Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimenting a Requirements Engineering Process Based on Rational Unified Process (RUP) Reaching Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level 3 and Considering the Use of Agile Methods Practices

This work has the purpose of describing a software development process with the following characteristics: its scope lies within the requirements engineering activities; it fulfills CMMI requisites for Requirements Management and Requirements Development process areas (maturity level 2 and 3, respectively); it is based on RUP practices and activities where possible practices of agile methods are employed. Related work is considered and similarities as well as differences to the process proposed here are pointed out. Such process is presented in terms of each of its activity flows, including mention to the artifacts and roles involved on the activities. CMMI fulfillment is also described, followed by the description of the main contributions achieved by this work and comments on future development.
Decision table based approach for business rules modelling in UML/OCL

The Unified Modelling Language (UML) is widely used language for the specification of object-oriented designs. The Object Constraint Language (OCL) supplements this language by providing possibility to specify models in precise and unambiguous manner. However, the OCL is less suited for business rules (BR) modelling and validating with business people because it requires appropriate technical knowledge. This paper presents a decision table (DT) based approach for definition of business rules within UML/OCL models. The relevance between DT and different kinds of OCL expressions has been determined and approach to construct OCL expressions with DT has been considered.
Comparisons of the Turkish, English, German, French, Russian and Spanish languages for communication of same semantic

The language itself may be regarded as a code for certain conceptual entities. From this point of view, in this study comparisons of the Turkish, English, German, French, Russian and Spanish languages considered as alternate codes which carry the same semantic content are made based on the probability distribution of letters. Consequently, the optimal language in the sense of coding theory is determined by using Shannon's measure for entropy and related interpretations are given.
Predicting the Mental State of the Users in Spoken Dialogue Systems

In this paper we propose a method for predicting the user mental state for the development of more efficient and usable spoken dialogue systems. This prediction, carried out for each user turn in the dialogue, makes it possible to adapt the system dynamically to the user needs. The mental state is built on the basis of the emotional state of the user and their intention, and is recognized by means of a module conceived as an intermediate phase between natural language understanding and the dialogue management in the architecture of the systems. We have implemented the method in the UAH system, for which the evaluation results with both simulated and real users show that taking into account the user‘s mental state improves system performance as well as its perceived quality.
Tissue-specific Expression of Distinct Spectrin and Transcripts in Erythroid and Nonerythroid Cells Ankyrin

cDNA probes for three components of the erythroid membrane skeleton, a spectrin,/3 spectrin, and ankyrin, were obtained by using monospecific antibodies to screen a Agtl 1 expression vector library containing cDNA prepared from chicken erythroid poly(A) + RNA. Each cDNA appears to hybridize to one gene type in the chicken genome. Qualitatively distinct RNA species in myogenic and erythroid cells are detected for/3 spectrin and ankyrin, while a spectrin exists as a single species of transcript in all tissues examined. This tissue- specific expression of RNAs is regulated quantitatively during myogenesis in vitro, since all three accumulate only upon myoblast fusion. Furthermore, RNAs for two of the three genes do not accumulate to detectable levels in chicken embryo fibroblasts, demonstrating that their accumulation can be noncoordinate. These observations suggest that independent gene regulation and tissue-specific production of heterogeneous transcripts from the/3 spectrin and ankyrin genes underlie the formation of distinct membrane skeletons in erythroid and muscle cells.
Real-time 3D pose and correspondence from stereo image sequences by combinatorial optimization

In this paper we propose a new solution to the problem of model-based pose estimation and pose tracking, using a sequence of stereo images in which a small number of landmarks are detected on the object of interest. The landmarks are reconstructed in 3D and then the simultaneous pose and correspondence problem is solved with a novel algorithm, PC-SCO, based on stochastic combinatorial optimization. We also use a new algorithm, quaternion-based characteristic polynomial (QCP), which significantly speeds up the quaternion method used in pose alignment, making possible the tracking to be done in real-time.
Alpine Treeline of Western North America: Linking Organism-To-Landscape Dynamics

Although the ecological dynamics of the alpine treeline ecotone are influenced by climate, it is an imperfect indicator of climate change. Mechanistic processes that shape the ecotone—seed rain, seed germination, seedling establishment and subsequent tree growth form, or, conversely tree dieback—depend on microsite patterns. Growth forms affect wind and snow, and so develop positive and negative feedback loops that create these microsites. As a result, complex landscape patterns are generated at multiple spatial scales. Although these mechanistic processes are fundamentally the same for all forest-tundra ecotones across western North America, factors such as prior climate, underlying geology and geomorphology, and genetic constraints of dominant tree species lead to geographic differences in the responses of particular ecotones to climate change.
Recommender System For E-Shopping Using Users ’ Tipping Point

E-commerce is one of the rapidly growing fields now-a-days. With today’s trend, attraction of users towards online shopping is increased. In the field of online shopping, previously it was considered that users make the purchase decisions depending on their own choice. But the extensive studies have proved that the decision of user is affected by various parameters like products rating, its price and users’ own priority. The recommender system works on these parameters and suggests relevant products to the user. This powerful technique is used for filtering the large amount of products according to users’ choice. In this paper we identify the use of recommender system for online shopping of electronic product. A significant motivation behind this work is to help user to make their purchase decision easy as well as to increase sales volume of online mobile shopping. In this work we are using two effective recommendation algorithms to check the effect of products rating and to find users type. Proposed technique will give more effective results than existing technique. Keywords—Bass Model, Recommender System, Tipping Points
Social, economic, political and health system and program determinants of child mortality reduction in China between 1990 and 2006: A systematic analysis

Background Between 1990 and 2006, China reduced its under-five mortality rate (U5MR) from 64.6 to 20.6 per 1000 live births and achieved the fourth United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal nine years ahead of target. This study explores the contribution of social, economic and political determinants, health system and policy determinants, and health programmes and interventions to this success. Methods For each of the years between 1990 and 2006, we obtained an estimate of U5MR for 30 Chinese provinces from the annual China Health Statistics Yearbook. For each year, we also obtained data describing the status of 8 social, 10 economic, 2 political, 9 health system and policy, and six health programmes and intervention indicators for each province. These government data are not of the same quality as some other health information sources in modern China, such as articles with primary research data available in Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wan Fang databases, or Chinese Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance system. Still, the comparison of relative changes in underlying indicators with the undisputed strong general trend of childhood mortality reduction over 17 years should still capture the main effects at the macro-level. We used multivariate random effect regression models to determine the effect of 35 indicators individually and 5 constructs defined by factor analysis (reflecting effects of social, economic, political, health systems and policy, and health programmes) on the reduction of U5MR in China. Results In the univariate regression applied with a one-year time lag, social determinants of health construct showed the strongest crude association with U5MR reduction (R2 = 0.74), followed by the constructs for health programmes and interventions (R2 = 0.65), economic (R2 = 0.47), political (R2 = 0.28) and health system and policy determinants (R2 = 0.26), respectively. Similarly, when multivariate regression was applied with a one-year time lag, the social determinants construct showed the strongest effect (beta = 11.79, P < 0.0001), followed by the construct for political factors (beta = 4.24, P < 0.0001) and health programmes and interventions (beta = −3.45, P < 0.0001). The 5 studied constructs accounted for about 80% of variability in U5MR reduction across provinces over the 17-year period. Conclusion Vertical intervention programs, health systems strengthening or economic growth alone may all fail to achieve the desired reduction in child mortality when improvement of the key social determinants of health is lagging behind. To accelerate progress toward MDG4, low- and middle-income countries should undertake appropriate efforts to promote maternal education, reduce fertility rates, integrate minority populations and improve access to clean water and safe sanitation. A cross-sectoral approach seems most likely to have the greatest impact on U5MR.
Economic Grid Resource Management for CPU Bound Applications with Hard Deadlines

The introduction of economic principles in grid resource management provides an interesting avenue for efficiently addressing the problem of conflicting user requirements. In shared computing infrastructures such as grids, such conflicting requirements are prevalent and stem from the selfish actions users follow when formulating their service requests. We develop and analyze both a centralized and a decentralized algorithm for economic resource management in the context of consumer requests for CPU bound applications with deadline-based QoS requirements and non- migratable workloads. A comparison with an algorithm recently proposed in the literature is presented with a focus on performance in terms of realized consumer value. We establish that our algorithms perform well and that they compare favorably to existing approaches.
Molecular Recognition of Human Liver Cancer Cells Using DNA Aptamers Generated via Cell-SELEX

Most clinical cases of liver cancer cannot be diagnosed until they have evolved to an advanced stage, thus resulting in high mortality. It is well recognized that the implementation of early detection methods and the development of targeted therapies for liver cancer are essential to reducing the high mortality rates associated with this disease. To achieve these goals, molecular probes capable of recognizing liver cancer cell-specific targets are needed. Here we describe a panel of aptamers able to distinguish hepatocarcinoma from normal liver cells. The aptamers, which were selected by cell-based SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment), have Kd values in the range of 64-349 nM toward the target human hepatoma cell HepG2, and also recognize ovarian cancer cells and lung adenocarcinoma. The proteinase treatment experiment indicated that all aptamers could recognize target HepG2 cells through surface proteins. This outcome suggested that these aptamers could be used as potential probes for further research in cancer studies, such as developing early detection assays, targeted therapies, and imaging agents, as well as for the investigation of common membrane proteins in these distinguishable cancers.
Plasma apolipoprotein C-III transport in centrally obese men: associations with very low-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein B and high-density lipoprotein apolipoprotein A-I metabolism.

CONTEXT Apolipoprotein (apo) C-III is associated with hypertriglyceridemia and progression of cardiovascular disease. Plasma apoC-III is elevated in centrally obese men, and we hypothesized that the kinetics of apoC-III are disturbed in these subjects. OBJECTIVE We developed a compartmental model to determine very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) apoC-III metabolic parameters in centrally obese men and investigated the associations with VLDL-apoB and HDL-apoA-I kinetics. STUDY DESIGN Apolipoprotein kinetics was determined using stable isotope techniques and compartmental modelling in 39 centrally obese and 12 nonobese men. RESULTS Compared with nonobese subjects, centrally obese subjects had increased plasma apoC-III concentration (160 +/- 5 mg/liter vs. 103 +/- 9 mg/liter, P < 0.001), reflecting increased concentrations of both VLDL-apoC-III and HDL-apoC-III. These related to increased production rate (PR) of VLDL-apoC-III (2.12 +/- 0.14 vs. 1.56 +/- 0.29 mg/kg x d, P < 0.05) and reduced fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of both VLDL- and HDL-apoC-III (0.70 +/- 0.02 pools/d vs. 0.82 +/- 0.05 pools/d, P < 0.05). In centrally obese men, VLDL-apoC-III concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with VLDL-apoB concentration and PR as well as HDL-apoA-I FCR and PR and inversely with VLDL-apoB FCR. HDL-apoC-III concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with the concentrations of both VLDL-apoB and HDL-apoA-I, the FCR, and the PR of HDL-apoA-I and inversely with the VLDL-apoB FCR. In multiple regression analysis, both VLDL-apoC-III and HDL-apoC-III concentrations were significantly associated with HDL-apoA-I FCR. CONCLUSIONS In centrally obese men, elevated VLDL-apoC-III and HDL-apoC-III concentrations are a consequence of elevated production and decreased catabolism of VLDL-apoC-III and reduced catabolism of HDL-apoC-III, respectively. These defects are associated with disturbances in VLDL-apoB and HDL-apoA-I metabolism.
Atmospheric CO2 concentration from 60 to 20 kyr BP from the Taylor Dome Ice Core, Antarctica

A high‐resolution record of the atmospheric CO2 concentration from 60 to 20 thousand years before present (kyr BP) based on measurements on the ice core of Taylor Dome, Antarctica is presented. This record shows four distinct peaks of 20 parts per million by volume (ppmv) on a millennial time scale. Good correlation of the CO2 record with temperature reconstructions based on stable isotope measurements on the Vostok ice core (Antarctica) is found.
Research on Quality

Our members are leaders in vascular research. We encourage the interest and development of investigators by providing a forum for collaboration and dissemination of advancements in clinical, outcomes, comparative effectiveness, translational, and basic science research. The Society offers several different types of clinical practice documents, such as guidelines, reporting standards, and mutli-specialty consensus documents to assist our members in providing the best care for patients. SVS is dedicated to helping members provide the highest quality of care possible to their patients. The Vascular Quality Initiative® improves the quality, safety, effectiveness and cost of vascular health care by collecting, analyzing and sharing clinical data. SVS research activities, resources and educational programs include awards and scholarship opportunities offered by SVS and SVS Foundation and the annual Vascular Research Initiatives Conference where vascular surgeon investigators and scientists vascular biology-related disciplines present their leading-edge work in basic science and translational research. Read the 2018 SVS Foundation Annual Report Site Section: Research & Quality Rows:
Determinants of Advance Planning and Scheduling Systems Adoption

This paper measures the relative influence of a set of determinants on firms' adoption of advanced planning and scheduling systems (APS). Our theoretical model was tested on data collected from 61 senior managers in the wireless communication sector. Our findings confirm the importance to consider the characteristics of business relationships when deciding to adopt an APS system and demonstrate that adaptive planning and optimization systems are generally implemented in tightly coupled supply networks. Findings also confirm that manufacturing firms and retailers generally implement an ERP system before deciding to exploit the unique capabilities of an APS to optimize their activities with their upstream supply chain partners.
Technologies for Clinical Diagnosis Using Expired Human Breath Analysis

This review elucidates the technologies in the field of exhaled breath analysis. Exhaled breath gas analysis offers an inexpensive, noninvasive and rapid method for detecting a large number of compounds under various conditions for health and disease states. There are various techniques to analyze some exhaled breath gases, including spectrometry, gas chromatography and spectroscopy. This review places emphasis on some of the critical biomarkers present in exhaled human breath, and its related effects. Additionally, various medical monitoring techniques used for breath analysis have been discussed. It also includes the current scenario of breath analysis with nanotechnology-oriented techniques.
Summarization of Changes in Dynamic Text Collections

Information Retrieval is the Informatics ﬁeld primarily focused on all problems and challenges related to information storage and access. The large majority of works in this area are based on static collections of documents. However, many of these collections are dynamic, and have evolved over time with documents being added, edited or simply removed at different times. Even in highly dynamic environments such as the World Wide Web, research tends to be centered on the most recent version of the documents and all the past information is normally discarded. Recognizing these changes over dynamic text collections and exploiting them for document retrieval and presentation purposes introduce new and relevant research challenges. This paper addresses the opportunity that gains relevance in this context - summarization of changes in dynamic text collections. We ﬁrst deﬁne the problem in order to produce a summary that describes textual changes to an entire document or a set of related documents over an user deﬁned time period. Then, from literature we present an extensive overview of the relevant approaches depicting similar problems and at last some discussions including future aspects.
Stack protection unit as a step towards securing MPSoCs

Reconfigurable technologies are getting popular as an instrument not only for verification and prototyping but also for commercial implementation of Multi-Processor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) architectures. These systems, in particular Network-on-Chip (NoC) based ones, have emerged as a design strategy to cope with increased requirements and complexity of modern applications. However, the increasing heterogeneity, coupled with possibility of reconfiguration, makes security become one of major concerns in MPSoC design. In this work, we show a solution for FPGA based designs against one of the most widespread types of attacks - code injection. Our response to tackle this challenge is given in form of Stack Protection Unit (SPU) embedded into processing cores. MicroBlaze soft-core processor serves as a case study for verification of the proposed solution in FPGA technology.
Carotenoid Cation Formation and the Regulation of Photosynthetic Light Harvesting

Photosynthetic light harvesting in excess light is regulated by a process known as feedback deexcitation. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements on thylakoid membranes show selective formation of a carotenoid radical cation upon excitation of chlorophyll under conditions of maximum, steady-state feedback deexcitation. Studies on transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants confirmed that this carotenoid radical cation formation is correlated with feedback deexcitation and requires the presence of zeaxanthin, the specific carotenoid synthesized during high light exposure. These results indicate that energy transfer from chlorophyll molecules to a chlorophyllzeaxanthin heterodimer, which then undergoes charge separation, is the mechanism for excess energy dissipation during feedback deexcitation.
How Scotland Voted : Economic Perceptions in the Scottish Independence Referendum

A lot closer than had seemed likely a few months previously; not as close in the end as the final polls had suggested. That probably summarises many people’s reaction when they learnt that 45% had voted Yes, and 55% No in Scotland’s independence referendum. But Scotland did not vote as one. Voters’ propensities to vote Yes or No varied according to their social and economic circumstances. Not least of the reasons is that those circumstances affected their perceptions of the economic consequences of independence.
Economic Model-Driven Cloud Service Composition

This article considers cloud service composition from a decision analysis perspective. Traditional QoS-aware composition techniques usually consider the qualities available at the time of the composition because compositions are usually immediately consumed. This is fundamentally different in the cloud environment where the cloud service composition typically lasts for a relatively long period of time. The two most important drivers when composing cloud service are the long-term nature of the composition and the economic motivation for outsourcing tasks to the cloud. We propose an economic model, which we represent as a Bayesian network, to select and compose cloud services. We then leverage influence diagrams to model the cloud service composition. We further extend the traditional influence diagram problem to a hybrid one and adopt an extended Shenoy-Shafer architecture to solve such hybrid influence diagrams that include deterministic chance nodes. In addition, analytical and simulation results are presented to show the performance of the proposed composition approach.
On predicting large scale fading characteristics with the MR-FDPF method

The MR-FDPF (Multi-Resolution Frequency Domain Partial Flow) method is proven to be a fast and efficient method to simulate radio wave propagation. It is a deterministic model which can provide an accurate radio coverage prediction. In reality, radio channels have the nature of randomness due to e.g. moving people or air flow. Thus they can not be rigorously simulated by a pure deterministic model. However, it is believed that some statistics can be extracted from deterministic models and these statistics can be very useful to describe radio channels in reality. In this paper, large scale fading statistical characteristics are extracted based on the MR-FDPF method. They are validated by comparison to both the theoretical result and measurement. The match also demonstrates that MR-FDPF is capable of simulating large scale fading.