Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mithril: mining sporadic associations for cache prefetching

The growing pressure on cloud application scalability has accentuated storage performance as a critical bottleneck. Although cache replacement algorithms have been extensively studied, cache prefetching - reducing latency by retrieving items before they are actually requested - remains an underexplored area. Existing approaches to history-based prefetching, in particular, provide too few benefits for real systems for the resources they cost. We propose Mithril, a prefetching layer that efficiently exploits historical patterns in cache request associations. Mithril is inspired by sporadic association rule mining and only relies on the timestamps of requests. Through evaluation of 135 block-storage traces, we show that Mithril is effective, giving an average of a 55% hit ratio increase over LRU and Probability Graph, and a 36% hit ratio gain over Amp at reasonable cost. Finally, we demonstrate the improvement comes from Mithril being able to capture mid-frequency blocks.
Exploring a deep meridional flow hypothesis for a circulation dominated solar dynamo model

Circulation‐dominated solar dynamo models, which employ a helioseismic rotation profile and a fixed meridional flow, give a good approximation to the large scale solar magnetic phenomena, such as the 11‐year cycle or the so called Hale’s law of polarities. Nevertheless, the larger amplitude of the radial shear ∂Ω/∂r at the high latitudes makes the dynamo to produce a strong toroidal magnetic field at high latitudes, in contradiction with the observations of the sunspots (Sporer’s Law). A possible solution was proposed by Nandy and Choudhuri in which a deep meridional flow can conduct the magnetic field inside of a stable layer (the radiative core) and then allow that it erupts just at lower latitudes. Although they obtain good results, this hypothesis generates new problems like the mixture of elements in the radiative core (that alters the abundance of the elements) and the transfer of angular momentum. We have recently explored this hypothesis in a different approximation, using the magnetic buoyancy me.
Retention and mobility of the mammalian lamin B receptor in the plant nuclear envelope

Background information. In a previous study, we showed that GFP (green fluorescent protein) fused to the N‐terminal 238 amino acids of the mammalian LBR (lamin B receptor) localized to the NE (nuclear envelope) when expressed in the plant Nicotiana tabacum. The protein was located in the NE during interphase and migrated with nuclear membranes during cell division. Targeting and retention of inner NE proteins requires several mechanisms: signals that direct movement through the nuclear pore complex, presence of a transmembrane domain or domains and retention by interaction with nuclear or nuclear‐membrane constituents.
Surgical lung biopsy for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease in England: 1997–2008

International guidelines and new targeted therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have increased the need for accurate diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD), which may lead to more surgical lung biopsies. This study aimed to assess the risk of this procedure in patients from the UK. We used Hospital Episodes Statistics data from 1997 to 2008 to assess the frequency of surgical lung biopsy for ILD in England, UK. We identified cardiothoracic surgical patients using International Classification of Diseases revision 10 codes for ILD and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys Classification of Interventions and Procedures version 4 codes for surgical lung biopsy. We excluded those with lung resections or lung cancer. We estimated in-hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality following the procedure, and linked to cause of death using data from the UK Office of National Statistics. We identified 2820 patients with ILD undergoing surgical lung biopsy during the 12-year period. The number of biopsies increased over the time period studied. In-hospital, 30-day and 90-day mortality were 1.7%, 2.4% and 3.9%, respectively. Male sex, increasing age, increasing comorbidity and open surgery were risk factors for mortality. Surgical lung biopsy for ILD has a similar mortality to lobectomy for lung cancer, and clinicians and patients should understand the likely risks involved. 30-day mortality after surgical lung biopsy for ILD is 2.4% (similar to lobectomy for lung cancer) http://ow.ly/fQnY302fGvU
Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA-1) is translocated within micronemes along subpellicular microtubules during merozoite development

During the assembly of Plasmodium falciparum merozoites within the schizont stage, the parasite synthesizes and positions three sets of secretory vesicles (rhoptries, micronemes and dense granules) that are active during red cell invasion. There are up to 40 micronemes per merozoite, shaped like long-necked bottles, about 160 nm long and 65 nm at their widest diameter. On their external surfaces, they bear bristle-like filaments, each 3-4 nm thick and 25 nm long. Micronemes are translocated from a single Golgi-like cisterna near the nucleus along a band of two or three subpellicular microtubules to the merozoite apex, where they dock with the rhoptry tips. Dense granules are also formed around the periphery of the Golgi cisternae but their distribution is unrelated to microtubules. Three polyclonal antibodies raised against the recombinant PfAMA-1 ectodomain sequence recognizing both the 83 kDa and processed 66 kDa molecules label the peripheries of translocating and mature micronemes but do not label rhoptries significantly at any stage of merozoite development within schizonts. This result confirms that PfAMA-1 is a micronemal protein, and indicates that within the microneme it is located near or inserted into this organelle's boundary membrane.
Relationship between spontaneous and iatrogenic hypoglycemia and mortality in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction.

CONTEXT While glucose control is recommended by professional societies for patients with hyperglycemia hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), enthusiasm for glucose lowering is tempered, in part, by concerns of inducing hypoglycemia. Yet, whether episodic hypoglycemia that occurs as a result of glucose-lowering therapy is harmful in patients with AMI is unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the mortality risk associated with hypoglycemic events is similar in patients who develop hypoglycemia spontaneously and those who develop it as a result of insulin therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Retrospective cohort study using data from Health Facts, a contemporary database of patients hospitalized across the United States in 40 hospitals between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005. Of all the patients in the database, 7820 patients were hospitalized with AMI and were hyperglycemic on admission (glucose level > or = 140 mg/dL). Patients were stratified based on whether they developed a hypoglycemic event (random glucose level < 60 mg/dL) during subsequent hospitalization. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between hypoglycemia and in-hospital mortality within subgroups of patients who were and were not treated with insulin therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE All-cause in-hospital mortality. RESULTS Among patients treated or not treated with insulin, those with hypoglycemia were older and had more comorbidity. Hypoglycemia was associated with increased mortality in patients not treated with insulin (18.4% [25/136] mortality in patients with hypoglycemia vs 9.2% [425/4639] in those without hypoglycemia; P<.001), but not in those treated with insulin (10.4% [36/346] mortality in patients with hypoglycemia vs 10.2% [276/2699] in those without hypoglycemia; P = .92). After multivariable adjustment, there was a significant interaction between hypoglycemia and insulin therapy (P value for interaction = .01). Hypoglycemia was a predictor of higher mortality in patients who were not treated with insulin (odds ratio, 2.32 [95% confidence interval, 1.31-4.12] vs patients without hypoglycemia), but not in patients treated with insulin (odds ratio, 0.92 [95% confidence interval, 0.58-1.45] vs patients without hypoglycemia). CONCLUSIONS While hypoglycemia was associated with increased mortality in patients with AMI, this risk was confined to patients who developed hypoglycemia spontaneously. In contrast, iatrogenic hypoglycemia after insulin therapy was not associated with higher mortality risk.
The Effect of PtRuIr Nanoparticle Crystallinity in Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation

Two structural forms of a ternary alloy PtRuIr/C catalyst, one amorphous and one highly crystalline, were synthesized and compared to determine the effect of their respective structures on their activity and stability as anodic catalysts in methanol oxidation. Characterization techniques included TEM, XRD, and EDX. Electrochemical analysis using a glassy carbon disk electrode for cyclic voltammogram and chronoamperometry were tested in a solution of 0.5 mol L−1 CH3OH and 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4. Amorphous PtRuIr/C catalyst was found to have a larger electrochemical surface area, while the crystalline PtRuIr/C catalyst had both a higher activity in methanol oxidation and increased CO poisoning rate. Crystallinity of the active alloy nanoparticles has a big impact on both methanol oxidation activity and in the CO poisoning rate.
Mapping cortical atrophy in Parkinson's disease patients with dementia.

BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment is very common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Brain changes accompanying cognitive decline in PD are still not fully established. METHODS We applied cortical pattern matching and cortical thickness analyses to the three-dimensional T1-weighted brain MRI scans of 14 age-matched cognitively normal elderly (NC), 12 cognitively normal PD (PDC), and 11 PD dementia (PDD) subjects. We used linear regression models to investigate the effect of diagnosis on cortical thickness. All maps were adjusted for multiple comparisons using permutation testing with a threshold p < 0.01. RESULTS PDD showed significantly thinner bilateral sensorimotor, perisylvian, lateral parietal, as well as right posterior cingulate, parieto-occipital, inferior temporal and lateral frontal cortices relative to NC (left p(corrected) = 0.06, right p(corrected) = 0.009). PDD showed significantly thinner bilateral sensorimotor, right frontal and right parietal-occipital cortices relative to PDC (right p(corrected) = 0.05). The absolute difference in cortical thickness between PDD and the other diagnostic groups ranged from 3% to 19%. CONCLUSION Our data shows that cognitive decline in PD is associated with cortical atrophy. PDD subjects have the most widespread gray matter atrophy suggesting more cortical involvement as PD patients progress to dementia.
Development of inhibitory synapses among striatal neurons in vitro

The development of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections has been studied in postnatal neurons from the caudate and putamen maintained in tissue culture. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials which were sensitive to the glutamate antagonist CNQX (6-cyano-7- nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione) appeared between 4 and 8 d in vitro. This is the first indication that glutamatergic excitatory neurons may be intrinsic to the striatum. Spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents appeared at approximately the same time, several days after process outgrowth. Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the synthetic enzyme for GABA, labeled neurons which produce bicuculline- sensitive, inhibitory postsynaptic currents. GAD immunoreactivity and immunoreactivity to synapsin I, a synaptic vesicle-associated protein, became localized to discrete sites along neurites 4–8 d after plating. It is concluded that the punctate GAD immunoreactivity identified possible sites of presynaptic transmitter release.
Discrepancy and approximations for bounded VC-dimension

AbstractLet (X, ℛ) be a set system on ann-point setX. For a two-coloring onX, itsdiscrepancy is defined as the maximum number by which the occurrences of the two colors differ in any set in ℛ. We show that if for anym-point subset $$Y \subseteq X$$ the number of distinct subsets induced by ℛ onY is bounded byO(md) for a fixed integerd, then there is a coloring with discrepancy bounded byO(n1/2−1/2d(logn)1+1/2d). Also if any subcollection ofm sets of ℛ partitions the points into at mostO(md) classes, then there is a coloring with discrepancy at mostO(n1/2−1/2dlogn). These bounds imply improved upper bounds on the size of ε-approximations for (X, ℛ). All the bounds are tight up to polylogarithmic factors in the worst case. Our results allow to generalize several results of Beck bounding the discrepancy in certain geometric settings to the case when the discrepancy is taken relative to an arbitrary measure.
Native herbivores and environmental heterogeneity as mediators of an exotic grass invasion

Abstract Given that many exotic plant species throughout the world are having large ecological and economic effects, it is vital to understand the forces that mediate their success in novel landscapes. Both native herbivores and recipient ecosystems can have substantial effects on the performance of exotic plant species, and may interact with each other or vary in their effects over time. Unfortunately, few studies have evaluated the importance of these kinds of context‐dependent effects. Here, we use a 17‐year‐old exclosure experiment stratified across a coastal grassland in northern California to address the relative importance of a reintroduced mammalian herbivore, tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes), and environmental heterogeneity in mediating the growth, abundance, and recruitment of a problematic grass invader, Holcus lanatus. We found that elk reduced Holcus abundance, aboveground biomass, percent cover, frequency, and seedling recruitment, but that these effects often varied among habitat types, with effects being greater in open grasslands than shrub‐dominated grasslands. The performance of Holcus populations also varied significantly among habitat types, with the invader usually having the greatest success in Baccharis‐dominated grasslands. Our results suggest that environmental heterogeneity had much greater influence on Holcus success than elk, and that these effects were due largely to soil pH and moisture. The negative effects of elk on Holcus appeared after 4 years and did not intensify after an additional 13 years. Furthermore, despite their negative effects, these prominent herbivores did not prevent the spread of Holcus into previously uninvaded areas. Our research highlights the importance of assessing the individual and interactive effects of native herbivores and environmental heterogeneity on the success of invasive, exotic plant species. It emphasizes the reality that the negative effects of herbivores on exotic plant species will often vary across heterogeneous landscapes and may be insufficient to prevent the expansion of these invaders.
Dense error correction via l1-minimization

We study the problem of recovering a non-negative sparse signal x ∈ ℝ<sup>n</sup> from highly corrupted linear measurements y = Ax+e ∈ ℝ<sup>m</sup>, where e is an unknown (and unbounded) error. Motivated by an observation from computer vision, we prove that for highly correlated dictionaries A, any non-negative, sufficiently sparse signal x can be recovered by solving an ℓ<sup>1</sup>-minimization problem: min ‖x‖<inf>1</inf> + ‖e‖<inf>1</inf> subject to y = Ax + e. If the fraction ρ of errors is bounded away from one and the support of x grows sublinearly in the dimension m of the observation, for large m, the above ℓ<sup>1</sup>-minimization recovers all sparse signals x from almost all sign-and-support patterns of e. This suggests that accurate and efficient recovery of sparse signals is possible even with nearly 100% of the observations corrupted.
Different Modulation of Common Motor Information in Rat Primary and Secondary Motor Cortices

Rodents have primary and secondary motor cortices that are involved in the execution of voluntary movements via their direct and parallel projections to the spinal cord. However, it is unclear whether the rodent secondary motor cortex has any motor function distinct from the primary motor cortex to properly control voluntary movements. In the present study, we quantitatively examined neuronal activity in the caudal forelimb area (CFA) of the primary motor cortex and rostral forelimb area (RFA) of the secondary motor cortex in head-fixed rats performing forelimb movements (pushing, holding, and pulling a lever). We found virtually no major differences between CFA and RFA neurons, regardless of neuron subtypes, not only in their basal spiking properties but also in the time-course, amplitude, and direction preference of their functional activation for simple forelimb movements. However, the RFA neurons, as compared with the CFA neurons, showed obviously a greater susceptibility of their functional activation to an alteration in a behavioral situation, a 'rewarding' response that leads to reward or a 'consummatory' response that follows reward water, which might be accompanied by some internal adaptations without affecting the motor outputs. Our results suggest that, although the CFA and RFA neurons commonly process fundamental motor information to properly control forelimb movements, the RFA neurons may be functionally differentiated to integrate motor information with internal state information for an adaptation to goal-directed behaviors.
Small RNA combination therapy for lung cancer

Significance Small RNAs can potently and precisely regulate gene expression; as a result, they have tremendous clinical potential. However, effective delivery of small RNAs to solid tumors has remained challenging. Here we report that a lipid/polymer nanoparticle can deliver small RNAs to treat autochthonous tumors in the so-called “KP” mouse model of lung cancer. Nanoparticles formulated with mimics of the p53-regulated miRNA miR-34a downregulated target genes and delayed tumor progression, while nanoparticles formulated with siRNA targeting Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (siKras) slowed tumor growth and increased apoptosis. Notably, concurrent delivery of miR-34a and siKras increased anti-tumor effects, and led to tumor regression. These results demonstrate that small RNA therapies can impact solid lung tumor growth, and that targeted RNA combination therapies may be used to improve therapeutic response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and siRNAs have enormous potential as cancer therapeutics, but their effective delivery to most solid tumors has been difficult. Here, we show that a new lung-targeting nanoparticle is capable of delivering miRNA mimics and siRNAs to lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and to tumors in a genetically engineered mouse model of lung cancer based on activation of oncogenic Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (Kras) and loss of p53 function. Therapeutic delivery of miR-34a, a p53-regulated tumor suppressor miRNA, restored miR-34a levels in lung tumors, specifically down-regulated miR-34a target genes, and slowed tumor growth. The delivery of siRNAs targeting Kras reduced Kras gene expression and MAPK signaling, increased apoptosis, and inhibited tumor growth. The combination of miR-34a and siRNA targeting Kras improved therapeutic responses over those observed with either small RNA alone, leading to tumor regression. Furthermore, nanoparticle-mediated small RNA delivery plus conventional, cisplatin-based chemotherapy prolonged survival in this model compared with chemotherapy alone. These findings demonstrate that RNA combination therapy is possible in an autochthonous model of lung cancer and provide preclinical support for the use of small RNA therapies in patients who have cancer.
Previous and Recent Evidence of Endovascular Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke

The ideal therapy of acute ischemic stroke is achieved by early recanalization that finally leads to good clinical outcome. The recombinant intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) within 4.5 hours was approved as an important thrombolytic treatment. However, the recanalization rate was low in patients with a large artery occlusion. The efficacy of intravenous rtPA regarding recanalization of a large artery occlusion was limited. In several clinical trials, pharmacological and mechanical intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy showed improved recanalization rates, but the favorable outcome had not been achieved. Through those trials and errors, researchers have learned that speed of treatment initiation, patient selection by documentation of large artery occlusion and the use of effective devices could be crucial for good clinical outcomes. Finally, five recent randomized controlled trials of endovascular therapy compared to standard medical care have been published. The superiority of endovascular thrombolysis to standard medical care was proved. In this article, we reviewed previous and recent clinical evidence about endovascular thrombolytic therapy of acute ischemic stroke.
Assessing the ADL Functioning of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Comparison of Family Informants' Ratings and Performance-Based Assessment Findings

The activities of daily living (ADL) functioning of 26 subjects with Alzheimer's disease was measured using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) and family informants' Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) Activities of Daily Living (ADL) reports. Concordance with a clinician's ratings of subjects' level of ADL functioning was achieved for 77% of the subjects based on their AMPS ADL process ability measures and for 54% for the subjects based on their family informants' OARS ADL ratings. In cases of discordance, subjects' AMPS ADL process ability measures were just as likely to overestimate (11.5%) as to underestimate (11.5%) subjects' ADL functioning. In contrast, 46% of the informants overestimated their family members' ADL functioning, and this was more likely to occur when subjects' cognitive impairment was mild.
Grandmothers raising grandchildren: family structure and well-being in culturally diverse families.

PURPOSE This study addressed well-being of grandmothers raising grandchildren in coparenting and custodial households in a sample of African American, Latino, and White grandmothers. DESIGN AND METHODS A sample of 1,058 grandmothers was recruited through the schools and media. Grandmothers raising or helping to raise school-aged grandchildren in Los Angeles were interviewed, and analyses were conducted within ethnic groups. RESULTS African American grandmothers experienced equal well-being in coparenting and custodial families; however, if the stresses related to the parents' problems were removed by statistical control, they favored the custodial arrangement. Latino grandmothers had greater well-being in coparenting families, reflecting a tradition of intergenerational living. White custodial grandmothers experienced somewhat higher levels of affect (positive and negative) but showed no difference in other types of well-being. IMPLICATIONS The cultural lens through which grandparenthood is viewed has a marked impact on the adaptation to custodial or coparenting family structures.