Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A universal client for distributed networked design and computing

We introduce a universal client (OmniFlow) whose GUI can be readily configured by the user to invoke any number of applications, concurrently or sequentially, anywhere on the network. The design and the implementation of the client is based on the principles of taskflow-oriented programming, whereby we merge concepts from structured programming, hardware description, and mark-up languages. A mark-up language such as XML supports a well-defined schema that captures the decomposition of a program into a hierarchy of tasks, each representing an instance of a black-box or a white-box software component. The HDL-like input/output port definitions capture data-task-data dependencies. A highly interactive hierarchical GUI, rendered from the hierarchical taskflow descriptions in extended XML, supports structured programming language constructs to control sequences of task synchronization, execution, repetition, and abort. Experimental evaluations of the prototype, up to 9150 tasks and the longest path of 1600 tasks, demonstrate the scalability of the environment and the overall effectiveness of the proposed architecture for a number of networked design and computing projects.
Evidence for suppression of immunity as a driver for genomic introgressions and host range expansion in races of Albugo candida, a generalist parasite

How generalist parasites with wide host ranges can evolve is a central question in parasite evolution. Albugo candida is an obligate biotrophic parasite that consists of many physiological races that each specialize on distinct Brassicaceae host species. By analyzing genome sequence assemblies of five isolates, we show they represent three races that are genetically diverged by ∼1%. Despite this divergence, their genomes are mosaic-like, with ∼25% being introgressed from other races. Sequential infection experiments show that infection by adapted races enables subsequent infection of hosts by normally non-infecting races. This facilitates introgression and the exchange of effector repertoires, and may enable the evolution of novel races that can undergo clonal population expansion on new hosts. We discuss recent studies on hybridization in other eukaryotes such as yeast, Heliconius butterflies, Darwin's finches, sunflowers and cichlid fishes, and the implications of introgression for pathogen evolution in an agro-ecological environment. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.04550. 001
Challenges and Solutions to Realisability Semantics for Intersection Types with Expansion Variables

Expansion is a crucial operation for calculating principal typings in intersection type systems. Because the early definitions of expansion were complicated, E-variables were introduced in order to make the calculations easier to mechanise and reason about. Recently, E-variables have been further simplified and generalised to also allow calculating other type operators than just intersection. There has been much work on semantics for type systems with intersection types, but none whatsoever before our work, on type systems with E-variables. In this paper we expose the challenges of building a semantics for E-variables and we provide a novel solution. Because it is unclear how to devise a space of meanings for E-variables, we develop instead a space of meanings for types that is hierarchical. First, we index each type with a natural number and show that although this intuitively captures the use of E-variables, it is difficult to index the universal type ω with this hierarchy and it is not possible to obtain completeness of the semantics if more than one E-variable is used. We then move to a more complex semantics where each type is associated with a list of natural numbers and establish that both ω and an arbitrary number of E-variables can be represented without losing any of the desirable properties of a realisability semantics.
EEG decoding of spoken words in bilingual listeners: from words to language invariant semantic-conceptual representations

Spoken word recognition and production require fast transformations between acoustic, phonological, and conceptual neural representations. Bilinguals perform these transformations in native and non-native languages, deriving unified semantic concepts from equivalent, but acoustically different words. Here we exploit this capacity of bilinguals to investigate input invariant semantic representations in the brain. We acquired EEG data while Dutch subjects, highly proficient in English listened to four monosyllabic and acoustically distinct animal words in both languages (e.g., “paard”–“horse”). Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was applied to identify EEG response patterns that discriminate between individual words within one language (within-language discrimination) and generalize meaning across two languages (across-language generalization). Furthermore, employing two EEG feature selection approaches, we assessed the contribution of temporal and oscillatory EEG features to our classification results. MVPA revealed that within-language discrimination was possible in a broad time-window (~50–620 ms) after word onset probably reflecting acoustic-phonetic and semantic-conceptual differences between the words. Most interestingly, significant across-language generalization was possible around 550–600 ms, suggesting the activation of common semantic-conceptual representations from the Dutch and English nouns. Both types of classification, showed a strong contribution of oscillations below 12 Hz, indicating the importance of low frequency oscillations in the neural representation of individual words and concepts. This study demonstrates the feasibility of MVPA to decode individual spoken words from EEG responses and to assess the spectro-temporal dynamics of their language invariant semantic-conceptual representations. We discuss how this method and results could be relevant to track the neural mechanisms underlying conceptual encoding in comprehension and production.
On communication latency in PRAM computations

Multiprocessors typicMly have substantial amounts of hardware devoted to communicating between the processors. The reason is that communication delays can have a significant bearing on the performance of the machine. In shared memory machines such as the BBN Butterfly [RT86] or the IBM RP3 [Pf85] access to global memory takes tens of instruction cycles. Messag~passing systems~ on the other hand, have communication latency from hundreds to thousands of instruction cycles [Ka87].
Why Does the Problem Persist? 'Rational Rigidity' and the Plight of Japanese Banks

One of the most perplexing factors in the Japanese financial crisis is the apparently non-optimal and non-rational behaviour of Japanese banks. We provide a "rational" explanation for bank behaviour based on a theory of community banking that incorporates Japanese institutional characteristics. We find three implications of community banking - a low lending rate, a low bankruptcy rate, and in particular, institutionalisation of 'rational rigidity' (an institutional pledge of no profit maximisation) - in Japanese banks. We argue that this type of banking is viable as long as the economy expands and asset prices go up, which was the case before the asset-market crash in 1990. The stagnation and free-fall of asset prices in the 1990s exerted tremendous pressure on Japanese banks but did not paralyse them completely in the 1990s, although there are indications that they failed to restructure distressed large corporations in some sectors, notably real estate. Thus, the problem is not that paralysed banks are blocking recovery, but that their current institutionalised rigidity in banking practices is no longer viable because private enterprises in the market economy are suffering from asset-price deflation and economic stagnation. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2003.
ABC: dynamic configuration management for MicroBrick-based cloud computing systems

In designing a high-performance cloud computing platform, it is important to support diverse system resource requirements of various cloud computing services/applications in a scalable fashion. In this poster, we propose an intelligent middleware for our prototype cloud computing system which automatically changes configurations of modules for high performance under varying cloud service/application workload. Our initial evaluation results show that efficient resource management during run time is a key enabling technique for developing high-performance cloud computing systems.
The collective: a cache-based system management architecture

This paper presents the Collective, a system that delivers managed desktops to personal computer (PC) users. System administrators are responsible for the creation and maintenance of the desktop environments, or virtual appliances, which include the operating system and all installed applications. PCs run client software, called the virtual appliance transceiver, that caches and runs the latest copies of appliances locally and continuously backs up changes to user data to a network repository. This model provides the advantages of central management, such as better security and lower cost of management, while leveraging the cost-effectiveness of commodity PCs. With a straightforward design, this model provides a comprehensive suite of important system functions including machine lockdown, system updates, error recovery, backups, and support for mobility. These functions are made available to all desktop environments that run on the x86 architecture, while remaining protected from the environments and their many vulnerabilities. The model is suitable for managing computers on a LAN, WAN with broadband, or even computers occasionally disconnected from the network like a laptop. Users can access their desktops from any Collective client; they can also carry a bootable drive that converts a PC into a client; finally, they can use a remote display client from a browser to access their desktop running on a remote server. We have developed a prototype of the Collective system and have used it for almost a year. We have found the system helpful in simplifying the management of our desktops while imposing little performance overhead.
A Neural Network Model of Temporal Code Generation and Position-Invariant Pattern Recognition

Numerous studies have suggested that the brain may encode information in the temporal firing pattern of neurons. However, little is known regarding how information may come to be temporally encoded and about the potential computational advantages of temporal coding. Here, it is shown that local inhibition may underlie the temporal encoding of spatial images. As a result of inhibition, the response of a given cell can be significantly modulated by stimulus features outside its own receptive field. Feedforward and lateral inhibition can modulate both the firing rate and temporal features, such as latency. In this article, it is shown that a simple neural network model can use local inhibition to generate temporal codes of handwritten numbers. The temporal encoding of a spatial patterns has the interesting and computationally beneficial feature of exhibiting position invariance. This work demonstrates a manner by which the nervous system may generate temporal codes and shows that temporal encoding can be used to create position-invariant codes.
Intraprostatic Chemotherapy: Distribution and Transport Mechanisms

Purpose: The present study evaluated the tissue distribution and targeting advantage of intraprostatic chemotherapy. Experimental Design: We studied the delivery and spatial distribution of a fluorescent drug, doxorubicin, in the prostate of beagle dogs, after intraprostatic or i.v. administration. Drug concentrations were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Results: I.v. and intraprostatic injections yielded qualitatively and quantitatively different doxorubicin distribution in the prostate. A relatively homogeneous distribution was found after i.v. administration, whereas intraprostatic injection yielded a highly heterogeneous distribution with >10-fold higher concentrations localized in a cone-shaped glandular lobule bound by fibromuscular stroma, compared with other parts of the prostate. Compared with i.v. injection, intraprostatic injection yielded, on average, ∼100-fold higher tissue-to-plasma concentration ratio, ranging from 963-fold near the injection site to 19-fold in the contralateral half of the prostate. The drug distribution within the prostate further suggests an important role for acinar flow in intraprostatic drug transport. Conclusions: Intraprostatic administration represents a viable option to deliver high drug concentrations within the prostate. The results further suggest the fibromuscular stroma separating the prostatic lobules as a major barrier to drug transport and convective flow as an important drug transport mechanism in the prostate.
Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis: Extracellular matrix remodeling in coronary collateral arteries and the ischemic heart

Heart failure secondary to ischemic cardiomyopathy is the primary cause of cardiovascular mortality. The promise of the collateral circulation lies in its potential to alter the course of the natural history of coronary heart disease. The collateral circulation of the heart is responsible for supplying blood and oxygen to the myocardium at ischemic risk following severe stenosis and reduced vasoelasticity function of a major coronary artery. In response to flow, stress, and pressure, collateral vessels are restructured and remodeled. Vascular remodeling by its very nature implies synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix components in the vessel wall. Under normal physiological conditions proteinases that break down the specialized matrix are tightly regulated by antiproteinases. The balance between proteinase and antiproteinase influences is discoordinated during collateral development which leads to adaptive changes in the structure, function, and regulation of extracellular matrix components in the vessel wall. The role of extracellular matrix components in coronary collateral vessel formation in a canine model of chronic coronary artery occlusion has been demonstrated. The role of matrix proteinases and antiproteinases in the collateral vessel play a significant role in the underlying mechanisms of collateral development. This review presents new and significant information regarding the role of extracellular matrix proteinases and antiproteinases in vascular remodeling, function, and collateral development. Such information will have a significant impact on the understanding of the basic biology of the vascular extracellular matrix turnover, remodeling, and function as well as on elucidating potential avenues for pharmacological approaches designed to increase collateral formation and optimize myocardial blood flow in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. J. Cell. Biochem. 65:388–394. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Negative Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery-Based Intravenous Thrombolysis Using Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Acute Stroke Patients with Unknown Onset Time

Background: Approximately 25% of acute stroke patients were excluded from intravenous thrombolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) because of unknown onset time. Recent studies have shown that patients with unknown onset time would be able to receive IV-tPA when showing no ischemia on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (negative FLAIR). The present study evaluated the safety and feasibility of IV-tPA in patients with unknown onset time and negative FLAIR compared to those with standard IV-tPA. Methods: Stroke patients with unknown onset time were prospectively enrolled. Only patients with an occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and/or middle cerebral artery (M1 and M2) with a Diffusion-Weighted Imaging-Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (DWI-ASPECTS) ≥5 were analyzed. IV-tPA was performed within 3 h from the ‘first found abnormal time' if the patient showed negative FLAIR. Standard IV-tPA patients were extracted from our registry as controls after having been matched by age and occluded artery to the negative FLAIR (N-F) group. Results: Twenty patients in the N-F group and 60 in the control group were included. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores [median 18 (interquartile range 13-20) vs. 17 (12-20), p = 0.609] and DWI-ASPECTS [9 (7-9) vs. 8 (5-9), p = 0.213] were similar between the 2 groups. ICA occlusion was seen in 35%, M1 in 50%, and M2 in 15% in both groups. None of the N-F group and 1 (2%) of the control group experienced symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (p = 1.000). Recanalization within 1 h after IV-tPA was achieved in 6 (30%) patients in the N-F group and 24 (40%) in the control group (p = 0.595). Recanalization at 24 h after IV-tPA was seen in 13 (65%) patients in the N-F group and 43 (72%) in the control group (p = 0.584). At 7 days, 8 (40%) in the N-F group and 28 (47%) in the control group had a dramatic recovery (defined as a ≥10-point reduction in the total NIHSS score or a score of 0 or 1) (p = 0.796). At 3 months, a favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale score, 0-2) was seen in 47% in the N-F group and 33% in the control group (p = 0.365). Conclusion: IV-tPA in negative FLAIR patients with unknown onset time appears safe and feasible.
Octamer binding proteins confer transcriptional activity in early mouse embryogenesis.

Oct4 and Oct5 are two mouse maternally expressed proteins binding to the octamer motif. Both are found in unfertilized oocytes and embryonic stem cells, whereas Oct4 is also found in primordial germ cells. In this study, the activity of the octamer motif was analysed in two embryonic stem cell lines containing Oct4 and Oct5, the teratocarcinoma‐derived cell line F9 and the blastocyst‐derived cell line D3. It is known that oligomerization of the octamer motif creates a powerful B‐cell specific enhancer. As shown here, this oligomerized transcriptional element is also a very strong enhancer in F9 and D3 embryonic stem cells. After differentiation of the stem cells, both enhancer activity and the amount of the octamer binding proteins decrease. An intact octamer stimulates heterologous promoters in embryonic stem cells, whereas mutations in the octamer motif abolish transcriptional stimulation and binding of the octamer factors. The use of transgenic embryos demonstrates transcriptional activation in the inner cell mass but not in the trophoblast of blastocysts. The results indicate that Oct4 and Oct5 are active early in mouse development.
A novel regulatory circuit specifies cell fate in the Arabidopsis root epidermis

The specification of distinct cell fates in multicellular organisms is a fundamental process in developmental biology. The Arabidopsis root epidermis, which consists of root-hair cells and non-hair cells, provides a useful model system for studying cell fate specification. In this tissue, the cell fates are determined by their relative position to the underlying cortical cells, and many genes have been identified that regulate this position-dependent cell fate specification. Recent studies using genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches have shed new light on this process and revealed a complex network of interacting and interdependent components. In particular, a novel regulatory circuit has recently been identified, which includes a lateral inhibition pathway and a feedback loop that enables intercellular communication and ensures that two distinct cell types arise in an appropriate pattern. This regulatory circuit is also influenced by a positional signaling pathway which includes the SCRAMBLED leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase. The studies of cell fate specification in the Arabidopsis root epidermis provide new insights into the molecular strategies used to define distinct cell types in plants.
A Practical Executive for Secure Communications

Computer communication is now used in many endeavors in which security and privacy are important, both in government and in the private sector. To support the need for secure computer communication, Digital Technology Incorporated (DTI) has developed the Secure HUB** Executive (HUB), e verified secure operating system oriented toward supporting communications and other real-time applications. The Secure HUB Executive currently runs on Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11 and VAX-11 hardware, but it is portable to a wide range of mini- and microcomputers.
Coexistence of Wi-Fi and heterogeneous small cell networks sharing unlicensed spectrum

As two major players in terrestrial wireless communications, Wi-Fi systems and cellular networks have different origins and have largely evolved separately. Motivated by the exponentially increasing wireless data demand, cellular networks are evolving towards a heterogeneous and small cell network architecture, wherein small cells are expected to provide very high capacity. However, due to the limited licensed spectrum for cellular networks, any effort to achieve capacity growth through network densification will face the challenge of severe inter-cell interference. In view of this, recent standardization developments have started to consider the opportunities for cellular networks to use the unlicensed spectrum bands, including the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands that are currently used by Wi-Fi, Zigbee and some other communication systems. In this article, we look into the coexistence of Wi-Fi and 4G cellular networks sharing the unlicensed spectrum. We introduce a network architecture where small cells use the same unlicensed spectrum that Wi-Fi systems operate in without affecting the performance of Wi-Fi systems. We present an almost blank subframe (ABS) scheme without priority to mitigate the co-channel interference from small cells to Wi-Fi systems, and propose an interference avoidance scheme based on small cells estimating the density of nearby Wi-Fi access points to facilitate their coexistence while sharing the same unlicensed spectrum. Simulation results show that the proposed network architecture and interference avoidance schemes can significantly increase the capacity of 4G heterogeneous cellular networks while maintaining the service quality of Wi-Fi systems.
Measuring performance of small and medium scale agrifood firms in developing countries: Gap between Theory and Practice

Globalization and increasing population of middle income classes in developing countries has led to increased market opportunities. These markets are associated with demand for traceability, food safety and quality standards (Webber and Labaste, 2010). This requires the chains to be competitive and ability to manage and evaluate the performance of the supply chain becomes paramount. Performance measurement is defined as the process of quantifying efficiency and effectiveness of an action. In the recent literature, performance measurement has gained attention in the agri-food chains. Different methods have been proposed in marketing and supply chain management literature to measure supply chain performance such as Activity-Based Costing (ABC), Balanced Scorecard, Economic Value Added (EVA), Multi-criteria Analysis (MCA), Life-cycle Analysis (LCA), Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Supply Chain Council’s (SCOR model). Despite the existence of these measurement metrics, there is lack of consensus on what determines the performance of supply chains which complicates the selection of one measurement system in agrifood chains. The measures may not often be applicable for small and medium size agribusiness firms especially producer organizations in developing countries. Since they are not well structured, do not often collect information which are often needed to feed the complex models. We therefore propose a conceptual model for measuring marketing performance based upon five constructs: effectiveness, efficiency, adaptability, food quality and customer satisfaction.