Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TIMER-Cloud: Time-Sensitive VM Provisioning in Resource-Constrained Clouds

Resource management is a vital factor for better performance in cloud systems and many resource allocation algorithms have been studied. In this work, focusing on applications with timing constraints (i.e., deadlines) running on resource-constrained clouds that have multiple heterogeneous nodes of computing resources (e.g., CPU cores and memory), we propose TIMER-Cloud, a time-sensitive resource allocation and virtual machine (VM) provisioning framework. As a key component of the framework, user requests (of running certain applications) are prioritized according to their deadlines and resource demands (in the form of VM and its operation time). Specifically, in addition to the intuitive Earliest Deadline First (EDF) ordering of requests, we propose three prioritization heuristics: a) one based on the Time-Sensitive Resource Factor (TSRF) that incorporates a request's deadline and usage efficiency of all its resources; b) the Dominant Share (DS) extension of TSRF that emphasizes the most demanded resource of a request aiming at obtaining balanced resource usage among the nodes; and c) a unified k-EDF scheme that integrates the ideas of EDF and TSRF/DS to balance the needs of meeting imminent deadlines of requests and improving resource usage efficiency. Then, for the mapping of the prioritized user requests to the heterogeneous nodes, we propose a novel request-to-node mapping algorithm based on the idea of euclidean Distance that finds the node with the best match of its resource requirements for each request. TIMER-Cloud has been implemented and validated on a cloud testbed powered by OpenStack with a few heterogeneous nodes. The proposed VM provisioning schemes are further evaluated through extensive simulations using the execution data of benchmark applications. The results show that the proposed schemes can outperform the state-of-the-art deadline oblivious scheme by serving up to 12 percent more user requests and achieving up to 8 percent more system rewards for the over-loaded scenario with 140 percent system load.
Risk taking after the nancial crisis ∗

The economic and nancial crisis in 2008 and 2009 o ers an excellent opportunity to investigate whether and how wealth changes a ect households' risk attitudes, stock market expectations, and risk taking behavior. Based on data from the German SAVE study, we analyze the e ects of regular wealth changes and having experienced a wealth shock , i.e., self-assessed su ering from the economic and nancial crisis. We nd little evidence for the common contention that the willingness to take risks is decreasing in regular decreases of wealth. In contrast, su ering a wealth shock seems to negatively a ect risk taking. The e ect does not run via risk attitudes but in uences risk taking via return expectations and directly.
Desiring Brotherhood — Alternative Masculinities and a Critique of the American Empire in Carson McCullers ’ s Reflections in a Golden Eye

This paper examines Carson McCullers’s second novel, Reflections in a Golden Eye, a strange tale that received accusations of morbidity when it was published in 1941. Because of the novel’s shocking homosexual theme, critics tend to read it as McCullers’s inheritance of the Gothic school of southern writing. However, I argue that this paradigmatic use of southern regionalism as the singular model to interpret her novel is inadequate and ignores the transnational imaginary of the story. One of the essential clues to McCullers’s awareness of the imperialist expansion of U.S. global power is the strange presence of the Filipino houseboy, who alerts us to the more disturbing aspects of American invasions into the international sphere. Set in a traditionally male domain of a military post, the novel explores the tensions and ambivalence inherent in a Received July 4, 2014; accepted April 14, 2015; last revised April 30, 2015 Proofreaders: Tsai Min Fang, Pei-Yun Lee, Kuei-feng Hu
BUILD EXPRESSIONS OF THERMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS AND CUMULANTS THROUGH NEW STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS FOR SOME PURE CUBIC CRYSTALS BY THE ANHARMONIC CORRELATED EINSTEIN MODEL

By using potential effective interaction in the anharmonic correlated Einstein model in XAFS (X ray absorption fine structure) theory on the basis of quantum statistical theory with phonon interaction procedure, the expressions describe asymmetric component through by the cumulants and thermodynamic parameters including the anharmonic effects contributions and by new structural parameters of cubic crystals have been formulated. This new parameters describe distribution of atoms. The expansion of cumulants and thermodynamic parameters through new structural parameters have been performed.
AN IDEA GENERATION METHOD FOR THE LATE PHASES OF ENGINEERING DESIGN

Creativity processes and idea generation techniques play an important role in innovation processes. They are necessary to get economic success. There are more than hundred techniques for creativity and problem solving. However, the space of techniques has been unstructured, and clear guidelines haven t been available for the selection of an appropriate technique for a given innovation goal. Idea Engineering provides an engineering approach to the problem of producing ideas. We used methods of the approach of Idea Engineering and combined them with well-known evaluation methods from the field of engineering to evaluate these ideas. By using this approach we changed the design of a sealing of a universal joint of a powertrain shaft and reduced significantly the number of fails during the manufacturing process. The Idea Engineering approach was used in a late phase of the engineering design process.
Elevated Ki-67 (MIB-1) expression as an independent predictor for unfavorable pathologic outcomes and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in patients with localized prostate cancer: A propensity score matched study

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Prostate cancer (CaP) remains a disease with significant morbidity and mortality. To prevent a rise in CaP morbidity and mortality, prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening cannot be abandon, despite recent screening recommendations. However, a significant portion of men are over treated and over screened for indolent CaP. Although PSA screening saves lives, there remains a need to better identify men who will develop lethal CaP. Multiple biomarkers and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) have been developed that may aid in this advancement. METHODS: PSA, 4K score, (Michigan Prostate Score) MiPS and mpMRI were retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively collected and maintained database according to the clinical pathway shown in Figure 1. Data was analyzed for the ability of each biomarker to predict prostate cancer, GS 3+4 prostate cancer and PI-RADS 3 or greater lesion on mpMRI in 36 patients. Overall and grade group (GG) 2+ CaP detection rates were determined. Patients were grouped into CaP positive, negative and MRI negative groups. All groups were compared using nested linear models. Post-hoc analysis was then performed to compare individual groups. RESULTS: 65% and 58% of men were diagnosed with CaP and GG2+ CaP, respectively. Cohort data and biopsy data are shown in Table 1 and 2. Patients with CaP were more likely to have higher MiPS high-grade CaP %, higher MiPS CaP % and PSAD (p<0.05) compared to those without prostate cancer. Notably, there was no difference in 4K score, MiPS overall and high-grade cancer % between those without cancer and those with a negative mpMRI. CONCLUSIONS: The use of 4K score, MiPS score and mpMRI compared to traditional PSA screening alone provided a greater clinically significant prostate cancer detection rate compared to traditional positive biopsy rates. Table. No title available. Table. No title available. Figure. No caption available. Source of Funding: None
HER-2 / neu Expression in Colorectal Carcinoma and its Correlation with Pathological Parameters by Immunohistochemistery

This study was conducted to estimate the expression of her2/neu oncoprotein in human colorectal carcinoma and to show its possible correlation to the pathological parameters. Thirty five patients of colorectal carcinoma were studied in AlDiwanyia teaching hospital and some private hospital in a period from January 2007 to Juan 2010 , out of 35 cases there were only 20cases positive for her2/neu oncoprotein. The rate of her2 was high in colorectal carcinoma and the important feature of her2/neu expression was the membranouscytoplasmic pattern , it was prominent in Grade III ,and stages C and D , so this pattern indicates poor prognosis of the tumor.
RIKSBANK WORKING PAPER SERIES 241 Monetary Regime Change and Business Cycles

This paper analyzes to what extent changes in monetary policy regimes inuence the business cycle in a small open economy and investigates the impact of policy breaks on the estimation procedure. We estimate a DSGE model on Swedish data, explicitly taking into account the monetary regime change in 1993, from exchange rate targeting to ination targeting. The results suggest that monetary policy reacted strongly to exchange rate movements in the former, and mostly to ination in the latter. The external sector plays an important role in the economy and the international transmission mechanism is signi cantly a¤ected by the choice of exchange rate regime. A counterfactual experiment that applies the ination targeting policy rule on the disturbances from the exchange rate targeting period suggests that such a policy would have led to higher output and employment, but also to a depreciated currency, higher ination and a more volatile economy. We also show evidence that ignoring the break in the estimation leads to spurious results for both the parameters associated with monetary policy as well as those that are policy-independent. (JEL: C1, C5, E5, F4) Keywords: Bayesian estimation, DSGE models, target zone, ination targeting, regime change An early version of this paper was previously circulated as "An Estimated DSGE Model for Sweden with a Monetary Regime Change. " We are indebted to Jesper Lindé, Torsten Persson, Christopher Sims and Lars E.O. Svensson for extensive advice. We would also like to thank Mikael Carlsson, Carlos Carvalho, Efrem Castelnuovo, Marco Del Negro, Giovanni Favara, Jordi Mondria, Virginia Queijo von Heideken, Ulf Söderström, Andrea Tambalotti and Karl Walentin for fruitful discussions and comments. The views expressed in this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and should not be interpreted as reecting the views of the Executive Board of Sveriges Riksbank, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the authors. yCorresponding author. E-mail address: daria. nocchiaro@riksbank.se Monetary Regime Change and Business Cycles
Thermal ablation for colorectal pulmonary metastases : a meta-analysis

Previous studies have demonstrated ablation therapy is a safe and effective treatment in patients with pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer, but the survival varied widely. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the overall efficacy of ablation therapy for colorectal pulmonary metastases (CPM). A total of 18 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Six of the studies were prospective, others were retrospective. Primary outcomes were the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and local control rate (LCR). The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-year OS of CPM treated with ablation were 88.9%, 66.6%, 56.9%, 31.0%, 43.4% respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year PFS of CPM treated with ablation were 52.4%, 15.8%, 11.8% respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year LCR of CPM were 86.8%, 76.7%, 76.1% respectively. CPM patients after pulmonary ablation had a similar survival outcome with pulmonary metastasectomy. The data from the subgroups (tumor size ≤ 3 cm, without extrapulmonary metastasis and CEA negative) showed significantly better 1-year OS and 3-year OS in CPM patients who received pulmonary ablation. CPM with a single tumor had a better 3-year OS than those with multiple tumors, while their 1-year OS had no statistical difference. Those patients of CPM with a tumor size ≤ 3 cm, a single tumor, normal CEA level and without extrapulmonary metastasis are most likely to benefit from ablation treatment.
Effects of cashew nut shell liquid ( CNSL ) on the performance of broiler chickens

The effects of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) on growth performance, carcass yield, relative weight of internal organs and microbiology of digestive tract of broiler chickens were investigated. Five hundred and forty male broiler chicks at one day of age were arranged in a completely randomized design with six treatments and six repetitions with 15 broiler chicks each. The treatments were: control (T1 – without growth promoter virginiamycin and CNSL); inclusion levels of 0.10mL (T2), 0.20mL (T3), 0.30mL (T4) and 0.40mL (T5) of CNSL/kg of feed; and commercial promoter virginiamycin (T6). At 21 and 40 days of age, body weight, feed intake, feed conversion and viability of birds were similar in all treatments. Carcass yield was higher in the treatment with the growth promoter when compared to the control treatment. There was a linear increase in carcass yield when the level of CNSL was increased in the diet. The relative weight of the intestine was lower in the treatment containing virginiamycin when compared to the treatment without the inclusion of additives. The relative weight of the intestines decreased when the levels of inclusion of CNSL were increased. There was a gradual reduction of Escherichia coli concentration reaching the lowest number on the CNSL level of 0.30mL/kg. It was concluded that CNSL showed similar performance and slaughter yield as the growth promoter and reduced the concentration of Escherichia coli in the intestinal contents.
OF ‘ FRUTANA ’ INTERSTOCK IN THE PRODUCTION OF MAIDEN SWEET CHERRY TREES IN THE NURSERY S awomir

In a nursery production there are very few verified rootstocks diminishing the growth of sweet cherry trees in an orchard. An alternative solution is application of a dwarfing interstock. In the experiment the usefulness of a dwarfing interstock called ‘Frutana’ for the production of sweet cherry maiden trees was checked. The studies covered the following rootstocks: Prunus avium, and Colt and the cultivars of sweet cherry trees: ‘Kordia’, ‘Lapins’ and ‘Regina’. The strongest growth of sweet cherry maiden trees was obtained on ‘Colt’ and the weakest on Prunus avium with the interstock. The best productivity was obtained on Prunus avium, and the worst on Prunus avium with the interstock. Anatomic sections that were carried out did not show any signs of physiological incompatibility between the dwarfing interstock ‘Frutana’ and the studied cultivars of sweet cherry trees.
NIAB-777: AN EARLY MATURING ,HIGH YIELDING AND BETTER QUALITY COTTON MUTANT DEVELOPED THROUGH POLLEN IRRADIATION TECHNIQUE-SUITABLE FOR HIGH DENSITY PLANTING

This paper describes development of mutant NIAB-777 with improved yield and fibre characters through pollen irradiation method. A cross between NIAB-78 and REBA-288 using gamma irradiated pollen at the rate of 10 Gray (Gy) of gamma rays before cross pollination was attempted. The objective was to create new genetic variability and select the desirable new cotton mutants. After irradiation followed by hybridization subsequent generations were raised to investigate the effect of irradiation treatment. Significant variations from control/parents were observed. From M 1 generation, the M 2 population was grown and different desirable mutants having higher yield, early maturity, resistance/tolerance to diseases were selected. These were evaluated for yield potential and desirable other economic traits in different generations till uniformity was achieved. Of these, M-7/02, later named as cv. NIAB-777 was finally selected. It produced 23.4% & 18.5% higher seed cotton yield from standards at local trials. It produced higher seed cotton yield in regional adaptability trials (17.4%), provincial coordinated cotton trials (16.6 %) and in national coordinated varietal trials (8.8 %) compared to standard cv. CIM-496. It has desirable fibre quality traits i.e. ginning out turn (GOT) of 37.6%, fibre length of 28.81 mm, fibre fineness of 4.67 µg/inch, uniformity index of 85.0%, fibre maturity 81.2% and fibre strength 91.12 thousand pounds per square inch (TPPSI). NIAB-777 is suitable for high density planting. It has better tolerance to cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) disease and insect pests. It is concluded that 10 Gray gamma irradiation in cotton has effectively stimulate/increase the agronomical characters and tolerance to disease.
The Implications of ECB ’ s Asset Purchase Programmes for Liquidity Premia in Euro Area Government Bonds

This article examines the impact of the ECB's asset purchase programmes on the sovereign bond liquidity premia by employing both classical and controlled event-study analysis. We provide evidence that monetary news emerge as key determinants in bond market liquidity. More specifically, the estimates showed that all events were effective in countering upward pressure on Italian liquidity premia. The inclusion of macroeconomic surprises affects the results only marginally, indicating that the announcements are the most relevant news within the event window. Our findings show also robust, economically significant impact of SMP and OMT events on the Italian and Spanish liquidity premiums. JEL Classifications: E52, E58, G14
The Impact of Listening Strategies on Improving Learners ’ Listening Skill

Viable listening comprehension skills are essential as the world gets to be more and more worldwide. Multimedia and the web get to be discussions for English communication. English Language Learners (ELL) struggle to grasp oral English writings in their listening comprehension categories. In this study, a group of 100 ELL learners from undergraduate level in college participated in this study and answered a general proficiency test and students responded to the listening section of TOEFL. Students were classified into effective and ineffective listeners by application of O'Malley et al.'s subjective criteria (1989) and the scores of students in TOEFL. To elicit the listening strategies of each group, listening strategy questionnaire was developed. A Case II t-test analysis of the questionnaires showed a meaningful difference between effective and ineffective listeners. The subjects were divided on the basis of their pre-listening scores into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the instruction of listening strategies and control group received the general traditional instruction. The treatment included introduction, modeling and practicing the listening strategies. A post-test of listening section of TOFEL was administered to both groups. The results imply that listening strategies can be taught.
A Comparison of Pass Rates Across Three Language Screeners for Spanish-English Bilingual Children

There is limited research regarding the efficacy of the language screening process, especially for bilingual populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the pass rates of three language screeners when administered to Spanish-English bilingual and ELL children. A total of ten Spanish-English bilingual children enrolled in either Pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade completed each screener. The screeners were: the Preschool Language Scales Spanish Screening Test-Fifth Edition (PLSSST-5; Zimmerman et al., 2012a), the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener (BESOS; currently in development; Lugo-Neris et al., n.d.), and the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Screening Test (DELV-S; Seymour et al., 2003). Analyses included examining each tool’s pass rate, the consistency at which the tools identified the same participants as requiring further evaluation, and the accuracy at which the tools classified the children’s referral status (+referral vs. –referral) as determined by the Instrument to Assess Language Knowledge (ITALK; Peña, Gutiérrez-Clellen, Iglesias, Goldstein, & Bedore, 2014). Thirty percent of the participants passed the PLSSST-5 and the DELV-S-II, and 60% passed the BESOS. When compared to the ITALK, the PLSSST-5 yielded the highest classification accuracy (90%) for identifying the participants’ referral status. The results suggest caution when using these language screeners by themselves to determine if a child should be referred to a speech-language pathologist for evaluation.
INFLUENCE OF WATERLOGGING , SALINITY AND THEIR COMBINATION ON MEMBRANE INJURY , LIPID PEROXIDATION , PLANT BIOMASS AND YIELD IN PIGEON PEA ( CAJANUS CAJAN L . MILLSP . ) GENOTYPES

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp. ] is the sixth most important grain legume of tropics and subtropics. Because of its multiple uses, it plays an important role in subsistence agriculture. It is an important pulse crop that performs well in poor soils and regions where moisture availability is unreliable or inadequate (Kimani, 2001). In India, pigeonpea is mainly grown in the regions lying between 140N and 290N latitudes with mean annual rainfall ranging between 600 and 1500 mm. Waterlogging is a perennial production problem in these areas which are characterized with alluvial or deep vertisols. Soil waterlogging has long been identified as a major abiotic stress and the constraints it imposes on roots have marked effect on plant growth and development. Under waterlogged condition the productivity of sugarcane also found lower than normal condition in various studies (Kumar et al., 2015). Waterlogged plants are affected by various stresses, such as limitations to gas, mineral nutrient deficiencies and microelement toxicities (Setter and Waters, 2003; Setter et al., 2009). Excess water in the root environment may be injurious or even lethal because it blocks the transfer of oxygen and other gases between the soil, the roots of the plant and the atmosphere. Due to waterlogging, the solute leakage increased (Johnson et al., 1989), so electrical conductivity is also increased (Givelberg et al., 1984; Lott et al., 1991). Membrane disintegration is one of the consequences of oxygen deprivation (Rawyler et al., 2002), resulting in more than 40 times increase in solute leakage from 4d waterlogged pea plants (Jackson et al., 1982).
Hourly elemental composition and sources identi ! cation of ! ne and coarse PM 10 particulate matter in four Italian towns

The composition of particulate matter in the atmosphere of four major italian towns (Florence, Genoa, Milan and Naples) has been studied with hourly resolution by means of ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques and statistical methods. The aerosol has been collected simultaneously in the four towns during the ! rst weeks of year 2001, by two-stage continuous streaker samplers, which separate and collect the PM10 particulate matter in two fractions. The hourly concentrations in air of about 20 elements have been extracted in the ! ne and coarse fractions of PM10 by particle induced X-ray (and gamma-ray) emission, PIXE (and PIGE), analysis of about 2700 hourly samples. The coupled use of streaker samplers and IBA techniques made distinguishable time patterns typical of urban environments as well as fast and occasional episodes. Absolute principal component factor analysis (APCFA) and other statistical approaches have been used to obtain a sintetic apportionment of the sources of particulate matter. 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.