Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modularization of Lightweight Data Compression Algorithms

Modern database systems are very often in the position to store their entire data in main memory. Aside from increased main memory capacities, a further driver for in-memory database systems was the shift to a column-oriented storage format in combination with lightweight data compression techniques. Using both mentioned software concepts, large datasets can be held and processed in main memory with a low memory footprint. In recent years, a lot of lightweight data compression algorithms have been developed to efficiently support different data characteristics. In our research work, we have investigated a large number of those algorithms to determine similarities and differences between the algorithms. Based on this survey, we developed a novel modularization concept which can be used to describe and to implement a wide range of lightweight compression algorithms in a unified way. In this paper, we introduce our modularization concept and present our model kit implementation. Moreover, we highlight the applicability of our approach using the transcription of different algorithms.
In-situ control of quantum point contacts using scanning probe microscopy scratch lithography

Quantum point contacts (QPCs) are formed by mechanically scratching Au channels with a scanning probe microscope (SPM) in ambient condition. A variation of electrical properties of the Au channels was caused by a direct modification of the channels using SPM scratching and was in-situ controlled by monitoring the conductance across the scratched region. Such in-situ measurements provide a more accurate method of controlling device properties than by controlling geometric dimensions alone. Scratch experiments were carried out using a diamond-coated tip in ambient air. The conductance of the Au channels was slowly decreased with the increase of process time as the channel was constricted by the scratching. The conductance changed in quantized steps of the conductance quantum, G0= 2e2/h, at the moment of breaking of the Au channels. Furthermore, the control time to adjust the conductance from 12 G0 to 0 G0 was successfully increased from 4 to 32 sec when the scan speed of the SPM tip was decreased from 100 to 20 pm/s. It is suggested that atomic-size contact is successfully formed by SPM scratching. These results imply that SPM scratch nanolithography is promising for the fabrication of nanoscale devices consisting of QPCs.
Fully automatic skull stripping of routine clinical neurological NMR data

Image analysis of neurological NMR data is often an easier undertaking when non-cerebral tissue compartment voxels are removed from the NMR image dataset. This preprocessing step is often called 'skull stripping'. The simple but robust technique formulated and presented in this paper utilizes a combination of mathematical morphology and statistical segmentation techniques. Non-tissue background voxels are deemed to possess a Rayleigh distribution and consequently removed using an adaptive region dividing technique. Further processing automatically identifies a set of voxels that act as a test slice to determine whether the cerebral tissue compartment voxels have been fully separated during subsequent morphological processing. This set is used as a test to terminate an iterative morphological processing scheme to disconnect cerebral from non-cerebral voxels. The method has been successfully applied to 9 NMR datasets of varying quality with low inter-slice resolution. It therefore appears that this approach should be sufficiently robust to be useful for the statistical analysis of routine clinical NMR data.
Nearly tight bounds on the learnability of evolution

Evolution is often modeled as a stochastic process which modifies DNA. One of the most popular and successful such processes are the Cavender-Farris (CF) trees, which are represented as edge weighted trees. The Phylogeny Construction Problem is that of, given /spl kappa/ samples drawn from a CF tree, output a CF tree which is close to the original. Each CF tree naturally defines a random variable, and the gold standard for reconstructing such trees is the maximum likelihood estimator of this variable. This approach is notoriously computationally expensive. We show that a very simple algorithm, which is a variant on one of the most popular algorithms used by practitioners, converges on the true tree at a rate which differs from the optimum by a constant. We do this by analyzing upper and lower bounds for the convergence rate of learning very simple CF trees, and then show that the learnability of each CF tree is sandwiched between two such simpler trees. Our results rely on the fact that, if the right metric is used, the likelihood space of CF trees is smooth.
Scan Test of Die Logic in 3-D ICs Using TSV Probing

Prebond testing of through-silicon-vias (TSVs) and die logic is a significant challenge and a potential roadblock for 3-D integration. Built-in self-test solutions introduce considerable die area overhead. Oversized probe pads on TSVs to provide prebond test access limit both test bandwidth and TSV density. This paper presents a solution to these problems, allowing a probe card to contact TSVs without the need for probe pads, enabling both TSV and prebond scan test. Several possible prebond scan test configurations are shown-they provide varying degrees of test parallelism under design constraints. HSPICE simulations are performed on two logic-on-logic 3-D benchmarks. Results show that the ratio of the number of probe needles available for test access to the number of prebond scan chains determines which prebond scan configuration results in the shortest test time. Maximum prebond scan-in and scan-out shift-clock speeds are determined for dies in a benchmark 3-D design as a function of driver strength and transmission gate width. These clock speeds show that prebond scan test can be performed at a speed that is comparable with scan testing of packaged dies. The maximum clock speed can also be tuned by changing the drive strength of the probe and on-die drivers of the TSV network. Estimates are also provided for peak and average power consumption during prebond scan test for both a high-power pattern per scan chain and an average power pattern per scan chain. On-die area overhead for the proposed method is estimated to be between 1.0% and 2.9% per die for two 3-D benchmarks.
Characterization of immunodominant surface antigens of Haemophilus somnus

An immunodominant Haemophilus somnus outer membrane protein with an apparent molecular mass of 40 kDa on Western blots (immunoblots) of gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels was characterized because a monospecific antibody against this antigen was protective. This monospecific antibody was used for immunoaffinity purification of the antigen. The immunoaffinity-purified antigen reacted with a polyclonal antibody to the 40-kDa antigen but not with a monoclonal antibody (3G9) which reacted with the 40-kDa antigen in gradient gels. On 8 or 10% gels, the approximately 40-kDa antigen was resolved as two bands, a 40-kDa band which reacted with the protective monospecific polyclonal antibody (p40) and a band of lower molecular mass which reacted with monoclonal antibody 3G9. The latter antigen was designated p39. Both antigens were conserved in all H. somnus isolates tested. The specific antibodies were also used to detect cross-reacting antigens in other gram-negative bacteria. Antibody to p40 reacted with proteins of 55 to 28 kDa, with the greatest intensity shown among proteins from other members of the family Pasteurellaceae. Antibody to p40 was reduced by absorption with live H. somnus or other members of the family Pasteurellaceae, so the antigen appears to be surface exposed. Antibody to p39 only cross-reacted with a broad band (38 to 40 kDa) in Haemophilus agni. Since H. agni is not a bovine pathogen and since convalescent-phase serum from H. somnus-infected animals did recognize p39, the latter may be a good immunodiagnostic antigen, if the lack of cross-reactivity with antigens in other gram-negative bacteria is confirmed with a polyclonal antibody to p39. The cross-reactivity of antiserum to p40 with antigens of members of the family Pasteurellaceae and the ability of this antiserum to protect against H. somnus pneumonia indicate that p40 may be a useful vaccine antigen for H. somnus disease and perhaps even diseases caused by other members of the family Pasteurellaceae.
Earnings and Financial Compensation from Social Security Systems Correlate Strongly with Disability for Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients earn lower incomes and receive higher benefits. However, there is limited knowledge of how this is correlated with their disability. Objective To elucidate sources and levels of income among MS patients with different disability, assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Methods A total of 7929 MS patients aged 21–64 years and living in Sweden in 2010 were identified for this cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics, logistic and truncated linear regression models were used to estimate differences between MS patients regarding earnings, disability pension, sickness absence, disability allowance, unemployment compensation, and social assistance. Results The average level of earnings was ten times lower and the average level of health- related benefits was four times higher when comparing MS patients with severe and mild disability. MS patients with severe disability had on average SEK 166,931 less annual income from earnings and SEK 54,534 more income from benefits compared to those with mild disability. The combined average income for MS patients was 35% lower when comparing patients in the same groups. The adjusted risk ratio for having earnings among MS patients with severe disability compared to the patients with mild disability was 0.33 (95% CI 0.29–0.39), while the risk ratio for having benefits was 1.93 (95% CI 1.90–1.94). Conclusions Disease progression affects the financial situation of MS patients considerably. Correlations between higher disability and patient income were observed, suggesting that earnings and benefits could be used as measures of MS progression and proxies of disability.
Epithelial sodium channel is involved in H2S-induced acute pulmonary edema

Abstract Acute pulmonary edema is one of the major outcomes of exposure to high levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). However, the mechanisms involved in H2S-induced acute pulmonary edema are still poorly understood. Therefore, the present study is designed to evaluate the role of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in H2S-induced acute pulmonary edema. The Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to sublethal concentrations of inhaled H2S, then the pulmonary histological and lung epithelial cell injury were evaluated by hematoxylin–eosin staining and electron microscopy, respectively. In addition to morphological investigation, our results also revealed that H2S exposure significantly decreased the alveolar fluid clearance and increased the lung tissue wet–dry ratio. These changes were demonstrated to be associated with decreased ENaC expression. Furthermore, the extracellular-regulated protein kinases 1/2 pathway was demonstrated to be implicated in H2S-mediated ENaC expression, because PD98059, an ERK1/2 antagonist, significantly mitigated H2S-mediated ENaC down-regulation. Therefore, our results show that ENaC might represent a novel pharmacological target for the treatment of acute pulmonary edema induced by H2S and other hazardous gases.
Forecasting of Industrial Water Demand Using Case-Based Reasoning—A Case Study in Zhangye City, China

Forecasting the industrial water demand accurately is crucial for sustainable water resource management. This study investigates industrial water demand forecasting by case-based reasoning (CBR) in an arid area, with a case study of Zhangye, China. We constructed a case base with 420 original cases of 28 cities in China, extracted six attributes of the industrial water demand, and employed a back propagation neural network (BPN) to weight each attribute, as well as the grey incidence analysis (GIA) to calculate the similarities between target case and original cases. The forecasting values were calculated by weighted similarities. The results show that the industrial water demand of Zhangye in 2030, which is the t arget case, will reach 11.9 million tons. There are 10 original cases which have relatively high similarities to the target case. Furthermore, the case of Yinchuan, 2010, has the largest similarity, followed by Yinchuan, 2009, and Urumqi, 2009. We also made a comparison experiment in which case-based reasoning is more accurate than the grey forecast model and BPN in water demand forecasting. It is expected that the results of this study will provide references to water resources management and planning.
Snail is required for TGFβ-induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition of embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays important roles in various physiological and pathological processes, and is regulated by signaling pathways mediated by cytokines, including transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Embryonic endothelial cells also undergo differentiation into mesenchymal cells during heart valve formation and aortic maturation. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate such endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) remain to be elucidated. Here we show that TGFβ plays important roles during mural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells (MESECs). TGFβ2 induced the differentiation of MESECs into mural cells, with a decrease in the expression of the endothelial marker claudin 5, and an increase in expression of the mural markers smooth muscle α-actin, SM22α and calponin, whereas a TGFβ type I receptor kinase inhibitor inhibited EndMT. Among the transcription factors involved in EMT, Snail was induced by TGFβ2 in MESECs. Tetracycline-regulated expression of Snail induced the differentiation of MESECs into mural cells, whereas knockdown of Snail expression abrogated TGFβ2-induced mural differentiation of MESECs. These results indicate that Snail mediates the actions of endogenous TGFβ signals that induce EndMT.
BIOGEOGRAPHY OF A WIDESPREAD FRESHWATER CRUSTACEAN: PSEUDOCONGRUENCE AND CRYPTIC ENDEMISM IN THE NORTH AMERICAN DAPHNIA LAEVIS COMPLEX

The lack of morphological variation in many freshwater invertebrates over vast distances has been cited as evidence for their frequent, long‐distance dispersal. This scenario implies that vicariance will be an insignificant determinant of species distributions or diversity. We carried out a phylogeographic and population genetics study of one widespread crustacean group, the North American Daphnia laevis complex. Allozyme and sequence variation of two mtDNA genes (12S and 16S rRNA) clearly indicates the existence of five morphologically cryptic, largely allopatric groups (Daphnia dubia, D. laevis laevis, D. laevis gessneri, D. magniceps magniceps, and D. magniceps pacifica ssp. n.). Within each of these groups, there is weak or no genetic differentiation over large geographic areas suggesting their recent long‐distance dispersal. The present‐day distributions and phylogeography of the regional groups suggests the occurrence of both deep and shallow vicariance events. Although divergence times from mtDNA sequences do indicate both deep and shallow divergences, these estimates are incongruent with their proposed vicariance times. The results show that even within closely related freshwater invertebrates, a complex biogeography exists, whose analysis is made difficult by long‐distance dispersal, cryptic endemism, and pseudocongruence.
The Legacy of Parmenides: Eleatic Monism and Later Presocratic Thought

Parmenides of Elea was the most important and influential philosopher before Plato. Patricia Curd here reinterprets Parmenides' views and offers a new account of his relation to his predecessors and successors. In the traditional interpretation, Parmenides argues that generation, destruction, and change are unreal and that only one thing exists. He therefore rejected as impossible the scientific inquiry practised by the earlier Presocratic philosophers. But the philosophers who came after Parmenides attempted to explain natural change and they assumed the reality of a plurality of basic entities. Thus, on the traditional interpretation, the later Presocratics either ignored or contradicted his arguments. In this book, Patricia Curd argues that Parmenides sought to reform rather than to reject scientific inquiry and offers a more coherent account of his influence on the philosophers who came after him. The Legacy of Parmenides provides a detailed examination of Parmenides' arguments, considering his connection to earlier Greek thought and how his account of what-is could serve as model for later philosophers. It then considers the theories of those who came after him, including the Pluralists (Anaxagoras and Empedocles), the Atomists (Leucippus and Democritus), the later Eleatics (Zeno and Melissus), and the later Presocratics (Philolaus of Croton and Diogenes of Apollonia). The book closes with a discussion of the importance of Parmenides' views for the development of Plato's Theory of Forms. This edition includes a new Introduction by the author in which she clarifies her position on the following points: Monism, Internal and External Negations, Locomotion and the Specification of How What-is Is, and Doxa. Also added is a Supplementary Bibliography.
Behaviors that predict personality components in adult free-ranging Tibetan macaques Macaca thibetana

To further the potential for applied personality studies, we present a methodology for assessing personality in nonhu- man animals without a priori assumptions, using behavioral measures to discriminate personality survey results. Our study group consisted of 12 free-ranging, provisioned, adult Tibetan macaques Macaca thibetana at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys, China. We asked familiar Chinese park guards and scientists to rate each of the 12 macaques using 27-item personality surveys. We also recorded behavioral observations (> 100 hrs) from August-September, 2012. The personality surveys showed reliability in 22 of the items that were then utilized in a principal component analysis that revealed five components: Insecurity, Reactivity, Boldness, Sociability, and Leadership. Prior personality research on Macaca show comparable components. In order to determine which behaviors would best predict those five personality components, we conducted discriminant analyses using behavioral measures as predictors. We found that behavioral measures of avoidance, lunging, fear-grinning, self-directed behaviors, touching, proximity and chasing could significantly predict personality component scores in certain situations. Finally, we analyzed the effects of sit- uation (provisioning and tourists) and found situation influenced proximity and rates of avoidance and self-directed behaviors. Wider implementation of this methodology may permit long-term analysis of personality using behavioral proxies for established personality traits, in particular on research investigating the effects of tourism and provisioning on personality (Current Zoology 60 (3): 362-372, 2014).
Nickel binding and immunological properties of the C‐terminal domain of the Helicobacter pylori GroES homologue (HspA)

Helicobacter pylori synthesizes a heat‐shock protein of the GroES class. The gene encoding this protein (heat‐shock protein A, HspA) was recently cloned and it was shown to be unique in structure. H. pylori HspA consists of two domains: the N‐terminal domain (domain A) homologous with other GroES proteins, and a C‐terminal domain (domain B) corresponding to 27 additional residues resembling a metal‐binding domain. Various recombinant proteins consisting of the entire HspA polypeptide, the A domain, or the B domain were produced independently as proteins fused to maltose‐binding protein (MBP). Comparison of the divalent cation binding properties of the various MBP and MBP‐fused proteins allowed us to conclude that HspA binds nickel ions by means of its C‐terminal domain. HspA exhibited a high and specific affinity for nickel ions in comparison with its affinity for other divalent cations (copper, zinc, cobalt). Equilibrium dialysis experiments revealed that MBP–HspA binds nickel ions with an apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of 1.8 μM and a stoichiometry of 1.9 ions per molecule. The analysis of the deduced HspA amino acid sequences encoded by 35 independent clinical isolates demonstrated the existence of two molecular variants of HspA, i.e. a major and a minor variant present in 89% and 11% of strains, respectively. The two variants differed from each other by the simultaneous substitution of seven amino acids within the B domain, whilst the A domain was highly conserved amongst all the HspA proteins (99–100% identity). On the basis of serological studies, the highly conserved A domain of HspA was found to be the immunodominant domain. Functional complementation experiments were performed to test the properties of the two HspA variants. When co‐expressed together with the H. pylori urease gene cluster in Escherichia coli cells, the two HspA variant‐encoding genes led to a fourfold increase in urease activity, demonstrating that HspA in H. pylori has a specialized function with regard to the nickel metalloenzyme urease.
The development of morphophonemic complexity in Eskimo languages

Abstract As I have recently argued (Fortescue, forthcoming 1992), the Eskimo-Aleut languages appear to have developed from an earlier, more agglutinative stage towards full-blown polysynthesis hand in hand with increasing mor-phophonemic complexity, the latter having today reached - especially in Alaskan Yupik - a daunting degree of complexity. I discuss there in “teleological” terms why this perhaps unexpected linkage might have come about without generalization of individual allomorphs having continually counteracted the complications resulting from normal phonological drift. The purpose of the present article is to sketch the route whereby this state of affairs was reached. The reconstruction is based upon the now virtually complete first version of the Comparative Eskimo Dictionary (Fortescue et al., forthcoming) and the recent comparative Eskimo-Aleut work by Knut Bergsland (especially Bergsland 1986 and 1989).