Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Projects Characteristics Determining Suitability of Software Development Process

Software development is a complex engineering activity that faces many challenges. In the last three decades, software projects frequently ran over time, cost over budget, and delivered less functionalities than promised. These challenges are dominantly caused by technical and management failures. One critical challenge is that project characteristics, such as the technical and management environment, are not well-known in advance. The preposition of this paper is that knowing the characteristics of a software project will have a positive effect on three indicators that are most important for stakeholders: costs, duration, and functionalities. This preposition is discussed and validated in relation to three sources: review of the literature, analysis of lessonslearned documents of completed software projects in industry, and interviews with practitioners. This research resulted in a list of characteristics (non-exhaustive) that should be taken into account during the initial phases of a software project development, which should increase likelihood of success.
Testability Estimation of Framework Based Applications

Quality of software systems is highly demanded in today’s scenario. Highly testable system enhances the reliability also. More than 50% of test effort-time and cost are used to produce a highly testable system. Thus, design-for-testability is needed to reduce the test effort. In order to enhance the quality, productivity and reduced cost of the software organizations are promoting to produce the reuse-oriented products. Incorporating reuse technology in both aspects-software development process and test process may payoff many folds. Keeping this view, our study focus the testability of the object-oriented framework based software systems and identify that flexibility at the variable points of the object-oriented framework, chosen for framework instantiation, greatly affects the testability of object-oriented framework based software at each level of testing. In the current paper, we propose a testability model considering the flexible aspect of the variable point to estimate testability in the early phase, requirement analysis phase, of development process of the framework based software. The proposed model helps to improve the testability of the software before the implementation starts thus reducing the overall development cost.
Electrostatic Modeling Predicts the Activities of Orthopoxvirus Complement Control Proteins1

Regulation of complement activation by pathogens and the host are critical for survival. Using two highly related orthopoxvirus proteins, the vaccinia and variola (smallpox) virus complement control proteins, which differ by only 11 aa, but differ 1000-fold in their ability to regulate complement activation, we investigated the role of electrostatic potential in predicting functional activity. Electrostatic modeling of the two proteins predicted that altering the vaccinia virus protein to contain the amino acids present in the second short consensus repeat domain of the smallpox protein would result in a vaccinia virus protein with increased complement regulatory activity. Mutagenesis of the vaccinia virus protein confirmed that changing the electrostatic potential of specific regions of the molecule influences its activity and identifies critical residues that result in enhanced function as measured by binding to C3b, inhibition of the alternative pathway of complement activation, and cofactor activity. In addition, we also demonstrate that despite the enhanced activity of the variola virus protein, its cofactor activity in the factor I-mediated degradation of C3b does not result in the cleavage of the α′ chain of C3b between residues 954–955. Our data have important implications in our understanding of how regulators of complement activation interact with complement, the regulation of the innate immune system, and the rational design of potent complement inhibitors that might be used as therapeutic agents.
DNA repair by nonhomologous end joining and homologous recombination during cell cycle in human cells

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are dangerous lesions that can lead to potentially oncogenic genomic rearrangements or cell death. The two major pathways for repair of DSBs are nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). NHEJ is an intrinsically error-prone pathway while HR results in accurate repair. To understand the origin of genomic instability in human cells it is important to know the contribution of each DSB repair pathway. Studies of rodent cells and human cancer cell lines have shown that the choice between NHEJ or HR pathways depends on cell cycle stage. Surprisingly, cell cycle regulation of DSB repair has not been examined in normal human cells with intact cell cycle checkpoints. Here we measured the efficiency NHEJ and HR at different cell cycle stages in hTERT-immortalized diploid human fibroblasts. We utilized cells with chromosomally-integrated fluorescent reporter cassettes, in which a unique DSB is introduced by a rare-cutting endonuclease. We show that NHEJ is active throughout the cell cycle, and its activity increases as cells progress from G1 to G2/M (G1 < S < G2/M). HR is nearly absentin G1, most active in the S phase, and declines in G2/M. Thus, inG2/M NHEJ is elevated, while HR is on decline. This is in contrastto a general belief that NHEJ is most active in G1, while HR isactive in S, G2 and M. The overall efficiency of NHEJ was higherthan HR at all cell cycle stages. We conclude that human somaticcells utilize error-prone NHEJ as the major DSB repair pathway atall cell cycle stages, while HR is used, primarily, in the S phase.
Molasse Facies: Records of Worldwide Crustal Stresses

Predominantly nonmarine molasse deposits in the Tethyan and Cordilleran mobile belts record major variations in orogenic activity in latest Cretaceous to earliest Cenozoic, mid-Cenozoic, and latest Cenozoic time. During the same intervals changes in activity also occurred on the sea floor. This coincidence suggests worldwide effects of movement of crustal plates.
Training cessation does not alter GLUT-4 protein levels in human skeletal muscle.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether short-term training cessation resulted in reduced GLUT-4 protein levels. Endurance- (n = 12, ET) and strength-trained (n = 12) individuals (ST) were examined before and after 14 days of training withdrawal. GLUT-4 content was determined from muscle biopsy samples of the gastrocnemius in ET and the vastus lateralis in ST. Insulin sensitivity (oral glucose tolerance test) was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in ET and ST with training cessation. GLUT-4 content was unaltered (P > 0.05) in both groups (92 and 100% of trained values for ET and ST, respectively). In ET, citrate synthase activity decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with training withdrawal (41.0 +/- 3.6 vs. 30.6 +/- 2.8 mumol.g-1.min-1); in ST no change was evident. The decrement in insulin sensitivity with the cessation of endurance- or resistance-oriented activity is therefore not associated with a reduction in GLUT-4 protein content. Muscle oxidative capacity and GLUT-4 content do not coincide with the removal of endurance training.
Severe Hemorrhagic Diathesis in a Patient with Prostat Adenocarsinoma and Diagnostic Approach

Disseminated intravascular coagulation, acquired hemophilia, and hyperfibrinolysis induced by prostate adenocarcinoma were first considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient who had been diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma and complicated with hemorrhage. Clinical progression and lack of response to other treatments directed us toward the diagnosis of hyperfibri- nolysis and tranexamic acid therapy was initiated. Clinical and laboratory findings resulted in a partial improvement, but the response was insufficient. This situation was associated with metastasis and not initiating the treatment for the primary disease. This case was presented to emphasize the importance of treatment arrangement on the basis of differential diagnosis for hemor- rhagic diathesis occurring in the clinical course of prostate adenocarcinoma.
Vesicle Endocytosis Requires Dynamin-Dependent GTP Hydrolysis at a Fast CNS Synapse

Molecular dependence of vesicular endocytosis was investigated with capacitance measurements at the calyx of Held terminal in brainstem slices. Intraterminal loading of botulinum toxin E revealed that the rapid capacitance transient implicated as “kiss-and-run” was unrelated to transmitter release. The release-related capacitance change decayed with an endocytotic time constant of 10 to 25 seconds, depending on the magnitude of exocytosis. Presynaptic loading of the nonhydrolyzable guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) analog GTPgS or dynamin-1 proline-rich domain peptide abolished endocytosis. These compounds had no immediate effect on exocytosis, but caused a use-dependent rundown of exocytosis. Thus, the guanosine triphosphatase dynamin-1 is indispensable for vesicle endocytosis at this fast central nervous system (CNS) synapse.
An ontology analysis tool

The success of the Semantic Web has been linked with the use of ontologies on the Semantic Web. Given the important role of ontologies on the Semantic Web, the need for domain ontology development and management are becoming more and more important to most kinds of knowledge-driven applications. Numerous proposed approaches to evaluating an ontology depend on the purpose of evaluation. Some tools evaluate ontologies for correctness, completeness and redundancy so that applications do not use poorly or incorrectly formulated ontologies; others have developed methodologies to ensure the consistency and completeness of an ontology throughout its entire lifetime. Recent proposals by researchers also suggest the importance of tools to help analyze ontologies for re-use by consumers. The scarcity of theoretically and empirically validated measures for consumer analysis of ontologies has motivated our research to develop an ontological analysis tool that can be used on both intensional and extensional ontologies. The suite of metrics that are being developed and implemented as a plug-in to the Protégé, ontology editor experimental results on two existing ontologies, WordNet and UMLS and our plans to continue validation of this tool on other ontologies such as UNSPSC and eCl@ss from the e-commerce domain are discussed.
Subendothelial infiltration of neutrophil granulocytes and liberation of matrix-destabilizing enzymes in an experimental model of human neo-intima

Summary It was the objective of this study to examine the role of human neutrophil granulocytes (PMN) in an in-vitro model of human neo-intima developed for the study of atherosclerosis. Human granulocytes were subjected to a co-culture model of human endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Subendothelial lipid accumulation was achieved by addition of native LDL to the culture medium. Tissue samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and scanning/transmission electron microscopy, and culture supernatants were examined for the presence of interleukin- 8 (IL-8), MCP-1, GRO-α, elastase and matrixmetalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8). Following addition of 2 mg/ml LDL, adherence, transmigration and infiltration depth of PMN was increased significantly when compared to controls. LDL challenging was paralleled by a time- and dose-dependent secretion of IL-8 from intimal smooth muscle cells. PMN infiltration was mediated by the IL-8-signalling pathway and accompanied by release of elastase and MMP-8 into the supernatant and induction of endothelial cell apoptosis. In conclusion, LDL-induced secretion of IL-8 by intimal smooth muscle cells provides a potential mechanism of PMN-recruitment into culprit lesions. The concomitant release of potent matrix-degrading enzymes and the induction of EC apoptosis may have implications for plaque destabilization and cardiovascular events.
Ultrasound surgery: comparison of strategies using phased array systems

In this paper the possibility of using phased array generated multiple-focus patterns to reduce the overall treatment time in ultrasound surgery while restraining prefocal heating was investigated. This was done by comparing through computer simulation the performance of different possible schemes, i.e., single-focus scans, multiple-focus scans, and simultaneous multiple focusing without scanning, when used to "ablate" a 10/spl times/10/spl times/10 mm/sup 3/ tissue volume 100 mm deep. In all cases, 41 foci were used to cover the treatment volume. Multiple-focus scans were arranged into nine groups which were scanned in a raster fashion, as with single-focus scans. Keeping the treatment time constant, the maximum intensities, maximum thermal doses, dose distributions, and prefocal necrosis zones for the different schemes were compared. It was found that the nonscanned simultaneous multiple-focus case required the smallest maximum intensity and dose, and resulted in the most even dose distribution. Single-focus raster scanning of individual lesions, as currently used with fixed-focus transducers, gave the worst results. These results show that multiple-focus patterns help considerably in reducing the maximum intensity and dose, and in generating a more even dose distribution assuming the same treatment time and prefocal heating. Alternatively, multiple-focus patterns can be used to significantly reduce treatment time while keeping the maximum intensity and prefocal heating below predetermined limits.
Seasonalities in China's Stock Markets: Cultural or Structural?

In this paper, we examine returns in the Chinese A and B stock markets for evidence of calendar anomalies. We find that both cultural and structural (segmentation) factors play an important role in influencing the pricing of both A- and B-shares in China. There is some evidence of a February turn-of-the-year effect, partly owing to the timing of the Chinese Lunar New Year (CNY); and the holiday effect around the CNY period is stronger and more persistent compared with the other public holidays. The segmentation between the two markets is apparent in the day-of-the-week effect, where B stock markets tend to post significant negative returns on Tuesdays, corresponding with overnight developments in the United States, while significant negative returns are observed on Mondays in the A stock markets. Investment strategies based on some of these calendar anomalies, and allowing for transaction costs, suggest that the A stock markets tend to offer more economically significant returns.
Simulating mobile IPv6 with ns-3

Evolving mobile communication technologies like the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), specified by 3GPP, aim to incorporate more distinct access technologies. While mobility management and QoS aspects are consistently defined for 3GPP technologies, not all non-3GPP networks are integrated smoothly. This work aims, using close to reality simulations with ns-3, to help understand the mechanisms used for the network aspect described above, identify its problems and develop new approaches in resolving them.
Susceptibility contrast imaging of cerebral blood volume: Human experience

Magnetic resonance (MR) can offer a unique window on the structure/function relationships in the brain, by utilizing the established link between tissue function, metabolism, and hemodynamics. This report focuses on recent applications of MR‐based crebral blood volume (CBV) imaging in humans. Our methodology uses high‐speed “single‐shot” or echo planar imaging techniques, which provide the necessary temporal resolution for maping the rapid cerebral transit of contrast agents. These MR CBV mapping techniques have been used to study normal human brain task activation and in the clinical study of patients with brain tumors. In the latter, positron emission tomography imaging was used for functional metabolic and CBV correlation. Susceptibility contrast CBV imaging should allow us to improve our understanding of the relationship between the detailed physiology and morphology of the microvascular bed and functional attributes of the brain. These techniques can be applied to understanding fundamental questions of cognitive neuroscience and can aid in improving diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in various neuropathologies. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
An effective algorithm for delay constrained least cost unicast routing

This paper discusses the NP-complete delay constrained least cost path problem, and a distributed heuristic algorithm based on mobile agent, which is called the mobile agent routing algorithm based on residual evaluation is presented. And several algorithm instances with different path selecting strategies are examined through computerized simulations. The results indicate that the presented solution is scaleable. An appropriate path selecting strategy can improve network performance. And the algorithm can provide satisfying call acceptance performance.
Financial Markets and R&D Investments

This paper introduces a discrete-time intertemporal investment model in which the flow of profits affects the risk premium on the cost of finance, and, as a consequence, the rate of discount of future profits. While public investments, according to a consolidated literature, constitute the main bulk of innovation policies, this model is used to comment and interpret the potential use of another, secondary, public policy, consisting of tax incentives for firms performing R&D expenditures and issuing securities in the stock market. Linking public policies for innovation to the stock market might help to reduce the problems of discretionality and the monitoring of public expenditure used to finance R&D and technical innovation.
Making "freemium" work

The article discusses the "freemium" business model which is used by some Internet businesses and smartphone application developers to give users free basic features of a digital product and access to premium functionality for a subscription fee. The discussion topics include the freemium marketing strategy, the life cycle of upgrades in freemium companies, and the six questions that new business enterprises should explore when considering the freemium model. The article mentions how four companies including NYTimes.com newspaper and Dropbox cloud storage use the freemium model.
Sexual conflict and indirect benefits

Recent work on sexual selection and sexual conflict has explored the influence of indirect effects on the evolution of female mating behaviour. It has been suggested that the importance of these effects has been underestimated and that the influence of indirect effects may actually be of relatively greater significance than direct effects. Additionally, it has also been suggested that all indirect effects, both good genes and sexy son, are qualitatively equivalent. Here a counterpoint to these suggestions is offered. We argue two main points: (1) it is unlikely that indirect effects will commonly outweigh direct effects, and (2) that there are important differences between good genes and sexy son indirect effects that must be recognized. We suggest that acknowledgement of these distinctions will lead to increased understanding of processes operating in both sexual conflict and sexual selection.
Leaveraging Foreign Direct Investment In Nigeria Through International Securitization

The quest for economic development and growth cannot be achieved in isolation. There is need for assessing capital for productive uses. Such capital cannot be sourced from domestic markets only, hence the need for the international capital market (ICM). Nigeria particularly has experienced gaps in the desired investment and locally mobilized savings; between foreign exchange requirements and foreign exchange earnings; and between target revenue and locally raised revenue. The major objective of this study is to ascertain the operations of the ICM and its effect on foreign private investment. The objectives could be tested and empirically investigated using the multiple regression model and correlation analysis. Data is gotten through both primary and secondary sources. Information from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin of various issues secondary data. The paper recommended that government should provide enabling environment for a stable, virile and predictable macroeconomic variables attractive for investment purposes; government should also provide genuine information to foreign investors and enterprises with respect to scope of investment opportunities in the country.
Dietary Insulin Load, Dietary Insulin Index, and Colorectal Cancer

Background: Circulating insulin levels have been positively associated with risk of colorectal cancer; however, it remains unclear whether a diet inducing an elevated insulin response influences colorectal cancer risk. On the basis of a novel insulin index for individual foods, we estimated insulin demand for overall diets and assessed its association with colorectal cancer in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Methods: We followed 86,740 women and 46,146 men who were free of cancer and diabetes at baseline and identified a total of 2,481 colorectal cancer cases during up to 26 years of follow-up. Dietary insulin load was calculated as a function of food insulin index and the energy content of individual foods was reported on food frequency questionnaires. Average dietary insulin index was calculated by dividing the dietary insulin load by the total energy intake. Results: Dietary insulin load and dietary insulin index were not associated with risk of colorectal cancer. Comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles, the pooled multivariate relative risks of colorectal cancer were 0.91 (95% CI = 0.79–1.05) for dietary insulin load and 0.93 (95% CI = 0.81–1.08) for dietary insulin index. Body mass index and physical activity did not modify the association of dietary insulin load or index with colorectal cancer. Conclusion: A diet high in foods that increase postprandial insulin levels did not increase the risk of colorectal cancer in this large prospective study. Impact: This study is the first to investigate insulin index and load in relation to colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(12); 3020–6. ©2010 AACR.
PHENOTYPIC AND GENOTYPIC CONVERGENCES ARE INFLUENCED BY HISTORICAL CONTINGENCY AND ENVIRONMENT IN YEAST

Different organisms have independently and recurrently evolved similar phenotypic traits at different points throughout history. This phenotypic convergence may be caused by genotypic convergence and in addition, constrained by historical contingency. To investigate how convergence may be driven by selection in a particular environment and constrained by history, we analyzed nine life‐history traits and four metabolic traits during an experimental evolution of six yeast strains in four different environments. In each of the environments, the population converged toward a different multivariate phenotype. However, the evolution of most traits, including fitness components, was constrained by history. Phenotypic convergence was partly associated with the selection of mutations in genes involved in the same pathway. By further investigating the convergence in one gene, BMH1, mutated in 20% of the evolved populations, we show that both the history and the environment influenced the types of mutations (missense/nonsense), their location within the gene itself, as well as their effects on multiple traits. However, these effects could not be easily predicted from ancestors’ phylogeny or past selection. Combined, our data highlight the role of pleiotropy and epistasis in shaping a rugged fitness landscape.