Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distribution and storage of data on local and remote disks in multi-use clusters of commodity PCs

Over the last few decades, the power of personal computers (PCs) has grown steadily, following the exponential growth rate predicted by Moore’s law. The trend towards the commoditization of PC components (such as CPUs, memories, high-speed interconnects and disks) results in a highly attractive price/performance ratio of the systems built from those components. Following these trends, I propose to integrate the commodity IT resources of an entire company or organziation into multi-use clusters of commodity PCs . These include compute farms, experimental clusters as well as desktop PCs in offices and labs. This thesis follows a bottom-up architectural approach and deals with hardware and system-software architecture with a tight focus on performance and efficiency. In contrast, the Grid view of providing services instead of hardware for storage and computation deals mostly with problems of capability, service and security rather than performance and modelling thereof. Multi-use clusters of commodity PCs have by far enough storage on their hard-disk drives for the required local operating-system (OS) installation and therfore there is a lot of excess storage in a multi-use cluster. This additional disk space on the nodes should be put to a better use for a variety of interesting applications e.g. for on-line analytic data processing (OLAP). The specific contributions of the thesis include solutions to four important problems of optimized resource usage in multi-use-cluster environments. Analytic models of computer systems are important to understand the performance of current systems and to predict the performance of future systems early in the design stage. The thesis instroduces a simple analytic model of data streams in clusters . The model considers the topology of data streams as well as the limitations of the edges and nodes. It also takes into account the limitations of the resources within the nodes, which are passed through by the data streams. Using the model, the thesis evaluates different data-casting techniques that can be used to replicate OS installations to many nodes in clusters. The different implementations based on IP multicast, star-, treeand multi-drop–chain topologies are evaluated with the analytic model as well as with experimental measurements. As a result of the evaluation, the multi-drop chainis proposed as most suitable replication technique. When working with multi-use clusters, we noticed that maintenance of the highly replicated system software is difficult, because there are many OS installations in different versions and customisations. Since it is desirable to backup all older versions and customisations of all OS installations, I implemented several techniques to archive the large amounts of highly redundant data contained in the nodes’ OS partitions. The techniques take different approaches of comparing the data, but are all OS independent and work with whole partition images. The block repositories
Approximating fractional hypertree width

Fractional hypertree width is a hypergraph measure similar to tree width and hypertree width. Its algorithmic importance comes from the fact that, as shown in previous work, Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP) and various problems in database theory are polynomial-time solvable if the input contains a bounded-width fractional hypertree decomposition of the hypergraph of the constraints. In this article, we show that for every fixed w ≥ 1, there is a polynomial-time algorithm that, given a hypergraph H with fractional hypertree width at most w, computes a fractional hypertree decomposition of width O(w3) for H. This means that polynomial-time algorithms relying on bounded-width fractional hypertree decompositions no longer need to be given a decomposition explicitly in the input, since an appropriate decomposition can be computed in polynomial time. Therefore, if H is a class of hypergraphs with bounded fractional hypertree width, then a CSP restricted to instances whose structure is in H is polynomial-time solvable. This makes bounded fractional hypertree width the most general known hypergraph property that makes CSP, Boolean conjunctive queries, and conjunctive query containment polynomial-time solvable.
Acute Colitis Induces Neurokinin 1 Receptor Internalization in the Rat Lumbosacral Spinal Cord

Substance P (SP) and its receptor, the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), play important roles in transmitting and regulating somatosensory nociceptive information. However, their roles in visceral nociceptive transmission and regulation remain to be elucidated. In the previous study, moderate SP immunoreactive (SP-ir) terminals and NK1R-ir neurons were observed in the dorsal commissural nucleus (DCN) of the lumbosacral spinal cord. Thus we hypothesized that the SP-NK1R system is involved in visceral pain transmission and control within the DCN. The acute visceral pain behaviors, the colon histological changes and the temporal and spatial changes of NK1R-ir structures and Fos expression in the neurons of the DCN were observed in rats following lower colon instillation with 5% formalin. The formalin instillation induced significant acute colitis as revealed by the histological changes in the colon. NK1R internalization in the DCN was obvious at 8 min. It reached a peak (75.3%) at 30 min, began to decrease at 90 min (58.1%) and finally reached the minimum (19.7%) at 3 h after instillation. Meanwhile, formalin instillation induced a biphasic visceral pain response as well as a strong expression of Fos protein in the nuclei of neurons in the DCN. Finally, intrathecal treatment with the NK1R antagonist L732138 attenuated the NK1R internalization, Fos expression and visceral nociceptive responses. The present results suggest that the visceral nociceptive information arising from inflamed pelvic organs, such as the lower colon, might be mediated by the NK1R-ir neurons in the DCN of the lumbosacral spinal cord.
Alternative Formulation of Risk-Sensitive Particle Filter (Posterior)

An algorithm for posterior risk-sensitive particle filter for nonlinear non-Gaussian system has been proposed in this paper. For Gaussian linear measurement case optimal proposal and for nonlinear Gaussian measurement case linearized version of optimal proposal for risk-sensitive particle filter is derived. The applicability of nonlinear risk-sensitive filters such as extended risk-sensitive filter (ERSF), central difference risk-sensitive filter (CDRSF) as a proposal for risk-sensitive particle filter is discussed. The proposed filter is applied to a highly nonlinear Gaussian system. Results are provided to show the comparative performance of extended risk-sensitive filter (ERSF), posterior risk-sensitive particle filter (RSPF) and adaptive grid risk-sensitive filter (AGRSF) for a representative run. Root mean square error (RMSE) of the proposed filter has also been provided and compared with ERSF and AGRSF. The computational cost of the proposed risk-sensitive estimator is studied and compared with other nonlinear risk-sensitive filters
No Pardon for the Interruption: New Inference Attacks on Android Through Interrupt Timing Analysis

Many new specialized hardware components have been integrated into Android smartphones to improve mobility and usability, such as touchscreen, Bluetooth module, and NFC controller. At the system level, the kernel of Android is built on Linux and inherits its device management mechanisms. However, the security implications surfaced from the integration of new hardware components and the tailored Linux kernel are not fully understood. In this paper, we make the first attempt to evaluate such implications. As a result, we identify a critical information leakage channel from the interrupt handling mechanism, which can be exploited to launch inference attacks without any permission. On Android, all reported interrupts are counted by Linux kernel and the statistical information is logged in a system file /proc/interrupts, which is public to any process. Such statistical information reveals the running status of all integrated devices, and could be exploited by attackers to infer sensitive information passing through them. To assess this new threat, we propose a general attack approach -- interrupt timing analysis and apply it to interrupt logs. As showcases, we present two concrete inference attacks against user's unlock pattern and foreground app status respectively. Through analyzing the interrupt time series produced from touchscreen controller, attacker's chance of cracking user's unlock pattern is increased substantially. The interrupt time series produced from Display Sub-System reveals unique UI refreshing patterns and could be leveraged as fingerprints to identify the app running in the foreground. Such information can serve as the stepping stone for the subsequent phishing attacks. The experiment results suggest our inference attacks are highly effective, and the risks should be mitigated immediately.
Multiresolution Modelling Using Connectivity Information

Triangles meshes are the most popular standard model used to represent polygonal surfaces in Computer Graphics. Drawing these meshes as a set of independent triangles involves sending a vast amount of information to the graphic engine. The use of primitives such as triangle fans and strips, which make use of the connectivity information between the triangles in the mesh, dramatically reduces the amount of information sent to the graphic engine. The Multiresolution Triangle Strips scheme takes advantage of this characteristic in order to represent a multiresolution model as a set of multiresolution triangle strips. A multiresolution triangle strip is made up of the original strips and all of its Levels of Detail. Each of these multiresolution strips is represented as a graph that is traversed to recover the demanded LOD. A Multiresolution Triangle Strip model uses the triangle strip primitive both in the data structure and in the rendering stage. The Multiresolution Triangle Strip is compared against the Progressive Meshes multiresolution model, probably one of the best multiresolution models known. The performance of the MTS models in visualising drastically improves PM models.
Highly Selective Solid Acid Catalyst H1−xTi2(PO4)3−x(SO4)x for Non-Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Methanol and Ethanol

The conversion of alcohols towards aldehydes in the presence of catalysts by non-oxidative dehydrogenation requires special importance from the perspective of green chemistry. Sodium (Na) super ionic conductor (NASICON)-type hydrogen titanium phosphate sulfate (HTPS; H1−xTi2(PO4)3−x(SO4)x, x = 0.5–1) catalysts were synthesized by the sol-gel method, characterized by N2 gas sorption, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, and their catalytic properties were studied for the non-oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol and ethanol. The ethanol is more reactive than methanol, with the conversion for ethanol exceeding 95% as compared to methanol, where the conversion has a maximum value at 55%. The selectivity to formaldehyde is almost 100% in methanol conversion, while the selectivity to acetaldehyde decreases from 56% to 43% in ethanol conversion, when the reaction temperature is increased from 250 to 400 °C.
Distribution of Salmonella enterica isolates from human cases in Italy, 1980 to 2011.

We describe trends of Salmonella enterica serovars isolated from humans in Italy from January 1980 to December 2011. A total of 229,279 Salmonella isolates were reported during this period. Serovars Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Infantis, Derby, 4,[5],12,:i:-, and Napoli accounted for 135,783 (59%) of these isolates. Temporal trends from 2000 to 2011 varied by serovar: Enteritidis and Infantis decreased significantly (with a mean of -3.0% and -2.8% isolates per year, respectively, p<0.001); Typhimurium remained stable; while 4,[5],12:i:-, Derby and Napoli increased significantly (+66.4%, p<0.001; +8.1%, p<0.001; and +28.2%, p<0.05, respectively). Since 2000, Enteritidis fell consistently below Typhimurium, which is the most reported serovar in Italy in contrast to the international situation where Enteritidis still ranks at the top despite its significant decrease. Most serovars showed a marked seasonality, increasing over the summer months and peaking in August/September. Typhimurium, 4,[5],12:i:-, and Napoli were most likely to be isolated from children, whereas Enteritidis, Derby, and Infantis from adults. We conclude that the applied control measures are not equally efficient against the considered Salmonella serovars and that sources of infection other than those of Enteritidis (laying hens and eggs) have become increasingly important. Further investigations on the emerging serovars and on the causes related to their emergence are needed to define and implement newly tailored control measures.
Clinical Considerations for Adults Abused as Children

Each year a great many children are physically, sexually, or emotionally abused. This early trauma often overwhelms coping mechanisms and derails personality development, resulting in childhood and adult psychopathology. Until recently, the connection between childhood abuse and adult psychopathology eluded most clinicians, with negative consequences for survivors. The author examines these phenomena and discusses a biopsychosocial and integrative clinical approach to this population.
Contour Enhancement , Short Term Memory , and Constancies in Reverberating Neural Networks

A model of the nonlinear dynamics of reverberating on-center off-surround networks of nerve cells, or of cell populations, is analysed. The on-center off-surround anatomy allows patterns to be processed across populations without saturating the populations' response to large inputs. The signals between populations are made sigmoid functions of population activity in order to quench network noise, and yet store sufficiently intense patterns in short term memory (STM). There exists a quenching threshold: a population's activity will be quenched along with network noise if it falls below the threshold; the pattern of suprathreshold population activities is contour enhanced and stored in STM. Varying arousal level can therefore influence which pattern features will be stored. The total suprathreshold activity of the network is carefully regulated. Applications to seizure and hallucinatory phenomena, to position codes for mo~or control, to pattern discrimination, to influences of novel events on storage of redundant relevant cues, and to the construction of a sensory-drive heterarchy are mentioned, along with possible anatomical substrates in neocortex, hypothalamus, and hippocampus.
Genetic Diversity of Colletotrichum spp. an Endophytic Fungi in a Medicinal Plant, Brazilian Pepper Tree

In this study, we reported thirty-nine endophytic fungi identified as Colletotrichum spp. associated with Brazilian pepper tree or aroeira (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. Anacardiaceae) in Paraná state, Brazil. These endophytes were identified by morphological and molecular methods, using PCR taxon-specific with CaInt/ITS4, CgInt/ITS4, and Col1/ITS4 primers, which amplify specific bands in C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides lato sensu, and Colletotrichum boninensis, respectively, and by DNA sequence analysis of the nrDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2). We also assayed the presence of dsRNA particles in Colletotrichum spp. isolates. Combining both morphological characters and molecular data, we identified the species C. gloeosporioides, C. boninense, and C. simmondsii. However, we found a high genetic variability intraspecific in C. gloeosporioides which suggests the existence of several other species. Bands of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) were detected in three of thirty-nine isolates. Identity of these bands was confirmed by RNAse, DNAse, and S1 nuclease treatments for the isolates LGMF633, LGMF726, and LGMF729. This is the first study reporting these particles of dsRNA in C. gloeosporioides.
A Multiscale Numerical Study of Hurricane Andrew (1992). Part II: Kinematics and Inner-Core Structures

Despite considerable research, understanding of the temporal evolution of the inner-core structures of hurricanes is very limited owing to the lack of continuous high-resolution observational data of a storm. In this study, the results of a 72-h explicit simulation of Hurricane Andrew (1992) with a grid size of 6 km are examined to explore the inner-core axisymmetric and asymmetric structures of the storm during its rapid deepening stage. Based on the simulation, a conceptual model of the axisymmetric structures of the storm is proposed. Most of the proposed structures confirm previous observations. The main ingredients include a main inflow (outflow) in the boundary layer (upper troposphere) with little radial flow in between, a divergent slantwise ascent in the eyewall, a penetrative dry downdraft at the inner edge of the eyewall, and a general weak subsiding motion in the eye with typical warming/drying above an inversion located near an altitude of about 2‐3 km. The storm deepens as the axes of these features contract. It is found that the inversion divides the eye of the hurricane vertically into two parts, with a deep layer of warm/dry air above and a shallow pool of warm/moist air below. The air aloft descends at an average rate of 5c m s 21 and has a residency time of several days. In contrast, the warm/moist pool consists of air from the main inflow and penetrative downdrafts, offset somewhat by the air streaming in a returning outflow into the eyewall in the lowest 2 km; it is subject to the influence of the upward heat and moisture fluxes over the underlying warm ocean. The warm/moist pool appears to play an important role in supplying high-ue air for deep convective development in the eyewall. The penetrative downdraft is dry and originates from the return inflow in the upper troposphere, and it is driven by sublimative/evaporative cooling under the influence of the (asymmetric) radial inflow of dry/cold air in the midtroposphere. It penetrates to the bottom of the eye (azimuthally downshear with a width often greater than 100 km) in a radially narrow zone along the slantwise inner edge of the eyewall. It is further shown that all the meteorological fields are highly asymmetric. Whereas the storm-scale flow features a source‐sink couplet in the boundary layer and dual gyres aloft, the inner-core structures exhibit alternative radial inflow and outflow and a series of inhomogeneous updrafts and downdrafts. All the fields tilt more or less with height radially outward and azimuthally downshear. Furthermore, pronounced fluctuations of air motion are found in both the eye and the eyewall. Sometimes, a deep layer of upward motion appears at the center of the eye. All these features contribute to the trochoidal oscillation of the storm track and movement. The main steering appears to be located at the midtroposphere (;4.5 km) and the deep-layer mean winds represent well the movement of the hurricane.
Choosing Clouds for an Enterprise: Modeling and Evaluation

The development of cloud computing has advanced rapidly over the past few years. Benefitting from the dynamic characteristics of cloud computing, enterprises can purchase cloud services based on different aspects in order to save operating expenses. Many companies have seen the opportunities and changes in either cloud computing service providers or cloud computing service consumers. For the latter, with so many cloud providers to choose from, there is a need for an evaluation of standards to help find the most suitable service provider. In this paper, the essential factors of enterprise clouds are discussed. An evaluation model is defined and a web based enterprise cloud selection application is implemented. Keywords—cloud computing; enterprise cloud
A digital microfluidic biochip synthesis framework

Synthesis of digital microfluidic biochips (DMFBs) is a crucial to the advancement and realization of miniaturized, automated, programmable biochemistry solutions; synthesis is performed in three steps: scheduling, placement and routing. In principle, algorithms for specific steps should be interchangeable with one another; however, different research groups typically develop algorithms for each step in isolation from one another. Thus, it is difficult to compare algorithms against one another, or to determine which algorithms for different steps share synergies. We introduce an open source DMFB synthesis framework to encourage collaboration between researchers working in the area. We introduce a common interface and describe the internal data structures that must be updated to ensure that the interfaces are adhered to. We also present and describe a number of high-quality 2D and 3D debugging tools that provide graphical output for each stage of synthesis.
A Pattern-Oriented PSM Interoperability Framework

Software systems typically comprise multiple components which are developed using different technologies, thus the interoperability that enables the components to interact despite differences in programming languages and execution platforms is becoming a central issue. This paper describes how to use Object-Oriented design patterns to derive a cross-platform interoperability framework for bridging the different technology specific models (PSMs) within the Model Driven Architecture (MDA). In addition, we present a MDA based approach to applying the proposed PSM interoperability framework in an automatic fashion to generate a communication bridge between two PSMs in a multi-agent system.
Knit products of graded Lie algebras and groups

If a graded Lie algebra is the direct sum of two graded sub Lie algebras, its bracket can be written in a form that mimics a "double sided semidirect product". It is called the {\it knit product} of the two subalgebras then. The integrated version of this is called a {\it knit product} of groups --- it coincides with the {\it Zappa-Sz\'ep product}. The behavior of homomorphisms with respect to knit products is investigated.
Jesús Martín-Barbero e os mapas essenciais para compreender a comunicação

A obra de Jesús Martín-Barbero é conhecida por realizar deslocamentos e rupturas. Deslocamentos dos lugares tradicionais de onde são feitas as perguntas. Rupturas com as respostas reducionistas e maniqueístas “à direita e à esquerda”. O resultado pode ser sintetizado num trabalho de construção teórico-metodológica conhecido como mapa noturno, uma cartografia para explorar as mediações – é um marco a partir do qual se estuda as novas complexidades nas relações entre comunicação, cultura e política. O artigo tem teor epistemológico e metodológico, com respeito aos conceitos e processos de mediação. Com tal objetivo, analisamos os vários mapas metodológicos das mediações que têm acompanhado as mudanças das relações estruturais entre comunicação e sociedade e levado ao aperfeiçoamento da teoria das mediações.
Neural Network Based Virtual Machine Network Bandwidth Prediction

In this paper, we present two methods using Neural networks to mine virtual machine usage data. For the one-for-all training method, we use the trained model to predict the whole weeks' data. For the separated model, we cut the testing set into seven smaller sets of each day, then use the corresponding model to predict that particular day's data. A whole weeks' data are used as testing set. The final results show that our method can predict network usage with only around 20% of errors.