Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VR-Cluster: Dynamic Migration for Resource Fragmentation Problem in Virtual Router Platform

Network virtualization technology is regarded as one of gradual schemes to network architecture evolution. With the development of network functions virtualization, operators make lots of effort to achieve router virtualization by using general servers. In order to ensure high performance, virtual router platform usually adopts a cluster of general servers, which can be also regarded as a special cloud computing environment. However, due to frequent creation and deletion of router instances, it may generate lots of resource fragmentation to prevent platform from establishing new router instances. In order to solve “resource fragmentation problem,” we firstly propose VR-Cluster, which introduces two extra function planes including switching plane and resource management plane. Switching plane is mainly used to support seamless migration of router instances without packet loss; resource management plane can dynamically move router instances from one server to another server by using VR-mapping algorithms. Besides, three VR-mapping algorithms including first-fit mapping algorithm, best-fit mapping algorithm, and worst-fit mapping algorithm are proposed based on VR-Cluster. At last, we establish VR-Cluster protosystem by using general X86 servers, evaluate its migration time, and further analyze advantages and disadvantages of our proposed VR-mapping algorithms to solve resource fragmentation problem.
Prevalence and Genotyping of Microsporidian Parasites in Dogs in Turkey: Zoonotic Concerns

Microsporidia are opportunistic pathogens that infect a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates. To assess the potential role of dogs in the transmission of these zoonotic pathogens, a total of 282 fecal samples from dogs in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey were analyzed by utilizing species specific polymerase chain reaction for the four most frequent human microsporidia. Two microsporidia species were recognized in 41 samples (14.5%). Encephalitozoon intestinalis was detected in 35 samples (12.4%) and it was the most common microsporidium. The second microsporidium, E. cuniculi, was identified in six (2.1%) of the samples. Sequence analysis of the intergenic spacer of the ribosomal ribonucleic acid (RNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene revealed the presence of three E. intestinalis haplotypes closely associated with each other. No polymorphic region was found among the ITS sequences of E. cuniculi isolates and they were characterized as genotype III. This study provides the first data on the zoonotic microsporidia species from dogs in Turkey.
Task Allocation Model Based on Worker Friend Relationship for Mobile Crowdsourcing

With the rapid development of mobile devices, mobile crowdsourcing has become an important research focus. According to the task allocation, scholars have proposed many methods. However, few works discuss combining social networks and mobile crowdsourcing. To maximize the utilities of mobile crowdsourcing system, this paper proposes a task allocation model considering the attributes of social networks for mobile crowdsourcing system. Starting from the homogeneity of human beings, the relationship between friends in social networks is applied to mobile crowdsourcing system. A task allocation algorithm based on the friend relationships is proposed. The GeoHash coding mechanism is adopted in the process of calculating the strength of worker relationship, which effectively protects the location privacy of workers. Utilizing synthetic dataset and the real-world Yelp dataset, the performance of the proposed task allocation model was evaluated. Through comparison experiments, the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed allocation mechanism were verified.
Wafer-scale fabrication of fused silica chips for low-noise recording of resistive pulses through nanopores

This paper presents a maskless method to manufacture fused silica chips for low-noise resistive-pulse sensing. The fabrication includes wafer-scale density modification of fused silica with a femtosecond-pulsed laser, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPVCD) of silicon nitride (SiNx) and accelerated chemical wet etching of the laser-exposed regions. This procedure leads to a freestanding SiNx window, which is permanently attached to a fused silica support chip and the resulting chips are robust towards Piranha cleaning at ∼80 °C. After parallel chip manufacturing, we created a single nanopore in each chip by focused helium-ion beam or by controlled breakdown. Compared to silicon chips, the resulting fused silica nanopore chips resulted in a four-fold improvement of both the signal-to-noise ratio and the capture rate for signals from the translocation of IgG1 proteins at a recording bandwidth of 50 kHz. At a bandwidth of ∼1 MHz, the noise from the fused silica nanopore chips was three- to six-fold reduced compared to silicon chips. In contrast to silicon chips, fused silica chips showed no laser-induced current noise—a significant benefit for experiments that strive to combine nanopore-based electrical and optical measurements.
Activated dendritic cells and monocytes in HIV immunological nonresponders: HIV-induced interferon-inducible protein-10 correlates with low future CD4+ recovery

Objective: To explore monocyte and dendritic cell immune responses, and their association with future CD4+ gain in treated HIV patients with suboptimal CD4+ recovery. Design: A cross-sectional study of HIV-infected, virally suppressed individuals on antiretroviral therapy for at least 24 months; 41 immunological nonresponders (INRs) (CD4+ cell count <400 cells/&mgr;l) and 26 immunological responders (CD4+ cell count >600 cells/&mgr;l). Ten HIV-infected antiretroviral therapy-naive and 10 HIV-negative healthy persons served as controls. CD4+ cell counts were registered after median 2.4 and 4.7 years. Methods: Monocyte, dendritic-cell and T-cell activation and regulatory T cells (Tregs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. In INR and immunological responder subgroups matched on age and nadir CD4+ cell count, upregulation of interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in monocytes and dendritic cells and cytokines in cell supernatants were measured in vitro in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with aldrithiol-2-inactivated HIV-1. Results: The INR group displayed higher spontaneous activation of both monocytes (HLA-DR+) and myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (HLA-DR+, CD83+ and CD86+) compared with immunological responders, and this was associated with increased T-cell activation (CD38+HLA-DR+), an effector memory T-cell phenotype and activated Tregs. The IP-10 response in monocytes after in-vitro HIV stimulation was negatively associated with prospective CD4+ gain. IP-10, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and cytokines levels were comparable between the groups, but inversely correlated with activated Tregs in INRs. Conclusion: HIV-infected individuals with suboptimal immune recovery demonstrated more activated monocytes and in particular dendritic cells, compared with patients with acceptable CD4+ gain. A high level of HIV-specific IP-10 expression in monocytes may be predictive of future CD4+ recovery.
Kinetics of Monofluorophosphate Hydrolysis in a Bacterial Test Plaque in situ

Models to evaluate the anticaries potential of fluoride (F) formulations containing monofluorophosphate (MFP) should consider the release of F ion to the oral environment by its enzymatic hydrolysis. This was tested in situ, using a test plaque of a strain of Streptococcus mutans which presents high MFPase activity at pH 5.0. The test plaque was exposed to non-F or MFP (1,450 µg F/g) dentifrices and the fluid phase of the plaque was analyzed after 15, 30, 45 and 75 min. MFP concentration in the plaque fluid decreased over time after exposure to MFP dentifrice, but F ion reached 134.9 ± 32.0 µM at 15 min and decreased significantly only at 75 min, suggesting continuous MFP hydrolysis by the test plaque.
Ag2S Quantum Dots Based on Flower-like SnS2 as Matrix and Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation

Ag2S quantum dots were dispersed on the surface of SnS2 nanoflowers forming a heterojunction via in-situ ion exchange to improve photocatalytic degradation of RhB. All samples exhibit the hexagonal wurtzite structure. The size of Ag2S@SnS2 composites are ~ 1.5 μm flower-like with good crystallinity. Meanwhile, the Eg of 3% Ag2S@SnS2 is close to that of pure SnS2. Consequently, the 3% Ag2S@SnS2 composite displays the excellent photocatalytic performance under simulated sunlight irradiation with good cycling stability, compared to the pure SnS2 and other composites. Due to the blue and yellow luminescence quenching, the photogenerated electrons and holes is effectively separated in the 3% Ag2S@SnS2 sample. Especially, the hydroxyl radicals and photogenerated holes are main active species.
Ecology of Armillaria spp. in Mixed-Hardwood Forests of California.

Incidence of Armillaria root disease and the population structure of associated Armillaria spp. was studied in California mixed-hardwood forests. Four 3,000-m2 plots, consisting of Quercus kelloggii, Q. agrifolia, Lithocarpus densiflorus, Arbutus menziesii, Umbellularia californica, and Pseudotsuga menziesii, were intensively sampled. Root collars were examined for mycelial fans, decayed wood, and rhizomorphs. From 404 trees (333 living, 71 dead), Armillaria mellea and A. gallica were recovered and identified from 148 isolates. The most abundant tree species in each plot was the tree species most frequently infected by A. mellea or A. gallica. The majority of A. mellea isolates were recovered from mycelial fans on living trees. Recent mortality due to A. mellea was found only in one plot. A. gallica was mainly identified from epiphytic rhizomorphs. Only one to three somatic incompatibility groups (SIGs) for each species were found in each plot. Estimated sizes of SIGs varied from the extent of a single root system to the entire width of the plot. Based on our results, both A. mellea and A. gallica are common in mixedhardwood forests, yet A. mellea appears to be a more aggressive pathogen. A. gallica is capable of attacking live hosts, but occurs on living roots more frequently as epiphytic rhizomorphs.
Temporal Trends in Incident Mortality in Dialysis Patients: Focus on Sex and Racial Disparities

Background: Racial minorities and women constitute substantial portions of the incident and prevalent end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population in the United States. Although ESRD is characterized by high mortality, temporal trends, and race and sex differences in mortality have not been studied. Methods: We evaluated 944,650 adult patients who initiated dialysis between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2014, using the United States Renal Data System, for sex-related and race-related trends in mortality. Logistic regression models adjusted for pre-dialysis health status were used to examine associations among the predictors’ sex, race, and year of incident dialysis, and the outcome all-cause mortality at 1-year post ESRD. Results: The mean age was 65 ± 14 years. The 1-year crude mortality rates in incident ESRD patients decreased by 28% from 2004 to 2015. Risk-adjusted 1-year mortality decreased by 3% for each later year of incident ESRD (p < 0.001). In general, from 2005 to 2014, mortality rates decreased across both sexes, and all races. White patients experienced the lowest reduction in adjusted 1-year mortality rates (16%). While women experienced a survival advantage over men in 2005, by 2014 it was reversed to survival advantage for men. Combining all years, the adjusted risk of dying at 1-year after initiating dialysis was lower in women than men (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97–0.99), and as compared to whites, was lower in blacks (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.72–0.74), Hispanics (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.63–0.65), Asians (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.53–0.56), and Native Americans (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.63–0.71). Conclusion: The 1-year mortality rates among patients with ESRD have decreased steadily during a recent 10-year period across both men and women, and in all 5 races. Women have only a 2% lower risk of dying at 1-year after dialysis initiation than men. White patients had higher mortality as compared to other races. Our results suggest the need for sex, and race-specific treatment strategies in ESRD care.
Net nutrition on the late 19th and early 20th century American Great Plains: a robust biological response to the challenges to the Turner Hypothesis

Abstract In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner proposed that America’s Western frontier was an economic ‘safety-valve’ – a place where settlers could migrate when conditions in eastern states and Europe crystallized against their upward economic mobility. However, recent studies suggest the Western frontier’s material conditions may not have been as advantageous as Jackson proposed because settlers lacked the knowledge and human capital to succeed on the Plains and Far Western frontier. Using stature, BMI and weight from five late 19th and early 20th century prisons, this study uses 61,276 observations for men between ages 15 and 79 to illustrate that current and cumulative net nutrition on the Great Plains did not deteriorate during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, indicating that recent challenges to the Turner Hypothesis are not well supported by net nutrition studies.
A Novel Passive Indoor Localization Method by Fusion CSI Amplitude and Phase Information

With the rapid development of wireless network technology, wireless passive indoor localization has become an increasingly important technique that is widely used in indoor location-based services. Channel state information (CSI) can provide more detailed and specific subcarrier information, which has gained the attention of researchers and has become an emphasis in indoor localization technology. However, existing research has generally adopted amplitude information for eigenvalue calculations. There are few research studies that have used phase information from CSI signals for localization purposes. To eliminate the signal interference existing in indoor environments, we present a passive human indoor localization method named FapFi, which fuses CSI amplitude and phase information to fully utilize richer signal characteristics to find location. In the offline stage, we filter out redundant values and outliers in the CSI amplitude information and then process the CSI phase information. A fusion method is utilized to store the processed amplitude and phase information as a fingerprint database. The experimental data from two typical laboratory and conference room environments were gathered and analyzed. The extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more efficient than other algorithms in data processing and achieves decimeter-level localization accuracy.
A DNA repair protein and histone methyltransferase interact to promote genome stability in the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line

Histone modifications regulate gene expression and chromosomal events, yet how histone-modifying enzymes are targeted is poorly understood. Here we report that a conserved DNA repair protein, SMRC-1, associates with MET-2, the C. elegans histone methyltransferase responsible for H3K9me1 and me2 deposition. We used molecular, genetic, and biochemical methods to investigate the biological role of SMRC-1 and to explore its relationship with MET-2. SMRC-1, like its mammalian ortholog SMARCAL1, provides protection from DNA replication stress. SMRC-1 limits accumulation of DNA damage and promotes germline and embryonic viability. MET-2 and SMRC-1 localize to mitotic and meiotic germline nuclei, and SMRC-1 promotes an increase in MET-2 abundance in mitotic germline nuclei upon replication stress. In the absence of SMRC-1, germline H3K9me2 generally decreases after multiple generations at high culture temperature. Genetic data are consistent with MET-2 and SMRC-1 functioning together to limit replication stress in the germ line and in parallel to promote other germline processes. We hypothesize that loss of SMRC-1 activity causes chronic replication stress, in part because of insufficient recruitment of MET-2 to nuclei.
Research on the Influence Mechanism of Rational Consumers’ Food Safety Supervision Satisfaction

As emerging food safety incidents have gained widespread concerns, research on consumers’ attitudes towards this issue is crucial to create effective solutions. To this end, in accordance with relevant data of consumers in 13 cities with subordinate districts, Jiangsu province, this paper divided different consumer groups by their experience so as to study their degree of satisfaction towards food safety and corresponding influencing factors. According to the descriptive statistics and the building of the cumulative logistic regression model, the results therefrom showed that consumers with direct or indirect experience have separate attitudes towards food safety which cannot be changed by changing consumers’ personal characteristics. Moreover, the two groups are divided in their demands in food production and consumption along with exceptions on policy implementation, etc. Finally, suggestions to improve consumers’ satisfaction are given in at the end of the paper.
Resistance in Annual Medicago spp. to Phoma medicaginis and Leptosphaerulina trifolii and Its Relationship to Induced Production of a Phytoestrogen.

Foliar and stem diseases of annual Medicago spp. caused by Phoma medicaginis and Leptosphaerulina trifolii can not only reduce yield, but also affect herbage quality by inducing the production of the phytoestrogen coumestrol. To determine differences in host reaction to these pathogens, 33 cultivars and lines in 1993 and 10 cultivars in 1995 were evaluated in inoculated field tests. In the 1993 test, a number of genotypes with high levels of resistance to leaf and stem disease caused by P. medicaginis and to leaf disease caused by L. trifolii were identified. Genotypes with very high levels of resistance to stem disease caused by P. medicaginis were M. sphaerocarpos GRC5659.4. 1 and SAD10069, M. murex GRC87.1, GRC707, and GRC708, M. truncatula Z771, and M. solerolii DZA3180.1, all of which had stem disease scores of ≤1.0 (scale 0 to 10) by the end of the growing season. The levels of coumestrol produced ranged from 114 to 1,230 ppm dry weight in stems across the genotypes, and the score for stem disease caused by P. medicaginis in the corresponding cultivars ranged from ≤0.8 to 8.9, respectively. The 1995 test confirmed the relative responses of nine cultivars (Caliph, Circle Valley, Cyprus, Harbinger AR, Zodiac, Paraggio, Santiago, Serena, and Orion) of annual Medicago spp. to leaf and stem disease caused by P. medicaginis and to stem disease caused by L. trifolii. Those with the lowest levels of coumestrol in the stems were M. solerolii DZA3180.1, M. truncatula Paraggio, and M. sphaerocarpos SAD10069, all with levels ≤130 ppm. The highest level was found in M. polymorpha SA4178 (1,230 ppm). M. littoralis Harbinger AR, Z286, Z298, and Z912, M. murex 89F16.1. 1, M. orbicularis SA8460, and M. polymorpha SA4188, all had coumestrol levels of >600 ppm. For stem disease caused by P. medicaginis in particular, there was significant correlation of the level of disease with the level of coumestrol in stems at the end of the growing season. In contrast, for L. trifolii, there was significant negative correlation (leaf disease) or only a weak positive correlation (stem disease) with coumestrol in stems at the end of the growing season. Incorporation of these identified disease resistances into commercial cultivars offers a promising avenue not only as a long-term strategy for management of foliar diseases in annual Medicago spp. , but also as a means of reducing phytoestrogen levels in commercial annual Medicago spp. pastures in order to minimize the adverse effects of phytoestrogens on fertility levels in sheep.
Biofilms 2018: a Diversity of Microbes and Mechanisms

The 8th ASM Conference on Biofilms was held in Washington, DC, 7 to 11 October 2018. This very highly subscribed meeting represented a wide breadth of current research in biofilms and included over 500 attendees, 12 sessions with 64 oral presentations, and four poster sessions with about 400 posters. ABSTRACT The 8th ASM Conference on Biofilms was held in Washington, DC, 7 to 11 October 2018. This very highly subscribed meeting represented a wide breadth of current research in biofilms and included over 500 attendees, 12 sessions with 64 oral presentations, and four poster sessions with about 400 posters.
Sildenafil for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and pulmonary hypertension: a meta-analysis

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is the most common complication in preterm infants and often complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH), leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Sildenafil is often used to treat PH and improve symptoms in this condition, even though evidence of safety and effectiveness is scarce. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis about the effectiveness and safety of chronic use of sildenafil in preterm infants with BPD-associated PH. Data sources were PubMed, EMBASE, and Medline. Studies reporting the effectiveness of sildenafil therapy in BPD-associated PH in newborns and infants were included. All-cause mortality, improvement in PH, improvement in respiratory scores, and adverse events were extracted. Five studies were included, yielding a total of 101 patients with 94.2 patient-years of total follow-up. The pooled mortality rate was 29.7%/year (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.8–52.7). Estimated pulmonary arterial pressure improved > 20% in 69.3% (95% CI = 56.8–81.8) of patients within 1–6 months. Respiratory scores improved in 15.0% (95% CI = 0.0–30.4) of patients within 2–7 days. There were no serious adverse events during sildenafil therapy. This systematic review shows that in the treatment of BPD-associated PH in preterm infants, sildenafil may be associated with improvement in PAP and respiratory scores. However, there is no clear evidence of its effect on mortality rates. Considering BPD as a complex disease with variable expression patterns, these results support the need for a prospective registry and standardized approach.
Mitochondrial DNA Mutations in Ageing and Disease: Implications for HIV?

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations cause neurological and multisystem disease. Somatic (acquired) mtDNA mutations are also associated with degenerative diseases and with normal human ageing. It is well established that certain nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) antiretroviral drugs cause inhibition of the mtDNA polymerase, pol γ, leading to a reduction in mtDNA content (depletion). Given this effect of NRTI therapy on mtDNA replication, it is plausible that NRTI treatment may also lead to increased mtDNA mutations. Here we review recent evidence for an effect of HIV infection or NRTI therapy on mtDNA mutations, as well as discussing the methodological challenges in addressing this question. Finally, we discuss the possible implications for HIV-infected persons, with particular reference to ageing.