Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-temperature elastic moduli and dilational and shear internal frictions of superconducting ceramic GdBa2Cu3O7- delta.

Longitudinal and transverse wave velocities, six kinds of elastic parameters, and dilational and shear internal frictions have been simultaneously measured as functions of temperature between room temperature and 77 K in the high-T, superconductor GdBa2Cu307 z. An abrupt increase from 117 K in bulk modulus and Lame parameter suggests that the order parameter has a much stronger coupling with volume-nonpreserving distortions than with volume-preserving distortions. The 227 and 120 K peaks in dilational friction might be related to structural change and second-order phase transition due to variation of potential energy, respectively. For shear friction, the 214 and 106 K peaks could be attributed to barium atom relaxation with an apparent activation energy of 0.62 eV, and lattice instability, respectively.
RNA silencing movement in plants

Higher eukaryotes have developed a mechanism of sequence‐specific RNA degradation which is known as RNA silencing. In plants and some animals, similar to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, RNA silencing is a non‐cell‐autonomous event. Hence, silencing initiation in one or a few cells leads progressively to the sequence‐specific suppression of homologous sequences in neighbouring cells in an RNA‐mediated fashion. Spreading of silencing in plants occurs through plasmodesmata and results from a cell‐to‐cell movement of a short‐range silencing signal, most probably 21‐nt siRNAs (short interfering RNAs) that are produced by one of the plant Dicer enzymes. In addition, silencing spreads systemically through the phloem system of the plants, which also translocates metabolites from source to sink tissues. Unlike the short‐range silencing signal, there is little known about the mediators of systemic silencing. Recent studies have revealed various and sometimes surprising genetic elements of the short‐range silencing spread pathway, elucidating several aspects of the processes involved. In this review we attempt to clarify commonalities and differences between the individual silencing pathways of RNA silencing spread in plants.
NF-YC3, NF-YC4 and NF-YC9 are required for CONSTANS-mediated, photoperiod-dependent flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

NF-Y transcription factors represent a complex of three proteins called NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC. Each protein is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and in the plant lineage has undergone numerous rounds of duplication. Individual NF-Y are emerging as important regulators of several essential plant processes, including embryogenesis, drought resistance, maintenance of meristems in nitrogen-fixing nodules and photoperiod-dependent flowering time. Building on the recent finding that NF-YB2 and NF-YB3 have overlapping functionality in Arabidopsis photoperiod-dependent flowering (Kumimoto et al., 2008), we have identified three NF-YC (NF-YC3, NF-YC4, and NF-YC9) that are also required for flowering, and physically interact in vivo with both NF-YB2 and NF-YB3. Furthermore, NF-YC3, NF-YC4 and NF-YC9 can physically interact with full-length CONSTANS (CO), and are genetically required for CO-mediated floral promotion. Collectively, the present data greatly strengthens and extends the argument that CO utilizes NF-Y transcription factor complexes for the activation of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) during photoperiod-dependent floral initiation.
Topical E6005/RVT-501, a novel phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, for the treatment of atopic dermatitis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Local adverse effects of steroid use and the burning sensation of calcineurin inhibitors impair patients’ adherence to treatment and decrease the treatment response in atopic dermatitis (AD). Steroid phobia appears to be a psychological problem in patients with AD. Topical non-steroidal remedies are in demand. Areas covered: This manuscript reviews the current literature on preclinical and clinical studies regarding topical E6005/RVT-501, a novel phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor. We also discuss the mechanistic background of E6005/RVT-501 in the treatment of AD. Expert opinion: Topical E6005/RVT-501 improves skin eruption and pruritus of pediatric and adult AD patients without any serious side effects. It is useful for mild to moderate lesions of AD in pediatric and adult patients. Topical E6005/RVT-501 is non-steroidal agent but its potency is equal to that of mild rank topical steroid, therefore, it may fit the demand of patients with steroid phobia. Its steroid-sparing effects may also be investigated in future clinical trials and may minimize the dose and frequency of topical steroids.
Firewall Management With FireWall Synthesizer

Firewalls are notoriously hard to configure and maintain. Policies are written in lowlevel, system-specific languages where rules are inspected and enforced along non-trivial control flow paths. Moreover, firewalls are tightly related to Network Address Translation (NAT) since filters need to be specified taking into account the possible translations of packet addresses, further complicating the task of network administrators. To simplify this job, we propose FireWall Synthesizer (FWS), a tool that decompiles real firewall configurations from different systems into an abstract specification. This representation highlights the meaning of a configuration, i.e., the allowed connections with possible address translations. We show the usage of FWS in analyzing and maintaining a configuration on a simple (yet realistic) scenario and we discuss how the tool scales on real-world policies.
A threshold segmentation algorithm based on neighbourhood characteristics

Image threshold segmentation, which means to divide the image data into different regions by giving the appropriate segmentation threshold and the corresponding based on the characteristics of the image and the corresponding rules, is a widely used and effective method in the image processing. This article, which introduces the classic method of image segmentation principle and their advantages and disadvantages firstly, investigates image neighbourhood gray features basic theories, and analyses the visual characteristics segmentation images of practical engineering application. It mainly presents a new image visual characteristic test operator used for the project image object detection and segmentation system. This algorithm can obtain good segmentation effect through the contrast.
Utility of Muropeptide Ligase for Identification of Inhibitors of the Cell Wall Biosynthesis Enzyme MurF

ABSTRACT MurF is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This enzyme has not been extensively exploited as a drug target, possibly due to the difficulty in obtaining one of the substrates, UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-meso-diaminopimelate, which is usually purified from bacteria. We have identified putative inhibitors of Escherichia coli MurF by a binding assay, thus bypassing the need for substrate. Inhibition of enzymatic activity was demonstrated in a high-performance liquid chromatography-based secondary assay with UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-diaminopimelate substrate prepared in a novel way by using muropeptide ligase enzyme to add UDP-MurNAc to synthetic l-Ala-γ-d-Glu-diaminopimelate; the substrate specificity of muropeptide ligase for peptides containing l-Lys in place of diaminopimelate was also investigated. Using the muropeptide ligase-generated MurF substrate, a thiazolylaminopyrimidine series of MurF enzyme inhibitors with 50% inhibitory concentration values as low as 2.5 μM was identified.
b-Peptides as inhibitors of protein – protein interactions

We became interested several years ago in exploring whether 14-helical b-peptide foldamers could bind protein surfaces and inhibit protein–protein interactions, and if so, whether their affinities and specificities would compare favorably with those of natural or miniature proteins. This exploration was complicated initially by the absence of a suitable b-peptide scaffold, one that possessed a well-defined 14-helical structure in water and tolerated the diverse sequence variation required to generate high-affinity protein surface ligands. In this perspective, we describe our approach to the design of adaptable b-peptide scaffolds with high levels of 14-helix structure in water, track the subsequent development of 14-helical b-peptide protein–protein interaction inhibitors, and examine the potential of this strategy for targeting other therapeutically important proteins. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A strain‐independent postnatal neurodegeneration in mice lacking the EGF receptor

Mice lacking the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibit strain‐dependent phenotypes ranging from placental to postnatal skin, lung and brain defects. After birth, all mutant mice develop a progressive neurodegeneration in the frontal cortex, olfactory bulb and thalamus, characterized by massive apoptosis and upregulation of c‐fos. These defects occur in a strain‐independent manner, since neither rescue of the placental phenotype by aggregation of diploid 129/Sv EGFR mutant and tetraploid wild‐type embryos, nor promotion of lung maturation by transplacental dexamethasone administration alters the course of neurodegeneration. VEGF is not induced during the degenerative process, excluding hypoxia and ischemia as causes of cell death. A migratory disorder is detected in the hippocampus with nests of ectopic neurons, which are also apoptotic. Cerebral cortices from EGFR mutants contain lower numbers of GFAP positive astrocytes, which display reduced proliferation in vitro. Since EGFR is expressed in the affected cell‐types, these results define a specific function for EGFR in the proliferation and/or differentiation of astrocytes and in the survival of postmitotic neurons.
The strength of indirect selection on female mating preferences.

An important but controversial class of hypotheses concerning the evolution of female preferences for extreme male mating displays involves "indirect selection. " Even in the absence of direct fitness effects, preference for males with high overall fitness can spread via a genetic correlation that develops between preference alleles and high fitness genotypes. Here we develop a quantitative expression for the force of indirect selection that (i) applies to any female mating behavior, (ii) is relatively insensitive to the underlying genetics, and (iii) is based on measurable quantities. In conjunction with the limited data now available, it suggests that the evolutionary force generated by indirect selection on preferences is weak in absolute terms. This finding raises the possibility that direct selection on preference genes may often be more important than indirect selection, but more data on the quantities identified by our model and on direct selection are needed to decide the question.
Modelling, control, and hardware-in-the-loop simulation of an automated manual transmission

Abstract To enable a realistic automated manual transmission (AMT) system performance evaluation and rapid prototyping, this paper focuses on constructing a practical Simulink model and a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) real-time simulation. The working principle and dynamic characteristics of the AMT system are first explored. The driveline, the engine control, and the dry clutch are modelled and analysed. In particular, a dynamic model for the hydraulic clutch actuator that is currently used in the actual transmissions is developed. To evaluate the performance and operation characteristics of the AMT system, the control methodology to ensure desirable performance is studied. The gearshift control logic and the proportional—integral—derivative-based clutch control are analysed and implemented. Based on the dynamic model and the controller, a Simulink model is developed and implemented into an HIL real-time simulator to enable rapid prototyping. In addition, to realize an energy-efficient and smooth clutch engagement, the possibility of using the dynamic programming method to generate the optimal clutch and engine torque control inputs is investigated as well. In particular, the controllability of the AMT system is studied to determine the number of control inputs necessary for optimal control. To this end, the simulation and experiment results in the HIL environment are presented.
A moving foreground objects extraction method under camouflage effect

This paper discusses the problem of segmenting foreground objects with apertures or discontinuities under camouflage effect and the optical physics model is introduced into foreground detection. A moving foreground objects extraction method based on color invariants is proposed in which color invariants are used as descriptors to model the background and do the foreground segmentation. It makes full use of the color spectral information and spatial configuration. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method performs well in various situations of color similarity and meets the demand of real-time performance.
Optical chemical sensor based on surface plasmon measurement.

A new optical chemical sensor was developed for chemical sensing based on light-excited surface plasmon measurement. Concentration of the chemical species is found in liquid or gas without the help of a reagent but by measuring the resonance condition of the surface plasmon on the sensing metal surface. The resonance condition is given by the dielectric constant of the sample faced on the metal. The developed sensor can be compact and simple, because of the absence of mechanical moving parts, by using multichannel angular light intensity detection with a photodiode array and a Fourier transform optical setup. Experimental results are shown for measurement of ethanol concentration in water. The detection limit for ethanol in water was 10(-4) wt. /wt. by the experiments with the developed system.
Subcellular Locations Prediction of Proteins Based on Chaos Game Representation

To understand the functions of various proteins, it would be helpful to obtain information about their subcellular locations. With the rapid accumulation of newly found protein sequence data in databanks, it would be worthwhile to develop a fast computational prediction method to identify protein's subcellular location. In this paper, we considered 4 subcellular locations of proteins from rice: chloroplast, cytoplasmic, integral membrane protein and nucleus. Our data set is the proteins with known locations from the SWISS-PROT and TrEMBL database. We introduced the Chaos Game Representation (CGR) of protein to transform the protein sequence into the numerical vector, instead of the quasi-amino acid composition. Furthermore, we added two dimensions in the end based on the amino acid's physics chemistry properties. The results show that the Chaos Game Representation is better than the amino acid composition, and the new characters can improve the accuracy obviously.
Bridging the Information Transfer Gap: Measuring Goodness of Information Fit

The ability to determine, a priori, how well an interface design meets the information needs of a user? that is, to `bridge the information transfer gap? is a critical component of any intelligent interface design system. Yet most current approaches either sidestep the problem of computationally measuring `goodness of fit? by compiling design knowledge into a set of pattern matching rules or, at best, use a very limited set of parameters in scoring. We describe a formal representation for capturing the information needs associated with user tasks and the information conveying capabilities of interface elements. A multifaceted scoring technique, using this representation, is presented for assessing a design's goodness of fit against current user requirements. The hallmarks of this approach are the explicit representation of the goals of good user interface design, evaluation of a proposed design against these goals and a computational approach to performing tradeoffs among these goals when incompatible. Finally, we report on the implementation and user acceptance of this design in an adaptive interface application for military attack/scout helicopters.
Endoscopic Inferior Turbinate Reduction: An Outcomes Analysis

Objectives/Hypothesis In a previous publication, we introduced an endoscopic technique for the treatment of nasal obstruction caused by inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The technique, a modification of the procedure popularized by Mabry, involves resecting the inferior and lateral aspects of the inferior turbinate with a microdebrider under endoscopic guidance. Our preliminary postoperative results were favorable. All 20 patients experienced improvement by postoperative day 5 and the incidence of complications over the first 6 months after surgery was low. The objective of this study is to perform a long‐term outcomes analysis of patients undergoing the procedure.
Hir1p and Hir2p function as transcriptional corepressors to regulate histone gene transcription in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle

The HIR/HPC (histone regulation/histone periodic control) negative regulators play important roles in the transcription of six of the eight core histone genes during the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle. The phenotypes of hir1 and hir2 mutants suggested that the wild-type HIR1 and HIR2 genes encode transcriptional repressors that function in the absence of direct DNA binding. When Hir1p and Hir2p were artificially tethered to yeast promoters, each protein repressed transcription, suggesting that they represent a new class of transcriptional corepressors. The two proteins might function as a complex in vivo: Hir2p required both Hir1p and another Hir protein, Hir3p, to repress transcription when it was tethered to an HTA1-lacZ reporter gene, and Hir1p and Hir2p could be coimmunoprecipitated from yeast cell extracts. Tethered Hir1p also directed the periodic transcription of the HTA1 gene and repressed HTA1 transcription in response to two cell cycle regulatory signals. Thus, it represents the first example of a transcriptional corepressor with a direct role in cell cycle-regulated transcription.
Learning Multimodal Gender Profile using Neural Networks

Gender identification in social networks is one of the most popular aspects of user profile learning. Traditionally it has been linked to author profiling, a difficult problem to solve because of the little difference in the use of language between genders. This situation has led to the need of taking into account other information apart from textual data, favoring the emergence of multimodal data. The aim of this paper is to apply neural networks to perform data fusion, using an existing multimodal corpus, the NUS-MSS data set, that (not only) contains text data, but also image and location information. We improved previous results in terms of macro accuracy (87.8%) obtaining the state-of-the-art performance of 91.3%.
Estimating Rewards & Rare Events in Nondeterministic Systems

Exhaustive verification can quantify critical behaviour arising from concurrency in nondeterministic models. Rare events typically entail no additional challenge, but complex systems are generally intractable. Recent work on Markov decision processes allows the extremal probabilities of a property to be estimated using Monte Carlo techniques, offering the potential to handle much larger models. Here we present algorithms to estimate extremal rewards and consider the challenges posed by rarity. We find that rewards require a different interpretation of confidence and that reachability rewards require the introduction of an auxiliary hypothesis test. We show how importance sampling can significantly improve estimation when probabilities are low, but find it is not a panacea for rare schedulers.
Analisando os discursos de género das e sobre as imagens publicitárias de mulheres como articular a análise sociosemiótica com a análise da recepção

Os estudos que abordam a problematica da representacao visual do feminino tem-se centrado sobretudo na analise de imagens, sendo raros aqueles que a articulam com estudos de recepcao. No presente trabalho, discutimos os desafios empiricos e teoricos envolvidos numa investigacao em que se pretendeu articular uma analise da representacao das mulheres na publicidade de revistas femininas, com uma analise da forma como os visionadores destas imagens falam sobre as mesmas num contexto especifico. Fazemo-lo a partir de um estudo empirico que envolveu, num primeiro momento, a recolha de imagens publicitarias publicadas em revistas mensais e semanais e a sua analise a luz da abordagem sociosemiotica da comunicacao visual (Kress e van Leeuwen, 1996), e, num segundo momento, a realizacao de entrevistas semiestruturadas (Silverman, 1993) a um grupo de leitoras das revistas femininas seleccionadas, e que foram analisadas no quadro da abordagem discursiva critica (Wodak e Meyer, 2001, Benwell, 2005). Quisemos compreender melhor as relacoes entre os significados ideologicos das imagens e os significados que lhes sao atribuidos pelos visionadores num contexto especifico (Shields, 2005). Ao mesmo tempo, e tendo em conta as complexidades do processo de recepcao (Schroder, 2000, Ang, 1989, van Zoonen, 1994, Stacey, 1989), procuramos destacar as especificidades do discurso produzido pelos visionadores: a forma como falam, e as relacoes dessa fala com o contexto socio-cultural, micro e macro, da sua producao.
Prognostic Significance of P 53 , Bcl-2 , and Fas Expression in Patients with Primary Gastrointestinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Objective: P53, Bcl-2, and Fas proteins play significant roles in lymphoid cell apoptosis. These proteins affect the prognosis and treatment response of lymphoma and various malignancies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of P53, Bcl-2, and Fas protein expression on treatment and prognosis in patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were included in the study. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to analyze P53, Bcl-2, and Fas protein expression levels in paraffin sections. Results: We examined 39 patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 21 males and 18 females, with a median age of 54 years. P53 protein expression was detected in 24 patients (61.5%), Bcl-2 protein expression was detected in 26 (67%), and Fas protein expression was detected in 28 (72%). The five-year overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with P53 and Bcl-2 expression; on the other hand, we did not find a significant difference in the five-year overall survival with respect to Fas protein expression. Conclusion: We found that P53 and Bcl-2 protein expression had a negative effect on prognosis and survival in patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. However, Fas protein expression had no effect on prognosis and survival. Taken together, patients with P53 and Bcl-2 expression should be considered to have a high risk from the beginning, and these patients should undergo aggressive treatments.
Pulse wave analysis on fingertip arterial pressure: effects of age, gender and stressors on reflected waves and their relation to brachial and femoral artery blood flow

Objectives: Analysis of the contour of the arterial pressure pulse (pulse wave analysis; PWA) adds information about arterial stiffness etc., beyond that obtained from absolute pressures. Peripheral pulses normally show an anterograde systolic peak and two reflected peaks: one in systole and one in diastole. The amplitudes and timings of these were estimated from finger pressure recordings in three study groups. We studied the usefulness of continuous digital pressures for PWA.