Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing dynamic cloud-based services using network virtualization

It is envisaged that services and applications will migrate to a cloud-computing paradigm where thin-clients on user-devices access, over the network, applications hosted in data centers by application service providers. Examples are cloud-based gaming applications and cloud-supported virtual desktops. For good performance and efficiency, it is critical that these services are delivered from locations that are the best for the current (dynamically changing) set of users. To achieve this, we expect that services will be hosted on virtual machines in interconnected data centers and that these virtual machines will migrate dynamically to locations best-suited for the current user population. A basic network infrastructure need then is the ability to migrate virtual machines across multiple networks without losing service continuity. In this paper, we develop mechanisms to accomplish this using a network-virtualization architecture that relies on a set of distributed forwarding elements with centralized control (borrowing on several recent proposals in a similar vein). We describe a preliminary prototype system, built using Openflow components, that demonstrates the feasibility of this architecture in enabling seamless migration of virtual machines and in enhancing delivery of cloud-based services.
Fast Macroblock Selection Algorithm for Multiview Video Coding Based on Mode Analyses

The macroblock mode distributional proportion and rate distortion (RD) cost of every macroblock mode are analyzed in detail. Then, concept of integrated optimal macroblock mode is introduced. The RD performance of integrated macroblock mode being the encoding macroblock mode is discussed theoretically. Finally, a fast macroblock mode selection algorithm based on macroblock mode analyses is proposed and tested. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm promotes greatly encoding speed by 3.87-8.71 times in comparison with JMVM, while it maintains better RD performance.
The role of branch architecture in assimilate production and partitioning: the example of apple (Malus domestica)

Understanding the role of branch architecture in carbon production and allocation is essential to gain more insight into the complex process of assimilate partitioning in fruit trees. This mini review reports on the current knowledge of the role of branch architecture in carbohydrate production and partitioning in apple. The first-order carrier branch of apple illustrates the complexity of branch structure emerging from bud activity events and encountered in many fruit trees. Branch architecture influences carbon production by determining leaf exposure to light and by affecting leaf internal characteristics related to leaf photosynthetic capacity. The dynamics of assimilate partitioning between branch organs depends on the stage of development of sources and sinks. The sink strength of various branch organs and their relative positioning on the branch also affect partitioning. Vascular connections between branch organs determine major pathways for branch assimilate transport. We propose directions for employing a modeling approach to further elucidate the role of branch architecture on assimilate partitioning.
Solid state pH and chloride sensor with microfluidic reference electrode

We present for the first time a miniaturized multi ion-selective sensor to simultaneously determine pH and chloride (Cl−) levels in fluid. The sensor combines solid state iridium oxide (IrOx) and silver chloride (AgCl) electrodes fabricated on a Si substrate with a microfluidic reference electrode (RE). The drift of the RE is similar to a standard RE while the internal reservoir is orders or magnitude smaller. The drift rate depends on the RE geometry as predicted by a model based on diffusion. The sensitivity, response time and accuracy were determined using solution with known composition, household solutions and samples of sweat and saliva. Overall performance is similar or even exceeds standard, relatively large and expensive ion-selective sensors.
Mycoplasma pulmonis possesses a novel chemoattractant for B lymphocytes

Mycoplasma pulmonis causes chronic murine respiratory mycoplasmosis, which is characterized by extensive peribronchial and perivascular infiltration of mononuclear cells, including B lymphocytes. B-lymphocyte recruitment into sites of inflammation is presently poorly understood but must involve directed chemotaxis of these cells in response to some external recruitment stimulus. In these studies, picogram amounts of M. pulmonis membrane protein were found to possess potent chemoattractant activity for resting rat B lymphocytes. This report is the first description of a bacterially derived chemoattractant for B lymphocytes and offers a unique opportunity to study regulation of B-lymphocyte recruitment to a site of chronic pulmonary inflammation. Furthermore, M. pulmonis membrane activation of fresh rat serum was found to produce a potent stimulus for recruitment of peritoneal and alveolar macrophages. M. pulmonis-mediated recruitment of lymphocytes and macrophages may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of murine respiratory mycoplasmosis, a role in which organisms on the bronchiolar epithelial surfaces may release proteins which can directly or indirectly promote chemotaxis of inflammatory cells from the circulation.
A survey of future broadband multimedia satellite systems, issues and trends

The demand for advanced information services is growing in terms of both the number of users and the services to be supported. Voice and low-rate data services are insufficient for users in a world where high-speed World Wide Web access is taken for granted. The trend is toward global information networks offering flexible multimedia information services to users on demand, anywhere, anytime. Potential services include video on demand, interactive video, fast Internet access, telemedicine, tele-education, and large file transfer. The need to support bandwidth-intensive multimedia services places new and challenging demands on satellite systems and networks. Flexibility, efficiency, mobility, and the ability to guarantee end-to-end quality of service are at a premium.
Natural Bioactive Compounds from Winery By-Products as Health Promoters: A Review

The relevance of food composition for human health has increased consumers’ interest in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as foods enriched in bioactive compounds and nutraceuticals. This fact has led to a growing attention of suppliers on reuse of agro-industrial wastes rich in healthy plant ingredients. On this matter, grape has been pointed out as a rich source of bioactive compounds. Currently, up to 210 million tons of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are produced annually, being the 15% of the produced grapes addressed to the wine-making industry. This socio-economic activity generates a large amount of solid waste (up to 30%, w/w of the material used). Winery wastes include biodegradable solids namely stems, skins, and seeds. Bioactive compounds from winery by-products have disclosed interesting health promoting activities both in vitro and in vivo. This is a comprehensive review on the phytochemicals present in winery by-products, extraction techniques, industrial uses, and biological activities demonstrated by their bioactive compounds concerning potential for human health.
NONLINEAR STRUCTURE IN REGRESSION RESIDUALS

Phase space reconstruction is investigated as a diagnostic tool for determining the structure of detected nonlinear processes in regression residuals. Empirical evidence supporting this approach is provided using simulations from an Ikeda mapping and the S&P 500. Results in the form of phase portraits (e.g., scatter plots of reconstructed dynamical systems) provide qualitative information to discern structural components from apparent randomness and provide insights categorizing structural components into functional classes to enhance econometric/time series modeling efforts.
Performance Consequences of Partial RED Deployment

The Internet is slowly adopting routers utilizing random early detection queue management. Clearly, the switch to RED will not be made overnight. There will be a period of time, perhaps a long period, when drop tail and RED routers will coexist in the Internet. This paper explores the performance consequences of the heterogenity. Using the SSFNet simulator with a simple experimental topology we show that network performance for a given flow is affected most by the routers nearest the sender.
Syntax-based language models for statistical machine translation

We present a syntax-based language model for use in noisy-channel machine translation. In particular, a language model based upon that described in (Cha01) is combined with the syntax based translation-model described in (YK01). The resulting system was used to translate 347 sentences from Chinese to English and compared with the results of an IBM-model-4-based system, as well as that of (YK02), all trained on the same data. The translations were sorted into four groups: good/bad syntax crossed with good/bad meaning. While the total number of translations that preserved meaning were the same for (YK02) and the syntax-based system (and both higher than the IBM-model-4-based system), the syntax based system had 45% more translations that also had good syntax than did (YK02) (and approximately 70% more than IBM Model 4). The number of translations that did not preserve meaning, but at least had good grammar, also increased, though to less avail.
Interplay between Social Influence and Network Centrality: Shapley Values and Scalable Algorithms

A basic concept in network analysis is centrality, which measures the importance of nodes in a network. In this research, we address the following fundamental question: "Given a social network, what is the impact of the social influence models on network centrality? " Social influence is commonly formulated as a stochastic process, which defines how each group of nodes can collectively influence other nodes in an underlying graph. This process defines a natural cooperative game, in which each group's utility is its influence spread. Thus, fundamental game-theoretical concepts of this social-influence game can be instrumental in understanding network influence. We present a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of the game-theoretical approach to capture the impact of influence models on centrality. In this paper, we focus on the Shapley value of the above social-influence game. Algorithmically, we give a scalable algorithm for approximating the Shapley values of a large family of social-influence instances. Mathematically, we present an axiomatic characterization which captures the essence of using the Shapley value as the centrality measure to incorporate the impact of social-influence processes. We establish the soundness and completeness of our representation theorem by proving that the Shapley value of this social-influence game is the unique solution to a set of natural axioms for desirable centrality measures to characterize this interplay. The dual axiomatic-and-algorithmic characterization provides a comparative framework for evaluating different centrality formulations of influence models. Empirically, through a number of real-world social networks --- both small and large --- we demonstrate the important features of the Shapley centrality as well as the efficiency of our scalable algorithm.
Efficient localization and tracking of two acoustic sources using particle filters with swarm intelligence

In this paper we consider the problem of localizing multiple acoustic sources in reverberant environments. The solution that we propose is based on the combination of two techniques. A blind source separation (BSS) method known as TRINICON [5] is applied to the signals acquired by the microphone arrays. The TRINICON de-mixing filters are used to obtain the Time Differences of Arrival (TDOAs), which are related to the source location through a nonlinear function. A particle filter is then applied in order to localize the sources. Particles move according to a swarm-like dynamics, which significatively reduces the number of particles involved. We discuss results for the case of two sources and four microphone pairs. Experimental results confirm that the same localization accuracy (measured in terms of RMS error) can be achieved using 25 particles instead of 300. In addition, we propose a method, based on detecting source inactivity, which overcomes the ambiguities that intrinsically arise when only two microphone pairs are used.
Heavy Metal Contamination in Meat and Crustaceans Products from Thailand Local Markets

The aim of this study was to investigate heavy metal contaminations (cadmium, chromium, and lead) in meat and crustaceans products from three markets of Pathumthani province, Thailand. Heavy metals from beef, pork, chicken, scallop, and prawn were analyzed by using ICP-OES. The results showed that the heavy metal concentrations ranges found in meat and crustaceans’ products were 0.002-0.032 mg/kg for cadmium, 0.003-0.040 mg/kg for chromium, and 0.006-0.200 mg/kg for lead. The levels of heavy metal contamination in all products are still below the food safety standard of Thailand. The maximum levels of metals in meat and crustaceans products were found as follows: lead > chromium > cadmium, in the three markets. The results of this study provide valuable information to livestock and aquaculture production for food-safety products, and for protection of human health.
In Vivo Effect of α1-Acid Glycoprotein on Pharmacokinetics of Amprenavir, a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease Inhibitor

ABSTRACT Observations from early clinical pharmacology studies of amprenavir, an inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease that is highly bound to human plasma proteins (∼90%), showed the single-dose pharmacokinetics of amprenavir to be variable between and within individuals. A cross-study analysis of various demographic, laboratory, and clinical covariates was therefore performed. Differences in amprenavir pharmacokinetics could be due to variable concentrations in α1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), the predominant plasma protein to which amprenavir binds. Therefore, AAG was considered an important factor to study since the literature suggested that AAG levels vary by race, age, and weight and following trauma or infection, including HIV disease. Pooled data from three single-dose studies analyzed by stepwise linear regression indicated that AAG concentrations significantly correlated with age and race and that only AAG concentrations were a significant predictor of amprenavir apparent total clearance (CL/F). A significant inverse linear relationship was found between AAG and amprenavir CL/F. Compared to white subjects, black subjects had significantly lower AAG concentrations and therefore significantly higher amprenavir CL/F. Although AAG has a significant influence on the variability of total drug pharmacokinetics, unbound, or free, drug concentrations are not affected by AAG concentrations. Incorrect conclusions could be drawn on the pharmacokinetics of highly protein-bound drugs if AAG concentration is not included in the analysis.
Anti‐ulcer treatment during pregnancy induces food allergy in mouse mothers and a Th2‐bias in their offspring

The treatment of dyspeptic disorders with anti‐acids leads to an increased risk of sensitization against food allergens. As these drugs are taken by 30–50% of pregnant women due to reflux and heartburn, we aimed here to investigate the impact of maternal therapy with anti‐acids on the immune response in the offspring in a murine model. Codfish extract as model allergen was fed with or without sucralfate, an anti‐acid drug, to pregnant BALB/c mice during pregnancy and lactation. These mothers developed a codfish‐specific allergic response shown as high IgG1 and IgE antibody levels and positive skin tests. In the next step we analyzed whether this maternal sensi‐tization impacts a subsequent sensitization in the offspring. Indeed, in stimulated splenocytes of these off‐spring we found a relative Th2‐dominance, because the Thl‐ and T‐regulatory cytokines were significantly sup‐pressed. Our data provide evidence that the anti‐acid drug sucralfate supports sensitization against food in pregnant mice and favors a Th2‐milieu in their offspring. From these results we propose that anti‐acid treatment during pregnancy could be responsible for the increasing number of sensitizations against food allergens in young infants. —Schöll, I. , Ackermann, U. , Özdemir, C. , Blümer, N. , Dicke, T. , Sel, S. , Sel, S. , Wegmann, M. , Szalai, K. , Knittelfelder, R. , Untersmayr, E. , Scheiner, O. , Garn, H. , Jensen‐Jarolim, E. , Renz, H. Anti‐ulcer treatment during pregnancy induces food allergy in mouse mothers and a Th2‐bias in their offspring. FASEB J. 21, 1264–1270 (2007)
Scheduling of conditional process graphs for the synthesis of embedded systems

We present an approach to process scheduling based on an abstract graph representation which captures both data-flow and the flow of control. Target architectures consist of several processors, ASICs and shared buses. We have developed a heuristic which generates a schedule table so that the worst case delay is minimized. Several experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the approach.
Checking correctness of business contracts via commitments

Business contracts tend to be complex. In current practice, contracts are often designed by hand and adopted by their participants after, at best, a manual analysis. This paper motivates and formalizes two aspects of contract correctness from the perspective of the preferences of the agents participating in them. A contract is safe for a participant if participating in the contract would not leave the participant worse off than otherwise. More strongly, a contract is beneficial to a participant if participating in the contract would leave the participant better off than otherwise. This paper seeks to partially automate reasoning about the correctness of formally modeled business contracts. It represents contracts formally as a set of commitments. It motivates constraints on how cooperative agents might value the various states of commitments. Further, it shows that such constraints are consistent and promote cooperation. Lastly, it presents algorithms for checking the safety and guaranteed benefits of a contract.
The Economic Value of Network Externalities in an Electronic Inter-Bank Payment Network : An Empirical Evaluation

Theoretical work ascribes a positive value to the externalities arising from the adoption of network technologies. However, few studies have attempted to quantify the business value of these externalities. As a result, relatively little is known about the economic impact of externalities on firms that adopt network technologies. In this study, we investigate the value of an electronic inter-bank payment network in terms of its effect on the reserve management performance of commercial banks. Performance is measured by the opportunity and penalty costs generated by balances on the reserve account that commercial banks hold at the central bank. We propose that the electronic inter-bank payment network enhances banks’ reserve management performance (i.e., reducing opportunity and penalty costs) by providing more timely information on deposits and withdrawals affecting the banks’ reserve accounts. Technology impact is characterized as an initial stand-alone effect and a network externalities effect as more banks join the network. To evaluate the economic value of the technology impact, we analyze data from the implementation of an electronic inter-bank payment network adopted by all Mexican commercial banks. We find that early adopters of the electronic network, with a low ratio of electronic to overall operations, experience increasing opportunity and penalty costs. However, as additional banks join the network, the ratio of electronic operations increases, and costs decrease. After all banks have adopted the electronic network, we observe a reduction equivalent to 9.9% of each bank’s opportunity and penalty costs. The aggregated savings for all banks equal $5.3 million dollars for the 6 months following the technology adoption. Overall, the electronic inter-bank payment network project provides a significant positive net present value. Our findings provide support for the network externalities hypothesis. They also suggest an initial negative performance impact when there is concurrent use of old and new network technologies.
Osteoporosis and Diabetes

Osteoporosis is a bone condition defined by low bone mass, increased fragility, decreased bone quality, and an increased fracture risk.1 It is the most prevalent metabolic bone disease in the United States. Using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1991) reported that 34–50% of postmenopausal white women have osteopenia (T score –1–2.49) and ∼17–20% have osteoporosis (T score ≤–2.5). 2 Both low bone mass conditions increase fracture risks, with osteoporosis having the greater impact. In 1995, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) reported the annual cost of treating osteoporotic fractures to be $13.8 billion, an amount that is expected to double over the next 25 years because of the increasing elderly population.3 Although the disease historically has been reported mostly in white women, it can affect individuals of either sex and all ethnic groups. Osteoporosis is not symptomatic until there is a fracture. One in five women are not diagnosed with osteoporosis despite presenting with a fracture. Any fracture (unrelated to motor vehicle accidents) sustained between the ages of 20 and 50 years is associated with a 74% increase in the future risk of fractures after the age of 50 years.4 Thus, the true occurrence of osteoporosis may be significantly underestimated because many women who suffer minimal trauma fractures still are not being evaluated for osteoporosis.5 The incidence of fractures increases with age, and this is associated with an increased mortality rate and an overall functional decline. During the first year following a hip fracture, the mortality rate is 36% for men and 21% for women.6 In certain patient groups, such as those with psychiatric disorders, the mortality rate has been reported to be >50%. 7 If patients survive their fractures, they face greater risks of having …
Information Concealing Games

A system with an n-dimensional state vector and a controller and an actor is considered. The controller has complete information about the system state, and reveals a certain “minimum” amount of information to the actor. The actor takes certain actions based on the information the controller reveals, and the actions fetch certain utilities for each entity. Both the controller and actor seek to maximize their individual utilities by respectively selecting the information to reveal and the actions to adopt. This decision problem forms the basis of several technical and social systems, and can be formulated as a signaling game. It is shown that the Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium of this game has several counterintuitive properties and can be obtained as a saddle point of a different two person zero sum game. The computation time for saddle points using standard linear programs however turns out to be superexponential in n, which leads to computational intractability even for moderate n. Algorithms for computing saddle point policies using a computation time that is exponential in n are presented. Finally, simple linear time computable policies that approximate the saddle-point policies within guaranteeable approximation ratios are obtained.