Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Building a Low Latency Linux Software Router

Packet processing (e.g. routing, switching, firewall) with commodity hardware is a cost-efficient and flexible alternative to specialized networking hardware. On commodity hardware the CPU typically becomes the bottleneck in packet processing. However, in well-known QoS mechanisms (e.g. DiffServ), the outgoing link is assumed to be the bottleneck. This limitation is unfavorable, in particular for latency-sensitive applications (e.g. VoIP, video conferencing, online gaming). Thus, we propose and implement a QoS concept for a Linux software router to prioritize latency-sensitive traffic at the incoming network interface. Our testbed measurements show that our prototype implementation improves the packet processing w.r. t the latency of latency-sensitive traffic even under high traffic loads.
Fault Detection on Multicell Converter Based on Output Voltage Frequency Analysis

Multilevel converters uses a large amount of semiconductors. This allows to reconfigurate the converter to work even on internal fault condition. This paper presents a method to detect faulty cells in a cascaded multicell converter requiring just one voltage measurement per output phase. The method is based on high frequency harmonic analysis, using a dynamic prediction of their behavior, avoiding false detection on transients while keeps the precision under fault events. Once the faulty cell is detected, it can be short-circuited allowing the converter to keep working according to previously reported techniques
Effect of Mergers on Health Maintenance Organization Premiums

This study estimated the effect of mergers on health maintenance organization (HMO) premiums, using data on all operational non-Medicaid HMOs in the United States from 1985 to 1993. Two critical issues were examined: whether HMO mergers increase or decrease premiums; and whether the effects of mergers differ according to the degree of competition among HMOs in local markets. The only significant merger effect was found in the most competitive markets, where premiums increased, but only for 1 year after the merger. Our research does not support the argument that consolidation of HMOs in local markets will benefit consumers through lower premiums.
Trickle-L2: Lightweight link quality estimation through Trickle in RPL networks

Lightweight link quality estimation is crucial in wireless sensor networks. Indeed, devices with limited capabilities shall trade off between consuming their resources to maintain a precise view of the neighbours' link quality and to build routes almost blindly. For instance, the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), which has been recently standardised by the IETF to enable IPv6-based sensor networks, only estimates the quality of the links used to deliver data packets. However, this solution has been demonstrated to cause periods of routing instability and reduced packet delivery rates since it estimates only the quality of utilised links. To address this issue in this work we propose a lightweight link estimation procedure that exploits Trickle-based topology maintenance techniques to simultaneously estimate link qualities and propagate routing information. Our proposed scheme has been integrated in the Contiki's RPL prototype implementation. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposal is capable of measuring the quality of the links to neighbours with small overhead, which results into better routing decisions and improved packet delivery rates.
Combined stent placement and thrombolysis in acute vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Acute vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke is often associated with high morbidity and mortality with limited therapeutic options. Endovascular treatment with thrombolysis has offered some hope for affected patients; however, overall outcomes have been less than satisfactory. In this report, we present the results of our approach in six consecutive cases of acute vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke by combined proximal vessel stent placement and thrombolysis. METHODS Six consecutive cases were retrospectively reviewed for the clinical outcome of patients presenting to our institution with acute posterior circulation stroke who underwent cerebral revascularization including proximal arterial stent placement by using balloon-expandable coronary stents and intraarterial thrombolysis. All of these patients were initially evaluated by stroke team neurologists and imaged with MR, including diffusion-weighted imaging documenting acute posterior circulation stroke. MR angiography of the circle of Willis was also obtained. Short-term follow-up was conducted to assess National Institutes of Health stroke scores (NIHSS) and modified Rankin scores. RESULTS In these six cases, a combined approach of proximal arterial stent placement (five cases of vertebral artery origin and one case of carotid and subclavian stent placement plus vertebral artery revascularization) and thrombolysis was performed at variable times after stroke onset (range, 30 hours to 5 days). Four of the six patients had good basilar artery recanalization (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction [TIMI] grade 0-1 before tissue plasminogen activator thrombolysis and TIMI grade 2 after procedure). Four of six patients had excellent immediate recovery and were discharged to an acute rehabilitation unit or their homes with improved neurologic symptoms and functional status. Two patients died: one patient presented with coma at outset with an NIHSS of 38, and the other patient probably had reocclusion of the basilar artery within 24 hours despite initial postprocedural improvement. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that, in the setting of acute stroke, stent placement in combination with revascularization and thrombolysis is practical and allows quick access to a clot and simultaneously increases perfusion through collaterals during the thrombolytic process. In particular, basilar thrombolysis may be facilitated by proximal vertebral stent placement as concomitant atheromatous vertebrobasilar stenosis is common.
Sequestration of Highly Expressed mRNAs in Cytoplasmic Granules, P-Bodies, and Stress Granules Enhances Cell Viability

Transcriptome analyses indicate that a core 10%–15% of the yeast genome is modulated by a variety of different stresses. However, not all the induced genes undergo translation, and null mutants of many induced genes do not show elevated sensitivity to the particular stress. Elucidation of the RNA lifecycle reveals accumulation of non-translating mRNAs in cytoplasmic granules, P-bodies, and stress granules for future regulation. P-bodies contain enzymes for mRNA degradation; under stress conditions mRNAs may be transferred to stress granules for storage and return to translation. Protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system is elevated by stress; and here we analyzed the steady state levels, decay, and subcellular localization of the mRNA of the gene encoding the F-box protein, UFO1, that is induced by stress. Using the MS2L mRNA reporter system UFO1 mRNA was observed in granules that colocalized with P-bodies and stress granules. These P-bodies stored diverse mRNAs. Granules of two mRNAs transported prior to translation, ASH1-MS2L and OXA1-MS2L, docked with P-bodies. HSP12 mRNA that gave rise to highly elevated protein levels was not observed in granules under these stress conditions. ecd3, pat1 double mutants that are defective in P-body formation were sensitive to mRNAs expressed ectopically from strong promoters. These highly expressed mRNAs showed elevated translation compared with wild-type cells, and the viability of the mutants was strongly reduced. ecd3, pat1 mutants also exhibited increased sensitivity to different stresses. Our interpretation is that sequestration of highly expressed mRNAs in P-bodies is essential for viability. Storage of mRNAs for future regulation may contribute to the discrepancy between the steady state levels of many stress-induced mRNAs and their proteins. Sorting of mRNAs for future translation or decay by individual cells could generate potentially different phenotypes in a genetically identical population and enhance its ability to withstand stress.
Multiagent-Based Resource Allocation for Energy Minimization in Cloud Computing Systems

Cloud computing has emerged as a very flexible service paradigm by allowing users to require virtual machine (VM) resources on-demand and allowing cloud service providers (CSPs) to provide VM resources via a pay-as-you-go model. This paper addresses the CSP's problem of efficiently allocating VM resources to physical machines (PMs) with the aim of minimizing the energy consumption. Traditional energy-aware VM allocations either allocate VMs to PMs in a centralized manner or implement VM migrations for energy reduction without considering the migration cost in cloud computing systems. We address these two issues by introducing a decentralized multiagent (MA)-based VM allocation approach. The proposed MA works by first dispatching a cooperative agent to each PM to assist the PM in managing VM resources. Then, an auction-based VM allocation mechanism is designed for these agents to decide the allocations of VMs to PMs. Moreover, to tackle system dynamics and avoid incurring prohibitive VM migration overhead, a local negotiation-based VM consolidation mechanism is devised for the agents to exchange their assigned VMs for energy cost saving. We evaluate the efficiency of the MA approach by using both static and dynamic simulations. The static experimental results demonstrate that the MA can incur acceptable computation time to reduce system energy cost compared with traditional bin packing and genetic algorithm-based centralized approaches. In the dynamic setting, the energy cost of the MA is similar to that of benchmark global-based VM consolidation approaches, but the MA largely reduces the migration cost.
Mineral content analysis of atmospheric dust using hyperspectral information from space

The Bodélé depression of northern Chad is considered one of the world's largest sources of atmospheric mineral dust. Mineral composition of such transported dust is essential to our understanding of climate forcing, mineralogy of dust sources, aerosol optical properties, and mineral deposition to Amazon forests. In this study we examine hyperspectral information acquired over the Bodélé by EO‐1 Hyperion satellite during a dust storm event and during a calm clean day. We show that, for the suspended dust, the absorption signature can be decoupled from scattering, allowing detection of key minerals. Our results, based on the visible and shortwave infrared hyperspectral data, demonstrate that the Bodélé surface area is composed of iron‐oxides, clays (kaosmectite) and sulfate groups (gypsum). Atmospheric dust spectra downwind of Bodélé reveal striking differences in absorption signatures across shortwave infrared from those of the underlying surface.
Differential regulation of AMPK activation in leptin‐and creatine‐deficient mice

AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key sensor and regulator of energy homeostasis. Previously, we demonstrated that intracellular energy depletion by L‐arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) deficiency resulted in AMPK activation and protected from metabolic syndrome. In the present study, we show tissue‐specific leptin dependence of AMPK activation by energy depletion. We investigated leptin‐dependent AMPK regulation in AGAT‐ and leptin‐deficient (d/d ob/ob) mice. Like ob/ob mice, but unlike d/d mice, d/d ob/ob mice were obese and glucose intolerant. Therefore, leptin is a prerequisite for resistance to metabolic syndrome in AGAT‐deficient mice. Quantitative Western blots revealed a 4‐fold increase in AMPK activation in skeletal muscle of d/d ob/ob mice (P<0.001). However, AMPK activation was absent in white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver. Compared with blood glucose levels in ob/ob mice, fasting levels were still reduced and therefore did not show leptin dependence (wild‐type, 79.4±3.9 mg/dl; d/d, 68.4±3.2 mg/dl; P<0.05). In ob/ob mice and wild‐type mice, 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide‐1‐β‐d‐ribofuranoside (AICAR), in combination with leptin, augmented glucose tolerance compared with AICAR alone, whereas no improvement was found under conditions of high‐fatdiet feeding. These findings reveal a previously unknown synergistic AMPK activation by leptin and intracellular energy depletion, suggesting that AMPK activation can be therapeutically effective in metabolic syndrome only if leptin sensitivity is preserved. —Stockebrand, M. , Sauter, K. , Neu, A. , Isbrandt, D. , Choe, C. , Differential regulation of AMPK activation in leptin‐ and creatine‐deficient mice. FASEBJ. 27, 4147‐4156 (2013). www.fasebj. org
Piecewise Bounds for Estimating Bernoulli-Logistic Latent Gaussian Models

Bernoulli-logistic latent Gaussian models (bLGMs) are a useful model class, but accurate parameter estimation is complicated by the fact that the marginal likelihood contains an intractable logistic-Gaussian integral. In this work, we propose the use of fixed piecewise linear and quadratic upper bounds to the logistic-log-partition (LLP) function as a way of circumventing this intractable integral. We describe a framework for approximately computing minimax optimal piecewise quadratic bounds, as well a generalized expectation maximization algorithm based on using piecewise bounds to estimate bLGMs. We prove a theoretical result relating the maximum error in the LLP bound to the maximum error in the marginal likelihood estimate. Finally, we present empirical results showing that piece-wise bounds can be significantly more accurate than previously proposed variational bounds.
Regulation of Cytokine Polarization and T Cell Recruitment to Inflamed Paws in Mouse Collagen‐Induced Arthritis by the Chemokine Receptor CXCR6

The chemokine receptor CXCR6 is highly expressed on lymphocytes isolated from the synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, suggesting that CXCR6 regulates immune cell activation or infiltration into arthritic joints. This study was undertaken to examine the role of CXCR6 in T cell activation and arthritis development.
Arterial Stiffness Increases With Deteriorating Glucose Tolerance Status: The Hoorn Study

Background—Type 2 diabetes (DM-2) and impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) are associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. In nondiabetic individuals, increased arterial stiffness is an important cause of cardiovascular disease. Associations between DM-2 and IGM and arterial stiffness have not been systematically investigated. Methods and Results—In a population-based cohort (n=747; 278 with normal glucose metabolism, 168 with IGM, and 301 with DM-2; mean age, 68.5 years), arterial stiffness was ultrasonically estimated by distensibility and compliance of the carotid, femoral, and brachial arteries and by the carotid elastic modulus. After adjustment for age, sex, and mean arterial pressure, DM-2 was associated with increased carotid, femoral, and brachial stiffness, whereas IGM was associated only with increased femoral and brachial stiffness. Carotid but not femoral or brachial stiffness increased from IGM to DM-2. Standardized &bgr;s (95% CI) for IGM and DM-2, compared with normal glucose metabolism, were −0.06 (−0.23 to 0.10) and −0.37 (−0.51 to −0.23) for carotid distensibility; −0.02 (−0.18 to 0.18) and −0.25 (−0.40 to −0.09) for carotid compliance; −0.05 (−0.23 to 0.13) and 0.25 (0.10 to 0.40) for carotid elastic modulus; −0.70 (−0.89 to −0.51) and −0.67 (−0.83 to −0.52) for femoral distensibility; and −0.62 (−0.80 to −0.44) and −0.79 (−0.94 to −0.63) for femoral compliance. The brachial artery followed a pattern similar to that of the femoral artery. Increases in stiffness indices were explained by decreases in distension, increases in pulse pressure, an increase in carotid intima-media thickness, and, for the femoral artery, a decrease in diameter. Hyperglycemia or hyperinsulinemia explained only 30% of the arterial changes associated with glucose tolerance. Adjustment for conventional cardiovascular risk factors did not affect these findings. Conclusions—IGM and DM-2 are associated with increased arterial stiffness. An important part of the increased stiffness occurs before the onset of DM-2 and is explained neither by conventional cardiovascular risk factors nor by hyperglycemia or hyperinsulinemia.
History of febrile illness and variation in semen quality.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of a history of febrile illness on semen quality. METHODS Twenty-seven healthy men (median age 24.4 years) were followed with monthly semen samples and a daily record of the occurrence of experienced febrile episodes over a 16 month period between March 1998 and June 1999 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Semen samples were analysed for semen volume, sperm concentration, percentage immotile sperm and percentage morphologically normal sperm. RESULTS Sperm concentration significantly decreased by 32.6% (95% confidence interval -49.9; -9.2) following fever during meiosis and by 35.0% (-50.5; -14.6) following fever during the postmeiotic period of spermatogenesis (spermiogenesis). The percentage of morphologically normal sperm was decreased by 7.4% (-11.6; -3.0) and the percentage of immotile sperm was increased by 20.4% (6.0; 36.8) by fever during spermiogenesis. The number of days the men experienced fever significantly affected their semen parameters. Thus fever during meiosis and spermiogenesis reduced sperm concentration with respectively 7.1% (-12.9; -0.9) and 8.5% (-13.6; -3.0) per day of fever. The percentage of morphologically normal sperm decreased 1.6% (-2.5; -0.6) and the percentage of immotile sperm increased 4.5% (1.7; 7.3) per day of fever during spermiogenesis. There was, however, a large variation in the individual response to fever. CONCLUSIONS Sperm concentration, morphology and motility in a semen sample are adversely affected by a febrile episode during the postmeiotic period of spermatogenesis (spermiogenesis). Sperm concentration was also adversely affected by fever during the period of meiosis, whereas fever at other time points during spermatogenesis did not seem to significantly affect these sperm parameters. The adverse effect seemed to be dependent upon the number of days with fever.
Supplementation with Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 Prevents Decline of Mucus Barrier in Colon of Accelerated Aging Ercc1−/Δ7 Mice

Although it is clear that probiotics improve intestinal barrier function, little is known about the effects of probiotics on the aging intestine. We investigated effects of 10-week bacterial supplementation of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1, Lactobacillus casei BL23, or Bifidobacterium breve DSM20213 on gut barrier and immunity in 16-week-old accelerated aging Ercc1−/Δ7 mice, which have a median lifespan of ~20 weeks, and their wild-type littermates. The colonic barrier in Ercc1−/Δ7 mice was characterized by a thin (< 10 μm) mucus layer. L. plantarum prevented this decline in mucus integrity in Ercc1−/Δ7 mice, whereas B. breve exacerbated it. Bacterial supplementations affected the expression of immune-related genes, including Toll-like receptor 4. Regulatory T cell frequencies were increased in the mesenteric lymph nodes of L. plantarum- and L. casei-treated Ercc1−/Δ7 mice. L. plantarum- and L. casei-treated Ercc1−/Δ7 mice showed increased specific antibody production in a T cell-dependent immune response in vivo. By contrast, the effects of bacterial supplementation on wild-type control mice were negligible. Thus, supplementation with L. plantarum – but not with L. casei and B. breve – prevented the decline in the mucus barrier in Ercc1−/Δ7 mice. Our data indicate that age is an important factor influencing beneficial or detrimental effects of candidate probiotics. These findings also highlight the need for caution in translating beneficial effects of probiotics observed in young animals or humans to the elderly.
Impact of wind turbines on power system stability

Several types of WTs have been used in wind farms, such as WT with induction generator, WT with doubly fed induction generator, and WT with direct drive permanent magnet generator, which are different in terms of power-speed characteristics, generators and ways of interfacing with power grids. In this paper, the models of the three types of WTs are presented. Simulations are performed on a single machine infinite bus system, and the fault ride-through capabilities of different types of WTs are studied. The Critical Clear Time (CCT) analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of different types of WTs on power system stability. Dynamic responses are also simulated on the four-machine system under system disturbances, the damping performances of the power system with the different types of WTs are compared.
On the Weighted Arithmetic Mean Fuzzy Filter

Noise reduction is a fundamental step in many image processing and computer vision applications. In recent years, several noise filters especially devoted to the removal of high density salt and pepper noise, as a particular case of impulse noise, have been proposed. In this paper, a novel two-stage filter based on the fuzzy mathematical morphology using t-norms and aggregation functions is proposed. This filter involves a detection step of the noisy pixels and the restoration of the image by means of the aggregation of the non-corrupted pixels through an adequate weighted arithmetic mean. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other filtering methods both from the visual point of view and the values of some objective performance measures for images corrupted from a 25% up to 98% of noise.
The Yang-Mills equations over Riemann surfaces

The Yang-Mills functional over a Riemann surface is studied from the point of view of Morse theory. The main result is that this is a ‘perfect' functional provided due account is taken of its gauge symmetry. This enables topological conclusions to be drawn about the critical sets and leads eventually to information about the moduli space of algebraic bundles over the Riemann surface. This in turn depends on the interplay between the holomorphic and unitary structures, which is analysed in detail.
The ULYSSES Supplement to the BATSE 3B Catalog of Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts

We present interplanetary network localization information for 218 gamma-ray bursts in the third BATSE catalog obtained by analyzing the arrival times of these bursts with the Ulysses and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft. For any given burst observed by these two spacecraft, arrival time analysis (or "triangulation") results in an annulus of possible arrival directions whose half-width varies between 7'' and 32', depending on the intensity and time history of the burst and the distance of the Ulysses spacecraft from Earth. This annulus generally intersects the BATSE error circle, which results in an average reduction of a factor of 30 of the error box area.
Handbook of Applied Cryptography

From the Publisher: A valuable reference for the novice as well as for the expert who needs a wider scope of coverage within the area of cryptography, this book provides easy and rapid access of information and includes more than 200 algorithms and protocols; more than 200 tables and figures; more than 1,000 numbered definitions, facts, examples, notes, and remarks; and over 1,250 significant references, including brief comments on each paper.