Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autonomy-Oriented Computing (AOC): The Nature and Implications of a Paradigm for Self-Organized Computing

Facing the increasing needs for large-scale, robust, adaptive, and distributed/decentralized computing capabilities from such fields as Web intelligence, scientific and social computing, Internet commerce, and pervasive computing, an unconventional bottom-up paradigm, based on the notions of Autonomy-Oriented Computing (AOC) and self-organization in open complex systems, offers new opportunities for developing promising architectures, methods, and technologies. The goal of this paper is to describe the key concepts in this computing paradigm, and furthermore, discuss some of the fundamental principles and mechanisms for obtaining self-organized computing solutions.
Model–data fusion approach to quantify evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange across the sagebrush ecosystem at different temporal resolutions

Evapotranspiration (ET) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) are driven by both high and slow frequency scalar fluxes. Quantifying the variation of these two processes at different timescales remains a challenge. Bridging this knowledge gap is crucial in order to improve insights of the impact of biotic and abiotic factors modulating these fluxes as well as for accurate estimation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Re). This issue was addressed using a model–data fusion approach within a Bayesian framework by running the model against ET and NEE observations at three different time steps: subdaily (30 min), daily (1 day), and intermediate (7 days). The model was tested against eddy covariance data collected for a 2‐month period (June and July) from a sagebrush‐steppe ecosystem in the United States. The 95% credible interval (CI) of fast processes such as transpiration and photosynthesis reduced by more than 90% compared with its a priori range when model was run at 30‐min time step. The reduction in CI of the same parameters varied between 30% and 70% when the model was run at 1‐ or 7‐day time step. The 95% CI of slow process such as root respiration reduced by 89% and 73% when model was run at 7‐day and 30‐min time step, respectively. We found strong confidence in predicting ET and NEE at subdaily timescale, whereas uncertainty increased with increase in temporal resolution. GPP and Re varied strongly as the system transitioned from a traditionally wet (June) to a dry (July) month.
Azimilide Inhibits Multiple Cardiac Potassium Currents in Human Atrial Myocytes

Background: Studies in animal cell preparations suggest that azimilide may produce a more desirable rate-dependent profile of class III action as a result of its effects on both the slowly (IKS) and rapidly (I cr) activating components of potassium current (IK). However, relatively little is known about the effects of azimilide on K+ currents in human atrial cells. The present study investigated the effect of azimilide on the inward rectifier potassium current (IKI), delayed rectifier potassium current (IK), ultrarapid delayed rectifier current (IKJ,), and transient outward potassium current (Ito) in isolated single human atrial myocytes. Methods: The tight-seal, whole-cell voltage clamp technique was used to investigate the acute effects of azimilide on K+ currents in single human atrial myocytes. The cells were isolated enzymatically from atrial tissues that were obtained from patients undergoing open heart surgeries, with the approval of the local Institutional Review Board. Results: The average cell capacitance of the human atrial myocytes was 77.5 ± 2.8 pF (Mean ± standard error of mean, total 28 cells from 17 patients). We found that 100,uM of azimilide in the extracellular solution significantly inhibited the inward rectifier potassium current (12.3 ± 3.1 vs 6.7 ± 2.0 pA/pF, n = 12, P < 0.05) at the testing potential of -100 mV. Superfusion with 100,uM of azimilide for 10 minutes inhibited IK by 51.7 ± 5.1% (from 3.4 ± 0.5 to 1.6 ± 0.2 pA/pF, n = 9, P < 0.01) at the clamping membrane potential of +40 mV. Human atrial cell IK, was inhibited with 100 jM of azimilide by 38.6 ± 4.4% (from 3.9 ± 0.5 to 2.3 ± 0.2 pA/pF, n = 9, P < 0.01, test potential = 40 mV). We also found that the average peak current amplitude of I,. in these cells was significantly inhibited with 100,uM of azimilide by 60.3 ± 5.9% (from 10.3 ± 1.5 to 3.6 ± 0.3 pA/pF, n = 6, P < 0.01, test potential = 50 mV). Conclusion: The present study provides direct evidence that azimilide inhibits multiple cellular transmembrane K+ currents in freshly isolated human atrial myocytes. Inhibition of these K+ currents by azimilide, especially of IKS and IKu, is likely to be the electrophysiologic basis for the prolongation of the action potential duration in the human atria which mediates its known antifibrillatory effects in atrial fibrillation and flutter.
Adaptive Servo-Ventilation for Central Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure.

To the Editor: Cowie et al. (Sept. 17 issue)1 report on the results of the Treatment of SleepDisordered Breathing with Predominant Central Sleep Apnea by Adaptive Servo Ventilation in Patients with Heart Failure (SERVE-HF) trial. They found increases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with heart failure who received adaptive servo-ventilation therapy, and the adaptive servo-ventilation group had no improvement in quality-of-life measures. These results contradict those of our Study of the Effects of Adaptive Servo-ventilation Therapy on Cardiac Function and Remodeling in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure (SAVIOR-C). 2 The majority of patients who received adaptive servoventilation in our study had improvements in quality of life, and the improvement from New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III heart failure to class II heart failure was significant. We found that the adaptive servo-ventilation settings differed between the two studies. Cowie et al. manually increased the expiratory and inspiratory positive airway pressures from the default levels to suppress sleep apnea.1 Because the effects of positive airway pressure on cardiac output depend on the baseline pulmonary-capillary wedge pressure,3 we were concerned that excessive increases in levels of airway pressure might diminish cardiac output and induce reflex sympathetic hyperactivity in some patients with mild pulmonary congestion. For this reason, the levels of airway pressure in patients in the SAVIOR-C were maintained at or below the default levels.2,4 It would be useful to know whether high-pressure adaptive servo-ventilation settings precipitated adverse events in their patients. Yasuki Kihara, M.D., Ph.D.
Analyzing conferences in Twitter with Social Aviary

Utilizing the Social Aviary, we analyze the network implied by usage of the conference hashtag #online09 on Twitter. We observe that, if taken as a network, the group of users who tweet with the requisite hashtag over the course of a conference does not get particularly more dense, though it does densify relative to the immediate users connected to the conference-goers who did not use the hashtag. This is the start of a much large project, analyzing how these types of events create a cover over a subset of communities and then densify over that coverage.
Privacy Protection for Perceptual Applications on Smartphones

Today's smartphones are equipped with various embedded motion sensors, such as accelerometer, gyroscope, and orientation sensors. Perceptual applications perceive the environment of mobile users via sensors. However, malicious applications may use these sensors to steal user's privacy, and attackers can use sensors as side channel data to infer user's inputs. Existing solutions suffer from limited sensors and overhead problems. In this paper we present Perceptual Assistant (PA), a practical privacy protection system for all the sensors and untrusted perceptual applications. PA allows users to customize the sensor policy of third-party applications, and prevent malicious application from accessing sensors at runtime. We evaluate PA with several typical perceptual applications that perform diverse tasks. PA system shows both practical and lightweight: it can protect user's privacy efficiently while maintaining reasonable overhead.
Effects of chemical subendocardial ablation on activation rate gradient during ventricular fibrillation.

The mechanism by which an endocardial-epicardial activation rate gradient develops after 1 or 2 min of sustained ventricular fibrillation is unknown. We recorded from electrodes on the epicardium and from hook electrodes in the endocardium in three open-chest control dogs during prolonged ventricular fibrillation. The same recordings were also made in seven dogs after right ventricular subendocardial ablation with Lugol solution and in three dogs after substitution of air for the cavitary blood. The effects of these interventions, i.e., Lugol ablation (n = 2) and the exposure to air (n = 2), on the subendocardial Purkinje fiber transmembrane action potential properties were also evaluated in vitro using microelectrode recording techniques. The in vivo studies showed a significant endocardial-epicardial rate gradient in the control dogs and in dogs that had air substituted for the cavitary blood. In comparison, in dogs that underwent chemical subendocardial ablation, the activation cycle lengths for the endocardium and epicardium were not significantly different. The in vitro studies showed that subendocardial Purkinje fiber action potentials could still be recorded for up to 10 min of exposure to air. In comparison, in the tissues subjected to chemical ablation, no transmembrane action potentials could be recorded from either the Purkinje fibers or superficial ventricular muscle cells. We conclude that the development of an endocardial-epicardial activation rate gradient during prolonged ventricular fibrillation depends on the presence of intact subendocardial Purkinje fibers and ventricular myocytes. The retained cavitary blood is not responsible for the development of the rate gradient.
Market Risk with Interdependent Choice

Risks faced by traders from price movements are sometimes magni¿ed by the actions of other traders. Risk management systems which neglect this feature may give a seriously misleading picture of the true risks. The hazards arising from this potential blindspot are at their most dangerous when the prevailing conventional wisdom lulls traders into a false sense of security on the attractivenss of a trading position. The efforts of one trader to reverse his trade makes more acute the Paper prepared for the conference on liquidity risk, Frankfurt, 30 June 1st July 2000. A nontechnical version of this paper entitled “Risk Management with Interdependent Choice” appeared in theOxford Review of Economic Policy (Autumn 1999) and reprinted in the Bank of England Financial Stability Review, November 1999. need to follow suit on the part of others. For markets dominated by traders with short time horizons, such interdependence leads to exaggerated price movements. Estimates of ‘value at risk’ which recognize such interdependence of actions can diverge substantially from those given by conventional techniques.
Software platform for hybrid resource management of a many-core accelerator for multimedia applications

As incessant demand of higher computing capability makes a many-core accelerator become a major computing resource in a System-on-Chip, a variety of many-core architectures and resource management techniques have been proposed recently. They usually assume a specific hardware architecture and a specific resource management scheme. In this paper, we propose a generic software platform that implements a hybrid resource management technique, targeting for a wide range of many-core architectures. To evaluate the system performance more accurately before SoC fabrication, we run it on a virtual prototyping system. The actual implementation enables us to investigate the overheads involved in the propose software platform. Preliminary experimental results confirm that the proposed software platform adapts to the dynamic workload variation effectively by dynamic mapping of tasks and tolerate unexpected core failures by check-pointing. We address our perspective on future research issues to make the generic software platform a reality.
Ebolavirus VP24 Binding to Karyopherins Is Required for Inhibition of Interferon Signaling

ABSTRACT The Ebolavirus VP24 protein counteracts alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) and IFN-γ signaling by blocking the nuclear accumulation of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 (PY-STAT1). According to the proposed model, VP24 binding to members of the NPI-1 subfamily of karyopherin alpha (KPNα) nuclear localization signal receptors prevents their binding to PY-STAT1, thereby preventing PY-STAT1 nuclear accumulation. This study now identifies two domains of VP24 required for inhibition of IFN-β-induced gene expression and PY-STAT1 nuclear accumulation. We demonstrate that loss of function correlates with loss of binding to KPNα proteins. Thus, the VP24 IFN antagonist function requires the ability of VP24 to interact with KPNα.
Robust Weighted Gain-Scheduling  $H_{\infty }$  Vehicle Lateral Motion Control With Considerations of Steering System Backlash-Type Hysteresis

A robust weighted gain-scheduling H∞ control design for ground vehicles possessing steer-by-wire and drive/brake-by-wire functions is presented in this paper. The main control objective is to track vehicle yaw rate reference as well as to regulate vehicle lateral velocity with the hand-wheel steering angle and the external yaw moment as two control efforts. Two major challenges are overcome: 1) the backlash-type hysteresis embedded in the steering system introduces an additional disturbance term to the system and 2) the vehicle longitudinal velocity and the tire cornering stiffnesses are considered varying. Since the external inputs (reference) and backlash-type hysteresis are both involved in the system model, we propose to design a weighted H∞ gain-scheduling state-feedback controller. The feedback gains can be derived by solving a sequence of linear matrix inequalities. The relative importance of the steering system hysteresis and the reference signals can be tuned by a weighting factor. In addition, the gain-scheduling skill is employed to deal with the time-varying system parameters. Furthermore, the physical limitations of the actuators are considered by an eigenvalue placement technique. Simulation studies conducted in CarSim show that the proposed controller is capable of attenuating the effects of both steering system hysteresis and the time-varying parameters. Experimental results are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this control algorithm in dealing with steering system backlash-type hysteresis when tracking yaw rate references.
Temperature and Malaria Trends in Highland East Africa

There has been considerable debate on the existence of trends in climate in the highlands of East Africa and hypotheses about their potential effect on the trends in malaria in the region. We apply a new robust trend test to mean temperature time series data from three editions of the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit database (CRU TS) for several relevant locations. We find significant trends in the data extracted from newer editions of the database but not in the older version for periods ending in 1996. The trends in the newer data are even more significant when post-1996 data are added to the samples. We also test for trends in the data from the Kericho meteorological station prepared by Omumbo et al. We find no significant trend in the 1979-1995 period but a highly significant trend in the full 1979-2009 sample. However, although the malaria cases observed at Kericho, Kenya rose during a period of resurgent epidemics (1994-2002) they have since returned to a low level. A large assembly of parasite rate surveys from the region, stratified by altitude, show that this decrease in malaria prevalence is not limited to Kericho.
A Test of General Relativity Using the LARES and LAGEOS Satellites and a GRACE Earth’s Gravity Model Measurement of Earth’s Dragging of Inertial Frames

1 Dip. Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy Museo della fisica e Centro studi e ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics, Alikhanian National Laboratory and Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia Theory Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK DIAEE, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
Cog1p Plays a Central Role in the Organization of the Yeast Conserved Oligomeric Golgi Complex*

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex is an evolutionarily conserved peripheral membrane oligomeric protein complex that is involved in intra-Golgi protein trafficking. The COG complex is composed of eight subunits that are located in two lobes; Lobe A contains COG1–4, and Lobe B is composed of COG5–8. Both in vivo and in vitro protein-protein interaction techniques were applied to characterize interactions between individual COG subunits. In vitro assays revealed binary interactions between Cog2p and Cog3p, Cog2p and Cog4p, and Cog6p and Cog8p and a strong interaction between Cog5p and Cog7p. The two-hybrid assay confirmed these findings and revealed that Cog1p interacted with subunits from both lobes of the complex. Antibodies to COG subunits were utilized to determine the protein levels and membrane association of COG subunits in yeast Δcog1–8 mutants. As a result, we created a model of the protein-protein interactions within the yeast COG complex and proposed that Cog1p is a bridging subunit between the two COG lobes. In support of this hypothesis, we have demonstrated that Cog1p is required for the stable association between two COG subcomplexes.
Mapping the Structural Properties of the Lumbosacral Vertebral Endplates

Study Design. A biomechanical investigation using indentation tests in a human cadaveric model to seek variation in the structural properties across the lower lumbar and sacral endplates. Objectives. To determine 1) if there are regional differences in endplate strength and 2) whether any differences identified are affected by spinal level (lumbar spine vs. sacrum) or endplate (superior vs. inferior). Summary of Background Data. It has been postulated that some regions of the vertebral body may be stronger than others. Conclusive data, either supporting or disproving this theory, would be valuable for both spine surgeons and implant designers because one mode of failure of interbody implants is subsidence into one or both adjacent vertebrae. Methods. Indentation tests were performed at 27 standardized test sites in 62 bony endplates of intact human vertebrae (L3–S1) using a 3-mm-diameter, hemispherical indenter with a test rate of 0.2 mm/sec to a depth of 3 mm. The failure load and stiffness at each test site were determined using the load-displacement curves. Three-way analyses of variance were used to analyze the resulting data. Results. Both the failure load and stiffness varied significantly across the endplate surfaces (P < 0.0001), with posterolateral regions being stronger and stiffer than the central regions. Characteristic distributions were identified in the lumbar superior, lumbar inferior, and sacral endplates. The failure load distributions were found to differ in 1) the superior lumbar and sacral endplates (P = 0.0077), 2) the inferior lumbar and sacral endplates (P = 0.0014), and 3) the superior and inferior lumbar endplates (P < 0.0001). The sacral and inferior lumbar endplates were both found to be stronger than the superior lumbar endplates (sacrum, P = 0.054; inferior, P = 0.008) but were not themselves significantly different (P = 0.89). Conclusions. Highly significant regional strength and stiffness variations were identified in the lumbar and sacral endplates. The center of the bone, where implants are currently placed, is the weakest part of the lumbar endplates and is not the strongest region of the sacral endplate.
Both age and gender affect thymic output: more recent thymic migrants in females than males as they age

The thymus undergoes age‐associated involution, with studies showing thymic size decreasing from birth at a rate of approximately 3% per year until middle age, and at a rate of 1% per year thereafter. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of thymic atrophy on T‐lymphocyte production by the thymus, and to clarify the ongoing uncertainty regarding gender differences in thymic function. We quantified recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) in blood through the measurement of signal joint T‐cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (sjTRECs), and showed that the decline in the number of RTEs in the blood with increasing age is gender‐linked. Peripheral blood from females contained significantly higher levels of sjTRECs per CD3+ T cell than blood from males (P = 0·002), despite there being no significant gender difference in the absolute number of CD3+ T cells in the populations analysed (P > 0·10). Our findings suggest better thymic function in females compared with males, providing females with a higher number of recent thymic emigrants for longer periods of life. Such a finding provides a plausible explanation for the immunological gender differences observed in previous studies and possibly, for the general longer life expectancy in females compared with males.
IL-25 regulates Th17 function in autoimmune inflammation

Interleukin (IL)-25 is a member of the IL-17 family of cytokines. However, unlike the other members of this family, IL-25 promotes T helper (Th) 2 responses. We now show that IL-25 also regulates the development of autoimmune inflammation mediated by IL-17–producing T cells. We have generated IL-25–deficient (il25−/−) mice and found that they are highly susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The accelerated disease in the il25−/− mice is associated with an increase of IL-23 in the periphery and a subsequent increase in the number of inflammatory IL-17–, IFNγ-, and TNF-producing T cells that invade the central nervous system. Neutralization of IL-17 but not IFNγ in il25−/− mice prevented EAE, suggesting that IL-17 is a major disease-promoting factor. IL-25 treatment at several time points during a relapse-remitting model or chronic model of EAE completely suppressed disease. IL-25 treatment induced elevated production of IL-13, which is required for suppression of Th17 responses by direct inhibition of IL-23, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression in activated dendritic cells. Thus, IL-25 and IL-17, being members of the same cytokine family, play opposing roles in the pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmunity.