Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Failure Tolerating Atomic Commit Protocol for Mobile Environments

In traditional fixed-wired networks, standard protocols like 2-Phase-Commit are used to guarantee atomicity for distributed transactions. However, within mobile networks, a higher probability of failures including node failures, message loss, and even network partitioning makes the use of these standard protocols difficult or even impossible. To use traditional database applications within a mobile scenario, we need an atomic commit protocol that reduces the chance of infinite blocking. In this paper, we present an atomic commit protocol called multi coordinator protocol (MCP) that uses a combination of the traditional 2-Phase-Commit, 3-Phase-Commit, and consensus protocols for mobile environments. Simulation experiments comparing MCP with 2PC show how MCP enhances stability for the coordination process by involving multiple coordinators, and that the additional time needed for the coordination among multiple coordinators is still reasonable.
Flow imaging with pulsed Doppler ultrasound and flow phantoms

The use of a multigate profiling system with steady laminar flow in plastic tubes revealed spectral artifacts not previously described. In particular, a double or split profile was often observed. In this paper, these artifacts are related to the dual mode ultrasound propagation in the plastic tube. The propagation speeds and, therefore, refraction angles and propagation paths are different for the longitudinal and the shear wave. The power transmission can be extraordinarily sensitive to small variations in the angle of incidence, and this may combine with the existence of a range of angles of incidence within any focused ultrasound beam to produce spectral distortions. The plastic tube is thus shown equivalent to a selective filter, which diminishes some frequency components in the Doppler spectrum relative to others. The spectral artifacts are explained in terms of the relative power transmitted by each mode, and the degree of beam defocusing experienced by each. Spectral distortions persist even when the beam-to-flow orientation is well away from the critical angle. The results of this study show that it is feasible to understand the acoustic transmission behavior of a flow phantom, based on a knowledge of the material properties, and to demonstrate the usefulness of doing so.
Isoenzyme-Specific Interaction of Muscle-Type Creatine Kinase with the Sarcomeric M-Line Is Mediated by Nh2-Terminal Lysine Charge-Clamps

Creatine kinase (CK) is located in an isoenzyme-specific manner at subcellular sites of energy production and consumption. In muscle cells, the muscle-type CK isoform (MM-CK) specifically interacts with the sarcomeric M-line, while the highly homologous brain-type CK isoform (BB-CK) does not share this property. Sequence comparison revealed two pairs of lysine residues that are highly conserved in M-CK but are not present in B-CK. The role of these lysines in mediating M-line interaction was tested with a set of M-CK and B-CK point mutants and chimeras. We found that all four lysine residues are involved in the isoenzyme-specific M-line interaction, acting pair-wise as strong (K104/K115) and weak interaction sites (K8/K24). An exchange of these lysines in MM-CK led to a loss of M-line binding, whereas the introduction of the very same lysines into BB-CK led to a gain of function by transforming BB-CK into a fully competent M-line–binding protein. The role of the four lysines in MM-CK is discussed within the context of the recently solved x-ray structures of MM-CK and BB-CK.
Biologically inspired embodied evolution of survival

Embodied evolution is a methodology for evolutionary robotics that mimics the distributed, asynchronous and autonomous properties of biological evolution. The evaluation, selection and reproduction are carried out by and between the robots, without any need for human intervention. In this paper, we propose a biologically inspired embodied evolution framework, which fully integrates self-preservation, recharging from external batteries in the environment, and self-reproduction, pair-wise exchange of genetic material, into a survival system. The individuals are explicitly evaluated for the performance of the battery capturing task, but also implicitly for the mating task by the fact that an individual that mates frequently has larger probability to spread its gene in the population. We have evaluated our method in simulation experiments and the simulation results show that the solutions obtained by our embodied evolution method were able to optimize the two survival tasks, battery capturing and mating, simultaneously. We have also performed preliminary experiments in hardware, with promising results.
Exploration of sex differences in Rhes effects in dopamine mediated behaviors

Studies have shown that Ras homolog enriched in striatum (Rhes) proteins are highly expressed in areas of the central nervous system that have high dopaminergic innervation. In this study, we used Rhes mutant mice (Wild type, Rhes KO, Rhes Heterozygous) of both sexes to explore differences in the effects of Rhes protein levels in basal levels of activity, anxiety, and stereotypy, in relation to sex. Adult male and female mice were evaluated in an open field test for measuring basal levels of activity and anxiety for 5 consecutive days, and they were tested in the apomorphine-induced stereotypy paradigm. Rhes protein levels affected basal levels of activity but it was not found to be related to sex differences. Moreover, a decrease in Rhes protein levels was linked to a nonsignificant anxiolytic effect, mainly in female mice. Finally, a decrease in Rhes protein levels does not affect dopamine D1 and D2 receptor (D1/D2) synergism in female or male mice. Together, these results suggest that Rhes protein levels affect locomotion activity, and have an influence in anxiety depending on sex; Rhes protein levels do not affect D1/D2 synergism in both sexes.
Nocturnal Activity of Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a West Nile Virus Focus in Connecticut

Abstract Six species of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) were collected in sufficient numbers for analysis in segregating traps set at 2-h intervals by using CO2 and light as attractants in a West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) focus in Stratford, CT. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov one-sided test for two samples was used to analyze the data. Mosquito activity began shortly before sunset and continued until shortly after sunrise the next morning. All species had geometric means that were significantly higher during the 2-h period shortly after sunset compared with the 2-h collection before sunset. Species, known to be naturally infected with WNV, were often attracted to these traps in about equal numbers at 2-h intervals during an 8- to 10-h period commencing shortly after sunset. Differences of geometric means were not significant among the four or five 2-h collection periods commencing at sunset for Aedes vexans (Meigen), Culex salinarius Coquillett, and Aedes cinereus Meigen. Aedes cantator (Coquillett) had a significantly higher geometric mean for the 2-h period commencing at sunset, and Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker) was captured in significantly greater numbers during the 2-h period starting at sunset compared with periods commencing 6 h after sunset. Culex pipiens L. tended to have an activity pattern that was primarily nocturnal. Time of night, not meteorological conditions, was the most important factor in determining the nightly variation in the number of trapped mosquitoes. Parity rates of Cx. pipiens collected during specific periods of the night were not significant. In total, 39 isolations of WNV were made from seven species collected primarily during periods of total darkness. Humans are at risk of being bitten by infected mosquitoes throughout the night.
(Z)-6-{2-[(E)-2,4-Dihydroxybenzylideneamino]phenylaminomethylene}-3-hydroxycyclohexa-2,4-dienone toluene solvate

The bis-Schiff base title compound, C20H16N2O4·C7H8, crystallized as a toluene solvate. In the solid state, it is present as its prototropic tautomer formed by transfer of one of the ortho-hydroxyl H atoms. The proton transfer is accompanied by a shift of electron pairs, as is evident from the observed C—O and C—N bond distances of 1.305 (2) and 1.315 (2) Å, which are largely consistent with C=O and C—N distances. The actual molecule present in the solid state is thus the charge-neutral β-keto amine, with a small contribution of its zwitterionic valence tautomer via partial delocalization of electron pairs along the N—C—C—C—O atom chain. The dihedral angles between the central benzene ring and the two outer benzene rings of the Schiff base are 51.99 (8) and 12.95 (9)°. Intramolecular O—H⋯N and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate S(6) ring motifs, whereas intramolecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds generate S(5) ring motifs. In the crystal structure, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak C—H⋯O interactions link the molecules into one-dimensional zigzag chains along the b axis; these chains are further stacked by O—H⋯O and weak C—H⋯O interactions along the c axis, forming two-dimensional extended networks parallel to the bc plane. In addition, the crystal structure is further stabilized by weak C—H⋯π and π–π interactions.
Mosaic organization and heterogeneity in frequency of allelic recombination of the Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 locus

The organization and allelic recombination of the merozoite surface protein-1 gene of Plasmodium vivax (PvMsp-1), the most widely prevalent human malaria parasite, were evaluated in complete nucleotide sequences of 40 isolates from various geographic areas. Alignment of 31 distinct alleles revealed the mosaic organization of PvMsp-1, consisting of seven interallele conserved blocks flanked by six variable blocks. The variable blocks showed extensive variation in repeats and nonrepeat unique sequences. Numerous recombination sites were distributed throughout PvMsp-1, in both conserved blocks and variable block unique sequences, and the distribution was not uniform. Heterozygosity of PvMsp-1 alleles was higher in Asia (0.953 ± 0.009) than in Brazil (0.813 ± 0.047). No identical alleles were shared between Asia and Brazil, whereas all but one variable block nonrepeat sequence found in Brazil occurred in Asia. These observations suggest that P. vivax populations in Asia are ancestral to Brazilian populations, and that PvMsp-1 has heterogeneity in frequency of allelic recombination events. Recurrent origins of new PvMsp-1 alleles by repeated recombination events were supported by a rapid decline in linkage disequilibrium between pairs of synonymous sites with increasing nucleotide distance, with little linkage disequilibrium at a distance of over 3 kb in a P. vivax population from Thailand, evidence for an effectively high recombination rate of the parasite. Meanwhile, highly reduced nucleotide diversity was noted in a region encoding the 19-kDa C-terminal epidermal growth factor-like domain of merozoite surface protein-1, a vaccine candidate.
Reward-seeking behavior in human narcolepsy.

STUDY OBJECTIVES The hypocretin system enhances signaling in the mesolimbic pathways regulating reward processing and addiction. Because individuals with narcolepsy with cataplexy have low hypocretin levels, we hypothesized that they may be less prone to risk- and reward-seeking behaviors, including substance abuse. DESIGN Endpoints were performance on an array of psychometric tests (including the Eysenck Impulsiveness Scale, the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale, the Gormally Binge Eating Scale, and the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventory) and on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). SETTING Tertiary narcolepsy referral centers in Leiden (The Netherlands) and Boston (USA). PATIENTS Subjects with narcolepsy with cataplexy (n = 30), narcolepsy without cataplexy (n = 15), and controls (n = 32) matched for age, sex, and smoking behavior. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS There was no difference in risk-taking behavior between narcolepsy with or without cataplexy and the control group, as measured using the BART and the array of questionnaires. However, subjects in the narcolepsy with cataplexy group had significantly higher scores on the Eysenck Impulsiveness Scale (p < 0.05), with 10.0% categorized as impulsive, compared to 6.7% of the narcolepsy without cataplexy group and none of the controls. Narcoleptics with cataplexy also scored significantly higher than controls on the Binge Eating Scale (p < 0.05), with moderate or severe binge eating in 23%. On the depression and anxiety scales, all narcolepsy patients, especially those with cataplexy, scored significantly higher than controls. CONCLUSIONS We found that narcoleptics with or without cataplexy generally have normal risk-taking behavior, but narcoleptics with cataplexy were more impulsive and more prone to binge eating than patients without cataplexy and controls. Our findings shed new light on the relation between sleepiness and impulsiveness. Furthermore, rates of depression and anxiety were higher in all narcoleptic subjects. However, using the current methods, no evidence could be found to support the hypothesis that hypocretin deficiency would affect reward-processing in humans.
Conceptual modeling in full computation‐tree logic with sequence modal operator

In this paper, we propose a method for modeling concepts in full computation‐tree logic with sequence modal operators. An extended full computation‐tree logic, CTLS*, is introduced as a Kripke semantics with a sequence modal operator. This logic can appropriately represent hierarchical tree structures in cases where sequence modal operators in CTLS* are applied to tree structures. We prove a theorem for embedding CTLS* into CTL*. The validity, satisfiability, and model‐checking problems of CTLS* are shown to be decidable. An illustrative example of biological taxonomy is presented using CTLS* formulas. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Role of Phonology in Children's Acquisition of the Plural

The correct use of an affix, such as the English plural suffix, may reflect mastery of a morphological process, but it may also depend on children's syntactic, semantic, and phonological abilities. The present article reports a set of experiments in support of this latter view, specifically focusing on the importance of the phonological make-up of plural forms for both production and comprehension. In Experiments 1 and 2, plural productions were elicited from 80 two-year-old children for nouns with codas with varying phonological properties. The results provide evidence that production of the plural morpheme is partly governed by the complexity of the coda and its sonority. Experiments 3 and 4 show that these constraints on codas hold for comprehension as well, suggesting that this effect is not simply articulatory, but also impacts the morphophonology of the plural.
Resource configurable spoken query detection using Deep Boltzmann Machines

In this paper we present a spoken query detection method based on posteriorgrams generated from Deep Boltzmann Machines (DBMs). The proposed method can be deployed in both semi-supervised and unsupervised training scenarios. The DBM-based posteriorgrams were evaluated on a series of keyword spotting tasks using the TIMIT speech corpus. In unsupervised training conditions, the DBM-approach improved upon our previous best unsupervised keyword detection performance using Gaussian mixture model-based posteriorgrams by over 10%. When limited amounts of labeled data were incorporated into training, the DBM-approach required less than one third of the annotated data in order to achieve a comparable performance of a system that used all of the annotated data for training.
Expanded clinical observations in toxicity studies: historical perspectives and contemporary issues.

Recent or proposed changes in major testing guidelines require expanded clinical observations (ECOs) for a wide variety of toxicity studies in animals. ECOs supplement the simple cageside and hand-held observations traditionally employed during such studies. The new guidelines specify out-of-cage observations [e.g., posture, gait, and reactivity to various stimuli (e.g., auditory, tactile, noxious)] using defined scales and are intended as a Tier 1 screen for neurotoxicity. These new guidelines imply an elevation in the status of clinical observations to equivalency with other major categories of toxicity end points, such as anatomic and clinical pathology. The increased importance of neurological end points in routine studies indicates that there will be a need for many trained professionals to generate and interpret the results of ECOs. However, currently there is wide variation in the training and experience of individuals who conduct and interpret ECOs. The value of ECO data will be increased when industry standards for conducting and interpreting ECOs are systematized and elevated to the level of those for anatomic and clinical pathology.
Modeling Streamflow and Water Quality Impacts of Grassland Establishment, Conversion, and Management in Skunk Creek Watershed

ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 Problem Statement . 2 1.3 Objectives . 2 1.4 Significance of Thesis . 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 4 2.1 Land Use Conversion . 4 2.1.1 Conversion of Grassland to Agricultural Land . 4 2.1.2 Conversion of Agricultural Land to Grassland . 5 2.2 Grassland Conversion Impacts on Hydrology and Water Quality . 6 2.3 Grassland Management Impacts on Hydrology and Water Quality . 7 CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS . 9 3.1 Study Area . 9 3.2 SWAT Model . 11 3.3 Input Data . 13 3.4 Calibration Validation . 14 3.5 Simulation Scenarios . 18 3.5. 1 Time static land use change . 19 3.5. 2 Time variant land use change . 19 3.5. 3 Grassland management practices . 21 3.5. 4 Grassland establishment. 22 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . 23 4.1 Calibration and Validation of SWAT Model . 23 4.2 Simulation Scenarios . 25 4.2.1 Baseline Scenario . 25 4.2.2 Time Static Land Use Change Scenarios . 27 4.2.3 Time Variant Land Use Change Scenarios . 31
National survey of provider opinions on controversial characteristics of liver transplant candidates

Candidate selection for liver transplantation presents challenging ethical issues that require balancing the principles of justice and utility. The goal of this study was to assess the opinions of US transplant providers regarding the ways in which controversial medical and psychosocial characteristics influence patient eligibility for liver transplantation. An online, anonymous survey about adult patient characteristics was sent to providers (hepatologists, surgeons, psychiatrists, and social workers) at all 102 active adult liver transplant centers in the United States. A majority of the providers (251/444 or 56.5%) completed the survey. The providers were queried about 8 characteristics, and the 3 that were ranked most controversial were incarceration, marijuana use, and psychiatric diagnoses. Most providers identified a patient age ≥ 80 years (62.7%), a body mass index ≥ 45 kg/m2 (56.6%), and current incarceration with a lifetime sentence (54.7%) as absolute contraindications to liver transplantation. In a multivariate analysis, the identification of absolute contraindications varied significantly with the provider type, the center volume, and the geographical region. Less than half of the providers reported that their centers had written policies regarding most of the characteristics examined. In conclusion, providers differ significantly in their opinions on controversial patient characteristics and transplant contraindications. Along with a paucity of literature data on outcomes, these provider differences may play a role in the fact that many centers do not have formal policies for selecting patients with these characteristics. Evidence‐based data on the outcomes of such patients are needed to guide the formation of written policies to better standardize eligibility criteria. Liver Transpl 19:395–403, 2013. © 2012 AASLD.
Implementation intentions: a look back at fifteen years of progress.

Implementation intentions are if-then plans that spell out when, where, and how a set goal has to be put into action: If situation x is encountered, then I will perform behavior y! , thereby linking a critical situation with a goal-directed behavior. Over the last fifteen years, implementation intentions, as compared to simple goal intentions (I intend to reach z! ), have demonstrated their effectiveness as self-regulation strategies in promoting desired behaviors or when unpleasant actions have to be carried out. By forming implementation intentions, the control of unwanted influences (e.g., temptations, bad habits, adverse self-states) on an ongoing goal pursuit can also be facilitated. Furthermore, implementation intentions have been shown to ease goal-directed actions in critical populations such as patients with a frontal brain lesion, schizophrenic patients, and opiate addicts in withdrawal, for whom the initiation problems of the goaldirected action are more accentuated.
Identi ﬁ cation and Characterization of MEDI4736, an Antagonistic Anti – PD-L1 Monoclonal Antibody

, Abstract Programmed cell-death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a member of the B7/CD28 family of proteins that control T-cell activation. Many tumors can upregulate expression of PD-L1, inhibiting antitumor T-cell responses and avoiding immune surveillance and elimination. We have identi ﬁ ed and characterized MEDI4736, a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds with high af ﬁ nity and speci ﬁ city to PD-L1 and is uniquely engineered to prevent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In vitro assays demonstrate that MEDI4736 is a potent antagonist of PD-L1 function, blocking interaction with PD-1 and CD80 to overcome inhibition of primary human T-cell activation. In vivo MEDI4736 signi ﬁ cantly inhibits the growth of human tumors in a novel xenograft model containing coimplanted human T cells. This activity is entirely dependent on the presence of transplanted T cells, supporting the immunological mechanism of action for MEDI4736. To further determine the utility of PD-L1 blockade, an anti-mouse PD-L1 antibody was investigated in immunocompetent mice. Here, anti-mouse PD-L1 signi ﬁ cantly improved survival of mice implanted with CT26 colorectal cancer cells. The antitumor activity of anti – PD-L1 was enhanced by combination with oxaliplatin, which resulted in increased release of HMGB1 within CT26 tumors. Taken together, our results demonstrate that inhibition of PD-L1 function can have potent antitumor activity when used as monotherapy or in combination in preclinical models, and suggest it may be a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. MEDI4736 is currently in several clinical trials both alone and in combination with other agents, including anti – CTLA-4, anti – PD-1, and inhibitors of IDO, MEK, BRAF, and EGFR. Cancer Immunol Res; 1 – 11. (cid:1) 2015 AACR.
Post-Einsteinian tests of gravitation

Einstein gravitation theory can be extended by preserving its geometrical nature but changing the relation between curvature and energy–momentum tensors. This change accounts for radiative corrections, replacing the Newton gravitation constant by two running couplings which depend on scale and differ in the two sectors of traceless and traced tensors. The metric and curvature tensors in the field of the Sun, which were obtained in previous papers within a linearized approximation, are then calculated without this restriction. Modifications of gravitational effects on geodesics are then studied, allowing one to explore phenomenological consequences of extensions lying in the vicinity of general relativity. Some of these extended theories are able to account for the Pioneer anomaly while remaining compatible with tests involving the motion of planets. The PPN ansatz corresponds to peculiar extensions of general relativity which do not have the ability to meet this compatibility challenge.