Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymptotically Optimal Load Balancing Topologies

We consider a system of N servers inter-connected by some underlying graph topology GN. Tasks with unit-mean exponential processing times arrive at the various servers as independent Poisson processes of rate λ. Each incoming task is irrevocably assigned to whichever server has the smallest number of tasks among the one where it appears and its neighbors in GN. The above model arises in the context of load balancing in large-scale cloud networks and data centers, and has been extensively investigated in the case GN is a clique. Since the servers are exchangeable in that case, mean-field limits apply, and in particular it has been proved that for any λ < 1, the fraction of servers with two or more tasks vanishes in the limit as N → ∞. For an arbitrary graph GN, mean-field techniques break down, complicating the analysis, and the queue length process tends to be worse than for a clique. Accordingly, a graph GN is said to be N-optimal or √N-optimal when the queue length process on GN is equivalent to that on a clique on an N-scale or √N-scale, respectively. We prove that if GN is an Erdöo s-Rényi random graph with average degree d(N), then with high probability it is N-optimal and √N-optimal if d(N) → ∞ and d(N)/√Nlog(N)) → ∞ as N → ∞, respectively. This demonstrates that optimality can be maintained at N-scale and √N-scale while reducing the number of connections by nearly a factor N and √N/log(N) compared to a clique, provided the topology is suitably random. It is further shown that if GN contains Θ(N) bounded-degree nodes, then it cannot be N-optimal. In addition, we establish that an arbitrary graph GN is N-optimal when its minimum degree is N - o(N), and may not be N-optimal even when its minimum degree is cN + o(N) for any 0 < c < 1/2. Simulation experiments are conducted for various scenarios to corroborate the asymptotic results.
Synthesis and Characterization of PMBN as A Biocompatible Nanopolymer for Bio-Applications

Objective Poly [2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphoryl choline (MPC)-co-n-buthyl methacrylate (BMA)-co-p-nitrophenyl-oxycrabonyl poly ethylene glycol-methacrylate (ME- ONP)] (PMBN), a biocompatible terpolymer, is a unique polymer with applications that range from drug delivery systems (DDS) to scaffolds and biomedical devices. In this research, we have prepared a monomer of p-nitrophenyl-oxycarbonyl poly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate (MEONP) to synthesize this polymer. Next, we designed and prepared a smart, water soluble, amphiphilic PMBN polymer composed of MPC, BMA, and MEONP. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, we dissolved MPC (4 mmol, 40% mole fraction), BMA (5 mmol, 50% mole fraction), and MEONP (1 mmol, 10% mole fraction) in 20 ml of dry ethanol in two necked flasks equipped with inlet-outlet gas. The structural characteristics of the synthesized monomer and polymer were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses for the first time. We treated the polymer with two different cell lines to determine its biocompatibility. Results FT-IR and H-NMR analyses confirmed the synthesis of the polymer. The size of polymer was approximately 40 nm with a molecular weight (MW) of 52 kDa, which would be excellent for a nano carrier. Microscopic analyses showed that the polymer was rodshaped. This polymer had no toxicity for individual cells. Conclusion We report here, for the first time, the full properties of the PMBN polymer. The approximately 40 nm size with an acceptable zeta potential range of -8.47, PDI of 0.1, and rod-shaped structure indicated adequate parameters of a nanopolymer for nano bioapplications. We used this polymer to design a new smart nano carrier to treat leukemia stem cells based on a target DDS as a type of bio-application.
Distinction between fear and surprise: an interpretation-independent test of the perceptual-attentional limitation hypothesis

ABSTRACT The perceptual-attentional limitation hypothesis posits that the confusion between emotional facial expressions of fear and surprise may be due to their visual similarity, with shared muscle movements. In Experiment 1 full face images of fear and surprise varying as a function of distinctiveness (mouth index, brow index, or both indices) were displayed in a gender oddball task. Experiment 2, in a similar task, directed attention toward the eye or mouth region with a blurring technique. The current two studies used response time and event-related potentials (ERP) to test the perceptual-attentional limitation hypothesis. While ERP results for Experiment 1 suggested that individuals may not have perceived a difference between the emotional expressions in any of the conditions, response time results suggested that individuals processed a difference between fear and surprise when a distinctive cue was in the mouth. With directed attention in Experiment 2, ERP results indicated that individuals were capable of detecting a difference in all the conditions. In effect, the current two experiments suggest that participants display difficulty in distinguishing the prototypes of fear and surprise with the eye region, which may be due to a lack of attention to that region, providing support for the attentional limitation hypothesis.
HARQ Buffer Management: An Information-Theoretic View

A key practical constraint on the design of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) schemes is the size of the on-chip buffer that is available at the receiver to store previously received packets. In fact, in modern wireless standards such as LTE and LTE-A, the HARQ buffer size is one of the main drivers of the modem area and power consumption. This has recently highlighted the importance of HARQ buffer management, that is, of the use of buffer-aware transmission schemes and of advanced compression policies for the storage of received data. This work investigates HARQ buffer management by leveraging information-theoretic achievability arguments based on random coding. Specifically, standard HARQ schemes, namely Type-I, Chase Combining, and Incremental Redundancy, are first studied under the assumption of a finite-capacity HARQ buffer by considering both coded modulation, via Gaussian signaling, and Bit Interleaved Coded Modulation (BICM). The analysis sheds light on the impact of different compression strategies, namely the conventional compression log-likelihood ratios and the direct digitization of baseband signals, on the throughput. The optimization of coding blocklength is also investigated, highlighting the benefits of HARQ buffer-aware transmission scheme.
Signaling does not adequately improve diary compliance

Hypothesis: Compliance with a paper diary protocol would be improved by using auditory signaling.Background: Prior research has demonstrated that compliance with the reporting schedule in paper diary protocols is poor.Methods: Adults with chronic pain (N = 27) were recruited from the community to participate in a 24-day experience sampling protocol of 3 pain assessments per day (10:00 a.m., 4:00p.m., 8:00p.m.). Diaries were instrumented to record openings and closings, thereby permitting determination of date and time when the participant could have made diary entries. Participants were signaled with a programmed wristwatch at the onset of each 30-min assessment window. Two compliance windows were defined: ± 15 min and ± 45 min of the targeted assessment time.Results: Self-reported compliance based on participants’ paper diaries was 85% and 91% for the 30- and 90-min windows. Verified compliance was 29% and 39% for the two windows. Signaling produced a significant increment in verified compliance when compared with an identical trial without signaling. A significant eroding of verified compliance was observed across the 3 weeks of the study.Conclusions: Self-report dating of diary entries may be misleading investigators about compliance with diary protocols. Although auditory signaling enhances compliance, the result is still unsatisfactory.
Polymorphism—A Critical Consideration in Pharmaceutical Development, Manufacturing, and Stability

Welcome to “Pharmaceutical Solids. ” This column discusses scientific principles associated with pharmaceutical solids useful to practitioners in validation and compliance. This column has been developed with the intention to help readers understands the principles associated with pharmaceutical solids, and to be a useful resource for daily work applications. Enhanced process understanding is an important objective of the quality by design initiative. The key objective for this column: Usefulness. The topic of pharmaceutical solids is broad and complex. Its importance is unquestioned. Understanding the basic properties of pharmaceutical solids is fundamental to pharmaceutical discovery, development, clinical studies, manufacturing, processing, problem investigations, and stability. Unfortunately this topic often requires understanding the higher level of principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. These may include thermodynamics, crystallization, analytical DSC, X-Ray diffraction, and other research methods. Finally, the language of pharmaceutical solids may be esoteric and intimidating. These considerations make discussion of pharmaceutical solids a difficult task. This column addresses the various topics of pharmaceutical solids with these considerations in mind. It is our challenge to present these topics in a meaningful way so that our readers will be able to understand and apply the principles discussed in their daily work applications. This first installment of “Pharmaceutical Solids” addresses the potential solid polymorphic forms of a drug which in turn determine many of the solid physical properties. A thorough understanding of the solid state chemistry of a new drug should be a critical component of pharmaceutical development, and will serve throughout the entire product lifecycle. Reader comments, questions, and suggestions are needed to help us fulfill our objective for this column. Suggestions for future discussion topics or questions to be addressed are requested. Case studies illustrating principles associated with pharmaceutical solids submitted by readers are also most welcome. We need your help to make “Pharmaceutical Solids” a useful resource. Please send your comments and suggestions to column coordinator John Bauer at consultjb@comcast.net or to journal coordinating editor Susan Haigney at shaigney@advanstar.com.
Characterization of 880 V Normally Off GaN MOSHEMT on Silicon Substrate Fabricated With a Plasma-Free, Self-Terminated Gate Recess Process

In this paper, we report the device performance of a high-voltage enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN MOSHEMT on silicon substrate. Normally off operation is realized by a self-terminated precision gate recess process on an optimized high-electron mobility transistor structure. The GaN MOSHEMT is fully pinched off at zero gate bias, suggesting a “true” normally off operation. The threshold voltage is 0.4 V with a drain current density of 1 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{A}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/mm as the criteria. The device with 15-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> gate-drain distance and 100-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> gate width exhibits a maximum drain current of 356 mA/mm at 8-V gate bias. The on/off current ratio of the device is larger than 10<sup>10</sup> with a subthreshold slope of 80 mV/dec. The gate leakage current is below 10<sup>−7</sup> mA/mm up to 9-V gate bias. The off-state breakdown voltage (BV) is as high as 1528 V (880 V) measured with floating (grounded) silicon substrate at a drain leakage current criterion of 5 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{A}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/mm. The specific on-resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text {ON,SP}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of the device is 2.79 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \cdot$ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm<sup>2</sup>, and the power figure of merit (BV<sup>2</sup>/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ \text {ON,SP}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) is 277 MW/cm<sup>2</sup>. High-voltage pulsed I–V measurement indicates that the dynamic on-resistance is only 1.6 times the static one with a pulsewidth of 10 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> at 400-V off-state quiescent drain bias. The high performance of the normally off GaN MOSHEMT is supposed to benefit from the high quality low pressure chemical vapor deposition Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> passivation layer and the advanced E-mode device fabrication process.
Calcium signalling silencing in atrial fibrillation

Subcellular calcium signalling silencing is a novel and distinct cellular and molecular adaptive response to rapid cardiac activation. Calcium signalling silencing develops during short‐term sustained rapid atrial activation as seen clinically during paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). It is the first ‘anti‐arrhythmic’ adaptive response in the setting of AF and appears to counteract the maladaptive changes that lead to intracellular Ca2+ signalling instability and Ca2+‐based arrhythmogenicity. Calcium signalling silencing results in a failed propagation of the [Ca2+]i signal to the myocyte centre both in patients with AF and in a rabbit model. This adaptive mechanism leads to a substantial reduction in the expression levels of calcium release channels (ryanodine receptors, RyR2) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and the frequency of Ca2+ sparks and arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves remains low. Less Ca2+ release per [Ca2+]i transient, increased fast Ca2+ buffering strength, shortened action potentials and reduced L‐type Ca2+ current contribute to a substantial reduction of intracellular [Na+]. These features of Ca2+ signalling silencing are distinct and in contrast to the changes attributed to Ca2+‐based arrhythmogenicity. Some features of Ca2+ signalling silencing prevail in human AF suggesting that the Ca2+ signalling ‘phenotype’ in AF is a sum of Ca2+ stabilizing (Ca2+ signalling silencing) and Ca2+ destabilizing (arrhythmogenic unstable Ca2+ signalling) factors. Calcium signalling silencing is a part of the mechanisms that contribute to the natural progression of AF and may limit the role of Ca2+‐based arrhythmogenicity after the onset of AF.
The effect of previous programming experience on the learning of scenario-based programming

In this paper we present qualitative findings on the influence of previous programming experience on the learning of the visual, scenario-based programming language of live sequence charts (LSC). Our findings suggest that previous programming experience leads programmers not only to misunderstand or misinterpret concepts that are new to them, but that it can also lead them to actively distort the new concepts in a way that enables them to use familiar programming patterns, rather than exploiting the new ones to good effect. Eventually, this leads to poor usage of some of the new concepts, and also to the creation of programs that behaved differently from what the programmers expected. We also show that previous programming experience can affect programmers' attitude towards new programming concepts. Attitude is known to have an effect on performance. Since LSC and its underlying concepts are of growing popularity in the software engineering community, it is interesting to investigate its learning process. Furthermore, we believe that our findings can shed light on some of the ways by which previous programming experience influences the learning of new programming concepts and paradigms.
Introducing time-changing economics into credit scoring

We propose a two-stage model for dealing with the temporal degradation of credit scoring models. First, we develop a model from a classical framework, with a static supervised learning setting and binary output. Then, we introduce the time-changing economic factors, using a regression between the macroeconomic data and the internal default in the portfolio. In so doing, the specific risk is captured from the bank internal database, and the movement of systemic risk is determined with the regression. This methodology produced motivating results in a 1-year horizon, for a portfolio of customers with credit cards in a financial institution operating in Brazil. We anticipate that it can be extended to other applications of risk assessment with great success. This methodology can be further improved if more information about the economic cycles is integrated in the forecasting of default.
Softenable composite boom for reconfigurable and self-deployable structures

ABSTRACT This article investigates (experimentally and numerically) the time and temperature-dependent folding and unfolding behavior, including the structural nonlinearity, of thin-walled softenable composite structures. The composites are fabricated with woven fabric fibers and a heat softenable material of the shape memory polymer (SMP) resin. A numerical model is developed. The model is based on the elastic properties of the woven fabric fibers, their fabric geometry, and the thermo-viscoelastic properties of the SMP resin. A thin-walled cylindrical boom, which can be flexibly folded into an arbitrary configuration and be self-deployed, is fabricated using the heat softenable composite. The viscoelasticity and the shape memory behaviors are investigated during the folding and unfolding of the boom at elevated temperatures.
Impaired Musculoskeletal Response to Age and Exercise in PPARβ−/− Diabetic Mice

Fragility fractures are recognized complication of diabetes, but yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. This is particularly pronounced in type 2 diabetes in which the propensity to fall is increased but bone mass is not necessarily low. Thus, whether factors implicated in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes directly impact on the musculoskeletal system remains to be investigated. PPARβ−/− mice have reduced metabolic activity and are glucose intolerant. We examined changes in bone and muscle in PPARβ−/− mice and investigated both the mechanism behind those changes with age as well as their response to exercise. Compared with their wild type, PPARβ−/− mice had an accelerated and parallel decline in both muscle and bone strength with age. These changes were accompanied by increased myostatin expression, low bone formation, and increased resorption. In addition, mesenchymal cells from PPARβ−/− had a reduced proliferation capacity and appeared to differentiate into more of an adipogenic phenotype. Concomitantly we observed an increased expression of PPARγ, characteristic of adipocytes. The anabolic responses of muscle and bone to exercise were also diminished in PPARβ−/− mice. The periosteal bone formation response to direct bone compression was, however, maintained, indicating that PPARβ controls periosteal bone formation through muscle contraction and/or metabolism. Taken together, these data indicate that PPARβ deficiency leads to glucose intolerance, decreased muscle function, and reduced bone strength. On a molecular level, PPARβ appears to regulate myostatin and PPARγ expression in muscle and bone, thereby providing potential new targets to reverse bone fragility in patients with metabolic disturbances.
The decay of similarity with geographical distance in parasite communities of vertebrate hosts

Aim The rate at which similarity in species composition decays with increasing distance was investigated among communities of parasitic helminths in different populations of the same host species. Rates of distance decay in similarity of parasite communities were compared between populations of fish and mammal hosts, which differ with respect to their vagility and potential to disperse parasite species over large distances.
Missing data in phylogenetic analysis: reconciling results from simulations and empirical data.

existing theoretical framework (Wiens 2003b). Furthermore, many contradictory studies suggesting that missing data are not generally problematic for Bayesian and likelihood analyses (given some assumptions) were not addressed by LEA. Second, the sweeping negative conclusions of LEA are not necessarily supported by their results. LEA find missing data to be problematic primarily when using sets of invariant or saturated characters and/or when obvious rate heterogeneity is ignored. Their results do not support the idea that missing data generally lead to incorrect inferences about topology when informative data are analyzed with appropriate methods. We conduct new simulations under more realistic conditions, and these results show no evidence that missing data generally lead to inaccurate Bayesian estimates of phylogeny. In fact, we show that the practice of excluding characters simply because they contain missing data cells may itself reduce accuracy. We reanalyze the “manipulated” empirical example from LEA and find that, without these artificial “manipulations” of the data, their conclusions are not supported. We also analyze eight empirical data sets, each containing many taxa with extensive missing data. We show that these incomplete taxa are consistently placed into the expected higher taxa, often with very strong support. Overall, our results confirm previous simulation and empirical studies showing that taxa with extensive missing data can be accurately placed in phylogenetic analyses and that adding characters with missing data can be beneficial (at least under some conditions). We conclude by pointing out important areas for future research on the topic of missing data and phylogenetic analysis.
An Analytical and Comparative Review of Cohesion Metrics

In the present scenario object-oriented paradigm (OOP) is the most popular paradigm due to its features like reusability, maintainability etc. Large software applications are composed of hundreds of classes which in turn encapsulate huge number of methods. Hence the application is usually organized into modules using the concept of packaging. The desired characteristic of OOP is high cohesion and lower coupling. This enables high understandability and low maintenance overhead of the application. This is because high degree of understandability lowers the time spent to comprehend the software and hence its testability and maintainability. A lot of cohesion metrics are proposed by software scientist at different level. In this paper, the state of art of cohesion metrics is presented and the future scope of research in the same is discussed.
The Use of Biosensors to Explore the Potential of Probiotic Strains to Reduce the SOS Response and Mutagenesis in Bacteria

A model system based on the Escherichia coli MG1655 (pRecA-lux) Lux-biosensor was used to evaluate the ability of the fermentates of eight probiotic strains to reduce the SOS response stimulated by ciprofloxacin in bacteria and mutagenesis mediated by it. Preliminary attempts to estimate the chemical nature of active components of the fermentates were conducted.