Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The 3 9 proximal translational enhancer of Turnip crinkle virus binds to 60 S ribosomal subunits

During cap-dependent translation of eukaryotic mRNAs, initiation factors interact with the 59 cap to attract ribosomes. When animal viruses translate in a cap-independent fashion, ribosomes assemble upstream of initiation codons at internal ribosome entry sites (IRES). In contrast, many plant viral genomes do not contain 59 ends with substantial IRES activity but instead have 39 translational enhancers that function by an unknown mechanism. A 393-nucleotide (nt) region that includes the entire 39 UTR of the Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) synergistically enhances translation of a reporter gene when associated with the TCV 59 UTR. The major enhancer activity was mapped to an internal region of ;140 nt that partially overlaps with a 100-nt structural domain previously predicted to adopt a form with some resemblance to a tRNA, according to a recent study by J.C. McCormack and colleagues. The T-shaped structure binds to 80S ribosomes and 60S ribosomal subunits, and binding is more efficient in the absence of surrounding sequences and in the presence of a pseudoknot that mimics the tRNA-acceptor stem. Untranslated TCV satellite RNA satC, which contains the TCV 39 end and 6-nt differences in the region corresponding to the T-shaped element, does not detectably bind to 80S ribosomes and is not predicted to form a comparable structure. Binding of the TCV T-shaped element by 80S ribosomes was unaffected by salt-washing, reduced in the presence of AcPhe-tRNA, which binds to the P-site, and enhanced binding of Phe-tRNA to the ribosome A site. Mutations that reduced translation in vivo had similar effects on ribosome binding in vitro. This strong correlation suggests that ribosome entry in the 39 UTR is a key function of the 39 translational enhancer of TCV and that the T-shaped element contains some tRNA-like properties.
Stimulant-Responsive and Stimulant-Refractory Aggressive Behavior Among Children With ADHD

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine factors that are associated with aggression that is responsive versus refractory to individualized optimization of stimulant monotherapy among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Children who were aged 6 to 13 years and had ADHD, either oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, significant aggressive behavior, and a history of insufficient response to stimulants completed an open stimulant monotherapy optimization protocol. Stimulant titration with weekly assessments of behavior and tolerability identified an optimal regimen for each child. Families also received behavioral therapy. Parents completed the Retrospective-Modified Overt Aggression Scale (R-MOAS) at each visit. Children were classified as having stimulant-refractory aggression on the basis of R-MOAS ratings and clinician judgment. Differences that pertained to treatment, demographic, and psychopathology between groups with stimulant monotherapy–responsive and –refractory aggression were evaluated. RESULTS: Aggression among 32 (49.3%) of 65 children was reduced sufficiently after stimulant dosage adjustment and behavioral therapy to preclude adjunctive medication. Those who responded to stimulant monotherapy were more likely to benefit from the protocol's methylphenidate preparation (once-daily, triphasic release), showed a trend for lower average dosages, and received fewer behavioral therapy sessions than did children with stimulant-refractory aggression. Boys, especially those with higher ratings of baseline aggression and of depressive and manic symptoms, more often exhibited stimulant-refractory aggression. CONCLUSIONS: Among children whose aggressive behavior develops in the context of ADHD and of oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, and who had insufficient response to previous stimulant treatment in routine clinical care, systematic, well-monitored titration of stimulant monotherapy often culminates in reduced aggression that averts the need for additional agents.
A Pattern for a Virtual Machine Environment

A Virtual Machine environment provides Virtual Machines which are isolated units of execution with access to virtualized hardware resources. VMs are created and managed by the VME upon user requests. VMs are not new, but their significance has increased tremendously with the use of clouds as a means to offer sharing of resources and providing inexpensive, ondemand, isolated units of execution. A VME enables users to execute different types of operating systems and application stacks in each VM. We present a pattern for a Virtual Machine Environment which describes benefits and liabilities of the VME. Alternate solutions for portable and faster execution environments have appeared, like software containers, but still VMs continue to be the most versatile and flexible among the virtualization solutions.
Preparation, Structure, and Properties of Starch/Rubber Composites Prepared by Co‐Coagulating Rubber Latex and Starch Paste

Summary: Several rubber/starch composites in which the starch particles are in an amorphous state and are smaller than 1 μm, prepared by directly mixing and co-coagulating rubber latex and starch paste, exhibit higher hardness, stress at 100%, tensile strength, and tear strength relative to the corresponding rubber/starch composites prepared by direct blending. TEM micrograph of starch/SBR composite.
Superimposing dynamic range

We present a simple and cost-efficient way of extending contrast, perceived tonal resolution, and color space of reflective media, such as paper prints, hardcopy photographs, or electronic paper displays. A calibrated projector-camera system is applied for automatic registration, radiometric scanning and superimposition. A second modulation of the projected light on the surface of such media results in a high dynamic range visualization. This holds application potential for a variety of domains, such as radiology, astronomy, optical microscopy, conservation and restoration of historic art, modern art and entertainment installations.
FGF-2 counteracts loss of TGFbeta affected cells from rat lens explants: implications for PCO (after cataract).

PURPOSE While cataract surgery initially benefits most patients, many suffer secondary loss of vision because of posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Lens epithelial cells left behind at surgery become aberrant and migrate into the light path. TGF-beta (TGFbeta) appears to play a key role in this process by inducing the cells to undergo an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Paradoxically, it also typically induces them to undergo apoptotic death. The present study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis that FGF plays a role in PCO formation by promoting the survival of abnormal cells with PCO-like characteristics. METHODS Rat lens epithelial explants were cultured for one day with TGFbeta2 (25-100 pg/ml) then in control medium with or without FGF-2 (5-100 ng/ml) for up to 31 days, with assessment by light and scanning electron microscopy and immunolocalization. RESULTS Survival of TGFbeta treated cells was promoted by FGF-2 but not by EGF, PDGF, IGF, or HGF. In the absence of FGF virtually all cells were lost from explants within 5 days. However, when FGF was included cells remained viable throughout culture. These cells, which no longer expressed the lens epithelial marker Pax6, exhibited immunoreactivity for non-lens cell proteins associated with PCO (alpha-smooth muscle actin, type I collagen, and fibronectin) and also beta-crystallin. FGF inclusion also promoted ECM production, multilayering, and plaque formation, features of PCO known to contribute to visual loss. CONCLUSIONS This study points to a key role for FGF in the etiology of PCO and suggests that FGF inhibitors may be useful in preventing PCO.
Relationship of at Admission Lactate, Unmeasured Anions, and Chloride to the Outcome of Critically Ill Patients

Objectives: To investigate the association between the concentration of the causative anions responsible for the main types of metabolic acidosis and the outcome. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Teaching ICU. Patients: All patients admitted from January 2006 to December 2014. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Four thousand nine hundred one patients were admitted throughout the study period; 1,609 met criteria for metabolic acidosis and 145 had normal acid-base values. The association between at admission lactate, unmeasured anions, and chloride concentration with outcome was assessed by multivariate analysis in the whole cohort and in patients with metabolic acidosis. We also compared the mortality of patients with lactic, unmeasured anions, and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with that of patients without acid-base disorders. In the whole population, increased lactate and unmeasured anions were independently associated with increased mortality, even after adjusting for potential confounders (odds ratio [95% CI], 1.14 (1.08–1.20); p < 0.0001 and 1.04 (1.02–1.06); p < 0.0001, respectively). In patients with metabolic acidosis, the results were similar. Patients with lactic and unmeasured anions acidosis, but not those with hyperchloremic acidosis, had an increased mortality compared to patients without alterations (17.7%, 12.7%, 4.9%, and 5.8%, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusions: In this large cohort of critically ill patients, increased concentrations of lactate and unmeasured anions, but not chloride, were associated with increased mortality. In addition, increased unmeasured anions were the leading cause of metabolic acidosis.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Tranexamic Acid on the Surgical Field in Primary Cleft Palate Surgery on Children—A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Study

Objective To assess the effect of tranexamic acid on the quality of the surgical field. Design Prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Setting Institutional, tertiary referral hospital. Participants American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I patients, aged 8 to 60 months with Group II or III (Balakrishnan's classification) clefts scheduled for cleft palate repair. Interventions Children were randomized into two groups. The control group received saline, and the tranexamic acid group received tranexamic acid 10 mg/kg as a bolus, 15 minutes before incision. Main Outcome Measures Grade of surgical field on a 10-point scale, surgeon satisfaction, and primary hemorrhage. Results Significant improvements were noted in surgeon satisfaction and median grade of assessment of the surgical field (4 [interquartile range, 4 to 6] in the control group vs. 3 [interquartile range, 2 to 4] in the test group; P = .003) in the tranexamic acid group compared to the control group. Conclusion Preincision administration of 10 mg/kg of tranexamic acid significantly improved the surgical field during cleft palate repair.
Evaluation of Two Cloud Parameterizations and Their Possible Adaptation to Arctic Climate Conditions

Based on the atmospheric regional climate model HIRHAM5, the single-column model version HIRHAM5-SCM was developed and applied to investigate the performance of a relative humidity based (RH-Scheme) and a prognostic statistical cloud scheme (PS-Scheme) in the central Arctic. The surface pressure as well as dynamical tendencies of temperature, specific humidity, and horizontal wind were prescribed from the ERA-Interim data set to enable the simulation of a realistic annual cycle. Both modeled temperature and relative humidity profiles were validated against radio soundings carried out on the 35th North Pole drifting station (NP-35). Simulated total cloud cover was evaluated with NP-35 and satellite-based ISCCP-D2 and MODIS observations. The more sophisticated PS-Scheme was found to perform more realistically and matched the observations better. Nevertheless, the model systematically overestimated the monthly averaged total cloud cover. Sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the effect of modified “tuning” parameters on cloud-related model variables. Two tunable parameters of the PS-Scheme and six tuning parameters contained in the cloud microphysics were analyzed. Lower values of the PS-Scheme adjustment parameter q0, which defines the shape of the symmetric beta distribution (acting as probability density function), as well as higher values of the cloud water threshold CWmin or autoconversion rate γ1 are able to reduce the overestimation of Arctic clouds. Furthermore, a lower cloud ice threshold γthr, which controls the Bergeron–Findeisen process, improves model cloudiness and the ratio of liquid to solid water content.
CO in absorption and emission toward compact extragalactic radio continuum sources

We have observed galactic λ2. 6mm and λ1. 3mm CO absorption and emission along nine lines of sight toward compact extragalactic mm-wave continuum sources, using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer and NRAO 12m telescopes. In absorption we detected some two dozen kinematic components, and nearly every feature known from HCO spectra (Lucas and Liszt, 1996) has a direct CO counterpart: a few CO lines are missing or very weak in emission even when τ(CO) >∼ 0.5. The column densities of CO and HCO + are well correlated, but not linearly related. The widths of the CO lines are typically 15% smaller than those of HCO (on average 0.75 km s vs. 0.86 km s). We derive CO column densities 0.1 <∼ N( CO) <∼ 20 × 10 cm which are in all cases very small compared to the column of carbon nuclei expected for 1 magnitude of visual extinction, even allowing for substantial depletion. The partial thermal pressure of H2 is inferred to be 1000 ≤ n(H2)TK ≤ 12, 000 cm K, with a median p/k = 3.2×10 cm K. Thus the clouds are likely warm (TK ≈ tens of K), somewhat diffuse (n(H2) ≈ 50 − 300 cm), with the majority of the gas-phase carbon in the form of C and perhaps even with a substantial fraction of H I in the thinnest cases. The isotope ratios in the CO usually differ strongly from the local interstellar ratio which we have separately measured in these clouds to be C/C = 60 (Lucas and Liszt, 1998); we find 15 ≤N(CO)/N(CO) ≤ 54, declining with increasing N (CO). The CO/CO ratio seen in emission or absorption is typically 25 (instead of 8) and CO is very difficult to detect in emission even when T ∗ R( CO)/T ∗ R( CO) < 10. Apparently, the relative abundance of CO is typically greatly enhanced, even at very low extinction, and never diminished by selective photodissociation. One effect of this enhancement is that lines of CO are substantially less optically thick than might otherwise have been inferred. There is little evidence for a general selective depletion of CO.
Formulation and characterization of albumin microspheres containing norcantharidate for liver tumor targeting

Abstract The objectives of this study were first to encapsulate norcantharidate into albumin microspheres by the emulsion crosslinking method and second to characterize the microspheres in terms of the morphological examination, particle size, and encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro release of norcantharidate from the microspheres was studied by using the dialysis bag method. Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution studies were used to evaluate the advantages of microspheres than the conventional formulations. The microspheres prepared by crosslink emulsion were with uniform size, smooth surface, spherical shape, and disperse evenly. The particle size was uniform (13.3 ± 0.4 µm) and the encapsulation efficiency was 54.3 ± 4.18%. In vitro release indicated that the norcantharidate microspheres had a well-sustained release efficacy and fitted Korsmeyer’s Peppas release model. In vivo studies showed that pharmacokinetics of norcantharidate microspheres could be described by the model of two-compartment after i.v. administration and had higher AUC inside liver and spleen than the injection group. No histological change occurred to the rat liver after the administration of norcantharidate microspheres.
Structural Learning with Amortized Inference

Training a structured prediction model involves performing several loss-augmented inference steps. Over the lifetime of the training, many of these inference problems, although different, share the same solution. We propose AI-DCD, an Amortized Inference framework for Dual Coordinate Descent method, an approximate learning algorithm, that accelerates the training process by exploiting this redundancy of solutions, without compromising the performance of the model. We show the efficacy of our method by training a structured SVM using dual coordinate descent for an entityrelation extraction task. Our method learns the same model as an exact training algorithm would, but call the inference engine only in 10% – 24% of the inference problems encountered during training. We observe similar gains on a multi-label classification task and with a Structured Perceptron model for the entity-relation task.
Effects of Tungsten on Corrosion and Kinetics of Sigma Phase Formation of 25% Chromium Duplex Stainless Steels

Abstract Duplex stainless steels (DSS) of 25% Cr-7% Ni-x% Mo-y% W-0.25% N(x = 1.5 to 3, and y = 0 to 3) were designed with the same pitting resistance equivalent (PRE) value of 42 by varying the co.
An acoustic study of emotions expressed in speech

In this study, we investigate acoustic properties of speech associated with four different emotions (sadness, anger, happiness, and neutral) intentionally expressed in speech by an actress. The aim is to obtain detailed acoustic knowledge on how speech is modulated when speaker’s emotion changes from neutral to a certain emotional state. It is based on measurements of acoustic parameters related to speech prosody, vowel articulation and spectral energy distribution. Acoustic similarities and differences among the emotions are then explored with mutual information computation, multidimensional scaling, and comparison of acoustic likelihoods relative to the neutral emotion. In addition, acoustic separability of the emotions is tested using the discriminant analysis at the utterance level and the result is compared with human evaluation. Results show that happiness/anger and neutral/sadness share similar acoustic properties in this speaker. Speech associated with anger and happiness are characterized by longer utterance duration, shorter inter-word silence, higher pitch and energy values with wider ranges, showing the characteristics of exaggerated or hyperarticulated speech. The discriminant analysis indicates that within-group acoustic separability is relatively poor, suggesting that conventional acoustic parameters examined in this study are not effective in describing the emotions along the valence (or pleasure) dimension. It is noted that RMS energy, inter-word silence and speaking rate are useful in distinguishing sadness from others. Interestingly, the between-group difference in formant patterns seems better reflected in back vowels such as /a/ (/father/) than in the front vowels. Larger lip opening and/or more tongue constriction at the mid or rear part of the vocal tract could be underlying reasons.
Characterization of large-scale non-uniformities in a 20k TDC/SPAD array integrated in a 130nm CMOS process

With the emergence of large arrays of high-functionality pixels, it has become critical to characterize the performance non-uniformity of such arrays. In this paper we characterize a 160×128 array of complex pixels, each with a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and a time-to-digital converter (TDC). A study of the array's non-uniformities in terms of the timing resolution, jitter, and photon responsivity is conducted for the pixels at various illumination levels, temperatures, and other operating conditions. In the study we found that, in photon-starved operation, the TDCs exhibit a median resolution of 55ps and a standard deviation of 2 ps. The pixels show a median timing jitter of 140ps. Moreover, we measured negligible variations in photon responsivity while changing the number of active pixels. These findings suggest that the image sensor can be used in highly reliable, large-scale, time-correlated measurements of single photons for biological, molecular, and medical applications. The chip is especially valuable for time-resolved imaging, single-photon counting, and correlation-spectroscopy under many realistic operating conditions.
Static analysis to support the evolution of exception structure in object-oriented systems

Exception-handling mechanisms in modern programming languages provide a means to help software developers build robust applications by separating the normal control flow of a program from the control flow of the program under exceptional situations. Separating the exceptional structure from the code associated with normal operations bears some consequences. One consequence is that developers wishing to improve the robustness of a program must figure out which exceptions, if any, can flow to a point in the program. Unfortunately, in large programs, this exceptional control flow can be difficult, if not impossible, to determine.In this article, we present a model that encapsulates the minimal concepts necessary for a developer to determine exception flow for object-oriented languages that define exceptions as objects. Using these concepts, we describe why exception-flow information is needed to build and evolve robust programs. We then describe Jex, a static analysis tool we have developed to provide exception-flow information for Java systems based on this model. The Jex tool provides a view of the actual exception types that might arise at different program points and of the handlers that are present. Use of this tool on a collection of Java library and application source code demonstrates that the approach can be helpful to support both local and global improvements to the exception-handling structure of a system.
Track assignment: a desirable intermediate step between global routing and detailed routing

Routing is one of the most complex stages in the back-end design process. Simple routing algorithms based on two stages of global routing and detailed routing do not offer appropriate opportunities to address problems arising from signal delay, cross-talk and process constraints. An intermediate stage of track assignment between global and detailed routing proves to be an ideal place to address these problems. With this stage it is possible to use global routing information to efficiently address these problems and to aid the detailed router in achieving the wiring completions. In this paper we formulate routing as a three stage process; global routing, track assignment and detailed routing. We describe the intermediate track assignment problem and suggest an efficient heuristic for its solution. We introduce cost metrics to model basic effects arising from connectivity. We discuss extensions to include signal integrity and process constraints. We propose a heuristic based on weighted bipartite matching as a core routine. To improve its performance additional heuristics based on lookahead and segment splitting are also suggested. Experimental results are given to highlight the efficacy of the track assignment stage in the routing process.
Management and Retrieval of Web Services Based on Formal Concept Analysis

After introducing some basic concepts of Web services and the definition of their relationships, we formally define the problem of managing and retrieving of Web services. This paper presents formal concept analysis to manage Web services and generate the concept lattice describing the relationship between them. We demonstrate how to express the relationship between Web services using concept lattice effectively and develop algorithms to retrieve Web services accurately in the lattices. Meanwhile, some strategies are also proposed to minimize the impacts of factors on the efficiency of Web service retrieval. Experimental results show our approach can manage Web services effectively and retrieve them with high efficiency and accuracy