Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fingerprint‐Based Recognition

La reconnaissance biométrique, ou la biométrie, se rapporte à l'authentification d'une personne basée sur le son des traits biométriques. Parmi les divers traits biométriques (par exemple, visage, iris, empreinte digitale, voix), l'authentification basée sur empreinte a la plus longue histoire, et a été avec succès adoptée dans des applications légales et civiles. Les avances en technologie de capture d'empreinte digitale ont eu comme conséquence des applications civiles de nouvelle large échelle (par exemple, programme d'US‐VISIT). Cependant, ces systèmes rencontrent toujours des difficultés dues ànfacteurs de divers bruit actuels dans des environnements de fonctionnement. Il y a également un manque général de développement scientifique dans des méthodes légales, y compris des méthodes basées par empreinte digitale, en termes de sources d'identification, d'incorporation et de mesure de variabilité dans le processus décisionnel. Le but de cet article est de donner un aperçu de pratique en vigueur dans la reconnaissance basée sur empreinte, ses défis et les domaines de la future recherche.
Keyword Search over Shared Cloud Data without Secure Channel or Authority

Storage services play an important role in a public cloud. By outsourcing data to the remote cloud, users do not need to maintain a local storage infrastructure and can significantly lower the storage cost. To protect the privacy, documents must be encrypted before outsourcing. This raises a new challenge for the document owner: how should the encrypted documents be securely searched in a public cloud? While many mechanisms have been proposed to support secure search over the encrypted documents, most of these mechanisms require secure channels to transmit the secret information, such as the secret keys and trapdoors, and is difficult to deploy in cloud systems. Moreover, some existing mechanisms require an authority to control the access requests of users, which inevitably increases the complexity of cloud infrastructure. This paper considers a more stringent security model where an eavesdropper exists in the cloud and can eavesdrop on all transmission channels. We propose a novel mechanism that supports multi-user keyword search over the encrypted data without relying on any secure channel or authority. The eavesdropper can neither forge valid trapdoors from the intercepted information nor can it directly use the intercepted trapdoors to complete the keyword search. Security analysis shows that the proposed mechanism is secure.
An Examination of Academic Burnout Versus Work Engagement Among Taiwanese Adolescents

ABSTRACT The author attempted to examine how Taiwanese junior high school students’ perfectionistic tendencies and achievement goals were related to their academic burnout versus work engagement, and to determine differences in the indicators of burnout versus engagement among students with different subtypes of perfectionism. A total of 456 eighth-grade Taiwanese students completed a self-reported survey assessing their perfectionistic tendencies, achievement goals, academic burnout, and work engagement. Results of this study indicated that perfectionism along with achievement goals emerged as statistically significant predictors of Taiwanese students’ burnout and work engagement. Additionally, the quality of adolescents’ engagement varied as a function of perfectionistic tendencies. Adaptive perfectionists displayed the healthiest pattern of engagement in schoolwork. Implications for educational practices and future research are discussed.
SESAME (SEquence Sorter & AMplicon Explorer): genotyping based on high-throughput multiplex amplicon sequencing

Summary: Characterizing genetic diversity through genotyping short amplicons is central to evolutionary biology. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies changed the scale at which these type of data are acquired. SESAME is a web application package that assists genotyping of multiplexed individuals for several markers based on NGS amplicon sequencing. It automatically assigns reads to loci and individuals, corrects reads if standard samples are available and provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) for allele validation based on the sequences and associated decision-making tools. The aim of SESAME is to help allele identification among a large number of sequences. Availability: SESAME and its documentation are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licence for Windows and Linux from http://www1.montpellier. inra.fr/CBGP/NGS/ or http://tinyurl.com/ngs-sesame. Contact: emese.meglecz@univ-provence.fr Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Overcoming barriers to restructuring in a modular visualisation environment

This paper explores the potential for automatic cross-component optimisation in the Python / VTK-based MayaVi modular visualisation environment. The idea is to delay execution of the VTK components called from the MayaVi tool, which requires no significant structural change to the MayaVi code base, but which opens up the possibility for dynamic performance optimisations such as tiling, fusion, memoisation and shared-memory parallelisation. The paper concludes with experimental results on an unstructured mesh hierarchy model from an adaptive three-dimensional gravity current simulation.
Fast local search for the steiner problem in graphs

We present efficient algorithms that implement four local searches for the Steiner problem in graphs: vertex insertion, vertex elimination, key-path exchange, and key-vertex elimination. In each case, we show how to find an improving solution (or prove that none exists in the neighborhood) in <it>O</it>(<it>m</it> log <it>n</it>) time on graphs with <it>n</it> vertices and <it>m</it> edges. Many of the techniques and data structures we use are relevant in the study of dynamic graphs in general, beyond Steiner trees. Besides the theoretical interest, our results have practical impact: These local searches have been shown to find good-quality solutions in practice, but high running times limited their applicability.
Viewing Faculty Governance within a Social Justice Framework: Struggles and Possibilities for Democratic Decision-Making in Higher Education

For many faculty members in colleges of education, social justice is a concept they teach or a lens that frames their scholarship about efforts to combat injustice in settings outside the university. Rarely does it serve as a lens for understanding or guiding the ordinary activities of faculty service, such as engagement in faculty governance. Yet the increasing corporatization of universities and its concomitant threats to academic communities as inclusive and democratic decision-making spheres necessitates the study of faculty governance within a critical social justice framework. This article, contextualized in a multi-campus college of education in a large, public university on the east coast of the US, addresses how leaders in faculty governance extended the principles of diversity and social justice taught in their classrooms to leadership practice and democratic decision-making within a college of education. Highlighted are practical strategies for increasing faculty voice and leadership listening and a critical reflection on the implications of the struggle for democratic decision-making within autocratic, corporatized organizational cultures.
Displacement estimation of arterial wall from multiple directions by utilizing diverging transmit beam for synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging

Measurement of elasticity of the arterial wall is useful for diagnosis of atherosclerosis. We developed an axial displacement estimator for measurement of regional motion and deformation of the arterial wall in the arterial longitudinal section. However, this method cannot be applied to the arterial cross section because the direction of motion due to an increment of blood pressure coincides with the axial direction only at the ultrasonic beam which passes through the central axis of the artery. In the present study, a method using spherically diverging beams from virtual point sources behind an array was examined for synthetic aperture imaging and displacement vector estimation. Diverging beams were produced by sequentially activating array elements from center to edges of an aperture (composed of 96 elements). For each transmission, 61 receiving beams (RBs) were created at angular intervals of 1 degree. The transmit aperture was stepped in the lateral direction at a pitch of 0.2 mm to perform 97 transmissions sequentially. For synthetic aperture imaging, all receiving beams were used (overlapped beams were compounded), and receiving beams from -25 to 25 degrees at intervals of 5 degrees were used to estimate the displacement at a point of interest from multiple directions. In a B-mode image of a urethane phantom obtained by synthetic aperture imaging using diverging beams, echoes from interfaces are imaged in a wider region compared to conventional linear scanning. Also, displacement vectors in the cross section of the phantom could be estimated by the proposed method. Synthetic aperture imaging and estimation of the displacement from multiple directions was possible using diverging transmit beam from virtual point sources.
Oral administration of the immunomodulator JBT-3002 induces endogenous interleukin 15 in intestinal macrophages for protection against irinotecan-mediated destruction of intestinal epithelium.

We recently reported that p.o. administration of the new synthetic bacterial lipopeptide JBT-3002 can protect mice from irinotecan (CPT-11)-induced intestinal injury, but the mechanism was not known. Because interleukin-15 (IL-15) is associated with maintenance of intestinal epithelial cell integrity, we examined whether p.o. administration of JBT-3002 elevates expression of this monocyte-derived cytokine. Four daily i.p. injections of 100 mg/kg CPT-11 were effective against liver metastases produced by CT-26 murine colon cancer cells, but severe damage to the intestinal epithelium and early death of the mice also resulted. Three consecutive daily p.o. doses of JBT-3002 prior to i.p. injection of irinotecan prevented the undesirable side effects of irinotecan without reducing its ability to eradicate liver metastases. Immunohistochemical analyses of the intestines of mice treated with JBT-3002 and CPT-11 demonstrated an increase in the number of dividing cells in the crypts and enhanced expression of IL-15 in lamina propria cells; the increase correlated with increased expression of the IL-15 gene as determined by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. In vitro studies demonstrated that JBT-3002 induced expression of IL-15 in peritoneal macrophages but not in normal intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-6). Moreover, the presence of IL-15 decreased irinotecan-mediated cytotoxicity of IEC-6 epithelial cells. These data show that the p.o. administration of JBT-3002 induces expression of IL-15 by macrophages in the lamina propria, which can prevent irinotecan-induced injury to the intestinal mucosa.
Development of a clinical prediction rule for diagnosing hip osteoarthritis in individuals with unilateral hip pain.

STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort/predictive validity study. OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic accuracy of common clinical examination items and to construct a preliminary clinical prediction rule for diagnosing hip osteoarthritis (OA) in individuals with unilateral hip pain. BACKGROUND The current gold standard for the diagnosis of hip OA is a standing anteroposterior (AP) radiograph of the pelvis. Other than for Altman's criteria, little research has been done to determine the accuracy of clinical examination findings for diagnosing hip OA. METHODS AND MEASURES Seventy-two subjects completed the study. Each subject received a standardized history, physical examination, and standing AP radiograph of the pelvis. Subjects with a Kellgren and Lawrence score of 2 or higher based on the radiographs were considered to have definitive hip OA. Likelihood ratios (LRs) were computed to determine which clinical examination findings were most diagnostic of hip OA. Potential predictor variables were entered into a logistic regression model to determine the most accurate set of clinical examination items for diagnosing hip OA. RESULTS Twenty-one (29%) of the 72 subjects had radiographic evidence of hip OA. A clinical prediction rule consisting of 5 examination variables was identified. If at least 4 of 5 variables were present, the positive LR was equal to 24.3 (95% confidence interval: 4.4-142.1), increasing the probability of hip OA to 91%. CONCLUSION The preliminary clinical prediction rule provides the ability to a priori identify patients with hip pain who are likely to have hip OA. A validation study should be done before the rule can be implemented in routine clinical practice.
Laparoscopic versus open liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: initial experience in Greece

Background Liver resection represents the treatment of choice for a small proportion of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), amenable to surgery. The remarkable evolution in surgical techniques during the last decades introduced laparoscopic hepatectomy in the operative management of HCC, even in the presence of liver cirrhosis. No comparative study on laparoscopic or open liver resection for HCC has been conducted in Greece yet. Methods Patients undergoing liver resection for HCC by one senior hepatobiliary surgeon in our Institution during the period 11/2011-02/2016 were prospectively sampled and retrospectively analyzed for the purposes of this study. Statistical analysis encompassed Student’s t-test, Fisher’s exact test, the Kaplan-Meier method/log rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. Results Eleven patients underwent laparoscopic and 21 open liver resection, respectively. Statistical differences between the 2 groups were observed for tumor size (P=0.04), major resections (P=0.01), Pringle maneuver (P=0.008), intraoperative blood transfusion (P=0.03), and duration of operation (P=0.004). Resection margins, and tumor recurrence showed no statistical differences. Three-year postoperative survival after laparoscopic and open hepatectomy was 100%, and 67%, respectively (P=0.06). Regression analysis for patient survival revealed prognostic value for BCLC staging, γ-glutamyl transferase levels, laparoscopic hepatectomy, UICC stage, Dindo-Clavien classification, and hospital stay. Laparoscopic hepatectomy remained as independent predictor of survival by multivariate analysis (P=0.0142). Conclusion Laparoscopic hepatectomy for HCC in chronic liver disease represents a safe and innovative treatment tool in the management of these patients under the presupposition of careful patient selection.
Direct IL-6 Signals Maximize Protective Secondary CD4 T Cell Responses against Influenza

Memory T cells can often respond against pathogens that have evaded neutralizing Abs and are thus key to vaccine-induced protection, yet the signals needed to optimize their responses are unclear. In this study, we identify a dramatic and selective requirement for IL-6 to achieve optimal memory CD4 T cell recall following heterosubtypic influenza A virus (IAV) challenge of mice primed previously with wild-type or attenuated IAV strains. Through analysis of endogenous T cell responses and adoptive transfer of IAV-specific memory T cell populations, we find that without IL-6, CD4+, but not CD8+, secondary effector populations expand less and have blunted function and antiviral impact. Early and direct IL-6 signals to memory CD4 T cells are required to program maximal secondary effector responses at the site of infection during heterosubtypic challenge, indicating a novel role for a costimulatory cytokine in recall responses.
What can identity-based cryptography offer to web services?

Web services are seen as the enabler of service-oriented computing, a promising next generation distributed computing technology. Independently, identity-based cryptography is emerging as a serious contender to more conventional certificate-based public key cryptography. However, the application of identity-based cryptography in web services appears largely unexplored. This paper sets out to examine how identity-based cryptography might be used to secure web services. We show that identity-based cryptography has some attractive properties which naturally suit the message-level security needed by web services.
Can the enhancement of group working in classrooms provide a basis for effective communication in support of school‐based cognitive achievement in classrooms of young learners?

This quasi‐experimental study was part of the SPRinG project (Social Pedagogy Research into Group Work). The review notes group work in ‘authentic’ classrooms rarely fulfils its interactive or attainment potential. SPRinG classes undertook a programme of relational training to enhance children's group working skills while control classes maintained usual classroom practices. 980 children (38 classes) were studied over a school year. Interaction on a collaborative task, systematic work setting observations and reflective ratings of teacher actions were used to compare between SPRinG and control classes. Results show: SPRinG attainment was supported by increased engagement in group work, on‐task focus, symmetric co‐regulated communication and decreased social distraction. The study identifies enhanced reading/mathematics attainment in SPRinG classes. The teachers' role changed within SPRinG classes – becoming less directive and more supportive of group activity; but not all teachers acted in the same manner. Higher levels of implementation of SPRinG activities were associated with enhanced pupil dialogue and engagement.
Engagement Evaluation for Autism Intervention by Robots Based on Dynamic Bayesian Network and Expert Elicitation

Robots as therapy tools have been researched in intervention for children with autism. During the interaction between robots and autistic children, engagement is an important metric which can be used to express whether robot’s behavior is suited to the current context. The evaluation of engagement is a key prerequisite to improve the autonomous ability of robots in intervention. In this paper, we propose a new model to evaluate the engagement of children with autism. The proposed model is developed based on the dynamic Bayesian network, and the parameters of the model are obtained by fuzzy logic and expert elicitation. After determining the input features and the classification of engagement, the topology of the model is established. Afterward, experts’ opinions are collected based on linguistic variables. Based on triangular fuzzy number, the parameterization of the model is realized by fuzzification, aggregation, and defuzzification. Finally, the model is validated by experiment. The result demonstrates that proposed model satisfies the actual demands and the result of engagement classification can provide the input condition for the decision making of the robot.
Cytochrome P450 time-dependent inhibition and induction: advances in assays, risk analysis and modelling

Introduction: It is widely accepted that current practice of polypharmacy inevitably increases the incidence of drug–drug interactions (DDIs). Serious DDIs are a major liability for new molecular entities entering the pharmaceutical market. Various strategies are employed to avoid problematic compounds for clinical development. Progress made with reversible CYP DDIs has prompted a switch to study and model time-dependent inhibition and induction interactions. Areas covered: An overview of popular experimental practices is presented with discussion of techniques and algorithms used to analyse the clinical DDI risk. Emphasis is placed on the transition from early, simple static equations, via more complex net mechanistic, static models to dynamic approaches involving multiple perpetrators and metabolites, simultaneous inhibition and induction. Expert opinion: Inclusion of the more conservative terms for parameters required for DDI evaluation may eliminate promising chemical space, encourages poor practice and hampers innovation. Breakthroughs have originated from understanding of ‘outliers’ from such analyses where CYP enzyme–transporter interplay may be involved. The role of key transporters in drug disposition is firmly established as the chemistry required to address new targets deviates from traditional ‘drug-like’ space. Attempts to model more complex interactions for substrates of both CYP enzymes and drug transporters are still in their infancy and will benefit from dynamic modelling.
The vector floating-point unit in a synergistic processor element of a CELL processor

The floating-point unit in the synergistic processor element of the 1st generation multi-core CELL processor is described. The FPU supports 4-way SIMD single precision and integer operations and 2-way SIMD double precision operations. The design required a high-frequency, low latency, power and area efficiency with primary application to the multimedia streaming workloads, such as 3D graphics. The FPU has 3 different latencies, optimizing the performance critical single precision FMA operations, which are executed with a 6-cycle latency at an 11FO4 cycle time. The latency includes the global forwarding of the result. These challenging performance, power, and area goals were achieved through the co-design of architecture and implementation with optimizations at all levels of the design. This paper focuses on the logical and algorithmic aspects of the FPU we developed, to achieve these goals.
NoC System for MPEG-4 SP using heterogeneous tiles

In this paper we present a high level methodology to get optimal work points for a MPEG-4 Single Profile implementation. The flow goes from a C++ description of a MPEG-4 encoder to a SystemC implementation. Afterwards, code is migrated to an architecture processor research framework (trimaran) and a real implementation on an Altera FPGA and on a DSP. These different implementations are possible tiles in a mesh NoC that is modelled in TLM level and afterward synthesized with a high level synthesis tool.
Antitumor effects of systemic and local immunization with a CTL-directed peptide in combination with a local injection of OK-432.

PURPOSE: The accumulation of T cells into the tumor site is crucial for the elicitation of in vivo antitumor effects after cancer vaccination. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects and associated mechanisms of action that were induced by systemic and local immunization with a CTL-directed peptide in combination with a peritumoral injection of a streptococcal preparation, OK-432. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS: The human SART3(315-323) peptide, which has the potential to induce human leukocyte antigen-A24-restricted CTLs, not only has the same amino acid sequence as the mouse SART3, but also has the capacity for binding to H-2K(d) molecules. Therefore, the SART3(315-323) peptide could be used as a tumor antigen-derived peptide in H-2(d) mice. Systemic immunization with the SART3(315-323) peptide and the subsequent peritumoral injection of both the SART3(315-323) peptide and OK-432 effectively induced peptide-specific and colon26 carcinoma-reactive CTLs in BALB/c mice. The combination therapy suppressed the growth of s.c. established colon26 carcinoma. The accumulation of both CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells into the tumor site was more apparent in mice treated with the combination therapy than in those treated with other protocols. In addition, the level of IgG reactive to the administered SART3(315-323) peptide increased in mice that were treated with the combination therapy. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that antitumor effects could be efficiently induced by a combination therapy that included systemic and local immunization with a CTL-directed peptide together with a local injection of OK-432.