Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and implementation of Web services QoS broker

Quality of service is one of the most important factors for user's choice of Web service. However, current Web service environments do not offer any information on QoS of Web services. We design and develop a Web service QoS broker system which actively monitors QoS of Web services. With this information a user can select a Web service best suited for his/her needs. Availability, performance, and reliability were the metrics used for QoS monitoring.
Methylated Arsenicals: The Implications of Metabolism and Carcinogenicity Studies in Rodents to Human Risk Assessment

Monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV) are active ingredients in pesticidal products used mainly for weed control. MMAV and DMAV are also metabolites of inorganic arsenic, formed intracellularly, primarily in liver cells in a metabolic process of repeated reductions and oxidative methylations. Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen, inducing tumors of the skin, urinary bladder, and lung. However, a good animal model has not yet been found. Although the metabolic process of inorganic arsenic appears to enhance the excretion of arsenic from the body, it also involves formation of methylated compounds of trivalent arsenic as intermediates. Trivalent arsenicals (whether inorganic or organic) are highly reactive compounds that can cause cytotoxicity and indirect genotoxicity in vitro. DMAV was found to be a bladder carcinogen only in rats and only when administered in the diet or drinking water at high doses. It was negative in a two-year bioassay in mice. MMAV was negative in 2-year bioassays in rats and mice. The mode of action for DMAV-induced bladder cancer in rats appears to not involve DNA reactivity, but rather involves cytotoxicity with consequent regenerative proliferation, ultimately leading to the formation of carcinoma. This critical review responds to the question of whether DMAV-induced bladder cancer in rats can be extrapolated to humans, based on detailed comparisons between inorganic and organic arsenicals, including their metabolism and disposition in various animal species. The further metabolism and disposition of MMAV and DMAV formed endogenously during the metabolism of inorganic arsenic is different from the metabolism and disposition of MMAV and DMAV from exogenous exposure. The trivalent arsenicals that are cytotoxic and indirectly genotoxic in vitro are hardly formed in an organism exposed to MMAV or DMAV because of poor cellular uptake and limited metabolism of the ingested compounds. Furthermore, the evidence strongly supports a nonlinear dose-response relationship for the biologic processes involved in the carcinogenicity of arsenicals. Based on an overall review of the evidence, using a margin-of-exposure approach for MMAV and DMAV risk assessment is appropriate. At anticipated environmental exposures to MMAV and DMAV, there is not likely to be a carcinogenic risk to humans.
Voltage Balance Control Based on Dual Active Bridge DC/DC Converters in a Power Electronic Traction Transformer

In this paper, a voltage balance control strategy based on dual active bridge (DAB) dc/dc converters in a power electronic traction transformer (PETT) is proposed. Based on this strategy, the output-parallel DAB converters can be equivalent to an input-series-output-parallel system. Furthermore, a PETT starting control method is put forward, which can effectively avoid risks of overcurrent and overvoltage in the PETT starting process. In order to carry out the controller design and system stability analysis, three different kinds of mathematical models of DAB converters are set up. The first model is related to a single DAB converter, the second model reflects the equivalent relation between an output-parallel DAB system and a single DAB converter in terms of the output-voltage control loop, and the third model indicates that the voltage balance control system based on DAB converters is a multiinput-multioutput system. Due to the nonzero off-diagonal elements of the controlled plant, there is a mutual effect between different control loops, which is defined as “interaction” in the multivariable feedback control theory. The stability of the voltage balance control system is made up of two parts, including the stability of each single-input-single-output (SISO) control loop and the influence of the interaction on the system stability. The research is carried out to measure the intensity of the interaction in this paper, and a criterion directly based on the controlled plant is proposed to predict the influence of the interaction, which can obviously simplify the system stability analysis. Considering the particular traction onboard application, a new control structure toward the voltage balance controller is introduced. Based on the new structure, the controller is designed and the stability of the SISO system is analyzed. Finally, a five-cell PETT prototype with rated power of 30 kW is taken to carry out further research, and the experiment results verify the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed algorithms.
Peer-Reviewed Technical Communication Velocity-Aided Underwater Navigation System Using Receding Horizon Kalman Filter

This paper discusses the problems related to con- structing a receding horizon filter for underwater inertial navigation systems which are subject to external disturbances. Noises are assumed to be bounded, additive, and contained in both state and measurement equations. An estimator is designed according to the sliding-window strategy to minimize the receding horizon estimation cost function. The derived filter is applied to a velocity-aided inertial navigation system. Simulations show that the derived filter is more accurate than the standard Kalman filter (KF) for underwater navigation systems subject to temporary unknown disturbances.
Editorial: Mental Health Challenges in Elite Sport: Balancing Risk with Reward

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Heat Shock Treatment Protects Human Hl-60 Cells from Apoptosis Induced by Lectin II Isolated from Korean Mistletoe, Viscum Album Var. Coloratvm

Abstract Mistletoe lectin II (ML II) isolated from Korean mistletoe (Viscum album var. Coloratum), an effective therapeutic agent for cancers, is known to induce cell death via apoptosis. In the present study, we found the protective effect of heat shock treatment of human leukemia HL-60 cells against ML II-induced apoptosis. Exposure of HL-60 cells to ML II for 4 h resulted in apoptosis of the cells, which was evaluated by examining “DNA ladder” formation and DNA fragmentation assay. The DNA fragmentation was significantly reduced in the cells subjected to heat shock treatment by incubation at 42 °C for 1 h and subsequently allowed to recover for 2-16 h at 37 °C. , prior to exposure to ML II. HL-60 cells transfected with heat shock protein (hsp) 70 gene exhibited resistance to ML II-induced apoptosis very similar to that seen when untransfected cells were heat-shocked. These results indicate that ML II-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells is inhibited by heat shock treatment, at least in part, via a hsp 70-mediated mechanism.
Performance analysis of wavelet-based denoising techniques for ECG signal

Scientific investigation concerning ECG (electrocardiogram) signal has attracted numerous researchers because of its pertinence for determining the condition of human's heart. Specific measurements using the ECG are commonly used by medical practitioners to portend early symptoms of heart disorders. Nevertheless, these measurements are often affected by unwanted noise which cannot be eliminated using simple filtering methods. Numerous studies have been conducted to develop ECG denoising techniques, yet there is no comprehensive investigation regarding their performance analysis. In this paper we provide a comprehensive simulation and analysis to measure the effectiveness of several wavelet-based denoising techniques. The simulation is performed using Matlab by assessing the values of Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and Mean Square Error (MSE). In our experiment, Adaptive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) is added to the ECG signal prior to the denoising process. Our experiment examines three types of denoising techniques and yields the hard thresholding technique as the best method with MSE value of 0.000423 and SNR value of 28.8806 db.
Quantum State Transfer and Entanglement Distribution among Distant Nodes in a Quantum Network

We propose a scheme to utilize photons for ideal quantum transmission between atoms located at spatially separated nodes of a quantum network. The transmission protocol employs special laser pulses that excite an atom inside an optical cavity at the sending node so that its state is mapped into a time-symmetric photon wave packet that will enter a cavity at the receiving node and be absorbed by an atom there with unit probability. Implementation of our scheme would enable reliable transfer or sharing of entanglement among spatially distant atoms.
Static program analysis of large embedded code base: an experience

Static program analysis is widely used in property checking of software systems, especially safety and mission critical embedded systems. Most of these efforts check for violation of only standard properties such as array index out of bound, overflow/underflow and so on. However, our studies have shown that checking for these standard properties only captures less than 10% of all the defects detectable through static analysis. The remaining defects can be detected by checking for domain specific (custom) properties. We have applied two static analysis tools (TCS Embedded Code Analyzer and Saturn), varying in their analysis techniques, over a large embedded code base to check for a particular custom property. The code base consisted of 10 million lines of code (LOC) and belonged to the automotive domain. The custom property (semaphore consistency) to be verified was chosen after a detailed causal analysis of the history of various defects encountered in the code base. Here, we present our experience with this effort -- key problems encountered, solutions provided and results obtained. Our experience shows that static analysis of very large code bases is practically feasible and is a value-add in software quality assurance.
Chemopreventive Potential of Raw and Roasted Pistachios Regarding Colon Carcinogenesis

Pistachios are rich in health-promoting bioactive compounds such as B vitamins, γ-tocopherol, polyphenols and dietary fiber, which could contribute to the reduction of colon cancer risk in terms of chemoprevention (Fischer, S.; Glei, M. Health-Potential of Nuts. Ernaehrungs Umsch. Int. 2013, 60, 206–215.). Since pistachios are often consumed roasted, the present study aims at investigating the influence of different roasting conditions (RC) on potential chemopreventive effects of pistachios in colon adenoma cells such as growth and apoptosis, genotoxic- and anti-genotoxic effects and modulation of gene expression of detoxifying enzymes (CAT, SOD2, GPx1, and GSTP1). Fermentation supernatants (FS) were obtained from raw and roasted (RC1 = 141 °C/25 min, RC2 = 160 °C/15 min and RC3 = 185 °C/21 min) pistachios after in vitro fermentation. FS of pistachios significantly reduced LT97 cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Compared to the blank control, pistachio FS (2.5%) led to a significant average reduction of H2O2-induced DNA damage (1.5-fold). Levels of CAT mRNA were significantly increased (1.3-fold, on average for 5% FS). Pistachio FS (5%) significantly increased the number of early apoptotic cells (up to 2.1-fold) and levels of caspase-3 activities (up to 6.9-fold). The present results confirm a chemopreventive potential of pistachios, which is mediated by growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis and anti-genotoxic effects, as well as induction of CAT. These effects remain mostly unaffected by roasting.
A space-efficient technique for recording versions of data

This paper describes a space-efficient technique for recording successive differences between versions of data. The technique is based on the combined use of differential files and change area b-trees. The strengths of the technique are that a branching tree of versions can be accommodated; any data item in any version can be accessed with approximately equal access time; and very large volumes of data can be accommodated. The paper also describes the use of this technique to support very long transactions in the SDS2 software development system. Here the technique is used in an optimistic concurrency control scheme.
A rectifier for piezoelectric energy harvesting system with series Synchronized Switch Harvesting Inductor

In this paper, a rectifier with series Synchronized Switch Harvesting Inductor (Series SSHI) is proposed for piezoelectric (PE) energy harvesting system. The serial inductor helps to flip the voltage across the internal capacitor of the PE transducer instead of wasting the capacitor voltage by discharge. Active diodes are used for the switches to further improve the extraction efficiency. From measurements, the proposed rectifier shows a power extraction efficiency of 3.3 times that of the active full bridge (FB) rectifier, and more than 90% of the power conversion efficiency.
A self-routing WDM high-capacity SONET ring network

A dynamic control mechanism, based on subcarrier-multiplexed pilot-tones and acoustooptic tunable filters, is proposed for wavelength routing in a high-capacity wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) SONET interoffice ring network. The authors experimentally verified the network concept and discussed different network applications for bursty data traffic and continuous voice/video traffic. <<ETX>>
Second locus involved in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 resistance to protease inhibitors

Protease inhibitors are potent antiviral agents against human immunodeficiency virus type 1. As with reverse transcriptase inhibitors, however, resistance to protease inhibitors can develop and is attributed to the appearance of mutations in the protease gene. With the substrate analog protease inhibitors BILA 1906 BS and BILA 2185 BS, 350- to 1,500-fold-resistant variants have been selected in vitro and were found not only to contain mutations in the protease gene but also to contain mutations in Gag precursor p1/p6 and/or NC (p7)/p1 cleavage sites. Mutations in cleavage sites give rise to better peptide substrates for the protease in vitro and to improved processing of p15 precursors in drug-resistant clones. Importantly, removal of cleavage site mutations in resistant clones leads to a decrease or even an absence of viral growth, confirming their role in viral fitness. Therefore, these second-locus mutations indicate that cleavage of p15 is a rate-limiting step in polyprotein processing in highly resistant viruses. The functional constraint of p15 processing also suggests that additional selective pressure could further compromise viral fitness and maintain the benefits of antiviral therapies.
Hebbian Learning Based Image Reconstruction for Positron Emission Tomography

Maximum a-posteriori (MAP) algorithms eliminates noisy artifacts by utilizing available prior information in the reconstruction process. The MAP based algorithms fail to determine the density class in the reconstructed image and hence penalize the pixels irrespective of the density class and irrespective of interaction between the nearest neighbors. In this paper, Hebbian neural learning scheme is proposed to model the nature of inter-pixel interaction in order to reconstruct artifact-free edge-preserving reconstruction. It is assumed that local correlation plays a significant role in the image reconstruction process and proper modeling of correlation weight (which defines the strength of inter-pixel interaction) is essential for generating artifact free reconstruction. Quantitative analysis shows that the proposed scheme based reconstruction algorithm is capable of producing better reconstructed images. The reconstructed images are sharper with small features being better resolved
Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with liver cirrhosis in India.

Patients with liver cirrhosis of any aetiology are known to be at increased risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The risk of HCC development is particularly high in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Diagnosis of this condition is often delayed till the tumour has become fairly large. Hence, in a majority of symptomatic patients diagnosed with HCC, no effective treatment is possible and survival is short. Existence of a well identified high-risk group and recognition that patients with HCC have a fairly long asymptomatic phase preceding the appearance of symptoms has resulted in the development of surveillance methods to detect HCC at an early stage among those with cirrhosis and/or HBV or HCV infection. The issue however remains controversial, and several questions relating to efficacy and cost-effectiveness have still not been fully resolved. However, professional bodies in developed countries have issued recommendations supporting such surveillance. This editorial attempts to place in perspective the role that such surveillance may have in India. For this, it may be in order to develop the arguments sequentially as follows: (i) what is surveillance and what is its aim; (ii) what are the essential prerequisites for the use of surveillance; (iii) what are the available methods for early detection of HCC; (iv) what is the available evidence in favour of and against the use of surveillance for HCC worldwide; and finally, (iv) is the situation and experience in the Indian population any different from that elsewhere?
Among vitamin B12 deficient older people, high folate levels are associated with worse cognitive function: combined data from three cohorts.

BACKGROUND Folate fortification of food aims to reduce the number of babies born with neural tube defects, but has been associated with cognitive impairment when vitamin B12 levels are deficient. Given the prevalence of low vitamin B12 levels among the elderly, and the global deployment of food fortification programs, investigation of the associations between cognitive impairment, vitamin B12, and folate are needed. OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations of serum vitamin B12, red cell folate, and cognitive impairment. METHODS Data were collected on 1,354 subjects in two studies investigating cognitive impairment, and from patients attending for assessment or management of memory problems in the Barwon region of south eastern Australia between 2001 and 2011. Eligible subjects who had blood measurements of vitamin B12 and red cell folate taken within six months of cognitive testing were included. Subjects with stroke or neurodegenerative diseases other than Alzheimer's disease were excluded. A Mini-Mental State Examination score of <24 was used to define impaired cognitive function. RESULTS Participants with low serum vitamin B12 (<250 pmol/L) and high red cell folate (>1,594 nmol/L) levels were more likely to have impaired cognitive performance (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 3.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.60-7.43, p = 0.002) when compared to participants with biochemical measurements that were within the normal ranges. Participants with high folate levels, but normal serum vitamin B12, were also more likely to have impaired cognitive performance (AOR 1.74, 95% CI: 1.03-2.95, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS High folate or folic acid supplements may be detrimental to cognition in older people with low vitamin B12 levels. This topic is of global significance due to the wide distribution of food fortification programs, so prospective studies should be a high priority.
Lipid content and fatty acids composition of mature human milk in rural North China

To determine the lipid content and fatty acid (FA) composition of breast milk from fifty-two lactating women between ninth and twelfth lactation weeks in rural North China. The mothers were questioned on their dietary habits. Total milk lipids extracts were transmethylated and analysed using GLC to determine FA contents. The mean lipid content was 40·21 (sd 1·43) g/l. SFA constituted 35·92 % of the total FA. Medium-chain and long-chain SFA presented levels of 10·91 and 25·01 %, respectively. MUFA and PUFA constituted 32·59 and 19·97 % of the total FA, respectively. Oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acid (ALA) presented contents of 31·26, 17·73 and 1·03 %, respectively. Arachidonic acid had a content of 0·30 %, while DHA content was 0·19 %. Not any form of trans FA were found in human milk samples. A maternal diet transition is proceeding in China. Further investigation on the analysis of human milk FA composition is needed to upgrade the human milk database in China.
An in vitro study to evaluate and compare the flexural strength and impact strength of different heat cure and chemical cure acrylic resins under various conditions

Flexural and impact strength of denture base resins play a important role in success of prosthesis and many approaches have been made to improve the fracture resistance of acrylic resin dentures by strengthening them. Purpose of the study was to assess and compare the effect of high strength denture bse material with conventional heat and chemical-polymerized poly(methylmethacrylate) [PMMA] denture resin under dry and wet storage conditions. Ninety specimens of standard dimensions were prepared and 30 samples per three experimental groups;that is on the basis of storage conditions (dry and wet). All 90 specimens were then subjected to a 3-point bending test and flexural strength and Notched Izodimpact tester for impact strengthwas calculated. Statistical analysis was carried out using One Way Analysis of Variance and multiple comparison test. The mean flexural strength and impact strength of Trevelon HI heat cure resin when tested under dry conditions was high as compared to DPI Heat and chemical cure resins. All the specimens stored under wet conditions showed decrease in flexural strength in comparison to those stored in dry conditions.