Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visitor-Oriented Programming

Multiple dispatching and the visitor pattern are approaches to making object-oriented programs more extensible. Both have a flavor of pattern matching, thereby moving objectoriented programming closer to functional programming. The key idea of these approaches can be crystallized as a notion of visitor which lies between functions and objects. Can this idea be developed into a new form of visitor-oriented programming which combines the best of functional and object-oriented programming? As a first step, we present a visitor calculus in which each value is a visitor and every visitor call uses double dispatching. We illustrate the relationships to other paradigms by translating the lambdacalculus to the visitor calculus, and the visitor calculus to Java. Our calculus forms the core of a language in which we have programmed the translation of the lambda-calculus to the visitor calculus itself. To demonstrate the expressiveness of visitors, we show the translation in four versions that use smaller and smaller subsets of the language. Along the way, we present correctness proofs and examples of running an implementation of our language.
Micro-electro-mechanical transducer having an insulation extension

A micro-electro-mechanical transducer (such as a cMUT) having two electrodes separated by an insulator with an insulation extension is disclosed. The two electrodes define a transducing gap therebetween. The insulator has an insulating support disposed generally between the two electrodes and an insulation extension extending into at least one of two electrodes to increase the effective insulation without having to increase the transducing gap. Methods for fabricating the micro-electro-mechanical transducer are also disclosed. The methods may be used in both conventional membrane-based cMUTs and cMUTs having embedded springs transporting a rigid top plate.
Postcopulatory sexual selection influences baculum evolution in primates and carnivores

The extreme morphological variability of the baculum across mammals is thought to be the result of sexual selection (particularly, high levels of postcopulatory selection). However, the evolutionary trajectory of the mammalian baculum is little studied and evidence for the adaptive function of the baculum has so far been elusive. Here, we use Markov chain Monte Carlo methods implemented in a Bayesian phylogenetic framework to reconstruct baculum evolution across the mammalian class and investigate the rate of baculum length evolution within the primate order. We then test the effects of testes mass (postcopulatory sexual selection), polygamy, seasonal breeding and intromission duration on the baculum in primates and carnivores. The ancestral mammal did not have a baculum, but both ancestral primates and carnivores did. No relationship was found between testes mass and baculum length in either primates or carnivores. Intromission duration correlated with baculum presence over the course of primate evolution, and prolonged intromission predicts significantly longer bacula in extant primates and carnivores. Both polygamous and seasonal breeding systems predict significantly longer bacula in primates. These results suggest the baculum plays an important role in facilitating reproductive strategies in populations with high levels of postcopulatory sexual selection.
Magnetic indoor positioning system using deep neural network

A magnetic indoor positioning system utilizes distorted geomagnetic fields indoors to estimate locations. However, existing magnetic positioning methods have difficulties in positioning, especially in a wide space because of the ambiguity of magnetic data. Multiple magnetic sensors should work in collaboration to yield a high accuracy, hindering the techniques from being used by mobile devices such as smartphones. To address this problem, we propose a new magnetic indoor positioning method using deep neural network. Features are extracted from magnetic sequences, and then the deep neural network is used for classifying features of magnetic landmarks detected from a dense magnetic map. The magnetic map is constructed by a robot. The proposed method achieved over 80% accuracy in a two-dimensional environment.
Explicit and implicit variables in information retrieval (IR) systems

Cleverdon's “inverse relationship between recall and precision” and other relationships between the measures of performance of retrieval systems, arise from variations in other (independent) system variables. This paper explores the properties of these independent variables, and defines a class of basic variables named M‐factors. The “inverse relationship” is generated by variations in a single M‐factor, but does not always obtain if more than one M‐factor is allowed to vary. A number of examples are discussed in the light of this analysis. The possibility is suggested that all variables affecting the performance of retrieval systems can be decomposed into M‐factors. The implications of these ideas for laboratory tests on retrieval systems are discussed. A mathematical treatment of the ideas is also given.
WMTP - A Modular WSN Transport Protocol: The Fairness Module

A new modular transport layer protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is proposed: WMTP - Wireless Modular Transport Protocol. This protocol not only allows the simultaneous use of all the main features commonly found in WSN transport protocols, namely congestion-control, fairness, and reliability, but also does so in a modular fashion. This way, the application layer can choose to use exactly the features that it requires. Additionally, WMTP also provides a set of uncommon features such as throttling, flow-control, transport layer quality- of-service, and optional integration with service-discovery. Focusing specifically on the fairness feature, experimental results show that the network resources are appropriately divided whether a simple fairness semantic is used, or in the presence of weighted differentiation. Additionally, this feature is shown to operate with minimal energy cost, as the protocol overhead is less than 10%.
Cholesterol-dependent actin remodeling via RhoA and Rac1 activation by the Streptococcus pneumoniae toxin pneumolysin

The Streptococcus pneumoniae toxin pneumolysin belongs to the group of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. It produces rapid cell lysis at higher concentrations or apoptosis at lower concentrations. In cell membranes, it forms prepores and pores. Here, we show that sublytic concentrations of pneumolysin produce rapid activation of Rho and Rac GTPases and formation of actin stress fibers, filopodia, and lamellipodia. That Rac1-specific and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK)-specific inhibitors reverted the formation of lamellipodia and stress fibers, respectively, identifies RhoA and Rac1 as key toxin effectors. Live imaging excluded macropore formation (as judged by membrane impermeability toward calcein) but indicated very early membrane depolarization [as judged by bis-(1,3-dibutylbarbituric acid)trimethine oxanol staining], indicative of formation of micropores with ion channel properties. That Rac1-dependent lamellipodia formation was reverted by the voltage-gated calcium channel inhibitor SKF96365 and by toxin exposure in calcium-free medium suggests a role for calcium influx via endogenous calcium channels in the Rac1 activation. Cellular cholesterol depletion by methyl-β-cyclodextrin or incubation of the toxin with cholesterol before cell treatment eliminated its membrane binding and the subsequent GTPase activation. Thus, that our experiments show small GTPase activation by a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin suggests a membrane cholesterol-dependent activation mechanism.
Application of network layer mechanisms for service differentiation in 802.11 WLANs: implementation and experience

In this paper we present the design, implementation, and experience in using network layer mechanisms for service differentiation in 802.11 wireless LANs (WLANs). In particular, we use the class-based weighted fair queuing (CBWFQ) mechanism with weights that are dynamically adjusted based on the achieved throughput of the wireless stations and their physical layer transmission rate. The scheme was implemented in a Linux-based testbed, and experiments show that it can effectively support throughput differentiation, and deal with important WLANs problems, such as unfairness due to location-dependent channel errors, uplink-downlink unfairness, and performance degradation for the whole WLAN when a station transmits at a small rate. The experiments involved best-effort traffic, as well as streaming video and voice-over-IP
Dynamics of membrane-skeleton (fodrin) organization during development of polarity in Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells exhibit a polarized distribution of membrane proteins between the apical and basolateral domains of the plasma membrane. We have initiated studies to investigate whether the spectrin-based membrane skeleton plays a role in the establishment and maintenance of these membrane domains. MDCK cells express an isoform of spectrin composed of two subunits, Mr 240,000 (alpha-subunit) and Mr 235,000 (gamma-subunit). This isoform is immunologically and structurally related to fodrin in lens and brain cells, which is a functional and structural analog of alpha beta- spectrin, the major component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton. Analysis of fodrin in MDCK cells by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and metabolic labeling revealed significant changes in the biophysical properties, subcellular distribution, steady-state levels, and turnover of the protein during development of a continuous monolayer of cells. The changes in the cellular organization of fodrin did not appear to coincide with the distributions of microfilaments, microtubules, or intermediate filaments. These changes result in the formation of a highly insoluble, relatively dense and stable layer of fodrin which appears to be localized to the cell periphery and predominantly in the region of the basolateral plasma membrane of MDCK cells in continuous monolayers. The formation of this structure coincides temporally and spatially with extensive cell-cell contact, and with the development of the polarized distribution of the Na+, K+-ATPase, a marker protein of the basolateral plasma membrane.
A novel neutrophil-activating factor released by Trichomonas vaginalis

We have investigated the effects of a novel neutrophil-activating factor released by Trichomonas vaginalis (TV-NAF) on neutrophil chemotaxis. TV-NAF was present in the supernatant from 10(7) T. vaginalis (STV) cultured in 1 ml of serum-free Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS) at 37 degrees C for 30 min. With a multichamber chemotactic assay, we found that there were 112 +/- 15 migrated neutrophils (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 7) for STV and 11 +/- 4 for HBSS per high-power field (x 400). STV was also able to induce neutrophil actin assembly (increased 1.5-fold), enhance expression of complement receptor type 3 (increased 5-fold), and promote intracellular calcium mobilization (increased 2.5-fold). There was no chemotactic activity in the preparation of STV from killed trichomonads. The fact that heating up to 100 degrees C or deproteinization by treatment with proteinase K at 65 degrees C for 1 h did not abolish its chemotactic activity suggests that the TV-NAF involved was not a protein. The chemotactic activity of TV-NAF was associated with the fraction containing small molecules of less than 3,000 Da. Therefore, the possibility that eicosanoid production by trichomonads is responsible for neutrophil activation was investigated. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4; 500 pg/ml) but not thromboxane B2 (< 20 pg/ml) or prostaglandin E2 (< 8 pg/ml) was found in the STV by radioimmunoassay. Production of LTB4 by trichomonads was time dependent and increased twofold when arachidonic acid (100 microM) was added but was not decreased when eicosanoid inhibitors were present. Evidence for the presence of LTB4 in STV was further provided by the fact that rabbit anti-LTB4 antiserum could abolish the chemotactic activity of STV. These studies suggest that the spontaneous release of TV-NAF, which is most likely LTB4, may activate neutrophils, presumably through a different arachidonate metabolic pathway than that in mammalian cells.
Evidence based guidelines for the prevention, identification, and management of occupational asthma

Commentary on the paper by Nicholson et al (see page 290) The article by Nicholson et al in this issue of OEM has an ambitious aim: to assist the Health and Safety Executive in the reduction of occupational asthma by 30% in the next five years.1 The article is very well written and timely. Occupational asthma (OA) as noted by the authors is the most common chronic occupational lung disease now in most industrialised countries and most reported rates have not shown a decline in recent years. However, it is not clear as to what database will be used (both to establish baseline incidence and in the future) to determine changes in incidence of OA which may result from these guides—the SWORD scheme, compensation claims, or a new database? Is there knowledge which could be implemented to produce a decline of the magnitude stated? Preventive measures for OA designated by the authors as having a hypersensitivity cause, have been well described, and recently reviewed.2,3 Primary prevention can have dramatic effects when it is feasible. It can be achieved by preventing the exposures which lead to sensitisation and asthma. When an allergenic agent can be removed from a workplace, be substituted with a safe alternative, or be completely enclosed so that inhalation exposure does not occur, then rates of occupational asthma from that allergen in that setting should fall by 100%. This has been the observation when natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves are replaced in healthcare settings with non-NRL gloves, and also when enzymes in a workplace are encapsulated as part of a controlled programme. Even when exposure is markedly reduced, such as use of NRL gloves which have a low protein content and are powder-free, NRL occupational asthma rates fall to close to zero. Similarly estimates …
Vulnerability to cocaine : role of stress hormones

Not everyone who experiments with cocaine acquires compulsive drug use. The mechanism underlying this individual difference in susceptibility to addiction is poorly understood. Recent studies have identified genes and adverse life events (stress) as risk factors. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the contribution of the adrenal stress hormones glucocorticoids and epinephrine to the psychostimulant effects of cocaine in the inbred DBA/2 and C57BL/6 mouse strains. Behavioural sensitisation, measured as an enhanced locomotor response to repeated cocaine exposure, was used as a model for the long-term neural adaptations underlying aspects of drug addiction. The results demonstrate that adrenal hormones play a critical role in cocaine sensitivity, which depends on genetic background because surgical removal of the adrenals (__adrenalectomy__) prevented cocaine sensitisation in DBA/2, but not C57BL/6 mice. The impact of genetic background was further emphasised by strain-specific changes in the midbrain dopamine system that mediates the rewarding effects of drugs. The effects of adrenalectomy could only be fully reversed by co-administration of glucocorticoids and epinephrine. These findings show that, depending on genetic background, adrenal stress hormones are important risk factors for vulnerability to cocaine, suggesting that pharmacological intervention in stress hormone action has therapeutic potential in drug addiction.
Restrictive endothelial barrier function during normal angiogenesis in vivo: partial dependence on tyrosine dephosphorylation of beta-catenin.

Differentiation of a restrictive endothelial barrier in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) occurs between Day 4.5 and Day 5.0 of the normal 21-day gestation. Whether molecular changes in the endothelial cell-cell junctional protein complex contribute to the ontogeny of barrier function represents the principal focus of this study. VE-cadherin has been shown to contribute to the regulation of endothelial cell monolayer permeability in vitro. Accordingly, VE-cadherin is complexed to the cytosolic catenins, and changes in monolayer permeability have been linked to alterations of the cadherin/catenin complex. Currently, a CAM endothelial VE-cadherin/beta-catenin complex was identified, and phosphotyrosine labeling of beta-catenin was decreased concurrently with the abrupt increase in CAM endothelial selectivity between Day 4.5 and Day 5.0. Further, inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases impeded regular tyrosine dephosphorylation of beta-catenin at Day 5.0 and this served to partially restore macromolecular extravasation to elevated levels normally present at Day 4.5. Thus, differentiation of selective barrier function in the angiogenic CAM endothelium in vivo is dependent, in part, on tyrosine dephosphorylation of beta-catenin.
Model Selection with Data-Oriented Penalty

We consider the problem of model (or variable) selection in the classical regression model using the GIC (general information criterion). In this method the maximum likelihood is used with a penalty function denoted by Cn, depending on the sample size n and chosen to ensure consistency in the selection of the true model. There are various choices of Cn suggested in the literature on model selection. In this paper we show that a particular choice of Cn based on observed data, which makes it random, preserves the consistency property and provides improved performance over a xed choice of Cn. c © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. AMS classi cations: 62J05; 62F10
Collaborative Migration, Coupling and Simulation of Water Resources Models through OpenMI

The present study describes the migration and coupling of a monthly conceptual rainfall runoff model named UTHBAL and a water reservoir operation model called UTHRL into the OpenMI standard. The models have been introduced by Loukas et al. [1, 2]. We have developed a collaborative decision support framework named UTH-MODELER which automates the migration of the two models into OpenMI. This framework synchronizes spatially and temporarily the two models into a collaborative simultaneous simulation. The produced software allows time series input in various formats and model extensibility. Furthermore, an optimization library for the calibration of the models has been incorporated. The experimental verification of the coupled system has been tested for the case study of the reservoir of the restored Lake Karla in Thessally Greece. The results show that the collaboration process is bounded by the time, space and optimization characteristics of the coupled models.
9 Rosemary Compounds as Nutraceutical Health Products

The oxidation of lipids in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, together with the growth of undesirable microorganisms results in the development of spoilage, off-flavor, rancidity and deterioration of such products turning them unacceptable for human consumption. In consequence, the addition of exogenous antioxidants such as butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole is frequently required to improve the stability of these products. As synthetic butylated derivatives may have toxic effects there is an increasing interest in the use of natural antioxidants, such as phenols isolated from plants to avoid undesired food borne diseases (Shylaja & Peter, 2004).
Mindful Reading: Strategy Training That Facilitates Transfer.

thoughtful reading, learners are active, generative, engaged, strategic thinkers (Langer, 1993). They plan what they will learn and the strategies they will use, and they control and self-regulate their learning. As readers, they use strategies to organize, elaborate on, and evaluate text (Paris, Wasik, & Turner, 1996). They integrate what they learn in school texts with their personal experiences to actively construct their own meanings and ideas and to use them in flexible ways. We can teach students to deliberately use strategies to read and understand text and to do so across a wide variety of texts and disciplines. However, teaching mindful reading can't be the sole responsibility of the resource room or reading teacher. Promoting active, mindful reading and teaching students to use strategies is every teacher's responsibility. Why? We know that isolated, generic strategy training courses just don't work over the long run. Students are taught too many strategies in too little time, with little opportunity for practice and transfer. Further, research indicates that all students benefit from strategy instruction elementary and secondary, low achieving and high achieving, learning disabled and nondisabled so strategy training shouldn't be the exclusive domain of the gifted and talented or of the low achievers.
Some Comparative Principles of Educational Stratification.

During the 1950s and early 1960s functionalism, which held that education socializes the young and provides socially necessary technical skills, provided the dominant explanation for the genesis and role of educational systems. In the late 1960s, various neo-Marxist positions appeared which pointed to education's role in maintaining class inequality. Drawing on the work of Max Weber, Randall Collins proposes to move beyond both types of explanation by demonstrating the role of three sources of demand for education—the demand of individuals for practical skills, the desire of groups for social solidarity and high status, and the concern of states for effective political control. These sources and their consequences can be conceptualized as operating within a market for cultural goods which behaves much like the market for economic goods.
Jbase: embedding Java expressions in Xtext DSLs

In this paper we present Jbase, an expression language that can be used to introduce Java expressions and statements in Xtext DSLs. Jbase extends and customizes Xbase, the Java-like expression framework shipped with Xtext. Although Xbase already provides a complete integration with the Java type system and with all the existing Java libraries, its expression language is only Java-like, and this limits its adoption in contexts where Java-like is not enough. Jbase, built on top of Xtext/Xbase, offers all the powerful features of these frameworks and provides Java syntax, and the adaption of the Xbase type system and code generator accordingly. It also keeps the simplicity of Xbase, so that, by using Jbase, it is straightforward to introduce Java expressions and statements into an Xtext DSL. We believe that Jbase is a valuable tool for embedding Java expressions in a DSL, and also for extending Java expression syntax in extensions to Java.