Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-objective optimization model for seamless application execution in mobile cloud computing

Mobile Cloud Computing enables execution of compute-intensive mobile applications by leveraging the services of the cloud. In spite of enabling compute-intensive mobile application execution on resources constrained Smart Mobile Devices, the execution in MCC is not able to carry out without disruption; which degrades the end user experience, hence, deteriorates the usability of emerging applications. The state-of-the-art solutions focus only on the mobile application execution in MCC but do not incorporate all diverse features of the heterogeneous environment to make the execution seamless for the end user. Seamless refers to uninterrupted application execution in MCC with minimal user involvement and interaction to deliver enhanced performance, compared to the local application execution. In this paper, we propose Multi-Objective Optimization model for seamless execution of distributed applications in mobile cloud computing that optimizes the execution time subject to execution cost and energy consumption. The problem is formulated as nonlinear integer programming.
The Immunosuppressor Mycophenolic Acid Kills Activated Lymphocytes by Inducing a Nonclassical Actin-Dependent Necrotic Signal1

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressive agent used in transplantation. Over the last decade, MMF has also emerged as an alternative therapeutic regimen for autoimmune diseases, mainly for patients refractory to other therapies. The active compound of MMF, mycophenolic acid (MPA), depletes the intracellular pool of guanosine tri-phosphate through inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase blockade. The molecular mechanism involved in the elimination of T and B lymphocytes upon inhibition of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase remains elusive. In this study, we showed that in contrast to the immunosuppressors azathioprine, cyclosporin A, and tacrolimus, MPA killed lymphocytes through the activation of a caspase-independent necrotic signal. Furthermore, the MPA-mediated necrotic signal relied on the transmission of a novel intracellular signal involving Rho-GTPase Cdc42 activity and actin polymerization. In addition to its medical interest, this study sheds light on a novel and atypical molecular mechanism leading to necrotic cell death.
A Theory of the Visual Motion Coding in the Primary Visual Cortex

This paper demonstrates that much of visual motion coding in the primary visual cortex can be understood from a theory of efficient motion coding in a multiscale representation. The theory predicts that cortical cells can have a spectrum of directional indices, be tuned to different directions of motion, and have spatiotemporally separable or inseparable receptive fields (RF). The predictions also include the following correlations between motion coding and spatial, chromatic, and stereo codings: the preferred speed is greater when the cell receptive field size is larger, the color channel prefers lower speed than the luminance channel, and both the optimal speeds and the preferred directions of motion can be different for inputs from different eyes to the same neuron. These predictions agree with experimental observations. In addition, this theory makes predictions that have not been experimentally investigated systematically and provides a testing ground for an efficient multiscale coding framework. These predictions are as follows: (1) if nearby cortical cells of a given preferred orientation and scale prefer opposite directions of motion and have a quadrature RF phase relationship with each other, then they will have the same directional index, (2) a single neuron can have different optimal motion speeds for opposite motion directions of monocular stimuli, and (3) a neuron's ocular dominance may change with motion direction if the neuron prefers opposite directions for inputs from different eyes.
Dynamics of the basketball shot with application to the free throw

Abstract A completely general three-dimensional dynamic model is presented for the motion of basketball shots that may contact the rim, the backboard, the bridge between the rim and board, and possibly the board and the bridge simultaneously. Non-linear ordinary differential equations with six degrees of freedom describe the ball angular velocity and ball centre position. The model includes radial ball compliance and damping and contains five sub-models: purely gravitational flight, and ball – rim, ball – bridge, ball – board, and ball – bridge – board contact. Each contact sub-model has both slipping and non-slipping motions. Switching between the sub-models depends on the reaction force at, and velocity of, the contact point. Although the model can be used to study shots from any point on the court, we here use it to study the sets of free throw release angle, velocity, angular velocity, and lateral deviation angle that result in success (capture), as well as underhand free throws and those using an under-inflated ball. Free throw shots with larger backspin, lower inflation pressures, and underhand release conditions are shown to result in larger capture percentages.
The Comprehensive High-level Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP): A performance-based assessment instrument to quantify high-level mobility in service members with traumatic lower limb loss

of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Robert Gailey No. of pages in text. (276) The psychometric properties of a new high-level mobility outcome measure for Service Members (SMs) with traumatic lower limb loss called the Comprehensive Highlevel Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP) was developed in order objectively evaluate functional abilities and measure change in function throughout the rehabilitation process. The CHAMP was administered to a population of SMs with traumatic lower limb loss who were representative of those who have suffered limb loss in recent conflicts. In addition, a population of non-amputee Active Duty soldiers completed the CHAMP and provided normative data for high-level mobility and threshold levels of performance for those SMs with lower limb loss. A simple grading system, absent of floor and ceiling effects, generates a composite score providing a single numeric value representing the physical performance factors of high-level mobility in different plane of motion and under different conditions. The CHAMP was found to be a safe, reliable, valid, and responsive performance-based outcome measure of high-level mobility. It was found to have excellent interrater and test-retest reliability suggesting that it is a stable and repeatable measure of high-level mobility. Convergent construct validity and known group methods were utilized to establish the CHAMP as a valid measure of high-level mobility. Predictive models of CHAMP performance were established utilizing variables representing impairments of body structure and function and contextual factors by level of lower limb amputation. The CHAMP has the potential to be used for lower limb amputees throughout the rehabilitation process and could translate to the non-amputee population for assessment of high-level mobility capabilities.
Simultaneous Selection of Features and Metric for Optimal Nearest Neighbor Classification

Abstract Given a set of observations in ℝ n along with provided class labels, 𝒞, one is often interested in building a classifier that is a mapping from ℝ n → 𝒞. One way to do this is using a simple nearest neighbor classifier. Inherent in the use of this classifier is a metric or pseudo-metric that measures the distance between the observations. One typically uses the L 2 metric. We examine the classification benefits of the use of alternative Minkowski p-metrics. We also study the relationship between the selection of the p-metric and the selection of optimal classification features. We compare a simple greedy approach of Minkowski p-metric optimization followed by feature selection, the greedy method, with a simultaneous optimization of the p-metric and feature selection process. We utilize a stochastic optimization methodology to perform the simultaneous optimization.
Refined quicksort asymptotics

The complexity of the Quicksort algorithm is usually measured by the number of key comparisons used during its execution. When operating on a list of n data, permuted uniformly at random, the appropriately normalized complexity Yn is known to converge almost surely to a non‐degenerate random limit Y. This assumes a natural embedding of all Yn on one probability space, e.g., via random binary search trees. In this note a central limit theorem for the error term in the latter almost sure convergence is shown: n2logn(Yn−Y)→dN (n→∞), where N denotes a standard normal random variable. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 46, 346–361, 2015
Joint optimal power allocation and sensing threshold selection for SU's capacity maximisation in SS CRNS

A joint optimal power allocation and sensing threshold selection for capacity maximisation at the secondary user (SU) in spectrum sharing (SS) cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is proposed. Hence, both optimal power allocation and spectrum sensing is considered in the SS CRNs model. The obtained results show that such a joint optimal selection improves the performance of the SU by maximising its capacity.
Cell selectivity‐membrane phospholipids relationship of the antimicrobial effects shown by pleurocidin enantiomeric peptides

Previously, we investigated the antimicrobial properties of pleurocidin (Ple) enantiomers. Our studies showed that the L‐enantiomer exhibited about a 2–16 fold more potent activity against bacterial strains as compared to that of the D–enantiomer. However, fungal strains were about two–fold more susceptible to the D–enantiomer than to the L‐enantiomer. In this study, confocal laser scanning microscopy indicates that the Ple enantiomers internalize into the cell surface. The present results also suggest that they could be characterized by a membrane–active mechanism. To further elucidate their selective membranolytic activities, we conducted a fluorescence analysis. A study with 1,6–diphenyl–1,3,5–hexatriene, a hydrophobic molecule, showed that the L–and the D–enantiomer exert more potent antibacterial or antifungal activity than their opposite enantiomer, respectively. Furthermore, we synthesized liposomes by using representative phospholipids consisting of bacterial or fungal membranes. Our results show that the L‐enantiomer causes significant dye leakage from negatively charged liposomes (PG/CL; 58:42, PC/PG; 1:1, w/w) which mimic bacterial membranes such as Staphylococcus aureus. Conversely, the D–enantiomer has more potent leakage effects against fungal liposomes (PC/PE/PI/ergosterol; 5:4:1:2, w/w/w/w, PC/ergosterol; 10:1, w/w). In summary, these results suggest that the selective antimicrobial effects of the Ple enantiomers against bacterial and fungal cells may be due to the different lipid compositions of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The MASTRO system for ontology-based data access

In this paper we present MASTRO, a Java tool for ontology-based data access (OBDA) developed at Sapienza Universita di Roma and at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. MASTRO manages OBDA systems in which the ontology is specified in DL-Lite A,id, a logic of the DL-Lite family of tractable Description Logics specifically tailored to ontology-based data access, and is connected to external JDBC enabled data management systems through semantic mappings that associate SQL queries over the external data to the elements of the ontology. Advanced forms of integrity constraints, which turned out to be very useful in practical applications, are also enabled over the ontologies. Optimized algorithms for answering expressive queries are provided, as well as features for intensional reasoning and consistency checking. MASTRO provides a proprietary API, an OWLAPI compatible interface, and a plugin for the Protege 4 ontology editor. It has been successfully used in several projects carried out in collaboration with important organizations, on which we briefly comment in this paper.
Automatic Parameterization for Expeditious Modelling of Virtual Urban Environments - A New Hybrid Metaheuristic

Expeditious modelling of virtual urban environments consists of generating realistic 3d models from limited information. It has several practical applications but typically suffers from a lack of accuracy in the parameter values that feed the modeller. By gathering small amounts of information about certain key urban areas, it becomes possible to feed a system that automatically compares and adjusts the input parameter values of modelling rules to find optimal parameter combinations. These optimum parameterized rules can then be reapplied in the generation of virtual urban models of areas with missing data but similar characteristics to the referenced area. Based on several nature inspired meta heuristic algorithms such as genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and harmony search, this paper presents a new hybrid meta heuristic algorithm capable of optimizing functions with both discrete and continuous parameters and offer competitive results in a highly neglected field of application.
Will They Report It? Ethical Attitude of Graduate Software Engineers in Reporting Bad News

Hiding critical information has resulted in disastrous failures of some major software projects. This paper investigates, using a subset of Keil's test, how graduates (70% of them with work experience) from different cultural backgrounds who are enrolled in a postgraduate course on global software development would handle negative information that is critical in a project. The subjects were mainly from Europe and Asia. The results showed that the subjects are highly likely to report critical information to their immediate supervisors (t(36)=-11, p<;0.0005), but are undecided on whether they would take the matter further up the organisational hierarchy if the supervisor ignored their report. There was no significant difference between participants of different regions, or between those with and without work experience. The consequences of negative information not reaching the level where remedial actions can be taken could be serious in software projects. The results of this experiment point to the need to incorporate in software engineering curriculum the teaching of the ethical responsibility of effective communication of bad news.
Different mechanisms of development and maintenance of experimental incision-induced hyperalgesia in human skin.

BACKGROUND To determine the mechanisms of postoperative pain, the effects of local anesthesia on development and maintenance of surgical incision-induced hyperalgesia were evaluated in a crossover, double-blinded, placebo-controlled human study using 17 subjects. METHODS An experimental 4-mm-long incision through skin, fascia, and muscle was made in the volar forearm of each subject. In experiment 1, 1% lidocaine or saline in a volume of 0.2 ml was subcutaneously injected into the incision site pretraumatically and posttraumatically. In experiment 2, a 5-cm-long strip of skin was subcutaneously injected with 0.2 ml of 1% lidocaine near the incision site pretraumatically and posttraumatically. Flare, spontaneous pain, and primary and secondary hyperalgesia to punctate mechanical stimuli were assessed after the incision had been made. RESULTS Pretraumatic lidocaine injection prevented the occurrence of spontaneous pain and development of flare formation that was found surrounding the incision site immediately (1 min) after the incision had been made. The lidocaine suppressed primary hyperalgesia more effectively than did posttraumatic block, but only for the first 4 h after the incision. The preincision block prevented development of secondary hyperalgesia, whereas posttraumatic block did not significantly affect the fully developed secondary hyperalgesia. The area of flare formation and the area of secondary hyperalgesia did not extend over the strip of the skin that had been pretraumatically anesthetized, whereas the posttraumatic block did not significantly reduce the area of fully developed secondary hyperalgesia. CONCLUSIONS Pretraumatic injection of lidocaine reduces primary hyperalgesia more effectively than does posttraumatic injection, but only for a short period after incision. The spread of secondary hyperalgesia is mediated peripheral nerve fibers, but when secondary hyperalgesia has fully developed, it becomes less dependent on or even independent of peripheral neural activity originating from the injured site.
Ten years of biosimilar recombinant human growth hormone in Europe

Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been in clinical use for more than 30 years. With the expiration of patent exclusivity for the first wave of rhGH products and other biopharmaceuticals, the opportunity emerged for the development of biosimilar medicines. A biosimilar is defined by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a biological medicine that is similar to another biological medicine that has already been authorized for use. The EMA led the way (well ahead of the Food and Drug Administration in the US) in developing the biosimilar concept, and the type of science-based regulatory framework required to ensure high-quality, safe, and effective biosimilar medicines; the provisions for approval of biosimilars have been in place in Europe since 2005. Under these provisions, Omnitrope® was approved by the EMA in 2006 as the world’s first biosimilar medicine; 2016 therefore marks the 10th anniversary of its approval in Europe. A substantial data set, based on clinical development studies and 10 years of postapproval use, has now accumulated for biosimilar rhGH; this data set shows that the product is an effective treatment option for children who require rhGH treatment, and has a safety profile that is consistent with the rhGH class. The decade since the EMA approved biosimilar rhGH has seen the successful approval and clinical use of 20 biosimilar medicines, confirming the integrity of the scientific basis for the biosimilar concept, as well as the quality of regulatory decision-making.
Undirected graphs of frequency-dependent functional connectivity in whole brain networks

We explored properties of whole brain networks based on multivariate spectral analysis of human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time-series measured in 90 cortical and subcortical subregions in each of five healthy volunteers studied in the (no-task) resting state. We note that undirected graphs representing conditional independence between multivariate time-series can be more readily approached in the frequency domain than the time domain. Estimators of partial coherency and normalized partial mutual information φ, an integrated measure of partial coherence over an arbitrary frequency band, are applied. Using these tools, we replicate the prior observations that bilaterally homologous brain regions tend to be strongly connected and functional connectivity is generally greater at low frequencies [0.0004, 0.1518 Hz]. We also show that long-distance intrahemispheric connections between regions of prefrontal and parietal cortex were more salient at low frequencies than at frequencies greater than 0.3 Hz, whereas many local or short-distance connections, such as those comprising segregated dorsal and ventral paths in posterior cortex, were also represented in the graph of high-frequency connectivity. We conclude that the partial coherency spectrum between a pair of human brain regional fMRI time-series depends on the anatomical distance between regions: long-distance (greater than 7 cm) edges represent conditional dependence between bilaterally symmetric neocortical regions, and between regions of prefrontal and parietal association cortex in the same hemisphere, are predominantly subtended by low-frequency components.
A Nationwide Population-Based Study of Corrosive Ingestion in Taiwan: Incidence, Gender Differences, and Mortality

Corrosive injury results from the intake of corrosive-acid-based chemicals. However, this phenomenon is limited to a small number of cases and cannot be extrapolated to the epidemiology of corrosive injuries in actual situations. This study focuses on the annual incidence of corrosive injury and its connection to gender, risk factors, and in-hospital mortality. All patients with corrosive injury (ICD-9 947.0–947.3) were identified using a nationwide inpatient sample from 1996 until 2010. Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine risk factors of gender differences and in-hospital mortality of corrosive injury. Young adults comprised the majority of patients (71.2%), and mean age was 44.6 ± 20.9 years. Women showed a higher incidence rate of corrosive injuries, age, suicide, psychiatric disorder, and systemic complications compared with men (p < 0.001). The present study demonstrated that age (OR = 10.93; 95% CI 5.37–22.27), systemic complications (OR = 5.43; 95% CI 4.61–6.41), malignant neoplasms (OR = 2.23; 95% CI 1.37–3.62), gastrointestinal complications (OR = 2.02; 95% CI 1.63–2.51), chronic disease (OR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.08–1.56), and suicide (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.05–1.44) were strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. Educational programs may be helpful for reducing the incidence of ingestion of corrosive chemicals.
Role of Galectin-3 as an Adhesion Molecule for Neutrophil Extravasation During Streptococcal Pneumonia1

Recruitment of neutrophils from blood vessels to sites of infection represents one of the most important elements of innate immunity. Movement of neutrophils across blood vessel walls to the site of infection first requires that the migrating cells firmly attach to the endothelial wall. Generally, neutrophil extravasation is mediated at least in part by two classes of adhesion molecules, β2 integrins and selectins. However, in the case of streptococcal pneumonia, recent studies have revealed that a significant proportion of neutrophil diapedesis is not mediated by the β2 integrin/selectin paradigm. Galectin-3 is a β-galactoside-binding lectin implicated in inflammatory responses as well as in cell adhesion. Using an in vivo streptococcal pneumonia mouse model, we found that accumulation of galectin-3 in the alveolar space of streptococcus-infected lungs correlates closely with the onset of neutrophil extravasation. Furthermore, immunohistological analysis of infected lung tissue revealed the presence of galectin-3 in the lung tissue areas composed of epithelial and endothelial cell layers as well as of interstitial spaces. In vitro, galectin-3 was able to promote neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells. Promotion of neutrophil adhesion by galectin-3 appeared to result from direct cross-linking of neutrophils to the endothelium and was dependent on galectin-3 oligomerization. Together, these results suggest that galectin-3 acts as an adhesion molecule that can mediate neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells. However, accumulation of galectin-3 in lung was not observed during neutrophil emigration into alveoli induced by Escherichia coli infection, where the majority of neutrophil emigration is known to be β2 integrin dependent. Thus, based on our results, we propose that galectin-3 plays a role in β2 integrin-independent neutrophil extravasation, which occurs during alveolar infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae.