Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helical CT protocols for the abdomen and pelvis: a survey.

OBJECTIVE We surveyed members of the Society of Computed Body Tomography/Magnetic Resonance to evaluate current techniques used for helical CT in the abdomen and pelvis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The survey was distributed to 70 members (36 institutions) of the Society of Computed Body Tomography/Magnetic Resonance. The survey included general questions related to abdominal and pelvic helical CT and also asked the members to write a protocol for 12 hypothetical requisitions. RESULTS Thirty-two members (46%) responded, representing 28 institutions (78%). The number of protocols for helical CT of the abdomen and pelvis at each institution ranges from 2 to 35 (median, 11). IV contrast material is administered for 90% (median) of abdominal and pelvic CT examinations. Nonionic contrast material is used for 68% (median) of these examinations. IV contrast material is used by 100% of institutions for tumor staging protocols except for one institution that does not use IV contrast material for lymphoma staging. Fifty percent of the institutions obtain two- or three-phases of liver images for breast cancer staging. For all protocols, the average collimation and reconstruction interval is 7 mm except for renal (5 mm) and adrenal (4 mm) protocols. Rectal contrast material is administered most commonly for colon cancer staging (39% of institutions). CONCLUSION There is a wide range in the number of protocols used for helical CT in the abdomen and pelvis among the responding institutions. Most protocols include use of nonionic IV contrast material injected at a rate of 3 ml/sec and a collimation of 7 mm.
Secure Mediation Gateway architecture enabling the communication among Critical Infrastructures

Representing one of the most technological dependencies of contemporary societies, Critical Infrastructures (CIs) have to ensure the highest security levels to be able of fulfill their duty in any circumstances. This is the main goal of MICIE (Tool for systemic risk analysis and secure mediation of data exchanged across linked CI information infrastructures) FP7 ICT-SEC project: the design and implementation of a real-time CI risk level prediction and alerting system [1]. In order to reach this objective, one of the main key challenge to be addressed is the design and the implementation of a Secure Mediation Gateway (SMGW), namely a new innovative network element able to: (i) discover CI status information, (ii) overcome information heterogeneity and (iii) provide a secure communication of such information among peer CIs. All the information discovered and collected by the SMGW are then provided to a dedicated prediction tool which is in charge of calculating a risk prediction for the CIs. This paper presents the functional architecture of the SMGW designed within the MICIE project, putting in evidence how it is possible to discover information and exchange critical information over a insecure network like Internet.
The relationship between emotional intelligence, sence [sic] of coherence, optimism and life satisfaction of students

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence, optimism, life satisfaction and sense of coherence. and to compile a psychological well-being model for university students in economic management sciences. A crosssectional survey design was used. The participants (N=324) were students from economic sciences fields. The Emotional Intelligence Scale, Life Orientation Test Revised. Satisfaction with Life Scale and Orientation to life scale were admin~strred. A factor analysis showed a six-factor structure for the elnotional intelligence measurement. A Second Order factor analysis wlth all the factors of emotional intrlligence. optimism. life satisfaction and sense of coherence indicated a two factor model. The model was tested with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and indicated that psychological well-being consists of two factors: Intrapersonaland Environment Mastery
Performance Bounds on a Wiretap Network With Arbitrary Wiretap Sets

Consider a communication network represented by a directed graph G = (V, ε), where V is the set of nodes and 8 is the set of point-to-point channels in the network. On the network, a secure message M is transmitted, and there may exist wiretappers who want to obtain information about the message. In secure network coding, we aim to find a network code, which can protect the message against the wiretapper whose power is constrained. Cai and Yeung studied the model in which the wiretapper can access any one but not more than one set of channels, called a wiretap set, out of a collection A of all possible wiretap sets. In order to protect the message, the message needs to be mixed with a random key K. They proved tight fundamental performance bounds when A consists of all subsets of ε of a fixed size r. However, beyond this special case, obtaining such bounds is much more difficult. In this paper, we investigate the problem when A consists of arbitrary subsets of ε and obtain the following results: 1) an upper bound on H(M) and 2) a lower bound on H(K) in terms of H(M). The upper bound on H(M) is explicit, while the lower bound on H(K) can be computed in polynomial time when |A| is fixed. The tightness of the lower bound for the point-to-point communication system is also proved.
Detection and Molecular Characterization of Human Group C Rotavirus in Brazil

Objective: The aim of the present study was to characterize 24 isolates of group C rotavirus (RV-C) by analysis of DNA sequences of the VP4, VP6, VP7 and NSP4 genes of several Brazilian states. Methods: All RV-C strains were confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and were characterized by sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the genes encoding NSP4, VP6, VP4, and VP7 proteins. Results: Analysis of the NSP4 gene from Brazilian strains revealed that the isolates are more closely related to each other than to those of other strains previously published. The VP6 gene showed high homology to Indian strains. The sequences of VP4 and VP7 genes showed two lineages circulating in Brazil in the same region and at the same time. Conclusion: These results confirm the transmission of RV-C in Brazil. RV-C infection appears to occur occasionally despite the low detection rate of the virus.
Using concept analysis to detect co-change patterns

Software systems need to change over time to cope with new requirements, and due to design decisions, the changes happen to crosscut the system's structure. Understanding how changes appear in the system can reveal hidden dependencies between different entities of the system. We propose the usage of concept analysis to identify groups of entities that change in the same way and in the same time. We apply our approach at different levels of abstraction (i.e., method, class, package) and we detect fine grained changes (i.e., statements were added in a class, but no method was added there). Concept analysis is a technique that identifies entities that have the same properties, but it requires manual inspection due to the large number of candidates it detects. We propose a heuristic that dramatically eliminate the false positives. We apply our approach on two case studies and we show how we can identify hidden dependencies and detect bad smells.
Hybrid RGB-D object recognition using Convolutional Neural Network and Fisher Vector

With the recent emergence of low-cost depth sensors (e.g., Microsoft Kinect), RGB-D image can be captured more easily for object recognition. Compared to the existing RGB-based paradigm, the introduction of depth information indeed imports extra descriptive cues (e.g., surface geometry) for object characterization. In this paper, a novel hybrid RGB-D object categorization model is proposed. It is fruited simultaneously from two state-of-the-art image representation technologies: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Fisher Vector (FV). Specifically, the objects are characterized by CNN in RGB domain. While, CNN is not applied to depth domain, due to the lack of sufficient samples for training. We propose to extract the corresponding depth representation via FV with the densely sampled HONV descriptors. The CNN and FV description are then fused to form the unified RGB-D object signature. SVM is employed for decision. The experiments on a large-scale RGB-D dataset demonstrate that, our hybrid RGB-D object recognition model outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches by large margins (at least 6.3%).
Markerless motion capture of interacting characters using multi-view image segmentation

We present a markerless motion capture approach that reconstructs the skeletal motion and detailed time-varying surface geometry of two closely interacting people from multi-view video. Due to ambiguities in feature-to-person assignments and frequent occlusions, it is not feasible to directly apply single-person capture approaches to the multi-person case. We therefore propose a combined image segmentation and tracking approach to overcome these difficulties. A new probabilistic shape and appearance model is employed to segment the input images and to assign each pixel uniquely to one person. Thereafter, a single-person markerless motion and surface capture approach can be applied to each individual, either one-by-one or in parallel, even under strong occlusions. We demonstrate the performance of our approach on several challenging multi-person motions, including dance and martial arts, and also provide a reference dataset for multi-person motion capture with ground truth.
Plain Text Encryption Using AES, DES and SALSA20 by Java Based Bouncy Castle API on Windows and Linux

Information Security has become an important element of data communication. Various encryption algorithms have been proposed and implemented as a solution and play an important role in information security system. But on the other hand these algorithms consume a significant amount of computing resources such as CPU time, memory and battery power. However, for all practical applications, performance and the cost of implementation are also important concerns. Therefore it is essential to assess the performance of encryption algorithms. In this paper, the performance of three Symmetric Key based algorithms-AES, Blowfish and Salsa20 has been evaluated based on execution time, memory required for implementation and throughput across two different operating systems. Based on the simulation results, it can be concluded that AES and Salsa20 are preferred over Blowfish for plain text data encryption.
The Secret Life of Patches: A Firefox Case Study

The goal of the code review process is to assess the quality of source code modifications (submitted as patches) before they are committed to a project's version control repository. This process is particularly important in open source projects to ensure the quality of contributions submitted by the community, however, the review process can promote or discourage these contributions. In this paper, we study the patch lifecycle of the Mozilla Fire fox project. The model of a patch lifecycle was extracted from both the qualitative evidence of the individual processes (interviews and discussions with developers), and the quantitative assessment of the Mozilla process and practice. We contrast the lifecycle of a patch in pre- and post-rapid release development. A quantitative comparison showed that while the patch lifecycle remains mostly unchanged after switching to rapid release, the patches submitted by casual contributors are disproportionately more likely to be abandoned compared to core contributors. This suggests that patches from casual developers should receive extra care to both ensure quality and encourage future community contributions.
Complete Genome Sequence of Simiduia agarivorans SA1T, a Marine Bacterium Able To Degrade a Variety of Polysaccharides

ABSTRACT Simiduia agarivorans strain SA1T is able to degrade a variety of polysaccharides found in marine algae, plants, and animals. The genome of S. agarivorans SA1T consists of a single chromosome (4,309,711 bp), and its information may provide insights into the polysaccharide-degrading capability, cell division, flagellar motility, and chemotaxis of this bacterium.
Attitude, coping and outcome in schizophrenia.

This study examines the relationship between attitude and outcome of 30 schizophrenic outpatients. Attitude is measured using the modes of response to psychosis proposed by MayerGross in 1920 and operationalised into questionnaire form by Soskis and Bowers (1969) and McGlashan and Carpenter (1981). The outcome is defined by the number ofrehospitalizations since the first diagnosis of schizophrenia. Results show a significant relationship between attitude and outcome. Positive attitude toward the illness and positive attitude toward the future were both significantly correlated with a positive outcome (lower rate of rehospitalization). Similarly, both negative attitudes toward the illness and negative attitude toward the future were significantly correlated with a negative outcome (higher rate of rehospitalization). There was a stronger correlation between positive attitudes and positive outcome than between negative attitudes and negative outcome. The relationship between attitude and outcome in schizophrenia is used to suggest alternative ways of conceptualizing and managing the condition. The findings of this study are also used to develop recommendations for further research.
Effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide on coronary microvessels and its role in acute myocardial ischemia.

BACKGROUND Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a potent dilator of epicardial conduit vessels and is released during myocardial ischemia in humans. However, the effect of CGRP on coronary arterial microvessels is still unclear, and it is unknown if CGRP modulates the tone of coronary arterial microvessels during acute myocardial ischemia. METHODS AND RESULTS Epimyocardial microvessels were observed through a microscope equipped with a floating objective system in anesthetized open-chest dogs. Heart rate and aortic pressure were maintained at control levels. Flow velocity of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was measured with a suction-cup Doppler probe. When CGRP was cumulatively infused into the LAD (0.05, 0.5, 5.0, and 50 pmol/kg per minute) or superfused (0.03, 0.3, 3.0, and 30 nmol/L) over the left ventricular surface, arterial control microvessels > 100 microns in diameter dilated dose dependently at dosages of 0.5 to 50 pmol/kg per minute (infused) or 0.3 to 30 nmol/L (superfused), but those < 100 microns dilated only at the highest dose, and those > 100 microns had greater dilation in both groups. Only the highest dose of CGRP (infused) significantly increased coronary flow. The superfusion of CGRP(8-37) (CGRP receptor antagonist, 300 nmol/L) did not affect the control diameters of coronary arterial microvessels but completely abolished CGRP-induced vasodilation at the same doses (infused and superfused). However, 300 nmol/L of CGRP(8-37) did not affect the response of coronary arterial microvessels to the LAD occlusion in any size. CONCLUSIONS CGRP preferentially dilates the coronary arterial microvessels > 100 microns in diameter but has only a small effect on those < 100 microns. Endogenous CGRP does not modulate the tone of coronary arterial microvessels during acute myocardial ischemia in beating canine hearts.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes: A Versatile Tool for Arrhythmia Research

Induced pluripotent stem cells offer the possibility to generate patient-specific stem cell lines from individuals affected by inherited disorders. Cardiomyocytes differentiated from such patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells lines have been used to study the pathophysiology of arrhythmogenic heart diseases, such as the long-QT syndrome or catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Testing for unwanted drug side effects or tailoring medical treatment to the specific needs of individual patients with arrhythmogenic disorders may become future applications of this emerging technology.
Type-2 fuzzy ontology-based multi-agents system for wireless sensor network

As Sensor Node (SN) has unique functionalities and properties which help to distinguish from traditional communication networks. From various latest scenarios, WSN characteristic are based on ontologies plays a vital role to sense, manage, integrated, analyzed, and exploited further for interactive and intelligent processing. Mainly in the paper, our target is to mitigate the Energy Efficiency, Data aggregation and Route discovery problems in current WSNs. Energy parameter is a major constraint that restricts network to be energy efficient. Overall network life is a key characteristic for evaluating the performance of routing protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In according to it, proposes a Type-2 Fuzzy Ontology-Based Multi-Agent Systems (T2FOMAS) approach for enhancing the lifetime of the WSN. The agents communicate among themselves to assign Type-2 Fuzzy Membership Value (T2FMV) to Sensor Node (SN) (according to their remaining energy of SN) and store dynamic changes in Fuzzy Ontology for real-time WSN scenario. The motivation of this work is to utilize Type-2 Fuzzy Ontology with Multi-Agents for WSNs mitigate problems and provide energy efficient and shortest route from Sensor Node (SN) to Base Station (BS). Conclusively, it steps to make overall network system energy efficient.
Agent-Based Computational Sociology

There is of course already a considerable literature on such ‘agent-based modelling’. There is for example a Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, edited from the Sociology Department at Surrey. Most of the content pays little attention however to empirical enquiry and to the linkages between mainstream methods of sociological enquiry and computational methods. This is Squazzoni’s concern.
The E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF126 and Rabring7 regulate endosomal sorting of the epidermal growth factor receptor

Summary Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) results in internalization and ubiquitin-dependent endosomal sorting, leading to lysosomal degradation. Here we describe the role of the RING-finger-domain-containing protein RNF126 and the related protein, Rabring7 in EGFR endosomal sorting. We demonstrate that RNF126 specifies K48-linked chains with UbcH5b and also functions with Ubc13/Uev1a to form K63-linked chains in vitro. RNF126 and Rabring7 associate with the EGFR through a ubiquitin-binding zinc finger domain and both E3 ubiquitin ligases promote ubiquitylation of EGFR. In the absence of c-Cbl or in cells expressing Cbl-70Z, the binding of RNF126 and Rabring7 to the EGFR is reduced, suggesting that RNF126 and Rabring7 function downstream of c-Cbl. In HeLa cells depleted of either RNF126 or Rabring7 the EGFR is retained in a late endocytic compartment and is inefficiently degraded. In addition, depletion of RNF126 or Rabring7 destabilizes ESCRT-II and reduces the number of multivesicular bodies formed after EGF stimulation. We also show that the depletion of Rabring7 attenuates the degradation of MET and that both RNF126 and Rabring7 regulate the sorting of CXCR4 from an early endocytic compartment. Together these data suggest that RNF126 and Rabring7 play a role in the ubiquitin-dependent sorting and downregulation of membrane receptors.
Social Media Membership, Browsing, and Profile Updating in a Representative U.S. Sample: Independent and Interdependent Effects of Big Five Traits and Aging and Social Factors

Guided by cybernetic perspectives on personality, the present work used a representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 992) to examine Big Five personality traits and social and aging factors as predictors of social media network membership and past-month browsing/searching and profile updating among members. The results showed adults who were less extraverted and less neurotic and who reported greater physical limitations were less likely to be members. Moreover, extraverted adults without partners were more likely to be members than introverted adults without partners. Among members, the results showed extraverted and emotionally stable younger and older adults reported a similar frequency of profile updating. In contrast, older adults with all other combinations of extraversion and neuroticism showed a reduced frequency of profile updating compared to younger adults. The findings are discussed in terms of social media involvement as a response of a self-regulatory system of personality adaptation.
Parallel Continuous Preference Queries over Out-of-Order and Bursty Data Streams

Techniques to handle traffic bursts and out-of-order arrivals are of paramount importance to provide real-time sensor data analytics in domains like traffic surveillance, transportation management, healthcare and security applications. In these systems the amount of raw data coming from sensors must be analyzed by continuous queries that extract value-added information used to make informed decisions in real-time. To perform this task with timing constraints, parallelism must be exploited in the query execution in order to enable the real-time processing on parallel architectures. In this paper we focus on continuous preference queries, a representative class of continuous queries for decision making, and we propose a parallel query model targeting the efficient processing over out-of-order and bursty data streams. We study how to integrate punctuation mechanisms in order to enable out-of-order processing. Then, we present advanced scheduling strategies targeting scenarios with different burstiness levels, parameterized using the index of dispersion quantity. Extensive experiments have been performed using synthetic datasets and real-world data streams obtained from an existing real-time locating system. The experimental evaluation demonstrates the efficiency of our parallel solution and its effectiveness in handling the out-of-orderness degrees and burstiness levels of real-world applications.
The Transcriptional Repressor TupA in Aspergillus niger Is Involved in Controlling Gene Expression Related to Cell Wall Biosynthesis, Development, and Nitrogen Source Availability

The Tup1-Cyc8 (Ssn6) complex is a well characterized and conserved general transcriptional repressor complex in eukaryotic cells. Here, we report the identification of the Tup1 (TupA) homolog in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger in a genetic screen for mutants with a constitutive expression of the agsA gene. The agsA gene encodes a putative alpha-glucan synthase, which is induced in response to cell wall stress in A. niger. Apart from the constitutive expression of agsA, the selected mutant was also found to produce an unknown pigment at high temperatures. Complementation analysis with a genomic library showed that the tupA gene could complement the phenotypes of the mutant. Screening of a collection of 240 mutants with constitutive expression of agsA identified sixteen additional pigment-secreting mutants, which were all mutated in the tupA gene. The phenotypes of the tupA mutants were very similar to the phenotypes of a tupA deletion strain. Further analysis of the tupA-17 mutant and the ΔtupA mutant revealed that TupA is also required for normal growth and morphogenesis. The production of the pigment at 37°C is nitrogen source-dependent and repressed by ammonium. Genome-wide expression analysis of the tupA mutant during exponential growth revealed derepression of a large group of diverse genes, including genes related to development and cell wall biosynthesis, and also protease-encoding genes that are normally repressed by ammonium. Comparison of the transcriptome of up-regulated genes in the tupA mutant showed limited overlap with the transcriptome of caspofungin-induced cell wall stress-related genes, suggesting that TupA is not a general suppressor of cell wall stress-induced genes. We propose that TupA is an important repressor of genes related to development and nitrogen metabolism.