Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Resource Management for Parallel Tasks in an Oversubscribed Energy-Constrained Heterogeneous Environment

The worth of completing parallel tasks is modeled using utility functions, which monotonically-decrease with time and represent the importance and urgency of a task. These functions define the utility earned by a task at the time of its completion. The performance of such a system is measured as the total utility earned by all completed tasks over some interval of time (e.g., 24 hours). To maximize system performance when scheduling dynamically arriving parallel tasks onto a high performance computing (HPC) system that is oversubscribed and energy-constrained, we have designed, analyzed, and compared different heuristic techniques. Four utility-aware heuristics (i.e., Max Utility, Max Utility-per-Time, Max Utility-per-Resource, and Max Utility-per-Energy), three FCFS-based heuristics (Conservative Backfilling, EASY Backfilling, and FCFS with Multiple Queues), and a Random heuristic were examined in this study. A technique that is often used with the FCFS-based heuristics is the concept of a permanent reservation. We compare the performance of permanent reservations with temporary place-holders to demonstrate the advantages that place-holders can provide. We also present a novel energy filtering technique that constrains the maximum energy-per-resource used by each task. We conducted a simulation study to evaluate the performance of these heuristics and techniques in an energy-constrained oversubscribed HPC environment. With place-holders, energy filtering, and dropping tasks with low potential utility, our utility-aware heuristics are able to significantly outperform the existing FCFS-based techniques.
Challenges in measuring individual differences in functional connectivity using fMRI: The case of healthy aging

Many studies report individual differences in functional connectivity, such as those related to age. However, estimates of connectivity from fMRI are confounded by other factors, such as vascular health, head motion and changes in the location of functional regions. Here, we investigate the impact of these confounds, and pre‐processing strategies that can mitigate them, using data from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing & Neuroscience (www.cam-can.com). This dataset contained two sessions of resting‐state fMRI from 214 adults aged 18–88. Functional connectivity between all regions was strongly related to vascular health, most likely reflecting respiratory and cardiac signals. These variations in mean connectivity limit the validity of between‐participant comparisons of connectivity estimates, and were best mitigated by regression of mean connectivity over participants. We also showed that high‐pass filtering, instead of band‐pass filtering, produced stronger and more reliable age‐effects. Head motion was correlated with gray‐matter volume in selected brain regions, and with various cognitive measures, suggesting that it has a biological (trait) component, and warning against regressing out motion over participants. Finally, we showed that the location of functional regions was more variable in older adults, which was alleviated by smoothing the data, or using a multivariate measure of connectivity. These results demonstrate that analysis choices have a dramatic impact on connectivity differences between individuals, ultimately affecting the associations found between connectivity and cognition. It is important that fMRI connectivity studies address these issues, and we suggest a number of ways to optimize analysis choices. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4125–4156, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Weight loss and achievement of minimal disease activity in patients with psoriatic arthritis starting treatment with tumour necrosis factor α blockers

Objectives To evaluate prospectively the effect of weight loss on the achievement of minimal disease activity (MDA) in overweight/obese patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) starting treatment with tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) blockers. Methods Among subjects with PsA starting treatment with TNFα blockers, 138 overweight/obese patients received a concomitant dietary intervention (69 a hypocaloric diet (HD) and 69 a free-managed diet (FD)). Changes in metabolic variables were measured and a complete clinical rheumatological evaluation was made in all patients at baseline and after a 6-month follow-up to define the achievement of MDA. Results 126 subjects completed the study. MDA was more often achieved by HD than by FD subjects (HR=1.85, 95% CI 1.019 to 3.345, p=0.043). A diet was successful (≥5% weight loss) in 74 (58.7%) patients. Regardless of the type of diet, after 6 months of treatment with TNFα blockers, ≥5% of weight loss was a predictor of the achievement of MDA (OR=4.20, 95% CI 1.82 to 9.66, p<0.001). For increasing weight-loss categories (<5%, 5–10%, >10%), MDA was achieved by 23.1%, 44.8% and 59.5%, respectively. A higher rate of MDA achievement was found in subjects with 5–10% (OR=3.75, 95% CI 1.36 to 10.36, p=0.011) and in those with >10% (OR=6.67, 95% CI 2.41 to 18.41, p<0.001) weight loss in comparison with those with <5% weight loss. Conclusions Regardless of the type of diet, a successful weight loss (≥5% from baseline values) is associated with a higher rate of achievement of MDA in overweight/obese patients with PsA who start treatment with TNFα blockers.
Clinical significance, biochemical features, and susceptibility patterns of sporadic isolates of the Mycobacterium chelonae-like organism

Mycobacterium chelonae-like organisms are nonpigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria whose clinical significance is unknown. We evaluated 87 sporadic isolates encountered in a clinical laboratory. Most isolates (62%) were respiratory; only 2 of 54 (4%) (both from patients with AIDS) were clinically significant. Among 33 nonrespiratory isolates, 20 of 33 (or 61%) were clinically significant. Clinical diseases included posttraumatic wound infections and catheter-related sepsis. Routine biochemical features included growth inhibition by 5% NaCl (100%), a smooth colony morphology (94%), positive 3-day arylsulfatase reaction (84%), no color or a light tan color on iron uptake (100%), and variable nitrate reduction (45%). Additional characteristics that helped to separate this group from M. chelonae and Mycobacterium abscessus were susceptibility to cephalothin (90%) and ciprofloxacin (100%), utilization of mannitol (94%) and citrate (83%) as carbon sources, and unique patterns of mycolic acid esters by high-performance liquid chromatography. This group was quite drug susceptible, with 100% of isolates inhibited by amikacin, imipenem, cefoxitin, cefmetazole, and the newer quinolones ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin. Three examples of this group, including a proposed type strain, have been deposited in the American Type Culture Collection.
The Fixation Strength of Six Hamstring Tendon Graft Fixation Devices in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Part I: Femoral Site *

Background: Strength of graft fixation is the weakest link in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Hypothesis: There is no difference in initial fixation strength between different hamstring tendon graft femoral fixation devices. Study Design: Randomized experimental study. Methods: Each of six devices was used in the fixation of 10 quadrupled human semitendinosus-gracilis tendon grafts in tunnels drilled in porcine femora and tested 10 times with a single-cycle load-to-failure test at a rate of 50 mm/min and 10 times with a 1500-cycle loading test between 50 and 200 N at one cycle every 2 seconds. The specimens that survived the cyclic loading were subjected to a single-cycle load-to-failure test. Results: The Bone Mulch Screw (1112 N) was strongest in the single-cycle load-to-failure test, followed by EndoButton CL (1086 N), RigidFix (868 N), SmartScrew ACL (794 N), BioScrew (589 N), and RCI screw (546 N). It also showed the lowest residual displacement (2.2 mm) and was strongest in the single-cycle load-to-failure test after cyclic loading. Conclusions: The Bone Mulch Screw was superior to all other devices. Clinical Relevance: Caution may be warranted in employing aggressive rehabilitation after reconstruction with these devices. Preconditioning of the graft-implant complex before fixation is important.
Similarity search over time-series data using wavelets

Considers the use of wavelet transformations as a dimensionality reduction technique to permit efficient similarity searching over high-dimensional time-series data. While numerous transformations have been proposed and studied, the only wavelet that has been shown to be effective for this application is the Haar wavelet. In this work, we observe that a large class of wavelet transformations (not only orthonormal wavelets but also bi-orthonormal wavelets) can be used to support similarity searching. This class includes the most popular and most effective wavelets being used in image compression. We present a detailed performance study of the effects of using different wavelets on the performance of similarity searching for time-series data. We include several wavelets that outperform both the Haar wavelet and the best-known non-wavelet transformations for this application. To ensure our results are usable by an application engineer, we also show how to configure an indexing strategy for the best-performing transformations. Finally, we identify classes of data that can be indexed efficiently using these wavelet transformations.
Numerical Simulation of the Wake Structure and Thrust/Lift Generation of a Pitching Airfoil at Low Reynolds number via an Immersed Boundary Method

In this paper, an accurate computational algorithm in the context of immersed boundary methods is developed and used to analyze an incompressible flow around a pitching symmetric airfoil at Re=225. The boundary condition can be accurately implemented by an iterative procedure applied at each time step and the pressure is also updated simultaneously. Flow phenomena, observed at different oscillation frequencies and amplitudes, are numerically modeled and the physics behind the associated vortex dynamics is explained. It is shown that there are four flow regimes associated with four wake structures. These include three symmetric flow regimes, with adverse, favorable and no vortex effects, and an asymmetric flow regime. The phenomena associated with these flow regimes and the critical or transition Strouhal (St) and normalized amplitude (numbers are discussed. It is shown that at the fixed pitching amplitude, , Transition from adverse (drag generation) to favorable (thrust generation) symmetric flow regime occurs at St=0.23. Moreover, at this particular amplitude, transition from symmetric to asymmetric regime occurs at St=0.48. It is also shown that at St=0.22, the wake is always deflected and the flow is asymmetric for large-enough amplitudes (). The dipole vortices and lift generation are two characteristics of asymmetric vortex street. This numerical study also reveals that the initial phase angle has a dominant effect on the appearance of dipole vortices and vortex sheet deflection direction. Numerical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data.
Fitness tradeoffs between spores and nonaggregating cells can explain the coexistence of diverse genotypes in cellular slime molds

Significance Cellular slime molds, including Dictyostelium discoideum, are amoebae whose life cycle includes both single-cellular and multicellular stages, the latter achieved when individual amoebae aggregate upon starvation. In the (not necessarily clonal) aggregate, there is strong selection to be represented in the reproductive spores. This would lead to a reduction in overall genotypic diversity inconsistent with the great diversity found in nature. We suggest that cells that fail to aggregate provide an additional fitness component that can resolve the inconsistency: Strong selection for aggregation only occurs in environments where food is slow to replenish. Otherwise, there is strong selection for unicellularity. These tradeoffs allow a multitude of genotypes to coexist when many environments with different food-recovery characteristics are connected via weak-to-moderate dispersal. Cellular slime molds, including the well-studied Dictyostelium discoideum, are amoebae whose life cycle includes both a single-cellular and a multicellular stage. To achieve the multicellular stage, individual amoebae aggregate upon starvation to form a fruiting body made of dead stalk cells and reproductive spores, a process that has been described in terms of cooperation and altruism. When amoebae aggregate they do not perfectly discriminate against nonkin, leading to chimeric fruiting bodies. Within chimeras, complex interactions among genotypes have been documented, which should theoretically reduce genetic diversity. This is however inconsistent with the great diversity of genotypes found in nature. Recent work has shown that a little-studied component of D. discoideum fitness—the loner cells that do not participate in the aggregation—can be selected for depending on environmental conditions and that, together with the spores, they could represent a bet-hedging strategy. We suggest that in all cellular slime molds the existence of loners could resolve the apparent diversity paradox in two ways. First, if loners are accounted for, then apparent genotypic skew in the spores of chimeras could simply be the result of different investments into spores versus loners. Second, in an ecosystem with multiple local environments differing in their food recovery characteristics and connected globally via weak-to-moderate dispersal, coexistence of multiple genotypes can occur. Finally, we argue that the loners make it impossible to define altruistic behavior, winners or losers, without a clear description of the ecology.
Childhood Sustained Hypercalcemia: A Diagnostic Challenge

Objective: This study aimed to call attention to hypercalcemia, a rare finding in children which carries the potential of leading to serious complications without proper intervention. Methods: Diagnosis, treatment, and clinical course of children with sustained hypercalcemia admitted between the years 2006-2016 were reviewed. Group 1 [parathyroid hormone (PTH)-dependent] consisted of patients with high/unsuppressed PTH levels and group 2 (PTH-independent) included cases with normal/suppressed PTH levels. Results: Twenty patients (11 male, 9 female) with a median age of 6.25 (0.03-17.88) years were evaluated. Symptoms were mostly related with the gastrointestinal system, while six patients (30%) were asymptomatic. Physical examination findings were diverse, non-specific, and normal in four patients (20%). Median time of diagnosis was 45 (2-720) days. Patients were divided into group 1 (n=7) and group 2 (n=13). Most frequent etiologies were primary hyperparathyroidism (n=5), idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia (IIH) (n=5), and malignancy (n=4). A moderate positive correlation was noted between serum calcium and creatinine levels (r=0.53, p=0.02). Nephrocalcinosis was the most common complication (n=9) (45%). Treatment was not implemented in 2 patients with mild hypercalcemia, while other patients received medical treatment ± surgery. Treatment-resistant patients were cases of malignancies and neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism. Long-term follow-up displayed resistant hypercalciuria in three infants diagnosed as IIH. Conclusion: Many patients with childhood hypercalcemia are asymptomatic or exhibit a non-specific and heterogeneous clinical presentation, resulting in delayed diagnosis. Mild cases may not be recognized, while symptoms may be missed in the presence of accompanying illnesses. Nevertheless, serious complications may only be avoided with prompt diagnosis and intervention.
Simulated observation of tropospheric ozone and CO with the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) satellite instrument

[1] The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) on board NASA's Aura satellite (to be launched in 2004) will provide measurements of global distributions of ozone, CO, and other key chemical species in the troposphere. In order for TES to meet a design lifetime of 5 years, it has been determined that a global survey strategy with ∼50% duty cycle must be identified. In this study, simulated concentrations of ozone and CO from the GEOS-CHEM global three-dimensional (3-D) model of troposphere chemistry are used as a time-varying synthetic atmosphere for demonstrating and assessing the capabilities of TES nadir observations. Autocorrelation analyses of the model species fields for different time lags identify a significant 1-day correlation and support a 1-day-on/1-day-off observation strategy. Three major steps are then taken to demonstrate and evaluate TES products: (1) species profiles along the TES orbit track are sampled from the model 3-D time-varying fields with cloudy scenes (50-60% of total scenes) removed; (2) nadir-retrieved profiles (“level 2 products”) are obtained from these “true” synthetic profiles using TES retrieval characteristic functions; (3) interpolated daily global maps (“level 3 products”) are generated to compare with the original model fields. The latter comparison indicates that the error in the level 3 products relative to the true fields for ozone and CO is <10% in ∼70% of cases and <20% in 80–90% of cases. The three major sources of error lie in the asynoptic orbital sampling, the retrieval, and the level 3 global mapping.
Reward modulates spatial neglect

Background Reward has been shown to affect attention in healthy individuals, but there have been no studies addressing whether reward influences attentional impairments in patients with focal brain damage. Methods Using two novel variants of a widely-used clinical cancellation task, we assessed whether reward modulated impaired attention in 10 individuals with left neglect secondary to right hemisphere stroke. Results Reward exposure significantly reduced neglect, as measured by total targets found, left-sided targets found and centre of cancellation, across the patient group. Lesion analysis showed that lack of response to reward was associated with damage to the ipsilateral striatum. Conclusions This is the first experimental evidence that reward can modulate attentional impairments following brain damage. These results have significant implications for the development of behavioural and pharmacological therapies for patients with attentional disorders.
“ARE WE IN CRISIS?” AN ASSESSMENT OF THIRTY YEARS OF INTROSPECTION IN IS

Numerous scholars claim that the field of IS is presently undergoing an identity crisis, which may have important consequences for the future. However, there exists little empirical evidence to assess whether this is true or not. This paper reviews the different introspective episodes in IS since its inception by analyzing the epistemological and methodological papers published in three main journals. The analysis indicates that the nature of the present episode is different than previous ones and resembles an identity crisis. The implications of this analysis for the field are discussed. 1 The authors would like to thank professor Henri Barki for his valuable comments and recommendations in the early stage of this work. Olivier Caya, (Ph. D. student) Faculty of Management McGill University & Université de Sherbrooke Alain Pinsonneault, Ph. D. Faculty of Management McGill University
Neuroendocrine abnormalities in Parkinson's disease

Neuroendocrine abnormalities are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and include disruption of melatonin secretion, disturbances of glucose, insulin resistance and bone metabolism, and body weight changes. They have been associated with multiple non-motor symptoms in PD and have important clinical consequences, including therapeutics. Some of the underlying mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of PD and represent promising targets for the development of disease biomarkers and neuroprotective therapies. In this systems-based review, we describe clinically relevant neuroendocrine abnormalities in Parkinson's disease to highlight their role in overall phenotype. We discuss pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical implications, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions based on the current evidence. We also review recent advances in the field, focusing on the potential targets for development of neuroprotective drugs in Parkinson's disease and suggest future areas for research.
Improvisation and Information Technology in Organizations

While traditional MIS theory focuses on planned decision making as the main managerial activity, in this paper, we submit that improvisation is a frequent and ubiquitous process in economic institutions, such as markets and hierarchies. We argue further that improvisation is a much more grounded individual and organizational process than planned decision making. As a consequence, if information technology is used to automate structured, planned decisions, the risk is to automate ungrounded organizational processes. This may be an explanation of why many automated routines make little sense, or at best embed the knowledge of a novice, and subsequently have to be continually “worked at” by members in order to keep them viable. Finally, we suggest ways of harnessing information technology to support improvisation.
Bacteria as insect pathogens.

PHYSIOLOGY 171 Growth Characteristics . 172 Nutritional ReqUirements . 173 Unique Metabolic Properties 176 Secondary Metabolism and End-Producr Synthesis . 178
Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell migration by heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans

Previous studies have suggested that heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans may be endogenous inhibitors of smooth muscle proliferation in the vessel wall. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of exogenous glycosaminoglycans on rat vascular (aortic) smooth muscle cell migration following wounding in vitro. Our data indicate that heparin and related molecules (iota carrageenan, dextran sulfate), but not other glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronate, chondroitin, and dermatan sulfates), inhibit smooth muscle cell motility in a cell‐specific, dose‐dependent, and reversible fashion. The effect of heparin was maximal (60% inhibition) at 10 μg/ml; a half‐maximal effect was observed at 1 μg/ml; Heparin did not significantly affect the migration of bovine aortic endothelium or Swiss 3T3 cells. These observations support the concept that heparin‐like glycosaminoglycans may be important regulators of vascular smooth muscle cell function.
Discriminating Among Word Senses Using McQuitty’s Similarity Analysis

This paper presents an unsupervised method for discriminating among the senses of a given target word based on the context in which it occurs. Instances of a word that occur in similar contexts are grouped together via McQuitty's Similarity Analysis, an agglomerative clustering algorithm. The context in which a target word occurs is represented by surface lexical features such as unigrams, bigrams, and second order co-occurrences. This paper summarizes our approach, and describes the results of a preliminary evaluation we have carried out using data from the SENSEVAL-2 English lexical sample and the line corpus.