Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A generalized gamma software reliability model

In this paper, the authors propose a generalized software reliability model based on a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP), on the assumption that software fault discovery times follow a generalized gamma distribution. The proposed model encompasses representative NHPP models developed before now and is also consistent with probabilistic debugging theory based on the concept of generalized order statistics. Furthermore, in this paper, the authors propose a parameter estimation method which combines the EM (Expectation-Maximization) algorithm and a heuristic solution method, as an effective parameter estimation method for the generalized gamma software reliability model. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 38(2): 81–90, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI 10.1002sscj. 20350
Topological Sensitivity and Shape Optimization for the Stokes Equations

The topological sensitivity analysis provides an asymptotic expansion of a shape function with respect to the insertion of a small hole or obstacle inside a domain. This expansion can then be used for shape optimization. In this paper, such an expansion is obtained for the Stokes equations with general shape functions and arbitrarily shaped holes. A numerical example illustrates the use of the topological sensitivity in a shape optimization problem.
Incidence Rates in Chiang Mai Province , Thailand

The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemic patterns of hospital-diagnosed HIV/ AIDS incidence by year, district and age group for Chiang Mai; a northern province of Thailand. This study was based on individual hospital case records of HIV/AIDS patients routinely reported from 1997 to 2006. Linear regression to forecast HIV/AIDS incidence rates was used by districts and age groups in order to prevent disease epidemics that are likely to occur in these areas in the near future. The model contained additive effects associated with the season of the year, district, age group, and the HIV/AIDS incidence rates of previous years, and it can be used to provide useful short-term forecasts. This study found that all coeffi cients of age group factor were signifi cant, as were all those of district factor, except for Samoeng, Hot, Doi Tao, Chai Prakan and Mae Wang district. All coeffi cients of year time factor were signifi cant, except for the 1998 factor. The linear regression model obtained an r-square of 74.47%. This study also found that the average incidence rate of AIDS appears to be highest at 2.10 per 10,000 people per year in Hang Dong district. Having a model that provides such forecasts of disease outbreaks can provide a useful basis for allocation of resources for disease prevention. Chiang Mai Medical Journal 2010;49(4):161-166.
A Novel Buck–Boost Converter Combining KY and Buck Converters

In this letter, a buck-boost converter, i.e., 2D converter with a positive output voltage, is presented, which combines the KY converter and the traditional synchronously rectified (SR) buck converter. By doing so, the problem in voltage bucking of the KY converter can be solved, thereby increasing the application capability of the KY converter. Since such a converter operates in continuous conduction mode inherently, it possesses the nonpulsating output current, thereby not only decreasing the current stress on the output capacitor but also reducing the output voltage ripple. Above all, both the KY converter and the SR buck converter, combined into a buck-boost converter with no right-half plane zero, use the same power switches, thereby causing the required circuit to be compact and the corresponding cost to be down. Furthermore, during the magnetization period, the input voltage of the KY converter comes from the input voltage source, whereas during the demagnetization period, the input voltage of the KY converter comes from the output voltage of the SR buck converter.
Priority queueing in RAID disk arrays with an NVS cache

We consider a cached RAID5 disk array which partially consists of non-volatile storage (NVS) providing a fast-write capability. Blocks written in this manner are destaged from the NVS cache onto disk asynchronously and at a lower priority than disk read requests. We consider three queueing disciplines to prioritize read misses with respect to destages: (i) Non-preemptive priorities. (ii) Preemptions only after completion of a seek (split-seek option). (iii) Preemption during the latency phase (split-latency option). It can be concluded from the simulation results for two workloads that unlike the FCFS policy, the increase in read response time for all three disciplines is quite moderate up to the point of full disk utilization. This improvement in read response time is at the cost of some wasted processing, but it is shown by applying the vacationing server model to the split-seek option that the reduction in the maximum throughput with respect to the FCFS policy is negligibly small. <<ETX>>
VERITAS: A 128-channel ASIC for the readout of pnCCDs and DEPFET arrays for X-ray imaging, spectroscopy and X-ray FEL applications. Experimental results and new designs

VERITAS is the first 128-channel ASIC developed to readout both the pnCCDs and the DEPFET arrays produced at the MPI-Halbleiterlabor in Munich. These detectors are used in a large variety of scientific applications, ranging from X-ray astronomy to the new X-ray Free Electron Laser sources. The main concept of VERITAS is to provide a flexible readout chip able to cope not only with different kinds of detectors, but also with a large set of operating conditions that may require very different noise thresholds and input dynamic ranges. These can vary by more than two orders of magnitude. Every analog channel of VERITAS provides trapezoidal weighting function. This filtering strategy had never been applied to the pnCCD before. The very first measurements obtained coupling VERITAS with a 128×256 pnCCD are shown. With these settings an input charge up to 2.5×105 electrons can be processed. With a readout time of 4 µs/line a noise of 3.9 electrons has been measured in the highest gain mode. The resolution obtained on the Mn-Kα peak of a 55Fe source is of 136 eV for single events. A noise of 30 electrons has been achieved in the lowest gain mode at a speed of 6.4 µs/line. In this low gain setting an input charge up to 2.5×105 electrons can be processed. These striking results fulfill the requirements of the main foreseen applications of large-size pnCCDs: experiments with Free Electron Lasers and high-speed optical astronomy. In order to further improve the performance and the flexibility of the ASIC, a second version based on a fully differential architecture has been designed. This topology allows a simpler filter implementation and it is less sensitive to cross-talk. In addition it offers the possibility to switch with the same ASIC between the source follower and drain current readout of the DEPFET sensors. The drain readout should make it possible to reach a processing time of about 2–3 µs/line with an electronics noise ≤10 el. This makes the second version of VERITAS very attractive for the proposed ESA X-ray astronomy mission ATHENA.
The predictive value of using a combined Z-score and day 3 embryo morphology score in the assessment of embryo survival on day 5.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of using the Z-score alone, or, in combination with the day 3 embryo morphology score, to predict embryo viability at day 5 from a large cohort of embryos derived from patients undergoing treatment with IVF/ICSI. METHODS AND RESULTS In this retrospective study, a total of 1894 zygotes from 346 treatment cycles (295 couples) was analysed between January 2001 and May 2002. The Z-scoring system was useful in predicting day 5 embryo survival. The mean +/- SD day 5 embryo survival rates were 78.2 +/- 1.7, 49.0 +/- 2.5, 21.4 +/- 3.2 and 11.8 +/- 5.6% for Z-1, Z-2, Z-3 and Z-4 zygotes groups respectively. Embryos derived from Z-1 scores and grade I day 3 embryo scores showed the best day 5 embryo survival and a very high implantation potential. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that a combined evaluation of the Z-score and day 3 embryo morphology is highly predictive of embryo outcome after IVF/ICSI. The Z-score could be of great help in the selection of embryos for cultures extended to later stages. The Z-score alone, or preferably in combination with day 3 embryo morphology, is useful in the determination of the most suitable embryos and the number of embryos for transfer, thus achieving the optimal chance of conception while reducing the risk of high order multiple pregnancy.
Formation of Functional Conduction Block During the Onset of Reentrant Ventricular Tachycardia

Reentrant ventricular tachycardia is an important clinical problem. It is caused by an electric circuit traveling in 1 or more loops that are constrained to the ventricular myocardium.1,2 The arrhythmia often originates after myocardial infarction, in the region near the infarcted area. This proximate region or infarct border zone (IBZ) contains surviving strands of myocardial fibers that continue to conduct electrical activity.1,2 Electrical conduction there is constrained by the infarcted region, which does not activate, by the geometry of the remaining viable myocardial tissue, and by the contour of the heart surface in proximity to the IBZ. Several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the formation of functional block leading to and maintaining reentry, all of which likely have a contribution. One possibility is that disparate gap junctional connecting properties suppress activation from one myocyte to the next. If, for example, there are less gap junctions between connecting cells than normal, it can result in an insufficient current density during activation and may lead to conduction block.3 Another mechanism that has been proposed is the presence of disparities in ion channel properties in the IBZ.4 Such regions would have differences in the functioning of sodium, potassium, and calcium current ion channel gates between the postinfarction myocardial cells, when compared with their normal properties. This would alter the depolarization and repolarization phases of the action potential, possibly preventing activation between cells or causing it to be slowed or weak. Similar to the proposed gap junction mechanism, if the ion channel properties are disparate across a transition zone, it may result in a lack of electrical connectivity. On one side of the transition zone, when activation occurs, ions are not transferred with sufficient density or rapidity to cells on the other side of the …
3D imaging for automated manufacturing assembly applications

Object pose estimation is an important application in 3D recognition. A 3D object pose estimating method is developed for an automated manufacturing assembly application. The target parts are extracted from the original range images using the traditional edge detection and segmentation methods. The center position is then computed through the circle Hough transform algorithm. For the 3D orientation estimation, a 3D geometrical feature descriptor, Angle Distance Map (ADM), is proposed to describe the 3D local surface feature. A triangular mesh model of 3D object is used for reducing the computational complexity. The principal component analysis (PCA) method is applied on the ADM descriptions for efficient comparison. The orientation information is computed according to the extracted 3D feature points. The proposed method is tested in an application for flexible robot assembly. The experimental results show that accurate 3D pose estimation can be obtained.
Influence of Weather on Daily Symptoms of Pain and Fatigue in Female Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Multilevel Regression Analysis

Although patients with fibromyalgia often report that specific weather conditions aggravate their symptoms, empirical studies have not conclusively demonstrated such a relationship. Our aim was to examine the association between weather conditions and daily symptoms of pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia, and to identify patient characteristics explaining individual differences in weather sensitivity.
Theaflavin Induces Apoptosis of A375 Human Melanoma Cells and Inhibits Tumor Growth in Xenograft Zebrafishes Through P53- and JNK-Related Mechanism

Theaflavin (TF) is a major active pigment and polyphenol of tea, possessing anti-cancer activities. However, little is known about its activity and mechanism on melanoma cells. To fill this gap, we conducted in vitro experiments (cell viability assay, morphology observation, DAPI staining, and flow cytometry) and in vivo experiment by using a xenograft model of larval zebrafishes. Real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot (WB) analyses were conducted to explore the mechanism of TF. The in vitro data showed that TF exerted significant anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on A375 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo, TF significantly inhibited A375 tumor growth in larval zebrafishes at 0.67 and 2.0 μg/ml (1.3 to 3.9 μM). qPCR and WB data showed that TF significantly activated the P53 pathway-related proteins (ATM, CHK1/2, P53, and CASP8/3) and the JNK pathway-related proteins (ASK1, JNK, and C-JUN) through phosphorylation and cleavage, followed by activation of pro-apoptotic molecules (PARP, BAX, BIM, PUMA, and P53). In sum, TF possessed cytotoxic pro-apoptotic and tumor-inhibitory effects on A375 cells through activations of P53 and JNK pathways. This is the first report on TF regarding its effects and mechanism on A375 cells, making it a promising candidate of natural products for clinical treatment of melanoma.
Treatment of sewage sludge in a continuous-flow radiofrequency-oxidation system

ABSTRACT This study explored the applicability of a pilot-scale continuous-flow radiofrequency (RF) heating system to treat sewage sludge by the RF-oxidation process (RF/H2O2). Depending on temperature and hydrogen peroxide dosage, high amounts of soluble chemical oxygen demand and volatile fatty acid were produced, and phosphates, nitrogen, and metals were solubilized. A high temperature and/or a higher H2O2 dosage implemented in this system yielded high solubilization of organic matters. Orthophosphate increased with an increase in treatment temperature up to 60°C, its concentration decreased as temperature further increased. There was little effect on orthophosphate release by varying H2O2 dosage. The efficiency of the RF/H2O2 process was comparable to the microwave (MW) enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2-AOP), in terms of solids disintegration and nutrient release; however, the solubilization rate was lower for RF/H2O2 process. The overall energy consumed by the RF/H2O2 process was higher than the MW/H2O2-AOP.
Quality of Context in Context-Aware Systems

Context-aware Systems (CASs) are becoming increasingly popular and can be found in the areas of wearable computing, mobile computing, robotics, adaptive and intelligent user interfaces. Sensors are the corner stone of context capturing however, sensed context data are commonly prone to imperfection due to the technical limitations of sensors, their availability, dysfunction, and highly dynamic nature of environment. Consequently, sensed context data might be imprecise, erroneous, conflicting, or simply missing. To limit the impact of context imperfection on the behavior of a context-aware system, a notion of Quality of Context (QoC) is used to measure quality of any information that is used as context information. Adaptation is performed only if the context data used in the decision-making has an appropriate quality level. This paper reports an analytical review for state of the art quality of context in context-aware systems and points to future research directions.
Single Particle Tracking Analysis of the Chloroplast Division Protein FtsZ Anchoring to the Inner Envelope Membrane

Abstract Replication of chloroplast in plant cells is an essential process that requires co-assembly of the tubulin-like plastid division proteins FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 at mid-chloroplast to form a ring structure called the Z-ring. The Z-ring is stabilized via its interaction with the transmembrane protein ARC6 on the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. Plants lacking ARC6 are defective in plastid division and contain only one or two enlarged chloroplasts per cell with abnormal localization of FtsZ: instead of a single Z-ring, many short FtsZ filaments are distributed throughout the chloroplast. ARC6 is thought to be the anchoring point for FtsZ assemblies. To investigate the role of ARC6 in FtsZ anchoring, the mobility of green fluorescent protein–tagged FtsZ assemblies was assessed by single particle tracking in mutant plants lacking the ARC6 protein. Mean square displacement analysis showed that the mobility of FtsZ assemblies is to a large extent characterized by anomalous diffusion behavior (indicative of intermittent binding) and restricted diffusion suggesting that besides ARC6-mediated anchoring, an additional FtsZ-anchoring mechanism is present in chloroplasts.
Patient-Centered Decision Making and Health Care Outcomes

BACKGROUND Patient-centered decision making (PCDM) is the process of identifying clinically relevant, patient-specific circumstances and behaviors to formulate a contextually appropriate care plan. OBJECTIVE To ascertain whether encounters in which PCDM occurs are followed by improved health care outcomes compared with encounters where there is inattention to patient context. DESIGN Patients surreptitiously audio-recorded encounters with their physicians. Medical records of these encounters were then screened for "contextual red flags," such as deteriorating self-management of a chronic condition, that could reflect such underlying contextual factors as competing responsibilities or loss of social support. When a contextual factor was identified, either as a result of physician questioning or because a patient volunteered information, physicians were scored on the basis of whether they adapted the care plan to it. SETTING Internal medicine clinics at 2 Veterans Affairs facilities. PARTICIPANTS 774 patients audio-recorded encounters with 139 resident physicians. MEASUREMENTS Individualized outcome measures were based on the contextual red flag, such as improved blood pressure control in a patient presenting with hypertension and loss of medication coverage. Outcome coders were blinded to physician performance. RESULTS Among 548 contextual red flags, 208 contextual factors were confirmed, either when physicians probed or patients volunteered information. Physician attention to contextual factors (both probing for them and addressing them in care plans) varied according to the presenting contextual red flags. Outcome data were available for 157 contextual factors, of which PCDM was found to address 96. Of these, health care outcomes improved in 68 (71%), compared with 28 (46%) of the 61 that were not addressed by PCDM (P = 0.002). LIMITATION The extent to which the findings can be generalized to other clinical settings is unknown. CONCLUSION Attention to patient needs and circumstances when planning care is associated with improved health care outcomes. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service.
Microencapsulation of coupled folate and chitosan nanoparticles for targeted delivery of combination drugs to colon

Abstract Folate−chitosan nanoparticles, co-loaded with 5-fluourouacil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) and prepared by ionic gelation technology were physically microencapsulated by enteric polymer using a solvent evaporation method. Average particle size of the microencapsulated particles was in the range of 15 to 35 µm. High drug encapsulation efficiency was obtained for both 5-FU and LV in the microencapsulated particles. Both drugs were in amorphous state in the microencapsulated particles. By enteric coating, excellent pH-dependent release profile was achieved and no drug release was observed in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. However, when the pH value reached the soluble threshold of Eudragit S-100, a constant and slow drug release was observed. The results indicated that these microencapsulated particles are a promising vehicle for selectively targeting drugs to colon in the chemotherapy of colon cancer.
Including children and adolescents with schizophrenia in medication-free research.

OBJECTIVE There has been an increasing focus on the ethical issues raised by studies requiring the withdrawal of effective medication in schizophrenic adults. This article examines the risks and benefits of a medication-free period for pediatric patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia who are participating in an ongoing study. METHOD Between April 1993 and March 1998, 31 children and adolescents were admitted with a diagnosis of treatment-resistant, childhood-onset schizophrenia. Parental consent was obtained so that patients could participate in a medication-free research period. Patients were evaluated at screening, at the end of a 4-week washout, at the completion of a 6- to 8-week atypical neuroleptic trial, and at a 2- to 4-year follow-up. RESULTS At the completion of a 4-week drug-free period, seven patients (23%) were diagnosed with another disorder on the basis of data gained from the drug-free period and their lack of schizophrenic symptoms. Their revised diagnoses were posttraumatic stress disorder (N = 1), an atypical psychosis labeled "multidimensionally impaired" (N = 4), and personality disorder (N = 2). At follow-up, three of these patients remained free of neuroleptic therapy. For eight patients (26%), the washout was curtailed because of rapid and severe deterioration of their schizophrenic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS For children and adolescents with treatment-refractory schizophrenia, a medication-free period can be conducted safely for at least 4 weeks for inpatients. Such trials are useful on clinical grounds and for providing homogeneous patient groups for research. This study also highlights the necessity of having access to hospitalization to observe children and adolescents with psychotic symptoms while medication free.
Comparison of big data analyses for reliable open source software

Open source software are used in wide ranging areas of software system development, because of the standardization, cost reduction, quick delivery. Many open source software are useful for the software developer and software managers to develop the software system quickly. Also, the open source software are characterized by the bug tracking system (BTS). The BTS's such as Bugzilla are controlled by almost open source projects. In the BTS, many data sets are recorded by project members and software users. In this paper, we compare the methods of big fault data analyses based on the deep learning and neural network. Moreover, we show several numerical examples of big fault data analyses in the actual open source software project. As the effectiveness analysis of the proposed method, the comparison results of recognition rate in terms of the proposed method and the conventional method are shown in this paper.
Considering direct interaction of artificial ant colony foraging simulation and animation

Direct interaction between ants exists in nature, but is rarely seen in ant colony foraging simulations. In this article, we propose a novel ant colony foraging simulation model named Direct Ant Colony Foraging (DACF), which combines the direct interaction mechanism with the indirect pheromone interaction mechanism. Based on Wilensky's ant colony foraging model and Panait's model, we develop DACF2 and DACF3, separately. These models not only well describe the ant colony foraging behaviours in nature, but also give inspiration to the research of the emergent behaviours in complex systems. The simulation results demonstrate not only the superiority of DACF2 and DACF3, but also the validity and effectiveness of the direct interaction mechanism. Also, ant colony foraging animation, which is run with DACF, demonstrates the model in another way.