Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Bandwidth Allocation Scheme in Optical TDM Network

Wavelength Routing (WR) and Optical Burst Switching (OBS) are two optical network techniques that have received enormous attention over the last decade. However, the two techniques are plagued with many problems. The main concern with WR is the inefficient bandwidth utilization. On the other hand, the problem with OBS is resource contention and burst dropping. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to share network resources using Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) instead of the statistical multiplexing employed in optical burst switching. To avoid contention and improve bandwidth utilization, we resort to a simple reservation scheme that guarantees timeslot deliveries. In addition, we propose the deployment of a new device that we call Sequencer, a simplified form of Optical Time Slot Interchangers (OTSIs), to assist in mapping incoming timeslots to some available outgoing ones. Our goal is to achieve a contention free network, and improve performance. Many classes of traffic can coexist in our network by adjusting the bandwidth allocation parameters.
‘It wasn't too easy, which is good if you want to learn’: an exploration of pupil participation and Learning to Learn

This article explores the process of Learning to Learnb from the pupils’ perspective. The Learning to Learn in Schools Project started in 2003 and includes teachers and pupils from primary and secondary age phases in four local authorities. Key to the project has been a focus on the collaborative exploration of metacognition in practice. With the increased prominence of pupil participation and learner voice in the rhetoric of education during this time, the inclusion of learner perspectives in the project was perhaps inevitable. However, there appears to be something beneficial about the definition of Learning to Learn (L2L) used by the project that supports the development of such participation. As the project progressed, and the incidence of pupil participation increased, evidence from the contexts needed to support learning-based dialogues also developed as well as, crucially, understanding of how the interplay between L2L and pupil participation operates. This article therefore explores the link between the rhetoric of the pupil participation agenda and an understanding of L2L from the pupils’ perspective.
A Color-to-Spin Domino Schensted Algorithm

We describe the domino Schensted algorithm of Barbasch, Vogan, Garfinkle and van Leeuwen. We place this algorithm in the context of Haiman's mixed and left-right insertion algorithms and extend it to colored words. It follows easily from this description that total color of a colored word maps to the sum of the spins of a pair of $2$-ribbon tableaux. Various other properties of this algorithm are described, including an alternative version of the Littlewood-Richardson bijection which yields the $q$-Littlewood-Richardson coefficients of Carre and Leclerc. The case where the ribbon tableau decomposes into a pair of rectangles is worked out in detail. This case is central in recent work by D. White on the number of even and odd linear extensions of a product of two chains.
Majority African American Schools and Social Injustice: The Influence of De Facto Segregation on Academic Achievement

The research reported here proceeds on the premise that if minority race and its predominance in particular schools constitutes a disadvantage in the educational system, then members of the privileged group will tend to place their children in schools that avoid the supposed liability of minority concentration, and thereby perpetuate inequality. The authors draw upon the remarks of James Coleman, who posited that intangible resources are concentrated in the schools of the privileged group, and are lacking in the schools with a high concentration of minorities. In this research, they examine whether the racial composition of schools has an influence on individual achievement, controlling for the race of individuals. Their findings are that the degree of minority concentration has a powerful negative influence on achievement test results, that this influence does not appear to be explained by socioeconomic factors or other factors, and that both whites and African Americans are negatively affected by degree of minority concentration
Looking for bugs in all the right places

We continue investigating the use of a negative binomial regression model to predict which files in a large industrial software system are most likely to contain many faults in the next release. A new empirical study is described whose subject is an automated voice response system. Not only is this system's functionality substantially different from that of the earlier systems we studied (an inventory system and a service provisioning system), it also uses a significantly different software development process. Instead of having regularly scheduled releases as both of the earlier systems did, this system has what are referred to as "continuous releases. " We explore the use of three versions of the negative binomial regression model, as well as a simple lines-of-code based model, to make predictions for this system and discuss the differences observed from the earlier studies. Despite the different development process, the best version of the prediction model was able to identify, over the lifetime of the project, 20% of the system's files that contained, on average, nearly three quarters of the faults that were detected in the system's next releases.
Plasmodium falciparum dhfr but not dhps mutations associated with sulphadoxine‐pyrimethamine treatment failure and gametocyte carriage in northern Ghana

Both use of sulphadoxine‐pyrimethamine (SP) and SP‐resistance of Plasmodium falciparum are increasing in sub‐Saharan Africa. Mutations in the P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) genes can predict treatment failure of SP, however, the degree of this relationship varies regionally. In northern Ghana, pre‐treatment dhfr/dhps genotypes were examined in 126 children and associations with PCR‐corrected SP treatment outcome and gametocyte carriage were analysed. SP treatment failure within 4 weeks of follow‐up occurred in 28%. Among all pre‐treatment isolates, the dhfr triple mutation (Ile‐51 + Arg‐59 + Asn‐108) was detected in 47%. Compared with dhfr wildtype parasites, the presence of the dhfr triple mutation increased the risk of treatment failure tenfold. Likewise, parasite clearance was delayed in the presence of dhfr variants. Dhfr mutants and dhps Gly‐437 were selected in treatment failure isolates. Gametocytaemia 1 week following treatment was strongly associated with dhfr mutations. Remarkably, this was also true for the prevalence of gametocytes at recruitment. Dhps alleles did neither influence treatment outcome nor gametocyte carriage. In northern Ghana, the prevalence of the dhfr triple mutation can be used as a tool to screen for and to monitor SP resistance. The lack of association between dhps alleles and SP treatment outcome suggests a minor role of these molecular markers in this region at present.
GMM Estimation with persistent panel data: an application to production functions

This paper considers the estimation of Cobb-Douglas production functions using panel data covering a large sample of companies observed for a small number of time periods. GMM estimatorshave been found to produce large finite-sample biases when using the standard first-differenced estimator. These biases can be dramatically reduced by exploiting reasonable stationarity restrictions on the initial conditions process. Using data for a panel of R&Dperforming US manufacturing companies we find that the additional instruments used in our extended GMM estimator yield much more reasonable parameter estimates.
The TBK1‐binding domain of optineurin promotes type I interferon responses

Pathogen‐associated molecular pattern (PAMP) recognition leads to TANK‐binding kinase (TBK1) polyubiquitination and activation by transautophosphorylation, resulting in IFN‐β production. Here, we describe a mouse model of optineurin insufficiency (OptnΔ157) in which the TBK1‐interacting N‐terminus of optineurin was deleted. PAMP‐stimulated cells from OptnΔ157 mice had reduced TBK1 activity, no phosphorylation of optineurin Ser187, and mounted low IFN‐β responses. In contrast to pull‐down assays where the presence of N‐terminus was sufficient for TBK1 binding, both the N‐terminal and the ubiquitin‐binding regions of optineurin were needed for PAMP‐induced binding. This report establishes optineurin as a positive regulator TBK1 via a bipartite interaction between these molecules.
BK Virus Infection in Transplant Recipients: An Overview and Update

BK virus infection after kidney transplantation has been a subject of great interest in the past decade. This article traces the discovery of BK virus and the subsequent development of our knowledge about this emerging pathogen. The pathobiology of the virus is summarized with particular reference to epidemiology, interactions with host cell receptors, cell entry, cytoplasmic trafficking and targeting of the viral genome to the nucleus. This is followed by a discussion of clinical features, laboratory monitoring and therapeutic strategies. Finally, we present potential cellular mechanisms that explain the basis of virus‐mediated damage to the human kidney.
No further decrease in blood pressure when the interval between readings exceeds one hour

ObjectiveThe assessment of blood pressure (BP) in individuals is traditionally based on a few BP readings obtained at intervals of just a few minutes. We examined if increasing intervals between BP readings on one visit would have an impact on the BP estimates. MethodsWe conducted an examination survey of cardiovascular risk factors in the general population aged 25–64 years in Seychelles (Indian Ocean), attended by 1255 of 1565 eligible participants. BP was measured once shortly after participants' arrival to the study centers (BP1) and twice before discharge, 15–351 min later (BP2, BP3; separated by 2 min). ResultsMean (standard error) BP1 was 135.1 (0.7)/87.9 (0.4) mmHg, BP2: 130.7 (0.6)/85.1 (0.4) mmHg and BP3: 128.4 (0.6)/83.9 (0.3) mmHg. The difference in BP between the first and the last measurements (ΔBP1–BP3) was, respectively, 5.8 (1.3)/2.6 (0.9) mmHg for a time interval between BP1 and BP3 of 15–60 min, 6.3 (0.5)/3.9 (0.3) mmHg for 61–120 min, 6.9 (0.6)/4.1 (0.4) mmHg for 121–240 min and 7.4 (0.7)/4.3 (0.5) mmHg for 241–351 min (P-trend for systolic/diastolic BP: 0.15/0.49). In multivariate analysis, both systolic and diastolic ΔBP were associated with the initial BP level and the female sex but not with time (in minutes) between BP readings (for systolic/diastolic BP, P=0.12/0.34). ConclusionThe decrease in subsequent BP readings obtained did not differ whether the time interval between BP measurements was larger or smaller than 1 h. This indirectly suggests that extending the time interval between repeated BP readings on one single visit is unlikely to be a valid, alternative strategy to the recommendation of gathering BP readings on several, separate visits to define hypertension.
Effects of Therapeutic Interventions for Foster Children on Behavioral Problems, Caregiver Attachment, and Stress Regulatory Neural Systems

Abstract: Young children in foster care are exposed to high levels of stress. These experiences place foster children at risk for poor social, academic, and mental heath outcomes. The role of adverse events in stimulating neurobiological stress responses presumably plays a role in shaping neural systems that contribute to these problems. Systematic and developmentally well‐timed interventions might have the potential to change developmental trajectories and promote resilience. Moreover, understanding how specific dimensions of early adversity affect underlying stress response systems and how alterations in these systems are related to later psychosocial outcomes might facilitate more precise and targeted interventions. Data are drawn from two ongoing randomized trials involving foster infants/toddlers and preschoolers. Consistent with prior animal models of early adversity, these studies have shown that early adversity—particularly neglect, younger age at first foster placement, and higher number of placements—is associated with altered hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis function. The interventions under investigation have produced evidence that it is possible to impact many areas that have been negatively affected by early stress, including HPA axis activity, behavior, and attachment to caregivers.
Storage of Iron in Bone Marrow Plasma Cells

The physiological site of iron storage in the human bone marrow is the macrophage (orthotopic iron store). Iron-storing plasma cells, as bone marrow indicators of iron overload, and/or chronic alcoholism represent a pathological (heterotopic) iron store. They were demonstrated by light and electron microscopy in 23 iron-overloaded patients: transfusional siderosis (n = 8), genetic haemochromatosis (GH; n = 11), iron-loading anaemias (n = 4) and in patients with bone marow impairment due to chronic alcoholism (n = 6). The pattern of iron storage in bone marrow plasma cells was monitored during iron loading in patients receiving continuous transfusional therapy (n = 7) and also upon reversal of iron overload by repeated phlebotomies in GH (n = 9) and in iron-loading anaemias (n = 4). The first ultrastructural evidence of iron storage in plasma cells was the appearance of free ferritin molecules in the cytosol, thus indicating endogenous ferritin synthesis. Accumulation of iron proceeded with the additional formation of ferritin- and haemosiderin-containing lysosomes (siderosomes) in these cells. Lysosomal ferritin partially showed a paracrystalline arrray. The siderosomes originated from autophagocytosis of cytoplasmic areas containing free ferritin molecules. In addition, the formation of ferritin-containing vesicles in the proximity of the Golgi apparatus was observed. The heterotopic iron store of bone marrow plasma cells was less readily mobilizable by blood-letting than the orthotopic store of macrophages.
Lessons from photoelicitation: encouraging working men to speak

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of incorporating such visual methods as photoelicitation and photovoice into qualitative research, in order to retrieve something that, as a result of particular group socialisation, has been hidden, unspoken of or marginalised.Design/methodology/approach – The research design combines 40 in‐depth verbal interviews with male butchers, with the use of photoelicitation and photovoice, in order to increase participant control of data generation.Findings – Results suggest that photoelicitation enabled working‐class men to engage with themes which are rarely reflected on or discussed; which may sit uneasily with desired presentations of self; and which challenge traditional notions of gendered work. It prompted participants to elaborate and translate their daily experiences of physical labour into more expressive and detailed accounts. This provided room for the display of positive emotions and self‐evaluation and the surfacing of the aestheti.
The Role of IL-8 in Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of 6 Months

Objective In this prospective longitudinal clinical study, we evaluated the role of proinflammatory cytokine IL-8 and its clinical relevance in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) who fulfilled clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent a 3-week inpatients multidisciplinary pain therapy. Methods IL-8 in sera was measured in 20 patients with FM and 80 healthy participants at 4 fixed time points: at the beginning of the study, at 10 days, 21 days, and 6 months, respectively. Pain intensity, back function, depression, nicotine/alcohol consumption, and medication were assessed in the patient group and correlated with IL-8 levels. Results Before and during the inpatient therapy, the serum level of IL-8 was significantly higher in patients with FM compared with controls (P<0.001), but did not correlated with pain intensity and medication. Already at T1 there was a significant reduction of IL-8 serum level (P=0.023) in patient group. Six months after multidisciplinary pain therapy, IL-8 serum level in FM patients was still significantly higher than controls (P=0.044) but reduced approximately to normal range and correlated significantly negatively with pain intensity (r=−0.782, P=0.001). Patients with FM had significantly less pain (P<0.001) and better back function (P<0.001) at day 2 than at day 0. In addition, in patients with FM, IL-8 serum level correlated with nicotine consumption (r=0.471, P=0.042). Conclusions Our results suggest that IL-8 level contributes in patients with FM whose pain intensity and back function can be improved under influence of multidisciplinary pain therapy without need of an anti-IL-8 therapy.
Investigating Children's Graphic Skills: A South African Case Study

Graphic literacy is identified as one of the critical outcomes of the new South African curriculum. For graphic literacy to become an achievable outcome of the new curriculum, we need to investigate the skills and concepts underpinning graphicacy as a form of communication. This paper describes a case study which has as its goals diagnosing and illuminating children's graphic skills development through identifying: what skills they use; how they use and apply these skills when communicating through symbols; and the difficulties they experience when encoding spatial information through a series of practical and drawing tasks. The research was based on a case study using a single Grade 5 class within an independent South African primary boys' school. The children who constituted this case, while from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, were nevertheless from the more affluent and privileged sector of society. In that it was age, gender and economic class specific, this case study does not constitute a representation of all primary school children. However, the research findings will help to illuminate the current situation regarding graphic literacy of South African primary school children, and may contribute to wider international debates about graphicacy and the development of graphic literacy.
Periodic thrombocytopenia or tidal platelet dysgenesis in a man.

The authors describe the haematologic findings in a man aged 61, who for two years has been under observation with a syndrome of thrombocytopenia, regularly alternating with thrombocytosis of a very regular interval of 39 days. This tidal fluctuation of the platelet counts was within the range 10,000–900,000/μl. There was a synchronous fluctuation of the megakaryocyte numbers in the bone marrow, megakaryocytes being virtually absent in periods of thrombocytopenia. The present condition is by this fact distinct from cyclic thrombotytopenia synchronous with the menstrual cycle in women, in which megakaryocytes are usually plentiful. This case it to all appearences the third one described in the literature of a condition which we would like to label ad interim tidal platelet dysgenesis.
L-arginine administration normalizes pressure natriuresis in hypertensive Dahl rats.

A blunted pressure-natriuretic response characterizes hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat. Long-term L-arginine administration prevents hypertension in these animals. To determine if long-term L-arginine corrects the pressure-natriuretic response, we gave salt-sensitive rats on an 8% sodium diet L-arginine or vehicle daily for 3 weeks. Identically treated salt-resistant rats served as controls. After 3 weeks, acute pressure-natriuresis curves were determined. To control for hypertension-induced renal damage, we also examined pressure natriuresis in salt-sensitive rats after short-term L-arginine. Baseline mean arterial pressure was 158 +/- 3 mm Hg in vehicle-treated salt-sensitive rats and 127 +/- 3 mm Hg in chronically L-arginine-treated salt-sensitive rats. During alterations in perfusion pressure, renal blood flow was autoregulated in all groups. Glomerular filtration rate was autoregulated in salt-resistant rats and L-arginine-treated salt-sensitive rats but fell with decreasing pressure in vehicle-treated salt-sensitive rats. Sodium excretion was greater (P < .05) in L-arginine-treated than in vehicle-treated salt-sensitive rats and did not differ from salt-resistant rats at 100, 125, and 158 mm Hg. The slope of the pressure-natriuresis relation was greater (P < .05) in chronically L-arginine-treated than in vehicle-treated salt-sensitive rats. L-Arginine had no effect on natriuresis in salt-resistant rats. Thus, long-term L-arginine administration normalizes pressure-natriuretic responses in salt-sensitive rats. The effect is not due to the prevention of renal damage and is specific to the salt-sensitive strain. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Weight, Height, and BMI from Birth to 19 Years of Age: An International Study of Over 12,000 Twin Pairs

Objective To examine the genetic and environmental influences on variances in weight, height, and BMI, from birth through 19 years of age, in boys and girls from three continents. Design and Settings Cross-sectional twin study. Data obtained from a total of 23 twin birth-cohorts from four countries: Canada, Sweden, Denmark, and Australia. Participants were Monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) (same- and opposite-sex) twin pairs with data available for both height and weight at a given age, from birth through 19 years of age. Approximately 24,036 children were included in the analyses. Results Heritability for body weight, height, and BMI was low at birth (between 6.4 and 8.7% for boys, and between 4.8 and 7.9% for girls) but increased over time, accounting for close to half or more of the variance in body weight and BMI after 5 months of age in both sexes. Common environmental influences on all body measures were high at birth (between 74.1–85.9% in all measures for boys, and between 74.2 and 87.3% in all measures for girls) and markedly reduced over time. For body height, the effect of the common environment remained significant for a longer period during early childhood (up through 12 years of age). Sex-limitation of genetic and shared environmental effects was observed. Conclusion Genetics appear to play an increasingly important role in explaining the variation in weight, height, and BMI from early childhood to late adolescence, particularly in boys. Common environmental factors exert their strongest and most independent influence specifically in pre-adolescent years and more significantly in girls. These findings emphasize the need to target family and social environmental interventions in early childhood years, especially for females. As gene-environment correlation and interaction is likely, it is also necessary to identify the genetic variants that may predispose individuals to obesity.