Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Mobile Data Offloading Policies in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

The rapidly increasing demand for mobile data services urges operators to explore alternative technologies to handle the voluminous data traffic on their networks. In this regard, mobile data offloading is expected to become a key industry segment in near future. In this paper, we propose a policy based offloading framework for cellular network which is based on a cost function approach. We discuss user centric, network centric and hybrid policies where the decision making is shared between the user and the network. We also present a novel mechanism for the decision sharing between user and network which is based on principles of autonomic networking and where policies are chosen dynamically according to the variation of network conditions and the operator strategies. Detailed simulation studies are conducted to validate the effectiveness of these policies in real networks.
High-Resolution Scanning X-ray Diffraction Microscopy

Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) and scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) are two popular microscopy techniques that have evolved quite independently. CDI promises to reach resolutions below 10 nanometers, but the reconstruction procedures put stringent requirements on data quality and sample preparation. In contrast, STXM features straightforward data analysis, but its resolution is limited by the spot size on the specimen. We demonstrate a ptychographic imaging method that bridges the gap between CDI and STXM by measuring complete diffraction patterns at each point of a STXM scan. The high penetration power of x-rays in combination with the high spatial resolution will allow investigation of a wide range of complex mesoscopic life and material science specimens, such as embedded semiconductor devices or cellular networks.
Using scent and music in a waiting room to positively influence patients'healthcare experience - A field experiment in a plastic surgery practice

“The number of people choosing to have plastic surgery has soared in recent years” (American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2011). Because of this growing number and the heterogeneity of this patient group, plastic surgery is an interesting field of research which has almost been neglected until today. This research project investigates the possibilities of sensory marketing to improve the healthcare experience of plastic surgeons’ patients. The research question is: How can scent and music be used in a waiting room of a plastic surgeon to positively influence the healthcare experience of patients? More specifically, the research project aims to find out how two selected environmental features (scent and music) can be used for both: to lower patients’ level of anxiety while waiting, and to improve patients’ perception in regards to the waiting environment and the perceived waiting time duration. To test these, a field experiment within the practice environment of a German plastic surgeon was conducted. For the selection of stimuli two pre-tests have been conducted before the main experiment started. Based on the results of these two pre-tests, lavender scent and instrumental music with nature sounds were used for the preparation of the experimental conditions in the waiting room. These two have been evaluated as the most pleasant and the most relaxing drivers in the conducted pre-tests that compared different music styles and different scents with each other. For the field experiment a survey with questionnaires was developed to collect first hand data. Results showed a significant interaction effect of lavender scent and instrumental music with nature sounds on patients’ level of anxiety. Both reduced anxiety, but only if these were used separately. If used together they did not reduce anxiety. These results were interpreted and explained with the help of Berlyne’s arousal theory (Berlyne, 1960). No significant effects of scent and/or music on evaluation of waiting environment and perceived waiting time duration were found.
Multimodel and neural emulators for non-linear systems: application to an indirect adaptive neural control

This work investigates an uncoupled multimodel emulator for non-linear system control design. Efficiency of the proposed multimodel emulator is illustrated by comparison with the neural one by their application to SISO indirect adaptive neural control. Neither an initialisation parameter and nor online adaptation is required for multimodel emulator unlike the neural one. The effectiveness of the proposed multimodel emulator is shown through numerical simulations. The obtained results using multimodel emulator are far better than neural emulator.
Orbital and Millennial Antarctic Climate Variability over the Past 800,000 Years

A high-resolution deuterium profile is now available along the entire European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core, extending this climate record back to marine isotope stage 20.2, ∼800,000 years ago. Experiments performed with an atmospheric general circulation model including water isotopes support its temperature interpretation. We assessed the general correspondence between Dansgaard-Oeschger events and their smoothed Antarctic counterparts for this Dome C record, which reveals the presence of such features with similar amplitudes during previous glacial periods. We suggest that the interplay between obliquity and precession accounts for the variable intensity of interglacial periods in ice core records.
RFID pet monitoring & identification system with RFID

(RFID) Radio Frequency Identification is a certain type of technology that uses communication via an electromagnetic field by magnetic waves to receive and transmit data from a terminal to and electromagnetic tag attached to an object of choice, for the importance of identifying and tracking objects. In this proposal it looks at the technology of Radio Frequency Identification and how it can be implemented into in world, the design of the RFID Pet Monitoring & identification system with RFID Tag Access Hatch is built with the idea of how this system can benefit pet owners and Vets, this system will allow pet owners to monitor their pets movement with alerts sent to their smart devices, it will inform the owner of when the pet enters and leaves the premises. When considering the benefits of the Vets research on what credentials the veterinary doctor requires on the pet is done, with this system the veterinary doctor will be able to pull up all the necessary information on the pet such as name, owner, previous appointments and medical issues.
Goodness-of-Fit Tests Focus on Value-at-Risk Estimation

A common statistical problem in ﬁnance is measuring the goodness-of-ﬁt of a given distribution to real world data. This can be done using distances to measure how close an empirical distribution is from a theoretical distribution. The tails of the distribution should receive special importance if the focus is on Value-at-Risk (VaR) calculations. This paper analyzes the use of distances to test the goodness-of-ﬁt of estimated distributions for VaR calculation purposes. The Crnkovic and Drachman (1996) distance and a new distance are used to perform goodness-of-ﬁt tests. The critical values of the tests are obtained using Monte Carlo simulation, and goodness-of-ﬁt tests are performed based on the distances. The power of the tests is assessed through Monte Carlo experiments, showing good results for sample sizes greater than 250. The US Dollar/Brazilian Real exchange rate and the Ibovespa index are used as examples of practical applications of how to test the hypothesis that an empirical distribution is equal to an estimated one. The estimated distributions considered are the Generalized Hyperbolic (GH), the NIG (Normal Inverse Gaussian) and Normal. The test results rejected the null hypothesis for the Normal distribution, but did not reject it for the Generalized Hyperbolic and NIG, both at a 1% signiﬁcance level.
A Novel Multiple Description Video Codec Based on Slepian-Wolf Coding

One major task in multiple description video coding is to prevent drift on packet loss channels, where transmission errors occur in each description. We propose a distributed multiple description video coding (DMDVC) scheme excluding any prediction loops. The new codec suffers from no drift problem. In the two-channel mode of symmetry side informations (SI), one side decoder can use the SI of the other without any decoding quality degradation. Thereby, DMDVC achieves high robustness on packet loss channels.
Effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on crossbridge properties of diaphragm in cardiomyopathic hamsters of the dilated bio 53-58 strain.

Crossbridge properties of cardiomyopathic Syrian hamster (CSH) diaphragm from the dilated Bio 53-58 strain were analyzed after 5-mo of treatment with the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril (1 mg/kg/d by oral gavage). Three groups were studied: control F1B hamsters (C; n = 14); CSH given placebo (PL; n = 11 ); and perindopril-treated CSH (PE; n = 11). Peak isometric tension was lower in PL than in C, in both twitch (21.4 +/- 1.5 versus 46.9 +/- 1.5 mN/mm2; p < 0.001) and tetanus (41.0 +/- 2.7 versus 90.5 +/- 3.3 mN/mm2; p < 0.001). In PE, peak isometric tension was intermediate between C and PL, and was significantly lower than in C and higher than in PL. The single force of one crossbridge (pi), the number (m) of crossbridges, the turnover rate of myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (kcat), and peak mechanical efficiency (Effmax) were calculated from A.F. Huxley's equations; m was lower in PL than in C, in both twitch (3.4 +/- 0.2 versus 4.9 +/- 0.2 10(9)/mm2; p < 0.001) and tetanus (4.0 +/- 0.3 versus 8.9 +/- 0.7 10(9)/mm2; p < 0.001); m was higher in PE than in PL, in both twitch 4.3 +/- 0.5 versus 3.4 +/- 0.2 10(9)/mm2; NS) and tetanus (6.2 +/- 0.4 versus 4.0 +/- 0.3 10(9)/mm2; p < 0.01), with no change in pi. In the three groups, Effmax correlated linearly with kcat (r = 0.93; p = 0.001) and showed a negative linear correlation with pi (r = 0.996; p = 0.001). In conclusion, our results show that in experimental cardiomyopathy, ACE inhibitor mainly helps to prevent a decrease in the number of diaphragm muscle crossbridges, resulting in preserved peak isometric tension.
Crystallographic refinement and atomic models of a human Fc fragment and its complex with fragment B of protein A from Staphylococcus aureus at 2.9- and 2.8-A resolution.

The model of human Fc fragment was refined at 2.9-A resolution. Two different automated procedures for crystallographic refinement were used [Deisenhofer, J., & Steigemann, W. (1975) Acta Crystallogr. , Sec. B B31, 238; Jack, A. , & Levitt, M. (1978) Acta Crystallogr. , Sect. A A34, 931]. The final R value is 0.22. The dimer of CH3 domains closely resembles the CH1-CL aggregate in Fab fragments. There is no contact between CH2 domains. The contact between CH2 and CH3 domains has about one-third of the size of the CH3-CH3 contact. The carbohydrate, a branched chain of nine hexose units, covers parts of the C-contact face of the CH2 domain, shielding hydrophobic residues on this surface. Six atoms of the carbohydrate are within hydrogen-bonding distance of atoms in the CH2 domain. Crystallographic refinement of the complex between Fc fragment and fragment B of protein A from Staphylococcus aureus reduced the R value of the model is 0.24. A major part of the structure of fragment B consists of two alpha helics; the rest of the polypeptide chain is folded irregularly. In the crystal, fragment B forms two contacts with Fc fragment molecules. Contact 1 involves residues from both helices of fragment B, and residues from the CH2 and CH3 domains of FC, and is predominantly hydrophobic. Contact 2 is smaller than contact 1. Residues from the second helix and adjacent residues of fragment B and residues only from the CH3 domain of Fc contribute to contact 2. The nature of contact 2 is mainly polar and includes a sulfate ion. There are strong arguments that contact 1 is the fragment B-Fc contact formed in solution under physiological conditions, while contact 2 is a crystal contact.
Crystal Structure of the Mor Protein of Bacteriophage Mu, a Member of the Mor/C Family of Transcription Activators*

Transcription from the middle promoter, Pm, of bacteriophage Mu requires the phage-encoded activator protein Mor and bacterial RNA polymerase. Mor is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that mediates transcription activation through its interactions with the C-terminal domains of the α and σ subunits of bacterial RNA polymerase. Here we present the first structure for a member of the Mor/C family of transcription activators, the crystal structure of Mor to 2.2-Å resolution. Each monomer of the Mor dimer is composed of two domains, the N-terminal dimerization domain and C-terminal DNA-binding domain, which are connected by a linker containing a β strand. The N-terminal dimerization domain has an unusual mode of dimerization; helices α1 and α2 of both monomers are intertwined to form a four-helix bundle, generating a hydrophobic core that is further stabilized by antiparallel interactions between the two β strands. Mutational analysis of key leucine residues in helix α1 demonstrated a role for this hydrophobic core in protein solubility and function. The C-terminal domain has a classical helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif that is located at opposite ends of the elongated dimer. Since the distance between the two helix-turn-helix motifs is too great to allow binding to two adjacent major grooves of the 16-bp Mor-binding site, we propose that conformational changes in the protein and DNA will be required for Mor to interact with the DNA. The highly conserved glycines flanking the β strand may act as pivot points, facilitating the conformational changes of Mor, and the DNA may be bent.
Mass Spectrometric Resolution of Reversible Protein Phosphorylation in Photosynthetic Membranes ofArabidopsis thaliana*

The use of mass spectrometry to characterize the phosphorylome, i.e. the constituents of the proteome that become phosphorylated, was demonstrated using the reversible phosphorylation of chloroplast thylakoid proteins as an example. From the analysis of tryptic peptides released from the surface ofArabidopsis thylakoids, the principal phosphoproteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. These studies revealed that the D1, D2, and CP43 proteins of the photosystem II core are phosphorylated at their N-terminal threonines (Thr), the peripheral PsbH protein is phosphorylated at Thr-2, and the mature light-harvesting polypeptides LCHII are phosphorylated at Thr-3. In addition, a doubly phosphorylated form of PsbH modified at both Thr-2 and Thr-4 was detected. By comparing the levels of phospho- and nonphosphopeptides, the in vivo phosphorylation states of these proteins were analyzed under different physiological conditions. None of these thylakoid proteins were completely phosphorylated in the steady state conditions of continuous light or completely dephosphorylated after a long dark adaptation. However, rapid reversible hyperphosphorylation of PsbH at Thr-4 in response to growth in light/dark transitions and a pronounced specific dephosphorylation of the D1, D2, and CP43 proteins during heat shock was detected. Collectively, our data indicate that changes in the phosphorylation of photosynthetic proteins are more rapid during heat stress than during normal light/dark transitions. These mass spectrometry methods offer a new approach to assess the stoichiometry of in vivo protein phosphorylation in complex samples.
Segregated Processing of Auditory Motion and Auditory Location: An ERP Mapping Study

Recent studies have revealed a distinct cortical network activated during the analysis of sounds' spatial properties. Whether common brain regions in this auditory where pathway are involved in both auditory motion and location processing is unresolved. We investigated this question with multichannel auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in 11 subjects. Stimuli were binaural 500-ms white noise bursts. Interaural time differences (ITD) created the sensation of moving or stationary sounds within each auditory hemifield, and subjects discriminated either their position or direction of motion in a blocked design. Scalp potential distributions (AEP maps) differentiated electric field configurations across stimulus classes. The initial approximately 250-ms poststimulus yielded common topographies for both stimulus classes and hemifields. After approximately 250-ms, moving and stationary sounds engaged distinct cortical networks at two time periods, again with no differences observed between hemifields. The first ( approximately 250- to 350-ms poststimulus onset) was during stimulus presentation, and the second ( approximately 550- to 900-ms poststimulus onset) occurred after stimulus offset. Distributed linear inverse solutions of the maps over the 250- to 350-ms time period revealed not only bilateral inferior frontal activation for both types of auditory spatial processing, but also strong right inferior parietal activation in the case of auditory motion discrimination. During the later 550-to 900-ms time period, right inferior parietal and bilateral inferior frontal activity was again observed for moving sounds, whereas strong bilateral superior frontal activity was seen in the case of stationary sounds. Collectively, the evidence supports the existence of partly segregated networks within the auditory where pathway for auditory location and auditory motion processing.
Respiratory syncytial virus and human bronchial epithelium.

BACKGROUND A suitable model for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection has yet to be developed. OBJECTIVE To describe an in vitro model of human respiratory epithelium in primary cell culture linked with a computer microscope interface that allows evaluation and imaging of living RSV-infected respiratory epithelium. DESIGN A descriptive, controlled study. Human bronchial cells were obtained from surgical samples by elastase dissociation and replated on collagen gel membranes. After 7 to 10 days, cells were brought to air interface. Baseline sampling of cell fluid for cytokine production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (interleukin [IL] 1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and RANTES) and leukotriene C4 by radioimmunoassay was taken before treatment with RSV (n=30) or HEp-2 (human laryngeal carcinoma cells) control (n=25). Sampling was done at 4, 24, 72, and 120 hours thereafter. The infectious process was monitored with a microscope (Zeiss UEM, Carl Zeiss Inc, Thornwood, NY) equipped with a camera (Newvicon, Dage Corporation, Stamford, Conn). Images were either digitized using a computer (Macintosh Quadra 950, Apple Computers Inc, Cupertino, Calif) equipped with a digitizing board (Perceptics Corporation, Knoxville, Tenn) or were recorded on an SVHS videotape using a videocassette recorder (JVC, Elmwood Park, NJ). RESULTS Respiratory syncytial virus induced profound effects on the ciliated cells: ciliostasis, clumping, and loss of cilia from live cells and sloughing of cells. Significant differences in the release of IL-6, IL-8, and RANTES (P<.03 for each cytokine) were noted in RSV-infected bronchial cultures by 24 hours with a peak at 72 hours. The IL-beta and leukotriene C4 were not altered by RSV infection in bronchial cells. CONCLUSIONS This model closely mirrors human RSV disease and affords a unique opportunity to study interepithelial cell interactions, cytokine responses from cells of different donors, and ciliary activity of live cells undergoing RSV infection.
Sentiment Polarization and Balance among Users in Online Social Networks

Communication within online social network applications enables users to express and share sentiments electronically. Existing studies examined the existence or distribution of sentiments in online communication at a general level or in smallobserved groups. Our paper extends this research by analyzing sentiment exchange within social networks from an egonetwork perspective. We draw from research on social influence and social attachment to develop theories of node polarization, balance effects and sentiment mirroring within communication dyads. Our empirical analysis covers a multitude of social networks in which the sentiment valence of all messages was determined. Subsequently we studied ego-networks of focal actors (ego) and their immediate contacts. Results support our theories and indicate that actors develop polarized sentiments towards individual peers but keep sentiment in balance on the ego-network level. Further, pairs of nodes tend to establish similar attitudes towards each other leading to stable and polarized positive or negative relationships.
Preprocessing EO-1 Hyperion hyperspectral data to support the application of agricultural indexes

The benefits of Hyperion hyperspectral data to agriculture have been studied at sites in the Coleambally Irrigation Area of Australia. Hyperion can provide effective measures of agricultural performance through the use of established spectral indexes if systematic and random noise is managed. The noise management strategy includes recognition of "bad" pixels, reducing the effects of vertical striping, and compensation for atmospheric effects in the data. It also aims to reduce compounding of these effects by image processing. As the noise structure is different for Hyperion's two spectrometers, noise reduction methods are best applied to each separately. Results show that a local destriping algorithm reduces striping noise without introducing unwanted effects in the image. They also show how data smoothing can clean the data and how careful selection of stable Hyperion bands can minimize residual atmospheric effects following atmospheric correction. Comparing hyperspectral indexes derived from Hyperion with the same indexes derived from ground-measured spectra allowed us to assess some of these impacts on the preprocessing options. It has been concluded that preprocessing, which includes fixing bad and outlier pixels, local destriping, atmospheric correction, and minimum noise fraction smoothing, provides improved results. If these or equivalent preprocessing steps are followed, it is feasible to develop a consistent and standardized time series of data that is compatible with field-scale and airborne measured indexes. Red-edge and leaf chlorophyll indexes based on the preprocessed data are shown to distinguish different levels of stress induced by water restrictions.
Staircase climbing smart wheelchair

New technology is getting developed every day in order to bring more convenience in people's lives and in order to make living easy. This project is to help people who are unable to climb stairs or walk i.e. either senior citizens, physically challenged or paralytic people. It is a difficult task for them to climb stairs or walk. Independent mobility is critical for individuals of any age. For such people, this project will bring this convenience. Whenever there is a situation where they wish to climb stairs or move ahead, this wheelchair will efficiently help the user to overcome problems and help them to do such tasks. It is accomplished by controlling the different input mechanism. The user can provide desired input to wheelchair and to the designed special wheel mechanism which will help user to climb the stairs more easily or to move ahead on a straight path thereby overcoming their problems. In this project, it is proposed that this Wheelchair will help different groups of people who are lacking the enough potential to face such problems.