Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STARS: A Framework for Statistically Rigorous Simulation-Based Network Research

Simulation has become one of the dominant tools in wired and wireless network research. With the advent of cloud, grid, and cluster computing it has become feasible to use parallelization to perform richer larger-scale simulations. Moreover, the computing resources needed to perform statistically rigorous simulations are now easily obtainable. Although a number of parallel network simulation frameworks exists, the issue of statistical rigorous testing has largely not been addressed. This work presents a parallel MPI-aware network simulation framework that is specifically designed to provide automated support for statistically rigorous experimentation, thereby offloading this significant researcher burden. Unlike prior frameworks, the proposed framework includes a distribution-free statistical analysis feedback loop that automatically deduces the next set of experiments that need to be run. The value of this new framework is highlighted by exploring the well known issue of assessing the true duration of start-up transients within mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) simulations.
Computational statistics in a warranty forecasting system

This paper presents a warranty forecasting system that forecasts future failure counts, multiple periods ahead, from the production of a non-repairable product, which enters the field as staggered groups of units. Warranty data analysis is a vast research area. Even warranty forecasting may involve many different scenarios. We focus on the most common scenario and study the issues that appear during the implementation in software. The software with warranty forecasting capability will be accessible to the general users. We will present our efforts that are based on and beyond existing approaches.
FLOW Mapping: Planning and Managing Communication in Distributed Teams

Distributed software development is more difficult than co-located software development. One of the main reasons is that communication is more difficult in distributed settings. Defined processes and artifacts help, but cannot cover all information needs. Not communicating important project information, decisions and rationales can result in duplicate or extra work, delays or even project failure. Planning and managing a distributed project from an information flow perspective helps to facilitate available communication channels right from the start -- beyond the documents and artifacts which are defined for a given development process. In this paper we propose FLOW Mapping, a systematic approach for planning and managing information flows in distributed projects. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with a case study in a distributed agile class room project. FLOW Mapping is sufficient to plan communication and to measure conformance to the communication strategy. We also discuss cost and impact of our approach.
The impact of innovation system on R&D integration in Finland

this paper presents key elements of the innovation environment that activate technology integration both at the intraand inter-firm level. Same methodology can be easily broadened to the university-firm relationships. We use an analysis of the Finnish innovation environment as an example by stressing that the commercial success of R&D firms is improved when the well-functioning contracting environment is assured. Such contracting environment can be improved by the effort of innovation system. Hence, it needs more straightforward analysis to show the relationship between the institutional framework in order to connect the role of skilled human capital and success in R&D innovations, and the organizational framework inside the R&D firms in order to form high-powered managerial incentives. These incentives should lead to those decisions that utilize the high-quality and specialized inputs, and pick up the most competitive production processes. Such decisions raise the question about the awareness of hidden transaction costs, such as searching and customization costs, in the R&D integration process. Managing those costs are indeed crucial when ongoing globalization process push the firms increasingly to look for partners abroad. We use GrossmanHelpman models and Porter’s strategy diamond to describe the logic behind these factors. 1
Efficient nonlinear skin simulation for multi-finger tactile rendering

Recent advances in tactile rendering span, among others, wearable cutaneous interfaces, tactile rendering algorithms, or nonlinear soft skin models. However, the adoption of these advances for multi-finger tactile rendering of dexterous grasping and manipulation is hampered by the computational cost incurred with nonlinear skin models when applied to the full hand. We have observed that classic constrained dynamics solvers, typically designed for contact mechanics, fail to perform efficiently on deformation constraints of nonlinear skin models. In this paper, we propose a novel constrained dynamics solver designed to perform well with highly nonlinear deformation constraints. In practice, we achieve more than 10× speed-up over previous approaches, and as a result we enable multi-finger tactile rendering of manipulation actions that capture the nonlinearity of skin.
Reactor: an object behavioral pattern for concurrent event demultiplexing and event handler dispatching

To illustrate the Reactor pattern, consider the event-driven server for a distributed logging service shown in Figure 1. Client applications use this service to log information (such as error notifications, debugging traces, and status updates) in a distributed environment. In this service, logging records are sent to a central logging server. The logging server outputs the logging records to a console, a printer, a file, or a network management database, etc. In the architecture of the distributed logging service, the logging server shown in Figure 1 handles logging records and connection requests sent by clients. These records and requests may arrive concurrently on multiple I/O handles. An I/O handle identifies a resource control block managed by the operating system.1 The logging server listens on one I/O handle for connection requests to arrive from new clients. In addition, a separate I/O handle is associated with each connected client. Input from multiple clients may arrive concurrently. Therefore,
A randomized waitlist-controlled pilot trial of voice over Internet protocol-delivered behavior therapy for youth with chronic tic disorders

Introduction Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) has been shown to be efficacious for chronic tic disorders (CTDs), but utilization is limited by a lack of treatment providers and perceived financial and time burden of commuting to treatment. A promising alternative to in-person delivery is voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), allowing for remote, real-time treatment delivery to patients’ homes. However, little is known about the effectiveness of VoIP for CTDs. Therefore, the present study examined the preliminary efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of VoIP-delivered CBIT (CBIT-VoIP). Methods Twenty youth (8–16 years) with CTDs participated in a randomized, waitlist-controlled pilot trial of CBIT-VoIP. The main outcome was pre- to post-treatment change in clinician-rated tic severity (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale). The secondary outcome was clinical responder rate (Clinical Global Impressions – Improvement Scale), assessed using ratings of ‘very much improved’ or ‘much improved’ indicating positive treatment response. Results Intention-to-treat analyses with the last observation carried forward were performed. At post-treatment (10-weeks), significantly greater reductions in clinician-rated, (F(1,18) = 3.05, p < 0.05, partial η2 = 0.15), and parent-reported tic severity, (F(1,18) = 6.37, p < 0.05, partial η2 = 0.26) were found in CBIT-VoIP relative to waitlist. One-third (n = 4) of those in CBIT-VoIP were considered treatment responders. Treatment satisfaction and therapeutic alliance were high. Discussion CBIT can be delivered via VoIP with high patient satisfaction, using accessible, low-cost equipment. CBIT-VoIP was generally feasible to implement, with some audio and visual challenges. Modifications to enhance treatment delivery are suggested.
Feedback-driven binary code diversification

As described in many blog posts and in the scientific literature, exploits for software vulnerabilities are often engineered on the basis of patches. For example, “Microsoft Patch Tuesday” is often followed by “Exploit Wednesday” during which yet unpatched systems become vulnerable to patch-based exploits. Part of the patch engineering includes the identification of the vulnerable binary code by means of reverse-engineering tools and diffing add-ons. In this article we present a feedback-driven compiler tool flow that iteratively transforms code until diffing tools become ineffective enough to close the “Exploit Wednesday” window of opportunity. We demonstrate the tool's effectiveness on a set of real-world patches and against the latest version of BinDiff.
Linear discriminant analysis for improved large vocabulary continuous speech recognition

The interaction of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and a modeling approach using continuous Laplacian mixture density HMM is studied experimentally. The largest improvements in speech recognition could be obtained when the classes for the LDA transform were defined to be sub-phone units. On a 12000 word German recognition task with small overlap between training and test vocabulary a reduction in error rate by one-fifth was achieved compared to the case without LDA. On the development set of the DARPA RM1 task the error rate was reduced by one-third. For the DARPA speaker-dependent no-grammar case, the error rate averaged over 12 speakers was 9.9%. This was achieved with a recognizer using LDA and a set of only 47 Viterbi-trained context-independent phonemes. <<ETX>>
Characterisation of natriuretic peptide receptors in eel gill.

A radioligand-binding assay was established for eel atrial natriuretic peptide (eANP), and ANP receptors were characterised in the eel gill. ANP binding to the gill membrane fraction was saturable with increasing ligand concentrations and was specific to ANP peptides, i.e. eANP, ventricular natriuretic peptide (VNP) and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). A Scatchard analysis revealed a single class of high-affinity receptors with a Kd of 59.2 pM and a Bmax of 67.9 fmol/mg protein. The Kd value is within the range of plasma ANP concentration of the eel. Kd and Bmax did not differ between freshwater (FW)- and seawater (SW)-adapted fish. The gill receptors exhibited similar affinity for eANP, eVNP and eCNP, and ANP binding was almost completely displaced by C-ANF, a specific ligand for guanylate cyclase-uncoupled receptors. The presence of this type of receptor (natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-C and NPR-D) was also indicated in eel gill by affinity labelling. cGMP production was stimulated by the addition of eCNP but not by eANP and eVNP, and this was observed only in FW eels. Thus, most ANP receptors in eel gill are NPR-C and NPR-D, but a small number of the NPR-B type are also present in FW eels. In addition to the gill, specific ANP receptors were detected in the red body of the swim bladder, the brain, digestive tracts, kidney, head kidney and urinary bladder, in most of which ANP action has been reported. The density of ANP receptors decreased in most tissues after adaptation to SW except the gill, brain, atrium and spleen.
The Haptic Creature : social human-robot interaction through affective touch

The communication of emotion plays an important role in social interaction. Research in affective display both in the social sciences and in social human-robot interaction has focused almost exclusively on the modalities of vision and audition; however, touch has received disproportionate attention. This paper presents an overview of the Haptic Creature project, where we seek to develop a deeper understanding of affect display through touch in the context of social interaction between human and robot. We also hope to gain knowledge on the role affective touch plays in supporting companionship. Drawing from studies on human-animal interaction, we are developing the Haptic Creature, a robot that mimics a small pet that interacts through touch. Details of the robot and related user studies are presented.
Understanding Racism and Sexism in Harry Potter and Stuart Hall’s Model of Three Reading Positions

In the Harry Potter book series there are several examples of sexist and racist stereotypes which can distort children’s understanding of reality and thus cause them to adopt prejudices and inappropriate judgments. The reason for such strong impact on the young readers can be explained with the use of Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model that suggests three reading positions and; as a result; three different ways of understanding one and the same text. The fact that oppositional reading; which allows the reader to asses the text critically; can only be adopted by educated and well-read readers explains why adult help is needed in directing the child reader towards a correct interpretation of such deficiencies of a text and offering a grounded explanation.
Genetic variants of FADS gene cluster, plasma LC-PUFA levels and the association with cognitive function of under-two-year-old Sasaknese Indonesian children.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are regarded as essential for child cognition. Genetic variation in fatty acid (FA) desaturase enzyme (FADS) has been recognized as an important effect modifier in the relation between LC-PUFA and child cognitive function. This study aimed to identify the distribution of genetic variant (genotype) SNP rs174468 and to assess plasma FA and developmental outcome by the genotype among under-2 year old Sasaknese Indonesian children. METHODS Data was collected at baseline of a randomized trial (NUPICO, clinicaltrials.gov NCT01504633) in East Lombok district, Indonesia. Breastfed, 12- 17 month old children were recruited and 240 subjects were included in the study. Child cognition was assessed as Bayley Mental Developmental Index (MDI). RESULTS From 206 subjects whose blood samples can be collected, only two genotypes were found (90.3% GG homozygotes, 9.7% AG heterozygotes), and minor allele AG was significantly associated with higher level of arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6), n-6 LC-PUFA and FADS1 index. MDI score was associated with a FADS2 index (DHA:EPA ratio) but not genotype (Adjusted R-square= 0.043). CONCLUSIONS FADS2 index was associated with cognitive function. No difference was found between children with GG and AG genotypes who were all breastfed and not low birth weight.
Usable Firewall Configuration

Configuration is perhaps the most important aspect of a firewall. It is often hard to fully understand the implications of a given configuration, giving rise to two problems: it is hard to write rules to enforce the expected security policy correctly, and it is hard to understand a set of rules to make necessary changes. In this paper, we briefly introduced the IP packet filtering firewall followed by an analysis of configuration problems. We review related work and discuss the effectiveness of other approaches from a practical perspective to further illustrate our solution. We then describe a solution that combines simulation, visualization and interaction and describe a prototype and an evaluation of the tool.
DNA Methylation Status of SOX10 Correlates with Its Downregulation and Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

Downregulation of oligodendrocyte-related genes, referred to as oligodendrocyte dysfunction, in schizophrenia has been revealed by DNA microarray studies. Because oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factors regulate the differentiation of oligodendrocytes, genes encoding them are prime candidates for oligodendrocyte dysfunction in schizophrenia. We found that the cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) island of sex-determining region Y-box containing gene 10 (SOX10), an oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factor, tended to be highly methylated in brains of patients with schizophrenia, correlated with reduced expression of SOX10. We also found that DNA methylation status of SOX10 also was associated with other oligodendrocyte gene expressions in schizophrenia. This may be specific to SOX10, because the CpG island of OLIG2, which encodes another oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factor, was rarely methylated in brains, and the methylation status of myelin-associated oligodendrocytic basic protein, which encodes structural protein in oligodendrocytes, did not account for their expressions or other oligodendrocyte gene expressions. Therefore, DNA methylation status of the SOX10 CpG island could be an epigenetic sign of oligodendrocyte dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Liganded Thyroid Hormone Receptor Inhibits Phorbol 12-O-Tetradecanoate-13-Acetate-Induced Enhancer Activity via Firefly Luciferase cDNA

Thyroid hormone receptor (TR) belongs to the nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) superfamily and regulates the transcription of its target genes in a thyroid hormone (T3)-dependent manner. While the detail of transcriptional activation by T3 (positive regulation) has been clarified, the mechanism of T3-dependent repression (negative regulation) remains to be determined. In addition to naturally occurring negative regulations typically found for the thyrotropin β gene, T3-bound TR (T3/TR) is known to cause artificial negative regulation in reporter assays with cultured cells. For example, T3/TR inhibits the transcriptional activity of the reporter plasmids harboring AP-1 site derived from pUC/pBR322-related plasmid (pUC/AP-1). Artificial negative regulation has also been suggested in the reporter assay with firefly luciferase (FFL) gene. However, identification of the DNA sequence of the FFL gene using deletion analysis was not performed because negative regulation was evaluated by measuring the enzymatic activity of FFL protein. Thus, there remains the possibility that the inhibition by T3 is mediated via a DNA sequence other than FFL cDNA, for instance, pUC/AP-1 site in plasmid backbone. To investigate the function of FFL cDNA as a transcriptional regulatory sequence, we generated pBL-FFL-CAT5 by ligating FFL cDNA in the 5' upstream region to heterologous thymidine kinase promoter in pBL-CAT5, a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT)-based reporter gene, which lacks pUC/AP-1 site. In kidney-derived CV1 and choriocarcinoma-derived JEG3 cells, pBL-FFL-CAT5, but not pBL-CAT5, was strongly activated by a protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-O-tetradecanoate-13-acetate (TPA). TPA-induced activity of pBL-FFL-CAT5 was negatively regulated by T3/TR. Mutation of nt. 626/640 in FFL cDNA attenuated the TPA-induced activation and concomitantly abolished the T3-dependent repression. Our data demonstrate that FFL cDNA sequence mediates the TPA-induced transcriptional activity, which is inhibited by T3/TR.
Altered Lipid Homeostasis in Sertoli Cells Stressed by Mild Hyperthermia

Spermatogenesis is known to be vulnerable to temperature. Exposures of rat testis to moderate hyperthermia result in loss of germ cells with survival of Sertoli cells (SC). Because SC provide structural and metabolic support to germ cells, our aim was to test the hypothesis that these exposures affect SC functions, thus contributing to germ cell damage. In vivo, regularly repeated exposures (one of 15 min per day, once a day during 5 days) of rat testes to 43°C led to accumulation of neutral lipids. This SC-specific lipid function took 1–2 weeks after the last of these exposures to be maximal. In cultured SC, similar daily exposures for 15 min to 43°C resulted in significant increase in triacylglycerol levels and accumulation of lipid droplets. After incubations with [3H]arachidonate, the labeling of cardiolipin decreased more than that of other lipid classes. Another specifically mitochondrial lipid metabolic function, fatty acid oxidation, also declined. These lipid changes suggested that temperature affects SC mitochondrial physiology, which was confirmed by significantly increased degrees of membrane depolarization and ROS production. This concurred with reduced expression of two SC-specific proteins, transferrin, and Wilms' Tumor 1 protein, markers of SC secretion and differentiation functions, respectively, and with an intense SC cytoskeletal perturbation, evident by loss of microtubule network (α-tubulin) and microfilament (f-actin) organization. Albeit temporary and potentially reversible, hyperthermia-induced SC structural and metabolic alterations may be long-lasting and/or extensive enough to respond for the decreased survival of the germ cells they normally foster.
Making Argumentation Serve Design

Documenting argumentation (i.e., design rationale) has great potential for serving design. Despite this potential benefit, our analysis of Horst Rittel's and Donald Schon's design theories and of our own experience has shown that there are the following fundamental obstacles to the effective documentation and use of design rationale: (a) A rationale representation scheme must be found that organizes information according to its relevance to the task at hand; (b) computer support is needed to reduce the burden of recording and using rationale; (c) argumentative and constructive design activities must be linked explicitly by integrated design environments; (d) design rationale must be reusable. In this article, we present the evolution of our conceptual frameworks and systems toward integrated design environments; describe a prototype of an integrated design environment, including its underlying architecture; and discuss some current and future work on extending it.
Mismatch Shaping for Multibit ∆Σ ADCs

Delta-sigma (∆Σ) modulation is a popular technique for making high resolution analog to digital and digital to analog converters (ADC and DAC) despite a variety of circuit imperfections. Multibit feedback DACs in ∆Σ ADCs offer significant advantage over a traditional single bit quantizers. The advantages of multibit quantizers are discussed and the it is shown that mismatch shaping can be used to reduce the errors caused by mismatches in the feedback DAC of a ∆Σ ADC.
Dysregulation of valvular interstitial cell let-7c, miR-17, miR-20a, and miR-30d in naturally occurring canine myxomatous mitral valve disease

Canine myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) resembles the early stages of myxomatous pathology seen in human non-syndromic mitral valve prolapse, a common valvular heart disease in the adult human population. Canine MMVD is seen in older subjects, suggesting age-related epigenetic dysregulation leading to derangements in valvular cell populations and matrix synthesis or degradation. We hypothesized that valvular interstitial cells (VICs) undergo disease-relevant changes in miRNA expression. In primary VIC lines from diseased and control valves, miRNA expression was profiled using RT-qPCR and next generation sequencing. VICs from diseased valves showed phenotypic changes consistent with myofibroblastic differentiation (vimentinlow+, α-SMAhigh+), increases in senescence markers (p21, SA-β-gαl), and decreased cell viability and proliferation potential. RT-qPCR and miRNA sequencing analyses both showed significant (p<0.05) downregulation of let-7c, miR-17, miR-20a, and miR-30d in VICs from diseased valves compared to controls. Decreased let-7c, miR-17, and miR-20a may contribute to myofibroblastic differentiation in addition to cell senescence, and decreased miR-30d may disinhibit cell apoptosis. These data support the hypothesis that epigenetic dysregulation plays an important role in age-related canine MMVD.