Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental evaluation of TCP performance and fairness in an 802.11e test-bed

In this paper we present measurements made using an 802.11e wireless testbed. We demonstrate experimentally how the new 802.11e [1] QoS parameters behave in our testbed. We describe the testing methodology used to validate the operation of the 802.11e TXOP, AIFS and CWmin parameters and compare the experimental results to existing analytical models. We also discuss a number of practical issues encountered during our measurements. We then use the testbed to demonstrate some known problems with TCP's performance caused by cross-layer interaction between the TCP congestion control algorithm and the MAC layer CSMA/CA contention mechanism. Finally, we study how these problems can be mitigated using the flexibility provided by the 802.11e parameters via the scheme suggested in [2].
Swift: the missing link between peer-to-peer and information-centric networks

A common pitfall of many proposals on new information-centric architectures for the Internet is the imbalance of up-front costs and immediate benefits. If properly designed and deployed, information-centric architectures can accommodate the current Internet usage which is at odds with the historical design of the Internet infrastructure. To address this concern, we focus on prospects of incremental adoption of this paradigm by introducing a peer-to-peer based transport protocol for content dissemination named Swift that exhibits properties required in an Information-Centric Network (ICN), yet can be deployed in the existing Internet infrastructure. Our design integrates components while highly prioritizing modularity and sketches a path for piece-meal adoption which we consider a critical enabler of any progress in the field.
Intracoronary Bone Marrow Cell Transfer After Myocardial Infarction: Eighteen Months’ Follow-Up Data From the Randomized, Controlled BOOST (BOne marrOw transfer to enhance ST-elevation infarct regeneration) Trial

Background— Intracoronary transfer of autologous bone marrow cells (BMCs) may enhance recovery of left ventricular (LV) function in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, clinical studies addressing the effects of BMCs after AMI have covered only limited time frames ranging from 3 to 6 months. The critical question of whether BMC transfer can have a sustained impact on LV function remains unanswered. Methods and Results– After percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation (PCI) of the infarct-related artery, 60 patients were randomized 1:1 to a control group with optimal postinfarction therapy and a BMC transfer group that also received an intracoronary BMC infusion 4.8±1.3 days after PCI. Cardiac MRI was performed 3.5±1.5 days, 6±1 months, and 18±6 months after PCI. BMC transfer was not associated with adverse clinical events. In the control group, mean global LV ejection fraction increased by 0.7 and 3.1 percentage points after 6 and 18 months, respectively. LV ejection fraction in the BMC transfer group increased by 6.7 and 5.9 percentage points. The difference in LVEF improvement between groups was significant after 6 months but not after 18 months (P=0.27). The speed of LV ejection fraction recovery over the course of 18 months was significantly higher in the BMC transfer group (P=0.001). Conclusions– In this study, a single dose of intracoronary BMCs did not provide long-term benefit on LV systolic function after AMI compared with a randomized control group; however, the study suggests an acceleration of LV ejection fraction recovery after AMI by BMC therapy.
Impact of bonding temperature on the performance of In0.6Ga0.4As Metamorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (mHEMT) device packaged using Flip-Chip-on-Board (FCOB) technology

In this study, we fabricated 150-nm In0.6Ga0. 4As mHEMT devices using in-house fabrication process. The devices were packaged using FCOB technology on organic substrates. The packaged device exhibited favorable DC characteristics with IDS = 350 mA/mm and a transconductance of 600 mS/mm at VDS = 0.5V with a maximum available gain (MAG) 6.5 dB at 60 GHz. The impact of temperature setting during the bonding process on the DC and RF performance was experimentally investigated. RF performance degradation was observed at high bonding temperature due to the induced thermomechanical stress. The stress was mainly from the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the GaAs chip and organic substrate.
Variation of bacterial communities in water and sediments during the decomposition of Microcystis biomass

The bacterial community composition in water and sediment samples during the decomposition of Microcystis biomass were analyzed using the 454 pyrosequencing technique. We found dramatic shifts in the bacterial community composition of water and sediments after the addition of Microcystis biomass. Among all the detected phyla, only Firmicutes was found to be dominant in both water and sediment samples. The genus Clostridium sensu stricto was the absolutely dominant group in Firmicutes and showed drastic variations with incubation time during the decomposition process. Peak values in relative abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto appeared in the first few days for water and sediment samples. Environmental factors such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in water samples showed drastic variations during the decomposing process, which might be the prominent forces driving the variation of bacterial communities. The abundant genus, Clostridium sensu stricto, were thought to be well adapted to higher DOC and turbidity and lower pH and DO conditions. Compared with the sediment samples, the decomposition of Microcystis biomass had greater influence on the bacterial community composition in water and Clostridium sensu stricto might play important roles in the process of Microcystis biomass decomposition.
Dynamic Resource Allocation in OFDMA Systems with Full-Duplex and Hybrid Relaying

In this paper, we formulate a joint optimization problem for resource allocation and scheduling in full-duplex orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) relaying systems with amplify-and-forward (AF) and decode-and-forward (DF) relaying protocols. Our problem formulation takes into account heterogeneous data rate requirements for delay sensitive users. Besides, a theoretically optimal hybrid relaying, which allows a dynamic selection between AF relaying and DF relaying protocols with full-duplex relays or half-duplex relays, is also considered in the problem formulation and serves as a performance benchmark. A dual decomposition method is employed to solve the resulting optimization problem and a novel distributed iterative resource allocation and scheduling algorithm with closed-form power and subcarrier allocation is derived. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed distributed algorithm requires only a small number of iterations to achieves practically the same performance as the optimal centralized algorithm.
Parascholzite Coatings on Niobium Substrates

This study proposes a hydrothermal process to produce monetite and zinc-doped calcium phosphate coatings with different (Ca+Zn)/P molar ratios, in an attempt to incorporate zinc benefits on bone formation to hydroxyapatite precursors. The method consists of coating niobium and titanium substrates in an aqueous solution rich in (PO4)3- and calcium (Ca)2+ ions under specific conditions (pH ≡ 3.7, 80°C). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed to characterize the coatings. From XRD analysis, we concluded that substitution of Ca by Zn was feasible up to 15% mol Zn, and the new phase obtained was parascholzite (JCPDS-01-086-2372).
Negotiation Support System Functionality in Business Communication Applications - a Case-Based Evaluation

In times of E-Business, more and more transactions are conducted electronically. Especially in the context of electronic business negotiations there is a rising need for support provided by the communication medium. This need led to the development of several Negotiation Support Systems (NSSs) within the recent years. However, diffusion of NSSs into practice is scarce. The Negolook prototype developed in the course of our research follows the concept of such NSSs whilst being integrated into traditional business communication systems. It aims to bridge the gap between the uttered need for negotiation support and its actual use in practice. In this paper we present the prototype itself, a theoretical evaluation and, furthermore, we identify future research activities.
Inkjet-printed organic thin film transistors based on TIPS pentacene with insulating polymers

The blending of the crystalline organic semiconductor, 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS pentacene), with amorphous polymers exhibits not only excellent solution processability, but also superior performance characteristics in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). To understand the inkjet-printing behavior of TIPS pentacene/polymer blends, we use amorphous polycarbonate (APC), which is structurally beneficial to the facile phase separation of TIPS pentacene crystals due to the strong segregation strength estimated by the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter. The various inkjet-printing behaviors of TIPS pentacene/APC inks, which depend on the TIPS pentacene/APC compositions, ink viscosities, and different solvent mixtures, are investigated. These behaviors can ultimately determine the phase separation, morphology, shape, and orientation of the TIPS pentacene crystals in OTFT films. Flory–Huggins phase separation theory is applied, and various analytical methods, such as polarized optical microscopy, 3D surface profile, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS), are utilized to explain these relationships. By controlling these inkjet-printing conditions, it is possible to easily regulate the optimal inkjet-printing process for TIPS-pentacene/polymer systems, which can derive the desirable stripe-shaped and vertically phase-separated TIPS pentacene crystals with the proper orientation and enhanced surface morphology. The resultant inkjet-printed films from the TIPS pentacene with APC show excellent device stability and an average mobility of 0.53 cm2 V−1 s−1. Furthermore, the inkjet-printed flexible OTFT array with an average mobility of 0.27 cm2 V−1 s−1 sustains the application of TIPS pentacene/APC in the field of flexible printed electronics.
Simultaneous budget and buffer size computation for throughput-constrained task graphs

Modern embedded multimedia systems process multiple concurrent streams of data processing jobs. Streams often have throughput requirements. These jobs are implemented on a multiprocessor system as a task graph. Tasks communicate data over buffers, where tasks wait on sufficient space in output buffers before producing their data. For cost reasons, jobs share resources. Because jobs can share resources with other jobs that include tasks with date-dependent execution rates, we assume run-time scheduling on shared resources. Budget schedulers are applied, because they guarantee a minimum budget in a maximum replenishment interval. Both the buffer sizes as well as the budgets influence the temporal behaviour of a job. Interestingly, a trade-off exists: a larger buffer size can allow for a smaller budget while still meeting the throughput requirement. This work is the first to address the simultaneous computation of budget and buffer sizes.We solve this non-linear problem by formulating it as a second-order cone program. We present tight approximations to obtain a non-integral second-order cone program that has polynomial complexity. Our experiments confirm the non-linear trade-off between budget and buffer sizes.
Intercellular calcium signaling is regulated by morphogens during Drosophila wing development

Organ development is driven by a set of patterned inductive signals. However, how these signals are integrated to coordinate tissue patterning is still poorly understood. Calcium ions (Ca2+) are critical signaling components involved in signal integration and are regulated by a core Ca2+ signaling toolkit. Ca2+ signaling encodes a significant fraction of information in cells through both amplitude and frequency-dependent regulation of transcription factors and key regulatory enzymes. A range of intercellular Ca2+ transients, including coordinated oscillations, recently have been reported in Drosophila wing discs. In an accompanying paper, we show that impaired Ca2+ signaling impacts the final size and shape of the wing. Here, we discover specific spatiotemporal signatures of Ca2+ transients during wing disc development. To do so, we developed a new neural-network-based approach for registration of oscillatory signals in organs that frequently move during imaging, and a pipeline for spatiotemporal analysis of intercellular Ca2+ oscillations. As a specific test case, we further demonstrated that the morphogen pathway, Hedgehog, controls frequencies of Ca2+ oscillations uniformly in the tissue and is required for spatial patterning of oscillation amplitudes. Thus, the time-averaged dynamics of spontaneous intercellular Ca2+ transients reflect the morphogenetic signaling state of the tissue during development. This suggests a general mechanism of physiological signaling that provides a memory of morphogenetic patterns. Additionally, our study provides a powerful approach for registering and quantifying oscillatory dynamics in developing organs.
Rifaximin Is a Gut-Specific Human Pregnane X Receptor Activator

Rifaximin, a rifamycin analog approved for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea, is also beneficial in the treatment of multiple chronic gastrointestinal disorders. However, the mechanisms contributing to the effects of rifaximin on chronic gastrointestinal disorders are not fully understood. In the current study, rifaximin was investigated for its role in activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR), a nuclear receptor that regulates genes involved in xenobiotic and limited endobiotic deposition and detoxication. PXR-humanized (hPXR), Pxr-null, and wild-type mice were treated orally with rifaximin, and rifampicin, a well characterized human PXR ligand. Rifaximin was highly concentrated in the intestinal tract compared with rifampicin. Rifaximin treatment resulted in significant induction of PXR target genes in the intestine of hPXR mice, but not in wild-type and Pxr-null mice. However, rifaximin treatment demonstrated no significant effect on hepatic PXR target genes in wild-type, Pxr-null, and hPXR mice. Consistent with the in vivo data, cell-based reporter gene assay revealed rifaximin-mediated activation of human PXR, but not the other xenobiotic nuclear receptors constitutive androstane receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α, PPARγ, and farnesoid X receptor. Pretreatment with rifaximin did not affect the pharmacokinetics of the CYP3A substrate midazolam, but it increased the Cmax and decreased Tmax of 1′-hydroxymidazolam. Collectively, the current study identified rifaximin as a gut-specific human PXR ligand, and it provided further evidence for the utility of hPXR mice as a critical tool for the study of human PXR activators. Further human studies are suggested to assess the potential role of rifaximin-mediated gut PXR activation in therapeutics of chronic gastrointestinal disorders.
Mother, May I? OWL-based Policy Management at NASA

Among the challenges of managing NASA’s information systems is the management (that is, creation, coordination, verification, validation, and enforcement) of many different role-based access control policies and mechanisms. This paper describes an actual data federation use case that demonstrates the inefficiencies created by this challenge and presents an approach to reducing these inefficiencies using OWL. The focus is on the representation of XACML policies in DL, but the approach generalizes to other policy languages.
Performance evaluation of TCP over optical burst-switched (OBS) WDM networks

This paper studies the performance of TCP transport protocol over an optical burst-switched (OBS) wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) wide-area network. Typically, an OBS network consists of optical core routers and electronic edge routers connected by WDM links. At the network ingress nodes, IP packets are assembled into bursts that are routed through the core network and disassembled at the network egress nodes. This paper studies the effects of OBS network characteristics and parameters on TCP's delay and throughput performance: (i) burstification (burst-assembly and disassembly) delays, (ii) data-burst scheduling and (iii) variation of burst packet parameters (i.e. burst size, burst time-outs), and (iv) burst drop probability. Detailed results based on an ns2-based simulator, that has been extended to incorporate WDM and OBS networking, are presented.
Modelling aerobic stabilization of domestic and industrial sludge using a multi-component biomass model

The objective of the study was to investigate the achievable limits of aerobic sludge stabilization applied on waste-activated sludge generated in domestic, tannery, and pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plants. Stabilization study involved monitoring of conventional parameters and model evaluation of oxygen uptake rate and particulate components of waste sludge. Multi-component biomass approach was adopted based on death–regeneration mechanism. The results showed that sludge stabilization efficiency ranged between 25% and 30%, which was closely related to the fate of different particulate fractions of biomass, that is, viable biomass, hydrolysable particulates, and microbial metabolic products. Model calibration exercises yield in rate coefficient ranges of 0.18–0.32/day for biomass decay and 0.60–0.65/day for hydrolysis of non-biomass components. Degradation rates of particulate metabolic products were estimated as 0.035, 0.04, and 0.01/day for domestic, tannery, and pharmaceutical sludge, respectively. Relatively low degradation rates compared to conventional biological treatment processes confirmed reduced microbial activity in the course of aerobic stabilization.
A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 17 in the Cardiovascular and Central Nervous Systems

ADAM17 is a metalloprotease and disintegrin that lodges in the plasmatic membrane of several cell types and is able to cleave a wide variety of cell surface proteins. It is somatically expressed in mammalian organisms and its proteolytic action influences several physiological and pathological processes. This review focuses on the structure of ADAM17, its signaling in the cardiovascular system and its participation in certain disorders involving the heart, blood vessels, and neural regulation of autonomic and cardiovascular modulation.
Multiple shooting, CEGAR-based falsification for hybrid systems

In this paper, we present an approach for finding violations of safety properties of hybrid systems. Existing approaches search for complete system trajectories that begin from an initial state and reach some unsafe state. We present an approach that searches over segmented trajectories, consisting of a sequence of segments starting from any system state. Adjacent segments may have gaps, which our approach then seeks to narrow iteratively. We show that segmented trajectories are actually paths in the abstract state graph obtained by tiling the state space with cells. Instead of creating the prohibitively large abstract state graph explicitly, our approach implicitly performs a randomized search on it using a scatter-and-simulate technique. This involves repeated simulations, graph search to find likeliest abstract counterexamples, and iterative refinement of the abstract state graph. Finally, we demonstrate our technique on a number of case studies ranging from academic examples to models of industrial-scale control systems.
Autoencoder Feature Selector

High-dimensional data in many areas such as computer vision and machine learning brings in computational and analytical difficulty. Feature selection which select a subset of features from original ones has been proven to be effective and efficient to deal with high-dimensional data. In this paper, we propose a novel AutoEncoder Feature Selector (AEFS) for unsupervised feature selection. AEFS is based on the autoencoder and the group lasso regularization. Compared to traditional feature selection methods, AEFS can select the most important features in spite of nonlinear and complex correlation among features. It can be viewed as a nonlinear extension of the linear method regularized self-representation (RSR) for unsupervised feature selection. In order to deal with noise and corruption, we also propose robust AEFS. An efficient iterative algorithm is designed for model optimization and experimental results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.
Design and implementation of high resolution, high linearity temperature sensor in CMOS process

An high-resolution CMOS temperature sensor with high linearity in the range from 20°C to 90°C is presented. The circuit uses substrate bipolars as temperature transducers. The temperature sensor consists of two building blocks: a Proportional To Absolute Temperature (PTAT) voltage generator and a differential amplifier. The second block is necessary to obtain reasonable voltage level that can be either read with a simple setup using it as analog input for an ADC. The simulation predictions are confirmed with experimental data resulting from the IC fabricated in a standard 0. 35μm CMOS technology.
Meeting facilitation: process versus content interventions

The article examines the impact of two types of meeting facilitation across traditional and group support system (GSS) environments: process and content facilitation, on meeting processes and outcomes. Results indicate uniformly positive consequences of content facilitation. In the context of this study, process support was found to negatively affect meeting structures. To some extent, these negative impacts were moderated by GSS use. These results are explored from the perspective of structuration theories and research on transactional and transformational leadership. Implications for meeting facilitation are discussed and future research directions proposed.
Mid-wave and long-wave infrared metamaterials and nano-materials design with finite element and finite difference time domain models for target camouflage

The thermal analysis (TA) of the wave propagation in the mid-wave (MWIR) and long-wave (LWIR) infrared bands performed by the direct solutions of the Maxwell electromagnetic (EM) problem with numerical methods is used to propose the design of metamaterials suitable for a new type of thermal vision camouflage, that can be prepared using a nano particle lattice in the IR bands. This lattice, called photonics band gap devices (PBG) or more in general photonic crystal (PhC) works on IR photons providing absorbing, transmission and reflecting bands. All the optical properties are function of the specific nano design tuned in the IR wavelength.
Looking into video frames on small displays

With the growing popularity of personal digital assistants and smart phones, people have become enthusiastic to watch videos through these mobile devices. However, a crucial challenge is to provide a better user experience for browsing videos on the limited and heterogeneous screen sizes. In this paper, we present a novel approach which allows users to overcome the display constraints by zooming into video frames while browsing. An automatic approach for detecting the focus regions is introduced to minimize the amount of user interaction. In order to improve the quality of output stream, virtual camera control is employed in the system. Preliminary evaluation shows that this approach is an effective way for video browsing on small displays.