Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interações de van der Waals na superlubricidade de filmes nanoestruturados e hidrogenado

O atrito e originado por eventos de dissipacao de energia devido ao trabalho realizado de forcas nao conservativas. Os mecanismos nanotribologicos por meio dos quais a dissipacao pode ocorrer englobam deformacao molecular e efeitos fononicos, eletricos (eletronicos e eletrostaticos) e magneticos. Apesar de sua importância fundamental, esses mecanismos fisico-quimicos que governam o atrito sao pouco compreendidos. Embora a literatura forneca uma riqueza de informacoes sobre a eficiencia energetica no estado de baixo atrito, tambem denominado de superlubricidade estrutural, algumas previsoes associadas so puderam ser confirmadas quantitativamente em poucos sistemas sob condicoes especificas. Sistemas nanoestruturados a base de carbono, tais como filmes finos de carbono amorfo hidrogenado (a-C:H), possuem uma combinacao unica de propriedades com potencial tecnologico-industrial para aplicacoes na area de mecânica e eletromecânica. Nesta tese, busca-se entender o papel das interacoes eletricas e dos mecanismos envolvidos no atrito desses filmes nanoestruturados. Relata-se que o potencial eletrico e o sinal de atrito em nanoescala que surgem na interface de contato sao proporcionais aos teores de hidrogenio das camadas superficiais de a-C:H no regime sem desgaste. As flutuacoes eletrodinâmicas constatadas no sinal de atrito com diferentes conteudos de [H]/[C] por nanoindentacao seguida de deslizamento unidirecional (NUS) e microscopia de forca lateral ou de atrito (LFM/FFM) dependem da deformacao molecular e da polarizabilidade atomica, respectivamente. Uma proporcao maior de hidrogenio para carbono reduz o potencial da superficie, afetando diretamente as forcas dissipativas por meio de uma interacao de longo alcance menos eficaz. A superlubricidade estrutural e atribuida a uma baixa polarizabilidade na camada mais externa de a-C:H devido a uma menor densidade eletronica, o que enfraquece as interacoes atomico-moleculares (forcas de van der Waals), em particular as forcas de dispersao de London. Do ponto de vista topologico, propoe-se a formacao de nanodominios multipolares pelo hidrogenio na superficie de a-C:H para atingir a superlubricidade. A compreensao dos mecanismos de amortecimento e o controle de sistemas quase sem atrito visam auxiliar na elaboracao de novas estrategias para aplicacoes em dispositivos micro e nanoeletromecânicos, assim como na reducao de custos e impactos ambientais em escala global.
Unveiling the Intracellular Survival Gene Kit of Trypanosomatid Parasites

Trypanosomatids are unicellular protozoans of medical and economical relevance since they are the etiologic agents of infectious diseases in humans as well as livestock. Whereas Trypanosoma cruzi and different species of Leishmania are obligate intracellular parasites, Trypanosoma brucei and other trypanosomatids develop extracellularly throughout their entire life cycle. After their genomes have been sequenced, various comparative genomic studies aimed at identifying sequences involved with host cell invasion and intracellular survival have been described. However, for only a handful of genes, most of them present exclusively in the T. cruzi or Leishmania genomes, has there been any experimental evidence associating them with intracellular parasitism. With the increasing number of published complete genome sequences of members of the trypanosomatid family, including not only different Trypanosoma and Leishmania strains and subspecies but also trypanosomatids that do not infect humans or other mammals, we may now be able to contemplate a slightly better picture regarding the specific set of parasite factors that defines each organism's mode of living and the associated disease phenotypes. Here, we review the studies concerning T. cruzi and Leishmania genes that have been implicated with cell invasion and intracellular parasitism and also summarize the wealth of new information regarding the mode of living of intracellular parasites that is resulting from comparative genome studies that are based on increasingly larger trypanosomatid genome datasets.
Application of cellular automata to modeling mobility and radio communication in wireless networks

In this preliminary study, we first show how a simple cellular automata (CA) model can be tailored to the context of radio communication. We then use the model to examine the tradeoff between mobility and radio communication. Within this context, one can view the presence of link (i,j) as an advantage in that it enables node i to send a packet on one hop to node j. However, it can also be a disadvantage in that, when node i broadcasts it causes interference at j. Thus, while the presence of a large number of links guarantees network connectivity, it brings with it the possibility of increased interference, which reduces the capacity of the network. Our analysis examines how in certain cases, mobility may add to the efficiency of practical networks, whereas in other situations, mobility may become a liability
Fog-based semantic model for supporting interoperability in IoT

Cloud computing has several favourable characteristics for supporting Internet of things (IoT) applications and services. While provisioning support for heterogeneous devices adapting different semantics in IoT, cloud-based technology is highly used. In semantic model, attaching additional information to raw sensory data is accomplished with the help of ontology. However, the longer distance between the cloud and IoT devices becomes a bottleneck for critical IoT applications. In this study, the authors proposed a fog-based semantic model called semantic-fog to reduce this gap. The proposed model shifts some of the frequently used semantic services of the cloud to the edge of the sensor network. Additionally, it provides an efficient off-loading technique among fog-fog and fog-cloud devices to reduce task execution time and energy consumption of the fog nodes. Furthermore, an effective mapping method for converting raw sensory data into Resource Description Framework format is also presented in this work. A comparative analysis among the relevant cloud-based computing models and the proposed semantic-fog model is performed in terms of service delay, energy consumption, network usage, and the total cost of the system. Simulation results show that semantic-fog outperforms the cloud-based models almost in all the aspects considered.
Information Technology Adoption and Assimilation : Towards a Research Framework for Service Sector SMEs

Information technologies (IT) have become one of the most important infrastructural elements for SMEs in service in-dustries. Now, these firms show specific characteristics and behaviours with regard to adopting and assimilating IT. These specificities have not been taken into account however in formulating a research framework or programme on the adoption and assimilation of IT in service SMEs. The present study thus seeks to fill this void. After reviewing the literature on IT in the services sector, the antecedents of IT adoption and assimilation in the context of service SMEs are identified and integrated within a research framework. This framework is then applied to generate a set of twenty-two salient propositions for future research on IT adoption and assimilation in service sector SMEs.
An Extension of Norton's Theorem for Queueing Networks

Given a closed BCMP queueing network, the problem is considered of studying the behavior of any subsystem a without solving for the entire system. This paper proves that this is possible for a consisting of any number of queues, arbitrarily interfacing the rest of the system, thus generalizing the classic CHW theorem, also known as Norton's theorem. A general flow-equivalent solution procedure is given and its computational complexity is compared with that of the product-form and the exact aggregation procedure. The relative merits of these procedures are also expressed in terms of a's cardinality.
Pruning AdaBoost for Continuous Sensors Mining Applications

In this work, pruning techniques for the AdaBoost classifier are evaluated specially aimed for a continuous learning framework in sensors mining applications. To assess the methods, three pruning schemes are evaluated using standard machine-learning benchmark datasets, simulated drifting datasets and real cases. Early results obtained show that pruning methodologies approach and sometimes out-perform the no-pruned version of the classifier, being at the same time more easily adaptable to the drift in the training distribution. Future works are planned in order to evaluate the approach in terms of time efficiency and extension to big-data analysis.
Evaluation of Verapamil Efficacy in Peyronie’S Disease Comparing With Pentoxifylline

Introduction: Peyronie’s disease described as penile curvature, fibromathosis and pain that occur most often in men aged 40 to 60 years. The main complaint that caused the patient to visit the clinic is nodules on the upper surface of the penis, causing curvature and distortion particularly during erection, but they don’t have any urinary problem. In this study, we evaluated the effect of verapamil compared to pentoxifylline in Peyronie’s disease. Method: In this study, 90 patients with signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease which were diagnosed and were in the age range 40 to 70 years enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups. First group received pentoxifylline orally at a dose of 400 mg three times a day, in the second group verapamil (10 mg every other week for up to 12 sessions) was injected into the lesion and the third group received both treatments in combination. Results: In patients, who received pentoxifylline, curvature reduction was 26.7%, plaque size reduction was 30%, the recovery rate of erectile dysfunction was 46.7% and pain reduced was 73.3%. Each of these cases in patients, who used beta-blockers, was 36.7%, 33.3%, 66.7% and 76.6%. In combination therapy, curvature reduction was 36.7%, plaque size reduction was 33.3%, the recovery rate of erectile dysfunction was 86.7% and pain reduced was 80%. Conclusion: In our study there was no significant difference between two groups using verapamil or pentoxifylline, but there was a significant improvement in combination therapy group. Due to our results we propose that combination therapy can improve results and should be considered as a choice in treatment of Peyronie’s disease.
Tracing Fasting Glucose Fluxes with Unstressed Catheter Approach in Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

Objective. Blood glucose concentrations of type 1 diabetic rats are vulnerable, especially to stress and trauma. The present study aimed to investigate the fasting endogenous glucose production and skeletal muscle glucose uptake of Streptozotocin induced type 1 diabetic rats using an unstressed vein and artery implantation of catheters at the tails of the rats as a platform. Research Design and Methods. Streptozotocin (65 mg·kg−1) was administered to induce type 1 diabetic state. The unstressed approach of catheters of vein and artery at the tails of the rats was established before the isotope tracer injection. Dynamic measurement of fasting endogenous glucose production was assessed by continuously infusing stable isotope [6, 6-2H2] glucose, while skeletal muscle glucose uptake by bolus injecting radioactively labeled [1-14C]-2-deoxy-glucose. Results. Streptozotocin induced type 1 diabetic rats displayed polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria along with overt hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. They also had enhanced fasting endogenous glucose production and reduced glucose uptake in skeletal muscle compared to nondiabetic rats. Conclusions. The dual catheters implantation at the tails of the rats together with isotope tracers injection is a save time, unstressed, and feasible approach to explore the glucose metabolism in animal models in vivo.
Unequal Density-based Node Deployment and Clustering Routing Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks

In order to solve the problem of the hot spots in clustering routing protocols, this paper proposes an unequal density-based node deployment and clustering routing protocol (UDNDC). It has following characteristics. (1) In clusters, member nodes transmit data directly to cluster head, and cluster head can fuse all signals into a single signal. But data from different clusters cannot be fused, and multi-hop forwarding is used among clusters to save energy. (2) In order to balance the energy depletion of nodes, the proposed protocol uses an unequal density-based node deployment strategy and analyzes the optimal node deployment density in different network regions in theory according to energy dissipation model of nodes. (3) It is distributed clustering protocol and doesn’t need overall information during cluster setup phase. (4) Cluster heads are chosen out by their residual energy and rotated periodically. (5) It can ensure quantity stability of cluster heads in each round and fairly even cluster head distribution across the network. Simulation results show that UDNDC can effectively solve the problem of the hot spots and obviously prolong the network lifetime.
Practical performance evaluation of VoWLAN handover based on frame retries

In the near future, wireless local area networks (WLANs) will overlap to provide continuous coverage over a wide area. In such ubiquitous WLANs, a mobile node (MN) freely moves between WLANs with different IP subnets during VoIP communication. However, existing methods cannot sufficiently maintain VoIP quality during handover due to changes of IP address and inappropriate execution of handover. To solve these problems, in our previous paper, we proposed and implemented a seamless handover method employing multi-path transmission and a handover trigger based on frame retries. However, we have not sufficiently shown the effectiveness of our proposed method in a practical environment. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on the two features of our proposed method, i.e., frame retries and multi-path transmission, and present a detailed evaluation of our proposed method in a real environment.
Mouth coloration of nestlings covaries with offspring quality and influences parental feeding behavior

Altricial nestlings compete with their nest mates for resources delivered by parents. Parents may allocate food to nestlings based on reproductive value of offspring. To test the hypothesis that mouth coloration acts as a signal of nestling condition in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica, we investigated whether gape coloration is correlated with offspring quality and age. We also examined the role of ultraviolet (UV) flange coloration in parental allocation in a manipulative experiment. Mouth coloration changed with age, probably due to accumulation of dietary carotenoids in the tissue and an increase in the number of collagen layers. Highly UV and redder palates and brighter flanges were associated with longer tarsi and greater body mass at day 6 and with feather growth at day 12 posthatching. Although we did not find evidence that UV coloration of flanges is associated with nestling quality, parents preferentially fed young whose flanges reflected higher UV light, compared with experimentally UV-filtered nestlings. These results support the hypothesis that mouth coloration is a reliable signal of nestling condition. In addition, they show that UV flange coloration influences parental decisions regarding food allocation. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.
RESISTANCES AND INDUCTANCES EXTRACTION USING SURFACE INTEGRAL EQUATION WITH THE ACCELERATION OF MULTILEVEL GREEN FUNCTION INTERPOLATION METHOD

In this paper,we consider the resistances and inductances extraction from finite conducting metals. To remedy the weakness of volume integral equation,we extend the usage of a surface integral equation method from analyzing finite conducting rectangular wire strip to analyzing arbitrarily shaped geometry. Moreover the multi- level Green function method (MLGFIM) with a complexity of O(N )i s employed to accelerate the matrix-vector multiplications in iterations. The numerical results shows the efficacy of the proposed method.
Different Bleeding Patterns with the Use of Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System: Are They Associated with Changes in Uterine Artery Blood Flow?

Objective. Evaluate if different bleeding patterns associated with the use of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) are associated with different uterine and endometrial vascularization patterns, as evidenced by ultrasound power Doppler analysis. Methodology. A longitudinal study, with each subject acting as its own control was conducted between January 2010 and December 2012. Healthy volunteers with a history of heavy but cyclic and regular menstrual cycles were enrolled in the study. Ultrasonographic examination was performed before and after six months of LNG-IUS placement: uterine volume, endometrial thickness, and subendometrial and myometrial Doppler blood flow patterns have been evaluated. Results. A total of 32 women were enrolled out of 186 initially screened. At six months of follow-up, all subjects showed a reduction in menstrual blood loss; for analysis, they were retrospectively divided into 3 groups: normal cycling women (Group I), amenorrheic women (Group II), and women with prolonged bleedings (Group III). Intergroup analysis documented a statistically significant difference in endometrial thickness among the three groups; in addition, mean pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) in the spiral arteries were significantly lower in Group I and Group III compared to Group II. This difference persisted also when comparing—within subjects of Group III—mean PI and RI mean values before and after insertion. Conclusions. The LNG-IUS not only altered endometrial thickness, but—in women with prolonged bleedings—also significantly changed uterine artery blood flow. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and enable gynecologists to properly counsel women, improving initial continuation rates.
Interactive Rendering for Large City Models

Abstract : Recent acquisition systems, such as the one developed at the Video and Image Processing Lab at Berkeley, are capable of collecting large, detailed, highly textured models that standard levels of detail (LOD) rendering techniques [18] cannot handle efficiently. We propose an out-of-core rendering engine which applies the cost and benefit approach of the Adaptive Display algorithm by Funkhouser and Sequin [18] to Hierarchical Levels of Detail (HLODs). Unlike the Adaptive Display algorithm, we do not skip objects to maintain interactivity when many objects are visible. Funkhouser and Sequin apply hysteresis by adding a penalty in the benefit heuristics to discourage disturbing visual effects due to fast switching of detail in the model. However, this penalty may not be sufficient if the user is moving around rapidly in the scene. Instead, we have developed a more robust temporal hysteresis by retaining how much detail is rendered over a time period. We have implemented our rendering engine to run on a common personal computer with a standard graphics card. The engine is capable of visualizing, in both walkthrough and fly-through mode, a detailed model of 25 city blocks comprised of 8.9 million triangles and 937 million color pixels. Our engine maintains a constant frame rate while limiting excessive flickering.
Compact and accurate stochastic circuits with shared random number sources

Stochastic computing, which is an approximate computation with probabilities (called stochastic numbers), draws attention as an alternative method of deterministic computing. In this paper, we discuss a design of compact and accurate stochastic circuits. Stochastic circuits are known as a way to stochastically compute complex calculation at low hardware cost, while stochastic number generators (SNGs), which are used for converting deterministic numbers into stochastic numbers, account for a large fraction of the circuits. To reduce such SNGs in stochastic circuits, we propose a technique to share random number generators with several SNGs. This sharing method employs circular shift of the output of LFSRs to reduce the correlation between stochastic numbers. We also discuss the influence of input correlation around a multiplexer, which is a scaled adder for stochastic computing, so as to avoid over reducing the input correlation. Application of the proposed techniques to two stochastic image processing shows the reduction in the size of SNGs without greatly sacrificing accuracy.
Creativity: a challenge for contemporary education

ABSTRACT In this essay, I comment on the objective of cultivating creativity in general and in schools in particular. I start by tracing the historical origin of this objective, then discuss a select set of relevant issues, including what can be considered the best practices for achieving this. I conclude by contemplating the potential for globalisation of this objective, and the portability of general pedagogies and specific approaches to cultivating creativity between different educational systems.
Anomaly Detection using similarity in Packets

Network intrusion detection systems often rely on patterns that are common to known attacks. While this method is accurate and reliable, it has the obvious disadvantage that it cannot detect novel attacks. Alternatively, the system can learn to model the behavior normal traffic and report the deviation. Network worms and Distributed Denial of Service attacks, that are a major threat to today’s networks manifest themself in the presence of higher than expected byte-level similarity among packets in normal traffic. In this report I discuss the techniques that are used to diagnose content of packets, detect repetition and prevent malignant network activity from spreading through the network at an early stage. Early detection allows us to take corrective steps to contain the anomalies from spreading through the entire network and minimize damage due to them.
Perception et mémoire au cours du sommeil

Resume Le sommeil est une periode au cours de laquelle notre seuil de reponse aux stimuli exterieurs augmente. Cependant, de nombreux travaux indiquent que le traitement de l’information en sommeil n’est pas totalement bloque. L’objectif de cet article est d’illustrer par quelques etudes les traitements cognitifs qu’il est possible de realiser au cours du sommeil, puis d’exposer comment opere la consolidation des souvenirs au cours de la nuit. Nous verrons enfin comment les capacites perceptives au cours du sommeil peuvent etre mises a profit pour renforcer la consolidation mnesique.
A priori SNR estimator based on a convex combination of two DD approaches for speech enhancement

One of the most used techniques for estimating the a priori SNR in many speech enhancement systems is the decision-directed (DD) approach, which is famous for the good performance in reducing musical noise with low complexity calculation. However, the conventional DD approach with fixed smoothing factor suffers from the inherent tradeoff between speech distortion elimination and musical noise reduction. In order to overcome such deficiency, a new approach is proposed by using a convex combination of two DD methods with different smoothing factors, for the purpose to obtain a modified a priori SNR estimate with small speech distortion and musical noise residual. The proportion of either DD method to the convex combination is balanced by a mixing parameter, whose value is restricted to the interval [0, 1] and can be optimally computed based on the minimum mean square error operator (MMSE) criterion. The property of our proposed method is tested with a Wiener filter-based noise reduction system, and the result shows the superiority to some other a priori SNR estimators in different noise conditions and SNR levels.