Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-Bandwidth Topology Maintenance for Robustness in Structured Overlay Networks

Structured peer-to-peer systems have emerged as infrastructures for resource sharing in large-scale, distributed, and dynamic environments. One challenge in these systems is to efficiently maintain routing information in the presence of nodes joining, leaving, and failing. Many systems use costly periodic stabilization protocols to ensure that the routing information is up-to-date. In this paper, we present a novel technique called correction-on-change, which identifies and notifies all nodes that have outdated routing information as a result of a node joining, leaving, or failing. Effective failure handling is simplified as the detection of a failure triggers a correction-on-change which updates all the nodes that have a pointer to the failed node. The resulting system has increased robustness as nodes with stale routing information are immediately updated. We proof the correctness of the algorithms and evaluate its performance by means of simulation. Experimental results show that for the same amount of maintenance bandwidth correction-on-change makes the system by far more robust when compared to periodic stabilization. Moreover, compared to adaptive stabilization which adjusts its frequency to the dynamism in the system, correction-on-change gives the same performance but with considerably less maintenance bandwidth. As correction-on-change immediately updates incorrect routing entries the average lookup length is maintained close to the theoretical average in the presence of high dynamism. We show how the technique can be applied to our DKS system as well as the Chord system.
ENERGY EFFICIENT ROUTING IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS

Wireless sensor nodes can be deployed on a battlefield and organize themselves in a large-scale ad-hoc network. Traditional routing protocols do not take into account that a node contains only a limited energy supply. Optimal routing tries to maximize the duration over which the sensing task can be performed, but requires future knowledge. As this is unrealistic, we derive a practical guideline based on the energy histogram and develop a spectrum of new techniques to enhance the routing in sensor networks. Our first approach aggregates packet streams in a robust way, resulting in energy reductions of a factor 2 to 3. Second, we argue that a more uniform resource utilization can be obtained by shaping the traffic flow. Several techniques, which rely only on localized metrics are proposed and evaluated. We show that they can increase the network lifetime up to an extra 90% beyond the gains of our first approach.
Osteoarticular infections in HIV-infected patients: 23 cases among 1,515 HIV-infected patients

Background The reported incidence of osteoarticular infections in HIV-infected patients has varied in the literature. Patients and methods We determined the incidence and characteristics of osteoarticular infections reported in a database of 1,515 HIV-infected patients between 1983 and 2003. Results 23 HIV-infected patients were identified with an osteoarticular infection, 11 of whom had a spondylodiscitis. 16 were intravenous drug abusers; this was identified as a risk factor for developing an osteoarticular infection. The most common agent was Staphylococcus aureus. 6 patients required surgical intervention and in a worst-case scenario more than one-fifth had recurrence of their infection. Conclusion Development of an osteoarticular infection is a rare complication in this group of HIV-infected patients, but a remarkably high number of infections of the spine were seen.
N-Way FRET Microscopy of Multiple Protein-Protein Interactions in Live Cells

Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) microscopy has emerged as a powerful tool to visualize nanoscale protein-protein interactions while capturing their microscale organization and millisecond dynamics. Recently, FRET microscopy was extended to imaging of multiple donor-acceptor pairs, thereby enabling visualization of multiple biochemical events within a single living cell. These methods require numerous equations that must be defined on a case-by-case basis. Here, we present a universal multispectral microscopy method (N-Way FRET) to enable quantitative imaging for any number of interacting and non-interacting FRET pairs. This approach redefines linear unmixing to incorporate the excitation and emission couplings created by FRET, which cannot be accounted for in conventional linear unmixing. Experiments on a three-fluorophore system using blue, yellow and red fluorescent proteins validate the method in living cells. In addition, we propose a simple linear algebra scheme for error propagation from input data to estimate the uncertainty in the computed FRET images. We demonstrate the strength of this approach by monitoring the oligomerization of three FP-tagged HIV Gag proteins whose tight association in the viral capsid is readily observed. Replacement of one FP-Gag molecule with a lipid raft-targeted FP allowed direct observation of Gag oligomerization with no association between FP-Gag and raft-targeted FP. The N-Way FRET method provides a new toolbox for capturing multiple molecular processes with high spatial and temporal resolution in living cells.
Relationship of Height to Site‐Specific Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Women

Height has been associated with increased risk of fracture of the neck of femur. However, information on the association of height with fractures at other sites is limited and conflicting. A total of 796,081 postmenopausal women, who reported on health and lifestyle factors including a history of previous fractures and osteoporosis, were followed for 8 years for incident fracture at various sites by record linkage to National Health Service hospital admission data. Adjusted relative risks of fracture at different sites per 10‐cm increase in height were estimated using Cox regression. Numbers with site‐specific fractures were: humerus (3036 cases), radius and/or ulna (1775), wrist (9684), neck of femur (5734), femur (not neck) (713), patella (649), tibia and/or fibula (1811), ankle (5523), and clavicle/spine/rib (2174). The risk of fracture of the neck of femur increased with increasing height (relative risk [RR] = 1.48 per 10‐cm increase, 99% confidence interval [CI] 1.39–1.57) and the proportional increase in risk was significantly greater than for all other fracture sites (pheterogeneity < 0.001). For the other sites, fracture risk also increased with height (RR = 1.15 per 10 cm, CI 1.12–1.18), but there was only very weak evidence of a possible difference in risk between the sites (pheterogeneity = 0.03). In conclusion, taller women are at increased risk of fracture, especially of the neck of femur. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Current Concepts of Cerebrovascular Disease — Stroke Emotional Problems After Stroke

EMOTIONAL distress, especially anxiety, frustration, and depression, are common problems after stroke and other chronic, disabling illnesses. Estimates of the prevalence of clinically significant levels of depression after stroke range from 26 to 60%. '" Other common difficulties include overdependence on others, inflexible and rigid thinking, impatience, irritability, impulsivity, denial and lack of awareness of problems, insensitivity to others, and poor social perception. Occasionally, suicidal ideation and paranoid delusions occur. The emotional reaction to the sensory and motor symptoms is complicated and compounded by the cognitive deficits caused by the lesion: in language, reading, writing, memory, visual perception, planning, judgment, logic, initiative, etc. These cognitive problems can contribute to emotional problems in a number of ways. For example, brain-damaged patients may jump to conclusions after considering only part of the relevant data. Such behavior often leads to misinterpretation of emotions of others and erroneous conclusions. One man observed his wife talking with his roommate in a nursing home and reasoned that they were having an affair and that his roommate wanted to kill him. Impaired initiative and lack of empathy can contribute to insensitive, demanding behavior and a resulting breakdown in interpersonal relationships.
Detection of Breda virus antigen and antibody in humans and animals by enzyme immunoassay

Enzyme immunoassays were developed for the detection of Breda virus antibody and antigen. Cattle sera collected in the United Kingdom were found to have a high prevalence of antibody (55%) to Breda virus when examined in a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A low prevalence of antibody was found in pigs (2.2%), and no antibody was found in sheep or goat sera. No antibody to either Breda virus or Berne virus was detected in human sera collected from veterinarians and farm workers. Only 1 of 430 human fecal specimens (0.2%) contained Breda virus antigen detectable by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Muscle activation assessment: Effects of method, stimulus number, and joint angle

Activation capacity has traditionally been assessed using the interpolated twitch technique (ITT) and central activation ratio (CAR). However, the quantitative agreement of the two methods and the physiological mechanisms underpinning any possible differences have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to compare and assess the sensitivity of the ITT and CAR to potential errors introduced by (1) evoking inadequate force, by manipulating the number of stimuli, and (2) neglecting differences in series elasticity between conditions, by manipulating joint angle. Ten subjects performed knee extension contractions at 30° and 90° knee‐joint angles during which the ITT and CAR methods were applied using 1, 2, 4, and 8 electrical stimuli. Joint angle influenced the ITT outcome with higher values taken at 90° (P < 0.05), while the number of stimuli influenced the CAR outcome with a higher number of stimuli yielding lower values (P < 0.05). For any given joint angle and stimulus number, the CAR method produced higher activation values than the ITT method by 8%–16%. Therefore, in the quantification of voluntary drive with the ITT and CAR methods consideration should be given not only to the number of stimuli applied but also to the effect of series elasticity due to joint‐angle differences, since these factors may differently affect the outcome of the calculation, depending on the approach followed. Muscle Nerve, 2006
Probiotic Supplement Use among Young Children in Taiwan: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives The objective of this study is to provide details on probiotic supplement use among young children in Taiwan. Participants and Methods This study is based on the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study database. We used questionnaires to collect information on probiotic supplement use among young children from birth to 18 months of age, while also considering their demographic characteristics and other covariates. Low-birth-weight infants, preterm infants, those with birth defects, and those with caregivers who returned incomplete questionnaires were excluded. The final valid sample comprised 16,991 cases. Results Approximately half the children received probiotic supplements before the age of 18 months. Only 6.3% of the children received probiotic supplements during the two periods of birth to 6 months and 7 to 18 months. Firstborn children, native mothers, mothers with higher educational levels, higher family income, and parents who lead healthy lifestyles were positively related to probiotic supplement use among children. Young children who were breastfed, with eczema, or with gastrointestinal tract problems were significantly positively associated with probiotic supplement use. Conclusion The findings show that probiotic supplement usage among young children is associated with a more socially advantaged circumstance and certain child health factors, such as eczema, diarrhea, and constipation. Parents might use probiotic supplements for prevention or treatment of child diseases. The findings of this research could serve as a baseline for future studies, and provide insight into probiotic supplement use behavior for health professionals caring for infants and young children.
Polymorphic Variation in the Human Myostatin (GDF‐8) Gene and Association with Strength Measures in the Women's Health and Aging Study II Cohort

OBJECTIVES To determine whether polymorphic variation in the myostatin gene differentially influences the maintenance of muscle strength in older adults, and to find supportive evidence in a cohort of older women. DESIGN Correlation study of polymorphic variation in a cohort of older women. SETTING Representatively sampled older female population living in the eastern half of Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS Participants were 286 women, age 70 to 79. Of these, 81.1% were Caucasian, 18.8% were African American, and 0.2% were Asian or Hispanic. MEASUREMENTS Overall strength was measured with a dynamometer and defined as the sum of the strongest measures of hip, knee, and grip strength on the dominant side. RESULTS We identified or confirmed six myostatin polymorphic variants in the Women's Health and Aging Study II population. Of the polymorphisms, K153R is the most common, with an allele frequency of 0.19 in African Americans. Unadjusted mean strength by genotype suggested lower muscle strength in those African-American women with the R genotype compared with those with the K genotype (K/K: 72.50 +/- 13.9 kg (n = 39) vs K/R: 67.14 +/- 11.4 kg (n = 13) vs R/R: 63.1 +/- 11.3 kg (n = 3)). After adjustment for race in a linear regression model, the R genotype remained associated with lower strength levels (P = .04). Statistical significance decreased when body mass index and race were both added to the model (P = .09). CONCLUSIONS Recognizing that small sample size in the study of genes of modest effect are unlikely to yield significant differences, these data suggest an association of the R153 allele with lower strength in high-functioning older women, which should be studied further in a larger cohort.
Protein lateral mobility as a reflection of membrane microstructure

The lateral mobility of membrane lipids and proteins is presumed to play an important functional role in biomembranes. Photobleaching studies have shown that many proteins in the plasma membrane have diffusion coefficients at least an order of magnitude lower than those obtained when the same proteins are reconstituted in artificial bilayer membranes. Depending on the protein, it has been shown that either the cytoplasmic domain or the ectodomain is the key determinant of its lateral mobility. Single particle tracking microscopy, which allows the motions of single or small groups of membrane molecules to be followed, promises not only to reveal new features of membrane dynamics, but also to help explain longstanding puzzles presented by the photobleaching studies, particularly the so‐called immobile fraction. The combination of the two complementary technologies should measurably enhance our understanding of membrane microstructure.
A Bernoulli problem with non-constant gradient boundary constraint

In this article, we present a result about the existence and convexity of solutions to a free boundary problem of Bernoulli type, with non-constant gradient boundary constraint depending on the outer unit normal. In particular, we prove that, in the convex case, the existence of a subsolution guarantees the existence of a classical solution, which is proved to be convex.
Three dimensional pose estimation of mouse from monocular images in compact systems

Video-based activity and behavior analysis for mice has garnered wide attention in biomedical research. Animal facilities hold large numbers of mice housed in ‘home-cages’ densely stored within ventilated racks. Automated analysis of mice activity in their home-cages can provide a new set of sensitive measures for detecting abnormalities and time-resolved deviation from baseline behavior. Large scale monitoring in animal facilities requires minimal footprint hardware that integrates seamlessly with the ventilated racks. Compactness of hardware imposes use of fisheye lenses positioned in close proximity to the cage. In this paper, we estimate the 3D pose of a mouse from fisheye distorted monocular monochromatic images using a novel adaptation of a structured forests algorithm. The method utilizes classification decision trees leveraging their versatility to store arbitrary information in the leaf-nodes. During training, the samples arriving at each node are mapped from continuous pose space to discrete class labels such that similar poses are grouped in the same class. The node splitting function is trained by optimizing a classification objective function rather than a high-dimensional regression one. The leaf-nodes store the pose parameters for the set of samples reaching the node. A prediction model preserving the structural relationship of the pose is formed based on the samples in the leaf-nodes. We apply the method to what we believe is the first known training set for 3D recovery of mouse key points from monocular images. We compare the results of our approach to those obtained via standard regression techniques.
Internet and Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Literature Review of Neuroimaging Studies

In the past decade, research has accumulated suggesting that excessive Internet use can lead to the development of a behavioral addiction. Internet addiction has been considered as a serious threat to mental health and the excessive use of the Internet has been linked to a variety of negative psychosocial consequences. The aim of this review is to identify all empirical studies to date that used neuroimaging techniques to shed light upon the emerging mental health problem of Internet and gaming addiction from a neuroscientific perspective. Neuroimaging studies offer an advantage over traditional survey and behavioral research because with this method, it is possible to distinguish particular brain areas that are involved in the development and maintenance of addiction. A systematic literature search was conducted, identifying 18 studies. These studies provide compelling evidence for the similarities between different types of addictions, notably substance-related addictions and Internet and gaming addiction, on a variety of levels. On the molecular level, Internet addiction is characterized by an overall reward deficiency that entails decreased dopaminergic activity. On the level of neural circuitry, Internet and gaming addiction led to neuroadaptation and structural changes that occur as a consequence of prolonged increased activity in brain areas associated with addiction. On a behavioral level, Internet and gaming addicts appear to be constricted with regards to their cognitive functioning in various domains. The paper shows that understanding the neuronal correlates associated with the development of Internet and gaming addiction will promote future research and will pave the way for the development of addiction treatment approaches.
Different Bilingual Experiences Might Modulate Executive Tasks Advantages: Comparative Analysis between Monolinguals, Translators, and Interpreters

Many studies have shown that being bilingual presents an advantage in executive control. However, it appears that knowing two (or more) languages is not enough to improve executive control. According to the adaptive control hypothesis (Green and Abutalebi, 2013), the interactional context in which bilinguals behave is a key factor that modulates cognitive advantage in executive control. Translation and simultaneous interpretation are performed in a dual-language context: professional bi- and multilinguals use two or more languages within the same context (at work). Simultaneous interpretation differs from translation though, because of its higher level of time pressure, which increases the cognitive demands on executive control. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the relationship between simultaneous interpretation and some aspects of executive control. To this end, we compare the performance of three groups (60 interpreters, 60 translators, and 60 monolinguals) in five computerized tasks designed to assess different executive processes as well as the speed of information processing. The results show that the interpreters perform better than the monolinguals in all tasks and better than the translators in all tasks except for the one designed to assess flexibility. The results also show that the age variable does not have the same effect on performance in tasks designed to assess updating, flexibility, and resistance of proactive inhibition in bilinguals (both interpreters and translators), or in tasks designed to assess the speed of information processing and inhibition of a prepotent response in interpreters only. In addition to the advantage that being bilingual presents in some aspects of executive control, the results suggest that interpreters have an additional advantage that may be explained by the characteristics of their work activity (especially heavy time pressure) and by how much experience they have in this activity (in terms of magnitude of the bilingual management demands and amount of experience in managing the cognitive demands of simultaneous interpretation).
Environmental and historical constraints on global patterns of amphibian richness

Our knowledge of the broad-scale ecology of vertebrate ectotherms remains very limited. Despite ongoing declines and sensitivity to environmental change, amphibian distributions are particularly poorly understood. We present a global analysis of contemporary environmental and historical constraints on amphibian richness, the first for an ectotherm clade at this scale. Amphibians are presumed to experience environmental constraints distinct from those of better studied endothermic taxa due to their stringent water requirements and the temperature dependence of their energetic costs and performance. Single environmental predictors set upper bounds on, but do not exclusively determine, amphibian richness. Accounting for differing regional histories of speciation and extinction helps resolve triangular or scattered relationships between core environmental predictors and amphibian richness, as the relationships' intercepts or slopes can vary regionally. While the magnitude of richness is strongly determined by regional history, within-region patterns are consistently jointly driven by water and temperature. This confirms that ecophysiological constraints extend to the broad scale. This coupling suggests that shifts in climatic regimes will probably have dramatic consequences for amphibians. Our results illustrate how the environmental and historical explanations of species richness gradients can be reconciled and how the perspectives are complements for understanding broad-scale patterns of diversity.