Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Unified Buffer Cache Architecture that Subsumes Journaling Functionality via Nonvolatile Memory

Journaling techniques are widely used in modern file systems as they provide high reliability and fast recovery from system failures. However, it reduces the performance benefit of buffer caching as journaling accounts for a bulk of the storage writes in real system environments. To relieve this problem, we present a novel buffer cache architecture that subsumes the functionality of caching and journaling by making use of nonvolatile memory such as PCM or STT-MRAM. Specifically, our buffer cache supports what we call the in-place commit scheme. This scheme avoids logging, but still provides the same journaling effect by simply altering the state of the cached block to frozen. As a frozen block still provides the functionality of a cache block, we show that in-place commit does not degrade cache performance. We implement our scheme on Linux 2.6. 38 and measure the throughput and execution time of the scheme with various file I/O benchmarks. The results show that our scheme improves the throughput and execution time by 89% and 34% on average, respectively, compared to the existing Linux buffer cache with ext4 without any loss of reliability.
The Birth of a WASP: Preliminary Report on a New ASP Solver

We present a new ASP solver for ground ASP programs that builds upon related techniques, originally introduced for SAT solving, which have been extended to cope with disjunctive logic programs under the stable model semantics. We describe the key components of this solving strategy, namely: learning, restarts, heuristics based on look-back concepts, and backjumping. At the same time, we introduce a new heuristics based on a mixed approach between lookback and look-ahead techniques. Moreover, we present the results of preliminary experiments that we conducted in order to assess the impact of these techniques on both random and structured instances (used also in the last ASP Competition 2011). In particular, we compared our system with both DLV and ClaspD.
Mapping the Pareto Optimal Design Space for a Functionally Deimmunized Biotherapeutic Candidate

The immunogenicity of biotherapeutics can bottleneck development pipelines and poses a barrier to widespread clinical application. As a result, there is a growing need for improved deimmunization technologies. We have recently described algorithms that simultaneously optimize proteins for both reduced T cell epitope content and high-level function. In silico analysis of this dual objective design space reveals that there is no single global optimum with respect to protein deimmunization. Instead, mutagenic epitope deletion yields a spectrum of designs that exhibit tradeoffs between immunogenic potential and molecular function. The leading edge of this design space is the Pareto frontier, i.e. the undominated variants for which no other single design exhibits better performance in both criteria. Here, the Pareto frontier of a therapeutic enzyme has been designed, constructed, and evaluated experimentally. Various measures of protein performance were found to map a functional sequence space that correlated well with computational predictions. These results represent the first systematic and rigorous assessment of the functional penalty that must be paid for pursuing progressively more deimmunized biotherapeutic candidates. Given this capacity to rapidly assess and design for tradeoffs between protein immunogenicity and functionality, these algorithms may prove useful in augmenting, accelerating, and de-risking experimental deimmunization efforts.
QAM Constellation Design for Complex Field Network Coding in Multi-Way Relay Channels

Complex field network coding has been shown to achieve a throughput of 1/2 symbol per user per channel use in a multi-way relay channel. To achieve this throughput, a superimposed combination of user symbols must be distinguishable at the relay. Rectangular QAM constellations are commonly employed in communication systems due to their ease of generation, demodulation, and near optimal performance in AWGN channels. In this paper, an algorithm is presented to provide precoding vectors that guarantee every superposed combination of user symbols at the relay is distinguishable and QAM constellations are received at the relay. The performance in AWGN channels is derived. The algorithm allows users to employ different signal constellations, and also has the flexibility to allow users to join or leave the network at any time.
Pulmonary embolism mortality in the United States, 1979-1998: an analysis using multiple-cause mortality data.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a common clinical problem that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Estimates of PTE mortality and predictions of PTE trends have varied widely. These estimates play a role in the planning of national health strategies. The analysis of pulmonary embolism mortality trends and comorbidities may elucidate how well we treat and prevent the disease as well as identify additional risk factors. METHODS We analyzed PTE (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 415.1) as reported on death certificates in the Multiple-Cause Mortality Files compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics from 1979 to 1998. RESULTS Of all the 42932973 decedents, 572773 (1.3%) had PTE listed on their death certificates and 194389 of these (33.9%) had PTE as the underlying cause of death. The age-adjusted rate of deaths with PTE decreased from 191 per million in 1979 to 94 per million in 1998 overall, decreasing 56% for men and 46% for women. During the study period, the age-adjusted mortality rates for blacks were consistently 50% higher than those for whites, and those for whites were 50% higher than those for people of other races (Asian, American Indian, etc). Within racial strata, mortality rates were consistently 20% to 30% higher among men than among women. Conditions that were of higher likelihood in persons who died with PTE included thrombophlebitis, fractures, trauma, postoperative complications, certain cancers, and the inflammatory bowel diseases. CONCLUSIONS Mortality with PTE in the United States has decreased during the 20-year period. The mortality rates between men and women and between racial groups vary substantially. These findings may be useful in better directing preventive therapy efforts.
Bi-objective Optimization of the Plasmon-assisted Lithography - Design of Plasmonic Nanostructures

We discuss the influence of the objective function within the context of plasmons-assisted lithography. From previous publications, numerical experiments have shown that the maximization by means of an Evolutionary Strategy of either the visibility or the contrast of the plasmons interference pattern related to the problem does not lead to the ideal situation in which both criteria are maximal. The idea is then to tackle simultaneously these two objective-functions. However, as they are strongly dependent, a more promising strategy is to focus on the minimal and maximal near-field scattered intensities involved in both previously studied criteria. We think that an Evolutionary Strategy based on a bi-objective optimization of these new criteria will provide more satisfactory solutions with respect to the physical constraints imposed.
Paper Submission 12 Th Iccrts " Adapting C2 to the 21 St Century " Paper Title: Evolving Control Logic through Modeling and Simulation Topic : Modeling and Simulation, C2 Technologies and System Name of Authors: How

One of the C2 paradigm shifts in the Information Age is Power to the Edge. Unmanned vehicle operations are increasingly based on this new paradigm, i.e. from tele-operation to full autonomy, such that there is shared awareness, effective collaboration and actions synchronization. Traditionally, the control logic for unmanned vehicle operations is handcrafted using Modelling and Simulation (M&S) tools. However, as the nature of operations becomes more complex and diversified this manual approach of logic programming becomes extremely difficult and tedious. To attain full autonomy, a more efficient method to programming the control logic is required. In this paper, we describe how M&S can be leveraged to provide a learning environment to evolve control logic for an unmanned vehicle team. Our approach coupled a rule learning system based on Genetic Algorithm and Reinforcement Learning to an M&S system. We call this Simulation-based Rules Mining (SRM). Our idea is that control rules can be learned from an M&S environment (i.e. simulated robots and simulated environment), and then transferred onto real robots in a real environment. We successfully applied SRM to evolve the control logic for a robotic team to carry out search and destroy mission in an urban room environment. Alberts and Hayes, 2003, CCRP Publications
Performance of DS/SS System Using Pseudo-Ternary M-Sequences

In this paper, newly-found properties of the pseudo-ternary maximum-length shift register sequences (pseudo-ternary M-sequences) are described. In particular, the balance properties, the run-length distribution, the cross-correlation properties, and the decimation relationships are shown. The pseudo-ternary M-sequence is obtained by subtracting the one-chip shifted version from the {+1, -1}-valued M-sequence. Moreover, in this paper, performances of the direct sequence spread spectrum (DS/SS) system using the pseudo-ternary M-sequence are analyzed. In the performance evaluation, tracking error performance (jitter) and bit error rate (BER) performance that takes the jitter into account in DS/SS system with a pseudo-ternary M-sequence non-coherent DLL are evaluated. Using the pseudo-ternary M-sequence instead of the conventional M-sequences can improve the tracking error performance about 2.8[dB]. Moreover, BER of the DS/SS system using the pseudo-ternary M-sequence is superior about 0.8[dB]to that using the {+1, -1}-valued M-sequence.
Experience-dependent increases in sharp-wave ripples near visual targets

We measured hippocampal sharp-wave ripples during goal-directed visual exploration in macaques. Exploratory sharp-wave ripples were more frequent on familiar trials, in the second half of search, and near the visual target (i.e., the goal location). These spatial and temporal properties may help SWRs coordinate hippocampal and extra-hippocampal firing sequences that guide actions based on past experiences.
Application of Unscented Kalman filter to sensorless permanent-magnet synchronous motor drive

This paper studies the application of the Unscented Kalman filter (UKF) for a sensorless permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive. The principle of the UKF is reviewed and its adaptation to the PMSM model in the rotor reference frame is explained. For evaluation of drive performance a comparison with the classical Extended Kalman filter (EKF) based estimation method is made. The simulation results indicate that the UKF in general gives more accurate tracking of the rotor position than the EKF for constant torque operation. Besides, the UKF drive retains control over a longer standstill period. With the UKF-based sensorless PMSM drive, however, the proportional gain of the speed controller needs to be carefully chosen to avoid rotor hunting subsequent to step load changes.
Olfaction in People with Down Syndrome: A Comprehensive Assessment across Four Decades of Age

Background Down syndrome (DS) shows neuropathology similar to Alzheimer disease, which presents olfactory impairment. Previous work showed olfactory impairment in DS, but a comprehensive evaluation of olfactory function in DS is lacking. Methods We investigated a large number (n = 56; M = 31, F = 25) DS participants (age range18-57y) using the “Sniffin’ Sticks” Extended test. This comprises three subtests (threshold, discrimination, and identification) yielding a global score (TDI) defining normosmia, hyposmia, and functional anosmia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second largest group of DS people investigated for olfactory function ever. Age- and sex matched euploid individuals (n = 53) were the control. Results In DS, TDI was lower (16.7±5.13 vs. 35.4±3.74; P<0.001), with DS people performing worse in any subtests (P<0.001 for all); 27 DS participants showed functional anosmia (i.e., TDI<16). In DS, age was weakly and negatively correlated with TDI (r = -0.28, P = 0.036) and identification (r = -0.34, P = 0.012). When participants were stratified in young adults (18-29y) and older adults (30-61y), a significant effect of age was found for identification in both DS (young adults, 8.3±2.58; older adults, 6.9±2.99; P = 0.031) and control (young-adult, 14.3±1.18, older adult, 13.0±1.54; P = 0.016). Conclusion Olfactory function is overall severely impaired in DS people and may be globally impaired at relatively young age, despite of reportedly normal smell. However, specificity of this olfactory profile to DS should be considered with some caution because cognition was not evaluated in all DS participants and comparison with a control group of non-DS individuals having cognitive disabilities was lacking. Further study is required to longitudinally assess olfactory dysfunction in DS and to correlate it with brain pathology.
Can Fireball Models Explain Gamma-Ray Bursts?

The observed afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), in particular the afterglow of GRB 970228 after 6 months, seem to rule out, as the origin of GRBs, relativistic fireballs driven by the mergers or accretion-induced collapse of compact stellar objects in galaxies. GRBs can be produced by superluminal jets from such events.
Gender and website design across cultures

Previous research has determined that women and men process information differently and have unique values. These findings are further confirmed in the context of online shopping where women are known to have diverse preferences from men related to website design, and different sentiments regarding website trust and security. Yet despite these known differences, relatively there is little research has examined gender and website design. Further, although online shoppers hail from all corners of the globe, no research has examined gender differences concerning website design in a multicultural sample. To fill this gap, the current investigation examined differences between men and women with a focus on trust, satisfaction, loyalty, and website design in eight countries. Results demonstrate significant differences between men and women on all variables tested. Further analyses of four of the countries in the sample (China, Canada, the United States, and Germany) are compared related to socio-cultural values for masculinity-femininity. As expected, countries more alike on this dimension exhibited more similarities in terms of gender comparisons. All hypotheses in the study are supported. Suggestions are made regarding avenues for future research.
Work–Life Balance among Married Women Employees

Family–work conflict (FWC) and work–family conflict (WFC) are more likely to exert negative influences in the family domain, resulting in lower life satisfaction and greater internal conflict within the family. Studies have identified several variables that influence the level of WFC and FWC. Variables such as the size of family, the age of children, the work hours and the level of social support impact the experience of WFC and FWC. However, these variables have been conceptualized as antecedents of WFC and FWC; it is also important to consider the consequences these variables have on psychological distress and wellbeing of the working women. Aim: to study various factors which could lead to WFC and FWC among married women employees. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of a total of 90 married working women of age between 20 and 50 years. WFC and FWC Scale was administered to measure WFC and FWC of working women. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Carl Pearson's Correlation was used to find the relationship between the different variables. Findings and Conclusion: The findings of the study emphasized the need to formulate guidelines for the management of WFCs at organizational level as it is related to job satisfaction and performance of the employees.
Supporting Online Material Materials and Methods Som Text Figs. S1 to S6 Table S1 References Movies S1 and S2 Brain Evolution Triggers Increased Diversification of Electric Fishes

and current records from 2004–2005 have been deposited in the Marine Geoscience Data System: RIDGE 2000 Data Portal. The authors declare no competing financial interests. Communication can contribute to the evolution of biodiversity by promoting speciation and reinforcing reproductive isolation between existing species. The evolution of species-specific signals depends on the ability of individuals to detect signal variation, which in turn relies on the capability of the brain to process signal information. Here, we show that evolutionary change in a region of the brain devoted to the analysis of communication signals in mormyrid electric fishes improved detection of subtle signal variation and resulted in enhanced rates of signal evolution and species diversification. These results show that neural innovations can drive the diversification of signals and promote speciation. A lthough we assume that sensory processing is fundamentally important for the detection of species-specific communications , or " signals " (1), we know relatively little about how brain evolution might affect signal divergence and speciation. African electric fishes within the family Mormyridae provide an ideal model system for relating brain evolution to diversification. The >200 described species in this family are phylogenetically and phenotypically diverse (2–8); communicate using brief, species-specific, and easily quantified electric signals (9); and process these signals in a well-defined sensory pathway devoted solely to the analysis of electric communication signals (10–12) (fig. S1). Mormyrids generate electric signals to communicate and to actively sense their environment (11). These signals have evolved more rapidly than body shape, size, and trophic ecology, suggesting that electric communication behavior has played a key role in the radiation of mormyrids (3). Further, playback experiments in a few species suggest that these signals are critical for species recognition during mate choice (13–16). Electric signals are generated by an electric organ in the tail, which consists of electrically excitable cells called electrocytes (17). Electrocyte stalks evolved with the origin of mormyrids, and developmental flexibility in stalk morphology arose with the origin of the subfamily Mormyrinae (2). This evolutionary change in the Mormyrinae established enhanced capacity for signal variation that is lacking in the Petrocephalinae, the only other mormyrid subfamily (Fig. 1). Mormyrids have three types of electrore-ceptors: ampullary organs, mormyromasts, and knollenorgans (18). Communication behavior is mediated exclusively by knollenorgans (10). In a region of the midbrain called the exterolateral nucleus (EL; fig. S1), the timing of responses of knollenorgans located on different parts of the …
Functional Properties of Mouse Connexin30.2 Expressed in the Conduction System of the Heart

Gap junction channels composed of connexin (Cx) 40, Cx43, and Cx45 proteins are known to be necessary for impulse propagation through the heart. Here, we report mouse connexin30.2 (mCx30.2) to be a new cardiac connexin that is expressed mainly in the conduction system of the heart. Antibodies raised to the cytoplasmic loop or the C-terminal regions of mCx30.2 recognized this protein in mouse heart as well as in HeLa cells transfected with wild-type mCx30.2 or mCx30.2 fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein (mCx30.2-EGFP). Immunofluorescence analyses of adult hearts yielded positive signals within the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, and A-V bundle of the cardiac conduction system. Dye transfer studies demonstrated that mCx30.2 and mCx30.2-EGFP channels discriminate poorly on the basis of charge, but do not allow permeation of tracers >400 Da. Both mCx30.2 and mCx30.2-EGFP gap junctional channels exhibited weak sensitivity to transjunctional voltage (Vj) and a single channel conductance of ≈9 pS, which is the lowest among all members of the connexin family measured in HeLa cell transfectants. HeLa mCx30.2-EGFP transfectants when paired with cells expressing Cx40, Cx43, or Cx45 formed functional heterotypic gap junction channels that exhibited low unitary conductances (15 to 18 pS), rectifying open channel I-V relations and asymmetric Vj dependence. The electrical properties of homo- and hetero-typic junctions involving mCx30.2 may contribute to slow propagation velocity in nodal tissues and directional asymmetry of excitation spread in the AV nodal region.
Protein metabolism in the small intestine during cancer cachexia and chemotherapy in mice.

The impact of cancer cachexia and chemotherapy on small intestinal protein metabolism and its subsequent recovery was investigated. Cancer cachexia was induced in mice with colon 26 adenocarcinoma, which is a small and slow-growing tumor characteristic of the human condition, and can be cured with 100% efficacy using an experimental nitrosourea, cystemustine (C6H12ClN3O4S). Both healthy mice and tumor-bearing mice were given a single i.p. injection of cystemustine (20 mg/kg) 3 days after the onset of cachexia. Cancer cachexia led to a reduced in vivo rate of protein synthesis in the small intestine relative to healthy mice (-13 to -34%; P < 0.05), resulting in a 25% loss of protein mass (P < 0.05), and decreased villus width and crypt depth (P < 0.05). In treated mice, acute cytotoxicity of chemotherapy did not promote further wasting of small intestinal protein mass, nor did it result in further damage to intestinal morphology. In contrast, mucosal damage and a 17% reduction in small intestinal protein mass (P < 0.05) were evident in healthy mice treated with cystemustine, suggesting that the effects of chemotherapy on the small intestine in a state of cancer cachexia are not additive, which was an unexpected finding. Complete and rapid recovery of small intestinal protein mass in cured mice resulted from an increase in the rate of protein synthesis compared with healthy mice (23-34%; P < 0.05). Northern hybridizations of mRNA encoding components of the major proteolytic systems suggested that proteolysis may not have mediated intestinal wasting or recovery. A major clinical goal should be to design methods to improve small intestinal protein metabolism before the initiation of chemotherapy.
Gene flow of Acanthaster planci (L.) in relation to ocean currents revealed by microsatellite analysis

Population outbreaks of the coral‐eating starfish, Acanthaster planci, are hypothesized to spread to many localities in the Indo‐Pacific Ocean through dispersal of planktonic larvae. To elucidate the gene flow of A. planci across the Indo‐Pacific in relation to ocean currents and to test the larval dispersal hypothesis, the genetic structure among 23 samples over the Indo‐Pacific was analysed using seven highly polymorphic microsatellite loci. The F‐statistics and genetic admixture analysis detected genetically distinct groups in accordance with ocean current systems, that is, the Southeast African group (Kenya and Mayotte), the Northwestern Pacific group (the Philippines and Japan), Palau, the North Central Pacific group (Majuro and Pohnpei), the Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, and French Polynesia, with a large genetic break between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. A pattern of significant isolation by distance was observed among all samples (P = 0.001, r = 0.88, n = 253, Mantel test), indicating restricted gene flow among the samples in accordance with geographical distances. The data also indicated strong gene flow within the Southeast African, Northwestern Pacific, and Great Barrier Reef groups. These results suggest that the western boundary currents have strong influence on gene flow of this species and may trigger secondary outbreaks.