LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Datapath kernel module NIC User-space Kernel-space OpenFlow ovsdb extract match action Controller

Virtual switches are a crucial component of SDN-based cloud systems, enabling the interconnection of virtual machines in a flexible and “software-defined” manner. This paper raises the alarm on the security implications of virtual switches. In particular, we show that virtual switches not only increase the attack surface of the cloud, but virtual switch vulnerabilities can also lead to attacks of much higher impact compared to traditional switches. We present a systematic security analysis and identify four design decisions which introduce vulnerabilities. Our findings motivate us to revisit existing threat models for SDN-based cloud setups, and introduce a new attacker model for SDN-based cloud systems using virtual switches. We demonstrate the practical relevance of our analysis using a case study with Open vSwitch and OpenStack. Employing a fuzzing methodology, we find several exploitable vulnerabilities in Open vSwitch. Using just one vulnerability we were able to create a worm that can compromise hundreds of servers in a matter of minutes. Our findings are applicable beyond virtual switches: NFV and high-performance fast path implementations face similar issues. This paper also studies various mitigation techniques and discusses how to redesign virtual switches for their integration. ∗Also with, Internet Network Architectures, TU Berlin. †Also with, Dept. of Computer Science, Aalborg University. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from permissions@acm.org. SOSR’18, March 28-29, 2018, Los Angeles, CA, USA © 2018 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to the Association for Computing Machinery. ACM ISBN .... . . $15.00 https://doi.org/...
Antimicrobial Peptides Design by Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an abundant and wide class of molecules produced by many tissues and cell types in a variety of mammals, plant and animal species. Linear alpha-helical antimicrobial peptides are among the most widespread membrane-disruptive AMPs in nature, representing a particularly successful structural arrangement in innate defense. Recently, AMPs have received increasing attention as potential therapeutic agents, owing to their broad activity spectrum and their reduced tendency to induce resistance. The introduction of non-natural amino acids will be a key requisite in order to contrast host resistance and increase compound's life. In this work, the possibility to design novel AMP sequences with non-natural amino acids was achieved through a flexible computational approach, based on chemophysical profiles of peptide sequences. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) descriptors were employed to code each peptide and train two statistical models in order to account for structural and functional properties of alpha-helical amphipathic AMPs. These models were then used as fitness functions for a multi-objective evolutional algorithm, together with a set of constraints for the design of a series of candidate AMPs. Two ab-initio natural peptides were synthesized and experimentally validated for antimicrobial activity, together with a series of control peptides. Furthermore, a well-known Cecropin-Mellitin alpha helical antimicrobial hybrid (CM18) was optimized by shortening its amino acid sequence while maintaining its activity and a peptide with non-natural amino acids was designed and tested, demonstrating the higher activity achievable with artificial residues.
The Case for Energy-Proportional Computing

Energy-proportional designs would enable large energy savings in servers, potentially doubling their efficiency in real-life use. Achieving energy proportionality will require significant improvements in the energy usage profile of every system component, particularly the memory and disk subsystems.
LANDIS PRO: a landscape model that predicts forest composition and structure changes at regional scales

W. J. Wang, H. S. He (heh@missouri.edu) and J. S. Fraser, School of Natural Resources, Univ. of Missouri, 203 ABNR Bldg, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. – F. R. Th ompson III and S. R. Shifl ey, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 202 ABNR Bldg, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. – M. A. Spetich, Arkansas Forestry Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, PO Box 1270, Hot Spring, AR 71902, USA.
[Supported own initiative of rehabilitation patients ("new credo") - longterm effects of the nonrandomized trial].

OBJECTIVE
Our project is closely related to the previous study "Rehabilitation aftercare - a new credo for rehabilitation clinics"; the intensified aftercare-strategy was developed by an interdisciplinary group of health professionals and scientists for patients with chronic back pain. Main objective is the resumption and maintenance of regular physical activity in everyday life of pa-tients undergoing rehabilitation. The aim of our present study was to evaluate the long-term (24-month-follow-up) efficacy of the "New Credo" (inpatient medical rehabilitation+intensified aftercare=IG) as compared with usual care (inpatient medical rehabilitation=CG).


METHODOLOGY
We conducted a prospective controlled multicentre trial (IG: 3 clinics vs. CG: 3 clinics) with 4 points of measurement (T0: before and T1: after rehabilitation as well as T3: 12 and T4: 24 month after discharge). We enrolled rehabilitants with a primary diagnosis of chronic back pain (ICD-10: M51-54) who had given their consent. Exclusion criteria were mental and/or psychological impairments as well as surgery in the past 6 months. Primary Outcomes included restriction of social participation (IMET) and functional capacity (FFbH-R). Treatment effects were evaluated using analyses of variance and adjusting for differences between baseline -values; furthermore we calculated effect sizes (SMDInter, SMDIntra, ORs).


RESULTS
Complete data were available for 123 IG-rehabilitants and 299 CG-participants (Completer-Analysis, response: 52%). Regarding restriction in functional capacity in everyday life (FFbH-R) multivariate analysis confirmed a treatment*time interaction, the appropriate effect-sizes showed no significant effects (SMDInter and SMDIntra). With respect to long-term effects 24 months after discharge no significant effects were found for social participation, however. With respect to secondary outcomes there are no significant differences between the groups (SMDInter, ORs); in fact rehabilitants of both groups showed similar effects (SMDIntra) in most cases.


CONCLUSION
In summary our results doesn't confirm that the intensified aftercare-programme is able to improve longer-term effectiveness of inpatient orthopaedic rehabilitation up to 24 month.
Handbook of Ambient Assisted Living - Technology for Healthcare, Rehabilitation and Well-being

handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and ebook, handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and pdf, handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and doc and handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and epub for handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and read online or handbook of ambient assisted living technology for healthcare rehabilitation and download if want read offline.
Acceptability of a novel vaginal microbicide during a safety trial among low-risk women.

CONTEXT
The increasing recognition that women who are unable or unwilling to discuss or use condoms with their sexual partners need female-controlled methods for preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, has led to considerable focus on the development of vaginal microbicides. While many such products are being tested for safety and effectiveness, clinical trials generally overlook another key factor in a product's impact on infection rates-its acceptability to users.


METHODS
A Phase I clinical trial of a microbicidal gel included an assessment of the product's acceptability among 27 low-risk participants. Information on acceptability was gathered from structured interviews, participants' daily diaries and unstructured exit interviews.


RESULTS
Participants reported only minor side effects of product use, such as itching, burning and difficulty urinating; two women developed candida infections while participating in the study. None of the side effects could be conclusively linked to use of the gel. Some women noted product discharge and messiness as drawbacks of the method, but this experience varied according to how often the women applied the gel. For example, one-third of those who used it once daily said that at least some of the time, it was too "wet or drippy," compared with two-thirds of women who inserted the gel twice a day. However, participants considered these "nuisance factors" that could be outweighed by the potential protective characteristics of the product. The majority reported that they would use the product if it were available and proven efficacious, and if they perceived that they were at risk of STD infection.


CONCLUSIONS
Additional testing of this product is urgently needed. Furthermore, as other products approach Phase I testing, acceptability assessments should be a key component of clinical trials.
An allelic series at the Co-1 locus conditioning resistance to anthracnose in common bean of Andean origin

In this study, we characterized the genetic resistance of the Andean bean cultivars Kaboon and Perry Marrow and their relation to other sources of anthracnose resistance in common bean. Based on the segregation ratio (3R:1S) observed in two F2 populations we demonstrated that Kaboon carries one major dominant gene conferring resistance to races 7 and 73 of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum. This gene in Kaboon is independent from the Co-2 gene and is an allele of the Co-1 gene present in Michigan Dark Red Kidney (MDRK) cultivar. Therefore, we propose the symbol CO-1 2 for the major dominant gene in Kaboon. The Co-1 is the only gene of Andean origin among the Co anthracnose resistance genes characterized in common bean. When inoculated with the less virulent Andean race 5, the segregation ratio in the F2 progeny of Cardinal and Kaboon was 57R:7S (p = 0.38). These data indicate that Kaboon must possess other weaker dominant resistance genes with a complementary mode of action, since Cardinal is not known to possess genes for anthracnose resistance. Perry Marrow, a second Andean cultivar with resistance to a different group of races, was shown to possess another resistant allele at the Co-1 locus and the gene symbol Co-1 3 was assigned. In R × R crosses between Perry Marrow and MDRK or Kaboon, no susceptible F2 plants were found when inoculated with race 73. These findings support the presence of a multiple allelic series at the Andean Co-1 locus, and have major implications in breeding for durable anthracnose resistance in common bean.
Functional biodiversity in the agricultural landscape: relationships between weeds and arthropod fauna

P BÀRBERI*, G BURGIO , G DINELLI , A C MOONEN*, S OTTO , C VAZZANA§ & G ZANIN– *Land Lab, Scuola Superiore Sant Anna, Pisa, Italy, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agroambientali, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Istituto di Biologia Agroambientale e Forestale, CNR, Legnaro PD, Italy, §Dipartimento di Scienze Agronomiche e Gestione del Territorio Agroforestale, Università di Firenze, Firenze, Italy and –Dipartimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Produzioni Vegetali, Università di Padova, Legnaro PD, Italy
Sensor based Automated Irrigation System with IOT : A Technical Review

India’s population is reached beyond 1.2 billion and the population rate is increasing day by day then after 25-30 years there will be serious problem of food, so the development of agriculture is necessary. Today, the farmers are suffering from the lack of rains and scarcity of water. The main objective of this paper is to provide an automatic irrigation system thereby saving time, money & power of the farmer. The traditional farm-land irrigation techniques require manual intervention. With the automated technology of irrigation the human intervention can be minimized. Whenever there is a change in temperature and humidity of the surroundings these sensors senses the change in temperature and humidity and gives an interrupt signal to the micro-controller.
Analyzing undergraduate students' performance using educational data mining

The tremendous growth in electronic data of universities creates the need to have some meaningful information extracted from these large volumes of data. The advancement in the data mining field makes it possible to mine educational data in order to improve the quality of the educational processes. This study, thus, uses data mining methods to study the performance of undergraduate students. Two aspects of students' performance have been focused upon. First, predicting students' academic achievement at the end of a fouryear study programme. Second, studying typical progressions and combining them with prediction results. Two important groups of students have been identified: the low and high achieving students. The results indicate that by focusing on a small number of courses that are indicators of particularly good or poor performance, it is possible to provide timely warning and support to low achieving students, and advice and opportunities to high performing students. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Triaxial coil embolization using Guglielmi detachable coils with the voltage-dependent coil-detaching technique.

BACKGROUND
A triple co-axial (triaxial) system, consisting of a 1.9-Fr non-tapered microcatheter with one marker, a 2.7-Fr microcatheter, and a 4-Fr catheter, has been recently developed, and can be used in coil embolizations using 0.010-inch Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) with a voltage-dependent coil-detaching technique.


PURPOSE
To describe this new technique and evaluate its technical feasibility and clinical efficacy.


MATERIAL AND METHODS
Twenty patients underwent this procedure. Diseases were gastrointestinal bleeding in five patients, traumatic bleeding in three patients, and other diseases in 12 patients. The technical success rate, clinical success rate, and complications of this procedure were evaluated. Technical success was defined as the successful delivery and detachment of a GDC, and clinical success was defined as the immediate postembolic complete cessation of blood flow confirmed by digital subtraction angiography.


RESULTS
A total of 140 GDCs were used and 20 arteries were embolized. The technical success rate was 94% (131/140) and clinical success rate was 95% (19/20). No major complications were reported.


CONCLUSION
The triaxial system in coil embolization using a GDC by monitoring the voltage for coil-detaching appeared to be safe and effective.
Opportunistic Composition of Sequentially-Connected Services in Mobile Computing Environments

Dynamic service composition has emerged as a promising approach to build complex runtime-adaptable applications as it allows for binding service providers only shortly before service execution. However, the dynamic and ad hoc nature of mobile computing environments poses a significant challenge for dynamic service composition. In particular, the lack of central control and the potential volatility of service providers increase the complexity and failure probability of the composition process. Although, current research has led to decentralised composition algorithms and failure recovery strategies, the key question of how to reduce the failure probability of a composition still remains. We address this question and propose opportunistic service composition, an optimised execution model for complex service requests. The model merges the execution phase into the dynamic binding phase and supports the immediate fulfilment of partially composed service requests. We evaluated our model in mobile ad hoc network simulations. The results show an improvement over a baseline approach regarding composition success, response time, and communication effort.
Nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure improves ventilatory efficiency during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure.

OBJECTIVES
Chronic heart failure is closely related to impaired cardiorespiratory reflex control, including decreased ventilatory efficiency during exercise (Ve/Vco(2)-slope) and central sleep apnea (CSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and nocturnal oxygen therapy alleviate CSA. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of nocturnal CPAP and oxygen therapy on Ve/Vco(2)-slope.


DESIGN AND SETTING
Prospective controlled trial at a university hospital.


PATIENTS
Twenty-six stable patients with chronic heart failure and CSA.


INTERVENTION AND MEASUREMENTS
Ten patients received nocturnal oxygen, and 16 patients were assigned to CPAP treatment. At baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment, symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed on a cycle ergometer. Expiratory gas was analyzed breath by breath for evaluation of ventilation and ventilatory efficiency in combination with arteriocapillary blood gas analysis during rest and exercise.


RESULTS
CPAP treatment significantly reduced the Ve/Vco(2)-slope (31.2 +/- 1.6 vs 26.2 +/- 1.0, p = 0.005) and improved the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) [31.7 +/- 2.6% vs 35.7 +/- 2.7%, p = 0.041]. CPAP treatment significantly reduced the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) [35.9 +/- 4.0/h vs 12.2 +/- 3.6/h, p = 0.002]. Peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)) [16.2 +/- 1.1 L/min/kg vs 16.3 +/- 1.2 L/min/kg, p = 0.755] remained similar after CPAP treatment. Oxygen therapy reduced the AHI (28.8 +/- 3.2/h vs 8.7 +/- 4.1/h, p = 0.019), but did not improve exercise capacity (peak Vo(2), 15.4 +/- 1.5 L/min/kg vs 15.6 +/- 1.9 L/min/kg, p = 0.760), LVEF (30.9 +/- 2.4% vs 32.5 +/- 2.3%, p = 0.231), or the Ve/Vco(2)-slope (30.0 +/- 1.5 vs 29.8 +/- 1.5, p = 0.646).


CONCLUSION
Nocturnal CPAP and oxygen therapy alleviate CSA to a similar degree. Only CPAP therapy may improve ventilatory efficiency during exercise and may have favorable effects on LVEF. Therefore, our data suggest that CPAP is advantageous compared to oxygen in the treatment of CSA in patients with chronic heart failure.
“Coffee plus Honey” versus “topical steroid” in the treatment of Chemotherapy-induced Oral Mucositis: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND
Oral mucositis is one of the common complications of cancer chemotherapy and about 40% of the patients who take chemotherapy protocols, experience this irritating problem. The purpose of this study was to draw comparison between the therapeutic effects of our treatment modalities (topical steroid, honey, honey plus coffee) in patients suffering from oral mucositis.


METHODS
This was a double blinded randomised clinical trial of a total of 75 eligible adult participants which they randomly fell into three treatment groups. For all the participants a syrup-like solution was prepared. Each 600 grams of the product consisted of "20 eight-mg Betamethasone solution ampoules" in the Steroid (S) group, "300 grams of honey plus 20 grams of instant coffee" in the Honey plus Coffee (HC) group, and "300 grams of honey" for the Honey (H) group. The participants were told to sip 10 ml of the prescribed product, and then swallow it every three hours for one week. Severity of lesions was clinically evaluated before the treatment and also one week after the initiation of the intervention. This study adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and guidelines of Good Clinical Practice.


RESULTS
This study showed that all three treatment regimens reduce the severity of lesions. The best reduction in severity was achieved in HC group. H group and S group took the second and third places. In other words, honey plus coffee regimen was the most effective modality for the treatment of oral mucositis.


CONCLUSION
Oral mucositis can be successfully treated by a combination of honey and coffee as an alternative medicine in a short time. Further investigations are warranted in this field.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT: 201104074737N3, (9 May 2011).
Decreased Expression of CXCR4 Chemokine Receptor in Bone Marrow after Chemotherapy in Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas Is a Good Prognostic Factor

BACKGROUND
CXCR4 chemokine receptor is constitutively expressed on normal and malignant B lymphocytes derived from patients with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders and has a significant role in cell migration to lymph nodes and bone marrow. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) constitute a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases, which can localize not only to lymph nodes, but also can migrate to peripheral blood and metastase to other organs, including bone marrow.


AIM
The purpose of this study was to determine CXCR4 gene expression in peripheral blood and bone marrow of NHL patients before and after treatment.


METHODS
Samples of lymphoma lymph nodes, peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirates of patients with B-cell NHL were taken at diagnosis and after chemotherapy. Gene expression was determined by the reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction method. Expression was estimated from 0 AU (no amplificate signal) to 3 AU (maximal amplificate signal).


RESULTS
No significant difference in the level of CXCR4 expression was found in reactive lymph nodes compared to lymphoma samples We observed high level of CXCR4 expression in most patients before treatment: in bone marrow: 3 AU-10 pts, 2 AU-8 pts, 1 AU-2 pts. In peripheral blood: 3 AU-14 pts, 2 AU-4 pts, 1 AU-1 pts, 0 AU-1 pts. After chemotherapy, significant decrease in CXCR4 expression was observed. Bone marrow: 3 AU-5 pts, 2 AU-7 pts, 1 AU-5 pts, 0 AU-3 pts (p = 0.03). Peripheral blood: 3 AU-2 pts, 2 AU-6 pts, 1 AU-10 pts, 0 AU-2 pts (p = 0.0002). There was a good response to treatment in patients with significant decrease of CXCR4 expression in the bone marrow after treatment with 10-fold lower risk of death (p = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Decrease in CXCR4 expression in the bone marrow of NHL patients after chemotherapy may be a good prognostic factor.