Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of water temperature and flow on respiration in barnacles: patterns of mass transfer versus kinetic limitation

In aquatic systems, physiological processes such as respiration, photosynthesis and calcification are potentially limited by the exchange of dissolved materials between organisms and their environment. The nature and extent of physiological limitation is, therefore, likely to be dependent on environmental conditions. Here, we assessed the metabolic sensitivity of barnacles under a range of water temperatures and velocities, two factors that influence their distribution. Respiration rates increased in response to changes in temperature and flow, with an interaction where flow had less influence on respiration at low temperatures, and a much larger effect at high temperatures. Model analysis suggested that respiration is mass transfer limited under conditions of low velocity (<7.5 cm −1) and high temperature (20–25°C). In contrast, limitation by uptake reaction kinetics, when the biotic capacity of barnacles to absorb and process oxygen is slower than its physical delivery by mass transport, prevailed at high flows (40–150 cm s−1) and low temperatures (5–15°C). Moreover, there are intermediate flow-temperature conditions where both mass transfer and kinetic limitation are important. Behavioral monitoring revealed that barnacles fully extend their cirral appendages at low flows and display abbreviated ‘testing’ behaviors at high flows, suggesting some form of mechanical limitation. In low flow–high temperature treatments, however, barnacles displayed distinct ‘pumping’ behaviors that may serve to increase ventilation. Our results suggest that in slow-moving waters, respiration may become mass transfer limited as temperatures rise, whereas faster flows may serve to ameliorate the effects of elevated temperatures. Moreover, these results underscore the necessity for approaches that evaluate the combined effects of multiple environmental factors when examining physiological and behavioral performance.
Attention deficit disorder in children

This study tests the hypothesis that children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) resemble adults with inattention and neglect secondary to right hemisphere dysfunction. A letter cancellation task was administered to seven boys with ADD and five controls. As a group, the subjects with ADD made significantly more overall errors of omission and left-sided errors than controls, suggesting that they resemble adults with right hemisphere dysfunction.
CloudArmor: Supporting Reputation-Based Trust Management for Cloud Services

Trust management is one of the most challenging issues for the adoption and growth of cloud computing. The highly dynamic, distributed, and non-transparent nature of cloud services introduces several challenging issues such as privacy, security, and availability. Preserving consumers' privacy is not an easy task due to the sensitive information involved in the interactions between consumers and the trust management service. Protecting cloud services against their malicious users (e.g., such users might give misleading feedback to disadvantage a particular cloud service) is a difficult problem. Guaranteeing the availability of the trust management service is another significant challenge because of the dynamic nature of cloud environments. In this article, we describe the design and implementation of CloudArmor, a reputation-based trust management framework that provides a set of functionalities to deliver trust as a service (TaaS), which includes i) a novel protocol to prove the credibility of trust feedbacks and preserve users' privacy, ii) an adaptive and robust credibility model for measuring the credibility of trust feedbacks to protect cloud services from malicious users and to compare the trustworthiness of cloud services, and iii) an availability model to manage the availability of the decentralized implementation of the trust management service. The feasibility and benefits of our approach have been validated by a prototype and experimental studies using a collection of real-world trust feedbacks on cloud services.
Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oil of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) from eastern Morocco.

The essential oil from flowering Thyme (Thymis vulgaris L.) an aromatic member of the Lamiaceae family, from Morocco, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analysed by GC/FID and GC/MS. The constituents were identified by their mass spectra and Kovats’ indices. Forty three compounds consisting 97.85% of the total components were identified from the oil obtained with 1% yield. Among those, camphor (38.54%), camphene (17.19%), α-pinene (9.35%), 1, 8-cineole (5.44%), borneol (4.91%) and β-pinene (3.90%) were the major oil components. Essential oil of Thyme was evaluated for its antibacterial activities against six Gram-positive and Gram negative pathogenic bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Streptococcus sp. , Pantoa sp. and Escherichia coli.
An LTE-based optimal resource allocation scheme for delay-sensitive M2M deployments coexistent with H2H users

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication is considered one of the essential elements of the Internet of Things (IoT) for enabling objects to communicate over potentially large distances. It is predicted to be the dominant source of traffic in 5G networks. To enable M2M communications on LTE networks, which is considered the main cellular access technology for M2M communications, several issues need to be addressed while managing radio resources. One of the major issues is the scheduling of delay-sensitive M2M applications which require strict delay constraints in the existence of traffic types of other needs such as Human-to-Human (H2H) traffic. In this paper, we propose an optimal resource allocation scheme for delay-sensitive M2M applications that considers their delay requirements with statistical guarantees while not impacting the Quality of Service (QoS) of H2H traffic. We formulate the optimization problem and propose solution techniques that do not require high computational complexity. We also analytically derive the performance metrics of the proposed algorithm and validate them using simulations. The results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits better performance in comparison with other scheduling algorithms from past studies.
Segregation and the strength of grain boundaries

A quantitative theory is presented which explains how solute segregation alters grain boundary strength. A simple treatment shows that, because of an incorrect assumption, previous theories in which segregation was thought to cause low temperature brittleness by lowering the grain boundary work of fracture are incorrect and that it is the brittle fracture stress that is altered. The decrease in grain boundary brittle fracture stress is shown to be proportional to the level of segregation and also to the excess size of the segregant atoms over those of the matrix. From the temperature dependence of the yield stress in a given alloy, it is then simple to calculate the impact transition temperature shift caused by the segregation of various species. An evaluation for the temper brittle steel, AISI 3340, gives a good numerical correlation with the published transition temperature shifts for the segregation of P, Sn, Sb, As, Si, Ge and Bi. The theory also explains why C, B and Be are remedial to the embrittlement of pure iron.
Neural Representations that Support Invariant Object Recognition

Neural mechanisms underlying invariant behaviour such as object recognition are not well understood. For brain regions critical for object recognition, such as inferior temporal cortex (ITC), there is now ample evidence indicating that single cells code for many stimulus aspects, implying that only a moderate degree of invariance is present. However, recent theoretical and empirical work seems to suggest that integrating responses of multiple non-invariant units may produce invariant representations at population level. We provide an explicit test for the hypothesis that a linear read-out mechanism of a pool of units resembling ITC neurons may achieve invariant performance in an identification task. A linear classifier was trained to decode a particular value in a 2-D stimulus space using as input the response pattern across a population of units. Only one dimension was relevant for the task, and the stimulus location on the irrelevant dimension (ID) was kept constant during training. In a series of identification tests, the stimulus location on the relevant dimension (RD) and ID was manipulated, yielding estimates for both the level of sensitivity and tolerance reached by the network. We studied the effects of several single-cell characteristics as well as population characteristics typically considered in the literature, but found little support for the hypothesis. While the classifier averages out effects of idiosyncratic tuning properties and inter-unit variability, its invariance is very much determined by the (hypothetical) ‘average’ neuron. Consequently, even at population level there exists a fundamental trade-off between selectivity and tolerance, and invariant behaviour does not emerge spontaneously.
On the Computational Complexity of High-Dimensional Bayesian Variable Selection

We study the computational complexity of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods for high-dimensional Bayesian linear regression under sparsity constraints. We first show that a Bayesian approach can achieve variable-selection consistency under relatively mild conditions on the design matrix. We then demonstrate that the statistical criterion of posterior concentration need not imply the computational desideratum of rapid mixing of the MCMC algorithm. By introducing a truncated sparsity prior for variable selection, we provide a set of conditions that guarantee both variable-selection consistency and rapid mixing of a particular Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. The mixing time is linear in the number of covariates up to a logarithmic factor. Our proof controls the spectral gap of the Markov chain by constructing a canonical path ensemble that is inspired by the steps taken by greedy algorithms for variable selection.
Detection of glycated hemoglobin using 3-Aminophenylboronic acid modified graphene oxide

This paper presents the chemical synthesis of 3-Aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) modified graphene oxide (GO) and its application to the electrochemical detection of glycated hemoglobin (GHb). The compound (GO-APBA) was synthesized by forming an amide linkage between the amino group (-NH2) of APBA and the carboxylic group (-COOH) of GO. The compound was characterized using IR spectroscopy. Detection of GHb was carried out using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopic (EIS) measurements with GO-APBA modified glassy carbon electrode as the working electrode.
Process Models Deserve Process Data: Comment on Brandstatter, Gigerenzer, and Hertwig (2006)

Comments on the article by E. Brandstätter, G. Gigerenzer, and R. Hertwig. Resolution of debates in cognition usually comes from the introduction of constraints in the form of new data about either the process or representation. Decision research, in contrast, has relied predominantly on testing models by examining their fit to choices. The authors examine a recently proposed choice strategy, the priority heuristic, which provides a novel account of how people make risky choices. The authors identify a number of properties that the priority heuristic should have as a process model and illustrate how they may be tested. The results, along with prior research, suggest that although the priority heuristic captures some variability in the attention paid to outcomes, it fails to account for major characteristics of the data, particularly the frequent transitions between outcomes and their probabilities. The article concludes with a discussion of the properties that should be captured by process models of risky choice and the role of process data in theory development.
BlowFish: Dynamic Storage-Performance Tradeoff in Data Stores

We present BlowFish, a distributed data store that admits a smooth tradeoff between storage and performance for point queries. What makes BlowFish unique is its ability to navigate along this tradeoff curve efficiently at fine-grained time scales with low computational overhead. Achieving a smooth and dynamic storage-performance tradeoff enables a wide range of applications. We apply BlowFish to several such applications from real-world production clusters: (i) as a data recovery mechanism during failures: in practice, BlowFish requires 5.4× lower bandwidth and 2.5× lower repair time compared to state-of-the-art erasure codes, while reducing the storage cost of replication from 3× to 1.9×; and (ii) data stores with spatially-skewed and time-varying workloads (e.g., due to object popularity and/or transient failures): we show that navigating the storage-performance tradeoff achieves higher system-wide utility (e.g., throughput) than selectively caching hot objects.
Surgical management of pelvic Ewing's sarcoma in children and adolescents

The present study describes a novel surgical strategy used to treat immature pelvic Ewing's sarcoma (ES), one made possible owing to the intrinsic structure of the skeletally immature pelvis. A total of 12 children and adolescents with open triradiate cartilage received limb-salvage surgeries following a diagnosis of pelvic ES. In total, 3 patients with iliac lesions (2 lesions with extension into the sacrum) received surgical tumor excisions and allograft reconstructions. Another 8 patients with periacetabular lesions received trans-acetabular osteotomies and allograft reconstructions. No reconstruction was performed on 1 patient following excision of a pubic lesion. The median follow-up time was 39 months. At the time of the final follow-up appointment, 9 patients exhibited no evidence of disease, 2 patients had slow progressive pulmonary metastasis, 1 patient exhibited local recurrence of the disease and 1 patient had succumbed to the disease 24 months after surgery. Complications included issues with wound healing in 1 patient, a discrepancy in leg length in another and a screw loosening in a further patient. The patients had a mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score of 26 points and a mean International Society of Limb Salvage radiographic score of 90.1%. The proposed surgical strategy for children and adolescents with pelvic ES in the present study could provide a feasible solution for acetabulum salvage and local tumor control.
Dose-Adjusted Cyclosporine C2 in a Patient with Jejunoileal Bypass as Compared to Seven Other Liver Transplant Recipients

Jejunoileal bypass (JIB) is a weight loss procedure in which malabsorption is produced by connecting a short length of proximal jejunum to the distal ileum. Because 90% of the small intestine is bypassed, it may have impact on the dose–concentration response of oral cyclosporine (CsA). The authors characterized the dose-adjusted blood concentrations of CsA obtained 2 hours (C2) after oral microemulsion CsA (ME-CsA) in a liver transplant (LTx) subject with an intact JIB, as compared with those from seven LTx controls without JIB. The biliary reconstruction involved choledochocholedochostomy without external drainage in all patients. ME-CsA was administered via a nasogastric tube within 24 hours after graft reperfusion. Oral fluconazole was given prophylactically to the study subject only for 6 days after LTx. During the first week after LTx, the dose-adjusted C2 (mean ± SD) for the study subject and for controls was 53 ± 10 and 106 ± 47 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). The corresponding value during the period from day 7 to day 107 was 105 ± 40 and 257 ± 86 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression revealed that dosage, days after LTx, and the presence of a JIB were all independent predictors of C2 (R2 = 0.798, P = 0.037). Lack of bile resulting in malabsorption of ME-CsA was not thought to be significant contributor to her low dose-adjusted C2 because there was no external bile drainage and a portion of terminal ileum, where most bile acid reabsorption occurred, was still available after JIB. The fact that fluconazole failed to increase the dose-adjusted C2 in the study subject supports that enteric clearance of CsA may become clinically unimportant after JIB. Therefore, the low dose-adjusted C2 is most likely explained by the reduced bowel length and associated absorptive surface area after JIB. In conclusion, patients with JIB may require higher doses of ME-CsA.
Population genetic structure in a social landscape: barley in a traditional Ethiopian agricultural system

Conservation strategies are increasingly driven by our understanding of the processes and patterns of gene flow across complex landscapes. The expansion of population genetic approaches into traditional agricultural systems requires understanding how social factors contribute to that landscape, and thus to gene flow. This study incorporates extensive farmer interviews and population genetic analysis of barley landraces (Hordeum vulgare) to build a holistic picture of farmer‐mediated geneflow in an ancient, traditional agricultural system in the highlands of Ethiopia. We analyze barley samples at 14 microsatellite loci across sites at varying elevations and locations across a contiguous mountain range, and across farmer‐identified barley types and management strategies. Genetic structure is analyzed using population‐based and individual‐based methods, including measures of population differentiation and genetic distance, multivariate Principal Coordinate Analysis, and Bayesian assignment tests. Phenotypic analysis links genetic patterns to traits identified by farmers. We find that differential farmer management strategies lead to markedly different patterns of population structure across elevation classes and barley types. The extent to which farmer seed management appears as a stronger determinant of spatial structure than the physical landscape highlights the need for incorporation of social, landscape, and genetic data for the design of conservation strategies in human‐influenced landscapes.
Thread-safe Efficient Mutable Arguments for Remote Method Invocation in Java

Distributed object-oriented middlewares, like Java RMI or CORBA, abstract message sends into method calls, providing programmers with a familiar object-oriented programming model. However, a remote method cannot mutate the heap of the client with the same ease as a local method without incurring significant overhead. Workarounding this limitation requires exposing implementation details of the server, thus compromising modularity. Existing solutions for Java do not implement the full Java semantics, in particular for multi-threaded programs. Alternatively, they require using non-standard JVMs, a requirement which compromises portability and interoperability. We discuss a simple approach to eliminate the semantic difference, characterize its overhead and discuss novel optimizations tailored to our scenario, which we believe will minimize the overhead.
Restriction of Human Polyomavirus BK Virus DNA Replication in Murine Cells and Extracts

ABSTRACT BK virus (BKV) causes persistent and asymptomatic infections in most humans and is the etiologic agent of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) and other pathologies. Unfortunately, there are no animal models with which to study activation of BKV replication in the human kidney and the accompanying PVAN. Here we report studies of the restriction of BKV replication in murine cells and extracts and the cause(s) of this restriction. Upon infection of murine cells, BKV expressed large T antigen (TAg), but viral DNA replication and progeny were not detected. Transfection of murine cells with BKV TAg expression vectors also caused TAg expression without accompanying DNA replication. Analysis of the replication of DNAs containing chimeric BKV and murine polyomavirus origins revealed the importance of BKV core origin sequences and TAg for DNA replication. A sensitive assay was developed with purified BKV TAg that supported TAg-dependent BKV DNA replication with human but not with murine cell extracts. Addition of human replication proteins, DNA polymerase α-primase, replication protein A, or topoisomerase I to the murine extracts with BKV TAg did not rescue viral DNA replication. Notably, addition of murine extracts to human extracts inhibited BKV TAg-dependent DNA replication at a step prior to or during unwinding of the viral origin. These findings and differences in replication specificity between BKV TAg and the TAgs of simian virus 40 (SV40) and JC virus (JCV) and their respective origins implicate features of the BKV TAg and origin distinct from SV40 and JCV in restriction of BKV replication in murine cells.
Innate Immune Regulation by Toll-Like Receptors in the Brain

The innate immune system plays an important role in cerebral health and disease. In recent years the role of innate immune regulation by toll-like receptors in the brain has been highlighted. In this paper the expression of toll-like receptors and endogenous toll-like receptor ligands in the brain and their role in cerebral ischemia will be discussed. Further, the ability of systemic toll-like receptor ligands to induce cerebral inflammation will be reviewed. Finally, the capacity of toll-like receptors to both increase (sensitization) and decrease (preconditioning/tolerance) the vulnerability of the brain to damage will be disclosed. Studies investigating the role of toll-like receptors in the developing brain will be emphasized.
Barycentric Location Estimation for Indoors Localization in Opportunistic Wireless Networks

The localization requirements for mobile nodes in wireless (sensor) networks are increasing. However, most research works are based on range measurements between nodes which are often over sensitive to the measurement error. In this paper we propose a location estimation scheme based on moving nodes that opportunistically exchange known positions. The user couples a linear matrix inequality (LMI) method with a bary center computation to estimate its position. Simulations have shown that the accuracy of the estimation increases when the number of known positions increases, the radio range decreases and the node speeds increase. The proposed method only depends on a maximum RSS threshold to take into account a known position, which makes it robust and easy to implement. To obtain an accuracy of 1 meter, a user may have to wait at the same position for 5 minutes, with 8 pedestrians moving within range on average.
Testing the test satellites: the Galileo IOV measurement accuracy

The European GNSS, Galileo, is currently in its In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase where four satellites are finally available for computing the user position. In this phase, the analysis of the measurements obtained from the IOV satellites can provide insight on the performance and potentialities of the Galileo system. In this paper, a methodology based on the use of precise orbits and ionospheric corrections is suggested for the analysis of the Galileo IOV pseudorange and pseudorange rate errors. Several hours of data were collected using a Septentrio PolarRxS receiver and used to determine figures of merits such as RMS and maximum errors of the Galileo observables. From the analysis it emerges that Galileo measurements have accuracies comparable with those of GPS. The benefits of combined GPS-Galileo positioning are also highlighted and results relative to the computation of a Galileo-only navigation solution based on broadcast ephemerides are provided.