Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Channel Switching and Contention Control in Vehicular Networks

In vehicular networks, multi-channel operation standard IEEE 1609.4 is designed for vehicular communications across multiple channels. It has been revealed that such multi-channel operations may result in high contention in vehicular communications. However, existing analytical models are unable to capture the dynamic characteristic during channel switching. We develop a novel Markov model that takes into account the dynamic contention behavior during channel switching. In particular, our model reveals the high contention caused by the burst arrivals, which are the results of multi-channel operations. To combat such performance decline, we propose two solutions, a centralized equal-spaced algorithm and a distributed random-spaced algorithm. The key idea is to disperse the burst packet arrivals across the available timeframe in order to alleviate contention. Our model, validated by simulations, accurately characterizes the high contention caused by multi-channel operations. Our results demonstrate our proposed solutions can effectively mitigate packet collision, enhance reliability, and improve system throughput during the multi-channel operations.
Clinical, microbiological and molecular characteristics of six cases of group A streptococcal meningitis in western Norway

Abstract Meningitis is a rare clinical manifestation of invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease. Clinical, microbiological and molecular characteristics of 6 consecutive cases of GAS meningitis treated in Haukeland University Hospital in the period 2004–2009 are described. All 6 patients had a primary upper respiratory tract infection, with subsequent mastoiditis in 5, subdural effusions in 2, and cerebral abscess in 1. Five patients needed surgical treatment (myringotomy, craniotomy or mastoidectomy). All patients were treated with a β-lactam antibiotic in combination with rifampicin. The course was complicated in all cases, and 1 patient died. Three of the bacterial isolates were of the sequence type emm1.0 and they shared the same superantigen gene profile (speA, speG, speJ, smeZ). The remaining 3 isolates belonged to sequence types emm 3.1, emm6.4 and emm12.0. Deletions in emm genes were observed. This report describes the severe and complicated course of GAS meningitis and its management, often requiring surgical intervention.
A Novel RING Finger Protein, Human Enhancer of Invasion 10, Alters Mitotic Progression through Regulation of Cyclin B Levels

ABSTRACT The process of cellular morphogenesis is highly conserved in eukaryotes and is dependent upon the function of proteins that are centrally involved in specification of the cell cycle. The human enhancer of invasion clone 10 (HEI10) protein was identified from a HeLa cell library based on its ability to promote yeast agar invasion and filamentation. Through two-hybrid screening, the mitotic cyclin B1 and an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme were isolated as HEI10-interacting proteins. Mutation of the HEI10 divergent RING finger motif (characteristic of E3 ubiquitin ligases) and Cdc2/cyclin binding and phosphorylation sites alter HEI10-dependent yeast phenotypes, including delay in G2/M transition. In vertebrates, the addition of HEI10 inhibits nuclear envelope breakdown and mitotic entry in Xenopus egg extracts. Mechanistically, HEI10 expression reduces cyclin B levels in cycling Xenopus eggs and reduces levels of the cyclin B ortholog Clb2p in yeast. HEI10 is itself a specific in vitro substrate of purified cyclin B/cdc2, with a TPVR motif as primary phosphorylation site. Finally, HEI10 is itself ubiquitinated in egg extracts and is also autoubiquitinated in vitro. These and other points lead to a model in which HEI10 defines a divergent class of E3 ubiquitin ligase, functioning in progression through G2/M.
A Modified Model for Hotel Website Functionality Evaluation

ABSTRACT Harnessing a mathematical computation approach to analyze data solicited from 354 website stakeholders (including 200 hotel customers, 83 hotel managers, and 71 hotel website designers), this study presents an up-to-date and robust evaluation model for assessing the functionality of hotel websites. The modified model was also empirically used to assess the functionality performance of the websites of all the hotels in Hong Kong. Results from the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests revealed a difference in performance, with higher star rating hotels performing better than those with a lower star rating. As one of the first attempts to incorporate the perceptions of multiple website stakeholders into hotel website evaluation, this study provides hoteliers with practical advice on website development.
Review of Mechanical, Processing, and Immunologic Factors Associated With Outcomes of Fresh Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation of the Talus

Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) are an increasingly implicated cause of ankle pain and instability. Several treatment methods exist with varying clinical outcomes. Due in part to successful osteochondral allografting (OCA) in other joints, such as the knee and shoulder, OCA has gained popularity as a treatment option, especially in the setting of large lesions. The clinical outcomes of talar OCA have been inconsistent relative to the positive results observed in other joints. Current literature regarding OCA failure focuses mainly on 3 factors: the effect of graft storage conditions on chondrocyte viability, graft/lesion size, and operative technique. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated the ability for bone and cartilage tissue to invoke an immune response, and a limited number of clinical studies have suggested that this response may have the potential to influence outcomes after transplantation. Further research is warranted to investigate the role of immunological mechanisms as an etiology of OCA failure. Level of Evidence: Level V, expert opinion.
Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele as a genetic risk factor for left ventricular failure in homozygous beta-thalassemia.

In homozygous beta-thalassemia, the organ damage is mainly attributed to excessive iron deposition through the formation of oxygen free radicals. Despite appropriate transfusion and chelation therapy and low ferritin levels, patients still develop organ failure, heart failure being the main cause of death. This study was designed to determine whether the decreased antioxidant activity of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) 4 allele could represent a genetic risk factor for the development of left ventricular failure (LVF) in beta-thalassemia homozygotes. A total of 251 Greek beta-thalassemia homozygotes were studied. Patients were divided in three groups: group A (n = 151) with no cardiac impairment, group C (n = 47) with LVF, and 53 patients with LV dilatation and normal LV systolic function constituted the group B. DNA was obtained from all patients, and the polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the polymorphism at the APOE locus. The APOE allele frequencies were compared with those of a Greek control sample of 216 healthy blood donors. Patients with no cardiac impairment had an APOE 4 allele frequency (7.9%) not different from population controls (6.5%, P > .05), while patients with LVF had a significantly higher frequency of APOE 4 (12.8%) than the controls (P < .05, odds ratio = 2.11, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 4.32). The APOE 4 allele may represent an important genetic risk factor for the development of organ damage in homozygous beta-thalassemia.
Effects of Steady-State Noise on Verbal Working Memory in Young Adults.

PURPOSE We set out to examine the impact of perceptual, linguistic, and capacity demands on performance of verbal working-memory tasks. The Ease of Language Understanding model (Rönnberg et al., 2013) provides a framework for testing the dynamics of these interactions within the auditory-cognitive system. METHODS Adult native speakers of English (n = 45) participated in verbal working-memory tasks requiring processing and storage of words involving different linguistic demands (closed/open set). Capacity demand ranged from 2 to 7 words per trial. Participants performed the tasks in quiet and in speech-spectrum-shaped noise. Separate groups of participants were tested at different signal-to-noise ratios. Word-recognition measures were obtained to determine effects of noise on intelligibility. RESULTS Contrary to predictions, steady-state noise did not have an adverse effect on working-memory performance in every situation. Noise negatively influenced performance for the task with high linguistic demand. Of particular importance is the finding that the adverse effects of background noise were not confined to conditions involving declines in recognition. CONCLUSIONS Perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive demands can dynamically affect verbal working-memory performance even in a population of healthy young adults. Results suggest that researchers and clinicians need to carefully analyze task demands to understand the independent and combined auditory-cognitive factors governing performance in everyday listening situations.
Impairment of peripheral blood stem-cell mobilisation in patients with mantle-cell lymphoma following primary treatment with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide±rituximab

Mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) remains an incurable disease with a median survival of 3–5 years and no widely agreed approach to its initial management. Fludarabine as a single agent achieves response rates of 41–72% in newly diagnosed MCL [1,2] and 33% in pre-treated MCL [3]. When combined with other agents, these response rates are higher [4]. In previously untreated MCL, a combination of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) with or without the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab achieved complete response rates of over 40% [5]. In MCL relapsing after initial CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone) chemotherapy, 75% of patients responded to FC with or without rituximab [6]. These results suggest that such a combination may be more active than CHOP. One of the lingering concerns with purine analogue-based therapies is their potential toxicity to hematopoietic stem cells and the subsequent difficulty in mobilising sufficient numbers for transplantation. With a median age at presentation of 60, many patients with MCL are unsuitable for more intensive treatment schedules. However, in younger patients, peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT) has emerged as a promising approach. The largest published series to date (n1⁄4 195) suggests that autologous stem-cell transplantation (especially when done in first complete response) improves progression-free survival. However, this did not translate into any long-term survival benefit [7]. Giesler et al. have recently reported long-term follow-up on 160 patients with MCL treated with intensive immunochemotherapy (maxi-CHOP, highdose cytarabine and rituximab) followed by high-dose therapy with in vivo-purged autologous stem-cell support. A 6-year progression-free survival rate of 66% was demonstrated, but what was most impressive about this data was the suggestion of a plateau in the overall survival curve with no relapses occurring beyond 5 years [8]. To investigate the efficacy of FC chemotherapy further and to establish whether rituximab adds to its efficacy, the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) is currently coordinating a phase III randomised study (LY05) comparing FC vs. FCR as initial therapy for patients with previously untreated MCL. The protocol permits the collection of peripheral blood stem cells following four cycles of therapy. To assess the frequency of successful stemcell collection post-fludarabine therapy in MCL, we undertook an analysis of patients within the trial in whom mobilisation had been attempted. Thirteen patients from 6 centres were evaluable, all of whom had provided written informed consent before entering the study. Their median age was 53 years (range, 44–61). Initial treatment was oral fludarabine 40 mg/m and oral cyclophosphamide 250 mg/m for 3 days, either alone (FC, n1⁄4 7) or in combination with rituximab 375 mg/m on day 1 (FCR, n1⁄4 6). Treatment was repeated every 28 days.
RESTORATION THROUGH AGROFORESTRY: OPTIONS FOR RECONCILING LIVELIHOODS WITH CONSERVATION IN THE CERRADO AND CAATINGA BIOMES IN BRAZIL

SUMMARY The new Brazilian Forest Code obliges farmers to restore degraded lands on conservation set-asides required on all rural properties, known as Permanent Preservation Areas and Legal Reserves. While farmers can do so through agroforestry systems (AFS) to improve their livelihoods and offset the costs of restoration, these areas must also maintain basic ecological functions. How this can be done in practice, however, stills need to be regulated at the state level, but there are few scientific studies in Brazil on the costs and benefits of restoration through AFS. These knowledge and policy gaps have left ample room for interpretation and thus discouraged technicians from recommending — and policymakers from regulating — AFS for restoration. Aiming to bridge these gaps, this study draws from a comprehensive literature review, expert knowledge, stakeholder participation and analyses of agroforestry-based restoration efforts in the field. First, we discuss the social and ecological benefits of AFS as well as key constraints to upscaling agroforestry-based restoration. Focusing on different biophysical and social contexts within the Brazilian Cerrado and Caatinga biomes, we conclude that AFS can provide win–win solutions for reconciling livelihoods needs with conservation goals and propose practical options to do so, which vary according to farmer objectives, resource constraints and opportunities. In order to guide implementation of these agroforestry options, we propose design principles and criteria as well as key species and management practices most suited to different contexts and farmer objectives.
E-Mentors: A Case Study in Effecting Cultural Change

Learning technology is spreading rapidly within further education (FE) and teachers are expected to incorporate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into their pedagogy. This necessitates huge investment most significantly in staff development and support. It is imperative that we recognise the ubiquitous incursion of technology into every aspect of our lives which necessitates a response from educational institutions whose role it is to prepare students for further study and employment. According to Abowd and Mynatt (2000) ‘The proliferation of computing into the physical world promises more than the ubiquitous availability of computing infrastructure; it suggests new paradigms of interaction inspired by constant access to information and computational capabilities’ (p. 29) ABstrAct
Urban Fringe Bushwalking: Eroding the Experience

ABSTRACT Urban fringe areas are vital resources for urbanized populations, but are under pressure to meet demand for a variety of land uses, including recreation. Bushwalking is a form of nature-based recreation experience founded on antiauthoritarianism, egalitarianism, and immersion in the Australian bush. An online and telephone survey gathered perceptions of bushwalking club members regarding their experiences on the urban fringe in Western Australia. Results reveal perceptions that the bushwalking experience is being eroded due to confinement into “tame” settings. Respondents perceived themselves as custodians of nature subject to inconsistent, unfair management treatment, fueling an existing bushwalker suspicion of authority. The article poses a challenge for urban fringe natural resource managers to harness the potential of bushwalking club members by overcoming negative perceptions and sharing common goals. The implication is that certain types of recreation could represent a natural resource management asset, rather than a threat to be managed.
Efficacy of a bovine colostrum and egg-based intervention in acute childhood diarrhoea in Guatemala: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Treatments for paediatric diarrhoeal disease are limited. We assessed the impact of a bovine colostrum and egg-based treatment designed to reduce diarrhoea duration through non-specific and pathogen-directed mechanisms in children. Methods Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of PTM202, derived from bovine colostrum and hyperimmune hen’s egg on the duration of acute diarrhoeal disease in Guatemalan children. PTM202 contains specific immunoglobulins that target rotavirus, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and Salmonella. Children aged 6–35 months presenting to three sites (one rural and two urban) with acute non-bloody diarrhoea were computer randomised to receive three daily doses of PTM202 or placebo. The primary outcome was the post-treatment duration of diarrhoea assessed in the per protocol population. Diarrhoeal pathogens were identified in stool by multiplex PCR (FilmArray Gastrointestinal-Panel, BioFire, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA). Key secondary outcomes included postdiarrhoeal weight gain and impact on diarrhoeal duration stratified by study site and presence of PTM202-targeted organisms in stool at enrolment. Safety was assessed in all participants. Results From 9 March 2015 to 25 January 2016, 325 children were enrolled, and 301 (154 intervention and 147 placebo) were analysed for the primary outcome. No difference in diarrhoea duration was observed between intervention and placebo in the total population, but a significant reduction was observed in the treatment group among children with at least one targeted pathogen in stool (HR=1.46, P=0.02), an effect most pronounced in urban subjects (HR 2.20, P=0.007) who had fewer stool pathogens and better nutritional status. No impact on 2-week or 4-week weight gain was noted. No adverse events attributed to PTM202 occurred. Conclusion Results demonstrate the potential to target specific pathogens occurring in children with acute non-bloody diarrhoea and shorten illness duration using a novel, safe, nutrition-based intervention. PTM202 may represent a new tool to ameliorate the effects of acute diarrhoeal disease in low/middle-income populations. Trial registration number NCT02385773; Results.
Assessment of human cytomegalovirus specific T cell immunity in human immunodeficiency virus infected patients in different disease stages following HAART and in long‐term non‐progressors

T cell immunity to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was assessed in HAART‐treated HIV‐1 infected patients (9 asymptomatic, CDC group A; and 22 symptomatic, CDC group B), and in eight HIV‐1 long term non‐progressors. Patients were either prospectively or cross‐sectionally examined for CD4+ T cell counts, HIV RNA load, HCMV leukoDNAemia, HCMV DNA in urine, lymphoproliferative response (LPR) to HCMV and phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and cytokine secretion (IFN‐γ and IL‐4) by HCMV‐stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. No patient either progressed to clinical AIDS or developed HCMV active infection during the study period. Twenty‐nine patients responded to HAART, though 12 patients failed to recover the LPR to HCMV over the study period (three from CDC group A and nine from CDC group B). In contrast to healthy control individuals, most patients displaying positive LPRs LPRs to HCMV had unstable responses. Sustained LPRs to HCMV were significantly associated with high pre‐HAART nadir CD4+ T cell counts. Long‐term suppression of HIV viremia correlated with recovery of LPR to HCMV. Sequential PBMC cultures from most patients secreted IFN‐γ (but not IL‐4) at normal levels upon HCMV stimulation, irrespective of the pre‐HAART nadir CD4+ T cell counts and CDC group to which patients belonged. Failure to reconstitute IFN‐γ response was associated with very low pre‐HAART nadir CD4+ T cell counts. Control of HCMV infection in the cohort was associated with either recovery or maintenance of IFN‐γ response rather than with reconstitution of LPR to HCMV. A LPR to HCMV was absent in three out of eight long term non‐progressors; contrarily, all patients showed preserved IFN‐γ responses. J. Med. Virol. 74:382–389, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Madison's Analysis of the Sources of Political Authority

James Madison believed that political institutions are not the effects of conflicts among private groups in society. He traced political authority to human nature. It is the ultimate source of both public opinion and the motives which impel some individuals to hold government offices. Prudently contrived governmental institutions can moderate the countervailing tendencies arising from these two sources of authority, although they are necessarily in a state of continuing tension. Strict accountability of representatives to the whole range of diverse opinion in society is in conflict with the tendency of government to become autonomous. The latter tendency follows from government's using its power to establish the fiscal and military institutions required to wage war. By doing so a government may Creole a new political equilibrium which is masked by apparent adherence to established constitutional balance and is then independent of the balance of private property.
Use of the SWAT Model to Quantify Water Quality Effects of Agricultural BMPs at the Farm-Scale Level

Best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented on a farm-by-farm basis within the Cannonsville Reservoir watershed (CRW) as part of a New York City watershed-wide BMP implementation effort to reduce phosphorus (P) loads to the water supply reservoirs. Monitoring studies have been conducted at selected locations and at the watershed outlet on one of the farms, which spans an entire subwatershed within the CRW, with the aim of quantifying effectiveness of the BMPs installed on the farm. This study applied the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and a recently developed BMP characterization tool to the farm over pre- and post-BMP installation periods with the object of determining the extent to which model results incorporating all installed BMPs match observed data, and the individual impact of each of the BMPs installed on the farm. The SWAT model generally performed well at the watershed level for flow, sediment, and phosphorus simulations. Annual Nash-Sutcliffe (NS) coefficients for the components ranged between 0.56 and 0.80, while monthly NS coefficients ranged between 0.45 and 0.78. The model also performed well at the field level, with simulated in-field P loads closely matching observed data. Because the fields had various combinations of BMPs installed on them, it was difficult to separate out individual BMP impacts based on SWAT simulations. It was, however, possible to determine the effects of BMP combinations such as nutrient management plans and rotations (31% dissolved P; 25% total P). For dissolved P, integration of BMP tool efficiencies allowed individual BMP impacts to be incorporated while still maintaining the same level of representation as was obtained using model simulations. As the SWAT model is often used with little or no post-BMP data to verify simulation results, this study served to validate SWAT model suitability for evaluating BMP impacts. The BMP tool was found to suitably complement the model by providing insights into individual BMP impacts, and providing BMP efficiency data where the model was lacking.