Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Active Sampling of Controlled Experiments for QoE Modeling

For internet applications, measuring, modeling and predicting the quality experienced by end users as a function of network conditions is challenging. A common approach for building application specific Quality of Experience (QoE) models is to rely on controlled experimentation. For accurate QoE modeling, this approach can result in a large number of experiments to carry out because of the multiplicity of the network features, their large span (e.g., bandwidth, delay) and the time needed to setup the experiments themselves. However, most often, the space of network features in which experimentations are carried out shows a high degree of uniformity in the training labels of QoE. This uniformity, difficult to predict beforehand, amplifies the training cost with little or no improvement in QoE modeling accuracy. So, in this paper, we aim to exploit this uniformity, and propose a methodology based on active learning, to sample the experimental space intelligently, so that the training cost of experimentation is reduced. We prove the feasibility of our methodology by validating it over a particular case of YouTube streaming, where QoE is modeled both in terms of interruptions and stalling duration.
Reverse-Engineering a Cryptographic RFID Tag

The security of embedded devices often relies on the secrecy of proprietary cryptographic algorithms. These algorithms and their weaknesses are frequently disclosed through reverse-engineering software, but it is commonly thought to be too expensive to reconstruct designs from a hardware implementation alone. This paper challenges that belief by presenting an approach to reverse-engineering a cipher from a silicon implementation. Using this mostly automated approach, we reveal a cipher from an RFID tag that is not known to have a software or micro-code implementation. We reconstruct the cipher from the widely used Mifare Classic RFID tag by using a combination of image analysis of circuits and protocol analysis. Our analysis reveals that the security of the tag is even below the level that its 48-bit key length suggests due to a number of design flaws. Weak random numbers and a weakness in the authentication protocol allow for pre-computed rainbow tables to be used to find any key in a matter of seconds. Our approach of deducing functionality from circuit images is mostly automated, hence it is also feasible for large chips. The assumption that algorithms can be kept secret should therefore to be avoided for any type of silicon chip.
Influence of season on chemical composition of albumen, yolk and eggshell from layer eggs.

In this paper was investigated influence of seasons on chemical composition of egg albumen, yolk and eggshell in eggs from laying hens. The reasons for this research were the higher summer temperatures in Republic of Macedonia which causing severe damages in production of eggs. IsaBrown hybrid hens were tested in a poultry farm located in southern part of state where penetrate the Mediterranean climate and the summer temperatures reach a maximum of 35-41°C. The research was lasted 3 seasons (summer, autumn and winter) during which time were processed about 900 eggs and in 176 eggs was determined the impact of fixed factor on the chemical composition of albumen, yolk and shell (moisture and dry matter, crude ash, crude protein, crude fat and calcium carbonate). The obtained results were statistically processed by applying different models of Least Squares Means by [5]. Factor season has shown no statistically significant impact on chemical composition of albumen and yolk in any studied parameters. Although, there was a slightly lower percentage of crude protein in albumen and a higher percentage in yolk during the summer. In contrast, season had statistically significant (p<0.01) influence on the percentage of calcium carbonate in eggshell. The analyzed eggs collected during the summer months had a significantly lower (90.74) percentage of CaCO3 in shell compared to eggs collected in autumn (92.01) and winter (93.86). That is a one of the reasons for poor quality of eggs in the summer seasons.
A Prognostic Model for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients Based on Node Status, Cathepsin-D and Ki-67 Index

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate clinicopathologic factors that could possibly affect the outcome of patients with triple negative breast cancer and subsequently build a prognostic model to predict patients’ outcome. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathologic characteristics and outcome of 504 patients diagnosed with triple-negative invasive ductal breast cancer. 185 patients enrolled between 2000 and 2002 were designated to the training set. The variables that had statistically significant correlation with prognosis were combined to build a model. The prognostic value of the model was further validated in the separate validation set containing 319 patients enrolled between 2003 and 2006. Results The median follow-up duration was 66 months. 174 patients experienced recurrence, and 111 patients died. Positivity for ≥4 lymph nodes, Cathepsin-D positivity, and Ki-67 index ≥20% were independent factors for DFS, while the lymph nodes status and Ki-67 index were the prognostic factors for OS. The prognostic model was established based on the sum of all three factors, where positivity for ≥4 lymph nodes, Cathepsin-D and Ki-67 index ≥20% would individually contribute 1 point to the risk score. The patients in the validation set were assigned to a low-risk group (0 and 1 point) and a high-risk group (2 and 3 points). The external validation analysis also demonstrated that our prognostic model provided the independent high predictive accuracy of recurrence. Conclusion This model has a considerable clinical value in predicting recurrence, and will help clinicians to design an appropriate level of adjuvant treatment and schedule adequate appointments of surveillance visits.
Kerr/CFT correspondence in the low energy limit of heterotic string theory

We investigate the recently proposed Kerr/CFT correspondence in the context of heterotic string theory. The Kerr/CFT correspondence states that the near-horizon states of an extremal four (or higher) dimensional black hole could be identified with a certain chiral conformal field theory under the conjecture that the central charges from the non-gravitational fields vanish. The corresponding Virasoro algebra is generated by a class of diffeomorphisms which preserves the appropriate boundary conditions on the near-horizon geometry. To understand the chiral conformal field theory, we consider the class of extremal Kerr-Sen black hole (that contains three non-gravitational fields) as a class of solutions in the low energy limit (effective field theory) of heterotic string theory. We derive the expression of the conserved charges for the extremal Kerr-Sen solutions that contain dilaton, abelian gauge filed and antisymmetric tensor filed. We confirm and extend the validity of the conjecture (that the central charges from the non-gravitational fields vanish) for theories including antisymmetric tensor fields. We combine the calculated central charges with the expected form of the temperature using the Cardy formula to obtain the entropy of the extremal black hole microscopically; in agreement with the macroscopic Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the extremal black hole.
Diversity of Microbial Communities and Quantitative Chemodiversity in Layers of Marine Sediment Cores from a Causeway (Kaichu-Doro) in Okinawa Island, Japan

Microbial community diversity and chemodiversity were investigated in marine sediments adjacent to the Okinawan “Kaichu-Doro” Causeway, which was constructed 46 years ago to connect a group of four islands (Henza-jima, Miyagi-jima, Ikei-jima, Hamahiga-jima) to the Okinawan main island. This causeway was not built on pilings, but by land reclamation; hence, it now acts as a long, thin peninsula. The construction of this causeway was previously shown to have influenced the surrounding marine ecosystem, causing ecosystem fragmentation and loss of water circulation. In this study, we collected sediment cores (n = 10) from five paired sites in 1 m water depths. Each pair of sites consisted of one site each on the immediate north and south sides of the causeway. Originally the members of each pair were much closer to each other (<150 m) than to other pairs, but now the members of each pair are isolated by the causeway. Each core was 60–80 cm long and was divided into 15-cm layers. We examined the vertical diversity of microbial communities and chemical compounds to determine the correlation between chemodiversity and microbial communities among marine sediment cores and layers. Principal coordinate analyses (PCoA) of detected compounds and of bacterial and archaeal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed that the north and south sides of the causeway are relatively isolated, with each side having unique microbial OTUs. Additionally, some bacterial families (e.g., Acidaminobacteraceae, Rhizobiaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae) were found only on the south side of Kaichu-Doro. Interestingly, we found that the relative abundance of OTUs for some microbial families increased from top to bottom, but this was reversed in some other families. We conclude that the causeway has altered microbial community composition and metabolite profiles in marine sediments.
THEORIZING WHEN USER REACTION TO IT IMPLEMENTATION IS NEITHER RESISTANCE NOR ACCEPTANCE, BUT CONSTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR: A CASE STUDY OF HEALTHCARE IT IMPLEMENTATION

THEORIZING WHEN USER REACTION TO IT IMPLEMENTATION IS NEITHER RESISTANCE NOR ACCEPTANCE, BUT CONSTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR: A CASE STUDY OF HEALTHCARE IT IMPLEMENTATION By Kaveh Mohajeri, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Major Director: Allen S. Lee, Ph.D. Dean’s Scholar Professor of Information Systems Department of Information Systems The prevailing discourse of “resistance vs. acceptance” in IT implementation research mostly personalizes the issue as “users” versus IT implementers (e.g., managers, CIOs, CMIOs, etc.). This kind of discourse has created an IT-implementercentric attitude among IS scholars and practitioners. The IT-implementer-centric attitude, while embraces “acceptance” as a desirable reaction almost unconditionally, frequently holds for minimizing or more conservatively suppressing “resistance” to IT implementation. In other words, the mainstream IT implementation research, almost completely, treats “users” as passive recipients whose choices, as they face predeveloped/pre-designed/pre-rolled-out technology being implemented, can only be defined on a spectrum from “acceptance” to “resistance. ” The current research study, however, offers an alternative perspective that views the “resistance vs. acceptance” duality “from the other side,” i.e., from the perspective of the supposed “resistors” or “acceptors” themselves. Through a review of the literature, this study first identifies major drawbacks of the extant theories and models of IT implementation research. Next, drawing on an interpretive paradigm of research (more specifically, phenomenological sociology), this study investigates a real world case of healthcare IT implementation. The results of the aforementioned literature review and case investigation subsequently form the basis for the study’s proposed theoretical account, which provides an unprecedented understanding and explanation of how actors representing different stakeholder groups, among which people who are routinely called “users” are but one group, experience IT implementation as they live their everyday lives. The proposed theoretical account is lastly used as a guide for crafting both practical and research prescriptions with respect to managing IT-involved change occasions.
Localization of key amino acid residues in the dominant conformational epitopes on thyroid peroxidase recognized by mouse monoclonal antibodies

Autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (TPO), the major target autoantigen in autoimmune thyroid diseases, recognize conformational epitopes limited to two immunodominant regions (IDRs) termed IDR-A and -B. The apparent restricted heterogeneity of TPO autoantibodies was discovered using TPO-specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and later confirmed by human recombinant Fabs. In earlier studies we identified key amino acids crucial for the interaction of human autoantibodies with TPO. Here we show the critical residues that participate in binding of five mAbs to the conformational epitopes on the TPO surface. Using ELISA we tested the reactivity of single and multiple TPO mutants expressed in CHO cells with a panel of mAbs specifically recognizing IDR-A (mAb 2 and 9) and IDR-B (mAb 15, 18, 64). We show that antibodies recognizing very similar regions on the TPO surface may interact with different sets of residues. We found that residues K713 and E716 contribute to the interaction between mAb 2 and TPO. The epitope for mAb 9 is critically dependent on residues R646 and E716. Moreover, we demonstrate that amino acids E604 and D630 are part of the functional epitope for mAb 15, and amino acids D624 and K627 for mAb 18. Finally, residues E604, D620, D624, K627, and D630 constitute the epitope for mAb 64. This is the first detailed study identifying the key resides for binding of mAbs 2, 9, 15, 18, and 64. Better understanding of those antibodies' specificity will be helpful in elucidating the properties of TPO as an antigen in autoimmune disorders.
Sensitivity of the human circadian pacemaker to nocturnal light: melatonin phase resetting and suppression

1 Ocular exposure to early morning room light can significantly advance the timing of the human circadian pacemaker. The resetting response to such light has a non‐linear relationship to illuminance. The dose‐response relationship of the human circadian pacemaker to late evening light of dim to moderate intensity has not been well established. 2 Twenty‐three healthy young male and female volunteers took part in a 9 day protocol in which a single experimental light exposure6.5 h in duration was given in the early biological night. The effects of the light exposure on the endogenous circadian phase of the melatonin rhythm and the acute effects of the light exposure on plasma melatonin concentration were calculated. 3 We demonstrate that humans are highly responsive to the phase‐delaying effects of light during the early biological night and that both the phase resetting response to light and the acute suppressive effects of light on plasma melatonin follow a logistic dose‐response curve, as do many circadian responses to light in mammals. 4 Contrary to expectations, we found that half of the maximal phase‐delaying response achieved in response to a single episode of evening bright light (≈9000 lux (lx)) can be obtained with just over 1 % of this light (dim room light of ≈100 lx). The same held true for the acute suppressive effects of light on plasma melatonin concentrations. This indicates that even small changes in ordinary light exposure during the late evening hours can significantly affect both plasma melatonin concentrations and the entrained phase of the human circadian pacemaker.
Effect of Temperature, Wettability and Relative Permeability on Oil Recovery from Oil-wet Chalk

It is customary, for convenience, to use relative permeability data produced at room temperature. This paper shows that this practice underestimates oil recovery rates and ultimate recovery from chalk rocks for high temperature reservoirs. Above a certain temperature (80°C in this work) a reduction of oil recovery was observed. The reduction in oil recovery is reflected by the shift of relative permeability data towards more oil-wet at high temperature (tested here 130°C). However, both IFT and contact angle measurements indicate an increase in water wetness as temperature increases, which contradict the results obtained by relative permeability experiments. This phenomenon may be explained based on the total interaction potential, which basically consists of van der Waals attractive and short-range Born repulsive and double layer electrostatic forces. The fluid/rock interactions is shown to be dominated by the repulsive forces above 80°C, hence increase fine detachment enhancing oil trapping. In other words the indicated oil wetness by relative permeability is misleading.
NGC 4438 and its environment at radio wavelengths

We present multifrequency radio continuum and H i observations of NGC 4438, the highly disturbed, active galaxy in the Virgo cluster, with the Very Large Array (VLA) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). High-resolution observations of the central 1 kpc with the VLA at 4860 and 8460 MHz show the presence of an inverted-spectrum radio nucleus located between the highly asymmetric lobes of radio emission. This demonstrates that these lobes which are seen in radio continuum, Hα and X-ray wavelengths and are located at \sim 230 and 730 pc from the nucleus arise due to an active galactic nucleus rather than a compact nuclear starburst. The low-frequency radio continuum observations made with the GMRT detect the extended emission on the western side of the galaxy whose spectral index is flatter at higher frequencies and suggests that it is a mixture of thermal and non-thermal emission. The $H_I$ observations show an elongated structure which is displaced by \sim 4.1 kpc on the western side of NGC 4438 and has a size of \sim 9.8 kpc and a mass of 1.8 \times 108 Mo. The velocity field suggests systematic rotation, consistent with earlier observations. These observations also detect $H_I$ emission from the disc of the galaxy with a mass of $1.2 \times 10^8 M \bigodot$. We detect a faint $H_I$ tail towards the north of NGC 4438 close to a stellar tail seen earlier in deep optical observations. This $H_I$ tail has a total extent of \sim 50 kpc and a mass of 1.4 \times 108 Mo if it is at the distance of NGC 4438. The velocity of the H i tail is $ \sim −10 km s^{-1}$ similar to that of H i emission from IC 3355, but the possibility that the tail could be foreground Galactic emission cannot be ruled out. We discuss the different structures in light of different models which have been suggested for this disturbed galaxy, namely ram pressure stripping, tidal and interstellar medium (ISM)–ISM interactions.
Protecting Groups in Carbohydrate Chemistry: Influence on Stereoselectivity of Glycosylations

Saccharides are polyhydroxy compounds, and their synthesis requires complex protecting group manipulations. Protecting groups are usually used to temporarily mask a functional group which may interfere with a certain reaction, but protecting groups in carbohydrate chemistry do more than protecting groups usually do. Particularly, protecting groups can participate in reactions directly or indirectly, thus affecting the stereochemical outcomes, which is important for synthesis of oligosaccharides. Herein we present an overview of recent advances in protecting groups influencing stereoselectivity in glycosylation reactions, including participating protecting groups, and conformation-constraining protecting groups in general.
Effect of standard and neutral-pH peritoneal dialysis solutions upon fibroblasts proliferation.

INTRODUCTION Continuous exposition of the peritoneal membrane to conventional dialysis solutions is an important risk factor for inducing structural and functional alterations. OBJECTIVE To compare in vitro mouse fibroblast NIH-3T3 cell viability after exposition to a neutral pH dialysis solution in comparison to cells exposed to a standard solution. METHODS Experimental study to compare the effects of a conventional standard or a neutral-pH, low-glucose degradation products peritoneal dialysis solution on the viability of exposed fibroblasts in cell culture. Both solutions were tested in all the commercially available glucose concentrations. Cell viability was evaluated with tetrazolium salt colorimetric assay. RESULTS Fibroblast viability was significantly superior in the neutral pH solution in comparison to control, in all three glucose concentrations (Optical density in nm-means ± SD: 1.5% 0.295 ± 0.047 vs. 0.372 ± 0.042, p < 0.001; 2.3% 0.270 ± 0.036 vs. 0.337 ± 0.051, p < 0.001; 4.25% 0.284 ± 0.037 vs. 0.332 ± 0.032, p < 0.001; control vs. neutral pH respectively, Student t Test). There was no significant difference in cell viability between the three concentrations of glucose when standard solution was used (ANOVA p = 0.218), although cell viability was higher after exposition to neutral pH peritoneal dialysis fluid at 1.5% in comparison to 2.3 and 4.25% glucose concentrations (ANOVA p = 0.008: Bonferroni 1.5% vs. 2.3% p = 0.033, 1.5% vs. 4.25% p = 0.014, 2.3% vs. 4.25% p = 1.00). CONCLUSION Cell viability was better in neutral pH dialysis solution, especially in the lower glucose concentration. A more physiological pH and lower glucose degradation products may be responsible for such results.
A Two's Complement Parallel Array Multiplication Algorithm

An algorithm for high-speed, two's complement, m-bit by n-bit parallel array multiplication is described. The two's complement multiplication is converted to an equivalent parallel array addition problem in which each partial product bit is the AND of a multiplier bit and a multiplicand bit, and the signs of all the partial product bits are positive.
Private approximation of search problems

Many approximation algorithms have been presented in the last decades for hard search problems. The focus of this paper is on cryptographic applications, where it is desired to design algorithms which do not leak unnecessary information. Specifically, we are interested in private approximation algorithms -- efficient algorithms whose output does not leak information not implied by the optimal solutions to the search problems. Privacy requirements add constraints on the approximation algorithms; in particular, known approximation algorithms usually leak a lot of information.For functions, [Feigenbaum et al., ICALP 2001] presented a natural requirement that a private algorithm should not leak information not implied by the original function. Generalizing this requirement to search problems is not straightforward as an input may have many different outputs. We present a new definition that captures a minimal privacy requirement from such algorithms -- applied to an input instance, it should not leak any information that is not implied by its collection of exact solutions. Although our privacy requirement seems minimal, we show that for well studied problems, as vertex cover and 3SAT, private approximation algorithms are unlikely to exist even for poor approximation ratios. Similar to [Halevi et al., STOC 2001], we define a relaxed notion of approximation algorithms that leak (little) information, and demonstrate the applicability of this notion by showing near optimal approximation algorithms for 3SAT that leak little information.