Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flexible Robust Programming in Distributed Object Systems

Distributed applications that access persistent objects must maintain object state consistency even when failures are encountered during the manipulation of such objects. The basic transaction model, which has been implemented by several systems to ensure consistent executions of distributed applications, is not flexible enough to meet the requirements of many complex distributed applications. This has also been recognized for advanced database applications and, as a result, extended transaction models have been developed. We argue that distributed applications that manipulate long-lived data can benefit from such transaction models. We take an approach which views the various transaction models as policies for building robust applications. Thus, we advocate that the system implement several transaction models. A robust application can be programmed in such a system using a combination of several transaction models to meet its consistency requirements. We use applications from the domain of computer-supported cooperative work to motivate such an approach. We also develop a set of system-level mechanisms which can be used to implement multiple transaction models in a uniform manner. These mechanisms are used to implement nested, split, and cooperating transaction models. A prototype system that has been implemented is described to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.
An Integrated Multiperiod OPF Model With Demand Response and Renewable Generation Uncertainty

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar have received much attention in recent years, and large amounts of renewable generation are being integrated into electricity networks. A fundamental challenge in power system operation is to handle the intermittent nature of renewable generation. In this paper, we present a stochastic programming approach to solve a multiperiod optimal power flow problem under renewable generation uncertainty. The proposed approach consists of two stages. In the first stage, operating points of the conventional power plants are determined. The second stage realizes generation from the renewable resources and optimally accommodates it by relying on the demand-side flexibilities. The proposed model is illustrated on a 4-bus and a 39-bus system. Numerical results show that substantial benefits in terms of redispatch costs can be achieved with the help of demand side flexibilities. The proposed approach is tested on the standard IEEE test networks of up to 300 buses and for a wide variety of scenarios for renewable generation.
A novel tool in laryngeal surgery: Preliminary results of the picosecond infrared laser

Conventional lasers ablate tissue through photothermal, photomechanical, and/or photoionizing effects, which may result in collateral tissue damage. The novel nonionizing picosecond infrared laser (PIRL) selectively energizes tissue water molecules using ultrafast pulses to drive ablation on timescales faster than energy transport to minimize collateral damage to adjacent cells.
Expression of Human pICln and ClC-6 in Xenopus Oocytes Induces an Identical Endogenous Chloride Conductance*

pICln is a protein that induces an outwardly rectifying, nucleotide-sensitive chloride current (ICln) when expressed in Xenopus oocytes, but its precise function (plasma-membrane anion channel versus cytosolic regulator of a channel) remains controversial. We now report that a chloride current identical to ICln is induced when Xenopus oocytes are injected with human ClC-6 RNA. Indeed, both the pICln and the ClC-6 induced current are outwardly rectifying, they inactivate slowly at positive potentials and have an anion permeability sequence NO3− > I− > Br− > Cl− > gluconate. Cyclamate, NPPB, and extracellular cAMP block the induced currents. The success rate of current expression is significantly increased when the injected Xenopus oocytes are incubated at a higher temperature (24 or 37°C) prior to the analysis. In addition, the ICln current was detected in 6.2% of noninjected control Xenopus oocytes. We therefore conclude that the ICln current in Xenopus oocytes corresponds to an endogenous conductance that can be activated by expression of structurally unrelated proteins. Furthermore, functional, biochemical, and morphological observations did not support the notion that pICln resides in the plasma membrane either permanently or transiently after cell swelling. Thus, it is unlikely that pICln forms the channel that is responsible for the ICln current in Xenopus oocytes.
PEG fusion 1 UV selection Primary Hybrids X-ray " ' PEG fusion UV selection Secondary Hybrids X-ray 2 PEG fusion 1 UV selection Tertiary Hybrids

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive human disease, characterized by an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, caused by the inability of cells to repair UV light-induced damage to DNA. Cell fusion was used to transfer fragments of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) chromosomes into XP cells. The hybrid cells exhibited UV resistance and DNA repair characteristics comparable to those expressed by CHO cells, and their DNA had greater homology with CHO DNA than did the DNA from XP cells. Control experiments consisted of fusion of irradiated and unirradiated XP cells and repeated exposure of unfused XP cells to UV doses used for hybrid selection. These treatments did not result in an increase in UV resistance, repair capability, or homology with CHO DNA. The hybrid cell lines do not, therefore, appear to be XP revertants. The establishment of these stable hybrid cell lines is an initial step toward identifying and cloning CHO DNA repair genes that complement the XP defect in human cells. The method should also be applicable to cloning genes for other diseases, such as ataxia-telangiectasia and Fanconi's anemia.
VITO PROPAGATION OF APRICOT ( Prunus armeniaca L . ) GROWING AT SAINT CATHERINE VALLEYS IN SINAI PENINSULA , EGYPT

Conserving rare germplasms of apricot is one of the important means to achieve diversed fruits characteristics with preserving desired parameters. This acquires an establishment of a mass production system that overcomes all the obstacles of propagating a woody plant such as apricot. This study was conducted during the period 2009 to 2012, utilizing apricot germplasms known as (Allawzi) from Saint Catherine Valleys, Sinai, Egypt. It could be concluded from the sterilization experiments of stem node section with apricot that NaOCl solution was very effective. In addition, the survival percentage is controlled by the explant type. Stem node sections needed higher concentrations and durations of NaOCl application (1.5 % for 10 min and 1% for 25 min, respectively) to give 90 and 70 %, respectively of survived explants. This could be contributed to the large size and age of stem node sections, which contain high percentage of microbial contaminants compared to the smaller and younger shoot tips. Concerning the establishment and multiplication stage, it could be concluded for Prunus armeniaca L. that MS medium containing 2 mg/L BA + 0.5 mg/l 2ip and that containing 2 mg/l BA with 1 mg/l Kn were the most suitable media for the establishment of stem node sections. These media gave the highest percentage of survival and axillary shoot formation and mean number and length of axillary shoots per explant comparing to the other used treatments. It was noticed that MS medium
Comparison of Delay Tests on Silicon

Testing longer paths in an integrated circuit with a proper path selection strategy has the potential to increase the quality of a delay test. However, the benefit on silicon is not completely clear because a theoretical test quality increase is normally simulated using an assumed distribution of defect sizes. In this work, silicon data is collected and maximum operating frequency (Fmax) compared using test patterns generated by a variety of delay test methodologies. The silicon data is consistent with theoretical predictions and the benefits of testing delay faults through the longest path are quantified
The DNA damage response in DNA-dependent protein kinase-deficient SCID mouse cells: replication protein A hyperphosphorylation and p53 induction.

Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice display an increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation compared with the parental, C.B-17, strain due to a deficiency in DNA double-strand break repair. The catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKCS) has previously been identified as a strong candidate for the SCID gene. DNA-PK phosphorylates many proteins in vitro, including p53 and replication protein A (RPA), two proteins involved in the response of cells of DNA damage. To determine whether p53 and RPA are also substrates of DNA-PK in vivo following DNA damage, we compared the response of SCID and MO59J (human DNA-PKcs-deficient glioblastoma) cells with their respective wild-type parents following ionizing radiation. Our findings indicate that (i) p53 levels are increased in SCID cells following ionizing radiation, and (ii) RPA p34 is hyperphosphorylated in both SCID cells and MO59J cells following ionizing radiation. The hyperphosphorylation of RPA p34 in vivo is concordant with a decrease in the binding of RPA to single-stranded DNA in crude extracts derived from both C.B-17 and SCID cells. These results suggest that DNA-PK is not the only kinase capable of phosphorylating RPA. We conclude that the DNA damage response involving p53 and RPA is not associated with the defect in DNA repair in SCID cells and that the physiological substrate(s) for DNA-PK essential for DNA repair has not yet been identified.
Business Competence of Information Technology Professionals: Conceptual Development and Influence on IT-Business Partnerships

This research aims at improving our understanding of the concept of business competence of information technology professionals and at exploring the contribution of this competence to the development of partnerships between IT professionals and their business clients. Business competence focuses on the areas of knowledge that are not specifically IT-related. At a broad level, it comprises the organization-specific knowledge and the interpersonal and management knowledge possessed by IT professionals. Each of these categories is in turn inclusive of more specific areas of knowledge. Organizational overview, organizational unit, organizational responsibility, and IT-business integration form the organization-specific knowledge, while interpersonal communication, leadership, and knowledge networking form the interpersonal and management knowledge. Such competence is hypothesized to be instrumental in increasing the intentions of IT professionals to develop and strengthen the relationship with their clients. The first step in the study was to develop a scale to measure business competence of IT professionals. The scale was validated, and then used to test the model that relates competence to intentions to form IT-business partnerships. The results support the suggested structure for business competence and indicate that business competence significantly influences the intentions of IT professionals to develop partnerships with their business clients.
The Japanese Hearing in Noise Test

Preparation of test materials A total of 1000 daily-used sentences were constructed by two clinical audiologists. These sentences consisted of 15 to 18 morae per sentence (counting CV or V phoneme as one mora or a syllable) that can be uttered in about two seconds at normal rate. Each sentence was controlled for length (15 to 18 morae, or syllables), for the syntactic structure (noun phrase object verb phrase), and for the phonemic distribution (about 22 different phonemes). They were presented in live voice and were judged by five adults for naturalness using a seven point scale (7 natural, 1 artificial). The 367 sentences that received mean ratings of six or seven were retained. Five other adult subjects then listened to the sentences at about 60 B SPL to judge the naturalness, and a total of 300 sentences remained for recording by a professional Japanese male voice actor. Other sentences judged as unnatural were excluded.
Polyphase down-sampling multiple-description coding for IP transmission

Recently the problem of transmitting data over heterogeneous networks has received considerable attention. Our specific interest is the communication of still images. In this work we present a Multiple Description system based on Polyphase DownSampling algorithm (PDMD) that splits an image source in an arbitrary number of balanced descriptions. Our goal is to obtain both the best reconstruction quality from the received descriptions (also only one) and a subjective indistinguishable reconstruction from the original, if all the descriptions are available.
An efficient method of face recognition by fusing original and diagonal images

Image level fusion combines an image in different ways with its original version so that the combine image may contain more relevant information than the original one. This paper presents a novel method for face recognition by fusing original and corresponding diagonal images. Two ways of image fusion technique have been performed here. Firstly, we generate diagonal face image from original face image and append original image with the diagonal image horizontally side by side. Secondly, original face image and the corresponding diagonal face image are appended vertically to get two sets of fused image matrices. The G-2DFLD method is applied on both of these large fused images for extraction of discriminant features, which integrate the underlying discriminant information along the horizontal, vertical and diagonal directions. This extracted feature matrices are applied on Radial Basis Function-Neural Networks (RBF-NN) for classification and recognition. Experiments on the AT&T face database (formally known as ORL database) indicate the superiority of the proposed method as compared to some of the conventional methods.
Do nonattenders in mammography screening programmes seek mammography elsewhere?

The objectives of our study were to analyse the use of diagnostic mammography among nonattenders and attenders in organised mammography screening in Denmark in 2000, to assess the contamination from organised screening of noninvited age groups and to measure the impact of local policy on opportunistic screening. Data on all diagnostic mammographies performed in Denmark in 2000 and data on women targeted by the 2 organised mammography screening programmes in Copenhagen and the county of Fyn were collected. All data were linked by the Danish personal identification number. Information on the official policy in 2000 with regard to opportunistic screening was collected from all counties. The proportion of women using diagnostic mammography was only 1–3% for both attenders and nonattenders in organised mammography screening, but it was significantly higher in Copenhagen than in Fyn, due to availability of mammography in private clinics. The proportion of women using diagnostic mammography varied from 1–4% across counties. The official policy on access to diagnostic mammography and contamination from organised mammography screening of adjacent age groups had no impact on the use. Instead, urbanisation was positively correlated with use of diagnostic mammography. In conclusion, our results clearly showed that nonattenders in organised mammography screening programmes do not seek mammography outside the programme. Since a positive policy toward opportunistic screening did not have any effect, our results add further evidence to existing knowledge that the only reasonable way to achieve high mammography coverage is through a well‐organised screening programme.
Insights into immediate‐early gene function in hippocampal memory consolidation using antisense oligonucleotide and fluorescent imaging approaches

In the 14 years since it was discovered that specific genes could be dynamically regulated in the brain by neural activity, there has been a substantial research focus attempting to understand the role immediate‐early genes (IEGs) play in various brain functions. This article examines the involvement of IEGs in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and in memory consolidation processes performed by the hippocampus. Studies employing conventional IEG detection methodologies and a novel gene‐imaging approach that provides temporal and cellular resolution (cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescence in situ hybridization or catFISH) provide evidence supporting the assertion that IEG expression reflects the integration of information processed by hippocampal neurons. However, IEG expression is not merely correlated with neural activity, but also plays a pivotal role in stabilizing recent changes in synaptic efficacy. As such, localized disruption of IEGs Arc or c‐fos by intrahippocampal administration of antisense oligonucleotides or germline disruption of the IEGs c‐fos, tissue plasminogen activator, or zif268 impairs consolidation of long‐term memory formation, without affecting learning or short‐term memory. Further investigation into the expression and function of IEGs using catFISH and antisense approaches will likely increase understanding of the molecular and cellular bases of information processing involving the hippocampus. Hippocampus 2002;12:86–104. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Eco-evolutionary dynamics

Evolutionary ecologists and population biologists have recently considered that ecological and evolutionary changes are intimately linked and can occur on the same time-scale. Recent theoretical developments have shown how the feedback between ecological and evolutionary dynamics can be linked, and there are now empirical demonstrations showing that ecological change can lead to rapid evolutionary change. We also have evidence that microevolutionary change can leave an ecological signature. We are at a stage where the integration of ecology and evolution is a necessary step towards major advances in our understanding of the processes that shape and maintain biodiversity. This special feature about ‘eco-evolutionary dynamics’ brings together biologists from empirical and theoretical backgrounds to bridge the gap between ecology and evolution and provide a series of contributions aimed at quantifying the interactions between these fundamental processes.
Contribution of sodium channels to lamellipodial protrusion and Rac1 and ERK1/2 activation in ATP‐stimulated microglia

Microglia are motile resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that continuously explore their territories for threats to tissue homeostasis. Following CNS insult (e.g., cellular injury, infection, or ischemia), microglia respond to signals such as ATP, transform into an activated state, and migrate towards the threat. Directed migration is a complex and highly‐coordinated process involving multiple intersecting cellular pathways, including signal transduction, membrane adhesion and retraction, cellular polarization, and rearrangement of cytoskeletal elements. We previously demonstrated that the activity of sodium channels contributes to ATP‐induced migration of microglia. Here we show that TTX‐sensitive sodium channels, specifically NaV1.6, participate in an initial event in the migratory process, i.e., the formation in ATP‐stimulated microglia of polymerized actin‐rich membrane protrusions, lamellipodia, containing accumulations of Rac1 and phosphorylated ERK1/2. We also examined Ca2+ transients in microglia and found that blockade of sodium channels with TTX produced a downward shift in the level of [Ca2+]i during the delayed, slower recovery of [Ca2+]i following ATP stimulation. These observations demonstrate a modulatory role of sodium channels on Ca2+ transients in microglia that are likely to affect down‐stream signaling cascades. Consistent with these observations, we demonstrate that ATP‐induced microglial migration is mediated via Rac1 and ERK1/2, but not p38α/β and JNK, dependent pathways, and that activation of both Rac1 and ERK1/2 is modulated by sodium channel activity. Our results provide evidence for a direct link between sodium channel activity and modulation of Rac1 and ERK1/2 activation in ATP‐stimulated microglia, possibly by regulating Ca2+ transients. GLIA 2014;62:2080–2095
Interatomic potentials for modelling radiation defects and dislocations in tungsten

We have developed empirical interatomic potentials for studying radiation defects and dislocations in tungsten. The potentials use the embedded atom method formalism and are fitted to a mixed database, containing various experimentally measured properties of tungsten and ab initio formation energies of defects, as well as ab initio interatomic forces computed for random liquid configurations. The availability of data on atomic force fields proves critical for the development of the new potentials. Several point and extended defect configurations were used to test the transferability of the potentials. The trends predicted for the Peierls barrier of the 1 2 ⟨ 111 ⟩ ? > screw dislocation are in qualitative agreement with ab initio calculations, enabling quantitative comparison of the predicted kink-pair formation energies with experimental data.
Macrophage phagocytosis of wound neutrophils

Resolution of acute inflammation is thought to require the recognition and phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils (PMN) through receptor‐ligand interactions with macrophages (Mϕ). This hypothesis was tested in rat wounds by quantifying apoptosis in freshly harvested and aged‐in‐culture PMN taken from wounds 1–3 days after injury and by using these wound PMN as phagocytic targets for wound, immune‐activated peritoneal, and resident peritoneal Mϕ. Less than 6% of freshly harvested PMN exhibited characteristics of apoptosis. On aging in culture, day 1 PMN did not undergo apoptosis, whereas 41 ± 1 and 29 ± 1% of day 2 and 3 PMN, respectively, developed apoptosis, which corresponded to increased ingestion by Mϕ. All three Mϕ populations engaged different receptor‐ligand pairs for the recognition and phagocytosis of PMN. Results indicate the resistance of early wound PMN to age‐induced apoptosis, demonstrate wound‐Mϕ phagocytosis of wound PMN, and identify distinct receptor utilization by wound and other Mϕ to ingest wound PMN. J. Leukoc. Biol. 65:35–42; 1999.