Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Data Dissemination with Ring-Based Index for Sensor Networks

In current sensor networks, sensor nodes are capable of not only measuring real world phenomena, but also storing, processing and transferring these measurements. Many data dissemination techniques have been proposed for sensor networks. However, these techniques may not work well in a large scale sensor network where a huge amount of sensing data are generated, but only a small portion of them are queried. In this paper, we propose an index-based data dissemination scheme to address the problem. This scheme is based on the idea that sensing data are collected, processed and stored at the nodes close to the detecting nodes, and the location information of these storing nodes is pushed to some index nodes, which act as the rendezvous points for sinks and sources. We further extend the scheme with an adaptive ring-based index (ARI) technique, in which the index nodes for one event type form a ring surrounding the location which is determined by the event type, and the ring can be dynamically reconfigured for fault tolerance and load balance. Analysis and simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed index-based scheme. The results show that the index-based scheme outperforms the external storage-based scheme, the DCS scheme, and the local storage-based schemes with flood-response style. The results also show that using ARI can tolerate clustering failures and achieve load balance.
Micromanufacturing: A review—Part I

Micromanufacturing processes are expanding in their length and breadth as long as the related research and development (R&D) activities and applications are concerned. Products are getting miniaturized and their performance efficiency is getting enhanced by the addition of micro/nanofeatures and devices. In the set of these two articles (Part I and Part II), an attempt has been made to review the latest R&D activities of the selected micromanufacturing processes. This article (Part I) deals with a review of the literature related to attrition (subtractive, or machining and finishing) processes (both types—traditional and advanced) including microturning, micromilling, microdrilling, abrasive jet micromachining, laser beam micromachining, electrochemical micromachining, magnetorheological finishing, abrasive flow finishing, magnetic abrasive finishing, ion beam micromachining and so on. Apart from the subtractive processes, an overview of the X-ray lithography has also been presented. An attempt has been made to report some applications to help the readers to evolve more new applications of these processes. At the end of different sections/subsections, some research areas have been identified, which would hopefully fill the gaps between the theoretical analysis, experimental work and applications.
Results of a phase II multicenter study of minimally invasive esophagectomy (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Study E2202).

4516 Background: The incidence of esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EAC) is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Definitive treatment may require a combination of surgery (esophagectomy), chemotherapy and radiation. Operative mortality rates after esophagectomy have been reported as high as 8-23% (NEJM 2003). Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) may decrease morbidity and mortality. Previous single institution studies have demonstrated successful outcomes with MIE. The primary aim of this cooperative group protocol ECOG 2202 was to assess the feasibility of MIE in a multi-institutional setting. METHODS We conducted a prospective phase II trial with a two-stage design. Thirty-five patients entered the first stage, followed by an interim analysis. Next, the study continued to the second stage and full accrual. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. Secondary endpoints included complications, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, lymph node (LN) count and clinical outcomes at 3 years. RESULTS We entered 106 patients (men 84%; women 22%; median age 64, range 36-83) into the study from 16 institutions in the United States (ECOG, CALGB, ACOSOG). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered in 35 (33%) and radiation in 26 (25%). MIE was performed in 99 patients. Final pathology included high-grade dysplasia (n=11), and EAC (n=88). Complications included an overall 30-day mortality rate of 2% (2/106),. Other major complications included pneumonia (4.9%) and anastomotic leak (7.8%). Median ICU stay was 2 days; median LN count was 20. At a mean follow-up of 19 months, the estimated 3-year overall survival for the entire cohort was 50% (95% Confidence interval 35-65%). Stage specific survival was similar to open series. CONCLUSIONS This phase II study demonstrates that MIE is safe and feasible in a multi-center trial, with low perioperative mortality rate and morbidity. Oncologic outcomes are similar to open esophagectomy. This is the first report of a multicenter trial of minimally invasive esophagectomy. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Coherent noise removal in seismic data with dual-tree M-band wavelets

Seismic data and their complexity still challenge signal processing algorithms in several applications. The advent of wavelet transforms has allowed improvements in tackling denoising problems. We propose here coherent noise filtering in seismic data with the dual-tree M-band wavelet transform. They offer the possibility to decompose data locally with improved multiscale directions and frequency bands. Denoising is performed in a deterministic fashion in the directional subbands, depending of the coherent noise properties. Preliminary results show that they consistently better preserve seismic signal of interest embedded in highly energetic directional noises than discrete critically sampled and redundant separable wavelet transforms.
“We Are Not Really Marketing Mental Health”: Mental Health Advocacy in Zimbabwe

Introduction Few people with mental disorders in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) receive treatment, in part because mental disorders are highly stigmatized and do not enjoy priority and resources commensurate with their burden on society. Advocacy has been proposed as a means of building political will and community support for mental health and reducing stigma, but few studies have explored the practice and promise of advocacy in LMICs. Methods We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with leaders in health and mental health in Zimbabwe to explore key stakeholder perceptions on the challenges and opportunities of the country’s mental health system. We coded the transcripts using the constant comparative method, informed by principles of grounded theory. Few interview questions directly concerned advocacy, yet in our analysis, advocacy emerged as a prominent, cross-cutting theme across participants and interview questions. Results Two thirds of the respondents discussed advocacy, often in depth, returning to the concept throughout the interview and emphasizing their belief in advocacy’s importance. Participants described six distinct components of advocacy: the advocates, to whom they advocate (“targets”), what they advocate for (“asks”), how advocates reach their targets (“access”), how they make their asks (“arguments”), and the results of their advocacy (“outcomes”). Discussion Despite their perception that mental health is widely misunderstood and under-appreciated in Zimbabwe, respondents expressed optimism that strategically speaking out can reduce stigma and increase access to care. Key issues included navigating hierarchies, empowering service users to advocate, and integrating mental health with other health initiatives. Understanding stakeholder perceptions sets the stage for targeted development of mental health advocacy in Zimbabwe and other LMICs.
Drinfeld modules and arithmetic in the function fields

q: a power of a prime p; K" a function field of one variable over its field of constants F; 'a place of K; A" the ring of elements of K integral outside Koo" the completion of K at f: the completion of an algebraic closure of " the degree of the place h" the class number of K; " the genus of K. Various partial analogies observed between the theory of number fields and the theory of function fields have stimulated the development of both number theory and geometry. At the simplest level, we have the well-known analogies-the unique archimedean place of Q. We may extend these analogies also to the imaginary quadratic fields and their rings of integers in place of K and A, since they have a unique archimedean place too. (In this case, C will be an analogue for both Ko and l). ) The imaginary quadratic fields and Q are precisely the number fields for which there is a well-developed explicit class-field theory (i.e., theory of abelian extensions) using the torsion of the action of integers on the corresponding complex multiplication elliptic curves or the multiplicative group Gm respectively. Analogous theory was developed by Drinfeld (see I-D] and also [C1, HI, H2]), by considering the additive group G (instead of Gm and various elliptic curves) which admits various possible actions of any A. This led to the concept of Drinfeld module introduced below. From now on, we assume 6 1, though a few concepts and results below have straightforward generalizations even when 6 > 1. A choice of uniformizer u at allows us to express z K uniquely as z sgn(z) x x ud, where sn(z) F, is a one unit at c and degz is an integer. We make a choice of such a s0n function and call monic the elements of sgn 1. Let A/ be the set of monic elements of A and let Z/ be the set of positive integers of Z. Let H be the maximal abelian unramified extension of K split completely at c and let B be the integral closure of A in H. (H is an analogue of Hilbert class field; see [H2, R].)
The Protease Degrading Sperm Histones Post-Fertilization in Sea Urchin Eggs Is a Nuclear Cathepsin L That Is Further Required for Embryo Development

Proteolysis of sperm histones in the sea urchin male pronucleus is the consequence of the activation at fertilization of a maternal cysteine protease. We previously showed that this protein is required for male chromatin remodelling and for cell-cycle progression in the newly formed embryos. This enzyme is present in the nucleus of unfertilized eggs and is rapidly recruited to the male pronucleus after insemination. Interestingly, this cysteine-protease remains co-localized with chromatin during S phase of the first cell cycle, migrates to the mitotic spindle in M-phase and is re-located to the nuclei of daughter cells after cytokinesis. Here we identified the protease encoding cDNA and found a high sequence identity to cathepsin proteases of various organisms. A phylogenetical analysis clearly demonstrates that this sperm histone protease (SpHp) belongs to the cathepsin L sub-type. After an initial phase of ubiquitous expression throughout cleavage stages, SpHp gene transcripts become restricted to endomesodermic territories during the blastula stage. The transcripts are localized in the invaginating endoderm during gastrulation and a gut specific pattern continues through the prism and early pluteus stages. In addition, a concomitant expression of SpHp transcripts is detected in cells of the skeletogenic lineage and in accordance a pharmacological disruption of SpHp activity prevents growth of skeletal rods. These results further document the role of this nuclear cathepsin L during development.
Iterative Data-flow Analysis , Revisited

The iterative algorithm is widely used to solve instances of data-flow analysis problems. The algorithm is attractive because it is easy to implement and robust in its behavior. The theory behind the algorithm shows that, for a broad class of problems, it terminates and produces correct results. The theory also establishes a set of conditions where the algorithm runs in at most d(G) + 3 passes over the graph — a round-robin algorithm, running a “rapid” framework, on a reducible graph [25]. Fortunately, these restrictions encompass many practical analyses used in code optimization. In practice, compilers encounter situations that lie outside this carefully described region. Compilers encounter irreducible graphs — probably more often than the early studies suggest. They use variations of the algorithm other than the round-robin form. They run on problems that are not rapid. This paper explores both the theory and practice of iterative data-flow analysis. It explains the role of reducibility in the classic Kam-Ullman time bound. It presents experimental data to show that different versions of the iterative algorithm have distinctly different behavior. It gives practical advice that can improve the performance of iterative solvers on both reducible and irreducible graphs.
Loss of the HPV-Infection Resistance EVER2 Protein Impairs NF-κB Signaling Pathways in Keratinocytes

Homozygous mutations in EVER genes cause epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV), characterized by an immune defect and the development of skin cancers associated with β- human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The effects of EVER protein loss on the keratinocyte immune response remain unknown. We show here that EVER2 plays a critical role in the interplay between the NF-κB and JNK/AP-1 signaling pathways. EVER2-deficient cells overproduce IL-6 following the upregulation of JNK activation. They respond poorly to phorbol ester and TNF via the NF-κB pathway. They have lower levels of IKKα subunit, potentially accounting for impairments of p100 processing and the alternative NF-κB pathway. The loss of EVER2 is associated with an unusual TRAF protein profile. We demonstrate that EVER2 deficiency sustains TRAF2 ubiquitination and decreases the pool of TRAF2 available in the detergent-soluble fraction of the cell. Finally, we demonstrate that EVER2 loss induces constitutive PKCα-dependent c-jun phosphorylation and facilitates activation of the HPV5 long control region through a JNK-dependent pathway. These findings indicate that defects of the EVER2 gene may create an environment conducive to HPV replication and the persistence of lesions with the potential to develop into skin cancer.
Declarative networking

Declarative Networking is a programming methodology that enables developers to concisely specify network protocols and services, which are directly compiled to a dataflow framework that executes the specifications. This paper provides an introduction to basic issues in declarative networking, including language design, optimization, and dataflow execution. We present the intuition behind declarative programming of networks, including roots in Datalog, extensions for networked environments, and the semantics of long-running queries over network state. We focus on a sublanguage we call Network Datalog (NDlog), including execution strategies that provide crisp eventual consistency semantics with significant flexibility in execution. We also describe a more general language called Overlog, which makes some compromises between expressive richness and semantic guarantees. We provide an overview of declarative network protocols, with a focus on routing protocols and overlay networks. Finally, we highlight related work in declarative networking, and new declarative approaches to related problems.
Overview of Bayesian network approaches to model gene-environment interactions and cancer susceptibility

Studies of the relation between genetic traits and cancer susceptibility are often inconclusive or conflicting. This is likely due to the challenges of accommodating multiple genetic and environmental risk factors using traditional analytic models. Each risk factor is likely to contribute to susceptibility through a combination of additive and non-additive interactions with other risk factors, and such interactions are not often addressed by conventional methods. Additionally, data from single studies rarely allow for conclusive identification of causal relationships in such complex systems. Yet, there is often a wealth of knowledge available from previous studies that could be brought to bear on the task of model building. In this paper, we review the potential applicability of Bayesian networks for learning causal relations from gene-environment-cancer data. We first describe the Bayesian network approach, including a variety of algorithms for learning the structure of the causal network from observational data. We then demonstrate application of the approach using a subset of data from a population-based study on bladder cancer in New Hampshire, USA. We find minor differences in the performance or results of different algorithms. However, we expect larger differences when these algorithms are applied to the large number of genes included in the full data set. Incorporation of prior knowledge will thus be a priority.
Hybrid Effect of Nanosilicates and MWNT on Mechanical, Thermal, and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene

A two-step process was used to prepare PP/MAPP/C15A/MWNT ternary nanocomposites system. The effect of the addition of MWNT on the delamination of clay layers in the polymer matrix has been studied through XRD. The similar crystallinity level was noticed after the addition of clay and MWNT together in the PP matrix through XRD. Higher mechanical properties of the ternary nanocomposites system were noticed than neat PP and its binary nanocomposites systems. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) technique was utilized to investigate the effect of both nanofillers on crystallization temperature (). And a shift in towards higher temperature was noticed in all the nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed an improved thermal stability of the ternary nanocomposites system. The dynamic mechanical response of PP and its binary and ternary nanocomposite systems was evaluated. The dispersion of the nanoparticles was investigated employing transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The combined effect of clay and MWNT on the properties of PP was investigated and summarized.
Performance of BPSK Subcarrier Intensity Modulation Free-Space Optical Communications using a Log-normal Atmospheric Turbulence Model

In this paper, we present simulation results for the bit error rate (BER) performance and the fading penalty of a BPSK - subcarrier intensity modulation (BPSK-SIM) free-space optical (FSO) communication link in a log-normal atmospheric turbulence model. The results obtained are based on the Monte-Carlo simulation. Multiple subcarrier modulation schemes offer increased system throughput and require no knowledge of the channel fading in deciding what symbol has been received. In an atmospheric channel with a fading strength &#963;² of 0.1 obtaining a BER of 10E-6 using a 2-subcarrier system will require a signal-to-noise (SNR) of 23.1 dB. The required SNR increases with the fading strength and at a BER of 10E-9 the fading penalty due to the atmospheric turbulence is ~ 41 dB for &#963;²=0.9. The comparative studies of the OOK and BPSK-SIM schemes showed that for similar electrical SNR, BPSK-SIM offered improved performance across all range of turbulence variance.
A SECOND LOOK

The controversy over the measurement of creativity has been described by Mackler and Shonrz.l In the following paragraphs, we have only summarized the divergencies of approach to the assessment of creativity. Representative of one approach is Guilford and Merrifield's attempt to apply a factor analytically derived theory of intellectual structure to the description of creative behavior ( 1960). This conception of the problem has led Guilford ( 1959) to insist that predictor measures of creativity should represent single factors. In consequence, he has developed a variety of tests ( two or three to tap each of 13 separate traits or abilities), each of which yields only one, or a t most two, scores per inscrument. One implication of Gililford's abilities approach is chat persons who are high or low on particular factors (e.g., flexibility, originality) s h o ~ ~ l d be so, without respect to the type of creative task undertaken. That is to say, one is led to expect a high level of intertask consistency among such individuals. Representative of the second approach is the work of Torrance (1962), who is concerned with discovering creative people and studying the characteristics of their behavior. Torrance feels chat it is premature to establish a discrete sec of pure factors, and thus his definition o l creativity includes a wide variety of behaviors. Torrance attempts to construct complex tasks which will be models of the creative process. Each requires several types of thinking such as fluency, flexibility, and originality. Scoring does not depend on a single predetermined correct response, but on the number, novelty, and variety of adaptive responses co a given stimulos task. Torrance's approach leads one to expect high intratask consistencies among individuals, since it is the person, rather rhan a set of task-independent factors, that is responsible for the final test performance. Intertask consistency is not essential, since creative persons are not necessarily expected to be equally creative in all sinlations.
Exploring Special Items in Multimedia News Based on a Stakeholder Model

From the viewpoint that most news items report on entities (person, organization and location), we propose a novel stakeholder model to represent and analyze news contents to explore special items in which there is inconsistency in the descriptions. By using this model, we can discover differences in multimedia news items from the perspectives of media types (text, video and audio) and description types (objective, subjective and relationship descriptions). We propose a method of extracting stakeholders as main participants (people, organization, etc.) of the described news event and detect inconsistency to explore the special items by comparing visual and textual descriptions on the exposure level of each stakeholder. A prototype system is implemented and we also show some experimental results to validate the proposed methods.