Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed Federated Learning for Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Vehicular Communications

In this paper, the problem of joint power and resource allocation (JPRA) for ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) in vehicular networks is studied. Therein, the network-wide power consumption of vehicular users (VUEs) is minimized subject to high reliability in terms of probabilistic queuing delays. Using extreme value theory (EVT), a new reliability measure is defined to characterize extreme events pertaining to vehicles’ queue lengths exceeding a predefined threshold. To learn these extreme events, assuming they are independently and identically distributed over VUEs, a novel distributed approach based on federated learning (FL) is proposed to estimate the tail distribution of the queue lengths. Considering the communication delays incurred by FL over wireless links, Lyapunov optimization is used to derive the JPRA policies enabling URLLC for each VUE in a distributed manner. The proposed solution is then validated via extensive simulations using a Manhattan mobility model. Simulation results show that FL enables the proposed method to estimate the tail distribution of queues with an accuracy that is close to a centralized solution with up to 79% reductions in the amount of exchanged data. Furthermore, the proposed method yields up to 60% reductions of VUEs with large queue lengths, while reducing the average power consumption by two folds, compared to an average queue-based baseline.
SiGAN: Siamese Generative Adversarial Network for Identity-Preserving Face Hallucination

Though generative adversarial networks (GANs) can hallucinate high-quality high-resolution (HR) faces from low-resolution (LR) faces, they cannot ensure identity preservation during face hallucination, making the HR faces difficult to recognize. To address this problem, we propose a Siamese GAN (SiGAN) to reconstruct HR faces that visually resemble their corresponding identities. On top of a Siamese network, the proposed SiGAN consists of a pair of two identical generators and one discriminator. We incorporate reconstruction error and identity label information in the loss function of SiGAN in a pairwise manner. By iteratively optimizing the loss functions of the generator pair and the discriminator of SiGAN, we not only achieve visually-pleasing face reconstruction but also ensure that the reconstructed information is useful for identity recognition. Experimental results demonstrate that SiGAN significantly outperforms existing face hallucination GANs in objective face verification performance while achieving promising visual-quality reconstruction. Moreover, for input LR faces with unseen identities that are not part of the training dataset, SiGAN can still achieve reasonable performance.
Marine cyanolichens from different littoral zones are associated with distinct bacterial communities

Lichens symbioses, commonly described as fungal partnerships with a photosynthetic partner (green algae and/or cyanobacteria) are associated with a diverse bacterial community. Whereas the microbiome diversity and function of terrestrial lichens has been well studied, knowledge about the non-photosynthetic bacteria associated with marine lichens is still scarce. Since there is a clear vertical zonation of lichens across the littoral belt we hypothesized that this correlates with significant variations of bacterial communities associated with these lichens. To test this hypothesis, 16S rRNA gene illumina sequencing was used to assess the culture-independent bacterial diversity in the strictly marine cyanolichen species Lichina pygmaea and Lichina confinis, and the maritime chlorolichen species Xanthoria sp. collected from the French Brittany coast. These species occupied the lower eulittoral, upper eulittoral and supralittoral zones respectively. Inland terrestrial cyanolichens from Austria were also analysed as for the marine lichens to examine further the impact of habitat/lichen species on the associated bacterial communities. The L. confinis and L. pygmaea communities were significantly different from those of the terrestrial lichens with the Bacteroidetes phylum accounting for 50% of the sequences, whereas Alphaproteobacteria, notably Sphingomonas, dominated the terrestrial lichens. Bacterial communities associated with the two Lichina species were significantly different sharing only 33 core OTUs, half of which were affiliated to the Bacteroidetes genera Rubricoccus, Tunicatimonas and Lewinella, suggesting an important role of these species in the marine lichen symbiosis. The presence of multiple OTUs of these genera that were differentially distributed between the two Lichina species, could be suggestive of ecological speciation driven by adaptation to the different conditions of the intertidal and supratidal zones. Marine cyanolichens showed a higher abundance of OTUs likely affiliated to moderately thermophilic and/or radiation resistant bacteria belonging to the Phyla Chloroflexi, Thermi, and the families Rhodothermaceae and Rubrobacteraceae when compared to those of terrestrial lichens. This most likely reflects the exposed and highly variable conditions to which marine lichens are subjected to daily.
Task-Data Taxonomy for Health Data Visualizations: Web-Based Survey With Experts and Older Adults

Background Increasingly, eHealth involves health data visualizations to enable users to better understand their health situation. Selecting efficient and ergonomic visualizations requires knowledge about the task that the user wants to carry out and the type of data to be displayed. Taxonomies of abstract tasks and data types bundle this knowledge in a general manner. Task-data taxonomies exist for visualization tasks and data. They also exist for eHealth tasks. However, there is currently no joint task taxonomy available for health data visualizations incorporating the perspective of the prospective users. One of the most prominent prospective user groups of eHealth are older adults, but their perspective is rarely considered when constructing tasks lists. Objective The aim of this study was to construct a task-data taxonomy for health data visualizations based on the opinion of older adults as prospective users of eHealth systems. eHealth experts served as a control group against the bias of lacking background knowledge. The resulting taxonomy would then be used as an orientation in system requirement analysis and empirical evaluation and to facilitate a common understanding and language in eHealth data visualization. Methods Answers from 98 participants (51 older adults and 47 eHealth experts) given in an online survey were quantitatively analyzed, compared between groups, and synthesized into a task-data taxonomy for health data visualizations. Results Consultation, diagnosis, mentoring, and monitoring were confirmed as relevant abstract tasks in eHealth. Experts and older adults disagreed on the importance of mentoring (χ24=14.1, P=.002) and monitoring (χ24=22.1, P<.001). The answers to the open questions validated the findings from the closed questions and added therapy, communication, cooperation, and quality management to the aforementioned tasks. Here, group differences in normalized code counts were identified for “monitoring” between the expert group (mean 0.18, SD 0.23) and the group of older adults (mean 0.08, SD 0.15; t96=2431, P=.02). Time-dependent data was most relevant across all eHealth tasks. Finally, visualization tasks and data types were assigned to eHealth tasks by both experimental groups. Conclusions We empirically developed a task-data taxonomy for health data visualizations with prospective users. This provides a general framework for theoretical concession and for the prioritization of user-centered system design and evaluation. At the same time, the functionality dimension of the taxonomy for telemedicine—chosen as the basis for the construction of present taxonomy—was confirmed.
Supervised, but Not Home-Based, Isometric Training Improves Brachial and Central Blood Pressure in Medicated Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Meta-analyses have shown that supervised isometric handgrip training reduces blood pressure in hypertensives. However, the mechanism(s) underlying these effects in medicated hypertensive patients, as well as the effects from home-based exercise training, is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of supervised and home-based isometric handgrip training on cardiovascular parameters in medicated hypertensives. In this randomized controlled trial, 72 hypertensive individuals (38–79 years old, 70% female) were randomly assigned to three groups: home-based, supervised isometric handgrip training or control groups. Home-based and supervised isometric handgrip training was completed thrice weekly (4 × 2 min at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction, with 1-min rest between bouts, alternating the hands). Before and after 12 weeks brachial, central and ambulatory blood pressures (BP), arterial stiffness, heart rate variability, vascular function, oxidative stress and inflammation markers were obtained. No significant (p > 0.05) effect was observed for ambulatory BP, arterial stiffness, heart rate variability, vascular function and oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in all three groups. Brachial BP decreased in the supervised group (Systolic: 132 ± 4 vs. 120 ± 3 mmHg; Diastolic: 71 ± 2 vs. 66 ± 2 mmHg, p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed in the home-based (Systolic: 130 ± 4 vs. 126 ± 3 mmHg; diastolic: 73 ± 3 vs. 71 ± 3 mmHg) and control groups (p > 0.05). Supervised handgrip exercise also reduced central BP systolic (120 ± 5 vs. 109 ± 5 mmHg), diastolic (73 ± 2 vs. 67 ± 2 mmHg); and mean BP (93 ± 3 vs. 84 ± 3 mmHg), whereas no significant effects were found in the home-based (Systolic: 119 ± 4 vs. 115 ± 3 mmHg; Diastolic: 74 ± 3 vs. 71 ± 3 mmHg) and control groups (p > 0.05). In conclusion, supervised, but not home-based, isometric training lowered brachial and central BP in hypertensives.
Clinical profile and successful outcomes of conservative and minimally invasive treatment of emphysematous pyelonephritis

Introduction Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rare clinical entity, characterized by gas in the renal system, due to an acute, fulminant and potentially fatal necrotizing process with varying clinical presentations. It is much more aggressive than uncomplicated pyelonephritis, with the mortality of 20–40% in the contemporary meta-analysis. Material and methods A retrospective record review of inpatients at the Institute of Nephro Urology, Bangalore, India (2007–2014), who were treated after EPN was diagnosed with the aid of a CT (computed tomography) scan. Results Sixty-six patients (M:F 27:39) treated for EPN over the past seven years with the mean (±SD) age of 52.32 (±12.48) years were analyzed. Median (interquartile range) duration of hospital stay was 8 (11.25) days with 4 (6%) patients requiring intensive care unit admission (median, IQR = 5.5, 1.5 days) of whom two passed away due to septicemia. Fifty-six (84.85%) patients were diabetics, forty (60.6%) patients had estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.7 3 m2, 6 (9.1%) patients had eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 including 3 (4.5%) with eGFR <15 ml/min/1.73 m2 requiring hemodialysis and twenty-two (33%) had thrombocytopenia. Fifty (75.76%) patients were classified as Huang and Tseng Class 2, 7 (10%) as Class 3 with perinephric abscess requiring open drainage and 9 (13.64%) had bilateral EPN (Class 4). Majority (43; 65%) responded to piperacillin-tazobactam treatment. Double J stenting was done in 17 (25.76%) patients, percutaneous drainage in 5 (7.58%) patients and nephrectomy in 2 (3%) patients. Conclusions Although EPN historically carries high morbidity and mortality, modern day medical management with timely intervention in the form of urinary drainage is effective and curative in most patients resulting in a low mortality rate.
SCARR: A Novel Scalable Runtime Remote Attestation

Runtime remote attestation is a technique that allows to validate the correct execution of a program on a remote device. This is a mechanism that protects against runtime exploitations. One of these is control-flow attack, which exploits memory corruptions errors. To mitigate control-flow attacks, current defense strategies rely on control-flow integrity checks or on address space layout randomization (ASLR), unfortunately, these solutions are commonly bypassed by adversaries. Recently, researches proposed runtime remote attestation schemes that work for small programs or for embedded systems, but current approaches are not suitable for complex software like web-servers. In this work, we present SCARR: the first SCAlable Runtime Remote attestation that is designed for complex software, which might involve multi-threading programming, ASLR, and operating system signals. Unlike previous approaches, SCARR can model valid program execution paths in a scalable way and it is also suitable for monitoring virtual machines in cloud environments. We developed our idea in a proof-of-concept example and deployed it over a set of popular software. As a result, SCARR monitors remote software execution by only doubling the execution time compared to the original program, and it can efficiently deals with large applications by using a small number of measurements
Microglia Responses to Pro-inflammatory Stimuli (LPS, IFNγ+TNFα) and Reprogramming by Resolving Cytokines (IL-4, IL-10)

Microglia respond to CNS injuries and diseases with complex reactions, often called “activation. ” A pro-inflammatory phenotype (also called classical or M1 activation) lies at one extreme of the reactivity spectrum. There were several motivations for this study. First, bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) is the most commonly used pro-inflammatory stimulus for microglia, both in vitro and in vivo; however, pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IFNγ, TNFα) rather than LPS will be encountered with sterile CNS damage and disease. We lack direct comparisons of responses between LPS and such cytokines. Second, while transcriptional profiling is providing substantial data on microglial responses to LPS, these studies mainly use mouse cells and models, and there is increasing evidence that responses of rat microglia can differ. Third, the cytokine milieu is dynamic after acute CNS damage, and an important question in microglial biology is: How malleable are their responses? There are very few studies of effects of resolving cytokines, particularly for rat microglia, and much of the work has focused on pro-inflammatory outcomes. Here, we first exposed primary rat microglia to LPS or to IFNγ+TNFα (I+T) and compared hallmark functional (nitric oxide production, migration) and molecular responses (almost 100 genes), including surface receptors that can be considered part of the sensome. Protein changes for exemplary molecules were also quantified: ARG1, CD206/MRC1, COX-2, iNOS, and PYK2. Despite some similarities, there were notable differences in responses to LPS and I+T. For instance, LPS often evoked higher pro-inflammatory gene expression and also increased several anti-inflammatory genes. Second, we compared the ability of two anti-inflammatory, resolving cytokines (IL-4, IL-10), to counteract responses to LPS and I+T. IL-4 was more effective after I+T than after LPS, and IL-10 was surprisingly ineffective after either stimulus. These results should prove useful in modeling microglial reactivity in vitro; and comparing transcriptional responses to sterile CNS inflammation in vivo.
Characteristics and Immunomodulating Functions of Adipose-Derived and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Across Defined Human Leukocyte Antigen Barriers

Background Vascularized composite allotransplantation opens new possibilities in reconstructive transplantation such as hand or face transplants. Lifelong immunosuppression and its side-effects are the main drawbacks of this procedure. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have clinically useful immunomodulatory effects and may be able to reduce the burden of chronic immunosuppression. Herein, we assess and compare characteristics and immunomodulatory capacities of bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs isolated from the same human individual across defined human leukocyte antigen (HLA) barriers. Materials and methods Samples of omental (o.) adipose tissue, subcutaneous (s.c.) adipose tissue, and bone marrow aspirate from 10 human organ donors were retrieved and MSCs isolated. Cells were characterized by flow cytometry and differentiated in three lineages: adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic. In mixed lymphocyte reactions, the ability of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to suppress the immune response was assessed and compared within individual donors. HLA mismatched or mitogen stimulations were analyzed in co-culture with different MSC concentrations. Supernatants were analyzed for cytokine contents. Results All cell types, s.c. ASC, o.ASC, and BMSC demonstrated individual differentiation potential and cell surface markers. Immunomodulating effects were dependent on dose and cell passage. Proliferation of responder cells was most effectively suppressed by s.c. ASCs and combination with BMSC resulted in highly efficient immunomodulation. Immunomodulation was not cell contact-dependent and cells demonstrated a specific cytokine secretion. Conclusion When human ASCs and BMSCs are isolated from the same individual, both show effective immunomodulation across defined HLA barriers in vitro. We demonstrate a synergistic effect when cells from the same biologic system were combined. This cell contact-independent function underlines the potential of clinical systemic application of MSCs.
Validation of the Modified Shuttle Test to Predict Peak Oxygen Uptake in Youth Asthma Patients Under Regular Treatment

Background: Oxygen uptake (VO2) evaluations by cardiopulmonary exercise test is expensive and time-consuming. Estimating VO2 based on a field test would be an alternative. Objective: To develop and validate an equation to predict VO2peak based on the modified shuttle test (MST). Methods: Cross sectional study, with 97 children and adolescents with asthma. Participants were divided in two groups: the equation group (EG), to construct the equation model of VO2peak, and the cross-validation group (VG). Each subject performed the MST twice using a portable gas analyzer. The peak VO2peak during MST was used in the equation model. The patients’ height, weight, gender, and distance walked (DW) during MST were tested as independent variables. Results: The final model [-0.457 + (gender × 0.139) + (weight × 0.025) + (DW × 0.002)] explained 87% of VO2peak variation. The VO2peak predicted was similar to VO2peak measured by gas analyzer (1.9 ± 0.5 L/min and 2.0 ± 0.5 L/min, respectively) (p = 0.67), and presented significant ICC 0.91 (IC95% 0.77 to 0.96); p < 0.001. The Bland–Altman analysis showed low bias (-0.15 L/min) and limits of agreement (-0.65 to 0.35 L/min). There was no difference in DW between EG (760 ± 209 m) and VG (731 ± 180 m), p = 0.51. Conclusion: The developed equation adequately predicts VO2peak in pediatric patients with asthma.
2P-DNN : Privacy-Preserving Deep Neural Networks Based on Homomorphic Cryptosystem

Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS), such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, offers an effective DNN model to complete the machine learning task for small businesses and individuals who are restricted to the lacking data and computing power. However, here comes an issue that user privacy is ex-posed to the MLaaS server, since users need to upload their sensitive data to the MLaaS server. In order to preserve their privacy, users can encrypt their data before uploading it. This makes it difficult to run the DNN model because it is not designed for running in ciphertext domain. In this paper, using the Paillier homomorphic cryptosystem we present a new Privacy-Preserving Deep Neural Network model that we called 2P-DNN. This model can fulfill the machine leaning task in ciphertext domain. By using 2P-DNN, MLaaS is able to provide a Privacy-Preserving machine learning ser-vice for users. We build our 2P-DNN model based on LeNet-5, and test it with the encrypted MNIST dataset. The classification accuracy is more than 97%, which is close to the accuracy of LeNet-5 running with the MNIST dataset and higher than that of other existing Privacy-Preserving machine learning models
Functional traits associated with plant colonizing and competitive ability influence species abundance during secondary succession: Evidence from subalpine meadows of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Abstract It is widely recognized that colonists and competitors dominate early and late succession, respectively, with selected species having different colonizing and competitive abilities. However, it remains unknown whether colonizing and competitive ability can determine species abundance directly over succession. The data for five key functional traits were collected (photosynthesis rate, leaf turgor loss point, leaf proline content, seed mass, and seed germination rate), which are direct indicators of plant competitive and colonizing abilities including growth, drought and cold stress resistance, dispersal, and seed dormancy. Here, we tested the effects of colonizing and competitive abilities on species abundance, by employing a linear mixed‐effects model to examine the shifts in the relationship between species abundance and these five colonization and competition‐related traits in species‐rich subalpine secondary successional meadows (at 4, 6, 10, 13 years of age, and undisturbed, respectively) of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The abundant species at the early‐successional meadows tend to have high photosynthetic rate, high leaf proline content, low seed mass, and seed germination rate for having high colonizing ability, but low competitive ability. By contrast, late‐successional communities tend to be dominated by species with high competitive ability, but low colonizing ability, indicated by large seeds, high seed germination rate, low photosynthetic rate, and leaf proline content. The observed directional shifts in the relationships between traits (photosynthetic rate, leaf proline content, seed mass, and seed germination rate) and abundance with successional age, bring two new understandings of community assembly during succession of subalpine meadows in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. First, it discloses that the differences in species abundance over succession can be directly attributed to differences in colonizing and competitive abilities of different species. Second, it expands the effects of multiple life historical differences including growth, resource competitive ability, cold stress resistance, dispersal, and seed germination strategy, represented by functional traits on community assembly along succession, that is, from the species to the community level.