Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the evaluation of the reliability of OSPF routing in IP networks

We study the problem of computing the reliability of a network operated using the OSPF protocol where links fail with given independent probabilities. Our measure of reliability is the expected lost demand in the network. Computing this measure is #P-complete, so we developed approximation methods based on related work for circuit-switched networks. Preliminary results show the robustness of optimized OSPF weights compared to commonly used weight settings.
Competence in Medical Practice as Perceived by Malaysian Medical Interns: A Measurement Invariance Analysis

This study investigates the perception of Malaysian housemen on what the indicators of competence are in the medical practice. This derives from the need for the interns to have the requisite skill needed to make them competent in the post-medical school medical practice. A survey questionnaire was administered on all 2,046 housemen in all medical schools across Malaysia as at April 30, 2008 when data was collected. Data so obtained were subjected to statistical analysis based on N=1213 using both the structural equation modeling via SPSS AMOS 18 software. Nine skills were identified in all. These are interpersonal, IT, patient management, basic, holistic, science, ethics, coping, and clinical skills. While all the skills were found to be statistically significant, no factorial invariance was observed when the data is split into demographic divides.
A revised Fuzzy - PROMETHEE method , using Fuzzy Distance and Similarity Measures

PROMETHEE refers to a collection of methods of ranking in the field of multi-criteria decision making. These methods are characterized by conceptual simplicity and practical applicability. However, the nature of phenomena involving decision-making in real world leads us to use fuzzy method of preference ranking. The most common criticism on mathematical ranking procedures is that they tend to defuzzify the problem by calculating a real number for each fuzzy set. In this paper we present a more precise fuzzy preference ranking method in uncertain, fuzzy environment for decision making. The new method allocates a linguistic term to each alternative by using fuzzy distance and fuzzy similarity measures. The linguistic term with the greatest similarity is allocated to a related alternative choice. The alternatives with fuzzy scores are ranked based on their allocated linguistic terms. Accordingly, we can make better decisions because we have verbal forms of the scores. A numerical example of decision making is presented and the results are compared with results of other F-PROMETHEE methods. Selecting nanotechnology application fields in Iran is presented as a real case.
Issues of Technical Support for e-Learning Systems in Higher Education Institutions

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have provided several tools to facilitate higher education. However, their effective use demands technical expertise to achieve the required academic goals. The university constituents (teachers, students and administrators) are given eTraining but this is not enough. Every eLearning system establishes a basic 'infrastructure' of computers, networks, communications and a technical department filled with ICT professionals to consistently maintain and upgrade the infrastructure, train the users and continuously provide technical support as and when required by them. Given the non-stop nature of technical support for eLearning, HEIs are facing issues in creating robust infrastructural facilities that are both competitive with the external environment and compatible with the internal user requirements. This article is a compendium of the touchy aspects in sustained technical support for eLearning in HEIs.
Resilient P2P streaming

P2P streaming has shown an alternative way of broadcasting media to the end users. It is theoretically more scalable than its client-server based counterpart but suffers from other issues arising from the dynamic nature of the system. This is built on top of the internet by forming an overlay network. End-users (peers) are the main sources of the overlay network, sharing their bandwidth, storage and memory. Peers join and leave freely, which dramatically affects, both on QoS and QoE. Furthermore, the inter- connections among the peers are based on logical overlays, which are not harmonized with the physical underlay infrastructure. This article presents combinations of different techniques, namely stream redundancy, multi-source streaming and locality-awareness (network efficiency), in the context of live and video-on-demand broadcasting. A new technique is introduced to improve P2P performance and assess it via a comparative, simulation-based study. It is found that redundancy affects network utilization only marginally if traffic is kept at the edges via localization techniques; multi- source streaming improves throughput, delay, and minimizing the streaming time.
The National Toxicology Program Rodent Bioassay

Abstract: The National Toxicology Program rodent cancer bioassay program design evolved from that of the National Cancer Institute in the 1970s. Groups of 50 or more mice are assigned to control or treatment groups. Test substances are given at three dose levels by intubation, dietary or drinking water consumption, or dermal or inhalation exposure. Dosing starts at age 5–6 weeks and lasts for 2 years, when surviving animals receive a complete histopathologic examination. Statistical approaches accommodate survival differences and no longer require differentiation between fatal and incidental tumors. Photocarcinogenicity studies, employing SKH‐1 hairless mice, evaluate onset of skin papillomas and incidences at 1 year. Top doses are chosen to expose animals to a minimally toxic challenge and lower doses to operate within the linear range of kinetics. This dosing allows comparison of results across studies. Bioassay and ancillary studies successfully identify tumor‐causing agents in rodents, provide information on dose‐response, and characterize other chemical‐related toxicities. NTP and Ramazzini Foundation bioassay designs differ in several aspects, but bioassays at both institutions provide chemical‐specific information for predicting human carcinogens, thus providing for protection of public health. Bioassays constitute an essential information reference set for new assay development and further investigations into mechanisms of action. The scientific community and the public owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Cesare Maltoni of the European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences and to Dr. David P. Rall of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for their foresight and wisdom in creating and nurturing these bioassay programs.
An Overview of Waterloo's Database Software for the OED [1992, rptd. 1996, 2008]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a dictionary can be either "a book dealing with the individual words of a language. " or "a repository of knowledge, convenient for consultation". An effective dictionary database must serve both roles simultaneously; that is, it must be capable of answering precise questions about the written dictionary text as well as the language described by that text. An effective representation for the OED has been based on the recent text structuring technique known as 'descriptive markup', which introduces tags into a text stream. Thus, dictionary components are explicitly identified and delimited, so that, for example, an entry is marked by . , an etymology by . , a usage label by . , and a cited work by . The most visibly successful aspect of our research is embodied in the flexible and efficient search and display software. LECTOR is a general-purpose browser that takes as input a stream of tagged text and formats it to the screen using typography to illustrate its structure. It uses a specially-designed formatting, or display-specification, language to accomplish this, through which the choice of typographical strategies is user-selectable. As a complementary software component, efficient retrieval is provided by the PAT text search engine. Each entry in the search index designates a 'semi-infinite' string that starts at a critical point in the text (e.g. at a word start) and continues uninterruptedly to the end of the text. Text regions (e.g. those representing individual dictionary components) can be specified to limit the scope of material being searched or displayed. Used together, PAT and LECTOR form a powerful query facility for text databases. Examples drawn from our experiences with researchers and casual visitors illustrate the application of these tools to exploring the OED.
The molecular basis of complement activation by model nanomedicines

Complement activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA) is a term refers to those hypersensitivity reactions where the allergen can activate complement. This study examined the effect of nanomedicines and polyethylene glycol on complement activation. Single-walled carbon nanotubes, which have many medical applications as drug delivery systems, activated human complement independently of the C1q-dependent classical and the alternative pathways, as reflected by a significant rise in serum levels of S-protein bound form of terminal complex (SC5b-9) and C4d. This study also shows that polyethylene glycol (PEG) with different molecular weights was capable of activating complement. It was found that molecular weight of PEG plays an important role in activating both calcium sensitive and alternative pathways of the human complement system, with relatively higher molecular weight polymer resulting in more activation to a certain extent.
Questionário Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - Screening version (HHIE-S): estudo da sensibilidade e especificidade

PURPOSE: To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly - Screening version (HHIE-S) in the hearing screening of elderly people who seek for different health care services (audiological clinic and other clinics). METHODS: The hearing of 78 elderly - 23 attended at the Discipline of Geriatrics and Gerontology of the institution who did not, necessarily, have complaints regarding their hearing, and 55 attended at the Audiology Clinic of the same institution with complaints related to the auditory and/or vestibular systems - was assessed. The HHIE-S questionnaire was applied, and its total score was divided into three categories, according to the handicap perception. RESULTS: A statistically significant relationship was found between handicap and degree of hearing loss in both patients from the Audiology Clinic (p=0.009*) and from the Geriatrics Clinic (p=0.002). In the first group, the HHIE-S questionnaire showed low sensitivity (23.5%) and high specificity (73.7%). In the group of patients from the Geriatrics Clinic, the values of sensitivity (94.7%) and specificity (75%) were both high. CONCLUSIONS: There was positive association between the degree of hearing loss and the handicap referred by both groups of subjects. The HHIE-S questionnaire is a hearing screening instrument with high sensitivity and specificity in identifying hearing loss in elderly people that seek health care services that are not specific for attention related to hearing disorders.
What Worms for the Early Bird: Early Admissions at Elite Colleges

Early application programs have turned the college admissions process into a highly strategic arena. It is widely believed, but seldom acknowledged by colleges, that early applicants are favored in admissions decisions. This report is a brief summary of a book that will be published by Harvard University Press. We analyze admission records from 14 highly selective colleges, finding that early applicants are significantly more likely to be admitted than are regular applicants with similar qualifications. Our interviews with college students and high school counselors demonstrate a wide range of knowledge about the nature of early applications.
Burial Practices at the Neolithic Village of 'Ain Ghazal (Jordan)

Etude preliminaire des pratiques funeraires et de leur evolution entre le Neolithique preceramique B et le Yarmoukien. Recherche des causes qui ont pu motiver les changements a travers les autres pratiques du domaine religieux (statuaire), les developpements economiques, la croissance demographique, etc.
SURVEY ON DISTRIBUTED CANNY EDGE DETECTOR WITH FPGA

The Edge can be defined as discontinuities in image intensity from one pixel to another. Modem image processing applications demonstrate an increasing demand for computational power and memories space. Typically, edge detection algorithms are implemented using software. With advances in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) technology, their hardware implementation has become an attractive alternative, especially for real-time applications. The Canny algorithm computes the higher and lower thresholds for edge detection based on the entire image statistics, which prevents the processing of blocks independent of each other. Direct implementation of the canny algorithm has high latency and cannot be employed in real-time applications. To overcome these, an adaptive threshold selection algorithm may be used, which computes the high and low threshold for each block based on the type of block and the local distribution of pixel gradients in the block. Distributed Canny Edge Detection using FPGA reduces the latency significantly; also this allows the canny edge detector to be pipelined very easily. The canny edge detection technique is discussed in this paper.
Task Graph Scheduling on Multiprocessor System using Genetic Algorithm

Task Graph Scheduling is an important issue in the distribution of programs on the processors of a parallel system. Because task graph scheduling is an NP-Complete problem, methods of random search are utilized for finding the nearly optimal schedule. Recently, Genetic algorithms have received much awareness as they are robust and guarantee for a good solution. In this paper a new genetic algorithm is proposed based on Object Migration Automaton and is evaluated in comparison with FCFS and MET scheduling. The proposed algorithm begins with an initial population of randomly generated chromosomes and after some stages, each chromosome maps to an automaton.
Domain and Schema Independent Semantic Model Verbalization: A Conceptual Overview

Semantic Web-based technologies have become extremely popular and its a success that has spread across many domains, additional to the computer science domain. Nevertheless, the reusability aspects associated with the created and available semantic knowledge models are very low. The main bottleneck associated with this issue is, the difficulty associated in understanding the complex schema of a knowledge model created and barriers associated with querying the knowledge models using SPARQL or SQWRL query formulations. This research emphasizes on proposing a verbalizer which can go beyond existing Controlled Natural Language (CNL) type verbalizers and to verbalizer knowledge stored in a knowledge model file written in either RDF or OWL format, despite its domain and schematics.
DRAFT - DO NOT PUBLISH!

This paper presents a hybrid fingerprint matching algorithm for user authentication based on the fusion of heterogeneous schemes, and designed to run on programmable smart cards. The approach is based on the well known texture vector and minutiae based techniques, where image processing and feature extraction occur on the host, while the card device performs the final match against the onboard template, which is never revealed to the outside world. This increases the security of the template itself and of the applications using it. The matching algorithms have been tuned in order to achieve an acceptable performance despite computation and memory constraints. Experimental results, gathered from our implementation on a Java Card device, highlight the feasibility of the hybrid approach. Furthermore, they show to what extent it is possible to trade precision for speed in the verification process, using appropriate tuning of the on board matching parameters.
Fog Radio Access Network: A New Wireless Backhaul Architecture for Small Cell Networks

In this paper, we develop a novel wireless backhauling strategy for small-cell networks based on dynamic base station (BSs) cooperation, which we call the fog-radio access network (F-RAN) backhauling strategy. By taking advantage of fog-computing, our proposed strategy enables BSs to combine and process signals received from diverse paths, which can significantly increase the transmission efficiency of the backhaul network. We first model an F-RAN-enabled network and three existing backhauling strategies, namely, direct transmission, decode and forward, and cloud-RAN. We then analyze and compare the performance of these strategies. The numerical results show that our proposed strategy provides the highest throughput for cell edge users while maintaining the same performance in most of the other areas. Moreover, for dense small-cell networks with poor backhaul channels, F-RAN outperforms all other strategies.
Associations between young adult dating partners’ drinking and relationship satisfaction

ABSTRACT Background: The link between drinking and relationship functioning is well documented among married couples, particularly by using survey methods of retrospective drinking focusing on negative relationship outcomes. However, few studies have examined the link between drinking in daily life and relationship satisfaction among young adult dating couples. Methods: This study used a 7-day daily diary method by drawing on dyadic data from 57 heterosexual couples. This study utilized the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model and dyadic hierarchical linear modeling. Results: Controlling for same day relationship satisfaction, a positive association was found between females’ number of alcoholic drinks and their own next-day relationship satisfaction. Males’ higher consumption of drinks across the study period was linked with their female partners’ lower daily relationship satisfaction ratings. Drinking behavior by either partner was not reliably linked with males’ relationship satisfaction. Conclusions: This study suggests differential implications of partners’ drinking for females in dating relationships. Findings encourage continued examination of young adult romantic relationships as a context for drinking behavior.
Application of the pseudoinverse for real-time 3D PET image reconstruction

Real-time Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has the potential to become a new imaging tool providing useful information, such as first-shot images, medical intervention guidance, information about patient position and motion, and to perform PET image guided biopsy. Fully-3D iterative reconstruction methods in PET provide highest quality images, but they are still not suitable for real-time imaging due to their large computational time requirements. On the other hand, analytical methods are much faster, but they exhibit low-quality images and artifacts when using noisy or incomplete data. We propose an alternative reconstruction method based on the pseudoinverse of the System Response Matrices (SRM), which can be very fast while yielding good quality images. The reconstruction problem is separated into two independent ones. First, the axial part of the SRM is pseudoinverted and used to rebin in the axial direction 3D data into 2D datasets with resolution recovery. The resulting 2D datasets can be reconstructed with standard analytical methods such as Filtered Back-Projection (FBP), or with another in-plane pseudoinverse algorithm. Pseudoinverse rebinning is as fast as standard Single Slice ReBinning (SSRB), but with image quality comparable to FOurierREbinning (FORE). With regards to the transaxial image reconstruction, pseudoinverse rebinning is as fast as FBP, but obtains improved resolution recovery and uniformity. Overall, the two-step psudoinverse reconstruction yields much more acceptable images than SSRB+FBP, at a rate of several frames per second, compatible with real time applications.
US-AID: Unattended Scalable Attestation of IoT Devices

Embedded devices, personal gadgets and networks thereof are becoming increasingly pervasive, mainly due the advent of, and hype surrounding, the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). Such devices often perform critical actuation tasks, as well as collect, store and process sensitive data. Therefore, as confirmed by recent examples (such as the Mirai botnet), they also represent very attractive attack targets. To mitigate attacks, remote attestation (RA) has emerged as a distinct security service that aims at detecting malware presence on an embedded device. Most prior RA schemes focus on attesting a single devices and do not scale. In recent years, schemes for collective (group or swarm) RA have been designed. However, none is applicable to autonomous and dynamic network settings. This paper presents US-AID – the first collective attestation schemes for large autonomous dynamic networks of embedded devices. AID verifies overall network integrity by combining continuous in-network attestation with a key exchange mechanism and Proofs-of-non-Absence. Using device absence detection US-AID defends against physical attacks that require disconnecting attacked devices form the network for a non-negligible time. We demonstrate feasibility of US-AID with proof-of-concept implementation on state-of-the-art security architectures for low-end embedded devices and on an autonomous testbed formed of six drones. We also assess its scalability and practicality via extensive simulations.