Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time and energy complexity of distributed computation in wireless sensor networks

We consider a scenario where a wireless sensor network is formed by randomly deploying n sensors to measure some spatial function over a field, with the objective of computing the maximum value of the measurements and communicating it to an operator station. We view the problem as one of message passing distributed computation over a geometric random graph. The network is assumed to be synchronous; at each sampling instant each sensor measures a value, and then the sensors collaboratively compute and deliver the maximum of these values to the operator station. Computation algorithms differ in the messages they need to exchange, and our formulation focuses on the problem of scheduling of the message exchanges. We do not exploit techniques such as source compression, or block coding of the computations. For this problem, we study the computation time and energy expenditure for one time maximum computation, and also the pipeline throughput. We show that, for an optimal algorithm, the computation time, energy expenditure and the achievable rate of computation scale as /spl Theta/(/spl radic/ n/log n), /spl Theta/(n) and /spl Theta/(1/log n) asymptotically (in probability) as the number of sensors n/spl rarr//spl infin/. We also analyze the performance of three specific computational algorithms, namely, the tree algorithm, multihop transmission, and the ripple algorithm, and obtain scaling laws for the computation time and energy expenditure as n/spl rarr//spl infin/. Simulation results are provided to show that our analysis indeed captures the correct scaling; the simulations also yield estimates of the constant multipliers in the scaling laws. Our analyses throughout assume a centralized scheduler and hence our results can be viewed as providing bounds for the performance with a distributed scheduler.
Telomere Length Correlations among Somatic Tissues in Adult Zebra Finches

Telomeres are repetitive non coding DNA sequences located at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes, which maintain the integrity of the genome by hiding the chromosome ends from being recognised as double stranded breaks. Telomeres are emerging as biomarkers for ageing and survival, and are susceptible to reflect different individual life history trajectories. In particular, the telomere length with which one starts in life has been shown to be linked with individual life-long survival, suggesting that telomere dynamics can be a proxy for individual fitness and thereby be implicated in evolutionary trade-offs. As a consequence, an increasing number of studies were conducted on telomeres in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology, in which telomere length was almost exclusively measured from blood samples. However, not only do the number of repeats of the telomeric sequences vary among species, but also within species with great inter-individual telomere lengths variability with age, tissues, and chromosomes. This raises the issue of the exact biological meaning of telomere measurement in blood cells and stimulated the study of the correlation of telomere lengths among tissues over age. By measuring telomere length in adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in different somatic tissues displaying variable cell turnovers (bone marrow, brain, spleen, pectoral muscle, heart, liver and in red blood cells), we checked that the measure of telomere length in red blood cells is related to telomere lengths in the other tissues. Here we show significant relationships between the telomere lengths of red blood cells and several somatic tissues at adulthood. As red blood cells are easily accessible and suitable for the longitudinal monitoring of the individual rate of telomere loss, our study confirms that telomere length measured in red blood cells could serve as a surrogate for telomere length in the whole avian organism.
Fusion expression of pedA gene to obtain biologically active pediocin PA-1 in Escherichia coli

Two heterologous expression systems using thioredoxin (trxA) as a gene fusion part in Escherichia coli were developed to produce recombinant pediocin PA-1. Pediocin PA-1 structural gene pedA was isolated from Pediococcus acidilactici PA003 by the method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then cloned into vector pET32a(+), and expressed as thioredoxin-PedA fusion protein in the host strain E. coli BL21 (DE3). The fusion protein was in the form of inclusion body and was refolded before purification by nickel-iminodiacetic acid (Ni-IDA) agarose resin column. Biological activity of recombinant pediocin PA-1 was analyzed after cleavage of the fusion protein by enterokinase. Agar diffusion test revealed that 512-arbitrary unit (AU) recombinant pediocin PA-1 was obtained from 1 ml culture medium of E. coli (pPA003PED1) using Listeria monocytogenes as the indicator strain. Thioredoxin-PedA fusion gene was further cloned into pET20b(+). Thioredoxin-PedA fusion protein was detected in both the periplasmic and cytoplasmic spaces. The recombinant pediocin PA-1 from the soluble fraction attained 384 AU from 1 ml culture medium of E. coli (pPA003PED2). Therefore, biologically active pediocin PA-1 could be obtained by these two hybrid gene expression methods.
The ideal lobbyist: Personal characteristics of effective lobbyists

Purpose – Lobbying and lobbyists have for some time been regarded with suspicion and even outright mistrust by journalists and the wider public. While to some extent, popular (mis)perceptions about lobbyists are understandable, they are also regrettable: lobbyists operate in every political system, and generally do so in an entirely proper fashion. This paper seeks to consider the personal characteristics which effective and successful lobbyists require.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on 60 interviews with lobbyists in Washington, London and Brussels; the approach used here is simply to allow lobbyists themselves to discuss at some length their views about the issues they feel are important in a practical sense.Findings – The paper examines a range of personal qualities including skills such as listening, observation, and relationship‐building, as well as issues surrounding gender/sexuality, courtesy, honesty, integrity and credibility.Research limitations/implications – While it is unrea.
Ventilation before Umbilical Cord Clamping Improves the Physiological Transition at Birth

The transition from a fetus to a neonate at birth represents a critical phase in our life. Most infants make this transition without complications, but preterm infants usually require some form of assistance due to immature cardiopulmonary systems that predispose them to lifelong sequelae. As the incidence of preterm birth is increasing, there is now an urgent need for the development of management strategies that facilitate this transition, which will likely include improved strategies for the management of the maternal third stage of labor. For instance, recent studies on the physiological transition at birth have led to the discovery that establishing ventilation in the infant before the umbilical cord is clamped greatly stabilizes the cardiovascular transition at birth. While most benefits of delayed clamping previously have been attributed to an increase in placenta to infant blood transfusion, clearly there are other significant benefits for the infant, which are not well understood. Nevertheless, if ventilation can be established before cord clamping in a preterm infant, the large adverse changes in cardiac function that normally accompanies umbilical cord clamping can be avoided. As preterm infants have an immature cerebral vascular bed, large swings in cardiovascular function places them at high risk of cerebral vascular rupture and the associated increased risk of mortality and morbidity. In view of the impact that cord clamping has on the cardiovascular transition at birth, it is also time to re-examine some of the strategies used in the management of the third stage of labor. These include the appropriate timing of uterotonic administration in relation to delivery of the infant and placenta. As there is a lack of evidence on the effects these individual practices have on the infant, there is a necessity to improve our understanding of their impact in order to develop strategies that facilitate the transition to newborn life.
Indifferentiability security of the fast wide pipe hash: Breaking the birthday barrier

Abstract A hash function secure in the indifferentiability framework (TCC 2004) is able to resist all meaningful generic attacks. Such hash functions also play a crucial role in establishing the security of protocols that use them as random functions. To eliminate multi-collision type attacks on the Merkle–Damgård mode (Crypto 1989), Lucks proposed widening the size of the internal state of hash functions (Asiacrypt 2005). The fast wide pipe (FWP) hash mode was introduced by Nandi and Paul at Indocrypt 2010, as a faster variant of Lucks' wide pipe mode. Despite the higher speed, the proven indifferentiability bound of the FWP mode has so far been only up to the birthday barrier of n/2${n/2}$ bits. The main result of this paper is the improvement of the FWP bound to 2n/3${2n/3}$ bits (up to an additive constant). We also provide evidence that the bound may be extended beyond 2n/3${2n/3}$ bits.
Protoplasmic Astrocytes Enhance the Ability of Neural Stem Cells to Differentiate into Neurons In Vitro

Protoplasmic astrocytes have been reported to exhibit neuroprotective effects on neurons, but there has been no direct evidence for a functional relationship between protoplasmic astrocytes and neural stem cells (NSCs). In this study, we examined neuronal differentiation of NSCs induced by protoplasmic astrocytes in a co-culture model. Protoplasmic astrocytes were isolated from new-born and NSCs from the E13-15 cortex of rats respectively. The differentiated cells labeled with neuron-specific marker β-tubulin III, were dramatically increased at 7 days in the co-culture condition. Blocking the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with an anti-BDNF antibody reduced the number of neurons differentiated from NSCs when co-cultured with protoplasmic astrocytes. In fact, the content of BDNF in the supernatant obtained from protoplasmic astrocytes and NSCs co-culture media was significantly greater than that from control media conditions. These results indicate that protoplasmic astrocytes promote neuronal differentiation of NSCs, which is driven, at least in part, by BDNF.
TRATAMIENTO PSICOLÓGICO INTEGRADO DE PACIENTES ESQUIZOFRÉNICOS

Integrated psychological treatment for schizophrenic patients. The results of this study are based on a sample of 35 schizophrenic patients (20 patients in a therapy group, and 15 in a control group). The subjects were randomly assigned to one patient group. Patients assigned to therapy group received a one year-long integrated psychological program, which consisted of four IPT subprograms (Brenner et al., 1994), and psychoeducational and behavioural training sessions. Psychoeducation and behaviour therapy were also given to their family members. Patients assigned to control group received only standard treatment for schizophrenics in outpatients settings. The basis of all comparisons between groups were pre-post measurements: data registered before therapy and after therapy conclusion. An analysis of the mean scores of clinical and family measures indicated that the therapy group had improved to a greater extent than the control group.
A re-evaluation of the effects of maternal care on offspring behavioral development

Recent studies of early handling in inbred mice do not replicate results from previous work in rats. In addition, studies using extended periods of dam-offspring separation suffer from a lack of consistency in behavioral, physiological and neuroanatomical correlates. This study re-visited the maternal mediation hypothesis in an attempt to resolve some of these discrepancies. Three typical disruptions of mother-offspring relations were used: Early Handling (EH, daily 15 min separation), Maternal Separation (MS, daily 4 hr. separation from dam) and Maternal Peer Separation (MPS, daily 4 hr. separation from dam and littermates). These groups were compared to a weekly cage changed, Animal Facility Reared (AFR) group. MS & MPS dams displayed higher levels of nest attendance, quiescent nursing, activity in the nest and licking post-manipulation. In contrast to the levels of maternal care received, AFR offspring were found to be more emotional in the open field as compared to MPS offspring. Closer inspection of maternal behavior revealed substantial variability within treatment condition. Analysis of offspring behavior as a function of levels of maternal behavior revealed that pups that received high levels of quiescent nursing and activity but not licking were less "emotional". Individual differences in pup licking behavior by dams was found to predict the variability in "emotional" behavior (in open field) for AFR and EH pups but not MS & MPS pups. Future studies employing these paradigms in inbred mice must examine individual differences in maternal care and its relationship to offspring behavioral development.
Aplasia of the Cochlea: Radiologic Assessment and Options for Hearing Rehabilitation

Objective Hearing rehabilitation of patients with severe inner ear malformations remains controversial. Our objective was to describe the radiologic findings of aplasia of the cochlea (AC) and evaluate the existing therapeutic options in such patients. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary referral center. Patients Pediatric and adult patients with AC evaluated at our institution from 1995 to 2010. Interventions The precise radiologic findings were identified using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the inner ear. In cases of auditory implantation on the AC side, the achieved outcome was recorded using categories of auditory performance (CAP). Related surgical aspects were analyzed. Results Twenty-three patients (28 ears) with AC were found. In 5 patients AC was bilateral. The remaining unilateral cases had contralateral normal ears (2 patients), cochlea hypoplasia (5 patients), common cavity (6 patients), incomplete partition Type I (4 patients), and atresia of the internal auditory canal (1 patient). Four patients (3 bilateral, 1 unilateral ACs) were treated with cochlear implants in ears with AC, and 1 patient underwent auditory brainstem implantation. All implanted patients achieved speech perception with limited vocabulary (CAP scores between 4 and 5). Conclusion AC is defined as the total absence of the cochlea, with a present, although malformed, vestibule. Although a distinct auditory nerve was not seen in these cases of AC, results following cochlear implantation suggest functional cochlear nerve fibers in the remaining dysplastic inner ear structures. In selected cases, cochlear implantation may be a reasonable option for the habilitation of deafness associated with AC.
Two Alkaloids from Bulbs of Lycoris sanguinea MAXIM. Suppress PEPCK Expression by Inhibiting the Phosphorylation of CREB

In the fasting state, gluconeogenesis is upregulated by glucagon. Glucagon stimulates cyclic adenosine monophosphate production, which induces the expression of key enzymes for gluconeogenesis, such as cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK‐C), which are involved in gluconeogenesis through the protein kinase A/cAMP response element‐binding protein (CREB) pathway. Using a luciferase reporter gene assay, a methanol extract of the bulbs of Lycoris sanguinea MAXIM. var. kiushiana Makino was found to suppress cAMP‐enhanced PEPCK‐C promoter activity. In addition, two alkaloids, lycoricidine and lycoricidinol, in the extract were identified as active constituents. In forskolin‐stimulated human hepatoma cells, these alkaloids suppressed the expression of a reporter gene under the control of cAMP response element and also prevented increases in the endogenous levels of phosphorylated CREB and PEPCK mRNA expression. These results suggest that lycoricidine and lycoricidinol suppress PEPCK‐C expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of CREB and may thus have the potential to prevent excessive gluconeogenesis in type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Peer Effects in North Carolina Public Schools

We use administrative data covering all public school students in the state of North Carolina to estimate the relationship between peer characteristics and student achievement. In models defining peer groups at the classroom level and employing school fixed effects, we find a significant positive relationship between peer ability, as measured by 3 rd grade standardized test scores, and 5 th grade achievement. We also find that greater dispersion in peer ability predicts higher math test scores. We estimate a significant positive impact of 5 th grade peer characteristics carrying forward to the 6 th , 7 th and 8 th grades. Concerns of endogenous selection into peer groups are very important in this study. While the use of school fixed effects does not substantially affect our peer characteristic coefficients, alternative specifications that exploit changes in school composition associated with the redrawing of attendance zone boundaries show no significant impact of changes in peer group composition on changes in achievement.
Switched snubber for high frequency switching

A novel snubber circuit for high-frequency PWM (pulse width modulations) DC-to-DC and DC-to-AC converters is presented. The snubber is a series circuit of a capacitor and a snubber switch which is connected across the main switch. The main switch and the snubber switch are switched alternately with a short dead time. The condition of zero-voltage switching is satisfied both in the main switch and the snubber switch by applying the switched snubber. The turn-off surge due to parasitic inductance in the circuit and the recovery of the diode are eliminated by the switched snubber without increasing the voltage stress and the conduction losses in the main switch. <<ETX>>
Prediction of Human Pharmacokinetics From Preclinical Information: Comparative Accuracy of Quantitative Prediction Approaches

Quantitative prediction of human pharmacokinetics is critical in assessing the viability of drug candidates and in determining first‐in‐human dosing. Numerous prediction methodologies, incorporating both in vitro and preclinical in vivo data, have been developed in recent years, each with advantages and disadvantages. However, the lack of a comprehensive data set, both preclinical and clinical, has limited efforts to evaluate the optimal strategy (or strategies) that results in quantitative predictions of human pharmacokinetics. To address this issue, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis using 50 proprietary compounds for which in vitro, preclinical pharmacokinetic data and oral single‐dose human pharmacokinetic data were available. Five predictive strategies, involving either allometry or use of unbound intrinsic clearance from microsomes or hepatocytes, were then compared for their ability to predict human oral clearance, half‐life through predictions of systemic clearance, volume of distribution, and bioavailability. Use of a single‐species scaling approach with rat, dog, or monkey was as accurate as or more accurate than using multiple‐species allometry. For those compounds cleared almost exclusively by P450‐mediated pathways, scaling from human liver microsomes was as predictive as single‐species scaling of clearance based on data from rat, dog, or monkey. These data suggest that use of predictive methods involving either single‐species in vivo data or in vitro human liver microsomes can quantitatively predict human in vivo pharmacokinetics and suggest the possibility of streamlining the predictive methodology through use of a single species or use only of human in vitro microsomal preparations.
Première expérience professionnelle avant le diplôme. Quelle insertion pour les étudiants de second cycle universitaire

Le manque d'experience professionnelle est la raison generalement evoquee pour expliquer le chomage des jeunes. Les etudiants ayant commence a travailler avant la fin de leurs etudes sont-ils pour autant avantages? Cette premiere activite est-elle vue comme une acquisition d'experience professionnelle? L'etude montre que les modes d'acces a l'emploi varient fortement suivant les publics, puisque le travail en cours d'etudes se prolonge quelques temps apres la "sortie" de l'universite, rendant ainsi la cohorte tres heterogene vis a vis des conditions d'insertion professionnelle.
Risk factors for renal osteodystrophy: A multivariant analysis

To assess the risk factors associated with renal osteodystrophy, we examined the database of 256 patients who were prospectively studied in three Toronto dialysis centers between October of 1987 and 1989. The potential risk factors examined included age, sex, type and duration of dialysis, type and dose of phosphate binders, vitamin D treatment, and history of diabetes mellitus, renal allograft failure, parathyroidectomy, and bilateral nephrectomy. All patients had undergone a bone biopsy and were categorized into one of four disease groupings: (1) osteitis fibrosa and mixed bone disease, (2) aluminum bone disease, (3) mild bone disorder, and (4) aplastic bone disorder. The mean (±SD) age of the patients at bone biopsy was 57 ± 15 years, and 62% were men. Forty‐five percent of patients were treated by hemodialysis and 55% by peritoneal dialysis. The mean duration of dialysis was 4 ± 4 years. Twenty‐five percent were also diabetic. The most common disorder was the aplastic (or “adynamic”) bone disorder, found in 34% of patients. Aluminum bone disease was found in 27%, osteitis fibrosa or mixed bone disease in 27%, and mild bone disorder in 12% of patients. Cumulative intake of aluminum gels was associated with aluminum bone disease, whereas peritoneal dialysis with supraphysiologic calcium concentrations, ingestion of calcium carbonate, and diabetes mellitus were associated with both mild bone disorder and aplastic bone disorder. These three latter risk factors may be important in predisposing patients to a low bone turnover state through modulation of parathyroid hormone secretion. Thus, recent increases in the frequencies of these risk factors in dialysis patients are associated with a high prevalence of aplastic bone disorder. The clinical significance of this bone disorder remains to be defined.