Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the Impact of Misbehaving Nodes in Ad Hoc Routing

Routing is the key issue for ad hoc networks due to the wireless medium, absence of infra-structure and distributed operation. In ad hoc networks, every node acts as a router. Hence, securing the routing mechanism is a critical issue. This paper analyzes attacks that exploit the vulnerabilities of the ad hoc routing mechanisms. The attacks are based on the malicious behavior of some network nodes, disturbing the forwarding of control messages. AODV is the routing protocol chosen for study. AODV is a reactive protocol, specific for ad hoc networks, whose routes are setup on demand. Therefore, the malicious behavior of some nodes may affect the whole network performance. The paper shows the effect of different attacks based on simulation results of the action of malicious nodes. We identify the most effective attacks in terms of network performance degradation using the total data packet delivery rate as metric. Key-words: mobile ad hoc networks, routing, security.
The role of transforming growth factor beta in the generation of suppression: an interaction between CD8+ T and NK cells

CD8+ T cells have suppressor effector functions, but the mechanisms involved in the generation of this activity are poorly understood. We report that natural killer (NK) cells have an important role in the acquisition of this function. CD8+ cells induce NK cells to produce transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) which, in turn, stimulates CD8+ T cells to become suppressors of antibody production. Using a monocyte-dependent and -independent method to induce antibody production, we first observed that the addition of NK cells to CD8+ cells was required for optimal suppression. Next, we determined that the interaction of CD8+ T cells with NK cells resulted in a striking increase NK cell TGF-beta mRNA and its production. This cytokine appeared to be involved in the induction of T suppressor cell activity since: (a) anti-TGF-beta 1 completely abrogated the suppression of immunoglobulin G synthesis; (b) TGF-beta 1 could substitute for NK cells in inducing CD8+ T cells to develop suppressor activity; and (c) a short exposure of T cells to TGF-beta 1 in the absence of B cells was sufficient for the generation of suppressor activity by CD8+ T cells. Interferon gamma did not have this property. These studies provide strong evidence that in addition to its suppressive properties, TGF- beta is involved in the generation of CD8+ T suppressor effector cells. Because NK cell function is decreased in many autoimmune diseases, these cells may fail to interact properly with these individuals' CD8+ cells in generating suppressors of aggressive anti-self responses.
The evolutionary and biogeographic origin and diversification of the tropical monocot order zingiberales

Zingiberales are a primarily tropical lineage of monocots. The current pantropical distribution of the order suggests an historical Gondwanan distribution, however the evolutionary history of the group has never been analyzed in a temporal context to test if the order is old enough to attribute its current distribution to vicariance mediated by the break-up of the supercontinent. Based on a phylogeny derived from morphological and molecular characters, we develop a hypothesis for the spatial and temporal evolution of Zingiberales using Dispersal-Vicariance Analysis (DIVA) combined with a local molecular clock technique that enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple gene loci with multiple calibration points. We employ a pairwise relative rates test to assign four rate classes to 24 ingroup and 12 outgroup taxa using evidence from three gene regions (rbcL, atpB, 18S). Five nodes of ingroup and outgroup taxa were calibrated using fossils and previous monocot-wide age estimates. The results are compared with non-parametric rate smoothing and penalized likelihood estimates of temporal diversification. The divergence of Zingiberales from the remaining commelinid monocots is found to have occurred around 124 million years ago, with major family-level lineages becoming established in the late Cretaceous (80-110 mya) and crown lineages within each family beginning to diversify during the early to mid-Tertiary (29-64 mya). Ancestral Gondwanan vicariance combined with a potential Laurasian distribution and multiple secondary dispersal events within families during the Tertiary can explain the main biogeographic events leading to the current pantropical distribution of this tropical order.
An outbreak of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii at Songklanagarind Hospital: the risk factors and patient prognosis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate for the factors associated with acquisition of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (IRAB) at Songklanagarind Hospital and the subsequent patient mortality outcome. DESIGN A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors for IRAB acquisition using imipenem-sensitive A. baumannii (ISAB) as controls. A retrospective cohort study was employed to assess the factors associated with mortality in the hospital. SETTING An 850-bed university hospital served as a medical school, training hospital, tertiary care, and referral center for the southern part of Thailand. PATIENTS The patients who acquired A. baumannii during their stay in the hospital. RESULTS Between July 2003 and September 2005, there were 2,130 isolates of A. baumannii from clinical specimens of 1,237 hospitalized patients. The medical records of 899 admissions to the hospital were available for review. The significant risk factors associated with IRAB acquisition, identified from a case-control study and multiple logistic regression analysis included previous admission to medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU), respiratory care unit (RCU), previous use of multiple classes of antibiotics, and previous use of imipenem. The cohort study revealed that the mortality rate in the patients with IRAB compared to ISAB were 33.8% and 24.1% respectively, yielding an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.6 (95% CI = 1.2-2.2). However, after controlling for confounding factors by multivariate analysis IRAB did not show the increased mortality. CONCLUSION The outbreak of IRAB at Songklanagarind Hospital is associated with increasing antibiotic pressure particularly imipenem and the admission to the ICU and RCU. The excess patient mortality rate attributable to IRAB is not significantly different from that attributable to ISAB.
Quantitative in vivo evaluation of the reverse β-oxidation pathway for fatty acid production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Production of fatty acids using engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells is a challenging task in part due to low efficiency of the native fatty acid biosynthesis pathway. One option for improving production efficiency relies on exploring alternative fatty acid production pathways with either improved kinetics, thermodynamics or yield properties. In this work, we explored the reverse β-oxidation pathway as an alternative pathway for free fatty acid production. Different gene combinations and analysis methods were tested for assessing pathway efficiency when expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Even though different alternatives were tested, quantitative analysis showed no improvement or major change in fatty acid production of the tested strains in our conditions. This lack of improvement suggests that the tested pathway designs and constructs are either nonfunctional in the tested conditions or the resulting strains lack a metabolic driving force that is needed for a functional pathway. We conclude that expression of the reverse β-oxidation pathway in S. cerevisiae poses many challenges when compared to expression in bacterial systems. These factors gravely hinder development efforts and success rate for producing fatty acids through this pathway.
Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma and traumatic neuroma following enucleation for a uveal schwannoma in a dog: a case report

A 4‐year‐old, female spayed Siberian husky with history of a uveal schwannoma presented for orbital swelling 9 months after enucleation. A second, malignant tumor developed in the same orbit. Therefore, uveal schwannomas may warrant early surgical intervention in the dog.
Emergency Preparedness Safety Climate and Other Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among World Trade Center Disaster Evacuees

Abstract Objective We examined psychological outcomes in a sample of participants who evacuated from the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2011. This study aimed to identify risk factors for psychological injury that might be amenable to change, thereby reducing adverse impacts associated with emergency high-rise evacuation. Methods We used data from a cross-sectional survey conducted 2 years after the attacks to classify 789 evacuees into 3 self-reported psychological outcome categories: long-term psychological disorder diagnosed by a physician, short-term psychological disorder and/or memory problems, and no known psychological disorder. Results After nonmodifiable risk factors were controlled for, diagnosed psychological disorder was more likely for evacuees who reported lower “emergency preparedness safety climate” scores, more evacuation challenges (during exit from the towers), and evacuation-related physical injuries. Other variables associated with increased risk of psychological disorder outcome included gender (female), lower levels of education, preexisting physical disability, preexisting psychological disorder, greater distance to final exit, and more information sources during egress. Conclusions Improving the “emergency preparedness safety climate” of high-rise business occupancies and reducing the number of egress challenges are potential strategies for reducing the risk of adverse psychological outcomes of high-rise evacuations. Focused safety training for individuals with physical disabilities is also warranted. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:326–336)
Prognosis for life in patients with diabetes: relation to severity of retinopathy.

In a group of 709 individuals with diabetes diagnosed prior to age 50 and followed for five to thirteen years a strong inverse relationship was demonstrated between the severity of the retinopathy at the initial visit and survival. Survival in patients with no retinopathy or with microaneurysms only was little different from that of the general population (five-year rate .99, SE .01). The five-year survival rate for patients with more severe nonproliferative retinopathy, characterized by the presence of hemorrhages and/or exudates, but without new vessels or vitreous hemorrhage (B2), was . 81 (SE .04), and that for patients with proliferative retinopathy (PDR) was . 56 (SE .03). After adjustment for age at diagnosis of diabetes, duration of diabetes and sex, the differences in survival between these three groups were highly statistically significant. Impairment of visual acuity was also shown to be inversely related to survival. The five-year survival rate for patients with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in each eye was . 42 (SE .05). In patients with B2 retinopathy there was a weak but statistically significant trend towards decreasing survival with increasing duration of diabetes. In patients with PDR survival decreased with increasing duration up to 20 years, but then improved for patients with 20 years or more of diabetes.
Effect of competitive cues on reproductive morphology and behavioral plasticity in male fruitflies

Lay Summary We all respond to our social environment, to fit in or to become more competitive—fruitflies are no exception. Male larvae responded to their immediate and expected future competitive environments by developing larger sex accessory glands as adults. As expected, the larval competitive environment did not alter the extent to which adult males responded to their immediate sexual environment. The results show the multifaceted ways in which males respond to their sexual environments.
TimeML-Compliant Text Analysis for Temporal Reasoning

Reasoning with time needs more than just a list of temporal expressions. TimeML--an emerging standard for temporal annotation as a language capturing properties and relationships among timedenoting expressions and events in text--is a good starting point for bridging the gap between temporal analysis of documents and reasoning with the information derived from them. Hard as TimeML-compliant analysis is, the small size of the only currently available annotated corpus makes it even harder. We address this problem with a hybrid TimeML annotator, which uses cascaded finite-state grammars (for temporal expression analysis, shallow syntactic parsing, and feature generation) together with a machine learning component capable of effectively using large amounts of unannotated data.
Asian Spine Journal Asian Spine Journal Lumbosacral Transition Vertebra: Prevalence and Its Significance

which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of radiological images. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of lumbosacral transition vertebra (LSTV) and to study its significance with respect to clinically significant spinal symptoms, disc degeneration and herniation. Overview of Literature: LSTV is the most common congenital anomaly of the lumbosacral spine. The prevalence has been debated to vary between 7% and 30%, and its relationship to back pain, disc degeneration and herniation has also not been established. Methods: The study involved examining the radiological images of 3 groups of patients. Group A consisted of kidney urinary bladder (KUB) X-rays of patients attending urology outpatient clinic. Group B consisted of X-rays with or without magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of patients attending a spine outpatient clinic, and group C consisted of X-rays and MRI of patients who had undergone surgery for lumbar disc herniation. One thousand patients meeting the inclusion criteria were selected to be in each group. LSTV was classified by Castellvi's classification and disc degeneration was assessed by Pfirrmann's grading on MRI scans. Results: The prevalence of LSTV among urology outpatients, spine outpatients and discectomy patients was 8.1%, 14%, and 16.9% respectively. LSTV patients showed a higher Pfirrmann's grade of degeneration of the last mobile disc. Results were found to be significant statistically. Conclusions: The prevalence of LSTV in spinal outpatients and discectomy patients was significantly higher as compared to those attending the urology outpatient clinic. There was a definite causal relationship between the transitional vertebra and the degenera-tion of the disc immediately cephalad to it.
Lower extremity amputation in peripheral artery disease: improving patient outcomes

Peripheral artery disease affects over eight million Americans and is associated with an increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, functional limitation, and limb loss. In its most severe form, critical limb ischemia, patients are often treated with lower extremity (LE) amputation (LEA), although the overall incidence of LEA is declining. In the US, there is significant geographic variation in the performing of major LEA. The rate of death after major LEA in the US is approximately 48% at 1 year and 71% at 3 years. Despite this significant morbidity and mortality, the use of diagnostic testing (both noninvasive and invasive testing) in the year prior to LEA is low and varies based on patient, provider, and regional factors. In this review we discuss the significance of LEA and methods to reduce its occurrence. These methods include improved recognition of the risk factors for LEA by clinicians and patients, strong advocacy for noninvasive and/or invasive imaging prior to LEA, improved endovascular revascularization techniques, and novel therapies.
Dimensions of Blood Vessels from Distributing Artery to Collecting Vein

Measurements of lengths, diameters, and numbers of post-capillary vessels were made in the bat's wing. The cross-sectional area and capacity in the various portions of the vascular bed were calculated. The greatest total cross-sectional area in the entire vascular bed was found in the venules, a result not in agreement with similar reports made by others using measurements from vessels in fixed preparations. This discrepancy probably results from disagreement regarding the diameter of capillary vessels. Calculations to determine the per cent of total volume in each portion of the vascular bed showed that the venous system accounts for as much as 80% of the total vascular volume.
Eliminating redundancies with a "composition with adaptation" meta-programming technique

Redundant code obstructs program understanding and contributes to high maintenance costs. While most experts agree on that, opinions - on how serious the problem of redundancies really is and how to tackle it - differ. In this paper, we present the study of redundancies in the Java Buffer library, JDK 1.4. 1, which was recently released by Sun. We found that at least 68% of code in the Buffer library is redundant in the sense that it recurs in many classes in the same or slightly modified form. We effectively eliminated that 68% of code at the meta-level using a technique based on "composition with adaptation" called XVCL. We argue that such a program solution is easier to maintain than buffer classes with redundant code. In this experiment, we have designed our meta-representation so that we could produce buffer classes in exactly the same form as they appear in the original Buffer library. While we have been tempted to re-design the buffer classes, we chose not to do so, in order to allow for the seamless integration of the XVCL solution into contemporary programming methodologies and systems. This decision has not affected the essential results reported in this paper.
Using existing network infrastructure to estimate building occupancy and control plugged-in devices in user workspaces

Buildings are a major consumer of energy. We believe that energy can be saved with the notion of implicit occupancy sensing where existing IT infrastructure can be used to replace and/or supplement explicit dedicated sensors to determine building occupancy and drive building operation. Implicit sensing has the promise to be both lower in cost than explicit sensing based on PIR and ultrasound sensors and to offer additional useful data about the occupants of a building. Our implicit sensing methods are largely based on monitoring IP and MAC addresses in Wi-Fi access points and in routers, and then correlating these addresses to the occupancy of a floor, area, or room of a building. We experimentally evaluate the feasibility of this dual-use of IT infrastructure. We demonstrate an application of implicit sensing to sense the pending occupancy of a user workspace and automatically control the plugged-in devices in the workspace.
No Difference in Perceived Intensity of Linoleic Acid in the Oral Cavity between Obese and Nonobese Individuals

Findings from studies examining interactions between fat taste and dietary fat intake or body weight are mixed. A convenience sample of 735 visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science ≥8 years old rated the taste intensity of edible taste strips impregnated with varying concentrations (%v/v) of linoleic acid (LA) (blank = 0.0, low = 0.06, medium = 0.15, high = 0.38). Percent body fat (BF%) was measured using bioelectrical impedance. Fat taste intensity was rated as significantly different across all concentrations (P < 0.001) except between the blank and low concentrations (P = 0.1). Ratings increased monotonically across concentrations. Children (<18 years; N = 180) rated all concentrations as more intense than adults (P < 0.001 for all). Women and girls rated the highest concentration as more intense than men and boys (P < 0.02 for all). BF% was not correlated with fat taste intensity ratings. Self-reported dietary intake indicated that obese individuals’ intensity ratings for medium and high concentrations of LA were inversely related to recent mono- and poly-unsaturated fat exposure (r = −0.19 to −0.27; P < 0.03 for all). No such associations were observed in the nonobese group. Findings suggest that factors other than simple adiposity status influence fat taste intensity ratings, and that participants in fat taste studies should receive standardized meals prior to testing.
Laminopathies and lamin‐associated signaling pathways

Laminopathies are genetic diseases due to mutations or altered post‐translational processing of nuclear envelope/lamina proteins. The majority of laminopathies are caused by mutations in the LMNA gene, encoding lamin A/C, but manifest as diverse pathologies including muscular dystrophy, lipodystrophy, neuropathy, and progeroid syndromes. Lamin‐binding proteins implicated in laminopathies include lamin B2, nuclear envelope proteins such as emerin, MAN1, LBR, and nesprins, the nuclear matrix protein matrin 3, the lamina‐associated polypeptide, LAP2alpha and the transcriptional regulator FHL1. Thus, the altered functionality of a nuclear proteins network appears to be involved in the onset of laminopathic diseases. The functional interplay among different proteins involved in this network implies signaling partners. The signaling effectors may either modify nuclear envelope proteins and their binding properties, or use nuclear envelope/lamina proteins as platforms to regulate signal transduction. In this review, both aspects of lamin‐linked signaling are presented and the major pathways so far implicated in laminopathies are summarized. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 979–992, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
VERIFAS: A Practical Verifier for Artifact Systems

Data-driven workflows, of which IBM's Business Artifacts are a prime exponent, have been successfully deployed in practice, adopted in industrial standards, and have spawned a rich body of research in academia, focused primarily on static analysis. The present research bridges the gap between the theory and practice of artifact verification with the implementation of VERIFAS, a full-fledged and efficient artifact verifier for verifying LTL-FO properties of workflows specified in a variant of the Hierarchical Artifact System (HAS) model presented in [16]. Compared to a nontrivial Spin-based verifier implemented in our previous work [29], VERIFAS applies to a much broader class of artifacts. In addition, as shown in our experimental results on both real and synthetic workflows, our verifier has a decisive performance advantage even on the simple artifacts that the Spin-based verifier is able to handle. The significantly improved performance is due to a novel symbolic representation approach and a family of specialized optimizations to the classic Karp-Miller algorithm.