Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring Process Component Design on Achieving Managerial Goals

— Process-oriented software development is a new software development paradigm in which software design is modeled by a business process which is in turn translated into a process execution language for execution. The building blocks of this paradigm are software units that are composed together to work according to the flow of the business process. This new paradigm still exhibits the characteristic of the applications built with the traditional software component technology. This paper discusses an approach to apply a traditional technique for software component fabrication to the design of process-oriented software units, called process components. These process components result from decomposing a business process of a particular application domain into subprocesses, and these process components can be reused to design the business processes of other application domains. The decomposition considers five managerial goals, namely cost effectiveness, ease of assembly, customization, reusability, and maintainability. The paper presents how to design or decompose process components from a business process model and measure some technical features of the design that would affect the managerial goals. A comparison between the measurement values from different designs can tell which process component design is more appropriate for the managerial goals that have been set. The proposed approach can be applied in Web Services environment which accommodates process-oriented software development.
Planning and Acting in Uncertain Environments using Probabilistic Inference

An important problem in robotics is planning and selecting actions for goal-directed behavior in noisy uncertain environments. The problem is typically addressed within the framework of partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs). Although efficient algorithms exist for learning policies for MDPs, these algorithms do not generalize easily to POMDPs. In this paper, we propose a framework for planning and action selection based on probabilistic inference in graphical models. Unlike previous approaches based on MAP inference, our approach utilizes the most probable explanation (MPE) of variables in a graphical model, allowing tractable and efficient inference of actions. It generalizes easily to complex partially observable environments. Furthermore, it allows rewards and costs to be incorporated in a straightforward manner as part of the inference process. We investigate the application of our approach to the problem of robot navigation by testing it on a suite of well-known POMDP benchmarks. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method can beat or match the performance of recently proposed specialized POMDP solvers
Walsh–Hadamard Transform Kernel-Based Feature Vector for Shot Boundary Detection

Video shot boundary detection (SBD) is the first step of video analysis, summarization, indexing, and retrieval. In SBD process, videos are segmented into basic units called shots. In this paper, a new SBD method is proposed using color, edge, texture, and motion strength as vector of features (feature vector). Features are extracted by projecting the frames on selected basis vectors of Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT) kernel and WHT matrix. After extracting the features, based on the significance of the features, weights are calculated. The weighted features are combined to form a single continuity signal, used as input for Procedure Based shot transition Identification process (PBI). Using the procedure, shot transitions are classified into abrupt and gradual transitions. Experimental results are examined using large-scale test sets provided by the TRECVID 2007, which has evaluated hard cut and gradual transition detection. To evaluate the robustness of the proposed method, the system evaluation is performed. The proposed method yields F1-Score of 97.4% for cut, 78% for gradual, and 96.1% for overall transitions. We have also evaluated the proposed feature vector with support vector machine classifier. The results show that WHT-based features can perform well than the other existing methods. In addition to this, few more video sequences are taken from the Openvideo project and the performance of the proposed method is compared with the recent existing SBD method.
Escherichia coli cyclomodulin Cif induces G2 arrest of the host cell cycle without activation of the DNA‐damage checkpoint‐signalling pathway

The cycle inhibiting factor (Cif) belongs to a family of bacterial toxins and effector proteins, the cyclomodulins, that deregulate the host cell cycle. Upon injection into HeLa cells by the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) type III secretion system, Cif induces a cytopathic effect characterized by the recruitment of focal adhesion plates and the formation of stress fibres, an irreversible cell cycle arrest at the G2/M transition, and sustained inhibitory phosphorylation of mitosis inducer, CDK1. Here, we report that the reference typical EPEC strain B171 produces a functional Cif and that lipid‐mediated delivery of purified Cif into HeLa cells induces cell cycle arrest and actin stress fibres, implying that Cif is necessary and sufficient for these effects. EPEC infection of intestinal epithelial cells (Caco‐2, IEC‐6) also induces cell cycle arrest and CDK1 inhibition. The effect of Cif is strikingly similar to that of cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), which inhibits the G2/M transition by activating the DNA‐damage checkpoint pathway. However, in contrast to CDT, Cif does not cause phosphorylation of histone H2AX, which is associated with DNA double‐stranded breaks. Following EPEC infection, the checkpoint effectors ATM/ATR, Chk1 and Chk2 are not activated, the levels of the CDK‐activating phosphatases Cdc25B and Cdc25C are not affected, and Cdc25C is not sequestered in host cell cytoplasm. Hence, Cif activates a DNA damage‐independent signalling pathway that leads to inhibition of the G2/M transition.
Towards Traffic Generation with Individual Driver Behavior Model Based Vehicles

Providing realistic road traffic in virtual environments is a challenging problem. It implies handling behavioral and physical aspects of autonomous vehicles, so as to immerse the driver in a realistic simulated environment and provide perceptually valid results. SCANeR© II, developed initially by Renault and today by Oktal, integrates a traffic module which has been developed during the last 10 years. As industrial and academic end-users are becoming more and more exigent about traffic realism, new perceptual and behavioral driver-vehicle behavior models will constitute the basis of an enhanced traffic module for a new version of SCANeR©. In this paper the authors first present the traffic simulation module implemented in SCANeR© II. Existing features of the current perception-decision-action model, providing autonomous vehicles with realistic interactions between each other, as well as intrinsic limitations and difficulties are discussed. The capacity to describe adequately the environment, with geometric, topologic and semantic data, is an important basis for the animation of the autonomous traffic. SCANeR© II currently uses a two-layer data format for the description of the environment, which is based on a discontinuous logical description mapped on a continuous 3D graphical database. The authors present here a new unified data format with a new logical description. The authors will show how the integration of this new data format increases the realism of the behavior of the autonomous vehicles, by reducing conflicts that could appear between graphical and logical layers. It provides also a solid basis to major improvements of the current traffic module, like the introduction of realistic behavioral parameters in the decision model, allowing to take into account various perceptual variables, such as Time To Collision or Time to Lane Crossing, in the execution of the different vehicles maneuvers.
Exploring Efficient SMT Branch Predictor Design

Branch prediction in simultaneous multithreaded processors is difficult because multiple independent threads interfere with shared prediction resources. We evaluate the prediction accuracy of four branch predictor configurations: 1) a totally shared predictor, 2) a completely split predictor, 3) a predictor with a shared history and split BHT, and 4) a predictor with a shared BHT and separate history registers, each for two static prediction schemes, a generic 2-bit predictor, a Gshare predictor, and a YAGS predictor. We simulate each combination listed with four threads executing a different benchmark and with each thread executing the same code. We conclude that for an execution with unique threads, separating the branch history register for each thread allows for higher prediction accuracy by eliminating the negative aliasing between threads. Surprisingly, this splitting of predictor resources still performs better than a shared predictor even when each thread is running the same code. This study demonstrates that allotting each thread its own history register to access a shared predictor table gives performance close to that of a totally split predictor while using significantly less resources. Overall system performance, as measured in CPI, is only marginally affected by branch prediction accuracy in a multithreaded environment because threadlevel parallelism allows for the hiding of long latency hazards, such as branch mispredicts. As such, we feel that branch prediction accuracy is not of peak importance when running multithreaded applications and that valuable development time and chip resources should be spent on other issues.
Genomic imprinting, methylation and parent-of-origin effects in reciprocal hybrid endosperm of castor bean

Genomic imprinting often results in parent-of-origin specific differential expression of maternally and paternally inherited alleles. In plants, the triploid endosperm is where gene imprinting occurs most often, but aside from studies on Arabidopsis, little is known about gene imprinting in dicotyledons. In this study, we inspected genomic imprinting in castor bean (Ricinus communis) endosperm, which persists throughout seed development. After mapping out the polymorphic SNP loci between accessions ZB306 and ZB107, we generated deep sequencing RNA profiles of F1 hybrid seeds derived from reciprocal crosses. Using polymorphic SNP sites to quantify allele-specific expression levels, we identified 209 genes in reciprocal endosperms with potential parent-of-origin specific expression, including 200 maternally expressed genes and 9 paternally expressed genes. In total, 57 of the imprinted genes were validated via reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction sequencing, and analysis of the genomic DNA methylation distribution between embryo and endosperm tissues showed significant hypomethylation in the endosperm and an enrichment of differentially methylated regions around the identified genes. Curiously, the expression of the imprinted genes was not tightly linked to DNA methylation. These results largely extended gene imprinting information existing in plants, providing potential directions for further research in gene imprinting.
Network traffic anomaly detection based on catastrophe theory

Although various methods have been proposed to detect anomalies, they are mostly based on the traditional statistical physics. The traditional statistical physics methods are based on the stationary hypothesis of the network traffic, which always ignore the real catastrophe process when anomalies occur. In order to reflect the catastrophe process of the abnormal network traffic, we present a non-stationary network traffic anomaly detection approach based on catastrophe theory. The cusp catastrophe model is selected to describe the catastrophe feature of the network traffic and the catastrophe distance is defined as an index to assess the deviation from the normal catastrophe model and the serial of catastrophe distance is the main feature to detect anomaly. We evaluate our approach using the 1999 intrusion evaluation data set of network traffic trace provided by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Experiment results show that our approach can effectively detect network anomalies and achieve high detection probability and low false alarms rate.
β- and α-Cell Dysfunctions in Africans With Ketosis-Prone Atypical Diabetes During Near-Normoglycemic Remission

OBJECTIVE Ketosis-prone atypical diabetes (KPD) is a subtype of diabetes in which the pathophysiology is yet to be unraveled. The aim of this study was to characterize β- and α-cell functions in Africans with KPD during remission. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We characterized β- and α-cell functions in Africans with KPD during remission. The cohort comprised 15 sub-Saharan Africans who had been insulin-free for a median of 6 months. Patients in remission were in good glycemic control (near-normoglycemic) and compared with 15 nondiabetic control subjects matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and BMI. Plasma insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon concentrations were measured in response to oral and intravenous glucose and to combined intravenous arginine and glucose. Early insulin secretion was measured during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Insulin secretion rate and glucagon were assessed in response to intravenous glucose ramping. RESULTS Early insulin secretion and maximal insulin secretion rate were lower in patients compared with control participants. In response to combined arginine and glucose stimulation, maximal insulin response was reduced. Glucagon suppression was also decreased in response to oral and intravenous glucose but not in response to arginine and insulin. CONCLUSIONS Patients with KPD in protracted near-normoglycemic remission have impaired insulin response to oral and intravenous glucose and to arginine, as well as impaired glucagon suppression. Our results suggest that β- and α-cell dysfunctions both contribute to the pathophysiology of KPD.
Splenorenal shunt blood flow by transit‐time ultrasound as an index of collateral circulation in portal hypertensive rats

The aim of this study was to develop a technique that could serve as an index of portosystemic shunt (PSS) blood flow in portal hypertensive rats whose main shunt is the splenorenal shunt (SRS). The main hemodynamic measurements performed were: SRS blood flow by the transit‐time ultrasound (TTU) method, percentage of PSS, and regional blood flows by the microsphere method. We determined the accuracy and reproducibility of SRS blood flow measurements under baseline and pharmacological (octreotide) conditions. SRS blood flow was compared with other hemodynamic characteristics. Two models of portal hypertension were used: secondary biliary and dimethylnitrosamine cirrhosis. The SRS blood flow was correlated with mesenteric (r = .76; P < .001) and splenic (r = .67; P < .01) PSS percentages. The intra‐ and interobserver agreements for SRS blood flow were excellent: ric = . 99 and ric = . 98, respectively. SRS blood flow was six times higher in portal hypertensive rats (0.6 ± 0.7 mL · min−1 · 100 g−1) than in sham rats (0.1 ± 0.1 mL · min−1 · 100 g−1 [P < .01]). Octreotide significantly decreased SRS blood flow but not mesenteric or splenic PSS percentages. SRS is the main PSS in rats. The measurement of SRS blood flow by TTU is accurate and reproducible. This method can be used to identify new mechanisms in hemodynamic studies that differ from those identified by the measurement of the percentage of PSS by the microsphere method, especially in pharmacological studies.
High-Temperature Superconducting Magnetic Levitation Vehicles: Dynamic Characteristics While Running on a Ring Test Line

In the long-distance operation of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnetic levitation (maglev) systems, the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle are closely related to its security and stationarity, which require in-depth research to ensure its safe operation. Thus, we investigated the dynamic characteristics of the HTS maglev and assessed its safety and stationarity when running on a ring test line. In the experiments, the important parameters related to safety are lateral displacement (LD) and levitation height (LH). Results show that an appropriate low field-cooling height (FCH) is beneficial for its safe operation, and the maximum LD (MLD) should be considered in vehicle designs. Moreover, in other experiments, we tested the vibration acceleration of the HTS maglev vehicle using acceleration sensors and assessed its stationarity according to the Chinese National Standard GB5599-85, which is specifically published to assess the stationarity and security of railway vehicles by the China Ministry of Railways. The stationarity of the HTS maglev vehicle running on the ring test line is of good grade. When the secondary suspension and appropriate measures of vibration reduction are considered, the stationarity will be greatly improved.
An Investigation of the Nonverbal Communication Behaviors and Role Perceptions of Pre-Service Band Teachers who Participated in Theatre Seminars

This qualitative study used a multiple case study methodology to explore the nonverbal communication behaviors and role perceptions of pre-service band teachers, and the extent to which these individuals found meaning and value in theatre seminars with respect to those factors. The informants participated in three theatre seminars taught by theatre faculty at the researcher's university. The researcher collected data in the form of videotaped theatre seminar observations, videotaped classroom teaching observations, videotaped informant reflections of teaching episodes, online peer discussions and journaling, and informant interviews. Data were analyzed, coded, and summarized to form case summaries. A cross-case analysis was performed to identify emergent themes. The broad themes identified were past experience, adaptation, realization, and being aware. The informants found that the theatre seminars increased their awareness of nonverbal communication behaviors in the classroom, and had the potential to be meaningful and valuable with respect to their perceptions of their roles as teachers.
Contribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Virulence Factors to Cytotoxicity, Enterotoxicity, and Lethality in Mice

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus, one of the human-pathogenic vibrios, causes three major types of clinical illness: gastroenteritis, wound infections, and septicemia. Thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) secreted by this bacterium has been considered a major virulence factor of gastroenteritis because it has biological activities, including cytotoxic and enterotoxic activities. Previous reports revealed that V. parahaemolyticus strain RIMD2210633, which contains tdh, has two sets of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes on chromosomes 1 and 2 (T3SS1 and T3SS2, respectively) and that T3SS1 is responsible for cytotoxicity and T3SS2 is involved in enterotoxicity, as well as in cytotoxic activity. However, the relative importance and contributions of TDH and the two T3SSs to V. parahaemolyticus pathogenicity are not well understood. In this study, we constructed mutant strains with nonfunctional T3SSs from the V. parahaemolyticus strain containing tdh, and then the pathogenicities of the wild-type and mutant strains were evaluated by assessing their cytotoxic activities against HeLa, Caco-2, and RAW 264 cells, their enterotoxic activities in rabbit ileal loops, and their lethality in a murine infection model. We demonstrated that T3SS1 was involved in cytotoxic activities against all cell lines used in this study, while T3SS2 and TDH had cytotoxic effects on a limited number of cell lines. T3SS2 was the major contributor to V. parahaemolyticus-induced enterotoxicity. Interestingly, we found that both T3SS1 and TDH played a significant role in lethal activity in a murine infection model. Our findings provide new indications that these virulence factors contribute to and orchestrate each distinct aspect of the pathogenicity of V. parahaemolyticus.
Multicenter randomized controlled study to assess the effect of prophylactic clipping on post‐polypectomy delayed bleeding

Prophylactic clipping has been widely used to prevent post‐procedural bleeding in colon polypctomy. However, its efficiency has not been confirmed and there is no consensus on the usefulness of prophylactic clipping. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preventive effect of prophylactic clipping on post‐polypectomy bleeding.
'Opening up' : how is positive change made possible for gang-involved adolescents in contact with a mental health charity?

This research sought to explore if, and how, being involved with a mental health charity project is helpful to gang-associated young people. There are problematic gaps in access to adolescent mental health services in the UK, and the evidence base that supports them, particularly for young people labelled ‘hard to reach’. In addition, engaging adolescents is acknowledged as challenging for mental health professionals, and drop-out rates are high. Furthermore, recommended interventions do not address poverty and social disadvantage, the most salient risk factors for both adolescent mental health problems and for offending, and a blight on the lived experience of the most marginalised and vulnerable young people in UK society. Taking a critical realist stance, the current research aims to address these problems by using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory to develop a model of the positive change occurring at an innovative mental health project working with gang-involved young people. The project has developed an integrated approach that draws on different therapeutic orientations, particularly community psychology, mentalisation and attachment theory. Six young people and six professionals working at the project were interviewed. A grounded theory analysis, comprising the core category of “Opening Up” was constructed from the researcher’s understanding of participants’ accounts. Positive change was conceptualised as an opening up of: future possibilities; contexts for action and interaction; access to material and social resources and opportunities; the self in relationship; and ideas about the self and others. Central to the findings was the use of trust as a resource for change, and a service structure enabling professionals and young people to take “the time that it takes” to establish a therapeutic relationship facilitating positive change. In keeping with the community psychology influences at the project, a Youth Research Consultant advised throughout the research. Limitations of the findings and their implications for future research and practice at the individual, service and commissioning levels are considered.
IMPACT OF VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE ON A WILD POPULATION OF EUROPEAN RABBITS IN FRANCE

An outbreak of rabbit viral hemorrhagic disease (RVHD) and of myxomatosis occurred in a free-living population of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) near Paris (France) in 1995. Annual mortality rates were 88% in adults and 99% in juveniles. There was no difference in mortality rates between males and females. Since most adults were protected with myxoma antibodies after May, they probably died of RVHD. Mortality lasted throughout the year despite high proportions of rabbits having developed myxomatosis and RVHD antibodies, which suggests that the combination of the two diseases and the immunosuppressive characteristics of myxoma virus could be responsible for the mortality caused by RVHD. The proportion of juveniles with RVHD antibodies increased with their weight. Seroconversion against RVHD occurred in spring and autumn.