Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Randomized rumor spreading

Investigates the class of epidemic algorithms that are commonly used for the lazy transmission of updates to distributed copies of a database. These algorithms use a simple randomized communication mechanism to ensure robustness. Suppose n players communicate in parallel rounds in each of which every player calls a randomly selected communication partner. In every round, players can generate rumors (updates) that are to be distributed among all players. Whenever communication is established between two players, each one must decide which of the rumors to transmit. The major problem is that players might not know which rumors their partners have already received. For example, a standard algorithm forwarding each rumor form the calling to the called players for /spl Theta/(ln n) rounds needs to transmit the rumor /spl Theta/(n ln n) times in order to ensure that every player finally receives the rumor with high probability. We investigate whether such a large communication overhead is inherent to epidemic algorithms. On the positive side, we show that the communication overhead can be reduced significantly. We give an algorithm using only O(n ln ln n) transmissions and O(ln n) rounds. In addition, we prove the robustness of this algorithm. On the negative side, we show that any address-oblivious algorithm needs to send /spl Omega/(n ln ln n) messages for each rumor, regardless of the number of rounds. Furthermore, we give a general lower bound showing that time and communication optimality cannot be achieved simultaneously using random phone calls, i.e. every algorithm that distributes a rumor in O(ln n) rounds needs /spl omega/(n) transmissions.
Planar Maps as Labeled Mobiles

We extend Schaeffer's bijection between rooted quadrangulations and well-labeled trees to the general case of Eulerian planar maps with prescribed face valences to obtain a bijection with a new class of labeled trees, which we call mobiles. Our bijection covers all the classes of maps previously enumerated by either the two-matrix model used by physicists or by the bijection with blossom trees used by combinatorists. Our bijection reduces the enumeration of maps to that, much simpler, of mobiles and moreover keeps track of the geodesic distance within the initial maps via the mobiles' labels. Generating functions for mobiles are shown to obey systems of algebraic recursion relations.
Stability of Immune Serum Globulin During Storage: Effects of Modifications in the Fractionation Scheme

Summary. Data are presented which show the extent of fragmentation found in Immune Serum Globulin (ISG) stored for various intervals of time at 2°C. As an assay of fragmentation in ISG preparations, gel filtration analysis was found to give results which correlated well with those obtained by ultracentrifugation.
Multiple human body tracking based on Normalized Cross-Correlation of Average Histogram using the Fusion of Color and thermal image sensor

In this paper, a novel approach for tracking multiple human bodies is proposed by using sensor fusion with respect to color and thermal image sensors. In our human status monitoring system, a color and thermal image sensor is used together to make a robust human tracking. The Normalized Cross-Correlation of Average Histogram (NCCAH) Algorithm is used for analyzing between detected human bodies. Our strategy for detection and tracking is to analyze recursively the correlation between texture and thermal data. Our system tracks the moving human bodies by using the proposed NCCAH algorithm, which uses the static information of the detected bodies and the dynamic information of changes between previous and current frames. Our experiments show that the method yields good detection and tracking performance in dynamic environments, such as an occlusion, various electric heating appliances or complicated backgrounds.
Dexmedetomidine prolongs spinal anaesthesia induced by levobupivacaine 0.5% in guinea‐pigs

Alpha‐2 adrenoceptor agonists have been used in association with local anaesthetic to increase the duration of spinal anaesthesia. Intrathecal administration of clonidine prolonged motor blockade induced by local anaesthetic. Since the affinity of dexmedetomidine (DEX) to alpha‐2 adrenoceptors is eight‐times greater than clonidine, it is expected that DEX could be advantageous in clinical anaesthesia. We investigated the duration of motor nerve block induced by spinal injection of 0.5% levobupivacaine (LVB) associated with intrathecal or intraperitoneal administration of DEX. Seventy‐two guinea‐pigs were randomly divided in 12 groups, which were all treated with intrathecal injection of 50 μL of LVB. DEX was injected intrathecally with LVB in 6 groups or injected intraperitoneally after LVB in another 6 groups. Intrathecal DEX (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 μg) increased the LVB‐induced motor anaesthesia from 48 (41–66) min to 84.5 (52–91) min (P<0.05), 101.5 (83–115) min (P<0.05) and 105 (97–114) min (P<0.05), respectively. Similarly, intraperitoneal DEX (20 and 40 μg kg−1) increased the motor blockade from 48.5 (33–59) min to 88 (71–114) min (P<0.05) and 114.5 (103–156) min (P<0.05), respectively. Pre‐treatment with yohimbine reduced the duration of motor block from 101.5 (83–115) to 76.5 (68–86) min (P<0.05) or from 114.5 (103–156) to 90 (83–93) min (P<0.05) when DEX was administered by the intrathecal or intraperitoneal routes. Motor block induced by spinal injection of LVB was prolonged by intrathecal and systemic administration of DEX, which was partially dependent on activation of alpha‐2 adrenoceptors.
Investigation and Modeling of Capacitive Human Body Communication

This paper presents a systematic investigation of the capacitive human body communication (HBC). The measurement of HBC channels is performed using a novel battery-powered system to eliminate the effects of baluns, cables and instruments. To verify the measured results, a numerical model incorporating the entire HBC system is established. Besides, it is demonstrated that both the impedance and path gain bandwidths of HBC channels is affected by the electrode configuration. Based on the analysis of the simulated electric field distribution, an equivalent circuit model is proposed and the circuit parameters are extracted using the finite element method. The transmission capability along the human body is also studied. The simulated results using the numerical and circuit models coincide very well with the measurement, which demonstrates that the proposed circuit model can effectively interpret the operation mechanism of the capacitive HBC.
The Tyrosine Kinase Pyk-2/Raftk Regulates Natural Killer (Nk) Cell Cytotoxic Response, and Is Translocated and Activated upon Specific Target Cell Recognition and Killing

The compartmentalization of plasma membrane proteins has a key role in regulation of lymphocyte activation and development of immunity. We found that the proline-rich tyrosine kinase-2 (PYK-2/RAFTK) colocalized with the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) at the trailing edge of migrating natural killer (NK) cells. When polyclonal NK cells bound to K562 targets, PYK-2 translocated to the area of NK–target cell interaction. The specificity of this process was assessed with NK cell clones bearing activatory or inhibitory forms of CD94/NKG2. The translocation of PYK-2, MTOC, and paxillin to the area of NK–target cell contact was regulated upon specific recognition of target cells through NK cell receptors, controlling target cell killing. Furthermore, parallel in vitro kinase assays showed that PYK-2 was activated in response to signals that specifically triggered its translocation and NK cell mediated cytotoxicity. The overexpression of both the wt and a dominant-negative mutant of PYK-2, but not ZAP-70 wt, prevented the specific translocation of the MTOC and paxillin, and blocked the cytotoxic response of NK cells. Our data indicate that subcellular compartmentalization of PYK-2 correlates with effective signal transduction. Furthermore, they also suggest an important role for PYK-2 on the assembly of the signaling complexes that regulate the cytotoxic response.
Psychophysiological signals associated with affective states

We present a preliminary quantitative study aimed at developing an optimal standard protocol for automatic classification of specific affective states as related to human- computer interactions. This goal is mainly achieved by comparing standard psychological test-reports to quantitative measures derived from simultaneous non-invasive acquisition of psychophysiological signals of interest, namely respiration, galvanic skin response, blood volume pulse, electrocardiogram and electroencephalogram. Forty-three healthy students were exposed to computer-mediated stimuli, while wearable non-invasive sensors were applied in order to collect the physiological data. The stimuli were designed to elicit three distinct affective states: relaxation, engagement and stress. In this work we report how our quantitative analysis has helped in redefining important aspects of the protocol, and we show preliminary findings related to the specific psychophysiological patterns correlating with the three target affective states. Results further suggest that some of the quantitative measures might be useful in characterizing specific affective states.
Community ecology of hydrothermal vents at Axial Volcano, Juan de Fuca Ridge, northeast Pacific

Supervisor: Dr. V. Tunnicliffe Hydrothermal vents are deep-sea hot springs. Vents are home to luxuriant assemblages o f animals that colonize the warm venting fluids. High biomass is fed by microbes that use hydrogen sulphide and other reduced chemicals in the vent fluid as an energy source to fix inorganic carbon. Individual vents may persist for a few years to several decades. The specialized animals must find new vents, cope with changing fluid conditions and foster their offspring. The composition and structure o f vent communities vary in space and time. My research at Axial Volcano, a seamount on the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) in the northeast Pacific, aims to find pattern in this variation and to propose viable hypotheses o f the mechanisms driving the patterns. Axial is an ideal location as it supports mature vent fields (venting for over 15 years) and young, developing vents initiated by a volcanic eruption in 1998. Thus, I was able to study both temporal and spatial variation in vent communities at the same site and relate patterns o f developing assemblages to patterns observed at longer-lived vents. Pattern detection is the first critical step in any community ecology study as it justifies and focuses the search for process. 1 have refined existing statistical methods and developed novel techniques to test for pattern in vent species distributions and abundances. I modified an existing null model approach and showed that species distributions among sixteen vents differ from random in a long-lived (>15 years) vent field. I also developed a novel null model to confirm that initial patterns o f community assembly seven months following the Axial eruption differ from random recruitment of species and individuals to new vents. My description of the community response to the Axial eruption is the first quantitative report o f patterns of vent colonization and succession. My work documents that new vents are colonized quickly (within months) and that initial assemblages are variable. However, rapid community transitions and species replacements within the first few years cause new assemblages to resemble mature vents by 2.5 years post-eruption. Three habitat factors correlate with the development o f nascent vent assemblages: the
Mannheimia haemolytica

Mannheimia haemolytica serotype S1 is considered the predominant cause of bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis, or shipping fever. Various virulence factors allow M haemolytica to colonize the lungs and establish infection. These virulence factors include leukotoxin (LKT), lipopolysaccharide, adhesins, capsule, outer membrane proteins, and various proteases. The effects of LKT are species specific for ruminants, which stem from its unique interaction with the bovine β2 integrin receptor present on leukocytes. At low concentration, LKT can activate bovine leukocytes to undergo respiratory burst and degranulation and stimulate cytokine release from macrophages and histamine release from mast cells. At higher concentration, LKT induces formation of transmembrane pores and subsequent oncotic cell necrosis. The interaction of LKT with leukocytes is followed by activation of these leukocytes to undergo oxidative burst and release proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukins 1, 6, and 8 and tumor necrosis factor α. Tumor necrosis factor α and other proinflammatory cytokines contribute to the accumulation of leukocytes in the lung. Formation of transmembrane pores and subsequent cytolysis of activated leukocytes possibly cause leakage of products of respiratory burst and other inflammatory mediators into the surrounding pulmonary parenchyma and so give rise to fibrinous and necrotizing lobar pneumonia. The effects of LKT are enhanced by lipopolysaccharide, which is associated with the release of proinflammatory cytokines from the leukocytes, activation of complement and coagulation cascade, and cell cytolysis. Similarly, adhesins, capsule, outer membrane proteins, and proteases assist in pulmonary colonization, evasion of immune response, and establishment of the infection. This review focuses on the roles of these virulence factors in the pathogenesis of shipping fever.
Choice of reference climate conditions matters in impact studies: Case of bias‐corrected CORDEX data set

Climate models have provided driving data for impact studies for decades. However, the uncertainties related to the use of such data have typically not been sufficiently considered. We investigate how CORDEX climate simulations, which were corrected for bias based on MESAN reanalysis data for the period of 1989–2010, match the gridded observational data set E‐OBS. Furthermore, we investigate whether the bias‐corrected simulations contain significant residual bias (RB), which we defined as the bias exceeding the range of the observational uncertainty (Uobs) that emerges from differences between the two data sets MESAN and E‐OBS. Because the reference period selected in climate change impact studies often differs from the period used for bias correction, we further investigated whether the RB and other performance metrics of the periods 1989–2010 and 1961–1990 differ. We conducted this assessment for whole Europe and for biogeographical zones.
SciFe: Scala framework for efficient enumeration of data structures with invariants

We introduce SciFe, a tool for automated generation of complex structures, suitable for tasks such as automated testing and synthesis. SciFe is capable of exhaustive, memoized enumeration of values from finite or infinite domains. SciFe is based on the concept of an enumerator, defined as an efficiently computable bijection between natural numbers and values from a given set. SciFe introduces higher-order enumerators which define enumerators that depend on additional parameters. SciFe also includes combinators that can construct more complex enumerators from existing ones while preserving exhaustiveness and efficiency. SciFe is a Scala library that implements a domain-specific language. This tool demo presents an overview of SciFe as well as its use to generate complex structures such as search trees and models of class hierarchies. Our experiments demonstrate better performance and shorter specifications when compared to existing approaches.
Overview of antimicrobial options for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia: focus on macrolide resistance

Community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infectious disease affecting children and adults of any age. Mycoplasma pneumoniae has emerged as leading causative agent of CAP in some region, and the abrupt increasing resistance to macrolide that widely used for management of M. pneumoniae has reached to the level that it often leads to treatment failures.
First Price Auctions with General Information Structures: Implications for Bidding and Revenue

We explore the impact of private information in sealed-bid first-price auctions. For a given symmetric and arbitrarily correlated prior distribution over values, we characterize the lowest winning-bid distribution that can arise across all information structures and equilibria. The information and equilibrium attaining this minimum leave bidders indifferent between their equilibrium bids and all higher bids. Our results provide lower bounds for bids and revenue with asymmetric distributions over values. We also report further characterizations of revenue and bidder surplus including upper bounds on revenue. Our work has implications for the identification of value distributions from data on winning bids and for the informationally robust comparison of alternative bidding mechanisms.
Modified enrichment-serology procedure for detection of salmonellae in soy products

A modified enrichment-serology (MES) procedure was used to reduce the time necessary for salmonella analysis. Naturally contaminated samples of soy products were preenriched in 1% proteose peptone for 6 h at 37 degrees C followed by inoculation into tetrathionate broth for 18 h at 37 degrees C. Two drops of the tetrathionate sample were inoculated into M broth. After incubation at 37 degrees C for 6 h, 0.85 ml of the mixture was formolized, and 0.1 ml of polyvalent H antiserum was added. After incubation in water bath at 50 degrees C for 1 h, the appearance of a typical floccular flagellar precipitate was observed in tubes positive for salmonellae. Over 3,000 samples were subjected to standard biochemical and serological procedures, and the results were compared with those of the MES method with a 96.7% correlation. Eleven of the samples (0.3%) were false-negative with the MES procedure, and 3% were false-negative with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual procedure. The 3% negative samples by this latter procedure were subsequently found to be positive by the MES procedure. The MES procedure reduced the time required for salmonella analysis from 4 days to 32 h.
Acid neutralizing capacity of municipal waste incinerator bottom ash.

One of the main concerns in relation to municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) bottom ash is the longterm mobility of heavy metals, which depends on leachate pH and thus on the acid neutralizing capacity of MSWI bottom ash. The acid neutralizing capacbty is determined by titration. Independent of titration methodology, MSWI bottom ash appears to be predominantly buffered by Ca minerals. In alkaline conditions, calcium hydroxidesJsilicates and CaCO 3 dominate the solution chemistry of the aqueous phase. They constitute the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) equivalent to the titration end point at pH 7.5. Fresh samples have an ANC 7.5 of 1.2-1.7±0.05 mequiv/g. In neutral to acid conditions, silicate dissolution becomes increasingly important
Activation of multiple DNA repair pathways by sub-nuclear damage induction methods

Live cell studies of DNA repair mechanisms are greatly enhanced by new developments in real-time visualization of repair factors in living cells. Combined with recent advances in local sub-nuclear DNA damage induction procedures these methods have yielded detailed information on the dynamics of damage recognition and repair. Here we analyze and discuss the various types of DNA damage induced in cells by three different local damage induction methods: pulsed 800 nm laser irradiation, Hoechst 33342 treatment combined with 405 nm laser irradiation and UV-C (266 nm) laser irradiation. A wide variety of damage was detected with the first two methods, including pyrimidine dimers and single- and double-strand breaks. However, many aspects of the cellular response to presensitization by Hoechst 33342 and subsequent 405 nm irradiation were aberrant from those to every other DNA damaging method described here or in the literature. Whereas, application of low-dose 266 nm laser irradiation induced only UV-specific DNA photo-lesions allowing the study of the UV-C-induced DNA damage response in a user-defined area in cultured cells.
Computed tomography of the pulmonary parenchyma. Part 2: Interstitial disease

A series of patients with documented predominantly interstitial pulmonary disease was examined by routine and high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and compared to a series of twenty-one normals. Inspiratory-expiratory lung density measurements were also obtained at predetermined levels. Several basic CT signs of interstitial disease were identified: (1) finely irregular and thickened pleural surfaces; (2) irregular vascular shadows; (3) thickened and irregular bronchial walls making bronchi visible over a longer portion of their course in the lungs; (4) reticular network of lines with three patterns easily distinguishable by the size of their reticular element; (5) hazy patches of increased density of various sizes distinguishable from alveolar filling processes by the fact that vessels can still be visualized through them; and (6) nodules of various sizes. Micronodules are often associated with a small or medium-size reticular network and in most cases seem to represent points of confluence rather than isolated nodules. The hematogenous origin of some nodules can be specifically suggested when feeding vessels arc demonstrated on thin-section scans. Nodules associated with a large network of thickened septa are suggestive of lymphangitic carcinomatosis. Inspiratory-expiratory density gradients can be more useful in confirming the diagnosis of interstitial disease than absolute measurements.
Evaluation of different maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques based on practical meteorological data

Recently, many Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques are proposed in the Photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, a comprehensive comparison of various MPPT techniques especially the dynamic tracking performance has not been made quantitatively for different working conditions. By reviewing different methods, the day-by-day operating evaluation method with practical meteorological data is used in this paper. Furthermore, three typical MPPT techniques including fixed step size P&O method, variable step size incremental conductance method, and hybrid step size Beta method, are selected in the performance evaluation. In order to improve the experimental repeatability and minimize the effect of random environmental factor such as partial shading, an indoor test system that consists of a DC-DC boost converter, a PV emulator and a dSPACE is used. The practical meteorological data are used for the evaluation these typical MPPT techniques and main experimental results are presented.