Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PS-DBSCAN: An Efficient Parallel DBSCAN Algorithm Based on Platform Of AI (PAI)

We present PS-DBSCAN, a communication efficient parallel DBSCAN algorithm that combines the disjoint-set data structure and Parameter Server framework in Platform of AI (PAI). Since data points within the same cluster may be distributed over different workers which result in several disjoint-sets, merging them incurs large communication costs. In our algorithm, we employ a fast global union approach to union the disjoint-sets to alleviate the communication burden. Experiments over the datasets of different scales demonstrate that PS-DBSCAN outperforms the PDSDBSCAN with 2-10 times speedup on communication efficiency. We have released our PS-DBSCAN in an algorithm platform called Platform of AI (PAI - https://pai.base.shuju.aliyun.com/) in Alibaba Cloud. We have also demonstrated how to use the method in PAI.
Loss of Photosynthetic Activity in Two Blue-Green Algae as a Result of Osmotic Stress

A progressive loss of photosynthetic activity occurred when cells of Anacystis nidulans and Coccochloris peniocystis were incubated in increasing concentrations of osmotica from 0.2 to 0.7 M, and there was a release of pteridine from the cells proportional to the loss of photosynthetic activity.
Women business owners: a source of stability during the great recession?

ABSTRACT During the period of the Great Recession, previous research has found that women-owned firms were less likely to lay-off workers than were firms owned by men. Given that the individual firm behaviour has a cumulative effect on regional economic performance, we expect greater stability across those regions with a larger share of women-owned and managed businesses. We test this hypothesis using US county data during the period from 2007 to 2013 at the US county level. Consistent with the findings of Matsa and Miller, our results suggest that regional economic stability increases with the share of women-owned and managed establishments.
Past, Current and Future Fire Frequency in the Canadian Boreal Forest: Implications for Sustainable Forest Management

Abstract Over the past decades, there has been an increasing interest in the development of forest management approaches that are based on an understanding of historical natural disturbance dynamics. The rationale for such an approach is that management to favor landscape compositions and stand structures similar to those of natural ecosystems should also maintain biological diversity and essential ecological functions. In fire-dominated landscapes, this approach is possible only if current and future fire frequencies are sufficiently low, comparing to pre-industrial fire frequency, that we can substitute fire by forest management. We address this question by comparing current and future fire frequency to historical reconstruction of fire frequency from studies realized in the Canadian boreal forest. Current and simulated future fire frequencies using 2 and 3 × CO2 scenarios are lower than the historical fire frequency for many sites, suggesting that forest management could potentially be used to recreate the forest age structure of fire-controlled pre-industrial landscapes. There are however, important limitations to the current even-age management.
Overproduction of a P450 that metabolizes diazinon is linked to a loss‐of‐function in the chromosome 2 ali‐esterase (MdαE7) gene in resistant house flies

Up‐regulation of detoxifying enzymes in insecticide‐resistant strains of the house fly is a common mechanism for metabolic resistance. However, the molecular basis of this increased insecticide metabolism is not well understood. In the multiresistant Rutgers strain, several cytochromes P450 and glutathione S‐transferases are constitutively overexpressed at the transcriptional level. Overexpression is the result of trans‐regulation, and a regulatory gene has been located on chromosome 2. A Gly137 to Asp point mutation in αE7 esterase gene, leading to the loss of carboxylesterase activity, has been associated with organophosphate resistance in the house fly and the sheep blowfly. We show here that purified recombinant CYP6A1 is able to detoxify diazinon with a high efficiency. We also show that either the Gly137 to Asp point mutation in αE7 esterase gene or a deletion at this locus confer resistance and overproduction of the CYP6A1 protein. Based on these findings, we propose it is the absence of the wild‐type Gly137 allele of the αE7 gene that releases the transcriptional repression of genes coding for detoxification enzymes such as CYP6A1, thereby leading to metabolic resistance to diazinon.
New Aspects of the Setting of Glass-ionomer Cements

For many years, glass-ionomer cements have been described as setting by the formation of a poly(acrylate) matrix. Recent research has suggested that a second reaction may be involved, namely, the formation of a silica matrix. So that this hypothesis could be tested, non-polymer cements, based on an ionomer glass plus acetic acid, were prepared and stored for up to six months. They were insoluble in water, and their compressive strength was found to increase rapidly over the period of storage. By contrast, the product of the reaction between ZnO and acetic acid was soluble in water. These results support the idea that there is a secondary setting reaction in glass ionomers and suggest that it is responsible for the increase in strength observed.
Bile duct cyst type V (Caroli's disease): surgical strategy and results.

BACKGROUND Caroli's disease (CD) is a benign congenital disorder characterized by segmental cystic dilatation of the intrahepatic biliary ducts. Therapeutic strategy includes medical treatment, percutaneous, endoscopic or surgical drainage of the affected bile ducts, liver resection or transplantation. The aim of this study was to analyse the results and long-term follow-up of a consecutive series of patients who underwent surgical treatment for CD. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 1995 and 2005, 10 patients were surgically treated for CD. Variables evaluated were: age, gender, clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, percutaneous and surgical treatments, histopathological analysis and outcome. RESULTS The average age of the patients was 45.8 years. Recurrent cholangitis was the main clinical manifestation (70%). In unilateral CD a liver resection was performed in nine patients (left lateral sectionectomy in seven, left hepatectomy in one and right hepatectomy in one). In bilateral disease a cholecystectomy, duct exploration, hepaticojejunostomy and liver biopsy of both lobes were performed. Average follow-up was 60 months. All the patients are alive and free of symptoms without recurrence in the remnant liver. DISCUSSION Liver resection is the preferred therapeutic option for unilateral CD, demonstrating good results in long-term follow-up. In bilateral disease, hepaticojejunostomy could be considered as an alternative or a previous step to liver transplantation, which still remains the ultimate option.
A simple distributed deadlock detection algorithm

The authors introduce a simple and basic distributed deadlock detection and resolution algorithm for the one-resource model of a distributed database system. The distribution database model upon which the algorithm is based is the model introduced by D.A. Menasce and R.R. Muntz (1979). The main contribution is the use of automata theory for modeling the formal specification of the algorithm. This mathematical model allows the development of an elegant and short proof of correctness. The algorithm reports all true deadlocks and generates a unique candidate for resolving the deadlock. <<ETX>>
Three‐dimensional print of a liver for preoperative planning in living donor liver transplantation

The growing demand for liver transplantation and the concomitant scarcity of cadaveric livers have increased the need for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Ensuring the safety of donors and recipients is critical. The preoperative identification of the vascular and biliary tract anatomy with 3‐dimensional (3D) printing may allow better preoperative surgical planning, avert unnecessary surgery in patients with potentially unsuitable anatomy, and thereby decrease the complications of liver transplant surgery. We developed a protocol and successfully 3D‐printed synthetic livers (along with their complex networks of vascular and biliary structures) replicating the native livers of 6 patients: 3 living donors and 3 respective recipients who underwent LDLT. To our knowledge, these are the first complete 3D‐printed livers. Using standardized preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative assessments, we demonstrated identical anatomical and geometrical landmarks in the 3D‐printed models and native livers. Liver Transpl 19:1304–1310, 2013. © 2013 AASLD.
Did anyone learn anything from the Equitable Life? Lessons and learning from financial crises

Richard is a specialist in financial history and author of many publications in this field. His histories of City investment bank Schroders was published in 1992 and of consortium bank Orion in 2001. His contemporary books Wall Street (2002) and The City (2008) are published by The Economist. Collaborations with David Kynaston include conferences and publications to mark the 300th anniversary of the Bank of England (1994), the abolition of UK exchange controls (1999) and the co-authored book City State (2003). He also works with City consultants providing long-term perspectives for their reports; he is an Associate of Lombard Street Research; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF). Acknowledgements All those who gave their valuable time to provide me with frank and illuminating insights. All those researchers who diligently trawled through the thousands and thousands of pages written about the financial crises of the new century. Guy Basnett for his unwavering level-headed analysis. Most of all to Paul McNamara who has been the perfect foil to me from the very beginning of this work. And, of course, to Sarah, Lily and Nancy for their support and forbearance.
Differential impact of lactose/lactase phenotype on colonic microflora.

BACKGROUND The ability to digest lactose divides the world's population into two phenotypes that may be risk variability markers for several diseases. Prebiotic effects likely favour lactose maldigesters who experience lactose spilling into their colon. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of fixed-dose lactose solutions on fecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in digesters and maldigesters, and to determine whether the concept of a difference in ability to digest lactose is supported. METHODS A four-week study was performed in 23 lactose maldigesters and 18 digesters. Following two weeks of dairy food withdrawal, subjects ingested 25 g of lactose twice a day for two weeks. Stool bifidobacteria and lactobacilli counts pre- and postintervention were measured as the primary outcome. For secondary outcomes, total anaerobes, Enterobacteriaceae, beta-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activity in stool, as well as breath hydrogen and symptoms following lactose challenge tests, were measured. RESULTS Lactose maldigesters had a mean change difference (0.72 log10 colony forming unitsg stool; P=0.04) in bifidobacteria counts compared with lactose digesters. Lactobacilli counts were increased, but not significantly. Nevertheless, reduced breath hydrogen after lactose ingestion correlated with lactobacilli (r=-0.5; P<0.001). Reduced total breath hydrogen and symptom scorestogether, with a rise in fecal enzymes after intervention, were appropriate, but not significant. CONCLUSIONS Despite failure to achieve full colonic adaptation, the present study provided evidence for a differential impact of lactose on microflora depending on genetic lactase status. A prebiotic effect was evident in lactose maldigesters but not in lactose digesters. This may play a role in modifying the mechanisms of certain disease risks related to dairy food consumption between the two phenotypes.
Do six‐antigen‐matched cadaver donor kidneys provide better graft survival to children compared with one‐haploidentical living‐related donor transplants? A report of the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study

Abstract: Since 1991, more than 50% of pediatric transplant recipients have received a living donor (LD) kidney, and ≈ 85% of these allografts were one‐haploidentical parental kidneys. Short‐term (1 yr) and long‐term (5 yr) graft survival of LD kidneys are 10% and 15% better, respectively, than that of cadaver donor (CD) kidneys. Because of these results, children are frequently not placed on a cadaver waiting list until the possibility of a LD is excluded – a process that may take up to 1 yr. The hypothesis for this study was that the graft outcome of a six‐antigen‐matched CD kidney is superior to that of a one‐haploidentical LD kidney, and that children are at a disadvantage by not being placed on a CD list whilst waiting for a LD. The database of the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study (NAPRTCS) for 11 yrs (1987–98), was reviewed to identify children who were recipients of a six‐antigen‐matched CD kidney (primary and repeat transplants), and those who were recipients of a one‐haploidentical LD kidney (primary and repeat transplants). Using standard statistical methods, the morbidity, rejection episodes, post‐transplant hospitalizations, renal function, long‐ and short‐term graft survival, and half‐life of primary recipients were compared in the two groups. Unlike adult patients, only 2.7% (87/3313) of CD recipients in the pediatric age range received a six‐antigen‐matched kidney, and the annual accrual rate over 11 yrs was never higher than 4%. Comparison of 57 primary six‐antigen‐CD kidneys (PCD) with 2472 primary LD (PLD) kidneys revealed that morbidity, rejection rates, and ratios were identical in the two groups. Renal function and subsequent hospitalizations were also identical in the two groups. Five‐year graft survival of the PCD group was 90% compared with 80% for the PLD group, and the half‐life of the PCD group was 25 ± 12.9 yrs compared with 19.6 ± 1.3 yrs. Our data suggest that the six‐antigen‐matched CD kidney may have less graft loss as a result of chronic rejection and would therefore confer a better long‐term outcome. Based on these findings we recommend that all children, whilst waiting for a LD work‐up, be listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry for a CD kidney.
TSH Producing Pituitary Tumor:

A 50 year old man with hyperthyroidism secondary to inappropriate secretion of TSH is described. On presentation T3 (42.1 nmol/L), T4 (265 nmol/L) and TSH (17.9 mU/L) were all markedly elevated. A diagnosis of a TSH-secreting pituitary tumor was suspected on the basis of a blunted TSH response to TRH and the absence of suppression of TSH by T3 or bromocriptine, but TSH/alpha subunit molar ratios were uncharacteristically less than 1. Nevertheless, the presence of a tumor was confirmed by computed tomography which demonstrated a 15 mm pituitary macroadenoma. The patient was treated with octreotide which resulted in normalisation of thyroid hormone levels. The duration of action of a single 100 micrograms injection of octreotide was at least 56 hours. The suppression of thyroid hormone levels was similar regardless of the treatment regimen with octreotide (100 micrograms tid, 250 micrograms bid, 100 micrograms bid and continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSI] and no escape was observed during a 16 month treatment period. TSH alpha subunit concentrations were also suppressed during long-term treatment with octreotide (3.3 micrograms/L falling to 1.1 micrograms/L), although no acute changes were noted after administration of single dose octreotide 100 micrograms. Three times the octreotide therapy was discontinued. The incremental rise in TSH and the maximum level of TSH achieved was less on each subsequent occasion, suggesting a suppressive effect of octreotide on the tumor itself. Despite suppression of TSH with octreotide over a 13 month period the pituitary tumor showed no shrinkage on repeat MRI scanning. In conclusion, this patient demonstrates that the differential diagnosis of inappropriate TSH secretion based only on biochemical test may be unreliable. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Which One to Read? Factors Influencing the Usefulness of Online Reviews for RE

Reviews for software products contain much information about the users' requirements and preferences, which can be very useful to the requirements engineer. However, taking advantage of this information is not easy due to the large and overwhelming number of reviews that is posted in various channels. Machine learning and opinion mining techniques have therefore been used to process the reviews automatically and to generate summaries of the data to the requirements engineer. However, one of the important challenges for these techniques lies in how to automatically assess the relevance of the reviews for the requirements engineer. So far, most techniques use intuition-based criteria for this task. In this work, we collect and present a list of factors that were found to impact the helpfulness of product reviews for customers. We then discuss to what extent these factors are likely to impact the usefulness of reviews for requirements engineering tasks. The factors can be used to support the automated identification of relevant reviews.
Gene flow, population growth and a novel substitution rate estimate in a subtidal rock specialist, the black‐faced blenny Tripterygion delaisi (Perciformes, Blennioidei, Tripterygiidae) from the Adriatic Sea

Abstract Population histories depend on the interplay between exogeneous and endogeneous factors. In marine species, phylogeographic and demographic patterns are often shaped by sea level fluctuations, water currents and dispersal ability. Using mitochondrial control region sequences (n = 120), we infer phylogeographic structure and historic population size changes of a common littoral fish species, the black‐faced blenny Tripterygion delaisi (Perciformes, Blennioidei, Tripterygiidae) from the north‐eastern Adriatic Sea. We find that Adriatic T. delaisi are differentiated from conspecific populations in the remaining Mediterranean, but display little phylogeographic structure within the Adriatic basin. The pattern is consistent with passive dispersal of planktonic larvae along cyclonic currents within the Adriatic Sea, but limited active dispersal of adults. Demographic reconstructions are consistent with recent population expansion, probably triggered by rising sea levels after the last glacial maximum (LGM). Placing the onset of population growth between the LGM and the warming of surface waters (18 000–13 000 years BP) and employing a novel expansion dating approach, we inferred a substitution rate of 2.61–3.61% per site per MY. Our study is one of only few existing investigations of the genetic structure of animals within the Adriatic basin and is the first to provide an estimate for mitochondrial control region substitution rates in blennioid fishes.
Differential Regulation of AMPA Receptor and GABA Receptor Trafficking by Tumor Necrosis Factor-α

The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) causes a rapid exocytosis of AMPA receptors in hippocampal pyramidal cells and is constitutively required for the maintenance of normal surface expression of AMPA receptors. Here we demonstrate that TNFα acts on neuronal TNFR1 receptors to preferentially exocytose glutamate receptor 2-lacking AMPA receptors through a phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-dependent process. This increases excitatory synaptic strength while changing the molecular stoichiometry of synaptic AMPA receptors. Conversely, TNFα causes an endocytosis of GABAA receptors, resulting in fewer surface GABAA receptors and a decrease in inhibitory synaptic strength. These results suggest that TNFα can regulate neuronal circuit homeostasis in a manner that may exacerbate excitotoxic damage resulting from neuronal insults.
Effects of muscle activation on shear between human soleus and gastrocnemius muscles

Lateral connections between muscles provide pathways for myofascial force transmission. To elucidate whether these pathways have functional roles in vivo, we examined whether activation could alter the shear between the soleus (SOL) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles. We hypothesized that selective activation of LG would decrease the stretch‐induced shear between LG and SOL. Eleven volunteers underwent a series of knee joint manipulations where plantar flexion force, LG, and SOL muscle fascicle lengths and relative displacement of aponeuroses between the muscles were obtained. Data during a passive full range of motion were recorded, followed by 20° knee extension stretches in both passive conditions and with selective electrical stimulation of LG. During active stretch, plantar flexion force was 22% greater (P < 0.05) and relative displacement of aponeuroses was smaller than during passive stretch (P < 0.05). Soleus fascicle length changes did not differ between passive and active stretches but LG fascicles stretched less in the active than passive condition when the stretch began at angles of 70° and 90° of knee flexion (P < 0.05). The activity‐induced decrease in the relative displacement of SOL and LG suggests stronger (stiffer) connectivity between the two muscles, at least at flexed knee joint angles, which may serve to facilitate myofascial force transmission.
Mycosis fungoides palmaris et plantaris successfully treated with radiotherapy: Case report and mini‐review of the published work

Mycosis fungoides palmaris et plantaris (MFPP) is a rare variant of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma limited to the palms and soles that is not widely recognized because of its uncommon occurrence. We report a 73‐year‐old Japanese man who presented with an erosion on the left dorsal hand, a reddish tumor on the right palm, and hyperkeratotic erythematous plaques on the right sole. Skin biopsy showed histological features of mycosis fungoides (MF) with invasion into the deeper layers of skin. There was no visceral or lymph node invasion. We diagnosed this case as MFPP. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) was performed to treat the hand lesions. Combination treatment with topical steroids and topical psoralen plus ultraviolet light therapy was performed to treat the right sole lesion, but was ineffective. Therefore, sequential EBRT was performed. Complete remission of all lesions was obtained. This is the first report of MFPP with a locally advanced tumor for which the efficacy of radiotherapy is described in detail. MFPP lesions occur on the dorsal aspect of hand or foot, and here we propose a classification of MFPP as hand and foot MF. The pathogenesis of MFPP is still unclear and further accumulation of data is required.