Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An efficient data collecting network structure in wireless sensor networks

In a sensor network, a single event may be captured by hundreds of sensor nodes simultaneously. Data in these sensor nodes are thus highly correlated. Data transmission can be facilitated by employing data aggregation techniques. The traditional way to do data aggregation in a sensor network is to divide the network into clusters and elect one node as the cluster head in each cluster. These cluster heads are responsible for collecting data from other nodes within its belonging cluster. Collected data will first be fused before being forwarded to the base station. Due to the design limitations, most nodes in a sensor network are only capable of handling a single connection at a time. Therefore, to collect data from n cluster members, a cluster head will need at least n time slots. In this paper, a special network structure and its formation algorithm are proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed network structure can greatly reduce the delay in data collection.
Extracellular Production of a Novel Endo-β-Agarase AgaA from Pseudomonas vesicularis MA103 that Cleaves Agarose into Neoagarotetraose and Neoagarohexaose

The gene agaA, of the isolated marine bacterium Pseudomonas vesicularis MA103, comprised 2958-bp nucleotides encoding a putative agarase AgaA of 985 amino acids, which was predicted to contain a signal peptide of 29 amino acids in the N-terminus, a catalytic domain of glycoside hydrolase 16 (GH16) family, a bacterial immunoglobulin group 2 (Big 2), and three carbohydrate binding modules 6 (CBM 6). The gene agaA was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the optimum temperatures for AgaA overexpression were 16, 20 and 24 °C. The agaA was cloned without its signal peptide for cytosolic production overexpression, whereas it was cloned with the heterologous signal peptide PelB and its endogenous signal peptide for periplasmic and extracellular productions, respectively. Extracellular and periplasmic rAgaA showed greater activity than that of cytosolic rAgaA, indicating that membrane translocation of AgaA may encourage proper protein folding. Time-course hydrolysis of agarose by rAgaA was accomplished and the products were analyzed using thin layer chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption inoization-time of flight mass spectrometry, indicating that AgaA from P. vesicularis was an endo-type β-1,4 agarase that cleaved agarose into neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose as the final products.
Identification of Valproic Acid Glucuronide Hydrolase As a Key Enzyme for the Interaction of Valproic Acid with Carbapenem Antibiotics

Plasma levels of valproic acid (VPA) are decreased by concomitant use with carbapenem antibiotics, such as panipenem (PAPM). One of the plausible mechanisms of this interaction is the inhibition of VPA glucuronide (VPA-G) hydrolysis by carbapenems in the liver. To elucidate this interaction mechanism, we purified VPA-G hydrolase from human liver cytosol, in which the hydrolytic activity was mainly located. After chromatographic purification, the VPA-G hydrolase was identified as acylpeptide hydrolase (APEH). APEH-depleted cytosol, prepared by an immunodepletion method, completely lacked the hydrolytic activity. These results demonstrate that APEH is a single enzyme involved in PAPM-sensitive VPA-G hydrolysis in cytosol. In addition, the hydrolytic activity of recombinant human APEH was inhibited by PAPM and the inhibition profile by typical esterase inhibitors (diisopropyl fluorophosphate, 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), p-chloromercuribenzoic acid, and d-saccharic acid 1,4-lactone) was similar to that of human liver cytosol. Cytosolic VPA-G hydrolase activity was slightly inhibited by cholinesterase and carboxylesterase inhibitors. β-Glucuronidase activity remained in APEH-depleted cytosol, whereas VPA-G hydrolase activity was completely abolished. Thus, either cholinesterase, carboxylesterase, or β-glucuronidase in cytosol would not be involved in VPA-G hydrolysis. Taken together, APEH plays a major role in the PAPM-sensitive VPA-G hydrolysis in the liver. These findings suggest that APEH could be a key enzyme for the drug interaction of VPA with carbapenems via VPA-G hydrolysis.
Growth of young Douglas-fir plantations across a gradient in Swiss needle cast severity.

During the past decade, Swiss needle cast (SNC) damage has intensified in many Douglas-fir plantations in the Coast Range of Oregon, particularly along the immediate north coast. In plantations with severe symptoms, growth losses and reduced tree vigor are evident, but the magnitude of growth losses associated with varying intensities of damage is not known. A growth impact study was conducted in 1997 to quantify retrospectively the relationship between growth losses and visual symptoms in 10to 30-yr-old Douglas-fir plantations in coastal northwestern Oregon, a population totaling 75,700 ha. A random sample of 70 Douglas-fir plantations was selected from the population and evaluated for Swiss needle cast severity. One 0.02 ha plot was destructively sampled in each plantation to reconstruct past height and basal area growth trends and to characterize foliage loss and distribution. The SNC “effect” was assessed by comparing growth of plantations with varying degrees of Swiss needle cast to growth of those that retained maximal amounts of foliage, after correcting for initial stand density, Douglas-fir growing stock, age, and site index. Of numerous possible SNC indices, mean needle retention (yr) explained the largest amount of variation in both basal area and top height growth. Prior to 1990, top height growth was similar across all plantations after correcting for site quality and plantation age; but, by 1992, top height growth losses appeared and were proportional to apparent foliage losses. In 1996, top height growth was reduced by up to 25% relative to plantations with little or no SNC. Basal area growth reductions began to appear around 1990, and in 1996 basal area growth of the most heavily damaged plantations was 35% less than the growth that would be expected in absence of SNC damage. The inferred volume growth loss for 1996 averaged 23% for the 75,700 ha target population, but this loss averaged as high as 52% for the most severely impacted plantations. West. J. Appl. For. 17(2):86–95.
Evolving NoSQL Databases without Downtime

NoSQL databases like Redis, Cassandra, and Mon-goDB are increasingly popular because they are flexible, lightweight, and easy to work with. Applications that use these databases will evolve over time, sometimes necessitating (or preferring) a change to the format or organization of the data. The problem we address in this paper is: How can we support the evolution of high-availability applications and their NoSQL data online, without excessive delays or interruptions, even in the presence of backward-incompatible data format changes? We present KVolve, an extension to the popular Redis NoSQL database, as a solution to this problem. KVolve permits a developer to submit an upgrade specification that defines how to transform existing data to the newest version. This transformation is applied lazily as applications interact with the database, thus avoiding long pause times. We demonstrate that KVolve is expressive enough to support substantial practical updates, including format changes to RedisFS, a Redis-backed file system, while imposing essentially no overhead in general use and minimal pause times during updates.
Construction Strategy for an Internal Amplification Control for Real-Time Diagnostic Assays Using Nucleic Acid Sequence-Based Amplification: Development and Clinical Application

ABSTRACT An important analytical control in molecular amplification-based methods is an internal amplification control (IAC), which should be included in each reaction mixture. An IAC is a nontarget nucleic acid sequence which is coamplified simultaneously with the target sequence. With negative results for the target nucleic acid, the absence of an IAC signal indicates that amplification has failed. A general strategy for the construction of an IAC for inclusion in molecular beacon-based real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) assays is presented. Construction proceeds in two phases. In the first phase, a double-stranded DNA molecule that contains nontarget sequences flanked by target sequences complementary to the NASBA primers is produced. At the 5′ end of this DNA molecule is a T7 RNA polymerase binding sequence. In the second phase of construction, RNA transcripts are produced from the DNA by T7 RNA polymerase. This RNA is the IAC; it is amplified by the target NASBA primers and is detected by a molecular beacon probe complementary to the internal nontarget sequences. As a practical example, an IAC for use in an assay for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is described, its incorporation and optimization within the assay are detailed, and its application to spiked and natural clinical samples is shown to illustrate the correct interpretation of the diagnostic results.
A Quality-Aware Relay Node Placement Algorithm to Connect Disjoint WSN Segments with Topology Reorganized

Connecting numerous separate parts can be indispensable to simply WSNs that operate autonomously or partitions of a single segmented WSN. Linking them is subject to different intersegment quality of communication and service (QoC and QoS) while relay nodes are deployed with their exact number and positions left to define, which is the problem that we focus on. Finding the optimal number and position of relays is NP-hard and therefore heuristics and approximation are pursued. This paper presents an effective approach to deploy appropriate relays to satisfy both the QoC and QoS requirements by introducing probabilistic topology control. The key idea is to regulate a new parallel rule and cost function for segments, which eventually maximizes the utilization of deployed node and avoids the deployment of additional relays as much as possible. The optimization problem is then mapped to finding the path that fulfills the both requirements together with least overheads. The experimental result is validated that although the number of relays is slightly increased to meet extra requirements, the network connectivity can be improved by up to 289.5 % with reorganized topology. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Is Operative Treatment of Achilles Tendon Ruptures Superior to Nonoperative Treatment?

Background: Multiple meta-analyses have been published in efforts to determine whether operative or nonoperative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures affords superior outcomes. Purpose: To perform a systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses comparing operative and nonoperative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures to determine which meta-analyses provide the highest level of evidence for treatment recommendations. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify meta-analyses that fit the study inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from these meta-analyses regarding patient outcomes and reruptures. Meta-analysis quality was assessed using the Oxman-Guyatt and QUOROM (Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses) systems. The Jadad algorithm was applied to determine the meta-analyses with the highest level of evidence. Results: Nine meta-analyses met the eligibility criteria, with all but 1 study including level 1 evidence. A total of 5842 patients were included. Seven studies found a higher rate of rerupture in the nonoperative group but a higher rate of complications in the operative group. One study found no differences in rerupture or complication rates, and 1 study found surgery decreased rerupture rates only when compared with nonoperative treatment without a functional brace. Three studies also identified an earlier return to work in the operative group. Almost all (8 of 9) of the meta-analyses had Oxman-Guyatt scores >3, indicating no major flaws. Conclusion: Operative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures decreases rerupture rates but increases the risk for minor complications when compared with nonoperative treatment. Additionally, surgical treatment may allow earlier return to work.
Using novel simplified models of excitation for analytic description of initiation propagation and blockage of excitation waves

We consider applications of a recently suggested new asymptotic approach to detailed ionic models of cardiac excitation. First, we describe a three-variable approximation for the excitation fronts in a detailed ionic model of human atrial kinetics. It predicts not only the speed of the fronts but also a condition for failure of propagation, i.e. gives an operational definition of absolute refractoriness. This prediction is confirmed by direct simulations of the full model. Next, we consider problem of initiation of excitation waves, using a piecewise linear caricature of the INalpha-driven excitation front. We identify the unstable propagating front solution ("critical front") as the threshold event between successful initation and decay, which plays a role similar to the "critical nucleus" in the theory of initiation of waves in the FitzHugh-Nagumo system.
Comparison of knowledge sharing strategies in a parallel QBF solver

In this paper we examine the effect that different knowledge sharing strategies have on the performance of our parallel QBF Solver PaQuBE. This new Master/Slave MPI based solver leverages the additional computational power that can be exploited from modern computer and system architectures, to solve more relevant instances and faster than previous generation solvers. Knowledge sharing plays a critical role in the performance of PaQuBE. However, due to the overhead associated with sending and receiving MPI messages, and the restricted communication/network bandwidth available between solvers, it is essential that we optimize not only which information is shared, but how it is shared. In this context, we compare multiple conflict clause and solution cube sharing strategies, and finally show that an adaptive method works best. Additionally, compression of solution cubes was explored which reduced the system time associated with message passing while also reducing network traffic.
Clinical Decision Support with the SPUD Language Model

In this paper we present the systems and techniques used by the University of Cambridge for the CDS (Clinical Decision Support) track of the 24 Text Retrieval Conference (TREC). The system was among the best automatic approaches for both CDS tasks and is based on a new language modelling approach implemented using Lucene.
Efficient preparation of internally modified single-molecule constructs using nicking enzymes

Investigations of enzymes involved in DNA metabolism have strongly benefited from the establishment of single molecule techniques. These experiments frequently require elaborate DNA substrates, which carry chemical labels or nucleic acid tertiary structures. Preparing such constructs often represents a technical challenge: long modified DNA molecules are usually produced via multi-step processes, involving low efficiency intermolecular ligations of several fragments. Here, we show how long stretches of DNA (>50 bp) can be modified using nicking enzymes to produce complex DNA constructs. Multiple different chemical and structural modifications can be placed internally along DNA, in a specific and precise manner. Furthermore, the nicks created can be resealed efficiently yielding intact molecules, whose mechanical properties are preserved. Additionally, the same strategy is applied to obtain long single-strand overhangs subsequently used for efficient ligation of ss- to dsDNA molecules. This technique offers promise for a wide range of applications, in particular single-molecule experiments, where frequently multiple internal DNA modifications are required.
Cause-effect graphing analysis and validation of requirements

Cause-Effect Graphing (CEG) is used to derive test cases from a given natural language specification to validate its corresponding implementation. This paper surveys some known drawbacks to CEG analysis and shows how these can be overcome. It also shows how the CEG technique can be used to derive discriminating customer-directed scenarios (use-cases) for validating requirements.
Estimation of biological and economic parameters of a bioeconomic sheries model using dynamical data assimilation

A new approach of model parameter estimation is used with simulated measurements to recover both biological and economic input parameters of a natural resource model. The procedure e ciently combines time series of observations with a simple bioeconomic sheries model to optimally estimate the model parameters. Using identical twin experiments, it is shown that the parameters of the model can be retrieved. The procedure provides an e cient way of calculating poorly known model parameters by tting model results to observations. In separate experiments with exact and noisy data, we have demonstrated that the adjoint technique of parameter estimation can be an e cient method of analyzing bioeconomic data. Results of sensitivity analysis of the model parameters show that the environmental carrying capacity (e.g., habitat) is the most important input parameter in the model.
Why structural hints in queries do not help XML-retrieval

For many years it has been commonly held that a user who adds structural "hints" to a query will improve precision in an element retrieval search. At INEX 2005 we conducted an experiment to test this assumption. We present the unexpected result that structural hints in queries do not improve precision. An analysis of the topics and the judgments suggests that this is because users are particularly bad at giving structural hints.
Signal fusion based on intensity and motion variations for remote heart rate determination

In recent years, e-rehabilitation has become an emerging topic, firstly because of an increasing demand, secondly because of improved sensor systems and higher computational performance. Furthermore, due to the lack of therapists in Germany, an adequate supervision of the therapy is often impossible. A tracking of physiological parameters, such as the heart rate, can contribute to an improved evaluation of training exercise efficiency. In this work, we present several methods to remotely determine the heart rate with an RGB camera. To achieve this, we propose two fusion methods , which combine intensity-based and motion-based methods. The fusion method with the highest performance is based on the measurement of intensity and motion variations. This new approach outperforms extant single methods.
Study of using a multi-touch tabletop technology to facilitate collaboration, interaction, and awareness in co-located environment

This study aimed to evaluate how differently co-located users perform and interact while solving problems by using existing and newly developed interaction mechanisms of a multi-touch tabletop system on a large-size tabletop display. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate users’ perceived situation awareness due to the system. This study conducted one experiment and introduced three newly developed interaction mechanisms: two-way rubber band, drag-and-response, and centre collection area. Two-way rubber band enables users not only to send but also to request digital objects. Drag-and-response allows users to accept or to reject digital objects sent by others; therefore, it eliminates conflicting situations and interference. Centre collection area stores, organises, and manages shared digital resources on a surface of a tabletop display, so that users have an overall picture of available resources. This paper discusses results of an experiment, research findings, and implications along with conclusions and several suggestions for future development and research.
Comparison of the Lupus Foundation of America–Rapid Evaluation of Activity in Lupus to More Complex Disease Activity Instruments As Evaluated by Clinical Investigators or Real‐World Clinicians

Lupus disease measures such as the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) index are challenging to interpret. The Lupus Foundation of America–Rapid Evaluation of Activity in Lupus (LFA‐REAL) is intended to provide an efficient application of anchored visual analog scores, each representing the individual severity of active symptoms, with the sum of individual scores deriving an overall disease activity assessment. Our objective was to compare the performance of LFA‐REAL to systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity assessments and compare scores between trained lupus clinical investigators and clinicians.
Capacity with Probabilistic Delay Constraint for Voice Traffic in a Rayleigh Channel

The Capacity with Probabilistic Delay Constraint CDt,Ɛ expresses the maximum source rate that may be supported in a wireless system with a probability Ɛ of exceeding certain delay bound Dt. In [1], CDt,Ɛ was calculated for a Rayleigh channel carrying a constant rate flow. In this work, the potential of the effective bandwidth theory is shown by evaluating this constrained capacity for a variable rate source modeled as an ON-OFF process. Cross relations among ON-OFF process parameters, fading channel statistics, QoS constraints and maximum allowable mean source rate are displayed by the obtained closed-form expressions. CDt,Ɛ is measured in different scenarios to exhibit to which extent higher time-correlation of the channel response or longer ON-OFF periods are harmful to the delay behaviour, getting a lower value of the capacity CDt,Ɛ.
Emstar: A software environment for developing and deploying heterogeneous sensor-actuator networks

Recent work in wireless embedded networked systems has followed heterogeneous designs, incorporating a mixture of elements from extremely constrained 8- or 16-bit “Motes” to less resource-constrained 32-bit embedded “Microservers. ” Emstar is a software environment for developing and deploying complex applications on such heterogeneous networks. Emstar is designed to leverage the additional resources of Microservers by trading off some performance for system robustness in sensor network applications. It enables fault isolation, fault tolerance, system visiblity, in-field debugging, and resource sharing across multiple applications. In order to accomplish these objectives, Emstar is designed to run as a multiprocess system and consists of libraries that implement message-passing IPC primitives, services that support networking, sensing, and time synchronization, and tools that support simulation, emulation, and visualization of live systems, both real and simulated. We evaluate this work by discussing the Acoustic ENSBox, a platform for distributed acoustic sensing that we built using Emstar. We show that by leveraging existing Emstar services, we are able to significantly reduce development time while achieving a high degree of robustness. We also show that a sample application was developed much more quickly on this platform than it would have been otherwise.
Good Signals, Bad Signals: Performance and Trait Implications of Signaling in Online Labor Markets

Extant literature has recently started to study “online labor markets”, online platforms “for individuals and organizations to quickly identify short-term workers” (Farrell et al. 2016, p. 1). In these platforms, freelancers are required to send diverse signals to reduce information asymmetry and attract new customers. Our research in progress is the first to explore how freelancers’ individual character traits may influence this signaling behavior and how different signals affect performance in online labor markets. Accordingly, we distinguish between different types of traits, such as neuroticism and openness to experience as well as different types of signals – those that are easy to fake (conventional signals) and those that are hard to fake (assessment signals). The analysis will be based on survey measures, objective measures and data from third-raters.