Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Deadlock-Free Routing in Wormhole Networks

Wormhole switching is a popular switching technique in interconnection networks. This technique is also prone to deadlocks. Adaptive routing algorithms provide alternative paths that can be used to escape congested areas and prevent some deadlocks to occur. If not designed carefully, these new paths may as well introduce deadlocks. A successful solution to deadlock prevention is to constrain the routing function such that it does not introduce any deadlock. Many necessary and sufficient conditions for deadlock-free routing have been proposed. The definition and the proof of these conditions are complex and error-prone. These conditions are often counterintuitive and difficult to understand. Moreover, they are not static, as they all require the analysis of configurations, i.e., the network state. The contribution of this paper is twofold. We present the first static necessary and sufficient condition for deadlock-free routing in wormhole networks. Our condition is much simpler and requires less assumptions than all previous ones. It is formally proven correct using an automated proof assistant. In particular, our condition applies to incoherent routing functions which was considered an open problem. Second, we prove the deadlock decision problem co-NP-complete for wormhole networks.
Learning RAT Selection Game in 5G Heterogeneous Networks

In this letter, we consider the problem of RAT selection in a heterogeneous cellular network where each user chooses among multiple access technologies. The competition of the users is modeled as an incomplete information game where players are not aware other players' actions. A RAT selection strategy is proposed and is shown that it converges to the Nash equilibrium of the game. Moreover, we consider a more practical case in which the users have no information about other users. For this case, we propose a Q-learning-based algorithm, which converges to the Nash equilibrium of the first problem.
Assessment of the use of a saline chaser to reduce the volume of contrast medium in abdominal CT.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate, first, the effect on enhancement of the liver and aorta during abdominal CT of the use of saline solution as a partial substitute for or in addition to contrast medium when the dose of medium is determined by the patient's body weight and, second, whether use of a saline chaser allows a decrease in the dose of contrast medium to less than 1.5 mL/kg. SUBJECTS AND METHODS We enrolled 407 patients undergoing abdominal exploration on MDCT, including an early arterial phase and a portal phase. Group 1 received contrast medium at a dose of 1.5 mL/kg. Group 2 received contrast medium at a dose of 1.5 mL/kg less 20 mL of iodine followed by 30 mL of saline solution. Group 3 received the full 1.5 mL/kg dose of medium followed by a 30-mL saline chaser. Attenuation values were obtained from the aorta in the arterial phase and from the liver in the portal phase. RESULTS The groups were comparable in mean body weight and heart rate. None of the differences between them in aortic enhancement in the early arterial phase were statistically significant (group 1, 206 +/- 3 H; group 2, 204 +/- 3 H; group 3, 209 +/- 4 H). There was a negative correlation between weight and aortic enhancement (r = -0.42, p < 0.0001) and a positive correlation between weight and hepatic enhancement (r = 0.19, p < 0.0001). A significant reduction (p = 0.0002) in hepatic enhancement was observed in group 2 (group 1, 53 H; group 2, 46 H; group 3, 54 H). Hepatic enhancement greater than 45 H was observed in all groups except for the group 2 subgroup of patients weighing less than 55 kg. CONCLUSION In MDCT, reducing the amount of contrast medium does not affect aortic enhancement in the early arterial phase but decreases hepatic enhancement at the portal phase. The saline chaser technique had no influence on the phases studied. Greater than 1.5 mL/kg reduction in the dose of contrast medium followed by saline flushing may not be advisable for liver CT in low- and medium-weight patients.
Secretory Carcinoma

Secretory carcinoma, first described as mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC), is a recently described, distinctive malignant salivary gland tumor that is quite similar to secretory breast carcinoma, defined by the t(l2;15)(p13;q25) translocation resulting in an ETV6-NTRK3 fusion product. The vast majority of these tumors used to be included in the acinic cell carcinoma category. The tumor is considered uncommon, but as it is recently recognized, it may be under-reported or underrecognized at present. There is a slight male-to-female predominance (1.3:1), with a wide age range at presentation (7 to 88 years; mean 47 years). The majority (65%) develop in the parotid gland, with the submandibular gland and buccal mucosa less frequently affected. Patients present with a slowly growing, painless mass. Metastatic disease to neck lymph nodes may be seen in as many as 30% of patients at presentation. Figure 2. A high-power view demonstrates the open to vesicular nuclearchromatinwith verysmall nucleoli. There is "colloid-like" material in the lumen, with scalloping artifacts.
Tabu Search - Part I

This paper presents the fundamental principles underlying tabu search as a strategy for combinatorial optimization problems. Tabu search has achieved impressive practical successes in applications ranging from scheduling and computer channel balancing to cluster analysis and space planning, and more recently has demonstrated its value in treating classical problems such as the traveling salesman and graph coloring problems. Nevertheless, the approach is still in its infancy, and a good deal remains to be discovered about its most effective forms of implementation and about the range of problems for which it is best suited. This paper undertakes to present the major ideas and findings to date, and to indicate challenges for future research. Part I of this study indicates the basic principles, ranging from the short-term memory process at the core of the search to the intermediate and long term memory processes for intensifying and diversifying the search. Included are illustrative data structures for implementing the tabu conditions (and associated aspiration criteria) that underlie these processes. Part I concludes with a discussion of probabilistic tabu search and a summary of computational experience for a variety of applications. Part I1 of this study (to appear in a subsequent issue) examines more advanced considerations, applying the basic ideas to special settings and outlining a dynamic move structure to insure finiteness. Part I1 also describes tabu search methods for solving mixed integer programming problems and gives a brief summary of additional practical experience, including the use of tabu search to guide other types of processes, such as those of neural networks. T a b u search is a strategy for solving combinatorial optimization problems whose applications range from graph theory and matroid settings to general pure and mixed integer programming problems. It is an adaptive procedure with the ability to make use of many other methods, such as linear programming algorithms and specialized heuristics, which it directs to overcome the limitations of local optimality. Tabu search has its origins in combinatorial procedures applied to nonlinear covering problems in the late 1970~,[~1 and subsequently applied to a diverse collection of problems ranging from scheduling and computer channel balancing to cluster analysis and space planning. '3.4,6.71 Latest research and computational comparisons involving traveling salesman, graph coloring, job shop flow sequencing, integrated circuit design and time tabling problems have likewise disclosed the ability of tabu search to obtain high quality solutions with modest computational effort, generally dominating alternative …
Physicochemical characteristics and storage stability of clarified butter fat « smen » produced from pasteurized and non-pasteurized milk

Smen is a milk fat isolated by ‘boiling-off’ water. Milk fat was first converted into butter and then into smen. Smen product is utilized for culinary cooking and frying of different food. Smen has better shelf-life than other indigenous dairy products due to its lower moisture content. However, it undergoes deterioration (lipolysis and oxidation of milk fat) causes flavor impairment, lowers nutritional quality and creates serious problems for storage stability. Objectives of this work were studying physicochemical characteristics and oxidative stability of clarified butter fat “smen” produced from non-pasteurized and pasteurized cow’s milk. A sensorial evaluation was applied to select more appreciate “smen” by consumers. An oxidative procedure was applied to test the stability of smen. Samples were kept in glass bottles and heated at 100°C. The resistance to oxidation of smen samples was studied by measuring Peroxide value (PV), Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), Free Fatty Acid (FFA), Specific absorptivity at 232 and 270 (K232 and K270) values and change in fatty acid composition, color, polyphenol contents and oxidation induction time in the Rancimat. Differences between the two clarified butter fat “smen” products are indicative for their comparison in terms of their thermal stability, consequently for their shelf-life determinations. Therefore, effect of processing methods and storage conditions were evaluated. When compared, smen produced from pasteurized milk has higher thermal stability than smen produced from non-pasteurized milk. All studies indicated that, smen produced from non-pasteurized cow’s milk was more prone to oxidation than smen produced from pasteurized cow’s milk. Regarding these specificities, the value of this product in food formulation may be justified.
Functional effects of uridine triphosphate on the atrophied soleus muscle of rat after unloading

The purposes of the study were to determine the effects of a pyrimidine nucleotide, the uridine triphosphate (UTP), on the contractile and histochemical properties of the soleus (SOL) muscle following disuse atrophy due to hindlimb unloading (HU) hypokinesia. UTP was injected either during the HU period (2 weeks) or later during the recovery period. In this latter condition, contractile and histochemical properties were studied after 5, 8, 11, and 15 days of spontaneous recovery. HU induced decreases in the SOL weight, force output (twitch and tetanic tensions), time to peak tension during the twitch, and the percentage of type I fibers. The injection of UTP during the HU period did not counteract the modification in speed‐related properties, but the decrease in force output was partly counteracted and the proportion of type II C fibers was increased. When UTP was injected during the recovery periods, force‐related properties recovered more rapidly. These results suggest that UTP may reduce the loss of force induced by atrophy. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve, 20, 172–178, 1997.
Learning from Failure

We study decentralized learning in organizations. Decentralization is captured through a symmetry constraint on agents’ strategies. Among such attainable strategies, we solve for optimal and equilibrium strategies. We model the organization as a repeated game with imperfectly observable actions. A fixed but unknown subset of action profiles are successes and all other action profiles are failures. The game is played until either there is a success or the time horizon is reached. For any time horizon, including infinity, we demonstrate existence of optimal attainable strategies and show that they are Nash equilibria. For some time horizons, we can solve explicitly for the optimal attainable strategies and show uniqueness. The solution connects the learning behavior of agents to the fundamentals that characterize the organization: Agents in the organization respond more slowly to failure as the future becomes more important, the size of the organization increases and the probability of success decreases.
Deep history impacts present-day ecology and biodiversity

Lizards and snakes putatively arose between the early Jurassic and late Triassic; they diversified worldwide and now occupy many different ecological niches, making them ideal for testing theories on the origin of ecological traits. We propose and test the “deep history hypothesis,” which claims that differences in ecological traits among species arose early in evolutionary history of major clades, and that present-day assemblages are structured largely because of ancient, preexisting differences. We combine phylogenetic data with ecological data collected over nearly 40 years to reconstruct the evolution of dietary shifts in squamate reptiles. Data on diets of 184 lizard species in 12 families from 4 continents reveal significant dietary shifts at 6 major divergence points, reducing variation by 79.8%. The most striking dietary divergence (27.6%) occurred in the late Triassic, when Iguania and Scleroglossa split. These two clades occupy different regions of dietary niche space. Acquisition of chemical prey discrimination, jaw prehension, and wide foraging provided scleroglossans access to sedentary and hidden prey that are unavailable to iguanians. This cladogenic event may have profoundly influenced subsequent evolutionary history and diversification. We suggest the hypothesis that ancient events in squamate cladogenesis, rather than present-day competition, caused dietary shifts in major clades such that some lizard clades gained access to new resources, which in turn led to much of the biodiversity observed today.
Infant feeding practices and associated factors in the first six months of life: The Norwegian Infant Nutrition Survey

Aim: To describe and evaluate infant feeding practices during the first 6 mo of life in relation to recommendations, and to study infant feeding practices in relation to maternal and infant characteristics. Methods: Data from 2383 Norwegian infants aged 6 mo were collected by a self‐administered semi‐quantitative food‐frequency questionnaire measuring feeding practices at 6 mo and feeding practices retrospectively at ≤5.5 mo of age. Results: Only 1% of the infants had never been breastfed. The proportion of breastfed infants was 96% at 1 mo, 85% at 4 mo and 80% at 6 mo. The proportion of exclusively breastfed infants was 90% at 1 mo, 44% at 4 mo and 7% at 6 mo. Twenty‐one percent of the infants were introduced to solid foods before the age of 4 mo. For exclusive breastfeeding at 4 mo, breastfeeding at 6 mo and timely introduction of solid foods (not before 4 mo) significant positive trends were found for maternal age, education and degree of urbanization. Negative associations were found for maternal smoking. Furthermore, exclusive breastfeeding at 4 mo was associated with infant gender and marital status, and the odds of breastfeeding at 6 mo significantly decreased with decreasing infant birthweight. Finally, both the odds of exclusive breastfeeding at 4 mo and of breastfeeding at 6 mo increased with increasing numbers of children.
Epidermal growth factor receptor activity is elevated in glioma cancer stem cells and is required to maintain chemotherapy and radiation resistance

Glioblastoma remains among the most aggressive of all human and canine malignancies, displaying high mortality rates and limited treatment options. We propose that given the similarities between canine and human gliomas, such as incidence of occurrence, histopathology, molecular characteristics, and response to therapy, that canine gliomas are a natural model of the human disease. A range of human and canine tumours have been shown to harbor specific subpopulations of cells with stem cell-like properties that initiate and maintain neoplasticity while resisting conventional therapies. Here, we show that both canine and human glioma cell lines contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and by molecular profiling highlight the important role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway in canine CSCs. EGFR signaling is crucial in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation, migration and survival. To date EGFR-targeted interventions alone have been largely ineffective. Our findings confirm that specifically inhibiting EGFR signaling alone has no significant effect on the viability of CSCs. However inhibition of EGFR did enhance the chemo- and radio-sensitivity of both canine and human glioma CSCs, enabling this resistant, tumourigenic population of cells to be effectively targeted by conventional therapies.
Caenorhabditis elegans Cyclin B3 Is Required for Multiple Mitotic Processes Including Alleviation of a Spindle Checkpoint–Dependent Block in Anaphase Chromosome Segregation

The master regulators of the cell cycle are cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks), which influence the function of a myriad of proteins via phosphorylation. Mitotic Cdk1 is activated by A-type, as well as B1- and B2-type, cyclins. However, the role of a third, conserved cyclin B family member, cyclin B3, is less well defined. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans CYB-3 has essential and distinct functions from cyclin B1 and B2 in the early embryo. CYB-3 is required for the timely execution of a number of cell cycle events including completion of the MII meiotic division of the oocyte nucleus, pronuclear migration, centrosome maturation, mitotic chromosome condensation and congression, and, most strikingly, progression through the metaphase-to-anaphase transition. Our experiments reveal that the extended metaphase delay in CYB-3–depleted embryos is dependent on an intact spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and results in salient defects in the architecture of holocentric metaphase chromosomes. Furthermore, genetically increasing or decreasing dynein activity results in the respective suppression or enhancement of CYB-3–dependent defects in cell cycle progression. Altogether, these data reveal that CYB-3 plays a unique, essential role in the cell cycle including promoting mitotic dynein functionality and alleviation of a SAC–dependent block in anaphase chromosome segregation.
Polymorphism Analysis of COL4A3 and COL4A4 Genes in Greek Patients with Keratoconus

Abstract Background: In this study, we conducted the genotyping of D326Y in COL4A3 and M1327V, as well as F1644F in COL4A4 polymorphisms, in a case–control sample panel of Greek origin population. Materials and Methods: A case–control panel, with 45 keratoconus (KC) patients and 78 healthy controls, were surveyed. DNA from each individual was tested for the D326Y in COL4A3 and M1327V, as well as F1644F in COL4A4 polymorphisms by direct sequencing. Results: When analyzing the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, we observed no significant deviation from expected numbers in both KC patients and controls. The genotype frequencies in the polymorphisms tested were not found to be significantly associated with KC development risk. The M1327V AA and F1644F TT genotypes were significantly over-represented in healthy individuals. Conclusions: We could hypothesize that mutations in COL4A3 and COL4A4 genes are not involved in KC risk in Greek population. Nevertheless, the M1327V AA and F1644F TT genotypes were significantly over-represented in healthy individuals, suggesting a protective role of these genotypes in KC development risk in our population.
XMM-Newton Observations of the Laor et al. Sample of PG Quasars

We present XMM–Newton/EPIC spectra for the Laor et al. sample of Palomar Green (PG) quasars. We find that a power law provides a reasonable fit to the 2–5 keV region of the spectra. Excess soft X-ray emission below 2 keV is present for all objects, with the exception of those known to contain a warm absorber. However, a single power law is a poor fit to the 0.3–10.0 keV spectrum and instead we find that a simple model, consisting of a broken power law (plus an iron line), provides a reasonable fit in most cases. The equivalent width of the emission line is constrained in just 12 objects but with low (<2σ) significance in most cases. For the sources whose spectra are well fitted by the broken-power-law model, we find that various optical and X-ray line and continuum parameters are well correlated; in particular, the power-law photon index is well correlated with the FWHM of the Hβ line and the photon indices of the low- and high-energy components of the broken power law are well correlated with each other. These results suggest that the 0.3–10 keV X-ray emission shares a common (presumably non-thermal) origin, as opposed to suggestions that the soft excess is directly produced by thermal disc emission or via an additional spectral component. We present XMM–Newton Optical Monitor (OM) data, which we combine with the X-ray spectra so as to produce broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), free from uncertainties due to long-term variability in non-simultaneous data. Fitting these optical–UV spectra with a Comptonized disc model indicates that the soft X-ray excess is independent of the accretion disc, confirming our interpretation of the tight correlation between the hard and soft X-ray spectra.
Intradialytic exercise training reduces oxidative stress and epicardial fat: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates are greatly elevated in chronic kidney disease patients receiving maintenance haemodialysis therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intradialytic endurance exercise training on novel risk factors that may contribute to this excessive CVD risk. METHODS Seventeen haemodialysis patients were randomized to either an intradialytic exercise training (cycling) group (EX; n = 8) or a non-exercising control group (CON; n = 9) for 4 months. At baseline and following the intervention, we measured serum parameters related to CVD risk and renal function, used echocardiography to measure variables related to cardiac structure and function and assessed physical performance by a validated shuttle walk test. RESULTS Performance on the shuttle walk test increased by 17% in EX (P < 0.05), but did not change in CON. There was no change in serum lipids or inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6) in either group. Serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, a marker of oxidative stress, were reduced by 38% in EX (P < 0.05), but did not change in CON. In addition, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a putative risk factor for vascular calcification, was reduced by 27% in EX (P < 0.05), but did not change in CON. There was no change in left atrial volume, left ventricular mass or myocardial performance index in either group. However, the thickness of the epicardial fat layer was reduced by 11% in EX (P < 0.05), but did not change in CON. Furthermore, the change in physical performance was inversely correlated to the change in epicardial fat (r = -0.63; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that endurance exercise training may improve CVD risk in haemodialysis patients by decreasing novel risk factors including serum oxidative stress, ALP and epicardial fat.