Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A confidence assessment of WCET estimates for software time randomized caches

Obtaining Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET) estimates is a required step in real-time embedded systems during software verification. Measurement-Based Probabilistic Timing Analysis (MBPTA) aims at obtaining WCET estimates for industrial-size software running upon hardware platforms comprising high-performance features. MBPTA relies on the randomization of timing behavior (functional behavior is left unchanged) of hard-to-predict events like the location of objects in memory — and hence their associated cache behavior — that significantly impact software's WCET estimates. Software time-randomized caches (sTRc) have been recently proposed to enable MBPTA on top of Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) caches (e.g. modulo placement). However, some random events may challenge MBPTA reliability on top of sTRc. In this paper, for sTRc and programs with homogeneously accessed addresses, we determine whether the number of observations taken at analysis, as part of the normal MBPTA application process, captures the cache events significantly impacting execution time and WCET. If this is not the case, our techniques provide the user with the number of extra runs to perform to guarantee that cache events are captured for a reliable application of MBPTA. Our techniques are evaluated with synthetic benchmarks and an avionics application.
Pituitary Adenylate-Cyclase Activating Polypeptide Regulates Hunger- and Palatability-Induced Binge Eating

While pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) signaling in the hypothalamic ventromedial nuclei (VMN) has been shown to regulate feeding, a challenge in unmasking a role for this peptide in obesity is that excess feeding can involve numerous mechanisms including homeostatic (hunger) and hedonic-related (palatability) drives. In these studies, we first isolated distinct feeding drives by developing a novel model of binge behavior in which homeostatic-driven feeding was temporally separated from feeding driven by food palatability. We found that stimulation of the VMN, achieved by local microinjections of AMPA, decreased standard chow consumption in food-restricted rats (e.g., homeostatic feeding); surprisingly, this manipulation failed to alter palatable food consumption in satiated rats (e.g., hedonic feeding). In contrast, inhibition of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), through local microinjections of GABA receptor agonists baclofen and muscimol, decreased hedonic feeding without altering homeostatic feeding. PACAP microinjections produced the site-specific changes in synaptic transmission needed to decrease feeding via VMN or NAc circuitry. PACAP into the NAc mimicked the actions of GABA agonists by reducing hedonic feeding without altering homeostatic feeding. In contrast, PACAP into the VMN mimicked the actions of AMPA by decreasing homeostatic feeding without affecting hedonic feeding. Slice electrophysiology recordings verified PACAP excitation of VMN neurons and inhibition of NAc neurons. These data suggest that the VMN and NAc regulate distinct circuits giving rise to unique feeding drives, but that both can be regulated by the neuropeptide PACAP to potentially curb excessive eating stemming from either drive.
Open Data Hopes and Fears: Determining the Barriers of Open Data

In recent years, Open Data has gained considerable attention: a steady growth in the number of openly published datasets – mainly by governments and public administrations - can be observed as the demand for Open Data rises. However, many potential providers are still hesitant to open their datasets and at the same time users often face difficulties when attempting to use this data in practice. This indicates that there are still various barriers present both regarding usage and publishing of Open Data, but studies that systematically collect and assess these barriers regarding their impact are rare. Based on this observation we survey prior literature on barriers, and have developed a questionnaire aimed at both assessing the users and publishers views on obstacles regarding Open Data adoption. Using a sample of over 100 participants from Austria who completed our online survey, we draw conclusions about the relative importance of the barriers reported in the literature. The empirical findings presented in this study shall serve as a solid foundation for future research on the mitigation of Open Data barriers.
Wound healing activity of extracts derived from Shorea robusta resin

Abstract Context: Shorea robusta Gaertn.f. (Dipterocarpaceae) resin is used for treating infected wounds and burns by tribals in India. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate wound-healing activity of S. robusta resin extracts and essential oil in rats. Materials and methods: Methanol extract (SRME), petroleum ether, benzene insoluble fraction of methanol extract (SRPEBIME), and essential oil (SREO) of S. robusta resin were incorporated in soft yellow paraffin (10% w/w) and applied once daily on incision and excision wounds of Wistar rats. Framycetin ointment (1.0% w/w) was applied to the standard group. Tensile strength (on the 10th day), wound contraction, and scar area (on the 14th day) were recorded. On the 15th day, granulation tissues of excision wounds were analyzed for total protein, hydroxyproline, and hexosamine contents and activities of lipid peroxidation and super oxide dismutase (SOD). Histopathology of the wounds was also studied. Results and discussion: SRPEBIME and SREO healed incision and excision wounds faster than plain ointment base and framycetin. Tensile strength of SRPEBIME-treated incision wounds was 53% higher than that of control animals. In excision wounds, wound contraction and scar areas were found to be 99% and 7.7 mm2 (SRPEBIME) and 71.7% and 21 mm2 (control). Protein and hydroxyproline contents were higher in SRPEBIME (20.8 and 3.5% w/w) and SREO (17.4 and 2.8% w/w) groups as against 9.95 and 1.48% w/w in control groups. Histopathology revealed complete epithelization and new blood vessel formation in SRPEBIME groups. Discussion and conclusion: SRPEBIME and SREO have significant wound-healing activities on incision and excision wounds.
Testing of PolPA authorization systems

The implementation of an authorization system is a difficult and error-prone activity that requires a careful verification and testing process. In this paper, we focus on testing the implementation of the PolPA authorization system and in particular its Policy Decision Point (PDP), used to define whether an access should be allowed or not. Thus exploiting the PolPA policy specification, we present a fault model and a test strategy able to highlight the problems, vulnerabilities and faults that could occur during the PDP implementation, and a testing framework for the automatic generation of a test suite that covers the fault model. Preliminary results of the test framework application to a realistic case study are presented.
The role of quorum sensing system in antimicrobial induced ampC expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of quorum sensing (QS) systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) on the expression of ampC gene induced by antibiotics. An in vitro dynamic model of P. aeruginosa biofilms was established in a silicon tube in once‐flowthrough system at 37 °C. Biofilm generation was identified by argentation. Biofilm morphology of standard P. aeruginosa strain (PAO‐1) and QS systems deficient strains (PDO100, rhlI deficient strain; PAO‐JP1, lasI deficient strain; and PAO‐MW1, rhlI and lasI deficient strain) were observed by optical microscope. The expression of ampC in PAO1, PAO1 with QS inhibitor (furanone C‐30) and the QS deficient strains before and after induced by antibiotics were quantified by real‐time quantitative PCR. The biofilms of PAO‐1 and PDO100 were much thicker and denser than that of PAO‐JP1 and PAO‐MW1. Being induced by antibiotics, the expression of ampC in PAO1 and PDO100 was significantly higher than that in PAO‐MW1 and PAO‐JP1. With the effect of furanone C‐30, the expression of ampC in PAO1 induced by antibiotics was reduced in a dose‐dependent manner. QS system, especially the las system, plays an important role in both biofilm formation and antimicrobials induced ampC expression and furanone C‐30 is a potent inhibitor for P. aeruginosa QS system.
Electromagnetic Design With Transformation Optics

Transformation optics is an emerging technique for the design of advanced electromagnetic media. Transformation optical devices exploit the form invariance of Maxwell's equations, allowing geometry to play the dominant role in the design process rather than traditional wave or ray optics. The use of coordinate transformations vastly eases the burden of design for a large class of devices, though at the expense of increasing the complexity of the underlying materials used. Although the required constitutive parameters of a transformation optical structure can be challenging-inherently anisotropic and spatially varying, with both magnetic and electric response-nevertheless the parameter requirements can often be met or approximated through the use of artificially structured metamaterials. Here, we review the basic concepts associated with transformation optics and provide several examples to illustrate its application.
ITGAM is associated with disease susceptibility and renal nephritis of systemic lupus erythematosus in Hong Kong Chinese and Thai

ITGAM was recently found to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in populations of not only European ancestry, but also in Hispanic- and African-Americans, Mexicans and Colombians. The risk alleles in the gene, however, were found to be monomorphic in two Asian populations examined: Japanese and Korean. In this study, using a collection of 910 SLE patients and 2360 controls from Chinese living in Hong Kong, analyzed by both genome-wide association and direct sequencing, we confirmed the association of the same risk alleles in ITGAM with the disease. These findings were further replicated in the Thai population with 278 patients and 383 ethnicity- and geography-matched controls. Subphenotype stratification analyses showed significantly more involvement of the gene in patients with renal nephritis and neurological disorders. Although our results support a pivotal role by rs1143679 (R77H) in disease association, our data also suggests an additional contribution from rs1143683, another non-synonymous polymorphism in this gene (A858V). Therefore, despite the low-allele frequencies of the risk alleles of the gene in our two Asian populations, ITGAM was confirmed to be a risk factor related to disease susceptibility and probably severe manifestations of SLE.
Unit root testing in the presence of innovation variance breaks: a simple solution with increased power

The Dickey-Fuller unit root test is known to suffer severe oversizing in the presence of innovation variance breaks. In this paper, forward and reverse Dickey-Fuller regressions are proposed as a means of correcting this size distortion. The results of Monte Carlo experimentation show such an approach to result in both satisfactory size properties and increased power relative to previously suggested solutions.
Correlating degradation models and image quality metrics

OCR often performs poorly on degraded documents. One approach to improving performance is to determine a good filter to improve the appearance of the document image before sending it to the OCR engine. Quality metrics have been measured in document images to determine what type of filtering would most likely improve the OCR response for that document image. In this paper those same quality metrics are measured for several word images degraded by known parameters in a document degradation model. The correlation between the degradation model parameters and the quality metrics is measured. High correlations do appear in many places that were expected. They are also absent in some expected places and offer a comparison of quality metric definitions proposed by different authors.
Dehydroepiandrosterone secretion in healthy older men and women: effects of testosterone and growth hormone administration in older men.

CONTEXT Aging is associated with diminished gonadal steroid and GH/IGF-I axis activity; whether these changes contribute to the parallel declines of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) production is unknown, as are the effects of sex steroid and/or GH administration on DHEA and DHEAS production. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to evaluate morning DHEAS concentrations and nocturnal DHEA secretory dynamics in healthy older men and women, before and after chronic administration of sex steroid(s) alone, GH alone, sex steroid(s) combined with GH, or placebo alone. DESIGN We compared nocturnal DHEA secretory dynamics (2000 h to 0800 h, sampling every 20 min, analyzed by multiparameter deconvolution and approximate entropy algorithms) in healthy older (65-88 yr) men (n = 68) and women (n = 36), both before and after 26 wk of administration of sex steroid(s) alone [testosterone (T) in men or estrogen/progesterone in women], GH alone, sex steroid(s) combined with GH, or placebo alone. RESULTS Morning concentrations of DHEAS were lower; nocturnal DHEA pulsatile production rate, burst frequency, and amplitude were higher; and half-life was shorter in women (P < 0.05). Nocturnal integrated DHEA concentrations, total production rate, and approximate entropy did not differ significantly by sex. Because of small treatment group sizes in women, only hormone intervention results in men are presented. In men, T and T plus GH administration significantly decreased nocturnal integrated DHEA but not morning DHEAS concentrations. GH alone exerted no significant effects on nocturnal DHEA secretion or morning DHEAS. CONCLUSIONS Spontaneous nocturnal DHEA secretion is sexually dimorphic in healthy older individuals, and T administration decreases nocturnal DHEA secretion in older men. The clinical significance of sex steroid modulation of DHEA secretion in older persons remains to be elucidated.
Controlled Trial of Intravenous Immune Globulin in Recent-Onset Dilated Cardiomyopathy

BackgroundThis prospective placebo-controlled trial was designed to determine whether intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) improves left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in adults with recent onset of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or myocarditis. Methods and ResultsSixty-two patients (37 men, 25 women; mean age ±SD 43.0±12.3 years) with recent onset (≤6 months of symptoms) of dilated cardiomyopathy and LVEF ≤0.40 were randomized to 2 g/kg IVIG or placebo. All underwent an endomyocardial biopsy before randomization, which revealed cellular inflammation in 16%. The primary outcome was change in LVEF at 6 and 12 months after randomization. Overall, LVEF improved from 0.25±0.08 to 0.41±0.17 at 6 months (P <0.001) and 0.42±0.14 (P <0.001 versus baseline) at 12 months. The increase was virtually identical in patients receiving IVIG and those given placebo (6 months: IVIG 0.14±0.12, placebo 0.14±0.14; 12 months: IVIG 0.16±0.12, placebo 0.15±0.16). Overall, 31 (56%) of 55 patients at 1 year had an increase in LVEF ≥0.10 from study entry, and 20 (36%) of 56 normalized their ejection fraction (≥0.50). The transplant-free survival rate was 92% at 1 year and 88% at 2 years. ConclusionsThese results suggest that for patients with recent-onset dilated cardiomyopathy, IVIG does not augment the improvement in LVEF. However, in this overall cohort, LVEF improved significantly during follow-up, and the short-term prognosis remains favorable.
Evaluation of chronic insomnia

Insomnia is a condition which affects millions of individuals, giving rise to emotional distress, daytime fatigue, and loss of productivity. Despite its prevalence, it has received scant clinical attention. An adequate evaluation of persistent insomnia requires detailed historical information as well as medical, psychological and psychiatric assessment. Use of a classification system for sleep disorders and familiarity with major diagnostic groups will facilitate the clinician's evaluation and treatment. Thorough assessment also requires attention to the unique aspects of presentation and specific set of etiologies which are associated with particular age groups.
Sox10 overexpression induces neural crest‐like cells from all dorsoventral levels of the neural tube but inhibits differentiation

SoxE genes (Sox8, Sox9, and Sox10) are early response genes to neural crest induction. Although the early role of Sox9 has been examined in chick and frog, later roles in neural crest migration and differentiation remain largely unexplored. We first examined which SoxE genes were expressed in trunk neural crest cells and then investigated their function using in ovo electroporation. The results of this analysis reveal that Sox10 is present in migrating neural crest cells, whereas other SoxE genes are only expressed transiently after induction. Ectopic expression of Sox10 in the neural tube at trunk level induced expression of HNK‐1 in neuroepithelial cells followed by extensive emigration from all levels of the dorsoventral neuraxis, including the floor plate. Sox10‐expressing cells failed to express neuronal, Schwann, or melanocyte markers up to 6 days posttransfection (E8), suggesting these cells were maintained in an undifferentiated state. Overexpression of Sox8 or Sox9 had similar but not identical effects on neuroepithelial cells. These results show that high levels of Sox10, Sox9, or Sox8 expression in the neural tube are capable of inducing a migratory neural crest‐like phenotype even in the absence of dorsal signals and can maintain these cells in an undifferentiated state. Developmental Dynamics 233:430–444, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Eye contricks

Pictorial images are icons as well as eye-cons: they provide distillations of objects or ideas into simpler shapes. They create the impression of representing that which cannot be presented. Even at the level of the photograph, the links between icon and object are tenuous. The dimensions of depth and motion are missing from icons, and these alone introduce all manner of potential ambiguities. The history of art can be considered as exploring the missing link between icon and object. Eye-cons can also be illusions—tricks of vision so that what is seen does not necessarily correspond to what is physically presented. Pictorial images can be spatialised or stylised; spatialised images generally share some of the projective characteristics of the object represented. Written words are also icons, but they do not resemble the objects they represent—they are stylised or conventional. Icons as stylised words and spatialised images were set in delightful opposition by René Magritte in a series of pipe paintings, and this theme is here alluded to. Most of visual science is now concerned with icons—two-dimensional displays on computer monitors. Is vision now the science of eye-cons?
Susceptibility of Mice to Vaginal Infection withChlamydia trachomatis Mouse Pneumonitis Is Dependent on the Age of the Animal

ABSTRACT Mice from three strains, BALB/c (H-2d), C3H (H-2k), and C57BL/6 (H-2b), ranging from 5 to 14 weeks of age, were inoculated intravaginally with different doses of the Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis serovar. Vaginal swabs taken at weekly intervals showed that the percentage of animals with positive cultures and the number of inclusion-forming units recovered per mouse were higher in the younger animals. Furthermore, vaginal shedding lasted longer in the young mice than in the older mice. In addition, following mating higher rates of infertility and a decrease in the number of embryos were observed in the infected young mice. In conclusion, susceptibility to a chlamydial vaginal infection is dependent on the age of the mice, with the older animals being more resistant.
Natural Sentences as Valid Units for Coded Political Texts

All methods for analyzing text require the identification of a fundamental unit of analysis. In expert-coded content analysis schemes such as the Comparative Manifesto Project, this unit is the ‘quasi-sentence’: a natural sentence or a part of a sentence judged by the coder to have an independent component of meaning. Because they are subjective constructs identified by individual coders, however, quasi-sentences make text analysis fundamentally unreliable. The justification for quasi-sentences is a supposed gain in coding validity. We show that this justification is unfounded: using quasi-sentences does not produce valuable additional information in characterizing substantive political content. Using natural sentences as text units, by contrast, delivers perfectly reliable unitization with no measurable loss in content validity of the resulting estimates.
Changing Patterns of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

TO THE EDITOR: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma is occurring with increasing frequency in the United States, as recently shown in a study (1). Chronic hepatitis B and C infection leading to cirrhosis are believed to be responsible for this increased incidence (1, 2). In context of these findings, we would like to report the results of a small retrospective study recently conducted at our institution.
Prenatal Exposure to Elevated NT3 Disrupts Synaptic Selectivity in the Spinal Cord

Monosynaptic connections between muscle spindle (Ia) afferents and motoneurons (MNs), the central portion of the stretch reflex circuit, are highly specific, but the mechanisms underlying this specificity are primarily unknown. In this study, we report that embryonic overexpression of neurotrophin-3 (NT3) in muscles disrupts the development of these specific Ia–MN connections, using transgenic (mlc/NT3) mice that express elevated levels of NT3 in muscles during development. In mlc/NT3 mice, there is a substantial increase in the amplitudes of monosynaptic EPSPs evoked by Ia afferents in MNs as measured with extracellular recordings from ventral roots. Despite this increased functional projection of Ia afferents, there is no obvious change in the anatomical density of Ia projections into the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Intracellular recordings from MNs revealed a major disruption in the pattern of Ia–MN connections. In addition to the normal connections between Ia afferents and MNs supplying the same muscle, there were also strong monosynaptic inputs from Ia afferents supplying unrelated muscles, which explains the increase seen in extracellular recordings. There was also a large variability in the strength of Ia input to individual MNs, both from correct and incorrect Ia afferents. Postnatal muscular administration of NT3 did not cause these changes in connectivity. These results indicate that prenatal exposure to elevated levels of NT3 disrupts the normal mechanisms responsible for synaptic selectivity in the stretch reflex circuit.
Collecting and Evaluating Lexical Polarity with A Game With a Purpose

Sentiment analysis from a text requires amongst others having a polarity lexical resource. We designed LikeIt, a GWAP (Game With A Purpose) that allows to attribute a positive, negative or neutral value to a term, and thus obtain a resulting polarity for most of the terms of the freely available lexical network of the JeuxDeMots project. We present a quantitative analysis of data obtained through our approach, together with the comparison method we developed to validate them qualitatively.