Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of Object View Query on a Relational Database

We present the implementation of the query function for the Penguin system. Penguin is an object-oriented database system that supports multiple object views on a relational database. It enables many applications to share a database using di erent object schemata. Also, users can take queries for the Penguin database in their applications, to retrieve objects on the heterogeneous data model. The query function is very powerful for manufacturing and engineering purposes, that is, connections between relations and methods de ned by users in applications are available in query requests. We introduce the object model and the query execution algorithm of the Penguin system with an example for a steel plant, and show the system con guration for the implementation of the query function.
Advanced approach for indoor identification and tracking using smart floor and pyroelectric infrared sensors

Research concern has been specified on automatic identification and tracking of people within the home environment to support smart home services. Although various approaches have been proposed to deal with this problem, solutions still remain untackled due to various reasons (e.g. user acceptance). The aim of this paper is to develop and implement an advanced approach that is able to accurately detect, identify, and track people within appropriate smart home environment. A novel approach for human identification and tracking within smart home environment is proposed. The proposed approach combined PIR sensors and floor pressure through unique designed integration strategy aiming to unite the advantages of the two sensor types and overcome their limitations.
The World Wide Lightning Location Network and Convective Activity in Tropical Cyclones

Abstract Lightning flash density in tropical cyclones (TCs) is investigated to identify whether lightning flashes provide information on TC intensity and/or intensity change, to provide further insight into TC asymmetric convective structure induced by vertical shear and storm motion, and to assess how well the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) is suited for the observation of TCs. The 24 Atlantic basin TCs that came within 400 km of the United States from 2004 to 2007 are studied. The National Lightning Detection Network is used to analyze flash density as a function of peak current and to evaluate the WWLLN. Flash density is shown to be smaller for hurricanes than for tropical depressions and storms, with this reduction being gradually more pronounced as flash peak current increases. The results suggest that flash density in the inner core is a parameter with potential for distinguishing intensifying versus nonintensifying TCs, particularly in the weaker storm stages where flash densities ar.
Reversal and Stabilization of Synaptic Modifications in a Developing Visual System

Persistent synaptic modifications are essential for experience-dependent refinement of developing circuits. However, in the developing Xenopus retinotectal system, activity-induced synaptic modifications were quickly reversed either by subsequent spontaneous activity in the tectum or by exposure to random visual inputs. This reversal depended on the burst spiking and activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors. Stabilization of synaptic modifications can be achieved by an appropriately spaced pattern of induction stimuli. These findings underscore the vulnerable nature of activity-induced synaptic modifications in vivo and suggest a temporal constraint on the pattern of visual inputs for effective induction of stable synaptic modifications.
Exploring Behavioral Aspects of API Calls for Malware Identification and Categorization

Present day scenario shows a drastic increase in the growth of the malware. According to Kaspersky Security Lab report, India ranks seventh in offline threats and ninth in online threats caused by malware, among top ten countries of the world. Advancement in the evasion techniques like code obfuscation, packing, encryption or polymorphism help malware writers to avoid detection of their malwares by Anti-Virus Scanners (AVS), as AVS primarily fails to detect unknown malwares. In this paper we elucidate a malware detection method based on mining behavioral aspects of API calls, as extraction and interpretation of API calls can help in determining the behavior and functions of a program. We propose a feature selection algorithm to select unique and distinct APIs and then we have applied machine learning techniques for categorizing malicious and benign PE files.
Halting the spread of epidemic pseudomonas aeruginosa in an adult cystic fibrosis centre: a prospective cohort study

Objectives To assess if cohort segregation policies are effective in preventing cross-infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) clinics. Design A prospective cohort study. Setting A large adult CF centre in Northwest England. Participants All CF patients cared for at the Liverpool adult CF centre 2003–2009. Methods Regular sputum sampling with genotyping of pseudomonas aeruginosa (Psa) isolates led to a policy of inpatient and outpatient segregation by microbiological group. Main outcome measures Prevalence and cross-infection/super-infection rates of a transmissible Psa strain, i.e. the Liverpool epidemic strain (LES) in adult CF patients at the Liverpool adult CF centre from 2003 to 2009. Results There was a decline in the proportion of patients with LES (71–53%) and an increase in those with unique strains (23–31%) and without Psa infection (6–17%) from 2003 to 2009. There were two cases of LES super-infection and one case of new chronic Psa infection (with a unique strain). There were no cases of transmissible strain infection in patients previously uninfected by Psa. Conclusions Our segregation policy has halted the spread of the commonest highly transmissible strain in the UK (LES) in our clinic, without endangering patients who were not previously infected with Psa. It confirms that if genotypic surveillance is used, it is unnecessary to segregate patients infected with unique strains from those without Psa infection.
Smart Charging of EVs in Residential Distribution Systems Using the Extended Iterative Method

Smart charging of electrical vehicles (EVs) is critical to provide the secure and cost-effective operation for distribution systems. Three model objective functions which are minimization of total supplied power, energy costs and maximization of profits are formulated. The conventional household load is modeled as a ZIP load that consists of constant power, constant current and constant impedance components. The imbalance of distribution system, constraints on nodal voltages and thermal loadings of lines and transformers are all taken into account. Utilizing the radial operation structure of distribution system, an extended iterative method is proposed to greatly reduce the dimensions of optimization variables and thus improve calculation speed. Impacts of the conventional household load model on the simulation results are also investigated. Case studies on three distribution systems with 2, 14, and 141 buses are performed and analyzed. It is found that the linear constrained convex quadratic programming model is applicable at each iteration, when the conventional household load is composed of constant power and constant impedance load. However, it is not applicable when the conventional household load consists of constant current load. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed method are also validated.
Association between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of Vitamin D Receptor Gene FokI Polymorphism and Clinical Progress of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Background. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and clinical progress of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Chinese men. Methods. The DNA was extracted from blood of 200 BPH patients with operation (progression group) and 200 patients without operation (control group), respectively. The genotypes of VDR gene FokI SNP represented by “F/f” were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The odds ratio (OR) of having progression of BPH for having the genotype were calculated. Results. Our date indicated that the f alleles of the VDR gene FokI SNP associated with the progression of BPH (P = 0.009). Conclusion. For the first time, our study demonstrated that VDR gene FokI SNP may be associated with the risk of BPH progress.
Psychological Associations of Poststroke Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Purpose— Fatigue is common after stroke but has no effective treatments. Psychological interventions improve fatigue in other conditions by targeting psychological factors such as mood. If psychological factors correlate with fatigue in stroke, this would justify the development of similar interventions for poststroke fatigue (PSF). We used systematic review and meta-analysis to determine psychological associations of PSF. Methods— We systematically searched for studies that reported psychological associations of PSF. We used odds ratios (ORs) to estimate the strength of associations and random-effects modeling to calculate summary estimates of ORs. We used stratified meta-analysis to investigate the impact of study design and conducted sensitivity analyses limited to studies that excluded patients with clinical depression and to studies that used depression scales without fatigue items. Results— Thirty-five studies (n=9268) reported the association between PSF and ≥1 psychological factor. For PSF and depressive symptoms, we identified 19 studies (n=6712; pooled OR=4.14; 95% confidence interval, 2.73–6.27); this association existed in patients without clinical depression (pooled OR=1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.27–1.53) and in studies using depression scales without fatigue items (pooled OR=5.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.54–18.93). For PSF and anxiety, we identified 4 studies (n=3884; pooled OR=2.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.98–5.58). Two studies (n=123) found an association with poor coping styles and 1 study (n=167) with loss of control. Six studies (n=1978) reported other emotional or behavioral associations. Conclusions— PSF is associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety, poor coping, loss of control, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. These factors are potential targets for treatment of PSF.
Fluorescence Properties of Quantum Dots and Their Utilization in Bioimaging

Quantum dots (QDs), especially colloidal semiconductor QDs, possess properties including high quantum yields, narrow fluorescence spectra, broad absorption and excellent photostability, making them extremely powerful in bioimaging. Moreover, high surface-to-volume ratio further renders QDs ideal for functionalization to obtain good biocompatibility and sensitivity to the environment. In this thesis, we studied the fluorescence properties of QDs and attempted multiple ways to boost applications of QDs in bioimaging field. By time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) measurement and detailed analysis of fluorescence decay spectra, we quantitatively interpreted the fluorescence mechanism of colloidal semiconductor QDs. Most importantly, it revealed that the broad fluorescence spectra of CdSe QDs intrinsically originated from the Fermi golden rule. To enhance QD fluorescence, we used a porous alumina membrane, which has been widely used for biomacromolecule filtration, as a photonic crystal structure to modulate QD fluorescence, resulting in a distinguished modulation on QD fluorescence spectrum. This may be utilized as an effective means to identify QDs embedded in the porous alumina membrane. We studied the acid dissociation of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) coated QDs and found that the electrophoretic mobility of 3-MPA coated CdSe QDs was very low when the pH value of the QD solution was below 7.0 or with addition of Ca ions. meanwhile, the intensity of the QD fluorescence was reduced when with the conditions mentioned above. The electrophoretic mobility and fluorescence intensity of Ca-treated QDs was restored when an approximate amount of Ca chelators, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), was added to the QD solution. Further analyses and first-principles study showed that the acid dissociated QD3MPA strongly interacted with Ca, forming a charge neutral QD-3MPA-Ca in the absence of EGTA. The devising strategies in this paper could also be applicable for other studies. Blinking phenomena of both CdSe-CdS/ZnS core-shell QDs and 3C-SiC nanocrystals (NCs) were studied. For CdSe QDs, we meticulously studied their blinking phenomena by various surface modifications, including QDs with different shell thickness, Ca ion and glycerol treatments. It was clearly shown that off-state distributions obeyed the inverse power law distribution, while the on-state distribution was much more complicated and closely correlated with QD surface conditions. By studying the optical properties under the treatment with glycerol, we unraveled the fluorescence mechanism of 3C-SiC NCs. The fluorescence intensity of 3C-SiC NCs increased with glycerol treatment while the fluorescence decay remained unchanged, indicating that the electron transition pathway of the fluorescence was not associated with the energy relaxation pathway via surface states. To examine QD effect on ciliated cells, we conducted a 70-day long experiment on the bioelectric and morphological response of human airway epithelial Calu-3
Mapping Tactile Information of a Soft Manipulator to a Haptic Sleeve in RMIS

In Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RMIS), robotic tools enter the body through narrow openings and manipulate soft organs that can move, deform, or change in stiffness. The traditional robotic manipulation concepts that rely on fixed stiffness distributions, such as the da Vinci Robotic System, have limitations on these laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical procedures due to restricted access through Trocar ports, lack of haptic feedback [1], and difficulties with rigid robot tools operating inside a confined space filled with organs [2]; the use of such systems can, in extreme cases, lead to harmful tissue tears [3-4]. Along the way, the solid structure of the laparoscopic instrument attached to the robotic arms and their external articulation make it problematic to change surgical targets inside the abdomen.
Human SIR2 deacetylates p53 and antagonizes PML/p53‐induced cellular senescence

The yeast Sir2 protein mediates chromatin silencing through an intrinsic NAD‐dependent histone deacetylase activity. Sir2 is a conserved protein and was recently shown to regulate lifespan extension both in budding yeast and worms. Here, we show that SIRT1, the human Sir2 homolog, is recruited to the promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies of mammalian cells upon overexpression of either PML or oncogenic Ras (Ha‐rasV12). SIRT1 binds and deacetylates p53, a component of PML nuclear bodies, and it can repress p53‐mediated transactivation. Moreover, we show that SIRT1 and p53 co‐localize in nuclear bodies upon PML upregulation. When overexpressed in primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), SIRT1 antagonizes PML‐induced acetylation of p53 and rescues PML‐mediated premature cellular senescence. Taken together, our data establish the SIRT1 deacetylase as a novel negative regulator of p53 function capable of modulating cellular senescence.
DesignCon 2010 Designing Scalable Wireless Application-Specific Accelerators Using PICO High Level Synthesis

This paper presents a system level methodology of designing and exploring scalable and flexible wireless application-specific accelerators. Current hardware designs and implementations for wireless systems have a huge time gap between the development of algorithms for new standards and their hardware implementation. Hardware design using traditional HDL flows has such a long design time that by the end of the design cycle, the algorithms have already moved to the next wireless standard, out-dating the hardware design. The high level synthesis tools create application accelerators from high abstraction-level, un-timed C for complex processing hardware, which greatly reduces the design cycle while still maintaining area and power efficiency. This paper presents two complex wireless designs using program-in chip-out (PICO) high level synthesis methodology: 1) High speed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) signal detector design, and 2) High throughput low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes decoder design.
Effect of pomegranate flower extract on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Background: Chemotherapy with cisplatin (CP) is accompanied with nephrotoxicity. Objectives: In the current study, pomegranate flower extract (PFE) has been evaluated as an antioxidant agent against CP-induced-renal toxicity. Materials and Methods: Thirty two male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (6-8 in each group). The animals in groups 1 to 3 received PFE (25 mg/kg), PFE (50 mg/kg), and placebo (saline), respectively for 9 days, and onset of the day 3, they also received CP (2.5 mg/kg/day). Groups 4 and 5 were treated with PFE (25 and 50 mg/kg/day) for 9 days. Finally, the animals were sacrificed at day 9 after collecting blood samples. Kidneys were removed, weighted, and underwent histopathological investigation. Results: The mean serum level of creatinine in group 3 (treated with CP and placebo) increased significantly (p<0.05), but the value decreased significantly (p<0.05) in group 1. Kidney weight in group 1 was lower than KW in groups 2 and 3, however it was significant when compared with group 2 (p<0.05). The serum nitrite level in group 2 was non-significantly lower than that in other groups, and no significant changes were observed in serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA). Tissue level of nitrite was significantly decreased in the positive control and high dose of PFE plus CP-treated groups (p<0.05). Among CP-treated groups, low dose of PFE significantly improved kidney nitrite level (p<0.05). The results from histopathological staining indicated less tissue damage in group 1 when compared with group 3. Conclusions: It seems that low dose of PFE plays a protective role against CP-induced renal toxicity in rats.
Enlivening the senses: engaging sight and sound to (re)consider the hidden narratives of academics in the histories of university education

Abstract This article interrogates the construction of a visual and sound installation that juxtaposes contemporary material with historical artefacts regarding academic work to offer an aesthetic mode of interruption in explorations of academic voice in university histories and in the contemporary university. Drawing upon Foucauldian histories of the present (particularly genealogy), this installation combines text, images and sound to take audiences on an emotive journey of the university. As historical research increasingly takes on an aesthetic and sensual turn, moving beyond content and context to consider other forms of representation, the article draws on theories concerning the functions of art and the semiotics involved when we engage with art to explore the emotional dimensions of academic work. Art in story and story in art methodologies are used to situate attempts at engaging in aural and visual ways of knowing time and place to (re)consider academics’ silenced historical and contemporary narratives.
Evaluating Web Usability from the User's Perspective

The presence of multiple websites offering similar services has changed the user outlook. The user now prefers to visit those sites, which are easy to use. Many different methods have been proposed to measure usability of a website. The quantitative methods focus on the performance measurement of the website whereas the qualitative methods estimate the user's opinion of a website. However none of these specify measurement of the human emotions; the emotional experiences of the user during the website visit. This emotional aspect plays a strong guiding force in the way a user uses the website. In this paper we propose a distinct measure, which combines the qualitative, quantitative factors referred in the literature with rarely mentioned factors such as trust and feature state. The measure thus obtained determines the usability of a website from the user view point . It can be employed to compare usability of different websites
Expanding cell coverage in cooperative base station systems by means of randomized MIMO-OFDM coding

This paper proposes a simple physical (PHY) layer design to introduce cooperation in the downlink of an infrastructure-based multicell multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) network. To improve the cell coverage, a novel PHY layer design is proposed that allows cooperation among an arbitrary and unknown number of base stations (BSs), by suitably randomizing the MIMO-OFDM block codes used by the BSs, and employs linear processing at the receiving side. Such a randomized MIMO-OFDM code renders the encoding/decoding rule independent of the number of actual BSs cooperating and works without any channel feedback, which greatly simplifies the protocol as well as the MS design. Both analytical and numerical results show the performance gain and the coverage expansion attainable.
A 1-GS/s FFT/IFFT processor for UWB applications

In this paper, we present a novel 128-point FFT/IFFT processor for ultrawideband (UWB) systems. The proposed pipelined FFT architecture, called mixed-radix multipath delay feedback (MRMDF), can provide a higher throughput rate by using the multidata-path scheme. Furthermore, the hardware costs of memory and complex multipliers in MRMDF are only 38.9% and 44.8% of those in the known FFT processor by means of the delay feedback and the data scheduling approaches. The high-radix FFT algorithm is also realized in our processor to reduce the number of complex multiplications. A test chip for the UWB system has been designed and fabricated using 0.18-/spl mu/m single-poly and six-metal CMOS process with a core area of 1.76/spl times/1.76 mm/sup 2/, including an FFT/IFFT processor and a test module. The throughput rate of this fabricated FFT processor is up to 1 Gsample/s while it consumes 175 mW. Power dissipation is 77.6 mW when its throughput rate meets UWB standard in which the FFT throughput rate is 409.6 Msample/s.
Histone Modification Is Involved in Okadaic Acid (OA) Induced DNA Damage Response and G2-M Transition Arrest in Maize

Histone modifications are involved in regulation of chromatin structure. To investigate the relationship between chromatin modification and cell cycle regulation during plant cell proliferation, Okadaic acid (OA), a specific inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase, was applied in this study. The results showed that OA caused the cell cycle arrest at preprophase, leading to seedling growth inhibition. Western blotting assay revealed that the spatial distribution of phosphorylation of Ser10 histone H3 tails (H3S10ph) signals was altered under OA treatment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was found to be at higher levels and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay displayed DNA breaks happened at the chromatin after treatment with OA, companied with an increase in the acetylation of histone H4 at lysine 5 (H4K5ac) level. From these observations, we speculated that the alteration of the spatial distribution of H3S10ph and the level of H4K5ac was involved in the procedure that OA induced DNA breaks and G2-M arrested by the accumulation of ROS, and that the histone H3S10ph and H4K5ac might facilitate DNA repair by their association with the chromatin decondensation.