Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An interactive simulator for networked mobile robots

This article presents an interactive simulator for formation control of wireless networked robots. The formation control is achieved thanks to the application of consensus algorithms of multi-agent systems which are executed in a distributed manner. Each vehicle sends to its neighbors the state, and they use this state to compute their control law. The agents communicate through a packet-based network. Different scheduling schemes are provided: time-based and event-based, with different event trigger functions. The user can configure the topology of the network, define delays in the communication links, packet-dropout rates or induce error in the transmission of the packets. The user can test the system in a large number of possible scenarios and interact with the simulation by just drag-and-drop actions. Four cases of study are provided to show some of the capabilities of the simulation tool.
Congestion-aware single link failure recovery in hybrid SDN networks

As service providers have started deploying SDN in their networks, traditional IP routers are gradually upgraded to SDN enabled switches. In other words, the network will have traditional IP routers and SDN switches coexisting, and it is called a hybrid SDN network. With such a network, we take advantage of SDN and propose an approach to guarantee traffic reachability in the presence of any single link failure. By redirecting traffic on the failed link to SDN switches through pre-configured IP tunnels, the proposed approach is able to react to the failures very fast. With the help of coordination among SDN switches, we are also able to explore multiple backup paths for the failure recovery. This allows the proposed approach to avoid potential congestion in the post-recovery network by choosing proper backup paths. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme requires only a very few number of SDN switches in the hybrid SDN network to achieve fast recovery and guarantee 100% reachability from any single link failure. It also shows that the proposed approach is able to better load-balance the post-recovery network comparing to IP Fast Reroute and shortest path re-calculation.
The Visual Model of Cordial

We describe the visual model of Cordial, a visual language integrating Object-Oriented and Constraint programming. The motivation behind Cordial is to provide a clear notion of objects deened implicitly by means of constraints. Cordial is a visual language having three distinguished features: (1) A hierarchical visual model, (2) an underlined visual formalism giving precise syntax and static semantics of visual programs and (3) a dynamic semantic model based on a formal calculus integrating objects and constraints. The visual model consists of a hierarchy of layers of visual representations of object oriented concepts in which icons can be "expanded" up to the underlined visual formalism, an extension of Harel's Higraphs ((Har88]). We present here the visual model, provide its formal translation into Higraphs, and describe the visual syntax and semantics of Cordial.
Role of Chemokines in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Angiogenesis and Inflammation

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common types of aggressive cancer. The tumor tissue, which shows an active angiogenesis, is composed of neoplastic and stromal cells, and an abundant inflammatory infiltrate. Angiogenesis is important to support tumor growth, while infiltrating cells contribute to the tumor microenvironment through the secretion of growth factors, cytokines and chemokines, important molecules in the progression of the disease. Chemokines are important in development, activation of the immune response, and physiological angiogenesis. Chemokines have emerged as important regulators in the pathophysiology of cancer. These molecules are involved in the angiogenesis/angiostasis balance and in the recruitment of tumor infiltrating hematopoietic cells. In addition, chemokines promote tumor cell survival, as well as the directing and establishment of tumor cells to metastasis sites. The findings summarized here emphasize the central role of chemokines as modulators of tumor angiogenesis and their potential role as therapeutic targets in the inflammatory process of NSCLC angiogenesis.
Center-based group genetic algorithm for attribute clustering

In our previous study, a grouping-geneticalgorithm- based (GGA-based) attribute clustering process has been proposed for grouping features. In this paper, we further improve its performance and propose a center-based GGA for attribute clustering (CGGA). A new encoding scheme with corresponding crossover and mutation operators are designed, and an improved fitness function is proposed to achieve better convergence speed and provide more flexible alternatives than the previous one.
Organizational change management and its implementations in a public institution

Die Master thesis behandeln das Veranderungsmanagement (orig. „Change Management“) in der Theorie und in der Praxis. Wir betrachten wie das Veranderungsmanagement in einer offentlichen Institution oder in einem Umfeld, der von vielen politischen und sozialen Variablen beeinflusst ist, implementiert werden kann. Unser Ziel ist zu beobachten, wie eine Organisation bei der Einfuhrung des Anderungsprozesses reagiert und was es bewirken kann.
Advanced glycation end products impair the functions of saphenous vein but not thoracic artery smooth muscle cells through RAGE/MAPK signalling pathway in diabetes

Saphenous vein (SV) and internal thoracic artery (ITA) are commonly used bypass conduits. However, graft failure occurs in SV rather than in ITA, especially in diabetes (DM). The mechanism for this difference has not been fully understood. Accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and activation of AGEs receptor (RAGE) could accelerate smooth muscle cells (SMC) proliferation in DM, we thus asked whether AGEs‐RAGE could mediate the differences between SMC from SV (SMCV) and from ITA (SMCA). Twenty‐five patients with DM and other 25 patients without DM were enclosed in DM and control group, respectively. AGEs (100 μg/ml) were added to cultured SMCA and SMCV obtained at coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and proliferative rates were determined. Transcript expression, phosphorylation or protein expression levels of MAP kinase family (ERK, p38 and JNK), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)‐2 and MMP‐9 were analysed by real‐time PCR, Western‐blot or immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Compared with paired SMCA, SMCV showed significantly increased proliferation rate, MAP kinase family phosphorylation, and MMP‐2/9 expression in both groups, especially in DM group. The responses of SMCV induced by AGEs were significantly larger in DM than in control group, which could be suppressed by inhibition of RAGE and ERK. However, all the cellular events of SMCV were not found in paired SMCA. This study suggests that AGEs‐RAGE could induce the proliferation of SMCV but not SMCA via MAP kinase pathway in DM. It is the intrinsic ‘inactive’ tendency of SMCA that contributes to the different rates of graft disease between SV and ITA after CABG.
Linear-size nonobtuse triangulation of polygons

We give an algorithm for triangulatingn-vertex polygonal regions (with holes) so that no angle in the final triangulation measures more than π/2. The number of triangles in the triangulation is onlyO(n), improving a previous bound ofO(n2), and the running time isO(n log2n). The basic technique used in the algorithm, recursive subdivision by disks, is new and may have wider application in mesh generation. We also report on an implementation of our algorithm.
Exploited Differential Evolution Algorithm

Evolutionary algorithms are efficient algorithms for solving the most complex optimization problems of the current era. Differential Evolution (DE) is a simple population based evolutionary algorithm under this category. As shown in literature, c omparative to exploration of the search space, DE is less capable of exploiting the existing solutions. Therefore, DE is very much expected to skip the true optima. This paper proposes a variant of DE algorithm namely, exploited DE (EDE) which enhances the exploitation capability of DE search process by giving more chance to best solution of the current population to search further around itself. To validate the performance of proposed EDE algorithm, 10 mathematical benchmark optimization problems are considered. Experimental results on these problems of different complexities show that EDE is a promising DE variant and may be applied to solve complex optimization problems.
Energy saving through a buffer control approach for a data center network with hybrid optoelectronic routers

Data center networks are required to have high energy efficiency as well as high communication performance. One approach to achieving these requirements is to use a hybrid optoelectronic router, which has optical packet switching functionality and packet buffering in an electronic domain. These hybrid optoelectronic routers can cut the power of electronic buffers while maintaining optical packet switching functionality, which enables energy consumption to be reduced while maintaining the required communication performance. The routers, whose buffers can be shut down, depend on the traffic routes; more buffers can be shut down by setting the traffic routes so as to avoid packet collision. However, the routes that avoid packet collision may increase the number of powered-on routers. Therefore, we should select the traffic routes by considering the energy consumption of the routers themselves and their buffers. In this paper, we propose a heuristic route selection method to reduce energy consumption while maintaining the required communication performance. For high energy efficiency, our method efficiently reuses routers and buffers without degrading the required communication performance. Through simulation, we demonstrate that our method reduces the energy consumption significantly compared to methods that do not consider buffer energy consumption or that calculate the shortest traffic routes through the network.
Utility-based adaptive multi-frame iterative algorithm for resource scheduling in OFDMA networks

This paper focuses on the downlink resource scheduling with quality-of-service (QoS) provisioning in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) networks. In homogeneous networks, the multi-user diversity gain is achievable through exploiting the independent fading among users. However, in heterogeneous networks, the different priorities and QoS constraints of heterogeneous services, especially delay sensitive services, bring to inferior system performance. To solve this problem, a utility-based adaptive multi-frame iterative (AMI) algorithm aware of both channel and queue state information is proposed. The AMI algorithm contains two parts: the core and the iterative shell. In the core, the problem of dynamic subcarrier assignment (DSA) is modeled as the weighted independent set (WIS) problem in graph theory. Through joint optimization among subcarriers, a higher spectral efficiency is achieved. In the iterative shell, intra-frame and inter-frame iterations exploit the time diversity, thus a lower packet loss is achieved.
A Multicassette Gateway Vector Set for High Throughput and Comparative Analyses in Ciona and Vertebrate Embryos

Background The past few years have seen a vast increase in the amount of genomic data available for a growing number of taxa, including sets of full length cDNA clones and cis-regulatory sequences. Large scale cross-species comparisons of protein function and cis-regulatory sequences may help to understand the emergence of specific traits during evolution. Principal Findings To facilitate such comparisons, we developed a Gateway compatible vector set, which can be used to systematically dissect cis-regulatory sequences, and overexpress wild type or tagged proteins in a variety of chordate systems. It was developed and first characterised in the embryos of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, in which large scale analyses are easier to perform than in vertebrates, owing to the very efficient embryo electroporation protocol available in this organism. Its use was then extended to fish embryos and cultured mammalian cells. Conclusion This versatile vector set opens the way to the mid- to large-scale comparative analyses of protein function and cis-regulatory sequences across chordate evolution. A complete user manual is provided as supplemental material.
Efficient path conditions in dependence graphs

Program slicing combined with constraint solving is a powerful tool for software analysis. Path conditions are generated for a slice or chop, which-when solved for the input variables-deliver compact "witnesses" for dependences or illegal influences between program points. We show how to make path conditions work for large programs. Aggressive engineering, based on interval analysis and BDDs, is shown to overcome the potential combinatoric explosion. Case studies and empirical data demonstrate the usefulness of path conditions for practical program analysis.
Studying Attacks to Information Systems Using Functional Networks

Information systems, i.e., the set of hardware and software tools that organizations use to collect and process data, are critical elements in any developed economy. Due to the intrinsic value of the information stored, government agencies and corporations alike are constantly on alert to heighten their infrastructure and data security due to threats from hackers and cyberterrorists. Information security (InfoSec) then aims at keeping information confidential, available, and at assuring its integrity, usually by detecting and preventing intrusions by external entities. However, protecting large-scale information systems is an increasingly difficult challenge; not only do attackers tend to be technically more sophisticated but they also show a higher degree of collaboration amongst themselves. Both factors concur in producing attacks, which are often of a previously unknown nature. Ensuring resilience against unpredictable, potentially high impact events forces organizations into allocating huge amounts of resources. Here, we propose that, in analogy with studies of functionally non-local complex systems, representing information systems as functional networksmay help detecting and classifying patterns associated with different families of attacks, and constructing proactive defense systems capable of detecting intrusion of previously unknown characteristics. As a prototypical example, we compare InfoSec with the study of functional brain networks, a field that has received increasing attention in the last decade, and that presents similar challenges (i.e., the identification of “normal” and “pathological” conditions).
Comparison of effects of seven treatment methods for distal radius fracture on minimizing complex regional pain syndrome

Introduction Using network meta-analysis, we evaluated the adverse effects of the seven most common treatment methods, i.e., bridging external fixation, non-bridging external fixation, K-wire fixation, plaster fixation, dorsal plating, volar plating, and dorsal and volar plating, by their associated risk of developing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in distal radius fracture (DRF) patients. Material and methods Following an exhaustive search of scientific literature databases for high quality studies, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to our study topic were screened and selected based on stringent predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extracted from the selected studies were used for statistical analyses using Stata 12.0 software. Results A total of 17 RCTs, including 1658 DRF patients, were enrolled in this network meta-analysis. Among the 1658 DRF patients, 452 received bridging external fixation, 525 received non-bridging external fixation, 154 received K-wire fixation, 84 received plaster fixation, 132 received dorsal plating, 123 received volar plating, and 188 received dorsal and volar plating. When compared to bridging external fixation patients, there was no marked difference in the CRPS risk in DRF patients receiving different treatments (all p > 0.05). However, the surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) for plaster fixation (77.0%) and non-bridging external fixation (71.3%) were significantly higher compared with the other five methods. Conclusions Our findings suggest that compared with bridging external fixation, K-wire fixation, dorsal plating, volar plating, dorsal and volar plating, plaster fixation and non-bridging external fixation might be the better treatment methods to reduce the risk of CRPS in DRF patients.
European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science-2501-1235

This study has sought to illuminate the effect of static and dynamic stretching exercises on the vertical jump performance of taekwondo players. 14 volunteer players were solicited to take part in this study. The participants who were 14-17 age range are licensed players of Amasya Tekhan Sports Club. The protocol employed by Gelen (2008) so as to investigate into the effects of different stretching protocols on the vertical jumping was utilised for tests. Vertical jump tests were conducted on participants three times following each stretching activity in 4-5 min and the best results were noted. Height, body weight and means of BMI, standart deviation, minimum and maximum values of the athletes were measured. A one-way variance analysis in repeated measures (ANOVA) was employed to analyze the data. Findings clearly indicate that neither static nor dynamic stretching exercises have an effect on jumping performance. Correspondingly, this finding may have caused from the physical and psyhological traits of taekwondo players. In summation, based on the analysis in this study, it can be concluded that static and dynamic stretching exercises done after slow aerobic runnings before jumping had no significant effect on front jumping (FJ), squat jumping (SJ) and drop jumping (DJ) performance.
In-Core Optimization of High-Order Stencil Computations

In this paper, we apply in-core optimization techniques to high-order stencil computations, including: (1) cache blocking for efficient L2 cache use; (2) register blocking and data-level parallelism via single-instruction multipledata (SIMD) techniques to increase L1 cache efficiency; and (3) software prefetching techniques. Our generic approach is tested with a kernel extracted from a 6 th -order stencil based seismic wave propagation code on a suite of Intel Xeon architectures. Cache blocking and prefetching techniques are found to achieve modest performance improvement, whereas register blocking and SIMD implementation reduce L1 cache line miss dramatically accompanied by moderate decrease in L2 cache miss rate. Optimal register blocking sizes are determined through analysis of cache performance of the stencil kernel for different sizes of register blocks, thereby achieving over 4.3fold speedup on Intel Harpertown. We also examine lower precision (3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th orders) stencil computations to analyze the dependency of data-level parallel efficiency on the stencil order.
PERF join: an alternative to two-way semijoin and bloomjoin

This paper presents “Positionally Encoded Record Filters” (PERFs) and describes their use in a distributed query processing technique called PERF join. A PERF is a novel two-way join reduction implementation primitive. While having the same storage and transmission efficiency as a haah filter (e.g., Bloom Filter), a PERF is based on the relation tuple scan order instead of hashing. Hence it doesn’t suffer arty loss of join information incurred by hash collisions. Using the query response time measured in terms of network cost as a comparison criterion, we demonstrate through analytical studies that PERF join performs significantly better than two-way Bloomjoin and two-way semijoin variants under a wide range of relevant cost parameter values. For the large number of distributed query processing algorithms relying on Bloomjoin or semijoin variants to reduce their network cost, we can sometimes gain an instant improvement in their response time by switching to PERF join instead. Other salient features of PERF join include cheap local join processing cost, and the capability to handle inequality and cyclic join queries.
Acute Cardioembolic Cerebral Infarction: Answers to Clinical Questions*

Cardioembolic cerebral infarction (CI) is the most severe subtype of ischaemic stroke but some clinical aspects of this condition are still unclear. This article provides the reader with an overview and up-date of relevant aspects related to clinical features, specific cardiac disorders and prognosis of CI. CI accounts for 14−30% of ischemic strokes; patients with CI are prone to early and long-term stroke recurrence, although recurrences may be preventable by appropriate treatment during the acute phase and strict control at follow-up. Certain clinical features are suggestive of CI, including sudden onset to maximal deficit, decreased level of consciousness at onset, Wernicke’s aphasia or global aphasia without hemiparesis, a Valsalva manoeuvre at the time of stroke onset, and co-occurrence of cerebral and systemic emboli. Lacunar clinical presentations, a lacunar infarct and especially multiple lacunar infarcts, make cardioembolic origin unlikely. The most common disorders associated with a high risk of cardioembolism include atrial fibrillation, recent myocardial infarction, mechanical prosthetic valve, dilated myocardiopathy and mitral rheumatic stenosis. Patent foramen ovale and complex atheromatosis of the aortic arch are potentially emerging sources of cardioembolic infarction. Mitral annular calcification can be a marker of complex aortic atheroma in stroke patients of unkown etiology. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram can disclose structural heart diseases. Paroxysmal atrial dysrhyhtmia can be detected by Holter monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial Doppler, and electrophysiological studies are useful to document the source of cardioembolism. In-hospital mortality in cardioembolic stroke (27.3%, in our series) is the highest as compared with other subtypes of cerebral infarction. Secondary prevention with anticoagulants should be started immediately if possible in patients at high risk for recurrent cardioembolic stroke in which contraindications, such as falls, poor compliance, uncontrolled epilepsy or gastrointestinal bleeding are absent. Dabigatran has been shown to be non-inferior to warfarin in the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism. All significant structural defects, such as atrial septal defects, vegetations on valve or severe aortic disease should be treated. Aspirin is recommended in stroke patients with a patent foramen ovale and indications of closure should be individualized. CI is an important topic in the frontier between cardiology and vascular neurology, occurs frequently in daily practice, has a high impact for patients, and health care systems and merits an update review of current clinical issues, advances and controversies.