Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Network-Coding Multicast Networks With QoS Guarantees

It is well known that without admission control, network congestion is bound to occur. However, to implement admission control is difficult in IP-based networks, which are constructed out of the end-to-end principle, and semantics of most major signaling protocols can only be interpreted at the edge of the network. Even if routers can perform admission control internally, the path computation and the state updating activities required for setting up and tearing down each flow will overwhelm the network. A new QoS architecture, called a nonblocking network, has been proposed recently, and it requires no internal admission control and can still offer hard QoS guarantees. In this architecture, as long as each edge node admits not more than a specified amount of traffic, the network will never experience link congestion. For multicast networks, the main problem with this approach is low throughput. Conventional tree-based multicast routing algorithms lead to a throughput so low that the nonblocking concept is rendered impractical. In this paper, we show how network coding can solve this problem. We demonstrate that a nonblocking unicast network and a multicast network share the same optimal paths, and that a nonblocking multicast network with network coding can admit the same amount of traffic as a nonblocking unicast network. The above conclusions apply to explicit-routing (MPLS-like) and shortest-path routing (IP-like) networks.
Retargeting of Viruses to Generate Oncolytic Agents

Oncolytic virus therapy is based on the ability of viruses to effectively infect and kill tumor cells without destroying the normal tissues. While some viruses seem to have a natural preference for tumor cells, most viruses require the modification of their tropism to specifically enter and replicate in such cells. This review aims to describe the transductional targeting strategies currently employed to specifically redirect viruses towards surface receptors on tumor cells. Three major strategies can be distinguished; they involve (i) the incorporation of new targeting specificity into a viral surface protein, (ii) the incorporation of a scaffold into a viral surface protein to allow the attachment of targeting moieties, and (iii) the use of bispecific adapters to mediate targeting of a virus to a specified moiety on a tumor cell. Of each strategy key features, advantages and limitations are discussed and examples are given. Because of their potential to cause sustained, multiround infection—a desirable characteristic for eradicating tumors—particular attention is given to viruses engineered to become self-targeted by the genomic expression of a bispecific adapter protein.
Bioremediation of Acid Mine Drainage in an Uranium Deposit

Acid drainage waters generated in the uranium deposit Curilo, Bulgaria, were treated by means of different passive systems such as natural and constructed wetlands, alkalizing limestone drains, permeable reactive multibarriers and a rock filter, used separately or in different combinations. The waters had a pH in the range of about 2 – 4 and contained radionuclides (uranium, radium), heavy metals (copper, zinc, cadmium, lead, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese), arsenic and sulphates in concentrations usually much higher than the relevant permissible levels for waters intended for use in agriculture and/or industry. The water flow rate through the individual systems was different and not stable, and varied in the range approximately from 0.02 to 1.5 l/s. Efficient removal of pollutants was achieved by means of these systems during the different climatic seasons, even during the cold winter months at water and ambient temperatures close to 0 oC. The removal was due to different mechanisms but microbial sulphate reduction, biosorption by living and dead plant biomass and chemical neutralization played the main roles.
The oxidation of carbon fiber on the interlaminar shear strength and tribological properties of high-density polyethylene composites

The objective of this work is to improve the interlaminar shear strength and tribological properties of the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites by oxidation treatment method of carbon fiber (CF) and ultraviolet irradiation of HDPE. The morphologies of untreated and treated CFs were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface analysis showed that after treatment, the surface of CFs chemisorbed oxygen-containing groups, active carbon atom, the surface roughness, and wetting ability were increased. The results show that the treated CF composites can possess excellent interfacial properties and tribological properties accordingly after treatment.
Computational generation and dissection of lexical replacement humor*

Abstract We consider automated generation of humorous texts by substitution of a single word in a given short text. In this setting, several factors that potentially contribute to the funniness of texts can be integrated into a unified framework as constraints on the lexical substitution. We discuss three types of such constraints: formal constraints concerning the similarity of sounds or spellings between the original word and the substitute, semantic or connotational constraints requiring the substitute to be a taboo word, and contextual constraints concerning the position and context of the replacement. Empirical evidence from extensive user studies using real SMSs as the corpus indicates that taboo constraints are statistically very effective, and so is a constraint requiring that the substitution takes place at the end of the text even though the effect is smaller. The effects of individual constraints are largely cumulative. In addition, connotational taboo words and word position have a strong interaction.
Transarterial chemoembolization versus resection for intermediate-stage (BCLC B) hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims: Several studies have suggested that surgical resection (SR) can provide a survival benefit over transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at the intermediate stage according to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system. However, the criteria for SR remain to be determined. This study compared the long-term outcome of intermediate-stage HCC patients treated by either TACE or SR as a primary treatment modality, with the aim of identifying the patient subgroup that gained a survival benefit by either modality. Methods: In total, 277 BCLC intermediate-stage HCC patients treated by either TACE (N=225) or SR (N=52) were analyzed. Results: The overall median survival time was significantly better for SR than TACE (61 vs. 30 months, P=0.002). Decision-tree analysis divided patients into seven nodes based on tumor size and number, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and Child-Pugh score, and these were then simplified into four subgroups (B1–B4) based on similarities in the overall hazard rate. SR provided a significant survival benefit in subgroup B2, characterized by ‘oligo’ (2–4) nodules of intermediate size (5–10 cm) when the AFP levels was <400 ng/ml, or ‘oligo’ (2–4) nodules of small to intermediate size (<10 cm) plus a Child-Pugh score of 5 when the AFP level was ≥400 ng/mL (median survival 73 vs. 28 months for SR vs. TACE respectively; P=0.014). The survival rate did not differ significantly between SR and TACE in the other subgroups (B1 and B3). Conclusion: SR provided a survival benefit over TACE in intermediate-stage HCC, especially for patients meeting certain criteria. Re-establishing the criteria for optimal treatment modalities in this stage of HCC is needed to improve survival rates.
Static Occlusion Detection and Handling in Transportation Videos

Occlusions present a challenge in surveillance and traffic monitoring applications where person and/or vehicle tracking are required. Video-based object tracking is a process where the location of a given object of interest in a video sequence is determined across a range of frames. A key step in typical tracking operations is forming a feature representation of an object being tracked and solving a correspondence problem to find the location of the best-matching set of those features between video frames. The best-matching feature set is usually found via optimization algorithms across regions in subsequent frames near and around the location of the object in a current frame. The features used to solve the correspondence problem are usually appearance-based, and may include color, texture and shape descriptors. Consequently, the track can be lost when a view of the tracked object is occluded by objects in the scene because the appearance of the occluded object may not sufficiently resemble the appearance of the unoccluded object. In this paper, we present a method for determining the location of static occlusions in a scene at the pixel level, and utilize the knowledge of the location of the occlusions to boost the performance of well-known video-based object tracking algorithms. We demonstrate via experimental testing that the proposed method is effective in improving the performance of tracking algorithms, particularly when the motion in the scene is highly regularized, as is the case in cameras performing transportation monitoring tasks.
Position and Speed Control of Brushless DC Motors Using Sensorless Techniques and Application Trends

This paper provides a technical review of position and speed sensorless methods for controlling Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motor drives, including the background analysis using sensors, limitations and advances. The performance and reliability of BLDC motor drivers have been improved because the conventional control and sensing techniques have been improved through sensorless technology. Then, in this paper sensorless advances are reviewed and recent developments in this area are introduced with their inherent advantages and drawbacks, including the analysis of practical implementation issues and applications. The study includes a deep overview of state-of-the-art back-EMF sensing methods, which includes Terminal Voltage Sensing, Third Harmonic Voltage Integration, Terminal Current Sensing, Back-EMF Integration and PWM strategies. Also, the most relevant techniques based on estimation and models are briefly analysed, such as Sliding-mode Observer, Extended Kalman Filter, Model Reference Adaptive System, Adaptive observers (Full-order and Pseudoreduced-order) and Artificial Neural Networks.
Transforming the Untransformable: Application of Direct Transformation To Manipulate Genetically Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis

ABSTRACT The strong restriction barrier present in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis has limited functional genomic analysis to a small subset of strains that are amenable to genetic manipulation. Recently, a conserved type IV restriction system termed SauUSI (which specifically recognizes cytosine methylated DNA) was identified as the major barrier to transformation with foreign DNA. Here we have independently corroborated these findings in a widely used laboratory strain of S. aureus. Additionally, we have constructed a DNA cytosine methyltransferase mutant in the high-efficiency Escherichia coli cloning strain DH10B (called DC10B). Plasmids isolated from DC10B can be directly transformed into clinical isolates of S. aureus and S. epidermidis. We also show that the loss of restriction (both type I and IV) in an S. aureus USA300 strain does not have an impact on virulence. Circumventing the SauUSI restriction barrier, combined with an improved deletion and transformation protocol, has allowed the genetic manipulation of previously untransformable strains of these important opportunistic pathogens. IMPORTANCE Staphylococcal infections place a huge burden on the health care sector due both to their severity and also to the economic impact of treating the infections because of prolonged hospitalization. To improve the understanding of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, we have developed a series of improved techniques that allow the genetic manipulation of strains that were previously refractory to transformation. These developments will speed up the process of mutant construction and increase our understanding of these species as a whole, rather than just a small subset of strains that could previously be manipulated. Staphylococcal infections place a huge burden on the health care sector due both to their severity and also to the economic impact of treating the infections because of prolonged hospitalization. To improve the understanding of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, we have developed a series of improved techniques that allow the genetic manipulation of strains that were previously refractory to transformation. These developments will speed up the process of mutant construction and increase our understanding of these species as a whole, rather than just a small subset of strains that could previously be manipulated.
Control of a Lightweight Flexible Robotic Arm Using Sliding Modes

This paper presents a robust control scheme for flexible link robotic manipulators, which is based on considering the flexible mechanical structure as a system with slow (rigid) and fast (flexible) modes that can be controlled separately. The rigid dynamics is controlled by means of a robust sliding-mode approach with well-established stability properties while an LQR optimal design is adopted for the flexible dynamics. Experimental results show that this composite approach achieves good closed loop tracking properties both for the rigid and the flexible dynamics.
Computer simulation and molecular theory of self-organization and mechanical properties of polymers

In this contribution, we report on a study of the self-organization of extended linear polymer chains into condensed globules using molecular dynamics methods. We have found that condensed chains (globules) are amorphous or crystalline depending on the interaction potential between constituents. Any structure is formed in several stages. The structures obtained were used in further computer simulations to investigate such processes as compression, decompression, fracture, and flow. We have found that there are different types of fracture and plastic behavior with their own energy, fluctuation, and defect characteristics. On the basis of the computer simulation results obtained, the equation of motion is derived for the system of chain macromolecules slipping relative to each other. The equation takes into account the relaxation and friction in the system. The solution obtained gives the general law that connects stress, strain rate, molecular mass, potential relief, and temperature. It also gives sound physical grounds for some empirical relations that are used in polymer technology.
Exploiting Early Intent Recognition for Competitive Advantage

Abstract : In physical domains (military or athletic), team behaviors often have an observable spatio-temporal structure, defined by the relative physical positions of team members over time. In this paper, we demonstrate that this structure can be exploited to recognize football plays in the Rush 2008 football simulator. Although events in the simulator are stochastically generated, we present a method for reliably recognizing football plays at a very early stage using multiple support vector machines moreover, we demonstrate that having this early information about the defense's intent can be utilized to improve offensive team play. Our system evaluates the competitive advantage of executing a play switch based on the potential of other plays to increase the yardage gained and the similarity of the candidate plays to the current play. Our play switch selection mechanism outperforms both the built-in offense and a greedy yardage-based switching strategy.
Novel Approaches to Identification of Biomarkers for Detection of Early Stage Cancer

Implementation of routine cancer screening accompanied by treatment of early stage disease is paramount to realizing reductions in cancer mortality rates. While morphologic assessment of relevant cells has traditionally been used to identify individuals with cancer, this approach is not feasible to identify cancers at inaccessible sites, such as the ovary or pancreas. For these and many other cancers, cancer mortality remains high, as sensitive and specific screening assays to detect in-situ or early stage disease are as yet unavailable. Identification of novel markers for early identification of cancer is an established priority of the National Cancer Institute. The rapid expansion of genomic-based technologies developed over the last decade, and the development of sensitive and specific blood-based assays for the detection of molecular changes associated with cancer, begin to offer the means for achieving this goal. Below, we review current approaches used in the effort to identify biomarkers appropriate for early cancer detection.
Taxing Capital? Not a Bad Idea after All!

In this paper we quantitatively characterize the optimal capital and labor income tax in an overlapping generations model with idiosyncratic, uninsurable income shocks, where households also differ permanently with respect to their ability to generate income. The welfare criterion we employ is ex-ante (before ability is realized) expected (with respect to uninsurable productivity shocks) utility of a newborn in a stationary equilibrium. Embedded in this welfare criterion is a concern of the policy maker for insurance against idiosyncratic shocks and redistribution among agents of different abilities. Such insurance and redistribution can be achieved by progressive labor income taxes or taxation of capital income, or both. The policy maker has then to trade off these concerns against the standard distortions these taxes generate for the labor supply and capital accumulation decision. We find that the optimal capital income tax rate is not only positive, but is significantly positive. The optimal (marginal and average) tax rate on capital is 36%, in conjunction with a progressive labor income tax code that is, to a first approximation, a flat tax of 23% with a deduction that corresponds to about $6,000 (relative to an average income of households in the model of $35,000). We argue that the high optimal capital income tax is mainly driven by the life cycle structure of the model whereas the optimal progressivity of the labor income tax is due to the insurance and redistribution role of the income tax system.
Secure Mobile Payment on NFC-Enabled Mobile Phones Formally Analysed Using CasperFDR

Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile phones can be used as payment devices and can emulate credit cards. Although NFC mobile services promise a fruitful future, several issues have been raised by academics and researchers. Among the main concerns for the use and deployment of NFC-enabled mobile phones is the potential loss of security and privacy. More specifically, mobile phone users involved in a payment transaction conducted over a mobile handset require that such a system does not reveal their identity or any sensitive data. Furthermore, that all entities participating in the transaction are legitimate. To this end, we proposed a protocol that meets the mobile user's requirements. The proposed protocol attempts to address the main security concerns and protects the customer privacy from any third party involved in the transaction. We formally analysed the protocol using CasperFDR and did not find any feasible attacks.
Integrated micro endeffector for dexterous micromanipulation

Micro manipulation is required for assembly and maintenance of micro machines and their parts. As the objects to be handled are miniaturized, attractive forces such as van der Waals force, surface tension force and electrostatic force between micro objects and grip surface become dominant in the air, and they work as adhesive forces. We cannot neglect such adhesive forces in micro manipulation. Considering the physical phenomena in the micro world, we propose reduction methods of adhesive forces. Surface roughness of the end effector surface is effective to reduce the van der Waals force. We propose to make the micro pyramids on end effector surface by the micromachining techniques. We designed and made a prototype of the micro gripper with a micro end effector whose grip surface is covered with the micro pyramids. Experimental results show effectiveness of the micro pyramids for reduction of the adhesive force. We also made a semiconductor strain gauge at the end of the micro end effector surface for force measurement. Both micro pyramids and integrated piezoresistive force sensor are fabricated on the micro end effector by the micromachining techniques. Performance of this force sensor is shown.
Advancing Repeated Research in Requirements Engineering: A Theoretical Replication of Viewpoint Merging

Compared to building a single requirements view, modeling stakeholder viewpoints and then merging them is shown to improve the understanding of the problem domain, but also very time consuming. How has the situation changed? This paper reports our replication of a case study, where we take theoretical replication's advantage to mitigate the original study design's threat and to embrace an important evolving factor, namely automated tool support for producing i* models. Our replicate case study verifies the rich domain understanding gained through viewpoint-based modeling, and updates the prior results by showing the time saving enabled by the tool. Our work offers operational insights into independent, theoretical replications. These insights, we believe, can advance requirements engineering research toward an empirically backed body of knowledge.
Leukoencephalopathy and raised brain lactate from heroin vapor inhalation (“chasing the dragon”)

Background: Inhalation of heated heroin vapor (“chasing the dragon”), which is gaining popularity among drug users seeking to avoid the risks of parenteral drug administration, can produce progressive spongiform leukoencephalopathy. Methods: We studied the clinical phenotype and course, MRI, MRS, and brain pathology in the first American patients described with this syndrome. Results: Two of the three heroin users studied inhaled heroin pyrolysate together daily over the course of 2 weeks. They developed ataxia, dysmetria, and dysarthria. Patient 1 progressed to an akinetic mute state with decorticate posture and subsequent spastic quadriparesis. Patient 2 developed a mild spastic quadriparesis and gait freezing. Patient 3 was asymptomatic following less heroin exposure. Brain MRI showed diffuse, symmetrical white matter hyperintensities in the cerebellum, posterior cerebrum, posterior limbs of the internal capsule, splenium of the corpus callosum, medial lemniscus, and lateral brainstem. MRS showed elevated lactate. Brain biopsy (Patient 1) showed white matter spongiform degeneration with relative sparing of U-fibers; electron microscopy revealed intramyelinic vacuolation with splitting of intraperiod lines. Progressive deterioration occurred in Patients 1 and 2 over 4 weeks. Both were treated with antioxidants including oral coenzyme Q, and clinical improvement occurred. Patient 1 recovered nearly completely over 24 months. Patient 2 improved, but developed a delayed-onset cerebellar hand tremor. Both still have white matter abnormalities on MRI and MRS. Conclusions: Elevated lactate in white matter and the possible response to antioxidants suggests mitochondrial dysfunction in progressive spongiform leukoencephalopathy following inhalation of heated heroin vapor.