Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Schedulability Analysis of Task Sets with Upper- and Lower-Bound Temporal Constraints

Increasingly, real-time systems must handle the self-suspension of tasks (that is, lower-bound wait times between subtasks) in a timely and predictable manner. A fast schedulability test that does not significantly overestimate the temporal resources needed to execute self-suspending task sets would be of benefit to these modern computing systems. In this paper, a polynomial-time test is presented that is known to be the first to handle nonpreemptive self-suspending task sets with hard deadlines, where each task has any number of self-suspensions. To construct the test, a novel priority scheduling policy is leveraged, the jth subtask first, which restricts the behavior of the self-suspending model to provide an analytical basis for an informative schedulability test. In general, the problem of sequencing according to both upper-bound and lower-bound temporal constraints requires an idling scheduling policy and is known to be nondeterministic polynomial-time hard. However, the tightness of the schedulabili.
Investigating Social Influence on Acceptance of Executive Information Systems: A UTAUT Framework Approach

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is constructed to address all factors derived from various behavioral models significant to user’s acceptance of information technology. This theory, however, deals with individual aspects of general technology acceptance. In reality, information technology is deployed based on different needs of different intended users. Executive information systems, for instance, is intentionally deployed for the use of organizational participants in the highest position of a centralized organizational hierarchy. Several proposed UTAUT’s constructs may not apply to executives’ characteristics in general or several additional constructs are added to address the acceptance of certain users of certain information technology. This paper investigates one of such constructs, the social influence, to posit such a difference.
Cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17F, and IL-4 Differentially Affect Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose Stem Cells

During the initial stages of bone repair, proinflammatory cytokines are released within the injury site, quickly followed by a shift to anti-inflammatory cytokines. The effect of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines on osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells is controversial. Here, we investigated the effect of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17F and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 on proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASCs). hASCs were treated with TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17F, or IL-4 (10 ng/mL) for 72 h mimicking bone repair. TNF-α reduced collagen type I gene expression but increased hASC proliferation and ALP activity. IL-6 also strongly enhanced ALP activity (18-fold), as well as bone nodule formation by hASCs. IL-8 did not affect proliferation or osteogenic gene expression but reduced bone nodule formation. IL-17F decreased hASC proliferation but enhanced ALP activity. IL-4 enhanced osteocalcin gene expression and ALP activity but reduced RUNX2 gene expression and bone nodule formation. In conclusion, all cytokines studied have both enhancing and reducing effects on osteogenic differentiation of hASCs, even when applied for 72 h only. Some cytokines, specifically IL-6, may be suitable to induce osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells as a strategy for enhancing bone repair.
Endpoint maximal and smoothing estimates for Schrödinger equations

Abstract For α > 1 we consider the initial value problem for the dispersive equation i∂tu + (–Δ) α/2 u = 0. We prove an endpoint Lp inequality for the maximal function with initial values in Lp -Sobolev spaces, for p ∈ (2 + 4/(d + 1), ∞). This strengthens the fixed time estimates due to Fefferman and Stein, and Miyachi. As an essential tool we establish sharp Lp space-time estimates (local in time) for the same range of p.
Identification of the Fucose Synthetase Gene in the Colanic Acid Gene Cluster of Escherichia coli K-12

ABSTRACT GDP–l-fucose, the substrate for fucosyltransferases for addition of fucose to polysaccharides or glycoproteins in both procaryotes and eucaryotes, is made from GDP–d-mannose.l-Fucose is a component of bacterial surface antigens, including the extracellular polysaccharide colanic acid produced by most Escherichia coli strains. We previously sequenced theE. coli colanic acid gene cluster and identified one of the GDP–l-fucose biosynthetic pathway genes, gmd. We report here the identification of the gene (fcl), located downstream of gmd, encoding the fucose synthetase.
Surface Roughness Evaluation for EDM of En31 with Cu-Cr-Ni Powder Metallurgy Tool

In this study, Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is used to modify the surface of high carbon steel En31 with the help of tool electrode (Copper-Chromium-Nickel) manufactured by powder metallurgy (PM) process. The effect of EDM on surface roughness during surface alloying is studied. Taguchi’s Design of experiment (DOE) and L18 orthogonal array is used to find the best level of input parameters in order to achieve high surface finish. Six input parameters are considered and their percentage contribution towards surface roughness is investigated by analysis of variances (ANOVA). Experimental results show that an hard alloyed surface (1.21% carbon, 2.14% chromium and 1.38% nickel) with surface roughness of 3. 19μm can be generated using EDM with PM tool. Additionally, techniques like Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) are used to analyze the machined surface and EDMed layer composition, respectively. The increase in machined surface micro-hardness (101%) may be related to the formation of carbides containing chromium. Keywords—Electrical Discharge Machining, Surface Roughness, Powder metallurgy compact tools, Taguchi DOE technique.
The Ethical Project

Principles of right and wrong guide the lives of almost all human beings, but we often see them as external to ourselves, outside our own control. In a revolutionary approach to the problems of moral philosophy, Philip Kitcher makes a provocative proposal: Instead of conceiving ethical commands as divine revelations or as the discoveries of brilliant thinkers, we should see our ethical practices as evolving over tens of thousands of years, as members of our species have worked out how to live together and prosper. Elaborating this radical new vision, Kitcher shows how the limited altruistic tendencies of our ancestors enabled a fragile social life, how our forebears learned to regulate their interactions with one another, and how human societies eventually grew into forms of previously unimaginable complexity. The most successful of the many millennia-old experiments in how to live, he contends, survive in our values today. Drawing on natural science, social science, and philosophy to develop an approach he calls "pragmatic naturalism," Kitcher reveals the power of an evolving ethics built around a few core principles-including justice and cooperation-but leaving room for a diversity of communities and modes of self-expression. Ethics emerges as a beautifully human phenomenon-permanently unfinished, collectively refined and distorted generation by generation. Our human values, Kitcher shows, can be understood not as a final system but as a project-the ethical project-in which our species has engaged for most of its history, and which has been central to who we are.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)

The mitochondrial dysfunction has a critical role in several disorders including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies (CIPN). This is due to a related dysregulation of pathways involving calcium signalling, reactive oxygen species and apoptosis. Vincristine is able to affect calcium movement through the Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) neuronal mitochondrial membrane, altering its homeostasis and leading to abnormal neuronal excitability. Paclitaxel induces the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in axons followed by mitochondrial membrane potential loss, increased reactive oxygen species generation, ATP level reduction, calcium release and mitochondrial swelling. Cisplatin and oxaliplatin form adducts with mitochondrial DNA producing inhibition of replication, disruption of transcription and morphological abnormalities within mitochondria in DRG neurons, leading to a gradual energy failure. Bortezomib is able to modify mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial respiratory chain. Moreover, the expression of a certain number of genes, including those controlling mitochondrial functions, was altered in patients with bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Identifying Agricultural Research and Development Investment Opportunities in Sub-Sahara Africa; A Global, Economy-Wide Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the most important development challenge of the 21st century. Poverty is higher in most African countries than elsewhere in the developing world. According to the recently published Report of the Commission for Africa, economic growth in Africa is necessary for substantially reducing poverty. Among three proposed policy options, the Commission recommends that African countries invest significantly in agriculture. But policy makers in the region face a dilemma: which subsector within agriculture will yield the highest return for a given budget? This paper uses a computable general equilibrium model to simulate productivity gains in sub-Sahara African agriculture subject to trade-offs between gains in crops and gains in livestock. The simulated results suggest three conclusions. First, most of the sub-Sahara Africa economies gain more from research and development (R&D) investment in crops than from R&D investment in livestock but this conclusion is not true everywhere. The SACU (South African Customs Union) economies and Madagascar benefit from a sharing of R&D investment between crops and livestock. Second, when R&D is focused on food crops, a sharing of investment funds between crops and livestock is beneficial to other economies too. Third, in economies where a sharing of R&D investment between crops and livestock is beneficial (e.g., Botswana), general economic growth boosts the benefits from R&D investment in livestock.
On the convergence of the Hegselmann-Krause system

We study convergence of the following discrete-time non-linear dynamical system: $n$ agents are located in Rd and at every time step, each moves synchronously to the average location of all agents within a unit distance of it. This popularly studied system was introduced by Krause to model the dynamics of opinion formation and is often referred to as the Hegselmann-Krause model. We prove the first polynomial time bound for the convergence of this system in arbitrary dimensions. This improves on the bound of nO(n) resulting from a more general theorem of Chazelle [4]. Also, we show a quadratic lower bound and improve the upper bound for one-dimensional systems to O(n3).
Effect of Pre-weaning Diet on the Ruminal Archaeal, Bacterial, and Fungal Communities of Dairy Calves

At birth, calves display an underdeveloped rumen that eventually matures into a fully functional rumen as a result of solid food intake and microbial activity. However, little is known regarding the gradual impact of pre-weaning diet on the establishment of the rumen microbiota. Here, we employed next-generation sequencing to investigate the effects of the inclusion of starter concentrate (M: milk-fed vs. MC: milk plus starter concentrate fed) on archaeal, bacterial and anaerobic fungal communities in the rumens of 45 crossbred dairy calves across pre-weaning development (7, 28, 49, and 63 days). Our results show that archaeal, bacterial, and fungal taxa commonly found in the mature rumen were already established in the rumens of calves at 7 days old, regardless of diet. This confirms that microbiota colonization occurs in the absence of solid substrate. However, diet did significantly impact some microbial taxa. In the bacterial community, feeding starter concentrate promoted greater diversity of bacterial taxa known to degrade readily fermentable carbohydrates in the rumen (e.g., Megasphaera, Sharpea, and Succinivribrio). Shifts in the ruminal bacterial community also correlated to changes in fermentation patterns that favored the colonization of Methanosphaera sp. A4 in the rumen of MC calves. In contrast, M calves displayed a bacterial community dominated by taxa able to utilize milk nutrients (e.g., Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Parabacteroides). In both diet groups, the dominance of these milk-associated taxa decreased with age, suggesting that diet and age simultaneously drive changes in the structure and abundance of bacterial communities in the developing rumen. Changes in the composition and abundance of archaeal communities were attributed exclusively to diet, with more highly abundant Methanosphaera and less abundant Methanobrevibacter in MC calves. Finally, the fungal community was dominated by members of the genus SK3 and Caecomyces. Relative anaerobic fungal abundances did not change significantly in response to diet or age, likely due to high inter-animal variation and the low fiber content of starter concentrate. This study provides new insights into the colonization of archaea, bacteria, and anaerobic fungi communities in pre-ruminant calves that may be useful in designing strategies to promote colonization of target communities to improve functional development.
Communication Breakdown? Essays Examining Attention and Distraction in Technology Mediated Consumer Communications

As one of our most central and powerful tools, communication can provide information, influence or motivate other individuals, and cultivate relationships. Given the importance of effective communication, it is imperative that marketers fully understand how consumers engage, receive and process communications. Furthermore, as the technological environment continues to evolve, marketers must recognize how digital and mobile mediums of communication influence consumers’ behaviors and decisions. This dissertation explores the role of attention and distraction in technology mediated communications; first investigating consumers’ reactions to persuasive communications and second examining the influence of mobile communication devices on consumer outcomes. Essay 1 explores how consumers respond to communications containing information on the behaviors of other individuals. In particular, this essay probes the effectiveness of persuasive messages highlighting information on the actions of a majority (i.e. normative information) or minority (i.e. non-normative information) of individuals. I show that consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence impacts attention to normative and non-normative information in a message. Surprisingly, I find that high SII consumers overlook normative and non-normative cues and therefore exhibit similar levels of compliance with normative and non-normative communications. Essay 2 studies the impact of mobile communication devices, such as cellphones and smartphones, on consumers’ in-store decision making. Specifically, this essay builds upon prior research demonstrating the substantial level of cognitive distraction associated with mobile communication device usage. I investigate consumers’ lay beliefs of the benefits and limitations of in-store mobile communication device use and examine how these devices influence shopping outcomes including consumers ability to recall in-store stimuli, number of unplanned purchases, and number of omitted planned items. As a whole, the essays of my dissertation make novel contributions to the literatures studying persuasion, social influence, social norms, shopper marketing, and in-store decision making. Furthermore, the findings of my dissertation offer a series of practical implications for marketers, policy makers, and consumers.
Identifying vulnerable lines in a power network using complex network theory

The latest developments in complex network theory have provided a new direction to power system research. Based on this theory a power system can be modelled as a graph with nodes and vertices and further analysis can help in identifying the important lines. This paper proposes a new betweenness index using the reactance of the transmission lines as the weight and criteria to measure of vulnerability of a power network. The reactance is a simplified measure of power flow in a lossless transmission line based on the power flow analysis equations. The weighted line index is defined as the reactance of the electric path taken to reach from one node to another node. More power is transmitted along the lines with less reactance, to reach from the source node to destination node, which gives the edges with less reactance a higher weight in the analysis. The analyzes have been carried out on the IEEE 39 bus system and IEEE 118 Bus System. The new betweenness index can identify the critical lines of the system, either due to their position in the network or by the power they transmit along the network.
A Critical Review of Social Skills Research with Behaviorally Disordered Students

Deficits in social skills are a distinguishing characteristic of behaviorally disordered individuals. There is an established relationship between deficits in interpersonal skills and long term adjustment difficulties, such as juvenile delinquency, bad conduct discharges from the military, and psychiatric hospitalization. In addition, employers consider social competencies to be more important than specific occupational skills. Thus, the development of social competence is important for behaviorally disordered individuals. Over the last 5 years numerous studies have evaluated social skill enhancement strategies. The present review was conducted to evaluate this research. The results indicate that: (a) research has failed to build a comprehensive body of knowledge due to the absence of a conceptual base; (b) training priorities have not been matched to learner needs or characteristics; (c) the social significance of program effects has generally been ignored; (d) independent and dependent variables have not been evaluated and applied with equal precision; (e) investigators often fail to evaluate the generality of effects to other settings, responses, and time; and finally (f) research has not shown that community adjustment can be enhanced through training.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcohol, drugs and driving: population-based examination in a Canadian sample

This study examines the relationships among substance use, ADHD, other psychiatric problems, and driving outcomes among a representative sample of adults from Ontario, Canada. The Centre for Addictions and Mental Health Ontario Monitor is an ongoing repeated cross-sectional telephone survey of adults which includes validated measures of: ADHD; psychiatric distress; antisocial behaviour; substance use and problems; driving outcomes. This study presents weighted results (descriptive statistics and regressions) of year one data of a 3-year study. A total of 1999 Ontario residents were sampled, of which 70 (3.5 per cent) screened positively for ADHD. A significantly greater percentage of those who screened positively for ADHD (8.0 per cent) reported at least one crash in the past year compared with those who screened negatively for ADHD. Sequential regression analysis found that age, antisocial personality screen and lifetime cannabis use predicted collisions, while ADHD positive screen, substance abuse positive screen and lifetime cocaine use did not. This first population-based study in Canada showed no relationship between the ADHD screen and collisions when age, sex and kilometres driven are controlled for, while the antisocial personality screen and lifetime cannabis use were significant predictors. However, these analyses are based on self-report screeners, not psychiatric diagnoses and a small sample. Thus, these results should be viewed with caution.
Evaluating the potential of a speech rhythm-based reading intervention

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Peptidoglycan Glycosyltransferase Substrate Mimics as Templates for the Design of New Antibacterial Drugs

Peptidoglycan (PG) is an essential net-like macromolecule that surrounds bacteria, gives them their shape, and protects them against their own high osmotic pressure. PG synthesis inhibition leads to bacterial cell lysis, making it an important target for many antibiotics. The final two reactions in PG synthesis are performed by penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Their glycosyltransferase (GT) activity uses the lipid II precursor to synthesize glycan chains and their transpeptidase (TP) activity catalyzes the cross-linking of two glycan chains via the peptide side chains. Inhibition of either of these two reactions leads to bacterial cell death. β-lactam antibiotics target the transpeptidation reaction while antibiotic therapy based on inhibition of the GTs remains to be developed. Ongoing research is trying to fill this gap by studying the interactions of GTs with inhibitors and substrate mimics and utilizing the latter as templates for the design of new antibiotics. In this review we present an updated overview on the GTs and describe the structure-activity relationship of recently developed synthetic ligands.