Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Massively Parallel Sort-Merge Joins in Main Memory Multi-Core Database Systems

Two emerging hardware trends will dominate the database system technology in the near future: increasing main memory capacities of several TB per server and massively parallel multi-core processing. Many algorithmic and control techniques in current database technology were devised for disk-based systems where I/O dominated the performance. In this work we take a new look at the well-known sort-merge join which, so far, has not been in the focus of research in scalable massively parallel multi-core data processing as it was deemed inferior to hash joins. We devise a suite of new massively parallel sort-merge (MPSM) join algorithms that are based on partial partition-based sorting. Contrary to classical sort-merge joins, our MPSM algorithms do not rely on a hard to parallelize final merge step to create one complete sort order. Rather they work on the independently created runs in parallel. This way our MPSM algorithms are NUMA-affine as all the sorting is carried out on local memory partitions. An extensive experimental evaluation on a modern 32-core machine with one TB of main memory proves the competitive performance of MPSM on large main memory databases with billions of objects. It scales (almost) linearly in the number of employed cores and clearly outperforms competing hash join proposals -- in particular it outperforms the "cutting-edge" Vectorwise parallel query engine by a factor of four.
Experimental Research on Indicator Diagrams of a Water Lubricated Screw Air Compressor

In recent years, water-lubricated twin-screw compressors have attracted more and more attention, because this type of compressors can produce the high-quality air completely free of oil and there is no contamination. However, poor sealing and lubricating properties of water might result in different operating characteristics compared with those of oil-injected compressors. A good understanding of the operating mechanism is essential in any attempt to increase the performance of the compressor, which can be achieved by means of the indicator diagram. In this paper, a prototype of the water-lubricated twin-screw air compressor was developed and a test rig was established. A series of pressure transducers were arranged in consecutive positions of the casing to measure the pressure distribution inside working chamber of the compressor. In addition, volumetric efficiency, adiabatic efficiency and mechanical efficiency of the compressor under different operating conditions were calculated based on measured volumeric flowrate and power consumption. As a result, the influence mechanism of rotating speed, discharge pressure and water injection flow-rate on the compressor performance and working process was analyzed based on indicator diagrams.
Geographic variation in long-term oxygen therapy in Denmark : factors related to adherence to guidelines for long-term oxygen therapy.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate regional differences in adherence to guidelines for long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) in Denmark and to determine factors related to compliance with these guidelines. DESIGN Cross-sectional study and analysis of a nationwide database (Danish Oxygen Register). SETTING Denmark. PATIENTS In November 1994, 1,354 COPD patients were receiving LTOT in Denmark. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Among 16 counties, the prevalence of LTOT for COPD varied from 14 to 53 per 100,000. The prevalence was highest in counties where general practitioners (GPs) were prescribing LTOT. Adherence to national guidelines for LTOT was found in 34.4% of the patients for the whole of Denmark and varied regionally from 14 to 63%. Mean compliance with guidelines was 5.3 (range, 2.9 to 9.1) times as likely if the oxygen was prescribed by a pulmonary department compared to LTOT initiated by a GP. CONCLUSIONS Marked geographic variations in compliance with LTOT guidelines are present even in a small country as Denmark. In general, the adherence to the guidelines is poor, especially when non-chest physicians prescribe LTOT. We therefore recommend that local and national thoracic societies together with health organizations responsible for treatment should play a more forceful role in implementing the guidelines. This could be done by enhanced educational efforts, by monitoring of adherence, or even by centralizing the prescription right to departments with pulmonary physicians.
On the mechanism of rectification of the isoproterenol-activated chloride current in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes

The whole cell configuration of the patch clamp technique was used to investigate the mechanism underlying rectification of the isoproterenol- activated chloride (Cl-) current in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes. When extracellular Cl- was replaced with either bromide (Br- ), glutamate (Glut), iodide (I-), isethionate (Iseth), or nitrate (NO3- ), the magnitude of the shift in reversal potential of the macroscopic current suggested the following selectivity sequence: NO3- > Br- > or = Cl- > or = I- > Iseth > or = Glut. This information was used to investigate the role of permeant ions in rectification of this current. Consistent with previous observations, when the concentration of intracellular Cl- (Cli-) was less than the concentration of extracellular Cl- (Clo-) (40 mM Cli-/150 mM Clo-) the current exhibited outward rectification, but when Cli- was increased to equal that outside (150 Cli-/150 Clo-), the current no longer rectified. Rectification in the presence of asymmetrical concentrations of permeant ions on either side of the membrane is predicted by constant field theory, as described by the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz current equation. However, when the Cl- gradient was reversed (150 Cli-/40 Clo- ) the current did not rectify in the opposite direction, and in the presence of lower symmetrical concentrations of Cl- inside and out (40 Cli-/40 Clo-), outward rectification did not disappear. Reducing Cli- by equimolar replacement with glutamate caused a concentration dependent increase in the degree of rectification. However, when Cli- was replaced with more permeant anions (NO3- and Br-), rectification was not observed. These results can be explained by a single binding site model based on Eyring rate theory, indicating that rectification is a function of the concentration and the permeability of the anions in the intracellular solution.
Selective Color Constancy Deficits after Circumscribed Unilateral Brain Lesions

The color of an object, when part of a complex scene, is determined not only by its spectral reflectance but also by the colors of all other objects in the scene (von Helmholtz, 1886; Ives, 1912; Land, 1959). By taking global color information into account, the visual system is able to maintain constancy of the color appearance of the object, despite large variations in the light incident on the retina arising from changes in the spectral content of the illuminating light (Hurlbert, 1998; Maloney, 1999). The neural basis of this color constancy is, however, poorly understood. Although there seems to be a prominent role for retinal, cone-specific adaptation mechanisms (von Kries, 1902; Pöppel, 1986; Foster and Nascimento, 1994), the contribution of cortical mechanisms to color constancy is still unclear (Land et al., 1983; D’Zmura and Lennie, 1986). We examined the color perception of 27 patients with defined unilateral lesions mainly located in the parieto-temporo-occipital and fronto-parieto-temporal cortex. With a battery of clinical and specially designed color vision tests we tried to detect and differentiate between possible deficits in central color processing. Our results show that color constancy can be selectively impaired after circumscribed unilateral lesions in parieto-temporal cortex of the left or right hemisphere. Five of 27 patients exhibited significant deficits in a color constancy task, but all of the 5 performed well in color discrimination or higher-level visual tasks, such as the association of colors with familiar objects. These results indicate that the computations underlying color constancy are mediated by specialized cortical circuitry, which is independent of the neural substrate for color discrimination and for assigning colors to objects.
Systematic Reviews of Nonrandomized Clinical Studies in the Orthopaedic Literature

We systematically reviewed systematic reviews of surgical orthopaedic interventions published between 1996 and 2001 to document when and how nonrandomized studies were included. From more than 10,000 citations examined in various electronic databases, 58 orthopaedic systematic reviews were eligible for inclusion based on specific criteria. Thirty of these (52%) included nonrandomized studies, 15 of which found no randomized controlled trials. Systematic reviews were more likely to include randomized controlled trials if nondistinguishable operations were compared (if participants could be blinded). Only six of the systematic reviews that included nonrandomized studies (20%) assessed the quality of primary studies. Heterogeneity of studies was a major concern. In 21 of the systematic reviews that included nonrandomized studies (70%), data for groups treated similarly were pooled across studies, and outcomes for pooled groups were compared. The conclusions of systematic reviews that included nonrandomized studies are weakened by the limitations of nonrandomized study designs. The absence of established methods for including nonrandomized studies in systematic reviews, and consequently variability in the methods adopted, also limits the comparability of such reviews. Therefore the findings of systematic reviews that include nonrandomized studies should be interpreted with caution.
Looks can be deceiving: body image dissatisfaction relates to social anxiety through fear of negative evaluation

Abstract Introduction Emerging adults are particularly vulnerable to body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety. These bring about a host of negative outcomes, including compromised social adjustment and well-being. Fear of negative evaluation has been shown to be a core element of social anxiety, but it is rarely considered in studies of body image and its effects on social anxiety. This study aimed to bridge this gap by examining the role of fear of negative evaluation in the association between body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety. Methods A cross-sectional study using 80 Thai undergraduates (mean age of 21 years) was conducted by self-reported (questionnaire) measures. Body image dissatisfaction was measured with the short version of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-8C), fear of negative evaluation with the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, and social anxiety with the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS). Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to assess how these constructs were related to one another. Results The key hypothesis was supported: positive associations were found among body image dissatisfaction, fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety, and the association between body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety was mediated by fear of negative evaluation. Discussion Generalizing from the current findings, ideas for possible amelioration of social anxiety are discussed.
Investigation of Heavy Metal Contamination in the Surface Sediments of Anzali wetland in North of Iran

Over the last few decades, Anzali wetland has been at risk of pollutants, especially from heavy metals. The present research analyzes some physical and chemical properties and heavy metals concentration in 27 points in nine stations of Anzali wetland. The samples of each station have been mixed, acidic digested, and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Cr have been 50527.2, 1210, 23.3, 79.4, 8.8, 0.23, 32.1, 0.25, 31.6, and 31.5 mg/Kg, respectively. In addition, it can be seen that the concentrations of Cd (0.31 mg/Kg) and As (25.47 mg/Kg) in Hendekhale station, Hg (0.52 mg/Kg) in Pirbazar station, and Pb (52.69 mg/Kg) in Khazar villa station surpass world surface rock average. According to contamination factor (CF), in case of Mn and Pb, both Hendekhale, and Khazar Villa stations have been in considerable contamination level. The calculation of Pollution Load Index (PLI) shows that Hendkhaleh and Khazar Villa stations have had moderate pollution. The mCd index survey indicates that only in Hendekhale station, has heavy metals contamination been at a low degree level of contamination. According to PER index, mercury metal contamination in Hendekhale station faces medium risk. The calculated mean ERM quotient indicates the probability of heavy metals toxicity, equal to 21% in the examined stations.
Zinc fingers: a novel protein fold for nucleic acid recognition.

In the last few years a novel protein motif used for binding to DNA (and RNA) has emerged, conveniently called the ‘Zn finger’. It was originally discovered repeated in tandem in the Xenopus transcription factor IIIA, but it is now clear that it is ubiquitous. Putative Zn fingers are present in different numbers within the structure of many regulatory proteins and serve as modules for the building up of a specific nucleic acid binding domain.
Cost-sensitive C4.5 with post-pruning and competition

Decision tree is an eective classication approach in data mining and machine learning. In applications, test costs and misclassication costs should be considered while inducing decision trees. Recently, some cost-sensitive learning algorithms based on ID3 such as CS-ID3, IDX, -ID3 have been proposed to deal with the issue. These algorithms deal with only symbolic data. In this paper, we develop a decision tree algorithm inspired by C4.5 for numeric data. There are two major issues for our algorithm. First, we develop the test cost weighted information gain ratio as the heuristic information. According to this heuristic information, our algorithm is to pick the attribute that provides more gain ratio and costs less for each selection. Second, we design a post-pruning strategy through considering the tradeo between test costs and misclassication costs of the generated decision tree. In this way, the total cost is reduced. Experimental results indicate that (1) our algorithm is stable and eective; (2) the post-pruning technique reduces the total cost signicantly; (3) the competition strategy is eective to obtain a cost-sensitive decision tree with low cost.
Why Real-World Multimedia Assets Fail to Enter the Semantic Web

Making multimedia assets on the one hand first-class objects on the Semantic Web, while keeping them on the other hand conforming to existing multimedia standards is a non-trivial task. Most proprietary media asset formats are binary, optimized for streaming or storage. However, the semantics carried by the media assets are not accessible directly. In addition, multimedia description standards lack the expressiveness to gain a semantic understanding of the media assets. There exists an array of requirements both regarding media assets, and the Semantic Web already. Based on a critical review of these requirements we investigate how ontology languages fit into the picture. We finally analyse the usefulness of formal accounts to describe spatio-temporal aspects of multimedia assets in a practical context.
Investigation of an expert system for the condition assessment of transformer insulation based on dielectric response measurements

The need for economic, reliable, and effective delivery of electric power has lead to the search for fast, efficient, and effective methods for diagnosing the insulation of high-voltage (HV) equipment in the power industries. The recent dielectric techniques that have been carefully considered by major industries for transformer insulation condition assessment are the recovery voltage method (RVM) and the polarization and depolarization current (PDC) measurement. However, due to the complexity of the transformer insulation structure and various degradation mechanisms under multiple stresses, insulation condition assessment is usually performed by experts with special knowledge and experience. In this paper, an expert system (ES) is developed, which imitates the performance of a human expert, to make the complicated insulation condition assessment procedure accessible to plant maintenance engineers. The structure of the ES is described in detail including knowledge base, inference engine, and human-computer interface. Examples of the application of the ES are also presented to confirm that the system can provide accurate insulation diagnosis.
An Ad-hoc Network for Teams of Autonomous Vehicles

1 This work was funded by the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) under Contract Number N00014-00-C-305. Abstract—This paper presents the study of a mobile ad-hoc network for teams of autonomous vehicles. We discuss the special challenges presented by the autonomous team model, and we present the self-sustaining, self-configuring dynamic network architecture we have developed to address them. We further discuss actual field experiments in which elements of the architecture have been proven through realistic test scenarios using surrogate unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. We conclude the paper by presenting lessons learned through the field experiments, performance analysis results and plans for future work.
A synthetic glycosaminoglycan mimetic (RGTA) modifies natural glycosaminoglycan species during myogenesis

Crucial events in myogenesis rely on the highly regulated spatiotemporal distribution of cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans to which are associated growth factors, thus creating a specific microenvironment around muscle cells. Most growth factors involved in control of myoblast growth and differentiation are stored in the extracellular matrix through interaction with specific sequences of glycosaminoglycan oligosaccharides, mainly heparan sulfate (HS). Different HS subspecies revealed by specific antibodies, have been shown to provide spatiotemporal regulation during muscle development. We have previously shown that glycosaminoglycan (GAG) mimetics called RGTA (ReGeneraTing Agent), stimulate muscle precursor cell growth and differentiation. These data suggest an important role of GAGs during myogenesis; however, little is yet known about the different species of GAGs synthesized during myogenesis and their metabolic regulation. We therefore quantified GAGs during myogenesis of C2.7 cells and show that the composition of GAG species was modified during myogenic differentiation. In particular, HS levels were increased during this process. In addition, the GAG mimetic RGTA, which stimulated both growth and differentiation of C2.7 cells, increased the total amount of GAG produced by these cells without significantly altering their rate of sulfation. RGTA treatment further enhanced HS levels and changed its sub-species composition. Although mRNA levels of the enzymes involved in HS biosynthesis were almost unchanged during myogenic differentiation, heparanase mRNA levels decreased. RGTA did not markedly alter these levels. Here we show that the effects of RGTA on myoblast growth and differentiation are in part mediated through an alteration of GAG species and provide an important insight into the role of these molecules in normal or pathologic myogenic processes.
Salt intrusion in multi-channel estuaries: a case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Abstract. There is a well-tested theory for the computation of salt intrusion in alluvial estuaries that is fully analytical and predictive. The theory uses analytical equations to predict the mixing behaviour of the estuary based on measurable quantities, such as channel topography, river discharge and tidal characteristics. It applies to single-channel topographies and estuaries that demonstrate moderate tidal damping. The Mekong delta is a multi-channel estuary where the tide is damped due to a relatively strong river discharge (in the order of 2000 m3/s), even during the dry season. As a result the Mekong is a strongly riverine estuary. This paper aims to test if the theory can be applied to such a riverine multi-channel estuary, and to see if possible adjustments or generalisations need to be made. The paper presents salt intrusion measurements that were done by moving boat in 2005, to which the salt intrusion model was calibrated. The theory has been expanded to cater for tidal damping. Subsequently the model has been validated with observations made at fixed locations over the years 1998 and 1999. Finally it has been tested whether the Mekong calibration fits the overall predictive equations derived in other estuaries. The test has been successful and led to a slight adjustment of the predictive equation to cater for estuaries that experience a sloping bottom.
Tinnitus pitch and minimum masking levels in different etiologies

Abstract Objective: We sought to determine whether the results of audiological tests and tinnitus characteristics, particularly tinnitus pitch and minimum masking level (MML), depend on tinnitus etiology, and what other etiology-specific tinnitus characteristics there are. Design: The patients answered questions concerning tinnitus laterality, duration, character, aggravation, alleviation, previous treatment, and circumstances of onset. The results of tympanometry, pure-tone audiometry, distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, tinnitus likeness spectrum, MML, and uncomfortable loudness level were evaluated. Study sample: Patients with several tinnitus etiological factors were excluded. The remaining participants were divided into groups according to medical history: acute acoustic trauma: 67 ears; chronic acoustic trauma: 82; prolonged use of oral estrogen and progesterone contraceptives: 46; Ménière's disease: 25; congenital hearing loss: 19; sensorineural sudden deafness: 40; dull head trauma: 19; viral labyrinthitis: 53; stroke: 6; presbycusis: 152. Data of 509 ears were analysed. Results: Tinnitus pitch was highest in patients with acute acoustic trauma and lowest in patients receiving estrogen and progesterone. MML was lowest after acute acoustic trauma and in congenital hearing loss, and highest after a stroke and in the case of presbytinnitus. Conclusions: Tinnitus pitch and MML are etiology dependent.
Spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen transport in riparian zone seeps

Stream riparian zones are often thought of as areas that provide natural remediation for groundwater contaminants, especially agricultural nitrogen (N). While denitrification and vegetative uptake tend to be efficient processes in slow moving shallow groundwater, these N removal mechanisms decrease in effectiveness as faster flows through soil macropores and other preferential flow pathways become dominant. The objective of our study was to characterize N concentration variability and hydrologic transport pathways through shallow groundwater draining areas of the riparian zone with and without emergent groundwater seeps. The study was conducted within FD36, an agricultural headwater catchment in the Ridge and Valley physiographic region of central Pennsylvania. Three seep and adjacent non-seep areas were instrumented with a field of 40 piezometers installed in a grid pattern (1.5-m spacing) at both 20and 60-cm depths. The piezometers were monitored seasonally for a period of two years (Oct. 2010 – May 2012). Results showed that water table depths within seep areas were variable and some regions in the seep areas exhibited positive vertical hydraulic gradients of 5 to 10 cm. Nonseep areas were characterized by a uniform water table surface and were hydrostatic. Discharge of groundwater onto the land surface was also common in seep areas, but was not observed in non-seep areas. Ammonium-N (NH4-N) concentrations were mostly low (< 0.1 mg L -1 ) and relatively similar between seep and non-seep areas at each of the three study sites. In contrast,