Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessing and Forecasting Energy and Ecological Eciency on Cloud Computing Platforms

During the last years, IaaS providers have become interested in reducing their infrastructure energy consumption while preserving the agreed QoS with their clients. They want to optimize their infrastructure energy efficiency and to do so their VM placement algorithms need to know the current and future energy efficiency at different levels (Virtual Machine, node, infrastructure and service levels) and for potential actions such as service deployment or VM deployment, migration or cancellation. This thesis contributes by providing a mathematical formulation for the previous aspects, as well as the design of a CPU utilization estimator used to calculate the aforementioned forecasts. A tool capable of performing such calculations in a real environment has been developed and tested in the context of this thesis. The conducted experimentation has been focused on finding the configuration parameter values that provide the best precision when forecasting the energy efficiency of the infrastructure for different workload types. The obtained results indicate that the correct adjustment of these parameters leads to considerable precision improvements. Web workloads’ induced resource utilizations are better forecasted when using parameter values which make the estimators more focused on noise filtering, even if they react slowly to changes. Batch workloads are quite the opposite: the parameter values have to make the estimators very reactive to utilization changes to obtain a good overall precision. When these two workloads are combined, the batch workload predominates and more reactive predictors are required. In fact, it has been stated that the obtained precision when running pure batch or mixed workloads partially depends on each execution, concretely on the amount of queued tasks during it. Finally, it has been observed that the forecasts precision degradation as such forecasts are performed for a longer time period in the future is smaller when running web workloads rather than when running batch or mixed ones, because of their nature.
Bacterial chemotaxis: sensory adaptation, noise filtering, and information transmission

Chemotaxis is a fundamental cellular process by which cells sense and navigate in their environment. The molecular signalling pathway in the bacterium Escherichia coli is experimentally well-characterised and, hence, ideal for quantitative analysis and modelling. Chemoreceptors sense gradients of a multitude of substances and regulate an intracellular signalling pathway, which modulates the swimming behaviour. We studied the chemotaxis pathway in E. coli (i) to quantitatively understand molecular interactions in the signalling network, (ii) to gain a systems view of the workings of the pathway, including the effects of noise generated by biomolecular reactions during signalling, and (iii) to understand general design principles relevant for many sensory systems. Specifically, we investigated the adaptation dynamics due to covalent chemoreceptor modification, which includes numerous layers of feedback regulation. In collaboration with an experimental group, we undertook quantitative experiments using wild-type cells and mutants for proteins involved in adaptation using in vivo fluorescence resonance transfer (FRET). We developed a dynamical model for chemotactic signalling based on cooperative chemoreceptors and adaptation of the sensory response. This model quantitatively explains an interesting asymmetry of the response to favourable and unfavourable stimuli observed in the experiments. In a whole-pathway description, we further studied the response to controlled concentration stimuli, as well as how fluctuations from the environment and due to intracellular signalling affect the detection of input signals. Finally, the chemotaxis pathway is characterised by high sensitivity, a wide dynamic range and the need for information transmission, properties shared with many other sensory systems. Based on FRET data, we investigated the emergence, limits and biological significance of Weber’s law which predicts that the system detects stimuli relative to the background stimulus. Furthermore, we studied the information transmission from input concentrations into intracellular signals. We connect Weber’s law, as well as information transmission, to swimming bacteria and predict typically encountered chemical inputs.
Primary stability of orthodontic miniscrews inserted into femurs of osteopenic rats

Aim: To test the hypothesis that bone quality may affect the stability of anchorage devices implanted in a rat model. Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (rats treated with FK506) and Group 2(rats treated with saline solution vehicle). The immunosuppressant tacrolimus was used with the intention of causing a condition of osteopenia in Group 1. A total of 20 orthodontic mini-implants were used. One mini-implant was inserted in the right femur of each rat. After sacrificing the animals, blocks of bone tissue containing the mini-implants were removed for mechanical pull-out tests to be performed in a universal test machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/s. The maximum insertion force values and pull-out test were recorded and submitted the nonparametric analyses including the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney tests (p 0.05). The mean pull-out force values were higher in Group 2 than in Group 1, with statistically significant difference between the groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Bone quality may affect the stability of mini-implants. Orthodontic mini-implants did not present good primary stability in a rat model with osteopenia.
Assessment of Hydrological Properties and Proximate Impact of Septic Tank Leachate on Well - water Quality in Two Residential Areas in Ibadan, South - western Nigeria

Aims: To determine the impact of leachate from septic tank on proximate well - w ater quality in two different residential areas and the variation in the physico - chemical parameters of the well - water that are associated with spatial geographical location. Study Design : Randomized monthly collection and analysis of well - water over four months in two chosen residential areas. Place and Duration of Study: Residential houses at Agbowo and Akobo, Ibadan, Nigeria between April and August, 2012. Original Research Article
The effect of vitamin E, L-arginine, N-nitro L-arginine methyl ester and forskolin on endocrine and metabolic changes of rats exposed to acute cold stress.

OBJECTIVE It is a well documented fact that under stress conditions the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) are stimulated. This results in a series of neural and endocrine adaptations known as the stress response. The current study assessed the effects of acute cold stress on adrenomedullin (ADM) levels in plasma and peripheral tissues (kidneys and heart) of rats, as well as on blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), total proteins both before and after intraperitoneal administration of each of the following: vitamin-E, L-arginine, forskolin and L-NAME. METHODS The current study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, between September 2003 and March 2004. We observed 6 groups of Wistar rats for their plasma ADM, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), total protein, glucose and cholesterol levels. Following exposure to cold stress (-10 degree C for 3 hours). RESULTS Acute cold stress produced a significant increase in ADM levels in plasma, heart and kidney tissues of rats. Furthermore, acute cold stress produced a reduction in cholesterol and plasma protein levels. On the other hand, acute cold stress caused an increase in TG, glucose plasma levels and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). We found hormonal and metabolic changes caused by cold exposure to be decreased or even prevented after vitamin E treatment or after changing nitric oxide (NO) level by L-arginine or L-NAME treatment. CONCLUSION The results suggest a regulatory or protective role for ADM in counteracting HPA activation following a variety of physiological and psychological stressors. Oxidative stress or changes in intracellular signals as NO, cyclic-AMP may play a role in explaining some of the metabolic and hormonal changes occurring during acute cold stress.
The Dynamic Effects of a Currency Union on Trade

The response of trade to a monetary union is a dynamic process. An empirical study of the European monetary union finds that the extensive margin of trade in new goods responded several years ahead of EMU implementation and ahead of overall trade volume. A dynamic rational expectations trade model shows that early entry of new firms in anticipation is explainable as a rational forward-looking response to news. The model helps identify which types of trading frictions are reduced by a currency union, and shows how new entry can be affected by uncertainty about EMU.
Regulating Two-Sided Markets: An Empirical Investigation

We study the effect of government encouraged or mandated interchange fee ceilings on consumer and merchant adoption and usage of payment cards in an economy where card acceptance is far from complete. We believe that we are the first to use bank-level data to study the impact of interchange fee regulation. We find that consumer and merchant welfare improved because of increased consumer and merchant adoption leading to greater usage of payment cards. We also find that bank revenues increased when interchange fees were reduced although these results are critically dependent on merchant acceptance being far from complete at the beginning and during the implementation of interchange fee ceilings. In addition, there is most likely a threshold interchange fee below which social welfare decreases although our data currently does not allow us to quantify it.
How Effective are Rewards Programs in Promoting Payment Card Usage? Empirical Evidence

Card issuers have mainly relied on rewards programs as their main strategic driver to increase electronic payments. However, there is scarce evidence on the effectiveness of rewards programs. This paper offers novel evidence on two key issues: i) it measures the impact of rewards programs on the use of payment cards; and ii) it quantifies their economic impact in terms of the cash substitution. The results show that rewards may significantly modify preferences for card payments, their economic impact vary significantly across types of rewards and merchant activities and rewards seem to be more effective on average for debit cardholders.
Survey of antibodies reactive with Ehrlichia canis among dogs in South Bulgaria

SUMMARY A serological survey was conducted in dogs from five geographical regions of South Bulgaria (Plovdiv, Yambol, Bourgas, Stara Zagora and Blagoevgrad) for determining the prevalence of anti-Ehrlichia canis antibodies. Serum samples from 100 dogs were assayed by an indirect fluorescent antibody test and serum reactive at a titre of 1:100 or greater was considered positive. The overall seroprevalence in South Bulgaria was 30%, and a marked heterogeneity of the results was observed according to the geographical region: Plovdiv 50%, Yambol 40%, Bourgas 30%, Stara Zagora 15% and Blagoevgrad 15%. The distributions of serologic titres were 1:100 (40%); 1:200 (33%); 1:400 (23%); 1:800 (4%). Moreover the sensitivity of dogs do E.canis exposure was independent from age and sex. The results demonstrate that dogs in South Bulgaria are extensively exposed to E. canis.
Developing Tsunami Fragility Curves Due to the 2009 Tsunami Disaster in American Samoa

The authors developed the tsunami fragility curves due to 2009 samoa earthquake tsunami, to investigate structural vulnerability in the affected area, by integrating satellite remote sensing, field survey, numerical modeling, and GIS analysis. In this paper, the authors propose three kind of tsunami fragility curves of structural destruction with regard to the inundation depth, current velocity, and hydrodynamic force.
A New Mouse Model of Metastatic Gastric Cancer and E-Cadherin Primary Tumor Suppression

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The majority of patients with gastric cancer are diagnosed with disseminated disease and even patients diagnosed with early stage disease have high rates of recurrence. The utility of current mouse models of gastric cancer is limited by slow development of gastric tumors and lack of metastasis. Here I describe a new mouse model of gastric cancer driven by p53 loss, Cdh1 loss, and oncogenic Kras expression in gastric parietal cells (referred to as ACKPY mice). I generated these mice to investigate the contribution of oncogenic Kras to the progression of gastric cancer given the high rate of mutation and amplification of the RTK/Ras pathway identified in gastric cancer patients. These mice develop mixed-type gastric adenocarcinomas with metastases to lymph nodes, lung, and liver. Oncogenic Kras and loss of Trp53 is sufficient to drive rapid carcinogenesis in a variety of models. Therefore, I tested if loss of E-cadherin was necessary for the onset of gastric adenocarcinoma in gastric parietal cells by generating ACKPY mice with one or two alleles of wild-type Cdh1 (E-cadherin). E-cadherin expression significantly increased survival and the limited number of mice with gastric tumors have tumors that were focal in nature, suggesting an additional event was necessary for gastric tumorigenesis. Loss of E-cadherin expression was observed in some of these tumors, suggesting that its loss may be necessary for gastric tumorigenesis in this model. I show that loss of E-cadherin in our model increases β-catenin signaling and that inhibition of β-catenin signaling prolonged survival of ACKPY mice. Microarray data comparing gene expression in stomachs harvested from Cdh1fl/fl and Cdh1fl/+ mice showed a correlation between E-cadherin loss and upregulation of oncogenic Kras signaling. Gene sets regulated by each of the main Kras effector pathways were overrepresented in our microarray data. Examination of ERK phosphorylation revealed that E-cadherin likely does not regulate MAPK activity in our model. The upregulation of oncogenic Kras target genes that result from the loss of E-cadherin may alternatively be explained by E-cadherin regulation of other Kras effector pathways. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/3059 First Advisor Sandra W. Ryeom
State Dependence in Labour Force Participation of Married Women in Japan

This paper investigates state dependence in labour participation by married women in Japan. We statistically investigate whether ’true’ state dependence, in which preferences, abilities, or constraints on future decisions are altered by experiencing certain events, exists in the choice between regular and non-regular work (part-time, contract, or other non-regular work). The empirical results suggest significant true state dependence for the choice of regular and non-regular work. This significant effect of true state dependence on regular work justifies ’stepping stone’ policies from nonparticipation or non-regular work to regular work or ’maintenance’ policies to support participation in temporary non-regular work. On the other hand, the significant effect of true state dependence on non-regular work indicates that non-regular work constrains the ability or preference of married women to participate in regular work. In this sense, non-regular work is exclusionary. This result suggests that policies are needed to support the movement of non-regular workers into regular work.
Multi-Cohort Stand Structural Classification: Ground- and LiDAR-based Approaches for Boreal Mixedwood and Black Spruce Forest Types of Northeastern Ontario

Natural fire return intervals are relatively long in eastern Canadian boreal forests and often allow for the development of stands with multiple, successive cohorts of trees. Multi-cohort forest management (MCM) provides a strategy to maintain such multicohort stands that focuses on three broad phases of increasingly complex, post-fire stand development, termed “cohorts”, and recommends different silvicultural approaches be applied to emulate different cohort types. Previous research on structural cohort typing has relied upon primarily subjective classification methods; in this thesis, I develop more comprehensive and objective methods for three common boreal mixedwood and black spruce forest types in northeastern Ontario. Additionally, I examine relationships between cohort types and stand age, productivity, and disturbance history and the utility of
Research report Dissociable neural correlates for familiarity and recollection during the encoding and retrieval of pictures

Results from behavioral studies have supported the idea that recognition memory can be supported by at least two different processes, recollection and familiarity. However, it remains unclear whether these two forms of memory reflect neurally distinct processes. Furthermore, it is unclear whether recollection and familiarity can be best conceived as differing primarily in terms of retrieval processing, or whether they additionally differ at encoding. To address these issues, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to monitor neural correlates of familiarity and recollection at both encoding and retrieval. Participants studied pictures of objects in two types of study blocks and subsequently made remember–know and source memory judgments during retrieval. Results showed that, during encoding, neural correlates of subsequent familiarity and recollection onsetted in parallel, but exhibited differences in scalp topography and time course. Subsequent familiarity-based recognition was associated with a left-lateralized enhanced positivity and observed at anterior scalp sites from 300 to 450 ms, whereas subsequent recollection was associated with a topographically distinct right-lateralized positivity at anterior scalp sites from 300 to 450 ms and bilateral activity from 450 to 600 ms. During retrieval, neural correlates of familiarity emerged earlier than correlates of recollection. Familiarity was associated with an enhanced positivity at frontopolar scalp sites from 150 to 450 ms, whereas recollection was associated with positive ERP modulations over bilateral frontal (300–600 ms) and parietal (450–800 ms) sites. These results demonstrate that familiarity and recollection reflect the outcome of neurally distinct memory processes at both encoding and retrieval. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Theme: Neural basis of behavior Topic: Cognition
Big boys don't cry: depression and men †

Men are a numerical minority group receiving a diagnosis of, and treatment for, depression. However, community surveys of men and of their mental health issues (e.g. suicide and alcoholism) have led some to suggest that many more men have depression than are currently seen in healthcare services. This article explores current approaches to men and depression, which draw on theories of sex differences, gender roles and hegemonic masculinity. The sex differences approach has the potential to provide diagnostic tools for (male) depression; gender role theory could be used to redesign health services so that they target individuals who have a masculine, problem-focused coping style; and hegemonic masculinity highlights how gender is enacted through depression and that men’s depression may be visible in abusive, aggressive and violent practices. Depression in men is receiving growing recognition, and recent policy changes in the UK may mean that health services are obliged to incorporate services that meet the needs of men with depression.
Homogeneous basalts from the East Pacific Rise at 21° N: seady state magma reservoirs at moderately fast spreading centers

Fort y basaltic rocks collected by submersible during the Cyamex expedition (1978) on the East PacifIc Rise at 21 oN, a moderately fast spreading segment (6 cm/year opening rate) of the mid-ocean ridge, consist of angular pillow fragments and glass buds, sheet-flow slabs and samples of columnar pillars standing in collapsed fossillava pools. Most of the rocks are from the crestal are a of the Rise. The collection shows a striking petrographic homogeneity wh en compared with the range of basalts found on other segments of midocean ridges: olivine-phyric, or highly plagioclase-phyric rocks, so common in the slowspreading Famous are a in the Atlantic, are absent. All samples are typical lowpotassium oceanic tholeiites with a limited fractionation trend. Pillow-lavas, thin and thick sheet-flows cannot be distinguished by their major element compositions, as in the Galapagos rift which has the same spreading rate as the EPR at 21°N. Further, ferrobasalts have been described from the Galapagos rift, but do not appear in the Cyamex rocks. In the Cyamex area, olivine and plagioclase are the main silicate phases, and clinopyroxene is absent. In the pillows and sheet-flow samples, four generations of olivine and plagioclase crystals are distinguished. Samples from the fossillava pools are aphyric. The corresponding magma batches are presumed to have migrated rapidly through the magma chamber, and to have been extruded in large volumes, possibly during episodes ofhigh instantaneous opening rate. Fe-Ni and Fe-Cu-rich sulphide phases are common in an lava types as massive globules scatterred through the glass, or as microglobules decorating the walls of empty vesicles. Palagonite and Fe-Mn oxide thicknesses across the strike of the Rise indicate relative ages compatible with successive extrusions at the Rise axis.
Performance of the CSM-CERES-Rice model in evaluating growth and yield of rice in the farm level.

Crop simulation model becomes a useful tool in agricultural research. Its performance has been validated mostly by the experiments conducted by researchers in experimental stations, and the information on the performance of the model under farm conditions is rare. The objective of this study was to test the performance of the CSM-CERES-Rice model for evaluation of growth and yield of rice using farmer’s field data. The simulation was carried out using the management practices of the farmers as input data. The simulated values were in good agreement with observed values for days to flowering, days to physiological maturity and top dry weight of rice, whereas the associations between simulated values and observed values were rather poor for grain yield and harvest index. The poor associations between observed values and simulated values for grain yield and harvest index was due largely to high infestation of insect pests. CSM-CERES-Rice model can be used with some degree of accuracy to predict growth and yield of rice under growing conditions that are practiced by farmers in case of no severe infestation of insect pests and diseases. The model may be used for policy making by the government and decision making to produce rice by farmers.