Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance analysis of OpenFlow forwarders based on routing granularity in OpenFlow 1.0 and 1.3

Software-defined networking is alternative approach to traditional switched networks where each switch and router makes its own forwarding decisions. Software-defined networking uses centralized controller making decision with multiple forwarders applying received rules. In this paper we analyze the performance impact of using micro and macro flows in software-defined networking and performance impact of OpenFlow version used. Our results quantify overhead when matching of flows on second to fourth layer of OSI model compared to matching on second layer only.
Assessing the effect of a Saharan dust storm on oxygenated organic compounds at Izana, Tenerife (July-August 2002)

[1] In July–August 2002 the field measurement campaign Mineral Dust and Tropospheric Chemistry (MINATROC) was carried out at the Global Atmosphere Watch station at Izana, Tenerife, to study the interaction of mineral dust aerosol and tropospheric chemistry. Organic trace gas mixing ratios were determined for the following: alkanes (e.g., propane); alkenes (isoprene); aromatic compounds (toluene); and oxygenated species (CO, methanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone) simultaneously with aerosol measurements of dust. Local emissions of biogenic (isoprene and methanol) and anthropogenic compounds (CO and toluene) were observed at Izana by day. Nighttime mixing ratios of organic species were interpreted as representative of the Atlantic free troposphere. A local production and loss budget for formaldehyde suggested that isoprene dominates production by day, and a significant dry deposition velocity is estimated at night of 0.74 cm/s. The total reactivity of the organic trace gases measured to OH is estimated as 1.7 s−1 by day and 0.7 s−1 by night. During the campaign a dense Saharan dust plume, with aerosol masses exceeding 500 μg m−3, persisted for 3 days. Air masses containing dust appeared to be generally more polluted (in acetone and CO) than the prevailing westerly flow, but local biogenic emissions were little affected (e.g., methanol and isoprene). Although during the dust period the daily cycles and the absolute concentrations of some oxygenated species are different (e.g., acetaldehyde), these changes could not be attributed unequivocally to heterogeneous reactions on dust.
Reliability Analysis using Graphical Duration Models

Reliability analysis has become an integral part of system design and operating. This is especially true for systems performing critical tasks such as mass transportation systems. This explains the numerous advances in the field of reliability modelling. More recently, some studies involving the use of Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGMs), a.k. a. Bayesian Networks (BNs), have been proved relevant to represent complex systems and perform reliability studies. This paper aims to describe a Dynamic PGM (DPGM) designed to model stochastic degradation processes, allowing any kind of state sojourn distributions along with an accurate context description. We meet these objectives using a specific DPGM, namely a Graphical Duration Model (GDM). In this article, we give qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the proposed model and describe how to compute the reliability of the underlying system and some of its classic related metrics. Finally, we illustrate our approach by applying a GDM in order to perform the survival analysis of railway track supposed to be subjected to one context variable.
Exploiting Language Models for Visual Recognition

The problem of learning language models from large text corpora has been widely studied within the computational linguistic community. However, little is known about the performance of these language models when applied to the computer vision domain. In this work, we compare representative models: a window-based model, a topic model, a distributional memory and a commonsense knowledge database, ConceptNet, in two visual recognition scenarios: human action recognition and object prediction. We examine whether the knowledge extracted from texts through these models are compatible to the knowledge represented in images. We determine the usefulness of different language models in aiding the two visual recognition tasks. The study shows that the language models built from general text corpora can be used instead of expensive annotated images and even outperform the image model when testing on a big general dataset.
A further family of Stromme syndrome carrying CENPF mutation

Stromme syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by microcephaly, anterior ocular chamber anomalies, and “apple peel” type jejunal atresia. Here, we report a Stromme syndrome family with two affected siblings with a homozygous truncating frameshift mutation in CENPF. A 3‐month‐old girl was hospitalized due to prenatally diagnosed microcephaly, microphthalmia, and dysmorphological features. The history of a previous child with the same findings in addition to “apple peel” intestinal atresia had been noted. Regarding the clinical features of both affected siblings, a diagnosis of Stromme syndrome was established. Exome‐sequencing of these two cases showed the homozygous mutation (c.5912_5913insA)/(p.T1974Nfs*9) in CENPF. While confirmation of this gene being responsible for Stromme syndrome was pending our results, Filges et al. reported that CENPF was indeed underlying the reason for Stromme syndrome. This is the second case report identifying CENPF mutation as the cause of Stromme syndrome.
Juvenile social experience affects pairing success at adulthood: congruence with the loser effect?

Social interactions with adults are often critical for the development of mating behaviours. However, the potential role of other primary social partners such as juvenile counterparts is rarely considered. Most interestingly, it is not known whether interactions with juvenile females improve males’ courtship and whether, similar to the winner and loser effects in a fighting context—outcome of these interactions shapes males’ behaviour in future encounters. We investigated the combined effects of male quality and juvenile social experience on pairing success at adulthood in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We manipulated brood size to alter male quality and then placed males in either same- or mixed-sex juvenile dyads until adulthood. We found that males from reduced broods obtained more copulations and males from mixed-sex dyads had more complete courtships. Furthermore, independent of their quality, males that failed to pair with juvenile females, but not juvenile males, had a lower pairing success at adulthood. Our study shows that negative social experience with peers during adolescence may be a potent determinant of pairing success that can override the effects of early environmental conditions on male attractiveness and thereby supports the occurrence of an analogous process to the loser effect in a mating context.
IoT Stream Processing and Analytics in the Fog

The emerging fog paradigm has been attracting increasing interest from both academia and industry, due to the low-latency, resilient, and cost-effective services it can provide. Many fog applications, such as video mining and event monitoring, rely on data stream processing and analytics, which are very popular in the cloud, but have not been comprehensively investigated in the context of fog architecture. In this article, we present the general models and architecture of fog data streaming, by analyzing the common properties of several typical applications. We also analyze the design space of fog streaming with the consideration of four essential dimensions (system, data, human, and optimization), where both new design challenges and the issues that arise from leveraging existing techniques are investigated, such as cloud stream processing, computer networks, and mobile computing.
Role of Monocyte-Acquired Hemozoin in Suppression of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in Children with Severe Malarial Anemia

ABSTRACT Severe malarial anemia (SMA), caused by Plasmodium falciparum infections, is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the molecular determinants of SMA are largely undefined, dysregulation in host-derived inflammatory mediators influences disease severity. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an important regulator of innate inflammatory responses that has recently been shown to suppress erythropoiesis and promote pathogenesis of SMA in murine models. To examine the role of MIF in the development of childhood SMA, peripheral blood MIF production was examined in Kenyan children (aged <3 years, n = 357) with P. falciparum malarial anemia. All children in the study were free from bacteremia and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Since deposition of malarial pigment (hemozoin [Hz]) contributes to suppression of erythropoiesis, the relationship between MIF concentrations and monocytic acquisition of Hz was also examined in vivo and in vitro. Circulating MIF concentrations declined with increasing severity of anemia and significantly correlated with peripheral blood leukocyte MIF transcripts. However, MIF concentrations in peripheral blood were not significantly associated with reticulocyte production. Multivariate regression analyses, controlling for age, gender, and parasitemia, further revealed that elevated levels of pigment-containing monocytes (PCM) was associated with SMA and decreased MIF production. In addition, PCM levels were a better predictor of hemoglobin and MIF concentrations than parasite density. Additional experiments in malaria-naive individuals demonstrated that hemozoin caused both increased and decreased MIF production in cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in a donor-specific manner, independent of apoptosis. However, PBMC MIF production in children with acute malaria progressively declined with increasing anemia severity. Results presented here demonstrate that acquisition of hemozoin by monocytes is associated with suppression of peripheral blood MIF production and enhanced severity of anemia in childhood malaria.
Using Earned Value Management (EVM) in Spiral Development

Abstract : Earned Value Management (EVM) helps managers to plan, monitor, and control the development and evolution of custom developed software-intensive systems. EVM traditionally assumes a waterfall development model. However, to meet the demands for today's complex, dynamic systems, certain trends have emerged. First, projects no longer develop all components of a system as custom components. Instead, projects use pre-existing, off-the-shelf packages, components, or entire systems, potentially along with custom components. A second trend is a realization that often requirements are not known in detail at the start of a project and must evolve efficiently in response to changing needs and technology. A further trend (often in response to the first two trends) is the move to other development models, such as spiral or iterative development processes. Spiral development processes can better support the following: (1) the required discovery of what users want, and (2) negotiation to reconcile what engineers can quickly and reasonably assemble from pre-existing and custom components. While projects have applied EVM to spiral development projects, the results have not been uniforrnly satisfying. This report explores the fundamental challenges in using EVM with spiral development processes and proposes adaptations to some EVM principles to render it more suitable for today's software-intensive systems.
Systems of Convolution Equations, Deconvolution, Shannon Sampling, and the Wavelet and Gabor Transforms

Linear translation invariant systems (e.g., sensors, linear filters) are modeled by the convolution equation $s = f *\mu $, where f is the input signal, $\mu$ is the system impulse response function (or, more generally, impulse response distribution), and s is the output signal. In many applications, the output s is an inadequate approximation of f, which motivates solving the convolution equation for f, i.e., deconvolving f from $\mu$. If the function $\mu$ is time-limited (compactly supported) and nonsingular, it is proven that this deconvolution problem is ill-posed.A theory of solving such equations has been developed by Berenstein et al. It circumvents ill-posedness by using a multichannel system. If the signal f is overdetermined by using a system of convolution equations, $s_i = f * \mu _i ,\,i = 1, \ldots ,n$, the problem of solving for f is well-posed if the set of convolvers $\{ \mu _i\}$ satisfies the condition of being what is called strongly coprime. In this case, there exist compactly suppor.
On the Market Power of Network Coding in P2P Content Distribution Systems

Network coding is emerging as a promising alternative to traditional content distribution approaches in P2P networks. By allowing information mixture in peers, it simplifies the block scheduling problem, resulting in more efficient data delivery. Existing protocols have validated such advantages assuming altruistic and obedient peers. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework that characterizes a coding based P2P content distribution market where peers selfishly seek for individual payoff maximization. Through virtual monetary exchanges, agents in the market buy the coded blocks from others and resell their possessions to those in need. We model such transactions as decentralized strategic bargaining games, and derive the equilibrium prices between arbitrary pairs of agents when the market enters the steady state. We identify the traditional P2P content distribution approach as a special case of network coding, and characterize the relations between coding complexity and market performance metrics, including agents' entry price and expected payoff, thus providing operation guidelines for a real P2P market. Our analysis reveals that the major power of network coding lies in its ability to maintain stability of the market with impatient and selfish agents, and to incentivize agents with lower price and higher payoff, at the cost of reasonable coding complexity.
Interconnect design considerations for large NUCA caches

The ever increasing sizes of on-chip caches and the growing domination of wire delay necessitate significant changes to cache hierarchy design methodologies. Many recent proposals advocate splitting the cache into a large number of banks and employing a network-on-chip (NoC) to allow fast access to nearby banks (referred to as Non-Uniform Cache Architectures--NUCA). Most studies on NUCA organizations have assumed a generic NoC and focused on logical policies for cache block placement, movement, and search. Since wire/router delay and power are major limiting factors in modern processors, this work focuses on interconnect design and its influence on NUCA performance and power. We extend the widely-used CACTI cache modeling tool to take network design parameters into account. With these overheads appropriately accounted for, the optimal cache organization is typically very different from that assumed in prior NUCA studies. To alleviate the interconnect delay bottleneck, we propose novel cache access optimizations that introduce heterogeneity within the inter-bank network. The careful consideration of interconnect choices for a large cache results in a 51% performance improvement over a baseline generic NoC and the introduction of heterogeneity within the network yields an additional 11-15% performance improvement.
Modeling multi-source remote sensing image classifier based on the MDL principle: Experimental studies

In classification of multi-source remote sensing image, it is usually difficult to obtain higher classification accuracy. In the previous work, the modeling technique for the remote sensing image classification based on the minimum description length (MDL) principle with mixture model is analyzed theoretically. In this work, experimental studies are performed for investigating the modeling technique. With intensive experiments and sophisticated analysis, it is found that the developed modeling technique can build a robust classification system, which can avoid classifier over-fitting training data and make the learning process trade-off between bias and variance. Meanwhile, designed mixture model is more efficient to represent real multi-source remote sensing images compared to single model.
Inventory of glaciers in mongolia, derived from landsat imagery from 1989 to 2011

Abstract Glaciers in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia provide an estimated 11% of the total water resources within the country. Yet, their number and area in inconsistent. Using satellite imagery acquired from Landsat 4, 5, and 7, and SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) data, we present here an intuitive, robust, and inexpensive methodology to map the exposed ice of glaciers in the Altai Mountains for the period 1989 to 2011. The total glacierized area was 515 km2 in 1989/1991, 428 km2 in 1998/2001, and 372 km2 in 2010/2011; it decreased by 17% from 1989/1991 to 1998/2001, 13% from 1998/2001 to 2010/2011, and 28% for the entire period 1989/1991 to 2010/2011. In analyzing a sub‐sample of 260 glaciers, 6% advanced, 11% were stable, and 83% receded from 1989 to 2011. The glacier dataset is available to the public free of charge at the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) website.
Height-diameter equations for ten tree species in the inland Northwest

ABSTRACT. Individual tree height-diameter equations were developed for ten major species in the inland Northwest. The Wykofffunction in the Stand Prognosis Model and the Lundqvist function were fit to data which included many large-sized trees. The two models fit the data equally well for all species. Prediction results using the existing Prognosis equation, the refitted Wykofffunction, and the Lundqvist function showed that the three models predicted similar heights for trees of small diameter. However, both the refitted Wykoff function and the Lundqvist function predicted larger tree heights for trees with dbh greater than 20 in. for most species. The estimated heights for tree diameters of 70 or 80 in. from the Lundqvist function were closer to the observed "asymptotic" tree heights than the other two. The Lundqvist function showed lower prediction errors for the validation data for the majority of the tree species, especially for large-sized trees. West. J. Appl. For. 11(4):132-137.
Classification of Types of Betel Leaves (Piper Betel Linn) Using An Android-Based Neural Network Backpropagation

Betel leaves, renowned for their medicinal properties, are utilized in treatments and serve cultural and ornamental purposes. Despite various morphological similarities among betel leaf types, their distinct properties and uses vary. For instance, green betel is employed in medicine and cultural rituals, Irian betel serves as a fresh vegetable or anti-inflammatory remedy, and black betel is a pest repellent with a sharp aroma and tough texture. Recognizing these types can be challenging for those lacking knowledge about the plant. Image processing technology offers a solution involving texture, shape, and color feature extraction, followed by classification using a BackPropagation Neural Network. This research successfully classified five betel types with a system accuracy of 91.4%.
A Censored Random Coefficients Model for Pooled Survey Data With Application to the Estimation of Power Outage Costs

In many surveys, multiple observations on the dependent variable are collected from a given respondent. The resulting pooled data set is likely to be censored and to exhibit cross-sectional heterogeneity. We propose a model that addresses both issues by allowing regression coefficients to vary randomly across respondents and by using the Geweke-Hajivassiliou-Keane simulator and Halton sequences to estimate high-order probabilities. We show how this framework can be usefully applied to the estimation of power outage costs to firms using data from a recent survey conducted by a U.S. utility. Our results strongly reject the hypotheses of parameter constancy and cross-sectional homogeneity.
Use of memory strategies among younger and older adults: Results from objective and subjective measures

Memory plays a fundamental role in the identity of people and in human life, as it enables us to interpret our surroundings and make decisions. It is known that the aging process can be accompanied by cognitive decline in some memory sub systems. However, the use of memory strategies can help encoding and retrieval of new information. Objective The aim of this study was to identify and compare, using objective and subjective measures, which recall strategies are used spontaneously by young and older adults. Methods Twenty-six first-year college students, and thirty-three seniors enrolled at the Third Age University of the same campus, completed a visual memory test including 18 black and white pictures, memorized a short story, and completed an open question about memory strategies, a memory check list to indicate strategies used, and a memory self-efficacy scale. The Bousfield categorization measure was also calculated from the recall protocol. Results Young adults demonstrated better performance than the older adults on the memory tasks, and were also more confident. Both groups reported using similar strategies. Conclusion Young and older adults seem to tackle memory tasks in similar ways but young adults outperform seniors.
MAPK induces AQP1 expression in astrocytes following injury

Aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) is the principle water channel and the primary route for water transport across astrocytic membranes. AQP4 co‐localizes with Kir4.1 channels at astrocytic endfeet, and it has been suggested that these channels cooperate in K+ and water homeostasis. In response to injury, two additional aquaporins, AQP1 and AQP9, can be detected in astrocytes, yet neither is found in cultured astrocytes, and therefore their contribution to astrocyte water uptake and biology is poorly investigated. In this study, we used a cortical stab wound assay to demonstrate an upregulation of AQP1 following injury in reactive glia. We were able to mimic such injury in astrocytic cultures and show that AQP1 expression is induced within 16 h following injury in vitro. This induction could be blocked by inhibition of MEK1/2 using U0126, and suggests that AQP1 is specifically induced in reactive astrocytes via the mitogen‐activated protein kinases signaling pathway. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.