Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PathMon: Path-specific traffic monitoring in OpenFlow-enabled networks

Software-defined networking (SDN) aims to provide open interfaces, such as OpenFlow protocol, that enable programmable flow-based network management. Meanwhile, OpenFlow-enabled switches provide rich statistical information for specific flows, tables, and ports which facilitates various network management tasks. However, current traffic monitoring techniques collecting statistics from existing flow entries do not provide the flexibility of querying path-specific flow statistics at any aggregation levels. In this paper, we proposes PathMon which encodes flow and path information as tags to provide that flexibility and corresponding link-to-link correlations for further anomaly detection or traffic engineering tasks. Our implementation runs on commodity switches which are compliant to OpenFlow 1.3 specification and requires only a few monitoring entries for each switch along monitored paths and un-tag entries for each edge switch.
Invisible Whispering: Restructuring Collaborative Decision Making with Instant Messaging

Organizational decision making is dominated by teams. When an important decision is required, a team is often formed to make it or to advise the individual decision maker, because a team has more resources, knowledge, and political insight than any one individual working alone. As teams have become geographically distributed, collaboration technology has come to play an important role in such collective decision making efforts. Instant messaging (IM) is an increasingly prevalent workplace collaboration technology that enables near-synchronous text exchanges on a variety of devices. We examined the use of IM during face-to-face, telephone, and computer-mediated team meetings, a practice we call “invisible whispering. ” We introduce Goffman’s characterization of social interaction as dramatic performance, differentiable into “front stage” and “backstage” exchanges, to analyze how invisible whispering alters the socio-spatial and temporal boundaries of team decision making. Using IM, workers were able to influence front stage decision making through backstage conversations, often participating in multiple backstage conversations simultaneously. This type of interaction would be either physically impossible or socially constrained without the use of IM. We examine how invisible whispering changes the processes of collaborative decision making and how these new processes may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of collaborative decision making, as well as participation, satisfaction, relationships among team members, and individual attention.
The Linker Region of NS3 Plays a Critical Role in the Replication and Infectivity of Hepatitis C Virus

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3-4A is required for viral replication and assembly. We establish that virus assembly is sensitive to mutations in the linker region between the helicase and protease domains of NS3-4A. However, we find that the protease cleavage, RNA binding, and unwinding rates of NS3 are minimally affected in vitro. Thus, we conclude that the NS3 linker is critical for mediating protein-protein interactions and dynamic control rather than for modulating the enzymatic functions of NS3-4A.
Progress in piezo-phototronic effect modulated photovoltaics

Wurtzite structured materials, like ZnO, GaN, CdS, and InN, simultaneously possess semiconductor and piezoelectric properties. The inner-crystal piezopotential induced by external strain can effectively tune/control the carrier generation, transport and separation/combination processes at the metal-semiconductor contact or p–n junction, which is called the piezo-phototronic effect. This effect can efficiently enhance the performance of photovoltaic devices based on piezoelectric semiconductor materials by utilizing the piezo-polarization charges at the junction induced by straining, which can modulate the energy band of the piezoelectric material and then accelerate or prevent the separation process of the photon-generated electrons and vacancies. This paper introduces the fundamental physics principles of the piezo-phototronic effect, and reviews recent progress in piezo-phototronic effect enhanced solar cells, including solar cells based on semiconductor nanowire, organic/inorganic materials, quantum dots, and perovskite. The piezo-phototronic effect is suggested as a suitable basis for the development of an innovative method to enhance the performance of solar cells based on piezoelectric semiconductors by applied extrinsic strains, which might be appropriate for fundamental research and potential applications in various areas of optoelectronics.
Predictive mining for stock market based on live news TF-IDF features

The various machine learning algorithms are used for prediction of stock market movement. The data collected for stock market is in the form of breaking news from various finance websites. The TF-IDF features extracted from online news data are used for creation of HMM model along with log likelihood values. The next day's stock price is predicted as either higher or lower than current day's stock price. Results obtained from proposed model is compared with results from other machine learning predictive techniques such as random forest, KNN, multiple regression, bagging and boosting. The proposed model produces approximately 70% of accurate prediction. The captured features are graphically represented with word cloud. The results can be further improved with the use of deep learning ensemble methods.
Associations Between Executive Functioning, Affect-Regulation Drinking Motives, and Alcohol Use and Problems

Motivation to use alcohol to regulate positive and negative affect and deficits in cognitive control (i.e., executive functions [EFs]) have both been associated with increased alcohol involvement and alcohol-related consequences. Although dual-process models predict that affect-driven motivations and cognitive control should interact to determine alcohol involvement and alcohol-related consequences, this intersection has remained largely unexplored. The present study examined the extent to which effects of enhancement and coping drinking motives on alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related consequences are moderated by individual differences in three theorized components of EF. We anticipated, in general, that drinking motives would more strongly predict alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among individuals low versus high in cognitive control–EF. Participants (N = 801) completed a battery of nine EF tasks, as well as measures of drinking motives, alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related negative consequences. A baseline structural model indicated that (a) both enhancement motives and coping motives predicted alcohol use and heavy drinking, (b) both enhancement and coping motives exerted their effects on alcohol-related consequences both directly and indirectly via alcohol use, and (c) shifting–specific abilities were modestly positively associated with heavy drinking. Most important for the aims of the study, latent variable interaction analyses failed to provide consistent evidence that better EF abilities attenuate the effects of drinking motives on alcohol use, heavy drinking, and alcohol-related consequences, as predicted.
Developing community-based engagement in smart cities: A design-computational thinking approach

Smart Cities development has progressed rapidly with Internet of Things (IoT), ambient intelligence and increasingly, crowdsourcing. Engaging the community thus plays a key role in developing meaningful communal growth along with other stakeholders. This paper briefly presents a pilot study on developing computational perspectives for community-based engagement and innovations in Smart Cities for the young and thereafter, to explore possibilities of engaging seniors in self and community development, and the young and old in community-based engagement and possibly in the future, the development of viable values-based innovations in information systems.
Enhancing Big Data Auditing

The auditing services of the outsourced data, especially big data, have been an active research area recently. Many schemes of remotely data auditing (RDA) have been proposed. Both categories of RDA, which are Provable Data Possession (PDP) and Proof of Retrievability (PoR), mostly represent the core schemes for most researchers to derive new schemes that support additional capabilities such as batch and dynamic auditing. In this paper, we choose the most popular PDP schemes to be investigated due to the existence of many PDP techniques which are further improved to achieve efficient integrity verification. We firstly review the work of literature to form the required knowledge about the auditing services and related schemes. Secondly, we specify a methodology to be adhered to attain the research goals. Then, we define each selected PDP scheme and the auditing properties to be used to compare between the chosen schemes. Therefore, we decide, if possible, which scheme is optimal in handling big data auditing.
Comparison and selection of SaaS service providers using ASMAN framework

In this paper, we used ASMAN [Appropriate Selection of SaaS Model According to Needs] framework for evaluating certain parameters of quality [cost, speed, availability, usability, reliability]. We first accept the user request by input certain parameters and then, make a comparison among SaaS service providers based on user requirement. This framework converts the results into List class array format then sends the comparison search results data list to controllers. Controller creates comparative view and sends the response to user. This framework helps in selecting software as a service provider among available SSP's.
Motor, cognitive, and functional declines contribute to a single progressive factor in early HD

Objective: To identify an improved measure of clinical progression in early Huntington disease (HD) using data from prospective observational cohort studies and placebo group data from randomized double-blind clinical trials. Methods: We studied Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and non-UHDRS clinical measures and brain measures of progressive atrophy in 1,668 individuals with early HD followed up prospectively for up to 30 to 36 months of longitudinal clinical follow-up. Results: The results demonstrated that a composite measure of motor, cognitive, and global functional decline best characterized clinical progression and was most strongly associated with brain measures of progressive corticostriatal atrophy. Conclusions: Use of a composite motor, cognitive, and global functional clinical outcome measure in HD provides an improved measure of clinical progression more related to measures of progressive brain atrophy and provides an opportunity for enhanced clinical trial efficiency relative to currently used individual motor, cognitive, and functional outcome measures.
Current understanding of chronic total occlusion of the internal carotid artery

At present, there is limited understanding of chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Therefore, the present report collected related cases from PubMed and reviewed the literature. Cerebral vessels may form collateral circulation immediately or gradually following CTO of the ICA. The natural history of CTO of the ICA includes a variety of outcomes, all of which are biased toward a non-benign progressive process and are characterized by insufficient cerebral perfusion, embolus detachment and cognitive dysfunction. The majority of cases of CTO of the ICA require treatment. In early studies, the results of external-ICA bypass were unsatisfactory, while recanalization is now considered the only viable option. The current treatment indications mainly depend on the degree of injury to the cerebrovascular reserve and the extent to which the oxygen extraction fraction is increased. The length, height and duration of ICA occlusion are also relevant, though more frequently, the condition depends on multiple factors. Endovascular interventional recanalization, carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and hybrid surgery may be conducted in a select group of patients. As novel materials are developed, the success rate of simple recanalization may gradually increase; however, hybrid surgery may be more representative of the current trend, as advanced CEA can remove carotid atherosclerosis plaques, thus reducing the technological demands of the subsequent interventional recanalization. There are many complications that may result from recanalization following CTO of the ICA, including hyperperfusion and technical errors; therefore, the operation must be conducted carefully. If the recanalization is successful, it typically results in a stable improvement of patient condition in the long term. However, despite these conclusions, more studies are required in the future to further improve current understanding of CTO of the ICA.
A Review of Game-Tree Pruning

Chess programs have three major components: move generation, search, and evaluation. All components are important, although evaluation with its quiescence analysis is the part which makes each program’s play unique. The speed of a chess program is a function of its m ove generation cost, the complexity of the position under study and the brevity of its evaluation. More important, however, is the quality of the mechanisms used to discontinue (prune) search of unprofitable continuations. The most reliable pruning method in popular use is the robust alpha-beta algorithm, and its many supporting aids. These essential parts of game-tree searching and pruning are reviewed here, and the performance of refinements, such as aspiration and principal variation search, and aids like transposition and history tables are compared. † Much of this article is a revision of material condensed from an entry entitled ‘‘Computer Chess Methods,’’ prepared for the Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence , S. Shapiro (editor), to be published by John Wiley & Sons in 1987. The transposition table pseudo code of Figure 7 is similar to that in another paper: ‘‘Parallel Search of Strongly Ordered Game Trees,’’ T.A. Marsland and M. Campbell, ACM Computing Surveys, Vol 14, No. 4, copyright 1982, Association for Computing Machinery Inc., and is reprinted by permission.
Mouse Hind Limb Skeletal Muscle Functional Adaptation in a Simulated Fine Branch Arboreal Habitat

The musculoskeletal system is remarkably plastic during growth. The purpose of this study was to examine the muscular plasticity in functional and structural properties in a model known to result in significant developmental plasticity of the postcranial skeleton. Fifteen weanling C57BL/6 mice were raised to 16 weeks of age in one of two enclosures: a climbing enclosure that simulates a fine branch arboreal habitat and is traversed by steel wires crossing at 45° relative to horizontal at multiple intersections, and a control enclosure that resembles a parking deck with no wires but the same volume of habitable space. At killing, ex vivo contractility properties of the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were examined. Our results demonstrate that EDL muscles of climbing mice contracted with higher specific forces and were comprised of muscle fibers with slower myosin heavy chain isoforms. EDL muscles also fatigued at a higher rate in climbing mice compared to controls. SOL muscle function is not affected by the climbing environment. Likewise, mass and architecture of both EDL and SOL muscles were not different between climbing and control mice. Our data demonstrate that functional adaptation does not require concomitant architectural adaptation in order to increase contractile force. Anat Rec, 301:434–440, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparative impacts of aboveground and belowground enemies on an invasive thistle

Abstract Most research examining how herbivores and pathogens affect performance of invasive plants focuses on aboveground interactions. Although important, the role of belowground communities remains poorly understood, and the relative impact of aboveground and belowground interactions is still debated. As well, most studies of belowground interactions have been carried out in controlled environments, so little is known about the role of these interactions under natural conditions or how these relationships may change across a plant's range. Using the invasive plant Cirsium arvense, we performed a reciprocal transplant experiment to test the relative impacts of above‐ and belowground interactions at three sites across a 509‐km latitudinal gradient in its invaded range in Ontario, Canada. At each site, C. arvense seedlings were protected with above‐ and/or belowground exclosures in a factorial design. Plant performance (biomass, height, stem thickness, number of leaves, length of longest leaf, maximum rhizome length) was greatest when both above‐ and belowground exclosures were applied and lowest when no exclosures were applied. When only one type of exclosure was applied, biomass generally improved more with belowground exclosures than with aboveground exclosures. Despite site‐to‐site differences in foliar damage, root damage, and mesofaunal populations, belowground interactions generally had a greater negative impact on performance than aboveground herbivory alone. These results stress the importance of including both aboveground enemy interactions and plant–soil interactions in studies of plant community dynamics and invader performance.
Hyperlactatemia and the Importance of Repeated Lactate Measurements in Critically Ill Patients

Objective The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence of hyperlactatemia and emphasis on repeated lactate measurements in critically ill patients, and the associated mortality. Materials and methods The study included 70 patients admitted in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Clinical Center, University of Sarajevo, in a 6-month period (July - December 2015). The following data were obtained: age, gender, reason for admission, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation, lactate concentrations upon admission, after 24 and 48 hours, and outcome (discharge from hospital or death). Results Upon admission,hyperlactatemia was present in 91.4% patients with a mean concentration of lactate 4.13 ±1.21 mmol/L. Lactate concentration at 48 hours was independently associated within creased in-hospital mortality (P = 0.018). Conclusion Persistent hyperlactatemia is associated with adverse outcome in critically ill patients. Lactate concentration at 48 hours is independently associated within creased in-hospital mortality and it represents a statistically significant predictive marker of fatal outcomes of patients. Blood lactate concentrations > 2.25 mmol/L should be used by clinicians to identify patients at higher risk of death.
When Invaders Go Unnoticed: The Case of Gracilaria vermiculophylla in the British Isles

Abstract Our knowledge of non-native algae in benthic estuarine habitats is relatively poor, especially compared to algal introductions along open shores or on floating structures. Gracilaria vermiculophylla is a widespread macroalgal invader in the temperate estuaries of the Northern Hemisphere, and, here, we expand its documented range within northeastern Ireland and England. Established populations occur within two inlets in the border counties, Carlingford Lough (Counties Louth and Down) and Dundrum Bay (County Down), but G. vermiculophylla is absent from open coasts between these sites. Repeated surveys in Dundrum Bay showed variable abundances, with an increase in biomass between 2013 and 2016. Three populations were discovered in England, where this species had not previously been identified: Christchurch Harbour (Dorset), Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour (Dorset), and Kingsbridge Estuary (Devon). The Irish and English thalli belong to the most common, invasive cox1 haplotype 6. Using a combination of morphological observations and 10 microsatellite loci, we found that the population at Carlingford Lough included both reproductive haploid gametophytes and diploid tetrasporophytes and genetic signatures of sexual reproduction, but the populations at Christchurch and Brownsea displayed signatures of partial clonality. Genetic diversity was higher along the south coast of England as compared to the Irish population, consistent with patterns of diversity previously described for the European coasts. Finally, we also note the occurrence of a putative G. vermiculophylla population in Wales at Porthmadog, Gwynedd. As the sites in which we have now documented G. vermiculophylla in the British Isles also host shellfish aquaculture activities, our study is further evidence for the role of aquaculture in the spread of invasive species.
Pilot Study of the Relationship Between Histologic Progression and Hepatic Iron Concentration in Chronic Hepatitis C

Hepatic iron deposition is common in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) and may play a role in progression of liver disease. This pilot study examines the relationship between hepatic iron concentration (HIC) and histologic progression over time in patients with HCV. HIC was retrospectively measured in 14 patients with HCV who had 2 serial liver biopsies prior to the era of interferon therapy. The mean interval between biopsies was 56 ± 46 months. Mean Knodell score worsened between first and second biopsies (10.0 ± 2.8 versus 12.4 ± 3.3; P = 0.007). There was increased portal inflammation (3.2 ± 0.4 versus 3.6 ± 0.5; P = 0.028) and fibrosis (1.8 ± 1.3 versus 2.7 ± 1.2; P = 0.002), but no significant change in piecemeal necrosis or lobular degeneration. There was no significant change in HIC between first and second biopsy (P = 0.66). However, HIC was noted to increase significantly among patients with cirrhosis on initial biopsy or those who progressed to cirrhosis (P = 0.009). In this pilot study, histologic progression in patients with precirrhotic HCV was not associated with an increase in HIC, whereas hepatic iron accumulation was observed in 3 patients once cirrhosis was present. The interaction between progression of hepatitis C and iron deposition warrants further study.
A robot model in limited scenarios to create a suitable decision-making criterion by interacting with people in a group

In this study, we propose a model to enable robots to create a suitable criterion for decision-making by interacting with people in a group. Using this model, a system learns a suitable criterion for the group as a group member itself through Q-learning. When people, who have different individual decision-making criteria form a group, they adjust their criteria to a common criterion for the group. This common criterion is suitable for the group. People and the system cooperatively answer easy quizzes that have vague questions. The present study investigates whether the system can make a suitable decision-making criterion in a group by learning from interactions, that is, whether its answer converges to a certain criterion. Our experiments reveal that a group consisting of the participants and the system forms a common criterion in a limited scenario. Moreover, it is likely that robots using the model will be able to adjust their decision-making criteria for human groups based on interaction with them. However, further study is required to reveal whether robot's answers affect people and whether participants create a suitable criterion taking the robot's answer into account even if the participants recognize that they are interacting in a group that includes a real robot.