Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scalable skyline computation using object-based space partitioning

The skyline operator returns from a set of multi-dimensional objects a subset of superior objects that are not dominated by others. This operation is considered very important in multi-objective analysis of large datasets. Although a large number of skyline methods have been proposed, the majority of them focuses on minimizing the I/O cost. However, in high dimensional spaces, the problem can easily become CPU-bound due to the large number of computations required for comparing objects with current skyline points while scanning the database. Based on this observation, we propose a dynamic indexing technique for skyline points that can be integrated into state-of-the-art sort-based skyline algorithms to boost their computational performance. The new indexing and dominance checking approach is supported by a theoretical analysis, while our experiments show that it scales well with the input size and dimensionality not only because unnecessary dominance checks are avoided but also because it allows efficient dominance checking with the help of bitwise operations.
Effect of squeezing on porosity and wear behaviour of partially remelted A319/20 vol% SiCp metal matrix composites

This article describes the effect of the squeezing process on the porosity of partially remelted A319/20 vol% SiC particulate (SiCp) reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). The composite alloy was originally fabricated by a stir casting technique. The effect of squeezing process parameters such as the squeezing time, compressive stress, and the liquid weight fraction inside the melt on the overall porosity was extensively studied. Moreover, pin-on-disc wear tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of porosity on the wear resistance of the composites. It was found that the squeezed composites have lower overall porosity when compared with the as-cast composites. The lowest overall porosity content was observed when the squeezing process variables were at their peak values. After squeezing, the gas-bubble voids were practically eliminated, whereas the inter-particle voids were significantly reduced but not completely eliminated due to fracture of SiCp and generation of new inter-particle microvoids. Wear test results showed that the wear resistance of the squeezed composites was significantly higher than the as-cast composites due to the lower porosity content of the squeezed composites. The wear resistance of the squeezed composites depends significantly on the overall porosity. It has been found that the wear rate of the squeezed composites increase with increasing overall porosity.
Multivalent DNA Binding Complex Generated by Small Maf and Bach1 as a Possible Biochemical Basis for β-Globin Locus Control Region Complex*

The human β-globin locus control region (LCR) is required to properly regulate chromatin domain opening, replication timing, and globin gene activation. The LCR contains multiple NF-E2 sites (Maf recognition elements, MAREs) that allow the binding of various basic leucine zipper (bZip) proteins like p45 NF-E2, Nrf1, Nrf2, Bach1, and Bach2, in some cases as obligate heterodimers with a small Maf protein. In addition to the bZip domain, the Bach proteins bear a BTB/POZ domain, which has been implicated in the regulation of chromatin structure. We show here that Bach1 is highly expressed in hematopoietic cells and constitutes one of the two MARE-binding activities in murine erythroleukemic (MEL) cells. We further demonstrate that Bach1/MafK heterodimers interact with each other through the BTB domain, generating a multimeric and multivalent DNA binding complex. These results strongly implicate Bach1/MafK heterodimer as an architectural transcription factor that mediates interactions among multiple MAREs. Such a factor could then provide a model for assembly of the theoretical β-globin LCR “holocomplex. ” Other BTB domain proteins have already been demonstrated to be involved in remodeling chromatin, and thus this class of proteins likely promote the formation of nucleoprotein complexes required to establish the architecture of regulatory domains.
Awake Blood Pressure Variability, Inflammatory Markers and Target Organ Damage in Newly Diagnosed Hypertension

Increased blood pressure (BP) may stimulate vascular inflammation, which may itself induce pathological arterial changes. BP variability has been associated with target-organ damage and future cardiovascular complications. We hypothesized that BP variability, as derived from ambulatory BP monitoring, is related to inflammatory markers in newly diagnosed hypertension. Systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP variabilities were assessed as the SD of 24-h pressure recordings in a cohort of 190 recently (<6 months) diagnosed, untreated hypertensive subjects. Target organ damage, assessed by measuring the carotid artery intimamedia thickness, left ventricular mass index, and microalbuminuria, was related to plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and soluble (s) E-selectin, an endothelium-specific molecule. The patients' age (mean±SD) was 53.0±8.5 years, and 59% were male. Multivariable analysis identified awake SBP variability (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002−0.042, p=0.034) as an independent correlate of hsCRP and awake SBP (95% CI: 0.003−0.014, p=0.003), awake SBP variability (95% CI: 0.003−0.035, p=0.018), and microalbuminuria (95% CI: 0.075−0.280, p=0.001) as independent correlates of sE-selectin. When patients were divided into low and high awake SBP variability groups, age (p=0.001), hsCRP (p=0.0001), and sE-selectin (p=0.005) were significantly different in the two groups. After adjusting for age, these differences remained significant (p=0.022 and p=0.001 for hsCRP and sE-selectin, respectively). In recently diagnosed hypertensive subjects, hsCRP and sE-selectin levels are related to awake SBP variability. High SBP variability is likely associated with vascular inflammation in newly diagnosed hypertension, independent of SBP.
The basic geometry of Witt vectors, I: The affine case

We give a concrete description of the category of etale algebras over the ring of Witt vectors of a given finite length with entries in an arbitrary ring. We do this not only for the classical p-typical and big Witt vector functors but also for variants of these functors which are in a certain sense their analogues over arbitrary local and global fields. The basic theory of these generalized Witt vectors is developed from the point of view of commuting Frobenius lifts and their universal properties, which is a new approach even for the classical Witt vectors. The larger purpose of this paper is to provide the affine foundations for the algebraic geometry of generalized Witt schemes and arithmetic jet spaces. So the basics here are developed somewhat fully, with an eye toward future applications.
Management of femoral neck fractures in young adults

Femoral neck fractures in young adults are uncommon and often the result of high-energy trauma. They are associated with higher incidences of femoral head osteonecrosis and nonunion. Multiple factors can play a significant role in preventing these devastating complications and contribute to a good outcome. While achieving an anatomic reduction and stable internal fixation are imperative, other treatment variables, such as time to surgery, the role of capsulotomy and the fixation methods remain debatable. Open reduction and internal fixation through a Watson-Jones exposure is the recommended approach. Definitive fixation can be accomplished with three cannulated or noncannulated cancellous screws. Capsulotomy in femoral neck fractures remains a controversial issue and the practice varies by trauma program, region and country. Until there is conclusive data (i.e. prospective and controlled) we recommend performing a capsulotomy. The data available is inconclusive on whether this fracture should be operated emergently, urgently or can wait until the next day. Until there is conclusive data available, we recommend that surgery should be done on an urgent basis. The key factors in treating femoral neck fractures should include early diagnosis, early surgery, anatomic reduction, capsular decompression and stable internal fixation.
Debris clearance by microglia: an essential link between degeneration and regeneration

Microglia are cells of myeloid origin that populate the CNS during early development and form the brain's innate immune cell type. They perform homoeostatic activity in the normal CNS, a function associated with high motility of their ramified processes and their constant phagocytic clearance of cell debris. This debris clearance role is amplified in CNS injury, where there is frank loss of tissue and recruitment of microglia to the injured area. Recent evidence suggests that this phagocytic clearance following injury is more than simply tidying up, but instead plays a fundamental role in facilitating the reorganization of neuronal circuits and triggering repair. Insufficient clearance by microglia, prevalent in several neurodegenerative diseases and declining with ageing, is associated with an inadequate regenerative response. Thus, understanding the mechanism and functional significance of microglial-mediated clearance of tissue debris following injury may open up exciting new therapeutic avenues.
SPACE-TIME STRUCTURES FROM IIB MATRIX MODEL

We derive a long distance effective action for space-time coordinates from a IIB matrix model. It provides us an effective tool to study the structures of space-time. We prove the finiteness of the theory for finite $N$ to all orders of the perturbation theory. Space-time is shown to be inseparable and its dimensionality is dynamically determined. The IIB matrix model contains a mechanism to ensure the vanishing cosmological constant which does not rely on the manifest supersymmetry. We discuss possible mechanisms to obtain realistic dimensionality and gauge groups from the IIB matrix model.
An Adaptive Web Services Selection Method Based on the QoS Prediction Mechanism

In recent years, many QoS-based web service selection methods have been proposed. However, as QoS changes dynamically, the atomic services of a composite web service could be replaced with other ones that have better quality. The performance of a composite web service will be decreased if this replacement happens frequently in runtime. Predicting the change of QoS accurately in select phase can effectively reduce this web services “thrash”. In this paper, we propose a web service selection algorithm GFS (Goodness-Fit Selection algorithm) based on QoS prediction mechanism in dynamic environments. We use structural equation to model the QoS measurement of web services. By taking the advantage of the prediction mechanism of structural equation model, we can quantitatively predict the change of quality of service dynamically. Optimal web service is selected based on the predicted results. Simulation results show that in dynamic environments, GFS provides higher selection accuracy than previous selection methods.
Plants versus Fungi and Oomycetes: Pathogenesis, Defense and Counter-Defense in the Proteomics Era

Plant-fungi and plant-oomycete interactions have been studied at the proteomic level for many decades. However, it is only in the last few years, with the development of new approaches, combined with bioinformatics data mining tools, gel staining, and analytical instruments, such as 2D-PAGE/nanoflow-LC-MS/MS, that proteomic approaches thrived. They allow screening and analysis, at the sub-cellular level, of peptides and proteins resulting from plants, pathogens, and their interactions. They also highlight post-translational modifications to proteins, e.g., glycosylation, phosphorylation or cleavage. However, many challenges are encountered during in planta studies aimed at stressing details of host defenses and fungal and oomycete pathogenicity determinants during interactions. Dissecting the mechanisms of such host-pathogen systems, including pathogen counter-defenses, will ensure a step ahead towards understanding current outcomes of interactions from a co-evolutionary point of view, and eventually move a step forward in building more durable strategies for management of diseases caused by fungi and oomycetes. Unraveling intricacies of more complex proteomic interactions that involve additional microbes, i.e., PGPRs and symbiotic fungi, which strengthen plant defenses will generate valuable information on how pathosystems actually function in nature, and thereby provide clues to solving disease problems that engender major losses in crops every year.
ARTICLE IN PRESS Mania Associated with Usher Syndrome Type II 2

SUMMARY Usher syndrome (or Hallgren syndrome) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by sensorineural deafness, retinitis pigmentosa, and variable vestibular deficit; Usher syndrome type II is the most common form. Various neuropsychiatric disorders have been reported to occur in those with Usher syndrome, including schizophrenia-like disorder, atypical psychosis, recurrent depressive illness, neurotic disorder, and mental retardation; however, bipolar disorder is not common in those with Usher syndrome. Herein we describe a 30-year-old male with Usher syndrome type II that developed features indicative of a probable manic episode. The patient had complete remission of symptoms in response to treatment with olanzapine 20 mg d –1 . In persons with dual sensory impairment there are inherent problems with assessment and diagnosis is difficult due to their limited communication abilities. The diagnosis of Usher syndrome depends heavily on behavioral observation and disturbances in vegetative functions.
Mutation Analysis of Mycobacterial rpoB Genes and Rifampin Resistance Using Recombinant Mycobacterium smegmatis

ABSTRACT Rifampin is a major drug used to treat leprosy and tuberculosis. The rifampin resistance of Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis results from a mutation in the rpoB gene, encoding the β subunit of RNA polymerase. A method for the molecular determination of rifampin resistance in these two mycobacteria would be clinically valuable, but the relationship between the mutations and susceptibility to rifampin must be clarified before its use. Analyses of mutations responsible for rifampin resistance using clinical isolates present some limitations. Each clinical isolate has its own genetic variations in some loci other than rpoB, which might affect rifampin susceptibility. For this study, we constructed recombinant strains of Mycobacterium smegmatis carrying the M. leprae or M. tuberculosis rpoB gene with or without mutation and disrupted their own rpoB genes on the chromosome. The rifampin and rifabutin susceptibilities of the recombinant bacteria were measured to examine the influence of the mutations. The results confirmed that several mutations detected in clinical isolates of these two pathogenic mycobacteria can confer rifampin resistance, but they also suggested that some mutations detected in M. leprae isolates or rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates are not involved in rifampin resistance.
New upper bounds on harmonious colorings

We present an improved upper bound on the harmonious chromatic number of an arbitrary graph. We also consider „fragmentable” classes of graphs (an example is the class of planar graphs) that are, roughly speaking, graphs that can be decomposed into bounded-sized components by removing a small proportion of the vertices. We show that for such graphs of bounded degree the harmonious chromatic number is close to the lower bound (2m)1/2, where m is the number of edges.
Adverse reactions among patients being treated for MDR-TB in Tomsk, Russia.

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE Treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is challenging because of the toxicity of second-line medications. Little is known about whether adverse events impact treatment outcome. METHODS We conducted a retrospective case series of 244 MDR-TB patients enrolled in Tomsk between 10 September 2000 and 10 September 2002. Adverse reactions were determined by laboratory data and/or clinical criteria. A multiple logistic regression model was performed to determine whether the occurrence of adverse reactions was associated with poor treatment outcome. RESULTS In this cohort, 76.0% were cured, 6.6% failed, 4.9% died and 11.5% defaulted. Adverse events were observed in 73.3% of patients, occurring in 74.8% of patients who were adherent (taking at least 80% of prescribed doses) and 59.1% of non-adherent individuals (P = 0.11). The impact of adverse events on outcome was modified by non-adherence; among adherent patients, the occurrence of any adverse reaction was associated with treatment cure (adjusted odds ratio 3.24, 95% confidence interval 1.56-6.70). CONCLUSION Adverse reactions occurred frequently in MDR-TB patients in Tomsk, Russia, but did not negatively impact treatment outcome. The occurrence of adverse reactions among adherent patients was associated with treatment cure.
Evaluation criteria for spectral design of camouflage

In development of visual (VIS) and infrared (IR) camouflage for signature management, the aim is the design of surface properties of an object to spectrally match or adapt to a background and thereby minimizing the contrast perceived by a threatening sensor. The so called 'ladder model" relates the requirements for task measure of effectiveness with surface structure properties through the steps signature effectiveness and object signature. It is intended to link materials properties via platform signature to military utility and vice versa. Spectral design of a surface intends to give it a desired wavelength dependent optical response to fit a specific application of interest. Six evaluation criteria were stated, with the aim to aid the process to put requirement on camouflage and for evaluation. The six criteria correspond to properties such as reflectance, gloss, emissivity, and degree of polarization as well as dynamic properties, and broadband or multispectral properties. These criteria have previously been exemplified on different kinds of materials and investigated separately. Anderson and Åkerlind further point out that the six criteria rarely were considered or described all together in one and same publication previously. The specific level of requirement of the different properties must be specified individually for each specific situation and environment to minimize the contrast between target and a background. The criteria or properties are not totally independent of one another. How they are correlated is part of the theme of this paper. However, prioritization has been made due to the limit of space. Therefore all of the interconnections between the six criteria will not be considered in the work of this report. The ladder step previous to digging into the different material composition possibilities and choice of suitable materials and structures (not covered here), includes the object signature and decision of what the spectral response should be, when intended for a specific environment. The chosen spectral response should give a low detection probability (DP). How detection probability connects to image analysis tools and implementation of the six criteria is part of this work.
Comparative Study of Conventional and Combined Process (Immobilized Microorganisms Pretreatment - Ultrafiltration) for Surface Water Treatment

Abstract. The research investigated the performance of two different surface water treatment methods: conventional and combined process (immobilized microorganisms pretreatment - ultrafiltration). The two sytems were carried out in a water supply plant in Guangzhou city, south China. In order to remove ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) efficiently, fluidized biofilm process with entrapped microorganisms pellets was applied to the combined process. NH4+-N concentration in the produced water was less than 0.5mg/l at the overall combined process. CODMn, UV254 and turbidity removals of 34.2%, 32.7% and 99.8% were also achieved in combined process and better than the traditional process. The results showed that the combined process was highly competitive in comparison to conventional treatment for surface water.
Vascular Dysfunction in a Transgenic Model of Alzheimer's Disease: Effects of CB1R and CB2R Cannabinoid Agonists

There is evidence of altered vascular function, including cerebrovascular, in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and transgenic models of the disease. Indeed vasoconstrictor responses are increased, while vasodilation is reduced in both conditions. β-Amyloid (Aβ) appears to be responsible, at least in part, of alterations in vascular function. Cannabinoids, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory agents, induce vasodilation both in vivo and in vitro. We have demonstrated a beneficial effect of cannabinoids in models of AD by preventing glial activation. In this work we have studied the effects of these compounds on vessel density in amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice, line 2576, and on altered vascular responses in aortae isolated ring. First we showed increased collagen IV positive vessels in AD brain compared to control subjects, with a similar increase in TgAPP mice, which was normalized by prolonged oral treatment with the CB1/CB2 mixed agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) and the CB2 selective agonist JWH-133 (JWH). In Tg APP mice the vasoconstriction induced by phenylephrine and the thromboxane agonist U46619 was significantly increased, and no change in the vasodilation to acetylcholine (ACh) was observed. Tg APP displayed decreased vasodilation to both cannabinoid agonists, which were able to prevent decreased ACh relaxation in the presence of Aβ. In summary, we have confirmed and extended the existence of altered vascular responses in Tg APP mice. Moreover, our results suggest that treatment with cannabinoids may ameliorate the vascular responses in AD-type pathology.
Missing Data as a Causal and Probabilistic Problem

Causal inference is often phrased as a missing data problem - for every unit, only the response to observed treatment assignment is known, the response to other treatment assignments is not. In this paper, we extend the converse approach of [7] of representing missing data problems to causal models where only interventions on missingness indicators are allowed. We further use this representation to leverage techniques developed for the problem of identification of causal effects to give a general criterion for cases where a joint distribution containing missing variables can be recovered from data actually observed, given assumptions on missingness mechanisms. This criterion is significantly more general than the commonly used "missing at random" (MAR) criterion, and generalizes past work which also exploits a graphical representation of missingness. In fact, the relationship of our criterion to MAR is not unlike the relationship between the ID algorithm for identification of causal effects [22, 18], and conditional ignorability [13].