Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secure Hardware Performance Analysis in Virtualized Cloud Environment

The main obstacle in mass adoption of cloud computing for database operations is the data security issue. In this paper, it is shown that IT services particularly in hardware performance evaluation in virtual machine can be accomplished effectively without IT personnel gaining access to real data for diagnostic and remediation purposes. The proposed mechanisms utilized TPC-H benchmark to achieve 2 objectives. First, the underlying hardware performance and consistency is supervised via a control system, which is constructed using a combination of TPC-H queries, linear regression, and machine learning techniques. Second, linear programming techniques are employed to provide input to the algorithms that construct stress-testing scenarios in the virtual machine, using the combination of TPC-H queries. These stress-testing scenarios serve 2 purposes. They provide the boundary resource threshold verification to the first control system, so that periodic training of the synthetic data sets for performance evaluation is not constrained by hardware inadequacy, particularly when the resources in the virtual machine are scaled up or down which results in the change of the utilization threshold. Secondly, they provide a platform for response time verification on critical transactions, so that the expected Quality of Service (QoS) from these transactions is assured.
A Comparative Study of Bronchoscopic Microsample Probe versus Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Patients with Burns-Related Inhalational Injury, Acute Lung Injury and Chronic Stable Lung Disease

Background and Objectives: The bronchoscopic microsample (BMS) probe allows direct epithelial lining fluid (ELF) level measurement without saline lavage. We investigated whether cytokine levels in ELF from a BMS differed from those obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in stable and acute lung disease. Methods: In a single-centre, prospective observational cohort study of 45 patients, a sequential BMS probe procedure and BAL were performed on patients with stable chronic obstructive lung disease, interstitial lung disease, acute lung injury (ALI), burns-related inhalational injury or controls. ELF samples were assayed for IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and G-CSF. Results: Both bronchoscopic microsampling and BAL showed significantly higher cytokine levels in the ELF from patients with ALI and burns-related inhalational injury than from those with chronic stable lung disease. The BMS method detected cytokine levels approximately 20- to 80-fold higher than the corresponding BAL (uncorrected for dilution). The ratio of BMS and BAL cytokine levels was as follows: the ratio for IL-1β [mean 55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 34-88] was higher than that for IL-6 (mean 16, 95% CI 10-23, p = 0.015) and IL-8 (mean 13, 95% CI -5 to 36, p = 0.03). The ratio for G-CSF (mean 43, 95% CI 24-75) was higher than that for IL-6 (mean 16, 95% CI 10-23, p = 0.008). Conclusions: The BMS probe safely collects ELF with higher equivalent inflammatory cytokine concentrations than via BAL from patients with both acute and chronic lung disease and can be an alternative to saline BAL. Variations in cytokine concentrations between BMS and BAL and sampling-site differences warrant further study.
ClustHOSVD: Item Recommendation by Combining Semantically Enhanced Tag Clustering With Tensor HOSVD

Social tagging systems (STSs) allow users to annotate information items (songs, pictures, etc.) to provide them item/tag or even user recommendations. STSs consist of three main types of entities: 1) users; 2) items; and 3) tags. These data usually are represented by a three-order tensor, on which Tucker decomposition (TD) models are performed, such as higher order singular value decomposition. However, TD models require cubic computations for the tensor decomposition. Furthermore, TD models suffer from sparsity that incurs in social tagging data. Thus, TD models have limited applicability to large-scale datasets, due to their computational complexity and data sparsity. In this paper, we use two different ways to compute similarity/distance between tags (i.e., the term frequency - inverse document frequency vector space model and the semantic similarity of tags using the ontology of WordNet). Moreover, to reduce the size of the tensor's dimensions and its data sparsity, we use clustering methods (i.e., k-means, spectral clustering, etc.) for discovering tag clusters, which are the intermediaries between a user's profile and items. Thus, instead of inserting the tag dimension in the tensor, we insert the tag cluster dimension, which is smaller and has less noise, resulting to better item recommendation accuracy. We perform experimental comparison of the proposed method against a state-of-the-art item recommendation algorithm with two real datasets (Last.fm and BibSonomy). Our results show significant improvements in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.
Salivary Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacillus spp. levels in patients during rapid palatal expansion.

AIM To assess the microbial level of Streptococcus Mutans and Lactobacillus spp. during rapid palatal expansion, and compare the data with untreated control patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS STUDY DESIGN Thirty patients aged between 6-9 years were enrolled in this study (15 males and 15 females). The patients were divided into three groups: 10 patients were treated with rapid palatal expander (RPE) (Test Group 1), 10 patients were treated with Mc Namara expander, and 10 patients were enrolled in the control untreated group. Whole stimulated saliva was collected from each patient at three time points: before initiation of expansion therapy (baseline at T0), after 3 months (T1), after initiation of treatment, and after 6 months from T0 (T2). The protocol of rapid palatal expansion for the two groups was as follows: at placement of the expander 4 activations were performed by the orthodontist (1 mm expansion), followed by 4 activations per day by the parents (two in the morning and two in the evening, 1 mm per day total) to be repeated for 7 days. RESULTS Statistics: In this study a different trend in the microbial colonisation for the two treated groups was observed. In the Test Group 1, in which patients were treated with the RPE, there was a significant difference between Strp T0 T1 and between Strp T0 and T2 (p< 0.05). There was also a significant difference between LAC T1 T0 and LAC T2 and T0 (p<0.05). In the Test Group 2, treated with McNamara expanders, it was found was a significant difference between LAC T2 T0 and LAC T1 T0. In the same group it was also found a significant difference between Strp T2 T0; T1 T0; T1 T2 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION The level of the various species of bacteria changes during rapid palatal expansion, and this seems to depend on the type of orthodontic expander. During rapid palatal expansion treatment it is also advisable a periodical microbial monitoring using in-office bacteria tests.
Reputation Turnaround , Negotiated Block Trade , and Endogenous Cost of Corporate Control ∗

Reputation is a valuable asset to firms, yet the impact of corporate governance of reputationreliant firms is underexplored. This paper investigates how a firm’s reputation in the product market responds to a change in its controlling shareholder, and derives the optimal firm ownership and control structure. We consider a dynamic model of an experience-goods firm, in which a controlling shareholder actively engages in management, and the controlling share block can be traded through private negotiation. In the optimal equilibrium, the firm’s reputation in the product market is linked to its behavior in the market for corporate control to provide proper incentive for the controlling shareholder to maintain a good firm reputation. Our analysis also identifies an endogenous cost of corporate control, and provides a rationale for the separation of ownership and control. We derive the optimal ownership structure and draw implications on the dynamics of control premium. JEL Classifications: L14, L15, D86
Parity Automata for Quantitative Linear Time Logics

We initiate a study of automata-based model checking for previously proposed quantitative linear time logics interpreted over coalgebras. Our results include: (i) an automata-theoretic characterisation of the semantics of these logics, based on a notion of extent of a quantitative parity automaton, (ii) a study of the expressive power of Buchi variants of such automata, with implications on the expressiveness of fragments of the logics considered, and (iii) a naive algorithm for computing extents, under additional assumptions on the domain of truth values.
An Investigation of Novel Combined Features for a Handwritten Short Answer Assessment System

This paper proposes an off-line automatic assessment system utilising novel combined feature extraction techniques. The proposed feature extraction techniques are 1) the proposed Water Reservoir, Loop, Modified Direction and Gaussian Grid Feature (WRL_MDGGF), 2) the proposed Gravity, Water Reservoir, Loop, Modified Direction and Gaussian Grid Feature (G_WRL_MDGGF). The proposed feature extraction techniques together with their original features and other combined feature extraction techniques were employed in an investigation of the efficiency of feature extraction techniques on an automatic off-line short answer assessment system. The proposed system utilised two classifiers namely, artificial neural networks and Support Vector Machines (SVMs), two type of datasets and two different thresholds in this investigation. Promising recognition rates of 94.85% and 94.88% were obtained when the proposed WRL_MDGGF and G_WRL_MDGGF were employed, respectively, using SVMs.
An efficient equalizer architecture using tap allocation memory for HDTV channel

This paper proposes an efficient equalizer architecture using the tap allocation memory based on the Kalman algorithm. The equalizer for HDTV channel needs many taps to be adequate for a long delay multipath, which causes a high computational complexity to update the coefficient. We propose a new method that the energy of tap and the channel delay length are observed during training period and then the taps having negligible energy are gradually excluded from the coefficient update. The remaining taps form a new coefficient vector by the tap allocation memory that reduces the computational complexity without any performance degradation. The proposed structure is simulated on the channel of North American terrestrial High Definition Television (HDTV).
Kalirin-7 is a Key Player in the Formation of Excitatory Synapses in Hippocampal Neurons

Kalirin-7 (Kal7), a major isoform of Kalirin in the adult rodent hippocampus, is exclusively localized to the postsynaptic side of mature excitatory synapses in hippocampal neurons. Kal7 interacts with multiple PDZ domain—containing proteins through its unique PDZ binding motif. Overexpression of Kal7 increases spine density and spine size, whereas reduction of endogenous Kal7 expression by small hairpin RNA (shRNA) causes a decrease in synapse number and spine density in cultured hippocampal neurons. Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons of Kal7 knockout (Kal7) mice show decreased spine density, spine length, synapse number, and postsynaptic density (PSD) size in their apical dendrites; are deficient in long-term potentiation (LTP); and exhibit decreased frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC). Kal7 plays a key role in estrogen-mediated spine/synapse formation in hippocampal neurons. Kal7 is also an essential determinant of dendritic spine formation following chronic cocaine treatment. Kal7 plays a key role in excitatory synapse formation and function.
Physical and behavioral circuit models of power BAW resonators

A new physical model for a piezoelectric resonator having a nonlinear mechanical characteristic is presented together with its behavioral nonlinear circuit model. Both models correspond to the measured data describing: the small signal characteristic, the amplitude-frequency effect, and the frequency dependence of the second harmonic of the reflected power. The usefulness of these models in resonator and circuit design is discussed.
Cisplatin‐based polychemotherapy reduces the natural cytotoxicity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma and their in vitro responsiveness to interleukin‐12 incubation

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the in vitro effect of IL‐12 on the natural cytotoxicity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from patients who underwent adjuvant‐based cisplatin polychemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma. The authors also investigated amifostine, a cytoprotective agent that appears to protect against chemotherapy damage to healthy tissues, to determine its effects on natural immune function.
Sub-5nm All-Around Gate FinFET for Ultimate Scaling

Sub-5nm all-around gate FinFETs with 3nm fin width were fabricated for the first time. The n-channel FinFET of sub-5nm with 1.4nm HfO2 shows an IDsat of 497muA/mum at VG=V D=1.0V. Characteristics of sub-5nm transistor are verified by using 3-D simulations as well as analytical models. A threshold voltage increases as the fin width reduces by quantum confinement effects. The threshold voltage shift was fitted to a theoretical model with consideration of the first-order perturbation theory. And a channel orientation effect, based on a current-flow direction, is shown
Prevention of outburst floods from periglacial lakes at Grubengletscher, Valais, Swiss Alps

Abstract Flood and debris-flow hazards at Grubengletscher near Saas Balen in the Saas Valley, Valais, Swiss Alps, result from the formation and growth of several lakes at the glacier margin and within the surrounding permafrost. In order to prevent damage related to such hazards, systematic investigations were carried out and practical measures taken. The evolution of the polythermal glacier, the creeping permafrost within the large adjacent rock glacier and the development of the various periglacial lakes were monitored and documented for the last 25 years by photogrammetric analysis of annually flown high-resolution aerial photographs. Seismic refraction, d.c. resistivity and gravimetry soundings were performed together with hydrological tracer experiments to determine the structure and stability of a moraine dam at a proglacial lake. The results indicate a maximum moraine thickness of > 100 m; extremely high porosity and even ground caverns near the surface may have resulted from degradation of sub- and periglacial permafrost following 19th/20th-century retreat of the partially cold glacier tongue. The safety and retention capacity of the proglacial lake were enhanced by deepening and reinforcing the outlet structure on top of the moraine complex. The water level of an ice-dammed lake was lowered and a thermokarst lake artficially drained.
Exogenous Anandamide Protects Rat Brain against Acute Neuronal Injury In Vivo

The endocannabinoid anandamide [N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA)] is thought to function as an endogenous protective factor of the brain against acute neuronal damage. However, this has never been tested in an in vivo model of acute brain injury. Here, we show in a longitudinal pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging study that exogenously administered AEA dose-dependently reduced neuronal damage in neonatal rats injected intracerebrally with the Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor ouabain. At 15 min after injury, AEA (10 mg/kg) administered 30 min before ouabain injection reduced the volume of cytotoxic edema by 43 ± 15% in a manner insensitive to the cannabinoid CB1receptor antagonist SR141716A. At 7 d after ouabain treatment, 64 ± 24% less neuronal damage was observed in AEA-treated (10 mg/kg) rats compared with control animals. Coadministration of SR141716A prevented the neuroprotective actions of AEA at this end point. In addition, (1) no increase in AEA and 2-arachidonoylglycerol levels was detected at 2, 8, or 24 hr after ouabain injection; (2) application of SR141716A alone did not increase the lesion volume at days 0 and 7; and (3) the AEA-uptake inhibitor, VDM11, did not affect the lesion volume. These data indicate that there was no endogenous endocannabinoid tone controlling the acute neuronal damage induced by ouabain. Although our data seem to question a possible role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in establishing a brain defense system in our model, AEA may be used as a structural template to develop neuroprotective agents.
Discriminative feature representation for image classification via multimodal multitask deep neural networks

Abstract. A good image feature representation is crucial for image classification tasks. Many traditional applications have attempted to design single-modal features for image classification; however, these may have difficulty extracting sufficient information, resulting in misjudgments for various categories. Recently, researchers have focused on designing multimodal features, which have been successfully employed in many situations. However, there are still some problems in this research area, including selecting efficient features for each modality, transforming them to the subspace feature domain, and removing the heterogeneities among different modalities. We propose an end-to-end multimodal deep neural network (MDNN) framework to automate the feature selection and transformation procedures for image classification. Furthermore, inspired by Fisher’s theory of linear discriminant analysis, we improve the proposed MDNN by further proposing a multimodal multitask deep neural network (M2DNN) model. The motivation behind M2DNN is to improve the classification performance by incorporating an auxiliary discriminative constraint to the subspace representation. Experimental results on five representative datasets (NUS-WIDE, Scene-15, Texture-25, Indoor-67, and Caltech-101) demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MDNN and M2DNN models. In addition, experimental comparisons of the Fisher score criterion exhibit that M2DNN is more robust and has better discriminative power than other approaches.
Design and fabrication of a miniaturized three-axis accelerometer for measuring heart wall motion

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a silicon-based miniaturized piezoresistive three-axis accelerometer. By monitoring heart wall motion, this sensor can detect potential regional cardiac ischemia in patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Preliminary results that have been obtained from animal studies demonstrate that the use of a commercial sensor can be applied to this application. However, it is also demonstrated that the design and manufacturing of a dedicated sensor is required for this specific application. This article explains the design requirements and technology processes used to develop such a sensor.
Ethics in HIV Prevention Research: Clarifying the Complexities

Haire, Kaldor, and Jordens (2012) tackle two controversial topics in research ethics. First, they issue a strong plea in questioning whether drug regulatory agencies are too restrictive in their requirements for approving products for HIV prevention. Given the urgent need to make such products widely available as soon as possible, the authors propose a faster track for approval of a preventive method that has shown strong evidence of efficacy. Defenders of a restrictive view for regulatory approval cite occasions in which an initial clinical trial showed great promise but the positive results failed to be confirmed in a later trial. Second, the authors are critical of future studies in which a new experimental preventive method would be compared with a placebo when strong evidence has demonstrated efficacy of an existing method. Debates over the ethical acceptability of placebo controls show no sign of letting up. Defenders argue that data from this trial design are more interpretable than a design with an active control; moreover, they point out, placebo-controlled trials can be conducted more quickly with the results available sooner. A tension thus exists between the two positions that Haire, Kaldor, and Jordens argue for. Loosening the restrictions that regulatory agencies require would enable products to be available sooner. But requiring an active control rather than placebo would result in trials that take longer, thereby increasing the time before successful products could be made available. The authors defend one position that would hasten approval of HIV prevention products and another position that would delay obtaining results from trials. This apparent inconsistency is not a flaw in the authors’ argument, however. It merely indicates how complicated research ethics is, as the simultaneous pursuit of different (yet related) goals can lead to anomalous consequences. The goal of hastening the approval process is to make an effective product available to prevent new HIV infections in the population. The goal of insisting on active rather than placebo controls is to protect the welfare of research participants in the control group by increasing their protection from HIV infection. This is not a situation in which
Relaciones España-Marruecos

Las timidas reformas democraticas emprendidas por el monarca alaui, que recibio a los reyes de Espana, mantiene a Marruecos a la cola de los derechos humanos tras 30 anos de ocupacion ilegal del Sahara. Amnistia Internacional laerte de las torturas, los malos tratos y la falta de libertad de expresion.
Circulating MicroRNAs, miR‐21, miR‐122, and miR‐223, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or chronic hepatitis

Numerous studies have shown that aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is associated with the development and progression of various types of human cancer and serum miRNAs are potential biomarkers. This study examined whether some commonly deregulated miRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are presented in serum of patients with HCC and can serve as diagnostic markers. Serum miRNAs (miR‐21, miR‐122, and miR‐223) were quantified by real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR in 101 patients with HCC and 89 healthy controls. In addition, 48 patients with chronic type B hepatitis were also analyzed for comparison. We found that the median levels of miR‐21, miR‐122, and miR‐223 were significantly higher in patients with HCC than those in healthy controls (P = 7.48 × 10−13, P = 6.93 × 10−9, and P = 3.90 × 10−12, respectively). However, these elevated serum miRNAs were also detected in patients with chronic hepatitis (P = 2.05 × 10−12, P = 4.52 × 10−16, and P = 1.65 × 10−11, respectively). Moreover, serum miR‐21 and miR‐122 in patients with chronic hepatitis were higher than in patients with HCC (P = 3.99 × 10−4 and P = 4.97 × 10−8), although no such significant difference was found for miR‐223. Receiver‐operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggest that these serum miRNAs may be useful markers for discriminating patients with HCC or chronic hepatitis from healthy controls, but not patients with HCC from patients with chronic hepatitis. Our results indicate that serum miR‐21, miR‐122 and miR‐223 are elevated in patients with HCC or chronic hepatitis and these miRNAs have strong potential to serve as novel biomarkers for liver injury but not specifically for HCC. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.