Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Packet Classification using Hierarchical Intelligent Cuttings

Internet routers that operate as firewalls, or provide a variety of service classes, perform different operations on different flows. A flow is defined to be all the packets sharing common header characteristics; for example a flow may be defined as all the packets between two specific IP addresses. In order to classify a packet, a router consults a table (or classifier) using one or more fields from the packet header to search for the corresponding flow. The classifier is a list of rules that identify each flow and the actions to be performed on each. With the increasing demands on router performance, there is a need for algorithms that can classify packets quickly with minimal storage requirements and allow new flows to be frequently added and deleted. In the worst case, packet classification is hard requiring routers to use heuristics that exploit structure present in the classifiers. This paper presents such a heuristic, called HiCuts, (hierarchical intelligent cuttings), which exploits the structure found in classifiers. We describe HiCuts and examine its performance against real classifiers in use today. When compared with previously described algorithms and used to classify packets based on four header fields, the algorithm is found to classify packets quickly and has relatively small storage requirements.
Cognitive Dysfunction Precedes the Onset of Motor Symptoms in the MitoPark Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by progressive loss of dopamine neurons, leading to loss of motor coordination. However, PD is associated with a high rate of non-motor neuropsychiatric comorbities that often develop before the onset of movement symptoms. The MitoPark transgenic mouse model is the first to recapitulate the cardinal clinical features, namely progressive neurodegeneration and death of neurons, loss of motor function and therapeutic response to L-DOPA. To investigate whether MitoPark mice exhibit early onset of cognitive impairment, a non-motor neuropsychiatric comorbidity, we measured performance on a spatial learning and memory task before (∼8 weeks) or after (∼20 weeks) the onset of locomotor decline in MitoPark mice or in littermate controls. Consistent with previous studies, we established that a progressive loss of spontaneous locomotor activity began at 12 weeks of age, which was followed by progressive loss of body weight beginning at 16–20 weeks. Spatial learning and memory was measured using the Barnes Maze. By 20 weeks of age, MitoPark mice displayed a substantial reduction in overall locomotor activity that impaired their ability to perform the task. However, in the 8-week-old mice, locomotor activity was no different between genotypes, yet MitoPark mice took longer, traveled further and committed more errors than same age control mice, while learning to successfully navigate the maze. The modest between-day learning deficit of MitoPark mice was characterized by impaired within-day learning during the first two days of testing. No difference was observed between genotypes during probe trials conducted one or twelve days after the final acquisition test. Additionally, 8-week-old MitoPark mice exhibited impaired novel object recognition when compared to control mice. Together, these data establish that mild cognitive impairment precedes the loss of motor function in a novel rodent model of PD, which may provide unique opportunities for therapeutic development.
Can Telehealth Ontario respiratory call volume be used as a proxy for emergency department respiratory visit surveillance by public health?

OBJECTIVE There is a paucity of information regarding the usefulness of non-traditional data streams for real-time syndromic surveillance systems. The objective of this paper is to examine the temporal relation between Ontario's emergency department (ED) visits and telephone health line (Telehealth) call volume for respiratory illnesses to test the feasibility of using Ontario's Telehealth system for real-time surveillance. METHODS Retrospective time-series data from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS) and the Telehealth Ontario program from June 1, 2004, to March 31, 2006, were analyzed. The added value of Telehealth Ontario data was determined by comparing it temporally with NACRS data, which uses the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10-Canadian Enhancement coding system for discharge diagnoses. RESULTS Telehealth Ontario had 216,105 calls for respiratory complaints, while 819,832 ICD-coded complaints from NACRS were identified with a comparable diagnosis of respiratory illness. Telehealth Ontario call volume was heavily weighted for the 0-4 years age group (49%), while the NACRS visits were mainly from those 18-64 years old (44%). The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was calculated to be 0.97, with the time-series analysis also resulting in significant correlations at lags (semi-monthly) 0 and 1, indicating that increases in Telehealth Ontario call volume correlate with increases in NACRS discharge diagnosis data for respiratory illnesses. CONCLUSION Telehealth Ontario call volume fluctuation reflects directly on ED respiratory visit data on a provincial basis. These call complaints are a timely, useful and representative data stream that shows promise for integration into a real-time syndromic surveillance system.
A Note on Interviewer Performance Measures in centralised CATI Surveys

Interviewer performance with respect to convincing sample members to participate in surveys is an important dimension of survey quality. However, unlike in CAPI surveys where each sample case ‘belongs’ to one interviewer, there are hardly any good measures of interview performance for centralised CATI surveys, where even single contacts are assigned to interviewers at random. If more than one interviewer works one sample case, it is not clear how to attribute success or failure to the interviewers involved. In this article, we propose two correlated methods to measure interviewer contact performance in centralised CATI surveys. Their modelling must take complex multilevel clustering e ffects, which need not be hierarchical, into account. Results are consistent with findings from CAPI data modelling, and we find that when comparing eff ects with a direct (‘naive’) measure of interviewer contact results, interviewer random e ffects are largely underestimated using the naive measure.
Concentration of Measure Inequalities and Their Communication and Information-Theoretic Applications

During the last two decades, concentration of measure has been a subject of various exciting developments in convex geometry, functional analysis, statistical physics, high-dimensional statistics, probability theory, information theory, communications and coding theory, computer science, and learning theory. One common theme which emerges in these fields is probabilistic stability: complicated, nonlinear functions of a large number of independent or weakly dependent random variables often tend to concentrate sharply around their expected values. Information theory plays a key role in the derivation of concentration inequalities. Indeed, both the entropy method and the approach based on transportation-cost inequalities are two major information-theoretic paths toward proving concentration. This brief survey is based on a recent monograph of the authors in the Foundations and Trends in Communications and Information Theory (online available at this http URL), and a tutorial given by the authors at ISIT 2015. It introduces information theorists to three main techniques for deriving concentration inequalities: the martingale method, the entropy method, and the transportation-cost inequalities. Some applications in information theory, communications, and coding theory are used to illustrate the main ideas.
Caudatin‐2,6‐dideoxy‐3‐O‐methy‐β‐d‐cymaropyranoside 1 induced apoptosis through caspase 3‐dependent pathway in human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721

Caudatin‐2,6‐dideoxy‐3‐O‐methy‐β‐d‐cymaropyranoside (CDMC), the C‐21 steroidal glycoside recently extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant, the root of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight (Asclepiadaceae), has been shown to possess potent antitumor properties. However, the bioactivities of CDMC are still largely unknown, especially the antitumor effect and its mechanism. This study investigated the CDMC antitumor effects on human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 cells by analysis of cell viability, cell cycle phases and apoptosis. The results showed that CDMC inhibited the growth of SMMC7721 cells in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner and resulted in cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, CDMC induced SMMC7721 cell apoptosis rather than necrosis through caspase 3 activation, and a caspase 3 inhibitor, Ac‐DEVD‐CHO, could attenuate the apoptosis induced by CDMC. The results suggested that the anticancer activity of CDMC could be attributed partially to its inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis associated with caspase 3 activation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A grid approach to provide effective awareness to on-line collaborative learning teams

Providing collaborative learning applications the possibility to offer continuous awareness to on-line collaborative learning teams is a challenging issue since it is essential to keep participants informed of both what is happening and what happened in the learning group. Moreover, awareness is the basis to enhance collaboration and improve the individual and group performance since it allows to track and assess the collaborative learning process more objectively and to model students' behavior more efficiently. In order to provide students and tutors with effective awareness, we consider the collaborative actions registered in log files. It is necessary to process large and considerably complex event log files in a constant manner, and thus it may requires processing capacity beyond that of a single computer. To that end, in this paper we show how a Grid approach can considerably decrease the time of processing group activity log files and thus allow students and tutors to be aware of what is going on in the group activity even in real time. Our approach is based on the master-worker paradigm and is implemented using Globus technology running on the Planetlab platform. To test our application, we used event log files from the Basic Support for Collaborative Work (BSCW) system.
Towards a What-and-Where Model of Infants ’ Object Representations

We propose that the capacity for infants to form mental representations of hidden or occluded objects can be decomposed into two tasks: one process that identifies salient objects, and a second complementary process that identifies salient locations. This approach is inspired by the distinction between dorsal and ventral extrastriate visual processing in the primate visual system. We illustrate our approach by describing an eye-movement model that incorporates both dorsal and ventral processing streams, and by using the model to simulate infants’ reactions to possible and impossible events from an infant looking-time study (Baillargeon, 1986). As expected, we find that the dorsal system is sensitive to the location of a key feature in these events (i.e., the location of an obstacle), while the ventral system responds equivalently to the possible and impossible events. We conclude by discussing how these results may help explain infants’ reactions in looking-time studies.
Role of the p-Coumaroyl Moiety in the Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Effects of Flavonoid Glycosides: Comparison of Astragalin and Tiliroside

The aim of this study was to explore the role of p-coumaroyl in the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of flavonoid glycosides. The antioxidant effects of astragalin and tiliroside were compared using ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, DPPH• scavenging, ABTS•+ scavenging, •O2– scavenging, and Fe2+-chelating assays. The results of these assays revealed that astragalin and tiliroside both exhibited dose-dependent activities; however, tiliroside exhibited lower IC50 values than astragalin. In the Fe2+-chelating assay, tiliroside gave a larger shoulder-peak at 510 nm than astragalin, and was also found to be darker in color. Both of these compounds were subsequently evaluated in a Fenton-induced mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) damaged assay, where tiliroside performed more effectively as a cytoprotective agent than astragalin. Tiliroside bearing a 6′′-O-p-coumaroyl moiety exhibits higher antioxidant and cytoprotective effects than astragalin. The 6′′-O-p-coumaroyl moiety of tiliroside not only enhances the possibility of electron-transfer and hydrogen-atom-transfer-based multi-pathways, but also enhances the likelihood of Fe-chelating. The p-coumaroylation of the 6"-OH position could therefore be regarded as a potential approach for improving the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of flavonoid glycosides in MSC implantation therapy.
Numerical Linear Algebra for Model Reduction in Control and Simulation

Model reduction is an ubiquitous tool in analysis and simulation of dynamical systems, control design, circuit simulation, structural dynamics, CFD, etc. In the past decades many approaches have been developed for reducing the order of a given model. Often these methods have been derived in parallel in different disciplines with particular applications in mind. We will discuss some of the most prominent methods used for linear systems, compare their properties and highlight similarities. In particular, we will emphasize the role of recent developments in numerical linear algebra in the different approaches. Efficiently using these new techniques, the range of applicability of some of the methods has considerably widened. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Is density of neighbourhood restaurants associated with BMI in rural Chinese adults? A longitudinal study from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

Objectives The neighbourhood availability of restaurants has been linked to the weight status. However, little is known regarding the relation between access to restaurant and obesity among the Chinese population. This study aims to explore the relationship between neighbourhood restaurant density and body mass index (BMI) in rural China. Design A longitudinal study using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) was conducted. Participants aged 18 and older from the 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011 CHNS were recruited Separate sex-stratified random intercept-slope growth models of repeated BMI observations were estimated in the study. Setting The data were derived from rural communities in nine provinces in China. Participants There were 11 835 male and 12 561 female person-years assessed in this study. Outcomes The primary outcome of this study was weight status. It is defined as a BMI value, a continuous variable which is calculated by dividing weight (kg) by the square of height (m2). Results The study indicated that among men an increase of one indoor restaurant in the neighbourhood was associated with a 0.01 kg/m2 increase in BMI, and an increase of one fixed outdoor food stall was associated with a 0.01 kg/m2 decrease in BMI, whereas among women, an increase of one indoor restaurant in the neighbourhood was associated with a 0.005 kg/m2 increase in BMI, and an increase of one fast-food restaurant and one fixed outdoor food stall was associated with a 0.02 and 0.004 kg/m2 decline in BMI, respectively. Conclusions The density of neighbourhood restaurants was found to be significantly related to BMI in rural China. The results indicated that providing healthy food choices and developing related public health policies are necessary to tackle obesity among rural Chinese adults.
A Spiral Step-by-Step Educational Method for Cultivating Competent Embedded System Engineers to Meet Industry Demands

Embedded system technologies are undergoing dramatic change. Competent embedded system engineers are becoming a scarce resource in the industry. Given this, universities should revise their specialist education to meet industry demands. In this paper, a spirally tight-coupled step-by-step educational method, based on an analysis of industry requirements, is proposed. The learning process consists of multiple learning circles piled up in a spiral. Each learning circle consists of three steps: lecture, demo, and hands-on practice, which are tight-coupled to enable students to readily revisit essential knowledge. The circle currently being studied is directly based on the previous circle, so as to maintain a smooth learning curve. Since students can quickly see the result of their work, their motivation to learn remains high. Since a learning circle takes only a short period to complete, the core knowledge and skills can be repeated in different forms across the three types of educational step so that students can master them. The students' achievement and performance using the proposed method show that it can enable them to master the requisite knowledge and effectively transform this into skills.
A perceptually based spectral model for isotropic textures

Color is routinely used to visualize interval and ordinal data, while texture is not. For color, a variety of perceptually based models is available, which can be used to convey data via straightforward mapping. The dimensionality of texture is less well understood and there are almost no perceptually based and validated models available to generate textures on demand. We present a perceptually based texture synthesis model for isotropic textures. The model uses additive synthesis of band-limited noise in the spectral domain, comparable to the RGB (red, green, blue) model for color. Via user experiments, we have derived a three-dimensional model to control the amplitudes per band in a perceptually intuitive way, comparable to the HSV (hue, saturation, value) model for color. The three dimensions used are contrast, spatial frequency, and spectral purity. Besides a mapping to the amplitudes, we have derived a mapping to a perceptually equidistant space. We show how such textures can be combined with color; applications are presented.
Partial Critical Path Based Greedy Offloading in Small Cell Cloud

With mobile applications sharply developing, the battery technology becomes the bottleneck. Meanwhile, mobile users are increasingly sensitive to the latency of an application. The computation offloading in Small Cell Cloud (SCC) can economize the energy consumption of mobile devices efficiently and guarantee the makespan of an application. In this paper, we model the mobile application as a directed acyclic graph (DAG), and formulate an optimization problem of collaborative task execution to minimize the energy consumption on the mobile device while meeting a prescribed latency constraint. In order to solve this NP-hard problem, we propose a greedy algorithm based on partial critical path (GA-PCP) which can solve the problem approximately. The algorithm partitions the DAG into chains and processes these chains with the ``Add- Compare-Select" strategy to obtain the execution strategy. The algorithm can obtain a polynomial time complexity. Simulation results show that the solution of the GA-PCP is close to the optimal solution of the enumeration algorithm. Besides, the GA-PCP execution strategy can significantly save the energy consumption on the mobile device thereby prolonging its battery life, compared to the local execution.
A Fully Conservative Ghost Fluid Method & Stiff Detonation Waves

We present a new, fully conservative version of the ghost fluid method applicable for tracking material interfaces, inert shocks, and both deflagration and detonation waves in as many as three spatial dimensions. The exact discrete conservation properties are most important when tracking inert shocks and detonation waves, so that is the focus of this paper. In particular, we address the inviscid reactive Euler equations in the context of stiff detonation waves on coarse grids. The main difficulty here arises when the time scales of the chemical reaction are significantly shorter than the time scales of the fluid dynamics leading to a stiff source term and nonphysical wave phenomena. We use the level set method to track the location of the detonation wave and the ghost fluid method to treat the discontinuous quantities across the inert shock portion of that wave. This leads to a sharp non-smeared shock profile alleviating the nonphysical wave phenomena.
Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus replication in acutely infected CD4+ cells by CD8+ cells involves a noncytotoxic mechanism

The mechanism by which CD8+ T cells from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals suppress HIV replication in acutely infected CD4+ T cells was investigated. Cytotoxicity was not involved, as the antiviral activity of the CD8+ cells did not correlate with the ability to lyse HIV-infected or uninfected CD4+ T cells. In addition, the frequency of HIV-infected CD4+ cells increased during coculture with CD8+ T cells even in the absence of detectable levels of virus replication. Moreover, separation of the CD4+ and CD8+ cells by a 0.4-micron-pore-size filter delayed HIV replication, indicating a role, at least in part, for a soluble factor. However, cell contact was required for optimal antiviral activity. These results extend further the observation on the mechanism of antiviral HIV activity by CD8+ cells from infected individuals. They support the conclusion that CD8+ cells can play a major role in preventing development of disease in HIV-infected individuals.
Minimum Terms of Residual Redundancy for Successful Iterative Source-Channel Decoding

Iterative source-channel decoding (ISCD) improves the error robustness of a digital communication system by iteratively evaluating natural residual source redundancy and artificial channel coding redundancy in a TURBO-like process. Based on recent results to extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts we present a novel (experimental) approach to quantify the minimum terms of residual redundancy which are needed for (almost) successful ISCD. Moreover, we clarify why in certain situations the decoding trajectory exceeds the EXIT-characteristic of soft decision source decoding (SDSD) in an ISCD scheme
Distinguishing Features of Leucine and α-Ketoisocaproate Sensing in Pancreatic β-Cells

Culturing rat islets in high glucose (HG) increased 1-14C-α-ketoisocaproate (KIC) oxidation compared with culturing them in low glucose. Leucine caused insulin secretion (IS) in low glucose but not in HG rat islets, whereas KIC did so in both. Pretreatment with HG for 40 min abolished leucine stimulation of IS by mouse islets and prevented the cytosolic Ca2+ rise without inhibiting IS and Ca2+ increments caused by KIC. When islets were pretreated without glucose and glutamine, aminooxyacetic acid (AOA) markedly decreased KIC effects. When islets were pretreated without glucose and with glutamine, AOA potentiated leucine effects but attenuated KIC effects. AOA stimulated glutamine oxidation in the presence but not the absence of ±2-amino-2-norbornane-carboxylic acid, a nonmetabolized leucine analog. Pretreatment with HG and glutamine partially reversed AOA inhibition of KIC effects. Glucose increased intracellular ATP and GTP, whereas it decreased ADP and GDP in βHC9 cells. Glutamate dehydrogenase activity.