Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reducing File System Latency using a Predictive Approach

Despite impressive advances in file system through put resulting from technologies such as high-bandwidth networks and disk arrays, file system latency has not improved and in many cases has become worse. Consequently, file system I/O remains one of the major bottlenecks to operating system performance [10]. This paper investigates an automated predictive approach towards reducing file latency. Automatic Prefetching uses past file accesses to predict future file systemrequests. The objective is to provide data in advance of the request for the data, effectively masking access latencies. We have designed and implement a system to measure the performance benefits of automatic prefetching. Our current results, obtained from a trace-driven simulation, show that prefetching results in as much as a 280% improvement over LRU especially for smaller caches. Alternatively, prefetching can reduce cache size by up to 50%.
The contribution of the cerebellum to speech production and speech perception: Clinical and functional imaging data

A classical tenet of clinical neurology proposes that cerebellar disorders may give rise to speech motor disorders (ataxic dysarthria), but spare perceptual and cognitive aspects of verbal communication. During the past two decades, however, a variety of higher-order deficits of speech production, e.g., more or less exclusive agrammatism, amnesic or transcortical motor aphasia, have been noted in patients with vascular cerebellar lesions, and transient mutism following resection of posterior fossa tumors in children may develop into similar constellations. Perfusion studies provided evidence for cerebellocerebral diaschisis as a possible pathomechanism in these instances. Tight functional connectivity between the languagedominant frontal lobe and the contralateral cerebellar hemisphere represents a prerequisite of such long-distance effects. Recent functional imaging data point at a contribution of the right cerebellar hemisphere, concomitant with languagedominant dorsolateral and medial frontal areas, to the temporal organization of a prearticulatory verbal code (‘inner speech’), in terms of the sequencing of syllable strings at a speaker’s habitual speech rate. Besides motor control, this network also appears to be engaged in executive functions, e.g., subvocal rehearsal mechanisms of verbal working memory, and seems to be recruited during distinct speech perception tasks. Taken together, thus, a prearticulatory verbal code bound to reciprocal right cerebellar/left frontal interactions might represent a common platform for a variety of cerebellar engagements in cognitive functions. The distinct computational operation provided by cerebellar structures within this framework appears to be the concatenation of syllable strings into coarticulated sequences.
Variations in the spacing of expressive writing sessions.

OBJECTIVES In a test to determine whether a brief version of the expressive writing (EW) method was viable, 106 college students participated in an experiment dealing with the study of life transitions. DESIGN Individuals were randomly assigned to write for 15 minutes on three occasions: either three times separated by 10-min break (1-hour condition), 35-min break (3-hour condition), or 24-hour break (3-day condition). METHODS Participants were randomly assigned to write about their thoughts and feelings about the transitions (N=80), or to describe daily behaviours surrounding the transitions in a non-emotional way (N=26). RESULTS The three emotional writing conditions did not vary in terms of their engagement with writing, their emotional reactions, short- or long-term reactions to the intervention. Compared to controls, those in the experimental conditions evidenced fewer symptom reports 9 months after writing. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that a brief 1-hour EW is more emotionally demanding, but that it has comparable effects on physical symptoms as the traditional 3-day method.
Microenvironment and Immunology NFAT 1 Supports Tumor-induced Anergy of CD 4 þ T Cells

Cancer cells express antigens that elicit T cell-mediated responses, but these responses are limited during malignant progression by the development of immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment that drive immune escape. T-cell hyporesponsiveness can be caused by clonal anergy or adaptive tolerance, but the pathophysiological roles of these processes in specific tumor contexts has yet to be understood. In CD4þ T cells, clonal anergy occurs when the T-cell receptor is activated in the absence of a costimulatory signal. Here we report that the key T-cell transcription factor NFAT mediates expression of anergy-associated genes in the context of cancer. Specifically, in a murine model of melanoma, we found that cancer cells induced anergy in antigen-specific CD4þ T-cell populations, resulting in defective production of several key effector cytokines. NFAT1 deficiency blunted the induction of anergy in tumor antigen-specific CD4þ T cells, enhancing antitumor responses. These investigations identified tumor-induced T-cell hyporesponsiveness as a form of clonal anergy, and they supported an important role for CD4þ T-cell anergy in driving immune escape. By illustrating the dependence of tumor-induced CD4þ T-cell anergy on NFAT1, our findings open the possibility of targeting this transcription factor to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy or immunochemotherapy. Cancer Res; 72(18); 1–10. 2012 AACR.
Speed and Flux Estimation for an Induction Motor

In this paper, an estimator scheme for the rotor speed and flux of an induction motor is proposed on the basis of a fourth-order electrical model. It is assumed that only the stator currents and voltages are measurable, and that the stator currents are bounded. There are a number of common terms in the motor dynamics, and this is utilized to find a simple error model involving some auxiliary variables. Using this error model, the state estimation problem is converted into a parameter estimation problem assuming that the rotor speed is constant. Some stability properties are given on the basis of Lyapunov analysis. In addition, the rotor resistance, which varies with the motor temperature, can also be estimated within the same framework. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through computer simulations and experiments.
Tsetse Fly (G.f. fuscipes) Distribution in the Lake Victoria Basin of Uganda

Tsetse flies transmit trypanosomes, the causative agent of human and animal African trypanosomiasis. The tsetse vector is extensively distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. Trypanosomiasis maintenance is determined by the interrelationship of three elements: vertebrate host, parasite and the vector responsible for transmission. Mapping the distribution and abundance of tsetse flies assists in predicting trypanosomiasis distributions and developing rational strategies for disease and vector control. Given scarce resources to carry out regular full scale field tsetse surveys to up-date existing tsetse maps, there is a need to devise inexpensive means for regularly obtaining dependable area-wide tsetse data to guide control activities. In this study we used spatial epidemiological modelling techniques (logistic regression) involving 5000 field-based tsetse-data (G. f. fuscipes) points over an area of 40,000 km2, with satellite-derived environmental surrogates composed of precipitation, temperature, land cover, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and elevation at the sub-national level. We used these extensive tsetse data to analyse the relationships between presence of tsetse (G. f. fuscipes) and environmental variables. The strength of the results was enhanced through the application of a spatial autologistic regression model (SARM). Using the SARM we showed that the probability of tsetse presence increased with proportion of forest cover and riverine vegetation. The key outputs are a predictive tsetse distribution map for the Lake Victoria basin of Uganda and an improved understanding of the association between tsetse presence and environmental variables. The predicted spatial distribution of tsetse in the Lake Victoria basin of Uganda will provide significant new information to assist with the spatial targeting of tsetse and trypanosomiasis control.
Control of Many Agents Using Few Instructions

This paper considers the problem of controlling a group of agents under the constraint that every agent must be given the same control input. This problem is relevant for the control of mobile micro-robots that all receive the same power and control signals through an underlying substrate. Despite this restriction, several examples in simulation demonstrate that it is possible to get a group of micro-robots to perform useful tasks. All of these tasks are derived by thinking about the relationships between robots, rather than about their individual states.
Physics-inspired upsampling for cloth simulation in games

We propose a method for learning linear upsampling operators for physically-based cloth simulation, allowing us to enrich coarse meshes with mid-scale details in minimal time and memory budgets, as required in computer games. In contrast to classical subdivision schemes, our operators adapt to a specific context (e.g. a flag flapping in the wind or a skirt worn by a character), which allows them to achieve higher detail. Our method starts by pre-computing a pair of coarse and fine training simulations aligned with tracking constraints using harmonic test functions. Next, we train the upsampling operators with a new regularization method that enables us to learn mid-scale details without overfitting. We demonstrate generalizability to unseen conditions such as different wind velocities or novel character motions. Finally, we discuss how to re-introduce high frequency details not explainable by the coarse mesh alone using oscillatory modes.
A Unifying Perspective on Context-aware Autonomic Network Selection

The growing market of wireless devices with multiple connectivity technologies Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and UMTS is pushing toward the necessity of seamlessly selecting the proper connectivity network at any time. That selection should consider several elements, at different abstraction layers, from bandwidth requirements to network congestion, from connectivity costs to user preferences, in other words, it should be contextdependent. Relevant research work has recently addressed different aspects of context-dependent network selection. We claim it is time to offer a comprehensive survey with a unifying perspective (and a derived uniform terminology) to better point out similarities and specific aspects of solutions in the literature. In particular, the paper aims to achieve the twofold goal of i) identifying the primary design choices emerging from available solutions, together with corresponding tradeoffs, and ii) better positioning the wide variety of related work in a single classification. To that purpose, it introduces an original model to represent solution architectures, by showing how the model facilitates the understanding of the notable examples of 4th Generation and Always Best Connected networks. In addition, the paper proposes a novel taxonomy able to cluster any state-of-the-art solution along three classification directions: deployment scenarios, evaluation process, and continuity management.
Beyond Moore-Penrose Part II: The Sparse Pseudoinverse

This is the second part of a two-paper series on generalized inverses that minimize matrix norms. In Part II we focus on generalized inverses that are minimizers of entrywise p norms whose main representative is the sparse pseudoinverse for $p = 1$. We are motivated by the idea to replace the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse by a sparser generalized inverse which is in some sense well-behaved. Sparsity implies that it is faster to apply the resulting matrix; well-behavedness would imply that we do not lose much in stability with respect to the least-squares performance of the MPP. We first address questions of uniqueness and non-zero count of (putative) sparse pseu-doinverses. We show that a sparse pseudoinverse is generically unique, and that it indeed reaches optimal sparsity for almost all matrices. We then turn to proving our main stability result: finite-size concentration bounds for the Frobenius norm of p-minimal inverses for $1 ≤ p ≤ 2$. Our proof is based on tools from convex analysis and random matrix theory, in particular the recently developed convex Gaussian min-max theorem. Along the way we prove several results about sparse representations and convex programming that were known folklore, but of which we could find no proof.
Light-weight pixel context encoders for image inpainting

In this work we propose Pixel Content Encoders (PCE), a light-weight image inpainting model, capable of generating novel con-tent for large missing regions in images. Unlike previously presented convolutional neural network based models, our PCE model has an order of magnitude fewer trainable parameters. Moreover, by incorporating dilated convolutions we are able to preserve fine grained spatial information, achieving state-of-the-art performance on benchmark datasets of natural images and paintings. Besides image inpainting, we show that without changing the architecture, PCE can be used for image extrapolation, generating novel content beyond existing image boundaries.
Optimizing the Protection of Cattle against Escherichia coli O157:H7 Colonization through Immunization with Different Combinations of H7 Flagellin, Tir, Intimin-531 or EspA

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are important human pathogens, causing hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uraemic syndrome in humans. E. coli O157:H7 is the most common serotype associated with EHEC infections worldwide, although other non-O157 serotypes cause life-threatening infections. Cattle are a main reservoir of EHEC and intervention strategies aimed at limiting EHEC excretion from cattle are predicted to lower the risk of human infection. We have previously shown that immunization of calves with recombinant versions of the type III secretion system (T3SS)-associated proteins EspA, intimin and Tir from EHEC O157:H7 significantly reduced shedding of EHEC O157 from experimentally-colonized calves, and that protection could be augmented by the addition of H7 flagellin to the vaccine formulation. The main aim of the present study was to optimize our current EHEC O157 subunit vaccine formulations by identifying the key combinations of these antigens required for protection. A secondary aim was to determine if vaccine-induced antibody responses exhibited cross-reactive potential with antigens from other EHEC serotypes. Immunization with EspA, intimin and Tir resulted in a reduction in mean EHEC O157 shedding following challenge, but not the mean proportion of calves colonized. Removal of Tir resulted in more prolonged shedding compared with all other groups, whereas replacement of Tir with H7 flagellin resulted in the highest levels of protection, both in terms of reducing both mean EHEC O157 shedding and the proportion of colonized calves. Immunization of calves with recombinant EHEC O157 EspA, intimin and Tir resulted in the generation of antibodies capable of cross-reacting with antigens from non-O157 EHEC serotypes, suggesting that immunization with these antigens may provide a degree of cross-protection against other EHEC serotypes. Further studies are now required to test the efficacy of these vaccines in the field, and to formally test the cross-protective potential of the vaccines against other non-O157 EHEC.
TWIST1 hypermethylation is observed frequently in colorectal tumors and its overexpression is associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer

Although growing evidence demonstrates that TWIST1 is an interesting tumor biomarker, little is known about the clinical significance of TWIST1 expression and TWIST1 methylation in human primary colorectal cancer. In this study, we examined the association of TWIST1 expression and TWIST1 methylation with clinicopathologic features in human primary colorectal tumors. Primary colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens from 319 patients, corresponding normal colorectal nontumorous mucosa from 251 patients with cancer, and colorectal adenomas from 189 patients were used. Methylation and expression levels of TWIST1 were compared with clinicopathologic features. The TWIST1 methylation level was higher in colorectal adenoma and cancer than in normal colorectal mucosa. Elevated TWIST1 mRNA expression in normal colorectal mucosa in patients with CRC as well as in primary CRC specimens was associated with unfavorable outcomes. There was no correlation between TWIST1 methylation and TWIST1 expression. Our results suggest that TWIST1 methylation may be a useful biomarker for screening colorectal tumors. In addition, TWIST1 mRNA expression is a possible molecular marker for predicting the outcome in patients with CRC. Confirmatory studies using independent data sets are needed to confirm our findings. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of Dynamic Interactions Between Cardiovascular Signals by Time-Frequency Coherence

An assessment of the dynamic interactions between cardiovascular signals can provide valuable information to improve the understanding of cardiovascular control. In this study, two methodologies for the characterization of time-frequency (TF) coherence between cardiovascular signals are described. The methodologies are based on the smoothed pseudo-Wigner-Ville distribution (SPWVD) and multitaper spectrogram (MTSP), and include the automatic assessment of the significance level of coherence estimates. The capability to correctly localize TF regions, where signals are locally coupled, is assessed using computer-generated data, and data from healthy volunteers. The SPWVD allows for the localization of these regions with higher accuracy (AC>;96.9% for SNR≥5 dB) than the MTSP (AC>;84.4% for SNR≥5 dB). In 14 healthy subjects, TF coherence analysis was used to describe the changes, which a tilt table test provokes in the cardiovascular control. Orthostatic stress provoked an increase in the coupling between R-R variability (RRV) and systolic arterial pressure variability; it did not provoke any significant changes in the coupling between RRV and respiration. In HF band, it decreased the strength of the coupling between RRV and pulse interval variability estimated from arterial pressure signal.
Procedures for reliable estimation of viral fitness from time-series data

In order to develop a better understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of HIV drug resistance, it is necessary to quantify accurately the in vivo fitness costs of resistance mutations. However, the reliable estimation of such fitness costs is riddled with both theoretical and experimental difficulties. Experimental fitness assays typically suffer from the shortcoming that they are based on in vitro data. Fitness estimates based on the mathematical analysis of in vivo data, however, are often questionable because the underlying assumptions are not fulfilled. In particular, the assumption that the replication rate of the virus population is constant in time is frequently grossly violated. By extending recent work of Marée and colleagues, we present here a new approach that corrects for time–dependent viral replication in time–series data for growth competition of mutants. This approach allows a reliable estimation of the relative replicative capacity (with confidence intervals) of two competing virus variants growing within the same patient, using longitudinal data for the total plasma virus load, the relative frequency of the two variants and the death rate of infected cells. We assess the accuracy of our method using computer–generated data. An implementation of the developed method is freely accessible on the Web (http://www.eco.ethz.ch/fitness.html).
Effects of Carbon Content on the Diffusion Bonding of Iron and Steel to Titanium

A commercially pure titanium has been diffusion-bonded to iron and steels of various carbon contents: low carbon steel with 0.01% C (ULC), mild steel with 0.19% C (S20C) and spheroidal graphite cast iron with 3.75% C (FCD). The tensile strength of joints bonded below 900°C was hardly influenced by the carbon content, and increased with the rise in bonding temperature. Above 900°C however, the strength of the ULC/Ti joint was almost independent of the bonding temperature, that of the S20C/Ti joint decreased with the rise in bonding temperature, and that of the FCD/Ti increased. The interlayer forming along the bond interface consisted only of TiC in the FCD/Ti joint and of TiFe and TiFe2 in the ULC/Ti. Since Ti and Fe diffused over much longer distances in the ULC/Ti than in the FCD/Ti, the TiC layer may be considered to interfere with the interdiffusion of Ti and Fe, and consequently to suppress the formation of TiFe and TiFe2 which decrease the joint strength more seriously than TiC. The interlayer in the S20C/Ti consisted of TiC as well as TiFe and TiFe2. The coexisting carbide and intermetallic compounds in the interlayer seems to have more detrimental effect on the joint strength than those formed individually.
The bowing of a dislocation segment

Abstract The bowing under stress of a segment of an otherwise straight dislocation line has been determined for an isotropic solid. A digital computer is used to relax the dislocation to its equilibrium shape, using a variant of the Brown self-stress method. The critical stress required to make the dislocation become unstable has been determined for a wide range of segment lengths, and is in fair agreement with the predictions of the line tension model. The results are relevant to a Frank-Read source, since the elevation of the side-arms is shown to have a relatively minor effect on the critical bowing. The bowing of a screw dislocation between several attractive forest screw dislocations has also been considered.
Transcriptional reversion of cardiac myocyte fate during mammalian cardiac regeneration.

RATIONALE Neonatal mice have the capacity to regenerate their hearts in response to injury, but this potential is lost after the first week of life. The transcriptional changes that underpin mammalian cardiac regeneration have not been fully characterized at the molecular level. OBJECTIVE The objectives of our study were to determine whether myocytes revert the transcriptional phenotype to a less differentiated state during regeneration and to systematically interrogate the transcriptional data to identify and validate potential regulators of this process. METHODS AND RESULTS We derived a core transcriptional signature of injury-induced cardiac myocyte (CM) regeneration in mouse by comparing global transcriptional programs in a dynamic model of in vitro and in vivo CM differentiation, in vitro CM explant model, as well as a neonatal heart resection model. The regenerating mouse heart revealed a transcriptional reversion of CM differentiation processes, including reactivation of latent developmental programs similar to those observed during destabilization of a mature CM phenotype in the explant model. We identified potential upstream regulators of the core network, including interleukin 13, which induced CM cell cycle entry and STAT6/STAT3 signaling in vitro. We demonstrate that STAT3/periostin and STAT6 signaling are critical mediators of interleukin 13 signaling in CMs. These downstream signaling molecules are also modulated in the regenerating mouse heart. CONCLUSIONS Our work reveals new insights into the transcriptional regulation of mammalian cardiac regeneration and provides the founding circuitry for identifying potential regulators for stimulating heart regeneration.