Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deadline Based Execution of Scientific workflows on IaaS Clouds using Resource Provisioning and Scheduling Strategy

Cloud computing is the latest distributed computing paradigm and it offers tremendous opportunities to solve large-scale scientific problems. However, it presents various challenges that need to be addressed in order to be efficiently utilized for workflow applications. Although the workflow scheduling problem has been widely studied, there are very few initiatives tailored for cloud environments. Furthermore, the existing works fail to either meet the user’s quality of service (QoS) requirements or to incorporate some basic principles of cloud computing such as the elasticity and heterogeneity of the computing resources. This paper proposes a resource provisioning and scheduling strategy for scientific workflows on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) clouds. We present an algorithm based on the meta-heuristic optimization technique, particle swarm optimization (PSO), which aims to minimize the overall workflow execution cost while meeting deadline constraints. Our heuristic is evaluated using CloudSim and various well-known scientific workflows of different sizes. The results show that our approach performs better than the current state-of-the-art algorithms. Keywords—Cloud computing, resource provisioning, scheduling, scientific workflow
Effects of non-uniform quantization on ECG acquired using Compressed Sensing

This paper analyzes the effects of quantization on Compressed Sensing (CS) measurements applied to Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Two methods of quantization are proposed in this paper: uniform and non-uniform. Reconstruction is performed using a dictionary based on the Mexican Hat wavelet. A distortion-based performance metric Percent Root-mean-squared Difference (PRD) will be monitored at various Compression Ratios (CR) to quantify the impact of quantization. The energy cost of transmission is also evaluated for different levels of quantization and compared, at certain PRD levels. The results demonstrate that non-uniform quantization outperforms the uniform approach and that employing nonuniform quantization improves implementation efficiency for applications with acceptable PRDs above 6.75%. Results show that utilizing non-uniform quantization can increase the CR from 9.8 to 14.1 for a PRD of 30%. Furthermore, this amounts to a 28.91% reduction in wireless transmission per frame from 37.7 μJ to 26.8 μJ considering Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as a target wireless communication protocol.
Doha Scenarios, Trade Reforms, and Poverty in the Philippines: A CGE Analysis

"The paper examines the possible impact of Doha agreement on Philippine poverty. Using a detailed CGE analysis, the agreement is observed to depress world demand for Philippine agricultural exports, and thus slightly increase poverty, especially among rural households. However, an ambitious full trade liberalization scenario, which involves free world trade and domestic liberalization, leads to increased industrial exports that favor urban households. These impacts are driven primarily by domestic trade liberalization, as free world trade favors the agricultural sector by increasing the cost of competing agricultural imports. " Authors' Abstract
Inflation targeting and inflation management in Ghana

Purpose - The Ghanaian economy has experienced relative stability, improved macroeconomic performance and resilience over the past few years, following the introduction of a new monetary policy framework called inflation targeting (IT). The purpose of this paper is to look at IT and its effect on inflation management in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - The study employed monthly time series data from 1980 to 2009. Findings - The results gathered in this study demonstrate that IT has had a significant impact on the reduction of inflation series in recent years and has reduced the persistence of inflation series considerably. It is largely amplified that the implementation of an IT framework in Ghana has been a success and has contributed to a change in the conduct of monetary policy towards best practice. Research limitations/implications - The study could have used a lot more macroeconomic variables. Practical implications - The paper's findings are very important for Central Banks that are using the IT framework, or planning to do so, for efficiency and effectiveness. Originality/value - The paper is the first of its kind for developing countries, especially in Africa and Ghana for that matter.
Blind identification of MIMO channels with periodic precoders

This paper studies the blind identification problem for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) FIR channels, in which the source signals are modulated by high order periodic precoders. A set of new design criteria of the periodic precoders is proposed from the channel blind identification viewpoint for multiuser channels. It is shown that, due to the fact that high order periodic precoders are used in the modelling problem, certain simple orthogonality among user's signals can be introduced by a set of proper designed periodic precoders. This results in a simple blind identification algorithm and the impulse response of every subchannel can also be determined uniquely up to a unitary scalar based on the received signals' second order statistics (SOS) and a priori information of the periodic precoders. Simulation results illustrate that the developed blind identification algorithm is efficient.
Constructing force-closure grasps

This paper addresses the problem of synthesizing planar grasps that have force closure. A grasp on an object is a force closure grasp if and only if we can exert, through the set of contacts, arbitrary force and moment on this object. Equivalently, any motion of the object is resisted by a contact force, that is the object cannot break contact with the finger tips without some non-zero external work. The force closure constraint is addressed from three different points of view: mathematics, physics, and computational geometry. The last formulation results in fast and simple polynomial time algorithms for directly constructing force closure grasps. We can also find grasps where each finger has an independent region of contact on the set of edges.
Screening and Toxicity Analysis of Catechin Isomers Against FemA Protein

Fem proteins are the essential structural proteins of various gram-positive bacteria. These are of three different types namely FemX (FmhB), FemA and FemB. Only two Fem protein crystallographic structures are available till date, one for FemA in Staphylococcus aureus and another for FemX in Weissella viridescensis. In this study, computational methods are used to evaluate interaction of FemA protein with catechin and epicatechin analogues. The interaction of FemA protein with catechin and epicatechin analogues are confirmed by binding energy and scores given by Autodock Vina and UCSF Dock docking softwares, which is followed by Lipinski filters and toxicity studies using online Lipinski server of SCFBIO and OSIRIS. Catechin gallate has been found as the best ligand for FemA protein in all aspects and it has outperformed all catechin and epicatechin isomers.
Haptic Editing of MRI Brain Data

Automated brain segmentation may leave errors which can be identified by comparing the location of the actual MRI voxels with reference to the reconstructed pial polygonal surface of the brain. Location of the segmentation errors can be marked by displaying color spots on the brain surface followed by its interactive editing, as we previously proposed. In this paper, a new haptic friction-based approach of identifying and correcting errors has been discussed. The user can feel as different friction the discrepancy along the reconstructed surface by moving a haptic proxy along it followed by rubbing the surface as if it is being polished. The proposed approach does not only limit its application in editing of medical data, but can also be successfully used for visually impaired group as this dynamic friction-based editing helps any novice user identify error prone area just by touching the surface.
Real-Time HIL Implementation of Sliding Mode Control for Standalone System Based on PV Array Without Using Dumpload

In this paper, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) implementation of solar photovoltaic (PV) array feeding autonomous load, without dump load, is investigated. Two control algorithms based on the sliding mode approach are designed to guarantee a fast and finite-time convergence without adjustment of the system parameters. The dc-dc boost converter and the current controlled-voltage source converter (CC-VSC) are controlled to maximize the power from the PV, to protect the battery energy storage system (BESS) from overcharging, and to regulate the voltage and frequency at the point of common coupling (PCC). An accurate stability analysis of the system is presented and discussed in this work. The effectiveness and the robustness of the developed controllers are validated by simulation and experimental results during the load perturbation and varying climate conditions.
The Allocation of Lottery Revenue to Education in Florida, California, Michigan, and Illinois

There exists a persistent misperception on the part of the public concerning the intended purposes and actual use of lottery funds. It is suggested that a politics of misperception exists that results from the current conservative political beliefs and actions which hold that the public sector, represented by inefficiencies, bloated bureaucratic structure, and misuse of tax monies, needs to be reduced. To avoid attacks on its legitimacy, government has found that policy tools, such as lotteries, are ideal Generating public funds through lotteries gives the appearance of meeting needs of education while masking the relative drop in more direct tax-based public finance.
Human security policies in the Colombian conflict during the Uribe government

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the use of narratives informed by the discourse of human security in the context of the Colombian conflict during the government of President Alvaro Uribe Velez (2002-2010). Its main contribution is to map the transformation of these narratives from the site of their formulation in the international institutions to the site of their appropriation into domestic settings; and then consider their role in the formation of the actors’ strategies and the construction of the subjectivities of the individuals affected by the conflict dynamics. The research proceeds to this analysis through an investigation of the policies for the internally displaced and those relating to the rights of the victims informed by the framework of transitional justice. It shows that, with a combination of narratives of empowerment and reconciliation, they fulfill complementary roles in the construction of the subjectivity of the individuals affected by the conflict in Colombia. The dissertation also concludes that the flexibility of the human security discourse allowed the Uribe government to reinforce its position vis-à-vis other actors in society Diogo Monteiro Dario PhD Dissertation Human security policies in the Colombian conflict during the Uribe government
Production and composition of an exocellular Nigeran-protein complex isolated from cultures of Aspergillus awamori

Aspergillus awamori Nakazawa (QM873) hyphae maintained on a nitrogen-deficient medium produced an exocellular complex consisting of the wall alpha-glucan, nigeran (94%), water-soluble nigeran oligosacchrides (1 to 2%), protein (2 to 4%), and a small amount of beta-glycan (less than 1%). Nigeran was not covalently linked to protein. The complex appeared in the growth medium only under those temporal or nutritional conditions where the hyphal wall content to nigeran reached at least 30% of the cell dry weight. Rates of nigeran accumulation in the hypha cell wall, scanning electron microscopy of hyphae, and pulse-chase experiments with [14C]glucose suggested that the complex arises via displacement of a portion of the hyphal wall into the medium. The nigeran portion of the complex contained lamellar crystalline domains similar to those in the intact cell wall. Enzymic digestion of nigeran in the complex indicated that it has a degree of crystallinity lower than that observed with pure nigeran crystals grown in vitro. Therefore, polymerization in vivo resulted in somewhat less chain organization in the crystallite. Since this complex was isolated without any prior chemical or exogenous enzymatic treatment, it should be useful for studies of hyphal wall biogenesis and organization in this organism.
Risk-based adaptive security for smart IoT in eHealth

Emerging Internet of Things (IoTs) technologies provide many benefits to the improvement of eHealth. The successful deployment of IoTs depends on ensuring security and privacy that need to adapt to their processing capabilities and resource use. IoTs are vulnerable to attacks since communications are mostly wireless, unattended things are usually vulnerable to physical attacks, and most IoT components are constrained by energy, communications, and computation capabilities necessary for the implementation of complex security-supporting schemes. This paper describes a risk-based adaptive security framework for IoTs in eHealth that will estimate and predict risk damages and future benefits using game theory and context-awareness techniques. The paper also describes the validation case study.
Role of Middle Managers in Modular Digital Transformation: the Case of Servu

In the information systems (IS) literature, there is a gap in understanding the role of middle managers (MMs) in the digital transformation in organizations. IS research has focused on understanding top management and user roles in IT-related transformational change but the role of MMs has rarely been examined. To fill this gap, this paper reports on an open-ended exploration of the influence and contribution of the MMs in the digital transformation of a large Finnish public sector meal production company. Data were collected from a ten-year digital transformation effort in the company. The analysis suggests that MMs play an active role in influencing both top management and end users and importantly shows that the role MMs play differs from one stage to another of the digital transformation of the organisation. The study identifies a three-stage model of modular digital transformation, where MMs acted as implementers and negotiators in the initial core digitalisation stage of digital transformation, as champions in the digital expansion stage, and as shakers and strategists in the shake down and complementary stage. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for theory and highlighting the practical consequences of our results.
Prevention and Epidemiology UrinaryEstrogensandEstrogenMetabolites andSubsequent Risk of Breast Cancer among Premenopausal Women

Endogenous estrogens and estrogen metabolism are hypothesized to be associated with premenopausal breast cancer risk but evidence is limited. We examined 15 urinary estrogens/estrogen metabolites and breast cancer risk among premenopausal women in a case–control study nestedwithin theNurses' Health Study II (NHSII). From1996 to1999, urinewas collected from18,521womenduring themid-lutealmenstrualphase.Breast cancer cases (N1⁄4 247) diagnosed between collection and June 2005 were matched to two controls each (N 1⁄4 485). Urinary estrogen metabolites weremeasured by liquid chromatography-tandemmass spectrometry and adjusted for creatinine level. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by multivariate conditional logistic regression. Higher urinary estrone and estradiol levels were strongly significantly associated with lower risk (top vs. bottom quartile RR: estrone 1⁄4 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30–0.88; estradiol 1⁄4 0.51; 95% CI, 0.30–0.86). Generally inverse, although nonsignificant, patterns also were observed with 2and 4-hydroxylation pathway estrogen metabolites. Inverse associations generally were not observed with 16-pathway estrogen metabolites and a significant positive association was observed with 17-epiestriol (top vs. bottom quartile RR 1⁄4 1.74; 95% CI, 1.08–2.81; Ptrend 1⁄4 0.01). In addition, there was a significant increased risk with higher 16-pathway/parent estrogen metabolite ratio (comparable RR 1⁄4 1.61; 95% CI, 0.99–2.62; Ptrend 1⁄4 0.04). Other pathway ratios were not significantly associated with risk except parent estrogen metabolites/non–parent estrogen metabolites (comparable RR 1⁄4 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35–0.96; Ptrend 1⁄4 0.03). These data suggest that most mid-luteal urinary estrogen metabolite concentrations are not positively associated with breast cancer risk among premenopausal women. The inverse associations with parent estrogenmetabolites and the parent estrogenmetabolite/non–parent estrogenmetabolite ratio suggest that women with higher urinary excretion of parent estrogens are at lower risk. Cancer Res; 72(3); 696–706. 2011 AACR.
Vaccination of Japanese patients with advanced melanoma with peptide, tumor lysate or both peptide and tumor lysate‐pulsed mature, monocyte‐derived dendritic cells

We performed a clinical trial to assess the feasibility and efficacy of immunotherapy with peptides, tumor lysate or both peptides and tumor lysate‐pulsed mature, monocyte‐derived dendritic cells (DC) for advanced malignant melanoma patients that are resistant to conventional therapies. Sixteen patients were enrolled in this trial. All patients received DC vaccines i.d. in the proximal thigh, close to the inguinal lymph nodes, one treatment per week or 2 weeks. Several factors such as clinical findings, computed tomography (CT) images, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay, and immunohistochemistry in primary, metastatic lesions and the DTH site were evaluated. Clinical results through DC vaccination were as follows: in 11 evaluable cases, three stable disease, six progression of disease and two disease‐free from the time of study entry to the completion of one vaccination course. One patient showed reduction of the tumors in the metastases on chest CT during the first and second course of DC vaccination. Ten out of 14 evaluable cases showed positive DTH responses to more than one treatment with melanoma peptides or tumor lysate. Eight out of 13 evaluable cases showed positive immunological responses to more than one treatment with melanoma peptides or tumor lysate in an ELISPOT assay. As for the experiences with toxicity and adverse reactions, autosensitization dermatitis‐like eruptions appeared in five cases during DC vaccination. No severe adverse effects were seen in any of the patients. In our study, the clinical efficacy in prolongation of the patients’ survival was confirmed. At the same time, cancer immunoediting of the tumor was also found. It will be necessary to improve the tumor‐specificity of this therapeutic approach and to analyze the mechanism(s) of tumor escape from immunosurveillance in melanoma.
Trembley's polyps go transgenic.

In 1744, a book entitled Memoires, Pour Servir a l’Histoire d’un Genre de Polypes d’Eau Douce, a Bras en Forme de Cornes ( Memoirs Concerning the Natural History of a Type of Freshwater Polyp with Arms Shaped Like Horns ) was published in The Netherlands (1). The author of the book was Abraham Trembley, a tutor in the household of Count Bentinck; the freshwater polyp was Hydra . In the more than 250 years since the appearance of Trembley’s work, Hydra has been an important system for studies of pattern formation (2), regeneration (3), and stem cells (4). However, with the increasingly powerful genetic and molecular tools available in model systems such as Drosophila , mouse, zebrafish, and Caenorhabditis elegans , interest in and support for Hydra research have lagged. With the publication of the work of Wittlieb et al. (5) in a recent issue of PNAS, that situation seems about to change. In a scientifically and aesthetically beautiful piece of work, Wittlieb et al. (5) have succeeded in producing the first stably transgenic Hydra . Efforts in this regard have been made sporadically over the 20 years since the first Hydra genes were cloned (6, 7), but none have been successful. Transient transfection methods were developed for Hydra (8–10), and these have provided useful tools for the localization of proteins (11, 12). However, none of these methods has been used successfully to produce a phenotype. The need for a method to make transgenic Hydra became especially pressing with the development of genomics resources for this organism. A National Science Foundation-funded large-scale Hydra EST Project (www.hydrabase.org) and a smaller-scale EST project at the National Institute of Genetics in Japan were recently completed. In late 2004, a National Human Genome Research Institute-funded Hydra genome project was begun at the … *E-mail: resteele{at}uci.edu
Possibilities of Using the Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Evaluation of the Government Regulation Measures

Siuolaikinėje ekonomikoje pagrindinius rinkos veiksnius reguliuoja pati rinka. Nepaistant to, valstybės vaidmuo ekonomikoje vis dar islieka didelis, ir vargu ar rinka galėtų efektyviai egzistuoti be valstybės įsikisimo. Valstybė turėtų imtis reguliuojamųjų veiksmų tose srityse, kur laisvoji rinka pati nėra pajėgi greitai ir efektyviai spresti problemas visuomenės naudai. Pries priimant sprendimą dėl vienos ar kitos reguliavimo priemonės įgyvendinimo, turi būti detaliai isnagrinėtas ir įvertintas tikėtinas jos poveikis. Siuo metu Lietuvoje Respublikos Vyriausybės patvirtinta Sprendimų projektų poveikio vertinimo metodika neužtikrina kokybisko sprendimo poveikio vertinimo. Straipsnyje nagrinėjama užsienio salių praktika, islaidų ir naudos analizės (pasaulinėje praktikoje placiai taikomos nagrinėjant investicinius projektus) taikymo galimybės valstybės priimamoms reguliavimo priemonėms vertinti. Pateikiami pagrindiniai islaidų ir naudos analizės principai, nagrinėjamos valstybės re­guliavimo priemonių vertinimo galimybės. Straipsnio pabaigoje atliekamas hipotetinės reguliavimo priemonės vertinimas. Atliktas vertinimas rodo, kad islaidų ir naudos analizės metodas nors turi trūkumų, galėtų labai pagerinti planuojamų priimti reguliavimo priemonių vertinimo kokybe.
Diversity and homogeneity of oral microbiota in healthy Korean pre-school children using pyrosequencing

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was designed to identify the oral microbiota in healthy Korean pre-school children using pyrosequencing. Materials and methods Dental plaque samples were obtained form 10 caries-free pre-school children. The samples were analysed using pyrosequencing. Results The pyrosequencing analysis revealed that, at the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria showed high abundance. Also, predominant genera were identified as core microbiome, such as Streptococcus, Neisseria, Capnocytophaga, Haemophilus and Veilonella. Conclusions The diversity and homogeneity was shown in the dental plaque microbiota in healthy Korean pre-school children.