Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Force and Muscle Shortening in Regional Ischemia: Asynchronization and Possible Uncoupling

Acute myocardial ischemia affects both cardiac muscle force development and shortening in the affected regions. The exact mechanisms are unclear. We investigated myocardial function during ischemia and reperfusion both experimentally and with a muscle fiber model. The model was subjected to perturbations in contractility and force activation. Results show that the cardiac muscle model reflects many of the physiological changes observed in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. Asynchronization between force generation and muscle shortening observed during regional ischemia and reperfusion may be dependent on the extent of their uncoupling
Should deep neural nets have ears? the role of auditory features in deep learning approaches

Features inspired by the auditory system have previously demonstrated improvement in automatic speech recognition (ASR). Similarly, the use of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) was found to outperform classic approaches to ASR in many conditions. Since DNNs have the potential to learn the task-relevant features from a conventional filter bank output, we investigate if the combination of auditory features and deep learning should be preferred over self-learned patterns. Specifically, noise-robust Gabor features and Amplitude Modulation Filter-Bank (AMFB) features, highly invariant against reverberation, are used as input to a state-of-the-art ASR system incorporating DNN processing. On the Aurora-4 task, both mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and filter bank (FBank) features are outperformed in many acoustic conditions through auditory processing, yielding average relative improvements of up to 69% over MFCC and 21% over the commonly used DNN-FBank setup. This highlights the mutual benefit of auditory signal processing and recent advances in machine learning.
Exploring Linear Structures of Critical Path Delay Faults to Reduce Test Efforts

It has been shown that the delay of a target path can be composed linearly of other path delays. If the later paths are robustly testable (with known delay values), the target path can then be validated through simple calculation. Yet, no decomposition process is available to find paths that satisfy the above property. In this paper, given a set of target critical paths, we propose a two-stage method to find a set of robust-testable paths (with smaller number than the original set). The first stage constructs a necessary subset for critical robust paths, and the second stage identifies remaining functional sensitizable segments and their corresponding composing robust paths. The experiments show that a large percentage (several benchmarks close to 100%, 75% on average) of critical paths can be covered for most circuits. All paths and coverage are verified to match the best possible results. The data also indicate that the remaining hard-to-test (functional sensitizable) paths actually result from only a few tens of segments in the circuit (except for one circuit, s35932). DfT technique can then be applied to these uncovered segments for full testability with small overheads
The influence of prosthetic stem stiffness and of a calcar collar on stresses in the proximal end of the femur with a cemented femoral component.

UNLABELLED We used three-dimensional finite-element models of the proximal end of the femur to examine the influence of stem material, stem geometry, and the use of a calcar collar on the stresses in and around implanted total hip-replacement femoral components. Anatomical bone geometries and realistic prosthetic geometries were considered. A slender titanium-alloy stem with a collar allows creation of calcar stresses of approximately 80 per cent of the anticipated normal levels. A similar stem of cobalt-chromium alloy creates calcar stresses of 67 per cent of these normal values. Stem designs without a collar were shown to generate no more than 40 per cent of normal values while larger, stiffer stems were seen to create less than 30 per cent of normal values, with or without a collar. Proximal cement stresses were increased by the use of titanium-alloy stems, but were reduced to low levels by a functioning collar. The highest cement stresses in the system were found near the tip of the stem, where titanium-alloy stems create lower stresses than do corresponding cobalt-chromium-alloy stems. The achievability of calcar loading with a titanium prosthesis was demonstrated in in vitro strain-gauge tests. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Loosening of the femoral stem and calcar resorption are problems that are seen in many long-term clinical series of total hip prostheses. In order to reduce the incidence of these problems, the goal of the designer of a prosthesis is to reduce cement and cement interface stresses around the femoral stem and to create stress distributions in the bone that will prevent resorption. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Allocating Cost of Service to Customers in Inventory Routing

Vendor-managed inventory VMI replenishment is a collaboration between a supplier and its customers, where the supplier is responsible for managing the customers' inventory levels. In the VMI setting we consider, the supplier exploits synergies between customers, e.g., their locations, usage rates, and storage capacities, to reduce distribution costs. Due to the intricate interactions between customers, calculating a fair cost-to-serve for each customer is a daunting task. However, cost-to-serve information is useful when marketing to new customers or when revisiting routing and delivery quantity decisions. We design mechanisms for this cost allocation problem and determine their characteristics both analytically and computationally.
Robustness of information diffusion algorithms to locally bounded adversaries

We consider the problem of diffusing information in networks that contain malicious nodes. We assume that each normal node in the network has no knowledge of the network topology other than an upper bound on the number of malicious nodes in its neighborhood. We introduce a topological property known as r-robustness of a graph, and show that this property provides improved bounds on tolerating malicious behavior, in comparison to traditional concepts such as connectivity and minimum degree. We use this topological property to analyze the canonical problems of distributed consensus and broadcast, and provide sufficient conditions for these operations to succeed. Finally, we provide a construction for r-robust graphs and show that the common preferential-attachment model for scale-free networks produces a robust graph.
Carboxyl‐terminal fragment of Alzheimer's APP destabilizes calcium homeostasis and renders neuronal cells vulnerable to excitotoxicity

Numerous lines of evidence indicate that some of the neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is due to proteolytic fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Most research has focused on the amyloid β peptide (Aβ). However, the possible role of other cleaved products of APP is less clear. We have previously shown that a recombinant carboxy‐terminal 105 amino acid fragment (CT 105) of APP induced strong nonselective inward currents in Xenopus oocyte; it also revealed neurotoxicity in PC12 cells and primary cortical neurons, blocked later phase of long‐term potentiation in rat hippocampus in vivo, and induced memory deficits and neuropathological changes in mice. We report here that the pretreatment with CT 105 for 24 h at a 10 μM concentration increases intracellular calcium concentration by about twofold in SK‐N‐SH and PC 12 cells, but not in U251 cells, originated from human glioblastoma. In addition, the calcium increase and toxicity induced by CT 105 were reduced by cholesterol and MK 801 in SK‐N‐SH and PC 12 cells, whereas the toxicity of Aβ1–42 was attenuated by nifedipine and verapamil. CT 105 rendered SK‐N‐SH cells and rat primary cortical neurons more vulnerable to glutamate‐induced excitotoxicity. Also, conformational studies using circular dichroism experiments showed that CT 105 has ~15% of β‐sheet content in phosphate buffer and aqueous 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol solutions. However, the content of β‐sheet conformation in dodecyl phosphocholine micelle or in the negatively charged vesicles, is increased to 22%‐23%. The results of this study showed that CT 105 disrupts calcium homeostasis and renders neuronal cells more vulnerable to glutamate‐induced excitotoxicity, and that some portion of CT 105 has partial β‐sheet conformation in various environments, which may be related to the self‐aggregation and toxicity. This may be significantly possibly involved in inducing the neurotoxicity characteristic of AD. –Kim, H. ‐S. , Park, C. H. , Cha, S. H. , Lee, J.‐H. , Lee, S. , Kim, Y. , Rah, J.‐C. , Jeong, S. ‐J., Suh, Y. ‐H. Carboxyl‐terminal fragment of Alzheimer's APP destabilizes calcium homeostasis and renders neuronal cells vulnerable to excitotoxicity. FASEB J. 14, 1508–1517 (2000)
The Effect of Social Networking Based Brand Communities and Brand Love, on Brand Loyalty

Social networking-based brand communities are developed to provide a platform for those who want to connect with the brand and brand-related information. Now a days, companies understand the choices of customers and struggle hard to retain their loyal customers. The loyal customers play a very influential role in attracting the new customers and generating positive WoM. Positive communication strengthens brand love among its customers. The aim of this research is to check whether these social networking-based brand communities and brand love, have any effect on brand loyalty or not. This research was conducted using an online survey of Samsung Inc. face book community's members and 200 respondents from the District of Gujrat (Pakistan). The results of structure equation model show that brand communities, which are based on social networks, are positively attached with community makers, which means that they have positive effect (share ideas, take part in discussion, satisfied with the brand) and brand love, based on social media, also has positive effect (passionate attachment with brand) and both constructs ultimately contribute towards loyalty.
A Block Cipher based PRNG Secure Against Side-Channel Key Recovery

We study the security of a block cipher-based pseudorandom number generator, both in the black box world and in the physical world, separately. We first show that the construction is a secure PRNG in the ideal cipher model. Then, we demonstrate its security against a Bayesian side-channel key recovery adversary. As a main result, we show that our construction guarantees that the success rate of the adversary does not increase with the number of physical observations, but in a limited and controlled way. Besides, we observe that, under common assumptions on side-channel attack strategies, increasing the security parameter (typically the block cipher key size) by a polynomial factor involves an increase of a side-channel attack complexity by an exponential factor, making the probability of a successful attack negligible. We believe this work provides a first interesting example of the way the algorithmic design of a cryptographic scheme influences its side-channel resistance.
Xanalogical structure, needed now more than ever: parallel documents, deep links to content, deep versioning, and deep re-use

It has always been much more ambitious, proposing an entire form of literature where links do not break as versions change; where documents may be closely compared side by side and closely annotated; where it is possible to see the origins of every quotation; and in which there is a valid copyright system -a literary, legal and business arrangement -for frictionless, non-negotiated quotation at any time and in any amount. The Web trivialized this original Xanadu model, vastly but incorrectly simplifying these problems to a world of fragile ever-breaking oneway links, with no recognition of change or copyright, and no support for multiple versions or principled re-use. Fonts and glitz, rather than content connective structure, prevail.
Association of XRCC1 Trp194 allele with risk of breast cancer, and Ki67 protein status in breast tumor tissues

Objectives: To evaluate the role of this polymorphism as a risk factor for breast cancer in Kurdish patients and to investigate the possible association between Arg194Trp x-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene polymorphisms with clinical and histopathological outcomes of patients with breast cancer. Methods: A total of 100 breast cancer patients and 200 cancer-free controls in Kurdish population of Kurdistan state admitted to Tohid Hospital, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran between January 2012 and May 2015 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Tissue expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesteron receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2/neu), and Ki67 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The Arg194Trp genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: Our data showed that the risk for breast cancer increased significantly among the Trp variant of XRCC1. Statistically significant association was found between codon 194 polymorphisms and tissue expression of Ki67. Conclusion: The Trp allele of codon 194 XRCC1 is a potential risk factor for breast cancer in Kurdish ethnicity. Furthermore, effect of this polymorphism on clinical and histological features of breast cancer was significant.
Image compact formats of iris samples for interoperability in biometric systems

In order to lower data storage requirements for ID tokens or databases, compact formats are needed in any biometric modality. As there is no morphological parameters that could help in reducing data, as it happens with minutiae in fingerprints, iris needs a data reduction at the raw image level. This is becoming quite a controversial issue among this technology community. Two major approaches are suggested. The first one is using cropped sub-images of the sample acquired. The second one is using a polar representation of the iris. This paper reflects one of the parallel works that is been carried out in order to achieve such a compact format. Authors have studied several representations from both approaches. They have analyzed data size requirements and processing time, while some important remarks about interoperability are given.
The nature of antibody heavy chain residue H6 strongly influences the stability of a VH domain lacking the disulfide bridge.

Monoclonal antibody mAb 03/01/01, directed against the musk odorant traseolide, carries a serine residue instead of the conserved Cys H92 in the heavy chain variable domain, and is thus lacking the highly conserved disulfide bridge. We investigated the energetic consequence of restoring the disulfide bond and the nature of residue H6 (Glu or Gln), which is poised to interact with Ser H92 in the recombinant scFv fragment obtained from this antibody. In the scFv fragment derived from this antibody, the stabilizing effect of Gln H6 over Glu was found to be as large as the effect of reintroducing the disulfide bond. We have analyzed the conformation and hydrogen bond pattern of Gln H6 and Glu H6 in antibodies carrying these residues and suggest mechanisms by which this residue could contribute to VH domain stability. We also show that the unpaired cysteine H22 is buried, and conforms to the expected VH structure. The antibody appears to have acquired two somatic mutations (Ser H52 and Arg H66), which had been previously characterized as having a positive effect on VH stability. The overall domain stability is the decisive factor for generating functional, disulfide-free antibody domains, and several key residues play dominant roles.
Effects of testosterone and progressive resistance exercise in healthy, highly functioning older men with low-normal testosterone levels.

CONTEXT Aging in men is associated with reduced testosterone (T) levels and physiological changes leading to frailty, but the benefits of T supplementation are inconclusive. OBJECTIVE We studied the effects of T supplementation with and without progressive resistance training (PRT) on functional performance, strength, and body composition. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We recruited 167 generally healthy community-dwelling older men (66 ± 5 years) with low-normal baseline total T levels (200-350 ng/dL). INTERVENTION Subjects were randomized to placebo or transdermal T gel [2 doses targeting either a lower (400-550 ng/dL) or higher (600-1000 ng/dL) T range] and to either PRT or no exercise for 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The primary outcome was functional performance, whereas secondary outcomes were strength and body composition. RESULTS A total of 143 men completed the study. At 12 months, total T was 528 ± 287 ng/dL in subjects receiving any T and 287 ± 65 ng/dL in the placebo group. In the PRT group, function and strength were not different between T- and placebo-treated subjects, despite greater improvements in fat mass (P = .04) and fat-free mass (P = .01) with T. In the non-PRT group, T did not improve function but improved fat mass (P = .005), fat-free mass (P = .03), and upper body strength (P = .03) compared with placebo. There were fewer cardiovascular events in the T-treated groups compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS T supplementation was well tolerated and improved body composition but had no effect on functional performance. T supplementation improved upper body strength only in nonexercisers compared with placebo.
14.5 A 1.22ps integrated-jitter 0.25-to-4GHz fractional-N ADPLL in 16nm FinFET CM0S

All-digital phase-locked loops (ADPLLs) offer faster locking time, easier portability and better performance in advanced semiconductor processes as compared to analog PLLs. Advanced FinFET devices exhibit better gm and ION than planar devices [1], but they are offered only in a limited number of device sizes, thus precluding their use in traditional analog design styles. In an ADPLL, the transistors are used as switches with little regard to their linear analog properties. Hence, ADPLL performance should improve with the adoption of FinFET devices. Inverter delay in a 16nm FinFET process is less than half of that in a 28nm planar process, improving in-band phase noise (PN) by around 6dB [2]. Ring-type digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) provide wide frequency tuning range (FTR), but poor PN performance degrades the ADPLL figure of merit (FoM) [3]. Achieving an FoM better than -225dB using a ring DCO is a challenge. In this work, we presenta 0.25-to-4GHz, 1.22ps integrated jitter and -228.6dB FoM fractional-N ADPLL with spread-spectrum clocking (SSC) capability in 16nm FinFET CMOS.
Template Protection for PCA-LDA-based 3D Face Recognition Systems

Authentication based on biometrics became significantly important over the last years. Privacy and security concerns arise by the extensive deployment of biometrics. The used biometric features itself have to be secured. We propose a security mechanism that solves privacy related problems in 3D facial verification systems. Our solution combines PCA/LDA feature extraction with the Helper Data Scheme for template protection. The evaluation shows recognition rates at the same level for secured and unsecured templates, which leads to a win-win scenario for users and providers of the adapted systems.
Digital storytelling in adult education and family literacy: a case study from rural Ireland

ABSTRACT Previous research on digital storytelling (DST) has focused chiefly on children and youth, but we know little about how it is used in non-formal adult education. This article analyzes a DST class in rural Ireland, which was organized by a family literacy program and offered for parents at an elementary school. Data sources included fieldnotes, interviews, and digital stories by the parents who finished the class (n = 3). Janks's interdependence model of critical literacy is used to analyze how the class incorporated power, access, diversity, and design. The class did not engage in ideology critique or analyze the origins or consequences of dominant technologies, languages, and literacies (i.e., investigate power as domination). However, the class did provide access to technology knowledge and skills; affirm parents’ diverse knowledge, languages, life experiences, and identities; and equip participants to design and disseminate their digital stories. The study highlights possibilities for using multimodal composition in family learning and adult education.
A polynomial time λ-calculus with multithreading and side effects

The framework of Light Logics has been extensively studied to control the complexity of higher-order functional programs. We propose an extension of this framework to multithreaded programs with side effects, focusing on the case of polynomial time. After introducing a modal λ-calculus with parallel composition and regions, we prove that a realistic call-by-value evaluation strategy can be computed in polynomial time for a class of well-formed programs. The result relies on the simulation of call-by-value by a polynomial shallow-first strategy which preserves the evaluation order of side effects. Then, we provide a polynomial type system that guarantees that well-typed programs do not go wrong. Finally, we illustrate the expressivity of the type system by giving a programming example of concurrent iteration producing side effects over an inductive data structure.
Distributed road traffic congestion quantification using cooperative VANETs

The well-known traffic congestion problem in urban environments has negative impact on many areas including economy, environment, health and lifestyle. Recently, a number of solutions based on vehicle-to-vehicle communications were proposed for traffic congestion detection and management. In this paper we present an algorithm designed to enable each vehicle in the network to detect and quantify the level of traffic congestion in completely distributed way, independent of any supporting infrastructure and additional information such as traffic data from local authorities. Based on observations of traffic congestion by every vehicle, and by adapting the broadcast interval, it enables dissemination of the traffic information to other vehicles. The algorithm also makes every vehicle aware about the congestion level on the streets that are spatially separated from their current location by several streets. Its robustness keeps the vehicle's overall knowledge about congestion consistent, despite the short-term changes in vehicle's motion. Since the quantification of congestion is based on per-vehicle basis, the algorithm is able to operate even when only 10% of vehicles in the network are VANET enabled. Data aggregation and adaptive broadcasting are used to ensure that vehicles do not send redundant information about the traffic congestion. The simulations are conducted in Veins framework based on OMNeT++ network simulator and SUMO vehicular mobility simulator.
Improving learners’ self-efficacy in a learner-controlled online learning environment: a correlational study

Online learning is gradually being adopted by higher institutes and becoming much more common in higher education worldwide, but some learners still find it challenging. Though they are familiar with computer and technology usage, they are still uncertain of their ability to perform well in online classes. A review of studies focused on how these learners gain more confidence and success shows a link between self-efficacy and learners’ outcomes. Efficacious learners tend to adapt and cope well when faced with obstacles. Moreover, learners who were given control over their learning environment performed better, were more satisfied, and had higher selfefficacy than control groups. It is theorised that embedding learner control into online learning programmes might help inefficacious learners gain more self-efficacy but few studies have investigated this relationship in the real online class setting. Therefore, this study in progress is an attempt to fill in this research gap.