Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agrobacterium Tumefaciens-mediated T-DNA Insertional Mutagenesis of Fusarium Oxysporum

BackgroundFusarium species are important pathogenic organisms, which can cause many diseases in plants and humans. Characterizing the mechanism underlying their pathogenicity and drug resistance is critical. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation has been widely used for the molecular analysis of many species. ResultsIn this study, we constructed the pXEN recombinant plasmid carrying the neomycin phosphatase II gene (neo) and established a simple and efficient procedure for the transformation of resistant Fusarium oxysporum mediated by A. tumefaciens. The transformation efficiency was as high as 250 mutants per 104 conidia. A total of 1,450 stably transformed mutants were generated, resulting in a small-scale library of F. oxysporum mutants containing T-DNA tags. Some of the mutants exhibited phenotypic changes in growth, metabolism, and development. Additionally, the sequences flanking the inserted T-DNA were obtained by touchdown-TAIL PCR, the insertion sites and genes associated with the phenotypic changes could be determined.ConclusionsThe developed method may enable to analyze gene functions and study biological characteristics, which will lay the foundation for future analyses of the mechanism underlying F. oxysporum pathogenicity and resistance. Furthermore, it may be applicable to investigations of other important pathogenic fungi.
Longitudinal Driving Behavior with Integrated Crash-Warning System

This study created the most extensive set of naturalistic data that has ever been gathered on the following behavior of drivers when interacting with a forward crash-warning system. For the purposes of this paper, data from the naturalistic driving study of the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System (IVBSS) program were used. IVBSS data collected from a total of 108 drivers, representing 81,163 steady state following events and 20,096 forward conflict events were extracted and compared. Drivers were from three age groups (younger, middle-aged, and older) and balanced between two gender groups. Three objective measures were used in this study: mean time headway, minimum time to collision, and proportion of time drivers spent in time headway of 1 s or less. Drivers used the research vehicles for 40 days, with the system not activated for the first 12 days and activated for the following 28 days. A linear mixed model was used for the data analysis. Results of this study show that drivers have a tendency to follow more closely when the warning system is activated. It is recommended that a visual display for feedback on real-time safe following distance may help drivers keep a safer distance. This study also observed age-related self-regulation behavior when other vehicles were being followed and showed that older drivers tended to follow farther away from the leading vehicle.
Analysis of Saponin Mixtures from Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) Roots using Mass Spectrometry with MALDI Techniques

This model study demonstrates the value of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) MS in global analysis of mixtures of saponin isolates. Unfractionated saponin extract derived from alfalfa [Medicago sativa L. ] roots was analyzed. In addition, a few saponin fractions that were purified from the same extract by a series of chromatographic steps were also studied. MALDI mass spectrometry utilized TOF, TOF/TOF and QqTOF analyzers. Low-resolution fingerprints of the mixture characterized the sample in terms of a minimal number of distinct saponin components. The main species observed under MALDI-TOF and oMaldi-QqTOF MS positive ion mode conditions were sodiated pseudomolecular ions [M+Na]+. No protonated molecular ions [M+H]+ were detected. The MS/MS spectra acquired on [M+Na]+ precursor ions under conditions of collision induced dissociation (CID) were dominated by cleavages at glycosidic bonds. Product ions representing free aglycones were either absent or present at low intensities and were never observed for structures carrying an oligosaccharide bound to a sapogenin at the C3-O-position. In general, product ion series generated from CID fragmentation of glycans bound via an ether bond (e.g., C3-O-position in medicagenic acid) were consistent with the gas phase cleavages of each of the glycosidic bonds within the oligosaccharide, thus revealing the primary structure. In contrast, glycans bound via an ester bond (e.g., C28-O-position in MA) were released as intact sodiated species. A total of 78 pseudomolecular ions demonstrating signal-to-noise ratios above 5 were observed in the MALDI-TOF mass spectrum of unfractionated root extract from M. sativa. Molecular masses of 52 out of 78 were consistent with at least one known or novel saponin structure, with 10 of those 52 likely representing doubly sodiated saponin species. Calculated masses of the majority of the known M. sativa saponin structures were matched to experimental pseudomolecular ion masses. MS/MS analysis of unfractionated extract allowed us to propose putative structures for 51 saponins: 15 of these corresponded to the known M. sativa species, 8 to other Medicago genus species and 26 were not reported before for Medicago genus. We submit that the approach described here might serve as a high throughput strategy for evaluating effects of stressors or genetic manipulation on the overall composition of the saponin content of an organism.
From collegial engagement to perfomance management : the changing academic landscape in Australia

The introduction of performance appraisal (PA) in Australian universities in the 1990s was an attempt to make academics more accountable and, in so doing, improve efficiency in the higher education sector. Since PA was introduced in academia there has been a paucity of research into its efficacy. What began as a simple process has now evolved to become part of a wider approach to managing human resources, namely performance management. The aim of this research is to determine how universities implement their performance management (PM) systems from a strategic and operational perspective.
A design of analog VDD generator for passive UHF RFID Tag in 90 nm CMOS

This paper introduces a VDD generator for the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) passive Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, consisting of an RF-limiter, an NMOS rectifier, a DC-limiter, and a regulator. The proposed NMOS rectifier utilizes diode-connected native NMOS transistors with ultralow-threshold voltage instead of Schottky diodes. The theoretical equations for predicting the performance of the VDD generator are provided and verified by both simulation results in 90 nm CMOS process. The proposed VDD generator generates a 1.19-V stable output voltage with low-power dissipation and a 26.96% larger power conversion efficiency under conditions of 50 Ω antenna, 900 MHz, −23 dBm input power and 1 M DC output load. The chip area of the proposed VDD generator is only 105 × 85 μm. The simulation results indicated that the presented novel VDD generator is capable to provide efficient, stable, and input-independent power supply for Passive UHF RFID tag
Laser splicing of end caps: process requirements in high power laser applications

High power fiber laser assemblies require monolithic joining technologies for low loss, mechanically stable and reliable spliced component interconnection. In contrast to conventional heat sources for splicing a carbon dioxide laser heats optical fibers and end caps only by radiation. The advantages of laser heating, e.g. precisely defined areas of laser impact and high process purity, meet the goals for high power applications. Requirements and challenges like tensile strength, centricity and reproducibility while using the splicing technology for a production line will be shown on behalf of a special developed CO2 laser splicing device, splicing experiments and respective results.
Aerodynamic Design of a Flying Wing Using Response Surface Methodology

The design of a subsonic e ying wing with maximized lift is considered. A novel method of surface generation, known as the partial differential equation (PDE) method, is used to parameterize the e ying wing. Because this method is able to parameterize complex geometries in terms of a small number of shape parameters, the computational costs that are normally associated with optimal aerodynamic design are dramatically reduced. The lift data, which are estimated using a low-order potential e ow panel method, are subject to numerical noise and yield, therefore, a design space that contains many spurious noise-induced local maxima. Standard methods of local optimization are severely hampered by this noise and may converge prematurely in nonoptimal plateau regions where the variation of the lift is small relative to that of the noise. To combat this inefe ciency, techniques from response surface methodology (RSM) are used to construct smooth analytic approximations of the noisy lift data, which can be optimized successfully. This combination of the PDE method and RSM results in a design approach that is both efe cient and robust. Three e ying-wing design problems areinvestigated, and the results are presented.
Sensory evaluation of cheddar cheese: the relation of sensory properties to perception of maturity

Twelve commercial samples of cheddar cheese were characterized by a sensory panel comprising 24 highly experienced judges. The cheeses represented normal cheddar cheese readily available to the consumer and ranged in labelled maturity from mild to extra-mature. Sensory data were collected by Quantitative Descriptive Analysis in such a way that carryover and order of tasting effects were defined. Statistical analysis for 23 separate sensory attributes estimated sample effects using the Residual Maximum Likelihood technique. Simplification of the results was then achieved by multivariate analysis. The panel's perception of maturity did not always agree with that implied by the label. However, it was shown that perceived maturity was closely associated with the intensity of cheddar flavour and with mouth-coating character. A number of secondary associations were also noted.
Preparation of Quercetin-Ni+2 Metal-Complexing Imprinted Polymer and its Recognition Performance Evaluation

Using the complex of quercetin and Ni+2 (quercetin-Ni+2) as template (quercetin is a kind of flavonoids which are important active ingredients of Chinese herbs.), methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, metal-complexing template polymer has been prepared in the mixed solution of methanol and tetrahydrofuran by molecular imprinting technique. The coordination structure and complex ratio between quercetin and Ni+2 were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, and the ternary complexation of quercetin, Ni+2 and methacrylic acid was verified by similar methods. Selective adsorption experiments for substrates indicated that compared with quercetin’s structural analogs (baicalein and baringenin), quercetin-Ni+2 template polymer prepared with appropriate amount of cross-linker exhibited significant adsorption selectivity for quercetin in the presence of Ni+2. The separation factors were 3.915 and 5.443 respectively, which also showed that adsorption capacity was greatly influenced by the amount of cross-linker.
Decision making in the presence of complex dynamics from limited, batch data

Robot decision making in real-world domains can be extremely difficult when the robot has to interact with a complex, poorly understood environment. In these environments, a data-driven approach is commonly taken where a model is first learned and then used for decision making since expert knowledge is rarely sufficient for specifying the world’s dynamics. Unfortunately, learning a model for a complex environment often involves fitting a large number of parameters which can require an unobtainable amount of data. In real-world domains we are also typically confronted with fitting a model that is only an approximation of the true dynamics, causing difficulties for standard learning approaches. In this thesis we explore two core methodologies for learning a model for decision making in the presence of complex dynamics: explicitly selecting the model which achieves the highest estimated performance and allowing the model class to grow as more data is seen. We show that our approach for explicitly selecting the model with the highest estimated performance has desirable theoretical properties and outperforms standard minimum error fitting techniques on benchmark and real-world problems. To grow the size of model class with the amount of data, we first show how this can be accomplished by using Bayesian nonparametric statistics to model the dynamics, which can then be used for planning. We then present an alternative approach which grows the policy class using the principle of structural risk minimization, for which the resulting algorithm has provable performance bounds with weak assumptions on the true world’s dynamics.
Isolation between GSM/DCS and WLAN antennas in a PDA phone

The isolation performances of GSM/DCS and WLAN antennas embedded in a PDA phone for cellular/WLAN dual‐network operations are studied. The two (GSM/DCS and WLAN) antennas are printed PIFAs with compact sizes and are mounted perpendicularly along the boundary of the system circuit board in order to perform as internal antennas for the PDA phone. It is found that the isolation between the two antennas is greatly dependent on their relative position inside the PDA phone. The measured and simulated results are presented, and the isolation performances are analyzed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 45: 347–352, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20820
Model predictive control for autonomous unmanned helicopters

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of controlling a small‐scale helicopter by using the model predictive control (MPC) method.Design/methodology/approach – The MPC control synthesis is employed by considering five linear models representing the flight of a small‐scale helicopter from hover to high‐speed cruise. The internal model principle is employed for the trajectory tracking design.Findings – It is found that the MPC handles well the transition problems between the models, yields satisfactory tracking control performance and produces a suitable control signal. The performance of the tracking control of the helicopter is considerably influenced by the parameter selection in the states and inputs weighting matrices of the MPC. Simulation results also showed that faster dynamics, coupling problems, input and output constraints and changing linearized multi‐inputs multi‐outputs dynamics models in the small‐scale helicopter can be handled simultaneously by the MPC control.
A New Vibration Source Number Estimation Method Based on FFT

A new vibration source number estimation method based on Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) is proposed. The frequency spectrum characteristic of vibration signals on a machine was analyzed. The characters of the vibration sources were obtained by means of FFT, which was used to estimate the number of vibration sources. The estimations illustrate that the presented method can obtain the correct source number not only under the condition of less source number than that of measurements. The most important is that it can get the source number correctly on the case of more source number than measurements’. The method gives a new idea to estimate the real vibration sources number.
Operating Policies for Wind-Pumped Storage Hybrid Power Stations in Island Grids

Pumped storage is today viewed as the most suitable storage technology for achieving high wind penetration levels in multi-megawatt-sized autonomous island grids, where the technical constraints introduced by the conventional generating units impose limitations on the output of wind farms. In this study, an operating policy is proposed for hybrid wind-hydro power stations (HPSs) in island grids, to increase wind penetration levels, while at the same time minimising the impact on the conventional generation system and ensuring the viability of the HPS investment. The proposed operating strategy is applied to three different autonomous island systems using a dedicated logistic model, to evaluate the effect of the HPS on the overall operation and economics of the island systems and to assess the feasibility of HPS investments.
Optimal radiation dosing in concurrent neoadjuvant chemoradiation for resectable esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background This is the first meta-analysis to study optimal radiation dose in the setting of concurrent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (cnCRT) for esophageal cancer (EC). We sought to compare outcomes between high dose radiotherapy (HDRT) [>48.85 Gy biologically effective dose (BED)] group and low dose radiotherapy (LDRT) (≤48.85 Gy BED) for patients with EC receiving cnCRT. Methods Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched independently by two members of our team on August 07, 2017. Articles were screened using Covidence. Study quality was assessed via CONSORT. Eligible studies had to be randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing cnCRT vs. surgery alone in full-text English. Those with induction or sequential chemoradiotherapy were excluded. We captured data points including radiation dose, hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), and treatment-related mortality (TRM). We analyzed HRs for OS and risk ratio (RR) for TRM and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) as the summary statistic. We used both fixed- and random-effects models in the presence of heterogeneity. The primary outcome was OS; secondary endpoint was treatment related mortality (TRM). We compared outcomes by HDRT vs. LDRT. To minimize chemotherapy heterogeneity, we performed a pre-planned analysis excluding the CROSS trial. Results The eleven included studies contained a total of 1,697 patients. Eight hundred forty-eight were randomized into the cnCRT. Of these 848 patients, 287 received HDRT and 561 received LDRT. HR for OS was not statistically different between LDRT (HR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.55-0.8) and HDRT (HR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.45-0.91). Excluding the CROSS trial, there was still no difference in outcomes between LDRT and HDRT. TRM was similar between LDRT and HDRT. Conclusions With no difference in OS or TRM between LDRT and HDRT, 48.85 Gy BED cnCRT may be a sufficient radiation dose for cnCRT for patients with EC fit for surgery.
Right ventricular failure in septic shock. Characterization, incidence and impact on fluid-responsiveness

Objective Incidence of right ventricular (RV) failure in septic shock patients is not well-known and Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) could be of limited value. We report the incidence of RV failure in patients with septic shock, its potential impact on the response to fluids, as well as TAPSE values.Design Ancillary study of the HEMOPRED prospective multicenter study including patients under mechanical ventilation with circulatory failure.Setting Multicenter intensive care unit studyPatients 282 with septic shock were analyzed. Patients were classified in 3 groups based on central venous pressure (CVP) and RV size (RV/LV end-diastolic area, EDA). In group 1, patients had no RV dilatation (RV/LVEDA < 0.6). In group 2, patients had RV dilatation (RV/LVEDA ≥ 0.6) with a CVP < 8 mmHg (no venous congestion). RV failure was defined in group 3 by RV dilatation and a CVP ≥ 8 mmHg. Pulse pressure variation (PPV) was systematically recorded.Interventions NoneMeasurements And main results 41% of patients were in group 1, 17% in group 2 and 42% in group 3. A correlation between RV size and CVP was only observed in group 3. Higher RV size was associated with a lower response to passive leg raising for a given PPV. A large overlap of TAPSE values was observed between the 3 groups. 63.5% of patients with RV failure had anormal TAPSE.Conclusions RV failure, defined by critical care echocardiography (RV dilatation) and a surrogate of venous congestion (CVP ≥ 8 mmHg), was frequently observed in septic shock patients and negatively associated with response to a fluid challenge despite significant PPV. TAPSE was unable to discriminate patients with or without RV failure.
All-fiber Fabry-Perot strain sensor

The fiber-optic strain sensor based on Fabry-Perot air cavity, made inside single-mode fiber by simple micromachining technique is presented. The sensor features near-linear response, low transmission loss, low temperature dependence, easy fabrication and it can be applied in quasi-distributed networks by using standard OTDR interrogation.
Review on Breeding Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Genotypes for Processing Quality Traits

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L .) is a rich source of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals. Potato is in the family Solanaceae with chromosome numbers vary from diploid (2n = 2x = 24) to hexaploid (2n = 6x = 72). In Ethiopia, the major objectives of potato breeding was targeted at selection of clones for high yield, wide adaptability and resistance for late blight, hence processing qualitative traits were not the main targets in potato breeding program still near future. Therefore, the objective of this review article is to discuss breeding potato genotypes for desirable processing quality traits. Tuber shape is a syndrome of many characters that considers the length/width ratio for describing the overall shape; it varies from compressed/round to long. The yellow pigment in potato tuber flesh is caused by various carotenoids that may protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular eye degeneration. The genetics of morphological traits are Tuber flesh color, skin color and tuber shape and eye depth. To minimize waste, varieties with long tubers are preferred for French fries and varieties with round tubers are ideal for crisps. Eye depth is an important trait of tuber quality because deep eyes affect the appearance of tubers and add to the cost of peeling in processing factories. Tuber quality traits in potato are specific gravity, dry mater content, starch content, Glycolalkaloids and tuber size uniformity. Specific gravity of potatoes is commonly used by the potato processing industry as a tool for quick estimation of dry matter content, as both are highly correlated. Tuber dry matter content and specific gravity significantly influenced by the interaction effect of growing environment and cultivars. Processing quality usually has relatively low to moderately high heritability, depending on the progenitor materials. Therefore, multiple location tests over several years are often required in order to determine whether a clone has indeed a high processing quality.