Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling and analysis of slotted and non-slotted Aloha in linear Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks

The aim of this paper is to study slotted and nonslotted Aloha medium access (MAC) scheme in Vehicular Adhoc NETworks (VANETs). To this regard, we consider a onedimensional, liner network, which is an appropriate assumption for VANETs and differs from two-dimensional, planar models usually assumed for general Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks (MANETs). More precisely, we use a linear version of the Poisson bipolar network model proposed in [2], in which the locations of signal emitting vehicles form a homogeneous Poisson point process on the line, and where the receivers are within a fixed distance form these emitters. We use the well-established signal-overinterference and noise ratio (SINR) capture model assuming power-law mean path-loss and independent Rayleigh fading. First, we consider a capture/outage scenario with fixed bit rate coding, where the SINR must above a given threshold for a successful packet reception. In this setting we obtain explicit formulas to calculate the probability of capture for both slotted and nonslotted Aloha. From these formulas other characteristics, as the mean density of packet progress, are derived and optimized in MAC parameters. We consider also adaptive coding, where the throughput depends on the SINR. In this scenario we quantify and optimize the mean density of information throughput. Our unified approach to slotted and non-slotted Aloha allows for explicit comparison of both versions of this simple MAC. The obtained results differ quantitatively and even qualitatively from these obtained previously in the analogous analysis of planar MANETs, reveling some specificity of the optimal tuning of the MAC layer in the linear network topology.
How Many Parameters To Model States Of Mind?

A series of examples of computational models is provided, where the model aim is to interpret numerical results in terms of internal states of agents minds. Two opposite strategies or research can be distinguished in the literature. First is to reproduce the richness and complexity of real world as faithfully as possible, second is to apply simple assumptions and check the results in depth. As a rule, the results of the latter method agree only qualitatively with some stylized facts. The price we pay for more detailed predictions within the former method is that consequences of the rich set of underlying assumptions remain unchecked. Here we argue that for computational reasons, complex models with many parameters are less suitable.
Social Media for Social Good: A Study of Experiences and Opportunities in Rural Australia

Social media platforms are espoused as helpful for overcoming geographic isolation for rural people and businesses; connecting them with local, national and global communities. Yet, little research has been conducted to document social media use by rural residents. This paper explores the social media experiences of 62 rural Australians, gathered through focus group and individual interviews. Results reveal the varied ways that rural residents use social media, for personal and work activities. Positive and negative perceptions of social media tools provide detailed insights into rural residents' views. Participants highlighted opportunities to harness the potential of social media to further their business interests, to build social networks and to advocate for issues important to rural people.
Endoscopically assisted tunnel approach for minimally invasive corticotomies: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND The dental community has expressed low acceptance of traditional corticotomy techniques for corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics. These procedures are time consuming, entail substantial postoperative morbidity and periodontal risks, and are often perceived as highly invasive. METHODS A total of 114 interdental sites were treated in nine consecutive patients. Under local anesthesia, a tunnel approach requiring one to three vertical incisions per arch (depending on the targeted teeth) was used. Piezosurgical corticotomies and elective bone augmentation procedures were performed under endoscopic assistance. Postoperative cone-beam computerized tomography evaluation was used to confirm adequate corticotomy depth. RESULTS Procedures were completed in a mean time of 26 minutes. Follow-up evaluations revealed no loss of tooth vitality, no changes in periodontal probing depth, good preservation of the papillae, and no gingival recession. No evidence of crestal bone height reduction or apical root resorption was detected. CONCLUSIONS The tunnel approach minimizes soft-tissue debridement and permits effective cortical cuts. The combination of piezosurgery technique with endoscopic assistance provides a quick, reliable means to design and perform these corticotomies while maximizing root integrity preservation. Moreover, the sites needing bone augmentation are selected under direct vision. Compared to traditional corticotomies, this procedure has manifest advantages in surgical time, technical complexity, patient morbidity, and periodontium preservation.
Flt‐1, but not Flk‐1 mediates hyperpermeability through activation of the PI3‐K/Akt pathway

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent mediator of endothelial proliferation and migration, has an important role also in brain edema formation during hypoxia and ischemia. VEGF binds to the tyrosine kinase receptors Flt‐1 and Flk‐1. Yet, their relative importance for hypoxia‐induced hyperpermeability is not well understood. We used an in vitro blood‐brain barrier (BBB) model consisting of porcine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) to determine the role of Flt‐1 in VEGF‐induced endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction. Soluble Flt‐1 abolished hypoxia/VEGF‐induced hyperpermeability. Furthermore, selective antisense oligonucleotides to Flt‐1, but not to Flk‐1, inhibited hypoxia‐induced permeability changes. Consistent with these data, addition of the receptor‐specific homolog placenta‐derived growth factor, which binds Flt‐1 but not Flk‐1, increased endothelial permeability to the same extent as VEGF, whereas adding VEGF‐E, a viral VEGF molecule from the orf virus family activating Flk‐1 and neuropilin‐1, but not Flt‐1, did not show any effect. Using the carcinoma submandibular gland cell line (CSG), only expressing Flt‐1, it was demonstrated that activation of Flt‐1 is sufficient to induce hyperpermeability by hypoxia and VEGF. Hyperpermeability, induced by hypoxia/VEGF, depends on activation of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/Akt (PI3‐K/Akt), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and protein kinase G (PKG). The activation of the PI3‐K/Akt pathway by hypoxia was confirmed using an in vivo mice hypoxia model. These results demonstrate that hypoxia/VEGF‐induced hyperpermeability can be mediated by activation of Flt‐1 independently on the presence of Flk‐1 and indicate a central role for activation of the PI3‐K/Akt pathway, followed by induction of NOS and PKG activity. J. Cell. Physiol. 212: 236–243, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Input-to-state stabilization of linear systems with quantized feedback

We consider the problem of achieving input-to-state stability (ISS) with respect to external disturbances for control systems with linear dynamics and quantized state measurements. Quantizers considered in this paper take finitely many values and have an adjustable "zoom" parameter. Building on an approach applied previously to systems with no disturbances, we develop a control methodology that counteracts an unknown disturbance by switching repeatedly between "zooming out" and "zooming in". Two specific control strategies that yield ISS are presented. The first one is implemented in continuous time, while the second one incorporates time sampling. We discover that in the presence of disturbances, time-sampling implementation requires an additional modification which has not been considered in previous work.
Neural correlates of response inhibition in pediatric bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES Pediatric bipolar disorder is characterized by core deficits in mood and executive function and commonly co-occurs with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We aimed to examine response inhibition in this population, as an element of executive function, which, if aberrant, may interfere with learning and information processing. METHODS Children (9-18 years) with bipolar I or II disorder (BD, n = 26) and age, gender, and intelligence quotient (IQ) comparable healthy children (HC, n = 22) without any psychopathology were given a standardized Go/NoGo computerized task measuring response inhibition. A whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) group analysis was performed using statistical parametric mapping software (SPM2) for comparing NoGo to Go epochs. RESULTS There were no statistically significant group differences between groups in age, gender, or ethnicity. The BD group had high rates of co-morbid disorders, including 81% with ADHD, 62% with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and 46% with anxiety disorders. This BD group had fewer correct responses on Go (84% vs. 96%, T[46] = 3.35, p = 0.002) and overall (85% vs. 94%, T[46] = 4.12, p = 0.0002) trials as compared to the HC group. However, there were no statistically significant group differences in response inhibition on NoGo trials (p = 0.11). In the NoGo-Go contrast, the BD group showed increased neural activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to HC (T[46] = 4.21, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS During accurate NoGo but impaired Go trial performance, children with BD showed increased right DLPFC activation versus controls, suggesting increased recruitment of executive control regions for accurate response inhibition. Studies relating these results to mood regulation in pediatric BD are warranted.
Computer-aided animated gesture-driven facial model with speech synthesis

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a gesture-driven facial model with speech synthesis capability. A two-dimensional facial Model was developed and animated based on the Facial Action Coding System. Such emotions as “happy”, “sad”, “anger”, and “fear” were simulated and visualized through the combination of eight action units. A speech synthesizer for the Tamil language was built using a syllable-based concatenation approach. The results indicated that the synthetic speech had an average accuracy rate ranging from 85% to 90% as natural as the human speech. Moreover, 75%–85% of the words were articulated well and identified by the children correctly. The ultimate goal of the system is to assist children with vocal and hearing disabilities in their language learning process.
KCNE1 alters the voltage sensor movements necessary to open the KCNQ1 channel gate

The delayed rectifier IKs potassium channel, formed by coassembly of α- (KCNQ1) and β- (KCNE1) subunits, is essential for cardiac function. Although KCNE1 is necessary to reproduce the functional properties of the native IKs channel, the mechanism(s) through which KCNE1 modulates KCNQ1 is unknown. Here we report measurements of voltage sensor movements in KCNQ1 and KCNQ1/KCNE1 channels using voltage clamp fluorometry. KCNQ1 channels exhibit indistinguishable voltage dependence of fluorescence and current signals, suggesting a one-to-one relationship between voltage sensor movement and channel opening. KCNE1 coexpression dramatically separates the voltage dependence of KCNQ1/KCNE1 current and fluorescence, suggesting an imposed requirement for movements of multiple voltage sensors before KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel opening. This work provides insight into the mechanism by which KCNE1 modulates the IKs channel and presents a mechanism for distinct β-subunit regulation of ion channel proteins.
Preparation, Physicochemical Properties, and Transfection Activities of Tartaric Acid-Based Cationic Lipids as Effective Nonviral Gene Delivery Vectors.

In this work two novel cationic lipids using natural tartaric acid as linking backbone were synthesized. These cationic lipids were simply constructed by tartaric acid backbone using head group 6-aminocaproic acid and saturated hydrocarbon chains dodecanol (T-C12-AH) or hexadecanol (T-C16-AH). The physicochemical properties, gel electrophoresis, transfection activities, and cytotoxicity of cationic liposomes were tested. The optimum formulation for T-C12-AH and T-C16-AH was at cationic lipid/dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) molar ratio of 1 : 0.5 and 1 : 2, respectively, and N/P charge molar ratio of 1 : 1 and 1 : 1, respectively. Under optimized conditions, T-C12-AH and T-C16-AH showed effective gene transfection capabilities, superior or comparable to that of commercially available transfecting reagent 3β-[N-(N',N'-dimethylaminoethyl)carbamoyl]cholesterol (DC-Chol) and N-[2,3-dioleoyloxypropyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTAP). The results demonstrated that the two novel tartaric acid-based cationic lipids exhibited low toxicity and efficient transfection performance, offering an excellent prospect as nonviral vectors for gene delivery.
Secular Trends in Stature, Weight, and Maturation

Human biologists use the term "secular trends" to refer to alterations in human beings over long-time periods. These changes may be positive, that is, increases or accelerations, or they may be negative. A positive change is not necessarily favorable. By their nature, secular trends are due almost entirely to environmental variations. Genetic drift affecting a population is, indeed, a secular trend but is not considered in this review. If genetic changes occur in a local population due to migration, studies of the "population" before and after the migration may show differences, but the population is not the same. This pitfall must be avoided when data spanning several decades from a particular locale or institution are analyzed, as, for example, the study by Vines (1904) comparing the statures of boys attending a given school in 1874 and in 1901. The area served by the school or the racial affiliations of those attending the school may have changed considerably. Despite their importance for many purposes, such comparisons are unsatisfactory for the study of secular trends. There are other methodological considerations. For example, when comparisons are made between studies, can we be certain both groups of workers measured in the same way? Whether or not stature was recorded to the nearest millimeter, the nearest centimeter, or the last-completed centimeter makes a difference. Was weight measured nude in both studies? If the children were weighed wearing "light indoor clothing" in both surveys, the weight of this clothing may differ. Probably such clothing is considerably lighter now in developed countries than was the case 100 years ago. Age may present a problem. Were ages verified from birth certificates and, just as important, were they reported clearly? As discussed later, some
Attentional biases to pain and social threat in children with recurrent abdominal pain.

OBJECTIVES To test whether children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) exhibit subliminal (nonconscious) and supraliminal (conscious) attentional biases to pain-related words, and to determine correlates of these biases. Previous research indicates that individuals attend to disorder-relevant threat words, and in this study, attentional biases to disorder-relevant threat (pain), alternative threat (social threat), and neutral words were compared. METHODS Participants were 59 children with RAP who completed a computer-based attentional bias task. Participants and their parents also completed questionnaires measuring pain, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, and body vigilance. RESULTS Children with RAP showed attentional biases toward subliminal pain-related words and attentional biases away from supraliminal pain-related words. Participants' attentional biases to social threat-related words were marginally significant and also reflected subliminal attention and supraliminal avoidance. Attentional biases were related to parent and child reports of pain, body vigilance, and anxiety/depression. CONCLUSIONS Children with RAP show nonconscious attention to and conscious avoidance of threat-related words. Their attentional biases relate to individual differences in symptom severity. Implications for models of pediatric pain and future studies are discussed.
Lawyer rankings either do not matter for litigation outcomes or are redundant

ABSTRACT I investigate the success of litigants in tax cases in England and Wales between 1996 and 2010. I explore the effect upon success of having better-ranked legal representation, according to rankings of barristers published by Chambers. I find that, for a variety of model specifications, there is no significant positive effect of having better-ranked legal representation. After conducting a sensitivity analysis, I conclude that better-ranked legal representation might have a positive effect on litigation outcomes, but only if better-ranked lawyers receive cases that are substantially more difficult to win. However, if better-ranked lawyers receive substantially more difficult cases, this suggests consumers of legal representation are sophisticated enough to dispense with legal rankings.
Cluster management in the known area of deployment for wireless sensor network

Clustering algorithms in wireless sensor network are used to save energy consumption. Existing clustering algorithms did not consider the energy optimization inside the clusters and they created new clusters once the cluster head of a cluster becomes dead. The removal and creation of new clusters create communication overhead. Here we propose a clustering algorithm for specific area of deployment for wireless sensor network which does cluster management to remove energy consumption in creating and destroying clusters. We have taken the shape of clusters to be circular and created clusters are maintained throughout the wireless sensor network¿s life.
Modeling value-based reasoning for autonomous agents

The issue of decision-making and teleological reasoning of autonomous agents constitutes the current work topic for many researchers. The author of [1] presents a framework allowing for teleological reasoning with the use of values and the possibility of autonomous goal-setting by a device. In this paper we propose to extend this framework by a new manner of representation of the level of value promotion including the required modifications of the reasoning mechanism. The proposed model may become a formal foundation for the realization of the autonomous agent.
Performance Evaluation of Neighborhood Signature Techniques for Peer-to-Peer Search

Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems have received a lot of attention due to the popularity of applications such as SETI, Napster, Gnutella, and Morpheus. The P2P systems present tremendous challenges in search- ing data items among the numerous host nodes. While search has been studied in a similar but different con- text, i.e., parallel and distributed database systems, the large scale and dynamic membership change of P2P systems require the search issue to be re-examined. Existing search techniques in unstructured peer-to-peer overlay networks incur excessive network traffic. In this paper, we investigate the issues of trading-off stor- age space at peers to reduce network overhead in unstructured P2P overlay networks. We propose to use sig- natures for directing searches, and introduce three schemes, namely complete-neighborhood signature (CN), partial-neighborhood superimposed signature (PN-S), and partial-neighborhood appended signature (PN-A), to facilitate efficient searching of shared content in P2P networks. With little storage overhead, these signa- tures improve the performance of content search and thus significantly reduce the volume of network traffic. Extensive analysis and simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of our proposal with existing P2P content search methods, including Gnutella, random walk, and local index. Results show that PN-A gives the best performance at a small storage cost.
A post-compiler approach to scratchpad mapping of code

ScratchPad Memories (SPMs) are commonly used in embedded systems because they are more energy-efficient than caches and enable tighter application control on the memory hierarchy. Optimally mapping code and data to SPMs is, however, still a challenge. This paper proposes an optimal scratchpad mapping approach for code segments, which has the distinctive characteristic of working directly on application binaries, thus requiring no access to either the compiler or the application source code - a clear advantage for legacy or proprietary, IP-protected applications.The mapping problem is solved by means of a Dynamic Programming algorithm applied to the execution traces of the target application. The algorithm is able to find the optimal set of instructions blocks to be moved into a dedicated SPM, either minimizing energy consumption or execution times. A patching tool, which can use the output of the optimal mapper, modifies the binary of the application and moves the relevant portions of its code segments to memory locations inside of the SPM.
Engaged scholarship: Steering between the risks of paternalism, opportunism, and paralysis

This article uses an example of critically oriented Action Research to reflect on the pitfalls and tensions inherent in engaged scholarship. The tensions are analyzed within three types of research-related relationships involving power: (1) between the participatory inquiry and its cultural, institutional, and social environment; (2) within ‘the community’ being studied, which itself is not homogeneous in terms of interests, values, and ability of their realization; and (3) between the researcher and ‘the community’. These tensions connect to an attempt to use the three mutually exclusive approaches of pragmatism, critical theory, and constructivism. It is claimed that this meta-theoretical inconsistency, though not elegant, should be seen as a strength rather than a weakness. Following any approach in isolation would expose the researcher to the risk of opportunism (pragmatism), paternalism (critical theory), or relativism, and therefore paralysis (constructivism). Keeping a minimum level of variety enables the researcher to escape those pitfalls and to conduct ethical and emancipatory inquiry.
Individualism and entrepreneurship: Does the pattern depend on the social context?

This article argues that cultural and personal values are relevant in the formation of entrepreneurial intentions; as such, the interplay between both value-levels deserves attention. Individualist values such as achievement, pleasure, self-direction and an exciting and stimulating life are related to entrepreneurial intention and activity, at both the cultural and personal levels. From a sample of 2069 adults with a university degree, the results support a double-effect of culture on entrepreneurial intention: the personal values effect (a more individualist culture leads to more members exhibiting higher entrepreneurial intentions) and the outlier effect (those who are more individualist than average in their culture will exhibit a higher entrepreneurial intention). Within the two individualist dimensions considered (self-enhancement and openness to change), the relationship of self-enhancement to entrepreneurial intention is stronger than that of openness to change. The implications of these results are discussed and avenues for future research are proposed.