Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structures of archaeal DNA segregation machinery reveal bacterial and eukaryotic linkages

Plasmid partitioning superstructure system Partitioning and sharing DNA between dividing cells is critical for all domains of life. Prokaryotes must share certain plasmids as well as their genomic DNA to survive. Schumacher et al. studied the partition system that segregates a conjugative plasmid in the prokaryote Sulfolobus. The system consists of three proteins. AspA spreads along the plasmid DNA to create a protein-DNA superhelix. The ParA motor protein is linked to the protein-DNA superhelix through the ParB protein, which has structural similarities to eukaryotic centromere segregating proteins. Science, this issue p. 1120 Plasmid DNA partition proteins in a prokaryote form a complex protein-DNA superstructure that segregates the DNA to daughter cells. Although recent studies have provided a wealth of information about archaeal biology, nothing is known about the molecular basis of DNA segregation in these organisms. Here, we unveil the machinery and assembly mechanism of the archaeal Sulfolobus pNOB8 partition system. This system uses three proteins: ParA; an atypical ParB adaptor; and a centromere-binding component, AspA. AspA utilizes a spreading mechanism to create a DNA superhelix onto which ParB assembles. This supercomplex links to the ParA motor, which contains a bacteria-like Walker motif. The C domain of ParB harbors structural similarity to CenpA, which dictates eukaryotic segregation. Thus, this archaeal system combines bacteria-like and eukarya-like components, which suggests the possible conservation of DNA segregation principles across the three domains of life.
Boreal forest health and global change

The boreal forest, one of the largest biomes on Earth, provides ecosystem services that benefit society at levels ranging from local to global. Currently, about two-thirds of the area covered by this biome is under some form of management, mostly for wood production. Services such as climate regulation are also provided by both the unmanaged and managed boreal forests. Although most of the boreal forests have retained the resilience to cope with current disturbances, projected environmental changes of unprecedented speed and amplitude pose a substantial threat to their health. Management options to reduce these threats are available and could be implemented, but economic incentives and a greater focus on the boreal biome in international fora are needed to support further adaptation and mitigation actions.
Predicting the outcome for patients in a heart transplantation queue using deep learning

Heart transplantations have made it possible to extend the median survival time to 12 years for patients with end-stage heart diseases. This operation is unfortunately limited by the availability of donor organs and patients have to wait on average about 200 days in a waiting list before being operated. This waiting time varies considerably across the patients. In this paper, we studied the outcome for patients entering a transplantation waiting list using deep learning techniques. We implemented a model in the form of two-layer neural networks and we predicted the outcome as still waiting, transplanted or dead in the waiting list, at three different time points: 180 days, 365 days, and 730 days. As data source, we used the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry, where we extracted adult patients (>17 years) from January 2000 to December 2011. We trained our model using the Keras framework, and we report F1 macro scores of respectively 0.674, 0.680, and 0.680 compared to a baseline of 0.271. We also applied a backward elimination procedure, using our neural network, to extract the 10 most significant parameters predicting the patient status for the three different time points.
Hybrid Pathfinding in StarCraft

Micromanagement is a very important aspect of real-time strategy (RTS) games. It involves moving single units or groups of units effectively on the battle field, targeting the most threatening enemy units and use the unit's special abilities when they are the most harmful for the enemy or the most beneficial for the player. Designing good micromanagement is a challenging task for AI bot developers. In this paper, we address the micromanagement subtask of positioning units effectively in combat situations. Two different approaches are evaluated, one based on potential fields and the other based on flocking algorithms. The results show that both the potential fields version and the flocking version clearly increases the win percentage of the bot, but the difference in wins between the two is minimal. The results also show that the more flexible potential fields technique requires much more hardware resources than the more simple flocking technique.
Calculating Ultrastrong and Extended Solutions for Nine Men’s Morris, Morabaraba, and Lasker Morris

The strong solutions of Nine Men's Morris and its variant, Lasker Morris, are well-known results (the starting positions are draws). We reexamined both of these games, and calculated extended strong solutions for them. By this, we mean the game-theoretic values of all possible game states that could be reached from certain starting positions where the number of stones to be placed by the players is different from the standard rules. These were also calculated for a previously unsolved third variant, Morabaraba, with interesting results: most of the starting positions where the players can place an equal number of stones (including the standard starting position) are wins for the first player (as opposed to the above games, where these are usually draws). We also developed a multivalued retrograde analysis, and used it as a basis for an algorithm for solving these games ultra-strongly. This means that when our program is playing against a fallible opponent, it has a greater chance of achieving a better result than the game-theoretic value, compared to randomly selecting between “just strongly” optimal moves. Previous attempts on ultrastrong solutions used local heuristics or learning during games, but we incorporated our algorithm into the retrograde analysis.
Discovery of a Weyl fermion semimetal and topological Fermi arcs

Weyl physics emerges in the laboratory Weyl fermions—massless particles with half-integer spin—were once mistakenly thought to describe neutrinos. Although not yet observed among elementary particles, Weyl fermions may exist as collective excitations in so-called Weyl semimetals. These materials have an unusual band structure in which the linearly dispersing valence and conduction bands meet at discrete “Weyl points. ” Xu et al. used photoemission spectroscopy to identify TaAs as a Weyl semimetal capable of hosting Weyl fermions. In a complementary study, Lu et al. detected the characteristic Weyl points in a photonic crystal. The observation of Weyl physics may enable the discovery of exotic fundamental phenomena. Science, this issue p. 613 and 622 Angle-resolved photoemission is used to detect the topological surface states and bulk dispersion of the compound tantalum arsenide. [Also see Report by Lu et al.] A Weyl semimetal is a new state of matter that hosts Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles and admits a topological classification that protects Fermi arc surface states on the boundary of a bulk sample. This unusual electronic structure has deep analogies with particle physics and leads to unique topological properties. We report the experimental discovery of a Weyl semimetal, tantalum arsenide (TaAs). Using photoemission spectroscopy, we directly observe Fermi arcs on the surface, as well as the Weyl fermion cones and Weyl nodes in the bulk of TaAs single crystals. We find that Fermi arcs terminate on the Weyl fermion nodes, consistent with their topological character. Our work opens the field for the experimental study of Weyl fermions in physics and materials science.
Probability of Error Analyses of a BFSK Frequency-Hopping System with Diversity Under Partial-Band Jamming Interference - Part I: Performance of Square-Law Linear Combining Soft Decision Receiver

In this paper, error probability analyses are performed for a binary frequency-shift-keying (BFSK) system employingLhop/bit frequency-hopping (FH) spread-spectrum waveforms transmitted over a partial-band Gaussian noise jamming channel. The error probabilities for theLhop/bit BFSK/FH systems are obtained as the performance measure of the square-law linear combining soft decision receiver under the assumption of the worst-case partial-band jamming. The receiver in our analysis assumes no knowledge of jamming state (side information). Both exact and approximate (multiple bound-parameter Chernoff bound) solutions are obtained under two separate assumptions: with and without the system's thermal noise in the analyses. Numerical results of the error rates are graphically displayed as a function of signal-to-jamming power ratio withLand signal-to-noise ratio as parameters. All of our results, exact and approximate, indicated that the higher number of hops per bit produced higher error probabilities as a result of increased combining losses when the square-law linear combining soft decision receiver is employed in demodulating the multihop-per-bit waveform.
Low Complexity Carrier Phase Tracking Decoders for Continuous Phase Modulations

Phase tracking capability is incorporated into two sequence estimation decoders for continuous phase modulations. One decoder employs the Viterbi algorithm; the other uses a reduced-survivor approach proposed earlier by one of the authors [11] for the more bandwidth efficient of these modulations. Computational complexity with the simplest of the joint data/phase algorithms is only marginally greater than that required for the equivalent decoding algorithm employing an externally derived carrier phase reference as supplied by a conventional carrier recovery circuit. Simulations with representative partial response modulations demonstrate the phase synchronization and tracking capabilities of the decoders. High SNR losses relative to an optimal receiver having perfect phase knowledge are found to be small (∼ 1 dB).
Winning coalitions for climate policy

Green industrial policy builds support for carbon regulation The gap is wide between the implications of climate science and the achievements of climate policy. Natural sciences tell us with increasing certainty that climate change is real, dangerous, and solvable; social sciences report that key constituencies largely support action. But current and planned policy remains weak and will allow a long-term increase in temperature of 3.6°C (1). How can we address the gap between science and policy? From the political successes of climate policy leaders, we identify key strategies for building winning coalitions for decarbonization of domestic economies. Green industrial policy provides direct incentives for growth of green industries, which builds political support for carbon regulation.
High-rate injection is associated with the increase in U.S. mid-continent seismicity

Making quakes depends on injection rates Wastewater injection wells induce earthquakes that garner much attention, especially in tectonically inactive regions. Weingarten et al. combined information from public injection-well databases from the eastern and central United States with the best earthquake catalog available over the past 30 years. The rate of fluid injection into a well appeared to be the most likely decisive triggering factor in regions prone to induced earthquakes. Along these lines, Walsh III and Zoback found a clear correlation between areas in Oklahoma where waste saltwater is being injected on a large scale and areas experiencing increased earthquake activity. Science, this issue p. 1336; Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.1500195 (2015). High injection rates of wastewater into deep wells increase the risk of earthquakes in regions prone to induced seismicity. An unprecedented increase in earthquakes in the U.S. mid-continent began in 2009. Many of these earthquakes have been documented as induced by wastewater injection. We examine the relationship between wastewater injection and U.S. mid-continent seismicity using a newly assembled injection well database for the central and eastern United States. We find that the entire increase in earthquake rate is associated with fluid injection wells. High-rate injection wells (>300,000 barrels per month) are much more likely to be associated with earthquakes than lower-rate wells. At the scale of our study, a well’s cumulative injected volume, monthly wellhead pressure, depth, and proximity to crystalline basement do not strongly correlate with earthquake association. Managing injection rates may be a useful tool to minimize the likelihood of induced earthquakes.
Investigating the Reliability and Validity of the Waterlow Risk Assessment Scale: A Literature Review

The aim of this review was to examine health literature on the reliability and validity of the Waterlow pressure sore assessment scale. A systematic review of published studies relating to the topic was conducted and literature was examined for its relevancy to the topic under investigation. Findings suggest that despite the availability of over 40 assessment tools, the Waterlow assessment scale is the most frequently used by health care staff. Research suggests that the Waterlow Scale is an unreliable method of assessing individuals at risk of pressure sore development with all studies indicating a poor interrater reliability status. Its validity has also been criticized because of its high-sensitivity but low-specificity levels.
The rise of the social algorithm

Does content curation by Facebook introduce ideological bias? [Also see Report by Bakshy et al.] Humanity is in the early stages of the rise of social algorithms: programs that size us up, evaluate what we want, and provide a customized experience. This quiet but epic paradigm shift is fraught with social and policy implications. The evolution of Google exemplifies this shift. It began as a simple deterministic ranking system based on the linkage structure among Web sites—the model of algorithmic Fordism, where any color was fine as long as it was black (1). The current Google is a very different product, personalizing results (2) on the basis of information about past searches and other contextual information, like location. On page 1130 of this issue, Bakshy et al. (3) explore whether such personalized curation on Facebook prevents users from accessing posts presenting conflicting political views.
Two Parallel Queues with Dynamic Routing

We consider two parallel M/M/1 queueing systems where a new arrival (customer, job, message) joins the shorter of the two queues. Such problems arise naturally in computer communications and packet switched data networks. An asymptotic approach is developed to obtain approximations to the steady-state joint distribution of the number of customers in the two systems. We first analyze the case where the two queueing systems are identical and then consider the case when the two servers work at different rates. Our results are shown to agree with the expansions of known exact solutions, when such solutions are available, and to yield new approximations when such solutions are not available.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Electronic Medical Records in a Long Term Care Facility Using Process Analysis

This study was conducted to determine the effect of the electronic medical record (EMR) system on work process efficiencies in a long-term care facility. Apre-post intervention study design was used with process flow analysis conducted as part of the data collection methodology. Work processes were measured through direct observation and recording of steps taken as nurses completed their daily work. Observed work processes were documented in the form of process flow charts. Process flow charts detail every step in a process and provide a unique and accurate method of evaluating the impact that EMR systems have on work flow in the healthcare setting. The study demonstrated that the EMR can lead to a reduction in the number of steps required to complete several daily work processes, allowing nurses the opportunity to dedicate more time to direct care of the facility's residents and thus contribute to improved quality care.
An Application of the Socio-Technical Systems Approach to Implementation of Electronic Evidence into Practice: The Clinical Practice Model Framework

Implementation of electronic evidence into the practice environments of clinical staff is an ongoing challenge in health care organizations. Despite localized efforts to integrate point-of-care technology with clinical practice, system-wide transformation across multiple clinical settings has not commonly occurred. This paper examines a framework designed to guide the implementation of evidence-based practice using technology in health care settings from the theoretical lens of the Socio-Technical Systems (STS) approach. The framework under study is called the CPM Frameworkâ„¢, developed by the Clinical Practice Model Resource Center (CPMRC). The CPMRC is a collaborative consortium of health care providers representing over 300 rural, community, and university settings. The CPMRC developed the Clinical Practice Model (CPM) Frameworkâ„¢ to guide the integration of evidence based CPGâ€™s into the work worlds of clinicians. The authors propose that the CPM Framework is consistent with STS approach concepts, and can serve as an exemplar for other health care organizations seeking to implement technology in a manner that is consistent with established theoretical foundations.
Integrating selected fault masking and self-diagnosis mechanisms

Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) using self-diagnosing elements is used in distributed systems to facilitate system monitoring and maintenance. Voting algorithms are used to increase reliability by masking faults. This research addresses the integration of self-diagnosing elements and voting algorithms in a Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) configuration. A self-diagnosing element model is presented and the problem of masking element faults is considered. A range of integrated (or hybrid) voters which handle diagnosis information are introduced. Experimental results show that the appropriate use of diagnosis in a fault masking system enables the voter to select more correct results than voting on element results values alone. Three categories of architecture are proposed which have ability to mask certain self-diagnosing element common error modes. This approach results in a modest improvement in the safety and reliability levels of the application. The hybrid voters proposed capture certain advantages of both fault masking and fault detection and isolation features.
A close view of photosystem I

A high-resolution structure provides insight into solar energy conversion during photosynthesis [Also see Research Article by Qin et al.] Photosystem I (PSI) is an extremely efficient solar energy converter, producing one electron for nearly every photon absorbed (1). This large multipigment-multiprotein complex is an essential constituent of the photosynthetic membrane of plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. The energy of the photons absorbed by the PSI pigments is transferred to chlorophylls in the reaction center, where charge separation occurs. The high chlorophyll concentration in PSI maximizes light harvesting while minimizing the cost of protein synthesis; furthermore, its absorption spectrum is broad and extends to the far-red wavelengths (2). PSI is very stable and only becomes photodamaged in the absence of electron acceptors (3). The structure of the Pisum sativum (pea) PSI at 2.8 Å resolution reported by Qin et al. on page 989 of this issue (4) helps to explain how the pigment-protein complex achieves its remarkable performance.
BTC Image Coding Using Vector Quantization

This paper describes source encoding of the outputs of a block truncation coder (BTC), namely, the overhead statistical information and the truncated block. The statistical overhead and the truncated block exhibit properties which can be effectively used for their quantization as vectors. Vector quantization of these BTC outputs results into reduction of the bit rate of the coder. The bit rate reduces up to 1.5 bits/ pel if vector quantization is used on one of the outputs; i.e., either the overhead information or the truncated block. By vector quantizing both the BTC outputs the bit rate can he reduced up to 1.0 bits/pel without introducing many perceivable errors in the reconstructed output.
Direct observation of collective modes coupled to molecular orbital–driven charge transfer

The making of a molecular movie Phase transitions familiar from everyday life, such as boiling or melting, are caused by changing the temperature. In the laboratory, however, researchers can also change the phase of a material by shining intense light on it. During such transitions, changes occur in both the electronic and lattice structure of the material. Ishikawa et al. used ultrafast optical and electron diffraction probes to monitor both types of change simultaneously during a photo-induced phase transition in a molecular crystal. The resulting molecular movies showed expansion of the intermolecular distance, flattening of the molecules, and tilting of molecular dimers. Science, this issue p. 1501 Ultrafast spectroscopy and electron diffraction are used to create molecular movies of a phase transition in Me4P[Pt(dmit)2]2. Correlated electron systems can undergo ultrafast photoinduced phase transitions involving concerted transformations of electronic and lattice structure. Understanding these phenomena requires identifying the key structural modes that couple to the electronic states. We report the ultrafast photoresponse of the molecular crystal Me4P[Pt(dmit)2]2, which exhibits a photoinduced charge transfer similar to transitions between thermally accessible states, and demonstrate how femtosecond electron diffraction can be applied to directly observe the associated molecular motions. Even for such a complex system, the key large-amplitude modes can be identified by eye and involve a dimer expansion and a librational mode. The dynamics are consistent with the time-resolved optical study, revealing how the electronic, molecular, and lattice structures together facilitate ultrafast switching of the state.
Reduced cardiovascular risk is associated with aerobic fitness in university students

Abstract The aims of this study were to assess the physical activity and aerobic fitness of a group of university students (n=399) and to evaluate their risk for cardiovascular disease. Leisure-time physical activity, body composition, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and maximal oxygen uptake ( ) were assessed. During leisure time, the majority (53.5%) of female students were found to be sedentary, while the majority of male students (49.6%) were found to be active (P<0.001). Active students, both males (P<0.05) and females (P<0.05), had higher absolute and relative values than their sedentary counterparts. No statistically significant differences were found in anthropometric or blood pressure values according to the different physical activity classification levels. In contrast, relative was negatively associated with percentage body fat (males: P<0.01; females: P<0.01) and body mass index (males: P<0.01; females: P<0.01). We also found a negative association between relative and systolic (males: P<0.05; females: P<0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (males: P<0.01; females: P<0.01). The present results indicate that poor physical fitness, evaluated in terms of relative , is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in university students. This is a cause for concern, especially for male studentsp, since their aerobic capacity was found to be rather low.