Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MEAD: support for Real‐Time Fault‐Tolerant CORBA

The OMG's Real‐Time CORBA (RT‐CORBA) and Fault‐Tolerant CORBA (FT‐CORBA) specifications make it possible for today's CORBA implementations to exhibit either real‐time or fault tolerance in isolation. While real‐time requires a priori knowledge of the system's temporal operation, fault tolerance necessarily deals with faults that occur unexpectedly, and with possibly unpredictable fault recovery times. The MEAD (Middleware for Embedded Adaptive Dependability) system attempts to identify and to reconcile the conflicts between real‐time and fault tolerance, in a resource‐aware manner, for distributed CORBA applications. MEAD supports transparent yet tunable fault tolerance in real‐time, proactive dependability, resource‐aware system adaptation to crash, communication and timing faults with bounded fault detection and fault recovery. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Study on Some Urban Bus Transport Networks in Middle China

We focus on bus transport networks (BTNs), because buses are the main public transportation tool in China. In this paper, we present the empirical investigation results on the urban bus transport networks (BTNs) of four major cities in middle China. In BTNs, nodes are bus stops. Two nodes are connected by an edge when the stops are serviced by a common bus route. Comparing with the developed cities such as Beijing, the degree distributions of BTNs take exponential function forms. The empirical results on the undeveloped cities show that the degree distributions of BTNs take power function forms. To explain these empirical results and attempt to simulate a possible evolution process of BTNs, we introduce a model by which the analytic result obtained agrees well with the empirical facts. In the end , we explain the reason why BTNs in the developed cities and the undeveloped cities exhibit distinct degree distributions.
[Prevalence and characteristics of haemangiomas in young children].

OBJECTIVE To obtain current data on the prevalence and characteristics of haemangiomas within a population-based group of children. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. METHOD During March-May 2002, all children aged 0-16 months who presented for regular check-ups at child health centres in the Tilburg area, The Netherlands, were examined by physicians for the presence of haemangiomas. The characteristics of the children with a haemangioma were recorded and parents were asked for more specific information. RESULTS Of the 2204 children included, 219 (10) had 256 haemangiomas. The girl-boy ratio was 19:1 The haemangioma was already present at birth in 24% of children. Of the 256 haemangiomas, 15% were located subcutaneously, 33% were located in the head-neck area and 37% on the body. Of the 84 haemangiomas in the head-neck area, 75% were located on the scalp and forehead. Of the 219 children with a haemangioma, 7% and 6% visited a general practitioner or specialist regarding the haemangioma, respectively. They were consulted particularly when the haemangioma was present at birth, located subcutaneously, located in the head-neck area, and when multiple haemangiomas were present.
Immunomodulation of ALT-2 and TLR may collude in antigen specific T cell hyporesponsiveness: Proposed mechanism for elevated IL-10 levels in Balb/C mice

ALT-2, a novel antigen belonging to the chromadorea ALT-2 family of the filarial nematode is proved to clear filarial parasites in Jirds. In order to increase the protection efficacy by stimulating the cell mediated immunity, MPLA a detoxified derivative of LPS known to induce the cellular response, was used in this study as an adjuvant on mice models. ALT-2+MPLA formulation elicited a high titer of total IgG antibody, with profoundly increased levels of IgG2b. Reduced splenocyte proliferation was observed in immunized group when compared to control groups which could be attributed to many in vivo factors. The levels of IFN-γ were high in unstimulated MPLA group compared to ALT-2 stimulated MPLA group, suggesting that the ALT-2 antigen suppressed the IFN-γ levels. A high level of IL-10 was induced by the ALT-2+MPLA formulation, which inhibited the production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5) and also reduced the Th1 cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-2) levels which are not in vogue with the classical MPLA adjuvant formulation. We propose a mechanism for this immunomodulation which involves a diminished expression of TLR-4, by which the filarial parasites have evolved to evade host immune mechanism.
Comparative echocardiographic and clinical features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 5 breeds of cats: a retrospective analysis of 344 cases (2001-2011).

BACKGROUND Primary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common feline heart disease and has been demonstrated to be inherited in some breeds. However, few studies have compared HCM phenotypes and survival according to breed. OBJECTIVES To compare epidemiological characteristics, clinical findings, left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns, and survival in several breeds of cats with HCM. ANIMALS Three hundred and forty-four cats from 5 different breeds (Persian, Domestic Shorthair [DS], Sphynx, Maine coon [MC], and Chartreux) with primary HCM diagnosed by conventional echocardiography. METHODS Retrospective study. Cats were classified according to breed and clinical status. RESULTS Age at the time of diagnosis was lower (P < .001) in MC (median age, 2.5 years) and Sphynx (3.5 years) than in other breeds (OB), ie, 8.0, 8.0, and 11.0 years for DS, Chartreux, and Persians, respectively. The prevalence of LV outflow tract obstruction was higher (P < .001) in Persians (23/41; 56%) than in OB (115/303; 38%). Age at the first cardiac event was lower (P < .01) in MC (median age, 2.5 years) than in OB (7.0 years). All cats surviving > 15 years of age were DS, Persians, or Chartreux. Sudden death (representing 24% of all cardiac deaths) was observed only in 3 breeds (DS, MC, and Sphynx). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE As in humans, feline HCM is characterized by marked phenotypic variability with several breed-dependent features regarding epidemiology, LV geometric patterns, and clinical course (ie, age at diagnosis, 1st cardiac event, and cause of death).
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE AND POWERTRAIN CONTROL : A COMPREHENSIVE HYBRID MODEL

The design of engine control systems has been traditionally carried out using heuristic techniques validated by simulation and prototyping using approximate average-value models. Increasing demands on controllers performance call for more robust techniques and the use of cycle{accurate models. In this paper we present a hybrid model of the engine and powertrain in which both continuous and discrete time{domain as well as event-based phenomena are modeled in a separate but integrated manner. Proceedings of the 8th IEEE Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation (MED 2000) Rio Patras, GREECE 17-19 July 2000
Theoretical Elucidation of β-O-4 Bond Cleavage of Lignin Model Compound Promoted by Sulfonic Acid-Functionalized Ionic Liquid

While the depolymerization of lignin to chemicals catalyzed by ionic liquids has attracted significant attention, the relevant molecular mechanism, especially the cleavage of specific bonds related to efficient depolymerization, still needs to be deeply understood for the complexity of this natural aromatic polymer. This work presents a detailed understanding of the cleavage of the most abundant β-O-4 bond in the model system, guaiacylglycerol β-guaiacyl ether, by a Brønsted acidic IL (1-methyl-3-(propyl-3-sulfonate) imidazolium bisulfate ([C3SO3Hmim][HSO4]) using density functional theory calculation and molecular dynamics simulation. It has been found that [C3SO3Hmim][HSO4] generates zwitterion/H2SO4 via proton transfer with an energy barrier of 0.38 kcal/mol, which plays a dominant role in the lignin depolymerization process. Subsequently, the reaction can be carried out via three potential pathways, including (1) the dehydration of α-C-OH, (2) dehydration of γ-C-OH, and (3) the protonation of β-O. The electrophilic attack of H2SO4 and the hydrogen-bonding interaction between GG and zwitterion are the two most important factors to promote the depolymerization reaction. In all steps, the dehydration of α-C-OH route is computed to be favored for the experiment. The relatively higher energy barrier for β-O-4 bond dissociation among these reaction steps is attributed to the hindrance of the self-assembled clusters of GG in the mixed system. Further, the dense distribution of H13([C3SO3Hmim]) surrounding O21(GG), indicated by sharp peaks in RDFs, reveals that -SO3H in cations plays a substantial role in solvating lignin. Hopefully, this work will demonstrate new insights into lignin depolymerization by functionalized ILs in biomass conversion chemistry.
Hybrid Intelligent Techniques for Text Categorization

Text categorization is the task in which text documents are classified into one or more of predefined categories based on their contents. This paper shows that the proposed system consists of three main steps: text document representation, classifier construction and performance evaluation. In the first step, a set of pre-classified text documents is provided. Each text document is initially preprocessed in order to be split into features, these features are weighted based on the frequency of each feature in that text document and eliminate the non-informative features. The remaining features are next standardized by reducing a feature to its root using the stemming process. Due to the large number of features even after the non-informative features removal and the stemming process, the proposed system applies specific thresholds to extract distinct features which represent that text document. In the second step, the text categorization model (classifier) is built by learning the distinct features which represent all the pre-classified text documents for each sub-category of main categories; this process can be achieved by using one of the supervised categorization techniques that is called the rough set theory. Thereafter, the model uses a pair of precise concepts from the above theory that are called the lower and upper approximations to classify any test text document into one or more of main categories and sub-categories. In the final step, the performance of the proposed system is evaluated. It has achieved good results up to 96%, when applied to a number of test text documents for each sub-category of main categories.
Color Usability on Air Traffic Control Displays

Modernization of Air Traffic Control (ATC) display systems includes increased use of color to code information. While colors can enhance display designs, human factors issues like legibility and salience manipulation are still problematic. Here, we address some of the potential usability issues with integrating traffic and advanced weather information on controller displays. We argue that color palettes that are not specifically designed for layered data and a large number of objects can create legibility and salience problems. We discuss the use of luminance contrast to manipulate salience and present some empirical data showing that air traffic controllers display large individual differences in their preferred brightness settings. We argue that user adjustments of luminance contrast for salience manipulation must be severely constrained in future ATC displays. We present a prototype color palette that uses color-coding to prioritize display information while maintaining good legibility.
Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War

Based on a detailed study of 35 cases in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and post-communist Eurasia, this book explores the fate of competitive authoritarian regimes between 1990 and 2008. It finds that where social, economic, and technocratic ties to the West were extensive, as in Eastern Europe and the Americas, the external cost of abuse led incumbents to cede power rather than crack down, which led to democratization. Where ties to the West were limited, external democratizing pressure was weaker and countries rarely democratized. In these cases, regime outcomes hinged on the character of state and ruling party organizations. Where incumbents possessed developed and cohesive coercive party structures, they could thwart opposition challenges, and competitive authoritarian regimes survived; where incumbents lacked such organizational tools, regimes were unstable but rarely democratized.
Supporting localized activities in ubiquitous computing environments

The design of pervasive and ubiquitous computing systems must be centered on users’ activity in order to bring computing systems closer to people. Adopting an activity-centered approach to the design of pervasive and ubiquitous computing systems leads us to seek to understand: a) how humans naturally accomplish an activity; and b) how computing artifacts from both the environmental and personal domains may contribute to the accomplishment of an activity. This work particularly focuses on localized activities, i.e., activities having a strong association with a specific physical environment. This work investigates how ubiquitous computing environments can publish and offer user-centered activity support to users with heterogeneous personal environments, by exploring mechanisms allowing for the integration between local and personal environments.
RFT: Identifying Suitable Neighbors for Concurrent Transmissions in Point-to-Point Communications

Point-to-point traffic has emerged as a widely used communications paradigm for cyber-physical systems and wireless sensor networks in industrial settings. However, existing point-to-point communication protocols often entail substantial overhead to find and maintain reliable routes. In recent research, protocols that rely on the phenomenon of constructive interference have thus emerged. They allow to quickly, efficiently, and reliably flood packets to the entire network. As all nodes in the network need to (re-)broadcast all packets in such protocols by design, substantial energy is consumed by nodes that do not even contribute to the actual point-to-point transmission. We propose a novel point-to-point communication protocol, called RFT, which attempts to discover the most reliable route between a source and a destination. To achieve this objective, RFT selects the minimum number of participating nodes required to ensure reliable communications while allowing all other devices in the network to sleep. During data transmissions, the nodes on the direct route as well as all helper nodes broadcast the data packets and exploit the benefits of constructive interference in order to reduce end-to-end latency. Nodes which are neither part of the direct route nor helpers go to sleep mode, which helps to reduce network energy consumption significantly. Our extensive evaluation in a real sensor network testbed shows that RFT can reduce network energy consumption by up to 82.5% compared to a state-of-the-art approach whilst achieving a similar end-to-end transmission reliability.
La longueur vocalique en kinyarwanda : statut linguistique et contraintes orthographiques

The law order of kinyarwanda (1985) prohibits the notation of long vo-wels, on the contrary of the practice in some other Bantu speaking countries in East-Africa. We look at the potential impact of this order in consideration of the abundance of long vowels and the linguistic constraints on its variability and predictability in this language. An approach based on the ability of vowel length recognition by the users is advocated to better assess the risk of confusion when long vowel are not marked in contrast to brief vowels. A highly efficient model is proposed for an economic and non confusing orthography. It is strongly recommended to review the kinyarwanda orthographic system so as to meet new sociolinguistic, educational, technological re-quirements and regional integration of Rwanda. Key words: kinyarwanda, vowel length, orthography.
Role for the S-layer of Campylobacter rectus ATCC33238 in complement mediated killing and phagocytic killing by leukocytes from guinea pig and human peripheral blood.

OBJECTIVE The role of the S-layer of Campylobacter rectus ATCC 33238 in complement-mediated killing and interaction with leukocytes of the intraperitoneal cavity from guinea pigs and human peripheral blood was studied in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rabbit polyclonal anti-serum to whole C. rectus cells, a monoclonal antibody which recognizes 150 KDa S-layer protein antigen and a monoclonal antibody against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were prepared. Sensitivities of C. rectus cells against complement mediated killing and phagocytic killing by peritoneal leukocytes of guinea pig and human peripheral leukocytes were examined in the presence or absence of a specific antibody. RESULTS C. rectus ATCC 33238 cells were moderately sensitive to complement mediated killing in the presence of rabbit polyclonal antibody against whole cells, and slightly sensitive in the presence of monoclonal antibody against S-layer. Ingestion and phagocytic killing of C. rectus cells by leukocytes were enhanced by the rabbit anti-serum and monoclonal antibody against S-layer, but not by the monoclonal antibody against LPS, pre-immune rabbit serum or control ascites. Viability of leukocytes was dependent on the number of ingested C. rectus cells. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates that S-layer possessing C. rectus cells are resistant to complement mediated killing and phagocytic killing by leukocytes in the absence of specific antibody.
Minimal Requirements for Exponential Growth of Lactococcus lactis

A minimal growth medium containing glucose, acetate, vitamins, and eight amino acids allowed for growth of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, with a specific growth rate in batch culture of μ = 0.3 h-1. With 19 amino acids added, the growth rate increased to μ = 0.7 h-1 and the exponential growth phase proceeded until high cell concentrations were reached. We show that morpholinepropanesulfonic acid (MOPS) is a suitable buffer for L. lactis and may be applied in high concentrations.
The changing shape of clinical practice: Driven by science or by pragmatics?

Few would dispute that psychoanalytic practice has changed considerably over the last 50 years. The differences are at least three-fold: (a) a bimodal distribution of treatment lengths (some very long and some very short); (b) patients with personality pathology in addition to axis I symptoms; and (c) technical changes with a relational flavour, displaying influences from developmental theories including attachment theory. Are any of these changes associated with scientific research and, if so, how? A second question concerns the research base of psychoanalysis. If we take the discoveries of the last 25 years seriously, what kind of therapy might we recommend to our patients? Would it look anything like standard practice? I will attempt to pose some serious questions about the status of clinical practice, asking why it appears to be protected from scientific advances yet readily responsive to pragmatic considerations such as third party payments. To make the argument easier to absorb I will try and tell it as number of short heroic tales, each with its own beginning, middle and end, complete with the moral lessons to be learned.
Optimal insulin pump dosing and postprandial glycemia following a pizza meal using the continuous glucose monitoring system.

BACKGROUND We attempted to identify an optimal insulin pump meal bolus by comparing postprandial sensor glucose values following three methods of insulin pump meal bolusing for a consistent pizza meal. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty-four patients with type 1 diabetes participated in a study to compare postprandial glucose values following three meal bolus regimens for a consistent evening pizza meal. Each participant utilized the following insulin lispro regimens on consecutive evenings, and glucose values were tracked by the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS, Medtronic MiniMed, Northridge, CA): (a) single-wave bolus (100% of insulin given immediately); (b) 4-h dual-wave bolus (50% of insulin given immediately and 50% given over a 4-h period); and (c) 8-h dual-wave bolus (50% of insulin given immediately and 50% given over a 8-h period). Total insulin bolus amount was kept constant for each pizza meal. RESULTS Divergence in blood glucose among the regimens was greatest at 8-12 h. The 8-h dual-wave bolus provided the best glycemic control and lowest mean glucose values (singlewave bolus, 133 mg/dL; 4-h dual-wave bolus, 145 mg/dL; 8-h dual-wave bolus, 104 mg/dL), leading to a difference in mean glucose of 29 mg/dL for the single-wave bolus versus the 8-h dual-wave bolus and 42 mg/dL for the 4-h dual-wave bolus versus the 8-h dual-wave bolus. The lower mean glucose in the 8-h dual-wave bolus was not associated with any increased incidence of hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS Use of a dual-wave bolus extended over an 8-h period following a pizza meal provided significantly less postprandial hyperglycemia in the late postprandial period (8-12 h) with no increased risk of hypoglycemia.
Arthropods of Forensic Importance on Pig Carrion in the Coahuilan Semidesert, Mexico

Abstract: This is the first report of an ongoing research to establish a sarcosaprophagous arthropod database in the Coahuilan semidesert. Seven pigs (Sus scrofa L.) were used as human models to determine succession in an open urban area during the 2007 winter–spring period. Arthropods were collected manually and from pitfall traps. Carcass biomass loss, as well as arthropod colonization, was recorded during 71 days postmortem. Five decomposition stages were identified during which most abundant orders were found to be Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Necrobia rufipes (DeGeer), Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer), Pheidole hyatti Emery, and Pogonomyrmex rugosus Emery stood out as dominant species.
Association between MLH1 -93G>A Polymorphism and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Background The -93G>A (rs1800734) polymorphism located in the promoter of mismatch repair gene, MLH1, has been identified as a low-penetrance variant for cancer risk. Many published studies have evaluated the association between the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. However, the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the association between the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism and the risk of CRC. Methods To derive a more precise estimation of the association, a meta-analysis of six studies (17,791 cases and 13,782 controls) was performed. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Four of these published studies were performed on subjects of known microsatellite instability (MSI) status. An additional analysis including 742 cases and 10,895 controls was used to assess the association between the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism and the risk of MSI-CRC. Results The overall results indicated that the variant genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of CRC (AG versus GG: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.11; AA/AG versus GG: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.11). This increased risk was also found during stratified analysis of MSI status (AA versus GG: OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 1.94–3.28; AG versus GG: OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.10–1.52; AA/AG versus GG: OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.24–1.68; AA versus AG/GG: OR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.78–2.96). Egger’s test did not show any evidence of publication bias. Conclusion Our results suggest that the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism may contribute to individual susceptibility to CRC and act as a risk factor for MSI-CRC.