Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Refreshing Datawarehouse in Near Real-Time

warehousing technology has made a huge impact in the world of business; it helps to turn data into information that helps analysts to make strategic decisions. Currently most data warehouse approaches employ static refresh mechanisms. But for various business requirements this is not an appropriate solution. Some critical data need to be refreshed in real time. We propose an approach to identify critical data by considering two factors, namely: a) impact from one update, b) number of records affected. The identified critical data will be stored in the temporary tables, these temporary tables will be refreshed in real time and remaining data will be refreshed in conventional way. KeywordsReal-time data warehouse, Change Data Capture (CDC), Extract, Transform and Load (ETL)
Regions in the human brain activated by simultaneous orientation discrimination: a study with positron emission tomography

In order to compare regional cerebral activity involved in simultaneous as opposed to successive orientation discrimination, we used positron emission tomography to measure regional cerebral blood flow, in two threefold sets of conditions, in a large number of subjects. The first such triad involved simultaneous orientation discrimination, orientation identification and detection, with all tasks using the same pair of gratings. The second triad consisted of successive orientation discrimination with its corresponding identification and detection tasks. Comparisons between tasks within each triad isolate attention to orientation and, respectively, spatial or temporal comparison. The subtraction of detection from simultaneous discrimination revealed activation of right fusiform, right lingual, left precentral, left cingulate and left temporal cortex, in addition to right insula, cerebellum and left thalamus. Only the fusiform, insular and precentral activations remained when the corresponding identification was subtracted from simultaneous discrimination. In contrast, most of the non‐visual activation sites remained when simultaneous discrimination was compared with successive discrimination, which also revealed a left lingual activation. These experiments provide further evidence for task‐dependent processing in the human visual system and suggest that the right fusiform cortex is involved in spatial as much as temporal comparisons.
Searches for ultracompact dwarf galaxies in galaxy groups

We present the results of a search for ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) in six different galaxy groups: Dorado, NGC 1400, 0681, 4038, 4697 and 5084. We searched in the apparent magnitude range 17.5 � bJ � 20.5 (except NGC 5084: 19.2 � bJ � 21.0). We found one definite plus two possible UCD candidates in the Dorado group and two possible UCD candidates in the NGC 1400 group. No UCDs were found in the other groups. We compared these results with predicted luminosities of UCDs in the groups according to the hypothesis that UCDs are globular clusters formed in galaxies. The theoretical predictions broadly agree with the observational results, but deeper surveys are needed to fully test the predictions.
Reducing DNS caching

Motivated by our ongoing work exploring an alternative Internet architecture, we wish to make use of naming services in order to support functionality such as: host and network mobility; application and/or virtual machine migration; and various forms of traffic control (e.g. multi-homing). Currently, the Domain Name System (DNS) is used to resolve names to DNS records, with relatively large time-to-live (TTL) values (several thousands of seconds) for caching the results. To support new agile services and systems, cached results may need to have much lower TTL values, so that cached DNS values do not become stale as system changes occur, e.g. changes to end-system location information to support new methods of mobility. However, current conventions for DNS configuration normally use conservatively high TTL values. We have conducted an empirical study of a live DNS deployment where we have reduced to zero the TTL values of records for the entire School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews. Our results show that the increase in DNS load is much lower than might be expected, following a highly non-linear decrease with respect to the TTL value of the DNS records.
Blendenpik: Supercharging LAPACK's Least-Squares Solver

Several innovative random-sampling and random-mixing techniques for solving problems in linear algebra have been proposed in the last decade, but they have not yet made a significant impact on numerical linear algebra. We show that by using a high-quality implementation of one of these techniques, we obtain a solver that performs extremely well in the traditional yardsticks of numerical linear algebra: it is significantly faster than high-performance implementations of existing state-of-the-art algorithms, and it is numerically backward stable. More specifically, we describe a least-squares solver for dense highly overdetermined systems that achieves residuals similar to those of direct QR factorization-based solvers (lapack), outperforms lapack by large factors, and scales significantly better than any QR-based solver.
Most Preschoolers Don’t Know Most

ABSTRACT Recently, researchers interested in the nature and origins of semantic representations have investigated an especially informative case study: The acquisition of the word most—a quantifier which by all accounts demands a sophisticated second-order logic, and which therefore poses an interesting challenge to theories of language acquisition. According to some reports, children acquire most as early as three years of age, suggesting that it does not draw on cardinal representations of quantity (contrary to some formal accounts), since adult-like knowledge of counting emerges later in development. Other studies, however, have provided evidence that children acquire most much later—possibly by the age of 6 or 7—thereby drawing this logic into question. Here we explore this issue by conducting a series of experiments that probed children’s knowledge of most in different ways. We conclude that children do not acquire an adult-like meaning for most until very late in development—around the age of 6—and that certain behaviors which appear consistent with earlier knowledge are better explained by children’s well-attested bias to select larger sets (a “more” bias), especially when tested with unfamiliar words.
Successive Correlated Defaults: Pricing Trends and Simulation

We generalize the structural incomplete observation models of default proposed by Duffie & Lando (2001) and Giesecke (2001b) to the multifirm case with correlated defaults. Our approach accommodates the well-documented cyclical correlation effects as well as default cascading effects, which are implied by the incomplete information of investors. We explicitly construct the pricing trend and the intensity of the first, second, etc. default. These results furnish the well-known intensity based price representations of various multi-name credit derivatives and structured credit products. Based on the pricing trend, we also formulate an algorithm for the simulation of successive, correlated, and unpredictable default arrival times.
915MHz ultra low power receiver using sub-Vt active rectifiers

A 98nW receiver with a 23nW active rectifier RF front-end biased in deep subthreshold near the saturation/linear boundary is presented. An on-chip voltage reference and 28nW hysteretic comparator are also designed using subthreshold techniques. The receiver can demodulate an OOK signal at 100kbps with a sensitivity of -41dBm and all processing for process and mismatch is handled on-chip [1]. The ultra-low power receiver is used for wireless sensor node applications, specifically for nodes that are to be worn on the body.
Validity and Reliability of the Caregiver Contribution to Self-care of Heart Failure Index

Background:Caregivers make an important contribution to the self-care of patients with heart failure (HF), but few instruments are available to measure this contribution. Objective:The objective of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Contribution to Self-care of Heart Failure Index (CC-SCHFI), an instrument derived from the Self-care of Heart Failure Index version 6.2. The CC-SCHFI measures the contribution of caregivers to the self-care maintenance and self-care management of HF patients, as well as their confidence in their ability to contribute to the patients’ HF self-care. Methods:A cross-sectional design was used to study 291 Italian caregivers whose HF patients were cared for in 17 cardiovascular centers across Italy. Caregivers completed the CC-SCHFI and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Caregivers were retested on the CC-SCHFI 2 weeks later to assess test-retest reliability. Results:Most caregivers were women (66%) with a mean age of 59 years. First- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for each CC-SCHFI scale showed good model fit: &khgr;2 = 37.22, P = . 08, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.97, Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI) = 0.96 for caregiver contribution to self-care maintenance (second-order CFA); &khgr;2 = 14.05, P = . 12, CFI = 0.96, NNFI = 0.93 for caregiver contribution to self-care management (first-order CFA); and &khgr;2 = 10.63, P = . 15, CFI = 0.99, NNFI = 0.98 for caregiver confidence in contributing to self-care (second-order CFA). The CC-SCHFI was able to discriminate statistical and clinical differences between 2 groups of caregivers who had received or not received HF self-care education. Internal consistency reliability measured by factor score determinacy was more than . 80 for all factors and scales except for 1 factor in the caregiver contribution to self-care management scale (.65). Test-retest reliability computed by intraclass correlation coefficient was high (>0.90) for most factors and scales. Conclusion:The CC-SCHFI showed good psychometric properties of validity and reliability and can be used to measure the contribution of caregiver to HF patient self-care.
Double-lumen tube intubation using video laryngoscopy causes a milder cardiovascular response compared to classic direct laryngoscopy

Objective: To determine whether there is a clinically relevant difference between the circulatory responses to double-lumen tube intubation (DLTI) with the GlideScope video laryngoscope versus the Macintosh direct laryngoscope. Methods: Eighty adult patients requiring double-lumen tubes for thoracic surgery were randomly and equally allocated to either a Macintosh direct laryngoscope group (DL group, n = 40) or a Glide Scope video laryngoscope group (GS group, n = 40). DLTI was performed after airway evaluations and induction of anesthesia. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before induction (baseline values), immediately before intubation (post-induction values), at intubation and after intubation. Rate-pressure-product (RPP), and the areas under SBP- and HR-time curves were calculated. All data obtained by the two devices were compared. Results: After laryngoscope insertion, SBP of DL and GS groups changed significantly differently (13.1% vs. 4.6%, P< 0.001), while HR changed similarly (17.2% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.074). One minute after intubation, both SBP and HR significantly increased in both groups (SBP: 11.6% vs. 11.9%; HR: 18.4% vs. 10.8%), but there were no significant differences between the two groups. RPP significantly increased in both groups after laryngoscope insertion (32.6%, P=0.001; 18.2%, P=0.002), and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P =0.001). Throughout intubation, the areas under SBP-time curves had a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.042), while those under HR-time curves did not differ significantly (P=0.06). Conclusion: The intubation response was most significant upon laryngoscope insertion during the whole intubation process. The GlideScope video laryngoscope induced milder circulatory fluctuations than the Macintosh direct laryngoscope did, suggesting that DLTI using video laryngoscopy can help reduce the cardiovascular response to intubation.
Structural evidence for Arabidopsis glutathione transferase AtGSTF2 functioning as a transporter of small organic ligands

Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are involved in many processes in plant biochemistry, with their best characterised role being the detoxification of xenobiotics through their conjugation with glutathione. GSTs have also been implicated in noncatalytic roles, including the binding and transport of small heterocyclic ligands such as indole hormones, phytoalexins and flavonoids. Although evidence for ligand binding and transport has been obtained using gene deletions and ligand binding studies on purified GSTs, there has been no structural evidence for the binding of relevant ligands in noncatalytic sites. Here we provide evidence of noncatalytic ligand‐binding sites in the phi class GST from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, AtGSTF2, revealed by X‐ray crystallography. Complexes of the AtGSTF2 dimer were obtained with indole‐3‐aldehyde, camalexin, the flavonoid quercetrin and its non‐rhamnosylated analogue quercetin, at resolutions of 2.00, 2.77, 2.25 and 2.38 Å respectively. Two symmetry‐equivalent‐binding sites (L1) were identified at the periphery of the dimer, and one more (L2) at the dimer interface. In the complexes, indole‐3‐aldehyde and quercetrin were found at both L1 and L2 sites, but camalexin was found only at the L1 sites and quercetin only at the L2 site. Ligand binding at each site appeared to be largely determined through hydrophobic interactions. The crystallographic studies support previous conclusions made on ligand binding in noncatalytic sites by AtGSTF2 based on isothermal calorimetry experiments (Dixon et al. (2011) Biochem J 438, 63–70) and suggest a mode of ligand binding in GSTs commensurate with a possible role in ligand transport.
It takes nerves to fight infections: insights on neuro-immune interactions from C. elegans

The innate immune response is evoked as a consequence of interactions between invading foreign infectious agents and host immune cells. A successful innate immune response is pivotal in maintaining the delicate balance between health and disease; an insufficient response results in infection, whereas an excessive response results in prolonged inflammation and tissue damage. Alterations in the state and function of the nervous system influence the immune response. The nervous system regulates innate immune responses through the release of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and neurohormones. However, many questions related to the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved, the physiological role of the link between the immune and the nervous system, and the biological significance of neuro-immune interactions remain unresolved. The interactions between the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its pathogens provide insights into mechanisms of neuroendocrine regulation of immunity and address many outstanding issues related to neuro-immune interactions.
Emergency situation awareness from twitter for crisis management

This paper describes ongoing work with the Australian Government to detect, assess, summarise, and report messages of interest for crisis coordination published by Twitter. The developed platform and client tools, collectively termed the Emergency Situation Awareness - Automated Web Text Mining (ESA-AWTM) system, demonstrate how relevant Twitter messages can be identified and utilised to inform the situation awareness of an emergency incident as it unfolds. A description of the ESA-AWTM platform is presented detailing how it may be used for real life emergency management scenarios. These scenarios are focused on general use cases to provide: evidence of pre-incident activity; near-real-time notification of an incident occurring; first-hand reports of incident impacts; and gauging the community response to an emergency warning. Our tools have recently been deployed in a trial for use by crisis coordinators.
Identification and functional characterization of two new transcriptional variants of the human p63 gene

p63 belongs to a family of transcription factors, which, while demonstrating striking conservation of functional domains, regulate distinct biological functions. Its principal role is in the regulation of epithelial commitment, differentiation and maintenance programs, during embryogenesis and in adult tissues. The p63 gene has a complex transcriptional pattern, producing two subclasses of N-terminal isoforms (TA and ΔN) which are alternatively spliced at the C-terminus. Here, we report the identification of two new C-terminus p63 variants, we named p63 δ and ε, that increase from 6 to 10 the number of the p63 isoforms. Expression analysis of all p63 variants demonstrates a tissue/cell-type-specific nature of p63 alternative transcript expression, probably related to their different cellular functions. We demonstrate that the new p63 variants as ΔN isoforms are active as transcription factors as they have nuclear localization and can modulate the expression of p63 target genes. Moreover, we report that, like ΔNp63α, ΔNp63δ and ε sustain cellular proliferation and that their expression decreases during keratinocyte differentiation, suggesting their involvement in this process. Taken together, our results demonstrate the existence of novel p63 proteins whose expression should be considered in future studies on the roles of p63 in the regulation of cellular functions.
Emerging Fundamental Issues of Teacher Education in Tanzania: A Reflection of Practices

Quality of teachers is recognized as one of the critical dimensions for promoting student learning in schools. However, in Tanzania there are several emerging issues that affect teacher education and teachers, and as a result affect students’ learning. The existing corpus of literature indicates a death of studies on the systematic understanding of issues that affect teacher education in Tanzania, especially at a time when education across the world is encountering a number of challenges. Employing documentary review and interviews as data collection methods, this paper attempts to analyze the emerging issues affecting teacher education in Tanzania. Employing the Teacher Education Model for the 21st Century, the paper identified five major issues affecting teacher education namely; lack of specific policies for teacher education, lack of continuing professional development, lack of an autonomous teacher regulatory body, inadequate ICT and teacher education, and poor quality of candidates joining teacher education. Generally, the findings indicate that teacher education is not effectively planned in terms of policy imperatives to meet the contemporary professional demands for 21st century education in Tanzania, and beyond. Finally, conclusions and certain recommendations which take a futuristic perspective in preparing 21st century teachers are offered.
A multiwavelength infrared study of NGC 891

We present a multi-wavlength infrared study of the nearby, edge-on, spiral galaxy NGC 891. We have examined 20 independent, spatially resolved IR images of this galaxy, 14 of which are newly reduced and/or previously unpublished images. These images span a wavelength regime from �1.2 µm in which the emission is dominated by cool stars, through the MIR, in which emission is dominated by PAHs, to �850 µm, in which emission is dominated by cold dust in thermal equilibrium with the radiation field. The changing morphology of the galaxy with wavelength illustrates the changing dominant components. We detect extra-planar dust emission in this galaxy, consistent with previously published results, but now show that PAH emission is also in the halo, to a vertical distance of z >2.5 kpc. We compare the vertical extents of various components and find that the PAHs (from �7.7 and 8 µm data) and warm dust (�24 µm) extend to smaller z heights than the cool dust (�450 µm). For six locations in the galaxy for which the S/N was sufficient, we present SEDs of the I R emission, including two in the halo — the first time a halo SED in an external galaxy has been presented. We have modeled these SEDs and find that the PAH fraction, fP AH, is similar to Galactic values (within a factor of two), with the lowest value at the galaxy’s center, consistent with independent results of other galaxies. In the halo environment, the fraction of dust exposed to a colder radiation field, fcold, is of order unity, consistent with an environment in which there is no star formation. The source of excitation is likely from photons escaping from the disk.
Expanding the criteria of renal kidneys for transplantation: use of donors with acute renal failure.

BACKGROUND Increased numbers of patients waiting for renal transplantation have led to widening selection criteria for grafts. Thus, we have evaluated the outcome of transplanted kidneys procured in the presence of acute renal failure (ARF). METHODS Transplant patients (n = 52) with a kidney procured with ARF were studied. Clinical data from donors and recipients, serum creatinine (SCr), creatinine clearance [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)], cold ischaemia duration, time to urine flow recovery or renal function recovery, and the number of haemodialysis sessions, were collected retrospectively. RESULTS Mean donor age was 45.7 +/- 12.7 years, and the mean SCr at the time of harvesting was 276.3 +/- 104.2 micromol/l. Recipients' mean age was 51.1 +/- 12.1 years. After transplantation, recovery of renal function was observed after 7.6 +/- 7.1 days, and required 1.9 +/- 3.0 haemodialysis sessions. SCr was 124.6 +/- 49.5 micromol/l, and eGFR was 56.2 +/- 19.8 ml/min at last follow-up. eGFR was significantly lower if the donor's death was due to stroke or cerebral haemorrhage (CH), or if the donors had previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) (P < 0.02). Patients with eGFR of <50 ml/min (n = 23) had donors who were older, and whose cause of death was more frequently related to CVD factors or to CH/stroke (P < 0.03). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding age of recipient, gender of the donor or recipient, cold ischaemia time, occurrence of cardiac arrest, collapse or acute rejection. Linear regression analysis indicated that donor age and occurrence of acute rejection were independent factors associated with eGFR. CONCLUSIONS ARF before organ procurement does not have a negative effect on subsequent renal function. However, old age, CVD risk factors or CH, and late renal function recovery after transplantation are correlated with subsequent lower renal function. Thus, renal grafts with ARF can be used for renal transplantations.