Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Select Emerging Executive Skills in Perinatally HIV-1-Infected Children

This study examined the effect of perinatal HIV-1 infection on emerging executive skills in children (n = 161) ages 8 to 12 years. HIV-positive (n = 76) and HIV-negative (n = 85) children were eligible to participate. The HIV-positive children included those who had experienced a CDC Class C event (greater severity, n = 22) and those who were HIV-positive but who had not experienced a CDC Class C event (less severity, n = 54). Measures of emerging executive functions completed by the children included subtests from the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY), the Trail-Making Test-Part B, and a subtest from the Woodcock-Johnson Battery-Revised. Ratings of executive functions were obtained from caretakers using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions. Generalized estimating equations methods, discriminate analyses, and global deficit score analyses were performed to determine whether differences emerged between the three clinical groups while using strict controls. The present results revealed significant group differences in unadjusted mean scores measuring executive functioning. However, such differences did not remain statistically significant when moderating variables were taken into consideration in the models. The apparent deficit in executive functioning for the HIV-positive children was found to be largely due to differential psychosocial and environmental factors rather than HIV disease and its severity, and in this cohort, the effects of HIV-1 infection on emerging executive functions appeared to be negligible when controlling for treatment and moderating psychosocial variables.
Three Equivalent Codes for Autosegmental Representations

A string encoding for a subclass of bipartite graphs enables graph rewriting used in autosegmental descriptions of tone phonology via existing and highly optimized finitestate transducer toolkits (Yli-Jyra 2013). The current work offers a rigorous treatment of this code-theoretic approach, generalizing the methodology to all bipartite graphs having no crossing edges and unordered nodes. We present three bijectively related codes each of which exhibit unique characteristics while preserving the freedom to violate or express the OCP constraint. The codes are infinite, finite-state representable and optimal (efficiently computable, invertible, locally iconic, compositional) in the sense of Kornai (1995). They extend the encoding approach with visualization, generality and flexibility and they make encoded graphs a strong candidate when the formal semantics of autosegmental phonology or non-crossing alignment relations are implemented within the confines of regular grammar.
Quickly Finding Known Software Problems via Automated Symptom Matching

We present an architecture for and prototype of a system for quickly detecting software problem recurrences. Re-discovery of the same problem is very common in many large software products and is a major cost component of product support. At run-time, when a problem occurs, the system collects the problem symptoms, including the program call-stack, and compares it against a database of symptoms to find the closest matches. The database is populated off-line using solved cases and indexed to allow for efficient matching. Thus problems that occur repeatedly can be easily and automatically resolved without requiring any human problem-solving expertise. We describe a prototype implementation of the system, including the matching algorithm, and present some experimental results demonstrating the value of automatically detecting re-occurrence of the same problem for a popular sofware product
ESTIMATING POINTING DIRECTION IN 3 D USING MONOCULAR TRA C KING FOR DIRECT INTERACTION WITH LARGE SCREENS TECHNICAL REPORT 599 KELVIN CHENG AND

This paper provides an overview of a novel approach towards direct interaction with large display systems using natural hand pointing. Determining two points in 3D space and extracting the line of pointing is one of the key processes in our proposed human-computer interaction system. To avoid restraints imposed by input devices, our system uses monocular computer vision and a face detection algorithm. An estimation method for determining the depth of the user’s fingertip is also proposed. A proof-of-concept prototype was implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of our ideas.
Tuning RED for Web traffic

We study the effects of RED on the performance of Web browsing with a novel aspect of our work being the use of a user-centric measure of performance - response time for HTTP request-response pairs. We empirically evaluate RED across a range of parameter settings and offered loads. Our results show that: (1) contrary to expectations, compared to a FIFO queue, RED has a minimal effect on HTTP response times for offered loads up to 90% of link caðpacity, (2) response times at loads in this range are not substantially effected by RED paðrameters, (3) between 90% and 100% load, RED can be carefully tuned to yield performance somewhat superior to FIFO, however, response times are quite sensitive to the actual RED paðrameter values selected, and (4) in such heavily congested networks, RED parameters that provide the best link utilization produce poorer response times. We conclude that for links carrying only web trafðfic, RED queue management appears to provide no clear advantage over tail-drop FIFO for end-user response times.
Answering atomic queries in indefinite deductive databases

Answering queries in indefinite systems is a difficult problem both computationally, since it involves non‐Horn clauses and factoring, and conceptually, concerning producing beliefs for formulas not derivable from the system. to provide a basis for reasonable beliefs, we propose new criteria as an alternative to the Full Information Principle. Then an approach to producing stable beliefs, called Plausible World Assumption (PWA), is introduced. It is shown how a set of non‐Horn clauses can be transformed into a set of so called singleton‐head‐rules such that evaluation of a given query is reduced to processing of a set of Horn clauses relevant to the query. Finally, algorithms are presented for computing facts and beliefs for atomic queries in accord with the PWA. This method is shown to be more efficient than the known techniques for query evaluation in indefinite systems.
Context-switching techniques for decoupled multithreaded processors

Multithreading techniques use coarse grain parallelism to speed up computation of a multithreaded workload by better utilization of the resources of a single processor. The paper surveys context switching techniques for multithreaded single-issue processors and classifies the techniques due to the events that trigger a context switch. We survey static and dynamic block interleaving techniques and demonstrate the application of several techniques in the decoupled multithreaded Rhamma processor. We show that a speed-up of up to 2.1 can be reached with four threads over a single-threaded base processor.
Intelligent groupware to support communication and persona management

Given that groupware calendar systems inform colleagues about a coworker’s location and availability, and that they often exhibit inaccuracies that do not reflect the true schedules of coworkers, such event attendance can be modeled and accessed through the use of a context-aware, intelligent interface component. Predictions of attendance can then be shared among a workgroup to facilitate informal meetings. Once personal information is shared to others, intelligent groupware must support persona management, allowing users to control the application in order to communicate a desired representation of themselves to coworkers. My research aims to support the groupware calendar in its role as a facilitator of informal communication, enhancing the accuracy of the calendar presented to users as well as enabling control over one’s persona as presented by the calendar.
Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of human inositol phosphate multikinase is influenced by CK2 phosphorylation

Abstract Human inositol phosphate multikinase (IPMK) is a multifunctional protein in cellular signal transduction, namely, a multispecific inositol phosphate kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and a scaffold within the mTOR-raptor complex. To fulfill these nuclear and cytoplasmic functions, intracellular targeting of IPMK needs to be regulated. We show here that IPMK, which has been considered to be a preferentially nuclear protein, is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein, whose nuclear export is mediated by classical nuclear export receptor CRM1. We identified a functional nuclear export signal (NES) additionally to its previously described nuclear import signal (NLS). Furthermore, we describe a mechanism by which the activity of the IPMK-NLS is controlled. Protein kinase CK2 binds endogenous IPMK and phosphorylates it at serine 284. Interestingly, this phosphorylation can decrease nuclear localization of IPMK cell type specifically. A controlled nuclear import of IPMK may direct its actions either toward nuclear inositol phosphate (InsPx) metabolism or cytoplasmic actions on InsPx, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2], as well as mTOR-raptor.
Evaluation of a language learning application in Facebook

Facebook applications are more convenient and flexible to use, since students tend to invest a good deal of time in the use of such technologies, given that Facebook retains the educational quality, as it is widely used in instructional contexts. To this direction, our Facebook application promotes language learning. Furthermore, it incorporates machine learning techniques in order to offer user classification based on multiple user characteristics. Our resulting Facebook language learning application has been evaluated by both instructors and Facebook users. The results of the evaluation showed that Facebook provides opportunities within curriculum education and learning and user classification in such applications promotes the cognitive procedure.
Effects of Vegetation on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication Performance at Intersections

Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication is envisioned to enable a vast range of road safety, traffic efficiency and infotainment applications for next-generation vehicular traffic. In this paper, we investigate the effects of vegetation on the performance of V2V communication based on a 5.9GHz measurement campaign conducted at different urban and rural intersections with different types of vegetation under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions. We evaluate received power levels and packet delivery rates under varying conditions with respect to vehicle positioning, intersection layout and vegetation type. To capture the additional signal attenuation caused by foliage, the measurements for each intersection were conducted both in summer and in winter, which allows comparing the impact of leaved and leafless vegetation. Moreover, we derive the additional attenuation caused by vegetation and compare the measurement results with three well-known empirical models for vegetation-induced path loss. Based on the acquired sets of measurement data, we present a simple parametrized model for estimation of path loss caused by vegetation in V2V scenarios.
Early Protected Weightbearing for Acute Ruptures of the Achilles Tendon: Do Commonly Used Orthoses Produce the Required Equinus?

&NA; Conservative “functional” management of acute Achilles tendon ruptures has become increasingly popular. Critical to this is the use of the walking orthosis, which positions the ankle in equinus to allow for early weightbearing. Our aim was to test whether 2 common orthoses achieved a satisfactory equinus position. A total of 11 sequentially treated Achilles tendon ruptures were assigned to either a fixed angle walking boot with wedges (FAWW) or an adjustable external equinus‐corrected brace (EEB). The lateral radiographs of the cast immobilized tendons showed a mean tibiotalar angle (TTA) of 56° (range 54° to 57°) and a mean tibio‐first metatarsal angle (1MTA) of 74° (range 62° to 85°). The FAWW resulted in a mean TTA of 28° (range 15° to 35°) and 1MTA of 37° (range 30° to 45°). The EEB resulted in a TTA of 48° (range 43° to 45°) and 1MTA of 54° (range 47° to 57°). Ankle equinus was significantly greater with the EEB than with the FAWW (p < .05) and similar to that with an equinus cast. The use of wedges produced an equinus appearance through the midfoot but not at the ankle. We express caution in the use of the FAWW because it is unlikely to achieve sufficient ankle equinus to shorten the Achilles tendon. &NA; Level of Clinical Evidence: 4
Cardiometabolic Determinants of Carotid and Aortic Distensibility From Childhood to Early Adulthood

Children who are obese or have familial hypercholesterolemia have stiffer arteries compared with lean, healthy peers. Limited data are, however, available on the association of cardiometabolic risk markers and arterial distensibility in healthy children, particularly in a longitudinal setting. Therefore, we studied in the prospective STRIP (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project) comprising healthy, predominantly normal weight participants the association of several cardiometabolic and dietary risk markers with arterial distensibility from childhood to early adulthood. Carotid and aortic distensibility (cdist, adist) was assessed repeatedly with ultrasonography at the age of 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 years in the longitudinal atherosclerosis prevention study (ncdist=420–503, nadist=407–476). Data on cardiometabolic risk markers and diet were available since early childhood. In multivariable analyses, body mass index (&bgr;=−0.0019 [SE 0.0085]; P=0.037), systolic blood pressure (&bgr;=−0.0025 [SE 0.00065]; P=0.0001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (&bgr;=−0.026 [SE 0.012]; P=0.034), and homeostasis model of insulin resistance (&bgr;=−0.048 [SE 0.018]; P=0.0071) were independently associated with carotid distensibility. Systolic blood pressure (&bgr;=−0.0069 [SE 0.00097]; P<0.0001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (&bgr;=−0.039 [SE 0.018]; P=0.031) associated independently with aortic distensibility. Dietary variables were not independently associated with arterial distensibility. Participants with low arterial distensibility had higher body mass index (Pcdist=0.0090, Padist=0.098) and higher systolic (Pcdist<0.0001, Padist<0.0001) and diastolic blood pressures (Pcdist<0.0001, Padist=0.0002) already from early childhood. Body mass index, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and homeostasis model of insulin resistance identified since childhood associate with arterial distensibility in healthy children and adolescents. These data support the relevance of these factors as part of primordial prevention. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT00223600.
Roles of Four Arabidopsis U-Box E3 Ubiquitin Ligases in Negative Regulation of Abscisic Acid-Mediated Drought Stress Responses1[C][W][OA]

AtPUB18 and AtPUB19 are homologous U-box E3 ubiquitin ligases in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). AtPUB19 is a negative regulator of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated drought responses, whereas the role of AtPUB18 in drought responses is unknown. Here, loss-of-function and overexpression tests identified AtPUB18 as a negative regulator in ABA-mediated stomatal closure and water stress responses. The atpub18-2atpub19-3 double mutant line displayed more sensitivity to ABA and enhanced drought tolerance than each single mutant plant; therefore, AtPUB18 and AtPUB19 are agonistic. Stomatal closure of the atpub18-2atpub19-3 mutant was hypersensitive to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) but not to calcium, suggesting that AtPUB18 and AtPUB19 exert negative effects on the ABA signaling pathway downstream of H2O2 and upstream of calcium. AtPUB22 and AtPUB23 are other U-box E3 negative regulators of drought responses. Although atpub22atpub23 was more tolerant to drought stress relative to wild-type plants, its ABA-mediated stomatal movements were highly similar to those of wild-type plants. The atpub18-2atpub19-3atpub22atpub23 quadruple mutant exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought stress as compared with each atpub18-2atpub19-3 and atpub22atpub23 double mutant progeny; however, its stomatal behavior was almost identical to the atpub18-2atpub19-3 double mutant in the presence of ABA, H2O2, and calcium. Overexpression of AtPUB18 and AtPUB19 in atpub22atpub23 effectively hindered ABA-dependent stomatal closure, but overexpression of AtPUB22 and AtPUB23 in atpub18-2atpub19-3 did not inhibit ABA-enhanced stomatal closure, highlighting their ABA-independent roles. Overall, these results suggest that AtPUB18 has a linked function with AtPUB19, but is independent from AtPUB22 and AtPUB23, in negative regulation of ABA-mediated drought stress responses.
HR007: a family of biomaterials based on glycosaminoglycans for tissue repair

Most new advances in tissue engineering (TE) focus on the creation of adequate microenvironments that may accelerate the repair processes of damaged tissues. Extracellular matrix (ECM) of Wharton's jelly (WJ) from umbilical cords is very rich in sulphated GAGs (sGAGs) and hyaluronic acid (HA), components which have special properties that could positively influence the regeneration of several types of tissue. Previously, we described the methodology for the extraction and purification of GAGs from WJ and, importantly, the separation of sGAGs and HA to develop various scaffolds for regenerative medicine. In this new study we hypothesized that the biomaterials obtained, called HR007s, would be excellent candidates for two different applications, chondral and dermal repair. First, we have confirmed that the GAGs obtained are biocompatible, as they do not cause cytotoxicity, haemolysis or an inflammatory response. Second, we have developed three‐dimensional (3D) structures through the combination of different ratios of GAGs and their subsequent stabilization, which can be properly adapted to target tissues, cartilage or skin. Finally, we have combined these scaffolds with adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) or fibroblasts for application to chondral or dermal defects, respectively, with the goal of promoting fast reparative processes. The results show that HR007 scaffolds induce cell proliferation, enhance the expression of specific gene markers, increase the production of tissue ECM proteins and have chemotactic effects over the studied cells. In summary, the bioactive properties of HR007 scaffolds make them promising candidates for use in regenerative medicine, at least for chondral and dermal repair. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimentation of a novel composite phase change material for thermal comfort improvement and energy saving in buildings

This study focuses on the preparation of a novel composite phase change material (PCM) for an application of Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage in buildings. The aim of this application is to improve thermal inertia in buildings. A good thermal inertia, involves the improvement of thermal comfort and energy saving. The experimented materials’ components are selected for their availability, safety and low cost. Paraffin with a melting temperature range close to 30°C is selected as a PCM; it is composed of microcrystalline wax and liquid paraffin. The matrix is prepared from plaster, graphite powder and cellulose fibers. The PCM is introduced in the matrix following the immersion method. Several samples are prepared; there after they are subjected to a thermal treatment at 50°C for 30 min on a filter paper. The purpose is to identify the performance of each sample to retain the PCM without leakages. Thermal and physicochemical characterizations are performed to study the composites’ properties: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is used to observe its microstructure; X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) identifies the crystallographic structure of the composite-PCM while Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) reveals the chemical compatibility between its different components. Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) are performed for thermal characterization. The thermal performance of the composite-PCM is verified experimentally using thermocouple measurements connected to a temperature recorder apparatus. The measurements are done simultaneously on two pellets; the first contains PCM while the second does not contain PCM.
Protein residue networks from a local search perspective

We examined protein residue networks (PRNs) from a local search perspective to understand why PRNs are highly clustered when having short paths is important for protein functionality. We found that by adopting a local search perspective, this conflict between form and function is resolved as increased clustering actually helps to reduce path length in PRNs. Further, the paths found via our EDS local search algorithm are more congruent with the characteristics of intra-protein communication. EDS identifies a subset of PRN edges called short-cuts that are distinct, have high usage, impacts EDS path length, diversity and stretch, and are dominated by short-range contacts. The short-cuts form a network (SCN) that increases in size and transitivity as a protein folds. The structure of a SCN supports its function and formation, and the function of a SCN influences its formation. Several significant differences in terms of SCN structure, function and formation is found between successful and unsuccessful MD trajectories. By connecting the static and the dynamic aspects of PRNs, the protein folding process becomes a problem of graph formation with the purpose of forming suitable pathways within proteins.
Method for identifying transcription factor binding sites in yeast

MOTIVATION Identifying transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) is helpful for understanding the mechanism of transcriptional regulation. The abundance and the diversity of genomic data provide an excellent opportunity for identifying TFBSs. Developing methods to integrate various types of data has become a major trend in this pursuit. RESULTS We develop a TFBS identification method, TFBSfinder, which utilizes several data sources, including DNA sequences, phylogenetic information, microarray data and ChIP-chip data. For a TF, TFBSfinder rigorously selects a set of reliable target genes and a set of non-target genes (as a background set) to find overrepresented and conserved motifs in target genes. A new metric for measuring the degree of conservation at a binding site across species and methods for clustering motifs and for inferring position weight matrices are proposed. For synthetic data and yeast cell cycle TFs, TFBSfinder identifies motifs that are highly similar to known consensuses. Moreover, TFBSfinder outperforms well-known methods. AVAILABILITY http://cg1.iis. sinica.edu. tw/~TFBSfinder/.
Viruses and miRNAs: More Friends than Foes

There is evidence that eukaryotic miRNAs (hereafter called host miRNAs) play a role in the replication and propagation of viruses. Expression or targeting of host miRNAs can be involved in cellular antiviral responses. Most times host miRNAs play a role in viral life-cycles and promote infection through complex regulatory pathways. miRNAs can also be encoded by a viral genome and be expressed in the host cell. Viral miRNAs can share common sequences with host miRNAs or have totally different sequences. They can regulate a variety of biological processes involved in viral infection, including apoptosis, evasion of the immune response, or modulation of viral life-cycle phases. Overall, virus/miRNA pathway interaction is defined by a plethora of complex mechanisms, though not yet fully understood. This article review summarizes recent advances and novel biological concepts related to the understanding of miRNA expression, control and function during viral infections. The article also discusses potential therapeutic applications of this particular host–pathogen interaction.