Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological targeting of the PI3K/mTOR pathway alters the release of angioregulatory mediators both from primary human acute myeloid leukemia cells and their neighboring stromal cells

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous and aggressive malignancy with poor overall survival. Constitutive as well as cytokine-initiated activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling is a common feature of AML patients, and inhibition of this pathway is considered as a possible therapeutic strategy in AML. Human AML cells and different stromal cell populations were cultured under highly standardized in vitro conditions. We investigated the effects of mTOR inhibitors (rapamycin and temsirolimus) and PI3K inhibitors (GDC-0941 and 3-methyladenin (3-MA)) on cell proliferation and the constitutive release of angioregulatory mediators by AML and stromal cells. Primary human AML cells were heterogeneous, though most patients showed high CXCL8 levels and detectable release of CXCL10, Ang-1, HGF and MMP-9. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that disruption of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways decreased AML cell release of CXCL8-11 for a large subset of patients, whereas the effects on other mediators were divergent. Various stromal cells (endothelial cells, fibroblasts, cells with osteoblastic phenotype) also showed constitutive release of angioregulatory mediators, and inhibitors of both the PI3K and mTOR pathway had anti-proliferative effects on stromal cells and resulted in decreased release of these angioregulatory mediators. PI3K and mTOR inhibitors can decrease constitutive cytokine release both by AML and stromal cells, suggesting potential direct and indirect antileukemic effects.
Molecular motors: a theorist's perspective.

Individual molecular motors, or motor proteins, are enzymatic molecules that convert chemical energy, typically obtained from the hydrolysis of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), into mechanical work and motion. Processive motor proteins, such as kinesin, dynein, and certain myosins, step unidirectionally along linear tracks, specifically microtubules and actin filaments, and play a crucial role in cellular transport processes, organization, and function. In this review some theoretical aspects of motor-protein dynamics are presented in the light of current experimental methods that enable the measurement of the biochemical and biomechanical properties on a single-molecule basis. After a brief discussion of continuum ratchet concepts, we focus on discrete kinetic and stochastic models that yield predictions for the mean velocity, V(F, [ATP], .), and other observables as a function of an imposed load force F, the ATP concentration, and other variables. The combination of appropriate theory with single-molecule observations should help uncover the mechanisms underlying motor-protein function.
The Influence of Expected Value on Saccadic Preparation

Basing higher-order decisions on expected value (reward probability × reward magnitude) maximizes an agent's accruement of reward over time. The goal of this study was to determine whether the advanced preparation of simple actions reflected the expected value of the potential outcomes. Human subjects were required to direct a saccadic eye movement to a visual target that was presented either to the left or right of a central fixation point on each trial. Expected value was manipulated by adjusting the probability of presenting each target and their associated magnitude of monetary reward across 15 blocks of trials. We found that saccadic reaction times (SRTs) were negatively correlated to the relative expected value of the targets. Occasionally, an irrelevant visual distractor was presented before the target to probe the spatial allocation of saccadic preparation. Distractor-directed errors (oculomotor captures) varied as a function of the relative expected value of, and the distance of distractors from, the potential valued targets. SRTs and oculomotor captures were better correlated to the relative expected value of actions than to reward probability, reward magnitude, or overall motivation. Together, our results suggest that the level and spatial distribution of competitive dynamic neural fields representing saccadic preparation reflect the relative expected value of the potential actions.
Marburg Virus Infection Detected in a Common African Bat

Marburg and Ebola viruses can cause large hemorrhagic fever (HF) outbreaks with high case fatality (80–90%) in human and great apes. Identification of the natural reservoir of these viruses is one of the most important topics in this field and a fundamental key to understanding their natural history. Despite the discovery of this virus family almost 40 years ago, the search for the natural reservoir of these lethal pathogens remains an enigma despite numerous ecological studies. Here, we report the discovery of Marburg virus in a common species of fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in Gabon as shown by finding virus-specific RNA and IgG antibody in individual bats. These Marburg virus positive bats represent the first naturally infected non-primate animals identified. Furthermore, this is the first report of Marburg virus being present in this area of Africa, thus extending the known range of the virus. These data imply that more areas are at risk for MHF outbreaks than previously realized and correspond well with a recently published report in which three species of fruit bats were demonstrated to be likely reservoirs for Ebola virus.
Glove-Based Continuous Arabic Sign Language Recognition in User-Dependent Mode

In this paper, we propose a glove-based Arabic sign language recognition system using a novel technique for sequential data classification. We compile a sensor-based dataset of 40 sentences using an 80-word lexicon. In the dataset, hand movements are captured using two DG5-VHand data gloves. Data labeling is performed using a camera to synchronize hand movements with their corresponding sign language words. Low-complexity preprocessing and feature extraction techniques are applied to capture and emphasize the temporal dependence of the data. Subsequently, a Modified k-Nearest Neighbor (MKNN) approach is used for classification. The proposed MKNN makes use of the context of feature vectors for the purpose of accurate classification. The proposed solution achieved a sentence recognition rate of 98.9%. The results are compared against an existing vision-based approach that uses the same set of sentences. The proposed solution is superior in terms of classification rates while eliminating restrictions of vision-based systems.
Insecurity of Cheng et al.'s Efficient Revocation in Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption Based Cryptographic Cloud Storage

Ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CPABE) is a promising solution to the problem of fine-grained access control over encrypted data in the cloud. Several CPABE based cryptographic cloud storage systems have been proposed in recent years. However, access policy revocation is expensive in these systems, because data owner has to retrieve, re-encrypt and re-upload the data when access policy updates. To optimize the access policy revocation procedure, Cheng et al. proposed a revocation scheme for CP-ABE based cryptographic cloud storage. In their scheme, the original data is first divided into a number of slices, and then uploaded to the cloud storage. When a revocation occurs, the data owner needs only to retrieve, re-encrypt and re-upload one slice instead of the entire data. They claimed that their scheme is efficient and computationally secure. In this paper, we first point out Cheng et al.'s scheme only preserves all-or-nothing property for one time, then we show that it is susceptible to a fatal attack from the malicious revoked data user who stores the symmetric key or generates extra valid slices.
Verification and Performance Evaluation of S-MAC Protocol Based on Process Calculi

This paper relates to the formal analysis of S-MAC, a medium-access protocol designed for wireless sensor networks. We study the synchronization mechanism of mobile nodes and the 4-way handshake mechanism of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance scheme implemented by S-MAC. We model these previous mechanisms with the $\pi$-calculus and the proof of their deadlocks-freeness is achieved by using the Mobility Workbench tool. A performance evaluation of S-MAC is also conducted by modeling and simulating the communications between fixed nodes with the Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA). The performance measurements are carried-out with the PEPA Eclipse plug-in.
On the expected payment of mechanisms for task allocation: [extended abstract]

We study a generic task allocation problem called shortest paths: Let G be a directed graph in which the edges are owned by self interested agents. Each edge has an associated cost that is privately known to its owner. Let s and t be two distinguished nodes in G. Given a distribution on the edge costs, the goal isto design a mechanism (protocol) which acquires a cheap s-t path. We first prove that the class of generalized VCG mechanisms has certain monotonicity properties. We exploit this observation to obtain, under an independence assumption, expected payments whichare significantly better than the worst case bounds of. We then investigate whether these payments canbe improved when there is a competition among paths. Surprisingly, we give evidence to the fact that typically such competition hardly helps incentive compatible mechanisms. In particular, we show this for the celebrated VCG mechanism. We then construct anovel general protocol combining the advantages of incentive compatible and non-incentive compatible mechanisms. Under reasonable assumptions on the agents we show that the overpayment of our mechanism is very small. Finally, we demonstrate that many task allocation problems can be reduced to shortest paths.
Distributed Flight Routing and Scheduling for Air Traffic Flow Management

Air traffic flow management (ATFM) is an important component in an air traffic control system and has significant effects on the safety and efficiency of air transportation. In this paper, we propose a distributed ATFM strategy to minimize the airport departure and arrival schedule deviations. The scheduling problem is formulated based on an en-route air traffic system model consisting of air routes, waypoints, and airports. A cell transmission flow dynamic model is adopted to describe the system dynamics under safety related constraints, such as the capacities of air routes and airports, and the aircraft speed limits. Our ATFM problem is formulated as an integer quadratic programming problem. To overcome the computational complexity associated with this problem, we first solve a relaxed quadratic programming problem by a distributed approach based on Lagrangian relaxation. Then a heuristic forward-backward propagation algorithm is proposed to obtain the final integer solution. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheduling strategy.
Breast cancer screening using tomosynthesis in combination with digital mammography.

IMPORTANCE Mammography plays a key role in early breast cancer detection. Single-institution studies have shown that adding tomosynthesis to mammography increases cancer detection and reduces false-positive results. OBJECTIVE To determine if mammography combined with tomosynthesis is associated with better performance of breast screening programs in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective analysis of screening performance metrics from 13 academic and nonacademic breast centers using mixed models adjusting for site as a random effect. EXPOSURES Period 1: digital mammography screening examinations 1 year before tomosynthesis implementation (start dates ranged from March 2010 to October 2011 through the date of tomosynthesis implementation); period 2: digital mammography plus tomosynthesis examinations from initiation of tomosynthesis screening (March 2011 to October 2012) through December 31, 2012. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Recall rate for additional imaging, cancer detection rate, and positive predictive values for recall and for biopsy. RESULTS A total of 454,850 examinations (n=281,187 digital mammography; n=173,663 digital mammography + tomosynthesis) were evaluated. With digital mammography, 29,726 patients were recalled and 5056 biopsies resulted in cancer diagnosis in 1207 patients (n=815 invasive; n=392 in situ). With digital mammography + tomosynthesis, 15,541 patients were recalled and 3285 biopsies resulted in cancer diagnosis in 950 patients (n=707 invasive; n=243 in situ). Model-adjusted rates per 1000 screens were as follows: for recall rate, 107 (95% CI, 89-124) with digital mammography vs 91 (95% CI, 73-108) with digital mammography + tomosynthesis; difference, -16 (95% CI, -18 to -14; P < .001); for biopsies, 18.1 (95% CI, 15.4-20.8) with digital mammography vs 19.3 (95% CI, 16.6-22.1) with digital mammography + tomosynthesis; difference, 1.3 (95% CI, 0.4-2.1; P = .004); for cancer detection, 4.2 (95% CI, 3.8-4.7) with digital mammography vs 5.4 (95% CI, 4.9-6.0) with digital mammography + tomosynthesis; difference, 1.2 (95% CI, 0.8-1.6; P < .001); and for invasive cancer detection, 2.9 (95% CI, 2.5-3.2) with digital mammography vs 4.1 (95% CI, 3.7-4.5) with digital mammography + tomosynthesis; difference, 1.2 (95% CI, 0.8-1.6; P < .001). The in situ cancer detection rate was 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.6) per 1000 screens with both methods. Adding tomosynthesis was associated with an increase in the positive predictive value for recall from 4.3% to 6.4% (difference, 2.1%; 95% CI, 1.7%-2.5%; P < .001) and for biopsy from 24.2% to 29.2% (difference, 5.0%; 95% CI, 3.0%-7.0%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Addition of tomosynthesis to digital mammography was associated with a decrease in recall rate and an increase in cancer detection rate. Further studies are needed to assess the relationship to clinical outcomes.
Composable Lightweight Processors

Modern chip multiprocessors (CMPs) are designed to exploit both instruction-level parallelism (ILP) within processors and thread-level parallelism (TLP) within and across processors. However, the number of processors and the granularity of each processor are fixed at design time. This paper evaluates a flexible architectural approach, called composable lightweight processors (or CLPs), that allows simple, low-power cores to be aggregated together dynamically, forming larger, more powerful single-threaded processors without changing the application binary. We evaluate one such design with 32 cores called TFlex, which can be configured as 32 dual-issue processors, or as a single 64-wide issue processor, or as any point in between. Use of an explicit data graph execution (EDGE) ISA enables the system to be fully composable, with no monolithic structures spanning the cores. Simulation results show that CLPs achieve an average performance boost of 42%, an average area-efficiency of 3.4x, and an average power-efficiency of 2x over a fixed architecture on a spectrum of single-threaded applications. Results also show that CLPs outperform a spectrum of fixed CMP architectures on a set of multitasking workloads.
ICI/ISI-Aware Beamforming for MIMO-OFDM Wireless Systems

An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system suffers performance degradation when the length of the cyclic prefix is less than the channel impulse response. The root cause of this degradation is the inter-carrier interference (ICI) and inter-symbol interference (ISI) introduced by the excessive multipath delay. Generally, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) beamforming is helpful in mitigating such interference because it can spatially suppress some of the multipath. However, the effectiveness of this suppression is very limited. In this paper, we propose an ICI/ISI-aware beamforming algorithm which explicitly takes into account the multipath characteristic of the channel. Optimal steering vectors are derived to maximize the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio. This technique not only achieves the beamforming benefit, but also significantly mitigates the ICI and ISI. We show, via simulations, that the proposed algorithm can dramatically reduce the block error rate, permitting good performance for channel delay profiles that would break conventional links. This is vitally important for the extension of indoor wireless LAN designs to outdoor uses.
Nonlinear average current mode control for a DC-DC Buck converter

In this paper the nonlinear average current control for a DC-DC buck converter is presented in both continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The outer voltage control loop uses a PI controller. In the present control scheme, switch current is being sensed instead of inductor current. Sensing of the switch current instead of inductor current is particularly attractive for low power applications due to its improved efficiency and the possibility to integrate the control circuitry with the power switch. Average of inductor current, output voltage along with line and load regulation is being controlled using this control scheme. The control method requires no current compensator design. A 10 W, 100 kHz buck converter with simulation results are presented.
A memetic algorithm using local search chaining for black-box optimization benchmarking 2009 for noisy functions

Memetic algorithms with continuous local search methods have arisen as effective tools to address the difficulty of obtaining reliable solutions of high precision for complex continuous optimisation problems. There exists a group of continuous search algorithms that stand out as brilliant local search optimisers. Several of them, like CMA-ES, often require a high number of evaluations to adapt its parameters. Unfortunately, this feature makes difficult to use them to create memetic algorithms. In this work, we show a memetic algorithm that applies CMA-ES to refine the solutions, assigning to each individual a local search intensity that depends on its features, by chaining different local search applications. Experiments are carried out on the noisy Black-Box Optimization Benchmarking BBOB'2009 test suite.
SIGNALING CONVENTIONS: WHO LEARNS WHAT WHERE AND WHEN IN A SOCIAL NETWORK?

Lewis (1969) invented signaling games to show that meaning convention can arise simply from regularities in communicative behavior. This paper contributes to the question how the formation of signaling conventions depends on the social structure of a population. Our results not only show that different language conventions can coexist, but also where to expect uniformity and language contact. We found that place and time of convention formation can be traced well to particular clusters of high/low values of suitable notions from formal network theory. Against prior expectations, we found that agent rationality is less important than network role in deciding how and when an agent adopts a convention.
CREATIVE COMPOSITIONALITY FROM REINFORCEMENT LEARNING IN SIGNALING GAMES

Compositional language use shows in creatively associating hitherto unencountered meanings and forms in systematic ways. I submit that compositionality, as a key feature of human language, is no reason not to see a continuum between human speech and animal communication. Basic forms of compositional creativity presuppose surprisingly little cognitive sophistication. If changes in agents’ behavioral dispositions are susceptible to similarities between different meanings and, independently, to similarities between different forms, creative compositionality can emerge in a signaling game model with reinforcement learning.
Survey on Privacy Preservation of Sensitive Data

: As the Internet grows and network bandwidth continues to increase, administrators are faced with the task of keeping confidential information from leaving their networks. In various data-leak cases, data loss is caused mainly by human mistakes. Recently government organizations show that the numbers of data-leak instances have grown quickly. One of the important issues in the information security research is data leakage or data loss especially caused by insider threat as insider threats have potential to inflict severe damage to the organization’s resources, financial assets and reputation. However privacy and secrecy consideration can prohibit the organizations from willing to share the data from each other and this is one of the major tasks in the information security.In literature various papers address the problem of data leakage caused by human mistakes in the field of information security. This paper reviews the different methods used for mitigating data leakage and misuse detection. As per literature, need to develop an effective model for detecting data leakage in the field of information security.
Movement behaviour and mortality in invasive and indigenous mussels: resilience and resistance strategies at different spatial scales

The responses of indigenous and exotic species to environmental factors can differ across spatial and temporal scales, and it is this difference that determines invasion success and the dynamics of co-existence. In South Africa, the indigenous Perna perna and the invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis are the dominant intertidal mussels on the southern coast, where they co-exist. We compared their movement behaviour over 6 mo at small scales (within and at the edge of mussel beds) and at meso scales (in bays and on the open coast). M. galloprovincialis moved more and had higher mortality rates than did P. perna. For both species, mortality was greater at the edge than at the centre of beds, and on the open coast than in bays. Mussels at the edge of beds moved more than those within beds, but, while this was true for M. galloprovincialis in both habitats, P. perna did not show a position effect on the open coast. Cross-correlation analysis showed that movement rates of both species were correlated with mortality rates after a lag of 1 mo. These results suggest that following mortality events, mussels react to increased availability of space and decreased attachment to neighbours by increasing their movement to reorganise into a safer arrangement. However, P. perna and M. galloprovincialis effectively adopt resistance and resilience strategies, respectively. The effectiveness of each strategy depends on environmental conditions in different habitats, influ- encing the possibility of co-existence. The higher hydrodynamic stresses experienced in open coast habitats and at the edge of a mussel bed are disadvantageous to the more active, less strongly attached invasive species.
Button Segmentation from an Elevator Inside Door Image

Computer vision on the segmentation of buttons from an elevator inside door (EID) image is studied. Due to the reflection phenomenon and the similar color between buttons and the door panel consisting of the buttons in the EID image, it is not easy to deal with the button segmentation. To overcome this problem, based on the edge information of the EID image a kernel function called projection-andchecking (PAC) is presented in this paper for the button segmentation, which will be valuable for the robot vision application. Our experiments confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach.