Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Modelling Approach to Enhance Reliability of Transactional Oriented Web-Services

and uptime are the key indicators of business systems supported by web services today. Business processes are linked together in web services by chain of components. Success or failure of business is determined by the reliability of this chain. In this paper, we proposed an enhanced reliability model for web services computing focusing on transactional-oriented web services applications. We presented an online reservation system case study to explain our model. We also conduct an evaluation to check the reability of the proposed system.
A TIA-based readout circuit with temperature compensation for MEMS capacitive gyroscope

This paper presents an integrated readout circuit based on trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for MEMS capacitive gyroscope. The feedback resistors in TIA are realized in T-network pattern, which provides on-chip trans-impedance gains up to 22MΩ. A CMOS temperature-variable gain circuit is proposed to compensate the temperature induced sensitivity variance in MEMS and TIA. The demodulator, instrumental amplifier and low-pass filter for signal processing are also integrated on chip. In order to simulate the response of the circuit to the vibrating gyroscope, a gyroscope simulation model implemented in Verilog-A HDL is established, which can take the MEMS parameters influence into account. The circuits measure 0.8×1.7mm2 in a standard 0. 35µm CMOS process. The simulation results show that the TIA achieves a capacitive resolution of 0.42aF/−Hz at 2.5kHz with 75ppm/°C temperature coefficient from a single 5V supply.
Multicenter Study on Spreading of the tet(M) Gene in Tetracycline-Resistant Streptococcus Group G and C Isolates in Argentina

ABSTRACT A prospective multicenter study on invasive infections caused by beta-hemolytic streptococci was performed over 6 months and involved 42 centers from 16 cities in Argentina. Among 33 isolates recovered, 9 group G Streptococcus isolates (39.1%) and 2 group C Streptococcus isolates (20%) exhibited resistance to tetracycline and harbored the tet(M) gene. Genealogical analysis revealed that tetracycline resistance has a polyclonal origin in Argentina.
Experimental studies on dengue. I. Isolation, identification and modification of the virus.

infections originated from seamen of the Southern Line who fell ill on the homeward voyage and brought the disease into Japan proper. The epidemic ceased in November, but the next summer it started up again and recurred every summer until 1945. Meanwhile, other cities (Hiroshima, Kure and Fukuoka) were also infected. These cities are all situated on the seacoast between 33 and 35 degree north latitudes. The number of typical cases was estimated at 200,000, but the total number including abortive or suspected cases is considered to be much greater. The author has conducted observations and experiments on the disease since the first outbreak in Nagasaki.
Development of an accreditation program for Point of Care Testing (PoCT) in general practice.

OBJECTIVES To describe the development and evaluation of an accreditation program for Point of Care Testing (PoCT) in general practice, which was part of the PoCT in general practice (GP) Trial conducted in 2005-07 and funded by the Australian Government. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Thirty general practices based in urban, rural and remote locations across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, which were in the intervention arm of the PoCT Trial were part of the accreditation program. A PoCT accreditation working party was established to develop an appropriate accreditation program for PoCT in GP. A multidisciplinary accreditation team was formed consisting of a medical scientist, a general practitioner or practice manager, and a trial team representative. METHODOLOGY AND SEQUENCE OF EVENTS: To enable practices to prepare for accreditation a checklist was developed describing details of the accreditation visit. A guide for surveyors was also developed to assist with accreditation visits. Descriptive analysis of the results of the accreditation process was undertaken. OUTCOMES Evaluation of the accreditation model found that both the surveyors and practice staff found the process straightforward and clear. All practices (i.e. 100%) achieved second-round accreditation. DISCUSSION AND LESSONS LEARNED The accreditation process highlighted the importance of ongoing education and support for practices performing PoCT.
Perspectives on the care and management of infants with trisomy 18 and trisomy 13: striving for balance

Purpose of review At the time of diagnosis of the trisomy 18 and trisomy 13, parents and care providers face difficult and challenging decisions regarding management. Because of the increased infant mortality and developmental outcome associated with both conditions, the conventional approach to management has been to withhold technological support. In recent years, an active dialogue on this topic has emerged. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on the outcome of infants with trisomy 18 and 13 and to discuss the key themes in this emerging dialogue. Recent findings In recent years, several important studies have appeared that have analyzed the issues relevant to this topic, including parental autonomy, best interest of the child standard, and quality of life. Some authorities state that in areas of ambiguity it is best to defer to parents’ views, whereas others indicate concern that the best interest standard has given way to parental autonomy. Information on the actual experience of parents of children with trisomy 18 and 13 has been limited until recently. Summary The author recommends a balanced approach to counseling families of the newborn with trisomy 18 and 13 at the time of diagnosis. The counseling process should include presentation of accurate survival figures, avoidance of language that assumes outcome, communication of developmental outcome that does not presuppose perception of quality of life, and respect for the family's choice, whether it be comfort care or intervention.
Evidence and role of phlebitis and lipid infiltration in the onset and pathogenesis of Wooden Breast Disease in modern broiler chickens

ABSTRACT Wooden Breast Disease (WBD), a myopathy that frequently affects modern broiler chickens, is a disorder that has been associated with significant economic losses in the poultry industry. To examine tissue changes associated with the onset and early pathogenesis of this disorder, a time-series experiment was conducted using chickens from a high-breast-muscle-yield, purebred commercial broiler line. Birds were raised for up to seven weeks, with a subset of birds sampled weekly. Breast muscle tissues were extracted at necropsy and processed for analysis by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Histologic presentation indicated localized phlebitis with lipogranulomas in Week 1, focal single-myofibril degeneration in Week 2 preceding an inflammatory response that started in Week 3. Lesions in Week 4 were characterized by multifocal to diffuse muscle fibre degeneration, necrosis, interstitial oedema accompanied by increased lipid and inflammatory cell infiltration. Lesions in Weeks 5–7 revealed diffuse muscle degeneration, necrosis, fibrosis and fatty infiltration with lipogranulomas. Ultrastructural examination showed myofibrillar splitting and degeneration, irregular, displaced and degenerated Z-lines, mitochondrial degeneration and interstitial fibrosis with dense regular collagen fibres. This study, therefore, demonstrates that WBD exhibits an earlier onset in modern broilers than when detectable by clinical examination. Further, this study shows that the disease assumes a progressive course with acute vasculitis, lipid deposition and myodegeneration occurring in the earlier stages, followed by a chronic fibrotic phase.
Low level of Hox1.3 gene expression does not preclude the use of promoterless vectors to generate a targeted gene disruption. off

A variety of experimental approaches have been devised recently to mutate mammalian genes by homologous recombination. In this report, we describe the disruption of the Hox1.3 locus by using two of these approaches, namely, positive-negative selection and activation of a promoterless gene. Interestingly, we observe similarly high frequencies of targeted disruption with both procedures. The high frequency of targeted disruption with a promoterless vector was unexpected given the extremely low level of Hox1.3 expression in the embryonic stem cell line used for these studies. These data indicate that minimal expression of the target gene is required to enrich for homologous recombination events with promoterless vectors and thus enhance the promoterless gene approach as a general strategy to mutate mammalian genes by homologous recombination.
Fast timing-model independent buffered clock-tree synthesis

In high-performance synchronous chip design, a buffered clock tree with small clock skew is essential for improving clocking speed. Due to the insufficient accuracy of timing models for modern chip design, embedding simulation into a clock-tree synthesis flow becomes inevitable. Consequently, the runtime for clock-tree synthesis becomes prohibitively huge as the complexity of chip designs grows rapidly. To construct a buffered clock tree efficiently, we propose an ultra fast timing-model independent approach to perform skew minimization by structure optimization. To achieve the goal, a novel clock-tree structure, called symmetrical structure, is presented. At each level of a symmetrical clock tree, the number of branches, the wire-length, and the inserted buffers are almost the same. It is natural that the clock skew could be minimized if the configurations of all paths from the clock source to sinks are similar. By symmetrically constructing a clock tree, the clock skew can be minimized without referring to simulation information. Experimental results show that our approach can not only efficiently construct a buffered clock tree, but also effectively minimize clock skew with marginal wiring overheads. Based on a set of commonly used IBM benchmarks, for example, a state-of-the-art work without (with) ngspice simulation results in averagely 7.93X (2.77X) clock skew and requires 46X (24343X) runtime over our approach.
Building configurable distributed systems using the Kitara object-oriented language

The features of object-oriented computing are highly appropriate for developing complex distributed applications. Distribution introduces a number of additional requirements for object-oriented languages; two of the most important requirements are: the ability to configure objects to make optimum use of the underlying distributed architecture, and the ability to re-configure objects to improve performance, to recover from failure or to initiate new versions of objects. The authors discuss the design of a distributed object-oriented language called Kitara. In particular, they focus on the approach to inter-object communication in Kitara and discuss the properties of this approach in supporting configurable and reconfigurable distributed applications.
Exploring the Potential of Clouds to Facilitate the Adoption of Blended Learning in Tanzania

The past few years has witnessed the rapid development and adoption of various forms of Blended Learning (BL) in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania. Many institutions have procured various ICT technologies such Learning Management Systems, video conferencing, and multimedia facilities to complement face-to-face, and distance learning. However, BL delivery still faces several challenges such as cost of acquiring and managing ICT infrastructures, slow internet speeds, and inadequate competent technical staff. The recent emergence of cloud computing have a potential to alleviate these challenges as well as making teaching and learning more efficiently. Nonetheless, the adoption of cloud services to embrace BL in HLIs in Tanzania is still very low. This paper explores how HLIs in Tanzania can make use of cloud services to facilitate adoption of BL and alleviate existing challenges. The paper also proposes strategies on how to migrate BL services into the cloud as well as deployment options for small or new institution, and established institutions. This work contributes towards helping higher education in Tanzania to understand cloud services and to make plans for successful migration of computing services into clouds.
Immunogenicity and tolerability of yellow fever vaccination in 23 French HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND Vaccination of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with a CD4 cell count ≥ 200/mm³ is strongly suggested prior to travel to a region where yellow fever (YF) is endemic. However, few data describing YF vaccination in such patients are available. METHODS In this retrospective observational study of 23 HIV-infected patients, YF antibody titers, CD4 cell counts, and viral loads were measured before and after vaccination. Serologies were performed retrospectively on samples that had been stored as part of routine hospital procedures. RESULTS Ninety-three percent of patients (13/14) with no baseline immunity, seroconverted after vaccination. Immunogenicity appeared slowly; only 2 of the 5 patients tested within 5 weeks of vaccination had seroconverted. A booster effect was noted in 3 of the 9 patients with baseline immunogenicity. Finally, due to unawareness of his HIV status, one patient was vaccinated and was found later to have a CD4 cell count < 200/mm³. The YF vaccine was well tolerated and no serious adverse events were reported. The impact of vaccination on immunologic and viral parameters was variable. Both decreases (n = 7) and increases (n = 5) in CD4 cell counts were recorded. Viral loads became undetectable in 2 patients and doubled or became positive in 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS Yellow fever vaccination was safe and effective in a large majority of this cohort of stable, HIV-infected patients.
Sarcopenia definitions considering body size and fat mass are associated with mobility limitations: the Framingham Study.

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia defined by lean mass has been inconsistently associated with disability in elders. Studies suggest that definitions should consider body size and additional influences of high fat mass (FM; sarcopenic-obesity). We examined sarcopenia accounting for body size, and sarcopenic-obesity, in relation to mobility limitations among 767 elderly men and women (mean age 79 years) from the Framingham Study. METHODS Whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measured appendicular lean mass (ALM) and total FM in 1992-1995. Sarcopenia was defined in two ways: ALM/height squared (ALM/ht(2)) and ALM adjusted for height and FM (residuals). Sarcopenic-obesity categories (referent, obese, sarcopenic, and sarcopenic-obese) were defined by cross-classifying ALM/ht(2) and obesity (% body fat: more than 30 for men and more than 40 for women). Mobility limitation was defined as self-reported inability to walk one-half mile, climb stairs, or perform heavy housework. Sex-specific logistic regression calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mobility limitation, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS Sixteen percent of men and 30% of women had mobility limitation. Among men, both ALM/ht(2) (OR = 6.3, 95% CI = 2.5-16.1) and residuals (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.0-10.5) sarcopenia were associated with increased limitation. For sarcopenic-obesity, odds of limitation was higher in sarcopenic (OR = 6.1, 95% CI = 2.2-16.9) and sarcopenic-obese categories (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.0-12.7) but suggested no synergistic effect. In women, only residuals sarcopenia was associated with higher odds of limitation (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.2-2.9). CONCLUSIONS Low lean mass is associated with mobility limitations after accounting for body size and fat, and lean and FM have independent effects on mobility in elders. These findings support previous reports that sarcopenia definitions should consider body size and fat.
Study and design of a photovoltaic array simulator

This paper presents the study and design of a photovoltaic module simulator prototype. The photovoltaic module features are modeled through an equation implemented on a DSC - Digital Signal Controller - which controls a DC-DC converter and emulates a photovoltaic module operation. In this paper, simulation results and experimental results proving the proper functioning of the simulator are presented.
Perfluorodecalin-soluble fluorescent dyes for the monitoring of circulating nanocapsules with intravital fluorescence microscopy

Abstract Perfluorodecalin (PFD) is an established artificial oxygen carrier due to its physical capability to solve the respiratory gases oxygen and carbon dioxide. PFD-filled poly(n-butyl-cyanoacrylate) (PACA) nanocapsules are already discussed as effective artificial oxygen carriers, and their principal suitability for intravenous administration had been shown. To further elucidate their action in vivo, it is imperative to characterise their preclinical safety and particularly their biodistribution. For these purposes, intravital fluorescence microscopy would display an attractive technique in order to monitor the PACA nanocapsules in vivo, but unfortunately, it is impossible to stain the PACA nanocapsules with a fluorescent dye fulfilling special criteria required for in vivo microscopy. In order to develop such a dye, a long-chained fluorinated thiol was used to modify a BODIPY derivative that is a highly fluorescent organic compound belonging to the difluoro-boraindacene family, as well as to functionalise mesoscopic systems, such as CdSe/ZnS-quantum dots and gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, a functionalisation of porphyrin derivatives was investigated by placing divalent ions in the centre of these systems. Due to the high solubility of all synthesised dyes in PFD, it should be possible to stain PFD-filled particles in general. However, only the functionalised BODIPY derivative was suitable for in vivo monitoring of the PFD-filled PACA nanocapsules.
Matching and Merging of Statecharts Specifications

Model Management addresses the problem of managing an evolving collection of models, by capturing the relationships between models and providing well-defined operators to manipulate them. In this paper, we describe two such operators for manipulating hierarchical Statecharts: Match, for finding correspondences between models, and Merge, for combining models with respect to known correspondences between them. Our Match operator is heuristic, making use of both static and behavioural properties of the models to improve the accuracy of matching. Our Merge operator preserves the hierarchical structure of the input models, and handles differences in behaviour through parameterization. In this way, we automatically construct merges that preserve the semantics of Statecharts models. We illustrate and evaluate our work by applying our operators to AT&T telecommunication features.
Moral Thinking in Management: An Essential Capability*

Abstract This paper argues that moral thinking is an essential management capability which strengthens organizations and contributes to their performance in the marketplace. The paper explains what moral thinking is, and addresses the most common reasons for considering it inappropriate or irrelevant to managerial practice. The argument provides a compelling rationale for the corporate ethics initiatives undertaken in recent years.
Chromatin disruption in the promoter of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 during transcriptional activation.

Chromatin organization of eukaryotic promoters is increasingly recognized as an important factor in the regulation of transcription in vivo. To determine the role of chromatin in HIV‐1 expression, we have examined the nucleosome organization of the promoter of HIV‐1 under low and high transcription rates. Independently of the cell line examined, nucleosomes are precisely positioned in the viral 5′ long terminal repeat (5′ LTR) and define two large nucleosome‐free regions encompassing nt 200–450 and 610–720. A nucleosome positioned between these two regions, immediately after the transcription initiation site (nuc‐1), is disrupted following TPA or TNF‐alpha treatment. The disruption of nuc‐1 from DNA is independent of DNA replication since it is completed in 20 min and independent of transcription as it is alpha‐amanitin insensitive. A model is proposed in which nuc‐1 plays an organizing role in the HIV‐1 promoter to bring in close proximity factors bound to DNA in the two nucleosome‐free regions, upstream and downstream of the site of transcription initiation. These results define chromatin as an integral component of the HIV‐1 transcriptional regulatory machinery and identify a chromatin transition associated with activation of viral gene expression.
[The effect of two predictors' interaction on short- and long-term treatment outcomes of schizophrenia].

OBJECTIVES To monitor the effect of interaction of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and expressed emotion (EE) on treatment outcomes in schizophrenia. METHODS 56 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia were assessed at 4 time points. The number of relapses, the number and duration of rehospitalizations and the severity of symptoms were assessed at index hospitalization and at 3, 7 and 12-year follow-ups. RESULTS No correlation was found between DUP and EE measured at index hospitalization. Over the 12-year period the number of rehospitalizations for individuals with short DUP and low EE did not increase, as opposed to those with short DUP and with high EE. In the group with long DUP, the number of rehospitalizations increased irrespectively of EE level. The positive syndrome in the group with short DUP and high EE was less severe than in individuals with long DUP and high EE. Analogous differences appeared in the group with low EE. CONCLUSIONS 1) No correlation was found between DUP and EE at index hospitalization. 2) Number of rehospitalizations and intensity of positive symptoms proved to be associated over time with the interaction of DUP and EE. 3) Long-time observation and multiple assessments allow to obtain more reliable results.
Exploring the Temperature-Stress Metabolome of Arabidopsis1[w]

Metabolic profiling analyses were performed to determine metabolite temporal dynamics associated with the induction of acquired thermotolerance in response to heat shock and acquired freezing tolerance in response to cold shock. Low-Mr polar metabolite analyses were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Eighty-one identified metabolites and 416 unidentified mass spectral tags, characterized by retention time indices and specific mass fragments, were monitored. Cold shock influenced metabolism far more profoundly than heat shock. The steady-state pool sizes of 143 and 311 metabolites or mass spectral tags were altered in response to heat and cold shock, respectively. Comparison of heat- and cold-shock response patterns revealed that the majority of heat-shock responses were shared with cold-shock responses, a previously unknown relationship. Coordinate increases in the pool sizes of amino acids derived from pyruvate and oxaloacetate, polyamine precursors, and compatible solutes were observed during both heat and cold shock. In addition, many of the metabolites that showed increases in response to both heat and cold shock in this study were previously unlinked with temperature stress. This investigation provides new insight into the mechanisms of plant adaptation to thermal stress at the metabolite level, reveals relationships between heat- and cold-shock responses, and highlights the roles of known signaling molecules and protectants.