Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cost of Formal Verification in Adaptive CPS. An Example of a Virtualized Server Node

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are large scale systems highly integrated with the physical environment. Given the changing nature of physical environments, CPS must be able to adapt on-line to new situations while preserving their correct operation. Correctness by construction relies on using formal tools, which suffer from a considerable computational overhead especially if executed on-line. As the current system model of a CPS may change to adapt to the environment, the new system model has to be verified at run-time prior to its execution to ensure that the system properties are preserved. CPS development has mainly concentrated on the design-time aspects, existing only few contributions that support on-line adaptation. We undertake a practical exercise to research on the pros and cons of formal tools to support dynamic changes at run-time. We formalize the semantics of the adaptation logic of an autonomic manager (OLIVE) that performs on-line verification for a specific application, i.e., a dynamic virtualized server system. We explore the realization of the autonomic manager using formal tools based on CLTLoc to express functional and non-functional properties of the managed system. The on-line verification manager services requests from mobile clients that might require a change in both the running software components and server services. To establish if the adaptation preserves the temporal constraints provided in the specification, i.e., to decide whether a new client request can be serviced in the modified system, the on-line verification manager employs CLTLoc satisfiability checking. In this scenario, we then provide empirical results showing the temporal costs of our approach.
The Perioperative Validity of the Visual Analog Anxiety Scale in Children: A Discriminant and Useful Instrument in Routine Clinical Practice to Optimize Postoperative Pain Management

BACKGROUND:Because children’s anxiety influences pain perception, perioperative anxiety should be evaluated in clinical practice with a unique, useful, and valid tool to optimize pain management. In this study, we evaluated psychometric properties of the visual analog scale (VAS)-anxiety for children and to study its perioperative relevance in clinical practice. METHODS:One hundred children scheduled for elective surgery and general anesthesia were included. VAS-anxiety was measured at four timepoints and compared with both versions of State Spielbergers’ questionnaires (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Youth [STAIY] and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children [STAIC]) and the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. Children’s pain, parents’ anxiety, and parents’ proxy report of children’s anxiety were evaluated using VAS. RESULTS:The correlation between STAIC and VAS-anxiety was significant on the day of discharge. Moreover, changes over time were not significant with STAIC, whereas VAS-anxiety was significantly sensitive to changes over time in the two groups of age (7–11 yr and 12–16 yr). A receiver operating characteristic curve, using modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale as reference, determined a VAS-anxiety cutoff at 30 to identify high-anxiety groups. Pain levels were significantly higher when children were anxious (VAS ≥30) in the postoperative period. Moreover, children’s anxiety and pain were higher when parents were anxious. CONCLUSION:VAS-anxiety is a useful and valid tool to assess perioperative anxiety in children aged 7–16 yr. The influence of children’s and parents’ anxiety on children’s postoperative pain suggests that VAS-anxiety should be recommended routinely for postoperative clinical practice to optimize anxiety and pain management.
Characterization of a single-phase induction motor due to the effect of slot opening

This work investigates the effect of the slot opening on the torque and efficiency of a single-phase induction motor. The time-stepping finite element method is used to solve the electromagnetic coupled field in a single-phase induction motor, and then, the Maxwell stress tensor is used to investigate the mechanism of torque production and, eventually, to improve the efficiency. It shows that torque is produced in the vicinity of the slot opening as the rotating magnetic field revolves. It also shows that double layer slots, which have the main and auxiliary windings together, produce a significant amount of negative torque. This research designs the slots of the stator by controlling the slot opening as well as by appropriately introducing slot closure in such a way as to minimize negative torque so that it increases the efficiency of a single-phase induction motor.
Novel segregation patterns of infecting-mutant genotypes in plate complementation tests among amber mutants of bacteriophage BF23

Amber mutants of bacteriophage BF23 were classified into two functional groups, types I and II, by the yields of the infecting-mutant genotypes in plate complementation tests. Type I mutants produced their genotypes at levels more than 20% of the total progeny phages, and type II mutants did so at levels of less than 5%. Comparison of the results of plate complementation tests with those of extract complementation tests revealed that all the type I mutants were defective in the tail formation, while most type II mutants were defective in the formation of either mature heads (type IIa) or both mature heads and tails (type IIb). Since in extract complementation tests the activated phages are always of genotypes corresponding to mutations defective in only the tail formation, the plate complementation test is comparable with the extract complementation test when judged on the basis of the yield of the mutant genotypes. Of 29 complementation groups, 8 type I, 14 type IIa, and 5 type IIb mutants were identified. Previously, amber mutations of BF23 were mapped on four genetic segments. These segments were ordered in one linkage map by crosses between deletion and amber mutants.
A constraint based role based access control in the SECTET a model-driven approach

With respect to Service Oriented Architectures (SOA's) paradigm, the core Role Based Access Control (RBAC) has several limitations. In SOA, permissions to execute web services are not assigned statically to roles but are associated with a set of Permission Assignment Constraints (PAC) upon the fulfilment of which a role is assigned a permission to execute a web service. Further, the RBAC does not support partial inheritance which is an integral requirement in SOA. A major challenge in SOA is the inheritance of permissions associated with PAC in the presence of role hierarchies. This contribution has three objectives. First we propose an extension to Role Based Access Control [29], Constraint based RBAC (CRBAC), in order to make RBAC applicable into the dynamic environment of SOA. We then present SECTET-PL [31], a high-level language for the specification of PAC. Being part of the SECTET-framework for model-driven security for B2B-workflows, SECTET-PL is a policy language influenced by OCL [23] and interpreted in the context of UML models. Finally, using Model Driven Architecture (MDA) [18] paradigm, we describe the integration of business requirements and security requirements at the metalevel. The high-level security (CRBAC) models are transformed to low-level web services standard artefacts with the help of Eclipse Modelling Framework and OpenArchitectureWare.
Are Ayurvedic herbs for diabetes effective?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate and synthesize the evidence on the effect of Ayurvedic therapies for diabetes mellitus. DESIGN Systematic review of trials. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We found no study that assessed Ayurvedic as a system of care. Botanical therapy was by far the most commonly studied Ayurvedic treatment. Herbs were studied either singly or as formulas. In all, 993 titles in Western computerized databases and 318 titles identified by hand-searching journals in India were examined, yielding 54 articles reporting the results of 62 studies. The most-studied herbs were G sylvestre, C indica, fenugreek, and Eugenia jambolana. A number of herbal formulas were tested, but Ayush-82 and D-400 were most often studied. Thirty-five of the studies included came from the Western literature, 27 from the Indian. Seven were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 10 controlled clinical trials (CCTs) or natural experiments. Twenty-two studies went on to further analysis based on a set of criteria. Of these, 10 were RCTs, CCTs, or natural experiments, 12 were case series or cohort studies. There is evidence to suggest that the herbs C indica, holy basil, fenugreek, and G sylvestre, and the herbal formulas Ayush-82 and D-400 have a glucose-lowering effect and deserve further study. Evidence of effectiveness of several other herbs is less extensive (C tamala, E jambolana, and Momordica charantia). CONCLUSIONS There is heterogeneity in the available literature on Ayurvedic treatment for diabetes. Most studies test herbal therapy. Heterogeneity exists in the herbs and formulas tested (more than 44 different interventions identified) and in the method of their preparation. Despite these limitations, there are sufficient data for several herbs or herbal formulas to warrant further studies.
A low-complexity and energy-efficient dynamical adjustment strategy for servers in a data center

In order to meet the exponential exploding traffic growth trends, several hybrid optical-wireless access network architectures are proposed to provide better services and gain healthy profit. Data center is an important component in many network architectures. To provide high quality of service (QoS) while avoiding great energy consumption trade-off at the same time, researching on energy saving for data center is becoming more and more essential. However, conventional methods usually ignore the complexity, causing many of them cannot be put into practice at the present stage. In this paper, we focus on both energy efficiency and the complexity of servers' adjustment in a data center by proposing an effective and easily realized strategy. In addition, the energy consumption distribution of the data center under our strategy is given, and Monte Carlo method is employed to verify it. The simulation results show that our proposed strategy consumes only about 5% more energy while reduces 98.7% of calculation complexity compared to the theoretical optimal energy-efficient strategy, thus justifying its further application.
Crossed fused renal ectopia in a Persian cat

Case summary This report describes a rare case of crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE) in a cat. A mature intact male Persian cat presented with bloody nasal discharge and ascites. Diagnostic studies revealed an ectopic left kidney fused with an orthotopic right kidney and a concurrent feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) infection. The FIP was responsible for clinical signs in this cat, while clinical signs associated with CFRE were not obvious. Despite receiving intensive treatment, the cat died. A post-mortem examination was not performed because the owners declined approval. Relevance and novel information To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of L-shaped CFRE in a cat. In addition, this report describes the CT features of L-shaped CFRE in a cat.
Push Recovery through walking phase Modification for bipedal locomotion

Push recovery is an important capability for a biped to safely maneuver in a real dynamic environment. In this paper, a generalized push recovery scheme to handle pushes from any direction that may occur at any walking phase is developed. Using the concept of walking phase modification, a series of systematic push recovery scheme that takes into account the severity of the push is presented. The result is that a bipedal robot could adapt to pushes according to the magnitude of disturbance and determine the best course of action. A number of push recovery experiments with different walking phases and push directions have been carried out using a 12-DOF humanoid robot model in dynamic simulations. The versatility and potential of the overall scheme is also demonstrated with the bipedal robot balancing on an accelerating cart.
A Naïve multiple linear regression benchmark for short term load forecasting

Benchmarking issue in short term load forecasting has not received as much attention as it deserves. Although dozens of techniques have been reported to be applied to short term load forecasting, most of them are still on the theoretical level with insignificant practical value. None of them has been established to produce benchmarking models for comparative assessment. This paper proposes a naïve multiple linear regression benchmark for short term load forecasting, which is from the experience of helping a US utility develop the first in-house short term load forecasts. The proposed model has been served as a benchmark for this utility since 2009, and was in production use for a year with satisfying performance before a major upgrade. It has also been used for a Canadian utility for load forecasting purposes. In addition, it was reproduced by a group of graduate students from a creditable US university following the documented procedure.
Assessing the effective demand for improved water supply service in Malaysia : focusing on Johor Water Company

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv TABLE OF FIGURES etc. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvi LIST OF STATISTICAL VARIABLES USED xviii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background of Study 1 1.2 Research Questions 4 1.2. 1 Statement of the Problem 4 1.3 Research Objectives 6 1.4 Significance of the Research 6 1.5 Overview of the Thesis 7 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 9 2.
Symbo lic Representation for Rough Set Attribute Reduction Using Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams

The theory of rough set is the current research focus for knowledge discovery, attribute reduction is one of crucial problem in rough set theory. Most existing attribute reduction algorithms are based on algebra and information representations, discernibility matrix is a common knowledge representation for attribute reduction. As problem solving under different knowledge representations corresponding to different difficulties, by changing the method of knowledge representation, a novel knowledge representation to represent the discernibility matrix using ordered binary decision diagrams (OBDD) is proposed in this paper, the procedures to translate the discernibility matrix model to the conversion OBDD model is presented, experiment is carried to compare the storage space of discernibility matrix with that of OBDD, results show that OBDD model has better storage performance and improve the attribute reduction for those information systems with more objects and attributes, it provide the foundation for seeking new efficient algorithm of attribute reduction.
Acceptance Threshold: A Bidimensional Research Method for User-Oriented Quality Evaluation Studies

Subjective quality evaluation is widely used to optimize system performance as a part of end-products. It is often desirable to know whether a certain system performance is acceptable, that is, whether the system reaches the minimum level to satisfy user expectations and needs. The goal of this paper is to examine research methods for assessing overall acceptance of quality in subjective quality evaluation methods. We conducted three experiments to develop our methodology and test its validity under heterogeneous stimuli in the context of mobile television. The first experiment examined the possibilities of using a simplified continuous assessment method for assessing overall acceptability. The second experiment explored the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable quality when the stimuli had clearly detectable differences. The third experiment compared the perceived quality impacts of small differences between the stimuli close to the threshold of acceptability. On the basis of our results, we recommend using a bidimensional retrospective measure combining acceptance and satisfaction in consumer-/user-oriented quality evaluation experiments.
Pricing for Academic Programs at Institutes of Higher Learning

In general, this study seeks to understand how institute of higher learning (IHLs) in Malaysia determine the price of their academic programs and what are the factors that support their pricing decisions. Specifically the objectives this study are as follows: 1) To assess the present pricing strategies adopted by IHLs for their academic programs. 2) To explain financial management efforts being practiced to justify strategic pricing for academic programs.
A quantitative model for mRNA translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Messenger RNA (mRNA) translation is an essential step in eukaryotic gene expression that contributes to the regulation of this process. We describe a deterministic model based on ordinary differential equations that describe mRNA translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This model, which was parameterized using published data, was developed to examine the kinetic behaviour of translation initiation factors in response to amino acid availability. The model predicts that the abundance of the eIF1–eIF3–eIF5 complex increases under amino acid starvation conditions, suggesting a possible auxiliary role for these factors in modulating translation initiation in addition to the known mechanisms involving eIF2. Our analyses of the robustness of the mRNA translation model suggest that individual cells within a randomly generated population are sensitive to external perturbations (such as changes in amino acid availability) through Gcn2 signalling. However, the model predicts that individual cells exhibit robustness against internal perturbations (such as changes in the abundance of translation initiation factors and kinetic parameters). Gcn2 appears to enhance this robustness within the system. These findings suggest a trade‐off between the robustness and performance of this biological network. The model also predicts that individual cells exhibit considerable heterogeneity with respect to their absolute translation rates, due to random internal perturbations. Therefore, averaging the kinetic behaviour of cell populations probably obscures the dynamic robustness of individual cells. This highlights the importance of single‐cell measurements for evaluating network properties. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical Lactation Practice: 20 Years of Evidence

Lactation consultants depend on a vast multidisciplinary knowledge base to support their practices. To coincide with the 20-year anniversary of the International Lactation Consultant Association, the authors sought to highlight the knowledge base to demonstrate how practice has been affected. Using standard databases, they extracted English-language scientific literature related to breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes; factors associated with breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration; lactation physiology; common breastfeeding challenges; breastfeeding practices within vulnerable populations; health professional support of breastfeeding; and breastfeeding practices in developing countries of Africa. Summaries of research are provided to demonstrate scientific method and knowledge evolution. As the knowledge of the biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that affect breastfeeding continues to grow, researchers and lactation consultants will identify additional research areas. Thus, the cycle of describing and explaining phenomena, testing interventions to improve practice, and ultimately improving breastfeeding outcomes worldwide will continue.
Is the Diagnosis of ADHD Influenced by Time of Entry to School? An Examination of Clinical, Familial, and Functional Correlates in Children at Early and Late Entry Points

Objective: The authors examined the proposed immaturity hypothesis, which suggests that younger children may have developmental immaturity and not ADHD, using data from a large, clinically referred population of individuals with and without ADHD. Method: The sample consisted of individuals with and without an ADHD diagnosis, ascertained from ongoing studies in our laboratory, born in August (Younger Cohort N = 562) and born in September (Older Cohort N = 529). The authors compared studywide diagnosis rates of ADHD, ADHD familiality patterns, ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and functional impairments between the two cohorts. Results: Studywide rates of ADHD diagnosis, ADHD-associated symptoms, ADHD-associated impairments, ADHD-associated comorbid disorders, and familiality were similar in the two age cohorts. Conclusion: Results showed that ADHD-associated familial, clinical, and functional correlates are similar irrespective of age at entry to school, indicating that when ADHD symptoms are present, a diagnosis of ADHD should be considered rather than attributing these symptoms to developmental immaturity.
Current-Mode Control of a Coupled-Inductor Buck–Boost DC–DC Switching Converter

This paper deepens in the study of the recently described coupled-inductor buck-boost converter. The output voltage of this dc-dc converter can be regulated above and/or below its input voltage with high efficiency and wide bandwidth. The control of the input and/or output nonpulsating converter currents is addressed in this paper. The small-signal control-to-input/output-current transfer functions in open-loop permits the design of the respective average current-mode controllers. The combination of the input- and output-current controllers with an additional output voltage limiter loop is proposed as a method to regulate one of the currents while limiting the maximum values of the other two variables. The theoretical analyses have been validated by means of simulations and also experimentally on a 48-V 800-W purpose built-prototype. In particular, the frequency response measurements that have been carried out for a representative set of the converter operating points are in good agreement with the simulations.
Nutrient regulation of intestinal proliferation and apoptosis

The intestinal mucosa is an important interface between the animal and its environment. Through this interface the animal acquires water, nutrients and other bioactive compounds, whilst the mucosa provides a barrier against toxins and infective agents. The intestinal epithelium is replaced every 2-6d (depending on species and intestinal site) and its integrity depends on the production of new cells at a rate equal to that at which cells are lost from the villus tip by extrusion (Madara, 1990) or by programmed cell death (apoptosis; Hall et al. 1994). Each villus is clothed by a single layer of epithelia1 cells which migrate up from six to ten surrounding crypts. Within the crypts, stem cells located at or near the bottom constitute a selfmaintaining population which, by asymmetric division, give rise to a new stem cell and to another daughter or ‘transit’ cell which, in turn, is capable of a limited number (perhaps four to five) of further divisions (Potten & Loeffler, 1990). The stem (and transit) cells are pluripotent, giving rise to all four lineages, including Paneth cells, goblet cells, entero-endocrine cells and columnar absorptive cells (enterocytes). Growth of the intestine during early postnatal ontogenesis requires an increase in the number of crypts, which occurs by crypt fission (Cheng & Bjerknes, 1985). Crypt fission rate post-weaning, which is normally at a relatively low level, can be increased by irradiation (Cairnie & Millen, 1975), small-bowel resection (Totafurno et al. 1987) and treatment with mutagens (Park et al. 1995), but little is known about the effects of nutritional manipulation.