Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
S Social Change Research and the Gender Gap in Computer Science

At Carnegie Mellon University, home to one of the top computer science departments in the country, only 7% of the students in the entering computer science class in 1995 were women. By the fall of 2000, that proportion had risen to 42%. While the percentage of women entering has declined slightly, likely reflecting the bursting of the Internet bubble, Carnegie Mellon’s female computer science enrollment remains at about 30%, far higher than the average among research departments of computer science. Today, in 2005, the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, with its increased number of female students, is a changed place. What sparked this development? The story of the research that served as a catalyst for these increased numbers can be found in our book Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing (Margolis & Fisher, 2002). In this book we lay out the blueprints—the walls, doors, and windows—of the “boys’ clubhouse” of computing education. We describe some specific institutional changes, enacted both by us and by others at Carnegie Mellon, which resulted in increasing the recruitment and retention of women students. These changes range from rethinking admissions criteria; contextualizing computer science (“computing with a purpose”); paying attention to students’ experiences and the department culture; accommodating a wide range of previous computing experience; recognizing that women and students who do not fit the prevailing norm are disproportionately affected by problems like poor teaching, unapproachable faculty, or hostile peers; providing students with a broader picture of what it means to be in computer science, other than the hacker stereotype; outreach to high schools; and the formation of a vibrant women’s organization. In this article we offer reflections about some of the critical factors that contributed to our research becoming an instrument for social change. We provide some “lessons learned” for other institutions that are thinking about addressing the gender gap in their computer science departments. While the Carnegie Mellon developments began with a body of research, we do not believe that extensive research is necessary for all institutions. However, it is important to understand the local situation well enough to customize a general set of strategies. While people rightfully want to learn from successful initiatives, and not “reinvent the wheel,” the constitution of each department—its history, the culture, the demographics, the leadership, the pressure points, what is known and not known about the experiences for women students—will differ from institution to institution. In most cases, but not all, initiatives can be modeled after existing programs by understanding the commonalties and differences between the situations. To achieve this, some straightforward data gathering, as opposed to in-depth research, is usually called for. Here we present brief summaries of “lessons learned” from our research on the gender gap in computing. We believe that what we learned applies to planning an intervention as well as to conducting research.
Bio-Inspired Water Strider Robots with Microfabricated Functional Surfaces

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in insect-inspired miniature robots. Through evolutionary processes, insects have prospered by adapting themselves to diverse environments. The number of species of insects is approximately one million, which comprises approximately two-thirds of all species of animals. By taking advantage of scaling effects, insects have acquired unique locomotive abilities, such as hexapedal walking, climbing on walls, jumping, and flying by flapping, that markedly extend their fields of activity. The working principles behind these behaviours are considered to be highly efficient and optimized for miniature systems. Therefore, they provide alternative design rules for developing smart and advanced microrobotic mechanisms. For example, the flapping motion of insect wings has been investigated for micromechanical flying robots (Suzuki, et al., 1994; Wood, 2008). This chapter focuses on the locomotion of water striders. This motion is dependent on surface tension. Recent studies have demonstrated the mechanisms that enable insects to stay, as well as move, on water. Furthermore, various kinds of miniature robots that are able to move on water have been developed. Hu et al. identified the mechanism of the momentum transfer that is responsible for water strider locomotion and proposed a mechanical water strider driven by elastic thread (Hu, et al., 2003). Gao et al. showed that the legs of water striders are covered with thousands of tiny hairs that have fine nanoscale grooves (Gao & Jiang, 2004). These hierarchical microand nanostructures create super-hydrophobic surfaces. Suhr et al. developed a water strider robot that is driven in one of its resonant modes by using unimorph piezoelectric actuators (Suhr, et al., 2005). Song et al. numerically calculated the statics of rigid and flexible supporting legs (Song, et al., 2006; Song, et al., 2007a) and developed a non-tethered water strider robot using two miniature DC motors and a lithium-polymer battery (Song & Sitti, 2007b). The locomotion mechanisms of fisher spider (Suter & Wildman, 1997; Suter, et al., 1999) and basilisk lizard (Glasheen & McMahon, 1996a; 1996b) on the surface of water were studied. A robot that mimics the water running ability of the basilisk lizard was also developed (Floyd, et al., 2006; Floyd & Sitti, 2008). The present authors (Suzuki, et al., 2007) have fabricated hydrophobic supporting legs with microstructured surfaces utilizing MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) techniques, and 18
Probing the Ion Binding Site in a DNA Holliday Junction Using Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)

Holliday Junctions are critical DNA intermediates central to double strand break repair and homologous recombination. The junctions can adopt two general forms: open and stacked-X, which are induced by protein or ion binding. In this work, fluorescence spectroscopy, metal ion luminescence and thermodynamic measurements are used to elucidate the ion binding site and the mechanism of junction conformational change. Förster resonance energy transfer measurements of end-labeled junctions monitored junction conformation and ion binding affinity, and reported higher affinities for multi-valent ions. Thermodynamic measurements provided evidence for two classes of binding sites. The higher affinity ion-binding interaction is an enthalpy driven process with an apparent stoichiometry of 2.1 ± 0.2. As revealed by Eu3+ luminescence, this binding class is homogeneous, and results in slight dehydration of the ion with one direct coordination site to the junction. Luminescence resonance energy transfer experiments confirmed the presence of two ions and indicated they are 6–7 Å apart. These findings are in good agreement with previous molecular dynamics simulations, which identified two symmetrical regions of high ion density in the center of stacked junctions. These results support a model in which site-specific binding of two ions in close proximity is required for folding of DNA Holliday junctions into the stacked-X conformation.
Distributed Transaction Management in Jasmin

In this paper, we describe the architecture of JASMIN, a functionally distributed database machine which uses replicated software modules (DM. RM, IS) to achieve high degrees of throughput. We discuss some issues in distributing data and metadata in JASMIN. We describe our distributed multiversion validation technique along with the two phase commit protocol which we use to achieve concurrency control and crash recovery for data and metadata. The scheme also solves the version consistency problem in the multiprocessor environment.
Compression garments and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a meta-analysis

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of compression garments on recovery following damaging exercise. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using studies that evaluated the efficacy of compression garments on measures of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscular strength, muscular power and creatine kinase (CK). Studies were extracted from a literature search of online databases. Data were extracted from 12 studies, where variables were measured at baseline and at 24 or 48 or 72 h postexercise. Analysis of pooled data indicated that the use of compression garments had a moderate effect in reducing the severity of DOMS (Hedges’ g=0.403, 95% CI 0.236 to 0.569, p<0.001), muscle strength (Hedges’ g=0.462, 95% CI 0.221 to 0.703, p<0.001), muscle power (Hedges’ g=0.487, 95% CI 0.267 to 0.707, p<0.001) and CK (Hedges’ g=0.439, 95% CI 0.171 to 0.706, p<0.001). These results indicate that compression garments are effective in enhancing recovery from muscle damage.
An integrated approach to logical design of relational database schemes

We propose a new approach to the design of relational database schemes. The main features of the approach are the following:A combination of the traditional decomposition and synthesis approaches, thus allowing the use of both functional and multivalued dependencies. Separation of structural dependencies relevant for the design process from integrity constraints, that is, constraints that do not bear any structural information about the data and which should therefore be discarded at the design stage. This separation is supported by a simple syntactic test filtering out nonstructural dependencies. Automatic correction of schemes which lack certain desirable properties.
XENAKIS – Combining tangible interaction with probability-based musical composition

In this paper we present the table-based tangible interface application Xenakis which uses probability models in order to compose music in a way that can be strongly influenced by the user. Our musical sequencing application is based on a framework for tangible interfaces with an architecture that is strongly inspired by the model-view-controller pattern. In addition, we developed a hardware setup for tangible interfaces and used MatraX for tracking markers. The sequencer is the first implementation based on this framework. It allows users to create music simply by moving tangibles on the table. The graphics engine Horde3D is used to visualize the user-interaction and to show the relationships between the tangible objects on the table, creating an appealing audio-visual experience. An evaluation with 37 first time users was conducted in order to discover the strong and the weak points of such tangible user interfaces, especially in the context of our application.
On automation of brain CT image analysis

During recent years a number of medical diagnosis support systems have been presented. Such systems are important from medical point of view, because they aid physicians in their daily work. Some of those systems, like Computed tomography support systems (CT) rely on image data analysis, making it an interesting research topic from pattern recognition point of view. The paper presents a practical realization of a medical support system, including segmentation, feature extraction and decision processes. Various techniques are used within the system: fuzzy logic, shape descriptors, classifiers and automatic image annotation framework. Series of 2D CT images are an input of the system. As a result, a patientpsilas diagnosis is presented.
Thiopurines in the Management of Crohn's Disease: Safety and Efficacy Profile in Patients with Normal TPMT Activity—A Retrospective Study

Background and Aims. Thiopurines are used in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) activity can guide thiopurine dosing to avoid adverse events. This retrospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of starting thiopurines at low dose versus full dose in patients with CD and normal TPMT. Methods. This was a single center retrospective study including adult CD patients with normal TPMT levels (≥25 nmol/hr/g Hgb) who were followed for 1 year. Patients started at full dose of azathioprine (2–2.5 mg/kg) or 6-mercaptopurine (1–1.5 mg/kg) were compared to patients started at low dose. Harvey-Bradshaw index, treatment failure, and drug-related adverse events were recorded. Results. Our study included 134 patients. Both groups had similar incidences of drug-related adverse events and discontinuation of therapy due to side effects. Fifty-six percent of all adverse events occurred within 31 days and 92% occurred within 3 months of therapy. Clinical response favored the full-dose group at 6 months (69% versus 27%, p = 0.0542). Conclusions. Our study indicates that it is safe to start patients on full-dose thiopurine when they have a normal TPMT given its very similar toxicity profile to patients started on low dose. This may also positively impact efficacy.
Fatal Case of Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome Due to Group C Streptococcus Associated with Superantigen Exotoxin

ABSTRACT Group C streptococci have been reported to cause invasive disease similar to that classically associated with group A streptococcus (GAS). We describe a fatal case of toxic shock-like syndrome due to Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus. The causative organism did not possess any known GAS superantigen exotoxin genes but did show evidence of superantigen production.
The Design of Distributed Hypermedia Information Systems

Many issues central to the success of distributed hypermedia systems exist aside from the actual content provided. One is the ability of information providers to easily present their services to their potential customers. Another is the ability of consumers to efficiently locate desired information. The wide acceptance of hypermedia information systems by the users will ultimately depend on the effective resolution of these issues. As the size of distributed hypermedia systems continues to grow, the limitations of the underlying technologies are becoming increasingly apparent. This paper will explore the problems and possible methods to overcome current limitations in distributed hypermedia information systems.
SW-POR: A Novel POR Scheme Using Slepian-Wolf Coding for Cloud Storage

Cloud computing is a service by which the clients can outsource their data to the cloud storage server to deal with the local storage limitation. However, the cloud storage providers are untrustworthy, which can lead to several security challenges, such as data availability, data integrity, and data confidentiality. To mitigate the issues of data availability and data integrity, a novel Slepian-Wolf-based Proof of Retrievability (SW-POR) scheme is proposed to enable the client to check whether the distributed data stored in the cloud servers is intact or not. The proposed SW-POR scheme not only can obtain an optimal coded block size, but also it can provide the exact-repair feature and low complexity. In this paper, the security analysis and efficiency analysis are provided. Simulation results show that the SW-POR scheme can accomplish a significant improvement in computation time.
Language understanding as a step towards human level intelligence - automatizing the construction of the initial dictionary from example sentences

For a system to understand natural language, it needs to be able to take natural language text and answer questions given in natural language with respect to that text; it also needs to be able to follow instructions given in natural language. To achieve this, a system must be able to process natural language and be able to capture the knowledge within that text. Thus it needs to be able to translate natural language text into a formal language. We discuss our approach to do this, where the translation is achieved by composing the meaning of words in a sentence. Our initial approach uses an inverse lambda method that we developed (and other methods) to learn meaning of words from meaning of sentences and an initial lexicon. We then present an improved method where the initial lexicon is also learned by analyzing the training sentence and meaning pairs. We evaluate our methods and compare them with other existing methods on a corpora of database querying and robot command and control.
Prevalence and Characterization of Shiga Toxin-Producing and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in Shellfish-Harvesting Areas and Their Watersheds

more strains formed a strong biofilm at 18 than at 30°C. Finally, more than 85% of analyzed strains were found to be sensitive to the 16 tested antibiotics. These data suggest the low risk of human infection by STEC if shellfish from these shellfish-harvesting areas were consumed.
Phenylbutyrate increases activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Altered metabolism is an important hallmark of cancer cells and confers them a selective advantage for survival and proliferation. Metabolism in cancer cells is shifted towards glycolysis and decreased dependence on mitochondrial glucose oxidation, a phenomenon known as ‘Warburg effect’ (aerobic glycolysis). Lactate, the end product of glycolysis, is produced in large excess by cancer cells that used it as metabolic fuel, and has been directly involved in cancer progression. Growth of cancer cells often occurs in a hypoxic microenvironment and thus, these cells rely on anaerobic glycolysis as a primary energy source. Nevertheless, conversion of glucose to lactate persists in cancer cells despite the presence of oxygen (aerobic glycolysis). This adaptation is initiated, in part, by activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1) that regulates expression of several glycolytic enzymes, glucose transporters, and mitochondrial enzymes, including pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs) which inactivate the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) [1]. The PDHC is an important enzyme in metabolism linking glycolysis to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and lipogenic pathway. PDHC catalyzes in mitochondria the irreversible conversion of pyruvate into acetyl-CoA that initiates the TCA cycle. PDHC is formed by three different enzymes: thiamine diphosphate-dependent heterotetrameric (α 2 β 2 ) E1, dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2), and FAD containing dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3), that is integrated into the complex by an E3-binding protein (E3BP). Phosphorylation of specific E1α serine residues by PDKs (PDK1, PDK2, PDK3, and PDK4) results in inactivation of PDHC, whereas dephosphorylation by pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatases (PDP1 and PDP2) restores PDHC activity (Fig. 1). Inhibition of PDHC activity results in conversion of pyruvate into lactate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cytoplasm. Deficiency of PDHC is one of the most common inborn errors of energy metabolism and affected patients present with progressive neurological degeneration and lactic acidosis [2]. Dichloroacetate (DCA) increases PDHC activity by inhibition of PDK and is effective in reducing blood and tissue lactate [3]. However, DCA has been associated with hepatocellular and peripheral nerve toxicity. We have recently found that phenylbutyrate, a drug used in patients with urea cycle defects and cancer, results in reduction of phosphorylated E1α and increased
The Global Politics of Local Food: Community Resistance and Resilience in Durban, South Africa

The dramatic expansion of neoliberalism since the late 1970s has generated considerable resistance. In Polanyi’s (1944 [2001], 130) description, “The dynamics of modern society [were] governed by a double movement: the market expanded continuously but this movement was met by a countermovement checking to expansion in definite directions. Vital though such a countermovement was for the production of society, in the last analysis it was incompatible with the self-regulation of the market, and this with the market system itself. ” For Polanyi, the double movement was the necessary result of the contradictory forces of economic liberalism, which places the selfregulating market at the center of social reproduction, and demands for social protections against the worst excesses of the market system itself. The interplay between these two demands, expressed by competing class interests in society, results in a continuous give-and-take between regulation and deregulation.
Dexterous manipulation planning and execution of an enveloped slippery workpiece

When robotic hands or arms are capable of enveloping the workpieces that they manipulate, envelopment of the workpiece ensures grasp maintenance even if the object experiences significant external forces in directions unknown prior to grasp synthesis. The enveloping mechanism is useful in low-friction and microgravity environments. First-order stability cells are defined. They are used to plan a planar, whole-arm, manipulation task of a slippery workpiece. For most, but not all, of the plan, the workpiece is enveloped. Experimental results are presented. <<ETX>>
Contour Extraction of Skin Tumors Using Visual Attention and GVF-Snake Model *

Contour extraction of skin tumors accurately is an important task for further feature generation of their borders and sur-faces to early diagnose melanomas. An integrated approach, combining visual attention model and GVF-snake, is pro-posed in the paper to provide a general framework for locating tumor boundaries in case of noise and boundaries with large concavity. For any skin image, the visual attention model is implemented to locate the Region of Interests (ROIs) based on saliency maps. Then an algorithm called GVF-snake is utilized to iteratively drive an initial contour, deriving from the extracted ROIs, towards real boundary of skin tumors by minimizing an energy function. It is shown from ex-periments that the proposed approach exceeds in two aspects compared with other contour-deforming methods: 1) ini-tial contours generated from saliency maps are definitely located at neighboring regions of real boundaries of skin tu-mors to speed up converges of contour deformation and achieve higher accuracy; 2) the method is not sensitive to nois-es on skins and initial contours extracted.
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in the Environment: Terminology, Classification, and Origins

The primary aim of this article is to provide an overview of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) detected in the environment, wildlife, and humans, and recommend clear, specific, and descriptive terminology, names, and acronyms for PFASs. The overarching objective is to unify and harmonize communication on PFASs by offering terminology for use by the global scientific, regulatory, and industrial communities. A particular emphasis is placed on long‐chain perfluoroalkyl acids, substances related to the long‐chain perfluoroalkyl acids, and substances intended as alternatives to the use of the long‐chain perfluoroalkyl acids or their precursors. First, we define PFASs, classify them into various families, and recommend a pragmatic set of common names and acronyms for both the families and their individual members. Terminology related to fluorinated polymers is an important aspect of our classification. Second, we provide a brief description of the 2 main production processes, electrochemical fluorination and telomerization, used for introducing perfluoroalkyl moieties into organic compounds, and we specify the types of byproducts (isomers and homologues) likely to arise in these processes. Third, we show how the principal families of PFASs are interrelated as industrial, environmental, or metabolic precursors or transformation products of one another. We pay particular attention to those PFASs that have the potential to be converted, by abiotic or biotic environmental processes or by human metabolism, into long‐chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic or sulfonic acids, which are currently the focus of regulatory action. The Supplemental Data lists 42 families and subfamilies of PFASs and 268 selected individual compounds, providing recommended names and acronyms, and structural formulas, as well as Chemical Abstracts Service registry numbers. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2011;7:513–541. © 2011 SETAC