Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delayed-Dynamic-Selective (DDS) Prediction for Reducing Extreme Tail Latency in Web Search

A commercial web search engine shards its index among many servers, and therefore the response time of a search query is dominated by the slowest server that processes the query. Prior approaches target improving responsiveness by reducing the tail latency of an individual search server. They predict query execution time, and if a query is predicted to be long-running, it runs in parallel, otherwise it runs sequentially. These approaches are, however, not accurate enough for reducing a high tail latency when responses are aggregated from many servers because this requires each server to reduce a substantially higher tail latency (e.g., the 99.99th-percentile), which we call extreme tail latency. We propose a prediction framework to reduce the extreme tail latency of search servers. The framework has a unique set of characteristics to predict long-running queries with high recall and improved precision. Specifically, prediction is delayed by a short duration to allow many short-running queries to complete without parallelization, and to allow the predictor to collect a set of dynamic features using runtime information. These features estimate query execution time with high accuracy. We also use them to estimate the prediction errors to override an uncertain prediction by selectively accelerating the query for a higher recall. We evaluate the proposed prediction framework to improve search engine performance in two scenarios using a simulation study: (1) query parallelization on a multicore processor, and (2) query scheduling on a heterogeneous processor. The results show that, for both scenarios, the proposed framework is effective in reducing the extreme tail latency compared to a start-of-the-art predictor because of its higher recall, and it improves server throughput by more than 70% because of its improved precision.
Indoor mapping for smart cities — An affordable approach: Using Kinect Sensor and ZED stereo camera

With the advancement in the technology, objects can be represented effectively in their 3D digital models which accurately represents their physical counterparts. Navigation services and mapping based on geographical data have become very popular in supporting our everyday lives. Much of these services are currently available mostly for outdoor purposes, however applications for indoor purposes are being explored where most of the human activities takes place. This can help transform cities into “Smart Cities”. The aim of this study is to develop an indoor mapping system for data collection in a building environment by exploring new, efficient and cost effective scanning devices. The conventional devices currently in use are expensive which makes them difficult to implement for large scale applications. The data will be collected using a 3D scanning camera technology which develops depth maps of various locations. Xbox's Kinect Sensor and Stereolab's ZED camera are being used and compared in this study. Comparisons based on resolution, lighting, accuracy, speed and memory are being made in this study. Their pros and cons over conventional scanning devices are also discussed. The study shows the possibility of using this technology in a large scale building environment in an autonomous method for the future. This technology can then be potentially used for commercial purposes especially to track progress at construction sites, security purposes, facility management, retail and augmented reality applications.
Planning the priority of high tech industries based on SWARA-WASPAS methodology: The case of the nanotechnology industry in Iran

Decision-making and planning at the top level is highly complicated. One important duty of each government and of policy makers is planning at different levels for future problems. This research addresses such a concern. Planning for the future is the aim of this research. Moreover, the importance of the topic is discussed. The case study focused on is the nanotechnology industry and its development in Iran. Nanotechnology is one of the main and strategic industries in Iran. The important criteria for such a development are determined based on a literature review and the experiences from other countries. The different alternatives are selected based on the different applications of nanotechnology in other industries. The alternatives are: agriculture, transportation, construction, oil and gas, textile products, food industry, defence industry, health and medicine, nano electronics, nano energy and environment and water. The methodology employed is Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). In addition, SWARA-WASPAS is the hybrid MADM model employed in which SWARA is applied to evaluate the criteria and WASPAS is utilised to evaluate and rank the alternatives.
Learning Label Preserving Binary Codes for Multimedia Retrieval

Learning-based hashing has been researched extensively in the past few years due to its great potential in fast and accurate similarity search among huge volumes of multimedia data. In this article, we present a novel multimedia hashing framework, called Label Preserving Multimedia Hashing (LPMH) for multimedia similarity search. In LPMH, a general optimization method is used to learn the joint binary codes of multiple media types by explicitly preserving semantic label information. Compared with existing hashing methods which are typically developed under and thus restricted to some specific objective functions, the proposed optimization strategy is not tied to any specific loss function and can easily incorporate bit balance constraints to produce well-balanced binary codes. Specifically, our formulation leads to a set of Binary Integer Programming (BIP) problems that have exact solutions both with and without bit balance constraints. These problems can be solved extremely fast and the solution can easily scale up to large-scale datasets. In the hash function learning stage, the boosted decision trees algorithm is utilized to learn multiple media-specific hash functions that can map heterogeneous data sources into a homogeneous Hamming space for cross-media retrieval. We have comprehensively evaluated the proposed method using a range of large-scale datasets in both single-media and cross-media retrieval tasks. The experimental results demonstrate that LPMH is competitive with state-of-the-art methods in both speed and accuracy.
Assessment of experimental saccular aneurysm using selective angiography in common carotid artery of rabbits

In order to study the treatment of aneurysms, the technique of making experimental aneurysms in laboratory animals must be established. In our study, to examine the feasibility of making experimental aneurysm and selective angiography on the common carotid artery in rabbits and to determine the size of experimental aneurysm after surgery, saccular aneurysms were fashioned on the right common carotid artery in 17 rabbits using a vein pouch technique. Selective angiography of the common carotid artery was performed immediately after surgery, and at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks after surgery. Also, histological changes in the aneurysms were observed. In 16 rabbits with established successful experimental aneurysm, no differences were found in diet intake and behavior before and after surgery. The patency of the carotid artery was confirmed by selective angiography. The average size of the aneurysm immediately after surgery was similar to that of 1 week postoperatively in selective angiography, however it increased with time at 4weeks and 8 weeks. Histologically, infiltration of inflammatory cells and hemorrhage were found at the junction of the carotid artery and the vein pouch at 1 week, which disappeared at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. This study suggests experimental saccular aneurysm using the vein pouch technique might form aneurysms similar to that of the human in its properties such as increment of size, and selective angiography might be suitable for assessment of experimental aneurysm. Therefore, this animal model may be suitable for investigating new treatment methodologies for human aneurysms.
CODA: A concurrent online delay measurement architecture for critical paths

With technology scaling, integrated circuits behave more unpredictably due to process variation, environmental changes and aging effects. Various variation-aware and adaptive design methodologies have been proposed to tackle this problem. Clearly, more effective solutions can be obtained if we are able to collect real-time information such as the actual propagation delay of critical paths when the circuit is running in normal function mode. Motivated by the above, in this paper, we propose a novel concurrent online delay measurement architecture for critical paths, namely CODA, to facilitate this task. Experimental results demonstrate high accuracy and practicality of the proposed technique.
Quantitative fluorescent profiling of VEGFRs reveals tumor cell and endothelial cell heterogeneity in breast cancer xenografts

Plasma membrane‐localized vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR) play a critical role in transducing VEGF signaling toward pro and antiangiogenic outcomes and quantitative characterization of these receptors is critical toward identifying biomarkers for antiangiogenic therapies, understanding mechanisms of action of antiangiogenic drugs, and advancing predictive computational models. While in vitro analysis of cell surface‐VEGFRs has been performed, little is known about the levels of cell surface‐VEGFR on tumor cells. Therefore, we inoculate nude mice with the human triple‐negative breast cancer, MDA‐MB‐231, cell line; isolate human tumor cells and mouse tumor endothelial cells from xenografts; and quantitatively characterize the VEGFR localization on these cells. We observe 15,000 surface‐VEGFR1/tumor endothelial cell versus 8200 surface‐VEGFR1/tumor endothelial cell at 3 and 6 weeks of tumor growth, respectively; and we quantify 1200–1700 surface‐VEGFR2/tumor endothelial cell. The tumor cell levels of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 are relatively constant between 3 and 6 weeks: 2000–2200 surface‐VEGFR1/tumor cell and ~1000 surface‐VEGFR2/tumor cell. Cell‐by‐cell analysis provides additional insight into tumor heterogeneity by identifying four cellular subpopulations based on size and levels of cell membrane‐localized VEGFR. Furthermore, when these ex vivo data are compared to in vitro data, we observe little to no VEGFRs on MDA‐MB‐231 cells, and the MDA‐MB‐231 VEGFR surface levels are not regulated by a saturating dose of VEGF. Overall, the quantification of these dissimilarities for the first time in tumor provides insight into the balance of modulatory (VEGFR1) and proangiogenic (VEGFR2) receptors.
Joint Decisions on Household Membership and Human Capital Accumulation of Youths: The role of expected carnings and labour market rationing

This paper focuses on the youth’s decisions on household formation and human capital investment - in further education or work experience - and the factors influencing these choices. While previous studies limited their analyses to decisions concerning the living arrangements and the labour market, the choice set is extended here to take into account other alternatives. The decisions of either remaining in the parental household or going to live with a partner are modelled jointly with those of either entering the labour market (i.e. investing in work experience) or investing in higher (university) education. Using the Bank of Italy 1995 Sample Survey on Italian Households, a multinomial probit model estimates the probabilities of the different pairs of outcomes. The results highlight the crucial role of economic variables in shaping young adults’ decisions. Among these, expected lifetime earnings from attending university have the most important impact on the choice of studying and coresiding. Implications for policy stem from the estimated impact of housing and labour market performance variables on young adults’ decisions. In particular, a sizeable discouraged worker effect, inducing young people to study when the local unemployment rate is high, is detected. The effect of the cost of housing in delaying young workers’ decisions to leave the parental home and form a new household is also remarkable. Two policy experiments are presented. The former measures the impact of housing policies targeted at reducing housing cost on the probability of marriage. The latter measures the extent to which labour policies targeted at reducing youth unemployment would decrease the number of discouraged workers that choose to study.
Preparation and Characterization of Titanium Alloy Protective Coating

To solve the problem of friction and wear of titanium alloy blade in aero-engine compressor, we prepared a Ni-cBN composite coating on Ti-6A1-4V (TC4) substrate with improved bonding strength by composite electroplating combined with the surface activation of the titanium alloy processing. The friction and wear properties of the coating with the Ni-based abradable seal coating were studied by high temperature friction and wear test, and the results were compared with the TC4 rub with Ni-based abradable seal coating. The coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that a well bonded composite coating on the TC4 substrate is obtained after surface activation treatment of titanium alloy substrate. The deposited Ni-cBN composite coating exhibits a very strong grinding ability and low friction coefficient, which provides protection for the titanium alloy tips.
A Mesh Architecture for Robust Packet Delivery in Airborne Networks

As a special subset of ad hoc networks, airborne networks aim to provide efficient network access for airborne and ground assets in a tactical environment. Conventional ad hoc routing protocols face some difficulties in such networks. First, significant overhead may be generated due to the high node mobility and dramatic topology changes. Second, temporary link failure may abort the delivery of a packet in some intermediate router. In this thesis, we propose a cluster-based reactive routing protocol to alleviate these problems. Our solution takes advantage of mesh routers installed in unmanned aerial vehicles or aircraft capable of hovering, when such airborne assets are available. As those mesh points usually have relatively stable connections among themselves, they play the role of cluster heads, forming a hierarchical routing structure. A simple self-organizing rule is introduced in cluster management to limit the cluster control overhead and route discovery flooding. In addition, a disruption tolerant mechanism (DTM) is deployed in the routing protocol to increase resilience to temporary link or node failure. The DTM utilizes the location, bearing and speed information provided by each node and intelligently maintains a buffer of packets that cannot be immediately delivered. If a temporary link failure occurs in the intermediate router during delivery, the packet is then buffered in that router up to a maximum time-to-live. The DTM also keeps track of link changes and tries to deliver the message as soon as a new path toward the destination is found. If the buffered messages are about to time out and the destination is still unreachable, the DTM still makes an effort to deliver the packet to another router with higher probability of eventually reaching the destination.
A Hybrid Model of Multimodal Biometrics System using Fingerprint and Face as Traits

The issues associated with identity usurpation are currently at the heart of numerous concerns in our modern society. Establishing the identity of individuals is recognized as fundamental to the numerous administrative operations. Identity documents (IDs) are tools that permit the bearers to prove or confirm their identity with a high degree of certainty. In response to the dangers posed by theft or fraudulent use of identity documents and security threats, a wide range of biometric technologies is emerging, covering e.g. face, fingerprint and iris. They are also proposed to enforce border control and check-in procedures. These are positive developments and they offer specific solutions to enhance document integrity and ensure that the bearer designated on the document is truly the person holding it. Biometric identifiers - conceptually unique attributes - are today portrayed as the panacea for identity verification. Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data of human body, extracting a feature set from the acquired data, and comparing this set against to the template set in the database. Experimental studies show that Unimodal biometric systems had many disadvantages regarding performance and accuracy. Multimodal biometric systems perform better than unimodal biometric systems and are popular even more complex also. We examine the accuracy and performance of multimodal biometric authentication systems using state of the art Commercial Off- The-Shelf (COTS) products. Here we discuss fingerprint and face biometric systems, decision and fusion techniques used in these systems. We also discuss their advantage over unimodal biometric systems.
7-(2-Thienyl)-7-Deazaadenosine (AB61), a New Potent Nucleoside Cytostatic with a Complex Mode of Action

7-(2-Thienyl)-7-deazaadenosine (AB61) showed nanomolar cytotoxic activities against various cancer cell lines but only mild (micromolar) activities against normal fibroblasts. The selectivity of AB61 was found to be due to inefficient phosphorylation of AB61 in normal fibroblasts. The phosphorylation of AB61 in the leukemic CCRF-CEM cell line proceeds well and it was shown that AB61 is incorporated into both DNA and RNA, preferentially as a ribonucleotide. It was further confirmed that a triphosphate of AB61 is a substrate for both RNA and DNA polymerases in enzymatic assays. Gene expression analysis suggests that AB61 affects DNA damage pathways and protein translation/folding machinery. Indeed, formation of large 53BP1 foci was observed in nuclei of AB61-treated U2OS-GFP-53BP1 cells indicating DNA damage. Random incorporation of AB61 into RNA blocked its translation in an in vitro assay and reduction of reporter protein expression was also observed in mice after 4-hour treatment with AB61. AB61 also significantly reduced tumor volume in mice bearing SK-OV-3, BT-549, and HT-29 xenografts. The results indicate that AB61 is a promising compound with unique mechanism of action and deserves further development as an anticancer agent. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(5); 922–37. ©2016 AACR.
Conditions on the Mexican moulting grounds influence feather colour and carotenoids in Bullock's orioles (Icterus bullockii)

Abstract Carotenoid‐based plumage coloration plays a critical role for both inter‐ and intrasexual communication. Habitat and diet during molt can have important consequences for the development of the ornamental signals used in these contexts. When molt occurs away from the breeding grounds (e.g., pre‐alternate molt on the wintering grounds, or stopover molt), discerning the influence of habitat and diet can be particularly important, as these effects may result in important carryover effects that influence territory acquisition or mate choice in subsequent seasons. Several species of songbirds in western North America, including the Bullock's oriole (Icterus bullockii), migrate from the breeding grounds to undergo a complete prebasic (post‐breeding) molt at a stopover site in the region affected by the Mexican monsoon climate pattern. This strategy appears to have evolved several times independently in response to the harsh, food‐limited late‐summer conditions in the arid West, which contrast strongly with the high productivity driven by heavy rains that is characteristic of the Mexican monsoon region. Within this region, individuals may be able to optimize plumage coloration by molting in favourable areas characterized by high resource abundance. We used stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N) to ask whether the diet and molt habitat/location of Bullock's orioles influenced their expression of carotenoid‐based plumage coloration as well as plumage carotenoid content and composition. Bullock's orioles with lower feather δ15N values acquired more colorful plumage (orange‐shifted hue) but had feathers with lower total carotenoid concentration, lower zeaxanthin concentration, and marginally lower canthaxanthin and lutein concentration. Examining factors occurring throughout the annual cycle are critical for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes. Here, we demonstrate that conditions experienced during a stopover molt, occurring hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the breeding grounds, influence the production of ornamental plumage coloration, which may carryover to influence inter‐ and intrasexual signaling in subsequent seasons.
Early intervention with tiotropium in Chinese patients with GOLD stages I–II chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Tie-COPD): study protocol for a multicentre, double-blinded, randomised, controlled trial

Introduction Owing to the high and increasing morbidity and mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become a major public health problem worldwide. Although the majority of patients with COPD are in the early stages, little attention has been paid to them, in particular regarding to early intervention. Tiotropium bromide can significantly relieve symptoms and reduce the incidence of acute exacerbations of COPD. Therefore, we hypothesise that therapy with tiotropium bromide will benefit patients with COPD with early-stage disease. Method/analysis A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicentre clinical trial (Tiotropium In Early COPD study, Tie-COPD study) is being conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term intervention with tiotropium in patients with COPD with early-stage disease. A total of 839 patients with COPD who satisfied the eligibility criteria were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive a once daily inhaled capsule of either tiotropium bromide (18 μg) or matching placebo for 2 years. Measurements will include forced expiratory volume in 1 s, health-related quality of life, grade degree of breathlessness related to activities, COPD exacerbations and pharmacoeconomic analysis. Ethics/dissemination This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Recruitment started in November 2011 and ended in October 2013, with 839 patients randomised. The treatment follow-up of participants with Tie-COPD is currently ongoing and is due to finish in November 2015. The authors will disseminate the findings in peer-reviewed publications, conferences and seminar presentations. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01455129).