Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mining block correlations to improve storage performance

Block correlations are common semantic patterns in storage systems. They can be exploited for improving the effectiveness of storage caching, prefetching, data layout, and disk scheduling. Unfortunately, information about block correlations is unavailable at the storage system level. Previous approaches for discovering file correlations in file systems do not scale well enough for discovering block correlations in storage systems.In this article, we propose two algorithms, C-Miner and C-Miner*, that use a data mining technique called frequent sequence mining to discover block correlations in storage systems. Both algorithms run reasonably fast with feasible space requirement, indicating that they are practical for dynamically inferring correlations in a storage system. C-Miner is a direct application of a frequent-sequence mining algorithm with a few modifications; compared with C-Miner, C-Miner* is redesigned for mining block correlations by making concessions for the specific problem of long sequences in storage system traces. Therefore, C-Miner* can discover 7--109% more correlation rules within 2--15 times shorter time than C-Miner. Moreover, we have also evaluated the benefits of block correlation-directed prefetching and data layout through experiments. Our results using real system workloads show that correlation-directed prefetching and data layout can reduce average I/O response time by 12--30% compared to the base case, and 7--25% compared to the commonly used sequential prefetching scheme for most workloads.
Geographic variation in patient and hospital characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with fibrinolysis. Results from InTIME-II.

AIMS We examined the geographic variations in InTIME-II, a randomized double-blind trial comparing alteplase with lanoteplase for myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS We compared baseline characteristics, management, and outcomes in four regions (Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, and Latin America) and in countries with historically different management approaches (Germany vs the U.K., the U.S. vs Canada). Thirty-day mortality in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America and Latin America was 6.7%, 7.3%, 5.7%, 10.1%, P<0.0001. Adjusted mortality for Europe was intermediate between North America and Latin America (odds ratios (OR) [95% confidence intervals (CI)] compared to Western Europe: North America 0.84 [0.67-1.0], Eastern Europe 1.2 [1.0-1.4], and Latin America 1.8 [1.3-2.7]). Revascularization rates varied 10-fold but did not explain regional mortality differences. Germany and the U.K. had similar adjusted 1-year mortality (OR for the U.K. 1.16 [0.92-1.5]), although invasive procedures were four- to 10-fold more common in Germany. Similarly the U.S. and Canada had equal adjusted 1-year mortality (OR for Canada 0.85 [0.61-1.17]) despite three-fold higher use of invasive procedures in the U.S. CONCLUSIONS Significant geographic variations in practice and adjusted mortality following fibrinolysis persist despite recent guidelines. These findings have important implications in the design and interpretation of international studies, identify under- and over-utilized therapies, and support further study of treatments with marked worldwide variations.
Molecular Simulation of Dissociation Phenomena of Gas Molecule on Metal Surface

Dissociative adsorption phenomena often occur in various fields of engineering, such as oxidation-reduction reactions, cleaning, adhesion, plating, plasma etching, sputtering, and tribology. These phenomena that involve surface reactions have attracted much attention and are analyzed both experimentally and numerically. However, when the surface has structures on the molecular scale, and the scale is not small enough compared to the system, the characteristics of a surface reaction cannot be sufficiently expressed macroscopically, for example by the rate equation. It is extremely difficult to analyze the characteristics of a nanoscale system experimentally due to the scale. Therefore, analysis by numerical calculation, in which the system structure and its electronic state are treated comprehensively, is more effective.
IN VIVO AND IN VITRO EFFECTS OF THE ANTICOAGULANT, THROMBOMODULIN, ON THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN RODENT MODELS

Sepsis remains a major health threat in intensive care medicine. The physiological functions of the coagulation cascade extend beyond blood coagulation and play a pivotal role in inflammation. We investigated whether the use of recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM), which has activity comparable with antithrombin, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and activated protein C, could inhibit secretion of cytokines and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, thus reducing lung damage in a rat model of LPS-induced systemic inflammation. Rats treated with an intravenous injection of either rTM or saline were injected concurrently with intravenous LPS. In addition, mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS, with or without simultaneous rTM treatment. Histological examination revealed marked reductions of interstitial congestion, edema, inflammation, and hemorrhage in lung tissue harvested 12 h after treatment with both agents compared with LPS administration alone. LPS-induced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and HMGB1 protein was inhibited by treatment with rTM. The presence of HMGB1 protein in the lung was examined by immunohistochemistry; the number of HMGB1-positive cells was significantly lower in LPS-treated animals that also received rTM. In the in vitro studies, rTM administration inhibited the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B by inhibiting I kappa B phosphorylation. The anticoagulant rTM blocked the LPS-induced inflammatory response and protected against acute lung injury normally associated with endotoxemia in this rat sepsis model. Given these results, rTM is a strong candidate as a therapeutic agent for various systemic inflammatory diseases.
The pre-T cell receptor (TCR) complex is functionally coupled to the TCR-zeta subunit

The pre-T cell receptor (TCR) complex regulates early T cell development and consists of a heterodimer of the TCR-beta subunit in association with the pre-TCR-alpha chain. Notably, in contrast to alpha/beta-expressing T cells, several studies suggested that the TCR- zeta chain is not stably associated with this pre-TCR complex. To examine the proximal signaling processes mediated by the pre-TCR complex and the role of the TCR-zeta chain in these processes, we stimulated pre-TCR-expressing cells and analyzed the interactions of the TCR/CD3 invariant chains with the Syk/ZAP-70 family of protein tyrosine kinases. Stimulation of the pre-TCR complex led to the tyrosine phosphorylation of the CD3 epsilon and TCR-zeta chains, as well as the phosphorylation and association of ZAP-70 and Syk with phosphorylated CD3 epsilon and TCR-zeta. These results demonstrate that the pre-TCR complex is functionally coupled to the TCR-zeta subunit and to the ZAP-70 and Syk protein tyrosine kinases.
Controlling Type I error rate in evaluating Differential Item Functioning for four DIF methods: Use of three procedures for adjustment of multiple item testing

CONTROLLING TYPE I ERROR RATE IN EVALUATING DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING FOR FOUR DIF METHODS: USE OF THREE PROCEDURES FOR ADJUSTMENT OF MULTIPLE ITEM TESTING by Jihye Kim In DIF studies, a Type I error refers to the mistake of identifying non-DIF items as DIF items, and a Type I error rate refers to the proportion of Type I errors in a simulation study. The possibility of making a Type I error in DIF studies is always present and high possibility of making such an error can weaken the validity of the assessment. Therefore, the quality of a test assessment is related to a Type I error rate and to how to control such a rate. Current DIF studies regarding a Type I error rate have found that the latter rate can be affected by several factors, such as test length, sample size, test group size, group mean difference, group standard deviation difference, and an underlying model. This study focused on another undiscovered factor that may affect a Type I error rate; the effect of multiple testing. DIF analysis conducts multiple significance testing of items in a test, and such multiple testing may increase the possibility of making a Type I error at least once. The main goal of this dissertation was to investigate how to control a Type I error rate using adjustment procedures for multiple testing which have been widely used in applied statistics but rarely used in DIF studies. In the simulation study, four DIF methods were performed under a total of 36 testing conditions; the methods were the Mantel-Haenszel method, the logistic regression procedure, the Differential Functioning Item and Test framework, and the Lord’s chisquare test. Then the Bonferroni correction, the Holm’s procedure, and the BH method were applied as an adjustment of multiple significance testing. The results of this study showed the effectiveness of three adjustment procedures in controlling a Type I error rate. CONTROLLING TYPE I ERROR RATE IN EVALUATING DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING FOR FOUR DIF METHODS: USE OF THREE PROCEDURES FOR ADJUSTMENT OF MULTIPLE ITEM TESTING by Jihye Kim
The Apoptosome Pathway to Caspase Activation in Primary Human Neutrophils Exhibits Dramatically Reduced Requirements for Cytochrome c

Caspase activation is a central event in numerous forms of apoptosis and results in the proteolytic degradation of multiple substrate proteins that contribute to the apoptotic phenotype. An important route to caspase activation proceeds via assembly of the “apoptosome” as a result of the cell stress–associated release of mitochondrial cytochrome c. Previous studies have shown that primary neutrophils are largely incapable of mitochondrial respiration, suggesting that these cells either lack functional mitochondria or possess a defective respiratory chain. This prompted us to examine whether neutrophils retain an intact cytochrome c/apoptotic protease-activating factor 1 (Apaf-1) pathway to caspase activation and apoptosis. We show that primary human neutrophils contain barely detectable levels of cytochrome c as well as other mitochondrial proteins. Surprisingly, neutrophil cell–free extracts readily supported Apaf-1–dependent caspase activation, suggesting that these cells may assemble cytochrome c–independent apoptosomes. However, further analysis revealed that the trace amount of cytochrome c present in neutrophils is both necessary and sufficient for Apaf-1–dependent caspase activation in these cells. Thus, neutrophils have a lowered threshold requirement for cytochrome c in the Apaf-1–dependent cell death pathway. These observations suggest that neutrophils retain cytochrome c for the purpose of assembling functional apoptosomes rather than for oxidative phosphorylation.
MiRNAs in primary cutaneous lymphomas

Primary cutaneous lymphomas (PCL) compose a heterogeneous disease with still unknown aetiology and mechanisms of development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been discovered as one of the crucial players in PCL carcinogenesis through post‐transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRNAs have been reported to be frequently deregulated in PCLs and their biological significance has been further confirmed in multiple functional experiments. Such studies help us understand molecular pathogenesis of PCL. In this review, we summarize expression of miRNAs and their corresponding roles in different subtypes of PCL. With expression and functional role of miRNAs revealed, investigation of their possible clinical use as biomarkers for diagnosis, prediction of prognosis and target for therapies, will be a promising area in the future.
Color constancy and non-uniform illumination: Can existing algorithms work?

The color and distribution of illuminants can significantly alter the appearance of a scene. The goal of color constancy (CC) is to remove the color bias introduced by the illuminants. Most existing CC algorithms assume a uniformly illuminated scene. However, more often than not, this assumption is an insufficient approximation of real-world illumination conditions (multiple light sources, shadows, interreflections, etc.). Thus, illumination should be locally determined, taking under consideration that multiple illuminants may be present. In this paper we investigate the suitability of adapting 5 state-of-the-art color constancy methods so that they can be used for local illuminant estimation. Given an arbitrary image, we segment it into superpixels of approximately similar color. Each of the methods is applied independently on every superpixel. For improved accuracy, these independent estimates are combined into a single illuminant-color value per superpixel. We evaluated different fusion methodologies. Our experiments indicate that the best performance is obtained by fusion strategies that combine the outputs of the estimators using regression.
Joint probability of shape and image similarities to retrieve 2D TRUS-MR slice correspondence for prostate biopsy

This paper presents a novel method to identify the 2D axial Magnetic Resonance (MR) slice from a pre-acquired MR prostate volume that closely corresponds to the 2D axial Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS) slice obtained during prostate biopsy. The method combines both shape and image intensity information. The segmented prostate contours in both the imaging modalities are described by shape-context representations and matched using the Chi-square distance. Normalized mutual information and correlation coefficient between the TRUS and MR slices are computed to find image similarities. Finally, the joint probability values comprising shape and image similarities are used in a rule-based framework to provide the MR slice that closely resembles the TRUS slice acquired during the biopsy procedure. The method is evaluated for 20 patient datasets, of which 18 results match at least one of the two clinical expert choices.
RCopterX - Experimental validation of a distributed leader-follower MPC approach on a miniature helicopter test bed

RCopterX is an indoor testbed for miniature remote controlled helicopters build at the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich. The experimental setup includes modular custom control software, a hardware interface between a PC and radio-control signal transmitter, off-the-shelf miniature helicopters and an infrared vision system for global positioning indoors. Its purpose is to experimentally validate problems of UAVs performing multi-level controls, including stabilizing low level controls as well as testing of high level algorithms. The main features are the modular architecture allowing for multi-agent support and interchangeability of the vehicle hardware and control algorithms. For illustration, a reliable fast model predictive control (MPC) scheme for coaxial helicopters as well as the implementation of a formation control algorithm is described. The presented distributed leader follower MPC approach achieves reference tracking of the whole formation along with maintenance of the formation shape, by having the individual agents solve their own optimization problem based on information from their leader. Results of the experimental validation demonstrate the successful implementation and the multi-agent capabilities of the setup.
From the Information Bottleneck to the Privacy Funnel

We focus on the privacy-utility trade-off encountered by users who wish to disclose some information to an analyst, that is correlated with their private data, in the hope of receiving some utility. We rely on a general privacy statistical inference framework, under which data is transformed before it is disclosed, according to a probabilistic privacy mapping. We show that when the log-loss is introduced in this framework in both the privacy metric and the distortion metric, the privacy leakage and the utility constraint can be reduced to the mutual information between private data and disclosed data, and between non-private data and disclosed data respectively. We justify the relevance and generality of the privacy metric under the log-loss by proving that the inference threat under any bounded cost function can be upperbounded by an explicit function of the mutual information between private data and disclosed data. We then show that the privacy-utility tradeoff under the log-loss can be cast as the non-convex Privacy Funnel optimization, and we leverage its connection to the Information Bottleneck, to provide a greedy algorithm that is locally optimal. We evaluate its performance on the US census dataset. Finally, we characterize the optimal privacy mapping for the Gaussian Privacy Funnel.
Visual rating and volumetry of the medial temporal lobe on magnetic resonance imaging in dementia: a comparative study

OBJECTIVES It has been shown that atrophy of medial temporal lobe structures such as the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex shown on MRI may distinguish patients with Alzheimer's disease from healthy controls. However, the diagnostic value of visual inspection and volumetry of medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) on MRI in a clinical setting is insufficiently known. METHODS Medial temporal lobe atrophy in 143 patients was visually rated from hard copies, using a 0–4 rating scale and a comparison was made with the volumes (cm3) of the medial temporal lobe as estimated with volumetry, using a stereological method. All patients were recruited in an unselected way in a clinical setting in the centre for memory impairments at the Huddinge University Hospital. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (n=41), patients with other dementias (vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and unspecified dementia; n=36) as well as non-demented subjects (n=66) were included. Medial temporal atrophy and volumetry were evaluated as a diagnostic tool by performing logistic regression analysis including age, sex, and mini mental state examination (MMSE) score and calculating the sensitivity and specificity and percentage correct classification. RESULTS Visual and volumetric analysis yielded statistically significant differences between patients with Alzheimer's disease and non-demented subjects, as well as between those with other dementias and non-demented subjects. Combining MMSE scores and visually rated MTA ratings yielded a sensitivity of 95% for Alzheimer's disease, 85% for other dementias. Non-demented subjects were identified with a specificity of 96%. Volumetry did not have an added value over the MMSE score alone. CONCLUSIONS Visual rating of MTA is a clinically useful method for differentiating Alzheimer's disease from controls and is both quicker and more accurate than volumetry.
The impact of adolescent social anxiety on adulthood adjustment among sexually abused girls

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant social problem that has gained increased recognition since the 1980s. The increased attention has led to a substantial body of research that documents both the high prevalence and pervasive effects of CSA. CSA is associated with a wide range of adulthood psychopathology, including major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use, suicidal behavior, alterations in self-concept, and disruptions in interpersonal relatedness (Beichtman, Zucker, Hood, DaCosta & Cassavia, 1992; Browne & Finkelhor, 1986; Cole & Putnam, 1992; Polusny & Follette, 1995; Russell, 1986; Wilson, 2006). Sexually abused children are also at a higher risk for experiencing social anxiety during adolescence due to the shame and guilt that characterize CSA sequelae (Feiring, Rosenthal & Taska, 2000; Wilson, 2006). However, little is known about the impact of these problems on adulthood adjustment. This study investigated the impact of adolescent social anxiety at age 14 on adulthood adjustment among sexually abused girls by focusing on three study aims. First, a range of indicators of adulthood adjustment were compared between sexually abused and non-abused girls, including depression, selfesteem, problematic alcohol use, alcohol risk behavior, relationship satisfaction, friendship satisfaction, violence in relationships, relationship characteristics, age at first voluntary sexual intercourse, and frequency of unprotected sex. Second, the relationship between CSA and adolescent social anxiety at age 14 was evaluated. Third, adolescent social anxiety was assessed as both a mediator and a moderator between CSA and adulthood outcomes. Results suggest that CSA is associated with increased depression at age 28, lower self-esteem at age 28, lower alcohol risk behavior at age 28, higher The Impact of Adolescent Social Anxiety vii frequency of unprotected sex at age 24, and younger age at first voluntary sexual intercourse. Severity of CSA experiences demonstrated a significant, albeit small, relationship to adolescent social anxiety at age 14. Finally, adolescent social anxiety at age 14 was supported as a mediator between CSA and adulthood depression at age 28 and self-esteem at age 28. Data for this study were drawn from a larger 17-year community-based longitudinal study, the Michigan Study of Adolescent and Adult Life Transitions (MSALT). The Impact of Adolescent Social Anxiety viii Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract vi Table of
SourceRank: relevance and trust assessment for deep web sources based on inter-source agreement

We consider the problem of deep web source selection and argue that existing source selection methods are inadequate as they are based on local similarity assessment. Specically, they fail to account for the fact that sources can vary in trustworthiness and individual results can vary in importance. In response, we formulate a global measure to calculate relevance and trustworthiness of a source based on agreement between the answers provided by different sources. Agreement is modeled as a graph with sources at the vertices. On this agreement graph, source quality scores - namely SourceRank - are calculated as the stationary visit probability of a weighted random walk. Our experiments on online databases and 675 book sources from Google Base show that SourceRank improves relevance of the results by 25-40% over existing methods and Google Base ranking. SourceRank also reduces linearly with the corruption levels of the sources.
Generalized multidimensional data mapping and query processing

Multidimensional data points can be mapped to one-dimensional space to exploit single dimensional indexing structures such as the B+-tree. In this article we present a Generalized structure for data Mapping and query Processing (GiMP), which supports extensible mapping methods and query processing. GiMP can be easily customized to behave like many competent indexing mechanisms for multi-dimensional indexing, such as the UB-Tree, the Pyramid technique, the iMinMax, and the iDistance. Besides being an extendible indexing structure, GiMP also serves as a framework to study the characteristics of the mapping and hence the efficiency of the indexing scheme. Specifically, we introduce a metric called mapping redundancy to characterize the efficiency of a mapping method in terms of disk page accesses and analyze its behavior for point, range and kNN queries. We also address the fundamental problem of whether an efficient mapping exists and how to define such a mapping for a given data set.
Constrained aggressor et selection for maximum coupling noise

In this paper, we consider the problem of selecting a set of aggressor nets that maximize crosstalk induced noise or delay pushout on a coupled victim net, under given logical constraints. We formulate the problem mathematically, and propose efficient Lagrangian Relaxation and network flow based approaches that guarantee an optimal solution. We also formulate and solve this problem while considering the noise susceptibility of the victimpsilas receiving gate. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches are run-time efficient by factors of up to 800times in comparison to an exhaustive search approach, and reduce timing pessimism by up to 36%.