Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interest Groups, the Courts, and Educational Equality

In Vergara v. California (2014), a trial-level court ruled that California laws governing teacher tenure and dismissal were unconstitutional. This study analyzes Vergara in light of the shifting use of the courts to promote equal educational opportunities and the changing power bases of educational interest groups, including educational advocacy groups and teacher unions. This study particularly uses policy regimes theory to analyze the relationship between political interests, ideas, and institutions and highlights how the case represents an inversion of how educational interest groups have traditionally used the courts as vehicles for effecting education reform. Grounded in this analysis, this study explores legal and policy implications for both courts and reformers acting in this new context.
Chronology protection and non-naked singularity

We test the chronology protection conjecture in classical general relativity by investigating finitely vicious spacetimes. First we present singularity theorems in finitely vicious spacetimes by imposing some restrictions on the chronology-violating sets. In the theorems we can refer to the location of an occurring singularity and do not assume any asymptotic conditions such as the existence of null infinities. Furthermore, introducing the concept of a non-naked singularity, we show that a restricted class of chronology violations cannot arise if all occurring singularities are non-naked singularities. Our results suggest that the causal feature of the occurring singularities is the key to prevent the appearance of causality violation.
Maintaining Acyclicity of Concurrent Graphs

In this paper, we consider the problem of preserving acyclicity in a directed graph (for shared memory architecture) that is concurrently being updated by threads adding/deleting vertices and edges. To the best of our knowledge, no previous paper has presented a con- current graph data structure. We implement the concurrent directed graph data-structure as a concurrent adjacency list representation. We extend the lazy list implementation of concurrent linked lists for maintaining concurrent adjacency lists. There exists a number of graph applications which require the acyclic invariant in a directed graph. One such example is Serialization Graph Testing Algorithm used in databases and transactional memory. We present two concurrent algorithms for maintaining acyclicity in a concurrent graph: (i) Based on obstruction-free snapshots (ii) Using wait-free reachability. We compare the performance of these algorithms against the coarse-grained locking strategy, commonly used technique for allowing concurrent updates. We present the speedup obtained by these algorithms over sequential execution. As a future direction, we plan to extend this data structure for other progress conditions.
Macropinocytosis: regulated coordination of endocytic and exocytic membrane traffic events

Macropinocytosis, a form of bulk uptake of fluid and solid cargo into cytoplasmic vacuoles, called macropinosomes, has been studied mostly in relation to antigen presentation. Early membrane traffic events occurring in this process are, however, largely unknown. Using human dendritic cells we show that a marked increase in the rate of macropinocytosis occurs a few minutes after application of two markers (small latex beads or dextran), depends on a slow intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) rise that precedes the PI3K-dependent step, and is preceded and accompanied by exocytosis of enlargeosomes compensating in part for the macropinocytic plasma membrane internalization. Unexpectedly, macropinosomes themselves, which share markers with endosomes, undergo Ca2+-dependent exocytosis so that, after ∼20 minutes of continuous bead or dextran uptake, an equilibrium is reached preventing cells from overloading themselves with the organelles. Large [Ca2+]i increases induced by ionomycin trigger rapid (<1 minute) exocytic regurgitation of all macropinosomes, whereas endosomes remain apparently unaffected. We conclude that, in dendritic cells, the rate of macropinocytosis is not constant but increases in a regulated fashion, as previously shown in other cell types. Moreover, macropinosomes are not simple containers that funnel cargo to an endocytic pathway, but unique organelles, distinct from endosomes by their competence for regulated exocytosis and other membrane properties.
The Video Store Revisited – Thoughts on Refactoring and Testing

Testing and refactoring are core activities in extreme programming (XP). In principle, they are separate activities where the tests are used to verify that refactorings do not change behavior of the system. In practice however, they can become intertwined when refactorings invalidate tests. This paper explores the precise relationship between the two. First, we identify which of the published refactorings affect the test code. Second, we observe that if test-first design is a way to arrive at well-designed code, “test-first refactoring” is a way to arrive at a better design for existing code. Third, some refactorings improve testability, and should therefore be followed by improvements of the test code. To emphasize this, we propose the notion of “refactoring session” which includes changes to the code followed by changes to the tests. To guide the developer in the steps to take, we propose to extend the description of the mechanics of individual refactorings with consequences for the corresponding test code.
Medical information and surrogate designation: results of a prospective study in elderly hospitalised patients.

OBJECTIVES To determine the preferences of French elderly inpatients concerning medical information and surrogate designation in life-threatening situations. METHODS Intention-to-act questionnaire was completed by two geriatricians during a patient interview in the week following admission in three geriatric units in France. The participants were elderly patients (> or =70 years) with adequate cognitive performance for decision making as assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination. The impact of socio-demographic factors, level of confidence in medical care, cognitive or physical disability on surrogate designation and amount of medical information expected were measured. MEASUREMENTS Impact of socio-demographic factors, level of confidence in medical care, cognitive or physical disability on surrogate designation and amount of medical information expected. RESULTS 426 consecutive elderly patients were recruited. 32.6% wanted to receive complete information about their care and 77% declared they would want to be informed if they were in a life-threatening situation. 4.5% reported they would not want any medical information. A family member was designated as surrogate by 73% of the patients. In 28%, a second surrogate was also designated, usually the family physician (22%) or a member of the hospital medical staff (10%). Polytomous logistic regression analysis was used to assess determinants of the amount of information expected and social and medical parameters. MMSE score, the presence of physical disability, a low level of confidence in medicine and the presence of children were identified as independent determinants of a high level of information expectation. CONCLUSION Elderly hospitalised patients expressed a strong desire to receive extensive information and were willing to designate a surrogate in a life-threatening situation. The surrogate was usually a family member alone or with another person, usually a practitioner.
Open top chambers and infrared lamps : a comparison of heating efficacy and CO₂/CH₄ dynamics in a Lake Superior coastal peatland

17 THESIS INTRODUCTION . 19 Timeline . 19 Background to the Project . 20 Peatland Characteristics . 21 Carbon Storage and Gas Exchange . 22 Climate Change and Experimental Warming . 24 CHAPTER ONE . 27 JOURNAL INTRODUCTION . 27 METHODS . 29 Study Site . 29 Experimental Design . 30 Micrometeorology . 30 Canopy Moisture . 31 Carbon Dioxide Measurements . 32 Methane Measurements . 32 Statistics . 33 RESULTS . 33
Distinct functions of chemokine receptor axes in the atherogenic mobilization and recruitment of classical monocytes

We used a novel approach of cytostatically induced leucocyte depletion and subsequent reconstitution with leucocytes deprived of classical (inflammatory/Gr1hi) or non‐classical (resident/Gr1lo) monocytes to dissect their differential role in atheroprogression under high‐fat diet (HFD). Apolipoprotein E‐deficient (Apoe−/−) mice lacking classical but not non‐classical monocytes displayed reduced lesion size and macrophage and apoptotic cell content. Conversely, HFD induced a selective expansion of classical monocytes in blood and bone marrow. Increased CXCL1 levels accompanied by higher expression of its receptor CXCR2 on classical monocytes and inhibition of monocytosis by CXCL1‐neutralization indicated a preferential role for the CXCL1/CXCR2 axis in mobilizing classical monocytes during hypercholesterolemia. Studies correlating circulating and lesional classical monocytes in gene‐deficient Apoe−/− mice, adoptive transfer of gene‐deficient cells and pharmacological modulation during intravital microscopy of the carotid artery revealed a crucial function of CCR1 and CCR5 but not CCR2 or CX3CR1 in classical monocyte recruitment to atherosclerotic vessels. Collectively, these data establish the impact of classical monocytes on atheroprogression, identify a sequential role of CXCL1 in their mobilization and CCR1/CCR5 in their recruitment.
Resource-Constrained Optimal Scheduling of Synchronous Dataflow Graphs via Timed Automata

Synchronous dataflow (SDF) graphs are a widely used formalism for modelling, analysing and realising streaming applications, both on a single processor and in a multiprocessing context. Efficient schedules are essential to obtain maximal throughput under the constraint of available resources. This paper presents an approach to schedule SDF graphs using a proven formalism of timed automata (TA). TA maintain a good balance between expressiveness and tractability, and are supported by powerful verification tools, e.g. UPPAAL. We describe a compositional translation of SDF graphs to TA, and perform analysis and verification in the UPPAAL state-of-the-art tool. This approach does not require the (exponential) transformation of SDF graphs to homogeneous SDF graphs and helps to find schedules with a trade-off between the number of processors required and the throughput. It also allows quantitative model checking and verification of (preservation of) user-defined properties such as the absence of deadlocks, safety, liveness and throughput analysis. This translation also forms the basis for future work to extend this analysis of SDF graphs with new features such as stochastics, energy consumption and costs.
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of a New C-type Lysozyme Gene from Yak Mammary Tissue

Milk lysozyme is the ubiquitous enzyme in milk of mammals. In this study, the cDNA sequence of a new chicken-type (c-type) milk lysozyme gene (YML), was cloned from yak mammary gland tissue. A 444 bp open reading frames, which encodes 148 amino acids (16.54 kDa) with a signal peptide of 18 amino acids, was sequenced. Further analysis indicated that the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences identities between yak and cow milk lysozyme were 89.04% and 80.41%, respectively. Recombinant yak milk lysozyme (rYML) was produced by Escherichia coli BL21 and Pichia pastoris X33. The highest lysozyme activity was detected for heterologous protein rYML5 (M = 1,864.24 U/mg, SD = 25.75) which was expressed in P. pastoris with expression vector pPICZαA and it clearly inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Result of the YML gene expression using quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the YML gene was up-regulated to maximum at 30 day postpartum, that is, comparatively high YML can be found in initial milk production. The phylogenetic tree indicated that the amino acid sequence was similar to cow kidney lysozyme, which implied that the YML may have diverged from a different ancestor gene such as cow mammary glands. In our study, we suggest that YML be a new c-type lysozyme expressed in yak mammary glands that plays a role as host immunity.
On ergodic rates and optimal array geometry in line-of-sight massive MIMO

We investigate the achievable ergodic rate of Massive multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) system in environments with high mobility and line-of-sight (LoS). A 3-dimensional geometric model with uniform rectangular array at the base station (BS) is used for the investigation. We derive a closed form expression for a lower bound on the uplink ergodic rate taking into account imperfections of the channel state information, number of BS antennas, antenna spacing, and spatial distribution of user terminals. The results show that, in LoS Massive MIMO, when the terminals are spherically uniformly distributed around the BS, the ergodic rate is maximized for antenna spacing equal to integer multiples of one-half wavelength.
Integrating linked open data with unstructured text for intelligence gathering tasks

We present techniques for uncovering links between terror incidents, organizations, and people involved with these incidents. Our methods involve performing shallow NLP tasks to extract entities of interest from documents and using linguistic pattern matching and filtering techniques to assign specific relations to the entities discovered. We also gather more information about these entities from the Linked Open Data Cloud, and further allow human analysts to add intelligent inference rules appropriate to the domain. All this information is integrated in a knowledge base in the form of a graph that maintains the semantics between different types of nodes involved in the graph. This knowledge base can then be queried by the analysts to create actionable intelligence.
Hardcopy Document Authentication Based on Public Key Encryption and 2D Barcodes

In document authentication, the context refers to the ability to trace the origins of a document to a given person, the device that produced it, or the time and/or place it was produced. Forgeries pose significant dangers in terms of authentication and trust. Therefore, it is essential to maintain the integrity of important documents to prevent document content modification by an intruder. Here, we explain the possibility of adding a two-dimensional (2D)barcode that contains the required information to ensure integrity verification, the original authentication, and the confidentiality of documents in the hardcopy formats. We utilize some cryptographic algorithms such as RSA, the ElGamal Cryptosystem, and the Chinese Remainder Theorem, in achieving the required security attributes. We then verify safe and secure document transfer.
Different Expression Patterns of Genes from the Exo-Xis Region of Bacteriophage λ and Shiga Toxin-Converting Bacteriophage Ф24B following Infection or Prophage Induction in Escherichia coli

Lambdoid bacteriophages serve as useful models in microbiological and molecular studies on basic biological process. Moreover, this family of viruses plays an important role in pathogenesis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains, as they are carriers of genes coding for Shiga toxins. Efficient expression of these genes requires lambdoid prophage induction and multiplication of the phage genome. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms regulating these processes appears essential for both basic knowledge and potential anti-EHEC applications. The exo-xis region, present in genomes of lambdoid bacteriophages, contains highly conserved genes of largely unknown functions. Recent report indicated that the Ea8.5 protein, encoded in this region, contains a newly discovered fused homeodomain/zinc-finger fold, suggesting its plausible regulatory role. Moreover, subsequent studies demonstrated that overexpression of the exo-xis region from a multicopy plasmid resulted in impaired lysogenization of E. coli and more effective induction of λ and Ф24B prophages. In this report, we demonstrate that after prophage induction, the increase in phage DNA content in the host cells is more efficient in E. coli bearing additional copies of the exo-xis region, while survival rate of such bacteria is lower, which corroborated previous observations. Importantly, by using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, we have determined patterns of expressions of particular genes from this region. Unexpectedly, in both phages λ and Ф24B, these patterns were significantly different not only between conditions of the host cells infection by bacteriophages and prophage induction, but also between induction of prophages with various agents (mitomycin C and hydrogen peroxide). This may shed a new light on our understanding of regulation of lambdoid phage development, depending on the mode of lytic cycle initiation.
Utilizing Human Categorisation Ability for Knowledge Management

In 1998 and the years following, the Google search engine took the world wide web by storm, providing high-quality search results that were clearly superior to other commercial search engines at the time (Brin and Page, 1998). The algorithm that provided these high-quality search results relied on one simple assumption: “A hyperlink from page A to page B is a recommendation of page B by the author of page A” (Henziger, 2001). Although this assumption is not necessarily true in every case, the quality of results produced has forged Google’s acclaim as a household name. To “Google it” has become synonymous with searching the web. Interestingly, the high quality search results were not the result of employing sophisticated data-mining techniques, nor did they depend on web authors entering quality metadata for their pages. The assumption was an observation of how humans interacted with an already existing system, namely the world-wide-web. In IT systems used in a knowledge management (KM) context, it is often not possible to make the same assumption regarding hyperlinks, since there may not be any hyperlinks used in the sytem at all. It is possible, however, to observe the way humans interact with the system. The proposed research will entail observing human interactions with IT systems commonly used in KM contexts, such as Lessons Learned systems or Experience Management systems. This will be done with a view to improving the quality of searches made on these repositories. Of particular interest is how human beings categorise what they know in their own minds, and whether this can be utilized more effectively in the design of such systems. The aim is to improve the way information is organised, making it more accessible and promoting knowledge sharing. Take, for example, a lessons learned system used by photocopier repair technicians. When a technician solves a particularly difficult issue with a photocopier, they make an entry into the system explaining the problem, its symptoms, and steps taken to solve it. This entry, along with others, is included in a report to be discussed with other technicians in their monthly meeting. The entry is also made available to product design engineers, so that design flaws are not perpetuated through subsequent photocopier models. When making a repair, the technician also has the ablitity to search through previously made entries to see if other technicians have encountered a similar problem. When a technician makes an entry into this system, there is a high probability that they have some idea of how it relates to other entries that they have made previously. The aim of
Modeling simulation and kinematic analysis based on Pro/Engineer for jaw crusher mechanism

Pro/Engineer is a parametric feature-based design of 3D software, with parametric modeling functions. To reduce the development cycle and improve the design quality of jaw crusher, this paper takes full advantage of the Function module of the Pro/Engineer platform to make model simulation and dynamic analysis on the actual jaw crusher mechanism, and provided the updated path for the design and manufacture of Jaw Crusher.
Comparison between RSA hardware and software implementation for WSNs security schemes

The need of security to protect the data through networks has become of vital importance and critical for many sensor network applications. There are several security schemes implemented using hardware or software trying to solve the problem of security in WSN by taking into consideration the limitations of sensors (bandwidth and energy), the majority of them are symmetric key encryption schemes and some others are asymmetric encryption schemes is not recommended to be used because of high time complexity and consumption demand. In this study we compare the time complexity and power consumption between software and hardware implementation using RSA algorithm. Our simulation shows that usage of hardware security could improve time efficiency and decrease the power consumption, so the strong cryptography can be implemented in WSNs security.
Freeway Lane Management Approach In Mixed Traffic Environment with Connected Autonomous Vehicles

Connected autonomous vehicles (CAV) technologies are about to be in the market in the near future. This requires transportation facilities ready to operate in a mixed traffic environment where a portion of vehicles are CAVs and the remaining are manual vehicles. Since CAVs are able to run with less spacing and headway compared with manual vehicles or mixed traffic, allocating a number of freeway lanes exclusive to CAVs may improve the overall performance of freeways. In this paper, we propose an analytical managed lane model to evaluate the freeway flow in mixed traffic and to determine the optimal number of lanes to be allocated to CAVs. The proposed model is investigated in two different operation environments: single-lane and managed lane environments. We further define three different CAV technology scenarios: neutral, conservative, and aggressive. In the single-lane problem, the influence of CAV penetration rates on mixed traffic capacity is examined in each scenario. In the managed lanes problem, we propose a method to determine the optimal number of dedicated lanes for CAVs under different settings. A number of numerical examples with different geometries and demand levels are investigated for all three scenarios. A sensitivity analysis on the penetration rates is conducted. The results show that more aggressive CAV technologies need less specific allocated lanes because they can follow the vehicles with less time and space headways.
INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES AS SAMPLES OF ICY ASTEROIDS

Meteorites have long been considered as reflections of the compositional diversity of main belt asteroids and consequently they have been used to decipher their origin, formation, and evolution. However, while some meteorites are known to sample the surfaces of metallic, rocky and hydrated asteroids (about one-third of the mass of the belt), the low-density icy asteroids (C-, P-, and D-types), representing the rest of the main belt, appear to be unsampled in our meteorite collections. Here we provide conclusive evidence that the surface compositions of these icy bodies are compatible with those of the most common extraterrestrial materials (by mass), namely anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). Given that these particles are quite different from known meteorites, it follows that the composition of the asteroid belt consists largely of more friable material not well represented by the cohesive meteorites in our collections. In the light of our current understanding of the early dynamical evolution of the solar system, meteorites likely sample bodies formed in the inner region of the solar system (0.5–4 AU) whereas chondritic porous IDPs sample bodies that formed in the outer region (>5 AU).