Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of end-to-end deadline missing in distributed threads systems

Distributed real-time threads are schedulable entities with an end-to-end deadline that traverse nodes, carrying their scheduling context. In each node, the thread will be locally scheduled and predictions about deadline missing allow that actions are carried out to improve system performance. This paper presents a task model and deadline partitioning algorithms that consider the possibility of a distributed thread to follow different paths. The future execution flow of the distributed thread is only probabilistic known before its execution. End-to-end deadline missing prediction mechanisms can be carried out through definition of estimated local deadlines. Simulations show that the proposed prediction mechanism presents good results in overloaded systems.
Issues of thermal transient testing on photovoltaic modules

The thermal behavior of mass production terrestrial solar modules is a somehow neglected but very important issue of photovoltaics. Despite its significant influence on the power generation, the thermal properties of solar modules are mostly not taken into account in daily applications. In recent literature thermal transient testing was suggested as a possible solution to proper thermal characterization of photovoltaic devices. In this paper we give a short overview on the known issues of the thermal transient testing of photovoltaic devices and address the issue of the variation of the structure function at different heating currents. It is shown that for small current densities the increasing forward driving current (i.e. the heating current) can have a strong influence on the size of the active area that on the other hand determines the volume of the heat path. Due to this an increasing heating current results in the decrease of the Junction to ambient thermal resistance, with the thermal resistance converging to a minimum value at high heating currents. The phenomenon was investigated by Kelvin probe potential mapping, thermal imaging and thermal simulations which uniformly supported our explanation.
Communication in wireless networks with directional antennas

We study the problem of maintaining connectivity in a wireless network where the network nodes are equipped with directional antennas. Nodes correspond to points on the plane and each uses a directional antenna modeled by a sector with a given angle and radius. The connectivity problem is to decide whether or not it is possible to orient the antennas so that the directed graph induced by the node transmissions is strongly connected. We present algorithms for simple polynomial-time-solvable cases of the problem, show that the problem is NP-complete in the $2$-dimensional case when the sector angle is small, and present algorithms that approximate the minimum radius to achieve connectivity for sectors with a given angle. We also discuss several extensions to related problems. To the best of our knowledge, the problem has not been studied before in the literature.
Healthy food availability and the association with BMI in Baltimore, Maryland

Abstract Objective To study the association between the availability of healthy foods and BMI by neighbourhood race and socio-economic status (SES). Design Trained staff collected demographic information, height, weight and 24 h dietary recalls between 2004 and 2008. Healthy food availability was determined in thirty-four census tracts of varying racial and SES composition using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey–Stores in 2007. Multilevel linear regression was used to estimate associations between healthy food availability and BMI. Setting Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. Subjects Adults aged 30–64 years (n 2616) who participated in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study. Results Among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods, high availability of healthy foods was associated with significantly higher BMI compared with individuals living in neighbourhoods with low availability of healthy food after adjustment for demographic variables (β = 3·22, P = 0·001). Associations were attenuated but remained significant after controlling for dietary quality (β = 2·81, P = 0·012). Conclusions Contrary to expectations, there was a positive association between the availability of healthy food and higher BMI among individuals living in predominantly white neighbourhoods. This result could be due to individuals in neighbourhoods with low healthy food availability travelling outside their neighbourhood to obtain healthy food.
A domain-theoretic approach to Brownian motion and general continuous stochastic processes

We introduce a domain-theoretic framework for continuous-time, continuous-state stochastic processes. The laws of stochastic processes are embedded into the space of maximal elements of the normalised probabilistic power domain on the space of continuous interval-valued functions endowed with the relative Scott topology. We use the resulting ω-continuous bounded complete dcpo to define partial stochastic processes and characterise their computability. For a given continuous stochastic process, we show how its domain-theoretic, i.e., finitary, approximations can be constructed, whose least upper bound is the law of the stochastic process. As a main result, we apply our methodology to Brownian motion. We construct a partial Wiener measure and show that the Wiener measure is computable within the domain-theoretic framework.
Drosophila CLOCK Is Constitutively Expressed in Circadian Oscillator and Non-Oscillator Cells

CLOCK (CLK) is a core component of the transcriptional feedback loops that comprise the circadian timekeeping mechanism in Drosophila. As a heterodimer with CYCLE (CYC), CLK binds E-boxes to activate the transcription of rhythmically expressed genes within and downstream of the circadian clock, but this activation unexpectedly occurs at times when CLK is at its lowest levels on Western blots. Recent studies demonstrate that CLK also regulates nonrhythmic gene expression and behaviors. Despite the critical roles CLK plays within and outside the circadian clock, its spatial expression pattern has not been characterized. Using a newly developed CLK antibody, the authors show that CLK is coexpressed with PERIOD (PER) in canonical oscillator cells throughout the head and body. In contrast to PER, however, the levels of CLK immunoreactivity do not cycle in intensity, CLK is detected primarily in the nucleus throughout the circadian cycle, and CLK is expressed in non-oscillator cells within the lateral and dorsal brain, including Kenyon cells, which mediate various forms of learning and memory. These results indicate that constitutive levels of nuclear CLK regulate rhythmic transcription in circadian oscillator cells and suggest that CLK contributes to other behavioral processes by regulating gene expression in non-oscillator cells.
Fatigue Versus Activity-Dependent Fatigability in Patients With Central or Peripheral Motor Impairments

In the rehabilitation literature, fatigue is a common symptom of patients with any neurological impairment when defined as a subjective lack of physical and mental energy that interferes with usual activities. Some complaints may, however, arise from fatigability , an objective decline in strength as routine use of muscle groups proceeds. By this refined definition of fatigue, exercise or sustained use reduces the ability of muscles to produce force or power, regardless of whether the task can be sustained. Fatigability may be masked clinically because (1) the degree of weakening is not profound, (2) activity-induced weakness rapidly lessens with cessation of exertion, and (3) clinicians rarely test for changes in strength after repetitive movements to objectively entertain the diagnosis. The repetitive movements that induce fatigability during daily activities are an iterative physiological process that depends on changing states induced by activation of spared central and peripheral neurons and axons and compromised muscle. Fatigability may be especially difficult to localize in patients undergoing neurorehabilitation, in part because no finite boundary exists between the central and peripheral components of motor reserve and endurance. At the bedside, however, manual muscle testing before and after repetitive movements could at least put some focus on the presence of fatigability in any patient with motor impairments and related disabilities. Reliable measures of fatigability beyond a careful clinical examination, such as physiological changes monitored by cerebral functional neuroimaging techniques and more standardized central and peripheral electrical and magnetic stimulation paradigms, may help determine the mechanisms of activity-dependent weakening and lead to specific therapies. Testable interventions to increase motor reserve include muscle strengthening and endurance exercises, varying the biomechanical requirements of repetitive muscle contractions, and training-induced neural plasticity or pharmacologic manipulations to enhance synaptic efficacy.
One-Cycle-Controlled Bidirectional AC-to-DC Converter With Constant Power Factor

Grid-connected unity-power-factor converters based on one-cycle control (OCC) do not require the service of phase-locked loop or any other synchronization circuits for interfacing with the utility. As a result, these schemes are becoming increasingly popular. However, as the power handled by the converter increases, the power factor deteriorates. To understand quantitatively the cause of poor power factor while negotiating high power loads, large signal models for these schemes are developed. Having understood the cause for poor power factor operation, a modified-OCC-based converter is proposed. This scheme has high power factor while supplying high power loads. Detailed simulation studies are carried out to verify the efficacy of the scheme. In order to confirm the viability of the scheme, detailed experimental studies are carried out on a 3-kW laboratory prototype.
On the Redshift Distribution of Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era

A simple physical model for long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is used to fit the redshift (z) and the jet opening angle distributions measured with earlier GRB missions and with Swift. The effect of different sensitivities for GRB triggering is sufficient to explain the difference in the z distributions of the pre-Swift and Swift samples, with mean redshifts of ⟨z⟩ ≅ 1.5 and ⟨z⟩ ≅ 2.7, respectively. Assuming that the emission properties of GRBs do not change with time, we find that the data can only be fitted if the comoving rate density of GRB sources exhibits positive evolution to z ≳ 3-5. The mean intrinsic beaming factor of GRBs is found to range from ≈34 to 42, with the Swift average opening half-angle ⟨θj⟩ ~ 10°, compared to the pre-Swift average of ⟨θj⟩ ~ 7°. Within the uniform jet model, the GRB luminosity function is ∝L, as inferred from our best fit to the opening angle distribution. Because of the unlikely detection of several GRBs with z ≲ 0.25, our analysis indicates that low-redshift GRBs represent a different population of GRBs than those detected at higher redshifts. Neglecting possible metallicity effects on GRB host galaxies, we find that ≈1 GRB occurs every 600,000 yr in a local L* spiral galaxy like the Milky Way. The fraction of high-redshift GRBs is estimated at 8%-12% and 2.5%-6% at z ≥ 5 and z ≥ 7, respectively, assuming continued positive evolution of the GRB rate density to high redshifts.
University of Birmingham Bacterially produced calcium phosphate nanobiominerals : sorption capacity, site preferences, and stability of captured radionuclides

: A Serratia sp. bacterium manufactures amorphous calcium phosphate nanominerals (BHAP); this material has shown increased sorption capacity for divalent radio-nuclide capture. When heat-treated ( ≥ 450 ° C) the cell biomass is removed and the biominerals are transformed to hydroxyapatite (HAP). Using a multimethod approach, we have elucidated both the site preferences and stability of analogue radionuclide incorporation for Sr, Co, Eu, and U. Strontium incorporates within the bulk amorphous inorganic phase of BHAP; however, once temperature modi ﬁ ed to crystalline HAP, bonding was consistent with Sr substitution at the Ca(1) and/or Ca(2) sites. Cobalt incorporation occurs within the bulk inorganic amorphous phase of BHAP and within the amorphous grain boundaries of HAP. Europium (an analogue for trivalent actinides) substituted at the Ca(2)
Multiple view, multiple target tracking with principal axis-based data association

We present a novel method for multi-object tracking that tracks target both in the video streams and in a reference ground frame. This allows to remove ambiguities created by occlusions in one view. Our system takes as a base a recently proposed collaborative scheme and makes it handle multiple targets. We use a fast, simple solution for data association in the ground plane based on principal axis and a partly joint probabilistic model with MCMC sampling to ensure that tracked targets are kept separated whenever groups of targets appear. Results are presented on several popular databases of multi-camera, multi-target videos.
A cooperative game based allocation for sharing data center networks

In current IaaS datacenters, tenants are suffering unfairness since the network bandwidth is shared in a besteffort manner. To achieve predictable network performance for rented virtual machines (VMs), cloud providers should guarantee minimum bandwidth for VMs or allocate the network bandwidth in a fairness fashion at VM-level. At the same time, the network should be efficiently utilized in order to maximize cloud providers' revenue. In this paper, we model the bandwidth sharing problem as a Nash bargaining game, and propose the allocation principles by defining a tunable base bandwidth for each VM. Specifically, we guarantee bandwidth for those VMs with lower network rates than their base bandwidth, while maintaining fairness among other VMs with higher network rates than their base bandwidth. Based on rigorous cooperative game-theoretic approaches, we design a distributed algorithm to achieve efficient and fair bandwidth allocation corresponding to the Nash bargaining solution (NBS). With simulations under typical scenarios, we show that our strategy can meet the two desirable requirements towards predictable performance for tenants as well as high utilization for providers. And by tuning the base bandwidth, our solution can enable cloud providers to flexibly balance the tradeoff between minimum guarantees and fair sharing of datacenter networks.
Long-term ankle brace use does not affect peroneus longus muscle latency during sudden inversion in normal subjects.

OBJECTIVE External ankle supports are widely used in sports medicine. However, ankle bracing in a healthy ankle over a sustained period has been scrutinized due to possible neuromuscular adaptations resulting in diminished dynamic support offered by the peroneus longus muscle. Although this claim is anecdotal in nature, we sought to investigate the effects of long-term ankle bracing using 2 commonly available appliances on peroneus longus latency in normal subjects. Our second purpose was to evaluate the effects of ankle bracing on peroneus longus latency before a period of extended use. DESIGN AND SETTING A 3 x 3 x 2 design with repeated measures on the first and third factors was used in this study. All data were collected in the Sports Injury Research Laboratory. SUBJECTS Twenty (12 men and 8 women) physically active college students (age = 23.6 +/- 1.7 years; height = 168.7 +/- 8.4 cm; weight = 69.9 +/- 12.0 kg) free of ankle or lower extremity injury in the 12 months before the study and not involved in a strength-training or conditioning program in the 6 months before the study. MEASUREMENTS We evaluated peroneus longus latency by studying the electromyogram of the muscle after sudden foot inversion. RESULTS Application of a lace-up or semirigid brace did not affect peroneus longus latency. Additionally, 8 weeks of longterm ankle appliance use had no effect on peroneus longus latency. CONCLUSIONS The duration of the peroneus longus stretch reflex (latency) is neither facilitated nor inhibited with extended use of an external ankle support. Proprioceptive input provided by the muscle spindles within the peroneus longus does not appear to be compromised with the long-term use of ankle braces.
L-menthol improves adenoma detection rate during colonoscopy: a randomized trial

Background and study aims: Colonoscopy is one of the most reliable methods for the detection of colorectal neoplasms. However, colonic peristalsis during colonoscopy results in some neoplastic lesions being hidden from view and commonly requires an intravenous or intramuscular injection of antispasmodic agents, which may sometimes causes unexpected adverse reactions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of L-menthol spray as an antiperistaltic agent and its effect on adenoma detection. Patients and methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single-blind placebo-controlled trial. A total of 226 patients who were scheduled to undergo colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either 20 mL of 1.6 % L-menthol (n = 118) or placebo (n = 108). Both treatments were sprayed locally onto the colonic mucosa via an endoscope. The adenoma detection rate (ADR) and the proportion of patients with no peristalsis were the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. Results: The ADR was significantly higher in the L-menthol group than in the placebo group (60.2 % vs. 42.6 %; P = 0.0083). The proportion of patients with no peristalsis after treatment with L-menthol was significantly higher than in the placebo group (71.2 % vs. 30.9 %; P < 0.0001). There were no adverse effects in either group. Conclusions: The results suggest that the suppression of colonic peristalsis by L-menthol sprayed directly onto the colonic mucosa improves the ADR. Clinical trial registration: ID: UMIN 000007972.
Ranking from Stochastic Pairwise Preferences: Recovering Condorcet Winners and Tournament Solution Sets at the Top

We consider the problem of ranking n items from stochastically sampled pairwise preferences. It was shown recently that when the underlying pairwise preferences are acyclic, several algorithms including the Rank Centrality algorithm, the Matrix Borda algorithm, and the SVM-Rank Aggregation algorithm succeed in recovering a ranking that minimizes a global pairwise disagreement error (Rajkumar and Agarwal, 2014). In this paper, we consider settings where pairwise preferences can contain cycles. In such settings, one may still like to be able to recover 'good' items at the top of the ranking. For example, if a Condorcet winner exists that beats every other item, it is natural to ask that this be ranked at the top. More generally, several tournament solution concepts such as the top cycle, Copeland set, Markov set and others have been proposed in the social choice literature for choosing a set of winners in the presence of cycles. We show that existing algorithms can fail to perform well in terms of ranking Condorcet winners and various natural tournament solution sets at the top. We then give alternative ranking algorithms that provably rank Condorcet winners, top cycles, and other tournament solution sets of interest at the top. In all cases, we give finite sample complexity bounds for our algorithms to recover such winners. As a by-product of our analysis, we also obtain an improved sample complexity bound for the Rank Centrality algorithm to recover an optimal ranking under a Bradley-Terry-Luce (BTL) condition, which answers an open question of Rajkumar and Agarwal (2014).
Socio‐demographic determinants of initiation and duration of breastfeeding in northwest Russia

Aim: This study examines socio‐demographic determinants of initiation and duration of breastfeeding in a community‐based cohort in northwest Russia. Methods: All infants born to women who were registered at the antenatal clinics in Severodvinsk in 1999 comprised the cohort (n=1399) and were followed up at 1 y. Data on maternal and infant characteristics as well as the duration of breastfeeding were obtained from medical records. Proportional hazard analysis was applied to quantify the effect of the selected factors on the risk of breastfeeding discontinuation adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Only 1.3% of infants were never breastfed. Breastfeeding rates were 75.0% and 47.2% at 3 and 6 mo, respectively. Maternal age and early initiation of prenatal care were positively associated with breastfeeding initiation rates. Increased risks of breastfeeding discontinuation were found in teenage mothers (OR=1.45, 95% CI: 1.06–1.99), in mothers with basic education (OR=1.68, 95% CI: 1.06–2.66) and in unmarried mothers (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.03–1.38). Women with no previous deliveries were more likely to breastfeed longer (OR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.62–0.90).
Role of the first and third extracellular domains of CXCR-4 in human immunodeficiency virus coreceptor activity

The CXCR-4 chemokine receptor and CD4 behave as coreceptors for cell line-adapted human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) and for dual-tropic HIV strains, which also use the CCR-5 coreceptor. The cell line-adapted HIV-1 strains LAI and NDK and the dual-tropic HIV-2 strain ROD were able to infect CD4+ cells expressing human CXCR-4, while only LAI was able to infect cells expressing the rat homolog of CXCR-4. This strain selectivity was addressed by using human-rat CXCR-4 chimeras. All chimeras tested mediated LAI infection, but only those containing the third extracellular domain (e3) of human CXCR-4 mediated NDK and ROD infection. The e3 domain might be required for the functional interaction of NDK and ROD, but not LAI, with CXCR-4. Alternatively, LAI might also interact with e3 but in a different way. Monoclonal antibody 12G5, raised against human CXCR-4, did not stain cells expressing rat CXCR-4. Chimeric human-rat CXCR-4 allowed us to map the 12G5 epitope in the e3 domain. The ability of 12G5 to neutralize infection by certain HIV-1 and HIV-2 strains is also consistent with the role of e3 in the coreceptor activity of CXCR-4. The deletion of most of the amino-terminal extracellular domain (e1) abolished the coreceptor activity of human CXCR-4 for ROD and NDK but not for LAI. These results indicate that HIV strains have different requirements for their interaction with CXCR-4. They also suggest differences in the interaction of dual-tropic HIV with CCR-5 and CXCR-4.
The BAF60 Subunit of the SWI/SNF Chromatin-Remodeling Complex Directly Controls the Formation of a Gene Loop at FLOWERING LOCUS C in Arabidopsis[W]

It is shown that BAF60, a subunit of the chromatin-remodeling complex SWI/SNF, induces a change in the floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C at the high-order chromatin level, thereby repressing the photoperiod flowering pathway in Arabidopsis. Specifically, BAF60 modulates histone density, composition, and posttranslational modification, thereby controlling gene loop formation at FLOWERING LOCUS C. SWI/SNF complexes mediate ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling to regulate gene expression. Many components of these complexes are evolutionarily conserved, and several subunits of Arabidopsis thaliana SWI/SNF complexes are involved in the control of flowering, a process that depends on the floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). BAF60 is a SWI/SNF subunit, and in this work, we show that BAF60, via a direct targeting of the floral repressor FLC, induces a change at the high-order chromatin level and represses the photoperiod flowering pathway in Arabidopsis. BAF60 accumulates in the nucleus and controls the formation of the FLC gene loop by modulation of histone density, composition, and posttranslational modification. Physiological analysis of BAF60 RNA interference mutant lines allowed us to propose that this chromatin-remodeling protein creates a repressive chromatin configuration at the FLC locus.