Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The price of anarchy in cooperative network creation games

A fundamental family of problems at the intersection between computer science and operations research is network design. This area of research has become increasingly important given the continued growth of computer networks such as the Internet. Traditionally, we want to find a minimum-cost (sub)network that satisfies some specified property such as k-connectivity or connectivity on terminals (as in the classic Steiner tree problem). This goal captures the (possibly incremental) creation cost of the network, but does not incorporate the cost of actually using the network. In contrast, network routing has the goal of optimizing the usage cost of the network, but assumes that the network has already been created.
Functional imaging of focal brain activation in conscious rats: Impact of [14C]glucose metabolite spreading and release

Labeled glucose and its analogs are widely used in imaging and metabolic studies of brain function, astrocyte–neuron interactions, and neurotransmission. Metabolite shuttling among astrocytes and neurons is essential for cell–cell transfer of neurotransmitter precursors and supply and elimination of energy metabolites, but dispersion and release of labeled compounds from activated tissue would reduce signal registration in metabolic labeling studies, causing underestimation of focal functional activation. Processes and pathways involved in metabolite trafficking and release were therefore assessed in the auditory pathway of conscious rats. Unilateral monotonic stimulation increased glucose utilization (CMRglc) in tonotopic bands in the activated inferior colliculus by 35–85% compared with contralateral tissue when assayed with [14C]deoxyglucose (DG), whereas only 20–30% increases were registered with [1‐ or 6‐14C]glucose. Tonotopic bands were not evident with [1‐14C]glucose unless assayed during halothane anesthesia or pretreatment with probenecid but were detectable with [6‐14C]glucose. Extracellular lactate levels transiently doubled during acoustic stimulation, so metabolite spreading was assessed by microinfusion of [14C]tracers into the inferior colliculus. The volume of tissue labeled by [1‐14C]glucose exceeded that by [14C]DG by 3.2‐ and 1.4‐fold during rest and acoustic activation, respectively. During activation, the tissue volume labeled by U‐14C‐labeled glutamine and lactate rose, whereas that by glucose fell 50% and that by DG was unchanged. Dispersion of [1‐14C]glucose and its metabolites during rest was also reduced 50% by preinfusion of gap junction blockers. To summarize, during brain activation focal CMRglc is underestimated with labeled glucose because of decarboxylation reactions, spreading within tissue and via the astrocyte syncytium, and release from activated tissue. These findings help explain the fall in CMRO2/CMRglc during brain activation and suggest that lactate and other nonoxidized metabolites of glucose are quickly shuttled away from sites of functional activation. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Failure to validate association between 12p13 variants and ischemic stroke

TO THE EDITOR: Recently published data from a meta-analysis of genomewide association studies showed that two common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the NINJ2 and WNK1 genes on chromosome 12p13 were associated with ischemic and, in particular, atherothrombotic strokes.1 To validate these results, we conducted a meta-analysis in a combined sample of 8637 cases and 8733 controls of European ancestry, as well as one population-based genomewide cohort study of 278 ischemic strokes among 22,054 participants.
Optimizing Operation of a Hierarchical Campus-wide Mobile Grid for Intermittent Wireless Connectivity

Recent advances in mobile communications and computing and strong interest of the scientific community in the Grid have led to research into the Mobile Grid. We discuss various approaches proposed in the literature and try to point out the fundamental issues and problems emerging from the introduction of mobile devices and wireless communications in the context of the Grid computing paradigm. We further propose an architecture for the realization of a Mobile Grid and investigate key design decisions and optimizations.
Valid post-selection inference

It is common practice in statistical data analysis to perform data-driven variable selection and derive statistical inference from the resulting model. Such inference enjoys none of the guarantees that classical statistical theory provides for tests and confidence intervals when the model has been chosen a priori. We propose to produce valid ``post-selection inference'' by reducing the problem to one of simultaneous inference and hence suitably widening conventional confidence and retention intervals. Simultaneity is required for all linear functions that arise as coefficient estimates in all submodels. By purchasing ``simultaneity insurance'' for all possible submodels, the resulting post-selection inference is rendered universally valid under all possible model selection procedures. This inference is therefore generally conservative for particular selection procedures, but it is always less conservative than full Scheffe protection. Importantly it does not depend on the truth of the selected submodel, and hence it produces valid inference even in wrong models. We describe the structure of the simultaneous inference problem and give some asymptotic results.
Elasticity Imaging of Atheroma With Transcutaneous Ultrasound

Background Knowledge of the physical properties of atherosclerotic plaque is essential when evaluating its vulnerability in a clinical setting. Such knowledge, however, is still difficult to obtain with the various approaches developed to date. Methods and Results This article describes a noninvasive method for evaluating the regional elasticity (the elastic modulus in the circumferential direction) of tissue surrounding atherosclerotic plaque in which a novel phased tracking method is applied to measure minute changes in thickness of each of the multiple layers of the arterial wall during one heartbeat. By comparing the pathological findings with the distribution of elasticity, average elasticity of lipid and that of a mixture of smooth muscle and collagen fiber can be determined. On the basis of these reference parameters, each point is statistically categorized as lipid, mixture, or other. Thus, the plaque is electronically stained using transcutaneous ultrasound. By applying the method to the common carotid arteries, the presence of thin collagen fiber was clarified along the arterial axis for normal subjects, whereas soft inclusion of lipid was found for every plaque in subjects with hyperlipidemia. Conclusion This novel method offers potential as a diagnostic technique for detection of plaque vulnerability with high spatial resolution. (Circulation. 2003;107:3018‐3021.)
Speleothem δ13C record suggests enhanced spring/summer drought in south-eastern Spain between 9.7 and 7.8 ka – A circum-Western Mediterranean anomaly?

South-eastern Spain is one of the driest regions in Europe and thus, prone to drought. Terrestrial climate records covering the late Glacial and Holocene from this area are sparse. Here, we present a flowstone record from Cueva Victoria, south-eastern Spain, which covers the late Glacial (15 ka) to the mid-Holocene (7 ka) including the Younger Dryas (YD). Between the onset of the Bølling/Allerød (B/A) and the early Holocene, flowstone δ18O values progressively decrease in accordance with sea-surface temperatures in the Alboran Sea, indicating an increase in precipitation in south-eastern Spain and a supra-regional signal of North Atlantic temperature change. At the same time, decreasing δ13C values suggest progressively increasing precipitation and vegetation density. This trend is interrupted by both colder and drier conditions during the YD. Between 9.7 ± 0.3 and 7.8 ± 0.2 ka, a large positive excursion of the δ13C values indicates a strong reduction in vegetation density, probably as a consequence of very dry spring/summer conditions. In combination with the continuously low speleothem δ18O values and a nearly unchanged growth rate, this suggests increased seasonality (i.e. drier spring/summer conditions, but not a strong reduction in annual precipitation). This is consistent with several other climate records from the Western Mediterranean region, showing that the Western Mediterranean realm (Spain, Italy) experienced pronounced spring/summer drought during this time interval. Interestingly, the timing of this dry period coincided with the African Humid Period. This may be part of a teleconnection with the North African Monsoon via the Hadley cell circulation.
de Travail du Centre d ’ Economie de la Sorbonne Learning , words and actions : experimental evidence on coordination-improving information

This paper reports experimental results from a one-shot game with two Nash equilibria: the first one is efficient, the second one relies on weakly dominated strategies. The experimental treatments consider three information-enhancing mechanisms in the game: simple repetition, cheap-talk messages and observation of past actions from the current interaction partner. Our experimental results show the use of dominated strategies is quite widespread. Any kind of information (through learning, words or actions) increases efficiency. As regards coordination, we find that good history performs better than good messages; but bad history performs worse than bad messages.
Effect of Population Proportion of Component Crops on Groth, Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Component Crops in Maize+Soybean Intercropping

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2016 at CPGS, CAU, Umiam, Meghalaya. The soil was sandy clay loam in texture, moderately acidic in reaction (pH 5.23), high in soil organic carbon (1.02 %) and medium in available N, P and K (315.04, 16.34 and 196.12 kg ha-1, respectively). The experiment consist of eight treatments such as sole maize, sole soybean, 1:1replacement, 1:1additive, 2:1replacement, 2:1additive, 2:1paired and 2:2paired) replicated thrice in randomized block design. Sole maize recorded significantly higher yield attributes such as cob weight plant-1, grains cob-1 and grain weight plant-1 which was at par with 1:1Replacement but significantly superior over the all other treatments. However, 1:1Replacement for soybean recorded significantly higher yield attributes such as no. pods plant-1 and pod weight plant-1 which was at par with sole soybean and 2:1Replacement, 2:2Paired and 2:1Paired but significantly superior over the 1:1Additive and 2:1Additive. Among the intercropping treatments, significantly higher grain yield of maize recorded from 2:1Additive over grain yield recorded from all other intercropping except 2:1Replacement. In soybean, 1:1Replacement recorded significantly higher grain yield over all other intercropping treatments except 2:2Paired. Among the intercropping treatments, significantly lower N, P and K uptake by 1:1Replacement of maize than 2:1Additive, 2:1Replacement and 2:1Paired intercropping treatments. However, 1:1Replacement of soybean recorded significantly higher N, P and K uptake over the1:1Additive, 2:1Replacement, 2:1Additive, 2:1Paired and 2:2Paired intercropping treatments. From the results of this study concluded that 1:1Replacement intercropping of maize+soybean was more benefitted than any other intercropping treatments.
Epinephrine Exerts Anticoagulant Effects during Human Endotoxemia

To determine the effect of a physiologically relevant elevation in the plasma concentrations of epinephrine on the activation of the hemostatic mechanism during endotoxemia, 17 healthy men were studied after intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2 ng/kg), while receiving a continuous infusion of epinephrine (30 ng/kg/min) started either 3 h (n = 5) or 24 h (n = 6) before LPS injection, or an infusion of normal saline (n = 6). Activation of the coagulation system (plasma concentrations of thrombin–antithrombin III complexes and prothrombin fragment F1+2) was significantly attenuated in the groups treated with epinephrine when compared with subjects injected with LPS only (P <0.05). Epinephrine enhanced LPS-induced activation of fibrinolysis (plasma levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasmin-α2–antiplasmin complexes; P <0.05), but did not influence inhibition of fibrinolysis (plasminogen activator inhibitor type I). In subjects infused with epinephrine, the ratio of maximal activation of coagulation and maximal activation of fibrinolysis was reduced by >50%. Hence, epinephrine exerts antithrombotic effects during endotoxemia by concurrent inhibition of coagulation, and stimulation of fibrinolysis. Epinephrine, whether endogenously produced or administered as a component of treatment, may limit the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation during systemic infection.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SPAYLATER USAGE IN SHOPPING ACTIVITIES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

This study aims to determine the level of satisfaction with the use of e-wallet (Shopee Pay) as a non-cash payment instrument. The research method used is descriptive qualitative research. The technique of collecting data is by means of a survey in the form of a questionnaire instrument which is then distributed via google form. Simple random sample was used as a sampling technique of 80 respondents. SPayLater is an online shopping platform that aims to facilitate the online shopping process for Shopee users. SPayLater is a payment method that uses bailout funds from the application company in question. SPayLater offers loan products with a 0% initial loan without a minimum transaction. However, we are encouraged to realize the risks that may occur behind this convenience, and this feature might be described as a teaser in the millennial period.
Radio frequency (RF) time-of-flight ranging for wireless sensor networks

Position information of nodes within wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is often a requirement in order to make use of the data recorded by the sensors themselves. On deployment the nodes normally have no prior knowledge of their position and thus a locationing mechanism is required to determine their positions. In this paper, we describe a method to determine the point-to-point range between sensor nodes as part of the locationing process. A two-way time-of-flight (TOF) ranging scheme is presented using narrow-band RF. The frequency difference between the transceivers involved with the point-to-point measurement is used to obtain a sub-clock TOF phase offset measurement in order to achieve high resolution TOF measurements. The ranging algorithm has been developed and prototyped on a TI CC2430 development kit with no additional hardware being required. Performance results have been obtained for the line-of-sight (LOS), non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and indoor conditions. Accuracy is typically better than 7.0 m RMS for the LOS condition over 250.0 m and 15.8 m RMS for the NLOS condition over 120.0 m using a 100 sample average. Indoor accuracy is measured to 1.7 m RMS using a 1000 sample average over 8.0 m. Ranging error is linear and does not increase with the increased transmitter–receiver distance. Our TOA ranging scheme demonstrates a novel system where resolution and accuracy are time dependent in comparison with alternative frequency-dependent methods using narrow-band RF.
Activity of purine analogs against Leishmania tropica within human macrophages in vitro

The activity of purine analogs against Leishmania tropica in human monocyte-derived macrophages in vitro was determined. Formycin B, formycin A, formycin B and A monophosphate, and formycin A triphosphate all had 50% effective doses of 0.02 to 0.04 microM and eliminated 90% of organisms at less than or equal to 0.5 microM. Allopurinol ribonucleoside was much less active: the 50% effective dose was 76 to 190 microM, and 90% of organisms were not eliminated at the highest dose tested (190 microM). 7-Deazainosine had a low 50% effective dose (0.2 microM), but only 80% of organisms were eliminated at 4 microM. Thio derivatives were as active as or less active than the parent compounds. These data suggest that certain inosine analogs are much more active than others against macrophage-contained Leishmania spp. such as are found in human lesions. However, because toxicity to the human macrophage hosts generally paralleled antileishmanial activity, the more active compounds might also be more toxic to human cells. The activity of 3-deazaguanosine (50% effective dose, 3.6 microM) in this model suggests that guanosine derivatives may have potential as antileishmanial agents.
A two-year utilization of the pharmacist-operated drug information center in Iran

Objective: To assess and describe the call services delivered by drug and poison information call center (DPIC) of 13-Aban pharmacy, which is closely operated by the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: All calls services including counseled and follow-up calls provided by 13-Aban DPIC to health care professionals and public were collected, documented, and evaluated in a 2 years period from July 2010 to June 2012 using the designed software. Data analysis was done by SPSS version 16.0. Findings: Totally 110,310 calls services delivered during a 2 years period. Among healthcare professionals, pharmacists, general physicians, and nurses requested more call services respectively (P = 0.001). DPIC could detect 585 potential cases of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and 420 cases of major drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Conclusion: This study by analyzing and reporting the two-years activities of one of the major DPICs in Iran, showed that DPICs can offer drug consultation for healthcare professional and public as well as detect and prevent ADRs and DDIs, and therefore can promote patients’ health regarding drug therapy.
Using DNA Metabarcoding to Identify the Floral Composition of Honey: A New Tool for Investigating Honey Bee Foraging Preferences

Identifying the floral composition of honey provides a method for investigating the plants that honey bees visit. We compared melissopalynology, where pollen grains retrieved from honey are identified morphologically, with a DNA metabarcoding approach using the rbcL DNA barcode marker and 454-pyrosequencing. We compared nine honeys supplied by beekeepers in the UK. DNA metabarcoding and melissopalynology were able to detect the most abundant floral components of honey. There was 92% correspondence for the plant taxa that had an abundance of over 20%. However, the level of similarity when all taxa were compared was lower, ranging from 22–45%, and there was little correspondence between the relative abundance of taxa found using the two techniques. DNA metabarcoding provided much greater repeatability, with a 64% taxa match compared to 28% with melissopalynology. DNA metabarcoding has the advantage over melissopalynology in that it does not require a high level of taxonomic expertise, a greater sample size can be screened and it provides greater resolution for some plant families. However, it does not provide a quantitative approach and pollen present in low levels are less likely to be detected. We investigated the plants that were frequently used by honey bees by examining the results obtained from both techniques. Plants with a broad taxonomic range were detected, covering 46 families and 25 orders, but a relatively small number of plants were consistently seen across multiple honey samples. Frequently found herbaceous species were Rubus fruticosus, Filipendula ulmaria, Taraxacum officinale, Trifolium spp. , Brassica spp. and the non-native, invasive, Impatiens glandulifera. Tree pollen was frequently seen belonging to Castanea sativa, Crataegus monogyna and species of Malus, Salix and Quercus. We conclude that although honey bees are considered to be supergeneralists in their foraging choices, there are certain key species or plant groups that are particularly important in the honey bees environment. The reasons for this require further investigation in order to better understand honey bee nutritional requirements. DNA metabarcoding can be easily and widely used to investigate floral visitation in honey bees and can be adapted for use with other insects. It provides a starting point for investigating how we can better provide for the insects that we rely upon for pollination.
Long-term outcomes after Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction versus conventional laparoscopy-assisted surgery for rectal cancer: a matched case-control study

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes of total laparoscopic surgery with Natural Orifice Specimen Extraction (NOSE) with those for conventional laparoscopy (CL)-assisted surgery for treating rectal cancers. Methods We reviewed the prospectively collected records of 844 patients (163 NOSE and 681 CL) who underwent curative surgery for mid- or upper rectal cancers from January 2006 to November 2012. We applied propensity score analyses and compared oncological outcomes for the NOSE and CL groups in a 1:1 matched cohort. Results After propensity score matching, each group included 138 patients; the NOSE and CL groups did not differ significantly in terms of baseline clinical characteristics. The median follow-up was 57.7 months (interquartile range, 42.4–82.5 months). The combined 5-year local recurrence rate for all tumor stages was 4.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9%–7.4%) in the NOSE group and 3.0% (95% CI, 0%–6.3%) in the CL group (P = 0.355). The combined 5-year disease-free survival rates for all stages were 89.3% (95% CI, 84.3%–94.3%) in the NOSE group and 87.3% (95% CI, 81.8%–92.9%) in the CL group (P = 0.639). The postoperative mean fecal incontinence scores at 6, 12, and 24 months were similar between the 2 groups. Conclusion In our experience, NOSE for mid- and upper rectal cancer had acceptable long-term oncologic outcomes comparable to those of conventional minimal invasive surgery and seems to be a safe alternative to reduce access trauma.
Local noise weighted filtering for emphysema scoring of low-dose CT images

Computed tomography (CT) has become the new reference standard for quantification of emphysema. The most popular measure of emphysema derived from CT is the pixel index (PI), which expresses the fraction of the lung volume with abnormally low intensity values. As PI is calculated from a single, fixed threshold on intensity, this measure is strongly influenced by noise. This effect shows up clearly when comparing the PI score of a high-dose scan to the PI score of a low-dose (i.e., noisy) scan of the same subject. In this paper, the noise variance (NOVA) filter is presented: a general framework for (iterative) nonlinear filtering, which uses an estimate of the spatially dependent noise variance in an image. The NOVA filter iteratively estimates the local image noise and filters the image. For the specific purpose of emphysema quantification of low-dose CT images, a dedicated, noniterative NOVA filter is constructed by using prior knowledge of the data to obtain a good estimate of the spatially dependent noise in an image. The performance of the NOVA filter is assessed by comparing characteristics of pairs of high-dose and low-dose scans. The compared characteristics are the PI scores for different thresholds and the size distributions of emphysema bullae. After filtering, the PI scores of high-dose and low-dose images agree to within 2%-3%points. The reproducibility of the high-dose bullae size distribution is also strongly improved. NOVA filtering of a CT image of typically 400/spl times/512/spl times/512 voxels takes only a couple of minutes which makes it suitable for routine use in clinical practice.