Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Web Services Composition Testing: A Strategy Based on Structural Testing of Parallel Programs

Web Services have been used in the development of loosely coupled applications. Several Web Services are usually combined to create new services by a mechanism named Web Services Composition. In this paper, we present a strategy for Web Services Composition structural integration testing. Structural testing coverage criteria for services written in BPEL are also described. The concept of required element groups is defined to improve the accuracy of criteria coverage. We present a case study for assessing the applicability of proposed strategy. ValiBPEL-Web, a tool that supports the test strategy is also presented.
Low Expression of Human Histocompatibility Soluble Leukocyte Antigen-G (HLA-G5) in Invasive Cervical Cancer With and Without Metastasis, Associated With Papilloma Virus (HPV)

Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex class Ib molecule that acts as a specific immunosuppressor. Some studies have demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) seems to be involved in lower or absent HLA-G expression, particularly in cervical cancer. In this study, we performed a cross-sectional study, systematically comparing the qualitative expression of the HLA-G5 isoform in invasive cervical carcinoma (ICC), stratifying patients according to the presence [ICC with metastasis (ICC w )] and absence [ICC without metastasis (ICC wt )] of metastasis, correlating these findings with interference of HPV and demographic and clinical variables. Seventy-nine patients with a diagnosis of ICC were stratified into two groups: ICC wt (n=52 patients) and ICC w (n=27). Two biopsies were collected from each patient (one from the tumor lesion and one from a lymph node). Immunohistochemistry analyses were performed for the HLA-G5 isoform, for HPV detection, and virus typing. HLA-G5 isoform molecules were detected in 25 cases (31.6%), 17 (32.7%) without metastasis and 8 (29.6%) with metastasis. HPV was detected in the cervical lesions of 74 patients (93.7%), but low expression of the HLA-G5 isoform was observed in all HPV-related cases. These findings are important; however, additional studies are necessary to identify the influence of HPV with HLA-G5 isoform expression on invasive cervical malignancies.
Lipid raft heterogeneity: an enigma

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) and glycoproteins are ubiquitous components of mammalian cell membranes. GSLs are especially enriched in the nervous system and significantly contribute to membrane organization and a variety of cellular functions. Current body of evidence suggests that GSLs along with cholesterol are enriched in discrete membrane domains that associate specific proteins. Current notion of membrane organization is that, the GSL–cholesterol‐enriched membrane domains known as ‘lipid rafts’ float in the phospholipid‐enriched bulk of the membrane and regulate the cell signaling by facilitating the lipid–protein/protein–protein interactions. The sizeable literature accumulated during the last decade has provided some insight into the organization and function of rafts; however, they still remain perplexing. In recent years, an appealing concept of lipid raft heterogeneity has emerged. GSL‐ and glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored proteins are considered as the crucial pivots of heterogeneous rafts. This review deals with the enigma of organizational and functional heterogeneity of lipid rafts and discusses the dynamic coalescence of heterogeneous rafts during signaling that can explain the specificity of raft‐regulated cellular signaling events.
The Growth Effects of Institutional Instability

We study the effects of institutional instability on growth. Using principal components analysis, we construct measures of institutional quality and instability from the political risk index of the International Country Risk Guide. A panel-data analysis of 132 countries during 1984–2004 reveals that institutional quality, especially with regard to the legal system and the protection of property rights, is positively linked to growth. As for institutional instability, we find evidence of a positive relationship in rich countries but a negative link in poor countries, suggesting that instability may reduce problems of institutional sclerosis in the former and that instability primarily entails an increase in transactions costs and uncertainty in the latter.
Root-Finding Methods for Assessing SRAM Stability in the Presence of Random Dopant Fluctuations

In this paper, we propose a closed-form method to evaluate the read stability of an SRAM cell via quartic root finding. By utilizing a simplified MOSFET device model, we model SRAM cell stability by a system of quartic equations. The algebraic nature of the equations along with simplified region boundaries provide the insight that only a few combinations of device operating regions correspond to the stability of the cell, instead of 729 combinations in the brute force approach. Such an insight not only makes it possible to have a quick ¿litmus test¿ to determine cell stability under variability but also significantly speeds up the analysis, compared to a traditional SPICE approach. Experimental results using industrial bulk CMOS models show that the results are in excellent agreement with SPICE results and 65× faster.
Glial, vascular, and neuronal cytogenesis in whole‐mounted cat retina

A method was developed for detecting cytogenesis in retinal whole‐mount preparations by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry. Because BrdU is a nonspecific marker that labels all cells in the S phase of the cell cycle, it is ideally combined with other cell‐specific markers to study the cytogenesis of specific cell types. Double‐label protocols to visualize mitotically active astrocytes and cells associated with the forming vasculature have been developed and applied to the retina. This approach revealed that, during normal development of the kitten retina, vascular mitogenesis occurs predominantly in the ganglion cell and nerve fiber layers, where the inner retinal plexus is formed by a process involving transformation of mesenchymal precursor cells and division of vascular endothelial cells. The peak density of vascular mitogenesis moved in a central‐to‐peripheral manner and was associated with the leading edge of the forming capillary plexus. A small number of dividing vascular endothelial cells was also associated with angiogenesis, the process responsible for the formation of the outer retinal plexus, vessels at the area centralis, and the radial peripapillary capillaries. Cytogenesis associated with astrocytes occurred in the ganglion cell and nerve fiber layers but was apparent predominantly at or close to the optic nerve head. Confirming earlier studies, neuronal mitogenesis was shown to occur predominantly at the ventricular zone, first at the area centralis and spreading peripherally with increasing maturity. A second region of neuronal cytogenesis, at the subventricular zone, was also apparent. Tissue hyperoxia decreased the rate of vasculogenic cell division but had no apparent effect on neurogenic or astrocytic cell division. Four distinct zones of cell generation were therefore identified within the retina, each associated with either glial, vascular, or neuronal cytogenesis. Thus, BrdU immunohistochemistry in whole‐mounted retinal preparations offers a fast and reliable alternative to [3H]thymidine autoradiography for the study of the topography of cytogenesis during development. Microsc Res Tech 36:1–l6, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Open Language Interface for Voice Exploitation (OLIVE)

We propose to demonstrate the Open Language Interface for Voice Exploitation (OLIVE) speech-processing system, which SRI International developed under the DARPA Robust Automatic Transcription of Speech (RATS) program. The technology underlying OLIVE was designed to achieve robustness to high levels of noise and distortion for speech activity detection (SAD), speaker identification (SID), language and dialect identification (LID), and keyword spotting (KWS). Our demonstration will show OLIVE performing those four tasks. We will also demonstrate SRI’s speaker recognition capability live on a mobile phone for visitors to interact with.
Ethnic Concentration and Language Fluency of Immigrants in Germany

Studies that investigate the effect of the regional ethnic composition on immigrant outcomes have been complicated by the self-selection of ethnic minorities into specific neighbourhoods. We analyse the impact of own-ethnic concentration on the language proficiency of immigrants by exploiting the fact that the initial placement of guest-workers after WWII was determined by labour demanding firms and the federal labour administration and hence exogenous to immigrant workers. Combining several data sets, we find a small but robust and significant negative effect of ethnic concentration on immigrants’ language ability. Simulation results of a choice model in which location and learning decisions are taken simultaneously confirm the presence of the effect. Immigrants with high learning costs are inclined to move to ethnic enclaves, so that the share of German-speakers would increase only modestly even under the counterfactual scenario of a regionally equal distribution of immigrants across Germany.
Development of the role-play inventory of situations and coping strategies for parents of children with cystic fibrosis.

Critiqued previous conceptual and methodological approaches to the measurement of stress and coping. Applied Goldfried and D'Zurilla's behavior-analytic model to create a context-specific measure of problematic situations and coping strategies for parents of school-age children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The sample was stratified by child's gender and illness severity. Forty-seven families (46 mothers, 32 fathers) and 8 health care professionals completed structured interviews or daily diaries to obtain the widest range of problematic situations; 1,725 situations were elicited across all participants and then content-analyzed into 97 nonredundant categories in 11 domains (e.g., Discipline, Medical Care). Few differences were found in problem frequency or difficulty as a function of either gender or illness severity. Using empirical criteria, the most frequent and difficult problem situations were selected and developed into role-play vignettes that include relevant contextual, developmental, and interactional details. The Role-Play Inventory of Situations and Coping Strategies (RISCS) consists of 31 audiotaped vignettes designed to elicit and evaluate the coping strategies used by parents of children with CF.
12 Modeling Electricity Forward Curve Dynamics in the Nordic Market

This chapter considers the modeling of electricity forward curve dynamics with parameterized volatility and correlation structures. We estimate the model parameters by using the Nordic market’s price data and show how the model can be implemented into everyday industry practice. Electricity markets are different from the usual financial markets and many other commodity markets due to the non-storability of electricity. The spot price of electricity is set by the shortterm supply‐demand equilibrium, and supply and demand must be in balance at each instance. Because the demand (supply) today does not necessarily have anything to do with the demand (supply) in the future, the spot electricity today is a different asset from the spot electricity in the future. This implies that the relation between the spot price and the forward prices in the electricity markets is not as straightforward as in the usual financial and commodity markets. In this chapter we develop a simple parameterized model for forward curve dynamics. We estimate the model parameters by using the data from the Nordic electricity market. The Nordic electricity market is hydro-dominated with roughly 50% of the electricity supply being hydrobased. The winters are cold and much of the precipitation comes as snow. In the spring the snow melts causing floods whose timing varies a lot from year to year due to the temperature. There is a significant electricity heating load while the mild summers do not require a lot of air conditioning, so that electricity demand is concentrated on the winter season. The timedependent variation present in the demand results in a seasonal, weekly and daily profile in the electricity spot price and electricity forward curve. However, these price variations are smoothed to some extent in the Nordic market because of the hydropower production. Some hydro producers have the possibility to optimize their discharge up to one year ahead, and many have the possibility for some months ahead. The short-term, i.e. intra-week and intraday, variations in the spot prices decrease due to the easily adjustable hydropower. On the other hand, there is high variation in the price level between different years because the total amount of
Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from horses: Epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to the continued successful use of antimicrobial agents for the treatment of bacterial infections. While the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from man has been studied extensively, less work has been undertaken in companion animals, particularly horses. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been identified as a cause of infections, with a low prevalence of nasal carriage by horses in the community but higher for hospitalised horses. Molecular characterisation has shown methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains either to be predominantly of types associated with horses or of sequence type ST398. Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli (including multidrug-resistant and extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing isolates) have caused infections and been documented in faecal carriage by horses, with many significant resistance mechanisms identified. More sporadic reports and molecular characterisation exist for resistance in other bacteria such as enterococci, Salmonella, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas species. Limited work has been undertaken evaluating risk factors and much of the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from horses remains to be determined.
Software Issues In Redundant Sequential Control

Redundant control systems require more than a single redundant construct to serve the six basic functions of fault tolerance: test, detection, diagnosis, masking, reconfiguration, and recovery. Software usually constitutes or supports one or more such constructs. Additionally, software must be correct, since it is seldom, if ever, protected by redundancy. A redundant sequential control system requires intricate software constructs. The predominant existing software specification and implementation techniques for sequential control are not adequate for the creation of correct software of the complexity required for redundant systems. This complexity is illustrated by an example.
Controlling the Release of Proteins from Therapeutic Nanofibers: The Effect of Fabrication Modalities on Biocompatibility and Antimicrobial Activity of Lysozyme

Abstract Therapeutic application of pharmacologically active proteins requires advanced drug delivery systems for stabilizing their activity and preventing denaturation during storage and patient treatment. Depending on their clinical target, controlled drug release is often required to achieve the intended therapeutic effect. In this context, electrospun nanofibers gained considerable attention. However, even though immediate drug release from such fibers can easily be realized, fiber mat fabrication providing long-term controlled protein release still bares challenges. In this study, lysozyme was encapsulated in poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers followed by post-modification with MeOH, glutaraldehyde vapor, or UV light. Subsequently, a systematic investigation of the effect of these post-modification treatments on the physicochemical properties of the fibers and the stability and release kinetics of lysozyme was performed. MeOH treatment did not affect lysozyme release kinetics compared to untreated fibers, whereas glutaraldehyde vapor and UV light treatment prolonged the drug release. Infrared spectroscopy revealed cross-linking of the polymer by glutaraldehyde vapor, which reduced the lysozyme release from the fibers. Further, protein activity was significantly reduced for fibers treated with glutaraldehyde vapor and UV light. In addition, reduced viability was identified for cells in contact with glutaraldehyde vapor-treated fibers and, to a lesser extent, for UV light-treated fibers, whereas MeOH-treated fibers did not affect cell viability. These results elucidated the effects of fiber post-modification on the release kinetics, activity, and biocompatibility of protein drugs and can serve as guidance for rational development of nanomedicines for safe and effective therapeutic delivery of natural proteins.
Versatile Scenario Guidance for Collaborative Virtual Environments

Currently, the scenario of a virtual reality application depends greatly of the representation of the virtual environment and the goals of the application. Different needs arise from these elements such as the abstraction level of their events, the presence of multiple actors or their freedom of action. In this paper, we propose a scenario engine model that aims at being used in any virtual reality application where the scenario is a key feature. It differs from other models as it can be used without making any assumption on the simulation purpose or on the modelling of the Virtual Environment (events model, objects behaviour).
First Report of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (USA300) in Mexico

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) constitutes an important threat to hospitalized patients worldwide. In the late 1990s, community-associated-MRSA (CA-MRSA) emerged in previously healthy patients in many countries and is now endemic in several U.S. hospitals ([6][1]). In Latin
Improving regulations and supervision of pension funds : are there lessons from the Banking Sector?

The main objective of this paper is to review the regulatory framework for pension funds, and examine whether there is scope for improvements in pension regulation, particularly in light of regulatory and supervisory developments in the banking industry. The report is structured as follows: The second section summarizes the literature on banking regulation and supervision, identifying the areas of consensus and the trends in regulation and supervision across countries. The third section summarizes the literature on the regulation of pension funds. The fourth section examines the scope for improvements in pension regulation, identifying possible lessons from the banking sector to the pension industry. The fifth section provides a summary and concludes.
Expectancy-value beliefs and information needs as motivators for task-based information seeking

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to elaborate the picture of the motivators for information seeking by comparing the conceptualizations of task‐based information needs and expectancy‐value theories.Design/methodology/approach – The article is a conceptual analysis of major articles characterising task‐based information needs and expectancy‐value theories developed in psychology since the 1950s.Findings – The conceptualizations of task‐based information needs approach the motivators for information seeking in terms of the informational requirements posed by tasks at hand. However, the ways in which such needs trigger and drive information seeking have not been specified in detail. Expectancy‐value theories provide a more elaborate picture of motivational factors by focusing on actors' beliefs about the probability of success in information seeking and the perceived value of the outcome of this activity.Research limitations/implications – The findings are based on the comparison of two research appr.
A Survey of Security in robotic Systems: Vulnerabilities, Attacks, and solutions

Robotic systems are rapidly becoming more proliﬁc and being used for an increasing range of tasks. The more integrated they are with sensitive tasks and with their users’ lives and likelihoods, the greater desirability they possess as targets to would-be attackers. Security has not yet been a major focus within robotics. This article surveys literature related to robotic systems security, speciﬁcally identifying vulnerabilities, attacks, and solutions in order to help roboticists understand why to focus on security throughout their design, potential problems they could face, and steps they can take to address these.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF FINGERPRINTING ALGORITHMS USED IN WLAN POSITIONING SYSTEM

The accuracy of indoor positioning based on wireless local area network (WLAN) fingerprints depends on the algorithms used. Choice of which algorithm to use in positioning is a challenge. This study aims to compare the Euclidian distance (deterministic algorithm) and probability density function (probabilistic algorithm) in their accuracy. The signal samples were collected from the modelled study area using android mobile phone. Then, the samples were analyzed to compare their performance in a specific environment. Comparisons were made with respect to the number of access points, number of reference points and number of samples. The experimental results show that, the probabilistic method has higher accuracy when adopting the signal relation than deterministic algorithm.
THE L3 TO L4 MOLT OF BRUGIA MALAYI: REAL TIME VISUALIZATION BY VIDEO MICROSCOPY

Brugia malayi and other filarial parasites have been studied in great detail, especially in the context of human disease. In common with other nematodes, these organisms molt 4 times in their life cycles, but details of this process have not been described. We have recently developed an in vitro culture system that supports the L3 to L4 molt at high efficiency. This has permitted us to visualize, for the first time, details of this molt using real-time video microscopy. Molting is preceded by a phase of altered motility during which the larva exhibits contractile, coiling movements. The earliest evidence of ecdysis is a clearing at one end, more frequently caudal, caused by the larva retracting from that end. A cleavage develops in the cuticle near the head end, forming a rostral cap, which is continuous with the pharyngeal cuticle. Simultaneously, it retracts out of the cuticle using coiling and writhing movements. This process takes 5 to 10 min. Finally, it retracts out of the cap and extrudes the pharyngeal cuticle. Detachment of the pharyngeal cuticle is the final event in the process and continues up to an hour after the rest of the cuticle has been shed.
Naming the Conversion We Seek

Missionaries today struggle to be people of integrity, both in their own persons and in the approaches they employ in seeking the “conversion” of the people they encounter. Missionaries do call people to faith, while respecting their freedom of conscience, their experience, their religions, histories, and cultures. Keeping these two coordinates in fruitful tension is enhanced by reflection on the paschal nature of all human experience and, by the light of the Holy Spirit, linking it with the paschal mystery as lived and revealed in Jesus. “Paschal Mission” can serve as a foundational paradigm for all mission today.