Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICT and the Changing Landscape of Global Tourism Distribution

The travel and tourism sector has emerged as one of the most important sectors for developing as well as developed countries. Tourism incorporates many of the features of the information society such as globalization, mobility and information richness. People from all nations, social rank, professions are potential tourists. Tourism links a worldwide supplier community with consumers, equally distributed worldwide. Its physical and virtual networks enable worldwide travelling, bringing together very distant cultures and habits. The industry is diverse, the size of tourism principals varies from micro to global enterprises. While some are fragmented, other parts, like the airlines, are concentrated into an oligopoly of global alliances. Information systems (IS) in tourism have been among the pioneers of leading edge technology applications: Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) or Global Distribution Systems (GDS) have been among the first international inter-organizational systems. Yield management systems a.
From reading to retrieval: freeform ink annotations as queries

User interfaces for digital libraries tend to focus on retrieval: users retrieve documents online, but then print them out and work with them on paper. One reason for printing documents is to annotate them with freeform ink while reading. Annotation can help readers to understand documents and to make them their own. In addition, annotation can reveal readers’ interests with respect to a particular document. In particular, it is possible to construct full-text queries based on annotated passages of documents. We describe an experiment that tested the effectiveness of such queries, as compared to relevance feedback query techniques. For a set of TREC topics and documents, queries derived from annotated passages produced significantly better results than queries derived from subjects’ judgments of relevance.
A short-term mouse model that reproduces the immunopathological features of rhinovirus-induced exacerbation of COPD

Viral exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), commonly caused by rhinovirus (RV) infections, are poorly controlled by current therapies. This is due to a lack of understanding of the underlying immunopathological mechanisms. Human studies have identified a number of key immune responses that are associated with RV-induced exacerbations including neutrophilic inflammation, expression of inflammatory cytokines and deficiencies in innate anti-viral interferon. Animal models of COPD exacerbation are required to determine the contribution of these responses to disease pathogenesis. We aimed to develop a short-term mouse model that reproduced the hallmark features of RV-induced exacerbation of COPD. Evaluation of complex protocols involving multiple dose elastase and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration combined with RV1B infection showed suppression rather than enhancement of inflammatory parameters compared with control mice infected with RV1B alone. Therefore, these approaches did not accurately model the enhanced inflammation associated with RV infection in patients with COPD compared with healthy subjects. In contrast, a single elastase treatment followed by RV infection led to heightened airway neutrophilic and lymphocytic inflammation, increased expression of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10)/IP-10 (interferon γ-induced protein 10) and CCL5 [chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5]/RANTES (regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), mucus hypersecretion and preliminary evidence for increased airway hyper-responsiveness compared with mice treated with elastase or RV infection alone. In summary, we have developed a new mouse model of RV-induced COPD exacerbation that mimics many of the inflammatory features of human disease. This model, in conjunction with human models of disease, will provide an essential tool for studying disease mechanisms and allow testing of novel therapies with potential to be translated into clinical practice.
Histone H1 Plays a Role in Heterochromatin Formation and VSG Expression Site Silencing in Trypanosoma brucei

The African sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei evades the host immune system through antigenic variation of its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat. Although the T. brucei genome contains ∼1500 VSGs, only one VSG is expressed at a time from one of about 15 subtelomeric VSG expression sites (ESs). For antigenic variation to work, not only must the vast VSG repertoire be kept silent in a genome that is mainly constitutively transcribed, but the frequency of VSG switching must be strictly controlled. Recently it has become clear that chromatin plays a key role in silencing inactive ESs, thereby ensuring monoallelic expression of VSG. We investigated the role of the linker histone H1 in chromatin organization and ES regulation in T. brucei. T. brucei histone H1 proteins have a different domain structure to H1 proteins in higher eukaryotes. However, we show that they play a key role in the maintenance of higher order chromatin structure in bloodstream form T. brucei as visualised by electron microscopy. In addition, depletion of histone H1 results in chromatin becoming generally more accessible to endonucleases in bloodstream but not in insect form T. brucei. The effect on chromatin following H1 knock-down in bloodstream form T. brucei is particularly evident at transcriptionally silent ES promoters, leading to 6–8 fold derepression of these promoters. T. brucei histone H1 therefore appears to be important for the maintenance of repressed chromatin in bloodstream form T. brucei. In particular H1 plays a role in downregulating silent ESs, arguing that H1-mediated chromatin functions in antigenic variation in T. brucei.
An MHC-I Cytoplasmic Domain/HIV-1 Nef Fusion Protein Binds Directly to the μ Subunit of the AP-1 Endosomal Coat Complex

Background The down-regulation of the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) from the surface of infected cells by the Nef proteins of primate immunodeficiency viruses likely contributes to pathogenesis by providing evasion of cell-mediated immunity. HIV-1 Nef-induced down-regulation involves endosomal trafficking and a cooperative interaction between the cytoplasmic domain (CD) of MHC-I, Nef, and the clathrin adaptor protein complex-1 (AP-1). The CD of MHC-I contains a key tyrosine within the sequence YSQA that is required for down-regulation by Nef, but this sequence does not conform to the canonical AP-binding tyrosine-based motif Yxxφ, which mediates binding to the medium (μ) subunits of AP complexes. We previously proposed that Nef allows the MHC-I CD to bind the μ subunit of AP-1 (μ1) as if it contained a Yxxφmotif. Methods and Findings Here, we show that a direct interaction between the MHC-I CD/Nef and μ1 plays a primary role in the down-regulation of MHC-I: GST pulldown assays using recombinant proteins indicated that most of the MHC-I CD and Nef residues that are required for the down-regulation in human cells contribute to direct interactions with a truncated version of μ1. Specifically, the tyrosine residue of the YSQA sequence in the MHC-I CD as well as Nef residues E62-65 and P78 each contributed to the interaction between MHC-I CD/Nef and μ1 in vitro, whereas Nef M20 had little to no role. Conversely, residues F172/D174 and V392/L395 of the binding pocket on μ1 for Yxxφ motifs were required for a robust interaction. Conclusions These data indicate that the MHC-I cytoplasmic domain, Nef, and the C-terminal two thirds of the μ subunit of AP-1 are sufficient to constitute a biologically relevant interaction. The data also reveal an unexpected role for a hydrophobic pocket in μ1 for interaction with MHC-I CD/Nef.
Local Algorithms for Pattern Recognition and Dependencies Estimation

In previous publications (Bottou and Vapnik 1992; Vapnik 1992) we described local learning algorithms, which result in performance improvements for real problems. We present here the theoretical framework on which these algorithms are based. First, we present a new statement of certain learning problems, namely the local risk minimization. We review the basic results of the uniform convergence theory of learning, and extend these results to local risk minimization. We also extend the structural risk minimization principle for both pattern recognition problems and regression problems. This extended induction principle is the basis for a new class of algorithms.
Predicting User Engagement on Twitter with Real-World Events

People invest time, attention, and emotion while engaging in various activities in the real-world, for either purposes of awareness or participation. Social media platforms such as Twitter offer tremendous opportunities for people to become engaged in such real-world events through information sharing and communicating about these events. However, little is understood about the factors that affect people's Twitter engagement in such real-world events. In this paper, we address this question by first operationalizing a person's Twitter engagement in real-world events such as posting, retweeting, or replying to tweets about such events. Next, we construct statistical models that examine multiple predictive factors associated with four different perspectives of users' Twitter engagement, and quantify their potential influence on predicting the (i) presence; and (ii) degree — of the user's engagement with 643 real-world events. We also consider the effect of these factors with respect to a finer granularization of the different categories of events. We find that the measures of people's prior Twitter activities, topical interests, geolocation, and social network structures are all variously correlated to their engagement with real-world events.
Iterative learning control for vibration reduction in industrial robots with link flexibility

This paper proposes an iterative learning control (ILC) scheme for the reduction of the end-effector vibration caused by the flexible link deflection in large-size robot manipulators. A 6-DoF LCD substrate transfer robot with two long vertical links is used as the testing example to study the end-effector vibration reduction. Due to the beam flexibility of the long vertical links, the precision performance of the end-effector may be severely degraded especially when robots are out-stretching. Normally there is no actuation degree of freedom on the link of deflection to directly compensate for the vibration. Hence, control action is applied to other actuation degrees of freedom based on the kinematic study of the vibration. Specifically, an ILC scheme is employed to off-line modify the reference trajectory of these robot joints for the next iteration based on prior position measurements of the end-effector and the kinematic relationships between the joints and the end-effector. Simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme in reducing the vibration of the end-effector.
A Hybrid Path-Relinking Method for Solving a Stochastic Lot Sizing and Scheduling Problem

Path-relinking has been used to help solving deterministic problems by exploring the neighbourhood of elite solutions in an intelligent way. In this paper, we present an algorithm that combines a mixed-integer linear solver with a truncated path-relinking method in order to solve a stochastic lot sizing and scheduling problem dealing with perishable products. This supply chain planning problem may be seen as a two-stage stochastic integer problem with complete recourse and first stage integer variables. In the first stage the decision maker decides about the production sequence and the production quantities. Afterwards, the uncertain demand is unveiled and the second stage decisions concerned about inventory usage are taken. The key idea of this method is to take advantage of the possible scenario-based decomposition in an innovative way, which can be generalized to problems with a similar structure. Therefore, path-relinking is used to combine optimised solutions from different scenarios in pursuing good stochastic solutions. Computational results show a clear advantage of the proposed method in solving this stochastic problem when compared to a state-of-the-art mixed-integer solver, especially for the medium and larger instances.
Automatic detection of acute lymphoblasitc leukemia using image processing

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a form of blood cancer caused due to the abnormal increase in the production of immature white blood cells in the bone marrow, mostly affecting children below 5 years and adults above 50 years of age. The ailment has to be detected and treated at an early stage for recovery. Early signs of the disease in children include fever and bruising which can go unnoticed during the critical early stage. We propose and implement a fully automated algorithm by use of image processing to aid in the detection of acute lymphoblastic leukemia by identifying and counting the infected white blood cells present in the human blood sample. The method provides high speed, accuracy and scope for early detection of the disease. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB and an average accuracy greater than 90% is achieved.
Re-configurable computing in wireless

Wireless communications requires a new approach to implement the algorithms for new standards. The computational demands of these standards are outstripping the ability of traditional signal processors, and standards are changing too quickly for traditional hardware implementation. In this paper we outline how reconfigurable processing can meet the needs for wireless base station design while providing the programmability to allow not just field upgrades as standards evolve, but also to adapt to much more dynamic factors in the environment such as traffic mix and the weather. We outline how a designer works with the Chameleon reconfigurable processor from algorithm design to prototyping on a development module.
Reliability Impact of Chalcogenide-Structure Relaxation in Phase-Change Memory (PCM) Cells—Part I: Experimental Study

The phase-change memory (PCM) relies on the electrical properties of the chalcogenide materials to represent the stored bit of information. As a result, data stability depends on structural relaxation (SR) in the amorphous chalcogenide phase, which results in a temperature-accelerated time evolution of the electrical properties of the active material. Here, we address the time, temperature, and bias dependence of SR effects on the amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) material used in PCM cells. Electrical measurements for increasing annealing time and temperature indicate that SR can be described by a defect annihilation process in the amorphous chalcogenide material. Finally, the stability of chalcogenide resistance as a function of the read conditions is discussed, for the purpose of reducing the impact of SR on the reliability of PCM devices.
Human Copper‐Zinc Superoxide Dismutase Transgenic Mice Are Highly Resistant to Reperfusion Injury After Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Background and Purpose We have demonstrated in a previous study that superoxide radicals play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction, using a transgenic mouse model of distal middle cerebral artery occlusion, permanent ipsilateral cerebral carotid artery occlusion, and 1-hour contralateral cerebral carotid artery occlusion that produced infarction only in the cortex. However, the role of superoxide radicals in reperfusion injury in transgenic mice overexpressing superoxide dismutase (SOD) is unknown. Using a mouse model of intraluminal blockade of middle cerebral artery that produced both cortical and striatal infarction, we now further examined the role of superoxide radicals in ischemic cerebral infarction after reperfusion in transgenic mice overexpressing human CuZn-SOD activity. Methods Transgenic mice of strain Tg HS/SF-218, carrying human SOD-1 genes, and nontransgenic littermates were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (350 mg/kg IP) and xylazine (4 mg/kg IP). Physiological parameters were maintained at a normal range using a 30% O2/70% N2O gas mixture inserted via an inhalation mask. Body temperature was maintained at 37±0.5°C by using a heating pad throughout the studies. The middle cerebral artery occlusion was achieved with a 5-0 rounded nylon suture placed within the internal cerebral artery for 3 hours followed by the removal of the suture to allow reperfusion for another 3 hours. Cerebral infarct size in brain slices and infarct volume, neurological deficit, cortical blood flow, and glutathione levels were measured in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice. Results Compared with the nontransgenic mice, the infarcted areas were significantly decreased in coronal slices from transgenic mice. The infarct volume (in cubic millimeters) was reduced by 26% in transgenic mice after ischemia and reperfusion. This decrease in the infarct volume in transgenic mice closely paralleled the reduced neurological deficits. Introduction of the suture to block blood supply to the middle cerebral artery territory produced a rapid decrease in the relative surface blood flow in the ipsilateral core and the peri-ischemic (penumbra) areas. There were no significant differences in the local cerebral blood flow in the ischemic core or the penumbra areas between the transgenic and nontransgenic groups. However, the level of reduced glutathione in the penumbra area was significantly higher in transgenic mice than in nontransgenic mice, whereas there was no difference in the reduced glutathione levels in the ischemic core between these two groups. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that superoxide radicals play a major role in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction in reperfusion injury after a focal stroke. The reduction in infarct volume and neurological deficits is not dependent on the changes in cerebral blood flow but rather correlate with reduced oxidative stress in the ischemic brain tissue, which was indicated by the relatively high levels of endogenous reduced glutathione in transgenic mice.
A Semidefinite Relaxation for Air Traffic Flow Scheduling

We first formulate the problem of optimally scheduling air traffic low with sector capacity constraints as a mixed integer linear program. We then use semidefinite relaxation techniques to form a convex relaxation of that problem. Finally, we present a randomization algorithm to further improve the quality of the solution. Because of the specific structure of the air traffic flow problem, the relaxation has a single semidefinite constraint of size dn where d is the maximum delay and n the number of flights.
The Swarthmore College Senseval-3 system

This paper presents the Swarthmore College wordsense disambiguation system which was designed for the 2004 SENSEVAL3 competition. Our system participated in five tasks: the lexical sample tasks in Basque, Catalan, Italian, Romanian, and Spanish. For each task, a suite of supervised algorithms were combined using voting to form the final system.
IL-1R1 Signaling Regulates CXCL12-Mediated T Cell Localization and Fate within the Central Nervous System during West Nile Virus Encephalitis

Immune cell entry into the virally infected CNS is vital for promoting viral clearance yet may contribute to neuropathology if not rigorously regulated. We previously showed that signaling through IL-1R1 is critical for effector T cell reactivation and virologic control within the CNS during murine West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis. WNV-infected IL-1R1−/− mice also display increased parenchymal penetration of CD8+ T cells despite lack of CD4-mediated full activation, suggesting dysregulation of molecular components of CNS immune privilege. In this study, we show that IL-1 signaling regulates the CNS entry of virus-specific lymphocytes, promoting protective immune responses to CNS viral infections that limit immunopathology. Analysis of blood–brain barrier function in the WNV-infected IL-1R1−/− mice revealed no alterations in permeability. However, parenchymal proinflammatory chemokine expression, including CCL2, CCL5, and CXCL10, was significantly upregulated, whereas microvasculature CXCL12 expression was significantly decreased in the absence of IL-1 signaling. We show that during WNV infection, CD11b+CD45hi infiltrating cells (macrophages) are the primary producers of IL-1β within the CNS and, through the use of an in vitro blood–brain barrier model, that IL-1β promotes CXCR4-mediated T cell adhesion to brain microvasculature endothelial cells. Of interest, IFNγ+ and CD69+ WNV-primed T cells were able to overcome CXCL12-mediated adhesion via downregulation of CXCR4. These data indicate that infiltrating IL-1β–producing leukocytes contribute to cellular interactions at endothelial barriers that impart protective CNS inflammation by regulating the parenchymal entry of CXCR4+ virus-specific T cells during WNV infection.
A low power software-defined-radio baseband processor for the Internet of Things

In this paper, we define a configurable Software Defined Radio (SDR) baseband processor design for the Internet of Things (IoT). We analyzed the fundamental algorithms in communications systems on IoT devices to enable a microarchitecture design that supports many IoT standards and custom nonstandard communications. Based on this analysis, we propose a custom SIMD execution model coupled with a scalar unit. We introduce several architectural optimizations to this design: streaming registers, variable bit width datapath, dedicated ALUs for critical kernels, and an optimized flexible reduction network. We employ voltage scaling and clock gating to further reduce the power, while more than a 100% time margin has been reserved for reliable operation in the near-threshold region. Together our architectural enhancements lead to a 71× power reduction compared to a classic general purpose SDR SIMD architecture. Our IoT SDR datapath has sub-mW power consumption based on SPICE simulation, and is placed and routed to fit within an area of 0.074mm2 in a 28nm process. We implemented several essential elementary signal processing kernels and combined them to demonstrate two end-to-end upper bound systems, 802.15. 4-OQPSK and Bluetooth Low Energy. Our full SDR baseband system consists of a configurable SIMD with a control plane MCU and memory. For comparison, the best commercial wireless transceiver consumes 23.8mW for the entire wireless system (digital/RF/ analog). We show that our digital system power is below 2mW, in other words only 8% of the total system power. The wireless system is dominated by RF/analog power comsumption, thus the price of flexibility that SDR affords is small. We believe this work is unique in demonstrating the value of baseband SDR in the low power IoT domain.
The third party

Abstract Spatial and temporal variation in interactions among plants, other species and the abiotic environment create context-dependency in vegetation pattern. We argue that we can enhance understanding of context-dependency by being more explicit about the kinds of direct interactions that occur among more than two living and non-living entities (i. e., third through nth parties) and formalizing how their combinations create context-dependency using simple conceptual models. This general approach can be translated into field studies of context-dependency in communities by combining: progressive sampling of local variation in vegetation pattern that encompasses variation in combinations of direct interactions; spatial and temporal measures of these direct interactions; locally parameterized versions of the conceptual models; and appropriately scaled experiments.