Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cross-Layer Approach to Enhance the Call Setup Performance of SIP-Based VoIP over AODV MANET

The implementation of SIP signaling over MANET is still a challenging issue, as many routing factors affect SIP performance. Node mobility and dynamic hop number changes between nodes are considered the main routing problems within MANET routing protocols. RFC 6076 proposed end-to-end performance metrics for SIP signaling to provide a standardized method of evaluating SIP performance over different platforms, however, no benchmarking values for these metrics have been proposed yet. In this paper, a cross-layer system designed to enhance the call setup performance of SIP-based VoIP over AODV-based MANET is proposed. The approach used is to employ the SIP performance metric to enhance the call setup time by adjusting the Time-To-Live (TTL) parameter and the Route Request (RREQ) message retries for the AODV route request messages to support the reach ability ratio of SIP INVITE and re-INVITE messages to reduce the call setup time of SIP-based VoIP. The study investigated the Session Request Delay performance metric of SIP signaling as part of the SIP over MANET simulation efforts. Both the call setup time and the number of SIP calls over random waypoint mobility models were enhanced by applying instantaneous modifications to the TTL parameter and RREQ retries, increasing the delivery ratio of route discovery messages to about 35-40% compared with the classic AODV routing protocol.
Reliability of Retrospective Clinical Data to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Lumbar Fusion in Chronic Low Back Pain

Study Design. Patients in whom a posterior spinal fusion instrumentation had been performed to treat low back pain were asked to recall their preoperative clinical status by retrospectively filling out the same 3 self-evaluation scales they had completed before surgery in a prospective fashion. Objectives. To evaluate the impact of recollection error and compare outcomes using retrospective versus prospective methodologies among a cohort of patients treated with posterior spinal fusion instrumentation. Summary of Background Data. Literature on spine surgery from 1990 to 2000 shows a greater increase in retrospective studies as compared to randomized controlled trials and other prospective studies. Cross-sectional studies evaluate therapeutic effectiveness by comparing the current condition with the recalled (retrospectively recorded) pretreatment condition. There are no studies analyzing the characteristics of recalled data in a cohort of patients with chronic low back pain treated with posterior spinal fusion instrumentation. Methods. The preoperative clinical status of 58 patients, 33 women and 25 men, with a mean age of 48.3 years (22–84 years) was assessed prospectively with 3 self evaluation questionnaires and retrospectively at a mean of 37.5 months (2–58 months) after surgery using the same questionnaires. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare prospective and retrospective preoperative data and to compare prospective outcomes with outcomes determined from cross-sectional data. Agreement between prospective and retrospective measures was estimated with intraclass correlation coefficients for absolute agreement and consistency. Results. Comparisons between prospective and recalled data showed significant differences, demonstrating a worse preoperative situation when using retrospective data. Assessment of treatment effectiveness showed that cross-sectional evaluation significantly improved the real surgical outcome. Both absolute agreement and consistency intraclass correlation coefficients showed poor agreement between prospective and cross-sectional data, revealing no systematic bias. Follow-up, age, and gender did not modify agreement and cross-sectional overestimation. Conclusions. Relying on a patient’s recall of preoperative clinical status is not an accurate method to evaluate surgical outcome after posterior spinal fusion instrumentation. Cross-sectional studies may overestimate the effectiveness of surgery.
Wavelet-Based Compressive Imaging of Sparse Targets

The application of the compressive sensing (CS) paradigm to retrieve non-single-pixels contrast profiles is discussed. By exploiting a wavelet representation to model complex scatterer distributions with sparse vectors of coefficients, an efficient Bayesian CS (BCS) strategy is adopted to solve the arising inverse scattering problem. A set of representative numerical examples is presented to illustrate the advantages and the limitations of the proposed approach also with respect to comparable state-of-the-art inversion methods.
The Economic Impact of Cyber-Attacks

Information security – the safeguarding of computer systems and the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the data they contain – has long been recognized as a critical national policy issue. Its importance is growing as the integration of computers into more and more aspects of modern life continues. In addition, cyber-attacks, or breaches of information security, appear to be increasing in frequency, and few are willing to ignore the possibility that the severity of future attacks could be much greater than what has been observed to date. A central issue, in both public and private sectors, is whether we are devoting enough resources to information security. Part of the answer must come from economic analysis. What are the costs, both historical and potential, of security breaches? How frequently can attacks be expected? Can these factors be quantified precisely, so that organizations can determine the optimal amount to spend on information security and measure the effectiveness of that spending? No one in the field is satisfied with our present ability to measure the costs and probabilities of cyber-attacks. There are no standard methodologies for cost measurement, and study of the frequency of attacks is hindered by the reluctance of organizations to make public their experiences with security breaches. This report summarizes the limited empirical data on attack costs, and surveys recent theoretical work that seeks to overcome the absence of reliable and comprehensive statistics. Investigations into the stock price impact of cyber-attacks show that identified target firms suffer losses of 1%-5% in the days after an attack. For the average New York Stock Exchange corporation, price drops of these magnitudes translate into shareholder losses of between $50 million and $200 million. Several computer security consulting firms produce estimates of total worldwide losses attributable to virus and worm attacks and to hostile digital acts in general. The 2003 loss estimates by these firms range from $13 billion (worms and viruses only) to $226 billion (for all forms of overt attacks). The reliability of these estimates is often challenged; the underlying methodology is basically anecdotal. The insurance industry's response to rising perceptions of cyber-risk has been twofold. Initially, most companies excluded, and continue to exclude, cyber-attacks from standard business insurance coverage. After this initial exclusion, several insurers then began selling specialized cyber-risk policies. Growth of the market has been slow; lacking the empirical data to construct actuarial tables, insurers are unable to price …
Isolation and Characterization of NDM-Positive Escherichia coli from Municipal Wastewater in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT The emergence of resistance to last-resort antibiotics is a public health concern of global scale. Besides direct person-to-person propagation, environmental pathways might contribute to the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Here, we describe the incidence of blaNDM-1, a gene conferring resistance to carbapenems, in the wastewater of the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over a 1-year period. blaNDM-1 was detected at concentrations ranging from 104 to 105 copies/m3 of untreated wastewater during the entire monitoring period. These results indicate the ubiquity and high incidence of blaNDM-1 in the local wastewater. To track the bacteria carrying blaNDM-1, we isolated Escherichia coli PI7, a strain of sequence type 101 (ST101), from wastewater around the Hajj event in October 2013. Genome sequencing of this strain revealed an extensive repertoire of ARGs as well as virulence and invasive traits. These traits were further confirmed by antibiotic resistance profiling and in vitro cell internalization in HeLa cell cultures. Given that this strain remains viable even after a certain duration in the sewerage, and that Jeddah lacks a robust sanitary infrastructure to fully capture all generated sewage, the presence of this bacterium in the untreated wastewater represents a potential hazard to the local public health. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a blaNDM-1-positive E. coli strain isolated from a nonnosocomial environment in Saudi Arabia and may set a priority concern for the need to establish improved surveillance for carbapenem-resistant E. coli in the country and nearby regions.
A functional magnetic resonance proof of concept pilot trial of cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis

Background: Cognitive impairment is frequent in multiple sclerosis (MS) and lacks effective treatment. Cognitive rehabilitation is widely applied in neurorehabilitation settings. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may help in investigating changes in brain activity and provide a tool to assess the efficacy of rehabilitation. Aim: To investigate the effect on brain activity as measured by fMRI of a cognitive rehabilitation programme in patients with MS and cognitive impairment. Method: Fifteen patients with MS and cognitive impairment and five healthy subjects were recruited. Neuropsychological assessments were performed in patients with MS at study entry and after rehabilitation to assess cognitive changes. fMRI scans were performed at week −5 (baseline), week 0 (immediately before rehabilitation) and week 5 (immediately after rehabilitation). The fMRI paradigm was the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). The cognitive rehabilitation programme was composed of 15 computer-aided drill and practice sessions and five non-computer-aided cognitive stimulation group sessions (over 5 weeks). Strict guidelines ensured comparability of all rehabilitation interventions. Results: Patients had increased brain fMRI activity after rehabilitation in several cerebellar areas when compared with healthy subjects. After rehabilitation, patients had significantly improved their performance on the backward version of the Digit Span Test (p = 0.007) and on a composite score of neuropsychological outcomes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that this cognitive rehabilitation programme increases brain activity in the cerebellum of cognitively impaired patients with MS. The role of fMRI in the assessment of neurorehabilitation schemes warrants further investigation.
Prevalence of atherosclerosis in relation to atomic bomb radiation exposure: An RERF Adult Health Study

Purpose: To determine whether exposure to atomic bomb radiation altered the prevalence of asymptomatic atherosclerosis. Material and methods: In a cross-sectional analysis, we examined aortic arch calcification by plain chest radiography and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) by ultrasonography among 1804 survivors of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. We evaluated the association between atherosclerotic changes and radiation exposure, while adjusting for potentially confounding factors. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that aortic arch calcification was significantly associated with radiation exposure (p < 0.05). The odds ratio at 1 Gy was 1.30 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05 – 1.53) for men and 1.31 (95% CI: 1.13 – 1.51) for women. Carotid artery IMT did not vary significantly with radiation dose (p = 0.18). Conclusion: Radiation dose contributed to the prevalence of aortic atherosclerosis but not carotid artery atherosclerosis in atomic bomb survivors.
Silent cerebral infarction is associated with incident stroke and TIA independent of carotid intima-media thickness.

BACKGROUND Both silent cerebral infarction (SCI) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) are associated with future stroke. We evaluated whether SCI could be a predictor for incident stroke independent of carotid IMT in high-risk patients. METHODS We performed a prospective cohort study among 282 outpatients who had one or more atherosclerotic risk factors but without a history of cardiovascular disease. We conducted cranial MRI and measured carotid IMT at baseline, and then evaluated the risks of incident stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA) using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS SCI was present in 67 patients (23.7%) at baseline. During 4.1 years of follow-up, stroke and TIA occurred in 8 patients (2.8%). The incidence of stroke/TIA was 22.3 per 1,000 person-years in those with SCI compared with 2.2 per 1,000 person-years in those without SCI. Both SCI and carotid IMT at baseline were associated with incident stroke/TIA events after adjustment for age, sex, and traditional vascular risk factors. The predictive value of SCI remained significant even after adjustment for carotid IMT (HR 8.56; 1.72-42.55). CONCLUSION SCI, similar to carotid IMT, is an independent predictor of stroke and TIA in high-risk patients.
The capacity for romantic intimacy: exploring the contribution of best friend and marital and parental relationships.

This study examined, in a longitudinal design, the contributions of three different relationships, namely marital, parent-child and best friend, to the capacity for intimacy in romantic relationships of Israeli male adolescents, as well as the mediating role of socio-emotional capacities. Eighty-four 17-year-old adolescents and their parents filled out questionnaires concerning the quality of these relational contexts. Four years later the Intimacy Status Interview was administered to the adolescents at the conclusion of their mandatory military service to examine closeness, separateness, and commitment within their romantic relationships. Results showed that all relational contexts were related to capacity for intimacy (directly or indirectly), with higher relational qualities associated with better capability for intimacy. The marital relationship was associated with intimacy through its effect on the parent-child relationships. The effects of the parent-child relationships on the capacity for intimacy were mediated through the adolescents' socio-emotional capabilities. The contribution of the parent-adolescent relationships to the capacity for closeness and commitment was further mediated through relationships with the best friend, whereas the contribution to the capacity for separateness was not. A substantial number of our participants showed high capability for intimacy although in the military service context the circumstances for the development of intimacy were quite limited and non-optimal. Exploration of the separateness and closeness facets of intimacy in romantic relationships in the two sexes and in other contexts is recommended.
Inhibition of thrombin‐induced microglial activation and NADPH oxidase by minocycline protects dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in vivo

The present study shows that activation of microglial NADPH oxidase and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is associated with thrombin‐induced degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons in vivo. Seven days after thrombin injection in the rat substantia nigra (SN), tyrosine hydroxylase immunocytochemistry showed a significant loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons. This cell death was accompanied by localization of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated fluorecein UTP nick‐end labelling (TUNEL) staining within dopaminergic neurons. This neurotoxicity was antagonized by the semisynthetic tetracycline derivative, minocycline, and the observed neuroprotective effects were associated with the ability of minocycline to suppress NADPH oxidase‐derived ROS production and pro‐inflammatory cytokine expression, including interleukin‐1β and inducible nitric oxide synthase, from activated microglia. These results suggest that microglial NADPH oxidase may be a viable target for neuroprotection against oxidative damage.
Comparison of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining and BrdUrd‐labelling index under different proliferative conditions in vitro by flow cytometry

PC10 is a monoclonal antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The staining pattern in immunochemistry depends on fixation and detergent extraction treatment. The aim of this study was to validate the flow cytometric PCNA assay against Bromodeoxyuridine‐labelling index (BrdUrd‐LI) under different proliferative conditions in vitro. Expression of PCNA in methanol fixed cells with, and without, prior detergent extraction with EDTA/Triton was compared to BrdUrd‐labelling index in NIH‐3T3 fibroblasts and human Caski tumour cells in exponential phase and under confluent conditions. Serum stimulation and serum starvation conditions were studied. The results for BrdUrd‐LI and PCNA‐index after extraction showed good correlation for 3T3 fibroblasts and for Caski cells, with some differences for serum withdrawn Caski cells. There was no correlation between the number of cells that were positive for PCNA without extraction and BrdUrd‐LI. Spheroid cells with G1‐DNA‐content showed an almost synchronous recruitment and progression through the cell cycle after trypsination and replating. Tightly bound PCNA paralleled this synchronicity whereas total PCNA did not change significantly. The results demonstrate that immunochemical detection of non‐extractable PCNA‐index gives similar results as compared with BrdUrd‐labelling index under different proliferative conditions in vitro for different monolayer cell lines, whereas without extraction PCNA does not correlate with BrdUrd‐LI in these fast growing cell lines due to its long half‐life. PCNA expression parallels the progression through the cell cycle in V79 spheroids, a primitive model of tumour growth.
EFG1 is a major regulator of cell wall dynamics in Candida albicans as revealed by DNA microarrays

Cell wall dynamics in Candida albicans, the most common fungal pathogen in man, underlie regulatory processes during the yeast‐to‐hyphae transition. To analyse this regulation at the transcriptional level, we have established a DNA microarray representing genes implicated in cell wall biogenesis. Using these microarrays, we were able to identify YWP1 and HWP2 that are specifically transcribed in the yeast or hyphal growth form respectively. Cluster analysis revealed at least two major clusters of genes: cluster I comprised genes that were upregulated under at least one hyphae‐inducing condition. Three as yet not further characterized genes were attributed to cluster II. These genes were transcribed in the yeast form of C. albicans and were downregulated in an EFG1‐dependent manner under specific hyphae‐inducing conditions. We show further that, in contrast to CPH1, EFG1 plays a major role in the transcriptional regulation of cell wall proteins under the conditions investigated. EFG1 was essential for the transcription of both hyphae‐specific genes such as HWP1 and HWP2 as well as the yeast form‐specific gene YWP1. Moreover, we found that, under various conditions, EFG1 also can act as a strong repressor for the transcription of RBE1, another not yet characterized cell wall protein. Overall, our data show that EFG1 plays a major role in the induction and repression of cell wall genes, not only in the hyphal form but also in the yeast form of C. albicans.
DC-SIGN and L-SIGN Are High Affinity Binding Receptors for Hepatitis C Virus Glycoprotein E2*

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome codes for highly mannosylated envelope proteins, which are naturally retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. We found that the HCV envelope glycoprotein E2 binds the dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) and the related liver endothelial cell lectin L-SIGN through high-mannose N-glycans. Competing ligands such as mannan and an antibody directed against the carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD) abrogated binding. While no E2 interaction with distant monomeric CRDs on biosensor chips could be detected, binding is observed if CRDs are closely seeded (Kd = 48 nm) and if the CRD is part of the oligomeric-soluble extracellular domain of DC-SIGN (Kd = 30 nm). The highest affinity is seen for plasma membrane-expressed DC-SIGN and L-SIGN (Kd = 3 and 6 nm, respectively). These results indicate that several high-mannose N-glycans in a structurally defined cluster on E2 bind to several subunits of the oligomeric lectin CRD. High affinity interaction of viral glycoproteins with oligomeric lectins might represent a strategy by which HCV targets to and concentrates in the liver and infects dendritic cells.
Chlorine resistance patterns of bacteria from two drinking water distribution systems

The relative chlorine sensitivities of bacteria isolated from chlorinated and unchlorinated drinking water distribution systems were compared by two independent methods. One method measured the toxic effect of free chlorine on bacteria, whereas the other measured the effect of combined chlorine. Bacteria from the chlorinated system were more resistant to both the combined and free forms of chlorine than those from the unchlorinated system, suggesting that there may be selection for more chlorine-tolerant microorganisms in chlorinated waters. Bacteria retained on the surfaces of 2.0-microns Nuclepore membrane filters were significantly more resistant to free chlorine compared to the total microbial population recovered on 0.2-micron membrane filters, presumably because aggregated cells or bacteria attached to suspended particulate matter exhibit more resistance than unassociated microorganisms. In accordance with this hypothesis, scanning electron microscopy of suspended particulate matter from the water samples revealed the presence of attached bacteria. The most resistant microorganisms were able to survive a 2-min exposure to 10 mg of free chlorine per liter. These included gram-positive spore-forming bacilli, actinomycetes, and some micrococci. The most sensitive bacteria were readily killed by chlorine concentrations of 1.0 mg liter-1 or less, and included most gram-positive micrococci, Corynebacterium/Arthrobacter, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas/Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium/Moraxella, and Acinetobacter.