Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role-Based Access Control With X.509 Attribute Certificates

We adapted the standard X.509 privilege management infrastructure to build an efficient role-based trust management system in which role assignments can be widely distributed among organizations, and an XML-based local policy determines which roles to trust and which privileges to grant. A simple Java API lets target applications easily incorporate the system. The Permis API has already proven its general utility in four very different applications throughout Europe.
Extrinsic Motivation Underlies Precise Temporal Production

The present study examined the effect of extrinsic motivation on temporal interval production. Observers were asked to produce the duration of 2.5 sec as accurately as possible, and gained or lost a certain amount of score after each trial. The amount of provided scores varied with the color of target: red or green circle was assigned to high or low scores. We found that the higher amount of expected gain and loss decreased the absolute error of temporal production. However, no effect of motivation was found on the constant error and variable error. These results suggest that extrinsic motivation improved the precision of temporal production. We propose that the striatal dopamine system may mediate motivational influences on time perception.
Data-driven pause prediction for speech synthesis in storytelling style speech

In the storyteller speech, pauses plays a significant role in introducing suspense and climax. Pauses are used to emphasize keywords, emotion-salient words and separate the phrases in the utterance. The objective of this work is to predict the position and duration of the pauses in the synthesized speech from the text-to-speech system. We analyzed the pause patterns in storyteller speech and classified the pauses into three different categories, that is, short, medium and long pauses. A data driven three stage pause prediction model is proposed. In the first stage, the model is built properly to identify the pause position within an utterance using a set of word-level features. In the second stage, the pauses are classified into three different categories using a set of syllable-level features. In the final stage, a regression predictor is trained to predict the pause duration for each category. We conducted both objective and subjective tests to evaluate the proposed method. The subjective evaluation showed that subjects are perceiving a noticeable difference in the synthesized speech using the proposed method.
Analysis of e-inclusion projects in Russia, Austria and Switzerland

Purpose – The issue of digital divide is widely discussed in research as well as in practice. Today, especially senior citizens are excluded from the merits of using information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper aims to study municipal projects for an inclusive information society in Russia, Austria, and Switzerland.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper 50 cities are selected from each country studied based on three variables. In each city, all age‐related e‐inclusion projects are analyzed to find commonalities and varieties.Findings – Results show that in all countries the projects share several commonalities. However, project ideas are not shared internationally.Research limitations/implications – The research is limited by the selection of countries and cities. Future research should compare the results of other countries.Practical implications – Decision makers in municipalities should look for successful e‐inclusion projects in other areas, not only nationally but also internatio.
An experimental study on user-level memory allocators in middleware applications

Memory allocations are one of the most ubiquitous operations in computer programs. The performance of the routines that implement these operations is very important although it is frequently neglected. This paper presents a comparative analysis of seven largely adopted memory allocators. Unlike other related works, based on artificial benchmark tests, we evaluate the selected allocators using real-world stock trading applications. The experimental study considers the applications' response time, memory consumption, and memory fragmentation. All tests are evaluated with respect to different combinations of processor cores. The results indicate that for workloads based on memory allocations up to 64 bytes and all combinations of processor cores up to four, the best average response time and memory usage is obtained using the TCMalloc memory allocator, followed by the Ptmalloc version 3.
Hearing preservation and facial nerve function in vestibular schwannoma surgery.

The objective of this study was the assessment of hearing preservation in vestibular schwannoma surgery. This study reports a prospective cohort of 40 patients with clinically useful hearing from a consecutive series of 191 patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma. The patients were managed in a tertiary centre by a combined team of Neurosurgeon, Otologist and Neuro-monitoring Scientist via a neuro-oto-surgical-retrosigmoid approach. Pure tone speech audiometry was conducted preoperatively and 6 months to 9 years following surgery. Using the AA0-HNS classification, useful hearing, i.e. grades A, B and C, was preserved in 47.5% of patients. Thirty-eight per cent achieved grade A or B. Using appropriate surgical and monitoring techniques, it is possible to preserve useful hearing in approximately 50% of patients following removal of a vestibular schwannoma via the retro-sigmoid approach.
Rapid DNA extraction and PCR‐sexing of mouse embryos

We have devised a PCR‐based sexing method that is quick, simple, and highly reproducible. DNA is first extracted from embryonic mouse yolk sac via a 15 min, two‐step incubation procedure utilizing PCR‐compatible proteinase K buffer. Without any further manipulation the lysate is subjected to 30 cycles of PCR, optimized to run in less than 1 hr. The reaction includes multiplexed primer pairs for Sry and Myog (myogenin) that generate a male specific band of 441 bp and an internal control band of 245 bp, respectively. This robust method is used routinely in our laboratory and gives rapid genotyping results with 98% reliability and 100% accuracy. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 60: 225–226, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Giant coronary artery aneurysm with a thrombus secondary to Kawasaki disease

Although coronary artery aneurysms occur in Kawasaki disease, giant aneurysms are rare. We report a very large coronary artery aneurysm, measuring 25 mm and involving left anterior descending artery, in a 2-year-old child with Kawasaki disease. The challenges in management of such a patient have been highlighted.
A Mathematical-Biological Joint Effort to Investigate the Tumor-Initiating Ability of Cancer Stem Cells

The involvement of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) in tumor progression and tumor recurrence is one of the most studied subjects in current cancer research. The CSC hypothesis states that cancer cell populations are characterized by a hierarchical structure that affects cancer progression. Due to the complex dynamics involving CSCs and the other cancer cell subpopulations, a robust theory explaining their action has not been established yet. Some indications can be obtained by combining mathematical modeling and experimental data to understand tumor dynamics and to generate new experimental hypotheses. Here, we present a model describing the initial phase of ErbB2+ mammary cancer progression, which arises from a joint effort combing mathematical modeling and cancer biology. The proposed model represents a new approach to investigate the CSC-driven tumorigenesis and to analyze the relations among crucial events involving cancer cell subpopulations. Using in vivo and in vitro data we tuned the model to reproduce the initial dynamics of cancer growth, and we used its solution to characterize observed cancer progression with respect to mutual CSC and progenitor cell variation. The model was also used to investigate which association occurs among cell phenotypes when specific cell markers are considered. Finally, we found various correlations among model parameters which cannot be directly inferred from the available biological data and these dependencies were used to characterize the dynamics of cancer subpopulations during the initial phase of ErbB2+ mammary cancer progression.
B-cell stimulation and prolonged immune deficiency are risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in people with AIDS

ObjectivesTo identify risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in people with HIV infection. Design and settingCase-control study in Sydney, Australia. Participants and methodsTwo hundred and nineteen patients with AIDS-related NHL were compared with 219 HIV-infected controls without NHL, matched for CD4 positive cell count and date of specimen collection. Data on demographic, infectious, treatment-related and immunological factors were abstracted by medical record review. The association between demographic factors, sexually transmissible diseases, HIV-related opportunistic infections, anti-viral therapy, duration of immune deficiency and indices of immune stimulation and risk of NHL were derived for these groups. ResultsIn a multivariate model, there were two independent groups of predictors of NHL risk. The first was duration of immunodeficiency, as measured by longer time since seroconversion (P for trend 0.008), and lower CD4 positive cell count 1 year prior to the time of NHL diagnosis (P for trend 0.009). The second predictor was B-cell stimulation, as indicated by higher serum globulin (a surrogate marker for serum immunoglobulin, P for trend 0.044) and HIV p24 antigenaemia [odds ratio (OR) for p24 positivity, 1.82; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15–2.88]. Indices of B-cell stimulation preceded the diagnosis of NHL by several years. Factors not related to NHL risk included clinical indices of Epstein–Barr virus infection and receipt of individual nucleoside analogue antiretroviral agents. Combination therapy with these agents was associated with a non-significant reduction in NHL risk (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.39–1.18). ConclusionsMarkers of long-standing immune deficiency and B-cell stimulation were associated with an increased risk of developing NHL. Unless the strongest risk factor for NHL, immune deficiency, can be reversed, NHL is likely to become proportionately more important as a cause of morbidity and mortality in people with HIV infection.
N-{2-[4-(2-Methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]ethyl}-4-nitro-N-(2-pyridyl)benzamide

In the title compound, C25H27N5O4, the piperizine ring adopts a chair conformation. The dihedral angles between the pyridine ring and the two benzene rings are 65.5 (4) and 70.7 (4)°, while the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 17.3 (3)°. An intramolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs.
Particle Filter Based Pose and Motion Estimation with Non-Gaussian Noise

Pose and motion estimation from a monocular sequence of images is crucial for many robot vision tasks, and particle filtering (PF) which is based on sequential importance sampling (SIS) has drawn much attention in recent years due to its capacity to handle nonlinear and non-Gaussian dynamic problems. In this paper, given a sequence of two-dimensional (2D) monocular images of an moving object, using line features on the image plane as measured inputs and a dual quaternions to represent the three-dimensional (3D) transformation, the indirect measurement solutions of pose and motion is presented based on extended Kalman filtering (EKF) and PF with simulated data. Simulation results with Gamma noise have shown that PF has good convergence, while the EKF is divergent.
Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agents to Detect Transplanted Liver Cells

Liver transplantation saves the lives of millions of patients every year. The advent of cell rather than organ transplantation could potentially further improve the success of this approach. However, one problem facing the delivery and the monitoring of cell transplants is their noninvasive in vivo visualization. Noninvasive imaging is needed for this. To distinguish transplanted cells from the host liver, it is necessary to either tag these using exogenous contrast agents (eg, iron oxide nanoparticles) or insert a reporter gene that could selectively identify transplanted cells. Nevertheless, these approaches face significant challenges such as providing sufficient signal-to-noise, cellular toxicity, or unequivocal detection. Preclinical studies are currently under way to refine these approaches with initial clinical trials being on the horizon for the next few years. A gradual refinement of these approaches and a robust clinical implementation promise a significant step in ensuring greater efficacy of cell transplants for the diseased liver.
Analysis of boundary effects in iterative learning control

Boundary effects in iterative learning control (ILC) algorithms are considered in this article. ILC algorithms involve filtering of input and error signals over finite-time intervals, often using non-causal filters, and it is important that the boundary effects of the filtering operations are handled in an appropriate way. The topic is studied using both a proposed theoretical framework and simulations, and it is shown that the method for handling the boundary effects has impact on the stability and convergence properties of the ILC algorithm.
Compiler multiversioning for automatic task granularity control

Task parallelism is a programming technique that has been shown to be applicable in a wide variety of problem domains. A central parameter that needs to be controlled to ensure efficient execution of task parallel programs is the granularity of tasks. When they are too coarse grained, scalability and load balance suffer, while very fine‐grained tasks introduce execution overheads. We present a combined compiler and runtime approach that enables automatic granularity control. Starting from recursive, task parallel programs, our compiler generates multiple versions of each task, increasing granularity by task unrolling. Subsequently, we apply a parallelism‐aware optimizing transformation to remove superfluous task synchronization primitives in all generated versions. A runtime system then selects among these task versions of varying granularity by locally tracking task demand. Benchmarking on a set of task parallel programs using a work‐stealing scheduler demonstrates that our approach is generally effective. For fine‐grained tasks, we can achieve reductions in execution time exceeding a factor of 6, compared with state‐of‐the‐art implementations. Additionally, we evaluate the impact of two crucial algorithmic parameters, the number of generated code versions and the task queue length, on the performance of our method. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Further Characterization of a Rice AGL 12 Group MADS-Box Gene , OsMADS 26 1 [ C ]

Plant MADS-box genes can be divided into 11 groups. Genetic analysis has revealed that most of them function in floweringtime control, reproductive organ development, and vegetative growth. Here, we elucidated the role of OsMADS26, a member of the AGL12 group. Transcript levels of OsMADS26 were increased in an age-dependent manner in the shoots and roots. Transgenic plants of both rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) overexpressing this gene manifested phenotypes related to stress responses, such as chlorosis, cell death, pigment accumulation, and defective root/shoot growth. In addition, apical hook development was significantly suppressed in Arabidopsis. Plants transformed with the OsMADS26GR (glucocorticoid receptor) fusion construct displayed those stress-related phenotypes when treated with dexamethasone. Microarray analyses using this inducible system showed that biosynthesis genes for jasmonate, ethylene, and reactive oxygen species, as well as putative downstream targets involved in the stress-related process, were up-regulated in OsMADS26overexpressing plants. These results suggest that OsMADS26 induces multiple responses that are related to various stresses.
Social Loafing in Interactive Groups: The Effects of Identifiability on Effort and Individual Performance in Floorball

This study investigated whether effort and performance in interactive teams are influenced by identifiability of individual motivation and effort. The subjects participated in a floorball tournament under conditions of non-identifiability and identifiability. Measures of self-reported effort, heart rate, individual performance and perceived social loafing were collected. The results indicated that, under identifiability conditions, the participants improved their performance, subjective feelings of effort increased, and they perceived less social loafing in their teammates. No changes in heart rate were detected. Results are discussed in relation to previous research, and study limitations, practical implications, and further research directions are also outlined.
Serological and molecular studies on subclinical hepatitis E virus infection using periodic serum samples obtained from healthy individuals

Subclinical hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection among healthy individuals was studied serologically and molecularly. Serum samples collected at screening between March and April 2004 (or just before retirement) from 266 medical staff members (35 males, 231 females) who had been working for 8.8 ± 8.5 (mean ± standard deviation, range, 0.3–35.1) years in a city hospital in Japan and serum samples that had been collected from these staff members at the start of employment were tested for IgA, IgM, and IgG antibodies to HEV (anti‐HEV) by in‐house enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Overall, six subjects (2.3%) tested positive for anti‐HEV IgG at the screening; among them, four subjects (1.5%) had already been positive for anti‐HEV IgG at the start of employment and two subjects (0.8%) seroconverted after initiation of employment. Periodic serum samples that had been collected from the two seroconverted subjects were tested for HEV antibodies and HEV RNA. The two subjects became positive for anti‐HEV IgG in 1978 or 2003, respectively, with no discernible elevation in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level, and continued to be seropositive up through the screening date. Although anti‐HEV IgM was not detectable in the two subjects, one was infected transiently with Japan‐indigenous HEV strain of genotype 3 and the other was positive transiently for anti‐HEV IgA. The present study indicates that even an individual with subclinical HEV infection had evidence of transient viremia in the absence of ALT elevation and that anti‐HEV IgA detection may be useful for serological diagnosis of recent subclinical HEV infection. J. Med. Virol. 76:526–533, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of death-related genes and reactive oxygen species production in Skeletonema tropicum upon exposure to the polyunsaturated aldehyde octadienal

The effects of 4 E / Z -octadienal (OCTA) on ScDSP-1 and ScDSP-2 gene expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were investigated in the marine diatom Skeletonema tropicum (formerly costatum ) using qRTPCR and flow cytometry. ScDSP-1 and ScDSP-2 genes have been previously shown to be involved in cell death in ageing cells and in response to photosynthetic stress. OCTA induced a differential, concentration-dependent DSP gene expression associated to ROS production, 821.6 and 97.7 folds higher for ScDSP-1 and ScDSP-2 , respectively. Among the concentrations tested, only 8 μM OCTA, which caused a reduction of 50% in cell concentrations at 24 h, was able to elicit an expression pattern consistent with a signalling role. Interestingly, only intermediate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) ( i.e ., 1.5±0.1 increase) were observed to be elicited by such concentration. These results suggest that ROS are key components of the molecular cascade triggered by polyunsaturated aldehydes (PUA) and leading to cell death. This could have implications for bloom final stages at sea, where PUA may act as effectors of diatom population dynamics through ROS acting as modulators.
Muscone Exerts Neuroprotection in an Experimental Model of Stroke via Inhibition of the Fas Pathway

Identifying small molecules that are neuroprotective against stroke injury will be highly beneficial for treatment therapies. A cell viability assay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to identify active small molecules in XingNaoJing, which is a well known Chinese Medicine prescribed for the effective treatment of stroke. Studies have found that muscone is the active compound that prevents PC12 cell and cortical neuron damage following various injuries. Analysis of apoptosis indicated that muscone inhibited glutamate-induced apoptotic cell death of PC12 cells and cortical neurons. Fas and caspase-8 expression were upregulated following glutamate treatment in cortical neurons, and was markedly attenuated in the presence of muscone. Furthermore, muscone significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume, neurological dysfunction and inhibited cortical neuron apoptosis in middle cerebral artery occluded (MCAO) rats in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, a significant decrease in Fas and caspase-8 expression in the rat cortex was observed in MCAO rats treated with muscone. Our results demonstrate that muscone may be a small active molecule with neuroprotective properties, and that inhibition of apoptosis and Fas is an important mechanism of neuroprotection by muscone. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic role for muscone in the treatment of stroke.
Generation of safe and therapeutically effective human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived hepatocyte‐like cells for regenerative medicine

Hepatocyte‐like cells (HLCs) differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are expected to be applied for regenerative medicine. In this study, we attempted to generate safe and therapeutically effective human iPS‐HLCs for hepatocyte transplantation. First, human iPS‐HLCs were generated from a human leukocyte antigen‐homozygous donor on the assumption that the allogenic transplantation might be carried out. Highly efficient hepatocyte differentiation was performed under a feeder‐free condition using human recombinant laminin 111, laminin 511, and type IV collagen. The percentage of asialoglycoprotein receptor 1‐positive cells was greater than 80%, while the percentage of residual undifferentiated cells was approximately 0.003%. In addition, no teratoma formation was observed even at 16 weeks after human iPS‐HLC transplantation. Furthermore, harmful genetic somatic single‐nucleotide substitutions were not observed during the hepatocyte differentiation process. We also developed a cryopreservation protocol for hepatoblast‐like cells without negatively affecting their hepatocyte differentiation potential by programming the freezing temperature. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of human iPS‐HLCs, these cells (1 × 106 cells/mouse) were intrasplenically transplanted into acute liver injury mice treated with 3 mL/kg CCl4 only once and chronic liver injury mice treated with 0.6 mL/kg CCl4 twice weekly for 8 weeks. By human iPS‐HLC transplantation, the survival rate of the acute liver injury mice was significantly increased and the liver fibrosis level of chronic liver injury mice was significantly decreased. Conclusion: We were able to generate safe and therapeutically effective human iPS‐HLCs for hepatocyte transplantation. (Hepatology Communications 2017;1:1058–1069)