Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A replicated file system for Grid computing

To meet the rigorous demands of large‐scale data sharing in global collaborations, we present a replication scheme for NFSv4 that supports mutable replication without sacrificing strong consistency guarantees. Experimental evaluation indicates a substantial performance advantage over a single‐server system. With the introduction of a hierarchical replication control protocol, the overhead of replication is negligible even when applications mostly write and replication servers are widely distributed. Evaluation with the NAS Grid Benchmarks demonstrates that our system provides comparable and often better performance than GridFTP, the de facto standard for Grid data sharing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How wet paper curls

When a piece of tracing paper is placed gently on the surface of a bath of water, it rapidly curls up from one edge and rolls up due to the swelling of the side in contact with water. With time, as the swelling front propagates through the thickness of the paper, the paper gradually uncurls itself and eventually straightens out. We analyze the experimental dynamics of rolling and unrolling of the paper and complement these with a minimal theory that explains the basic observations. Our study might be useful in the context of designing biomimetic devices that work as actuators or harness energy from humidity variations.
Iterative joint channel and noise variance estimation and primary user signal detection for cognitive radios

In this paper, we introduce a joint channel and noise variance estimation, and primary user (PU) signal detection scheme using the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for cognitive radios. In our investigation, we consider two scenarios: In the first scenario, the channel and noise variance are assumed to be perfectly known by the secondary user (SU). Here, we propose a maximum-likelihood (ML) solution of the PU signal detection as an upper bound on the performance of the proposed joint estimation and detection (JED) scheme. We also provide an iterative implementation of the ML-based detector using the EM algorithm. In the second case, we extend our work to the problem of channel and noise variance estimation in cognitive radios, where we propose an iterative JED scheme based on the EM algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed JED scheme can iteratively attain a reliable performance with few iterations and modest computational complexity.
Study of Surface Treatment Effects on the Metal-CdZnTe Interface

The quality of a CdZnTe-based X-ray detector is highly related to the interface between semiconductor and metal contact. One of the factors that increase leakage currents in CdZnTe based X-ray detectors is the presence of a conductive surface layer. In this paper the result of the passivation of the CdZnTe surface by means of an aqueous solution of NH4F/H2O2 is studied by optical ellipsometry and by the current-voltage characteristics of gold contacts deposited on the oxidized surface. Collected data show that leakage currents can be reduced and contact stability improved by the combined use of the passivation layer and a guard ring.
Group Size, Group Status and Dimensions of Contact as Predictors of Intergroup Attitudes

In a large nation-wide probability sample of majority and minority groups in two countries (in Finland and Sweden), more positive intergroup attitudes were, as expected, associated with higher status, more intergroup contact and higher familiarity of contact partner. Supporting predictions, smaller numerical group size was associated with more negative intergroup attitudes only when amount of contact was controlled for. In addition, group size and group status interacted such that the high status majority and the low status minority held the most positive intergroup attitudes, and familiarity of contact partner had more positive effects on intergroup attitudes when the contact partner was typical of the outgroup. However, typicality of contact partner did not moderate the effect of contact on attitudes.
ARUM: A cooperative middleware and an experimentation platform for mobile systems

In this paper, we present a middleware architecture for dependable mobile systems and an experimentation platform for its evaluation. The proposed architecture includes three building blocks tailored for mobile cooperative applications: a Proximity Map, a Trust and Cooperation Oracle, and a Cooperative Data Backup service. To illustrate our platform, we developed a Distributed Black-box application, whose aim is to record critical data while tolerating the failure of a node, and implemented a hardware evaluation platform of mobile systems for experimenting with the application. We provide here some insights on the development of the platform, focusing on wireless communication emulation via signal attenuation.
Cepstrum Analysis Based Blind Image Deconvolution

The research of image restoration that restores a latent image from a blurred image has been widely done. In this paper, we propose blind deconvolution method restoring a latent image from a blurred image degraded by a uniform two-dimensional motion blur. We focus attention on a characteristic of a cepstrum that approximation shape of a PSF appears on a cepstrum of a blurred image. Our method estimates two-dimentional PSF from a single blurred image, thus we need neither special hardware nor multiple images. First, we estimate PSF candidates from a cepstrum of a blurred image and obtain restored images by using each PSF candidate. From the restored images, we select the best restoration effect one among them as a final restored image. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we apply our method with both synthetic images and real images.
Document Title: People with Dementia as Witnesses to Emotional Events

Purpose: Demented elders are often the only witnesses to crimes against them, such as physical or financial elder abuse, yet they are disparaged and discounted as unreliable. Clinical experience with this population indicates that significant emotional experiences may be salient to people with dementia, and that certain behaviors and characteristics enhance their credibility as historians. For example, someone in an early stage of the disease may be able to reliably report on an event with strong emotional content. This is the first systematic research to identify people with dementia with reliable emotional memory and their characteristics. Design & Methods: A cross-sectional study of 95 people with dementia (aged 55 and older) and a control group of 50 older adults was conducted. Memories of recent autobiographical events that have both positive and negative emotional content were elicited during a structured interview. Accurate recollection of these events was independently verified by a non-demented informant, usually a family member. In addition, both members of the dyad were interviewed independently to assess other characteristics of the older adult participant: demographics, depressive symptoms, functional and cognitive abilities, medications, health conditions, confabulation behaviors and characteristics of the dyadic relationship. Researchers also assessed people with dementia for disease stage, awareness of their cognitive impairment, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. A validated test of emotional memory was administered to qualified participants to verify the novel structured interviewing assessment developed for this study. The study assessments were conducted during a home visit by two researchers. Results: A significant subset of older adults with dementing illnesses can reliably report emotional events in their lives. Compared to people with dementia with less reliable emotional memory, these individuals are able to report details of the event accurately and to recall the same event again after a short time delay. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Evaluating the functional autonomy of persons with Alzheimer's disease: A tool for observing four activities of daily living

The goal of this study was to develop an instrument for evaluating the functional autonomy of demented persons in four ADLs: • Getting dressed; • Getting washed; • Eating; and • Eliminating. Thirteen persons with Alzheimer's disease who were living in care facilities were filmed three times while they were performing the first three ADLs, and observed during the last ADL. Based on these direct observations, the various sequences of tasks required to accomplish each of the ADLs were identified. Criteria for the successful accomplishment of each sequence were established and classifications of both autonomous behaviors and blocking conditions to autonomy were developed. The instrument includes three types of prompts to promote the emergence of potential abilities and provides two autonomy ratings - one of which distinguishes between actual and potential ability level. The prototype was submitted to different experts in the field and tried out on 26 other subjects suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Dividing tasks into sequences appears essential in identifying what subjects can accomplish without help and what they can do after a prompt.
Narratives in Contest; or, Another Twist in the Narrative Turn

The narrative turn, the study of the nature and power of story and storytelling, continues to be one of the most significant movements in contemporary thought, influencing work in an ever-growing number of disciplines. Psychologists such as Jerome Bruner explore the “narrative identity thesis,” the idea that the very conception of selfhood depends on having a narrative of one's life. Scholars of the law such as Peter Brooks advance our understanding of the legal system by analyzing the myriad kinds of narrative—from confessions to closings—integral to it. Medical researchers such as Rita Charon find that treatment improves when doctors listen to patients' illness narratives rather than simply seek to identify patients' symptoms.
On creativity and innovation in the computing curriculum

Graduates of computing degrees are extremely well placed to be entrepreneurs of the future. They have knowledge of recent advances in computing hardware, software and data sources, and skills to turn that knowledge into digital products like software applications and mobile apps that appeal to consumers or businesses. While entrepreneurship education encompasses many aspects, a starting point is finding a good idea that has market potential. This requires creativity: a skill that is not often made explicit in computing programs, or if so, perhaps confined to the realms of HCI or coding. Moreover, in many computing subjects, students are asked to find creative solutions to known problems, rather than exploring the problem space itself. This paper describes a case study of inviting students to demonstrate creativity and innovation in an e-commerce subject offered principally to computing students. Students are asked to identify human-centered problems that lend themselves to computing-oriented solutions, and to propose and test their ideas. The paper identifies four factors that were examined in relation to their influence on students' creativity and innovation.
A tangible MIDI sequencer for visually impaired people

In contrast to many applications on the PC and in the Internet which are accessible to visually impaired people today, making electronic music with limited eye-sight is still a challenge. Standard software and hardware are both strongly dominated by graphical output. In order to close this cap, we developed a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) sequencer with audio-feedback and a new interaction paradigm which eliminates interaction with the PC's keyboard and screen. The blind musician relies solely on input via the instrument itself. He can both, record and play music via the instrument's black & white keys but at the same time control all functions of a multi-track MIDI sequencer without ever taking the hands off the instrument. We also use the MIDI-connection for coding different kinds of feedback to the user in an efficient way. The software which runs on a PC and is connected to an electronic instrument has been evaluated and improved extensively and is made available free of charge for visually impaired and normal-sighted people.
collecTable: a natural interface for music collections

Introduction and Related Work Tabletop and tangible interfaces have become common in recent years. Technology trends in this area can be found in commercial products, such as Apple's iPhone#8482; and Microsoft Surface#8482;, as well as in research ventures, such as Reactable and Perceptive Pixel initiatives. Nevertheless, natural human computer interfaces (HCI) to support this hardware technology are still non-intuitive.
Software Ranking and Analysis based on Mining Market Requirements and Characteristics

As the rapid growth of open source software, how to choose software from many alternatives becomes a great challenge. Traditional ranking approaches mainly focus on the characteristics of the software themselves, such as qualities, security, reliable and so on. In this paper we investigate the market demands for software engineers, and propose a novel approach for ranking software by analyzing the market requirements for special software. At the same time we conclude the characteristics of software advertisements and analyze the reasons that why these situations emerge and tendency of software market requirements. As industries always need to balance several different factors for selecting software, the market demands can be a good indicator for ranking software and software evaluating. This paper provides quite a different perspective and some interesting inferences on software market requirements, and it can be a valuable supplement for traditional ranking methods, as well as software evaluating.
Recombinant and truncated tetanus neurotoxin light chain: cloning, expression, purification, and proteolytic activity.

Tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) consists of two disulfide-linked polypeptide chains, heavy (H) and light (L). The L chain is a zinc endopeptidase protein highly specific for vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP), which is an essential component of the exocytosis apparatus. Here we describe the cloning of the L chain of TeNT from Clostridium tetani strain Y-IV-3 (WS 15) and its expression in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. The full-length recombinant L chain, corresponding to residues 1-457, was obtained as a mixture of proteins of slightly different mass with identical N-terminal ends. To obtain a product useful for structural analysis and crystallization, a COOH-terminally truncated L chain (residues 1-427) was cloned, expressed, and purified with high yield. This truncated L chain is more active than the full-length and wild-type proteins in the hydrolysis of VAMP. Preliminary experiments of crystallization of the truncated recombinant L chain gave encouraging results.
Literature review: the role of teachers in peacebuilding

In the context of debates relating to teachers’ role in educational outcomes, accountability and management, this literature review explores their potential to be active agents of peacebuilding. Specifically, the review aims to explore their role in promoting peace, reconciliation, social cohesion and violence mitigation, recognising that literature specifically relating to teachers and peacebuilding was limited. The review is based on a framework (Naylor and Sayed, 2014) which conceives teachers as active agents located in particular global, national and local policy contexts and structures.
EVALUATION OF SPEECH DEREVERBERATION ALGORITHMS USING THE MARDY DATABASE

Dereverberation is a growing area of research with many new algorithms appearing in the literature. However, there are still no unanimously accepted tools for evaluation of these algorithms. In this paper, we introduce the Multichannel Acoustic Reverberation Database at York (MARDY) containing real measured multichannel room impulse responses. We demonstrate its use for the evaluation of dereverberation algorithms using three recent multichannel methods. Furthermore, psychoacoustic issues regarding the performance evaluation of dereverberation algorithms are discussed.
The Effect of Melatonin against Oxidative Damage during Total-Body Irradiation in Rats

Abstract Koc, M. , Taysi, S. , Buyukokuroglu, M. E. and Bakan, N. The Effect of Melatonin against Oxidative Damage during Total-Body Irradiation in Rats. Radiat. Res. 160, 251–255 (2003). Melatonin has been reported to participate in the regulation of a number of important physiological and pathological processes. Melatonin, which is a powerful endogenous antioxidant, may play a role in the prevention of oxidative damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pretreatment with melatonin (5 mg kg–1 and 10 mg kg–1) on γ-radiation-induced oxidative damage in plasma and erythrocytes after total-body irradiation with a single dose of 5 Gy. Total-body irradiation resulted in a significant increase in plasma and erythrocyte MDA levels. Melatonin alone increased the levels of SOD and GSH-Px. Erythrocyte and plasma MDA levels in irradiated rats that were pretreated with melatonin (5 or 10 mg kg–1) were significantly lower than those in rats that were not pretreated. There was no significant difference between the effects of 5 and 10 mg kg–1 on plasma MDA activities and CAT activities. However, erythrocyte MDA levels showed a dose-dependent decrease, while GSH-Px activities increased with dose. Our study suggests that melatonin administered prior to irradiation may protect against the damage produced by radiation by the up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes and by scavenging free radicals generated by ionizing radiation.
THE SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF UREASE ACTIVITY OF SURFACE AGRICULTURAL SOILS WITHIN AN URBAN AREA

Soil enzymes play a major role in the mineralization processes of organic materials. The soil enzymes originate from animal, plant and microbial sources and the resulting soil biological activity including the metabolic processes of all these organisms. Information on soil enzyme activities used to determine soil microbiological characteristics are very important for soil quality and healthy.
Characterization of the RNA binding energetics of the Candida albicans poly(A) polymerase

The 3′ ends of eukaryotic mRNAs are characterized by the presence of a poly(A) tail, which plays a critical role in stability, transport, and translation of the mRNAs. In the present study, we report the expression, purification and enzymatic characterization of the poly(A) polymerase of Candida albicans, an important human pathogen. As a first step toward elucidating the nature of the interaction between RNA and the enzyme, fluorescence spectroscopy assays were also performed to monitor the binding of RNA to the protein. Our assays revealed that the initial interaction between RNA and the enzyme is characterized by a high enthalpy of association and that the minimal RNA binding site of the enzyme is eight nucleotides. Moreover, both the kinetics of real‐time RNA binding and the contribution of electrostatic interactions to the overall binding energy were investigated. Finally, we also correlated the effect of RNA binding on protein structure, using both circular dichroism and guanidium hydrochloride‐induced denaturation studies as structural indicators. Our data indicate that the protein undergoes structural modifications upon RNA binding, although the interaction does not significantly modify the stability of the protein. In addition to the determination of the energetics of RNA binding, our study provides a better understanding of the molecular basis of RNA binding by poly(A) polymerases. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exploring a Problem-Based Learning Approach in Pharmaceutics

Objective. The basis of this study was to explore the impact of the initiation of a Problem-Base Learning (PBL) approach within a second-year pharmaceutics degree on a Master of Pharmacy programme, introduced as a way of improving deep learning and to foster independent learning. Design. A semi-structured interview was used to seek feedback from the students, and feedback from staff was secured though a focus group. A thematic approach was used for the analysis, once data saturation had been reached. Exam pass-rate statistics were also analysed. Assessment. Five parent themes were identified from the student interviews: Module structure, Promoting lifelong learning, Integration and future practice, Outcomes and Student experience. The third year exam pass rate improved by 12% in the year following the introduction of PBL in second year. Conclusions. Various recommendations were proposed to further improve the module, based on the findings of this study. These include improving feedback and support through tutorials, reducing the volume of directed study, as well as highlighting the relevance of pharmaceutics to the pharmacy degree. A long-term review would be needed to assess the full implications of PBL teaching within this course.
Cerebral Laterality, Emotion, and Cardiopulmonary Functions: An Investigation of Left and Right CVA Patients

Stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is a prominent cause of long term disability in the United States. It has been evidenced that the outcome of a CVA patient differs as a function of the cerebral hemisphere that is damaged by the stroke, especially in terms of emotional changes. The Right Hemisphere Model of Emotion posits that the right hemisphere is specialized for processing emotional content, regardless of valence. In contrast, the BiHemispheric Model of Emotion posits that each hemisphere has its own emotional specialization. The current experiment tested the competing predictions of the two theoretical perspectives in a mixed sample of left cerebrovascular accident (LCVA) patients and right cerebrovascular accident (RCVA) patients using a Dichotic Listening task and the Affective Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AAVLT). Heart Rate (HR) and Pulse Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) were also recorded as sympathetic measures. It was expected that the predictions of the BiHemispheric Model would be supported. A series of mixed design ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that both groups may have exhibited decreased auditory detection abilities in the ear contralateral to CVA location. Additionally, CVA patients recalled significantly more positive words, than negative or neutral words, and exhibited a significant learning curve. LCVA patients exhibited a recency effect, while RCVA patients exhibited a heightened primacy effect. Findings from HR and SPO2 measures suggested a parasympathetic response to neutral information as well as an impaired sympathetic response to negative information in RCVA patients. Taken together these results lend partial support to the hypotheses drawn from the Bi-Hemispheric Model of Emotion, as evidenced by the diametrically opposite effects in these groups, which appears to reflect opposing cerebral processes.