Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Myelin Basic Protein Fragmentation by Engineered Human Proteasomes with Different Catalytic Phenotypes Revealed Direct Peptide Ligands of MS-Associated and Protective HLA Class I Molecules

Proteasomes exist in mammalian cells in multiple combinatorial variants due to the diverse regulatory particles and exchange of catalytic subunits. Here, using biotin carboxyl carrier domain of transcarboxylase from Propionibacterium shermanii fused with different proteasome subunits of catalytic and regulatory particles, we report comprehensive characterization of highly homogenous one-step purified human constitutive and immune 20S and 26S/30S proteasomes. Hydrolysis of a multiple sclerosis (MS) autoantigen, myelin basic protein (MBP), by engineered human proteasomes with different catalytic phenotypes, revealed that peptides which may be directly loaded on the HLA class I molecules are produced mainly by immunoproteasomes. We detected at least five MBP immunodominant core regions, namely, LPRHRDTGIL, SLPQKSHGR, QDENPVVHFF, KGRGLSLSRF and GYGGRASDY. All peptides, except QDENPVVHFF, which originates from the encephalitogenic MBP part, were associated with HLA I alleles considered to increase MS risk. Prediction of the affinity of HLA class I to this peptide demonstrated that MS-protective HLA-A*44 and -B*35 molecules are high-affinity binders, whereas MS-associated HLA-A*23, -A*24, -A*26 and -B*51 molecules tend to have moderate to low affinity. The HLA-A*44 molecules may bind QDENPVVHFF and its deamidated form in several registers with unprecedently high affinity, probably linking its distinct protective phenotype with thymic depletion of the repertoire of autoreactive cytotoxic T cells or induction of CD8+ regulatory T cells, specific to the encephalitogenic MBP peptide.
A distributed extremum seeking based resource allocation algorithm over switching networks

In this article, a distributed resource allocation problem for second‐order multi‐agent systems over undirected switching topologies is investigated. For the distributed resource allocation problem, most of the existing algorithms depend on the gradient of cost function with specific expression, which may be unknown to agents. To deal with unknown cost functions, the extremum seeking control is introduced in the designed distributed resource allocation algorithm to estimate the gradient of the cost function only by the value of the cost. Besides, an estimator is proposed to estimate the optimal Lagrange multiplier associated with the equality constraint. The communication graph is supposed to be switched among a set of undirected subgraphs, which may be connected or unconnected. For undirected and connected switching graphs, the average dwell‐time constraint is used to describe the switching frequency. For the undirected graphs, containing connected and unconnected ones, both the average dwell‐time and the time‐ratio constraints are used to model the switching signal. For the two cases, the semi‐globally practically asymptotical stability of the designed algorithm is established. The obtained results are verified by an example.
MtCLE08, MtCLE16, and MtCLE18 Transcription Patterns and Their Possible Functions in the Embryogenic Calli of Medicago truncatula

CLE peptides are well-known hormonal regulators of plant development, but their role in somatic embryogenesis remains undetermined. CLE genes are often regulated by WOX transcription factors and, in their turn, regulate the expression level of WOX genes. In this study, we used in vitro cultivation, as well as qPCR and transcriptomic analysis, to find CLE peptides which could regulate the MtWOX9-1 gene, stimulating somatic embryogenesis in Medicago truncatula. Three CLE peptides were found which could probably be such regulators, but none of them was found to influence MtWOX9-1 expression in the embryogenic calli. Nevertheless, overexpression of one of CLE genes under study, MtCLE16, decreased somatic embryogenesis intensity. Additionally, overexpression of MtCLE08 was found to suppress expression of MtWOX13a, a supposed antagonist of somatic embryo development. Our findings can be helpful for the search for new regeneration regulators which could be used for plant transformation.
Effect of business intelligence on operational performance: the mediating role of supply chain ambidexterity

PurposeThis study aims to examined the impact of business intelligence (BI) and supply chain ambidexterity (SCA) on operational performance (OP), contributing to dwarf knowledge in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of emerging economies. The mediating role of SCA was considered in the proposed model.Design/methodology/approachThe study used the quantitative method to investigate the interdependencies between variables. As a result, 216 senior and middle managers/owners of SMEs in Ghana were surveyed using a purposive and convenient sampling method. SPSS version 23 and Smart PLS version 3 were used to conduct the research.FindingsWhile the direct link among BI, SCA and OP was confirmed. The outcome also showed that SCA plays a significant mediating role between BI and OP among SMEs.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study indicates that SCA encourages the use of BI to generate superior OP among SMEs. This knowledge will improve the performance of SMEs and their ability to withstand the competition in the global market.Originality/valueWith the discovery of this study, the theory of a resource-based view now has some empirical evidence behind it. As a result, SMEs prioritize aspects that could improve their operations and implement tactics that would nurture better performance and competitive advantages.
Efficient coupling to W1 photonic crystal waveguide on InP membrane through suspended access guides

Suspended access ridges have been designed and integrated with a single-missing row photonic crystal guide on InP membrane in order to improve the coupling efficiency. This integration provides control of the injection into the photonic crystal (PhC) guide and a deterministic choice of the termination of the PhC. Low propagation losses have been measured for both the photonic crystal guide on InP membrane and the suspended ridges.
On slow-mode waves in an anisotropic plasma

The properties of small-amplitude waves propagating in a homogeneous anisotropic plasma are investigated using an MHD double-polytropic model that incorporates the CGL double-adiabatic model in one extreme and the isothermal model in the other. It is found that the properties of fast and intermediate mode waves remain qualitatively the same as in ordinary MHD but that, in certain parameter regimes, three inversions occur for slow-mode waves: (1) their phase speed exceeds that of intermediate waves; (2) they behave like fast-mode waves in that, across them, the plasma density and magnetic field increase or decrease together; (3) rarefaction waves rather than compression waves steepen.
Currents between tethered electrodes in a magnetized laboratory plasma

Laboratory experiments on important plasma physics issues of electrodynamic tethers are performed. These include current propagation, formation of wave wings, limits of current collection, nonlinear effects and instabilities, charging phenomena, and characteristics of transmission lines in plasmas. The experiments are conducted in a large afterglow plasma (100 cm × 200 cm, ne ≤ 1012 cm−3, kTe ≤ 3 eV, Bo < 100 G, Ar, pn ≈ 3×10−4 Torr). The current system is established with a small electron-emitting hot cathode tethered to an electron-collecting anode, both movable across the magnetic field and energized by potential differences up to V ≈ 100 kTe/e. The total current density in space and time is obtained from complete measurements of the perturbed magnetic field, J = ▽ × B(r,t)/µo The fast spacecraft motion is reproduced in the laboratory by moving the tethered electrodes in small increments, applying delayed current pulses, and reconstructing the net field by a linear superposition of locally emitted wavelets. With this technique, the small-amplitude dc current pattern is shown to form “whistler wings” at each electrode instead of the generally accepted “Alfven wings. ” For the beam electrode, the whistler wing separates from the field-aligned beam which carries no net current. Large-amplitude return currents to a stationary anode generate current-driven microinstabilities, parallel electric fields, ion depletions, current disruptions, and time-varying electrode charging. At appropriately high potentials and neutral densities, excess neutrals are ionized near the anode. The anode sheath emits high-frequency electron transit-time oscillations at the sheath-plasma resonance. The beam generates Langmuir turbulence, ion sound turbulence, electron heating, space charge fields, and Hall currents. An insulated, perfectly conducting transmission line embedded in the plasma becomes lossy due to excitation of whistler waves and magnetic field diffusion effects. The implications of the laboratory observations on electrodynamic tethers in space are discussed.
Satisfiability Modulo Theory Chains with DPLL(T)

We extend the DPLL(T) framework for satisfiability modulo theories to address richer theories by means of increased flexibility in the interaction between the propositional and theory-specific solvers. We decompose a rich theory into a chain of increasingly more complex subtheories, and define a corresponding propagation strategy which favors the simpler subtheories using two mechanisms. First, subtheory propagation is prioritized so that more expensive propagation is avoided whenever possible. Second, constraints are filtered along the path from simpler to more complex propagation, thus easing the task of propagation for each subtheory. We present this strategy formally in a refined abstract DPLL(T) system and provide a concrete algorithmic skeleton with a proof of correctness.
In vivo study of the role of hyaluronic acid, N-acetyl cysteine, and deproteinized calf serum on injury-induced cartilage degeneration

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA), N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and deproteinized calf serum on cartilage healing after the creation of traumatic cartilage injury in a rat model. Materials and methods A total of 48 rats, each weighing an average of 350 g, were randomly separated into four groups of 12. An osteochondral defect was created, 2-mm-wide and 3-mm deep in each rat. Injections were made to the knees of the rats as saline solution in Group 1, deproteinized calf serum in Group 2, NAC in Group 3, and HA in Group 4. At the end of 12 weeks, all rats were sacrificed and tissues were evaluated histologically. Results The HA group had a better cell morphology, tissue morphology, surface architecture, and vascularity than the other groups (p<0.001). Matrix staining, chondrocyte clustering, and the assessment scores of the mid, deep, superficial zones, and overall were higher in the HA group than in the other groups (p<0.001). The NAC showed a better tissue morphology, cell morphology, and vascularity than the control group (p=0.003, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion Hyaluronic acid was the most effective agent in cartilage healing compared to NAC and deproteinized calf serum. In addition, the NAC was more effective compared to the control group.
Resistance thermometry-based picowatt-resolution heat-flow calorimeter

We demonstrate a microfabricated heat-flow calorimeter capable of measuring modulated heat currents with ∼5 pW resolution. This is achieved by combining the excellent thermal isolation of a microdevice suspended by thin and long beams (conductance ∼150 nW/K) with a high-resolution resistance thermometer that enables temperature measurements with 10–50 μK resolution [Sadat et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83(8), 084902 (2012)). The calorimeter described here has a resolution comparable to state-of-the-art bimaterial cantilever-based calorimeters but surpasses previous designs by dissipating an order of magnitude lower power in the measurement process.
Real-time textural edge detection by incoherent spatial Gaussian bandpass filtering

A technique for textural edge detection using an acoustooptic two-pupil heterodyne scanning system is proposed. A textural region is modeled as a frequency-modulated tonal domain. Boundary extraction between two textures is discussed based on an extension of tonal edge detection by bandpass filtering in the frequency domain. The textural edge detection can be achieved optically by using two offset Gaussian pupils in the two-pupil scanning system. Its performance is discussed along with the experimental results. >
Ultrafast metal‐semiconductor‐metal photodiodes fabricated on low‐temperature GaAs

GaAs metal‐semiconductor‐metal photodiodes fabricated on GaAs grown at low substrate temperatures (200 °C) have been investigated in the time domain by electro‐optic sampling. It could be shown that these diodes have a faster response, a considerably reduced long time tail, and can be used at larger bias than comparable diodes produced on GaAs grown at 700 °C. Temperature‐dependent measurements show that the tail can be described by hopping conductivity and disappears below 50 K.
Nested Dissection of a Regular Finite Element Mesh

Let M be a mesh consisting of $n^2 $ squares called elements, formed by subdividing the unit square $(0,1) \times (0,1)$ into $n^2 $ small squares of side ${1 / h}$, and having a node at each of the $(n + 1)^2 $ grid points. With M we associate the $N \times N$ symmetric positive definite system $Ax = b$, where $N = (n + 1)^2 $, each $x_i $ is associated with a node of M, and $A_{ij} \ne 0$ if and only if $x_i $ and $x_j $ are associated with nodes of the same element. If we solve the equations via the standard symmetric factorization of A, then $O(n^4 )$ arithmetic operations are required if the usual row by row (banded) numbering scheme is used, and the storage required is $O(n^3 )$. In this paper we present an unusual numbering of the mesh (unknowns) and show that if we avoid operating on zeros, the $LDL^T $ factorization of A can be computed using the same standard algorithm in $O(n^3 )$ arithmetic operations. Furthermore, the storage required is only $O(n^2 \log _2 n)$. Finally, we prove that all ord.
ORDER INDICES AND MID-RANGE ORDER

We introduce a novel notion, order indices of reduced density matrices, characterizing different types of order, long-range as well as mid-range, occurring in statistical systems. The order indices define the behaviour of the largest eigenvalues of density matrices in the thermodynamic limit. These indices are especially useful for describing mid-range order, where they are directly connected with the large-distance asymptotic forms of off-diagonal density matrices. Several examples illustrate the idea.
Consensus Of Identical Linear Systems with Communication Delays by Using the Information of Second‐Order Neighbors

This paper studies the consensus protocol using the information of second‐order neighbors in undirected and connected networks of linear systems with communication delays. The feedback matrix which guarantees consensus under both the proposed and the traditional protocol is given; it is shown that with this matrix, the networks under the proposed protocol converge faster than the traditional protocol. Based on this result, the delay sensitivity of the proposed protocol is considered under an assumption about the communication topology. The maximum allowable upper bound of the delays is obtained by solving certain linear matrix inequalities. Two simulation examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Physiological Femoral Condylar Morphology in Adult Knees—A MRI Study of 517 Patients

Background: In the age of individualised arthroplasty, the question arises whether currently available standard implants adequately consider femoral condylar morphology (FCM). Therefore, physiological reference values of FCM are needed. The aim was to establish physiological reference values for anterior (ACO) and posterior condylar offset (PCO) as well as for the length of the medial (LMC) and lateral femoral condyles (LLC). Methods: The knee joints of 517 patients (mean age: 52.3 years (±16.8)) were analysed retrospectively using MRI images. Medial (med) and lateral (lat) ACO and PCO, as well as LMC and LLC, were measured. All FCM parameters were examined for association with age, gender, side and osteoarthritis. Results: Mean ACOmed was 2.8 mm (±2.5), mean ACOlat was 6.7 mm (±2.3), mean PCOmed was 25.7 mm (±4.6), mean PCOlat was 23.6 mm (±3.0), mean LMC was 63.7 mm (±5.0) and mean LLC was 64.4 mm (±5.0). Except for PCOmed, the mean values of all other FCM parameters were significantly higher in male knees compared to female knees. ACOmed and PCOmed showed significant side-specific differences. There were no significant differences in relation to age and osteoarthritis. Conclusion: The study showed significant differences in FCM side- and gender-specifically in adult knees. These aspects should be considered in the discussion of individual and gender-specific knee joint replacement.
ASER analysis of generalized hexagonal QAM schemes for NOMA systems over Nakagami‐m fading channels

To achieve high data rates expected from beyond 5G communications, higher‐order modulation techniques have been explored. The energy‐efficient modulation technique with a high data rate has encouraged researches towards an optimum two‐dimensional hexagonal‐shaped constellation, namely, hexagonal quadrature amplitude modulation (HQAM). Thus, in this work, we analyze the average symbol error rate (ASER) of HQAM schemes by considering a two‐user nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) pair. Closed‐form expressions for ASER of HQAM schemes for users are derived over generalized Nakagami‐ m fading channels. Further, for the HQAM constellation feasibility in two‐user downlink NOMA systems, the power allocation criterion for the users is presented. Furthermore, the impact of modulation order of the users over the systems ASER analysis is investigated and valuable insights are drawn.
A Blockchain Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading System for Microgrids

Traditional power grids have been the major source of electricity for several households and industries for a number of years. However, with that kind of supply, every member of the grid is affected whenever there is a fault on the transmission line connecting them. With that in mind, microgrids, usually powered by numerous distributed electrical sources, were introduced to curb this problem, and as such, energy users have also become producers themselves. Nonetheless, the generation of power by distributed sources brings about unpredictability on the network and, in essence, problems in energy sharing. Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading has several advantages and has been introduced to mitigate energy sharing problems. With networked energy trading comes the issue of trust, as several prosumers are concerned about their privacy and security in such environments. Therefore, this work leverages the advantages of blockchain in proposing a secure energy trading platform for all parties involved. Coupled with certificateless signcryption, an immutable energy trading market is designed, and its use case is applicable in smart cities. A thorough security analysis was performed, and the efficiency of our proposed solution is backed by numerical results.
Performance of the weighted least squares apprdach to categorical data analysis

The weighted least squares method of Grizzle, Starmer and Koch is a common and convenient way to analyze categorical data. Tests of significance based on this method are typically performed by calculating a quadratic form which is asymptotically distrib-uted as a chi-square random variable under an appropriate null hy- pothesis. This paper explores the validity of this distributional approximation for small samples in terms of the accuracy and power associated with this chi-square statistic. We report simulation results from the weighted least squares method applied to balanced factorial experiments, The simulations which constitute the majorpart of this work also provide insight into the relative performance of several response functions.
Multi-task single lens for automotive vision applications

The increasing trend to use vision sensors in transportation is driven both by legislation and consumer demands for higher safety and better driving experiences. Awareness of what surrounds an automotive vehicle can directly affect the safe driving and maneuvering of that vehicle. Consequently, panoramic 360° field-of-view (FoW) imaging is becoming an industry prerequisite. However, to obtain a complete view of the area around a vehicle, several sensor systems are necessary. This paper explains how panomorph optics can satisfy the needs of various vision applications with only one sensor or panomorph lens configuration. A panomorph lens is a hemispheric wide-angle anamorphic lens with enhanced resolution in a predefined zone of interest. Because panomorph lenses feature an optimal pixel-per-degree relationship, the resulting vision systems provide ideal area coverage, which in turn reduces and maximizes the processing. Here we present how panomorph technology is one of the most promising ways to integrate many automotive vision applications (processing/viewing) onto one single camera module. For example: a single panomorph sensor on the front of a vehicle could provide all the information necessary for assistance in crash avoidance, lane tracking, early warning alerts, parking aids, road sign and pedestrian detection, as well as various video monitoring views for difficult areas such as blind spots. Keywords: wide-angle lens, panoramic, panomorph, immersive, hemispheric, anamorphic, 360° vision systems, vision sensors, automotive vehicles, field of view, transportation, driver assistance systems, lane tracking, blind spot, pedestrian detection, road sign detection, parking assistance
The effects of bead inertia on the Rouse model

The Rouse model for dilute polymer solutions undergoing homogeneous flows has been generalized to include the inertia of the beads in the equations of motion. To obtain the correct ‘‘diffusion equation’’ for the probability density distribution function in phase space, we generalize the diffusion equation derived by Murphy and Aguirre [J. Chem. Phys. 57, 2098 (1972)] from Hamilton’s equations of motion for an arbitrary number of interacting Brownian particles at equilibrium. Material functions are found, and the noninertial case is seen to be obtained as the zero mass limit in all steps of the development. In particular, the steady‐state shear results are unaffected by the inclusion of inertia. It is also shown how two assumptions, ‘‘equilibration in momentum space,’’ and the neglect of acceleration, made independently by Curtiss, Bird, and Hassager in their phase‐space kinetic theory, are actually the result of assuming zero mass.