Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed applications in a German gigabit WAN

In order to prepare for the upgrade of the German national scientific network to gigabit capacity in the year 2000, two testbeds have been set up. One of them, the 'Gigabit Testbed West', uses a 2.4 Gbit/s ATM link to connect the Research Centre Julich and the GMD-National Research Center for Information Technology in Sankt Augustin. The testbed is the basis for several application projects, ranging from metacomputing to multimedia. This paper gives an overview of the infrastructure of the testbed and its applications. As an example, the real-time analysis and visualization of functional MRI measurements of the human brain are described in detail.
Computational Tools for Probing Interactions in Multiple Linear Regression, Multilevel Modeling, and Latent Curve Analysis

Simple slopes, regions of significance, and confidence bands are commonly used to evaluate interactions in multiple linear regression (MLR) models, and the use of these techniques has recently been extended to multilevel or hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and latent curve analysis (LCA). However, conducting these tests and plotting the conditional relations is often a tedious and error-prone task. This article provides an overview of methods used to probe interaction effects and describes a unified collection of freely available online resources that researchers can use to obtain significance tests for simple slopes, compute regions of significance, and obtain confidence bands for simple slopes across the range of the moderator in the MLR, HLM, and LCA contexts. Plotting capabilities are also provided.
Development of a stable isotope index to assess decadal‐scale vegetation change and application to woodlands of the Burdekin catchment, Australia

Forty‐four study sites were established in remnant woodland in the Burdekin River catchment in tropical north‐east Queensland, Australia, to assess recent (decadal) vegetation change. The aim of this study was further to evaluate whether wide‐scale vegetation ‘thickening’ (proliferation of woody plants in formerly more open woodlands) had occurred during the last century, coinciding with significant changes in land management. Soil samples from several depth intervals were size separated into different soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions, which differed from one another by chemical composition and turnover times. Tropical (C4) grasses dominate in the Burdekin catchment, and thus δ13C analyses of SOC fractions with different turnover times can be used to assess whether the relative proportion of trees (C3) and grasses (C4) had changed over time. However, a method was required to permit standardized assessment of the δ13C data for the individual sites within the 13 Mha catchment, which varied in soil and vegetation characteristics. Thus, an index was developed using data from three detailed study sites and global literature to standardize individual isotopic data from different soil depths and SOC fractions to reflect only the changed proportion of trees (C3) to grasses (C4) over decadal timescales. When applied to the 44 individual sites distributed throughout the Burdekin catchment, 64% of the sites were shown to have experienced decadal vegetation thickening, while 29% had remained stable and the remaining 7% had thinned. Thus, the development of this index enabled regional scale assessment and comparison of decadal vegetation patterns without having to rely on prior knowledge of vegetation changes or aerial photography.
Evaluation of muscles affected by myositis using magnetic resonance elastography

Introduction: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs, or myositis) represent a group of autoimmune diseases that result in decreased muscle strength and/or endurance. Non‐invasive tools to assess muscle may improve our understanding of the clinical and functional consequences of myopathies and their response to treatment. In this study we examine magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), a non‐invasive technique that assesses the shear modulus (stiffness) of muscle, in IIM subjects. Methods: Nine subjects with active myositis completed the MRE protocol. Participants lay in a positioning device, and scans of the vastus medialis (VM) were taken in the relaxed state and at two contraction levels. Manual inversion was used to estimate the stiffness. Results: A significant reduction in muscle stiffness was seen in myositis subjects compared with healthy controls during the “relaxed” condition. Discussion: The use of non‐invasive technologies such as MRE may provide greater understanding of the pathophysiology of IIM and improve assessment of treatment efficacy. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Ant Colony Optimization in Stationary and Dynamic Environments

The ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic is inspired by the foraging behaviour of real ant colonies. Similarly with other metaheuristics, ACO suffers from stagnation behaviour, where all ants construct the same solution from early stages. In result, the solution quality may be degraded because the population may get trapped on local optima. In this thesis, we propose a novel approach, called direct communication (DC) scheme, that helps ACO algorithms to escape from a local optimum if they get trapped. The experimental results on two routing problems showed that the DC scheme is effective. Usually, researchers are focused on problems in which they have static environment. In the last decade, there is a growing interest to apply nature-inspired metaheuristics in optimization problems with dynamic environments. Usually, dynamic optimization problems (DOPs) are addressed using evolutionary algorithms. In this thesis, we apply several novel ACO algorithms in two routing DOPs. The proposed ACO algorithms are integrated with immigrants schemes in which immigrant ants are generated, either randomly or with the use of knowledge from previous environment(s), and replace other ants in the current population. The experimental results showed that each proposed algorithm performs better in different dynamic cases, and that they have better performance than other peer ACO algorithms in general. The existing benchmark generators for DOPs are developed for binary-encoded combinatorial problems. Since routing problems are usually permutation-encoded combinatorial problems, the dynamic environments used in the experiments are generated using a novel benchmark generator that converts a static problem instance to a dynamic one. The specific dynamic benchmark generator changes the fitness landscape of the problem, which causes the optimum to change in every environmental change. Furthermore in this thesis, another benchmark generator is proposed which moves the population to another location in the fitness landscape, instead of modifying it. In this way, the optimum is known and one can see how close to the optimum an algorithm performs during the environmental changes.
RECENT ADVANCES IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE

Introduction Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is a problem of major importance in the developed countries, being the third most common cause of death and the most frequent cause for admission to neurological departments. Stroke incidence is around 2/1000 in several countries: prevalence studies in Norway (Petlund 1970) and Denmark (Srarensen et al. 1980) indicate that 14/1000 inhabitants above the age of 50 years and 20/1000 above the age of 60 years, are living with the ill-effects of stroke. The facts of CVD are so varied that investigation by many different, but supplementary methods, are needed if the underlying pathology is to be understood and therapeutic measures taken. Progress has been made in refining well-known types of examination, the most promising advances having taken place within the field of computer tomographical studies based on either X-rays or isotopes. In this survey, the present state of the various investigatory methods and their usefulness in clinical practice will be described as follows:
Factor Receptor Signaling Cancer by Inducing Anoikis Resistance and Augmenting Growth Loss of p120-Catenin Induces Metastatic Progression of Breast

Metastatic breast cancer remains the chief cause of cancer-related death among women in the Western world. Although loss of cell–cell adhesion is key to breast cancer progression, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that drive tumor invasion and metastasis. Here, we show that somatic loss of p120catenin (p120) in a conditional mouse model of noninvasive mammary carcinoma results in formation of stromal-dense tumors that resemble human metaplastic breast cancer and metastasize to lungs and lymph nodes. Loss of p120 in anchorage-dependent breast cancer cell lines strongly promoted anoikis resistance through hypersensitization of growth factor receptor (GFR) signaling. Interestingly, p120 deletion also induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines, a feature that likely underlies the formation of the prometastatic microenvironment in p120-negative mammary carcinomas. Our results establish a preclinical platform to develop tailored intervention regimens that target GFR signals to treat p120-negative metastatic breast cancers. Cancer Res; 73(15); 4937–49. 2013 AACR.
Companies and taxes in the UK: actors, actions, consequences and responses

A growing literature analyses corporate tax planning and avoidance with an emphasis on its economic consequences (Hanlon and Heitzman, 2010). Meanwhile, citing tax gap statistics and subsequently a cause for the Occupy movement, campaigners for social justice in the U.K. and U.S. have used the media to target tax-avoiding firms with protesters taking direct action (e.g. against Vodafone and Bank of America). Policy-makers and tax agencies must calibrate their policy and administrative response to tax avoidance carefully. This paper contributes to our understanding of tax avoidance and related behaviour by drawing on prior literature and international administrative experience in the corporate tax arena. Based on a knowledge management framework, we identify the key actors, their roles and incentives, and outline international practice in terms of co-operative compliance and tax enforcement. We then outline an array of policy responses to tax avoidance including disclosure regimes, anti-avoidance rules and the regulation of intermediaries such as banks and accounting firms.
The Treatment of Disorders of Lipid Metabolism.

BACKGROUND Disorders of lipid metabolism are very common. They play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and can be effectively treated by lifestyle changes and drugs. METHODS This review is based on pertinent literature retrieved by a selective search. RESULTS The main disorders of lipid metabolism are LDL-hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, mixed hyperlipoproteinemia, and low HDL cholesterol. The lipoprotein(a) level can also be elevated either in isolation or in combination with other disorders of lipid metabolism. According to the current European recommendations, an LDL-cholesterol target value should be defined on the basis of the overall cardiovascular risk. If this risk is very high, as in patients with documented atherosclerosis, the target value should be set at <70 mg/dL (<1.8 mmol/L). If the risk is lower, higher target values can be set: <100 mg/dL (<2.6 mmol/L) or <115 mg/dL (<3.0 mmol/L). Lifestyle changes are an effective treatment mainly for patients with hypertriglyceridemia and mixed disorders of lipid metabolism. Lowering the LDL-cholesterol concentration with statins is by far the most important type of pharmacotherapy. Patients who cannot tolerate statins or whose cholesterol level is not adequately lowered can be given ezetimibe instead. PCSK9 antibodies have been available since the autumn of 2015; they can apparently lower the LDL-cholesterol level by more than 50% , but no endpoint trials have yet been reported. At present, they should only be given to carefully selected patients. Fibrates and omega-3 fatty acids have been found to prevent cardiovascular events in monotherapy trials but yield no added benefit when given together with statins. The design of these trials was faulty, however, and the utility of such combinations in patients with mixed disorders of lipid metabolism or hypertriglyceridemia cannot yet be definitively assessed. CONCLUSION There is a causal relationship between hypercholesterolemia and the risk of vascular and cardiovascular events. A reduction of LDL cholesterol lessens the risk of cardiovascular events.
Urban Economics and Real Estate Markets

I. INTRODUCTION TO REAL ESTATE MARKETS. 1. The Property and Capital Markets. 2. The Operation of Property Markets: A Micro and Macro Approach. II. MICROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PROPERTY MARKETS. Residential Real Estate. 3. The Urban Land Market: Rents and Prices. 4. The Urban Housing Market: Structural Attributes and Density.Non-Residential Property Markets. 5. Firm Site Selection, Employment Decentralization and Multi-Centered Cities. 6. Retail Location and Market Competition. III. MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PROPERTY MARKETS. 7. Economic Growth and Metropolitan Real Estate Markets. Residential Real Estate. 8. The Market for Housing Units: Households, Prices, and Financing. 9. The Market for Housing Services: Moving, Sales and Vacancy.10. The Cyclical Behavior of Metropolitan Housing Markets.Nonresidential Property Markets. 11. The Operation of Non-Residential Property Markets.12. Econometric Analysis of Metropolitan Office and Industrial Markets. IV. THE IMPACT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON REAL ESTATE MARKETS. 13. Local Governments, Property Taxes and Real Estate Markets. 14. Public Goods, Externalities and Development Regulation. Index.
SCOPARIA DULCIS: A REVIEW ON ITS PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE

The aim of the study is to describe importance of Scoparia dulcis and the experimental studies that we have reviewed from different sources. Scoparia dulcis commonly known as ‘sweet broom weed’ is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical region of the world. The plant is used traditionally as used as a remedy for treating diseases such as; stomach ailments, kidney stones, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, bronchitis, haemorrhoids, analgesic, antipyretic and urinary disorders. Further, studies reveal the presence of various phytochemical constituents mainly terpenoids, flavonoids and steroids, glycosides and some miscellaneous compounds. These studies reveal that Scoparia dulcis is a source of medicinally active compounds and have various pharmacological effects; hence, this drug encourage finding its new therapeutic uses.
X-machines as a basis for dynamic system specification

This paper discusses the concept of an X-machine, which is a general model of computation, with the intention of using this model in the specification of computer systems. The elementary theory of these constructs is briefly described, but the bulk of the paper is concerned with looking at some examples and the ways that these ideas might be useful in the description and analysis of almost any system.
Short Term Momentum: Role of Investor Sentiment in Return Formation

Using transaction level data spanning across eighteen years over 1993 to 2010, we show that heavily bought stocks or heavily sold stocks display persistence in buy and sell order respectively. We show that over one trading day horizon, the persistence is strong enough to generate economically significant return. CAPM market factor, Fama-French Size and Book to Market factors, as well as Carhart’s momentum factor do not explain these results. However, the returns can be at least partially explained by investor sentiment variables and macroeconomic condition variables such as term and default spread and business cycle.
Grouping Variable Selection by Weight Fused Elastic Net for Multi-Collinear Data

In this article, we consider the problem of variable selection and estimation with the strongly correlated multi-collinear data by using grouping variable selection techniques. A new grouping variable selection method, called weight-fused elastic net(WFEN), is proposed to deal with the high dimensional collinear data. The proposed model, combined two different grouping effect mechanisms induced by the elastic net and weight-fused LASSO, respectively, can be easily unified in the frame of LASSO and computed efficiently. The performance with the simulation and real data sets shows that our method is competitive with other related methods, especially when the data present high multi-collinearity.
The role of monocytes and inflammation in the pathophysiology of heart failure

There is growing evidence to support an important role of inflammation in the underlying pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). Indeed, inflammatory cytokine levels are well recognized to be increased in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and appear to have prognostic implications. Monocytes play a pivotal role in the inflammatory cascade and are a major source of both pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines. They are intimately involved in tissue damage and repair and an imbalance of these processes may have detrimental consequences for the failing myocardium. Importantly, monocytes comprise of distinct subsets with different cell surface markers and functional characteristics and this heterogeneity may be important in understanding their specific role in HF. In HF, monocyte activation involves interplay between pattern recognition molecules, endotoxins, cytokines, and acute phase proteins. Activated monocytes migrate to the myocardium in response to powerful chemokines, where they must then attach to the endothelial wall before infiltrating into the myocardium itself. This review article aims to discuss the role of monocytes and inflammation in HF, focusing on monocyte activation, mobilisation, recruitment and endothelial adherence, as well as the effects they may have on myocardial performance. The therapeutic modulation of inflammation and monocyte activation in HF treatment will also be reviewed.
Renal Denervation, "Last Resort" or Alternative Therapy?

In a recent clinical study, it’s proved a variable proportion (approximately 5-15%) of the general population of the patients with hypertension in treatment, which refer to the Centres of Excellence for the diagnosis and treatment hypertension, may be considered suffering from resistant hypertension [1]. It‘s evident that 5-15% of patients with hypertension, Whereas 20% of the Western population is suffering from hypertension, is easy to understand the true dimension of the phenomenon. So the choice of treatment, comes to a crossroad. Should we insist with the combination of more than three medications, or choose the path of renal denervation? What are the main defects of drug therapy with the combination of four or more antihypertensive? Combination of antihypertensive drugs, overcoming the limit of the three drugs, increases the risk of treating with non-beneficial, or even dangerous associations. A typical example is the combination of a beta-blocker with an ACE inhibitor or an AT1-antagonist useful in the patient with heart failure, but absolutely not effective to improve control of blood pressure. Beta-blockers also should not be associated with the nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers because these drugs would add their effects chronotropic, dromotropic and inotropic effects. A dangerous association could be given from the interaction between an α1-blocker and clonidine as their effects will cancel each other and therefore blood pressure can even be increased again. Also betablockers and clonidine: the ‘paroxysmal increase in blood pressure observed 18-36 hours after withdrawal of clonidine can be worsened by the simultaneous administration of a beta-blocker. Although it seems to overcome, increasing the number of drugs for the treatment of a chronic illness, you risk getting a poor adherence to medical therapy. More and more often in hypertensive patients, coexist morbidities that are not compatible with the use of antihypertensive drugs: An example is the use of tiazhide-like diuretic that should be under the control of renal function in chronic renal failure and therefore it is often replaced by the loop diuretic that in terms of blood pressure control does not have the same effect daily. Still under study, as well as the subject of debate, the renal denervation is a procedure that consists of the insert of a catheter totally similar to the one used for cardiac revascularization. It’s moved forward to the renal arteries. When it is placed, the catheter sends a signal of radio-frequency which is able to destroy the nerve fibers of the artery of the sympathetic renal system and inhibits, consequently, its activity, permitting (or allowing) a significant decrease of pressure values.
Effect of the Pt buffer layer on perpendicular exchange bias based on collinear/non-collinear coupling in a Cr2O3/Co3Pt interface.

In this study, we fabricated a Cr2O3 (0001) film without and with a Pt buffer layer and investigated its effect on perpendicular exchange coupling in a Cr2O3/Co3Pt interface. The results showed that the exchange bias field (μ0Hex) and blocking temperature (TB) of a Cr2O3 film without and with Pt were very different. The Cr2O3 film without Pt had a lower μ0Hex of 176 Oe and a lower TB of 75 K, whereas that with Pt had a higher μ0Hex of 436 Oe and a higher TB of 150 K. We discussed this difference in μ0Hex and TB values based on collinear/non-collinear coupling in a ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interface using Meiklejohn and Bean's exchange anisotropy model.
Digital-Preprocessed Analog-Multiplexed DAC for Ultrawideband Multilevel Transmitter

High-speed digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are essential in advanced optical transmission systems, utilizing multilevel modulation formats and pulse-shaping technologies. Analog bandwidth of DACs is one of the major limiting factors for the system capacity. In this paper, we present an idea to extend the analog bandwidth of DACs by utilizing a digital preprocessor, two sub-DACs, and an analog multiplexer (AMUX). The AMUX is a high-speed linear selector, and a frequency-domain interpretation of the AMUX's function has led us to devise the digital preprocessing for a seamless extension of the analog bandwidth. This configuration, which we call a digital-preprocessed analog-multiplexed DAC, provides nearly doubled analog bandwidth compared to that of each subDAC with a symmetric configuration. The idea was verified by a transmission experiment with 160-Gb/s 80-Gbaud Nyquist four-level pulse amplitude modulation. In the experiment, we used subDACs with an analog bandwidth of ~20 GHz in combination with an AMUX fabricated with InP heterojunction bipolar transistor technology.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus – Current Guidelines for Diagnosis & Management 59 Gestational

Pregnancy induces progressive changes in maternal carbohydrate metabolism. As pregnancy advances insulin resistance and diabetogenic stress due to placental hormones necessitate compensatory increase in insulin secretion. When this compensation is inadequate gestational diabetes develops. ‘Gestational Diabetes Mellitus’ [GDM] is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with onset or recognition during pregnancy. Women diagnosed to have GDM are at increased risk of future diabetes predominantly type 2 DM as are their children [1]. Thus GDM offers an important opportunity for the development, testing and implementation of clinical strategies for diabetes prevention [2]. Timely action taken now in screening all pregnant women for glucose intolerance, achieving euglycemia in them and ensuring adequate nutrition may prevent in all probability, the vicious cycle of transmitting glucose intolerance from one generation to another [3].