Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using VMware VCenter lab manager in undergraduate education for system administration and network security

We have developed and managed a virtual laboratory environment by deploying the VMware vCenter Lab Manager and the VMware vSphere vCenter on a load-balanced cluster of eight ESX 3.5 servers and a storage area network of 10.8 Tera bytes. This system has been in use to conduct hands-on laboratory experiments in undergraduate education for computer security and system administration. Lab Manager provides remote access through the Internet using a common Web browser, such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. The way in which the Lab Manager manages and controls virtual machines and networking components provides additional convenience for instructors to implement laboratory exercises and for students to finish their experiments. In this article, we present the design of the system, introduce some of the features of the virtual environment, and discuss the experiences we have gained from developing and using this system. Compared with other existing virtualization platforms, Lab Manager provides more useful features and additional flexibility for the use in the education for information technology (IT), although there is still room to improve.
Cotranscriptional recruitment of yeast TRAMP complex to intronic sequences promotes optimal pre-mRNA splicing

Most unwanted RNA transcripts in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, such as splicing-defective pre-mRNAs and spliced-out introns, are rapidly degraded by the nuclear exosome. In budding yeast, a number of these unwanted RNA transcripts, including spliced-out introns, are first recognized by the nuclear exosome cofactor Trf4/5p-Air1/2p-Mtr4p polyadenylation (TRAMP) complex before subsequent nuclear-exosome-mediated degradation. However, it remains unclear when spliced-out introns are recognized by TRAMP, and whether TRAMP may have any potential roles in pre-mRNA splicing. Here, we demonstrated that TRAMP is cotranscriptionally recruited to nascent RNA transcripts, with particular enrichment at intronic sequences. Deletion of TRAMP components led to further accumulation of unspliced pre-mRNAs even in a yeast strain defective in nuclear exosome activity, suggesting a novel stimulatory role of TRAMP in splicing. We also uncovered new genetic and physical interactions between TRAMP and several splicing factors, and further showed that TRAMP is required for optimal recruitment of the splicing factor Msl5p. Our study provided the first evidence that TRAMP facilitates pre-mRNA splicing, and we interpreted this as a fail-safe mechanism to ensure the cotranscriptional recruitment of TRAMP before or during splicing to prepare for the subsequent targeting of spliced-out introns to rapid degradation by the nuclear exosome.
What's new in Rome IV?

The functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are the most common disorders seen in Gastroenterology clinical practice. The Rome process has generated consensus definitions of FGIDS, allowing to subdivide patients into diagnostic categories based on the symptom pattern. The Rome IV consensus, presented in 2016, is the most recent update of this diagnostic scheme. This article summarizes the main changes, which include the use of epidemiology‐based symptom thresholds to define FGIDs, characterization of FGIDS as disorders of Gut‐Brain interaction, and updates of criteria for esophageal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and Biliary and Sphincter of Oddi disorders based on scientific and technical progress made over the last decade. The Rome IV consensus provides a standard for clinical and research approach to FGIDS for the coming years.
School of Finance & Law Working Paper Series the Relative Performance of Mutual and Proprietary Life Insurance Companies in the Uk: an Exploratory Study the Relative Performance of Mutual and Proprietary Life Insurance Companies in the Uk: an Exploratory Study

Acknowledgements The usual disclaimer applies. Abstract After discussing the main tenets of stakeholder and agency theory, the paper provides an exploratory empirical study of the relative performance of mutual and proprietary life insurance companies in the UK during the period 1995-96. The mutual companies included in the sample performed well relative to the proprietary companies in terms of their overall financial strength, annual surpluses and investment earnings. While the mutuals had slightly higher expense ratios than the proprietary companies, they were relatively more cost efficient and operated with potential economies of scale. There is also evidence that fund managers in mutuals perform at least as well on average as those in proprietary companies.
A novel component of the division‐site selection system of Bacillus subtilis and a new mode of action for the division inhibitor MinCD

Cell division in bacteria is governed by a complex cytokinetic machinery in which the key player is a tubulin homologue, FtsZ. Most rod‐shaped bacteria divide precisely at mid‐cell between segregated sister chromosomes. Selection of the correct site for cell division is thought to be determined by two negative regulatory systems: the nucleoid occlusion system, which prevents division in the vicinity of the chromosomes, and the Min system, which prevents inappropriate division at the cell poles. In Bacillus subtilis recruitment of the division inhibitor MinCD to cell poles depends on DivIVA, and these proteins were thought to be sufficient for Min function. We have now identified a novel component of the division‐site selection system, MinJ, which bridges DivIVA and MinD. minJ mutants are impaired in division because MinCD activity is no longer restricted to cell poles. Although MinCD was thought to act specifically on FtsZ assembly, analysis of minJ and divIVA mutants showed that their block in division occurs downstream of FtsZ. The results support a model in which the main function of the Min system lies in allowing only a single round of division per cell cycle, and that MinCD acts at multiple levels to prevent inappropriate division.
Mental and Physical Distress and High-Risk Behaviors Among Reproductive-Age Women

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of mental and physical distress indicators among women of reproductive age and the association of these indicators with cigarette smoking and alcohol use, by pregnancy status. METHODS: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for several years were aggregated across states and weighted for this analysis. Seven measures of self-reported mental and physical distress and general health were examined along with demographic variables. RESULTS: Overall, 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.5–6.9) of women reported frequent physical distress, 12.3% (95% CI 12.0–12.6) reported frequent mental distress, 9.9% (95% CI 9.4–10.4) reported frequent depression, 18.4% (95% CI 17.8–19.1) reported feeling anxious, and 34.3% (95% CI 33.5–35.1) reported that they frequently did not get enough rest. At the time of the survey 4.6% of the women were pregnant. Pregnant women were less likely than nonpregnant women to report frequent mental distress. Although there was attenuation of cigarette smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy, those with mental and physical distress were more likely to consume cigarettes and alcohol than were those without such experiences. CONCLUSION: High proportions of reproductive-age women report frequent mental and physical distress. Women experiencing mental and physical distress were more likely to report consuming cigarettes and alcohol than women without such experiences. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III
Flagellar adhesion-dependent regulation of Chlamydomonas adenylyl cyclase in vitro: a possible role for protein kinases in sexual signaling

Interactions between adhesion molecules, agglutinins, on the surfaces of the flagella of mt+ and mt- gametes in Chlamydomonas rapidly generate a sexual signal, mediated by cAMP, that prepares the cells for fusion to form a zygote. The mechanism that couples agglutinin interactions to increased cellular levels of cAMP is unknown. In previous studies on the adenylyl cyclase in flagella of a single mating type (i.e., non-adhering flagella) we presented evidence that the gametic form of the enzyme, but not the vegetative form, was regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation (Zhang, Y., E. M. Ross, and W. J. Snell. 1991. J. Biol. Chem. 266:22954-22959; Zhang, Y., and W. J. Snell. 1993. J. Biol. Chem. 268:1786-1791). In the present report we describe studies on regulation of flagellar adenylyl cyclase during adhesion in a cell-free system. The results show that the activity of gametic flagellar adenylyl cyclase is regulated by adhesion in vitro between flagella isolated from mt+ and mt- gametes. After mixing mt+ and mt- flagella together for 15 s in vitro, adenylyl cyclase activity was increased two- to threefold compared to that of the non-mixed (non- adhering), control flagella. This indicates that the regulation of gametic flagellar adenylyl cyclase during the early steps of fertilization is not mediated by signals from the cell body, but is a direct and primary response to interactions between mt+ and mt- agglutinins. By use of this in vitro assay, we discovered that 50 nM staurosporine (a protein kinase inhibitor) blocked adhesion-induced activation of adenylyl cyclase in vitro, while it had no effect on adenylyl cyclase activity of non-adhering gametic flagella. This same low concentration of staurosporine also inhibited adhesion-induced increases in vivo in cellular cAMP and blocked subsequent cellular responses to adhesion. Taken together, our results indicate that flagellar adenylyl cyclase in Chlamydomonas gametes is coupled to interactions between mt+ and mt- agglutinins by a staurosporine- sensitive activity, probably a protein kinase.
A Visuo-Haptic Device - Telemaque - Increases Kindergarten Children's Handwriting Acquisition

The objective of the present research was to show that incorporating a visuo-haptic device 'Telemaque' may increase the fluency of handwriting production of cursive letters in kindergarten children i.e., before formal handwriting learning begins. Forty two 5 year-old children were assigned an intervention involving either Telemaque (experimental training; VH group) or not (control training; C group). The fluency of handwriting was tested before and after both interventions. Fluency was analysed by kinematic parameters: average velocity, number of velocity peaks, and number of breaks during the production of six cursive letters (a,b,f,i,l,s). The results showed that the fluency of handwriting production for all letters was higher after the VH training than after the C training: The movements were faster, exhibited less velocity peaks and children lifted the pen less often during the letter production. These results showed that the Telemaque device may help kindergarten children to increase the proactive strategy to control handwriting movements
MEK Inhibitor Selumetinib (AZD6244; ARRY-142886) Prevents Lung Metastasis in a Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Xenograft Model

Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have a poor prognosis because TNBC often metastasizes, leading to death. Among patients with TNBC, those with extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2)-overexpressing tumors were at higher risk of death than those with low-ERK2-expressing tumors (hazard ratio, 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.19–6.41). The MAPK pathway has been shown to be a marker of breast cancer metastasis, but has not been explored as a potential therapeutic target for preventing TNBC metastasis. Interestingly, when we treated TNBC cells with the allosteric MEK inhibitor selumetinib, cell viability was not reduced in two-dimensional culture. However, in three-dimensional culture, selumetinib changed the mesenchymal phenotype of TNBC cells to an epithelial phenotype. Cells that undergo epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) are thought to contribute to the metastatic process. EMT leads to generation of mesenchymal-like breast cancer cells with stem cell–like characteristics and a CD44+CD24−/low expression pattern. We tested the hypothesis that targeted inhibition of the MAPK pathway by selumetinib inhibits acquisition of the breast cancer stem cell phenotype and prevents lung metastasis of TNBC. TNBC cells treated with selumetinib showed inhibition of anchorage-independent growth, an indicator of in vivo tumorigenicity (P < 0.005), and decreases in the CD44+CD24−/low fraction, ALDH1 activity, and mammosphere-forming efficiency. Mice treated with selumetinib formed significantly fewer lung metastases than control mice injected with vehicle (P < 0.05). Our data demonstrate that MEK inhibitors can inhibit breast cancer stem cells and may have clinical potential for the prevention of metastasis in certain cases in which tumors are MAPK dependent. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(12); 2773–81. ©2015 AACR.
Geomorphic and stream flow influences on large wood dynamics and displacement lengths in high gradient mountain streams (Chile)

Understanding large wood (LW; ≥1 m long and ≥10 cm in diameter) dynamics in rivers is critical for many disciplines including those assessing flood hazard and risk. However, our understanding of wood entrainment and deposition is still limited, mainly because of the lack of long‐term monitoring of wood‐related processes. The dataset presented here was obtained from more than 8 years of monitoring of 1,264 tagged wood pieces placed in 4 low‐order streams of the Chilean mountain ranges and was used to further our understanding of key factors controlling LW dynamics. We show that LW displacement lengths were longer during periods when peak‐flow water depths (Hmax) exceeded the bankfull stage (HBk) than in periods with Hmax ≤ HBk and that these differences were significantly higher for smaller wood pieces. LW length and length relative to channel dimensions were the main factors governing LW entrainment; LW displacement lengths were inversely related to the ratio of piece length to H15% (i.e., the level above which the flow remains for 15% of the time) and to the ratio of H15% to bankfull width. Unrooted logs and LW pieces located at the bankfull stage travelled significantly longer distances than logs with attached rootwads and those located in other positions within the bankfull channel. A few large logjams were broken during the period of observation, and in all occasions, LW from these broken logjams did not travel over longer distances than other pieces of LW moved in the same periods and in the same stream segments. Most importantly, our work reveals that LW dynamics tend to be concentrated within a few reaches in each stream and that reaches exhibiting high wood dynamics (extensive entrainment, deposition, or repositioning of LW) are significantly wider and less steep than less dynamic reaches.
Outcome measurements in obstructive sleep apnea: Beyond the apnea‐hypopnea index

The apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) is overwhelmingly used as the main therapeutic metric in the assessment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in surgical studies. However, using AHI as the sole measure is problematic. This study investigates the utility of other outcome measures for patients with OSA undergoing surgery.
Buzztraq: predicting geographical access patterns of social cascades using social networks

Web 2.0 sites have made networked sharing of user generated content increasingly popular. Serving rich-media content with strict delivery constraints requires a distribution infrastructure. Traditional caching and distribution algorithms are optimised for globally popular content and will not be efficient for user generated content that often show a heavy-tailed popularity distribution. New algorithms are needed. This paper shows that information encoded in social network structure can be used to predict access patterns which may be partly driven by viral information dissemination, termed as a social cascade. Specifically, knowledge about the number and location of friends of previous users is used to generate hints that enable placing replicas of the content closer to future accesses.
Semi-Supervised Learning with Measure Propagation

We describe a new objective for graph-based semi-supervised learning based on minimizing the Kullback-Leibler divergence between discrete probability measures that encode class membership probabilities. We show how the proposed objective can be efficiently optimized using alternating minimization. We prove that the alternating minimization procedure converges to the correct optimum and derive a simple test for convergence. In addition, we show how this approach can be scaled to solve the semi-supervised learning problem on very large data sets, for example, in one instance we use a data set with over 108 samples. In this context, we propose a graph node ordering algorithm that is also applicable to other graph-based semi-supervised learning approaches. We compare the proposed approach against other standard semi-supervised learning algorithms on the semi-supervised learning benchmark data sets (Chapelle et al., 2007), and other real-world tasks such as text classification on Reuters and WebKB, speech phone classification on TIMIT and Switchboard, and linguistic dialog-act tagging on Dihana and Switchboard. In each case, the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art. Lastly, we show that our objective can be generalized into a form that includes the standard squared-error loss, and we prove a geometric rate of convergence in that case.
A bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 vaccine is safe and immunogenic in early infancy.

BACKGROUND A phase 2 trial was conducted to assess in young infants the safety, tolerability, infectivity, and immunogenicity of multiple doses of an intranasal vaccine using bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (bPIV3). METHODS One hundred ninety-two healthy 2-month-old infants were randomized 1 : 1 : 1 to receive 1x10(5) median tissue culture infective dose (TCID(50)) bPIV3 vaccine, 1x10(6) TCID(50) bPIV3 vaccine, or placebo at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months of age. Safety information was collected by use of diary sheets and telephone interviews. Nasal wash and serum specimens were collected for assessment of infectivity and immunogenicity. RESULTS The safety profiles of both dosages of bPIV3 were similar to that of placebo, with the exception of fever with temperature of >/=38.1 degrees C after dose 2 only, occurring in 34% of the 1x10(5) TCID(50) group, 35% of the 1x10(6) TCID(50) group, and 12% of the placebo group (P<.01). No vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported. The cumulative vaccine infectivity (isolation of bPIV3 and/or bPIV3 seroconversion) after dose 3 was similar in the 2 vaccine groups (87% in the 1x10(5) TCID(50) group and 77% in the 1x10(6) TCID(50) group) (P=.46). Seroconversion rates after dose 3, assessed by means of hemagglutination inhibition assay, after adjustment for decrease in maternal antibody titers, were 67% in the 1x10(5) TCID(50) group, 57% in the 1x10(6) TCID(50) group, and 12% in the placebo group (P<.01). Isolation of bPIV3 was common after dose 1, dose 2, or dose 3, but only 1 of 51 participants in the vaccine groups had bPIV3 isolated after dose 4. CONCLUSIONS Multiple doses of bPIV3 vaccine were well tolerated and immunogenic in young infants.
Creating Pervasive Services with Self-organizable Universal Boards

This paper proposes a novel way that allows users to create pervasive computing environments without experts. In this way, non-smart components which form everyday objects such as furniture and appliances commonly found in homes and offices are made smart in advance, not in the way to convert non-smart objects to smart ones by attaching computers, sensors, and devices. As our first prototype to realize this method, we have developed u-Texture, a self-organizable universal board as a building block that can change its own behavior autonomously through recognition of its location, its inclination, and surrounding environment by assembling them physically.
Modeling the Coevolution of Networks and Behavior

A deeper understanding of the relation between individual behavior and individual actions on one hand and the embeddedness of individuals in social structures on the other hand can be obtained by empirically studying the dynamics of individual outcomes and network structure, and how these mutually affect each other. In methodological terms, this means that behavior of individuals – indicators of performance and success, attitudes and other cognitions, behavioral tendencies – and the ties between them are studied as a social process evolving over time, where behavior and network ties mutually influence each other. We propose a statistical methodology for this type of investigation and illustrate it by an example. ∗We thank the Chief Scientists Office of the Scottish Home and Health Department for permission to use the data of the Teenage Friends and Lifestyle Study. †Research supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant 401-01-550. ††Research supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) grant 401-01-551.
Active memory operations

The performance of modern microprocessors is increasingly limited by their inability to hide main memory latency. The problem is worse in large-scale shared memory systems, where remote memory latencies are hundreds, and soon thousands, of processor cycles. To mitigate this problem, we propose the use of Active Memory Operations (AMOs), in which select operations can be sent to and executed on the home memory controller of data. AMOs can eliminate significant number of coherence messages, minimize intranode and internode memory traffic, and create opportunities for parallelism. Our implementation of AMOs is cache-coherent and requires no changes to the processor core or DRAM chips. In this paper we present architectural and programming models for AMOs, and compare its performance to that of several other memory architectures on a variety of scientific and commercial benchmarks. Through simulation we show that AMOs offer dramatic performance improvements for an important set of data-intensive operations, e.g., up to 50X faster barriers, 12X faster spinlocks, 8.5X-15X faster stream/array operations, and 3X faster database queries. Based on a standard cell implementation, we predict that the circuitry required to support AMOs is less than 1% of the typical chip area of a high performance microprocessor.