Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Larval Density on Flight Potential of the Beet Webworm, Loxostege sticticalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

ABSTRACT Tethered-flight techniques were used to investigate the flight potential of 1-d-old adult beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), reared at densities of 1, 10, 20, 30, and 40 larvae per 650-ml jar. Larval density had a significant effect on the flight potential, including total flight duration, distance, average velocity, and longest flight duration. Adults reared at a density of 10 larvae per jar, and those reared in isolation displayed the greatest and poorest flight capacity, respectively, relative to the other density treatments. Larval density also significantly affected length of the preoviposition period. Females with longer preoviposition period usually showed greater flight potential, and preoviposition period was positively correlated with flight potential. Rody weight, water content, and triglyceride content of the moths were significantly affected by larval density, whereas glycogen content was not. Triglyceride content of adults reared at the different larval densities corresponded to the observed differences in flight potential, whereas water content and body weight were not related to their flight potential. These results suggest that larval density exerts a significant influence on preoviposition period and triglyceride content, which in turn influence flight potential of adult L. sticticalis.
Television and Very Young Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that children younger than 24 months of age not be exposed to television. Nevertheless, television programs and home videos are increasingly produced for very young children. This article reviews the extant research concerning television and very young children with respect to the AAP recommendation. More very young children are currently watching television than in the recent past; they pay substantial attention to TV programs and videos made for them. When learning from videos is assessed in comparison to equivalent live presentations, there is usually substantially less learning from videos. Although one study finds positive associations of language learning with exposure to some children’s TV programs, other studies find negative associations of viewing with language, cognitive, and attentional development. Background TV is also a disruptive influence. Evidence thus far indicates that the AAP recommendation is well taken, although considerably more research is needed.
Trichoscopy: a new frontier for the diagnosis of hair diseases

Trichoscopy is hair and scalp dermoscopy using a handheld dermoscope or polarized light video microscope. This article shows the revised trichoscopic algorithm for common hair loss diseases. For the algorithm for cicatricial alopecia, loss of orifices, micropustules and/or hair tufting with six or more hairs should be carefully observed. When loss of hair orifices cannot be seen in the hair loss area, diagnosis as noncicatricial alopecia is established. Among noncicatricial alopecia, alopecia areata is most commonly encountered and should be mainly considered for differential diagnosis. Therefore, the first check point is yellow dots, black dots or broken hairs. The hallmark of androgenetic alopecia and tinea capitis is hair diameter diversity (≥20%) and comma hairs, respectively. Hair shaft abnormalities can be diagnosed from the characteristics of trichoscopy reported until now.
The cytokines IL‐1β and IL‐1 receptor antagonist, IL‐2 and IL‐2 soluble receptor‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐6 soluble receptor, TNF‐α and TNF soluble receptor I, and IL10 in drained and systemic blood after major orthopaedic surgery

Objective: To measure the concentration of the cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the modulators of their function interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), interleukin-2 soluble receptor alpha (IL-2 sRα), interleukin-6 soluble receptor (IL-6sR) and soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor I (sTNFR-I) in systemic and drained blood for the first six hours after a major orthopaedic operation.Design: Prospective study.Setting: University hospital, Oslo.Patients: 8 patients operated on for thoracic scoliosis.Main outcome measure: Concentrations of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IL-1Ra, IL-2 sRα, IL-6sR, and sTNFR-I were measured together with haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, white cell count (WCC), and differential count in arterial and drained blood at wound closure and 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours postoperatively.Results: IL-1β and IL-6 concentrations increased significantly in drained blood, whereas that o.
Write-Aware Management of NVM-based Memory Extensions

Emerging Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies, such as 3D XPoint, are expected to be in production as early as 2016. Emerging NVMs are very attractive for several reasons. First, they are non-volatile and hence incur no refresh power. Second, they are dense and promising for scaling down further. Finally, they are fast and have latencies comparable to DRAM. On the other side, using emerging NVMs as direct replacement for DRAM as the main memory is challenging. Compared to DRAM, emerging NVMs can endure a very limited number of writes per cell. Furthermore, their write latency is typically much slower and more energy consuming than DRAM, e.g., Phase Change Memory (PCM) writes are multiple of times slower than that of DRAM. An important use case for emerging NVMs is using them as fast memory extensions. Memory extensions are hidden from programmers and managed by the Operating System (OS). Any access to pages held in the memory extension will cause a page fault. Later, the memory manager moves the faulting page to DRAM and maps the page. While similar in concept to the swap file, memory extensions bypass the file system. Furthermore, memory extensions are dedicated for being used as memory and hence avoid contention with the file system. In this paper, we emulate an NVM-based memory extension and study its impact on performance on a real system. We also study how to improve its performance using OS-level prefetching. We show the importance of having the system software and the NVM controller work in concert for reducing the number of writes. Our best scheme where the system software and the NVM controller work in concert could reduce the number of writes to only 5% of the original baseline (increasing its lifetime by 20x).
Intersection Cuts - A New Type of Cutting Planes for Integer Programming

This paper proposes a new class of cutting planes for integer programming. A typical member of the class is generated as follows. Let X be the feasible set, and x the optimal (noninteger) solution to the linear program associated with an integer program in n-space. Consider a unit hypercube containing x, whose vertices are integer, and the hypersphere circumscribing the cube. This hypersphere is intersected in n independent points by the n halflines originating at x and containing the n edges of X adjacent to x (if x is degenerate, X is replaced by X′ ⊃ X having exactly n edges adjacent to x). The hyperplane through these n points of intersection defines a valid cut, the (spherical) intersection cut. The paper gives a simple formula for finding the equation of the hyperplane, discusses some ways of strengthening the cut, proposes an algorithm, and gives a finiteness proof. A straightforward extension of these geometric ideas yields an analogous (cylindrical) intersection cut for the mixed-integer ca.
Some Inequalities for Parallel-Server Queues

This paper obtains bounds, in terms of the first two moments of the input, on the expected wait in an A/G/k queue with stationary input. To this end, two single-server systems are constructed. The wait in queue for the first single-server system is stochastically larger than the wait in the given multiserver system, and the expected wait in the second single-server system is used to obtain a lower bound on the expected wait in the A/G/k system. The paper also develops, as a consequence of the lower bounds, some results concerning the optimum number of servers, given a fixed work capacity.
Stronger Inequalities for 0, 1 Integer Programming Using Knapsack Functions

In deriving the well known cuts for cutting-plane methods in 0, 1 integer programming, the integer points outside the 0,1 space can limit the parallel movement of the hyperplane of the cut toward the solution set. Furthermore it is unnecessarily restrictive to limit the movement of this hyperplane to parallel translations. This paper removes these two limitations in order to derive stronger cuts and reduce the total number of cuts required. Thus, it describes a method based on a special case of the knapsack function that replaces each cut or original constraint by a new inequality whose hyperplane passes through as many integer points in 0, 1 space as possible.
A Survey on Wireless Indoor Localization from the Device Perspective

With the marvelous development of wireless techniques and ubiquitous deployment of wireless systems indoors, myriad indoor location-based services (ILBSs) have permeated into numerous aspects of modern life. The most fundamental functionality is to pinpoint the location of the target via wireless devices. According to how wireless devices interact with the target, wireless indoor localization schemes roughly fall into two categories: device based and device free. In device-based localization, a wireless device (e.g., a smartphone) is attached to the target and computes its location through cooperation with other deployed wireless devices. In device-free localization, the target carries no wireless devices, while the wireless infrastructure deployed in the environment determines the target’s location by analyzing its impact on wireless signals. This article is intended to offer a comprehensive state-of-the-art survey on wireless indoor localization from the device perspective. In this survey, we review the recent advances in both modes by elaborating on the underlying wireless modalities, basic localization principles, and data fusion techniques, with special emphasis on emerging trends in (1) leveraging smartphones to integrate wireless and sensor capabilities and extend to the social context for device-based localization, and (2) extracting specific wireless features to trigger novel human-centric device-free localization. We comprehensively compare each scheme in terms of accuracy, cost, scalability, and energy efficiency. Furthermore, we take a first look at intrinsic technical challenges in both categories and identify several open research issues associated with these new challenges.
Average Utility Maximization: A Preference Foundation

This paper provides necessary and sufficient preference conditions for average utility maximization over sequences of variable length. We obtain full generality by using a new algebraic technique that exploits the richness structure naturally provided by the variable length of the sequences. Thus we generalize many preceding results in the literature. For example, continuity in outcomes, a condition needed in other approaches, now is an option rather than a requirement. Applications to expected utility, decisions under ambiguity, welfare evaluations for variable population size, discounted utility, and quasilinear means in functional analysis are presented.
ABCD position paper on insulin pumps

Insulin pump therapy is likely to be the most physiological form of subcutaneous insulin administration and has been shown to be of benefit particularly for type 1 diabetic patients who are unable to achieve good control of diabetes without suffering recurrent hypoglycaemic attacks. Whilst the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimated that such therapy should be made available to about 1% of type 1 patients (based mainly on studies done with older pumps and older insulins), experience from mainland Europe, Israel and USA suggests that 10–20% of patients are likely to benefit. Current NICE criteria also make it very difficult for children to qualify for such therapy, as they are unlikely to have tried MDI (multiple-dose insulin therapy) to justify moving to pump therapy. The economic impact of the improved quality of life from pump therapy has also not been adequately considered, as some patients are able to return to work, or take fewer days off sick, and children may miss less time at school. There is now substantial new evidence which indicates that the availability of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) should be extended to a much broader group of those with type 1 diabetes than currently fulfil the NICE criteria. Furthermore, there are a number of specific indications for pump therapy where patient numbers are so small that there will never be clinical trial evidence to support the indication, but this should not preclude use of pump therapy in such circumstances where conventional treatments have failed. This paper summarises the latest evidence regarding the benefits of CSII over MDI and gives recommendations as to the place of CSII in therapy and the service implications. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons.
Technical Note - Managing Nonperishable Inventories with Learning About Demand Arrival Rate Through Stockout Times

We study a periodic review inventory model with a nonperishable product over an infinite planning horizon. The demand for the nonperishable product arrives according to a Poisson process. Lost sales are unobservable but the stockout times are observable. We formulate the problem as a dynamic programming model with learning on arrival rate according to stockout times and further simplify it by using unnormalized probabilities. We then compare the system performance with those under other two information scenarios where lost sales are observable or both lost sales and stockout times are unobservable. We show that the optimal inventory order-up-to level with observable stockout times is larger than the one with observable lost sales. We also show that more information improves the system performance.
SwipeKey: a swipe-based keyboard design for smartwatches

The rise of smartwatches calls for efficient, convenient and suitable text input methods for these small computers. The minuscule size of these screens brings many challenges on how to interact with these devices. Keyboard design requires optimization for these small screens to provide a good user experience and fast text entry method on these devices. We introduce SwipeKey, a text input method that uses swipe directions to allow multiple inputs per button and thus allows for an increase in the effective size of input buttons. We have conducted thorough experiments optimizing SwipeKey to create a fast, low-error, and easy to learn soft keyboard for smartwatches. These benefits result from having a keyboard that emphasizes the use of swipe motions. Our user study results show that with a specific combination of swipe directions and corresponding button size, SwipeKey users achieved a speed of 11 in words per minute (WPM), a 53% improvement from baseline (7.2 in WPM) and dramatically decreased character error rate (CER) from the baseline of 10% down to 3.4%.
Flo-v: Low Overhead Network Monitoring Framework in Virtualized Software Defined Networks

Network virtualization involves creating multiple virtual networks within a physical network, based on the flexible network environment of software-defined networking (SDN). In a virtualized SDN (vSDN), a network hypervisor plays a key role in translating physical network resources into virtual network resources. However, this translation in vSDN incurs considerable overhead in network monitoring that is critical for network management. In this paper, we propose Flo-v to provide network monitoring in a vSDN. Flo-v provides accurate monitoring information to a vSDN and, by applying selective and adaptive approaches, it monitors traffic in a network hypervisor with lower overhead than existing schemes. We compare the proposed Flo-v with existing schemes, and demonstrate that Flo-v provides accurate network information with reduced resource usage in terms of both the network and CPU, with approximately 50% less overhead than existing schemes.
A Rare Reason of Mechanical Intestinal Obstruction; Phytobezoar Images for Clinicians

Mechanical intestinal obstruction is defined as the partial or total blockage of the passage of digested food in gastrointestinal system towards the distal. If intestinal obstruction is not treated properly it can cause high incidences of morbidity and mortality. The most frequent cause is adhesion after surgery but etiological cause changes frequently with age. Known symptoms of intestinal obstructions are nausea, vomiting, abdominal ache and distention in the abdomen. In our study we aimed to present a 70 year old patient with intestinal obstruction due to phytobezoar who developed sepsis, with the help of current literature.
THE NEED FOR POSITIVE LIVING AMONG PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV. A CASE STUDY OF HARARE’S HATCLIFFE EXTENSION SUBURB.

The purpose of this study is premised on the basis that in the absence of a cure for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) the emphasis is on living positively with HIV, a term used to describe leading a normal, non-risky life while following preventive and supportive measures to live longer though infected with HIV. This study aimed at assessing the nature and scope of services available to People Living With HIV (PLWH) in Hatcliffe Extension Suburb, to identify and profile hindrance factors that prevent PLWH to access the above referred services and live positively in general. The study also aimed at proposing solutions to identified challenges faced by PLWH in their quest to living positively. The research methodology was qualitative and purely exploratory involving 54 participants. 50 of them were PLWH while the other 4 were key informants. Four (4) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted; in-depth interviews were used with key informants and case studies for participants who were sampled from the FGDs. The study focused on just one suburban setting with a cohesive support group network while the participants were purposively selected. The research findings revealed that there is in existence some infrastructure to cushion PLWH. These include free Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services, existence of the National AIDS Council (NAC) among others. It also emerged from the results of the study that PLWH were aware of the need for positive living and were consciously and actively pursuing it. However, their efforts were being hampered by an array of social, economic, cultural and structural challenges. Chief among them were stigma, lack of income to access good nutrition, culturally driven women sexual disempowerment and the bottlenecks that were encountered in early access to anti-retroviral therapy and other related medical services. The study concluded that in order to ensure the full realization of positive living by PLWH, there is need to address the barriers to positive living. It was recommended that service providers as well as media practitioners should highlight how some cultural beliefs and behaviors contribute in complicating life for PLWH. The study also recommended that organizations which cater for PLWH together with all the relevant stakeholders should aim to address the challenges to positive living. Dissemination of information should be tailor made to address how different age groups and sexes should live positively considering their unique challenges.
Bioactivity of Cedarwood Oil and Cedrol Against Arthropod Pests

ABSTRACT Heartwood samples from Juniperus virginiana L. were extracted with liquid carbon dioxide, and the bioactivity of carbon dioxide-derived cedarwood oil (CWO) toward several species of ants and cedrol toward ticks was determined. Repellency was tested for ants, and toxicity was tested for ticks. Ants in an outdoor bioassay were significantly repelled by the presence of CWO on a pole leading to a sugar—water solution. Similarly, CWO was a significant repellent barrier to red imported fire ants and prevented them from finding a typical food source. Black-legged tick nymphs exhibited dosage-dependent mortality when exposed to cedrol and at the highest dosage (i.e., 6.3 mg/ml) tested, the cedrol killed 100% of the ticks. These repellency and toxicity results together demonstrate a clear potential for the use of CWO as a pest control agent.
City-Scale Map Creation and Updating using GPS Collections

Applications such as autonomous driving or real-time route recommendations require up-to-date and accurate digital maps. However, manually creating and updating such maps is too costly to meet the rising demands. As large collections of GPS trajectories become widely available, constructing and updating maps using such trajectory collections can greatly reduce the cost of such maps. Unfortunately, due to GPS noise and varying trajectory sampling rates, inferring maps from GPS trajectories can be very challenging. In this paper, we present a framework to create up-to-date maps with rich knowledge from GPS trajectory collections. Starting from an unstructured GPS point cloud, we discover road segments using novel graph-based clustering techniques with prior knowledge on road design. Based on road segments, we develop a scale- and orientation-invariant traj-SIFT feature to localize and recognize junctions using a supervised learning framework. Maps with rich knowledge are created based on discovered road segments and junctions. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, our approach can efficiently construct high-quality maps at city scales from large collections of GPS trajectories.
Appropriate Follow-up Ultrasonography Interval after Pyeloplasty in Children with Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction

Purpose: Serial ultrasonography (US) is routinely performed after pyeloplasty in the setting of pediatric ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). We evaluated the adequacy of the follow-up US interval we are currently using, which calls for US at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months following surgery. Materials and Methods: Between January 2002 and August 2005, 102 patients underwent dismembered pyeloplasty for unilateral UPJO. Within this group, we selected 95 patients with high grade hydronephrosis to participate in this study. The degree of hydronephrosis was graded according to the classification issued by the Society for Fetal Urology (SFU). Improvement was defined as at least one grade of reduction. Serial sonograms were performed at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively. Results: On follow-up US, 33.7%, 69.5%, 77.9%, 80.0%, and 83.2% of the patients showed improvement in their hydronephrosis at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, respectively. One patient presented with aggravation at 1 month. However, at 3 months, this patient had returned to the preoperative grade. There was no significant difference between the mean hydronephrosis grades at 6 and 12 months. No patient showed hydronephrosis aggravation at the 12-month follow-up examination. Conclusions: US at 1, 3, and 6 months revealed significant improvements in hydronephrosis. However, no significant change in hydronephrosis occurred beyond 6 months. Therefore, US performed between 6 and 12 months after pyeloplasty may be inefficient, and we propose follow-up US at the following time points: 1 month, 3 to 6 months, 12 months, and then annually. (Korean J Urol 2008;49:1018-1023) 󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏
The Operator-Scheduling Problem: A Network-Flow Approach

The number of telephone operators required on duty at switchboards fluctuates widely during the day. Work periods of operators are defined by start and end times of tours and by the timing of break and relief periods within tours. This paper proposes a method for determining the number of operators assigned to tours and their corresponding timing of breaks and reliefs; it relies on various network-flow formulations. An example application of the method is presented.