Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloud Auto-Scaling Control Engine Based on Machine Learning

With the development of modern data centers and networks, many service providers have moved most of their computing functions to the cloud. Considering the limitation of network bandwidth and hardware or virtual resources, how to manage different virtual resources in a cloud environment so as to achieve better resource allocation is a big problem. Although some cloud infrastructures provide simple default auto-scaling and orchestration mechanisms, such as OpenStack Heat service, they usually only depend on a single parameter, such as CPU utilization and cannot respond to the network changes in a timely manner. This thesis investigates different auto-scaling mechanisms and designs an online control engine that cooperates with different OpenStack service APIs based on various network resource data. Two auto-scaling engines, Heat orchestration based engine and machine learning based online control engine, have been developed and compared for different client requests patterns. Two machine learning methods, neural network, and linear regression have been considered to generate a control signal based on real-time network data. This thesis also shows the network’s non-linear behaviors for heavy traffic and proposes a scaling policy based on deep network analysis. The results show that for offline training, the neural network and linear regression provide 81.5% and 84.8% accuracy respectively. However, for online testing with different client request patterns, the neural network results are different than we expected, while linear regression provided us with much better results. The model comparison showed that these two auto-scaling mechanisms have similar behavior for a SMOOTH-load Pattern. However, for the SPIKEYload Pattern, the linear regression based online control engine responded faster to network changes while heat orchestration service shows some delay. Compared with the proposed scaling policy with fewer web servers in use and acceptable response latency, both of the two auto-scaling models waste network resources.
COMMENTS ON “The Future Phases of the Cuban Economy” by Bernales

This paper by Barton J. Bernales constitutes a positive contribution to ASCE’s work for it develops a Bayesian model to analyze and forecast the Cuban process. As we have said before in these meetings, it is necessary to foster the presentation of quantitative papers, like the present one by Bernales, that analyze Cuban issues. For it is through the extensive and adequate use of quantitative models that we gain: (i) a better understanding of and (ii) a more detached and, hence, productive discussion about, the Cuban problem. And this reflects very positively on ASCE and on its work.
Effect of Frequency-Modulated Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation (rPMS) on Leg Muscle Atrophy in Animal Model

Objective: To investigate the effect of frequency-modulated repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) for disuse muscle atrophy in the animal model.Methods: Thirty-five 6-week-old male SD rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: the control group (C group), 20-Hz constant-stimulation group (20 Hz group), 5-Hz constant-stimulation group (5 Hz group), 20-Hz/5-Hz modulated-stimulation group (20 Hz/5 Hz group), and non-stimulation group (N group). Atrophy of hind limb muscles was induced by tail suspension for 5 weeks. For the stimulation groups, rPMS to the right sciatic nerve were performed for 30 min a day for 2 weeks. Variables assessed were isometric maximum muscle contraction force and the degree of muscle fatigue of the soleus muscle, muscle weight of tibialis anterior.Results: The isometric maximum muscle tension was 28.5 ± 3.8 in the 20 Hz group, 20.1 ± 3.8 in the 5 Hz group, 30.6 ± 2.8 in the 20 Hz/5 Hz group, and 21.1 ± 2.3 in the N group. Muscle fatigue in the 20 Hz and the 20 Hz/5 Hz group was significantly lower than in the N group (p <0.05). Muscle weight was 0.56 ± 0.09 in the 20 Hz group, 0.45 ± 0.91 in the 5 Hz group, 0.67 ± 0.79 in the 20 Hz/5 Hz group, and 0.42 ± 0.71 in the N group.Conclusion: The 20-Hz/5-Hz frequency-modulated rPMS for atrophied leg muscles in the rat tail suspension model improved muscle atrophy equal to or better than 20-Hz constant-frequency stimulation and more than 5-Hz constant-frequency stimulation.
TEAM BASED PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS: SCALE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION

The main aim of this study is to develop a scale to determine the team members’ perceptions on team based performance appraisal systems. An integrated procedure combining interview as the qualitative method and questionnaire as the quantitative method is applied in the study. Interview was carried among 22 team leaders and members, and questionnaire among 397 team members. Companies that operate in the information sector, in Kocaeli, and apply team performance appraisal systems have been included within the scope of research. Quantitative data have been analysed with SPSS 23.0 packaged software and qualitative data by content analysis. Descriptive statistics, item-total correlation, internal consistency, reliability, and exploratory factor analysis have been used to determine the psychometric features of this hyper dimensional scale. Internal consistency reliability of the general scale has been determined as 0.926. Research results show that participants’ perception of the performance appraisal systems of their own teams is positive yet around the intermediate level. According to this, it has been spotted that members’ perceptions are at its highest on salary and promotion systems and at its lowest on justice systems. Research findings, limitations, and suggestions for future researches have also been discussed. As a result, consisting of 5 dimensions and 69 items, Team Based Performance Appraisal Systems (TBPAS) Scale is suggestible to be used in the future researches.
Political-advertisement video classification using deep learning methods

Today’s digital world consists of vast multimedia contents: images, audios and videos. Thus, the availability of huge video datasets have encouraged researchers to design video classification techniques to group videos into categories of interest. One of the topics of interest to political scientists is automated classification of a video advertisement into a political campaign ad category or others. Recent years have seen a plethora of deep learning-based methods for image and video classification. These methods learn feature representation from the training data along with the classification model. We investigate the effectiveness of three recent deep-learning based video classification techniques for the political video advertisement classification. The best technique among the three yields an accuracy of 80%. In this thesis, we further improve the classification accuracy by combining the results of classification of text features with that of the best deep learning methods we studied. Our method achieves the classification accuracy of 91%.
Morphological Changes of Pharyngeal Airway After Incisor Retraction in Bimaxillary Protrusion Growing Patients with Maximum Anchorage

Result: After treatment, both groups showed a general enlargement in pharyngeal airway dimensions. There showed no statistical differences in the change of pharyngeal volume, CSA, LAT/AP and GH between the two groups. However, the experiments showed a significant decrease in the ration of palatopharynx area (PPA) to glossopharynx area (GPA) compared with the control group. A significant correlation was observed among the PPA/GPA, the incisor retraction amount and the hyoid backward amount.
DNA DATABASES, UNIVERSALITY, AND THE FOURTH AMENDMENT

DNA databases enable extremely accurate criminal identification, and a database with appropriate privacy safeguards could be a boon not only for law enforcement but for civil libertarians as well. Unfortunately, current DNA databases lack important precautions and expose DNA donors to serious risks of abuse. The courts that have heard Fourth Amendment challenges to these databases have uniformly upheld them using one of two different rationales. Some courts have held that DNA databases serve a special need, and others have held that the convicted offenders targeted by current statutes have diminished privacy interests in their DNA. However, neither rationale provides a convincing justification for compelling individuals to provide DNA for a database, with or without safeguards. The problem is not with the substantive reasonableness of DNA collection for an ideal database, but with crafting a judicial decision procedure that allows only reasonable databases and not unreasonable ones. The solution proposed by this Note, accordingly, is an alternative decisionmaking procedure that enlists the assistance of the political process. Under the “universality exception” to the warrant requirement proposed by this Note, a search is reasonable if it is authorized by a statute that truly applies equally to every member of the population. The political process leading to the enactment of a universal DNA database, which this exception would require, would ensure that any such database had appropriate safeguards.
J 14.4 MODELING ENTRAINMENT AND BOUNDARY LAYER GROWTH DURING A BORE EVENT USING DIFFERENT TURBULENCE PARAMETERIZATIONS AND LES

The International H2O Project (IHOP) field experiment took place in the Southern Great Plains of the U.S. with the goal of obtaining an improved characterization of the time varying three dimensional water vapor field and to determine its importance in the understanding and prediction of convective processes. Understanding the role played by bores in initiating and maintaining nocturnal convection was one of the objectives of the project. Ground-based remote sensing instruments at the Homestead site in the Oklahoma Panhandle included NCAR Integrated Sounding System and Multiple Antenna Profiler (ISS/MAPR), an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), FM-CW radar, Scanning Raman Lidar and aerosol backscatter lidar (HARLIE). These instruments were complemented by the polarimetric SPOL and Dodge City WSR-88D radars and two research aircrafts equipped with the water vapor differential absorption lidar and surface mesonetwork recording temperature, dewpoint and wind at 5-min intervals. The data gathered during IHOP constitutes probably the most comprehensive set of observations ever collected on structure and dynamics of bores. On 4 June 2002, two bores were observed at Homestead. Here, we analyze the ``second'' bore which developed in the early morning on this day as a result of an interaction of a cold front with a stable boundary layer. This bore was well documented by the IHOP measurements. Numerical simulations with MM5 reproduced the event quite accurately and are used to study turbulence and boundary layer growth in the wake of the bore. Our research will continue in the future using the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS) ARPS model (Xue et al. 1995) at resolutions of the order of tens of meters with the purpose of evaluating turbulence parameterizations vs. simulations with
Characteristics of Oasis Effect in Zhangye, China and its Relationship with Agricultural Irrigation

Oases are important ecosystems that support life and agriculture in arid regions. However, they are ecologically fragile and are often threatened by both intensive agricultural production and climate change. To study the oasis effect and understand how the oases will respond to these pressures is crucial for sustainable development. Existing knowledge of oasis effect is insufficient to quantify the long-term trend of oasis effect during the past decades, and we are not yet clear what factors will impact the strength of oasis effect. In this study, data between 2001 and 2018 for Zhangye, Gansu, China was derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite and used to quantify the diurnal, annual and inter-annual oasis effect characteristics, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), evapotranspiration (ET), albedo and wind speed were analyzed for their correlation with oasis effect intensity. It is found that oasis effect in Zhangye has declined rapidly since 2012, and the decline of difference of ET between cropland and the surrounding desert could be a driver.
The Design of Lexical Information for Thai to English MT

This paper presents a design of lexical information for Thai-to-English machine translation. A new framework of lexicons becomes necessary while constructing parse tree, due to the grammatical structure of Thai, which is directly expressed by means of function words. In addition to ordinary lexical attributes such as verb arguments and valences, implicit properties of function words are also included into the design to resolve such issues. Currently, we obtain 5,218 annotated content words and 128 annotated function words. In conclusion, 5,346 Thai words are annotated with complete information.
Synthesis and Characterization of Superhydrophobic-Superoleophobic and Anti-Corrosion Coatings via Sol-Gel Process

Superoleophobic nanocomposite coatings with improved hydrophobic properties were obtained by incorporation of a perfluoroalkyl polymer in hybrid sol-gel matrix containing silica and titania nanoparticles. SiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized based on sol-gel precursors utilizing tetraethyl orthosilicate, 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane, and tetra (n-butyl orthotitanate). SEM and EDX images of the coating demonstrated that a Silica nanosphere had been aggregated in superporous structure. The analysis results show that nano-sized inorganic particles (10 - 20 nm) have a uniform distribution and dispersion. By increasing the PFOTES, the oleophobicity of coatings increased due to lowering of surface energy in the presence of fluoropolymer. Results of EIS measurement show that PFOTES and TiO2 nanoparticles increased anti-corrosion property of hybrid coatings. This method introduces a simple way to produce water- and oil-repellent self-cleaning coatings on large areas of different substrates like glass, ceramic, metal and composites.
UNERGATIVES IN SUDANESE ARABIC: A MINIMLAIST APPROACH

Verbs are traditionally classified into intransitive, transitive and ditransitive. However, in generative syntax and minimalist program, in particular, verbs are categorized in terms of their lexico-semantic into unaccusative, unergative, accusative, causative, applicative and ditransitive. This paper explores the syntax of the unergative category of verbs in Sudanese Arabic from the theoretical perspectives of minimalist program. The data are derived from the grammatical judgments from 10 native speakers of Sudanese Arabic. Semantically, this category of verbs takes one obligatory external argument in its thematic grid. Structurally, this external argument occupies [Spec, vP] position and receives an agent theta role from the verb, before moving to [Spec, TP] to satisfy features’ checking requirement, such as EPP and Case. However, unergatives in Sudanese Arabic can optionally take a cognate object complement. This cognate object appears in [Spec, VP] and receives a theme theta-role from the verb. Therefore, it is plausible to conclude that the syntactic typology of unergative verbs cross-linguistically is accounted for language-specific property rather than a common universal principle.
Leadership and organizational learning culture: a systematic literature review

The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2 times since 2019* European Journal of Training and Development Leadership and organizational learning culture: a systematic literature review Lei Xie, Article information: To cite this document: Lei Xie, European Journal of Training and Development, https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-06-2018-0056 Permanent link to this document: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-06-2018-0056
The Role of Angiogenesis Factors in the Formation of Vascular Changes in Scleroderma by Assessment of the Concentrations of VEGF and sVEGFR2 in Blood Serum and Tear Fluid

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disorder characterized by tissue hypoxia, excessive fibrosis of skin and internal organs, and angiogenesis imbalance. The aim of the study was to evaluate in SSc patients the association between the retinal microcirculation disturbances and the presence of peripheral trophic changes and to determine the role of angiogenesis factors in the formation of vascular changes in scleroderma. Twenty-five SSc patients and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included to the study. Assay of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble VEGF receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) in blood serum and tears was done for all patients and controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Retinal blood circulation was investigated with fluorescein angiography (FA) in the SSc patients only. In our research, proportion of mainly hypertensive patients presenting with a large spectrum of retinal microvascular lesions was 72%, while proportion of patients with skin microvascular lesions within distal phalanxes of fingers and toes was 76%. We noticed that patients with pathological changes in the FA examination had finger ulcerations significantly more often than patients without changes in the eye fundus. There were no statistically significant differences in the serum concentration of VEGF and sVEGFR2 between subjects in both analyzed groups. Analysis of lower levels of VEGF (p = <0.001) and sVEGFR-2 (p = <0.001) in blood serum accompanied by simultaneous higher levels of VEGF/sVEGFR-2 ratio in tears of SSc patients, as compared with the control group, indicates the superiority of proangiogenic factors in patients' tears.
Novel calreticulin-nanoparticle in combination with focused ultrasound induces immunogenic cell death in melanoma to enhance antitumor immunity

Rationale: Some studies have shown that the local activation of immunogenic cell death (ICD) by upregulating calreticulin (CRT) expression in solid tumors can improve antitumor effects. Although a promising approach, a key current challenge in ICD tumor therapy is the absence of a clinically translatable method for reproducibly inducing the CRT expression. Herein, we report a novel calreticulin-nanoparticle (CRT-NP) that enhances ICD and synergizes with focused ultrasound (FUS) to achieve local and systemic antitumor effects. Methods: Full-length clone DNA of calreticulin was encapsulated in NPs made from DOTAP and cholesterol. Three CRT-NP intratumoral injections of 20 µg each were given 2 days apart, and FUS heating (42-45°C, ~15min) was applied sequentially 24h after each injection to induce ICD. To investigate ICD specific immune effect, the splenocytes of mice vaccinated with CRT-NP (± FUS) treated B16F10 cells were evaluated ex-vivo for TRP-2 antigen specific immunity. Additionally, the long-term protection was evaluated by re-challenging with the melanoma cells in the flank regions of tumor bearing mice. Results: CRT-NP plus FUS (CFUS) upregulated CRT expression, expanded the population of melanoma TRP-2 specific functional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and tumor-suppressing M1 phenotype, and increased PD-1 and PD-L1 marker expression in the T cells. Therapeutically, CFUS suppressed B16 melanoma growth by >85% vs. that seen in untreated controls, and >~50% vs. CRT-NP or FUS alone, and prevented tumor growth in distal untreated sites. Conclusions: CRT-NP amplifies the FUS and ICD therapeutic outcomes against melanoma, suggesting that the proposed combinatorial methodology may be clinically translatable.
Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique for Optimizing Classification Tasks in Botnet and Intrusion-Detection-System Datasets

Presently, security is a hot research topic due to the impact in daily information infrastructure. Machine-learning solutions have been improving classical detection practices, but detection tasks employ irregular amounts of data since the number of instances that represent one or several malicious samples can significantly vary. In highly unbalanced data, classification models regularly have high precision with respect to the majority class, while minority classes are considered noise due to the lack of information that they provide. Well-known datasets used for malware-based analyses like botnet attacks and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) mainly comprise logs, records, or network-traffic captures that do not provide an ideal source of evidence as a result of obtaining raw data. As an example, the numbers of abnormal and constant connections generated by either botnets or intruders within a network are considerably smaller than those from benign applications. In most cases, inadequate dataset design may lead to the downgrade of a learning algorithm, resulting in overfitting and poor classification rates. To address these problems, we propose a resampling method, the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) with a grid-search algorithm optimization procedure. This work demonstrates classification-result improvements for botnet and IDS datasets by merging synthetically generated balanced data and tuning different supervised-learning algorithms.
REGIONAL DESIGN VALUE ESTIMATES OF EXTREME PRECIPITATION EVENTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Regional analysis is utilized to improve estimates of probabilities of extreme precipitation events in the Czech Republic. The Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution was identified as the most suitable one for modelling maximum annual 1to 7-day precipitation amounts according to the Lmoment ratio diagram and goodness-of-fit tests; only in the northeast region, the Generalized Logistic (GLO) distribution should be preferred. The regional approach considerably lessens the between-site variation of estimates of the shape parameter of the GEV/GLO distribution compared to at-site procedures, and estimates of high quantiles (e.g. 50-yr return values) are more reliable and climatologically consistent in individual regions. Different shapes of the growth curves also indicate that the homogeneous regions are useful and reasonable for modelling probabilities of heavy precipitation. Particularly noteworthy is the heavy tail of distributions of multi-day extremes in the northeast region.