Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geocompare: a comparison of public and commercial geolocation databases - Technical Report

We attempt a systematic quantitative comparison of currently available geolocation service providers. We add depth to previous contributions by analyzing inconsistencies across databases for different geographic (RIR) regions and organization (Autonomous Systems) types. We compare results on a country granularity, using a methodology that compares each database against the majority vote across all databases with answers for a given IP address. On a finer granularity than country, rigorous formal comparison gets trickier. Unlike the discrete country labels, coordinates can have nominally different values yet still represent approximately the same location, We compare the databases at a lat-long granularity using an 80 km threshold for two lat-longs coordinates to be in the same geographic region. We describe our process for selecting this threshold, and our centroid-based algorithm for comparing database lat-long results against a majority of responses from the set of databases we evaluated. While not a foolproof methodology ‐ the databases could all be converging to the same wrong answers over time ‐ it assumes that database providers successfully work toward improving the accuracy of their databases over time. In the absence of substantial ground truth, our method offers a systematic way to study the geolocation databases to reveal insights, summarized at the end of the paper. We intend to re-run the comparison experiment using additional databases later in 2011; we welcome constructive feedback on the methodology so we can further improve our next experiment.
From consumer to producer: motivations, internet use, and political consumerism

ABSTRACT Our understanding of how political consumerism relates to broader civic engagement has been clouded by the myriad ways in which it has been conceptualized in the literature. In this study, we draw a distinction between the use of socially conscious consumption practices in everyday life and participation in organized boycotts and ‘buycotts. ’ We argue that whether political consumerism is enacted as lifestyle politics or as contentious politics may depend, at least in part, on the motivations that underlie political consumerism and the way in which they orient behavior in the online environment. Results of a national survey of U.S. adults show that while both value-expressive and social-identification motivation facilitate comparable levels of content consumption, only the latter facilitates the more involved act of posting and sharing original content. Moreover, results show that while both uses of internet, in turn, facilitate lifestyle and contentious political consumerism, content production facilitates significantly greater levels of both. This was especially pronounced for contentious political consumerism. These findings suggest that content production may be an important vehicle for channeling motivations for political consumerism rooted in social-identification needs toward participation in more organized and collective modes of consumer action. Implications for understanding the potential political consumerism holds as a gateway to participation in conventional political activities are discussed.
DsdK: An Ontology-Based System to Explore Distributed Software Development Experiments

In the past decade, there was a notably significant raise in the adoption of the Distributed Software Development approach. This so-called approach has brought a lot of competitive advantages, as well as new challenges, such as communication and sharing of information among distributed teams. In this scenario, the use of the ontology concept simplifies and normalizes the teams' understanding of shared information and eases the communication between them. The purpose of this research is to develop a tool based in a specific ontology for DSD environments. This tool assists distributed teams with distributed software development problems, proposing the techniques and best practices to solve these problems.
Unitary Graphs

Unitary graphs are arc‐transitive graphs with vertices the flags of Hermitian unitals and edges defined by certain elements of the underlying finite fields. They played a significant role in a recent classification of a class of arc‐transitive graphs that admit an automorphism group acting imprimitively on the vertices. In this article, we prove that all unitary graphs are connected of diameter two and girth three. Based on this, we obtain, for any prime power q>2 , a lower bound of order O(Δ5/3) on the maximum number of vertices in an arc‐transitive graph of degree Δ=q(q2−1) and diameter two.
Macrophages as Stimulators of MART-127–35 Epitope-Specific Human Cytolytic T Lymphocytes in vitro

Background: Activation and expansion of antigen-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) require epitope presented by antigen-presenting cells (APC). Presently, dendritic cells (DC) are viewed as the most efficient APC. Since the recognition of DCs as the professional APC, the paradigm has emerged that macrophage (Mφ) are scavengers and are incapable of activating T cells. Method: The melanoma-associated MART-127–35 peptide-loaded Mφ from HLA-A2-positive donors were used to activate MART-127–35 epitope-specific CTL in vitro. Results: We show that peptide-pulsed Mφ stimulate MART-127–35 epitope-specific precursors to proliferate and to express effector functions. We also show that upon restimulation with the peptide pulsed Mφ, a fraction of the epitope-specific CTLs undergoes activation-induced cell death. The activation-induced cell death is induced in an epitope-specific manner and through apoptosis. Conclusion: Mφ can function as APC and are also capable of modulating expansion and contraction of CTL response in vitro.
Development and evaluation of an electromagnetic hypersensitivity questionnaire for Japanese people

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Japanese version of an electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) questionnaire, originally developed by Eltiti et al. in the United Kingdom. Using this Japanese EHS questionnaire, surveys were conducted on 1306 controls and 127 self‐selected EHS subjects in Japan. Principal component analysis of controls revealed eight principal symptom groups, namely, nervous, skin‐related, head‐related, auditory and vestibular, musculoskeletal, allergy‐related, sensory, and heart/chest‐related. The reliability of the Japanese EHS questionnaire was confirmed by high to moderate intraclass correlation coefficients in a test–retest analysis, and high Cronbach's α coefficients (0.853–0.953) from each subscale. A comparison of scores of each subscale between self‐selected EHS subjects and age‐ and sex‐matched controls using bivariate logistic regression analysis, Mann–Whitney U‐ and χ2 tests, verified the validity of the questionnaire. This study demonstrated that the Japanese EHS questionnaire is reliable and valid, and can be used for surveillance of EHS individuals in Japan. Furthermore, based on multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses, we propose specific preliminary criteria for screening EHS individuals in Japan. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:353–372, 2016. © 2016 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Impact of inhomogeneous strain on the valence band structures of Ge-Si core-shell nanowires

We report on a theoretical study of the valence band structures of germanium-silicon core-shell nanowires based on a 6times6 kldrp model. We take into account the inhomogeneous strain effects induced by the lattice mismatches between germanium and silicon. We find that the top subband ends drift back to Gamma point, and the effective masses of more subbands begin to decrease when the shell thickness increases.
Tissue Utilization at the Minnesota Lions' Eye Bank

The purpose of this study was to examine the utilization of corneas procured by the Minnesota Lions' Eye Bank to determine why corneas were excluded from transplantation and to identify methods to safely increase the number of tissues made available for transplantation. We performed a retrospective review of the eye bank charts of 2,382 corneas evaluated by the Minnesota Lions' Eye Bank between December 1,1992 and November 30, 1993. During that time 748 corneas (31%) were made available for transplantation; 1,597 (67%) were directed toward research or training. Thirty-seven corneas (1.5%) were disposed of for safety reasons. Six hundred and sixty of the corneas which were excluded from transplantation (40%) were excluded for a donor aged over 75 years. Three hundred and ninety-one corneas (24%) were rejected because of a contraindication in the donor's past ocular or medical history. Another 395 corneas (24%) were excluded for poor tissue quality. The most common reason for exclusion of tissue based on tissue quality was abnormalities seen on specular microscopic examination (200 corneas). Of interest, only 14 corneas were rejected for low endothelial cell counts. This review of our tissue evaluation process has led us to reevaluate and change our policy regarding exclusion of corneas for epithelial defects and arcus senilis. These data suggest that further evaluation of the abnormalities seen on specular microscopic examination and their validity as exclusion criteria should be undertaken. Other areas for further evaluation are how to improve the timeliness of tissue procurement and whether excluding all tissues over age 75 years and all postsurgical eyes is valid.
Myocardial Efficiency and Sympathetic Reinnervation After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation: A Noninvasive Study With Positron Emission Tomography

BackgroundThe lack of cardiac catecholamine uptake and storage caused by sympathetic denervation may influence performance of the transplanted heart. Reinnervation, occurring late after transplantation, may partially resolve these effects. In this study, oxidative metabolism and its relation to cardiac work were compared in allografts and normal and failing hearts, and the effects of sympathetic reinnervation were evaluated. Methods and ResultsTwenty-seven nonrejecting, symptom-free transplant recipients, 11 healthy control subjects, and 10 patients with severe dilated cardiomyopathy underwent PET with 11C acetate for assessment of oxidative metabolism by the clearance constant k(mono) and radionuclide angiography or MRI for measurement of ventricular function, geometry, and work. Efficiency was estimated noninvasively by a work-metabolic index [WMI=(stroke volume×heart rate×systolic pressure)/ k(mono)]. In 14 of 27 transplants, presence of regional reinnervation was identified with PET and the catecholamine analogue 11C hydroxyephedrine (extent, 24±14% of left ventricle). The WMI was comparable in normal subjects and reinnervated and denervated transplants (6.2±2.3 versus 4.9±2.0 versus 4.9±1.2 · 106 mm Hg · mL;P =NS) and significantly lower in cardiomyopathy patients (3.0±1.3 · 106 mm Hg · mL;P <0.001). For normal subjects and transplant recipients, the WMI was significantly correlated with afterload (peripheral vascular resistance;r =−0.65, P <0.01), preload (end-diastolic volume;r =0.78, P <0.01), and stroke volume (r =0.81, P <0.01) but not with hydroxyephedrine retention (transplants only;r =0.09, P =NS). ConclusionsAfter transplantation, cardiac efficiency is improved compared with failing hearts and comparable to normal hearts. Differences between denervated and reinnervated allografts were not surveyed. Additionally, the dependency on loading conditions and contractility was preserved, suggesting that normal regulatory interactions for efficiency are intact and that sympathetic tone does not play a role under resting conditions.
Correction: Unusual sound production mechanism in the triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus (Balistidae)

There was an error published in J. Exp. Biol. 220 , [186-193][1]. The surname of Sam Van Wassenbergh was incorrectly displayed. This has been corrected in the online full-text and PDF versions. The authors apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. [1]: /lookup/volpage/220/186? iss=2
Age Related Differences in Multi-Digit Coordination

Background. Aging is associated with decreased manual dexterity. Recent findings have identified changes in multi-finger synergies in elderly individuals. The purpose of current work was to study age-related changes in adjustments of multi-finger synergies in preparation to a quick targeted force pulse production task. Methods. Right-handed elderly and young subjects produced quick force pulses by pressing on individual force sensors with the four fingers of the right hand. Prior to the force pulse, the subjects produced a constant low level of the total force. An index of multi-finger synergies was computed across trials for each time sample for each subject and each condition. Findings. During steady-state force production, subjects showed co-variation of commands to fingers that stabilized the total force. An index of this co-variation started to decrease prior to the initiation of the force pulse (anticipatory synergy adjustment). Anticipatory synergy adjustments in young subjects started earlier and were larger than in elderly subjects. In particular, young and elderly subjects showed significant anticipatory synergy adjustments starting about 150 ms and about 50 ms prior to the force pulse initiation, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in other indices of performance such as reaction time, time to peak force, and magnitude of the peak force. Interpretation. We conclude that healthy aging is associated with decreased feed-forward adjustments of multi-finger synergies in preparation to action. This may contribute to the age-related decline in the hand function. Based on similarities in age-related changes in anticipatory postural adjustments and anticipatory synergy adjustments we suggest a hypothesis that the two phenomena may share common mechanisms. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimal congestion control of TCP flows for internet routers

In this work we address the problem of fast and fair transmission of ows in a router, which is a fundamental issue in networks like the Internet. We model the interaction between a TCP source and a bottleneck queue with the objective of designing optimal packet admission controls in the bottleneck queue. We focus on the relaxed version of the problem obtained by relaxing the fixed buffer capacity constraint that must be satisfied at all time epoch. The relaxation allows us to reduce the multi-ow problem into a family of single-ow problems, for which we can analyze both theoretically and numerically the existence of optimal control policies of special structure. In particular, we show that for a variety of parameters, TCP ows can be optimally controlled in routers by so-called index policies. We have implemented index policies in Network Simulator-3 (NS-3) and compared its performance with DropTail and RED buffers. The simulation results show that the index policy has several desirable properties with respect to fairness and efficiency.
Bayesian Enrichment Strategies for Randomized Discontinuation Trials

Summary We propose optimal choice of the design parameters for random discontinuation designs (RDD) using a Bayesian decision‐theoretic approach. We consider applications of RDDs to oncology phase II studies evaluating activity of cytostatic agents. The design consists of two stages. The preliminary open‐label stage treats all patients with the new agent and identifies a possibly sensitive subpopulation. The subsequent second stage randomizes, treats, follows, and compares outcomes among patients in the identified subgroup, with randomization to either the new or a control treatment. Several tuning parameters characterize the design: the number of patients in the trial, the duration of the preliminary stage, and the duration of follow‐up after randomization. We define a probability model for tumor growth, specify a suitable utility function, and develop a computational procedure for selecting the optimal tuning parameters.
Transport of amino acids and nucleic acid precursors in malarial parasites.

In vitro studies have shown that exogenously supplied amino acids are transferred into the malaria-infected cell, where they are incorporated into proteins. Most amino acids appear to enter the cell by facilitated or simple diffusion; however, the high distribution ratios seen in Plasmodium knowlesi-infected cells are difficult to explain on this basis. The changes (leakiness) observed in amino acid transport in P. lophurae infected cells are probably the result of ATP depletion in the host cell as well as the elaboration of plasmodial substances. Depletion of isoleucine, methionine, and cysteine from the medium strikingly depresses the in vitro growth of P. knowlesi. The degree of amino acid incorporation into the malaria-infected cell is not correlated with the amount of a particular amino acid in the host cell haemoglobin, the decline of that amino acid in the plasma of infected animals, or the ratio of free amino acids of the erythrocyte to those of the plasma. In erythrocyte-"free" P. lophurae, carrier-mediated transport is apparently limited to a small number of amino acids; all others seem to enter by simple diffusion.Malaria-infected erythrocytes transport exogenously supplied purines at substantially higher rates than uninfected red cells. The preferred purines are adenosine, hypoxanthine, and inosine. The only pyrimidine incorporated is orotic acid. Thymidine, cytidine, and uridine do not readily enter the red cell, and incorporation does not take place because the parasites lack the appropriate enzyme for conversion to nucleotides. Erythrocyte-"free" P. berghei and P. lophurae take up purines and orotic acid. It has been suggested that in vivo the preferred purines are hypoxanthine and inosine, and that the transport locus for erythrocytes is specific for 6-oxopurines. Similar results of purine incorporation are reported for the insect stages of P. cynomolgi and P. berghei, although transport studies have not been carried out.
Effects of Climatic Warming on Lakes of the Central Boreal Forest

Twenty years of climatic, hydrologic, and ecological records for the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario show that air and lake temperatures have increased by 2�C and the length of the ice-free season has increased by 3 weeks. Higher than normal evaporation and lower than average precipitation have decreased rates of water renewal in lakes. Concentrations of most chemicals have increased in both lakes and streams because of decreased water renewal and forest fires in the catchments. In Lake 239, populations and diversity of phytoplankton also increased, but primary production showed no consistent trend. Increased wind velocities, increased transparency, and increased exposure to wind of lakes in burned catchments caused thermoclines to deepen. As a result, summer habitats for cold stenothermic organisms like lake trout and opposum shrimp decreased. Our observations may provide a preview of the effects of increased greenhouse warming on boreal lakes.
Improved k-d tree-segmented block truncation coding for color image compression

Transmitting and storing digital images have bandwidth and disk space requirements. Reducing the file size of these images enables faster transmission of data and increases the number of images that can be stored in the same amount of disk space. Block truncation coding (BTC), one class of compression technique, is commonly used for its low computational complexity which make it suitable for multiple applications. A recently proposed compression technique, referred to as k-d Tree-Segmented Block Truncation Coding (KTS-BTC), was able to reduce the bit rate of the compressed image while maintaining image quality. In this study, we propose to improve KTS-BTC by implementing modifications: (1) implementation of Huffman Coding, and (2) encoding RGB values using shaved bit strings representing numbers that are divisible by a pre-defined power of 2.
Carbonic anhydrase II-positive pancreatic cells are progenitors for both endocrine and exocrine pancreas after birth

The regenerative process in the pancreas is of particular interest because diabetes results from an inadequate number of insulin-producing beta cells and pancreatic cancer may arise from the uncontrolled growth of progenitor/stem cells. Continued and substantial growth of islet tissue occurs after birth in rodents and humans, with additional compensatory growth in response to increased demand. In rodents there is clear evidence of pancreatic regeneration after some types of injury, with proliferation of preexisting differentiated cell types accounting for some replacement. Additionally, neogenesis or the budding of new islet cells from pancreatic ducts has been reported, but the existence and identity of a progenitor cell have been debated. We hypothesized that the progenitor cells are duct epithelial cells that after replication undergo a regression to a less differentiated state and then can form new endocrine and exocrine pancreas. To directly test whether ductal cells serve as pancreatic progenitors after birth and give rise to new islets, we generated transgenic mice expressing human carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) promoter: Cre recombinase (Cre) or inducible CreERTM to cross with ROSA26 loxP-Stop-loxP LacZ reporter mice. We show that CAII-expressing cells within the pancreas act as progenitors that give rise to both new islets and acini normally after birth and after injury (ductal ligation). This identification of a differentiated pancreatic cell type as an in vivo progenitor of all differentiated pancreatic cell types has implications for a potential expandable source for new islets for replenishment therapy for diabetes.
The Adaptation of McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder Among Chinese College Students

Objective:To revise the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder(MSI-BPD)in China and explore the four-factor solution in Chinese non-clinical sample.Methods:A total of 1206 college students(749 males and 457 females) from Peking university at the mean age of 20.02±1.77 completed the measures successfully.Results:The MSI-BPD showed good internal consistency and concurrent validity.Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor solution(emotional disregulation,impulsivity,cognitive disturbance,unstable interpersonal relationship) in our sample of Chinese college students.Conclusion:MSI-BPD is a valid measure in Chinese college students.Future research should be done for its use in Chinese clinical samples.
A HYBRID BUSINESS FAILURE PREDICTION MODEL USING LOCALLY LINEAR EMBEDDING AND SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES

The purpose of this paper is to propose a hybrid model which combines locally linear embedding (LLE) algorithm and support vector machines (SVM) to predict the failure of firms based on past financial performance data. By making use of the LLE algorithm to perform dimension reduction for feature extraction, is then utilized as a preprocessor to improve business failure prediction capability by SVM. The effectiveness of the methodology was verified by comparing principal component analysis (PCA) and SVM with our proposed hybrid approach. The results show that our hybrid approach not only has the best classification rate, but also produces the lowest incidence of Type I and Type II errors, and is capable to provide on time signals for better investment and government decisions with timely warnings.