Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin Combined with Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induces Cell Death via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway in B16F10 Melanoma Cells

This study investigated B16F10 melanoma cell death induced by melatonin combined with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Cell viability was significantly decreased after treatment with melatonin combined with ER stress from thapsigargin or tunicamycin compared to no treatment or treatment with melatonin only. Combined melatonin and ER stress also significantly reduced expression of p85β, p-Akt (Ser473, Thr308), and p-mTOR (Ser2448, Ser2481) compared to treatment with melatonin only. The ER stress protein p-PERK and p-eIF2α were significantly increased under combined melatonin and ER stress treatment compared to no treatment or treatment with melatonin only. Combined melatonin and ER stress significantly reduced Bcl-2 protein and augmented Bax protein compared to melatonin-only treatment. Also, the combined treatment significantly lowered expression of catalase, Cu/Zn-SOD, and Mn-SOD proteins compared to melatonin only. Expression of p85β was significantly more decreased under treatment with melatonin and thapsigargin or tunicamycin plus the PI3K inhibitors LY294002 or wortmannin than under treatment with only melatonin or a PI3K inhibitor. The PI3K downstream target p-Akt (Ser473, Thr308) showed significantly decreased expression under treatment with melatonin and thapsigargin or tunicamycin plus PI3K inhibitors than under treatment with melatonin or PI3K inhibitors only. These results indicate that survival of B16F10 melanoma cells after combined treatment with melatonin and ER stress inducers is suppressed through regulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Melatonin combined with thapsigargin or tunicamycin appears to be a promising strategy for effective melanoma treatment.
An improved Gravitational Search Algorithm based on single dimension swimming

Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) is a novel intelligent optimization algorithm that has high search ability and fast convergence. However, the standard GSA is easy to fall into local optimum and has low solution precision for complex optimization problems. To overcome these drawbacks, an improved Gravitational Search Algorithm based on Single Dimension Swimming (SDSGSA) is proposed. First, chaos sequence is adopted to initialize the population. Then, a new motion mode of single dimension swimming is proposed. Finally, mutation based on t-distribution is applied to the first k agents with the best fitness in each iteration. Simulation experiments on ten standard benchmark functions are carried out, and the results show that the proposed algorithm has high solution precision and fast convergence without premature convergence.
Improved phonetic speaker recognition using lattice decoding

The current "state-of-the-art" in phonetic speaker recognition uses relative frequencies of phone n-grams as features for training speaker models and for scoring test-target pairs. Typically, these relative frequencies are computed from a simple 1-best phone decoding of the input speech. We present results on the Switchboard-2 corpus, where we compare 1-best phone decodings versus lattice phone decodings for the purposes of performing phonetic speaker recognition. The phone decodings are used to compute relative frequencies of phone bigrams, which are then used as inputs for two standard phonetic speaker recognition systems, a system based on log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) (Andrews, W.D. et al., Proc. Eurospeech, p.149-53, 2001; Proc. ICASSP, vol.I, p.149-53, 2002), and a system based on support vector machines (SVMs) (Campbell, W.M. et al., Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, vol.16, 2004). In each experiment, the lattice phone decodings achieve relative reductions in equal-error rate (EER) of between 31% and 66% below the EERs of the 1-best phone decodings. Our best phonetic system achieves an EER of 2.0% on 8-conversation training and 1.4% when combined with a GMM-based system.
Remarks on global controllability for the shallow-water system with two control forces

In this paper we deal with the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with a friction term in one dimension on an interval. We study the exact controllability properties of this equation with general initial condition when the boundary control is acting at both endpoints of the interval. Inspired by the work of Guerrero and Imanuvilov in \cite{GI} on the viscous Burger equation, we prove by choosing irrotational data and using the notion of effective velocity developed in \cite{cpde,cras} that the exact global controllability result does not hold for any time $T$.
Persuasive Structures in Advergames

markdownabstractSince the publication of Ian Bogost's two first books (2006, 2007), procedural rhetoric has been the focus of attention of many scholars working on persuasive strategies in digital games (e.g., Heide & Norholm 2009, Flanagan 2009, Swain 2010, Ferrari 2010). This paper aims to demonstrate that other persuasive dimensions could complement procedural rhetoric to design games with advertising purposes. This paper initially explains the value of use for each one of the persuasive dimensions that could appear in an advergame: narrative persuasion, procedural rhetoric, visual rhetoric, audiovisual rhetoric and textual rhetoric. Then a framework to analyze and visualize the persuasive structure of advergames is proposed, explained and defended. Finally the model is applied to three case studies.
Smart Kitchen: A User Centric Cooking Support System

Several cooking support systems have been studied to give users instructions based on the recipes stepby-step, using multi-media contents. These systems usually disturb users’ cooking process forcing them to provide information to the system in order to give them beneficial information. In this sense, these systems are considered to be ”system centric”. We propose a system called ”Smart Kitchen” considered to be in ”user centric”, in which a user can cook normally without being concerned about the system. Smart Kitchen can understand cooking processes, in other words, what the user is doing. In this paper, we discuss the design of the Smart Kitchen system and explain three essential modules of tracking food, recognizing food material, and recognizing cooking action.
Brane cosmology with an anisotropic bulk

In the context of brane cosmology, a scenario where our universe is a 3+1-dimensional surface (the ``brane'') embedded in a five-dimensional spacetime (the ``bulk''), we study geometries for which the brane is anisotropic — more specifically Bianchi I — though still homogeneous. We first obtain explicit vacuum bulk solutions with anisotropic three-dimensional spatial slices. The bulk is assumed to be empty but endowed with a negative cosmological constant. We then embed Z2-symmetric branes in the anisotropic spacetimes and discuss the constraints on the brane energy-momentum tensor due to the five-dimensional anisotropic geometry. We show that if the bulk is static, an anisotropic brane cannot support a perfect fluid. However, we find that for some of our bulk solutions it is possible to embed a brane with a perfect fluid though its energy density and pressure are completely determined by the bulk geometry.
ESOP-based Toffoli Gate Cascade Generation

An ESOP-based Toffoli gate cascade synthesis algorithm is presented. The algorithm is capable of generating a cascade of reversible gates for logic functions with large numbers of qubits. The algorithm is fast as it uses a simple cost metric heuristic during a recursive divide-and-conquer function to determine NOT and Toffoli gate placement.
Ways of Seeing Matter: The Impact of a Naturally Mapped Perceptual System on the Persuasive Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Advertising

This study examines whether the naturalness of a device’s perceptual system, which defines the way users look around in the virtual environment, influences the persuasive effects of immersive virtual reality (IVR) advertising. In a between-subject experiment (N = 115), participants watched a 360-degree advertisement using one of three devices with different perceptual systems (a head-mounted display [HMD], a tablet, or a desktop computer, representing high, medium, and low naturalness respectively). The results revealed that participants who watched IVR advertising using a more naturally mapped perceptual interface (i.e., an HMD) reported higher levels of perceived naturalness than did those who used devices lower in naturalness (i.e., a tablet or a desktop computer). The use of a perceptual system with a higher level of natural mapping positively affected the sense of presence, which in turn enhanced advertising enjoyment and further improved the effects of IVR advertising, thereby yielding a three-step serial mediation model.
Ensino/aprendizagem de língua portuguesa na escola: explorando letramentos

RESUMO Neste artigo, objetiva-se problematizar práticas escolares envolvendo língua/linguagem a partir de uma experiência localizada de ensino de língua portuguesa. A pesquisa-ação foi orientada pela pluralidade de letramentos, conduzida pela professora pesquisadora e seus estudantes do segundo ano de ensino médio de uma escola pública de Goiás. O material empírico de interpretação constitui-se de questionários discentes, de notas de campo e diário reflexivo da professora pesquisadora, e de entrevistas semiestruturadas com os estudantes. Os resultados apontam para a relevância de projetos que subvertam didáticas enrijecidas de ensino/aprendizagem de língua portuguesa, especialmente aquelas práticas voltadas exclusivamente ao letramento da letra.
Glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk factors in first degree relatives of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to evaluate insulin resistance (IR), glucose tolerance status and cardiovascular risk factors in first degree relatives of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS A total of 120 family members [Mothers(PCOS) (n = 40), Fathers(PCOS) (n = 38), Sisters(PCOS) (n = 25) and Brothers(PCOS) (n = 17)] of 55 patients with PCOS and 75 unrelated healthy control subjects without a family history of diabetes or PCOS (four age- and weight-matched subgroups, i.e. Control(Mothers), Control(Fathers), Control(Sisters) and Control(Brothers)) were studied. IR was assessed by homeostatic model assessment (HOMA IR), log HOMA, insulin sensivity index (ISI), the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and area under the curve for insulin during the oral glucose tolerance test (AUCI, AUCG) in with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects and controls. Serum adiponectin, resistin, homocysteine and lipid levels were measured. RESULTS The prevalence of any degree of glucose intolerance was 40% in Mothers(PCOS) and 52% in Fathers(PCOS). In total, six (15%) glucose tolerance disorders were identified in the Control(Mothers) and Control(Fathers) in first degree relatives of control subjects. The first degree relatives of PCOS patients had significantly higher serum fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, Log HOMA and AUCI levels in all subgroups than the control subjects. The control subjects had significantly elevated QUCKI, ISI levels and serum adiponectin levels compared to the first degree relatives of PCOS subjects in all subgroups. The serum Hcy and resistin levels increased significantly in both Fathers(PCOS) and Mothers(PCOS) groups but not Brothers(PCOS) and Sister(PCOS). CONCLUSION The results of the present study support the finding that the first degree relatives of PCOS patients carry an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as do PCOS patients.
Mapping Standards to Patents using Databases of Declared Standard-Essential Patents and Systems of Technological Classification

This paper describes a new database of declared Standard-Essential Patents (SEPs), discusses methods for matching declared SEPs with technology standards, and presents empirical evidence on technology standards subject to declared SEPs. While there is a growing body of empirical research using data on declared SEPs, this research has so far focused on the declared patents, and neglected the implications of SEP declarations for specific standards. Furthermore, we present a new methodology for matching standards with technology classes, using the classification of declared SEPs. This method allows identifying standard-related patents that have not been declared as essential, and provides a measure of standard-related patenting that is not affected by strategic incentives to declare a patent. The paper discusses opportunities for new empirical research using databases of declared SEPs and data on patenting in standard-related technology classes. 1 Justus Baron, Research Associate at Northwestern University School of Law, Searle Center on Law, Regulation and Economic Growth, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622, USA. Justus.Baron@law.northwestern. edu 2 Tim Pohlmann, Research Fellow at Mines ParisTech PSL University, Cerna Center for Industrial Economics, 60 Boulevard Saint Michel, 75006 Paris, France; and Associated Researcher at Technische Universität Berlin, Chair for Innovation Economics. Tim.Pohlmann@tu-berlin.de
When S IGNAL hits the Fan : On the Usability and Security of State-ofthe-Art Secure Mobile Messaging

In this paper we analyze the security and usability of the state-of-the-art secure mobile messenger SIGNAL. In the first part of this paper we discuss the threat model current secure mobile messengers face. In the following, we conduct a user study to examine the usability of SIGNAL’s security features. Specifically, our study assesses if users are able to detect and deter man-in-the-middle attacks on the SIGNAL protocol. Our results show that the majority of users failed to correctly compare keys with their conversation partner for verification purposes due to usability problems and incomplete mental models. Hence users are very likely to fall for attacks on the essential infrastructure of today’s secure messaging apps: the central services to exchange cryptographic keys. We expect that our findings foster research into the unique usability and security challenges of state-of-theart secure mobile messengers and thus ultimately result in strong protection measures for the average user.
Conversion of a self peptide sequence into a Kd-restricted neo-antigen by a Tyr substitution

We have previously found that a Tyr residue was critical for the interaction of peptides with the Kd molecule, and therefore may be acting as an anchor residue. In the present report we show that it is possible to convert a self peptide sequence into a Kd-restricted neo- antigen by a single Tyr substitution at position 2 of the peptide. This supports the idea that Tyr is a critical element in the binding motif of Kd-restricted peptides and is a finding that could also prove useful for vaccine development.
Feasibility of the evolutionary algorithm using different behaviours of the mutation rate to design simple digital logic circuits

The evolutionary design of electronic circuits, or evolvable hardware, is a discipline that allows the user to automatically obtain the desired circuit design. The circuit configuration is under the control of evolutionary algorithms. Several researchers have used evolvable hardware to design electrical circuits. Every time that one particular algorithm is selected to carry out the evolution, it is necessary that all its parameters, such as mutation rate, population size, selection mechanisms etc. are tuned in order to achieve the best results during the evolution process. This paper investigates the abilities of evolution strategy to evolve digital logic circuits based on programmable logic array structures when different mutation rates are used. Several mutation rates (fixed and variable) are analyzed and compared with each other to outline the most appropriate choice to be used during the evolution of combinational logic circuits. The experimental results outlined in this paper are important as they could be used by every researcher who might need to use the evolutionary algorithm to design digital logic circuits.
Bounding Completion Times of Jobs with Arbitrary Release Times, Variable Execution Times and Resource Sharing

The workload of many real time systems can be characterized as a set of preemptable jobs with linear precedence constraints. Typically their execution times are only known to lie within a range of values. In addition, jobs share resources and access to the resources must be synchronized to ensure the integrity of the system. The paper is concerned with the schedulability of such jobs when scheduled on a priority driven basis. It describes three algorithms for computing upper bounds on the completion times of jobs that have arbitrary release times and priorities. The first two are simple but do not yield sufficiently tight bounds, while the last one yields the tightest bounds but has the greatest complexity.
High-efficiency reconfigurable RF transmitter for wireless sensor network applications

In this paper, a 90-nm CMOS 1.2-V ultra-low-power RF transmitter for wireless sensor networks is presented. A wideband topology guarantees continuous frequency coverage from 300 to 960 MHz, thus enabling easy reconfigurability through the most popular sub-GHz bands. At 300 MHz (960 MHz), the transmitter is able to deliver a 10.2-dBm (10.3-dBm) output power with 63% (46%) system efficiency. The proposed circuit features extensive use of dynamic current biasing for improved efficiency in back-off. Substantial power saving in excess of 80% are achieved compared to constant bias operation. Linear operation with variable-envelope input is also demonstrated, since the transmitter exhibits a 8.5-dBm output power, 37% efficiency, and −30-dBc adjacent channel power ratio with π/4-DQPSK 200-ksps input excitation.
Is Iterative Control Wasting Information?

Iterative identification and control design schemes improve performance by identifying better models on the basis of closed loop identification with former designed controllers. Once a new model is identified the former one is utterly disregarded for control design purposes. However former models can be more accurate for some frequency range that the new one. If this is the case we are throwing away useful already taken (i.e. at no extra cost) information. In this paper it is presented by means of an example that iterative control indeed can increase performance for a wider class of perturbations if former models are taken into account for controller design. Moreover a procedure to manage old and new controllers is sketched. The objective is to achieve monotonicity on the plant information.
Understanding factors that promote and limit the use of video guidance in child protection services: A SWOT analysis

Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, Oslo, Norway National Network for Infant Mental Health, Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, Oslo, Norway Correspondence Parvin Kiamanesh, Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, NKVTS, Oslo, Norway, P.O. Box 181 Nydalen, Oslo N‐0409, Norway. Email: parvin.kiamanesh@nkvts.no Funding information Wøyen Foundation
I-TOUCH: a generic multimodal framework for industry virtual prototyping

Simulations based on virtual reality techniques make often special arrangements for haptic rendering. In fact, in most cases, haptic rendering drives the design of the simulation engine. This work proposes alternative software architecture to handle multimodal and human centered interactive rendering with a particular emphasis for the computer haptics problem. Namely, the architecture allows handling both haptic devices requirements, in terms of high refresh rates, and physically-based simulations requirements, in terms of CPU time. The developed I-TOUCH framework is designed to address these issues; in the meantime, it provides an open architecture and powerful tools to benchmark robustness of subsequent algorithms. All undergoing developments are being tested with actual industry virtual prototyping scenarios, the complexity of some of which highlights the extent of the fundamental problems to overcome.
N-gram-Based Low-Dimensional Representation for Document Classification

The bag-of-words (BOW) model is the common approach for classifying documents, where words are used as feature for training a classifier. This generally involves a huge number of features. Some techniques, such as Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) or Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), have been designed to summarize documents in a lower dimension with the least semantic information loss. Some semantic information is nevertheless always lost, since only words are considered. Instead, we aim at using information coming from n-grams to overcome this limitation, while remaining in a low-dimension space. Many approaches, such as the Skip-gram model, provide good word vector representations very quickly. We propose to average these representations to obtain representations of n-grams. All n-grams are thus embedded in a same semantic space. A K-means clustering can then group them into semantic concepts. The number of features is therefore dramatically reduced and documents can be represented as bag of semantic concepts. We show that this model outperforms LSA and LDA on a sentiment classification task, and yields similar results than a traditional BOW-model with far less features.
PLWAP sequential mining: open source code

PLWAP algorithm uses a preorder linked, position coded version of WAP tree and eliminates the need to recursively re-construct intermediate WAP trees during sequential mining as done by WAP tree technique. PLWAP produces significant reduction in response time achieved by the WAP algorithm and provides a position code mechanism for remembering the stored database, thus, eliminating the need to re-scan the original database as would be necessary for applications like those incrementally maintaining mined frequent patterns, performing stream or dynamic mining.This paper presents open source code for both the PLWAP and WAP algorithms describing our implementations and experimental performance analysis of these two algorithms on synthetic data generated with IBM quest data generator. An implementation of the Apriori-like GSP sequential mining algorithm is also discussed and submitted. A web log pre-processor for producing real input to the algorithms is made available too.
Spam Filtering Based on Supervised Latent Semantic Features Extraction

Spam text is an universal phenomenon on the “open web”, including large-scale email systems and the growing number of Blogs. Handling this information overload is becoming an increasingly challenging problem, A promising approach is the using of content-based filtering. In this paper, our focus is placed on finding effective dimension reduction method for email Spam filtering, we apply a supervised latent semantic features to extract the features according to their filtering powers. Using Support Vector Machines and k-Nearest Neighbors classification model, Experiments on TREC 2005 shows that supervised latent semantic features extraction can improve the junk mail detection performance .
M-Banking Using Cued Click Points Based Authentication

The recent growth for graphical passwords since last decade is due to the fact that older methods suffered from innumerable attacks. It is sad that text passwords are cracked easily by intruders by several simple means, vizdictionary, shoulder surfing and social engineering attack. To lessen the problems with traditional methods, advanced methods have been proposed using graphical password authentication, such as Cued ClickPoints (CCP). This paper presents integrated evaluation of the Cued Click Points graphical password scheme, discussing usability and security issues, and implementation of this password scheme in M-Banking application. Keywords— Authentication, Graphical passwords, Cued Click Points, Usability, Security.