Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-presentation of lactoferrin encapsulated into chitosan-based nanoparticles

Induction of CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell response is essential for the protection from intracellular pathogens. It requires major histocompatibility complex class I processing of newly synthesized proteins transported from the cytosolic pathway. Presentation of mature soluble proteins occurs via a cross-presentation (CP) pathway that is much less efficient in the activation of cytotoxic response. Encapsulation of proteins into polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) can modulate the efficacy of antigen CP. In this article, a model antigen lactoferrin (L) was encapsulated into polysaccharide NPs with different physicochemical properties (size, charge, and hydrophobicity) and used as an immunogen. CD8+ or CD4+ associated IgG2a or IgG1 subclasses of L-specific antibodies, respectively, served as a measure of CD8+ versus CD4+ T-cell activation. Among five types of NPs produced, only succinylchitosan–galactomannan (LSG) and succinylchitosan–PEG-chitosan (LSPC) NPs induced a significant IgG2a response. IgG1 production was comparable in all but hydrophobic succinyl-dodecyl-chitosan (LSD) NPs, where it was only marginal. Confocal studies demonstrated that galactomannan-equipped LSG-NPs induced vacuolar type of CP, while positively charged LSPC-NPs were transported mostly via the cytosolic CP pathway.
Mutual Learning Between Saliency and Similarity: Image Cosegmentation via Tree Structured Sparsity and Tree Graph Matching

This paper proposes a unified mutual learning framework based on image hierarchies, which integrates structured sparsity with tree-graph matching to conquer the problem of weakly supervised image cosegmentation. We focus on the interaction between two common-object properties: saliency and similarity. Most existing cosegmentation methods only pay emphasis on either of them. The proposed method realizes the learning of the prior knowledge for structured sparsity with the help of tree-graph matching, which is capable of generating object-oriented salient regions. Meanwhile, it also reduces the searching space and computational complexity of tree-graph matching with the attendance of structured sparsity. We intend to thoughtfully exploit the hierarchically geometrical relationships of coherent objects. Experimental results compared with the state-of-the-arts on benchmark data sets confirm that the mutual learning framework is capable of effectively delineating co-existing object patterns in multiple images.
Using the depository buffer to mitigate the communications load between SDN switches and the controller

In this paper we focus on how to efficiently mitigate the traffic without changing the packet routing in SDN networks. We propose a lightweight packet delivery scheme to mitigate the communication load between the SDN controller and switches. Whenever an initial packet-in packet arrives, the packet's data is deposited on the controller, so called a depository buffer, until the destined switch is reached. Simulation environment includes ONOS, Mininet with topology of Fat Tree and Spine leaf. The experimental results show that a significant reduction of the network traffic load can be accomplished, especially when more intermediate switches are getting involved.
Reducing electrical energy consumption of AHU fans through parameter identification of the drive

This paper concerns usage of an on-line parameter identification method for optimization of power consumption of fan drives with induction machines in air handling units (AHU) of heat, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of buildings. Variable frequency drives (VFD) are nowadays a key manner for lowering the consumption of HVAC system in off-peak times. However their controllers don't respect the changes of machine parameters during the operation. Proposed method can enhance the control algorithm of VFD with induction machine to optimize its efficiency. Further it can be implemented also on existing installations as it uses only standard components of the drive.
Scene Capture and Selected Codebook-Based Refined Fuzzy Classification of Large High-Resolution Images

Scene classification has been successfully applied to the semantic interpretation of large high-resolution images (HRIs). The bag-of-words (BOW) model has been proven to be effective but inadequate for HRIs because of the complex arrangement of the ground objects and the multiple types of land cover. How to define the scenes in HRIs is still a problem for scene classification. The previous methods involve selecting the scenes manually or with a fixed spatial distribution, leading to scenes with a mixture of objects from different categories. In this paper, to address these issues, a scene capture method using adjacent segmented images and a support vector machine classifier is proposed to generate scenes dominated by one category. The codebook in BOW is obtained from clustering features extracted from all the categories, which may lose the discrimination in some vocabularies. Thus, more discriminative visual vocabularies are selected by the introduced mutual information and the proposed intraclass variability balance in each category, to decrease the redundancy of the codebook. In addition, a refined fuzzy classification strategy is presented to avoid misclassification in similar categories. The experimental results obtained with three different types of HRI data sets confirm that the proposed method obtains classification results better than those obtained by most of the previous methods in all the large HRIs, demonstrating that the selection of representative vocabularies, the refined fuzzy classification, and the scene capture strategy are all effective in improving the performance of scene classification.
Towards a Demand/Response Control Approach for Micro-grid Systems

The intermittent nature and overwhelming variability of the produced electricity from renewable energy sources (RES) constitutes the main challenge for their seamless integration into buildings. Recent studies stated that storage devises, despite their actual high cost, could be used to tackle this issue by balancing the intermittent nature of RES production and the unpredictable building's occupancy. In fact, these storage devises could handle this issue, which is very complex without taking into consideration actual occupancy and environmental context. This paper introduces a demand/response control approach by mainly focusing on micro-grid systems, which are composed of PVs, batteries, and buildings equipment (e.g., ventilation system, lighting, BVAC). A prototype was developed and deployed in a real-setting scenario at our EEBLAB. Experimentations have been performed and results show the usefulness of the proposed control approach for micro-grid systems.
An empirical investigation on the effects of organizational and individual factors creating conflicts on employee performance: A case study of logistics management of national Iranian drilling company

This paper presents a survey on t he effects of organizational and individual factors causing conflict on employee performance of national Iranian drilling company's logistics management. It has been of descriptive type and carried out by using the random sampling method. The statistical population included all the employees of logistics management. Invariable t-test was used in this research for data analysis. The results showed that the average factors such as education, age, personal ethics, scarcity of resources, work dependence, organizational structure and organizational culture were significantly higher than the average value (3) and the average factors such as personality, evaluation structure and reward were significantly lower than the average value (3). According to the results of this survey, feeling dependence was number one priority for creating conflict followed by personal ethics, education, resources, organizational culture, age, organizational structure, evaluation and individual personality was the last item.
Use of Web search engines and personalisation in information searching for educational purposes

Introduction : Students increasingly depend on Web search for educational purposes. This causes concerns among education providers as some evidence indicates that in higher education, the disadvantages of Web search and personalised information are not justified by the benefits. Method : One hundred and twenty university students were surveyed about their information-seeking behaviour for educational purposes. We also examined students' information access while using Web search, through twenty-eight one-on-one study sessions. Analysis : Survey participants ranked their preference towards different information resources on a 5-point Likert scale. Given equal exposure to the first five standard pages of the search results during the study sessions, students’ explicit and implicit feedback was used to evaluate the relevance of the search results. Results : First, most participating students declared that they use Google search engine as their primary or only information-seeking tool. Second, about 60% of the clicked result links during the study sessions were located in pages 2+ of the search results without personalisation influencing the relevance of the top-ranked search results. In real-life scenarios pages 2+ of the search results receive only ~10% of the clicks. Students also expressed more satisfaction with the relevance of non-personalised over personalised search results. These differences presented a missed information opportunity, an opportunity bias, for students.
An Approximate Bayesian Reinforcement Learning Approach Using Robust Control Policy and Tree Search

For autonomous robots, we propose an approximate model-based Bayesian reinforcement learning (MB-BRL) approach that reduces real-world samples within feasible computational efforts. Firstly, to find an approximate solution of an original undiscounted infinite horizon MB-BRL problem with a cost-free termination, we consider a finite horizon (FH) MB-BRL problem in which terminal costs are given by robust control policies. The resulting performance is better than or equal to the performance obtained with a robust method, while the resulting policy may choose an explorative behavior to get useful information about parametric model uncertainty for reducing real-world samples. Secondly, to obtain a feasible solution of the FH MB-BRL problem using simulation samples, we propose a combination of robust RL, Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS), and Bayesian inference. We show an idea of reusing previous MCTS samples for Bayesian inference at a leaf node. The proposed approach allows an agent to choose from multiple robust policies at a leaf node. Numerical experiments of a two-dimensional peg-in-hole task demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A Perceptual Video Coding Based on JND Model

In view of the fact that the current high efficiency video coding standard does not consider the characteristics of human vision, this paper proposes a perceptual video coding algorithm based on the just noticeable distortion model (JND). The adjusted JND model is combined into the transformation quantization process in high efficiency video coding (HEVC) to remove more visual redundancy and maintain compatibility. First of all, we design the JND model based on pixel domain and transform domain respectively, and the pixel domain model can give the JND threshold more intuitively on the pixel. The transform domain model introduces the contrast sensitive function into the model, making the threshold estimation more precise. Secondly, the proposed JND model is embedded in the HEVC video coding framework. For the transformation skip mode (TSM) in HEVC, we adopt the existing pixel domain called nonlinear additively model (NAMM). For the non-transformation skip mode (non-TSM) in HEVC, we use transform domain JND model to further reduce visual redundancy. The simulation results show that in the case of the same visual subjective quality, the algorithm can save more bitrates.
Optimal Sizing of Distributed Generations in DC Microgrids With Comprehensive Consideration of System Operation Modes and Operation Targets

With the continuous increasing requirement of dc power generations and dc electrical equipment, dc microgrids (MGs) show great natural advantages and development potential. In this paper, aiming at optimal sizing method of distributed generations (DGs) in the dc MGs, the output and capacity of photovoltaic units, wind turbine units, and an energy storage system (ESS) are presented based on the components structures and operation characteristics of the dc MGs. Due to the feature of the dc MGs that demands grid-connected converter (GCC) to exchange power with ac grid, the operating status of GCC and on-grid price are taken into account in the economic objective functions of the dc MGs. Meanwhile, with constraints including battery state of charge, loss of power supply probability (LPSP), renewable energy efficiency (REE), and so on, a particle swarm optimization algorithm is adopted to calculate the optimal sizing results targeting at the lowest annualized capital cost and operation & maintenance (O&M) cost. Furthermore, based on the analysis of the operation schemes of the dc MGs and the dynamic lifespan estimated results of ESS, an optimal sizing approach with comprehensive consideration of system operation modes and operation targets of the dc MGs is proposed. The variation trends of annualized capital cost and O&M cost are investigated under different LPSP and REE. Meanwhile, the system operation schemes are validated by using the obtained results, and the comparison and analysis of the detailed results are conducted.
Infant Feeding Practices and the Effect in Reducing Functional Constipation 6 Years Later: A Randomized Field Trial

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of health worker training on infant feeding practices on the prevalence of functional constipation (FC) among children at 6 years of age. Methods: Cluster randomized field trial conducted in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Health centers were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 9) or control (n = 11) groups. In intervention sites, health workers joined training sessions on the “Ten Steps for Healthy Feeding for Children from Birth to Two Years of age”. Pregnant women in the last trimester of both groups were identified, invited to participate and enrolled in the study as the potential mothers to receive the dietary counseling provided by the health workers. At 6 years of age, the prevalence of FC was evaluated based on Rome III, defined by 2 or more of the following: infrequent defecation, fecal incontinence, history of retentive posturing, or/and history of painful defecation. Results: Among 387 mother-child pairs (206 intervention, 181 control) evaluated at 6 years of age, the prevalence of FC was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (15.0% vs 23.9%, respectively). The probability of being constipated was 38% lower in the intervention group (PR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.44–0.87; P < 0.01). Conclusion: The health workers training to promote the “Ten Steps” was an effective way to reduce the prevalence of constipation among children at 6 years of age.
Multifocality is associated with central neck lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

Background This study aimed to assess the predictive factor of multifocality to identify patients at high risk of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM). Patients and methods Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma patients who underwent total or hemi-thyroidectomy with effective unilateral or bilateral central lymph node dissection were enrolled. Results Multifocality, age, sex, tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, and nodular goiter were significantly associated with CLNM. Multifocality was an independent predictor for CLNM in multivariate analysis. Compared with unifocal disease, the odds ratio for CLNM was 1.447 for patients with ≥2 tumor foci (P<0.001) and 2.978 for patients with ≥3 tumor foci (P<0.001). The significant association is at ≥3 foci diseases. Conclusion Multifocality with ≥3 tumor foci was an independent predictive factor for CLNM in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma. Multifocality should be assessed when selecting patients for prophylactic central neck lymph node dissection, and we speculate that patients with multifocality should undergo more radical treatment.
Topology-Based Flow-Oriented Adaptive Network Coding-Aware Routing Scheme for VANETs

Information theory progression along with the advancements being made in the field of Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs) supports the use of coding-aware opportunistic routing for efficient data forwarding. In this work, we propose and investigate an adaptive coding-aware routing scheme in a specific VANET scenario known as a vehicular platoon. Availability of coding opportunities may vary with time and therefore, the accurate identification of available coding opportunities at a specific time is a quite challenging task in the highly dynamic scenario of VANETs. In the proposed approach, while estimating the topology of the network at any time instance, a forwarding vehicle contemplates the composition of multiple unicast data flows to encode the correct data packets that can be decoded successfully at destinations. The results obtained by using OMNeT++ simulator reveal that higher throughput can be achieved with minimum possible packet transmissions through the proposed adaptive coding-aware routing approach. In addition, the proposed adaptive scheme outperforms static transmissions of the encoded packets in terms of coding gain, transmission percentage, and encoded packet transmission. To the best of our knowledge, the use of coding-aware opportunistic routing has not been exploited extensively in available literature with reference to its implications in VANETs.
COIN-O-RAMA: Designing an Interactive Exhibit for Exploring and Engaging with Coin Exhibitions

This paper presents COIN-O-RAMA, an interactive exhibit designed for exploring and further engaging with coins in physical exhibitions. The key motivation was to create an appealing and user friendly system, augmenting and complementing the overall experience of visiting the exhibition, also offering the means for creating a personalized digital souvenir (a coin with the user's head engraved on it), working as a post-visit link to the exhibition and to related information, as well as an artifact to share with friends and the social media. In this paper the requirements and preferences upon which the creation of COIN-O-RAMA was based are presented, followed by an account of the conceptual and interaction / user interface design of the system. Subsequently, a technical description of the process followed to achieve the engraving effect used for creating the personalized digital coin is offered. Then, the results of an expert evaluation of a fully working prototype of the system are reported, comprising issues raised by the evaluators and the corresponding re-design of the system. The paper wraps up with some conclusions and pointers to future work.
Entrainment and Synchronization to Auditory Stimuli During Walking in Healthy and Neurological Populations: A Methodological Systematic Review

Background: Interdisciplinary work is needed for scientific progress, and with this review, our interest is in the scientific progress toward understanding the underlying mechanisms of auditory-motor coupling, and how this can be applied to gait rehabilitation. Specifically we look into the process of entrainment and synchronization; where entrainment is the process that governs the dynamic alignments of the auditory and motor domains based on error-prediction correction, whereas synchronization is the stable maintenance of timing during auditory-motor alignment. Methodology: A systematic literature search in databases PubMed and Web of Science were searched up to 9th of August 2017. The selection criteria for the included studies were adult populations, with a minimum of five participants, investigating walking to an auditory stimulus, with an outcome measure of entrainment, and synchronization. The review was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42017080325. Objectives: The objective of the review is to systematically describe the metrics which measure entrainment and synchronization to auditory stimuli during walking in healthy and neurological populations. Results: Sixteen articles were included. Fifty percent of the included articles had healthy controls as participants (N = 167), 19% had neurological diseases such as Huntington's and Stroke (N = 76), and 31% included both healthy and neurological [Parkinson's disease (PD) and Stroke] participants (N = 101). In the included studies, six parameters were found to capture the interaction between the human movement and the auditory stimuli, these were: cadence, relative phase angle, resultant vector length, interval between the beat and the foot contact, period matching performance, and detrended fluctuation analysis. Conclusion: In this systematic review, several metrics have been identified, which measure the timing aspect of auditory-motor coupling and synchronization of auditory stimuli in healthy and neurological populations during walking. The application of these metrics may enhance the current state of the art and practice across the neurological gait rehabilitation. These metrics also have current shortcomings. Of particular pertinence is our recommendation to consider variability in data from a time-series rather than time-windowed viewpoint. We need it in view of the promising practical applications from which the studied populations may highly benefit in view of personalized medical care.
MUSLIN: Achieving High, Fairly Shared QoE Through Multi-Source Live Streaming

Delivering video content with a high and fairly shared quality of experience is a challenging task in view of the drastic video traffic increase forecasts. Currently, content delivery networks provide numerous servers hosting replicas of the video content, and consuming clients are re-directed to the closest server. Then, the video content is streamed using adaptive streaming solutions. However, some servers become overloaded, and clients may experience a poor or unfairly distributed quality of experience. In this paper we propose Muslin, a streaming solution supporting a high, fairly shared end-users quality of experience for live streaming. Muslin leverages on MS-Stream, a content delivery solution in which a client can simultaneously use several servers. Muslin dynamically provisions servers and replicates content into servers, and advertises servers to clients based on real-time delivery conditions. We have used Muslin to replay a one-day video-games event, with hundreds of clients and several test beds. Our results shows that our approach outperforms traditional content delivery schemes by increasing the fairness and quality of experience at the user side without requiring a greater underlying content delivery platform.
Maximum Area Axis-Aligned Square Packings

Given a point set S={s_1,. , s_n} in the unit square U=[0,1]^2, an anchored square packing is a set of n interior-disjoint empty squares in U such that s_i is a corner of the ith square. The reach R(S) of S is the set of points that may be covered by such a packing, that is, the union of all empty squares anchored at points in S. It is shown that area(R(S))>= 1/2 for every finite set S subset U, and this bound is the best possible. The region R(S) can be computed in O(n log n) time. Finally, we prove that finding a maximum area anchored square packing is NP-complete. This is the first hardness proof for a geometric packing problem where the size of geometric objects in the packing is unrestricted.