Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overproduction, Purification and Refolding of codon-optimized Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Subgenotype B3 in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects human and causes chronic liver infection, leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV X (Hbx) protein is known to interact with tumor suppressor protein p53 and block its translocation into the nucleus. This study outlines the overproduction of Hbx protein from HBV subgenotype B3 in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), including its purification and refolding. The gene encoding Hbx was first codon-optimized and inserted into pET16b. The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) as an expression host. Optimization of Hbx expression was performed with variation of IPTG concentration and overproduction temperature. The results showed that Hbx protein was optimally induced by 0.075 mM IPTG and overproduction of Hbx at 17, 25, and 37°C exhibited no difference in protein level and location. The optimal refolding of Hbx was obtained using 0.1 M arginine prior to elution from Nickel column using 100 mM imidazole and 0.25 M arginine. Hbx migrates differently in SDS-PAGE reducing and non-reducing, while the melting curve pattern in TSA analysis changed after the refolding step. Essentially, this purified Hbx protein could potentially be used for interaction study with p53 and the inhibitor candidate of the protein.
Alluvial fan aggradation in low relief, humid‐temperate landscapes, Uwharrie National Forest, North Carolina Piedmont

We describe the soils, stratigraphy, distribution and ages of alluvial fans in the North Carolina Piedmont to understand factors contributing to their formation in this low relief, humid‐temperate setting. We find that those contributing factors (i.e., contributing source basin area and rock type; and climate) parallel, but do not precisely mimic those of arid and semi‐arid climate fans. Digital elevation model (DEM) and field observations revealed that about 25% of 209 mapped basin outlets contain alluvial fans. Fans are all < 0.01 km2 in area, with a contributing basin area threshold of ~0.1km2 above which fans are not commonly observed. Fans issuing from basins underlain by more easily weatherable and erodible argillites are generally larger than those that contain more resistant rhyolites. Radiocarbon dates of fan sediments are dominantly late Holocene (13 ages < 3000 ka; two ages between 7000–10,000 ka), with notably no late‐Pleistocene aged fans. We thus infer that fan aggradation is predicated on watershed characteristics – and climates – that favor high sediment supply to discharge ratios. Detailed soil and sediment descriptions from pits located on 15 fans reveal that approximately half exhibit cumulic over‐thickened soil profiles forming dominantly in sheetflood deposits, providing evidence of ongoing, relatively slow deposition. Low iron ratios measured from those fan soils suggests recycling of more developed soils from basin hillslopes. Occasional matrix‐supported debris flow deposits in some fans provide evidence of much less common, rapid (0.5–1 m) fan accumulation. While acknowledging a paucity of detailed climate records in the Piedmont precludes identifying precise mechanistic relationships, our mapping, soils and sedimentologic data suggest that climates favoring modest hillslope erosion without extreme runoff lead to periods of fan aggradation in this transport‐limited landscape. Overall, this work documents significant rock‐type modulated, climate‐driven Holocene landscape evolution in the south‐eastern US Piedmont predating legacy sediment erosion and deposition that has gone largely underappreciated.
Factors Related to Exclusion in the U.S. Army

The promotion of inclusion in the U.S. Army requires an understanding of how and why exclusion occurs. As exclusion can have deleterious impacts at both and individual and organizational level, reducing exclusive behaviors can have positive effects on Soldiers and the Army. To explore exclusion in the Army, 19 focus groups were conducted with 120 active-duty enlisted Soldiers. Two rounds of thematic analysis revealed four themes related to exclusion. Participants indicated exclusion to be often based on low or bad performance, personality factors that were identified as different or toxic, cliques within the Army unwilling to welcome others, and gender, with both men and women identifying exclusionary behaviors toward women within and outside of the work environment. Research findings offer insight into how and why exclusion occurs and how such behaviors can be addressed in the U.S. Army including training and addressing cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion.
Multi‐agent control in modular motor drives by means of gossip consensus

A modular motor drive (MMD) can be considered as a multi ‐ agent system, in which the agents work together to reach a common goal. One agent in such an MMD comprises only a subset of the concentrated windings and power electronic converter modules and is equipped with an independent controller. The goal of this research is to let the agents cooperate to distribute a torque demand among them in a completely decentralised way, in order to comply with the flexibility and reliability of modular motor drives. However, the current condition of each agent must still be taken into account during this torque allocation. To limit the communication load, only communication between neighbouring agents is allowed. The combination of a gossip consensus algorithm and multiple decentralised PI current controllers is used for this purpose. Simulations and experimental results on a modular axial ‐ flux permanent magnet synchronous machine consisting of five agents confirm that the total torque demand is delivered under the proposed control strategy, even during agent malfunctions, under random communication link failures and with non ‐ identical agents.
Analysis on the Identification of Doubly Fed Induction Generator

We focus on the parameter identification of doubly fed induction generator(DFIG) based wind turbine generator(WTG). Firstly,the trajectory sensitivity analysis is used to make judgments about the identifiability of parameters.If the phases of sensitivity curves are not the same or reverse,the parameters are uniquely identifiable.By this theory,we find that the stator reactance and rotor reactance cannot be simultaneously identified,but the other parameters are uniquely identifiable.Secondly,the difficulty of identification which means the possibility of obtaining the accurate values of the parameters from the measurement data is analyzed.A parameter is easy to be identified if the sensitivities of both time-domain and frequency-domain are high.A parameter which has a high value only in the low frequency area of the frequency-domain sensitivity curve is relatively easy to be identified.It is found that the stator reactance,rotor reactance,and exciting reactance are easy to be identified;the stator resistance and rotor resistance are relatively easy to be identified;the inertial constant is difficult to be identified.According to the analysis of identifiability and the difficulty of identification,four key parameters including the stator resistance,stator reactance,exciting reactance,and rotor resistance are decided to be identified.Then,an ant colony optimization algorithm based identification method is designed.Finally,the correctness of the analysis and the efficiency of the identification method are validated by the simulation results obtained in Matlab/Simulink environment.
Multi-Stage Feature Enhancement Pyramid Network for Detecting Objects in Optical Remote Sensing Images

The intelligent detection of objects in remote sensing images has gradually become a research hotspot for experts from various countries, among which optical remote sensing images are considered to be the most important because of the rich feature information, such as the shape, texture and color, that they contain. Optical remote sensing image target detection is an important method for accomplishing tasks, such as land use, urban planning, traffic guidance, military monitoring and maritime rescue. In this paper, a multi stages feature pyramid network, namely the Multi-stage Feature Enhancement Pyramid Network (Multi-stage FEPN), is proposed, which can effectively solve the problems of blurring of small-scale targets and large scale variations of targets detected in optical remote sensing images. The Content-Aware Feature Up-Sampling (CAFUS) and Feature Enhancement Module (FEM) used in the network can perfectly solve the problem of fusion of adjacent-stages feature maps. Compared with several representative frameworks, the Multi-stage FEPN performs better in a range of common detection metrics, such as model accuracy and detection accuracy. The mAP reaches 0.9124, and the top-1 detection accuracy reaches 0.921 on NWPU VHR-10. The results demonstrate that Multi-stage FEPN provides a new solution for the intelligent detection of targets in optical remote sensing images.
Learning in Sequential Bilevel Linear Programming

We consider a framework for sequential bilevel linear programming in which a leader and a follower interact over multiple time periods. In each period, the follower observes the actions taken by the leader and reacts optimally, according to the follower’s own objective function, which is initially unknown to the leader. By observing various forms of information feedback from the follower’s actions, the leader is able to refine the leader’s knowledge about the follower’s objective function and, hence, adjust the leader’s actions at subsequent time periods, which ought to help in maximizing the leader’s cumulative benefit. We show that greedy and robust policies adapted from previous work in the max-min (symmetric) setting might fail to recover the optimal full-information solution to the problem (i.e., a solution implemented by an oracle with complete prior knowledge of the follower’s objective function) in the asymmetric case. In contrast, we present a family of greedy and best-case policies that are able to recover the full-information optimal solution and also provide real-time certificates of optimality. In addition, we show that the proposed policies can be computed by solving a series of linear mixed-integer programs. We test policy performance through exhaustive numerical experiments in the context of asymmetric shortest path interdiction, considering various forms of feedback and several benchmark policies.
Using discarded oyster shells to obtain biodiesel

Objective: To evaluate the CaO made from oyster shell (C. virginica) as a heterogeneous catalyst in the transesterification of edible vegetable oil used for the production of biodiesel. Design / methodology / approach: A completely randomized experimental design was used, which grouped 3 treatments with 3 repetitions, generating a total of 9 experimental units. The response variable was the performance of the transesterification reaction that was evaluated with 2%, 3% and 4% of CaO obtained from oyster shells. The density, kinematic viscosity, acidity, and conversion efficiency to methyl esters were determined by 1H NMR of the products of each treatment. Results: The treatment with 3% catalyst showed the highest reaction yield (92.2%) compared to the treatments with 2% (86.8%) and 4% catalyst (87.13%). The 1H NMR spectra confirmed the presence of methyl esters in the product of the three treatments. The treatment with 3% and 4% by weight of catalyst presented products with similar characteristics with acceptable values ​​of density, viscosity and acid number in accordance with the ASTM D6751 and EN1421 standards. Study limitations / implications: A concentration of 2% by weight of CaO generates a conversion percentage far from the content of methyl esters established by the ASTM D6751 and EN14214 Standards (> 96.5%). Findings / conclusions: 1H NMR results indicate that the conversion efficiency to methyl esters is positively affected by the amount of catalyst. In the treatments with catalyst loading greater than 2%, the conversion to methyl esters increased significantly to values ​​around 90%.
Evaluation of a Binary Classification Approach to Detect Herbage Scarcity Based on Behavioral Responses of Grazing Dairy Cows

In precision grazing, pasture allocation decisions are made continuously to ensure demand-based feed allowance and efficient grassland utilization. The aim of this study was to evaluate existing prediction models that determine feed scarcity based on changes in dairy cow behavior. During a practice-oriented experiment, two groups of 10 cows each grazed separate paddocks in half-days in six six-day grazing cycles. The allocated grazing areas provided 20% less feed than the total dry matter requirement of the animals for each entire grazing cycle. All cows were equipped with noseband sensors and pedometers to record their head, jaw, and leg activity. Eight behavioral variables were used to classify herbage sufficiency or scarcity using a generalized linear model and a random forest model. Both predictions were compared to two individual-animal and day-specific reference indicators for feed scarcity: reduced milk yields and rumen fill scores that undercut normal variation. The predictive performance of the models was low. The two behavioral variables “daily rumination chews” and “bite frequency” were confirmed as suitable predictors, the latter being particularly sensitive when new feed allocation is present in the grazing set-up within 24 h. Important aspects were identified to be considered if the modeling approach is to be followed up.
Study of working mechanism and bearing capacity behavior of bucket foundation for offshore wind turbine

Compared with traditional offshore foundation structure,bucket foundations which are large cylindrical structures open at the base and close at the top may realize economical advantages over traditional driven piles due to the speed of installation,elimination of the pile driving process,and reduction in quantities and material costs.Though bucket foundation is a new foundation type for offshore wind turbine,there have no standards for bucket foundation designing up to now.In designing the bucket foundation,the simplified limit equilibrium method is usually adopted,in which the soil inside the bucket and the skirt of the bucket are assumed to form a whole foundation.But this method cannot reflect the working mechanism of the internal soil.Based on a foundation of offshore wind turbine in Fujian,adopting the finite element software ABAQUS,the three-dimensional numerical analysis is performed to simulate the working mechanism and evaluate the bearing capacity behavior of bucket foundation.According to the bearing capacity of offshore wind turbine,the simplified model and models with or without compartments are established with the considering of the compartments effect.According to calculation results,the bearing characteristic of the bucket foundation is different from the simplified limit equilibrium method that the internal soil of the foundation yields first in the loading process.The difference leads the simplified limit equilibrium method will over estimate the bearing capacity of bucket foundation.In addition,the error of the bearing capacity calculated by the simplified limit equilibrium method is estimated.The suggestion about the bearing capacity of bucket foundation has reference value to project designer.
Analisis Determinan Faktor Struktur Modal Di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2016-2019

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis pengaruh profitabilitas, struktur aset, pertumbuhan perusahaan, ukuran perusahaan terhadap struktur modal. Untuk maksud tujuan tersebut objek penelitian dilakukan pada perusahaan perkebunan kelapa sawit yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2016-2019. Berdasarkan kriteria sampel yang ada diperoleh 11 perusahaan yang memenuhi kriteria yaitu perusahaan tersebut menyajikan laporan keuangan lengkap periode penelitian. Alat pengukuran penelitian yang digunakan adalah analisis regresi linier berganda karena mempunyai kemampuan dapat memprediksi pengaruh variabel bebas terhadap variabel terikat. Hasil penelitian diperoleh kesimpulan bahwa variabel profitabilitas, struktur aset dan pertumbuhan perusahaan memiliki pengaruh dan signifikan terhadap struktur modal sedangkan variabel ukuran perusahaan tidak memiliki pengaruh terhadap struktur modal. Secara simultan keempat variable tersebut mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat mencapai 60,6% terhadap struktur modal. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode analisis regresi linier berganda yaitu penelitian dilakukan untuk mengetahui pengaruh satu atau lebih variabel terhadap variabel tertentu yang merupakan sebab akibat
A simple method to characterize the impedance of pyroelectric materials at ultra-low frequencies

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate a new simple stand-alone method of characterizing the impedance of a pyroelectric cell. This method utilizes a pyroelectric single pole low-pass filter technique. Utilizing the properties of a pyroelectric single pole low-pass filter technique, a known input voltage is applied and using simple equations, capacitance Cp and resistance Rp at a frequency range of 1 mHz to 1 Hz can be calculated. For verification purposes, an LCR meter and an impedance analyzer were exploited at 10 and 100 Hz, respectively. Results showed that Rp values for two materials, lead zirconate titanate-5A and polyvinylidene difluoride, were within 8%, and Cp values were within 7.5%. In addition, to verify the importance of the impedance values in energy harvesting applications, output power was measured with varying impedance values. The optimal load resistances for polyvinylidene difluoride and lead zirconate titanate-5A were consistent with the measured pyroelectric impedance at the particular heat range with 10.9% and 1.4%, respectively. The pyroelectric single pole low-pass filter method presented here demonstrates that for pyroelectric materials the impedance depends on two major factors: (1) average working temperature and (2) the heating rate. Neglecting these two factors can result in inefficient and unpredictable behavior of pyroelectric materials when used in energy harvesting applications.
Liquidity risk and bank financial performance: an application of system GMM approach

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of liquidity risk on deposit money banks’ (DMBs) performance in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study also tests the interaction effect of liquidity risk and nonperforming loans on the performance of DMBs’ in Sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a two-step system generalized method of moment to test the influence of liquidity risk on DMBs’ performance in Sub-Saharan Africa. A sample of 50 listed banks across six Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, were used. The bank performance proxy used are return on asset and return on equity, while net interest margin is used for robustness check. Findings The study’s findings reveal a significant and negative association between liquidity risk and bank performance. Moreover, the relationship between the nonperforming loan and bank performance is negative and significant. Furthermore, the interaction effect of liquidity risk and nonperforming loans on bank performance is found to be significantly negative for the two proxies of bank performance. The result is robust for the alternative bank performance measurements and econometric model, which adequately addresses endogeneity tendency. Originality/value To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is one of the earliest empirical studies that examine the effect of liquidity risk on DMBs’ performance across Sub-Saharan African countries. This study further differs from previous studies with the interaction term of liquidity risk and nonperforming loan included in the model.
Autoimmune Hepatitis, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Cirrhosis May be More Predisposed to the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background. The effect of cirrhosis etiology on the development of HCC is unclear. The study of the main indicators of cell proliferation and also apoptosis in cirrhotic patients with different etiologies may declare which one of the cirrhosis etiologies more predispose to the development of HCC. The present study aimed to investigate the gene expression of p53, hepatic levels of AMPK and pAMPK, and the AgNOR features in cirrhotic livers with different etiologies and livers with simple steatosis. Methods. AMPK and pAMPK protein levels, p53 gene expression, and also AgNOR features were studied in livers with NASH(n=8), HBV/HCV(n=8), AIH(n=8), PSC(n=8), and alcohol(n=6) cirrhosis, 10 livers with simple steatosis, and 10 control using the western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and silver nitrate staining analyses, respectively. Results. The protein levels of AMPK and pAMPK were significantly increased in all cirrhotic groups and were slightly but not significant decreased in livers with simple steatosis. The mRNA level of p53 and AgNOR features including total AgNOR number(TAN), total AgNOR length(TAL), and total AgNOR area(TAA) were significantly increased only in tissues with NASH, PSC, and AIH cirrhosis and a significant positive correlations were observed between the mRNA level of p53 and the AgNOR features in all cirrhotic tissues. Conclusions. The increased levels of AMPK and pAMPK could be a general response to the most common causes of liver diseases. Likely, patients with AIH, PSC, and NASH cirrhosis predispose to the development of HCC more than patients with viral and alcoholic cirrhosis.
HOXA11-AS1 promotes PD-L1 mediated immune escape and metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma by facilitating the association of PTBP1 with FOSL1

Background The metastatic characteristics of hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) led to many diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The identification of functional long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) would contribute to investigate effective strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of HSCC. Methods Research was carried out in HSCC tissues and cells. RT-qPCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assay were used to detect the related gene expression. Flow cytometry was used to measure the percentage of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays were performed to analyze the functional role of HOXA11-AS1. The targeted relationship of FOSL1/PD-L1 promoter was measured by ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assays. RNA pull-down and RIP assays were used to measure the interaction between HOXA11-AS1, FOSL1 and PTBP1. Tumor xenograft study was used to analyze the function of HOXA11-AS1 in vivo. Results HOXA11-AS1, PD-L1 and FOSL1 were up-regulated in HSCC, and HOXA11-AS1 was positively correlated with PD-L1. HOXA11-AS1 knockdown upregulated CD8+T cells and the concentration of IFN-γ, while decreased the proliferation, migration and invasion of HSCC cells. FOSL1 bound to PD-L1 promoter and increased its expression. HOXA11-AS1 enhanced the stability of FOSL1 mRNA by binding to PTBP1. Overexpression of HOXA11-AS1 or PTBP1 increased the expression of FOSL1 and PD-L1. Knockdown of PTBP1 blocked the enhancement of HOXA11-AS1 overexpression on FOSL1 and PD-L1 levels. Knockdown of PD-L1 arrested the inhibiting function of HOXA11-AS1 overexpression on CD8+ T cells content, and the promoting effect on cell proliferation and metastasis. Knockdown of HOXA11-AS1 inhibited the immune escape and metastasis through regulating PD-L1 by down-regulating FOSL1 in vivo. Conclusion HOXA11-AS1 promoted PD-L1 expression through up-regulating FOSL1 levels by PTBP1, thereby facilitating the immune escape, proliferation and metastasis of HSCC cells.