Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Video playback demonstrates episodic personality in the gloomy octopus

SUMMARY Coleoid cephalopods, including octopuses, cuttlefish and squid, rely mainly on visual signals when interacting with conspecifics, predators and prey. Presenting visual stimuli, such as models, photographs, mirrors and live conspecifics, can thus provide insight into cephalopod behaviour. These methods, however, have limitations – mirrors and live animals lack experimental control, whereas models and photographs sacrifice motion-based information. Video playback addresses these issues by presenting controlled, moving and realistic stimuli but, to date, video playback has not been used successfully with any cephalopod. Here, we developed a video playback technique for the gloomy octopus (Octopus tetricus) that incorporated recent advances in video technology. We then used this technique to test for personality, which we defined as behavioural differences between individuals that are consistent over time and across ecologically important contexts. We captured wild octopuses and tested them on 3 separate days over a 10 day period. On each test day, subjects were presented with videos of a food item, a novel object and a conspecific. These represented a foraging, novel and threatening context, respectively. A fourth video without a moving stimulus controlled for the playback monitor itself and potential artifacts associated with video playback. Experimental stimuli evoked unambiguous and biologically appropriate responses from the subjects. Furthermore, individuals' responses to the three experimental contexts were highly correlated within a given test day. However, within a given context, individuals behaved inconsistently across the 3 test days. The reordering of ranks suggests that rather than fulfilling the criteria for personality, gloomy octopus show temporal discontinuities, and hence display episodic personality.
Echolocation in sympatric Peale's dolphins (Lagenorhynchus australis) and Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) producing narrow-band high-frequency clicks

SUMMARY An increasing number of smaller odontocetes have recently been shown to produce stereotyped narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) echolocation clicks. Click source parameters of NBHF clicks are very similar, and it is unclear whether the sonars of individual NBHF species are adapted to specific habitats or the presence of other NBHF species. Here, we test whether sympatric NBHF species sharing the same habitat show similar adaptations in their echolocation clicks and whether their clicks display signs of character displacement. Wide-band sound recordings were obtained with a six-element hydrophone array from wild Peale's (Lagenorhynchus australis) and Commerson's (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) dolphins off the Falkland Islands. The centroid frequency was different between Commerson's (133±2 kHz) and Peale's (129±3 kHz) dolphins. The r.m.s. bandwidth was 12±3 kHz for both species. The source level was higher for Peale's dolphin (185±6 dB re 1 μPa p.–p.) than for Commerson's (177±5 dB re 1 μPa p.–p.). The mean directivity indexes were 25 dB for both species. The relatively low source levels in combination with the high directivity index may be an adaptation to reduce clutter when foraging in a coastal environment. We conclude that the small species-specific shifts in distribution of centroid frequencies around 130 kHz may reflect character displacement in otherwise-stereotyped NBHF clicks.
Multiword atomic read/write registers on multiprocessor systems

Modern multiprocessor systems offer advanced synchronization primitives, built in hardware, to support the development of efficient parallel algorithms. In this article, we develop a simple and efficient algorithm, the READERSFIELD algorithm, for atomic registers (variables) of arbitrary length. The simplicity and better complexity of the algorithm is achieved via the utilization of two such common synchronization primitives. In this article, we also experimentally evaluate the performance of our algorithm, together with lock-based approaches and a practical, previously previously known algorithm that is based that is based only on read and write primitives. The experimental evaluation is performed on three well-known parallel architectures. This evaluation clearly shows that both algorithms are practical and that as the size of the register increases the READERSFIELD algorithm performs better, following its analytical evaluation.
Efficient sort-based skyline evaluation

Skyline queries compute the set of Pareto-optimal tuples in a relation, that is, those tuples that are not dominated by any other tuple in the same relation. Although several algorithms have been proposed for efficiently evaluating skyline queries, they either necessitate the relation to have been indexed or have to perform the dominance tests on all the tuples in order to determine the result. In this article we introduce salsa, a novel skyline algorithm that exploits the idea of presorting the input data so as to effectively limit the number of tuples to be read and compared. This makes salsa also attractive when skyline queries are executed on top of systems that do not understand skyline semantics, or when the skyline logic runs on clients with limited power and/or bandwidth. We prove that, if one considers symmetric sorting functions, the number of tuples to be read is minimized by sorting data according to a “minimum coordinate,” minC, criterion, and that performance can be further improved if data distribution is known and an asymmetric sorting function is used. Experimental results obtained on synthetic and real datasets show that salsa consistently outperforms state-of-the-art sequential skyline algorithms and that its performance can be accurately predicted.
The effects of arm swing on human gait stability

SUMMARY Arm swing during human gait has been shown to reduce both angular momentum about the vertical and energy expenditure, and has been hypothesized to enhance gait stability. To examine this hypothesis, we studied the effect of arm swing on the local and global stability of steady-state gait, as well as the ability to perform adequate recovery actions following a perturbation. Trunk kinematics of 11 male subjects was measured in treadmill walking with normal and with restricted arm swing. In half of the trials, gait was perturbed by a position-controlled forward pull to the trunk. We constructed state spaces using data recorded from the unperturbed steady-state walking trials, and quantified local gait stability by calculating maximum Lyapunov exponents. In addition, we analyzed perturbation forces, the distance from the unperturbed gait pattern, and the return toward the normal gait pattern following an external perturbation. Walking without arm swing led to a non-significantly lower Lyapunov exponent (P=0.06), significantly higher perturbation forces (P<0.05), and significantly slower movements away from the attractor (P<0.01). These results suggest that gait without arm swing is characterized by similar local stability to gait with arm swing and a higher perturbation resistance. However, return towards the normal gait pattern was significantly slower (P<0.05) when walking with restricted arms, suggesting that the arms play an important role in the recovery from a perturbation. Collectively, the results suggest that arm swing as such does not enhance gait stability, but rather that recovery movements of the arms contribute to the overall stability of human gait.
Automatic classification of security messages based on text categorization

The generated messages by the security devices are the necessary data for the detection of the malicious activities in an information system. The heterogeneity of the devices and the lack of a standard for the security messages make the automatic processing of the messages difficult. The messages are short, use a very wide vocabulary and have different formats. We propose in this article the application of the text categorization technics for the automatic classification of security log files messages, in categories defined by an ontology. We develop an extraction module for the message attributes to reduce the vocabulary size. Then we apply two training algorithms: the k-nearest neighbour algorithm and the naive bayes, on two corpus of security log messages.
DataMesh parallel storage servers

The DataMesh hardware architecture is that of an array of disk nodes, with each disk having an embedded 20 MIPS single-chip processor and 8-32MB of RAM. The nodes are linked by a fast, reliable small-area network, and programmed so that the ensemble appears as a single storage server. The first hardware prototype is operational now (software is still being developed); we hope to have the second, full-performance prototype about a year from now.
High speed switch scheduling for local area networks

Current technology trends make it possible to build communication networks that can support high performance distributed computing. This paper describes issues in the design of a prototype switch for an arbitrary topology point-to-point network with link speeds of up to one gigabit per second. The switch deals in fixed-length ATM-style cells, which it can process at a rate of 37 million cells per second. It provides high bandwidth and low latency for datagram traffic. In addition, it supports real-time traffic by providing bandwidth reservations with guaranteed latency bounds. The key to the switch''s operation is a technique called "parallel iterative matching," which can quickly identify a set of conflict-free cells for transmission in a time slot. Bandwidth reservations are accommodated in the switch by building a fixed schedule for transporting cells from reserved flows across the switch; parallel iterative matching can fill unused slots with datagram traffic. Finally, we note that parallel iterative matching may not allocate bandwidth fairly among flows of datagram traffic. We describe a technique called "statistical matching," which can be used to ensure fairness at the switch and to support applications with rapidly changing needs for guaranteed bandwidth.
Experimental comparison of RSSI-based localization algorithms for indoor wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we investigate the actual performance of some of the best known localization algorithms when deployed in real-world indoor environments. Among the plethora of possible localization schemes, we focus on those based on radio signal strength measurements only, since they do not require extra circuitry that would result in higher cost and energy consumption. For a fair comparison, we have first gathered thousands of radio signal strength measurements in two different indoor environments. To estimate the channel model parameters and to compare the different localization algorithms these data have been used.
ECG-based clinical indexes during exercise test including repolarization, depolarization and HRV

In this work, we compared ECG clinical ischemia indexes from ventricular depolarization, repolarization and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements during exercise tests. ST segment deviations, ST/heart-rate hysteresis, Q-, Rand S-wave amplitudes, QRS duration and HRV indexes were automatically measured. Coronary angiography was used as the gold standard to include patients in the ischemic group. Multivariate discriminant analysis was applied to classify the patients. Results based on classical ST indexes correctly classified 58% of patients. When depolarization, repolarization and HRV indexes were jointly considered, the exactness improved to 91% (sensitivity=94%, specificity=89%). These results are close to those obtained by exercise echocardiography or exercise nuclear imaging.
A Quality Improvement Initiative: Reducing Blood Culture Contamination in a Children’s Hospital

Through standardization, optimization of blood volumes, and education, we reduced blood culture contamination rates to a sustainable low rate at our children’s hospital. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Blood culture contamination is a safety and quality concern in children’s hospitals; it leads to increased unnecessary testing, admissions, antibiotic exposure, and cost. The standard benchmark for blood culture contamination is 3%. Our aim with the quality improvement project was to reduce the contamination rate at our children’s hospital from a mean of 2.85% to <1.5% in 2 years. METHODS: After initial unit-specific efforts, we formed a multidisciplinary team, created a process map and a cause-and-effect analysis, sent out surveys to nurses, and created observation sheets used to identify problem areas and record the most common deviations during the collection process. We also standardized the blood culture collection protocol and reemphasized nurse education in person and with online modules. During our project, we noted that nurses were collecting 1 to 3 mL of blood on all children regardless of weight. We developed optimal weight-based blood volumes and, after educating ordering providers, we updated our electronic medical record to reflect appropriate volumes in the order. RESULTS: Despite a steady increase in the number of blood cultures collected at our children’s hospital, we were able to decrease the average contamination rate from 2.85% to 1.54%, saving the hospital an estimated average of $49 998 per month. CONCLUSIONS: By standardizing blood culture collection methods, optimizing blood volume, creating checklists, and reinforcing nurse education, we were able to develop a best practice for pediatric blood culture collection and reduce blood culture contamination to a sustainable low rate at our children’s hospital.
The Onset of Lactation After an Uncomplicated Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Study Between Early Post Operative Feeding and Conventional Feeding

Objective: To compare the onset of lactation after an uncomplicated cesarean delivery between early feeding and conventional feeding. Material and methods: One hundred and forty – four uncomplicated Post cesarean mothers were enrolled. Seventy-two of them were randomized into each group. The study group had early feeding while, the control group started feeding with the conventional method. Demographic data were collected. The onset of lactation were interviewed, confirmed and recorded from both groups. The normal distributed data were described in mean, standard deviation and compared by independent t-test. The Chi-square test and two-tailed t-test were used to analyze the categorical and continuous data. Statistical significance was considered when p value < 0.05. Result: There was no difference in demographic data between the study group and control group. The onset of lactation in the study and control group was 43.55 + 13.58 hrs and 56.40 + 11.23 hrs respectively. The onset of lactation in the study group was significantly lesser than the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The early feeding in uncomplicated post caesarean delivery mothers had earlier onset of lactation than the conventional feeding.
Evaluating Practice Education Models in Occupational Therapy: Comparing 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1 Placements

Practice education is an essential part of the education of health professionals, yet in spite of this there is an acknowledged shortage of placements. At the same time, educational research indicates that peer learning, and in particular problem-based learning, has advantages for students. Studies that have investigated models of placements where more than one student at a time share an educator have shown that this may bring benefits for both educators and students. This study was carried out with the aim of determining the impact of different models of practice placement (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) on the quality of education for students and on the quality of the experience for educators, in both occupational therapy and physiotherapy courses at a university in the South of England. This article focuses on the occupational therapy component of the study. Six occupational therapy educators and 11 students took part, providing examples of all three models of placement. The findings indicated that while all three models provided both advantages and disadvantages for educators and students, the 2:1 model offered more opportunities for peer support and enhanced the quality of the educational experience through peer learning. In some settings, however, it is probably the case that only the 1:1 model is possible. The findings also suggest that the success of any placement model depends heavily on how well the placement has been planned.
Mars: A MapReduce Framework on graphics processors

We design and implement Mars, a MapReduce framework, on graphics processors (GPUs). MapReduce is a distributed programming framework originally proposed by Google for the ease of development of web search applications on a large number of commodity CPUs. Compared with CPUs, GPUs have an order of magnitude higher computation power and memory bandwidth, but are harder to program since their architectures are designed as a special-purpose co-processor and their programming interfaces are typically for graphics applications. As the first attempt to harness GPU's power for MapReduce, we developed Mars on an NVIDIA G80 GPU, which contains over one hundred processors, and evaluated it in comparison with Phoenix, the state-of-the-art MapReduce framework on multi-core CPUs. Mars hides the programming complexity of the GPU behind the simple and familiar MapReduce interface. It is up to 16 times faster than its CPU-based counterpart for six common web applications on a quad-core machine.
Experience-dependent modulation of antennal sensitivity and input to antennal lobes in male moths (Spodoptera littoralis) pre-exposed to sex pheromone

SUMMARY Sex pheromones are intraspecific olfactory signals emitted by one sex to attract a potential mating partner. Behavioural responses to sex pheromones are generally highly stereotyped. However, they can be modulated by experience, as male moths previously exposed to female sex pheromone respond with a lower threshold upon further detection, even after long delays. Here, we address the question of the neural mechanisms underlying such long-term modulation. As previous work has shown increased responses to pheromone in central olfactory neurons, we asked whether brief exposure to the pheromone increases input activity from olfactory receptor neurons. Males pre-exposed to sex pheromone exhibited increased peripheral sensitivity to the main pheromone component. Among nine antennal genes targeted as putatively involved in pheromone reception, one encoding a pheromone-binding protein showed significant upregulation upon exposure. In the primary olfactory centre (antennal lobe), the neural compartment processing the main pheromone component was enlarged after a brief pheromone exposure, thus suggesting enduring structural changes. We hypothesise that higher peripheral sensitivity following pre-exposure leads to increased input to the antennal lobe, thus contributing to the structural and functional reorganization underlying a stable change in behaviour.
Data pre-processing: a new algorithm for feature selection and data discretization

Data pre-processing is a key element to improve the accuracy of data mining algorithms. In the pre-processing step, the data are treated in order to make the mining process achievable and effective. Data discretization and feature selection are two important tasks that can be performed prior to the learning phase and can significantly reduce the processing effort of the data mining algorithm. In this paper, we present Omega, a new algorithm for data discretization and feature selection. Omega performs simultaneously data discretization and feature selection. We validated Omega by comparing it with other well-known algorithms for data discretization (1R, ChiMerge and Chi2) and feature selection (DTM, Relief and Chi2). The experiments compared the effects of the pre-processing techniques in the results of the C4.5 algorithm (a well-known decision tree-based classifier). In the results, the data discretization provided by Omega generates the decision tree with one of the smallest average of the number of nodes and the feature selection given by Omega leads to one of the smallest average of error rate. These results indicates that Omega is well-suited to perform both, data discretization and feature selection, being highly appropriate for pre-processing data for data mining tasks.
Fed-batch fermentation controller design with evolutionary computation

In this paper the controllers for the benchmark fed-batch fermentation process are obtained using the method of interactive evolutionary computation (IEC). The results allow us to conclude that IEC is a viable and very effective alternative to existing methods if the eventual solution is expected to be relatively simple (so it can be found with moderate computational cost), however, the strategy according to which the optimized variables are selected, plays a crucial role in productivity maximization.
The impact of acute temperature stress on hemocytes of invasive and native mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis and Mytilus californianus): DNA damage, membrane integrity, apoptosis and signaling pathways

SUMMARY We investigated the effects of acute heat stress and cold stress on cell viability, lysosome membrane stability, double- and single-stranded DNA breakage, and signaling mechanisms involved in cellular homeostasis and apoptosis in hemocytes of native and invasive mussels, Mytilus californianus and Mytilus galloprovincialis, respectively. Both heat stress (28, 32°C) and cold stress (2, 6°C) led to significant double- and single-stranded breaks in DNA. The type and extent of DNA damage were temperature and time dependent, as was caspase-3 activation, an indicator of apoptosis, which may occur in response to DNA damage. Hemocyte viability and lysosomal membrane stability decreased significantly under heat stress. Western blot analyses of hemocyte extracts with antibodies for proteins associated with cell signaling and stress responses [including members of the phospho-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family c-JUN NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38-MAPK, and apoptosis executor caspase-3] revealed that heat and cold stress induced a time-dependent activation of JNK, p38-MAPK and caspase-3 and that these signaling and stress responses differed between species. The thermal limits for activation of cell signaling processes linked to the repair of stress-induced damage may help determine cellular thermal tolerance limits. Our results show similarities in responses to cold and heat stress and suggest causal linkages between levels of DNA damage at both extremes of temperature and downstream regulatory responses, including induction of apoptosis. Compared with M. californianus, M. galloprovincialis might have a wider temperature tolerance due to a lower amount of single- and double-stranded DNA damage, faster signaling activation and transduction, and stronger repair ability against temperature stress.