Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One-restart algorithm for scheduling and offloading in a hybrid cloud

The hybrid cloud architecture utilizes both privately owned cloud servers and rented instances from public cloud providers, to offer flexible services that are particularly suited to enterprise computing. The task scheduler at a hybrid cloud decides both the selection of tasks to be offloaded to the public cloud and the scheduling of the remaining tasks on the processors at the private cloud. In this work, we consider the problem of minimizing a weighted sum of the makespan at the private cloud and the offloading cost to the public cloud. In contrast to prior works, we do not assume that the task processing times are known a priori. We show that the original problem can be solved by the same algorithms designed toward minimizing the maximum between the makespan and the weighted offloading cost, only with doubling of the competitive ratio. Furthermore, the latter problem can be equivalently transformed into a makespan minimization problem with unrelated processors. In the case where all tasks arrive at time zero, we propose a Greedy-One-Restart (GOR) algorithm based on online estimation of the unknown processing times, and one-time cancellation and rescheduling of tasks that turn out to require long processing times. We derive its competitive ratio and show that it is upper bounded on the order of the square root of the number of private processors, which is a substantial improvement over the best known algorithms in the literature. We present also a tight constant competitive ratio for the special two-processor case. In the case where tasks arrive dynamically with unknown arrival times, we extend GOR to Dynamic-GOR (DGOR) and find its competitive ratio. Further simulation results demonstrate that GOR and DGOR are favorable also in terms of average performance, in comparison with the well-known list scheduling algorithm and idealized offline algorithms.
Macrophage Proliferation Sustains Adipose Tissue Inflammation in Formerly Obese Mice

Obesity causes dramatic proinflammatory changes in the adipose tissue immune environment, but relatively little is known regarding how this inflammation responds to weight loss (WL). To understand the mechanisms by which meta-inflammation resolves during WL, we examined adipose tissue leukocytes in mice after withdrawal of a high-fat diet. After 8 weeks of WL, mice achieved similar weights and glucose tolerance values as age-matched lean controls but showed abnormal insulin tolerance. Despite fat mass normalization, total and CD11c+ adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) content remained elevated in WL mice for up to 6 months and was associated with persistent fibrosis in adipose tissue. ATMs in formerly obese mice demonstrated a proinflammatory profile, including elevated expression of interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β. T-cell–deficient Rag1−/− mice showed a degree of ATM persistence similar to that in WT mice, but with reduced inflammatory gene expression. ATM proliferation was identified as the predominant mechanism by which ATMs are retained in adipose tissue with WL. Our study suggests that WL does not completely resolve obesity-induced ATM activation, which may contribute to the persistent adipose tissue damage and reduced insulin sensitivity observed in formerly obese mice.
Happiness and Community-Specific Factors

The majority of previous studies on happiness have mainly focused on individual factors, such as gender, age, income, educational level, and religion. Only a few studies have examined the role of community or society on individual happiness. This study analyzes the effects of community-specific factors on individual happiness using the survey data of 700 farmers in Thailand. The result of the ordered logit model reveals that community- (community economic strength and social capital) and individual-specific factors are significant determinants of individual happiness. Thus, previous studies that have ignored community environment have led to biased estimates of individual happiness. This study also proposes suggestions for policy makers.
High-Programmed Death-1 Levels on Hepatitis C Virus-Specific T Cells during Acute Infection Are Associated with Viral Persistence and Require Preservation of Cognate Antigen during Chronic Infection1

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important human pathogen that represents a model for chronic infection given that the majority of infected individuals fail to clear the infection despite generation of virus-specific T cell responses during the period of acute infection. Although viral sequence evolution at targeted MHC class I-restricted epitopes represents one mechanism for immune escape in HCV, many targeted epitopes remain intact under circumstances of viral persistence. To explore alternative mechanisms of HCV immune evasion, we analyzed patterns of expression of a major inhibitory receptor on T cells, programmed death-1 (PD-1), from the time of initial infection and correlated these with HCV RNA levels, outcome of infection, and sequence escape within the targeted epitope. We show that the level of PD-1 expression in early HCV infection is significantly higher on HCV-specific T cells from subjects who progress to chronic HCV infection than from those who clear infection. This correlation is independent of HCV RNA levels, compatible with the notion that high PD-1 expression on HCV-specific CD8 T cells during acute infection inhibits viral clearance. Viral escape during persistent infection is associated with reduction in PD-1 levels on the surface of HCV-specific T cells, supporting the necessity of ongoing antigenic stimulation of T cells for maintenance of PD-1 expression. These results support the idea that PD-1 expression on T cells specific for nonescaped epitopes contributes to viral persistence and suggest that PD-1 blockade may alter the outcome of HCV infection.
Improved treatment of paget's disease with dimethylaminohydroxypropylidene bisphosphonate

A group of 89 patients with Paget's disease of bone were treated with different intravenous or oral doses of the nitrogen‐containing bisphosphonate dimethylaminohydroxypropylidene bisphosphonate (dimethyl‐APD). Biochemical remission was obtained in 82% of treatments, and in the rest a clear response was found. Oral dimethyl‐APD was well tolerated, and a dose of 200 mg/day for 10 days was sufficient to induce remission in the majority of patients. The remission probability was 3 months for 50% of patients, and the recurrence‐free period was 27 months. The remission probability as well as the recurrence‐free period did not differ among oral and intravenous treatments or among patients who had never been treated with nitrogen‐containing bisphosphonates and those who had received pamidronate in the past and were treated for a recurrence of the disease. Dimethyl‐APD is a very effective bisphosphonate devoid of side effects, which given for a short period can induce long‐lasting remissions in patients with Paget's disease of bone.
Carbohydrate Metabolism Is Not Impaired after 3 Years of Growth Hormone Therapy in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Background/Aim: In children with Prader-Labhart-Willi syndrome (PWS), the insulin secretion is reduced, despite obesity, being ascribed to the growth hormone (GH) deficiency of hypothalamic origin. Besides, an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus was described in this syndrome. Hence, we addressed the questions of how body composition and insulin secretion are interrelated and what impact GH therapy has on the carbohydrate metabolism in PWS. Methods: We measured weight, lean and fat mass (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), triglycerides, HbA1c, and fasting insulin and glucose levels in 17 children (age range 1.5–14.6 years) with PWS to examine whether the carbohydrate metabolism is altered during 36 months of therapy with 8 mg GH/m2 body surface/week. In a subgroup of 8 children, the insulin secretion was longitudinally assayed during oral glucose tolerance at 0 and 12 months of therapy. Results: Before therapy, the insulin secretion was lower and markedly delayed as compared with reference data and did not rise during therapy. The glucose tolerance was impaired in 2 of 12 children examined by oral glucose tolerance test before therapy and normalized during therapy. Fasting insulin and insulin resistance being normal at the beginning, significantly increased at 12 months and returned to initial levels at 36 months of GH therapy. Fasting glucose as well as HbA1c and triglyceride levels were always normal. The fat mass before GH therapy was increased (39.5%) and dropped into the upper normal range (28.3%) during 3 years of therapy, being correlated with fasting insulin concentration and indices of insulin sensitivity before and after 1 year of therapy. Conclusions: Children with PWS are characterized by an intact insulin sensitivity with a decrease and a delay of insulin secretion, regardless of moderate obesity or GH treatment. In the present setting, the carbohydrate metabolism is not impaired by GH therapy, but by the excessively increased fat mass.
Higher levels of basal serial CSF cortisol in combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE Results of basal peripheral cortisol measures in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been variable. The authors' goal was to measure CSF cortisol concentrations, which more accurately reflect brain glucocorticoid exposure, in subjects with or without PTSD. METHOD CSF was withdrawn from a subarachnoid catheter and plasma from a venous catheter, both indwelling, over a 6-hour interval to determine hourly plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations and hourly CSF cortisol levels in eight well-characterized combat veterans with PTSD and eight matched healthy volunteers. RESULTS Mean CSF cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in the subjects with PTSD (3.18 ng/ml, SD=0.33) than in the normal volunteers (2.33 ng/ml, SD=0.50), largely due to higher CSF cortisol concentration nadirs. No group differences were observed in either plasma ACTH or peripheral (plasma or urinary free) cortisol. CSF corticotropin-releasing hormone and CSF cortisol concentrations were positively and significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS Despite normal peripheral cortisol indexes in the veterans with PTSD, their CNS exposure to cortisol was greater than that of normal comparison subjects.
Multi--detector row helical CT of the pancreas: effect of contrast-enhanced multiphasic imaging on enhancement of the pancreas, peripancreatic vasculature, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE To determine the optimal phase for enhancement of the normal pancreas and peripancreatic vasculature and the maximal tumor-to-pancreatic parenchymal enhancement difference by using multiphase, contrast material-enhanced, multi-detector row helical computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-nine patients with a normal-appearing pancreas but suspected of having pancreatic abnormality and 28 patients with proved pancreatic adenocarcinoma underwent multiphase, contrast-enhanced, multi-detector row CT during the arterial phase (AP), pancreatic parenchymal phase (PPP), and portal venous phase (PVP). Attenuation values of the normal pancreas, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, celiac and superior mesenteric arteries, and superior mesenteric and portal veins were measured during all three imaging phases. Quantitative analysis of these measurements and subjective qualitative analysis of tumor conspicuity were performed. RESULTS Maximal enhancement of the normal pancreatic parenchyma occurred during the PPP. Maximal tumor-to-parenchyma attenuation differences during the PPP and PVP were equivalent but greater than that during the AP. Subjective analysis revealed that tumor conspicuity during the PPP and PVP was equivalent but superior to that during the AP. Maximal arterial enhancement was seen during the PPP, and maximal venous enhancement was seen during the PVP. CONCLUSION A combination of PPP and PVP imaging is sufficient for detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, because it provides maximal pancreatic parenchymal and peripancreatic vascular enhancement. AP imaging can be reserved for patients in whom CT angiography is required.
Understanding recruitment and retention in the NHS community pharmacy stop smoking service: perceptions of smoking cessation advisers

Objectives To understand views of pharmacy advisers about smoker recruitment and retention in the National Health Service community pharmacy stop smoking programme. Design Thematic framework analysis of semistructured, in-depth interviews applying the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B behaviour change model. We aimed to identify aspects of adviser behaviour that might be modified to increase numbers joining and completing the programme. Participants 25 stop smoking advisers (13 pharmacists and 12 support staff). Setting 29 community pharmacies in 3 inner east London boroughs. Results Advisers had preconceived ideas about smokers likely to join or drop out and made judgements about smokers' readiness to quit. Actively recruiting smokers was accorded low priority due in part to perceived insufficient remuneration to the pharmacy and anticipated challenging interactions with smokers. Suggestions to improve smoker recruitment and retention included developing a more holistic and supportive approach using patient-centred communication. Training counter assistants were seen to be important as was flexibility to extend the programme duration to fit better with smokers’ needs. Conclusions Cessation advisers feel they lack the interpersonal skills necessary to engage well with smokers and help them to quit. Addressing advisers' behaviours about active engagement and follow-up of clients, together with regular skills training including staff not formally trained as cessation advisers, could potentially boost numbers recruited and retained in the stop smoking programme. Adjustments to the pharmacy remuneration structure to incentivise recruitment and to allow personalisation of the programme for individual smokers should also be considered.
Abnormalities of cornified cell envelopes isolated from human papillomavirus type 11-infected genital epithelium.

Keratinocytes are the predominant cells in human skin. As keratinocytes differentiate, the nuclei are lost and the cornified cell envelope (CCE) develops, forming a covalently cross-linked, insoluble structure under the cell membrane. Layers of anuclear CCEs in the stratum corneum provide a barrier against water loss and mechanical damage and are a first line of immunologic defense. Infection of keratinocytes with human papillomaviruses (HPVs) induces proliferation and abnormalities including retention of nuclei in the stratum corneum and perinuclear halo formation. For effective transmission, HPV virions must be released from the CCE, a normally very durable structure. Therefore, it is likely that HPV infection affects the CCE in a manner that would facilitate virion release. To investigate the effects of HPV 11 infection on morphology and fragility, CCEs were purified from infected and uninfected epithelium. CCEs isolated from uninfected epithelium were smooth, cuboidal, and sonicated into long coiled structures. In contrast, CCEs from HPV 11-infected epithelium were irregular in size and shape, with rough edges, and sonicated into small fragments. In addition, the thickness of CCEs from HPV 11-infected tissue was 65% that of uninfected epithelium. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that in contrast to uninfected epithelium, loricrin, the major component of the CCE, was abnormally distributed in the differentiated layers of HPV 11-infected epithelium. We conclude that in addition to the previously described epithelial abnormalities induced by HPV, the CCE is also affected by infection in ways that may facilitate transmission of virus from person to person.
Maternal factors associated with child behavior.

BACKGROUND Knowledge of the relative contributions of risk factors in predicting young children's behavior problems may provide insights for the development of preventive interventions. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify maternal predictors of children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors in a volunteer sample of 205 low-income, single mothers with children between 2 and 6 years of age. METHOD Data were collected on chronic stressors, self-esteem, negative thinking, depressive symptoms, and child behavior during in-home interviews with the mothers. RESULTS Mothers' reports of internalizing and externalizing behaviors did not differ by sex or race of the child. Chronic stressors and depressive symptoms, in addition to control variables, explained 27% of the variability in internalizing behavior while these two variables accounted for 21% of the variability in externalizing behavior. For both internalizing and externalizing behavior, chronic stressors exerted the largest total effects. The effects of self-esteem and negative thinking were indirect, with the latter playing a stronger role. The indirect effect of negative thinking on child behavior was exerted through depressive symptoms, while self-esteem was linked with child behavior through both negative thinking and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Decreasing mothers' negative thinking, a variable amenable to intervention, may not only decrease a mother's depressive symptoms but also improve her perception of the child's behavior. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Decreasing mothers' negative thinking may provide a way to reduce their depressive symptoms and result in fewer behavior problems among their young children. Nurses working in primary care and community-based settings are in key positions to address this problem and improve the mental health of low-income mothers and positively affect the behavior of their children.
When Do Gain-Framed Health Messages Work Better Than Fear Appeals

Past literature reviews of gain-framed versus loss-based health messages have been inconsistent and inconclusive. To resolve this and provide a clearer pattern, this review focuses on the individual or person-specific characteristics of target audiences. The results indicate that by answering the following four questions about a target audience, one can predict whether a gain-framed or a loss-based health message will be more effective. 1) Is there a low (versus high) level of involvement in the issue? 2) Is there a high (versus low) certainty of the outcome? 3) Is there a low (versus high) preference for risk? 4) Is there a heuristic (versus piecemeal) processing style? The profiling of audiences on these factors has two distinct benefits; it resolves many of the seeming inconsistencies in past positive-negative and gain-loss message research (such as fear appeals working better with experts than nonexperts) and it helps predict which type of message will be most effective with a given audience.
Tachycardia as a Negative Prognostic Factor for Stroke Outcome

Introduction: The outcome of stroke, especially lethal one is significant, as in the hemorrhagic as well as in ischemic stroke. Goal: was to show the impact on the stroke outcome of tachycardia correlated with lesion localization. Material and methods: Material for our work was patients who were treated due to the stroke at the Neurology Clinic Sarajevo in the period from 31 March 2015 until 01 January 2016. A total of 544 stoke patients were treated in the reporting period, 221 (44.6%) died. There were 70.9% patients with ischemic and 29.1% with hemorrhagic stroke. Each patient underwent ECG, which registered tachycardia during admission and on third day of hospitalization. Results: In relation to the presence of tachycardia on admission there were statistically significant differences in the group of patients with hemorrhage and ischemia in relation to presence of tachycardia (p <0.01). In the group of patients with hemorrhage coma was more present (78.9%), while tachycardia was statistically more often in those with loss of consciousness than in the group with coma. Group of patients with ischemia has 52.75% of the patients with tachycardia without statistical correlation between the presence and absence of disorders of consciousness. Midline lesions were statistically more often associated with paroxysmal tachycardia in relation to the lateral lesions (p <0.01). Statistical analysis shows that there are statistically significant differences between observed groups χ2=35.576, p=0.0001. Lethal outcome of hemorrhagic stroke was 55.45%, 32.6% for ischemia. A significant statistical significance of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke compared to the lethal outcome correlated with the registered tachycardia and medial lesion localization. Conclusion: Tachycardia on admission in patients with stroke is a relevant negative predictor for stroke outcome. Medial localization of changes significantly affects the occurrence of tachycardia and lethal outcome of stroke which is statistically significantly more associated with hemorrhagic stroke.
Inflation Targeting in Emerging Economies

I document the decline in the rate of inflation in 14 emerging economies after the implementation of an inflation targeting (IT) regime. I briefly describe how each country implements the IT, and argue that the new regime forced policy coordination amongst various governmental units, allowed for a more singular focus, and more transparent policy making process. This allowed agents to better coordinate expectations which precipitated the decline in the rate of inflation. I also document the difficulty with hitting a precise inflation target over a short period of time in the same countries. A model of policy coordination is presented to show how inflation is determined by joint behavior of monetary and fiscal policies. ****** Documento el descenso de la tasa de inflacion despues de la implementacion del regimen de Inflacion Objetivo (OI) en 14 economias emergentes. Describo brevemente como cada pais implemento IO y argumento que el nuevo regimen forzo una coordinacion de politicas entre varios entes gubernamentales, esto ultimo facilitado por un proceso de toma de decisiones mas transparente y con un enfoque mas puntual. Esto permitio que los agentes economicos coordinaran mejor sus expectativas induciendo asi una reduccion en la tasa de inflacion. Para los mismos paises, tambien documento la dificultad de acertar a una meta de inflacion precisa en un corto periodo de tiempo. Para mostrar como la inflacion esta determinada por la accion conjunta de las politicas fiscal y monetaria, presento un modelo de coordinacion de politicas.
Transient response of grounding electrodes for the frequency-dependence of soil parameters

This study evaluates the response of a horizontal grounding electrode against impulsive currents whose waveforms and time front is typical of lightning. The electrode is found buried in soil with different resistivity values and whose conductivity and permittivity vary with spectrum frequency of lightning according four formulations exists in literature. It was possible to observe the intense propagation effects responsible for the grounding impedance values significantly different from the resistance at low frequency and also difference according to each formulation, which has decreased the potential, the impedance impulsive and impulsive coefficient compared to traditional data from the technical literature specialist.
Electoral Cycles in Macroprudential Regulation

Do politics matter for macroprudential policies? I show that changes in macroprudential regulation exhibit a predictable electoral cycle in the run-up to 221 elections across 58 countries from 2000 through 2014. Policies restricting mortgages and consumer credit are systematically looser before elections, particularly during economic expansions. Consistent with theories of opportunistic political cycles, this pattern is stronger when election outcomes are uncertain, regulators are closely tied to politicians, and institutions are poor. These results suggest that political pressures may limit the ability of regulators to “lean against the wind. ” (JEL D72, E32, G01, G21, G28)