Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Quick-Start for TCP

This paper explores the Quick-Start mechanism, designed to allow transport protocols to explicitly request permission from the routers along a network path to send at a higher rate than normally allowed by traditional congestion control mechanisms. If the routers are underutilized, they may approve the sender’s request for a higher sending rate; otherwise the sender uses the default congestion control algorithms. This paper discusses some of the design issues of Quick-Start, and evaluates the potential benefits, costs and implications of Quick-Start in different networking environments. Using simulations, we evaluate several different algorithms that routers could use to process a QuickStart Request. This evaluation explores tradeoffs between the fraction of Quick-Start requests that are approved and the fraction of approved Quick-Start requests that result in increasing network congestion. In addition, the paper discusses the security implications of using Quick-Start and some possible mitigations for the vulnerabilities.
A phylogenetic framework for wing pattern evolution in the mimetic Mocker Swallowtail Papilio dardanus

The Batesian mimetic swallowtail butterfly Papilio dardanus exhibits numerous distinct wing colour morphs whose evolutionary origins require large phenotypic shifts. A phylogenetic framework to study the history of these morphs was established by DNA sequencing of representative subspecies from sub‐Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean islands. Two mitochondrial genes and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer marker revealed deeply separated eastern and western African mainland lineages, plus one lineage each on Madagascar and Grande Comore. These markers showed very little polymorphism within lineages. In contrast, markers genetically linked to the mimicry locus H, including the transcription factor invected and two adjacent amplified fragment length polymorphisms‐derived sequences, showed high nucleotide diversity but were not geographically structured. Variation in the unlinked wingless gene showed a similar pattern, rejecting the hypothesis that high level of variation in the H region is due to balancing selection exerted by the phenotypes. The separation from a common ancestor with Papilio phorcas estimated at 2.9 Ma coincides with the origin of a mimicry model, Danaus chrysippus. However, the model reached Africa only at the time of the internal splits of P. dardanus mtDNA groups, here estimated at 0.55–0.94 Ma. The nuclear genome shows less geographic structure and may not track recent population differentiation, suggesting that widespread mimicry morphs have arisen early in the evolution of the P. dardanus lineage, although after the male–female dimorphism which is ancestral. The current wide distribution of P. dardanus and population subdivision evident from mtDNA may have been achieved only with the spread of the models across Africa.
Effect of PAC Addition on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Bio-Cake in a Membrane Bioreactor

The effect of powdered activated carbon (PAC) addition on the architecture and cohesion strength of bio-cake in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated. Two reactors, a conventional MBR and a membrane-coupled biological activated carbon reactor (MBR ac ), were run in parallel. The addition of PAC led to a substantial increase in membrane permeability. Based on the conventional filtration theory, microbial floc size (d), bio-cake porosity (ε), and total attached biomass (TAB) were determined to find the key mechanism for the enhanced permeability. Unexpectedly the addition of PAC did not significantly change either the microbial floc size (d) or the porosity (ε) of the bio-cake. It decreased, however, not only the concentration of extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the bulk phase but also the TAB on the membrane. Using a separate batch cohesion test, it was revealed that the cohesion strength between microorganisms in the bio-cake in the MBR ac was weaker than that in the MBR. The addition of PAC led to the reduction of EPS, which act as glue-like materials, which in turn weakened the cohesion strength of the microorganisms. This resulted in a lower amount of TAB, i.e., a smaller amount of the bio-cake on the membrane, which ultimately gave rise to the enhanced permeability in the MBR ac .
A Review on High Performance Asynchronous Delta Sigma Modulator

This paper presents the review of work performed in designing of Asynchronous Delta Sigma Modulator. Review considers the use of ADSM for different application. Comparing the performance of different ADSM circuits, a performance criterion is fixed for ADSM design. The performance criteria mainly consider the Low operating voltages, low power consumption, high SNDR and better centre frequency. Then a method is proposed that defines the High performance ADSM that make combined use of different techniques like weak inversion operation and bulk driven MOS for ultra low power design and improving the performance of an Asynchronous Delta Sigma Modulator.
Mutations in the gyrA and parC genes in fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

We determined partial sequences of the gyrA and parC genes of the fluoroquinolone-susceptible strain ATCC 27853 and 22 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While a single amino acid change in GyrA with or without a change in ParC was found in 14 isolates with decreased susceptibility to fluoroquinolones, 3 higher-level fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates had a double amino acid change in GyrA and a single amino acid change in ParC.
Joint decoding of multiple non-binary LDPC codewords

We develop a belief-propagation (BP) decoder for the joint decoding of multiple codewords which belong to the same non-binary LDPC code. Decoding is based on soft information in form of joint channel-posterior probabilities of all codeword symbols. We extend the BP algorithm for q-ary LDPC codes such that the FFT-based check node processing is preserved and the complexity remains manageable. This joint decoding is useful in settings in which multiple codewords are transmitted in a non-orthogonal way over the same channel, including multiple-access with packet collisions, physical-layer network coding and multi-resolution broadcasting. We show in an example that joint decoding can be far superior to separate decoding.
Cytotoxic activity of the phenolic extract of virgin coconut oil on human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2).

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites widely distributed in plants. This study aims to extract the phenolics in Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and study its cytotoxic effect on human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2). Using Fast Blue BB, the crude phenolic extract of VCO yielded 25.54 ppm gallic acid equivalence per 0.5 mg/ml sample. The antioxidant capacity of the phenolic extract gave an IC50 > 0.5 mg/ml against DPPH radical. Likewise, the phenolic extract was cytotoxic at IC50 of 1,958. 5μg/ml and 1,563.59 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h against HepG2 cells. Compared to that of an anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil, which registered an IC50 of 5.41 μg/ml and 2.17 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h and gallic acid standard which gave an IC50 of 137.2 μg/ml and 106.85 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h, the phenolic extract of VCO is an antioxidant and cytotoxic agent on HepG2 cells.
Visual filters for face recognition

The authors describe a general approach for the multiscale representation, detection, and recognition of object primitives as it applies to face recognition tasks. The approach is based on radially non-uniform sampling strategy, and a local light adaptation mechanism for low-level image representation. Early processing involves feature encoding and classification using visual filter banks implemented via self-organizing feature maps (SOFM). Optimal filters are constructed by means of an iterative, crossvalidation-like data reduction algorithm. The derived visual filter representation is applicable to both (i) facial landmark detection, and (ii) face identification. Experimental results on a data set of over 200 images prove the feasibility of their approach.
Learning from 'Tag Clouds' - A Novel Approach to Build Datasets for Memory-based Reasoning Classification of Relevant Blog Articles

The advent of the Social Web has created massive online media through turning the former information consumers to present information producers. The best example is the blogosphere. Blog websites are a collection of articles written by millions of blog writers to millions of blog readers. Blogging has become a very popular means for Web 2.0 users to communicate, express, share, collaborate, and debate through their blog posts. However, as a consequence to the very massive number of blogs as well as the so diverse topics of blog posts available on the Web, most blog search engines encounter the serious challenge of finding the blog articles that are truly relevant to the certain topic that blog readers may look for. To help handling this problem, an intelligent approach to blog post search that takes advantage from the concept of ‘tag clouds’ and leverages many open source libraries, has been proposed. A Memory-Based Reasoning model has been built using SAS Enterprise Miner to assess the approach effectiveness. Results are very encouraging as retrieval precision has indicated a significant improvement in retrieving relevant posts to the user compared with traditional means of blog post retrieval.
Low Concentration Cisplatin Treatment Leads to an Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition-like Response in DU 145 Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death(Jemal et al., 2011). Its incidence is higher in developed countries, in America it is the most common cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men (Siegel et al., 2014). In Asia, its incidence is relatively low, but shows a increasing trend (Jung et al., 2013; Du et al., 2014). Although multiple approaches has been used to treat this cancer, 10-25% prostate cancer patients still die of , mainly cancer metastasis (D’Amico et al., 2002). Cisplatin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for varied types of cancers including prostate cancer. It kills cancer cells by covalently binding to DNA and forming DNA adducts, which activates various signaltransduction pathways, such as DNA-damage recognition and repair, cell-cycle arrest, and programmed cell death/ apoptosis (Siddik, 2003; Kelland, 2007). It has been reported that the residual ovarian cells that survived 3 or 5 days of cisplatin treatment display EMT and stem cell properties including increased invasiveness(Latifi et al., 2011; Baribeau et al., 2014), And the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway activation was reported to be one of the possible mechanisms underlying cisplatin’s this effect (Baribeau et al., 2014). Similar to this
Analysis of Allosterism in Functional Assays

The theoretical basis for analyzing the effects of an allosteric modulator on the response to an agonist is described. The effects of an allosteric modulator on the concentration-response curve to an agonist can be attributed to changes in the observed dissociation constant and intrinsic efficacy of the agonist-receptor complex. Each of these two changes can be represented by a coefficient or factor. It is possible to estimate the ratio of the coefficient of change in agonist efficacy divided by that for the agonist dissociation constant. This ratio is designated as the relative activity (RA) of the agonist in the presence of the allosteric modulator. The RA value can be estimated for each concentration of allosteric modulator by nonlinear regression analysis, regardless of the shape of the concentration-response curve. Regression analysis of the RA values against the concentration of allosteric modulator yields estimates of the dissociation constant (KA) of the allosteric modulator and the maximal RA value. If the concentration-response curve to the agonist obeys a logistic function and the allosteric modulator influences the maximal response, it is possible to distinguish between the maximal change in affinity from that of efficacy. If the agonist concentration-response curve obeys a logistic equation with a Hill slope of 1, the RA values can be estimated easily from the agonist EC50 and Emax values. This analysis illustrates the utility of the RA value in quantifying allosteric effects.
The Results of the Surgical Treatment of Spontaneous Rhinorrhea via Craniotomy and the Contribution of CT Cisternography to the Detection of Exact Leakage Side of CSF.

AIM To share the results of conventional surgery in rhinorrhea and the contribution of computerized tomography (CT) cisternography to determination of the site of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twelve cases treated for spontaneous rhinorrhea were included in this study. All the cases underwent cranial CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CT cisternography was performed in four patients whose bone defect or leakage site could not be detected by CT and MRI. In order to repair the defect, either the galea or galea together with collagen matrix was used and the procedure was supported with fibrin glue. RESULTS In the cases, postoperative rhinorrhea was seen in neither the early nor the late follow up period. We observed no complications related to CT cisternography or craniotomy. The leakage area was successfully detected with CT cisternography when the other methods failed. CONCLUSION Bone defect can usually be shown by means of CT. However, when bone-defect cannot be shown or the dura in the defective area is intact, CT cisternography is useful to show the CSF leak. Conventional surgery was very succesful in the treatment of spontaneous rhinorrhea but it was cosmetically problematic. In the patients both treated with galea and galea together with collagen matrix, the repair of the defect was successful.
An algebraic approach to XQuery optimization

As more data is stored in XML and more applications need to process this data, XML query optimization becomes performance critical. While optimization techniques for relational databases have been developed over the last thirty years, the optimization of XML queries poses new challenges. Query optimizers for XQuery, the standard query language for XML data, need to consider both document order and sequence order. Nevertheless, algebraic optimization proved powerful in query optimizers in relational and object oriented databases. Thus, this dissertation presents an algebraic approach to XQuery optimization. In this thesis, an algebra over sequences is presented that allows for a simple translation of XQuery into this algebra. The formal definitions of the operators in this algebra allow us to reason formally about algebraic optimizations. This thesis leverages the power of this formalism when unnesting nested XQuery expressions. In almost all cases unnesting nested queries in XQuery reduces query execution times from hours to seconds or milliseconds. Moreover, this dissertation presents three basic algebraic patterns of nested queries. For every basic pattern a decision tree is developed to select the most effective unnesting equivalence for a given query. Query unnesting extends the search space that can be considered during cost-based optimization of XQuery. As a result, substantially more efficient query execution plans may be detected. This thesis presents two more important cases where the number of plan alternatives leads to substantially shorter query execution times: join ordering and reordering location steps in path expressions. Our algebraic framework detects cases where document order or sequence order is destroyed. However, state-of-the-art techniques for order optimization in cost-based query optimizers have efficient mechanisms to repair order in these cases. The results obtained for query unnesting and cost-based optimization of XQuery underline the need for an algebraic approach to XQuery optimization for efficient XML query processing. Moreover, they are applicable to optimization in relational databases where order semantics are considered.
Top Management Team, Diversity Management Strategies and Performance Of Commercial Banks In Kenya

Diversity is an increasingly important factor in organizational life as organizations worldwide become more diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other characteristics. There have been different findings as to whether Top Management Team (TMT) diversity affects the performance of organizations. Some researchers argue that diverse TMT have the potential to result in strategic decision making, greater creativity, more innovation and the ability to reach more and different types of customers. Others however arge that demographic variation signals variations in underlying and invisible cognitive processes which can be a source of strive. Effective human resources strategies recognize that organizations can benefit from Top Management Team diversity by creating an environment that attracts people from diverse background and recruits the best staff regardless of ethnicity, gender or age. As a result, this study sought to find out the effect of Diversity Management Strategies on the relationship between TMT diversity and the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. All the Heads of Human Resources in the 43 commercial banks operating as at December 2010 were targeted and 33 responded. The main tool of data collection was the questionnaire while the data was analyzed using regression analyses. The study found that diversity management strategies had a significant effect on the relationship between TMT diversity and organization performance. Diversity Management strategies create and maintain an environment that naturally allows all individuals to reach their full potential in pursuit of organizational objectives for competitive advantage. Diversity management strategies will ensure that the interests of the minorities in commercial banks in Kenya are well taken care of Key Words: Top Management Team (TMT) Diversity, Diversity Management Strategies, Organization Performance
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide-Dependent and Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide-Independent Lactate Dehydrogenases in Homofermentative and Heterofermentative Lactic Acid Bacteria

Three homofermentative (Lactobacillus plantarum B38, L. plantarum B33, Pediococcus pentosaceus B30) and three heterofermentative (Leuconostoc mesenteroides 39, L. oenos B70, Lactobacillus brevis) lactic acid bacteria were examined for the presence or absence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent and NAD-independent d- and l-lactate dehydrogenases. Two of the six strains investigated, P. pentosaceus and L. oenos, did not exhibit an NAD-independent enzyme activity capable of reducing dichlorophenol indophenol. The pH optima of the lactic dehydrogenases were determined. The NAD-dependent enzymes from homofermentative strains exhibited optima at pH 7.8 to 8.8, whereas values from 9.0 to 10.0 were noted for these enzymes from heterofermentative organisms. The optima for the NAD-independent enzymes were between 5.8 and 6.6. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constants determined for both NAD and the substrates demonstrated the existence of a greater affinity for d- than l-lactic acid. A comparison of the specific NAD-dependent and NAD-independent lactate dehydrogenase activities revealed a direct correlation of the d/l ratios of these activities with the type of lactic acid produced during the growth of the organism.
PTU-008 A reproducible, clinically-relevant, intensively-managed, pig model of acute liver failure for testing of therapies aimed to prolong survival

Introduction Hospitalisations from acetaminophen poisoning are increasing (1999, n=39 045; 2010, n=52 707. UK, NHS admissions). For the most serious cases there are no effective therapies to assist recovery or prolong survival apart from liver transplantation, which remains a limited resource. We report a clinically-relevant, intensively-managed, model of ALF, which mimics the human condition and has a predictable survival time, for testing of new potential therapies. Methods Nine, 30–40 kg, female pigs were anaesthetised and instrumented for continuous monitoring and management of respiratory and cardiovascular systems and acid-base and electrolyte status, using standardised intensive care protocols and intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Intracranial pressure (ICP) was monitored but not treated. Six animals were induced to ALF with acetaminophen administered via an oroduodenal tube: a loading dose of 0.25 g/kg was followed by hourly doses of 0.5–4.0 g adjusted according to serum acetaminophen concentrations. At irreversible ALF (defined as prothrombin time >3 times normal), continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) was initiated. Three animals acted as controls with initiation of CRRT at 20 h and termination at 40 h. Results Following onset of acetaminophen dosing, peak serum acetaminophen concentrations of 367±30 mg/l were achieved at 12 h and irreversible ALF at 19.3±1.8 h. Death occurred predictably 12.6±2.7 h after irreversible ALF. Development of ALF was associated with progressive hypotension (p<0.001) and metabolic acidosis (p=0.001), not observed in controls. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was maintained with aggressive fluid therapy, noradrenaline and terlipressin. Metabolic acidosis was corrected successfully with bicarbonate and CRRT. In ALF, there was significant (p<0.001) rise in ICP compared to controls with sudden marked increase prior to death: at study end, ICP in ALF and controls was 41.2±8.6 mm Hg and 22.7±2.5 mm Hg respectively. Death was preceded by abrupt increase in central venous pressure, fall in MAP and bradycardia. Histopathology confirmed moderate to marked acute centrilobular to midzonal hepatocyte degeneration and necrosis in ALF. Conclusion A predictable model of ALF, with death due to multi-organ failure, has been successfully validated for translational studies for therapies designed to prolong survival in man. Competing interests None declared.
Medicine composition concentration analysis based on least square support vector machine

This paper presents a method of medicine composition concentration analysis based on least square support vector machines (LS-SVMs) and examines the importance of the hyperparameter choice in improvement of algorithm performance. Simulation results show that the proposed method obtains high quality precision in the generalization, compared with multiple linear regression, and that it is an efficient approach to regression estimation.
THE DANGERS OF DEEP KNOWLEDGE: NEW VENTURES IN THE U.S. SOLAR INDUSTRY

This paper addresses the tension between a knowledge-based view and a cognitive view of firms, asking the question of whether deep knowledge is always beneficial for technology ventures or whether the ability to be cognitively flexible may be more important for new venture development. We test this tension by examining the effects of expertise at the CEO and top management team on the likelihood of technology change among the population of U.S. solar photovoltaic manufacturing ventures between 1992 and 2007. Surprisingly we find that firms led by experts at both the CEO and management team level are actually more rigid, decreasing the likelihood of change. Furthermore, we find that firms led by non-experts (at the CEO and management team level) are in fact more flexible and likely to change technology. To explore these theories more we also conduct an interaction analysis in which we contrast the value of complementary knowledge, as suggested by the knowledge-based view, against the role of team structure.