Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DynamicMR: A Dynamic Slot Allocation Optimization Framework for MapReduce Clusters

MapReduce is a popular computing paradigm for large-scale data processing in cloud computing. However, the slot-based MapReduce system (e.g., Hadoop MRv1) can suffer from poor performance due to its unoptimized resource allocation. To address it, this paper identifies and optimizes the resource allocation from three key aspects. First, due to the pre-configuration of distinct map slots and reduce slots which are not fungible, slots can be severely under-utilized. Because map slots might be fully utilized while reduce slots are empty, and vice-versa. We propose an alternative technique called Dynamic Hadoop SlotAllocation by keeping the slot-based model. It relaxes the slot allocation constraint to allow slots to be reallocated to either map or reduce tasks depending on their needs. Second, the speculative execution can tackle the straggler problem, which has shown to improve the performance for a single job but at the expense of the cluster efficiency. In view of this, we propose Speculative Execution Performance Balancing to balance the performance tradeoff between a single job and a batch of jobs. Third, delay scheduling has shown to improve the data locality but at the cost of fairness. Alternatively, we propose a technique called Slot PreSchedulingthat can improve the data locality but with no impact on fairness. Finally, by combining these techniques together, we form a step-by-step slot allocation system called DynamicMR that can improve the performance of MapReduce workloads substantially. The experimental results show that our DynamicMR can improve the performance of Hadoop MRv1 significantly while maintaining the fairness, by up to 46~115 percent for single jobs and 49~112 percent for multiple jobs. Moreover, we make a comparison with YARN experimentally, showing that DynamicMR outperforms YARN by about 2~9 percent for multiple jobs due to its ratio control mechanism of running map/reduce tasks.
Honeycomb

This paper describes a system for automated generation of attack signatures for network intrusion detection systems. Our system applies pattern-matching techniques and protocol conformance checks on multiple levels in the protocol hierarchy to network traffic captured a honeypot system. We present results of running the system on an unprotected cable modem connection for 24 hours. The system successfully created precise traffic signatures that otherwise would have required the skills and time of a security officer to inspect the traffic manually.
The L2 acquisition of aspectual properties in Spanish

Abstract This study examines the L2 acquisition and LI attrition of preterite versus imperfect aspectual distinctions in Spanish among English-speaking L2 learners and long-term Spanish-speaking immigrants. Results from an acceptability judgment task and a truth value judgment task demonstrate significantly lower levels of target performance by both groups when compared to the control participants. The L2 learners outperform the native speakers undergoing attrition in some aspectual contexts, while in others both experimental groups show similar difficulties. To the extent that L2 learners and adult immigrants demonstrate comparable difficulties, L2 learners’ deficits cannot be directly related to impairment reasons. LI transfer of the semantic properties of tense heads offers a better explanation for the difficulties L2 learners often show in the aspectual domain.
Sleep time and pattern of adult individuals in primary care in an Asian urbanized community

AbstractSleep norms vary between individuals, being affected by personal, communal, and socioeconomic factors. Individuals with sleep time which deviate from the population norm are at risks of adverse mental, cardiovascular, and metabolic health. Sleep-related issues are common agenda for consultation in primary care. This study aimed to determine the sleep time, pattern, and behavior of multiethnic Asian individuals who attended public primary care clinics in an urban metropolitan city-state.Standardized questionnaires were assistant-administered to adult Asian individuals who visited 2 local public primary care clinics in north-eastern and southern regions of Singapore. The questionnaire included questions on demographic characteristics, self-reported sleep time, patterns, and behavior and those originated from the American National Sleep Foundation Sleep Diary. The data were collated, audited, rectified, and anonymized before being analyzed by the biostatistician. Individuals with 7 h sleep time or longer were deemed getting adequate sleep. Chi-squared or Fisher exact test was used to test the association between the demographic and behavioral variables and sleep time. Next, regression analysis was performed to identify key factors associated with their sleep time.A total of 350 individuals were recruited, with higher proportion of those of Chinese ethnicity reporting adequate sleep. Almost half (48.1%) of those who slept <7 h on weekdays tended to sleep ≥7 h on weekends. More individuals who reported no difficulty falling asleep, had regular sleep hours and awakening time, tended to sleep adequately. Those who slept with children, studied, read leisurely, used computer or laptops in their bedrooms, drank caffeinated beverages or smoked had inadequate sleep. Those who perceived sufficient sleep and considered 8 h as adequate sleep time had weekday and weekend sleep adequacy.Sleep time varied according to ethnicity, employment status, personal behavior, and perception of sleep sufficiency. Awareness of sleep time and pattern allows the local physicians to contextualize the discussion of sleep adequacy with their patients during consultation, which is a prerequisite to resolve their sleep-related issues.
Health Economics at the Crossroads of Centuries – From the Past to the Future

Health economics, as an interdisciplinary science, has experienced exceptionally bold evolution through the past eight decades. Generations of committed scholars have built up huge body of knowledge and developed a set of methodological tools to assist health-care authorities with resource allocation process. Following its conception at the US National Bureau of Economic Research and Ivy League US Universities, this science has spread across the Globe. It has adapted to a myriad of local conditions and needs of the national health systems with diverse historical legacies, medical services provision, and financing patterns. Challenge of financial sustainability facing modern day health systems remains primarily attributable to population aging, prosperity diseases, large scale migrations, rapid urbanization, and technological innovation in medicine. Despite promising developments in developing countries with emerging BRICS markets on the lead, rising out-of-pocket health spending continues to threaten affordability of medical care. Universal health coverage extension will likely remain serious challenge even for some of the most advanced OECD nations. These complex circumstances create strong drivers for inevitable further development of health economics. We believe that this interdisciplinary health science shall leave long-lasting blue print to be visible for decades to come.
Brief Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Children with Anxiety Disorders: Initial Evaluation of a Program Designed for Clinic Settings

Abstract Four anxiety disordered 8- to 11-year-old children and their parents participated in a shortened version of an efficacious cognitive–behavioural program for anxiety in children, designed to reflect therapy conditions found in usual clinical practice. A modified multiple-baseline design was used that combined clinic setting pragmatics with a necessary level of methodological protection. For ongoing evaluation, weekly measures of the child's trait anxiety and coping ability were obtained from the child and parents. In addition, a battery of measures was used to evaluate outcomes following treatment and at two follow-up intervals. Emphasising increased parent involvement and earlier exposure sessions, the program was found to lead to marked changes in child functioning. In particular, all children showed improvement on self-report, parent report, and independent clinician's ratings over the course of treatment. Moreover, scores on relevant indices were all within a nondeviant range following intervention, and all four children no longer qualified for an anxiety diagnosis at posttreatment and at 3- and 12-month followup. Findings are discussed in terms of implementation and evaluation in practice settings (e.g., critical components of treatment, use of pragmatic single case designs). Suggestions for future research include testing the effectiveness of this brief program on a large and diverse sample of children. Additional research is also required to find out to what extent increased parent involvement and earlier exposure sessions enhance the impact of treatment in the larger context of addressing features of the research-practice gap. Overall, findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of a brief cognitive–behavioural program for treating anxiety disorders in children, along with an evaluation strategy, compatible with some of the needs of service delivery settings.
Femoroacetabular impingement: radiographic diagnosis--what the radiologist should know.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to show the important radiographic criteria that indicate the two types of femoroacetabular impingement: pincer and cam impingement. In addition, potential pitfalls in pelvic imaging concerning femoroacetabular impingement are shown. CONCLUSION Femoroacetabular impingement is a major cause for early "primary" osteoarthritis of the hip. It can easily be recognized on conventional radiographs of the pelvis and the proximal femur.
Cinnamate Metabolism in Ripening Fruit. Characterization of a UDP-Glucose:Cinnamate Glucosyltransferase from Strawberry1

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruit accumulate (hydroxy)cinnamoyl glucose (Glc) esters, which may serve as the biogenetic precursors of diverse secondary metabolites, such as the flavor constituents methyl cinnamate and ethyl cinnamate. Here, we report on the isolation of a cDNA encoding a UDP-Glc:cinnamate glucosyltransferase (Fragaria × ananassa glucosyltransferase 2 [FaGT2]) from ripe strawberry cv Elsanta that catalyzes the formation of 1-O-acyl-Glc esters of cinnamic acid, benzoic acid, and their derivatives in vitro. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that FaGT2 transcripts accumulate to high levels during strawberry fruit ripening and to lower levels in flowers. The levels in fruits positively correlated with the in planta concentration of cinnamoyl, p-coumaroyl, and caffeoyl Glc. In the leaf, high amounts of Glc esters were detected, but FaGT2 mRNA was not observed. The expression of FaGT2 is negatively regulated by auxin, induced by oxidative stress, and by hydroxycinnamic acids. Although FaGT2 glucosylates a number of aromatic acids in vitro, quantitative analysis in transgenic lines containing an antisense construct of FaGT2 under the control of the constitutive 35S cauliflower mosaic virus promoter demonstrated that the enzyme is only involved in the formation of cinnamoyl Glc and p-coumaroyl Glc during ripening.
FATHERS TAKING PARENTAL LEAVE AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH CHILDREN

Parental leave has been promoted as a way to enhance employed fathers’ involvement with their children. Leave patterns, factors affecting these patterns and the impact of taking leave on involvement with children were assessed for fathers in 38 couples. Parents, contacted through their employers, completed self-administered questionnaires on their work schedule changes after the arrival of a baby, reactions to these changes, childcare activities and attitudes. The mother's and father's assessments in each couple were averaged to measure 21 different aspects of fathers’ involvement. Fathers who took leave were more likely to share some specific childcare tasks with mothers than fathers who did not take leave but no differences were found for time spent with children or taking responsibility for childcare. Parents’ equalitarian beliefs, income and education had more impact than taking leave on fathers’ overall involvement in childcare. Se ha promovido La Licencia de Paternidad como una forma para ayudar a los padres que están empleados a involucrarse con sus hijos. Los patrones de estas licencias, los factores que afectan estos patrones, y el impacto que tiene esta licencia en las relaciones con los niños fueron evaluadas por los padres en 38 parejas. Los padres, contactados por sus empleadores, completaron cuestionarios sobre los cambios en sus horarios de trabajo después de la llegada del bebé, las reacciones a esos cambios, actividades para el cuidado del niño, y sus actitudes. Se hizo un promedio midiendo los 21 diferentes aspectos del involucro de los padres presentado en las evaluaciones hechas por la madre y el padre en cada pareja. Los padres que tomaron licencia de paternidad, generalmente compartieron con la madre algunos aspectos específicos para el cuidado del niño a diferencia de los padres que no tomaron la licencia, pero no se encontraron diferencias sobre el tiempo empleado con los niños o en las responsabilidades del cuidado de los mismos. En general, las creencias sobre la igualdad, la situación económica y la educación de los padres, tuvo más impacto que el involucrarse totalmente en el cuidado de los niños de los padres con licencia de paternidad.
An Examination of AVID Graduates’ College Preparation and Postsecondary Progress

This quantitative study sought to investigate how Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and other high school college preparatory achievements contributed to the college success of underrepresented students enrolled in community colleges and 4-year universities. Eighty-five AVID graduates from 12 Texas high schools attending 5 Hispanic-serving higher education institutions participated in this research. AVID graduates at community colleges and universities were found to achieve intermediate outcomes of success, such as 1st-year retention, at higher rates than their institutions’ student populations.
A prosocial self‐concept approach to understanding organizational citizenship behavior

Purpose – Individual characteristics have been weaker correlates of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) than have attitudinal and contextual variables; however, few individual characteristics have been examined. This paper seeks to broaden the search for possible antecedents to include individuals' prosocial self‐concept.Design/methodology/approach – A survey (n=226) was conducted to examine the relationship between university students' prosocial self‐concept and their intentions to engage in campus‐related service and citizenship activities. Prosocial self‐concept was assessed with Crandall's 24‐item Social Interest Scale.Findings – Prosocial self‐concept correlated modestly, but significantly, with OCB intentions toward fellow students (r=0.16, p<0.05), and OCB intentions toward society (r=0.18, p<0.05), but not with OCB intentions toward the university (r=0.12). Identification with the university correlated significantly with OCB intentions toward the university (r=0.29, p<0.001), but not with .
DOTS: A Propagation Delay-Aware Opportunistic MAC Protocol for Mobile Underwater Networks

Mobile underwater networks with acoustic communications are confronted with several unique challenges such as long propagation delays, high transmission power consumption, and node mobility. In particular, slow signal propagation permits multiple packets to concurrently travel in the underwater channel, which must be exploited to improve the overall throughput. To this end, we propose the delay-aware opportunistic transmission scheduling (DOTS) protocol that uses passively obtained local information (i.e., neighboring nodes' propagation delay map and their expected transmission schedules) to increase the chances of concurrent transmissions while reducing the likelihood of collisions. Our extensive simulation results document that DOTS outperforms existing solutions and provides fair medium access even with node mobility.
Negative Social Experiences and Dropping Out of School

The purpose of this study was to test a prediction model of early withdrawal from school with a sample of 751 low SES boys with an emphasis on the role of peer-related variables. The model included early disruptiveness and academic performance as the main triggering factors of a chain of events that included social acceptance from peers, and association with deviant/dropout friends. The model also included socio-familial variables, as well as parental variables as covariates and as potential moderators. Results confirmed the power of early disruptiveness and early academic performance to predict dropout. However, the effect of these variables varied according to dropout age. Low social acceptance from classmates made no additional contributions in predicting the process of early school disengagement. However, affiliation with deviant/dropout friends did. No moderating effects for parenting variables were found. Socio-psychological processes involved in the trajectory leading early disruptive boys to drop out of school and the importance of targeting early disruptiveness and academic difficulties to prevent school dropout are stressed in the discussion.
Unanticipated Effects of Children with Learning Disabilities on Their Families

This study examined the unanticipated effects that children with learning disabilities have on the life of their families. Eleven parents of students aged 8 to 16 years old participated in two separate focus group interviews. Findings showed that children with learning disabilities had a range of effects on their families. These included family stress, parenting discrepancies, negative reactions from extended family members, difficulty in interacting with the school, and mixed effects upon siblings. Patterns of family coping also emerged. Recommendations for supporting families and students with learning disabilities are suggested.
Tumor-Specific Targeting of Pancreatic Cancer with Shiga Toxin B-Subunit

Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most aggressive tumor entities, and standard chemotherapy provides only modest benefit. Therefore, specific targeting of pancreatic cancer for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention is of great interest. We have previously shown that the cellular receptor for Shiga toxin B (STxB), the glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3 or CD77) is strongly increased in colorectal adenocarcinoma and their metastases. Here, we report an upregulation of Gb3 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (21 of 27 cases) as compared with matched normal tissue (n = 27). The mean expression was highly significantly increased from 30 ± 16 ng Gb3/mg tissue in normal pancreas to 61 ± 41 ng Gb3/mg tissue (mean ± SD, P = 0.0006), as evidenced by thin layer chromatography. Upregulation of Gb3 levels did not depend on tumor stage or grading and showed no correlation with clinical outcome. Tumor cells and endothelial cells were identified as the source of increased Gb3 expression by immunocytochemistry. Pancreatic cancer cell lines showed rapid intracellular uptake of STxB to the Golgi apparatus, following the retrograde pathway. The therapeutic application of STxB was tested by specific delivery of covalently coupled SN38, an active metabolite of the topoisomerase I inhibitor irinotecan. The cytotoxic effect of the STxB-SN38 compound in pancreatic cancer cell lines was increased more than 100-fold compared with irinotecan. Moreover, this effect was effectively blocked by competing incubation with nonlabeled STxB, showing the specificity of the targeting. Thus, STxB constitutes a promising new tool for specific targeting of pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(10); 1918–28. ©2011 AACR.
Neuropsychological Profiles of 5-Year Ischemic Stroke Survivors by Oxfordshire Stroke Classification and Hemisphere of Lesion

Background and Purpose— Although the neuropsychological literature typically examines stroke outcomes by hemisphere of lesion, the medical literature provides classifications more closely linked to circulatory distribution impacted by stroke. This article examined profiles of cognitive function by hemisphere and by Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project stroke classification. Methods— This study included a sample of 315 5-year ischemic stroke survivors. Assessment included tests of verbal memory, visual memory, word finding/verbal fluency, abstract visual reasoning, executive functioning, and speed of processing. Results— The sample produced scores within 1 standard deviation of the normative mean on tests of abstract visual reasoning, verbal memory, and visual recall. Impaired performances were observed for executive function and processing speed. Profile analysis revealed no significant differences in overall cognitive performance or in the profile of performance across measures by hemisphere of lesion. However, groups defined by Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project categories produced significantly different cognitive profiles. Post hoc analyses indicate those with posterior stroke performed best overall on all tests except the Stroop Dots trial, whereas those with total anterior stroke produced significantly worse scores on tasks requiring visual abstract reasoning (Block Design, Rey Figure Copy), word finding (Boston Naming Test), and processing speed (Stroop Dots, Trails A). Conclusions— Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project stroke subtypes identified significant differences between groups, suggesting this classification system is of greater use than hemisphere of lesion in predicting poststroke cognitive outcomes.
Author ' s personal copy Sexually selective cognition

From an evolutionary perspective, no set of challenges is as central to human life as those involved in mating. In facing these challenges, people recruit an array of adaptive psychological processes designed to help them identify desirable mates, assess whether potential mates are romantically accessible, and avoid potential threats to the maintenance of long-term relationships. Here we review recent evidence for matingrelated cognitive attunements and biases including preferential processing of desirable features in members of the opposite sex, selective attention to signs of physical attractiveness, the over-perception of sexual interest from potential partners, perceptual neglect of attractive alternatives to one’s long-term partner, and perceptual vigilance to same-sex romantic rivals.