Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An information plane for internet applications

Over the last few years, several new applications have emerged on the Internet that are distributed at a scale previously unseen. Examples include peer-to-peer filesharing, content distribution networks, and voice-over-IP. This new class of distributed applications can make intelligent choices among the several paths available to them to optimize their performance. However, as a result of the best-effort packet forwarding interface exported by the Internet, applications need to explicitly measure the network to discover information about any path. Not only does measurement at the time of communication impose a significant overhead on most applications, but it is also redundant to have every application reimplement an Internet measurement component. In this dissertation, I design, build, and evaluate an information plane for the Internet, called iPlane, that enables distributed applications to discover information about Internet paths without explicit measurement. iPlane efficiently performs measurements from end-hosts under its control to predict path properties on the Internet between arbitrary end-hosts. I pursue a structural approach in issuing and synthesizing measurements—instead of using only end-to-end measurements and thus treating the Internet as a blackbox, I discover the Internet's routing topology and then compose measurements of links and path segments. This structural approach enables iPlane to predict multiple path properties, such as latency and loss rate. My evaluation of iPlane shows that iPlane's predictions of paths and path properties are accurate, significantly better than previous approaches for some of the sub-problems that iPlane tackles. Also, I used information from iPlane to drive path selection in three representative distributed applications—content distribution, peer-to-peer filesharing, and voice-over-IP. In each case, the use of iPlane helped significantly improve application performance.
Toward a paradigm shift in comparative phylogeography driven by trait-based hypotheses

For three decades, comparative phylogeography has conceptually and methodologically relied on the concordance criterion for providing insights into the historical/biogeographic processes driving population genetic structure and divergence. Here we discuss how this emphasis, and the corresponding lack of methods for extracting information about biotic/intrinsic contributions to patterns of genetic variation, may bias our general understanding of the factors driving genetic structure. Specifically, this emphasis has promoted a tendency to attribute discordant phylogeographic patterns to the idiosyncracies of history, as well as an adherence to generic null expectations of concordance with reduced predictive power. We advocate that it is time for a paradigm shift in comparative phylogeography, especially given the limited utility of the concordance criterion as genomic data provide ever-increasing levels of resolution. Instead of adhering to the concordance-discordance dichotomy, comparative phylogeography needs to emphasize the contribution of taxon-specific traits that will determine whether concordance is a meaningful criterion for evaluating hypotheses or may predict discordant phylogeographic structure. Through reference to some case studies we illustrate how refined hypotheses based on taxon-specific traits can provide improved predictive frameworks to forecast species responses to climatic change or biogeographic barriers while gaining unique insights about the taxa themselves and their interactions with their environment. We outline a potential avenue toward a synthetic comparative phylogeographic paradigm that includes addressing some important conceptual and methodological challenges related to study design and application of model-based approaches for evaluating support of trait-based hypotheses under the proposed paradigm.
Postoperative opioid use as an early indication of total hip arthroplasty failure

Background and purpose — A criticism of total hip arthroplasty (THA) survivorship analysis is that revisions are a late and rare outcome. We investigated whether prolonged opioid use is a possible indicator of early THA failure. Patients and methods — We conducted a cohort study of THAs registered in a total joint replacement registry from January 2008 to December 2011. 12,859 patients were evaluated. The median age was 67 years and 58% were women. Opioid use in the year after surgery was the exposure of interest, and the cumulative daily amounts of oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) were calculated. Post-THA OMEs per 90 day periods were categorized into quartiles. The endpoints were 1- and 5-year revisions. Results — After the first 90 days, 27% continued to use opioids. The revision rate was 0.9% within a year and 1.7% within 5 years. Use of medium-low (100–219 mg), medium-high (220–533 mg), and high (≥ 534 mg) amounts of OMEs in days 91–180 after surgery was associated with a 6 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 3–15), 5 times (CI: 2–13), and 11 times (CI: 2.9–44) higher adjusted risk of 1 year revision, respectively. The use of medium-low and medium-high amounts of OMEs in days 181–270 after surgery was associated with a 17 times (CI: 6–44) and 14 times (95% CI: 4–46) higher adjusted risk of 1-year revision. There was a similar higher risk of 5-year revision. Interpretation — Persistent postoperative use of opioids was associated with revision THA surgery in this cohort, and it may be an early indicator of potential surgical failures.
The Branching Gene RAMOSUS1 Mediates Interactions among Two Novel Signals and Auxin in Pea

In Pisum sativum, the RAMOSUS genes RMS1, RMS2, and RMS5 regulate shoot branching via physiologically defined mobile signals. RMS1 is most likely a carotenoid cleavage enzyme and acts with RMS5 to control levels of an as yet unidentified mobile branching inhibitor required for auxin inhibition of branching. Our work provides molecular, genetic, and physiological evidence that RMS1 plays a central role in a shoot-to-root-to-shoot feedback system that regulates shoot branching in pea. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) positively regulates RMS1 transcript level, a potentially important mechanism for regulation of shoot branching by IAA. In addition, RMS1 transcript levels are dramatically elevated in rms3, rms4, and rms5 plants, which do not contain elevated IAA levels. This degree of upregulation of RMS1 expression cannot be achieved in wild-type plants by exogenous IAA application. Grafting studies indicate that an IAA-independent mobile feedback signal contributes to the elevated RMS1 transcript levels in rms4 plants. Therefore, the long-distance signaling network controlling branching in pea involves IAA, the RMS1 inhibitor, and an IAA-independent feedback signal. Consistent with physiological studies that predict an interaction between RMS2 and RMS1, rms2 mutations appear to disrupt this IAA-independent regulation of RMS1 expression.
RT @News

News agencies regularly use Twitter to publicize and increase readership of their articles. Although substantial research on the spread of news on Twitter exists, there hasn't been much focus on the study of the spread of news articles. In this study, we present an innovative methodology involving weighted ego networks to understand how news agencies propagate news articles using their Twitter handle. We propose a set of measures to compare the propagation process of different news agencies by studying important aspects such as volume, extent of spread, conversion rate, multiplier effect, lifespan, hourly response, and audience participation. Using a dataset of tweets collected over a period of 6 months, we apply our methodology and suggest a framework to help news agencies gauge their performance on social media and also provide critical insights into the phenomenon of news article propagation on Twitter.
On the Sequence of Consecutive Powers of a Matrix in a Boolean Algebra

In this paper we consider the sequence of consecutive powers of a matrix in a Boolean algebra. We characterize the ultimate behavior of this sequence, we study the transient part of the sequence, and we derive upper bounds for the length of this transient part. We also indicate how these results can be used in the analysis of Markov chains and in max-plus algebraic system theory for discrete event systems.
FLEXIVE AND PROPULSIVE DYNAMICS OF ELASTICA AT LOW REYNOLDS NUMBER

A stiff one-armed swimmer in glycerine goes nowhere, but if its arm is elastic, exerting a restorative torque proportional to local curvature, the swimmer can go on its way. Considering this happy consequence and the principles of elasticity, we study a hyperdiffusion equation for the shape of the elastica in viscous flow, find solutions for impulsive or oscillatory forcing, and elucidate relevant aspects of propulsion. These results have application in a variety of physical and biological contexts, from dynamic biopolymer bending experiments to instabilities of elastic filaments.
Modulation of diabetes-mellitus-induced male reproductive dysfunctions in experimental animal models with medicinal plants

Today diabetes mellitus has emerged as a major healthcare problem throughout the world. It has recently broken the age barrier and has been diagnosed in younger people also. Sustained hyperglycemia is associated with many complications including male reproductive dysfunctions and infertility. Numerous medicinal plants have been used for the management of the diabetes mellitus in various traditional system of medicine and in folklore worldwide as they are a rich source of bioactive phytoconstituents, which lower blood glucose level and/or also act as antioxidants resulting in the amelioration of oxidative-stress-induced diabetic complications. The present review describes the ameliorative effects of medicinal plants or their products, especially on male reproductive dysfunctions, in experimental diabetic animal models.
Relationships Between Serum Testosterone, Cortisol, and Weightlifting Performance

Elite and nonelite junior weightlifters (nonelite: n = 14, X ± SE, age = 17.2 ± 0.4 years; elite: n = 8, age = 18.4 ± 0.4 years) performed identical training programs for 4 weeks. Pre-and postexercise serum samples were collected before and after 1 week of high-volume training and after 3 weeks of normal-volume training. The percent change (%D) in preexercise testosterone/cortisol exhibited different correlations (p <0.05), with %D weightlifting performance for each training phase and each group (high volume nonelite: r =-0.70; high volume elite: r = 0.00; normal volume nonelite: r = 0.51; normal volume elite: r = 0.92). Correlations for %D testosterone or cortisol and weightlifting performance exhibited no discernible pattern. These data indicate that preexercise testosterone/cortisol of these weightlifters reflect the short-term training volumes and is correlated to changes in competitive weightlifting performances. Furthermore, based on hormonal profiles and weightlifting performances, elite weightlifters appeared to better tolerate high-volume training than nonelite weightlifters.
Presetting Basal Ganglia for Volitional Actions

The basal ganglia (BG) have been considered as a key structure for volitional action preparation. Neurons in the striatum, the main BG input stage, increase activity gradually before volitional action initiation. However, because of the diversity of striatal motor commands, such as automatic (sensory driven) and volitional (internally driven) actions, it is still unclear whether an appropriate set of neurons encoding volitional actions are activated selectively for volitional action preparation. Here, using the antisaccade paradigm (look away from a visual stimulus), we dissociated neurons in the caudate nucleus, the oculomotor striatum, encoding predominantly automatic saccades toward the stimulus and volitional saccades in the opposite direction of the stimulus in monkeys. We found that before actual saccade directions were defined by visual stimulus appearance, neurons encoding volitional saccades increased activity with elapsed time from fixation initiation and by a temporal gap between fixation point disappearance and stimulus appearance. Their activity was further enhanced by an antisaccade instruction and correlated with antisaccade behavior. Neurons encoding automatic saccades also increased activity with elapsed time from fixation initiation and by a fixation gap. However, the activity of this type of neuron was not enhanced by an antisaccade instruction nor correlated with antisaccade behavior. We conclude that caudate neurons integrate nonspatial signals, such as elapsed time from fixation initiation, fixation gap, and task instructions, to preset BG circuits in favor of volitional actions to compete against automatic actions even before automatic and volitional commands are programmed with spatial information.
Amniotic fluid beta-endorphin: a prognostic marker for gastroschisis?

PURPOSE The aim of this work was to study amniotic fluid beta-endorphin as a potential predictor for postnatal morbidity in gastroschisis. METHODS Beta-endorphin was assayed in 43 amniotic fluid samples from 13 pregnant women with fetal gastroschisis undergoing diagnostic amniocentesis or therapeutic amnioinfusion and compared with 33 controls. Within the gastroschisis group, the authors investigated the relationship between postnatal morbidity and the peak value of amniotic fluid beta-endorphin (AFBE). RESULTS Ten AFBE values in 6 cases of gastroschisis were above the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval derived from controls. Postnatal morbidity was significantly higher when peak AFBE exceeded 10 microg/L (n = 4 pregnancies) compared with below 5 microg/L (n = 9 pregnancies), as shown by mean duration of mechanical ventilation (15.2 v 3 days; P =.01), of parenteral feeding (77 v. 18.7 days; P =.04), and of hospitalization (84 v 32.2 days; P =.04). There was no statistically significant association between postnatal morbidity markers and prenatal dilation of fetal bowel. CONCLUSIONS The most severe cases of gastroschisis are associated with high levels of AFBE. The authors speculate that this fetal hormonal response could result from stress or pain caused by prenatal bowel damage.
Exploring how the school context mediates intern learning in underserved rural border schools

This research used poststructural theories to examine a crucial issue of teacher-learning in rural border schools that are under pressure from high-stakes school accountability, fewer resources, and significant numbers of English language learners (ELLs). The methodology was based on a multiple case study of four intern teachers who participated in the research for 16 weeks. The sources of data included classroom observation, interview, reflective essay, and field note. The findings showed that the interns deconstructed teacher-learning and constructed ways of teaching within contradictory and conflicting school policies and practices.
Peripheral Inflammation Facilitates Aβ Fiber-Mediated Synaptic Input to the Substantia Gelatinosa of the Adult Rat Spinal Cord

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons in thick adult rat transverse spinal cord slices with attached dorsal roots to study changes in fast synaptic transmission induced by peripheral inflammation. In slices from naive rats, primary afferent stimulation at Aβ fiber intensity elicited polysynaptic EPSCs in only 14 of 57 (25%) SG neurons. In contrast, Aβ fiber stimulation evoked polysynaptic EPSCs in 39 of 62 (63%) SG neurons recorded in slices from rats inflamed by an intraplantar injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) 48 hr earlier (p < 0.001). Although the peripheral inflammation had no significant effect on the threshold and conduction velocities of Aβ, Aδ, and C fibers recorded in dorsal roots, the mean threshold intensity for eliciting EPSCs was significantly lower in cells recorded from rats with inflammation (naive: 33.2 ± 15.1 μA, n = 57; inflamed: 22.8 ± 11.3 μA, n = 62,p < 0.001), and the mean latency of EPSCs elicited by Aβ fiber stimulation in CFA-treated rats was significantly shorter than that recorded from naive rats (3.3 ± 1.8 msec,n = 36 vs 6.0 ± 3.5 msec,n = 12; p = 0.010). Aβ fiber stimulation evoked polysynaptic IPSCs in 4 of 25 (16%) cells recorded from naive rat preparations and 14 of 26 (54%) SG neurons from CFA-treated rats (p < 0.001). The mean threshold intensity for IPSCs was also significantly lower in CFA-treated rats (naive: 32.5 ± 15.7 μA, n= 25; inflamed: 21.9 ± 9.9 μA, n = 26,p = 0.013). The facilitation of Aβ fiber-mediated input into the substantia gelatinosa after peripheral inflammation may contribute to altered sensory processing.
Alternative trans‐splicing: a novel mode of pre‐mRNA processing

Alternative splicing is an important process contributing to proteome diversity without involving an increase in the number of genes. In some cases, alternative splicing is carried out under ‘trans‐mode’, called alternative trans‐splicing, in which exons located on separate pre‐mRNA molecules are selectively joined to produce mature mRNAs encoding proteins with distinct structures and functions. However, it is not known how widespread or how frequently trans‐splicing occurs in vivo. Recently, trans‐allelic trans‐splicing has been unambiguously demonstrated in Drosophila using a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) as a marker. In this review, we provide an overview of alternative trans‐splicing in Drosophila and mammals, and discuss its mechanisms.
Comparison of atrial signal extraction algorithms in 12-lead ECGs with atrial fibrillation

Analysis of atrial rhythm is important in the treatment and management of patients with atrial fibrillation. Several algorithms exist for extracting the atrial signal from the electrocardiogram (ECG) in atrial fibrillation, but there are few reports on how well these techniques are able to recover the atrial signal. We assessed and compared three algorithms for extracting the atrial signal from the 12-lead ECG. The 12-lead ECGs of 30 patients in atrial fibrillation were analyzed. Atrial activity was extracted by three algorithms, Spatiotemporal QRST cancellation (STC), principal component analysis (PCA), and independent component analysis (ICA). The amplitude and frequency characteristics of the extracted atrial signals were compared between algorithms and against reference data. Mean (standard deviation) amplitude of QRST segments of V1 was 0.99 (0.54) mV, compared to 0.18 (0.11) mV (STC), 0.19 (0.13) mV (PCA), and 0.29 (0.22) mV (ICA). Hence, for all algorithms there were significant reductions in the amplitude of the ventricular activity compared with that in V1. Reference atrial signal amplitude in V1 was 0.18 (0.11) mV, compared to 0.17 (0.10) mV (STC), 0.12 (0.09) mV (PCA), and 0.18 (0.13) mV (ICA) in the extracted atrial signals. PCA tended to attenuate the atrial signal in these segments. There were no significant differences for any of the algorithms when comparing the amplitude of the reference atrial signal with that of the extracted atrial signals in segments in which ventricular activity had been removed. There were no significant differences between algorithms in the frequency characteristics of the extracted atrial signals. There were discrepancies in amplitude and frequency characteristics of the atrial signal in only a few cases resulting from notable residual ventricular activity for PCA and ICA algorithms. In conclusion, the extracted atrial signals from these algorithms exhibit very similar amplitude and frequency characteristics. Users of these algorithms should be observant of residual ventricular activities which can affect the analysis of the fibrillatory waveform in clinical practice.
Does a decade make a difference? A second look at western women working in Japan

Purpose – To assess changes over the past decade in the self‐reported levels of adjustment, job performance, and professional acceptance of western women professionals working in Japan.Design/methodology/approach – Napier and Taylor's benchmark 1995 study of western women working in Japan is replicated ten years later on a similar sample group of women in Japan. Questionnaire responses to questions about cultural adjustment, job performance, and professional acceptance are compared for the original and new samples.Findings – Despite increased westernization of business practices in Japan and a greater representation of Japanese women in management positions, no statistically significant change is found in the scores for the three measures examined over the ten year period. The incidence of formal training, preparation, and support provided by employers was higher for the more recent sample.Research limitations/implications – The sample size is relatively small and represents only women in the Tokyo area, .
Modulation of morphine tolerance by the competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist LY274614: assessment of opioid receptor changes.

Recent reports have demonstrated that the coadministration of morphine with an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist can attenuate and/or reverse the development of morphine tolerance. In the present study we used an experimental tolerance paradigm using morphine pellets (75 mg) to produce an 1-fold shift in the morphine dose-response curve in rats. Coadministration of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist LY274614 [(+-)-6-phosphonomethyl-decahydroisoquinolin-3-carboxylic acid] via continuous s.c. infusion (24 mg/kg/24 hr) significantly attenuated the development of morphine tolerance. In addition, animals made tolerant to morphine and then infused with LY274614 (24 mg/kg/24 hr) regained their analgesic sensitivity to morphine more rapidly than morphine-tolerant animals given a saline infusion. To determine whether LY274614 treatment modifies the subsequent development of tolerance, LY274614 was administered to nontolerant animals for 1 week. One week after LY274614 treatment was discontinued the animals were challenged with morphine and then implanted with morphine pellets. Neither the expression of morphine analgesia nor the development of morphine tolerance differed when LY274614- and saline-treated animals were compared. The infusion of LY274614 for 7 days did not increase the affinity or density of mu, delta, kappa-1 or kappa-3 opioid receptors in rat brain homogenates as measured by ligand binding assays. Additionally, the IC50 values for LY274614 in mu-1, mu-2, delta, kappa-1 or kappa-3 ligand binding assays were greater than 10 microM. Taken together these results demonstrate that the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist LY274614 can both attenuate and reverse the development of morphine tolerance. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cartesian Kernel: An Efficient Alternative to the Pairwise Kernel

Pairwise classification has many applications including network prediction, entity resolution, and collaborative filtering. The pairwise kernel has been proposed for those purposes by several research groups independently, and has been used successfully in several fields. In this paper, we propose an efficient alternative which we call a Cartesian kernel. While the existing pairwise kernel (which we refer to as the Kronecker kernel) can be interpreted as the weighted adjacency matrix of the Kronecker product graph of two graphs, the Cartesian kernel can be interpreted as that of the Cartesian graph, which is more sparse than the Kronecker product graph. We discuss the generalization bounds of the two pairwise kernels by using eigenvalue analysis of the kernel matrices. Also, we consider the N-wise extensions of the two pairwise kernels. Experimental results show the Cartesian kernel is much faster than the Kronecker kernel, and at the same time, competitive with the Kronecker kernel in predictive performance.