Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entropy: a consolidation manager for clusters

Clusters provide powerful computing environments, but in practice much of this power goes to waste, due to the static allocation of tasks to nodes, regardless of their changing computational requirements. Dynamic consolidation is an approach that migrates tasks within a cluster as their computational requirements change, both to reduce the number of nodes that need to be active and to eliminate temporary overload situations. Previous dynamic consolidation strategies have relied on task placement heuristics that use only local optimization and typically do not take migration overhead into account. However, heuristics based on only local optimization may miss the globally optimal solution, resulting in unnecessary resource usage, and the overhead for migration may nullify the benefits of consolidation. In this paper, we propose the Entropy resource manager for homogeneous clusters, which performs dynamic consolidation based on constraint programming and takes migration overhead into account. The use of constraint programming allows Entropy to find mappings of tasks to nodes that are better than those found by heuristics based on local optimizations, and that are frequently globally optimal in the number of nodes. Because migration overhead is taken into account, Entropy chooses migrations that can be implemented efficiently, incurring a low performance overhead.
Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Linkage Disequilibrium of a Core Collection of Ziziphus jujuba Assessed with Genome-wide SNPs Developed by Genotyping-by-sequencing and SSR Markers

Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill) is an economically important fruit species native to China with high nutritious and medicinal value. Genotyping-by-sequencing was used to detect and genotype single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a core collection of 150 Chinese jujube accessions and further to characterize their genetic diversity, population structure, and linkage disequilibrium (LD). A total of 4,680 high-quality SNPs were identified, of which 38 sets of tri-allelic SNPs were detected. The average polymorphism information content (PIC) values based on bi-allelic SNPs and tri-allelic SNPs were 0.27 and 0.38, respectively. STRUCTURE and principal coordinate analyses based on SNPs revealed that the 150 accessions could be clustered into two groups. However, neighbor-joining trees indicated the accessions should be grouped into three major clusters. Our data confirm that the resolving power for genetic diversity was similar for the SSRs and SNPs. In contrast, regarding population structure, the resolving power was higher for SSRs than for SNPs. The LD pattern in Chinese jujube was investigated for the first time. We observed a relatively rapid LD decay with a short range (∼10 kb) for all pseudo-chromosomes and for individual pseudo-chromosomes. Our findings provide important information for future genome-wide association analyses and marker-assisted selective breeding of Chinese jujube.
Cholinergic Control in Developing Prefrontal–Hippocampal Networks

The cholinergic drive enhances input processing in attentional and mnemonic context by interacting with the activity of prefrontal–hippocampal networks. During development, acetylcholine modulates neuronal proliferation, differentiation, and synaptic plasticity, yet its contribution to the maturation of cognitive processing resulting from early entrainment of neuronal networks in oscillatory rhythms remains widely unknown. Here we show that cholinergic projections growing into the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) toward the end of the first postnatal week boost the generation of nested gamma oscillations superimposed on discontinuous spindle bursts by acting on functional muscarinic but not nicotinic receptors. Although electrical stimulation of cholinergic nuclei increased the occurrence of nested gamma spindle bursts by 41%, diminishment of the cholinergic input by either blockade of the receptors or chronic immunotoxic lesion had the opposite effect. This activation of locally generated gamma episodes by direct cholinergic projections to the PFC was accompanied by indirect modulation of underlying spindle bursts via cholinergic control of hippocampal theta activity. With ongoing maturation and switch of network activity from discontinuous bursts to continuous theta–gamma rhythms, accumulating cholinergic projections acting on both muscarinic and nicotinic receptors mediated the transition from high-amplitude slow to low-amplitude fast rhythms in the PFC. By exerting multiple actions on the oscillatory entrainment of developing prefrontal–hippocampal networks, the cholinergic input may refine them for later gating processing in executive and mnemonic tasks.
The Effect of Early Life Antibiotic Exposures on Diarrheal Rates Among Young Children in Vellore, India

Background: Antibiotic treatment of childhood illnesses is common in India. In addition to contributing to antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics might result in increased susceptibility to diarrhea through interactions with the gastrointestinal microbiota. Breast milk, which enriches the microbiota early in life, may increase the resilience of the microbiota against perturbations by antibiotics. Methods: In a prospective observational cohort study, we assessed whether antibiotic exposures from birth to 6 months affected rates of diarrhea up to age 3 years among 465 children from Vellore, India. Adjusting for treatment indicators, we modeled diarrheal rates among children exposed and unexposed to antibiotics using negative binomial regression. We further assessed whether the effect of antibiotics on diarrheal rates was modified by exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months. Results: More than half of the children (n = 267, 57.4%) were given at least one course of antibiotics in the first 6 months of life. The adjusted relative incidence rate of diarrhea was 33% higher among children who received antibiotics under 6 months of age compared with those who did not (incidence rate ratio: 1.33, 95% confidence interval: 1.12, 1.57). Children who were exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age did not have increased diarrheal rates following antibiotic use. Conclusions: Antibiotic exposures early in life were associated with increased rates of diarrhea in early childhood. Exclusive breastfeeding might protect against this negative impact.
Counting points of fixed degree and bounded height

We consider the set of points in projective $n$-space that generate an extension of degree $e$ over given number field $k$, and deduce an asymptotic formula for the number of such points of absolute height at most $X$, as $X$ tends to infinity. We deduce a similar such formula with instead of the absolute height, a so-called adelic-Lipschitz height.
Evidence for Pervasive Adaptive Protein Evolution in Wild Mice

The relative contributions of neutral and adaptive substitutions to molecular evolution has been one of the most controversial issues in evolutionary biology for more than 40 years. The analysis of within-species nucleotide polymorphism and between-species divergence data supports a widespread role for adaptive protein evolution in certain taxa. For example, estimates of the proportion of adaptive amino acid substitutions (α) are 50% or more in enteric bacteria and Drosophila. In contrast, recent estimates of α for hominids have been at most 13%. Here, we estimate α for protein sequences of murid rodents based on nucleotide polymorphism data from multiple genes in a population of the house mouse subspecies Mus musculus castaneus, which inhabits the ancestral range of the Mus species complex and nucleotide divergence between M. m. castaneus and M. famulus or the rat. We estimate that 57% of amino acid substitutions in murids have been driven by positive selection. Hominids, therefore, are exceptional in having low apparent levels of adaptive protein evolution. The high frequency of adaptive amino acid substitutions in wild mice is consistent with their large effective population size, leading to effective natural selection at the molecular level. Effective natural selection also manifests itself as a paucity of effectively neutral nonsynonymous mutations in M. m. castaneus compared to humans.
Withdrawal of digoxin from patients with chronic heart failure treated with angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors.

Background. Although digoxin is effective in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure who are receiving diuretic agents, it is not clear whether the drug has a role when patients are receiving angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, as is often the case in current practice. Methods. We studied 178 patients with New York Heart Association class II or III heart failure and left ventricular ejection fractions of 35 percent or less in normal sinus rhythm who were clinically stable while receiving digoxin, diuretics, and an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor (captopril or enalapril). The patients were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion either to continue receiving digoxin (85 patients) or to be switched to placebo (93 patients) for 12 weeks
Hepatitis B virus core antigen determines viral persistence in a C57BL/6 mouse model

We recently developed a mouse model of hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistence, in which a single i.v. hydrodynamic injection of HBV DNA to C57BL/6 mice allows HBV replication and induces a partial immune response, so that about 20–30% of the mice carry HBV for more than 6 months. The model was used to identify the viral antigen crucial for HBV persistence. We knocked out individual HBV genes by introducing a premature termination codon to the HBV core, HBeAg, HBx, and polymerase ORFs. The specific-gene-deficient HBV mutants were hydrodynamically injected into mice and the HBV profiles of the mice were monitored. About 90% of the mice that received the HBcAg-mutated HBV plasmid exhibited high levels of hepatitis B surface antigenemia and maintained HBsAg expression for more than 6 months after injection. To map the region of HBcAg essential for viral clearance, we constructed a set of serial HBcAg deletion mutants for hydrodynamic injection. We localized the essential region of HBcAg to the carboxyl terminus, specifically to the 10 terminal amino acids (HBcAg176–185). The majority of mice receiving this HBV mutant DNA did not elicit a proper HBcAg-specific IFN-γ response and expressed HBV virions for 6 months. These results indicate that the immune response triggered in mice by HBcAg during exposure to HBV is important in determining HBV persistence.
Mental disorders among adolescents in juvenile detention and correctional facilities: a systematic review and metaregression analysis of 25 surveys.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of the research literature on the prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. METHOD Surveys of psychiatric morbidity based on interviews of unselected populations of detained children and adolescents were identified by computer-assisted searches, scanning of reference lists, hand-searching of journals, and correspondence with authors of relevant reports. The sex-specific prevalence of mental disorders (psychotic illness, major depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], and conduct disorder) together with potentially moderating study characteristics were abstracted from publications. Statistical analysis involved metaregression to identify possible causes of differences in disorder prevalence across surveys. RESULTS Twenty-five surveys involving 13,778 boys and 2,972 girls (mean age 15.6 years, range 10-19 years) met inclusion criteria. Among boys, 3.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0%-3.6%) were diagnosed with psychotic illness, 10.6% (7.3%-13.9%) with major depression, 11.7% (4.1%-19.2%) with ADHD, and 52.8% (40.9%-64.7%) with conduct disorder. Among girls, 2.7% (2.0%-3.4%) were diagnosed with psychotic illness, 29.2% (21.9%-36.5%) with major depression, 18.5% (9.3%-27.7%) with ADHD, and 52.8% (32.4%-73.2%) with conduct disorder. Metaregression suggested that surveys using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children yielded lower prevalence estimates for depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder, whereas studies with psychiatrists acting as interviewers had lower prevalence estimates only of depression. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents in detention and correctional facilities were about 10 times more likely to suffer from psychosis than the general adolescent population. Girls were more often diagnosed with major depression than were boys, contrary to findings from adult prisoners and general population surveys. The findings have implications for the provision of psychiatric services for adolescents in detention.
A multidimensional examination of the acculturation and psychological functioning of a sample of immigrant Chinese mothers in the US

The present research used the cluster analysis method to examine the acculturation of immigrant Chinese mothers (ICMs), and the demographic characteristics and psychological functioning associated with each acculturation style. The sample was comprised of 83 first-generation ICMs of preschool children residing in Maryland, Unites States (US). Cluster analysis revealed four acculturation styles: psychologically-behaviorally integrated; psychologically-behaviorally assimilated; psychologically-behaviorally undifferentiated; and psychologically-behaviorally separated. Assimilated mothers were the youngest at immigration and had resided in the US for the longest time. Separated mothers were older at immigration, resided in the US for a shorter time, were less educated, and had lower psychological functioning than mothers in the other clusters. However, there were no differences in demographic characteristics and psychological functioning between psychologically-behaviorally integrated and psychologically-behaviorally undifferentiated clusters. The importance of simultaneously assessing various cultural orientations and components of acculturation was highlighted.
Preventing Attacks on Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs)

After the terror attacks of 9/11, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that requires in the US Visa Waiver Program to begin issuing issuing machine readable passports that are tamper resistant and incorporate biometric and document authentication identifiers. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has issued specifications for Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTD) that are equipped with a smart card processor to perform biometric identification of the holder. Some countries, such as the United States, will issue machine readable passports that serve only as passports. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, intend to issue more sophisticated, multi-application passports that can also serve as national identity cards. We have conducted a detailed security analysis of these specificationsm, and we illustrate possible scenarios that could cause a compromise in the security and privacy of holders of such travel documents. Finally, we suggest improved cryptographic protocols and high-assurance smart card operating systems to prevent these compromises and to support electronic visas as well as passports.
Extracellular matrix components in peripheral nerve repair: how to affect neural cellular response and nerve regeneration?

Peripheral nerve injury is a serious problem affecting significantly patients’ life. Autografts are the “gold standard” used to repair the injury gap, however, only 50% of patients fully recover from the trauma. Artificial conduits are a valid alternative to repairing peripheral nerve. They aim at confining the nerve environment throughout the regeneration process, and providing guidance to axon outgrowth. Biocompatible materials have been carefully designed to reduce inflammation and scar tissue formation, but modifications of the inner lumen are still required in order to optimise the scaffolds. Biomicking the native neural tissue with extracellular matrix fillers or coatings showed great promises in repairing longer gaps and extending cell survival. In addition, extracellular matrix molecules provide a platform to further bind growth factors that can be released in the system over time. Alternatively, conduit fillers can be used for cell transplantation at the injury site, reducing the lag time required for endogenous Schwann cells to proliferate and take part in the regeneration process. This review provides an overview on the importance of extracellular matrix molecules in peripheral nerve repair.
N2 production through denitrification and anammox across the continental margin (shelf–slope–rise) of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea

Experimental determinations of nitrogen cycling in deep‐sea sediments are strongly underrepresented in the databases. To investigate the total N2 production rates and relative contribution of denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) to benthic fixed‐N removal processes, we conducted 15N isotope‐labeling incubation experiments in whole cores and slurries at nine stations across the continental margin from the shelf (< 200 m) and into the deep (> 2000 m) Ulleung Basin (UB) in the East Sea. The total N2 production rates (anammox plus denitrification) in the center of the UB (8.4 ± 0.2 μmol N m−2 h−1) were high compared to most other deep‐sea sediments at similar water depths. Denitrification rates decreased from the shelf (7.6 ± 0.6 μmol N m−2 h−1) to the basin (3.2 ± 0.4 μmol N m−2 h−1), in proportion to benthic oxygen consumption, whereas anammox rates remained relatively constant or even increased slightly (1.3–4.1 μmol N m−2 h−1). The contribution of anammox to the total N2 production (ra) increased with increasing water depth from the shelf (ca. 17%) to the basin (ca. 56%). The enhanced ra in the center of the UB was associated with an increased availability of nitrite for anammox, which was likely a result of the competitive suppression of denitrification by manganese reduction under MnO2‐rich conditions. Our results emphasize the importance of anammox as a sink for reactive nitrogen in deep‐sea sediments and contribute toward a mechanistic understanding of the factors controlling benthic reactive nitrogen loss in the ocean.
The Novel Murine CD4+CD8+ Thymocyte Cell Line Exhibits Lineage Commitment into Both CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells by Altering the Intensity and the Duration of Anti-CD3 Stimulation In Vitro

A CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocyte cell line, 257-20-109 was established from BALB/c mice thymocytes and used to analyze the requirements to induce CD4 or CD8 single-positive (SP) T cells. CD4SP cells were induced from 257-20-109 cells by anti-CD3 stimulation in the presence of the FcR-positive macrophage cell line, P388D1. During stimulation, maturation events, such as the down-regulation of CD24 and the up-regulation of CD69, H-2Dd, CD5, and Bcl-2, were recognized. Furthermore, these CD4SP cells appeared to be functional because the cells produced IL-2 and IL-4 when activated with phorbol ester and calcium ionophore. In contrast, CD8SP cells could be induced by stimulation with fixed anti-CD3 after removal of stimulation. To investigate the extent of signals required for CD4SP and CD8SP, the cells stimulated under either condition for 2 days were sorted and transferred to different culture conditions. These results suggested that the fate of lineage commitment was determined within 2 days, and that CD4 lineage commitment required longer activation. Furthermore, the experiments with subclones of 257-20-109 demonstrated that the lower density of CD3 did not shift the cells from CD4SP to CD8SP, but only reduced the amount of CD4SP cells. In contrast, when the 257-20-109 cells were stimulated by the combination of fixed anti-CD3 and anti-CD28, the majority of the cells shifted to CD4SP, with an enhancement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 phosphorylation. Our results indicate that the signals via TCR/CD3 alone shifted the double-positive cells to CD8SP cells, but the reinforced signals via TCR/CD3 and costimulator could commit the cells to CD4SP.
The Effect of Geometry Parameters on Energy and Thermal Performance of School Buildings in Cold Climates of China

This paper discusses the role of geometry parameters including building shape, window to wall ratio, room depth, and orientation on the energy use and thermal comfort of school buildings in cold climates of China. The annual total energy demand and summer thermal discomfort time were compared through computer simulations with DesignBuilder. Furthermore, a questionnaire was conducted that related to the students’ subjective preference for various building geometry parameters. Results showed that a maximum of 13.6% of energy savings and 3.8% of thermal comfort improvement when compared to the reference case could be achieved through variations in geometry parameters. The H shape performed the best when the building thermal performance and students’ preferences were considered, as well as the various design options for architects. Window to wall ratio, room depth, and orientation should also be carefully addressed in terms of different building types. The results of this study can serve as a reference for architects and school managers in the early design stages of schools in cold climates of China.
Corticomotor plasticity following unilateral strength training

Introduction: We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate 3 weeks of unilateral leg strength training on ipsilateral motor cortex (iM1) excitability, and short‐latency intracortical inhibition (SICI). Methods: Right leg dominant participants (n = 14) were randomly divided into either a strength training (ST) or control group. The ST group completed 9 training sessions (4 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions of single right leg squats). Results: We observed a 41% increase in right leg strength, and a 35% increase in strength of the untrained left leg (P < 0.01). There was a significant increase in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude recruitment curve for the untrained left leg (P < 0.01). SICI of the iM1 decreased by 21% for the untrained left leg (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The findings provide evidence for corticomotor adaptation for unilateral leg strength training within the iM1 that is modulated by changes in interhemispheric inhibition. Muscle Nerve 46: 384–393, 2012
Evaluating the degree of knowledge on oral cancer among general practitioners and dentists in Qazvin.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Despite easy accessibility of the oral cavity to examination most oral cancers are only identified at advanced stages. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of general doctors and dentists on oral cancer in Qazvin to form the basis of development of undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes for early detection and prevention of oral cancer. METHODS A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed on general medical practitioners and general dental practitioners in 2009. Analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS The mean knowledge score of all participants was at moderate level and there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was a significant correlation between knowledge score and age, time from graduation and the interval since the last refresher course on oral cancer (P < 0.05). Smoking (78%) and alcohol consumption (34.9%) were noted as the two major risk factors by the entire population study. Approximately 80.9% of participants identified the tongue as among the most common sites for oral cancers while only 25.7% identified the floor of the mouth and 28.3% the lips as other areas of occurrence. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated an inadequate level of knowledge on oral cancers in both groups. Additional training in universities as well as continuing educational programmes on prevention and early detection of oral cancers is recommended.