Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GPU accelerated information retrieval using Bloom filters

Information retrieval is a technique used in search engines, advertisement placement and cognitive databases. With increasing amounts of data and stringent response time requirements, improving the underlying implementation of document retrieval becomes critical. To this end, we consider a Bloom filter, a simple randomized data structure that answers membership queries with no false negative and customizable false positive probability. Mainly, we focus on the speed-up of the algorithm by using a Graphics Processing Units (GPU) based implementation. Starting from a regular CPU implementation of the Bloom filter algorithm, we employ different optimization techniques on the two basic Bloom filter operations: mapping and querying. An important speed-up is achieved for both operations: over 300x for mapping, and over 20x for querying. Furthermore, we show that the number of hash functions used during the mapping operation, the number of files, and the number of query words have a significant effect on the execution time and the speed-up.
Two Novel Functions of Hyaluronidase from Streptococcus agalactiae Are Enhanced Intracellular Survival and Inhibition of Proinflammatory Cytokine Expression

ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae is the causative agent of septicemia and meningitis in fish. Previous studies have shown that hyaluronidase (Hyl) is an important virulence factor in many Gram-positive bacteria. To investigate the role of S. agalactiae Hyl during interaction with macrophages, we inactivated the gene encoding extracellular hyaluronidase, hylB, in a clinical Hyl+ isolate. The isogenic hylb mutant (Δhylb) displayed reduced survival in macrophages compared to the wild type and stimulated a significantly higher release of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), than the wild type in macrophages as well as in mice. Furthermore, only Hyl+ strains could grow utilizing hyaluronic acid (HA) as the sole carbon source, suggesting that Hyl permits the organism to utilize host HA as an energy source. Fifty percent lethal dose (LD50) determinations in zebrafish demonstrated that the hylb mutant was highly attenuated relative to the wild-type strain. Experimental infection of BALB/c mice revealed that bacterial loads in the blood, spleen, and brain at 16 h postinfection were significantly reduced in the ΔhylB mutant compared to those in wild-type-infected mice. In conclusion, hyaluronidase has a strong influence on the intracellular survival of S. agalactiae and proinflammatory cytokine expression, suggesting that it plays a key role in S. agalactiae pathogenicity.
What the World Can Teach Us about New Teacher Induction

A N EFFECTIVE teacher is perhaps the most important factor in producing consistently high levels of student achievement. Thus the profession must see to it that teachers are continually learning throughout their careers, and that process begins with those newest to the profession. A new teacher induction program can acculturate those newcomers to the idea that professional learning must be a lifelong pursuit.
A Braess type paradox in power control over interference channels

The original Braess paradox has been predicted in a context of Wardrop equilibrium in a road traffic context where there is a continuum of (non-atomic) players. It was shown that the performance of all users at equilibrium becomes worse when adding a route. This paradox as well as various variants were also studied in the context of computer networks and telecommunications. We identify a new type of paradox occurring in wireless communications with some unusual properties with respect to previous models in which the paradox has been identified.
Conceptualizing organizational discourse as situated symbolic action

This article presents a conceptualization of organizational discourse as situated symbolic action, drawing from the fields of speech act theory, rhetoric, ethnography of communication and social constructionism. This conceptualization is illustrated through analysis of an episode of negotiated order accessed through an organization development intervention; a meeting of senior managers of Systech, a major IT organization, to decide on a new business model. This perspective helps to respond to some of the key challenges facing the organizational discourse field in terms of developing more clearly specified conceptualizations of discourse suited to the organizational level of analysis, achieving a more holistic and discourse-sensitive understanding of empirical contexts by organizational researchers, and illustrating that organizational discourse analysis is not simply an intellectual luxury but can have pragmatic, relevant implications.
The Missing Wealth of Nations: Are Europe and the U.S. net Debtors or net Creditors?

This paper shows that official statistics substantially underestimate the net foreign asset positions of rich countries because they fail to capture most of the assets held by households in offshore tax havens. Drawing on systematic anomalies in portfolio investment positions and a unique Swiss dataset, I find that 8% of the global financial wealth of households is held in tax havens, 6% of which goes unrecorded. On the basis of plausible assumptions, accounting for unrecorded assets turns the eurozone, officially the world's second largest net debtor, into a net creditor. It also reduces the U.S. net debt significantly. The results shed new light on global imbalances and challenge the widespread view that, after a decade of poor-to-rich capital flows, external assets are now in poor countries and debts in rich countries. I provide concrete proposals to improve international investment statistics.
Association of MDR1 Gene SNPs and Haplotypes with the Tacrolimus Dose Requirements in Han Chinese Liver Transplant Recipients

Background This work seeks to evaluate the association between the C/D ratios (plasma concentration of tacrolimus divided by daily dose of tacrolimus per body weight) of tacrolimus and the haplotypes of MDR1 gene combined by C1236T (rs1128503), G2677A/T (rs2032582) and C3435T (rs1045642), and to further determine the functional significance of haplotypes in the clinical pharmacokinetics of oral tacrolimus in Han Chinese liver transplant recipients. Methodology/Principal Findings The tacrolimus blood concentrations were continuously recorded for one month after initial administration, and the peripheral blood DNA from a total of 62 liver transplant recipients was extracted. Genotyping of C1236T, G2677A/T and C3435T was performed, and SNP frequency, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium, haplotypes analysis and multiple testing were achieved by software PLINK. C/D ratios of different SNP groups or haplotype groups were compared, with a p value<0.05 considered statistically significant. Linkage studies revealed that C1236T, G2677A/T and C3435T are genetically associated with each other. Patients carrying T-T haplotype combined by C1236T and G2677A/T, and an additional T/T homozygote at either position would require higher dose of tacrolimus. Tacrolimus C/D ratios of liver transplant recipients varied significantly among different haplotype groups of MDR1 gene. Conclusions Our studies suggest that the genetic polymorphism could be used as a valuable molecular marker for the prediction of tacrolimus C/D ratios of liver transplant recipients.
Challenging “a man’s game”: women’s interruption of the habitus in football

This research investigates the ways in which women football players construct their body experiences and negotiate discourses within a traditionally male-dominated sport. It presents qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with women active in recreational football in the south-east UK. Football remains constructed around such physical attributes as strength, aggressive behaviour, and forceful actions, associated with the social construction of masculinity. In this paper, Bourdieu’s (1990, 1993) notion of the habitus is used to theorise women’s embodiment in the context of football and to reconceptualise the ways that women (re)construct their body experiences while making sense of conventional gendered practices. Two major themes were identified in the data analysis. Firstly, the participants challenged social constructions of football and made sense of the game in alternative ways. Secondly, football can be an empowering location for women to challenge conventional femininity, gender divisions, and to disrupt the gendered habitus. Crucially, the contexts or environments where the participants played football were experienced as inclusive and positive spaces for expressing fluid and non-constraining identities. The potential for the notion of inclusive spaces and interrupting the gendered habitus in physical education contexts can thus be explored.
Motivated information processing during intergroup competition

Group work in organizations usually involves the existence of more than one group, which can lead to intergroup competition either implicitly or based on explicit competitive incentives. In this paper, a model of task-related effort in multigroup settings is developed, relating findings on intergroup competition to current research on motivation and information processing in groups. Increased effort during intergroup competition is explained based on (a) the degree of deliberate and systematic information retrieval and processing, and (b) the degree of collective self-construal within the groups. Implications for using and dealing with intergroup competition in organizations are discussed.
Atmosphere / ice energy exchange through a thin debris cover in Beacon Valley , Antarctica

An extensive ice body is buried under less than 20 cm to several meters of debris in Beacon Valley (Dry Valleys, Antarctica). The thermal behavior of the upper 20 m of permafrost, including the annually freezing and thawing surface (active layer) in this region of low relative humidity and very low annual precipitation, has great scientific interest. Distinctly different behavior from wet, arctic or alpine soil is expected due to the extremely cold and dry environment, essentially ice free soil and very thin active layer. Soil temperatures and thermal properties in the debris cover are also essential for models of sublimation rates of subsurface ice, and of the efficiency of vapor transport, magnitude of thermoelastic stresses in soils both on Earth and Mars. Permafrost, Phillips, Springman & Arenson (eds) © 2003 Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, ISBN 90 5809 582 7
A Novel Therapeutic Agent for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: SGLT2 Inhibitor

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex endocrine and metabolic disorder, and a major public health problem that is rapidly increasing in prevalence. Although a wide range of pharmacotherapies for glycemic control is now available, management of T2DM remains complex and challenging. The kidneys contribute immensely to glucose homeostasis by reabsorbing glucose from the glomerular filtrate. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a new class of antidiabetic agents that inhibit glucose absorption from the kidney independent of insulin, offer a unique opportunity to improve the outcomes of patients with T2DM. In this review, we provide an overview of two globally-approved SGLT2 inhibitors, dapagliflozin and canagliflozin, and discuss their effects and safety. This information will help clinicians to decide whether these drugs will benefit their patients.
Cortical connections of subdivisions of inferior temporal cortex in squirrel monkeys

Patterns of cortical connections and architectonics were used to determine subdivisions of inferior temporal (IT) cortex of squirrel monkeys. Single or multiple injections of the tracers wheat germ agglutinin‐horseradish peroxidase, Fast Blue, Diamidino Yellow, Fluoro‐Gold, and 3H‐amino acids were placed into IT cortex. Most injections were placed in caudal IT cortex in the region previously shown to receive input from the caudal subdivision of the Dorsolateral Area, DLc; additional injections were placed in more rostral IT cortex. The results indicate the presence of two major regions: a caudal region, ITC, and a rostral region, ITR. An intermediate region of cortex along the ITc−ITR border that displays some connections of ITc and some connections of ITR may be another area. ITc contains a more myelinated dorsal area, ITCd, and a larger ventral area, ITCv. Both ITCd and ITCv receive a major projection from DLC; additional input from DLR, MT, and VII; and send strong projections to ITR, the lateral bank of the superior temporal sulcus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Only ITCd has strong connections with DLR and cortex in the depths of the superior temporal sulcus, and only ITCv has connections with lateral orbital cortex. The overall pattern of connections between ITC and DLC suggests that ITC has a crude topographic organization, with dorsal cortex representing the lower field and ventral cortex representing the upper field. ITR differs from ITC by receiving little if any input from DLC; projecting to inferior temporal polar cortex, the rostral Sylvian fissure, and medial orbital cortex; and having a less distinct layer IV. Comparison of subdivisions of inferior temporal cortex defined in the present study in squirrel monkeys and those reported in other primates suggests that ITC of squirrel monkeys may correspond to area TEO of macaque monkeys.
Trypanosoma brucei FLA1 Is Required for Flagellum Attachment and Cytokinesis*

The single flagellum of the protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma brucei is attached along the length of the cell body by a complex structure that requires the FLA1 protein. We show here that inhibition of FLA1 expression by RNA interference in procyclic trypanosomes causes flagellar detachment and prevents cytokinesis. Despite being unable to divide, these cells undergo mitosis and develop a multinucleated phenotype. The Trypanosoma cruzi FLA1 homolog, GP72, is unable to complement either the flagellar detachment or cytokinesis defects in procyclic T. brucei that have been depleted of FLA1 by RNA interference. Instead, GP72 itself caused flagellar detachment when expressed in T. brucei. In contrast to T. brucei cells depleted of FLA1, procyclic T. bruceiexpressing GP72 continued to divide despite having detached flagella, demonstrating that flagellar attachment is not absolutely necessary for cytokinesis. We have also identified a FLA1-related gene (FLA2) whose sequence is similar but not identical toFLA1. Inhibition of FLA1 and FLA2expression in bloodstream T. brucei caused flagellar detachment and blocked cytokinesis but did not inhibit mitosis. These experiments demonstrate that the FLA proteins are essential and suggest that in procyclic T. brucei, the FLA1 protein has separable functions in flagellar attachment and cytokinesis.
Secondary gait changes in patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis: increased load at the ankle, knee, and hip during walking.

OBJECTIVE This study tested the hypothesis that gait changes related to knee osteoarthritis (OA) of varied severity are associated with increased loads at the ankle, knee, and hip. METHODS Forty-two patients with bilateral medial compartment knee OA and 42 control subjects matched for sex, age, height, and mass were studied. Nineteen patients had Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) radiographic severity grades of 1 or 2, and 23 patients had K/L grades of 3 or 4. Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were measured in the hip, knee, and ankle while the subjects walked at a self-selected speed. RESULTS Patients with more severe knee OA had greater first peak knee adduction moments than their matched control subjects (P = 0.039) and than patients with less severe knee OA (P < 0.001). All patients with knee OA made initial contact with the ground with the knee in a more extended position than that exhibited by control subjects. An increased axial loading rate was present in all joints of the lower extremity. Patients with more severe knee OA had lower hip adduction moments compared with their matched control subjects. CONCLUSION The secondary gait changes observed among patients with knee OA reflect a potential strategy to shift the body's weight more rapidly from the contralateral limb to the support limb, which appears to be successful in reducing the load at the knee in only patients with less severe knee OA. The increased loading rate in the lower extremity joints may lead to a faster progression of existing OA and to the onset of OA at joints adjacent to the knee. Interventions for knee OA should therefore be assessed for their effects on the mechanics of all joints of the lower extremity.
Antifungal activities and chemical characterization of Neem leaf extracts on the growth of some selected fungal species in vitro culture medium. *MONDALl , N. K.; MOJUMDAR., A.; CHATTERJE, S. K.; **BANERJEE, A.;

The efficacy of different extracts of neem leaf on seed borne fungi Aspergillus, Rhizopus and chemical characterization of the neem leaf extracts were studied in vitro on the culture medium. The growth of both the fungal species was inhibited significantly (p<0.01) and controlled with both alcoholic and water extract of all ages and of the concentrations used. The alcoholic extracts of neem leaf was most effective in comparison to aqueous extract for retarding the growth of Rhizopus and Aspergillus. The crude aqueous and alcoholic leaf extracts of neem was more effective in inhibitions of growth of the fungi Aspergillus in comparison to inhibitory effects on Rhizopus growth in the artificial culture medium. Leaf extracts of neem which are cheap and environmentally safe are promising for protecting crop species against the fungal infestation and leading towards improvement of the crop in terms of yield and productivity. @ JASEM
Incidence of cancer and statin usage—Record linkage study

The consumption of statins (HMG‐CoA reductase inhibitors) has been increasing, and a substantial part of the middle‐aged and elderly population use them continuously. Because a large fraction of the population is exposed, even a small excess of risk with respect to cancer should be considered. We carried out a record‐linkage study in Finland utilizing nationwide databases of reimbursed statin medication and cancer. The study population included all statin users in Finland who had purchased at least 1 prescription between 1996 and 2005 and who had no cancer diagnosis at the date of first purchase. A control population without statin usage was also included. Data consisted of 472,481 pairs of individuals that cumulated 4.2 million person years with an average of 8.8 years of follow‐up. Fifty thousand two hundred ninety‐four cancer cases were observed. Simvastatin and atorvastatin were the most used substances. The most frequent cancers were prostate, breast, lung, colon, and rectum cancer. In general, no association between the utilization of statins and cancer could be detected. In conclusion, this study adds large‐scale, population‐based results about the association between statin utilization and the incidence of cancer. We found neither beneficial nor harmful associations between the usage of statins and cancer.
Patellar Skin Surface Temperature by Thermography Reflects Knee Osteoarthritis Severity

Background Digital infrared thermal imaging is a means of measuring the heat radiated from the skin surface. Our goal was to develop and assess the reproducibility of serial infrared measurements of the knee and to assess the association of knee temperature by region of interest with radiographic severity of knee Osteoarthritis (rOA). Methods A total of 30 women (15 Cases with symptomatic knee OA and 15 age-matched Controls without knee pain or knee OA) participated in this study. Infrared imaging was performed with a Meditherm Med2000™ Pro infrared camera. The reproducibility of infrared imaging of the knee was evaluated through determination of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for temperature measurements from two images performed 6 months apart in Controls whose knee status was not expected to change. The average cutaneous temperature for each of five knee regions of interest was extracted using WinTes software. Knee x-rays were scored for severity of rOA based on the global Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale. Results The knee infrared thermal imaging procedure used here demonstrated long-term reproducibility with high ICCs (0.50–0.72 for the various regions of interest) in Controls. Cutaneous temperature of the patella (knee cap) yielded a significant correlation with severity of knee rOA (R = 0.594, P = 0.02). Conclusion The skin temperature of the patellar region correlated with x-ray severity of knee OA. This method of infrared knee imaging is reliable and as an objective measure of a sign of inflammation, temperature, indicates an interrelationship of inflammation and structural knee rOA damage.
Spatio-Temporal Synchrony of Influenza in Cities across Israel: The “Israel Is One City” Hypothesis

We analysed an 11-year dataset (1998–2009) of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) that was based on surveillance of ∽23% of Israel's population. We examined whether the level of synchrony of ILI epidemics in Israel's 12 largest cities is high enough to view Israel as a single epidemiological unit. Two methods were developed to assess the synchrony: (1) City-specific attack rates were fitted to a simple model in order to estimate the temporal differences in attack rates and spatial differences in reporting rates of ILI. The model showed good fit to the data (R2 = 0.76) and revealed considerable differences in reporting rates of ILI in different cities (up to a factor of 2.2). (2) A statistical test was developed to examine the null hypothesis (H0) that ILI incidence curves in two cities are essentially identical, and was tested using ILI data. Upon examining all possible pairs of incidence curves, 77.4% of pairs were found not to be different (H0 was not rejected). It was concluded that all cities generally have the same attack rate and follow the same epidemic curve each season, although the attack rate changes from season to season, providing strong support for the “Israel is one city” hypothesis. The cities which were the most out of synchronization were Bnei Brak, Beersheba and Haifa, the latter two being geographically remote from all other cities in the dataset and the former geographically very close to several other cities but socially separate due to being populated almost exclusively by ultra-orthodox Jews. Further evidence of assortative mixing of the ultra-orthodox population can be found in the 2001–2002 season, when ultra-orthodox cities and neighborhoods showed distinctly different incidence curves compared to the general population.
After the Marland Report

The release of the Marland Report in 1972 is often described as a watershed moment in the field of gifted education and remains a touchstone for the field today. The report presented the federal government’s formal definition of giftedness and outlined the unique learning needs of gifted students and the challenges faced by these students in U.S. schools. This article presents an examination of the goals and outcomes set forth in the Marland Report, the context within which the report evolved, and lessons learned, which can lead to an improved understanding of this legislation and the state of the field today.