Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scalable and Distributed Key-Value Store-based Data Management Using RDMA-Memcached

Over the recent years, distributed key-value stores have been extensively used for designing scalable industry data management solutions. Being an essential component, the functions and performance of a distributed key-value store play a vital role in achieving high-speed data management and processing. Thus, many researchers and engineers have proposed various designs to continuously improve them. This paper ﬁrst presents a survey of recent related works in the ﬁeld of distributed key-value store and summarizes the research hotspots. Along these emerging research dimensions, we present a design overview of our proposed RDMA-Memcached library, which aims for achieving high throughput and low latency by taking full advantage of native InﬁniBand features including RDMA and different transports (RC, UD, Hybrid), and high-performance storage such as SSDs. Though Memcached was originally used for caching online query results, we have implemented further extensions for Memcached to enrich its functions, APIs, and mechanisms, which extend its capabilities to more use cases. With our proposed designs, RDMA-Memcached can be used as a scalable data caching layer or a Burst Buffer component for both online data processing and ofﬂine data analytics. We also propose a set of benchmarks which are publicly available to help researchers to evaluate these advanced designs and extensions.
Speech Motor Development in Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Generating Testable Hypotheses by Neurocomputational Modeling

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a highly controversial clinical entity, with respect to both clinical signs and underlying neuromotor deficit. In the current paper, we advocate a modeling approach in which a computational neural model of speech acquisition and production is utilized in order to find the neuromotor deficits that underlie the diversity of phonological and speech-motor symptoms of CAS. Based on existing approaches and behavioral data, we first generated specific hypotheses about the underlying deficits. These hypotheses were then tested in a series of computer simulations, and the resulting speech patterns were compared to the available behavioral data. Finally, the model was used to derive further predictions that can be tested empirically in behavioral experiments and possible new angles for clinical intervention.
Use of zinc-finger nucleases to knock out the WAS gene in K562 cells: a human cellular model for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

SUMMARY Mutations in the WAS gene cause Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), which is characterized by eczema, immunodeficiency and microthrombocytopenia. Although the role of WASP in lymphocytes and myeloid cells is well characterized, its role on megakaryocyte (MK) development is poorly understood. In order to develop a human cellular model that mimics the megakaryocytic-derived defects observed in WAS patients we used K562 cells, a well-known model for study of megakaryocytic development. We knocked out the WAS gene in K562 cells using a zinc-finger nuclease (ZFN) pair targeting the WAS intron 1 and a homologous donor DNA that disrupted WASP expression. Knockout of WASP on K562 cells (K562WASKO cells) resulted in several megakaryocytic-related defects such as morphological alterations, lower expression of CD41ɑ, lower increments in F-actin polymerization upon stimulation, reduced CD43 expression and increased phosphatidylserine exposure. All these defects have been previously described either in WAS-knockout mice or in WAS patients, validating K562WASKO as a cell model for WAS. However, K562WASPKO cells showed also increased basal F-actin and adhesion, increased expression of CD61 and reduced expression of TGFβ and Factor VIII, defects that have never been described before for WAS-deficient cells. Interestingly, these phenotypic alterations correlate with different roles for WASP in megakaryocytic differentiation. All phenotypic alterations observed in K562WASKO cells were alleviated upon expression of WAS following lentiviral transduction, confirming the role of WASP in these phenotypes. In summary, in this work we have validated a human cellular model, K562WASPKO, that mimics the megakaryocytic-related defects found in WAS-knockout mice and have found evidences for a role of WASP as regulator of megakaryocytic differentiation. We propose the use of K562WASPKO cells as a tool to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the megakaryocytic-related defects observed in WAS patients and as a cellular model to study new therapeutic strategies.
From Inherent Value to Incentive Value: When and Why Pointless Effort Enhances Consumer Preference

Companies typically use clear fonts and bright pictures in their ads, Web sites, and product-package designs; place their products on easy-to-reach shelves; and emphasize ease-of-usage to make their products appear desirable to consumers. However, we suggest that customers focused on "incentive" value (getting the best product) may instead see products associated with noninstrumental (pointless) effort as more desirable. We suggest that because effort is usually required to get the best outcomes, people looking for the best outcomes also mistakenly presume effort must imply the best possible outcome. Across five studies, we show that highlighting incentive value--for instance, by message framing or by measuring chronic focus or by manipulating situational focus on incentive value--enhances preference toward outcomes associated with noninstrumental effort. We discuss the importance of our findings for understanding everyday consumption decisions and argue for a widespread tendency among individuals wanting the best to infer value from noninstrumental effort.
Efficiency Evaluation of Cryptographic Protocols for Boardroom Voting

Efficiency is the bottleneck of many cryptographic protocols towards their practical application in different contexts. This holds true also in the context of electronic voting, where cryptographic protocols are used to ensure a diversity of security requirements, e.g. Secrecy and integrity of cast votes. A new and promising application area of electronic voting is boardroom voting, which in practice takes place very frequently and often on simple issues such as approving or refusing a budget. Hence, it is not a surprise that a number of cryptographic protocols for boardroom voting have been already proposed. In this work, we introduce a security model adequate for the boardroom voting context. Further, we evaluate the efficiency of four boardroom voting protocols, which to best of our knowledge are the only boardroom voting protocols that satisfy our security model. Finally, we compare the performance of these protocols in different election settings.
Reviewing Manuscripts for Australian Social Work

Abstract Reviewing manuscripts for journals is an integral part of the research process, and a service to authors, editors, and readers of academic journals. Reviewing requires much more than finding errors or problems in a manuscript, it involves taking part in an intellectual exchange, and providing feedback about how a paper could be improved. This paper aims to provide guidance to reviewers by setting out a general approach to writing reviews for Australian Social Work that are respectful, constructive, and responsible.
Commentary: On Livingston and Livingston

In their article, the Livingstons address an issue that is inevitably raised by self psychological, intersubjective, and relational perspectives on therapeutic action. Ever since Kohut (1977) pointed out the shortcomings of “experience–distant” interpretations, the question has been lingering about the value, if any, of theorizing in the process of in–depth treatment. The issue has been further heightened by the concerns of the intersubjectivists about whether psychoanalytic theory is truly an objective science (cf. Atwood & Stolorow, 1993). Moreover, the relationalists go beyond Kohut to doubt that inferences about a bounded self are meaningful independent of the data of a multi–person interaction. They hold that mental events and subjective experiences are inseparable from their interpersonal contexts (Hoffman, 1983; Mitchell & Aron, 1999). Yet all these analysts—the very same who espouse being empathically and authentically attuned and relating in the “now”—merrily go along theorizing, at even more abstract levels of inference than Freud could have imagined, about mirror neurons, motivational systems, developmental trauma, disruptions of attachment bonds, and so on. One cannot believe that they are not using this rich lode of ideas in the consulting room.
Effect of artificial mixtures of environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in coal tar, urban dust, and diesel exhaust particulates on MCF‐7 cells in culture

Human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurs through complex mixtures. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has established standard reference materials (SRMs) for selected PAH mixtures that are composed of carcinogenic, noncarcinogenic, and weakly carcinogenic compounds, such as those derived from coal tar (SRM 1597), atmospheric particulate matter (SRM 1649), and diesel particulate matter (SRM 1650). To study the effects of PAHs with different carcinogenic potential in complex mixtures, and to investigate the metabolic activation of noncarcinogenic and weakly carcinogenic PAHs to DNA‐binding derivatives, artificial mixtures (1597H, 1649H, and 1650H) were prepared in the laboratory. These artificial mixtures contained the same relative ratios of noncarcinogenic and weakly carcinogenic PAHs present in SRM 1597, SRM 1649, and SRM 1650. The human mammary carcinoma‐derived cell line MCF‐7 was treated with these artificial mixtures and analyzed for PAH‐DNA adduct formation and the induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. We found that the artificial mixtures formed lower but detectable levels of DNA adducts 24 and 48 hr after treatment than benzo[a]pyrene. Induction of CYP enzyme activity was measured by the ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase assay, and the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 was confirmed by immunoblots. Both noncarcinogenic and weakly carcinogenic PAHs present in the artificial mixtures have the ability to induce CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 in MCF‐7 cells and contribute to DNA binding. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the noncarcinogenic and weakly carcinogenic PAHs present in environmental mixtures in assessing the potential risk associated with human exposure. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 44:99–107, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Perception in HMDs: what is it in head-mounted displays (HMDs) that really make them all so terrible?

Head mounted displays (HMDs) have disappointed real world users in their inability to live up to over-hyped expectations. This does not, however, mean that HMDs are useless. While still technologically lacking in some areas, appropriately designed HMDs can be extremely useful tools. We will look at the limitations of current HMDs and ways around them. Rather than approach the problem from the optical, electrical and mechanical engineer's point of view, we will approach it from the physiology point of view, answering the question; what is needed to create a useful HMD. The paper is divided into two separate sections. The first, is a description of the performance of the human visual system. The second, addresses how designers attempt to mimic the human visual system in an HMD. This second section will discuss applications that need the specific performance described in section one, current solutions to those needs and finally ideal solutions not yet implemented. Finally, a summary of these findings is presented in a table format.
How to assess the success of the open data ecosystem?

ABSTRACT Open data are currently a hot topic and are associated with realising ambitions such as a more transparent and efficient government, solving societal problems, and increasing economic value. To describe and monitor the state of open data in countries and organisations, several open data assessment frameworks were developed. Despite high scores in these assessment frameworks, the actual (re)use of open government data (OGD) fails to live up to its expectations. Our review of existing open data assessment frameworks reveals that these only cover parts of the open data ecosystem. We have developed a framework, which assesses open data supply, open data governance, and open data user characteristics holistically. This holistic open data framework assesses the maturity of the open data ecosystem and proves to be a useful tool to indicate which aspects of the open data ecosystem are successful and which aspects require attention. Our initial assessment in the Netherlands indicates that the traditional geographical data perform significantly better than non-geographical data, such as healthcare data. Therefore, open geographical data policies in the Netherlands may provide useful cues for other OGD strategies.
On the Complexity of Variants of the k Best Strings Problem

We investigate the problem of extracting the k best strings from a nondeterministic weighted automaton over a semiring S. This problem, which has been considered earlier in the literature, is more difficult than extracting the k best runs, since distinct runs may not correspond to distinct strings. Unsurprisingly, the computational complexity of the problem depends on the semiring S used. We study three different cases, namely the tropical and complex tropical semirings, and the semiring of positive real numbers. For the first case, we establish a polynomial algorithm. For the second and third cases, NP-completeness and undecidability results are shown.
Clinical characteristics of women with a history of childhood abuse: unhealed wounds.

OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of childhood physical or sexual abuse in women seen in primary care practices; to identify physical and psychologic problems associated with that abuse; and to compare the effects of childhood physical vs sexual abuse and childhood vs adult abuse. DESIGN Cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey. SETTING Four community-based, primary care internal medicine practices. PATIENTS A total of 1931 women of varied age and marital, educational, and economic status examined from February through July 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms (Symptom Checklist-22), alcohol abuse (CAGE questions), and street drug use. RESULTS Of the 1931 respondents, 424 (22.0%) reported childhood or adolescent physical or sexual abuse. Compared with women who reported never having experienced abuse (n=1257), women who reported abuse as children but not adults (n=204) had more physical symptoms (mean+/-SE, 6.2+/-0.2 vs 4.0+/-0.9; P<.001) and had higher scores for depression, anxiety, somatization, and interpersonal sensitivity (low self-esteem) (P<.001); were more likely to be abusing drugs (prevalence ratio [PR], 4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9-7.6) or to have a history of alcohol abuse (PR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.5-3.2); were more likely to have attempted suicide (PR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.6-5.1); and were more likely to have had a psychiatric admission (PR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.2-4.7). Women abused only as children did not differ from women who reported current, but not childhood, abuse in number of physical symptoms, emotional distress, substance abuse, or suicide attempts. Patients who reported both childhood and adult abuse had higher levels of psychological problems and physical symptoms than those who reported childhood or adult abuse alone. CONCLUSIONS Childhood physical or sexual abuse is associated with adult health problems including physical symptoms, psychological problems, and substance abuse; for many variables, this association is as strong as for patients experiencing current abuse.
Exploring a Systematic Approach to Malware Threat Assessment

Security incidents occur at an alarming rate with malicious software (malware) involved in a large number of these incidents. Current malware evaluation and handling practices in organizations are unstandardized and intelligence regarding threat levels often comes from vendors and peers, who lack a unified threat metric system. This paper explores a method to quantify malware threats systematically and proposes a quantitative malware threat metric system. The proposed method makes communicating the level of threat more effective and efficient, particularly for information sharing organizations.
Rules Mothers and Sons Use to Integrate Intent and Damage Information in Their Moral Judgments.

LEON, MANUEL. Rules Mothers and Sons Use to Integrate Intent and Damage Information in Their Moral Judgments. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1984, 55, 2106-2113. This study compared the rules mothers and their 6and 7-year-old sons used to assign punishment as a function of intent and damage. 3 rules were found: 18 mothers integrated intent and damage information using an intent + damage linear rule. 10 mothers used an accident-configural rule and discounted damage when paired with information implying an accident, but not when paired with information implying malicious intent. Finally, 4 mothers based their judgments solely on damage. Boys whose mothers used the linear or accidentconfigural rules tended to use linear or accident-configural rules, respectively. Similarly, boys whose mothers attended solely to damage tended to rely solely on damage. These results suggest that research should emphasize the process by which children come to employ multidimensional rules and the role of parental models in this process. In contrast, current research in moral judgments largely ignores the rule-governed nature of children's judgments.
Impact of lung disease on respiratory impedance in young children with cystic fibrosis

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of the forced oscillation technique (FOT) to detect underlying lung disease in preschool children with cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosed following newborn screening. 184 children (aged 3–6 years) with CF underwent lung function testing on 422 occasions using the FOT to assess respiratory resistance and reactance at the time of their annual bronchoalveolar lavage collection and chest computed tomography scan. We examined associations between FOT outcomes and the presence and progression of respiratory inflammation, infection and structural lung disease. Children with CF who had pronounced respiratory disease, including free neutrophil elastase activity, infection with pro-inflammatory pathogens and structural lung abnormalities had similar FOT outcomes to those children without detectable lung disease. In addition, the progression of lung disease over 1 year was not associated with worsening FOT outcomes. We conclude that the forced oscillation technique is relatively insensitive to detect underlying lung disease in preschool children with CF. However, FOT may still be of value in improving our understanding of the physiological changes associated with early CF lung disease. Forced oscillation technique is insensitive in detecting lung disease in preschool children with cystic fibrosis http://ow.ly/R9rSU
Autocrine Production of IL-10 Mediates Defective IL-12 Production and NF-κB Activation in Tumor-Associated Macrophages1

IL-12 is a central cytokine in the activation of inflammation and immunity and in the generation of Th1-type responses. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) from mouse and human tumors showed defective production of IL-12. Defective IL-12 production was associated with lack of p50/p65 NF-κB activation. TAM produced increased amounts of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. Abs against IL-10 restored the defective capacity of TAM to produce IL-12. Our data suggest that during tumor growth an IL-10-dependent pathway of diversion of macrophage function can be activated into the tumor microenvironment and results in the promotion of the IL-10+ IL-12− phenotype of TAM. Blocking IL-10, as well as other immunosuppressive cytokines present in the tumor microenvironment, such as TGF-β, may complement therapeutic strategies aimed at activating type I antitumor immune responses.
Elucidation of the RNA Recognition Code for Pentatricopeptide Repeat Proteins Involved in Organelle RNA Editing in Plants

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are eukaryotic RNA-binding proteins that are commonly found in plants. Organelle transcript processing and stability are mediated by PPR proteins in a gene-specific manner through recognition by tandem arrays of degenerate 35-amino-acid repeating units, the PPR motifs. However, the sequence-specific RNA recognition mechanism of the PPR protein remains largely unknown. Here, we show the principle underlying RNA recognition for PPR proteins involved in RNA editing. The distance between the PPR-RNA alignment and the editable C was shown to be conserved. Amino acid variation at 3 particular positions within the motif determined recognition of a specific RNA in a programmable manner, with a 1-motif to 1-nucleotide correspondence, with no gap sequence. Data from the decoded nucleotide frequencies for these 3 amino acids were used to assign accurate interacting sites to several PPR proteins for RNA editing and to predict the target site for an uncharacterized PPR protein.
MR imaging and scintigraphy of gene expression through melanin induction.

PURPOSE To determine whether an expression vector that encodes for human tyrosinase, the key enzyme in the melanin production pathway, can be used to image gene expression with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and scintigraphy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mouse fibroblasts and human embryonal kidney cells were transfected with an expression vector that contained a complete complementary DNA sequence that encodes the human tyrosinase gene (pcDNA3tyr). Transfected cells were assayed for messenger RNA presence, melanin staining, and indium-111 binding; scintigraphy and MR imaging were performed. RESULTS Transfected cells contained tyrosinase messenger RNA and stained positively for melanin. Transfected cells had a higher In-111 binding capacity than nontransfected cells, a difference readily detectable with scintigraphy. MR imaging showed transfected cells to have markedly higher signal intensity after gene transfer than nontransfected cells. CONCLUSION Gene transfer and expression in cell culture can be detected with MR imaging and scintigraphy. The proposed strategy of using an imaging marker gene may have a substantial effect on the noninvasive imaging of gene therapy.
Improve TCP performance in ad hoc network by TCP-RC

Standard TCP reduce its performance by misinterpreting mobility losses due to node motion as congestion losses in ad hoc network. By far, there were some approaches proposed to improve TCP performance in ad hoc network. In general, they freeze TCP connection temporarily when route is failed, and resume TCP transmission from the original frozen state when route is reconstructed. In this paper, we propose a new approach, TCP-RC, which re-compute cwnd and ssthresh for the TCP connection after route is reconstructed, thus it can adjust the TCP transmission rate adaptively according to current capacity of TCP connection. Consequently, TCP-RC lowers possibility of bursty traffic and avoids invoking congestion control under situation of high network load. Analyses and simulations show that TCP-RC had achieved better TCP performance than Reno in ad hoc network.