Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Streamlining behaviour of the red urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus in response to flow

SUMMARY This work was motivated by subtidal observations of red urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) moving their spines into streamlined positions as water current increased in the field. Trials in a flume across flow speeds from 0 to 65 cm s–1 enabled us to observe the change in overall shape of the urchins and quantify the decrease in spine angle that occurred as flow speeds increased. The effect of this behaviour on drag and lift was measured with physical models made from urchin tests with spines in the `up' position (typical in stagnant and slow velocities) and in the `down' position (typical of posture in high velocities). Streamlining spines decreased the drag, but increased the lift experienced by urchin models at flow speeds between 10 and 40 cm s–1, current velocities that are commonly encountered by these animals in the field in Washington, USA. Total force (combination of drag and lift) was similar for `up' and `down' models at all flow speeds, lift comprising the majority of the force for `down' models, and drag slightly higher for `up' models. Live urchins in the field routinely adopt a streamlined `down' posture in flow, suggesting that they may be better able to cope with lift than drag. This behaviour, although affecting hydrodynamic forces and enabling S. franciscanus to remain attached to the substratum in high currents, may lead to reduced capture of drift kelp, which is entrapped on upright spines and then eaten, delivery of which is positively related to flow speed. Urchins living in deep subtidal habitats rely on drift kelp capture but must stay attached to the substratum to be successful in a habitat. Therefore, this streamlining behaviour may be an important factor enabling S. franciscanus to persist in deep, high-current areas.
Reducing electricity demand charge for data centers with partial execution

Data centers consume a large amount of energy and incur substantial electricity cost. In this paper, we study the familiar problem of reducing data center energy cost with two new perspectives. First, we find, through an empirical study of contracts from electric utilities powering Google data centers, that demand charge per kW for the maximum power used is a major component of the total cost. Second, many services such as web search tolerate partial execution of the requests because the response quality is a concave function of processing time. Data from Microsoft Bing search engine confirms this observation. We propose a simple idea of using partial execution to reduce the peak power demand and energy cost of data centers. We systematically study the problem of scheduling partial execution with stringent SLAs on response quality. For a single data center, we derive an optimal algorithm to solve the workload scheduling problem. In the case of multiple geo-distributed data centers, the demand of each data center is controlled by the request routing algorithm, which makes the problem much more involved. We decouple the two aspects, and develop a distributed optimization algorithm to solve the large-scale request routing problem. Trace-driven simulations show that partial execution reduces cost by 3%--10.5% for one data center, and by 15.5% for geo-distributed data centers together with request routing.
Secure Software Systems Engineering: The Secure Tropos Approach (Invited Paper)

This paper discusses the secure Tropos methodology. This is the first paper in the literature that discusses all the aspects of the methodology as it has evolved over the last 10 years. In particular, the paper discusses the Secure Tropos modeling language, the security aware process of the methodology, and it also introduces the secTro, an automated tool to support the methodology.
Punch excision combined with erbium:YAG fractional laser: Its application on different types of scars in Asian patients (a pilot study)

Abstract Scars cause significant impact on the quality of life of the affected patients and compel the search for more effective treatments. Ablative laser skin resurfacing, either alone or in combination with other modalities, is the gold standard for treating various scars but is associated with prolonged recovery and many side effects. To address these limitations, newer modalities employing the principle of fractional photothermolysis have emerged. Herein, we investigated the combined effect of punch excision and the erbium:YAG (Er:YAG) fractional laser on different types of scars in Asian individuals.
metaTIGER: a metabolic evolution resource

Metabolic networks are a subject that has received much attention, but existing web resources do not include extensive phylogenetic information. Phylogenomic approaches (phylogenetics on a genomic scale) have been shown to be effective in the study of evolution and processes like horizontal gene transfer (HGT). To address the lack of phylogenomic information relating to eukaryotic metabolism, metaTIGER (www.bioinformatics.leeds.ac.uk/metatiger) has been created, using genomic information from 121 eukaryotes and 404 prokaryotes and sensitive sequence search techniques to predict the presence of metabolic enzymes. These enzyme sequences were used to create a comprehensive database of 2257 maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees, some containing over 500 organisms. The trees can be viewed using iTOL, an advanced interactive tree viewer, enabling straightforward interpretation of large trees. Complex high-throughput tree analysis is also available through user-defined queries, allowing the rapid identification of trees of interest, e.g. containing putative HGT events. metaTIGER also provides novel and easy-to-use facilities for viewing and comparing the metabolic networks in different organisms via highlighted pathway images and tables. metaTIGER is demonstrated through evolutionary analysis of Plasmodium, including identification of genes horizontally transferred from chlamydia.
Natural control of the mosquito population viaOdonataand Toxorhynchites

The main impact of mosquito pests is the transmission of many dangerous diseases and death. Hence, the reduction of their population by the use of a natural control method is a primary objective of this research. This mosquito reduction method utilises different species of predators (Odonata) and (Toxorhynchites) to substantially improve the environment. The frequency of capturing the pest mosquitoes by the predators is determined using a Pascal distribution, whilst insect mortality is modelled using a Weibull distribution. The results from the model show that by using insect predators, a significant reduction of the mosquito population is possible in less than eighty days.
Pathways by Which Reconstituted High-Density Lipoprotein Mobilizes Free Cholesterol From Whole Body and From Macrophages

Objective—Reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) is of interest as a potential novel therapy for atherosclerosis because of its ability to promote free cholesterol (FC) mobilization after intravenous administration. We performed studies to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms by which rHDL promote FC mobilization from whole body in vivo and macrophages in vitro. Methods and Results—Wild-type (WT), SR-BI knockout (KO), ABCA1 KO, and ABCG1 KO mice received either rHDL or phosphate-buffered saline intravenously. Blood was drawn before and at several time points after injection for apolipoprotein A-I, phosphatidylcholine, and FC measurement. In WT mice, serum FC peaked at 20 minutes and rapidly returned toward baseline levels by 24 hours. Unexpectedly, ABCA1 KO and ABCG1 KO mice did not differ from WT mice regarding the kinetics of FC mobilization. In contrast, in SR-BI KO mice the increase in FC level at 20 minutes was only 10% of that in control mice (P<0.01). Bone marrow-derived macrophages from WT, SR-BI O, ABCA1 KO, and ABCG1 KO mice were incubated in vitro with rHDL and cholesterol efflux was determined. Efflux from SR-BI KO and ABCA1 KO macrophages was not different from WT macrophages. In contrast, efflux from ABCG1 KO macrophages was ≈50% lower as compared with WT macrophages (P<0.001). Conclusion—The bulk mobilization of FC observed in circulation after rHDL administration is primarily mediated by SR-BI. However, cholesterol mobilization from macrophages to rHDL is primarily mediated by ABCG1.
Estimation of confidence limits for descriptive indexes derived from autoregressive analysis of time series: Methods and application to heart rate variability

The growing interest in personalized medicine requires making inferences from descriptive indexes estimated from individual recordings of physiological signals, with statistical analyses focused on individual differences between/within subjects, rather than comparing supposedly homogeneous cohorts. To this end, methods to compute confidence limits of individual estimates of descriptive indexes are needed. This study introduces numerical methods to compute such confidence limits and perform statistical comparisons between indexes derived from autoregressive (AR) modeling of individual time series. Analytical approaches are generally not viable, because the indexes are usually nonlinear functions of the AR parameters. We exploit Monte Carlo (MC) and Bootstrap (BS) methods to reproduce the sampling distribution of the AR parameters and indexes computed from them. Here, these methods are implemented for spectral and information-theoretic indexes of heart-rate variability (HRV) estimated from AR models of heart-period time series. First, the MS and BC methods are tested in a wide range of synthetic HRV time series, showing good agreement with a gold-standard approach (i.e. multiple realizations of the "true" process driving the simulation). Then, real HRV time series measured from volunteers performing cognitive tasks are considered, documenting (i) the strong variability of confidence limits' width across recordings, (ii) the diversity of individual responses to the same task, and (iii) frequent disagreement between the cohort-average response and that of many individuals. We conclude that MC and BS methods are robust in estimating confidence limits of these AR-based indexes and thus recommended for short-term HRV analysis. Moreover, the strong inter-individual differences in the response to tasks shown by AR-based indexes evidence the need of individual-by-individual assessments of HRV features. Given their generality, MC and BS methods are promising for applications in biomedical signal processing and beyond, providing a powerful new tool for assessing the confidence limits of indexes estimated from individual recordings.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Bats-Borne Diseases among Village Residents: A Pilot Study

Ebola virus disease (EVD), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARSCoV), rabies and Nipah infections were examples of diseases that were related to bats and shook the world with a series of outbreak and epidemic. Through the understanding of bats as potential public health risk, awareness had become vital to prevent another outbreak. This pilot study was done to evaluate the appropriateness of the questionnaires and to determine preliminary data on knowledge, attitude and practices of bats-related infections. Residents of a village were recruited by randomly choosing houses from a list obtained from the local head village. Knowledge, attitude and practice were assessed using a 56-items questionnaire. The study recruited 100 respondents. The questionnaire’s Cronbach Alpha score was 0.817. Majority of the respondents were found to have good knowledge (71%), attitude (99%) and practice (64%) relating to bat-related infection. There was a weak positive correlation between knowledge and practice towards bat-related infections among residents of the study population. Majority (80%) of respondents did not aware that bats can cause rabies, and 84% did not know about rabies vaccination. The result of this pilot study provides a limited but valuable insight into bat-related infection. Overall, respondents had good knowledge, attitude and practice scores towards bats-related infection. However, more awareness is needed to key areas lacking such as in educating awareness about rabies in bats.
Comparative Genetic Analysis of Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum Reveals Evidence of Recent Divergence

ABSTRACT Previous studies of the 16S rRNA genes from Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium marinum have suggested a very close genetic relationship between these species (99.6% identity). However, these organisms are phenotypically distinct and cause diseases with very different pathologies. To investigate this apparent paradox, we compared 3,306 nucleotides from the partial sequences of eight housekeeping and structural genes derived from 18M. ulcerans strains and 22 M. marinumstrains. This analysis confirmed the close genetic relationship inferred from the 16S rRNA data, with nucleotide sequence identity ranging from 98.1 to 99.7%. The multilocus sequence analysis also confirmed previous genotype studies of M. ulceransthat have identified distinct genotypes within a geographical region. Single isolates of both M. ulcerans and M. marinum that were shown by the sequence analysis to be the most closely related were then selected for further study. One- and two-dimensional pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was employed to compare the architecture and size of the genome from each species. Genome sizes of approximately 4.4 and 4.6 Mb were obtained forM. ulcerans and M. marinum, respectively. Significant macrorestriction fragment polymorphism was observed between the species. However, hybridization analysis of DNA cleaved with more frequently cutting enzymes identified significant preservation of the flanking sequence at seven of the eight loci sequenced. The exception was the 16S rRNA locus. Two high-copy-number insertion sequences, IS2404 and IS2606, have recently been reported in M. ulcerans, and significantly, these elements are not present in M. marinum. Hybridization of theAseI restriction fragments from M. ulcerans with IS2404 and IS2606 indicated widespread genome distribution for both of these repeated sequences. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that M. ulcerans has recently diverged from M. marinumby the acquisition and concomitant loss of DNA in a manner analogous to the emergence of M. tuberculosis, where species diversity is being driven mainly by the activity of mobile DNA elements.
The Symbol Digit Modalities Test as sentinel test for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis

impairment in multiple sclerosis J. Van Schependom, M. B. D’hooghe, K. Cleynhens, M. D’hooge, M.C. Haelewyck, J. De Keyser and G. Nagels Department of Neurology, Center for Neurosciences, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels; Faculte de Psychologie et des Sciences de l“Education, Mons, Belgium; National MS Center Melsbroek, Melsbroek; and Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
ADJUSTING THE HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF USING THE BALANCED SCORECARD

Engaging the human resources structure in the strategic design and implementation stages is closely connected to the enhancement of its capabilities towards undertaking and handling transformational activities, which have a direct contribution in increasing the added value of an organization. This way, transformational activities enhance the strategic importance and the prominence of the human resources function within organizations. The employment of the Balanced Scorecard stands out as a powerful signal of quality in terms of an organization’s strategic management, yet its exigencies towards the richness and the accuracy of the data are significant. Envisioned as part of a broader research project, the current essay addresses the particularities and the challenges that the human resources information system has to negotiate throughout the process of implementing the BSC model in a Romanian banking institution.
Networks and Language in the 2010 Election

The midterm (2010) election in the U.S. presented a unique opportunity to study the online social media strategy of various political groups. Although candidates had previously leveraged social media, the prevalence of use during this election allows us to study a significant percentage of candidates and a novel glimpse into their networks and messaging. In combination, the networks and associated content reflect positioning of candidates both structurally and in framing in relation to other politicians. In our work, we study the use of Twitter by House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates during the midterm elections in the U.S. Our data includes almost 700 candidates and over 460k tweets that they produced in the 3.5 years leading to the elections. We utilize graph and text mining techniques to analyze differences between Democrats, Republicans and Tea Party candidates, and suggest a novel use of language modeling for estimating content cohesiveness. Our findings show significant differences in the usage patterns of social media, and suggest conservative candidates used this medium more effectively, conveying a coherent message and maintaining a dense graph of connections. Despite the lack of party leadership, we find Tea Party members display both structural and language‐based cohesiveness. Finally, we investigate the relation between network structure, content and election results by creating a proof‐of‐concept model that extends incumbency models to predict candidate victory.
A Game Theoretic Formulation for Intrusion Detection in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Nodes in a mobile ad hoc network need to thwart various attacks and malicious activities. This is especially true for the ad hoc environment where there is a total lack of centralized or third-party authentication and security architectures. This paper presents a game-theoretic model to analyze intrusion detection in mobile ad hoc networks. We use game theory to model the interactions between the nodes of an ad hoc network. We view the interaction between an attacker and an individual node as a two player non-cooperative game, and construct models for such a game.
Radiology after 5: Improvement in the Exercise of Emergency Radiology

Currently, the emergency radiology practiced around the world plays an important role in the number of studies performed each year in radiology departments. Most of them are performed outside of normal working hours (i.e,.during night shifts), initially interpreted by fellows and residents that are on duty, and subsequently reviewed by the attendant in charge of the shift or the corresponding section the following morning or remotely. However, the greatest number of interpretation errors occurs during these hours, which result in inadequate management and causes delays for patients in the emergency room. This is why the use of strategies to quantify the percentage of error in these studies has become very important, not only to provide statistics for individual departments, but also to formulate strategies to allow errors to be identified and diminished to improve patient care. The American College of Radiology (ACR®) has created a scoring system for these non-concordant findings and has provided guidelines for "admissible" error percentages. We conducted a retrospective, observational and descriptive study, in which we evaluated the percentage of nonconcordances in the emergency studies in the Diagnostic Imaging Department. We describe the results obtained over a period of 15 months and describe the strategy that we implemented to analyze, socialize, and improve these results.
Competitive Strategies , Entrepreneurial Orientation , External Environment and Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Manufacturing Sector in Kenya : A critical Literature Review

The purpose of this paper was to establish the influence of entrepreneurial orientation and external environment on the relationship between competitive strategies and performance of small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing sector in Kenya. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play crucial roles in many economies all over the world. SMEs are critical for developing countries because of their intensity is much higher than that of the large enterprises. They also contribute to government revenue through payment of various taxes. The study was anchored on resource based theory and supported by game theory, open system theory and dynamic capabilities theory which provide a framework for examining the association between research variables. Resource based theory lays emphasis on the internal resources of a firm in developing its strategy to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in its markets and industry. The study found that small and medium enterprises performance is affected by a variety of interrelated factors which should be taken into consideration in order to achieve success and to avoid business failure. This study concludes that entrepreneurial orientation and environment have impact on competitive strategies adopted to improve performance.
Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury revisited: pathophysiology, prevention and future therapies

Purpose of reviewAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Sepsis is the most common cause of AKI. Considerable evidence now suggests that the pathogenic mechanisms of sepsis-induced AKI are different from those seen in other causes of AKI. This review focuses on the recent advances in this area and discusses possible therapeutic interventions that might derive from these new insights into the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced AKI. Recent findingsThe traditional paradigm that sepsis-induced AKI arises from ischemia has been challenged by recent evidence that total renal blood flow in is not universally impaired during sepsis, and AKI can develop in the presence of normal or even increased renal blood flow. Animal and human studies suggest that adaptive responses of tubular epithelial cells to injurious signals are responsible for renal dysfunction. Simultaneously occurring renal inflammation and microcirculatory dysfunction further amplify these mechanisms. SummaryAn understanding of the pathologic mechanisms of sepsis-induced AKI emphasizes the important role of maladaptive responses to the septic insult. Preventive and therapeutic measures should be based on counteracting these maladaptive responses of tubular epithelial cells, inflammation, and microvascular dysfunction.
Ca 2 + Signaling in Cytoskeletal Reorganization , Cell Migration , and Cancer Metastasis

Proper control of Ca signaling is mandatory for effective cell migration, which is critical for embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. However, how Ca coordinates structural components and signaling molecules for proper cell motility had remained elusive. With the advance of fluorescent live-cell Ca imaging in recent years, we gradually understand how Ca is regulated spatially and temporally in migrating cells, driving polarization, protrusion, retraction, and adhesion at the right place and right time. Here we give an overview about how cells create local Ca pulses near the leading edge, maintain cytosolic Ca gradient from back to front, and restore Ca depletion for persistent cell motility. Differential roles of Ca in regulating various effectors and the interaction of roles of Ca signaling with other pathways during migration are also discussed. Such information might suggest a new direction to control cancer metastasis by manipulating Ca and its associating signaling molecules in a judicious manner.