Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Wolbachia on Virus Infection in Mosquitoes

Mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, West Nile and chikungunya viruses cause significant morbidity and mortality in human populations. Since current methods are not sufficient to control disease occurrence, novel methods to control transmission of arboviruses would be beneficial. Recent studies have shown that virus infection and transmission in insects can be impeded by co-infection with the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis. Wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont that is commonly found in insects, including a number of mosquito vector species. In Drosophila, Wolbachia mediates antiviral protection against a broad range of RNA viruses. This discovery pointed to a potential strategy to interfere with mosquito transmission of arboviruses by artificially infecting mosquitoes with Wolbachia. This review outlines research on the prevalence of Wolbachia in mosquito vector species and the impact of antiviral effects in both naturally and artificially Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes.
A regular representation for mapping to fine-grain, locally-connected FPGAs

A new data structure Pseudo-Symmetric Binary Decision Diagrams (PSBDDs) for completely specified Boolean functions has been proposed. The new diagrams are based on Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams and contact symmetric networks. The main advantages of the PSBBDs are the regular structure and predictable delay of the interconnects. These structures are especially well suited for mapping to fine-grain, locally-connected FPGAs where a very restricted routing domain limits circuit performance, for and submicron technologies.
Working time, satisfaction and work life balance: A European perspective

This paper analyses gender-specific differences in working time mismatches by using three different measures for representing satisfaction and work life balance. Results show that, while male satisfaction with life or work is in general not affected by working for more or less hours, over-time is found to significantly lower male work life balance. Women are more sensitive to the amount of working hours as they prefer part-time employment and they are dissatisfied with changes towards working more or less hours than agreed.
Construction of Gene Correlation Networks and Text Classification via Biomedical Literature Mining

Automatic extraction of information from biomedical texts appears as a necessity considering the growing of the massive amounts of the relative scientific literature. A special feature that makes this task more challenging is the overabundance and heterogeneity of the relative genes/proteins terminology. In this paper we introduce a novel term-identification process and propose an effective data structure based on TRIE trees. It enables the storage of millions of biomedical terms and reflects their semantic relations in a compressed and memory efficient way. Gene-Gene and Gene-Disease correlations are induced based on the utilization of the entropic Mutual Information Measure. Moreover we introduce a novel texts classification process that utilizes the terms identification process and a novel similarity matching metric. The induced correlation networks reveal valuable biomedical information. Text classification results exhibit highly accuracy figures in the range of 90 to 97.5% indicating the reliability of the whole approach.
Evidence for uniparental, paternal expression of the human GABAA receptor subunit genes, using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer.

We have constructed mouse A9 hybrids containing a single normal human chromosome 15, via microcell-mediated chromosome transfer. Cytogenetic and DNA-polymorphic analyses identified mouse A9 hybrids that contained either a paternal or maternal human chromosome 15. Paternal specific expression of the known imprinted genes SNRPN (small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-associated polypeptide N gene) and IPW (imprinted gene in the Prader-Willi syndrome region) was maintained in the A9 hybrids. Using this system, we first demonstrated that human GABAAreceptor subunit genes, GABRB3 , GABRA5 and GABRG3 , were expressed exclusively from the paternal allele and that E6-AP (E6-associated protein or UBE3A ) was biallelically expressed. Moreover, the 5' portion of the GABRB3 gene was found to be hypermethylated on the paternal allele. Our data imply that GABAAreceptor subunit genes are imprinted and are possible candidates for Prader-Willi syndrome, and that this human monochromosomal hybrid system enables the efficient analysis of imprinted loci.
COMPASS: tool-supported adaptation of interactions

This paper presents an aspect-oriented approach and tool to consistently exchange and adapt interactions among software units. This is done by first identifying components, their interactions and interaction patterns. Second, the identified interaction points of components are represented as aspect-oriented ports encapsulating the source elements related to the interaction. The interactions themselves are represented as first-class entities in the form of aspect-oriented connectors connecting the ports of components. These component, port and connector entities constitute an architectural model. Third, the developer reconfigures and adapts interactions exchanging the port and connector entities. This triggers corresponding source code transformations realized as meta programs using the Recoder tool. This approach is implemented as the COMPASS (COM position with aspects) tool, that can currently analyze and transform Java source code based on the infrastructure provided by the Recoder framework. The approach and tool are successfully validated replacing a direct method call between a producer and a consumer component by communication via a buffer object
Systematic testing for control applications

Software controllers for physical processes are at the core of many safety-critical systems such as avionics, automotive engine control, and process control. Despite their importance, the design and implementation of software controllers remains an art form; dependability is generally poor, and the cost of verifying systems is prohibitive. We illustrate the potential of applying program analysis tools on problems in controller design and implementation by focusing on concolic execution, a technique for systematic testing for software. In particular, we demonstrate how a concolic execution tool can be modified to automatically analyze controller implementations and (a) produce test cases achieving a coverage goal, (b) synthesize ranges for controller variables that can be used to allocate bits in a fixed-point implementation, and (c) verify robustness of an implementation under input uncertainties. We have implemented these algorithms on top of the Splat test generation tool and have carried out preliminary experiments on control software that demonstrates feasibility of the techniques.
The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), 1879-1988: from Republican to Liberal Socialism

The debate on the Marxist nature of the PSOE has resulted in less attention being paid to the influence of Republican doctrine on the party. The leftist Spanish Republicans were not only the Socialist’s “travelling companions”, but provided much of the PSOE’s ideology. Federalism and the problem of nationalism, agrarian reform, the importance of education and the need to embrace the middle class and intellectuals, made the PSOE just another Republican party. Once Spanish Socialism abandoned the German orthodoxy of the theory of two worlds, and given their lack of true understanding regarding Marxist thought, Spanish Republicanism became the genuine reference point for the PSOE until Francisco Franco’s death. Key Word: socialism, republicanism, Spain.
A New Algorithm for Network Diameter

Network diameter is one of the important parameters of a network, until now, however, there has not been a perfect algorithm which has a lower time complexity than O(n2) to deal with this problem. As increasingly expanding of network scale and increasing number of nodes and edges, it would spend a lot of time that using Floyd algorithm whose time complexity is defined O(n3) or Breadth-first Search(BFS) algorithm whose time complexity is defined O(nm) to compute network diameter. Moreover, BFS is only effective in non-weighted graph. For decreasing the time complexity of computing network diameter, this paper proposes a novel algorithm, Compressing Graph(CG), which bases on the correlative knowledge of graph compression. Through the analysis of time complexity, it shows our algorithm is a feasible method applied for diverse topology graphs and its range of time complexity is O(n) to O(n3).
XTOLS: Cross-tier Oracle Label Security

SELINKS allows cross-tier security enforcement between the application tier and the database tier by compiling policy functions and database queries into user-defined functions (UDFs) and SQL queries. Unfortunately, this kind of enforcement is restricted to the policies written within SELINKS framework; and therefore, it does not take into account the existing policies in the database. Furthermore, the data in the database may be vulnerable to unauthorized access because the database does not necessarily enforce the security policies intended by the application. To support fine-grained access control over sensitive data, Oracle introduced Oracle Label Security (OLS) technology, starting from Oracle 8i. However, there has been no previous work to incorporate this technology into the application framework. In this paper, we discuss how OLS security policies can be encoded in SELINKS and enforced between the application and the database. We have implemented an extension of current SELINKS, called Cross-tier Oracle Label Security (XTOLS), that provides a secure and extensible programming environment to programmers.
Enhanced Reliability Scheduling Method for the Data in Register File

As technology scales, data reliability in register file has been a subject of extensive investigation, which is highly affected by soft errors caused by single event upset. Thus, the radiation-hardened full-custom and half-custom register file with the ability of detecting and correcting errors are widely used in high reliable processors to mitigate the decrease in reliability. The enhanced data reliability scheduling method for the access of register file is presented in this paper, which is based on the replica of existing data in half-custom register file. In the access of register file, if an uncorrectable error is detected in the data being accessed, the correctness of copy of the existing data being accessed is checked through the roll-back and restart of pipeline and scheduling the access address of source operands. Whether the copy data is free-error or has a correctable error, the right copy data would be used for subsequent operation of processor. Meanwhile if there is an uncorrectable error in copy data, the processor would enter into the exception mode. Finally, the proposed method is evaluated based on IWLS 2005 benchmark program and Poisson reliability model. The results show that the hardware overheads increase only 2%, whereas reliability of data in register file increases 2.5 times at least. This method can significantly improve the reliability of data in register file, which is applied for high reliable RISC processor.
NEUTRON TRANSPORT IN FINITE RANDOM MEDIA WITH PURE-TRIPLET SCATTERING

The solution of the one-speed neutron transport equation in a finite slab random medium with pure-triplet anisotropic scattering is studied. The stochastic medium is assumed to consist of two randomly mixed immiscible fluids. The cross section and the scattering kernel are treated as discrete random variables, which obey the same statistics as Markovian processes and exponential chord length statistics. The medium boundaries are considered to have specular reflectivities with angular-dependent externally incident flux. The deterministic solution is obtained by using Pomraning-Eddington approximation. Numerical results are calculated for the average reflectivity and average transmissivity for different values of the single scattering albedo and varying the parameters which characterize the random medium. Compared to the results obtained by Adams et al. in case of isotropic scattering that based on the Monte Carlo technique, it can be seen that we have good comparable data.
Sub-anesthesia Dose of Isoflurane in 60% Oxygen Reduces Inflammatory Responses in Experimental Sepsis Models

Background: Sepsis is a major cause of mortality in Intensive Care Units. Anesthetic dose isoflurane and 100% oxygen were proved to be beneficial in sepsis; however, their application in septic patients is limited because long-term hyperoxia may induce oxygen toxicity and anesthetic dose isoflurane has potential adverse consequences. This study was scheduled to find the optimal combination of isoflurane and oxygen in protecting experimental sepsis and its mechanisms. Methods: The effects of combined therapy with isoflurane and oxygen on lung injury and sepsis were determined in animal models of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or zymosan. Mouse RAW264.7 cells or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were treated by LPS to probe mechanisms. The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-&kgr;B) signaling molecules were examined by Western blot and cellular immunohistochemistry. Results: The 0.5 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) isoflurane in 60% oxygen was the best combination of oxygen and isoflurane for reducing mortality in experimental sepsis induced by CLP, intraperitoneal injection of LPS, or zymosan. The 0.5 MAC isoflurane in 60% oxygen inhibited proinflammatory cytokines in peritoneal lavage fluids (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-&agr;]: 149.3 vs. 229.7 pg/ml, interleukin [IL]-1&bgr;: 12.5 vs. 20.6 pg/ml, IL-6: 86.1 vs. 116.1 pg/ml, and high-mobility group protein 1 [HMGB1]: 323.7 vs. 449.3 ng/ml; all P < 0.05) and serum (TNF-&agr;: 302.7 vs. 450.7 pg/ml, IL-1&bgr;: 51.7 vs. 96.7 pg/ml, IL-6: 390.4 vs. 722.5 pg/ml, and HMGB1: 592.2 vs. 985.4 ng/ml; all P < 0.05) in septic animals. In vitro experiments showed that the 0.5 MAC isoflurane in 60% oxygen reduced inflammatory responses in mouse RAW264.7 cells, after LPS stimulation (all P < 0.05). Suppressed activation of NF-&kgr;B pathway was also observed in mouse RAW264.7 macrophages and human PBMCs after LPS stimulation or plasma from septic patients. The 0.5 MAC isoflurane in 60% oxygen also prevented the increases of phospho-IKK&bgr;/&bgr;, phospho-I&kgr;B&bgr;, and phospho-p65 expressions in RAW264.7 macrophages after LPS stimulation (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Combined administration of a sedative dose of isoflurane with 60% oxygen improves survival of septic animals through reducing inflammatory responses.
Optimization technique for configuring IEEE 802.11b access point parameters to improve VoIP performance

The performance of wireless LANs is greatly affected by path loss, RF interference and other sources of signal attenuation in addition to network congestion. The primary factors involved in effective real-time communication, namely delay and loss, must be within certain controlled limits in such a scenario. In this paper, we analyze the various factors driving IEEE 802.11b access points through extensive simulations and thereafter develop an optimization technique to configure the parameters of the Access Point. We simulate our test bed scenario and apply the developed algorithm. Finally, we implement the configured parameters in our testbed to provide optimum Voice over IP (VoIP) performance. Simulation and measured results have been included.
A French Corpus Annotated for Multiword Expressions with Adverbial Function

This paper presents a French corpus annotated for multiword expressions (MWEs) with adverbial function. This corpus is designed for investigation on information retrieval and extraction, as well as on deep and shallow syntactic parsing. We delimit which kind of MWEs we annotated, we describe the resources and methods we used for the annotation, and we briefly comment the results. The annotated corpus is available at http://infolingu.univ-mlv.fr/ under the LGPLLR license.
Activation of peripheral KCNQ channels relieves gout pain

Abstract Intense inflammatory pain caused by urate crystals in joints and other tissues is a major symptom of gout. Among therapy drugs that lower urate, benzbromarone (BBR), an inhibitor of urate transporters, is widely used because it is well tolerated and highly effective. We demonstrate that BBR is also an activator of voltage-gated KCNQ potassium channels. In cultured recombinant cells, BBR exhibited significant potentiation effects on KCNQ channels comparable to previously reported classical activators. In native dorsal root ganglion neurons, BBR effectively overcame the suppression of KCNQ currents, and the resultant neuronal hyperexcitability caused by inflammatory mediators, such as bradykinin (BK). Benzbromarone consistently attenuates BK-, formalin-, or monosodium urate–induced inflammatory pain in rat and mouse models. Notably, the analgesic effects of BBR are largely mediated through peripheral and not through central KCNQ channels, an observation supported both by pharmacokinetic studies and in vivo experiments. Moreover, multiple residues in the superficial part of the voltage sensing domain of KCNQ channels were identified critical for the potentiation activity of BBR by a molecular determinant investigation. Our data indicate that activation of peripheral KCNQ channels mediates the pain relief effects of BBR, potentially providing a new strategy for the development of more effective therapies for gout.
On the Rate Adaptation Techniques of IEEE 802.11 Networks for Industrial Applications

The performance of the IEEE 802.11 WLAN are influenced by the wireless channel characteristics that reflect on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), particularly in industrial communication systems, that often operate in harsh environments. In order to cope with SNR reductions, the IEEE 802.11 WLAN specification suggests to adapt (reduce) the transmission rate, since the modulation techniques employed at the lower rates are more robust. However, the standard does not define any rate adaptation (RA) technique, leaving the actual implementation to the device manufacturers choice. In this paper we focus on RA techniques for industrial communication systems that are typically subjected to tight reliability and timing requirements. In detail, we compare the performance figures of a general purpose widespread technique, namely the automatic rate fallback (ARF), with those of the RA techniques actually implemented on two commercially available IEEE 802.11 devices via a set of practical experiments. The obtained results show that these techniques are characterized by a relevant number of packet retransmissions that may introduce a considerable randomness on the service time, possibly leading to performance degradation. Consequently, we propose two new techniques and evaluate their behavior by means of numerical simulations carried out for typical industrial traffic profiles. The outcomes are encouraging since the proposed RA techniques show in most cases better performance than ARF.
Author ' s personal copy Augmented Reality Visual manipulations for motor rehabilitation

Mixed reality rehabilitation systems and games are demonstrating potential as innovative adjunctive therapies for health professionals in their treatment of various hand and upper limb motor impairments. Unilateral motor deficits of the arm, for example, are commonly experienced poststroke. Our Augmented Reflection Technology (ART) system provides an augmented reality environment that contributes to this increasingly rich area of research. We present the current set of technological capabilities of the ART system exemplified in two experimental laboratory studies as well as a prototype system built on top of ART which ‘‘fools the brain’’ by visually amplifying user’s hand movements—small actual hand movements lead to perceived larger movements. We validate the usability of our system in an empirical study with forty-five non-clinical participants. In addition, we present the first qualitative evidence for the utility of our approach and system for stroke recovery and motor rehabilitation. Future uses of the system are considered by way of conclusion. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Statistical Analysis of Terminal Extensions of Protein β-Strand Pairs

The long-range interactions, required to the accurate predictions of tertiary structures of β-sheet-containing proteins, are still difficult to simulate. To remedy this problem and to facilitate β-sheet structure predictions, many efforts have been made by computational methods. However, known efforts on β-sheets mainly focus on interresidue contacts or amino acid partners. In this study, to go one step further, we studied β-sheets on the strand level, in which a statistical analysis was made on the terminal extensions of paired β-strands. In most cases, the two paired β-strands have different lengths, and terminal extensions exist. The terminal extensions are the extended part of the paired strands besides the common paired part. However, we found that the best pairing required a terminal alignment, and β-strands tend to pair to make bigger common parts. As a result, 96.97% of β-strand pairs have a ratio of 25% of the paired common part to the whole length. Also 94.26% and 95.98% of β-strand pairs have a ratio of 40% of the paired common part to the length of the two β-strands, respectively. Interstrand register predictions by searching interacting β-strands from several alternative offsets should comply with this rule to reduce the computational searching space to improve the performances of algorithms.
Non‐governmental organisations and financial sustainability

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have an important role to play in addressing the serious developmental challenges South Africa is facing today. Financial sustainability is critical for NGOs to be able to sustain their organisations and programmes. In this article key concepts and definitions related to the theme are referred to first. The second part emphasises the importance and role of sound management in building and operating financially- sustainable organisations (and programmes). The article also focuses on funding: minimum requirements and criteria for funding; sources of funding/income for NGOs; and funding proposals and obtaining funds. Reference is made to the importance of organisations' long-term sustainability plans, which should not only include relations with funders but also comprehensive strategies for earning ongoing income. In conclusion, the article calls for the establishment of a common understanding of 'financial sustainability of NGOs' by all concerned parties in order to maximise the impact of development on communities.