Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decision Diagram Based Methods and Complexity Analysis for Multi-State Systems

Decision diagrams are graphical structures based on Shannon's decomposition. They have been extensively used for representing and manipulating logic functions in areas such as circuit verification, compact Markov chain representation, and symbolic model checking. However, their applicability in reliability modeling and analysis has only been recently studied. Moreover, the study had been mostly restricted to binary-state systems in which both the system and its components are either operational, or failed. Nevertheless, many practical systems are multi-state systems (MSS) in which both the system and its components may reside at multiple (more than two) performance levels (or states), varying from perfect operation to complete failure. This paper presents three forms of decision diagrams for the modeling and analysis of MSS: binary decision diagrams, logarithmically encoded binary decision diagrams, and multi-valued decision diagrams. We present both separated, and shared methods based on these decision diagrams. Comprehensive complexity analysis, and performance comparisons among these methods, are conducted with both mathematical, and empirical approaches.
Role of Motility and Flagellin Glycosylation in the Pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Burn Wound Infections

ABSTRACT In this study, we tested the contribution of flagellar motility, flagellin structure, and its glycosylation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using genetically defined flagellar mutants. All mutants and their parent strains were tested in a burned-mouse model of infection. Motility and glycosylation of the flagellum appear to be important determinants of flagellar-mediated virulence in this model. This is the first report where genetically defined flagellar variants of P. aeruginosa were tested in the burned-mouse model of infection.
Negotiation Based Framework for Attribute-Based Access Control Policy Evaluation

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) maps of characteristics of users, objects and the environment to authorisations. ABAC is a highly versatile access control model well suited to domains such as web services. With the recent set of draft ABAC guidelines by NIST there is a clear desire to promote further adoption of the model. Despite this ABAC continues to face challenges relating to policy evaluation. In this paper we present a novel framework for ABAC policy evaluation based on negotiations and formalised in Answer Set Programming.
Design of a robust dynamic gait of the biped using the concept of dynamic stability margin

Summary A computational technique for designing a physically realizable robust dynamic gait for a planar biped robot is developed. Firstly, a feasible set of gaits was constructed to satisfy the periodicity of the biped locomotion. Then the concept of dynamic, stability margin is introduced based on the robustness of a gait with respect to the external disturbances. Using that margin, we can assess the robustness of each dynamic gait in the feasible set. It is found that the parameter, called foot strike time margin, representing the readiness of the foot strike has a close positive correlation with the dynamic stability margin. We obtain a robust gait with respect to the external disturbance by maximizing the foot strike time margin. The robustness of the optimal gait is confirmed by the behavior of the gait after application of linear impulse as well as by the examination of the largest eigenvalue at the perturbed state.
TEACHERS PRESENT IN SCHOOL BUT ABSENT IN CLASS: UTILIZATION AND ‘SILENT EROSION’ OF LEARNING TIME IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM IN MONGU DISTRICT OF ZAMBIA

Curriculum implementation in Zambia is faced with a lot of challenges ranging from poor funding, lack of appropriate and adequate teaching and learning resources, lack of qualified teachers in some subjects such as computer studies and sciences, poor school infrastructure especially in most rural areas, low teacher morale and lack of specialized teaching and learning resources for learners with special educational needs. However, one important curriculum implementation resource that research seems to ignore is learning time is utilized. The purpose of this study was to examine secondary school teachers’ utilization of learning time in the implementation of the curriculum. The researchers used a concurrent embedded design of the mixed methods research approach. A questionnaire and interview guides were used to collect data from teachers and secondary school head teachers respectively. While a focus group discussion guide was used to collect data from learners. Data was then analyzed using themes and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that although teachers would be present in school, they spent most of the time attending to non-classroom teaching activities such as organizing learners in sports, staff meetings and invigilation of national examinations. It was also revealed that the times that they would be in class, teachers would most of the times start the lesson about eight minutes late. Researchers in this study concluded that several non-teaching factors affected effective utilization of learning time in the implementation of the curriculum. It was therefore; recommended that there should be proper review of how learning time was being managed in the schools in the province. Article visualizations:
Compact Modeling of Statistical BTI Under Trapping/Detrapping

The aging process due to negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) is a key limiting factor of circuit lifetimes in CMOS design. Recent NBTI data exhibits an excessive amount of randomness and fast recovery, which are difficult to be handled by conventional power-law model (tn). Such discrepancies further pose the challenge on long-term reliability prediction under statistical variations and dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) in real circuit operation. To overcome these barriers, this paper: 1) practically explains the aging statistics due to randomness in number of traps with the log(t) model, accurately predicting the mean and variance shift; 2) proposes cycle-to-cycle model (from the first principles of trapping) to handle aging under multiple supply voltages, predicting the nonmonotonic behavior under DVS; 3) presents a long-term model to estimate a tight upper bound of dynamic aging over multiple cycles; and 4) comprehensively validates the new set of aging models with 65-nm statistical silicon data. Compared with previous models, the new set of aging models capture the aging variability and the essential role of the recovery phase under DVS, reducing unnecessary guard banding during the design stage.
The chest radiograph in cystic fibrosis in children and the role of other radiological techniques.

The emphasis in this review will be on the role ofthe radiologist as part of the clinical team running cystic fibrosis (CF) clinics, and is an attempt to help the clinician who cares for the occasional patient to look at the radiographs more critically, in an effort to improve management. The abnormalities seen on the radiographs are a reflection of the pathological processes in the lungs'. Low flat diaphragms, 'small hearts', sternal bowing and increased retrosternal air reflect air trapping. Line shadows are the thickened bronchial walls. Small 'mottles' are areas of bronchiolar consolidation. These ectatic bronchioli become 'ring shadows' when the consolidation resolves (Figure 1). Larger round shadows are due to confluent areas of consolidation which can also present as the more familiar patterns of segmental and lobar pneumonia. Large round shadows can also be due to Aspergillus infection, which will be discussed later. Prominent hilar shadows are partly due to enlarged pulmonary vessels secondary to pulmonary hypertension. Enlarged lymph glands due to chronic pulmonary suppuration can cause a very similar appearance and are not easily distinguished from vessel enlargement on a plain radiograph (Figure 2). The two often coexist. The differences are easily resolved by computerized tomography (CT)2, but this is only indicated if enlarged 'hilar vessels' are the only manifestation ofpulmonary hypertension, and management may be altered.
Switching to unboosted atazanavir improves glucose tolerance in highly pretreated HIV-1 infected subjects.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the 24-week effects on glucose tolerance of switching from a protease inhibitor (PI)-based to an unboosted atazanavir-including regimen in highly pretreated HIV-1 infected subjects with metabolic alterations. DESIGN Prospective, open-label, single-center, 24-week pilot study. METHODS Twenty-one subjects underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at baseline (BL) and after 24 weeks of unboosted atazanavir. Insulin sensitivity and beta-cell responsiveness were evaluated on the basis of static and dynamic data; fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), TC/HDL-c ratio, CD4+ cell count and HIV-1 RNA were measured. RESULTS After 24 weeks of unboosted atazanavir, the 120-min glucose level was significantly lower than the one measured at BL (P=0.021); there were no statistically significant differences in the insulin concentration profile. The SI(oral), an OGTT-based index of insulin sensitivity, was significantly higher at week 24 (P=0.017); the indices of first- and second-phase beta-cell responsiveness did not significantly change. There was no significant difference between BL and 24-week fasting glucose, insulin or C-peptide levels, and consequently no change in fasting homeostasis model assessment indices of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function. There were significant improvements in TG (P=0.009), TC (P=0.0001), LDL-c (P=0.019) and TC/HDL-c ratio (P=0.001), and a similar trend in HDL-c levels (P=0.069). No significant changes in the immunological and virological parameters were detected. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that switching from a PI-based to an unboosted atazanavir-including regimen leads to a significant improvement in glucose tolerance in highly pretreated HIV-1 infected subjects with metabolic alterations.
Supplier selection and management strategies and manufacturing flexibility

Purpose – It is a general belief that using the right strategy for supplier selection and management will ensure the right suppliers who will adequately support the manufacturer to be flexible enough to meet customers' needs are engaged. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to support this view, especially in Malaysia. This paper attempts to fill this need by examining the impact of supplier selection and management strategies on manufacturing flexibility (such as product flexibility, launch flexibility, and volume flexibility). Design/methodology/approach – The population for this study consists of manufacturing firms in the semi‐conductor industry in Malaysia listed in the Penang Development Corporation's directory. Questionnaire was used and each of the 120 companies listed in the sampling frame was sent a copy, out of which 100 copies were collected back. However, only 92 copies were usable. Data were analysed using the multiple regression model.Findings – It was found that the selection of supplier.
Mec1 function in the DNA damage response does not require its interaction with Tel2

The essential, conserved Tel2 protein plays a role in the response to DNA damage and replication stress in a wide range of eukaryotes. Tel2 interacts physically with multiple members of the PI3-kinase related protein kinase (PIKK) family in mammalian cells and fission yeast. In mammalian cells, loss of Tel2 leads to destabilization of PIKKs. Our previous work in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that Tel2 interacts with the PIKK Tel1 (yeast ATM kinase), and that this interaction is abrogated by the only known non-lethal TEL2 mutation in S. cerevisiae, tel2-1. We showed that this mutation specifically disrupts the function of Tel1 and not the function of the closely related protein Mec1 (yeast ATR kinase) in DNA damage responses. Here we show that Tel2 and Mec1 interact in S. cerevisiae, and that surprisingly, this physical interaction is also disrupted by the tel2-1 mutation. Although the tel2-1 mutation leads to moderately lower Mec1 levels, the ability of Mec1 to localize to a site of DNA damage and to function in DNA damage signaling remains intact. These results suggest that the model of Tel2 as solely a global regulator of PIKK stability is insufficient. Rather, Tel2 can specifically and differentially regulate the function of individual PIKKs.
AFRL-SN-WP-TP-2006-114 INTERFERENCE CANCELLATION USING POWER MINIMIZATION AND SELF-COHERENCE PROPERTIES OF GPS SIGNALS ( PREPRINT )

This work has been submitted for publication in the 2004 Proceedings of Institute of Navigation Global Positioning System (ION GPS 2004). One or more of the authors is a U.S. Government employee working within the scope of their Government job; therefore, the U.S. Government is joint owner of the work. If published, the publisher may assert copyright. The Government has the right to copy, distribute, and use the work. All other rights are reserved by the copyright owner.
Speech Emotion Recognition with MPCA and Kernel Partial Least Squares Regression

Speech signal is one of the major means for communication which carries not only semantic, but personal information, such as genders and emotions. The researches about speech emotion have become more and more important to human-computer interaction. To this end, from speech, the long-term and short-term emotional features are extracted, the dimensionality of which is then reduced by virtue of the multi linear PCA algorithm. Finally, the kernel partial least squares regression is used for speech emotional recognition. The results show that in comparison with other current classifiers, the algorithm proposed herein can improve recognition rates by about 6% to 23%.
Instruction-Based Voltage Scaling for Power Reduction in SIMD MPSoCs

Power reduction in Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) is a key design challenge today. In this paper, we present an approach to power reduction for homogeneous SIMD MPSoC platforms. The technique involves the use of dynamic voltage scaling and power management of voltage islands. The basic idea is to have different supply voltage for different instructions: slow instructions run at the higher voltage levels while fast instructions run at lower voltages to save on power. We use a reconfigurable MPSoC architecture, namely MorphoSys, as a vehicle to demonstrate the approach, although the methods are suitable for other SIMD MPSoC architectures. A number of image processing benchmarks are manually mapped to the hardware to demonstrate the power reduction. The results show energy savings from 12% up to 24% for the specified benchmarks using the proposed approach.
Impedance-based retinal contact imaging as an aid for the placement of high resolution epiretinal prostheses

An important factor in effective stimulation of the retina is close contact with the retina. The design of the electrode surface and the placement of the electrode against the retina both affect the degree of contact with the retina. We have addressed the design factor by creating a curved surface 3200-electrode array. The placement factor we have addressed by use of an impedance sensitive feedback from the array. The feedback is in the form of an image showing contact with the retina, where greater pixel intensity indicates greater impedance and thus closer contact with the retina. In this paper, we present qualitative and quantitative assessments of the relationship between impedance and the device output as well as an in vivo demonstration of contact imaging. In addition, we evaluated the three-dimensional profile of the stimulation voltage distribution to assess the importance of close retinal contact for high resolution stimulation.
Immunological Property of Antibodies against N-Glycolylneuraminic Acid Epitopes in Cytidine Monophospho–N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Hydroxylase-Deficient Mice

The generation of pigs devoid of Galα1,3Galβ1,4GlcNAc (Gal) residues has stimulated interest in non-Gal Ags as potentially important targets for Ab binding leading to rejection of pig organ xenografts in humans. Although N-glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) epitopes, which are widely expressed on the endothelial cells of all mammals except humans, are likely targets of anti–non-Gal Abs, this aspect has not been investigated intensively owing to the absence of an appropriate animal model. In this study, we used CMAH−/− mice, which are completely deficient in NeuGc and thus produce anti-NeuGc Abs. Sera obtained from CMAH−/− mice and healthy human volunteers having anti-NeuGc Abs initiated complement-mediated lysis against CMAH+/+ cells in vitro. The cytotoxic activity of anti-NeuGc Abs was also determined in vivo (i.e., NeuGc-expressing CMAH+/+ mouse splenocytes that had been i.v. injected were completely eliminated in syngeneic CMAH−/− mice). CMAH−/− mice rejected the islets transplanted from syngeneic CMAH+/+ mice. Thus, the anti-NeuGc Ab-mediated response may be crucially involved in xenograft loss. This is the first direct demonstration of the immunogenic property of NeuGc determinants as targets of the corresponding Abs in CMAH+/+-to-CMAH−/− transplantation setting.
Novel taste-masked orally disintegrating tablets for a highly soluble drug with an extremely bitter taste: design rationale and evaluation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the taste masking potential of novel solid dispersions (SDs) using Eudragit® EPO as the excipient when incorporated into the orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) for delivering a highly soluble drug with an extremely bitter taste. The pyridostigmine bromides (PB) SDs (PBSDs) were prepared by solvent evaporation–deposition method. The physicochemical properties of PBSDs were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The dissolution test showed that only about 8% of PB was released from PBSDs in the simulated salivary fluid in 30 s. Therefore, PBSDs were considered taste-masked and selected for formulation of PBODTs. A central composite design was employed for process optimization. Multiple linear regression analysis for process optimization revealed that the optimal PBODTs were obtained, when the microcrystalline cellulose and crospovidone were 17.16 and 5.55 (%, w/w), respectively, and the average in vivo disintegration time was 25 s. The bitterness threshold of PB was examined by a sensory test, and the threshold value was set as 3 mg in each tablet. Taste evaluation of PBODTs in 18 volunteers revealed considerable taste masking with bitterness below the threshold value. PBODTs also revealed rapid drug release (around 99%, 2 min) in the simulated gastric fluid. The mean PB plasma concentration–time profiles of PBODTs and that of the commercial tablets were comparable, with closely similar pattern. Bioequivalence assessment results demonstrated that PBODTs and the commercial tablets were bioequivalent. In conclusion, PBODTs are prepared successfully, with taste masking and rapid disintegration in the oral cavity.
fMRI study of acupuncture-induced periaqueductal gray activity in humans

BOLD fMRI was used to study acupuncture-induced activation (increase in the BOLD signal from undetectable) of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and two somatosensory cortical areas in seven healthy human subjects. Mechanical stimulation (push-pull) was given to the LI4 (Hoku) acupoint or to a non-acupoint. The stimulation paradigm consisted of 5 runs, each consisting of four 30 s On/30 s OFF periods over 30 min. The scan for each ON period was analyzed individually. The PAG and cortical areas showed different activity patterns. PAG activity was episodic and reliably demonstrated after 20–25 min of stimulation; both cortical areas, however, were active >90% of the time. Stimulation of a non-acupoint (leg) resulted in reduced levels of PAG and cortical activity.
Force and Stiffness of Passive Magnetic Bearings Using Permanent Magnets. Part 2: Radial Magnetization

This paper deals with the calculation of the force and the stiffness between two ring permanent magnets whose polarization is radial. Such a configuration corresponds to a passive magnetic bearing. The magnetic force exerted between ring permanent magnets is determined by using the Coulombian model. The expressions obtained are semianalytical and we show that it is not possible to find an exact analytical expression of the force between two ring permanent magnets. Then, thanks to these semianalytical calculations, the ring dimensions are optimized in order to have a great force or a great stiffness. Moreover, we show that the relative position of the rings for which the force is the strongest depends on the air gap dimension. This result is new because the curvature effect is taken into account in this paper. We can say that such semianalytical expressions are more precise than the numerical evaluation of the magnetic forces obtained with the finite-element method. Moreover, semianalytical expressions have a low computational cost whereas the finite-element method has a high one. Thereby, as shown in this paper, such calculations allow an easy optimization of quadripolar lenses or devices using permanent magnets.
Targeting IL-12/IL-23 by Employing a p40 Peptide-Based Vaccine Ameliorates TNBS-Induced Acute and Chronic Murine Colitis

Interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 both share the p40 subunit and are key cytokines in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease. Previously, we have developed and identified three mouse p40 peptide-based and virus-like particle vaccines. Here, we evaluated the effects and immune mechanisms of the optimal vaccine in downregulating intestinal inflammation in murine acute and chronic colitis, induced by intrarectal administrations of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Mice were injected subcutaneously with vaccine, vaccine carrier or saline three times, and then intrarectally administered TNBS weekly for 2 wks (acute colitis) or 7 wks (chronic colitis). The severity of colitis was evaluated by body weight, histology and collagen and cytokine levels in colon tissue. Th1 and Th17 cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were determined. Our results showed the vaccine induced high level and long-lasting specific IgG antibodies to p40, IL-12 and IL-23. After administrations of TNBS, vaccinated mice had significantly less body weight loss and a significant decrease of inflammatory scores, collagen deposition and expression of p40, IL-12, IL-23, IL-17, TNF, iNOS and Bcl-2 in colon tissues, compared with carrier and saline groups. Moreover, vaccinated mice exhibited a trend to lower percentages of Th1 cells in acute colitis and of Th17 cells in chronic colitis in MLN than in controls. In summary, administration of the vaccine induced specific antibodies to IL-12 and IL-23, which was associated with improvement of intestinal inflammation and fibrosis. This suggests that the vaccine may provide a potential approach for the long-term treatment of Crohn’s disease.