Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimally DoS Resistant P2P Topologies for Live Multimedia Streaming

Using a peer-to-peer approach for live multimedia streaming applications offers the promise to obtain a highly scalable, decentralized, and robust distribution service. When constructing streaming topologies, however, specific care has to be taken in order to ensure that quality of service requirements in terms of delay, jitter, packet loss, and stability against deliberate denial of service attacks are met. In this paper, we concentrate on the latter requirement of stability against denial-of-service attacks. We present an analytical model to assess the stability of overlay streaming topologies and describe attack strategies. Building on this, we describe topologies, which are optimally stable toward perfect attacks based on global knowledge, and give a mathematical proof of their optimality. The formal construction and analysis of these topologies using global knowledge lead us to strategies for distributed procedures, which are able to construct resilient topologies in scenarios, where global knowledge can not be gathered. Experimental results show that the topologies created in such a real-world scenario are close to optimally stable toward perfect denial of service attacks.
Compensatory Growth of Pond‐reared Hybrid Striped Bass, Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis, Fingerlings

Compensatory growth (CG) or ‘‘catch-up growth’’ is a period of super-accelerated growth following a period of suboptimal conditions (i.e., lack of prey availability or overwintering). Little is known about the CG response in pond-raised fish and whether hybrid striped bass (HSB), Morone chrysops 3 Morone saxatilis, might exhibit the rapid growth states or improvements in other production characteristics that may accompany the response. To evaluate the potential for CG in HSB culture, a 16-wk growth trial in twelve 0.1-ha earthen ponds was conducted. Approximately 2850 fish (mean weight 6 SD 5 3.2 g 6 1.1) were stocked into ponds and subjected to one of four cyclic feeding regimens. Treatment regimens included a control (0 wk, fed twice daily to apparent satiation) and cycles of 1, 2, or 4 wk of feed deprivation, followed by 1, 2, or 4 wk of feeding to apparent satiation. Fish in the 4-wk feeding regimen were offered feed twice during the feed-deprivation period (once every other week). Growth, specific growth rate (SGR), hepatosomatic index (HSI), intraperitoneal fat ratio, and condition factor (CF) were measured every other week, while overall growth, feed efficiency (FE) (FE 5 [weight gain/feed fed] 3 100), and survival were calculated at the trial termination. The effect of these feeding regimens on water quality was examined by monitoring pH, turbidity, total ammonia nitrogen, nitrite–nitrogen, nitrate–nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus, and chlorophyll a weekly; total nitrogen and phosphorous biweekly; and dissolved oxygen and temperature twice daily. Cyclic feeding elicited CG; fish subjected to the 2-wk regimen had a significantly higher SGR than 0-wk controls during all but the final refeeding period. FE was higher for all fish in the cyclic regimens, although only FE for fish in the 2-wk regimen was statistically greater (40%) than the controls. HSI was the most responsive measure and significantly decreased in the 2- and 4-wk treatments during feed-deprivation period and overcompensated during the refeeding period. CF also varied with feeding cycle and proved to be an effective nonlethal measure of predicting a CG response. No statistical differences in water quality parameters were observed. These data suggest that CG can be effectively induced in pond-raised HSB and that the increase in FE warrants further research for practical application. Future pond studies with fingerling HSB fish should be conducted with emphasis on feed-deprivation periods of 2 wk and refeeding periods of at least twice that of the feed-deprivation period.
Evidence for channeled diffusion of pre-mRNAs during nuclear RNA transport in metazoans

We report studies using an enhanced experimental system to investigate organization of nuclear pre-mRNA metabolism. It is based on the powerful genetic system and polytene nuclei of Drosophila. We observe (at steady state) movement of a specific pre-mRNA between its gene and the nuclear surface. This movement is isotropic, at rates consistent with diffusion and is restricted to a small nuclear subcompartment defined by exclusion from chromosome axes and the nucleolus. Bulk polyadenylated nuclear pre-mRNA precisely localizes in this same subcompartment indicating that most or all pre-mRNAs use the same route of intranuclear movement. In addition to association with nascent transcripts, snRNPs are coconcentrated with pre-mRNA in this subcompartment. In contrast to constitutive splices, at least one regulated splice occurs slowly and may undergo execution remotely from the site of pre-mRNA synthesis. Details of our results suggest that retention of incompletely spliced pre-mRNA is a function of the nuclear surface. We propose a simple model--based on channeled diffusion--for organization of intranuclear transport and metabolism of pre-mRNAs in polytene nuclei. We argue that this model can be generalized to all metazoan nuclei.
Topography of the pelvic autonomic nervous system and its potential impact on surgical intervention in the pelvis

Bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction caused by iatrogenic lesions of the inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP) are well known and commonly tolerated in pelvic surgery. Because the pelvic autonomic nerves are difficult to define and dissect in surgery, and their importance often ignored, we conducted a gross anatomic study of 90 adult and four fetal hemipelves. Using various non‐surgical approaches, the anatomic relations and pathways of the IHP were dissected. The IHP extended from the sacrum to the genital organs at the level of the lower sacral vertebrae. It originated from three different sources: the hypogastric nerve, the sacral splanchnic nerves from the sacral sympathetic trunk (mostly the S2 ganglion), and the pelvic splanchnic nerves, which branched primarily from the third and fourth sacral ventral rami. These fibers converge to form a uniform nerve plate medial to the vascular layer and deep to the peritoneum. The posterior portion of the IHP supplied the rectum and the anterior portion of the urogenital organs; nerve fibers traveled directly from the IHP to the anterolateral wall of the rectum and to the inferolateral and posterolateral aspects of the urogenital organs. The autonomic supply from the IHP was supplemented by nerves accompanying the ureter and the arteries. An understanding of the location of the autonomic pelvic network, including important landmarks, should help prevent iatrogenic injury through the adoption of surgical techniques that reduce or prevent postoperative autonomic dysfunction. Clin. Anat. 16:119–130, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Development of the rat superior cervical ganglion: ingrowth of preganglionic axons

The growth of sympathetic preganglionic axons has been studied in the fetal rat. Preganglionic axons first emerge from the spinal cord and enter the paravertebral chain of ganglia between days 12 and 13 of gestation (E12 to E13). By E14, hundreds of preganglionic neurons have sent axons into the sympathetic chain. Even at this age, the arrangement of the preganglionic axons conforms to the adult organization in a number of ways. As in maturity, these axons leave the spinal cord only through the ventral root of the segment in which their cell bodies reside. Furthermore, axons grow into the superior cervical ganglion only from the same set of spinal segments as supply this ganglion in maturity, and in correct segmental proportions, although there is a slight rostral-to-caudal lag along the spinal cord in the full establishment of the projection. The development of appropriate projections in this system owes little to the growth of axons along stereotyped pathways. Rather, preganglionic organization apparently reflects a more general instruction that governs the relative number of axons from each spinal segment which course rostrally or caudally within the sympathetic chain. The appropriate distribution of preganglionic axons early in development suggests that a fiber's segmental level of origin biases the axon to grow in a particular direction.
Macrophage Proinflammatory Response to Francisella tularensis Live Vaccine Strain Requires Coordination of Multiple Signaling Pathways1

The macrophage proinflammatory response to Francisella tularensis (Ft) live vaccine strain (LVS) was shown previously to be TLR2 dependent. The observation that intracellular Ft LVS colocalizes with TLR2 and MyD88 inside macrophages suggested that Ft LVS might signal from within the phagosome. Macrophages infected with LVSΔiglC, a Ft LVS mutant that fails to escape from the phagosome, displayed greatly increased expression of a subset of TLR2-dependent, proinflammatory genes (e.g., Tnf) but decreased expression of others (e.g., Ifnb1). This latter subset was similarly mitigated in IFN-β−/− macrophages indicating that while Ft LVS-induced TLR2 signaling is necessary, cytosolic sensing of Ft to induce IFN-β is required for full induction of the macrophage proinflammatory response. Although LVSΔiglC greatly increased IL-1β mRNA in wild-type macrophages, protein secretion was not observed. IL-1β secretion was also diminished in Ft LVS-infected IFN-β−/− macrophages. rIFN-β failed to restore IL-1β secretion in LVSΔiglC-infected macrophages, suggesting that signals in addition to IFN-β are required for assembly of the inflammasome and activation of caspase-1. IFN-β plays a central role in controlling the macrophage bacterial burden: bacterial recovery was greater in IFN-β−/− than in wild-type macrophages and treatment of Ft LVS-infected macrophages with rIFN-β or 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid, a potent IFN-β inducer, greatly decreased the intracellular Ft LVS burden. In toto, these observations support the hypothesis that the host inflammatory response to Ft LVS is complex and requires engagement of multiple signaling pathways downstream of TLR2 including production of IFN-β via an unknown cytosolic sensor and activation of the inflammasome.
Analysis of human face skin surface molecules in situ by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy

Background/purpose: For medical and dermatological researchers, it is important to realize the molecular dynamics and its control in the stratum corneum (SC) of human skin, which may be related to some skin abnormalities such as atopic dermatitis and skin pruritus. We have tried to analyze the periodic molecular dynamics of the outermost layers of SC in vivo.
vimA Gene Downstream of recAIs Involved in Virulence Modulation in Porphyromonas gingivalis W83

ABSTRACT A 0.9-kb open reading frame encoding a unique 32-kDa protein was identified downstream of the recA gene ofPorphyromonas gingivalis. Reverse transcription-PCR and Northern blot analysis showed that both the recA gene and this open reading frame are part of the same transcriptional unit. This cloned fragment was insertionally inactivated using theermF-ermAM antibiotic resistance cassette to create a defective mutant by allelic exchange. When plated onBrucella blood agar, the mutant strain, designated P. gingivalis FLL92, was non-black pigmented and showed significant reduction in beta-hemolysis compared with the parent strain,P. gingivalis W83. Arginine- and lysine-specific cysteine protease activities, which were mostly soluble, were approximately 90% lower than that of the parent strain. Expression of the rgpA, rgpB, and kgp protease genes was the same in P. gingivalis FLL92 as in the wild-type strain. In contrast to the parent strain, P. gingivalis FLL92 showed increased autoaggregration in addition to a significant reduction in hemagglutinating and hemolysin activities. In in vivo experiments using a mouse model, P. gingivalisFLL92 was dramatically less virulent than the parent strain. A molecular survey of this mutant and the parent strain using all knownP. gingivalis insertion sequence elements as probes suggested that no intragenomic changes due to the movement of these elements have occurred in P. gingivalis FLL92. Taken together, these results suggest that the recA downstream gene, designated vimA (virulence-modulating gene), plays an important role in virulence modulation in P. gingivalisW83, possibly representing a novel posttranscriptional or translational regulation of virulence factors in P. gingivalis.
Time evolution of the Luttinger model with non-uniform temperature profile

We study the time evolution of a 1D interacting fermion system described by the Luttinger model starting from a non-equilibrium state defined by a smooth temperature profile $T(x)$. As a specific example we consider the case when $T(x)$ is equal to $T_L$ ($T_R$) far to the left (right). Using a series expansion in $\epsilon = 2(T_{R} - T_{L})/(T_{L}+T_{R})$, we compute the energy density, the heat current density, and the fermion two-point correlation function for all times $t \geq 0$. For local (delta-function) interaction, the first two are computed to all orders giving simple exact expressions involving the Schwarzian derivative of the integral of $T(x)$. For non-local interaction, breaking scale invariance, we compute the non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) to all orders and the evolution to first order in $\epsilon$. The heat current in the NESS is universal even when conformal invariance is broken by the interaction, and its dependence on $T_{L,R}$ agrees with numerical results for the XXZ spin chain. Moreover, our analytical formulas predict peaks at short times in the transition region between different temperatures and show dispersion effects that, even if non-universal, are qualitatively similar to ones observed in numerical simulations for related models, such as spin chains and interacting lattice fermions.
A study of a local-features-aware model for the problem of phase reconstruction from the magnitude spectrogram

This paper introduces a new algorithm for phase reconstruction from a modified magnitude spectrogram. Conventional methods are based on specific optimization process and classical overlap-add procedure. By referring to previous works, it is observed that use of local patterns may also provide good reconstructions. This leads to a reconstruction technique based on iterative inference of local patterns. The resulting method is suitable for incremental and real-time processing. It may be used directly, or as initial-guess to an optimization algorithm. The paper explores variants of models based local patterns. The results of these variants are compared.
Phyllanthus emblica Fruit Extract Activates Spindle Assembly Checkpoint, Prevents Mitotic Aberrations and Genomic Instability in Human Colon Epithelial NCM460 Cells

The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (PE) has been widely consumed as a functional food and folk medicine in Southeast Asia due to its remarkable nutritional and pharmacological effects. Previous research showed PE delays mitotic progress and increases genomic instability (GIN) in human colorectal cancer cells. This study aimed to investigate the similar effects of PE by the biomarkers related to spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), mitotic aberrations and GIN in human NCM460 normal colon epithelial cells. Cells were treated with PE and harvested differently according to the biomarkers observed. Frequencies of micronuclei (MN), nucleoplasmic bridge (NPB) and nuclear bud (NB) in cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay were used as indicators of GIN. Mitotic aberrations were assessed by the biomarkers of chromosome misalignment, multipolar division, chromosome lagging and chromatin bridge. SAC activity was determined by anaphase-to- metaphase ratio (AMR) and the expression of core SAC gene budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles related 1 (BubR1). Compared with the control, PE-treated cells showed (1) decreased incidences of MN, NPB and NB (p < 0.01); (2) decreased frequencies of all mitotic aberration biomarkers (p < 0.01); and (3) decreased AMR (p < 0.01) and increased BubR1 expression (p < 0.001). The results revealed PE has the potential to protect human normal colon epithelial cells from mitotic and genomic damages partially by enhancing the function of SAC.
SafetyNet: improving the availability of shared memory multiprocessors with global checkpoint/recovery

We develop an availability solution, called SafetyNet, that uses a unified, lightweight checkpoint/recovery mechanism to support multiple long-latency fault detection schemes. At an abstract level, SafetyNet logically maintains multiple, globally consistent checkpoints of the state of a shared memory multiprocessor, and it recovers to a pre-fault checkpoint of the system and re-executes if a fault is detected. SafetyNet efficiently coordinates checkpoints across the system in logical time and uses "logically atomic" coherence transactions to free checkpoints of transient coherence state. SafetyNet minimizes performance overhead by pipelining checkpoint validation with subsequent parallel execution. We illustrate SafetyNet avoiding system crashes due to either dropped coherence messages or the loss of an interconnection network switch. Using a full-system simulation of a 16-way multiprocessor running commercial workloads, we find that SafetyNet: 1) adds statistically insignificant runtime overhead in the common-case of fault-free execution, and 2) avoids a crash when tolerated faults occur.
Influence of Idiopathic Scoliosis on Three-Dimensional Thoracic Growth

Study Design. Prospective clinical study of three-dimensional thoracic growth in children with idiopathic scoliosis and a reference group. Objective. To measure thoracic dimensions and volume in relation to growth and to verify the influence of scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. Scoliosis represents a three-dimensional spinal deformity leading to thoracic deformity. Vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib distraction primarily treats this deformity, but little is known about thoracic growth in scoliosis. Methods. One hundred and thirty children with scoliosis (20 boys, 110 girls; 4–16 years; curves 15°–45°; rib hump 5–25 mm) were compared with 126 children without spinal deformity (61 boys, 65 girls). The ORTEN system was used for optical trunk surface data acquisition. Thoracic volume, perimeter, anterior-posterior and transversal diameters, T1–T12 and sternal lengths were calculated and related to age, weight, standing and sitting height. Results. There was no significant difference in thoracic volume between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). The correlation between thoracic volume (3–16 dm3) and growth parameters was greater (R2 > 0.70) than with age. At 4 years, thoracic volume represents 33%, and at 10 years, it represents 55% of its volume at 16 years. It triples between 4 and 16 years and doubles during puberty. These relationships were constant in all groups. During growth, the transversal diameter corresponds to 30%, the anterior-posterior diameter represents 20% and the thoracic perimeter 100% of sitting height. Conclusion. The thoracic deformity in scoliosis is measurable with ORTEN, but scoliosis ≤45° with a rib hump ≤25 mm does not significantly influence thoracic volume. Thoracic parameters should be related to sitting height rather than age. Established relationships give a reliable indication of thoracic proportions, which are useful for understanding global spinal and thoracic deformity and for optimizing braces or surgical strategies. Further investigations are required for curves >45°, leading to major thoracic asymmetry.
Identifying Risk Factors for Elder Falls in Geriatric Rehabilitation in Israel

Purpose: To identify risk factors for elder falls in a geriatric rehabilitation center in Israel. Design: Retrospective chart review study. Methods: Four hundred and twelve medical records of inpatients in geriatric rehabilitation were retrospectively analyzed to compare between elders who sustained falls and those who did not. Findings: Of elders hospitalized during this year, 14% sustained falls. Fallers included a high proportion of males, with little comorbidity, not obese, and cardiovascular patients. Falls occurred frequently during patients' first week at the facility, mostly during the daytime. The falls occurred frequently in patients' rooms, and a common scenario was a fall during transition. Conclusions: The research findings single out patients who are allegedly at a lower risk of falls than more complex patients. Clinical Relevance: Caregivers in geriatric rehabilitation settings should pay attention to patients who are allegedly at a lower risk of falls than more complex patients, and to cardiovascular patients in particular.
Bee Threat Elicits Alarm Call in African Elephants

Unlike the smaller and more vulnerable mammals, African elephants have relatively few predators that threaten their survival. The sound of disturbed African honeybees Apis meliffera scutellata causes African elephants Loxodonta africana to retreat and produce warning vocalizations that lead other elephants to join the flight. In our first experiment, audio playbacks of bee sounds induced elephants to retreat and elicited more head-shaking and dusting, reactive behaviors that may prevent bee stings, compared to white noise control playbacks. Most importantly, elephants produced distinctive “rumble” vocalizations in response to bee sounds. These rumbles exhibited an upward shift in the second formant location, which implies active vocal tract modulation, compared to rumbles made in response to white noise playbacks. In a second experiment, audio playbacks of these rumbles produced in response to bees elicited increased headshaking, and further and faster retreat behavior in other elephants, compared to control rumble playbacks with lower second formant frequencies. These responses to the bee rumble stimuli occurred in the absence of any bees or bee sounds. This suggests that these elephant rumbles may function as referential signals, in which a formant frequency shift alerts nearby elephants about an external threat, in this case, the threat of bees.
SEX COMPOSITION OF THE WORKPLACE AND MORTALITY RISK

Summary This study uses Swedish occupational register data to examine whether the proportion of men in administrative workplaces in the Swedish public service affects all-cause mortality risks amongst both males and females of working age. Using piecewise constant survival models to analyse occupational data from the Swedish administrative registers from 1995 to 2007, it was found that for males, a 1% increase in the proportion of males was associated with a 1.3% increase in mortality risk (hazard ratio, HR 1.013, 95% CI 1.007–1.020, p<0.001), but no association was found for females (HR 1.004, 95% CI 0.996–1.012, p=0.297). Adjustments were made for age, family status, education, occupational status, occupational segregation by sex, the total number of individuals in the workplace, level of government, region, period and variables reflecting the workplace structure by age, age by sex, occupation and education. A higher proportion of males may be related to (i) an increased exposure to risky health behaviours such as alcohol consumption and unhealthy dietary patterns, (ii) a tendency towards sickness presenteeism, and (iii) an increase in the levels of several well-established emotional stressors in the workplace, leading to an increased level of psychosocial stress. The findings and potential extensions of this research are discussed.