Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deregulated Direct Targets of the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Protein, HBx, Identified through Chromatin Immunoprecipitation and Expression Microarray Profiling*

The hepatitis B-X (HBx) protein is strongly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. It is implicated not to directly cause cancer but to play a role in hepatocellular carcinoma as a co-factor. The oncogenic potential of HBx primarily lies in its interaction with transcriptional regulators resulting in aberrant gene expression and deregulated cellular pathways. Utilizing ultraviolet irradiation to simulate a tumor-initiating event, we integrated chip-based chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) with expression microarray profiling and identified 184 gene targets directly deregulated by HBx. One-hundred forty-four transcription factors interacting with HBx were computationally inferred. We experimentally validated that HBx interacts with some of the predicted transcription factors (pTF) as well as the promoters of the deregulated target genes of these pTFs. Significantly, we demonstrated that the pTF interacts with the promoters of the deregulated HBx target genes and that deregulation by HBx of these HBx target genes carrying the pTF consensus sequences can be reversed using pTF small interfering RNAs. The roles of these deregulated direct HBx target genes and their relevance in cancer was inferred via querying against biogroup/cancer-related microarray databases using web-based NextBioTM software. Six pathways, including the Jak-STAT pathway, were predicted to be significantly deregulated when HBx binds indirectly to direct target gene promoters. In conclusion, this study represents the first ever demonstration of the utilization of ChIP-chip to identify deregulated direct gene targets from indirect protein-DNA binding as well as transcriptional factors directly interacting with HBx. Increased knowledge of the gene/transcriptional factor targets of HBx will enhance our understanding of the role of HBx in hepatocellular carcinogenesis and facilitate the design of better strategies in combating hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.
Transmission Policies for Energy Harvesting Sensors Based on Markov Chain Energy Supply

Due to the small energy harvesting rates and stochastic energy harvesting processes, energy management of energy harvesting senor is still crucial for body network. Transmission polices for energy harvesting sensors with Markov chain energy supply over time varying channels is formulated as an infinite discounted reward Markov Decision Problem under the assumption of geometric distribution of sensors' lifetime. In this paper, we firstly propose a low-storage transmission policy based on probability of successful transmission for body network. Then we narrow the feasible region of parameters in our policies from the real domain to a discrete set with limited number, which makes the method of combing optimal equations and enumeration algorithm to obtain optimal parameters workable. Finally, numerical results show that our presented transmission policies can achieve a good approximated performance of optimal policies, which can be derived by policy iteration algorithm. Compared with the optimal policies, our presented policies has the advantage of low storage.
Performance Evaluation of Reverse Logistics: A Case of LPG Agency

Majority of the Manufacturing companies are incorporating the practice of Reverse Logistics in their value chain. In manufacturing processes the concept of reverse logistics plays a vital role in enhancing the company’s profit margin for sustainable business growth. For every company there is a need of performance measurement system (PMS) to be established as successful business tool. However to predict better results, how smartly the inputs for the transformation or business process are being effectively and efficiently used. This paper made an attempt to present a methodology for calculating the performance of a Reverse Logistics issues considering the case of LPG agencies, i.e. refilling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders (LPG). Proposed a methodology helps to establish performance indicators affecting the Reverse Logistics activities as well as in developing framework for implementing effective Reverse Logistics network.
Octamer-dependent in Vivo Expression of the Endothelial Cell-specific TIE2 Gene*

The TIE2 gene, also known asTEK, encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor that is required for the normal development of the vascular system during embryogenesis.TIE2 is specifically expressed in endothelial cells; however, the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate this highly restricted pattern of expression remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that a consensus octamer element located in the 5′-flanking region ofTIE2 is required for normal expression in embryonic endothelial cells. Transgenic embryos carrying a TIE2/LacZ construct spanning 2.1 kilobases of upstream regulatory sequences exhibit expression of the reporter transgene specifically in endothelial cells. Site-directed mutagenesis of a consensus octamer element located in this region results in the loss of enhancer activity and significantly impairs the endothelial expression of the reporter transgene. Consistent with the in vivodata, in vitro DNA-protein binding studies show that the consensus octamer element displays an endothelial cell-specific pattern of binding, suggesting an interaction with a protein complex consisting of Oct1 and an endothelial cell-restricted cofactor. These data identify a novel role for the octamer element as an essential regulator of TIE2 expression, define the first known transcriptional pathway that mediates the expression of a developmental endothelial cell gene, and provide insights into the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate development of the vasculature during embryogenesis.
Intellectual Capital Efficiency and Firm’s Performance: Study on Malaysian Financial Sectors

It is no doubt that successful companies tend to be those that continually innovate, relying on new technologies and emphasize on skills and knowledge of their employees rather than assets such as plants or machinery. Knowledge being the new engine of corporate development has become one of the great cliches of recent years. Value can be generated by intangibles, which are not always reflected in financial statements. Forward-looking companies have realized that these are an integral part of fully understanding the performance of their business. This study therefore tries to investigate the efficiency of intellectual capital and its performance in Malaysian financial sectors. The results were based on the data taken from 18 companies under financial sector for the year 2007. It was found that the banking sector relied more on intellectual capital followed by insurance companies and Brokerage firms. It was also found that intellectual capital has significant and positive relationships with company’s performance measured by profitability and Return on Assets (ROA).
Proximal base stress fracture of the second metatarsal in a Highland dancer

A 15-year-old female Highland dancer presented to the accident and emergency department with an ankle inversion injury on a background of several weeks of pain in the right foot. A radiograph of the right foot demonstrated a stress fracture at the base of the second metatarsal. She was treated conservatively with a below knee removable supportive walking boot with a rocker bottom sole. She re-presented to the accident and emergency department 3 weeks later with pins and needles in the right foot; she was given crutches to use along side the supportive walking boot. Radiographs 12 weeks after the first presentation showed healing of the stress fracture. The patient was now asymptomatic of the injury. She was unable to fully train for 12 weeks due to the injury. Conservative management was successful in this patient.
Long-Term Analysis of the Development of the Open ACS Community Framework

The OpenACS community framework is a mature software toolkit for developing online community platforms. Originally invented at a university, it has prospered due to a high commercial demand and major investments, and subsequently settled as an open source project. In this chapter, the authors extend a previous analysis of the evolution of this software framework and its surrounding community. This longterm analysis of fourteen years of the project’s evolution considers the commercial background of the members of the developer community (for-profit or non-profit), investigates the changing contribution and collaboration structures and the geographical distribution of the user community. The results reveal a continuous shift from new product development work by commercial developers to maintenance work by the open community and a relatively uniform and growing global distribution of users over the years. Michael Aram Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria Stefan Koch Bogazici University, Turkey Gustaf Neumann Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria Long-Term Analysis of the Development of the Open ACS Community Framework
Effect of naringenin on NaIO(3)-induced retinal pigment epithelium degeneration and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in rats.

AIM To study the effects of naringenin eye drops on NaIO(3)-induced retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in rat eyes. METHODS The 35mg/kg NaIO(3)-induced RPE degeneration was prevented by 10g/L naringenin eye drops 3 times a day for 7 days in advance of NaIO(3) injection, and then 2 to 4 weeks thereafter, RPE function was measured with C-wave of electroretinogram (ERG). The laser-induced CNV rats were treated with laser to break the Bruch's membrane and the CNV formation was prevented by 10g/L naringenin eye drops instilled 3 times a day for 2 to 4 weeks. The CNV formation was measured with fluorescein angiography (FA) and flat mount. RESULTS Two weeks after NaIO(3) injection, the amplitude of ERG C-wave fell markedly in NaIO(3) group to 53% of normal group (P<0.01). No apparent difference was observed in naringenin+NaIO(3) group. Four weeks later, the NaIO(3) group fell to 37% of normal group (P<0.01), while the naringenin+ NaIO(3) group fell to only 57% of normal group (P<0.01). There was a 52% reversal of the ERG C-wave by naringenin as compared to NaIO(3) treated group (P<0.05). Two weeks and four weeks after laser treatment, naringenin reduced the CNV formation to 53% and 49% of control group (100%) measured by FA (P<0.01). Four weeks after laser treatment, naringenin reduced the CNV formation by 47% as compared to control group measured with flat mount (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Naringenin can significantly protect RPE from NaIO(3) induced degeneration and also prevent CNV formation.
Genome-wide analysis of structural variants reveals genetic differences in Chinese pigs

Pigs have experienced long-term selections, resulting in dramatic phenotypic changes. Structural variants (SVs) are reported to exert extensive impacts on phenotypic changes. We built a high resolution and informative SV map based on high-depth sequencing data from 66 Chinese domestic and wild pigs. We inferred the SV formation mechanisms in the pig genome and used SVs as materials to perform a population-level analysis. We detected the selection signals on chromosome X for northern Chinese domestic pigs, as well as the differentiated loci across the whole genome. Analysis showed that these loci differ between southern and northern Chinese domestic pigs. Our results based on SVs provide new insights into genetic differences in Chinese pigs.
MECHANISMS OF AVIAN IMPRINTING: A REVIEW

Filial imprinting is the process through which early social preferences become restricted to a particular object or class of objects. Evidence is presented showing that filial preferences are formed not only as a result of learning through exposure to an object, but also under the influence of visual and auditory predispositions. The development of these predispositions is dependent upon certain non‐specific experience.
GLS: New class of generalized Legendre sequences with optimal arithmetic cross-correlation

The Legendre symbol has been used to construct sequences with ideal cross-correlation, but it was never used in the arithmetic cross-correlation. In this paper, a new class of generalized Legendre sequences are described and analyzed with respect to their period, distributional, arithmetic cross-correlation and distinctness properties. This analysis gives a new approach to study the connection between the Legendre symbol and the arithmetic cross-correlation. In the end of this paper, possible application of these sequences with optimal arithmetic cross-correlation is indicated.
Performance measurement: Establishing energy impacts of commercial new construction programs; A Pacific Northwest study. Final report

The commercial new construction market provides considerable opportunities for utility marketing initiatives. One object of many marketing initiatives is to influence the efficiency level and thus the energy consumption of various market segments. in an increasingly competitive energy industry, the commercial new construction market will be an excellent target for bundled energy services. Measuring the performance of commercial new construction programs, however, presents many unique challenges. This report describes a method to evaluate the effect of bundled services on energy consumption. The method integrates on-site surveys with engineering analysis statistically calibrated to billing data and employs efficiency choice modeling to assess the impacts from new construction marketing programs. Such capabilities will provide utilities with the information they need to improve their new construction marketing programs and thereby enhance their competitive advantage.
Practically Applying the Technology Acceptance Model in Information Systems Research

Explaining the factors that lead to use and acceptance of Information Technology (IT), both at individual and organizational levels, has been the focus of Information Systems (IS) researchers since the 1970s. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is known as such an explanatory model and has increasingly gained recognition due to its focus on theories of human behaviour. Although this model has faced some criticism in terms of not being able to fully explain the social-technical acceptance of technology, TAM is still known as one of the best IS methodologies that contribute greatly to explain IT/IS acceptance. It has been widely used in different areas of IS studies, such as e-commerce, e-business, multimedia, and mobile commerce. This chapter discusses, describes, and explains TAM as one of the well-known information system research models and attempts to demonstrate how this model can be customised and extended when applyied in practice in IS research projects. In order to illustrate this, the chapter presents and discussed two case studies, respectively, applying TAM in the areas of mobile banking and mobile campus in the UK. It is also proposed that comparing with the traditional questionnaire approach, mixed-methods designs (that contain both a quantitative and a qualitative component) can generate more meaningful and significant findings in IS studies that apply the TAM model. The practical guidance provided in this chapter is particularly useful and valuable to researchers, especially junior researchers and PhD students, who intend to apply TAM in their research. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2491-7.ch004
Wavetable Matching of Pitched Inharmonic Instrument Tones

Wavetable matching is the process of finding the parameters needed to resynthesize a musical instrument tone using wavetable synthesis. The most important parameters are the wavetable basis spectra. Previous wavetable matching has often assumed the original tone was harmonic or nearly harmonic. This assumption does not hold for instruments such as the plucked strings. A semiautomated process has recently been proposed to group the partials based on their normalized frequency deviations, and then match each group. However, the user must adjust the group size manually to find the best match. The method is also inefficient at matching harmonic instruments. A new method for hierarchically grouping partials with similar normalized frequency deviations is introduced. Ordinary wavetable matching then finds the basis spectra for individual groups. The new method is fully automatic and requires no prior knowledge about the inharmonicity of the tone. Results for 18 instrument tones show that the new method slightly improves the perceived match on harmonic tones and greatly improves the perceived match on pitched inharmonic tones.
What Scientists Who Study Emotion Agree About

In recent years, the field of emotion has grown enormously—recently, nearly 250 scientists were identified who are studying emotion. In this article, I report a survey of the field, which revealed high agreement about the evidence regarding the nature of emotion, supporting some of both Darwin’s and Wundt’s 19th century proposals. Topics where disagreements remain were also exposed.
Two-dimensional materials-deposited microfiber as highly-nonlinear photonic device for pulse shaping in a fiber laser

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as attractive mediums for fabricating versatile optoelectronic devices. Recently, it has been discovered that several types of 2D materials possess both the saturable absorption effect and large nonlinear refractive index, such as graphene, topological insulator (TI), and Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2). Taking advantage of the unique nonlinear optical properties of the 2D materials, we fabricated highly-nonlinear saturable absorption photonic devices by depositing the 2D materials onto the microfiber. In this talk, we review our recent results on the various types of soliton shaping in fiber lasers by using the microfiber-based 2D materials photonic devices [1-10]. It was found that the mode-locked soliton in fiber lasers could be easily shaped into different soliton patterns, i.e., harmonic mode-locking, dissipative soliton resonance, conventional/structural soliton molecules, localized chaotic multipulse and double-scale soliton clusters. Our findings indicate that the 2D materials-deposited microfiber could operate as a promising highly-nonlinear photonic device for the related nonlinear optics applications.
Role of the Left DLPFC in Endogenous Task Preparation: Experimental Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

The precise role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in attentional set activation is still not entirely clear. Hence, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be applied to interfere with neural processing to determine whether a specific brain area is required in task performance. In this study, the influence of one session of high-frequency (HF)-rTMS of the left DLPFC on a reaction task using visual and auditory trials was investigated. Participants were instructed to pay constant attention to the visual stimuli, and they were informed that distracting auditory stimuli could also appear. Participants had to respond to both stimuli. Results indicate that after one session of HF-rTMS of the left DLPFC, performance was improved for the primary task, but not for the distracters. Specifically, we found decreased response time for an endogenous component of attentional control which embodies the online representations of task-relevant information. To conclude, the current results highlight a specific role of the left DLPFC in actively preparing for a specific task in the presence of a distracting task.
Mutations in the N-terminal region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 matrix protein block intracellular transport of the Gag precursor

The matrix domain of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag polyprotein was studied for its role in virus assembly. Deletion and substitution mutations caused a dramatic reduction in virus production. Mutant Gag polyproteins were myristoylated and had a high affinity for membrane association. Immunofluorescence staining revealed a large accumulation of mutant Gag precursors in the cytoplasm, while wild-type Gag proteins were primarily associated with the cell surface membrane. These results suggest a defect in intracellular transport of the mutant Gag precursors. Thus, in addition to myristoylation, the N-terminal region of the matrix domain is involved in determining Gag protein transport to the plasma membrane. Wild-type Gag polyproteins interacted with and efficiently packaged mutant Gag into virions. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that intermolecular interaction of Gag polyproteins might occur in the cytoplasm prior to being transported to the assembly site on the plasma membrane.
Maximum Penetration Level of Micro-Grids in Large-Scale Power Systems: Frequency Stability Viewpoint

Reduction of overall system inertia in response to increasing penetration level of Micro-Grids (MGs) makes frequency control more challenging. In this paper, a new analytical approach to mathematically investigate the impact of Micro-Grids penetration level on power system frequency stability is proposed. The method interprets the frequency dynamic behavior of the penetrated system based on the conventional system in terms of minimum instantaneous frequency, steady state deviation and a 15-second rolling window. Then, new indices are proposed to determine the maximum allowable MGs penetration level. These indices are derived by adapting the developed analytical approach to the required standards regarding the aforementioned criteria. Each index determines an upper bound on reduction of system inertia, which, in turn specifies the associated maximum penetration level. The maximum value of the inertia constant related to the developed indices (whichever is the larger) determines the system maximum allowable penetration level. The effectiveness of the proposed analytical approach and indices is demonstrated on a 16-machine 68-bus system and the IEEE 50-machine systems. Simulation results for large-scale power systems with high stiffness reveal that based on the operating condition, one of the minimum instantaneous frequency or 15-second rolling window impose an upper bound on penetration level.
Developing Project Team Cohesiveness in a Virtual Environment

As more projects require the specialized technical skills of those who work in virtual environments due to dispersed geographic locations, project managers of these distributed virtual teams (DVT) must gain insight into achieving project success amongst team members who hold varying operational and world perspectives. When organizational managers decide to implement virtual teams (VT), can they develop strategies to overcome the lack of social interaction, cultural differences, and preconceived notions that can hinder the development of a collaborative and cohesive team? In addition, leading DVTs in a manner that encourages collaboration, diversity, competency building, open communication, and overcoming feelings of isolation must be met in this technology-based environment. This chapter addresses the dilemma of managers in which they must have a clear understanding of what communication and relationship-building techniques and management systems are best suited.
The Basic Science of Wound Healing

Summary: Understanding wound healing today involves much more than simply stating that there are three phases: “inflammation, proliferation, and maturation. ” Wound healing is a complex series of reactions and interactions among cells and “mediators. ” Each year, new mediators are discovered and our understanding of inflammatory mediators and cellular interactions grows. This article will attempt to provide a concise report of the current literature on wound healing by first reviewing the phases of wound healing followed by “the players” of wound healing: inflammatory mediators (cytokines, growth factors, proteases, eicosanoids, kinins, and more), nitric oxide, and the cellular elements. The discussion will end with a pictorial essay summarizing the wound-healing process.