestinal epithelial cells. Activation of GC-C by its secreted ligand guanylin stimulates intestinal fluid secretion. Familial mutations in GC-C cause chronic diarrheal disease or constipation and are associated with intestinal inflammation and infection. Here, we investigated the impact of GC-C activity on mucosal immune responses. Methods We utilized intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide to elicit a systemic cytokine challenge and then measured pro-inflammatory gene expression in colonic mucosa. GC-C+/+ and GC-C−/− mice were bred with interleukin (IL)-10 deficient animals and colonic inflammation were assessed. Immune cell influx and cytokine/chemokine expression was measured in the colon of wildtype, IL-10−/−, GC-C+/+IL-10−/− and GC-C−/−IL-10−/− mice. GC-C and guanylin production were examined in the colon of these animals and in a cytokine-treated colon epithelial cell line. Results Relative to GC-C+/+ animals, intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide injection into GC-C−/− mice increased proinflammatory gene expression in both whole colon tissue and in partially purified colonocyte isolations. Spontaneous colitis in GC-C−/−IL-10−/− animals was significantly more severe relative to GC-C+/+IL-10−/− mice. Unlike GC-C+/+IL-10−/− controls, colon pathology in GC-C−/−IL-10−/− animals was apparent at an early age and was characterized by severely altered mucosal architecture, crypt abscesses, and hyperplastic subepithelial lesions. F4/80 and myeloperoxidase positive cells as well as proinflammatory gene expression were elevated in GC-C−/−IL-10−/− mucosa relative to control animals. Guanylin was diminished early in colitis in vivo and tumor necrosis factor α suppressed guanylin mRNA and protein in intestinal goblet cell-like HT29-18-N2 cells. Conclusions The GC-C signaling pathway blunts colonic mucosal inflammation that is initiated by systemic cytokine burst or loss of mucosal immune cell immunosuppression. These data as well as the apparent intestinal inflammation in human GC-C mutant kindred underscore the importance of GC-C in regulating the response to injury and inflammation within the gut.
Compilation Formulation for Asynchronous Backtracking with Complex Local Problems

The Asynchronous BackTracklng (ABT) algorithm is a well known algorithm for solving distributed constraint satisfaction problems. However, several work which interest to ABT suppose that each agent owns one single variable. In this paper, we present the compilation formulation for Asynchronous Backtracking with complex local problems, resulting in the ABT-cf algorithm. The ABT-cf algorithm is described in detail and its correctness proof. An extensive experimental evaluation of the proposed algorithm is carried on random binary DisCSP. The performances of ABT-cf is compared to the standard ABT in which the distributed problem is reformulated by decomposition. Experimental evaluation shows that ABT-cf increases the performance of the distributed search and outperforms standard ABT by a large scale.
Institutional journalism in a revolutionary crisis: the press as an aide to the Muslim Brotherhood 2011–2012

ABSTRACT This article is based on the hypothesis that the Egyptian institutional media played an active role in the Egyptian ‘Arab Spring’ revolution in 2011 and analyzes how Egypt's official newspapers constructed and presented a moderate and positive image of the Muslim Brotherhood (hereinafter the Brotherhood) despite the fact that they had labeled the Brotherhood ‘the outlawed movement’ a year earlier. In order to examine whether their attitudes changed after the downfall of the Mubarak regime, a critical discourse analysis of newspaper texts has been made of the news columns written throughout 2011 of two of the most popular Egyptian newspapers – al-Ahram (n = 115) and al-Gumhuriyya (n = 94) both of which identify with the Egyptian government's official policy. In addition, an analysis made of three of the Brotherhood's publications (n = 72) (N = 281) revealed that the Brotherhood exploited the printed media not only to replace the regime but also to gain control of its narrative. Ultimately, by controlling the shaping of public opinion, the media contributed to the drawing of a parallel between the motivation that formed the basis of the mass protest and the Brotherhood's agenda.
Civil Citation

Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to assess potential variation across Florida’s counties of their implementation of civil citation and the outcomes associated with that implementation. Methods: Interrupted time-series analysis is used to determine whether the trends in juvenile arrests and the total delinquent population referred to the juvenile justice system (either through arrests or through civil citation) were significantly affected by the implementation of civil citation in each county. Results: There were immediate and gradual diversion effects of the civil citation program in a number of Florida’s counties. As a result, there is evidence of successful implementation with a few cases of net widening. Conclusions: While there was variation between counties in their implementation of civil citation, overall, Florida’s civil citation program was found to provide a diversion from arrest rather than a net-widening outcome. The study concludes with the identification of county-specific factors that characterized the local jurisdictions that were able to successfully overcome the major impediments associated with diversion and other reform programs’ implementation fidelity.
Transport Coopetition for Environmental Sustainability: Guiding Vertical Standard Design

IS researchers have so far developed conceptual propositions rather than empirical insights into what it takes to green an industry in practice. This paper analyzes an ongoing ten-year action design research effort, which seeks to leverage transport competition for environmental sustainability by guiding vertical standard design. Drawing on extensive field data, the paper theorizes about design challenges that surround attempts to tie together people, technologies, and processes into integrated IT solutions. In doing so, it illustrates the usefulness of a competitive lens for understanding these challenges and their effects on the evolution of such solutions. The paper also suggests that the action design research approach helps IS researchers to guide technology development in real-world situations.