Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated concurrency control and recovery mechanisms: design and performance evaluation

In spite of the wide variety of concurrency control and recovery mechanisms proposed during the past decade, the behavior and the performance of various concurrency control and recovery mechanisms remain largely not well understood. In addition, although concurrency control and recovery mechanisms are intimately related, the interaction between them has not been adequately explored. In this paper, we take a unified view of the problems associated with concurrency control and recovery for transaction-oriented multiuser centralized database management systems, and we present several integrated mechanisms. We then develop analytical models to study the behavior and compare the performance of these integrated mechanisms, and we present the results of our performance evaluation.
Workload Dependent Performance Evaluation of the Btrfs and ZFS Filesystems

The UNIX and Linux operating systems alike already provide a vast number of filesystems to the user community. In general, one of the major IO challenges faced today is scalability, especially in the lights of the very large storage IO subsystems being utilized by most IT data centers. Filesystems have to scale in their ability to address, and efficiently manage large IO storage subsystems, as well as in their ability to effectively detect, manage, and repair errors and faults in the IO channel. Two of the newer filesystem technologies that aim at addressing today’s IO challenges are SUN’s ZFS and the Linux filesystem Btrfs. The goal of this paper is threefold. 1 st , to introduce the design, architecture, and features of Btrfs and ZFS, respectively. 2 nd , to compare the two filesystem architectures and to elaborate on some of the key performance by design concepts that are embedded into the IO frameworks. 3d, to conduct an actual empirical analysis, comparing the performance behavior of Btrfs and ZFS under varying workload conditions, utilizing an identical hardware setup for all the benchmarks. As an additional reference point, the factual IO performance is compared to the behavior of a more traditional filesystem implementation, ext4.
Identification of Metabolic Biomarkers for Personalized Nutrition

Now more than ever, we have begun to appreciate the roles of individual physical and genetic variation in health and medicine. A great deal of research attention has recently been devoted toward personalized medicine, in which technologies like medical genetics are used to determine information such as how a patient is likely to respond to a treatment or the optimal dose of a drug. While drug therapy will undoubtedly advance as a result of this new focus, it is critical that we not overlook the importance of personalized nutrition in disease management and health promotion. Indeed, personalized nutrition may be even more critical than personalized medicine given that dietary intake is a fundamental part of everyday life that affects our health. The fields of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics present uniquely powerful sources of information for implementing personalized nutrition. Nutrigenetics specifies how individual genetic variance impacts response to nutrients such that an individual can avoid negative metabolic consequences by choosing appropriate foods. One classic example is lactose intolerance, in which one lacks the lactase persistence allele and therefore cannot digest lactose [1] . Thus, this person’s health would benefit from avoiding foods containing lactose. On the other hand, nutrigenomics explores how nutrients affect gene expression, so that ingesting certain nutrients according to an individual’s health condition can normalize their diseaserelated gene expression. For example, increased systemic inflammation is linked to an upregulation of inflammatory cytokines (e.g. TNF , IL-1, IL-6), which can in turn be suppressed by some nutrients (e.g. omega-3 fatty acids [2] ). The key element linking these ‘sister’ fields is the concept that nutrients interact with an individual’s genetic profile to impact their health. Thus, as each individual has their own unique genetic profile, this knowledge is essential for developing personalized nutrition. The critical prerequisite for personalized nutrition is the ability to precisely detect and interpret an individual’s metabolic and health status by way of metabolic biomarkers. These
The Community College Mission: Present Challenges and Future Visions.

Between 1979 and 1981, a good deal of community college literature centered around "looking back" at the 1970s and "looking ahead" to the 1980s. A need for reflection, reassessment, and reform pervades this writing in a stronger sense than the usual turnof-the-decade analysis. I have studied this literature in depth to determine if there are factors other than the marking of the passage of time that produced this reflection. I have also analyzed five major works that focus on future missions and functions of the community colleges. In this article I first present trends that may be driving this evaluative literature, and then I attempt to synthesize the five major writings under the rubric of two divergent future visions. Finally, my own observations and conclusions about the future missions of the community college are provided.
A Serine Residue in ClC-3 Links Phosphorylation–Dephosphorylation to Chloride Channel Regulation by Cell Volume

In many mammalian cells, ClC-3 volume-regulated chloride channels maintain a variety of normal cellular functions during osmotic perturbation. The molecular mechanisms of channel regulation by cell volume, however, are unknown. Since a number of recent studies point to the involvement of protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in the control of volume-regulated ionic transport systems, we studied the relationship between channel phosphorylation and volume regulation of ClC-3 channels using site-directed mutagenesis and patch-clamp techniques. In native cardiac cells and when overexpressed in NIH/3T3 cells, ClC-3 channels were opened by cell swelling or inhibition of endogenous PKC, but closed by PKC activation, phosphatase inhibition, or elevation of intracellular Ca2+. Site-specific mutational studies indicate that a serine residue (serine51) within a consensus PKC-phosphorylation site in the intracellular amino terminus of the ClC-3 channel protein represents an important volume sensor of the channel. These results provide direct molecular and pharmacological evidence indicating that channel phosphorylation/dephosphorylation plays a crucial role in the regulation of volume sensitivity of recombinant ClC-3 channels and their native counterpart, ICl.vol.
Plasmid-mediated resistance to ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime in clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis in Hong Kong.

OBJECTIVES To characterize the genetic determinants involved in the reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime in Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis clinical isolates obtained from four patients in summer 2003 in Hong Kong. METHODS Three Salmonella Enteritidis isolates from blood culture and one from stool were collected due to their increased resistance to ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime. PFGE analysis was used to investigate their genetic relatedness. Conjugation experiments were employed to show if the genetic determinants involved were plasmid-mediated. MICs of various antimicrobials were determined by VITEK 2 and Etest. Based on the susceptibility and conjugation experiment results, previously described PCR methods were employed to detect sequences homologous to qnr and bla(CTX-M) suspected to be involved in the reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime, respectively. RESULTS PFGE analysis showed that the four Salmonella isolates were clonally unrelated. The presence of a qnr-like gene and the CTX-M allele bla(CTX-M-14) on four different transferable plasmids harboured by the four isolates was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of transferable fluoroquinolone resistance due to a new qnr allele, which appeared to be linked to bla(CTX-M-14), in isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis in Hong Kong.
Simultaneous Occurrence of Aflatoxins and Fumonisins in Corn Intended for the Pet Feed Industry and for Human Consumption

In this study, 24 samples of corn intended for the pet feed industry (PFI) and 24 samples of corn for human consumption (HC) commercialized in Sao Paulo, Brazil were analyzed for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, and fumonisins B1 and B2 by high performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations of total aflatoxins in positive samples of PFI (33.3%) and HC (70.8%) corn samples ranged from 0.5 to 3.9 μg/kg and 0.5 to 41.8 μg/kg, respectively. For fumonisins, the concentrations in positive samples of PFI (100%) and HC (83.3%) corn samples ranged from 685 to 11,379 μg/kg and 157 to 6,495 μg/kg, respectively. Overall the aflatoxin levels complied with regulations for food products in Brazil (20 μg/kg), except for one sample of HC corn. However, the high incidence of fumonisins indicates the need for better agricultural practices to avoid contamination of corn, especially in the PFI.
Midair touch display

We demonstrate a system which enables users with bare hands and naked eyes to tactually interact with midair three-dimensional objects. The displayed midair images are three-dimensional and can be seen and touched from multiple angles. By creating neatly controlled and designed ultrasound fields, our system can create rich tactile textures added onto them with no devices to be worn by the users, all of which are programmable.
The Impact of an Evidence-Based Medicine Workshop on Residents’ Attitudes towards and Self-Reported Ability in Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract Background: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a part of many medical school and residency curricula worldwide, but there is little research into the most effective methods to teach these skills. Purpose: To evaluate whether a course on EBM utilizing adult learning principals leads to both immediate and short-term attitudinal, confidence, and behavioral change. Methods: Seventy-three (73) Internal Medicine and Internal Medicine/Pediatric residents attended a half-day seminar on EBM. Participants completed pre- and post-course 5-point Likert questionnaires, and set two personal goals for integrating EBM into their daily practice. We performed nonparametric two -sample Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests to compare responses. We also elicited the self-reported success of the residents in meeting their goals one-month post-course. Results: Attitudes about EBM improved (3.5 pre-course vs. 3.7 post-course), as well as selfreported EBM skills (3.0 vs. 3.3). Seventy-two percent of residents reported having met at least one of their two goals for the integration of EBM into their practice. Conclusions: An EBM workshop based upon adult learning principles was successful in meeting multiple educational goals. The links between andragogy, learners’ internal drive for behavior change, and successful EBM education should be further explored.
Stimulation of BK Virus DNA Replication by NFI Family Transcription Factors

ABSTRACT BK polyomavirus (BKV) establishes persistent, low-level, and asymptomatic infections in most humans and causes polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PVAN) and other pathologies in some individuals. The activation of BKV replication following kidney transplantation, leading to viruria, viremia, and, ultimately, PVAN, is associated with immune suppression as well as inflammation and stress from ischemia-reperfusion injury of the allograft, but the stimuli and molecular mechanisms leading to these pathologies are not well defined. The replication of BKV DNA in cell cultures is regulated by the viral noncoding control region (NCCR) comprising the core origin and flanking sequences, to which BKV T antigen (Tag), cellular proteins, and small regulatory RNAs bind. Six nuclear factor I (NFI) binding sites occur in sequences flanking the late side of the core origin (the enhancer) of the archetype virus, and their mutation, either individually or in toto, reduces BKV DNA replication when placed in competition with templates containing intact BKV NCCRs. NFI family members interacted with the helicase domain of BKV Tag in pulldown assays, suggesting that NFI helps recruit Tag to the viral core origin and may modulate its function. However, Tag may not be the sole target of the replication-modulatory activities of NFI: the NFIC/CTF1 isotype stimulates BKV template replication in vitro at low concentrations of DNA polymerase-α primase (Pol-primase), and the p58 subunit of Pol-primase associates with NFIC/CTF1, suggesting that NFI also recruits Pol-primase to the NCCR. These results suggest that NFI proteins (and the signaling pathways that target them) activate BKV replication and contribute to the consequent pathologies caused by acute infection.
Ethnocentrism: Significance and effects on Kenyan society

This study investigates the significance and effects of ethnocentrism in the Kenyan society. The usual concept of ethnocentrism combines the belief that one’s culture is superior to other cultures with the practice of judging other cultures as inferior to one’s own culture. This concept does not address the underlying issue of why people do this but emphasizes that people make false assumptions based on their own limited experience about others. Ethnocentrism is a major reason for divisions amongst members of different ethnicities, races, and religious groups in a society. Kenya is a multi-ethnic society with more than 40 ethnic groups. Historically, members of Kenya’s ethnic groups co-existed, traded and intermarried often in symbiotic relationships between pastoralists and agricultural communities. With the advent of the multiparty democracy in 1991, Kenya has experienced a series of ethnic and political conflicts. This is a theoretical study based on descriptive analysis of the widely available literature on ethnocentrism and related concepts. The key finding of the study is that the effects of ethnocentrism on the Kenyan society have a two-fold perspective. One, Ethnocentrism has acted as medium rather than a cause of ethno-political conflicts the country has experienced. The main cause of these conflicts is the interaction between ethnocentrism and socioeconomics. Two, ethnocentrism has adversely affected socioeconomic development of the country especially during the ‘Nyayo’era through the mismanagement of national resources. Key words: Ethnocentrism, multi-ethnic society, ethnopolitical behaviour, socioeconomics and national resources.
SU(N)gauge theories in2+1dimensions: Further results

We calculate the string tension and part of the mass spectrum of SU(4) and SU(6) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions using lattice techniques. We combine these new results with older results for N=2,. ,5 so as to obtain more accurate extrapolations to N=infinity. The qualitative conclusions of the earlier work are unchanged: SU(N) theories in 2+1 dimensions are linearly confining as N->infinity; the limit is achieved by keeping g.g. N fixed; SU(3), and even SU(2), are `close' to SU(infinity). We obtain more convincing evidence than before that the leading large-N correction is O(1/N.N). We look for the multiplication of states that one expects in simple flux loop models of glueballs, but find no evidence for this.
Battlegrounds of Natural History: Naturalism

Scientific creation battles the worldview of naturalism at the level of scientific fact and theory, but crucial battlegrounds are also found in the foundational concepts that shape the method and direction of science. One of these is summarized by the term “naturalism. ” This debate is hindered by equivocal terminology, presuppositional inconsistency, and the use of secular premises by some Christians—typically from a desire to “triangulate” between biblical creation and atheism. Science is the child of Christianity, but enduring secular distortions have succeeded in convincing most people that naturalism is one and the same with science, and that it is legitimate to extrapolate from the scientific method to atheism. Those core distortions are protected by ancillary arguments; chief among them, a strategy of diverting Christians with arguments regarding the reality or possibility of miracles and with accusations of “god-of-the-gaps” reasoning. In response: (1) metaphysical naturalism is invalid because it fails logical truth tests, (2) methodological naturalism is an unnecessary accretion to basic attributes of science historically derived from Christian theology, and (3) the ancillary issues are defused by sound reasoning. The key to addressing the concept of naturalism in its totality is the recovery and application of the traditional Christian doctrine describing God’s providential relationship with creation.
Autoregulation of the Synthesis of the MobM Relaxase Encoded by the Promiscuous Plasmid pMV158

ABSTRACT The streptococcal promiscuous plasmid pMV158 (5,540 bp) replicates by the rolling-circle mechanism and can be mobilized among a wide number of Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. The plasmid region involved in its conjugative transfer includes the mobM gene, which encodes the MobM relaxase, and the cis-acting origin of transfer (oriT). MobM initiates transfer by cleavage of supercoiled pMV158 DNA at a specific dinucleotide within oriT. In the present work, we have performed a detailed transcriptional analysis to assess the role of MobM in the control of its own gene expression. By in vivo and in vitro approaches, we demonstrated that mobM transcription in Escherichia coli was mostly initiated from a promoter (Pmob2) different from the one (Pmob1) used in Lactococcus lactis. Whereas promoter Pmob1 was embedded within the oriT sequence, promoter Pmob2 was placed apart from but adjacent to oriT. Further, MobM was able to repress the expression of its own gene from both promoters. Given the promiscuity of pMV158, the organization of the mobM promoter region suggests a strategy of the plasmid to cope with different transcription machineries of the hosts it colonizes.
Instantaneous Microwave Frequency Measurement Using a Special Fiber Bragg Grating

A photonic approach to realizing instantaneous microwave frequency measurement based on frequency to optical power ratio mapping using a special fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is proposed and demonstrated. The special FBG is designed to have a spectral response with two slopes that are inversely proportional to optical frequency, which enables the realization of a linear power ratio function, leading to an increased measurement range and improved measurement accuracy. The FBG is fabricated and the incorporation of the FBG in a system for frequency measurement is experimented. Instantaneous microwave frequency measurement with a measurement range of 1-10 GHz and a measurement accuracy of ±0.2 GHz under different input microwave power levels is realized.
Capsella embryogenesis: the chalazal proliferating tissue.

Electron-microscope and histochemical procedures were used to study the development and breakdown of the chalazal proliferating tissue in Capsella. This tissue is formed by the enlargement of several layers of nucellar cells at the chalazal end of the embryo sac. When the embryo reaches the early globular stage these enlarged cells start to disintegrate, beginning with those immediately bordering the embryo sac and continuing until all have broken down. Characteristic ultrastructural changes accompany the development and breakdown of the chalazal proliferating cells. The mature cells form increased numbers of dictyosomes and large amounts of endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This is accompanied by a thickening of the cell wall. As the cells begin to break down, electron density increases, plastids become polarized in the cells, dictyosomes disappear and the ER is dispersed and fragmented. Plastids, some mitochondria, and pieces of ER appear to be digested in autophagic vacuoles. Cell disorganization is accompanied by an increased number of microbodies and multivesicular bodies per cell. Finally, the nucleus breaks down and the plasmalemma disappears. The end wall ruptures and releases intact mitochondria, ribosomes, and portions of degenerated cytoplasm into the endosperm. Histochemical changes accompany these events. Also discussed are the antipodals and the destruction of the proximal part of the chalazal nucellus by the expanding megagametophyte prior to the development of the chalazal proliferating tissue.
The Impact of Anticipated Reward upon Cross-Age Tutoring

The interpersonal interaction and task performance of children were assessed in a cross-age tutoring situation. In the reward condition, 12 sixth-grade girls were promised movie tickets for successfully teaching a sorting game to a first-grade girl. In the no-reward condition, children taught the game without promise of reward. Children were randomly assigned to pairs and conditions. The results indicated more criticism, more demands, and less efficacious use of time in the reward condition. The no-reward condition was marked by a more positive emotional tone, greater learning by the younger children, and fewer errors. The results are viewed as evidence that anticipation of reward generates an "instrumental orientation" that has deleterious social effects. How does the promise of reward for engaging in an activity affect the attitude and behavior of an individual? The general finding of four previous experiments (Deci, 1972; Kruglanski, Friedman, and Zeevi, 1971; Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973; Condry & Chambers, Note 1; Smith, Note 2) have suggested that the promise of a reward (prize) for engaging in an activity in which one has a relatively high level of initial intrinsic interest is associated with subsequent deterioration of interest and, in one study, competence in that activity. The previous research, however, has raised many questions, perhaps more than it has answered. It appeared that the most important area for further investigation lay in the mechanisms through which anticipated reward affected motivation and performance. It was assumed that the effects would be most significant in situations involving contingent reward. These previous studies have dealt with essentially nonsocial tasks. The focus has principally been on interest and cognitive performance in the task, with performance being assessed by tests of memory, creativity, and manipulative tasks. The present study investigated a different type of situation, one stressing social interaction. Whereas previous research has focused on cognitive characteristics of the relation between subject and task, the present
Relationships between ADHD and Dyslexia Screening Scores and Academic Performance in Undergraduate Psychology Students: Implications for Teaching, Learning and Assessment

The impact of dyslexia and ADHD characteristics on study in higher education has been relatively neglected. This study investigates the prevalence of self-reported dyslexia and ADHD characteristics in 1182 undergraduate psychology students at four universities. Findings suggest that there is a high incidence of undiagnosed students in the ‘at risk’ categories for both dyslexia and ADHD. Whilst no relationship was found between achievement data and dyslexia scores, there were strong negative associations between ADHD subscale scores (inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity and overall ADHD) and academic grades, indicating that those who score higher on ADHD rating scales are performing more poorly in academic tests than their lower scoring peers. Assessment results indicate that specific modes of assessment (multiple choice questions) may pose particular problems for high inattentive or ADHD scorers. The study suggests a need to focus on the identification and provision of support for students with problems related to ADHD characteristics, and indicates that many students, other than those who ‘declare’ a learning difficulty, would benefit from further support.