Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating topological distances based on end-to-end path sharing

Quality of Service (QoS) of large-scale distributed systems depends on the properties of the network connecting the nodes/hosts of the system. Topological information about the underlying network is beneficial for improving the performance, devising reliability schemes, ensuring low overhead, and enhancing the scalability of such systems. Topology information is often obtained with the support of the network infrastructure. Unfortunately, this support is often limited and sometimes not reliable. Various techniques have been proposed to infer useful information about the structure of the IP topology using strictly end-to-end measurements. In this paper, we rely on path sharing information between the nodes of a distributed system collected using end-to-end measurements and explore how much of the logical topology can be inferred using only this information. We propose an algorithm to construct such an inferred graph and evaluate this algorithm by simulations. In the synthetic topologies we considered, error in the estimated distances between the end nodes is on average a negligible fraction of the diameter for the tree topologies and less than 20% of the diameter for denser graphs.
Recruitment of Nurses Working Outside Nursing

Nurses have always left nursing for other jobs and careers. However, there is some evidence that suggests this occurs now more than ever before as new generations join the workforce, and non-health employers recognize the skills that nurses gain in the profession. The authors provide data on the movement of nurses to careers outside the nursing profession in Australia and reasons for this occurrence and propose solutions.
Strong secrecy for interference channels from channel resolvability

The achievable rate region is studied for interference channels with confidential messages under strong secrecy constraints. The problem is investigated based on the framework of the channel resolvability theory. The information-spectrum method introduced by Han and Verdu is first generalized to an arbitrary interference channel to obtain a direct channel resolvability result. The derived resolvability results are then shown to be the achievable strong secrecy rates for the stationary and memoryless interference channel. Our results provide further evidence that channel resolvability can be a powerful and general framework for strong secrecy analysis in multiuser networks.
Driver's trust in automated driving when sharing of spatial awareness

Vibrotactile display has been investigated to support driver's monitoring of traffic situation when auto driving. A vibrotactile display was assumed to contribute to driver trust in automation since driver can know the spatial awareness of an automated system to predict or understand the action selection for driving. The display provided the spatial information of close traffic objects with haptic stimulus. The present study considered driving scenes of passing a motorbike when vehicles are approaching from behind. A driving simulator study was conducted to investigate effects of the spatial information and driving behavior of automated system on driver trust. The results showed that the trust was affected by the information and behavior of the system.
Photosynthetic down-regulation in Larrea tridentata exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2: Interaction with drought under glasshouse and field (FACE) exposure

The photosynthetic response of Larrea tridentata Cav. , an evergreen Mojave Desert shrub, to elevated atmospheric CO2 and drought was examined to assist in the understanding of how plants from water-limited ecosystems will respond to rising CO2. We hypothesized that photosynthetic down-regulation would disappear during periods of water limitation, and would, therefore, likely be a seasonally transient event. To test this we measured photosynthetic, water relations and fluorescence responses during periods of increased and decreased water availability in two different treatment implementations: (1) from seedlings exposed to 360, 550, and 700 μmol mol ‐1 CO2 in a glasshouse; and (2) from intact adults exposed to 360 and 550 μmol mol ‐1 CO2 at the Nevada Desert FACE (Free Air CO2 Enrichment) Facility. FACE and glasshouse well-watered Larrea significantly down-regulated photosynthesis at elevated CO 2, reducing maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax), carboxylation efficiency (CE), and Rubisco catalytic sites, whereas droughted Larrea showed a differing response depending on treatment technique. Amax and CE were lower in droughted Larrea compared with well-watered plants, and CO2 had no effect on these reduced photosynthetic parameters. However, Rubisco catalytic sites decreased in droughted Larrea at elevated CO2. Operating Ci increased at elevated CO2 in droughted plants, resulting in greater photosynthetic rates at elevated CO2 as compared with ambient CO2. In well-watered plants, the changes in operating Ci, CE and Amax resulted in similar photosynthetic rates across CO2 treatments. Our results suggest that drought can diminish photosynthetic down-regulation to elevated CO2 in Larrea, resulting in seasonally transient patterns of enhanced carbon gain. These results suggest that water status may ultimately control the photosynthetic response of desert systems to rising CO2.
Treatment of urinary incontinence after stroke in adults.

BACKGROUND Urinary incontinence can affect 40-60% of people admitted to hospital after a stroke, with 25% still having problems on hospital discharge and 15% remaining incontinent at one year. OBJECTIVES To determine the optimal methods for treatment of urinary incontinence after stroke in adults. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Incontinence and Stroke Groups specialised registers (searched 15 March 2007 and 5 March 2007 respectively), CINAHL (January 1982 to January 2007), national and international trial databases for unpublished data, and the reference lists of relevant articles. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of interventions designed to promote continence in people after stroke. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken by two reviewers working independently. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. MAIN RESULTS Twelve trials with a total of 724 participants were included in the review. Participants were from a mixture of settings, age groups and phases of stroke recovery. BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS: Three trials assessed behavioural interventions, such as timed voiding and pelvic floor muscle training. All had small sample sizes and confidence intervals were wide. SPECIALISED PROFESSIONAL INPUT INTERVENTIONS: Two trials assessed variants of professional input interventions. Results tended to favour the intervention groups: in a small trial in early rehabilitation, fewer people had incontinence at discharge from hospital after structured assessment and management than in a control group (1/21 vs. 10/13; RR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.43); in the second trial, assessment and management by Continence Nurse Advisors was associated with fewer participants having urinary symptoms (48/89 vs. 38/54; RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.99) and statistically significantly more being satisfied with care. COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY INTERVENTIONS: Three small trials all reported fewer participants with incontinence after acupuncture therapy (overall RR 0.44; 95% 0.23 to 0.86), but there were particular concerns about study quality. PHARMACOTHERAPY AND HORMONAL INTERVENTIONS: There were three small trials that included groups allocated meclofenoxate, oxybutinin or oestrogen. There were no apparent differences other than in the trial of meclofenoxate where fewer participants had urinary symptoms in the active group than in the control group (9/40 vs. 27/40; RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.62). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Data from the available trials are insufficient to guide continence care of adults after stroke. However, there was suggestive evidence that professional input through structured assessment and management of care and specialist continence nursing may reduce urinary incontinence and related symptoms after stroke. Better quality evidence is required of the range of interventions that have been suggested for continence care after stroke.
The Shareholder-Wealth and Trading-Volume Effects of Information-Technology Infrastructure Investments

Despite the rising tide of investments in information technologies (IT) infrastructures, empirical evidence about the effects of such investment moves is scarce. Stock market investors provide one appropriate perspective on the value-creation and growth potential of IT infrastructure investments through their reactions to specific IT infrastructure investment moves by business firms. This research utilizes the event-study analysis approach to examine if IT infrastructure investments are associated with significantly positive abnormal stock market returns and rises in trading volume when firms announce such investments. Drawing upon a sample of IT infrastructure announcements in the early 1990s, this research finds significant evidence that positive abnormal returns and increased trading volume are associated with IT infrastructure investment announcements. Further, when such investments are contrasted with investments in IT applications, evidence exists that infrastructure investments generate greater excess returns and a larger increase in trading volume than applications investments do. The evidence provides empirical support for the potential of IT infrastructure investments to be perceived as a platform for growth and revenue generation opportunities in contemporary business firms.
Social niche construction : evolutionary explanations for cooperative group formation

Cooperative behaviours can be defined as those that benefit others at an apparent cost to self. How these kinds of behaviours can evolve has been a topic of great interest in evolutionary biology, for at first sight we would not expect one organism to evolve to help another. Explanations for cooperation rely on the presence of a population structure that clusters cooperators together, such that they enjoy the benefits of each others' actions. But, the question that has been left largely unaddressed is, how does this structure itself evolve? If we want to really explain why organisms cooperate, then we need to explain not just their adaptation to their social environment, but why they live in that environment. It is well-known that individual genetic traits can affect population structure; an example is extracellular matrix production by bacteria in a biofilm. Yet, the concurrent evolution of such traits with social behaviour is very rarely considered. We show here that social behaviour can exert indirect selection pressure on population structure-modifying traits, causing individuals to adaptively modify their population structure to support greater cooperation. Moreover, we argue that any component of selection on structure modifying traits that is due to social behaviour must be in the direction of increased cooperation; that component of selection cannot be in favour of the conditions for greater selfishness. We then examine the conditions under which this component of selection on population structure exists. Thus, we argue that not only can population structure drive the evolution of cooperation, as in classical models, but that the benefits of greater cooperation can in turn drive the evolution of population structure - a positive feedback process that we call social niche construction. We argue that this process is necessary in providing an adaptive explanation for some of the major transitions in evolution (such as from single- to multi- celled organisms, and from solitary insects to eusocial colonies). Any satisfactory account of these transitions must explain how the individuals came to live in a population structure that supported high degrees of cooperation, as well as showing that cooperation is individually advantageous given that structure.
Pharmacognostical Evaluation of Zanthoxylum nitidum Root

Zanthoxylum nitidum (Roxb.) DC (Rutaceae), called Tez-mui in Assamese, is a large prickly shrub, and its stem bark is ethnomedicinally prescribed in North-East India for treatment of various disease conditions like toothache, gingivitis, fever, colic vomiting, diarrhoea and cholera. Scientific parameters are not yet available to identify the exact plant material and to ascertain its quality and purity. The present investigation was therefore undertaken to determine the requisite pharmacognostical standards for evaluating the plant material. Various investigations like organoleptic or morphological characters, microscopic or anatomical studies, physico-chemical evaluations (loss on drying, ash values, extractive values), phytochemical screening, TLC finger print profiling and fluorescence analysis of powdered crude drug were carried out and the salient qualitative and quantitative parameters were reported. These studies provided referential information for correct identification and standardization of this plant material. These information will also be helpful to differentiate Z. nitidum from the closely related other species of Zanthoxylum.
Correlation between Intelligence Quotient and the Level of Improvement of Autistic Children

Background and Aims: Autism in children is known to affect brain systems implicated in cognitive, communication, social functioning and intelligence. Although autism is a neurobiological disorder, behavioral interventions are currently the primary treatments for individuals with autism. The objective of the present study was to identify the correlation between intelligent quotient and the level of improvement of autistic children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive design was carried out in the rehabilitation clinic for children with autism at psychiatric research unit-Mosul Medical College / University of Mosul. Data were collected by using Childhood Autism Rating scale (CARS) and I.Q was measured by Stanford-Binet scale in order to achieve the objectives of the present study. A pre-test was carried out on children with autism who participated in the rehabilitation program. The childhood autism rating scale was used for this purpose. After five months, post-test was administered for autistic children to identify the effects of caregivers' techniques and interventions on the children with autism disorders. The subjects of the study were consisted of the 30 children who were received interventions at the rehabilitation clinic for autistic children. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Results: The study revealed that most autistic children who participated in the study had learning disabilities and low moderate intelligence quotient, they accounted 33.3% and 27.7%, respectively. The study confirmed that the children’s I.Q had highly significant difference regarding improvement. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was significant difference in intelligence quotient between pre and post intervention levels of autism (improvement).
Susceptibility to Form-Deprivation Myopia in Chicks is Not Altered by an Early Experience of Axial Myopia

Purpose. Studies in humans and primates suggest that early visual experience may influence eye growth and refractive development later in life. In this study, we asked whether experimentally-induced myopia in 1-week-old chicks influences the responsiveness to form deprivation at a later age (4 weeks old). Methods. A group of White Leghorn chicks (“twice deprived,” N = 12) were monocularly deprived of form vision with white translucent diffusers at 3 days of age for 4 days. The diffusers were then removed, and the chicks were allowed 3 weeks of normal vision to age 27 days before being deprived again for 4 days. Another group of chicks (“once deprived,” N = 9) were monocularly deprived of form vision at age 27 days for 4 days. Refractive errors, corneal curvatures, and axial ocular dimensions were measured by retinoscopy, infrared videokeratometry, and A-scan ultrasonography, respectively. Measurements were performed daily during the periods of deprivation and at approximately 3-day intervals in between treatments and after the final treatment period. Results. The magnitude of the form-deprivation myopia induced by 4 days of deprivation at 27 days of age was significantly smaller than that induced by the same treatment at 3 days of age (−4.1 vs. −9.8 D; paired t-test, p < 0.01). This difference in induced myopia reflects optical scaling with increasing eye size because the deprivation-induced changes in vitreous chamber depth were not significantly different for the two deprivation periods (0.37 vs. 0.35 mm, paired t-test, p = 0.65). The induction of myopia at the younger age did not affect the susceptibility to form-deprivation myopia at the older age; there was no difference in the response to form deprivation at the older age between the once-deprived and twice-deprived groups (−3.5 vs. −4.1 D; unpaired t-test, p = 0.50). There was also a significant correlation between the amount of axial elongation induced in individual eyes during the first and second periods of deprivation (r = 0.631, p < 0.05). Conclusions. The induction of form-deprivation myopia at a young age does not affect the response to form deprivation at a later age. The significant correlation between the axial elongation induced in individual eyes over the two successive periods of deprivation suggests individual differences, possibly genetic in origin, in the susceptibility to form-deprivation myopia in chicks.
Fluid Structure Interaction and Impact Analyses of Reciprocating Compressor Discharge Valve

In this paper, Fluid Structure Interaction analysis is conducted to simulate moving mechanism of discharge valve and predict a failure in discharge valve in reciprocating compressor. Moving mechanism of discharge valve, opening and closing, shows impact phenomenon owing to a high velocity correspond to valve motion. The cylinder pressure is successfully validated before conducting impact analysis between discharge valve and other susceptible supported structure. The status of compressor model just before impact form FSI analysis is obtained. It is used as a initial condition to carry out further impact analysis. The Stress in discharge valve gives preliminary estimation about compressor reliability due to its impact phenomena.
Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of the PI3K‐regulated signaling network

The PI3K pathway is commonly activated in cancer. Only a few studies have attempted to explore the spectrum of phosphorylation signaling downstream of the PI3K cascade. Such insight, however, is imperative to understand the mechanisms responsible for oncogenic phenotypes. By applying MS‐based phosphoproteomics, we mapped 2509 phosphorylation sites on 1096 proteins, and quantified their responses to activation or inhibition of PIK3CA using isogenic knock‐in derivatives and a series of targeted inhibitors. We uncovered phosphorylation changes in a wide variety of proteins involved in cell growth and proliferation, many of which have not been previously associated with PI3K signaling. A significant update of the posttranslational modification database PHOSIDA (http://www.phosida.com) allows efficient use of the data. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD003899 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD003899).
Classification of voltage dips based on time-frequency parameters

The objective of this preliminary study was to investigate if voltage dips induced by different root causes have specific time-frequency patterns in their respective voltage dip waveforms by which the underlying root cause can be uniquely identified. Finding specific frequency patterns in the voltage dip waveform provides an innovative basis for the automatic classification of voltage dips based on their probable root cause. Ultimately, progressive insight into voltage dips allows more effective mitigation responses and thereby, conserves economic capital. Time-frequency parameters were obtained using short-time Fourier transforms. Subsequently, cluster analyses was performed to determine if time-frequency parameters from different voltage dip root causes were distinct. The outcome of the cluster analysis indicated that voltage dips which originate from different root causes have distinctive time-frequency patterns within the recorded voltage dip waveform.
The development of intelligent home security robot

The security system of home and building is an important issue to human daily life. We develop a multiple remote interface security system (MRlSS), that integrated with intelligent security robot (ISR), security supervise computer, GSM module, RF interface and appliances control module. The multiple remote interface security system can detect abnormal and dangerous situation and notify us through Internet, or send the message to cellular phone through GSM module. The MRISS can control the appliance control module using wireless RF interface. The user can remote control appliance using cell phone through GSM module, too. The appliance module can feedback reaction result to the user through cell phone. First, we develop the communication protocol in MRISS, and design the multiple interface security robot, security module and appliance control module. Then we implement the MRISS function using the proposed method applying in security detection and appliance control. We can monitor the condition in home or building through Internet, and receive a message of the detection information to cellular phone using wireless RF interface embedded in the ISR. We can also use cell phone to instruct ISR to control appliances. ISR controls appliances via wireless RF module. We have developed and demonstrated the success of the project presented situation here in.
Genotype Distribution and Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatitis C Virus in Blood Donors from Southeast France

ABSTRACT The genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in blood donors from southeast France was tracked for a period of 13 years (1991 to 2003). Virus genomes from 321 samples were analyzed by amplification and sequencing of the NS5b and E1 regions. The most frequent genotypes were 1b (30.2%), 1a (27.7%), and 3a (22.4%). Although it was less common, genotype 2 was characterized by the presence of strains belonging to 11 different subtypes, including 5 that had never been characterized. Genotypes 1a, 1b, 3a, and 4a presented typical “epidemic” profiles, with a large number of isolates per subtype and short mean genetic distances between isolates. Type 2 isolates displayed a typical “endemic” profile, with a large number of subtypes and very few isolates in each subtype. The epidemiology of HCV infection in southeast France changed radically during the study period in relation to modifications in the etiology of infection. We observed the emergence of new epidemic subtypes (subtypes 1a and 3) linked to intravenous drug use and a decrease in the types linked to blood transfusion and nosocomial infection (epidemic subtype 1b and endemic type 2). Comparison of strains from blood donors with strains from a cohort of inpatients in the same region during 2001 and 2002 demonstrated for the first time that the monitoring of blood donors is a generally valid indicator of HCV epidemiology in terms of genotype distribution.