Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social Networks : Enhancing user trust through effective controls and identity management

Online social networking is one of the largest Internet activities, with almost one third of all daily Internet users visiting these websites. Characteristics of this environment are issues relating to trust, user privacy and anonymity. Service providers are focused primarily on acquiring users and little attention is given to the effective management of these users within the social networking environment. In order to examine this problem, user trust and its enhancement is discussed. An evaluation of current identity management processes and effective controls is undertaken, in order to understand the current environment. Lastly, by means of a detailed experiment focusing on the two main online social networking providers, Facebook and MySpace, controls and identity management processes were assessed for vulnerabilities. The findings of this experiment, together with the current environment of controls and identity management practices, form the proposed set of controls. These controls are aimed at increasing trust and privacy through the effective implementation of these controls and identity management processes.
Basic knowledge of transcranial direct current stimulation.

BACKGROUND Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was a neurophysiologic technique using weak electrical currents (1-2 mA) to modulate the activity of neurons in the brain. It was discovered in the 1960s, and then reintroduced by the reasonably well-controlled experiments 12 years ago. They suggested that electrodes placed on the head can produce noticeable neurological changes depended on the current direction. OBJECTIVE To review a basic technique of the instrument, mechanism of action, and application in clinical researches of tDCS. MATERIAL AND METHOD The tDCS studies were thoroughly reviewed in MEDLINE database using the key words "Transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS, noninvasive brain stimulation, neurophysiologic technique" from 1998 to 2010. RESULTS The basic technique of the instrument, mechanism of action, application in clinical researches such as stroke, pain syndrome and craving; safety, side effect, and precaution of tDCS are described. CONCLUSION tDCS study is rapidly increasing and accepted as a noninvasive technique. It is easy to use and safe. The outcomes of tDCS in clinical researches are preferable with very little side effects.
Knowledge-Based Behavior Specification

Many critical multi-agent applications require flexibility in both, individual and collective agent behavior that cannot be addressed by existing models. An example could be an agent system destined for unexpected situation handling and recovery. The paper proposes a framework to model unexpected and exceptional situations relying on goal-oriented situated planning viewpoint integrating both knowledge-based and behavior-based ideas. The paper introduces an ontology-based knowledge model, Scenario Knowledge Base framework which represents experts' knowledge about agent capabilities to act as well as a syntactic behavior patterns structure given over the set of actions the agents are capable to execute. This framework is supported by reusable software core intended for an on-line situated planning that uses the former to dynamically infer all possible courses of actions of agents of a multi-agent system to achieve ultimate goal starting from current agent states.
Molecular heterogeneity of hereditary elliptocytosis in Italy.

BACKGROUND Common HE is the most prevalent clinical form of hereditary elliptocytosis; its clinical findings vary considerably, ranging from an asymptomatic carrier state to a severe, even life-threatening hemolytic disorder. Structural modification and reduction of 4.1 protein, or abnormalities at the spectrin self-association site could lead to elliptocytes. METHODS Sixty-one Italian HE patients belonging to 28 families were studied. Analysis of red blood cell cytoskeleton was performed by means of SDS-PAGE, and spectrin dimer percentage was assessed by non denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Limited tryptic digestion of spectrin was employed in patients showing an abnormal dimer increase, and the amount of abnormal alpha I peptide was estimated. Molecular defects were detected by means of PCR of alpha and beta spectrin genes and direct sequencing of genomic DNA. RESULTS We found a very heterogeneous spectrum of cytoskeletal alterations: 18 (29%) subjects showed partial protein 4.1 deficiency, whereas 31 (51%) displayed an increased amount of spectrin dimers; we were not able to detect any alteration in 12 (20%) HE patients. Patients enrolled in this study were widely distributed throughout Italy. CONCLUSIONS The subgroup of HE patients related to 4.1 deficiency is homogeneously asymptomatic, whereas forms due to disruption of the spectrin tetramerization site are very heterogeneous, and clinical severity appears to be related to spectrin dimers and especially to spectrin content. These two parameters in turn are related to the presence of a low expression alpha allele in trans and to the degree of disruption of head-to-head contact between alpha and beta chains.
Learning Non-Linearly Separable Boolean Functions With Linear Threshold Unit Trees and Madaline-Style Networks

This paper investigates an algorithm for the construction of decisions trees comprised of linear threshold umts and also presents a novel algorithm for the learning of nonlinearly separable boolean functions using Madaline style networks which are isomorphic . to decision trees. The construction of such networks is discussed, and theIr performance in learning is compared with standard Back-Propagation on a sample problem in which many irrelevant attributes are introduced. Littlestone's Winnow algorithm is also explored within this architecture as a means of learning in the presence of many Irrelevant attributes. The learning ability of this Madaline-style architecture on non-optimal (larger than necessary) networks is also explored.
Transcriptomic and Reverse Genetic Analysesof Branched-Chain Fatty Acid and Acyl Sugar Production in Solanum pennellii and Nicotiana benthamiana1[W][OA]

Acyl sugars containing branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) are exuded by glandular trichomes of many species in Solanaceae, having an important defensive role against insects. From isotope-feeding studies, two modes of BCFA elongation have been proposed: (1) fatty acid synthase-mediated two-carbon elongation in the high acyl sugar-producing tomato species Solanum pennellii and Datura metel; and (2) α-keto acid elongation-mediated one-carbon increments in several tobacco (Nicotiana) species and a Petunia species. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying BCFAs and acyl sugar production in trichomes, we have taken a comparative genomic approach to identify critical enzymatic steps followed by gene silencing and metabolite analysis in S. pennellii and Nicotiana benthamiana. Our study verified the existence of distinct mechanisms of acyl sugar synthesis in Solanaceae. From microarray analyses, genes associated with α-keto acid elongation were found to be among the most strongly expressed in N. benthamiana trichomes only, supporting this model in tobacco species. Genes encoding components of the branched-chain keto-acid dehydrogenase complex were expressed at particularly high levels in trichomes of both species, and we show using virus-induced gene silencing that they are required for BCFA production in both cases and for acyl sugar synthesis in N. benthamiana. Functional analysis by down-regulation of specific KAS I genes and cerulenin inhibition indicated the involvement of the fatty acid synthase complex in BCFA production in S. pennellii. In summary, our study highlights both conserved and divergent mechanisms in the production of important defense compounds in Solanaceae and defines potential targets for engineering acyl sugar production in plants for improved pest tolerance.
Ensemble learning with generalization performance measurement and negative correlation

Conventional ensemble learning algorithms based on ambiguity decomposition and negative correlation learning theory are carried out on the basis of empirical risk minimization principle. When SVM is used as the component learner, the generalization ability of ensemble learning system may not be improved. In this paper, based on the estimation of the generalization performance of SVM and negative correlation learning theory, a new selective ensemble SVM learning method is proposed. Experiments on real world data sets from UCI were carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.
Estimation of the Blood Velocity for Nanorobotics

This paper aims to estimate the blood velocity to enhance the navigation of an aggregate in the human vasculature. The considered system is a polymer-binded aggregate of ferromagnetic nanorobots immersed in a blood vessel. The drag force depends on the blood velocity and especially acts on the aggregate dynamics. In the design of advanced control laws, the blood velocity is usually assumed to be known or set to a constant mean value to achieve the control objectives. We provide theoretical tools to online estimate the blood velocity from the sole measurement of the aggregate position and combine the state estimator with a backstepping control law. Two state estimation approaches are addressed and compared through simulations: a high-gain observer and a receding horizon estimator. Simulations illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach combining online estimation and control for the navigation of an aggregate of nanorobots.
Vertical- vs. Horizontal-Oriented Drop Jump Training: Chronic Effects on Explosive Performances of Elite Handball Players

Abstract Dello Iacono, A, Martone, D, Milic, M, and Padulo, J. Vertical- vs. horizontal-oriented drop jump training: chronic effects on explosive performances of elite handball players. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 921–931, 2017—This study aimed to assess the chronic effects of vertical drop jump (VDJ)– and horizontal drop jump (HDJ)–based protocols on neuromuscular explosive abilities, such as jumping, sprinting, and changes of direction (COD). Eighteen elite male handball players (age 23.4 ± 4.6 years, height 192.5 ± 3.7 cm, weight 87.8 ± 7.4 kg) were assigned to either VDJ or HDJ group training twice a week for 10 weeks. Participants performed 5–8 sets × 6–10 repetitions of vertical alternate (VDJ) or horizontal alternate (HDJ) 1-leg drop jumps, landing from the top of a platform 25 cm in height. Before and after training, several performance, kinetic, and kinematic variables were assessed. The HDJ led to greater improvement of the sprint time (−8.5% vs. −4%, p ⩽ 0.05) and COD performance in comparison with the VDJ (−7.9% vs. −1.1%, p ⩽ 0.05), whereas the VDJ caused greater improvement in the vertical jump compared with the HDJ (+8.6% vs. +4.1%, p ⩽ 0.05). Moreover, the VDJ regimen compared with the HDJ induced greater changes in the kinetic variables associated with vertical jumping performance, such as peak ground reaction forces (+10.3% vs. +4.3%), relative impulse (+12.4% vs. +5.7%), leg spring stiffness (+17.6% vs. +4.6%), contact time (CT) (−10.1% vs. −1.5%), and reactive strength index (+7.2% vs. +2.1%); all comparisons with p ⩽ 0.05. Conversely, the HDJ regimen was able to improve the short-distance and COD performances by increasing the step length (+3.5% vs. +1.5% with p ⩽ 0.05) and reducing the CT on COD (−12.1% vs. −2.1% with p ⩽ 0.05) more than the VDJ. This investigation showed the crucial role that specific plyometric regimens play in optimizing similar biomechanical featured functional performances, such as jumping, sprinting, and COD.
Cancer immunoinformatics: a new assistant tool for malignant disease research

Objective To introduce the recent developments in cancer immunoinformatics with an emphasis on the latest trends and future direction. Data sources All related articles in this review were searched from PubMed published in English from 1992 to 2013. The search terms were cancer, immunoinformatics, immunological databases, and computational vaccinology. Study selection Original articles and reviews those were related to application of cancer immunoinformatics about tumor basic and clinical research were selected. Results Cancer immunoinformatics has been widely researched and applied in a series of fields of cancer research, including computational tools for cancer, cancer immunological databases, computational vaccinology, and cancer diagnostic workflows. Furthermore, the improvement of its theory and technology brings an enlightening insight into understanding and researching cancer and helps expound more deep and complete mechanisms of tumorigenesis and progression. Conclusion Cancer immunoinformatics provides promising methods and novel strategies for the discovery and development of tumor basic and clinical research.
The effect of gate drive topology on online silicon carbide MOSFET junction temperature sensing

The switching transient properties of conventional power semiconductors (Silicon MOSFET and IGBT) have been proposed for online junction temperature (Tj) sensing. This method utilizes the semiconductor Tj dependent characteristics and the gate drive output dynamics. In this paper, the method is applied to wide bandgap power semiconductor, Silicon-Carbide (SiC) MOSFET. In order to demonstrate the SiC MOSFET Tj sensing, de-capsulated SiC MOSFETs are implemented in an H-bridge. The SiC MOSFETs are driven by voltage source-based gate drive (VSG) and current source-based gate drive (CSG). The effect of using different gate drive topologies for this Tj sensing method is compared based on different “gate drive - semiconductor” switching dynamic models. The “gate drive - semiconductor” dynamic model includes gate drive output stage, gate drive parasitics, SiC MOSFET intrinsic parameters, PCB parasitics, and a resistive load. Experimental results are compared with circuit LTSpice model simulation.
Comprehensive Evaluation of the Contribution of X Chromosome Genes to Platinum Sensitivity

Using a genome-wide gene expression data set generated from Affymetrix GeneChip Human Exon 1.0ST array, we comprehensively surveyed the role of 322 X chromosome gene expression traits on cellular sensitivity to cisplatin and carboplatin. We identified 31 and 17 X chromosome genes whose expression levels are significantly correlated (after multiple testing correction) with sensitivity to carboplatin and cisplatin, respectively, in the combined HapMap CEU (Utah residents with ancestry from northern and western Europe) and YRI (Yoruba in Ibahan, Nigeria) populations (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05). Of those, 14 overlap for both cisplatin and carboplatin. Using an independent gene expression quantification method, the Illumina Sentrix Human-6 Expression BeadChip, measured on the same HapMap cell lines, we found that 4 and 2 of these genes are significantly associated with carboplatin and cisplatin sensitivity, respectively, in both analyses. Two genes, CTPS2 and DLG3, were identified by both genome-wide gene expression analyses as correlated with cellular sensitivity to both platinating agents. The expression of DLG3 gene was also found to correlate with cellular sensitivity to platinating agents in NCI-60 cancer cell lines. In addition, we evaluated whether the expression of X chromosome genes contributed to the observed differences in sensitivity to the platinums between CEU and YRI-derived cell lines. Of the 34 distinct genes significantly correlated with either carboplatin or cisplatin sensitivity, 14 are differentially expressed (defined as P < 0.05) between CEU and YRI. Thus, sex chromosome genes play a role in cellular sensitivity to platinating agents and differences in the expression level of these genes are an important source of variation that should be included in comprehensive pharmacogenomic studies. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(3); 472–80. ©2011 AACR.
Informing the Design of Direct-Touch Tabletops

Tables provide a large and natural interface for supporting direct manipulation of visual content for human-to-human interactions. Such surfaces also support collaboration, coordination, and parallel problem solving. However, the direct-touch table metaphor also presents considerable challenges, including the need for input methods that transcend traditional mouse- and keyboard-based designs. In this paper, we've designed, implemented, and studied a variety of tabletop user interfaces, interaction techniques, and usage scenarios
The Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis Network: In vivo Protein-Protein Interactions of an Actin Associated Multi-Protein Complex

Survival of plants and nearly all organisms depends on the pterin based molybdenum cofactor (Moco) as well as its effective biosynthesis and insertion into apo-enzymes. To this end, both the central Moco biosynthesis enzymes are characterized and the conserved four-step reaction pathway for Moco biosynthesis is well-understood. However, protection mechanisms to prevent degradation during biosynthesis as well as transfer of the highly oxygen sensitive Moco and its intermediates are not fully enlightened. The formation of protein complexes involving transient protein-protein interactions is an efficient strategy for protected metabolic channelling of sensitive molecules. In this review, Moco biosynthesis and allocation network is presented and discussed. This network was intensively studied based on two in vivo interaction methods: bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and split-luciferase. Whereas BiFC allows localisation of interacting partners, split-luciferase assay determines interaction strengths in vivo. Results demonstrate (i) interaction of Cnx2 and Cnx3 within the mitochondria and (ii) assembly of a biosynthesis complex including the cytosolic enzymes Cnx5, Cnx6, Cnx7, and Cnx1, which enables a protected transfer of intermediates. The whole complex is associated with actin filaments via Cnx1 as anchor protein. After biosynthesis, Moco needs to be handed over to the specific apo-enzymes. A potential pathway was discovered. Molybdenum-containing enzymes of the sulphite oxidase family interact directly with Cnx1. In contrast, the xanthine oxidoreductase family acquires Moco indirectly via a Moco binding protein (MoBP2) and Moco sulphurase ABA3. In summary, the uncovered interaction matrix enables an efficient transfer for intermediate and product protection via micro-compartmentation.
Combining Linguistic and Statistical Methods for Bi-directional English Chinese Translation in the Flight Domain

In this paper, we discuss techniques to combine an interlingua translation framework with phrase-based statistical methods, for translation from Chinese into English. Our goal is to achieve high-quality translation, suitable for use in language tutoring applications. We explore these ideas in the context of a flight domain, for which we have a large corpus of English queries, obtained from users interacting with a dialogue system. Our techniques exploit a pre-existing English-to-Chinese translation system to automatically produce a synthetic bilingual corpus. Several experiments were conducted combining linguistic and statistical methods, and manual evaluation was conducted for a set of 460 Chinese sentences. The best performance achieved an “adequate” or better analysis (3 or above rating) on nearly 94% of the 409 parsable subset. Using a Rover scheme to combine four systems resulted in an “adequate or better” rating for 88% of all the utterances.
Obligatory Cortical Auditory Evoked Potential Waveform Detection and Differentiation Using a Commercially Available Clinical System: HEARLab™

Objective: The aim was to investigate detection and differentiation of obligatory cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) in normal-hearing listeners with and without a simulated conductive hearing impairment using the HEARLab™. Design: Sound field CAEPs were obtained from 24 normal-hearing adults, with and without earplugs, using three natural speech sounds (/m/, /g/, and /t/) presented at 55, 65, and 75 dB SPL. Results: Response detection was good except for the lowest presentation level; however, differentiation of waveforms was generally poor for individual listeners. Conclusions: Waveform differentiation was relatively poor, especially at low presentation levels, using the HEARLab's stimulus and analysis protocol.
Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark, Greece: Geoconservation, Geotourism, and Local Development

Guest editors’ note: Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark in Greece, one of the first geoparks in the world, already has one decade of successful operation. Lesvos Geopark operates according to a management plan that is aimed at improving the site’s infrastructure, services, education, and promotional activities. The results of the implementation of the management plan have been a significant increase in the number of visitors, enrichment of program offerings and tourism services, and improvement of its operations. In addition, Lesvos Geopark contributes significantly to the local economy by creating new jobs and establishing close collaborations with local tourism enterprises.
M153R Mutation in a pH-Sensitive Green Fluorescent Protein Stabilizes Its Fusion Proteins

Background Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its fusion proteins have been used extensively to monitor and analyze a wide range of biological processes. However, proteolytic cleavage often removes GFP from its fusion proteins, not only causing a poor signal-to-noise ratio of the fluorescent images but also leading to wrong interpretations. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we report that the M153R mutation in a ratiometric pH-sensitive GFP, pHluorin, significantly stabilizes its fusion products while the mutant protein still retaining a marked pH dependence of 410/470 nm excitation ratio of fluorescence intensity. The M153R mutation increases the brightness in vivo but does not affect the 410/470-nm excitation ratios at various pH values. Conclusions/Significance Since the pHluorin(M153R) probe can be directly fused to the target proteins, we suggest that it will be a potentially powerful tool for the measurement of local pH in living cells as well as for the analysis of subcellular localization of target proteins.
Paper as an analytic resource for the design of new technologies

We report on an examination of work practice in a knowledge-based, document-intensive organization and describe the role of paper in that work. We show how such an examination can provide a resource for (1) the determination of system design modifications that can be undertaken in the short term; (2) the determination of entirely new systems design requiring longer term research and development; and (3) helping to specify where paper will continue to he used in future document-related work practice.
Identification and Characterization of Dust Source Regions Across North Africa and the Middle East Using MISR Satellite Observations

Motivated by limitations in current satellite‐based dust source identification techniques, this study examines dust emissions and concentrations over North Africa and the Middle East during 2000–2016 by analyzing stereo and optical products from the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer instrument on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration polar‐orbiting Terra satellite. Based on the occurrence of fast‐moving, near‐surface dust plumes from the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer cloud motion vector product, dust sources in the study region are identified in geographical depressions, including the Bodélé Depression, which represents the leading source. The West African El Djouf desert generates substantial dust emissions, which are typically underestimated by aerosol loading‐based dust source identifications. In response to local vegetation cover anomalies, dust emissions and concentrations increased at 15% year−1 over the Middle East and decreased at 12% year−1over the central Sahel during 2001–2013 but partly recovered toward their climatological means afterward.