Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Soil Electrical Conductivity to Precision Agriculture

Due in large measure to the prodigious research efforts of Rhoades and his colleagues at the George E. Brown, Jr., Salinity Laboratory over the past two decades, soil electrical conductivity (EC), measured using electrical resistivity and electromagnetic induction (EM), is among the most useful and easily obtained spatial properties of soil that influences crop productivity. As a result, soil EC has become one of the most frequently used measurements to characterize field variability for application to precision agriculture. The value of spatial measurements of soil EC to predsion agriculture is widely acknowledged, but soil EC is still often misunderstood and misinterpreted. To help clarify misconceptions, a general overview of the application of soil EC to precision agriculture is presented. The following areas are discussed with particular emphasis on spatial EC measurements: a brief history of the measurement of soil salinity with EC, the basic theories and principles of the soil EC measurement and what it actually measures, an overview of the measurement of soil salinity with various EC measurement techniques and equipment (specifically, electrical resistivity with the Wenner array and EM), examples of spatial EC surveys and their interpretation, applications and value of spatial measurements of soil EC to precision agriculture, and current and future developments. Precision agriculture is an outgrowth of technological developments, such as the soil EC measurement, which facilitate a spatial understanding of soil-water-plant relationships. The future of precision agriculture rests on the reliability, reproducibility, and understanding of these technologies.
Reduced Fertility in Patients' Families Is Consistent with the Sexual Selection Model of Schizophrenia and Schizotypy

Background Schizophrenia is a mental disorder marked by an evolutionarily puzzling combination of high heritability, reduced reproductive success, and a remarkably stable prevalence. Recently, it has been proposed that sexual selection may be crucially involved in the evolution of schizophrenia. In the sexual selection model (SSM) of schizophrenia and schizotypy, schizophrenia represents the negative extreme of a sexually selected indicator of genetic fitness and condition. Schizotypal personality traits are hypothesized to increase the sensitivity of the fitness indicator, thus conferring mating advantages on high-fitness individuals but increasing the risk of schizophrenia in low-fitness individuals; the advantages of successful schzotypy would be mediated by enhanced courtship-related traits such as verbal creativity. Thus, schizotypy-increasing alleles would be maintained by sexual selection, and could be selectively neutral or even beneficial, at least in some populations. However, most empirical studies find that the reduction in fertility experienced by schizophrenic patients is not compensated for by increased fertility in their unaffected relatives. This finding has been interpreted as indicating strong negative selection on schizotypy-increasing alleles, and providing evidence against sexual selection on schizotypy.
Les chimiothèques et le criblage virtuel

A prerequisite to any virtual screening is the definition of compound libraries to be screened. As we describe here, various sources are available. The selection of the proper library is usually project-dependent but at least as important as the screening method itself. This review details the main compound libraries that are available for virtual screening and guide the reader to the best possible selection according to its needs.
Parallel Matrix Computations.

Abstract : This project concerns the design and analysis of algorithms to be run in a processor-rich environment. We focus primarily on algorithms that require no global control and that can be run on systems with only local connections among processors. We investigate the properties of these algorithms both theoretically and experimentally. The experimental work is done on the ZMOB, a working parallel computer operated by the Laboratory for Parallel Computation of the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland. To give our work direction, we have focused on two areas: 1. Dense problems from numerical linear algebra; and 2. The iterative and direct solution of sparse linear systems. We discuss in this summary the ZMOB hardware and the research projects that we have pursued under this grant support.
SH2D1A and slam protein expression in human lymphocytes and derived cell lines

The gene defect responsible for the X‐linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is associated with an impaired control of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection. The gene has been recently identified and the encoded protein (designated SH2D1A, DSHP or SAP) was characterized. It is a 128 amino acid (aa) protein, containing a single Src homology 2 (SH2) domain. It interacts with signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) expressed on the surface of activated T and B cells. We show that activated T, but not activated B, cells express the SH2D1A protein. NK cells express the protein as well. Tumor lines originating from B, T or NK cells exhibited similar SH2D1A protein expression as the corresponding normal cells, with some notable exceptions. EBV‐carrying, tumor phenotype representative (type I), but not EBV‐carrying lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL)‐like (type III) or EBV‐negative Burkitt lymphoma (BL) lines expressed SH2D1A. The phenotypic switch from type I to type III in the EBV‐carrying BL line Mutu was associated with a down‐regulation of SH2D1A and up‐regulation of SLAM. In contrast to normal ex vivo and long‐term activated NK cells, 2 of 3 NK leukemia lines expressed SLAM. All 3 lines expressed SH2D1A, like their normal counterparts. Int. J. Cancer 88:439–447, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Transcriptome complexity in germ cells].

La complexite des transcriptomes Alors que l’information genomique est globalement identique dans toutes les cellules d’un individu, l’activation spatio-temporelle des differents genes caracterise les differents organes et les cellules qui les constituent. Ainsi, le transcriptome (c’est-a-dire l’ensemble des molecules d’ARN resultant de l’activite des genes exprimes) constitue une veritable signature et un lien cle entre genome et phenotype. L’avenement recent des nouvelles technologies de sequencage a haut-debit rend desormais accessible l’etude du transcriptome a l’echelle du genome dans son integralite en surpassant les principales limitations des techniques jusqu’alors utilisees. Une etude recente utilisant le sequencage d’ARN (RNAseq) a ainsi pu explorer l’etendue du transcriptome dans les tissus des organismes modeles que sont l’homme et la souris [1]. Muscle et foie presentent des transcriptomes relativement peu complexes car la majorite des transcrits proviennent de quelques genes fortement exprimes. Au contraire, rein, cerveau, et en particulier testicule, expriment un grand nombre de genes, mais a un niveau d’expression plus homogene. Tirant parti d’un large jeu de donnees publiees recemment par notre groupe [2], nous avons confirme la complexite du transcriptome dans le testicule chez de nombreuses especes couvrant toutes les principales lignees des mammiferes et des oiseaux (homme, macaque, souris, opossum, ornithorynque et poulet) [3]. En utilisant ces donnees de RNA-seq a large echelle, nous avons pu observer que les genes codant pour des proteines ne sont pas les seuls elements les plus abondamment transcrits dans ces tissus dits « complexes ». En effet, nous avons aussi pu identifier un grand nombre de transcrits multiexoniques jusqu’alors non annotes et ayant les caracteristiques des larges ARN non codants intergeniques (lincARN, potentiels regulateurs de l’expression des genes [4]), ainsi qu’un grand nombre d’elements intergeniques aussi preferentiellement transcrits dans ces tissus (Figure 1).
Effects of Injected Liquid Cattle Manure on Growth and Yield of Winter Wheat and Soil Characteristics

Liquid cattle (Bos taurus) manure should be applied to soils in such a manner that would improve soil fertility and crop production without causing salinity problems or increasing NO - 3 levels. This study investigated the influence of liquid cattle manure on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yecora) germination, growth, and nutrient utilization. Four treatments were applied in the same plots in a 4-yr field experiment with winter wheat: (i) application of 40 Mg ha -1 yr -1 liquid dairy cattle manure (wet weight basis) before sowing; (ii) single application of 120 and 26 kg ha -1 yr -1 N and P, respectively, as inorganic fertilizers before sowing; (iii) as in ii, but with split application of N, half the amount before sowing and the rest at tillering; and (iv) no fertilization. The biological evaluators used to compare the effect of the treatments were (i) number of seedlings per square meter at tillering for the first year only and (ii) dry biomass at heading and harvest; plant concentration and uptake of N, P, and K; and grain yield for every year of experimentation. The results showed that application of manure did not affect seed germination but resulted in a significant increase in dry biomass at the two growth stages and in grain yield and nutrient uptake, similar to the inorganic N and P fertilization. The amounts of soil available NO 3 -N and P were significantly increased while at the end of the field experiment, soil salinity, organic C, and total N levels remained unchanged.
The Herpes Simplex Virus US11 Protein Effectively Compensates for the γ134.5 Gene if Present before Activation of Protein Kinase R by Precluding Its Phosphorylation and That of the α Subunit of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 2

ABSTRACT In herpes simplex virus-infected cells, viral γ134. 5 protein blocks the shutoff of protein synthesis by activated protein kinase R (PKR) by directing the protein phosphatase 1α to dephosphorylate the α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF-2α). The amino acid sequence of the γ134. 5 protein which interacts with the phosphatase has high homology to a domain of the eukaryotic protein GADD34. A class of compensatory mutants characterized by a deletion which results in the juxtaposition of the α47 promoter next to US11, a γ2 (late) gene in wild-type virus-infected cells, has been described. In cells infected with these mutants, protein synthesis continues even in the absence of the γ134. 5 gene. In these cells, PKR is activated but eIF-2α is not phosphorylated, and the phosphatase is not redirected to dephosphorylate eIF-2α. We report the following: (i) in cells infected with these mutants, US11 protein was made early in infection; (ii) US11 protein bound PKR and was phosphorylated; (iii) in in vitro assays, US11 blocked the phosphorylation of eIF-2α by PKR activated by poly(I-C); and (iv) US11 was more effective if present in the reaction mixture during the activation of PKR than if added after PKR had been activated by poly(I-C). We conclude the following: (i) in cells infected with the compensatory mutants, US11 made early in infection binds to PKR and precludes the phosphorylation of eIF-2α, whereas US11 driven by its natural promoter and expressed late in infection is ineffective; and (ii) activation of PKR by double-stranded RNA is a common impediment countered by most viruses by different mechanisms. The γ134. 5 gene is not highly conserved among herpesviruses. A likely scenario is that acquisition by a progenitor of herpes simplex virus of a portion of the cellular GADD34 gene resulted in a more potent and reliable means of curbing the effects of activated PKR. US11 was retained as a γ2 gene because, like many viral proteins, it has multiple functions.
A plea for radar brightness

The radar reflectivity coefficient of a distributed scatterer, expressed either as /spl sigma//sup 0/ or /spl gamma/, depends on local incidence angle. Prior to incidence angle projection, the reflectivity coefficient may be called "radar brightness", denoted by "beta nought" /spl beta//sup 0/. In most practical situations, the local incidence angle is not known, so the image radiometrics cannot be corrected for it. It follows that /spl beta//sup 0/ is almost always the more appropriate radiometric attribute of radar imagery, whether calibrated or uncalibrated It is recommended that /spl sigma//sup 0/ (or /spl gamma/) be reserved for situations in which both the local terrain slope and the illumination incidence angles are known, and the image file has been adjusted to take both angles into account. Otherwise, radar brightness is correct, which should be adopted as the standard both as concept and as working terminology. This has been endorsed by the CEOS SAR Calibration Working Group. <<ETX>>
The Importance of the Nurse Cells and Regulatory Cells in the Control of T Lymphocyte Responses

T lymphocytes from the immune system are bone marrow-derived cells whose development and activities are carefully supervised by two sets of accessory cells. In the thymus, the immature young T lymphocytes are engulfed by epithelial “nurse cells” and retained in vacuoles, where most of them (95%) are negatively selected and removed when they have an incomplete development or express high affinity autoreactive receptors. The mature T lymphocytes that survive to this selection process leave the thymus and are controlled in the periphery by another subpopulation of accessory cells called “regulatory cells,” which reduce any excessive immune response and the risk of collateral injuries to healthy tissues. By different times and procedures, nurse cells and regulatory cells control both the development and the functions of T lymphocyte subpopulations. Disorders in the T lymphocytes development and migration have been observed in some parasitic diseases, which disrupt the thymic microenvironment of nurse cells. In other cases, parasites stimulate rather than depress the functions of regulatory T cells decreasing T-mediated host damages. This paper is a short review regarding some features of these accessory cells and their main interactions with T immature and mature lymphocytes. The modulatory role that neurotransmitters and hormones play in these interactions is also revised.
CAG repeat within the androgen receptor gene and incidence of surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia in U.S. physicians

CAG repeat length in exon 1 of the androgen receptor (AR) gene correlates inversely with transcriptional transactivation activity of the AR. Men with shorter AR CAG repeat lengths are at higher risk of prostate cancer. Because benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an androgen‐dependent condition, we examined the hypothesis that a shorter AR gene CAG repeat length increases the risk of developing of BPH.
Decreased HLA‐A expression in prostate cancer is associated with normal allele dosage in the majority of cases

A comparison has been made of the phenotypic expression of MHC class I antigens with the corresponding HLA‐A genotype in 15 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 34 cases of primary locally invasive prostatic carcinoma. Expression of class 1 protein, detected by immunocytochemistry, was partially or completely lost in approximately 90% of the tumours examined. Comparative genomic analysis of the β2 microglobulin (β2m) gene and 15 individual HLA‐A haplotypes using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based method demonstrated abnormal gene dosage in the minority of cases: homozygous deletion of the β2m locus was detected in one case and HLA‐A allele in two cases (HLA‐A1 and HLA‐A2, respectively), representing approximately 8% of the population studied. This first comparative study of gene dosage and expression of class 1 protein reported for prostate cancer reveals that deletion is not the cause of the partial or complete loss seen in the majority of cases. This raises the possibility, in the future, for novel selective immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies which stimulate a clinically significant re‐expression of class 1 protein and associated cytotoxic T‐cell response. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Screening of germline mutations in the CDK4, CDKN2C and TP53 genes in familial melanoma: A clinic‐based population study

Germline mutations within the CDKN2A gene, coding for the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p16, have been detected by screening in 8% of Swedish families with an inheritance of cutaneous melanoma (FMM) and dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS). Contrastingly, the closely related gene CDKN2B had no disease‐related mutations in these families. A majority of Swedish families with hereditary melanoma predisposition thus lack germline mutations in these cell cycle G1 checkpoint‐regulating genes. Additional genes with the potential to contribute to increased melanoma risk may code for related components of the cell cycle‐regulating machinery. The gene for cyclin‐dependent kinase 4, CDK4, has been found in mutated form in the germline from individuals belonging to 2 melanoma kindreds in the United States. The CDKN2C gene coding for the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor p18 is localized on 1p32, a region frequently involved in chromosomal changes in melanomas and other tumors. The TP53 suppressor gene, involved in cell cycle regulation and maintenance of genetic stability, is found mutated in the germline of patients with hereditary Li‐Fraumeni syndrome, leading to early onset of several human cancers, including melanoma. The present investigation reports the results of screening the 100 Swedish melanoma families for germline mutations in the CDK4, CDKN2C and TP53 genes. No disease‐related mutations were detected in the coding regions. A direct contribution of these genes to the hereditary risk for melanoma in members of Swedish melanoma kindreds therefore appears unlikely. Int. J. Cancer 78:13–15, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Maximization of fault detection in IC testing

A new era began in microelectronics with the advent of integrated circuit (IC) technology. With dramatic improvement of integration technology, the complexities of IC testing has increased and become much more acute. Fault simulation technique for maximization of fault detection in IC testing is presented in this paper. Experiments on ISCAS bench-mark circuits has been conducted and it has been shown that quality test pattern can be generated using proper seed for the pattern generator, which can significantly improve fault coverage and reduce the time in testing IC.
Performance of turbo-decoded product codes used in multilevel coding

A powerful coding scheme based on multilevel coding and using a product code on the first partitioning level is proposed. The multistage decoder takes advantage of the iterative decoding of the product code to achieve a high coding gain. This coding scheme is compared to the one using the product code in a pragmatic approach with a Gray mapping. Results show that in the range of high bit error rates (BER greater than 10/sup -7/, a product code having a high code rate (R>0.8) associated with a Gray mapping is the best solution. For high transmission rate applications, in which the required BER is lower than 10/sup -7/, multilevel coding with a turbo-decoded product code is the recommended solution.
A vibration damped flexible robot: identification and parameter optimization

Robots designed for very wide operating ranges or for heavy loads require taking the elastic deformations of the links into account. A model independent approach for damping the vibrations of flexible robots is the control concept of the virtual spring-damper, in which the actuators are controlled to act like spring-damper systems. With an identified substitution model for a flexible link it is possible to obtain an optimum parameter configuration of the spring-damper element so that the system's response is fast and no vibrations at the end effector occur. The optimization of these parameters follows by the exploration of the eigenvalues of the substitution model. Finally, experimental results are realized on a real flexible robot in the laboratory. The results are compared to a conventional P-controller.
Signaling by Neuronal Swelling

Physical changes associated with the electrical activity of neurons mediate intercellular signaling. Several physical phenomena accompany the firing of electrical impulses by axons. Some of these, such as the microscopic swelling of axons, alter the transmission of light through axons. This produces what are called “intrinsic optical signals” because optical methods can be used to see axons fire without adding voltage-sensitive dyes or using electronic amplifiers. These physical changes allow neurons tocommunicate through nonsynaptic signals to adjacent cells, such as other neurons or glia. Two of the three videos in this Teaching Resource show the optical manifestations of the microscopic swelling of axons that accompanies the firing of action potentials in cultured neurons, and one shows the nonsynaptic release of ATP that occurs through membrane channels that are stimulated by neuronal swelling.
eterioration of the circadian variation of heart rate variability in rugada syndrome may contribute to the pathogenesis of ventricular brillation

Aims: Abnormal sympathetic innervation triggers ventricular fibrillation (VF). We examined the circadian variation of autonomic nervous system and its relevance to risk stratification of VF in patients with Brugada syndrome (Brs). Methods: We enrolled 12 male Brs patients with documented VF (Brs-S; mean age, 42 ± 4 years), 17 without documented VF (Brs-N; mean age 48 ± 4 years), and 16 ageand gender-matched controls. The clinical data, 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), signal-averaged ECG, electrophysiological study (EPS), and heart rate variability from 24 h Holter ECG were compared between the groups. Results: The low frequency components (LF) in Brs-S and Brs-N and high frequency components (HF) in Brs-S patients were significantly lower than in the controls (409.8 ± 128.6 ms2, 329.5 ± 108 ms2 vs. 945.3 ± 111.3 ms2; 135.1 ± 73.8 ms2 vs. 391.8 ± 63.9 ms2, respectively). The circadian variation of the LF 2 and LF/HF decreased in the Brs patients, the standard deviation (SD) of LF/HF (<2.5) and SD of LF (<400 ms ) had sufficiently high sensitivity (96.6%) and specificity (92.9%) for the diagnosis of Brs. Most of the Brs-S patients (83.3%) were located under the line formed by the SD/mean of HF = SD/mean of LF in the scatter plots. Conclusion: Lack of the circadian variation of autonomic function occurs in Brs, and this may contribute to the pathogenesis of VF. © 2013 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Distributed Accountability for Data Sharing in Cloud

Cloud computing is a technology, which uses internet and remote servers to stored data and application. Cloud computing provides on demand services. Multiple users want to do business of their data using cloud but they get fear to losing their data. While data owner will store his/her data on cloud , he must get confirmation that his/her data is safe on cloud. To solve above problem in this paper we provide effective mechanism to track usage of data using accountability. Accountability is checking of authorization policies and it is important for transparent data access. We provide automatic logging mechanisms using JAR programming which improves security and privacy of data in cloud. Using this mechanism data owner may know his/her data is handled as per his requirement or service level agreement.