Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloud Computing and the Lessons from the Past

The skyrocketing demand for a new generation of cloud-based consumer and business applications is driving the need for next generation of datacenters that must be massively scalable, efficient, agile, reliable and secure. The authors see a parallel between the state of the datacenters today and the evolution of the Intelligent Network (IN) infrastructure in telecommunication. The telecommunications networks have for many years, demonstrated their ability to reliably enable network (voice) services creation, assurance and delivery on a massive scale. Based on an analysis of the Intelligent Networks in telecommunications to identify proven concepts and key lessons that can be applied to enable next generation IT datacenters experience this paper asserts that: • In order to scale cloud services reliably to millions of service developers and billions of end users the next generation cloud computing and datacenter infrastructure will have to follow an evolution similar to the one that led to the creation of scalable telecommunication networks. • In the future network-based cloud service providers will leverage virtualization technologies to be able to allocate just the right levels of virtualized compute, network and storage resources to individual applications based on real-time business demand while also providing full service level assurance of availability, performance and security at a reasonable cost. • A key component - identified in this paper as the Virtual Resource Mediation Layer (VRML), must be developed through industry collaboration to enable interoperability of various public and private clouds. This layer will form the basis for ensuring massive scalability of cloud infrastructure by enabling distributed service creation, service delivery and service assurance without any single vendor domination. • The next generation virtualization technologies must allow applications to dynamically access CPU, memory, bandwidth and storage (capacity, I/O and throughput) in a manner similar to that of the telecommunications 800 Service Call Model with one level of indirection and mediation. The authors believe that the next generation cloud evolution is a fundamental transformation – and not just an evolutionary stack of XaaS implementations, which will enable global service collaboration networks utilizing optimally distributed and managed computing, network and storage resources driven in real? time by business priorities.
Deep brain stimulation and ablation for obsessive compulsive disorder: evolution of contemporary indications, targets and techniques

Surgical therapy for treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) remains an effective option for well-selected patients managed within a multidisciplinary setting. Historically, lesions within the limbic system have been used to control both obsessive thoughts and repetitive compulsions associated with this disease. We discuss classical targets as well as contemporary neuromodulatory approaches that have been shown to provide symptomatic relief. Recently, deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior limb of the internal capsule/ventral striatum received Conformité Européene (CE) mark and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for treatment of intractable OCD. Remarkably, this is the first such approval for neurosurgical intervention in a strictly psychiatric indication in modern times. This target is discussed in detail along with alternative targets currently being proposed. We close with a discussion of gamma knife capsulotomy, a modality with deep historical roots. Further directions in the surgical treatment of OCD will require better preoperative predictors of postoperative responses, optimal selection of individualized targets, and rigorous reporting of adverse events and standardized outcomes. To meet these challenges, centers must be equipped with a multidisciplinary team and patient-centered approach to ensure adequate screening and follow up of patients with this difficult-to-treat condition.
One size fits all? A different perspective on university rankings

ABSTRACT In roughly a decade, university rankings gained the foreground in the policy arena for higher education and their influence is not going to decrease. However, several methodological shortcomings and warnings about the unintended consequences for national higher education systems have been raised. Against this background, this paper stresses that the individual recipients of information contained in university rankings are currently overlooked. Indeed, university rankings are addressed to a generic recipient, but actually, there are multiple audiences for rankings, and each of these audiences has different needs and each one attributes a different value to information attached to rankings. Referring to a theoretical tool borrowed from bioethics, this paper highlights that the ranking game involves a variety of recipients and that the current setting of the ranking panorama leaves room for gaps to emerge.
Redox Active Ordered Arrays via Metal Initiated Self-Assembly of Terpyridine Based Ligands †

The interfacial reaction of terpyridyl-pendant poly-amido amine (PAMAM) dendrimers (dend-n-tpy; n = 4, 8, 32) and of bis-terpyridine containing bridging ligands (tpy-bridge-tpy), dissolved in CH2Cl2, with aqueous Fe2+ or Co2+ gives rise to film formation on HOPG and Pt(111) single crystal surfaces. Molecularly resolved STM images reveal that these films form highly ordered 2-D trigonal arrays, which appear to be composed of one-dimensional polymeric strands with a repeat unit of (tpy-dendrimer-tpy-M)x, in the case of dendrimers, or (tpy-bridge-tpy-M)x, in the case of the bridging ligands. An extensive study with ligands of tailored architecture has been carried out, providing insight on the relationship between the ligand's molecular structure and that of the resulting films. The formation of ordered domains appears to be controlled, at least in part, by the rigidity of the molecule containing the terpyridine groups. Films derived from bridging ligands containing long chains did not give rise to observabl.
Late sporadic miscarriage is associated with abnormalities in spiral artery transformation and trophoblast invasion

Trophoblast invasion of uterine decidua and myometrium, and spiral artery transformation, are essential for the development of normal pregnancy; this process is impaired in pre‐eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and pre‐term labour. The hypothesis that late miscarriage is associated with reduced trophoblast invasion and spiral artery transformation was tested in a large series of placental bed biopsies containing decidua and myometrium from late, karyotyped, embryonic miscarriage (≥13 weeks' gestation; n = 26; n = 96 spiral arteries) and gestationally matched ultrasound‐dated normal pregnancies (n = 74; n = 236 spiral arteries). Cryostat sections were immunostained using an avidin–biotin peroxidase technique for cytokeratin, desmin, and von Willebrand factor to detect trophoblast, myometrium, and vascular smooth muscle and endothelium, respectively. Trophoblast invasion and individual features of spiral artery transformation were assessed and analysed using a logistic regression model. Compared with normal pregnancy, myometrial spiral arteries in late miscarriage showed reduced endovascular (4% vs. 31%, p = 0.001) and intramural trophoblast (76% vs. 88%, p = 0.05), and less extensive fibrinoid change (4% vs. 18%, p = 0.01). In contrast, endovascular trophoblast in decidual spiral arteries was increased (40% vs. 66%, p = 0.04). These findings suggest that, in common with pre‐eclampsia, late sporadic miscarriage may be associated with reduced trophoblast invasion and inadequate transformation of myometrial spiral arteries. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geographic Clusters in Underimmunization and Vaccine Refusal

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Parental refusal and delay of childhood vaccines has increased in recent years and is believed to cluster in some communities. Such clusters could pose public health risks and barriers to achieving immunization quality benchmarks. Our aims were to (1) describe geographic clusters of underimmunization and vaccine refusal, (2) compare clusters of underimmunization with different vaccines, and (3) evaluate whether vaccine refusal clusters may pose barriers to achieving high immunization rates. METHODS: We analyzed electronic health records among children born between 2000 and 2011 with membership in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. The study population included 154 424 children in 13 counties with continuous membership from birth to 36 months of age. We used spatial scan statistics to identify clusters of underimmunization (having missed 1 or more vaccines by 36 months of age) and vaccine refusal (based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes). RESULTS: We identified 5 statistically significant clusters of underimmunization among children who turned 36 months old during 2010–2012. The underimmunization rate within clusters ranged from 18% to 23%, and the rate outside them was 11%. Children in the most statistically significant cluster had 1.58 (P < .001) times the rate of underimmunization as others. Underimmunization with measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and varicella vaccines clustered in similar geographic areas. Vaccine refusal also clustered, with rates of 5.5% to 13.5% within clusters, compared with 2.6% outside them. CONCLUSIONS: Underimmunization and vaccine refusal cluster geographically. Spatial scan statistics may be a useful tool to identify locations with challenges to achieving high immunization rates, which deserve focused intervention.
Dialectal grammatical differences in oral narratives of school-aged Indigenous Australian children

Abstract Purpose: Children's oral language samples are regularly analysed in order to describe levels of language development and develop learning goals. However, diagnostic interpretation of language samples from Indigenous Australian children is problematic due to overlap between features of Aboriginal English and features of language impairment in the mainstream non-Indigenous population. Limited studies explore the use of Aboriginal English and its diagnostic impact. This research, therefore, describes the grammatical features of language samples from one group of Indigenous Australian children. Method: Participants were 19 children aged 8;1–13;4 from the same school in a regional city with 100% Indigenous enrolment. The Test of Narrative Language was administered, eliciting three oral narratives, and features of Aboriginal English grammar were coded. Result: Dialect density was highly variable and greater in the Verb Phrase than in the Noun Phrase or Clause Structure. High teacher ratings of oral language ability aligned with lower measures of dialect density and higher grammatical accuracy for Standard Australian English. Grammatical accuracy was frequently higher for Aboriginal English than Standard Australian English. Conclusion: Over-identification of language impairment was identified as a risk when evaluating the language ability of Indigenous Australian children.
Steroids, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and stents for superior vena caval obstruction in carcinoma of the bronchus: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review to determine the relative effectiveness of treatments currently employed in the management of superior vena caval obstruction (SVCO). SEARCH STRATEGY Electronic searching of the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register, Medline and Embase with identification of further studies from references cited in trials identified by electronic searching. SELECTION CRITERIA Both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials in which patients with carcinoma of the bronchus and SVCO had been treated with any combination of steroids, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or insertion of an expandable metal stent. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS There were three randomized and 98 non-randomized studies of which two and 44 respectively met the inclusion criteria. MAIN RESULTS Superior vena caval obstruction was present at diagnosis in 10.0% of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and 1.7% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In one small randomized trial in SCLC, the rate of SVCO relapse was not significantly reduced by giving radiotherapy on completion of chemotherapy. In another, in NSCLC, the addition of induction chemotherapy to a course of synchronous chemo-radiotherapy did not provide greater relief of SVCO. In SCLC chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy relieved SVCO in 77%; 17% of those treated had a recurrence of SVCO. In NSCLC, 60% had relief of SVCO following chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy; 19% of those treated had a recurrence of SVCO. Insertion of an SVC stent relieved SVCO in 95%; 11% of those treated had further SVCO but recanalization was possible in the majority resulting in a long-term patency rate of 92%. Morbidity following stent insertion was greater if thrombolytics were administered. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective in relieving SVCO in a proportion of patients whilst stent insertion may provide relief in a higher proportion and more rapidly. The effectiveness of steroids and the optimal timing of stent insertion (whether at diagnosis or following failure of other modalities) remain uncertain.
Robust Nonlinear Distributed Controller Design for Active and Reactive Power Sharing in Islanded Microgrids

This paper presents a robust nonlinear distributed controller design for islanded operation of microgrids in order to maintain active and reactive power balance. In this paper, microgrids are considered as inverter-dominated networks integrated with renewable energy sources (RESs) and battery energy storage systems (BESSs), where solar photovoltaic generators act as RESs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as BESSs to supply power into the grid. The proposed controller is designed by using partial feedback linearization and the robustness of this control scheme is ensured by considering structured uncertainties within the RESs and BESSs. An approach for modeling the uncertainties through the satisfaction of matching conditions is also provided in this paper. The proposed distributed control scheme requires information from local and neighboring generators to communicate with each other and the communication among RESs, BESSs, and control centers is developed by using the concept of the graph theory. Finally, the performance of the proposed robust controller is demonstrated on a test microgrid and simulation results indicate the superiority of the proposed scheme under different operating conditions as compared to a linear-quadratic-regulator-based controller.
Supply Network StrategiesAn Inquiry Into the Changes in the Italian Mid-Sized Company and Its Supplier Relationships

The paper analyzes the changes affecting the supply network strategies of mid-sized Italian companies born and developed leveraging on strong supply network relationships with co-localized actors within their industrial district contexts. Particular attention is devoted to the changes concerning the management of their local and global supplier relationships as a consequence of their growth and their positioning on the international market. The paper therefore aims at focusing on the interplay between the mid-sized company’s growth and development and the most significant changes in the structure and in the substance of its supply network relationships. The focus of the analysis is a medium/large sized Italian company in the mechanical industry, specialized in the production of woodworking machinery for furniture producers, localized in the well known “furnishing Pesaro district”. We analyze its process of growth from a local small/medium sized company to a medium/large international one, trying to deal with the following issues: - the constraints and opportunities generated by the local supply network in relation to the company’s international development and vice versa; - the modality (if and how) of the designing of a local/global supply network; - the reciprocal influences between local and international supply base.
EXTERNAL MEMBER, MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE, BANK OF ENGLAND AND SENIOR FELLOW, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL

1 This presentation is based on joint work in progress with Tomas Hellebrandt and Neil Meads. I am grateful to the Bank of England for its support of their research efforts, and to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for its support of my work in this area. The views expressed and any errors herein, however, are solely my own, and not those of PIIE, the Bank of England, the MPC, or any of its staff.
Comparison of commercially available kits with standard methods for the detection of coliforms and Escherichia coli in foods

Three commercially available kits that were supplemented with substrates for enzyme reactions were evaluated to determine their abilities to detect coliforms and fecal coliforms in foods. Japanese and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standard methods, as well as two agar plate methods, were compared with the three commercial kits. A total of 50 food samples from various retailers were examined. The levels of detection of coliforms were high with the commercial kits (78 to 98%) compared with the levels of detection with the standard methods (80 to 83%) and the agar plate methods (56 to 83%). Among the kits tested, the Colilert kit had highest level of recovery of coliforms (98%), and the level of recovery of Escherichia coli as determined by beta-glucuronidase activity with the Colilert kit (83%) was comparable to the level of recovery obtained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration method (87%). Isolation of E. coli on the basis of the beta-glucuronidase enzyme reaction was found to be good. Levine's eosine methylene blue agar, which has been widely used in various laboratories to isolate E. coli was compared with 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide (MUG)-supplemented agar for isolation of E. coli. Only 47% of the E. coli was detected when eosine methylene blue agar was used; however, when violet red bile (VRB)-MUG agar was used, the E. coli detection rate was twice as high. Of the 200 E. coli strains isolated, only 2 were found to be MUG negative, and the gene responsible for beta-glucuronidase activity (uidA gene) was detected by the PCR method in these 2 strains. Of the 90 false-positive strains isolated that exhibited various E. coli characteristic features, only 2 non-E.coli strains hydrolyzed MUG and produced fluorescent substrate in VRB-MUG agar. However, the PCR did not amplify uidA gene products in these VRB-MUG fluorescence-positive strains.
Survival in extreme environments – on the current knowledge of adaptations in tardigrades

Tardigrades are microscopic animals found worldwide in aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems. They belong to the invertebrate superclade Ecdysozoa, as do the two major invertebrate model organisms: Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. We present a brief description of the tardigrades and highlight species that are currently used as models for physiological and molecular investigations. Tardigrades are uniquely adapted to a range of environmental extremes. Cryptobiosis, currently referred to as a reversible ametabolic state induced by e.g. desiccation, is common especially among limno‐terrestrial species. It has been shown that the entry and exit of cryptobiosis may involve synthesis of bioprotectants in the form of selective carbohydrates and proteins as well as high levels of antioxidant enzymes and other free radical scavengers. However, at present a general scheme of mechanisms explaining this phenomenon is lacking. Importantly, recent research has shown that tardigrades even in their active states may be extremely tolerant to environmental stress, handling extreme levels of ionizing radiation, large fluctuation in external salinity and avoiding freezing by supercooling to below −20 °C, presumably relying on efficient DNA repair mechanisms and osmoregulation. This review summarizes the current knowledge on adaptations found among tardigrades, and presents new data on tardigrade cell numbers and osmoregulation.
A Different Statistic for the Management of Portfolios - the Hurst Exponent: Persistent, Antipersistent or Random Time Series?

In recent years, research in the capital markets and management of portfolios has been producing more questions than it has been answering: the need for a new paradigm or a new way of looking at things has become more and more concludent. The existing and classical view of capital markets, based on efficient market hypothesis, has a definite theory for the last six decades, but it is still not capable of significantly increase the understanding of how capital markets function. The purpose of this article is to theoretically describe a less used statistic coefficient, having a vast area of applicability due to its robustness, and which can easily divide the random series from a non-random series, even if the random series is non-Gaussian: the Hurst exponent.
Relationships between fiction media, genre, and empathic abilities

Fiction enables readers to simulate the social experiences of characters and may facilitate prosociality. Research has indicated that fiction print exposure positively relates to empathy and may promote altruistic behaviors. Whether associations hold across different media formats and thematic genres remains unclear. This study took a multidimensional approach to both fiction engagement and empathic abilities. Specifically, it aimed to replicate previous findings that lifetime fiction exposure positively predicts empathy, and to extend this literature through an exploration of the relationships between media and genre formats, empathy and altruism. Participants (N = 404) completed a multidimensional task measure of fiction media exposure and answered questions about fiction engagement, empathic and altruistic tendencies. Results showed divergent associations between fiction format, genre, and empathic abilities, and fiction media exposure positively predicted the tendencies to become transported into narratives and to help others. Engagement with fiction formats and thematic genres may differentially support adults’ prosocial development.
Mapping Crisis-Era Protectionism in Latin America and the Caribbean

The resort to discrimination in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region against foreign commercial interests is documented in this paper and compared to aggregate statistics for worldwide policy choice and for a comparator group of developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. LAC protectionism spiked later than in the rest of the world and, on average, the former nations resorted more to traditional protectionist tools than the latter. Within the LAC region, the heavier users of protectionism employed different cocktails of discriminatory policy instruments. An exploratory cross-country analysis of the potential macroeconomic drivers and substitutes for protectionism in LAC was undertaken. During the crisis era, resort to protectionism tended to be greater in nations that cut tariffs more during 2000-7 and that employed less aggressive fiscal stimulus packages once the crisis hit. Exchange rate depreciation appears to have complemented, rather than substituted, for protectionism.