Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Multi-hop Energy-efficient Sleeping MAC Protocol based on TDMA Scheduling for Wireless Mesh Sensor Networks

Abstract—Based on Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) theory, according to the characteristics of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) clustering topology, WSN and WMN are combined to construct Wireless Mesh Sensor Network (WMSN) topology. In order to improve the performance of energy-efficiency, throughput and delay in WMSN, this paper designs a Multi-hop TDMA Energy-efficient Sleeping MAC (MT-MAC) protocol and gives the performance simulation with MATLAB. In MT-MAC, a TDMA frame was divided into a number of time slots for sensor nodes in WMSN to send or receive data packets. As the simulation result shows, compared with SMAC protocol, MT-MAC not only saves 25% energy consumption of the network, but also decreases 45% latency of the whole network.
ATM-heterozygous germline mutations contribute to breast cancer-susceptibility.

Approximately 0.5%-1% of the general population has been estimated to be heterozygous for a germline mutation in the ATM gene. Mutations in the ATM gene are responsible for the autosomal recessive disorder ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) (MIM 208900). The finding that ATM-heterozygotes have an increased relative risk for breast cancer was supported by some studies but not confirmed by others. In view of this discrepancy, we examined the frequency of ATM germline mutations in a selected group of Dutch patients with breast cancer. We have analyzed ATM germline mutations in normal blood lymphocytes, using the protein-truncation test followed by genomic-sequence analysis. A high percentage of ATM germline mutations was demonstrated among patients with sporadic breast cancer. The 82 patients included in this study had developed breast cancer at age <45 and had survived >/=5 years (mean 15 years), and in 33 (40%) of the patients a contralateral breast tumor had been diagnosed. Among these patients we identified seven (8.5%) ATM germline mutations, of which five are distinct. One splice-site mutation (IVS10-6T-->G) was detected three times in our series. Four heterozygous carriers were patients with bilateral breast cancer. Our results indicate that the mutations identified in this study are "A-T disease-causing" mutations that might be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in heterozygotes. We conclude that ATM heterozygotes have an approximately ninefold-increased risk of developing a type of breast cancer characterized by frequent bilateral occurrence, early age at onset, and long-term survival. The specific characteristics of our population of patients may explain why such a high frequency was not found in other series.
Wireless integrated network sensors

W ireless integrated network sensors (WINS) provide distributed network and Internet access to sensors, controls, and processors deeply embedded in equipment, facilities, and the environment. The WINS network represents a new monitoring and control capability for applications in such industries as transportation, manufacturing, health care, environmental oversight, and safety and security. WINS combine microsensor technology and low-power signal processing, computation, and low-cost wireless networking in a compact system. Recent advances in integrated circuit technology have enabled construction of far more capable yet inexpensive sensors, radios, and processors, allowing mass production of sophisticated systems linking the physical world to digital data networks [2–5]. Scales range from local to global for applications in medicine, security, factory automation, environmental monitoring, and condition-based maintenance. Compact geometry and low cost allow WINS to be embedded and distributed at a fraction of the cost of conventional wireline sensor and actuator systems. WINS opportunities depend on development of a scalable, low-cost, sensor-network architecture. Such applications require delivery of sensor information to the user at a low bit rate through low-power transceivers. Continuous sensor signal processing enables the constant monitoring of events in an environment in which short message packets would suffice. Future applications of distributed embedded processors and sensors will require vast numbers of devices. Conventional methods of sensor networking represent an impractical demand on cable installation and network bandwidth. Processing at the source would drastically reduce the financial, computational, and management burden on communication system
The Moral Advantage: How to Succeed in Business by Doing the Right Thing

Introduction: Purpose and Success in Business 1. Leading Lights 2. The Moral Advantage 3. Moral Imagination: Acts of Creation 4. Moral Imagination: Role-taking, Empathy, and the Golden Rule 5. Real Ethics 6. Real Philanthropy 7. Forging a Moral Identity in Business
Input-specific excitation of olfactory cortex microcircuits

Every higher-order association cortex receives a variety of synaptic signals from different regions of the brain. How these cortical networks are capable of differentially responding to these various extrinsic synaptic inputs remains unclear. To address this issue, we studied how the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the anterior piriform cortex (aPC) were functionally connected to the association olfactory cortex, the posterior piriform cortex (pPC). We infected the BLA and aPC with adeno-associated virus expressing channelrhodopsin-2-Venus fusion protein (ChR2-AAV) and recorded the excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSC) resulting from photostimulation of either BLA or aPC axons in the major classes of excitatory and inhibitory neurons of the pPC. We found that BLA and aPC axons evoked monosynaptic EPSCs in every type of pPC neuron, but each fiber system preferentially targeted one excitatory and one inhibitory neuronal subtype. BLA fibers were most strongly connected to deep pyramidal cells (DP) and fast-spiking interneurons (FS), while aPC axons formed the strongest synaptic connections with DPs and irregular-spiking interneurons (IR). Overall, our findings show that the pPC differentially responds to amygdaloid versus cortical inputs by utilizing distinct local microcircuits, each defined by one predominant interneuronal subtype: FS for the BLA and IR for the aPC. It would thus seem that preferential excitation of a single neuronal class could be sufficient for the pPC to generate unique electrophysiological outputs in response to divergent synaptic input sources.
A temperature shock can lead to trans-generational immune priming in the Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Trans-generational immune priming (TGIP) describes the transfer of immune stimulation to the next generation. As stress and immunity are closely connected, we here address the question whether trans-generational effects on immunity and resistance can also be elicited by a nonpathogen stress treatment of parents. General stressors have been shown to induce immunity to pathogens within individuals. However, to our knowledge, it is as of yet unknown whether stress can also induce trans-generational effects on immunity and resistance. We exposed a parental generation (mothers, fathers, or both parents) of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, a species where TGIP has been previously been demonstrated, to either a brief heat or cold shock and examined offspring survival after bacterial infection with the entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis. We also studied phenoloxidase activity, a key enzyme of the insect innate immune system that has previously been demonstrated to be up-regulated upon TGIP. We quantified parental fecundity and offspring developmental time to evaluate whether trans-generational priming might have costs. Offspring resistance was found to be significantly increased when both parents received a cold shock. Offspring phenoloxidase activity was also higher when mothers or both parents were cold-shocked. By contrast, parental heat shock reduced offspring phenoloxidase activity. Moreover, parental cold or heat shock delayed offspring development. In sum, we conclude that trans-generational priming for resistance could not only be elicited by pathogens or pathogen-derived components, but also by more general cues that are indicative of a stressful environment. The interaction between stress responses and the immune system might play an important role also for trans-generational effects.
Immunopathologic Effects of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Murine Mycobacterial Infection Are Dose Dependent

ABSTRACT In experimental mycobacterial infection, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is required for control of bacillary growth and the protective granulomatous response, but may cause immunopathology. To directly examine the positive and detrimental effects of this cytokine, a murine model was used in which different amounts of TNF-α were delivered to the site of infection. Mice with a disruption in the TNF-α gene (TNF-KO) or wild-type mice were infected with low or high doses of recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG that secreted murine TNF-α (BCG-TNF). Infection of TNF-KO mice with BCG containing the vector (BCG-vector) at a low dose led to increased bacillary load in all organs and an extensive granulomatous response in the lungs and spleen. The mice succumbed to the infection by ∼40 days. However, when TNF-KO mice were infected with low doses of BCG-TNF, bacillary growth was controlled, granulomas were small and well differentiated, the spleen was not enlarged, and the mice survived. Infection with high inocula of BCG-TNF resulted in bacterial clearance, but was accompanied by severe inflammation in the lungs and spleen and earlier death compared to the results from the mice infected with high inocula of BCG-vector. Wild-type mice controlled infection with either recombinant strain, but showed decreased survival following high-dose BCG-TNF infection. The effects of TNF-α required signaling through an intact receptor, since the differential effects were not observed when TNF-α receptor-deficient mice were infected. The results suggest that the relative amount of TNF-α at the site of infection determines whether the cytokine is protective or destructive.
[Genetic Polymophism and Evolution of SRPN14 Gene in Anopheles sinensis (Diptera : Culicidae)].

OBJECTIVE To identify and locate the serine protease inhibitor 14 (SRPN14) gene of Anopheles sinensis, and analyze its genetic polymorphism among populations as well as the selective pressure during evolution. METHODS Primers were designed based on the genomic sequencing data of An. sinensis, and PCR amplification system for the SRPN14 gene was established. The chromosomal location of SRPN14 gene was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The SRPN14 gene of An. sinensis populations collected from 18 sampling sites in 12 provinces (municipality) was sequenced, its genetic variations within and among populations calculated, and the selective pressure during adaptive evolution evaluated. RESULTS The amplified part of the SRPN14 gene of An. sinensis was 429 bp in length, and had 77%(nt) and 88% (aa)similarities with An. gambiae. The SRPN14 gene located on 2L: 23C of salivary gland chromosomes of An. sinensis. The sequences of 411 individuals from 13 An. sinensis populations were analyzed. In the 411 individuals, the total number of alleles of the SRPN14 gene was 204, among which 51 (25.00% ) showed inter-population consistency. The ranges of SRPN14 allel number and genetic polymorphism were from 11 (Liaoning) to 33 (Chongqing), and from 0.008 (Liaoning) to 0.024 (Hainan), respectively. AMOVA result showed that genetic divergence within populations was significantly higher than that among populations; variation within populations was 95.79% of the total variation. The genetic divergence among populations was small, with FST value of 0.042. The number of synonymous substitutions in SRPN14 was significantly higher than that of non-synonymous substitutions sites, and ω was less than 1 in all populations. CONCLUSION Genetic polymorphism occurs in SRPN14 gene of An. sinensis populations, and its evolution is under the negative selective pressure.
Cracking network monitoring in DCNs with SDN

The outputs of network monitoring such as traffic matrix and elephant flow identification are essential inputs to many network operations and system designs in DCNs, but most solutions for network monitoring adopt direct measurements or inference alone, which may suffer from either high network overhead or low precision. Different from those approaches, we combine the direct measurements offered by software defined network (SDN) and inference techniques based on network tomography to derive a hybrid network monitoring scheme in this paper; it can strike a balance between measurement overhead and accuracy. Essentially, we use SDN to make the severely low determined network tomography (TM estimation) problem in DCNs to be a more determined one. Thus many classic network tomography algorithms in ISP networks become feasible for DCNs. By combining SDN with network tomography, we can also identify the elephant flows with high precision while occupying very little network resource. According to our experiment results, the accuracy of estimating the TM is far higher than those inferred by SNMP link counters only and the performance of identifying elephant flows is also very promising.
A Potential Role for the Inhibition of PI3K Signaling in Glioblastoma Therapy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor and among the most difficult to treat malignancies per se. In almost 90% of all GBM alterations in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR have been found, making this survival cascade a promising therapeutic target, particular for combination therapy that combines an apoptosis sensitizer, such as a pharmacological inhibitor of PI3K, with an apoptosis inducer, such as radio- or chemotherapy. However, while in vitro data focusing mainly on established cell lines has appeared rather promising, this has not translated well to a clinical setting. In this study, we analyze the effects of the dual kinase inhibitor PI-103, which blocks PI3K and mTOR activity, on three matched pairs of GBM stem cells/differentiated cells. While blocking PI3K-mediated signaling has a profound effect on cellular proliferation, in contrast to data presented on two GBM cell lines (A172 and U87) PI-103 actually counteracts the effect of chemotherapy. While we found no indications for a potential role of the PI3K signaling cascade in differentiation, we saw a clear and strong contribution to cellular motility and, by extension, invasion. While blocking PI3K-mediated signaling concurrently with application of chemotherapy does not appear to be a valid treatment option, pharmacological inhibitors, such as PI-103, nevertheless have an important place in future therapeutic approaches.
Proceedings of the 29th Large Installation System Administration Conference (lisa15) Conference Organizers Program Co-chairs Academic Co-chairs Invited Talks Co-chairs Lightning Talks Coordinator Workshops Chair Content Recruitment Team Usenix Board Liaisons Usenix Tutorials Staff Lisa Lab Chairs Li

In a virtualized environment, it is not difficult to retrieve guest OS information from its hypervisor. However, it is very challenging to retrieve information in the reverse direction, i.e., retrieve the hypervisor information from within a guest OS, which remains an open problem and has not yet been comprehensively studied before. In this paper, we take the initiative and study this reverse information retrieval problem. In particular, we investigate how to determine the host OS kernel version from within a guest OS. We observe that modern commodity hypervisors introduce new features and bug fixes in almost every new release. Thus, by carefully analyzing the seven-year evolution of Linux KVM development (including 3485 patches), we can identify 19 features and 20 bugs in the hypervisor detectable from within a guest OS. Building on our detection of these features and bugs, we present a novel framework called Hyperprobe that for the first time enables users in a guest OS to automatically detect the underlying host OS kernel version in a few minutes. We implement a prototype of Hyperprobe and evaluate its effectiveness in five real world clouds, including Google Compute Engine (a.k.a. Google Cloud), HP Helion Public Cloud, ElasticHosts, Joyent Cloud, and CloudSigma, as well as in a controlled testbed environment, all yielding promising results.
Simple Iterative Detection Schemes for ISI channels

In this paper, based on the application of the sum-product (SP) algorithm to factor graphs representing the joint a posteriori probability of the transmitted symbols, we propose new iterative softinput soft-output (SISO) detection schemes for intersymbol interference (ISI) channels. For sparse ISI channels, these algorithms have advantages in terms of complexity over optimal detection schemes based on the BCJR algorithm. They also allow a parallel implementation of the receiver and the possibility of a more efficient complexity reduction.
Characterization of alpha-actinin from Acanthamoeba.

Characterization of a protein from Acanthamoeba that was originally called gelation protein [T.D. Pollard, J. Biol. Chem. 256:7666-7670, 1981] has shown that it resembles the actin filament cross-linking protein, alpha-actinin, found in other cells. It comprises about 1.5% of the total amoeba protein and can be purified by chromatography with a yield of 13%. The native protein has a molecular weight of 180,000 and consists of two polypeptides of 90,000 Da. The Stokes' radius is 8.5 nm, the intrinsic viscosity is 0.35 dl/dm, and the extinction coefficient at 280 mm is 1.8 X 10(5)M-1 X cm-1. Electron micrographs of shadowed specimens show that the molecule is a rod 48 nm long and 7 nm wide with globular domains at both ends and in the middle of the shaft. On gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecylsulfate the pure protein can run as bands with apparent molecular weights of 60,000, 90,000, 95,000, or 134,000 depending on the method of sample preparation. Rabbit antibodies to electrophoretically purified Acanthamoeba alpha-actinin polypeptides react with all of these electrophoretic variants in samples of purified protein and cell extracts. By indirect fluorescent antibody staining of fixed amoebas, alpha-actinin is distributed throughout the cytoplasmic matrix and concentrated in the hyaline cytoplasm of the cortex. The protein cross-links actin filaments in the presence and absence of Ca++. It inhibits slightly the time course of the spontaneous polymerization of actin monomers but has no effect on the critical concentration for actin polymerization even though it increases the apparent rate of elongation to a small extent. Like some other cross-linking proteins, amoeba alpha-actinin inhibits the actin-activated ATPase of muscle myosin subfragment-1. Although Acanthamoeba alpha-actinin resembles the alpha-actinin from other cells in shape and ability to cross-link actin filaments, antibodies to amoeba and smooth muscle alpha-actinins do not cross react and there are substantial differences in the amino acid compositions and molecular dimensions.
Specificity and genetics of S-adenosylmethionine transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The specificity of a transport system for S-adenosylmethionine was determined through the use of structurally related derivatives. Of the compounds tested, the analogues S-adenosylethionine and S-inosylmethionine and the naturally occurring compounds S-adenosyl-(5')-3-methylthiopropylamine and S-adenosylhomocysteine competitively inhibited uptake of the sulfonium compound. Ki values for these compounds indicate that the order of affinity for the transport protein is S-adenosylmethionine congruent to S-adenosyl-(5')-3-methyl-thiopropylamine greater than S-adenosylethionine greater than S-inosylmethionine greater than S-adenosylhomocysteins. S-adenosyl-(2-hydroxy-4-methylthio)butyric acid exerted inhibition of a mixed type. S-insoyl-(2-hydroxy-4-methylthio)butyric acid, S-inosylhomocysteine, and S-ribosylhomocysteine were without effect. On the basis of the inhibition data, the methionine-amino, adenine-amino, and methyl groups were identified as group important in the binding of S-adenosylmethionine to the transport protein. Comparison is made with the specificities of various transmethylating enzymes utilizing S-adenosylmethionine. In addition, a number of conventional and temperature-sensitive S-adenosylmethionine transport mutants were isolated and analyzed in an attempt to identify the structural character of the specific transport protein(s). The data obtained suggest that only a single gene (a single polypeptide) is involved in specific S-adenosylmethionine transport. Apparent interallelic complementation supports the assumption that the functional form of the protein is composed of two or more copies of a monomer.
A family of intracardiac ultrasound imaging devices designed for guidance of electrophysiology ablation procedures

Our Bioengineering Research Partnership grant, ldquoHigh Frequency Ultrasound Arrays for Cardiac Imagingrdquo, including the individuals cited at the end of this paper - Douglas N. Stephens (UC Davis), Matthew O'Donnell (UW Seattle), Kai Thomenius (GE Global Research), Aaron M. Dentinger (GE Global Research), Douglas Wildes (GE Global Research), Peter Chen (St. Jude Medical), K. Kirk Shung (University of Southern California), Jonathan M. Cannata (University of Southern California), Butrus (Pierre) T. Khuri-Yakub (Stanford University), Omer Oralkan (Stanford University), Aman Mahajan (UCLA School of Medicine), Kalyanam Shivkumar (UCLA School of Medicine) and David J. Sahn (Oregon Health & Science University) - is in its sixth year of NIH funding, having proposed to develop a family of high frequency miniaturized forward and side-looking ultrasound imaging devices equipped with electrophysiology mapping and localization sensors and eventually to include a family of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) devices - a forward-looking cMUT MicroLinear array and a ring array capable of 3-dimensional imaging and a 5Fr lumen large enough to admit an electrode and ablation devices.
Embedding Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors to Obtain Online Pressure Profiles Inside Fiber Composite Laminates

The production of large and complex parts using fiber composite materials is costly due to the frequent formation of voids, porosity and waste products. By embedding different types of sensors and monitoring the process in real time, the amount of wastage can be significantly reduced. This work focuses on developing a knowledge-based method to improve and ensure complete impregnation of the fibers before initiation of the resin cure. Piezoresistive and capacitive pressure sensors were embedded in fiber composite laminates to measure the real-time the pressure values inside the laminate. A change of pressure indicates resin infusion. The sensors were placed in the laminate and the resin was infused by vacuum. The embedded piezoresistive pressure sensors were able to track the vacuum pressure in the fiber composite laminate setup, as well as the arrival of the resin at the sensor. The pressure increase due to closing the resin inlet was also measured. In contrast, the capacitive type of sensor was found to be inappropriate for measuring these quantities. The following study demonstrates real-time monitoring of pressure changes inside the fiber composite laminate, which validate the use of Darcy’s law in porous media to control the resin flow during infusion.