Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tradeoffs between power management and tail latency in warehouse-scale applications

The growth in datacenter computing has increased the importance of energy-efficiency in servers. Techniques to reduce power have brought server designs close to achieving energy-proportional computing. However, they stress the inherent tradeoff between aggressive power management and quality of service (QoS) - the dominant metric of performance in datacenters. In this paper, we characterize this tradeoff for 15 benchmarks representing workloads from Google's datacenters. We show that 9 of these benchmarks often toggle their cores between short bursts of activity and sleep. In doing so, they stress sleep selection algorithms and can cause tail latency degradation or missed potential for power savings of up to 10% on important workloads like web search. However, improving sleep selection alone is not sufficient for large efficiency gains on current server hardware. To guide the direction needed for such large gains, we profile datacenter applications for susceptibility to dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS). We find the largest potential in DVFS which is cognizant of latency/power tradeoffs on a workload-per-workload basis.
Flexible Hardware/Software Platform for Tracking Applications

This paper describes the design, implementation and performance evaluation of a wireless sensor network based scalable outdoor vehicular tracking system. The system is highly flexible and configurable both from software and hardware architecture point of views and enables it to adapt to a wide range of vehicle tracking applications. We also present some intermediate results and the rationale behind our design approach. The system was tested for a network of 100 nodes and is scalable to a few thousand node setup. We believe that the vehicle localization and tracking results from our large scale deployment of sensor nodes and system design experience are useful to the community
The Walking Behaviour of Pedestrian Social Groups and Its Impact on Crowd Dynamics

Human crowd motion is mainly driven by self-organized processes based on local interactions among pedestrians. While most studies of crowd behaviour consider only interactions among isolated individuals, it turns out that up to 70% of people in a crowd are actually moving in groups, such as friends, couples, or families walking together. These groups constitute medium-scale aggregated structures and their impact on crowd dynamics is still largely unknown. In this work, we analyze the motion of approximately 1500 pedestrian groups under natural condition, and show that social interactions among group members generate typical group walking patterns that influence crowd dynamics. At low density, group members tend to walk side by side, forming a line perpendicular to the walking direction. As the density increases, however, the linear walking formation is bent forward, turning it into a V-like pattern. These spatial patterns can be well described by a model based on social communication between group members. We show that the V-like walking pattern facilitates social interactions within the group, but reduces the flow because of its “non-aerodynamic” shape. Therefore, when crowd density increases, the group organization results from a trade-off between walking faster and facilitating social exchange. These insights demonstrate that crowd dynamics is not only determined by physical constraints induced by other pedestrians and the environment, but also significantly by communicative, social interactions among individuals.
Exploring the relationship between stigma and help‐seeking for mental illness in African‐descended faith communities in the UK

Stigma related to mental illness affects all ethnic groups, contributing to the production and maintenance of mental illness and restricting access to care and support. However, stigma is especially prevalent in minority communities, thus potentially increasing ethnically based disparities. Little is known of the links between stigma and help‐seeking for mental illness in African‐descended populations in the UK.
Auditing and audit firms in Germany before 1931

Considerable differences exist between Germany and Anglo-American countries in the development of the statutory audit, the emergence of professional associations of auditors, and the legal and organizational forms of audit firms. This paper examines historical developments in Germany from the late 19th century, to the formal regulation of auditing and the audit profession in 1931. Its main objective is to provide a better understanding of the comparatively slow development of the audit in Germany and reveal attitudes towards the audit and the forms of audit firms. A secondary objective is to examine the use of agency theory frameworks for this type of historical research. The study draws on primary and secondary sources, both of which have been underutilized by previous authors. The paper finds that many of the unique features of the development of auditing in Germany and the solutions adopted there can be traced to historical differences concerning the objectives of the audit, the structure of the audit .
Respiratory Phenotypes for Preterm Infants, Children, and Adults: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and More

&NA; Ongoing advancements in neonatal care since the late 1980s have led to increased numbers of premature infants surviving well beyond the neonatal period. As a result of increased survival, many individuals born preterm manifest chronic respiratory symptoms throughout infancy, childhood, and adult life. The archetypical respiratory disease of prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, is the second most common chronic pediatric respiratory disease after asthma. However, there are several commonly held misconceptions. These misconceptions include that bronchopulmonary dysplasia is rare, that bronchopulmonary dysplasia resolves within the first few years of life, and that bronchopulmonary dysplasia does not impact respiratory health in adult life. This focused review describes a spectrum of respiratory conditions that individuals born prematurely may experience throughout their lifespan. Specifically, this review provides quantitative estimates of the number of individuals with alveolar, airway, and vascular phenotypes associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, as well as non‐bronchopulmonary dysplasia respiratory phenotypes such as airway malacia, obstructive sleep apnea, and control of breathing issues. Furthermore, this review illustrates what is known about the potential for progression and/or lack of resolution of these respiratory phenotypes in childhood and adult life. Recognizing the spectrum of respiratory phenotypes associated with individuals born preterm and providing comprehensive and personalized care to these individuals may help to modulate adverse respiratory outcomes in later life.
Eye Movements Reveal Optimal Strategies for Analogical Reasoning

Analogical reasoning refers to the process of drawing inferences on the basis of the relational similarity between two domains. Although this complex cognitive ability has been the focus of inquiry for many years, most models rely on measures that cannot capture individuals' thought processes moment by moment. In the present study, we used participants' eye movements to investigate reasoning strategies in real time while solving visual propositional analogy problems (A:B::C:D). We included both a semantic and a perceptual lure on every trial to determine how these types of distracting information influence reasoning strategies. Participants spent more time fixating the analogy terms and the target relative to the other response choices, and made more saccades between the A and B items than between any other items. Participants' eyes were initially drawn to perceptual lures when looking at response choices, but they nonetheless performed the task accurately. We used participants' gaze sequences to classify each trial as representing one of three classic analogy problem solving strategies and related strategy usage to analogical reasoning performance. A project-first strategy, in which participants first extrapolate the relation between the AB pair and then generalize that relation for the C item, was both the most commonly used strategy as well as the optimal strategy for solving visual analogy problems. These findings provide new insight into the role of strategic processing in analogical problem solving.
Statistical Analysis

In this Appendix, we provide an outline of methods used in analyzing molecular biology data. We give a summary of types of data encountered and the appropriate methods to apply for the questions of interest. Statistical techniques described include the t test, the Wilcoxon rank sum test, the Mann‐Whitney‐Wilcoxon test, ANOVA, regression, and the chi‐square test. For each method, we give the appropriate assumptions, the details of the test, and a complete concrete example to follow. We also discuss related ideas such as multiple comparisons and why correlation does not imply causation.
Automatic GrabCut based lung extraction from endoscopic images with an initial boundary

Endoscopic images provide doctors with valuable information in both diagnosis and surgery. In a thoracoscopic surgery, locating lung part based on endoscopic images is difficult since lungs vary sharply according to respiration. In this case, correctly extracting lung part plays a crucial role in intraoperative navigation. Although many efficient image segmentation approaches have been developed in the last two decades, they can rarely achieve reliable performance in lung segmentation due to the high deformability of lungs, similarity between lungs and background, unstable movement of the endoscope, and dynamic appearance changes of both lungs and background. In this research, we propose an effective approach for extracting lungs during endoscopic videos. The proposed algorithm is based on GrabCut which derives from max-flow min-cut theorem. However, unlike GrabCut that needs user interaction for each frame segmentation, the proposed method only requires an initial boundary of the first frame. Furthermore, it utilizes motion and boundary information to facilitate GrabCut to achieve a global optimum. The robustness of the proposed approach has been validated by experiments using clinical lung endoscopic videos.
Fluorescent Ly6G antibodies determine macrophage phagocytosis of neutrophils and alter the retrieval of neutrophils in mice

Fluorescently labeled Ly6G antibodies enable the tracking of neutrophils in mice, whereas purified anti‐Ly6G rapidly depletes neutrophils from the circulation. The mechanisms underlying neutrophil depletion are still under debate. Here, we examined how identical Ly6G antibodies coupled to different fluorochromes affect neutrophil fate in vivo. BM cells stained with Ly6G antibodies were injected into mice. The number of retrieved anti‐Ly6G‐FITC+ cells was reduced significantly in comparison with anti‐Ly6G‐APC+ or anti‐Ly6G‐PE+ cells. Flow cytometry and multispectral imaging flow cytometry analyses revealed that anti‐Ly6G‐FITC+ neutrophils were preferentially phagocytosed by BMMs in vitro and by splenic, hepatic, and BM macrophages in vivo. Direct antibody injection of anti‐Ly6G‐FITC but not anti‐Ly6G‐PE depleted neutrophils to the same degree as purified anti‐Ly6G, indicating that the FITC‐coupled antibody eliminates neutrophils by a similar mechanism as the uncoupled antibody. With the use of a protein G‐binding assay, we demonstrated that APC and PE but not FITC coupling inhibited access to interaction sites on the anti‐Ly6G antibody. We conclude the following: 1) that neutrophil phagocytosis by macrophages is a central mechanism in anti‐Ly6G‐induced neutrophil depletion and 2) that fluorochrome‐coupling can affect functional properties of anti‐Ly6G antibodies, thereby modifying macrophage uptake of Ly6G‐labeled neutrophils and neutrophil retrieval following adoptive cell transfer or injection of fluorescent anti‐Ly6G.
Helping adults mourn the death of a child.

When a child dies, the circle of adults who are affected in some way is indeed large. Although parents are the adults most centrally affected, grandparents, other relatives, church members, neighbors and professional caregivers all can be profoundly influenced by the loss. All of these adults can experience a variety of emotional and behavioral symptoms commonly called grief. The intensity and duration of the grief response depends on many variables including the specific relationship of the adult to the child, past experiences with death, and the personality of the adult. The grief process for parents and close relatives may last for several years. Although professional grief is generally of shorter duration and less intensity, repeated experiences with child death can eventually lead to a major grief response in the caregivers. For all grievers left behind when a child dies, the most significant human need is caring, that is, human contact with at least one other person who shows understanding and patie.
Automatic non-rigid registration of multi-strip point clouds from mobile laser scanning systems

ABSTRACT Mobile laser scanning (MLS) systems equipped with precise Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) positioning devices are being used at an increasing rate for production of the high-accurate driving maps because of its safety and high performance in collection of 3D spatial data. In practice, GNSS signals may be blocked out by trees or buildings etc., and the errors of IMU are accumulated over time, leading to misalignments ranging from decimetre level to sub-metre level between point clouds from back and forth scans, or among multiple excursions. In this article, we propose a new time-variant model and an automatic solution to align the multi-strip MLS point clouds. Our methods are divided into three key steps: preprocessing to get representative points, two-step Iterative Closest Point registration to obtain correspondences, and time-variant errors estimation and correction of point clouds. We verified the solution using test data scanned in city road and highway environment. The experimental results demonstrate that the precision of the point clouds is significantly improved and the root mean square errors are about 4–5 cm.
Isogenic Human Cell Lines for Drug Discovery: Regulation of Target Gene Expression by Engineered Zinc-Finger Protein Transcription Factors

Isogenic cell lines differing only in the expression of the protein of interest provide the ideal platform for cell-based screening. However, related natural lines differentially expressing the therapeutic target of choice are rare. Here the authors report a strategy for drug screening employing isogenic human cell lines in which the expression of the target protein is regulated by a gene-specific engineered zinc-finger protein (ZFP) transcription factor (TF). To demonstrate this approach, a ZFP TF activator of the human parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTHR1) gene was identified and introduced into HEK293 cells (negative for PTHR1). Following induction of ZFP TF expression, this cell line produced functional PTHR1 protein, resulting in a robust and ligand-specific cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response. Reciprocally, the natural expression of PTHR1 observed in SAOS2 cells was dramatically reduced by the introduction of the appropriate PTHR1-specific ZFP TF repressor. Moreover, this ZFP-driven PTHR1 repression selectively eliminated the functional cAMP response invoked by known ligands of PTHR1. These data establish ZFP TF–generated isogenic lines as a general approach for the identification of therapeutic agents specific for the target gene of interest.
Measurement of Ground Thermal Conductivity and Characteristics of Thermal Diffusion by the Ground Heat Exchanger

This paper presents the measurement of ground thermal conductivity and the characteristics of ground thermal diffusion by a ground heat exchanger(GHE). A borehole is installed to a depth of 175 m with a diameter of 150 mm. To analyze the thermal diffusion property of the GHE, thermocouples are installed under the ground near the GHE. The outdoor temperature, the ground temperature, and the water temperature of the GHE are monitored for evaluating the characteristics of ground thermal diffusion. The ground thermal conductivity is evaluated by the in-situ thermal response tester and the line source model. It is found to be 3.08 W/ in this study. The ground temperature is greatly dependent on the outdoor temperature from the ground surface to 2.5 m in depth and is stable below 10 m in depth. The surface temperature of the GHE varies as a function of the temperature of circulating water. But the ground temperature at 1.5 m far from the GHE is not changed in accordance with the temperature of circulating water.
A novel functional electrical stimulation-control system for restoring motor function of post-stroke hemiplegic patients

Hemiparesis is one of the most common consequences of stroke. Advanced rehabilitation techniques are essential for restoring motor function in hemiplegic patients. Functional electrical stimulation applied to the affected limb based on myoelectric signal from the unaffected limb is a promising therapy for hemiplegia. In this study, we developed a prototype system for evaluating this novel functional electrical stimulation-control strategy. Based on surface electromyography and a vector machine model, a self-administered, multi-movement, force-modulation functional electrical stimulation-prototype system for hemiplegia was implemented. This paper discusses the hardware design, the algorithm of the system, and key points of the self-oscillation-prone system. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the prototype system for further clinical trials, which is being conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed rehabilitation technique.
A statistical analysis of the affine projection algorithm for unity step size and autoregressive inputs

This paper presents a new statistical analysis of the affine projection (AP) algorithm. An analytical model is derived for autoregressive (AR) inputs for unity step size (fastest convergence). Deterministic recursive equations are derived for the mean AP weight and mean-square error for large values of N (the number of adaptive taps). The value of N is also assumed large compared to the algorithm order (number of input vectors used to determine the weight update direction). The model predictions display better agreement with Monte Carlo simulations in both transient and steady-state than models previously presented in the literature. The model's accuracy is sufficient for most practical design purposes.
Association between Obesity and Therapeutic Goal Attainment in Patients with Concomitant Hypertension and Dyslipidemia

Abstract Background: Obesity is associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: To evaluate demographic, diagnostic, and treatment characteristics of patients with concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia, stratified by body mass index and the attainment of blood pressure (BP) and lipid targets in obese versus nonobese patients. Methods: This retrospective study used data from GE Centricity Electronic Medical Records database (2004–2011) of a primary care physician group. Patients aged ≥ 18 years and having concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia were categorized based on their body mass index: normal weight (≤ 24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥ 30.0 kg/m2). Blood pressure and lipid goal attainments were based on Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure and National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines, respectively. Results: A total of 9086 patients with concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia were identified and categorized as normal weight (n = 1256), overweight (n = 3058) and obese (n = 4772). Patients who were obese were younger (< 65 years); were more likely to have diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001); had higher baseline BP and triglyceride levels and lower levels of high–density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05); and were more likely to be prescribed antihypertensives and antilipemic agents (P < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, obese patients were significantly more likely to fail to attain BP (odds ratio = 1.562, P < 0.001) and dual BP and low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (odds ratio = 1.193, P = 0.023) goals. Conclusions: Obesity appears to be an independent risk factor for the failure to attain BP and dual BP and low–density lipoprotein cholesterol goals in patients with concomitant hypertension and dyslipidemia. These findings suggest that future research is needed to determine the underlying link between obesity and failure to attain these goals.
Evaluation of Inhaled Versus Deposited Dose Using the Exponential Dose‐Response Model for Inhalational Anthrax in Nonhuman Primate, Rabbit, and Guinea Pig

The application of the exponential model is extended by the inclusion of new nonhuman primate (NHP), rabbit, and guinea pig dose‐lethality data for inhalation anthrax. Because deposition is a critical step in the initiation of inhalation anthrax, inhaled doses may not provide the most accurate cross‐species comparison. For this reason, species‐specific deposition factors were derived to translate inhaled dose to deposited dose. Four NHP, three rabbit, and two guinea pig data sets were utilized. Results from species‐specific pooling analysis suggested all four NHP data sets could be pooled into a single NHP data set, which was also true for the rabbit and guinea pig data sets. The three species‐specific pooled data sets could not be combined into a single generic mammalian data set. For inhaled dose, NHPs were the most sensitive (relative lowest LD50) species and rabbits the least. Improved inhaled LD50s proposed for use in risk assessment are 50,600, 102,600, and 70,800 inhaled spores for NHP, rabbit, and guinea pig, respectively. Lung deposition factors were estimated for each species using published deposition data from Bacillus spore exposures, particle deposition studies, and computer modeling. Deposition was estimated at 22%, 9%, and 30% of the inhaled dose for NHP, rabbit, and guinea pig, respectively. When the inhaled dose was adjusted to reflect deposited dose, the rabbit animal model appears the most sensitive with the guinea pig the least sensitive species.