Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communication Cost Aware Resource Efficient Load Balancing (CARE-LB) Framework for Cloud Datacenter

Load balancing of communication-intensive applications, allowing efficient resource utilization and minimization of power consumption is a challenging multi-objective virtual machine (VM) placement problem. The communication among inter-dependent VMs, raises network traffic, hampers cloud client's experience and degrades overall performance, by saturating the network. Cloud computing has become an indispensable part of Information Technology (IT), which supports the backbone of digitization throughout the world. It provides shared pool of IT resources, which are: always on, accessible from anywhere, at anytime and delivered on demand, as a service. The scalability and pay-per-use benefits of cloud computing has driven the entire world towards on-demand IT services that facilitates increased usage of virtualized resources. The rapid growth in the demands of cloud resources has amplified the network traffic in and out of the datacenter. Cisco Global Cloud Index predicts that by the year 2021, the network traffic among the devices within the datacenter will grow at Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.4% To address these issues, a communication cost aware and resource efficient load balancing (CARE-LB) framework is presented, that minimizes communication cost, power consumption and maximize resource utilization. To reduce the communication cost, VMs with high affinity and inter-dependency are intentionally placed closer to each other. The VM placement is carried out by applying the proposed integration of Particle Swarm Optimization and non-dominated sorting based Genetic Algorithm i.e. PSOGA algorithm encoding VM allocation as particles as well as chromosomes. The performance of proposed framework is evaluated by the execution of numerous experiments in the simulated datacenter environment and it is compared with the state-of-the-art methods like, Genetic Algorithm, First-Fit, Random-Fit and Best-Fit heuristic algorithms. The experimental outcome reveals that the CARE-LB framework improves 11% resource utilization, minimize 4.4% power consumption, 20.3% communication cost with reduction of execution time up to 49.7% over Genetic Algorithm based Load Balancing framework. The proposed CARE-LB framework provides promising solution for faster execution of data-intensive applications with improved resource utilization and reduced power consumption. In the observed simulation, we analyze all the three objectives, after execution of the proposed multi-objective VM allocations and results are shown in Table 4. To choose the number of users for analysis of communication cost, the experiments are conducted with different number of users. For instance, for 100 VMs we choose 10, 20,. ,80 users, and their request for VMs (number of VMs and type of VMs) are generated randomly, such that the total number of requested VMs do not exceed number of available VMs.
La responsabilidad social en el sector público colombiano y su visibilidad

En este trabajo se aborda la revision de la politica actual de la contratacion publica en Colombia que permite identificar las principales estrategias implementadas para la modernizacion del sistema de contratacion estatal, analizando con detenimiento el conjunto de mecanismos que se han incluido en el sistema juridico colombiano con el objeto mejorar la administracion publica.
Women in the Eye of Pesantren

Pesantren is a religion-based boarding school chain that is widespread in Indonesia. Pesantren are often negatively stigmatized by a small number of people owing to the perception of the schools radicalizing religious values and demanding the obedience of women. In contrast, this study aims to analyze the way in which Pesantren education plays a major role facilitating the contribution of women in three domains, namely domestic, public, and social. Analysis of women’s self-conception and the role of women in these three domains was conducted using a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design and interview techniques, together with observations on female students in one Pesantren in Central Java and East Java and two religious groups in the West Java region. The results revealed that Pesantren education for women had an impact on the social recognition of women. Keywords: Islamic Boarding Schools, Pesantren, Social recognition, Three domains of women, and Women.
Special Issue “Public Policy Analysis of Integrated Water Resource Management”

Public policy analysis is interested in how policies emerge and develop in order to address societal problems. Issues related to water, such as the contamination of surface waters, floods, or plastic pollution in oceans are often highly complex, concern different jurisdictions, and require the collaboration of public and private actors. This complexity is addressed through integrated water management principles. However, these principles give room to open questions such as: what are the main challenges of policy analysis (research and practice) in terms of multi-level actor involvement (politics), cross-sectoral solutions (policies), and new institutional arrangements (polity)? To answer these questions, the seven papers of this Special Issue combine approaches borrowed from policy analysis with principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Each article tackles a complex, water-related problem and collectively, the papers present empirical evidence from case studies located around the world. We learn from all these analyses that adopting a policy perspective helps disentangling the procedural components of IWRM (the involvement of actors, the definition of the appropriate management area, the attribution of competences, etc.) from more substantial ones (like the development of a management plan and the implementation of measures). Addressing cross-sectoral and multi-level challenges is a difficult task, and policy analysis can help shedding light on both, the legitimacy of processes, and the effectiveness of their outputs and outcomes.
Production and Application of Lactobacillus plantarum IBL-2 Bacteriocins as Meat Product Biopreservatives

Biopreservation is one of the alternatives to obtain safe food products. The produced bacteriocin by Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) is potential as biopreservatives, which is safe for consumption, since it was a protein degradable by proteolytic enzymes. This study aimed to optimize bacteriocin production from L. plantarum IBL-2 and to evaluate the effectiveness of bacteriocins in reducing the number of total plate count and Salmonella typhimurium in ground beef. Bacteriocin was produced through fermentation of L. plantarum IBL-2 , under various conditions to yield the compound with the best antimicrobial activity. The total number of bacteria in ground beef after the addition of L. plantarum IBL-2 fermentation supernatant was determined. The result was compared with the sample without preservatives (control), and sample added with commercial Nissin. All three samples of ground beef were spiked with S. typhimurium and incubated for 0, 2, 6, 8, 12, 14 days at a temperature of 4-10 ° C. Total Plate Count (TPC) method was utilized to determine the number of bacteria in the samples. The fermentation process resulted in bacteriocin with the strongest antimicrobial activity when using low molecular weight liquid medium (LMWLM), followed by a series of refining process. From day 0-14, the number of S. typhimurium, in sample added with L. plantarum IBL-2 fermentation supernatant, was lower than control and sample added with Nissin. The most optimal antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin was obtained using LMWLM as fermentation media, and using a series of refining process consist of bacteriocin supernatant evaporation, membrane ultrafiltration, and gradual fractionation using 80% ammonium sulphate. Bacteriocin from L. plantarum IBL-2 showed antimicrobial activity against S. typhimurium.
Active women demonstrate acute autonomic and hemodynamic shifts following exercise in heat and humidity: A pilot study

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess autonomic and hemodynamic recovery in women who performed moderate-intensity exercise in heat. Seven women (31.7 ± 7.6 years, 67.5 ± 4.4 kg, 25.7 ± 5.6% Fat, 43.9 ± 5.1 mL/kg/min) completed two identical bouts of graded treadmill walking (~60% VO2peak). One bout was hot (37.5 ± 1.4°C, 46.5 ± 4.6% relative humidity (RH)), and the other was moderate (20.7 ± 1.1°C, 29.9 ± 4.1% RH). For 24 h before and one h after each bout, participants had heart rate variability monitored. After each exercise bout HR and BP were measured during 30 min of supine recovery and 10 min of orthostatic challenge. HF power and RMSSD were lower and LF power and LF:HF ratio greater following exercise in the heat and remained different from the moderate condition for 30 min (p < 0.05). During supine recovery, heat exposure led to higher HR (p = 0.002) and lower DBP (p = 0.016). SBP (p = 0.037) and DBP (p = 0.008) were both lower after 10 min of supine recovery following hot exercise than after moderate temperature. Average response did not reveal orthostatic hypotension despite heat causing a higher HR (p = 0.011) and lower SBP (p = 0.026) after 10 min of orthostatic exposure. Trained women exhibit an autonomic shift toward sympathetic dominance for at least 30 min after exercise in heat. Women who exercise in heat should be wary of an exacerbated HR response after exercise and low recovery blood pressures.
Pupil size asymmetries are modulated by an interaction between attentional load and task experience

In a recently published study [1], we investigated how human pupil sizes are modulated by task experience as well as attentional load in a visuospatial task. In particular, participants performed a multiple object tracking (MOT) task while pupil sizes were recorded using binocular eyetracking measurements. To vary the attentional load, participants performed the MOT task either tracking zero or up to five targets. To manipulate the task experience, participants performed the MOT task on three consecutive days. We found that pupil sizes systematically increased with attentional load and decreased with additional task experience. For all these analyses, we averaged across the pupil sizes for the left and right eye. However, findings of a recent study [2] have suggested that also asymmetries in pupil sizes could be related to attentional processing. Given these findings, we further analyzed our data to investigate to what extent pupil size asymmetries are modulated by attentional load and task experience. We found a significant interaction effect between these two factors. That is, on the first day of the measurements, pupil size asymmetries were not modulated by attentional load while this was the case for the second and third day of the measurements. In particular, for the second and third day, pupil size asymmetries systematically increased with attentional load, indicating that attentional processing also modulates pupil size asymmetries. Given these results, we suggest that an increase in task experience (and associated reductions in arousal) uncover modulations in pupil size asymmetries related to attentional processing that are not observable for typical arousal levels. We suggest that these modulations could be a result of right-lateralized attentional processing in the brain that in turn influences structures involved in the control of pupil sizes such as the locus coeruleus. We can exclude a number of possible alternative explanations for this effect related to our experimental setup. Yet, given the novelty of this finding and the arguably speculative explanation of the underlying mechanisms, we suggest that future studies are needed to replicate the present effect and further investigate the underlying mechanisms.
Crowd Monitoring: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions

With the growing concerns over public safety, the importance of crowd monitoring is being realized by various security and event management agencies worldwide. Estimation of crowd dynamics can help such agencies in the prevention of any unanticipated accidents or issues. Research on crowd monitoring has been underway since the past few decades. Conventional crowd monitoring systems mainly rely on computer vision approach. Due to predominant use of videos/ image sequences, the existing techniques may raise data privacy concerns. This has led to the development of new crowd monitoring techniques which are privacy-preserving and require minimum public participation. This paper aims to serve as a single and sufficient source of information to the concerned researchers on various aspects of crowd monitoring and also provide future directions which can be helpful in developing advanced crowd monitoring techniques.
Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T Gene Polymorphism In Male Infertility

Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase is an important enzyme which plays a major role in folate metabolism and DNA methylation. The objective of this study was to analyze the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in infertile men. Study Design: Blood samples were collected from 58 infertile men and 55 control subjects were taken which are fertile. C677T mutation analysis was done by Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) Method. Results: The present study reveals that 23 Homozygous CC, 28 heterozygous CT, 7 TT were found in infertile men, whereas in control, the allele variations were 38 Homozygous CC, 17 heterozygous CT, but no Homozygous TT was found. Conclusion: As a result, Genotypes and allele frequencies found in infertile patients and controls but mutant allele was found only in infertile men. Homozygous TT was observed only in azoospermia infertile men whereas heterozygous CT was found in both oligozoospermia and azoospermia subjects. The study has to be extended with a large number of samples.
Planning and Implementation Intention Interventions

This chapter provides resources and best-practice guidelines for planning interventions that have broad application to behaviors of everyday living. An overview of the theory and context for why planning is important to behavior change with a focus on current evidence is provided. Key definitions and research evidence of various planning concepts and techniques – action and preparatory planning, implementations intentions, and coping planning – are outlined. Subsequently, instructions are provided on how people can formulate effective planning interventions with examples of behaviors from various relevant prosocial, health, academic, and business contexts. Finally, current evidence and theory are provided with guidance on the types of planning interventions that may work in specific contexts and conditions, and on the moderators that may influence the effectiveness of each approach. Each section includes further details that are provided with worked examples of resources to use based on prior research and various modes of delivery (e.g., face-to-face, website, wearable devices).
Experimental investigation of mechanical and erosion behavior of eggshell nanoparticulate epoxy biocomposite

In the present work, the mechanical and the tribological properties of eggshell nanoparticulate epoxy biocomposite were studied. The nanoparticles of eggshell were synthesized by planetary ball milling technique. Synthesized eggshell nanoparticulate were characterized with the aid of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction analysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. Fabrication of eggshell nanoparticulate epoxy biocomposite was done by hand lay-up technique with different weight percentages (1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%) of eggshell nanoparticles. To examine the solid particle erosion behavior of eggshell nanoparticulate epoxy biocomposite, four different impact angles (30°, 45°, 60°, 90°) and three different velocities (101 m s−1, 119 m s−1, 148 m s−1) were chosen. The effect of eggshell nanoparticles incorporation on the tensile properties, hardness, and the flexural properties was also investigated. The fractured surfaces of the tensile test, flexural test, and erosion test samples were examined with a SEM for morphological analysis. It was found that the eggshell nanoparticulate addition has a fruitful effect on tensile and flexural strength. The maximum tensile strength was found for 2 wt% nanoparticles addition, while the maximum flexural strength was found for 3 wt% of nanoparticles addition. The sand erosion study established a maximum wear rate at 60° of impact angle. The maximum erosion resistance was found in 2 wt% of eggshell nanoparticulate concentration.
Evaluation of Real-time PCR-based DNA melting method for detection of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium in clinical isolates

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Human error and timeless in conventional techniques to identify species Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis are two species of the pathogenic species in humans, more accurate techniques is essential. The aim of this study is to design a method of quickly and accurately using DNA melting by Real Time PCR technique to identify and separate the two species in clinical isolates. METHODS: In this experimental study, the bacterial isolates in the Department of Microbiology Bank of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences was used. Design of primers was done by proprietary software and selecting DivIVA gene for Enterococcus faecalis and alanine racemase for Enterococcus faecium was performed. Isolates identification was evaluated by using Real Time PCR test and melting curve temperature of DNA. FINDINGS: Susceptibility of primers designed in divIVA gene (specific for E. faecalis) and alanine-racemase gene (specific for E. faecium) was 15CFU/ml per reaction. Specificity of designed primers by using DNA melting curve analysis was 76.6 for E. faecalis and 80.93 for E. faecium which showed considerable different in comparison with another microorganism. CONCLUSION: Using the results obtained in this study, primers designed were sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis and differentiation of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis species in clinical isolates.
Energy Saving: Views and Attitudes among Primary School Students and Their Parents

The ongoing economic development and prosperity have led not only to the exhaustion of the planet’s natural resources but also to numerous environmental problems. To address these problems, it is necessary that more individuals adopt energy saving practices while promoting alternative energy sources. In other words, future generations ought to adopt behaviors that will involve the sustainable management of energy. To that end, sustainable education can create citizens who not only have knowledge and awareness about the environment and the severe environmental issues but are also willing to take action to address these issues. Hence, the aim of the present study is to investigate the environmental attitudes and behaviors among primary school students and their parents in the municipality of Orestiada, in Greece. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions was used. Results showed that both students and parents had adequate levels of environmental awareness while their beliefs were translated into actual behaviors as they had adopted, to a significant extent, energy saving habits and practices.
KOMPOSISI DAN KEANEKARAGAMAN ARTHROPODA PREDATOR PADA AGROEKOSISTEM PADI

The research of predatory arthropod species diversity in agro-ecosystem is very important because it affects the function of natural enemies in suppressing pest population. Management of paddy through cultivation method can be part of the conservation of predatory arthropods. This study was conducted to analyze and compare the diversity of predatory arthropod with method cultivation conventional and integrated crop management (ICM) and diversity predatory arthropod based on phase growth paddy from cultivation conventional and ICM. The experiment was conducted in lowland rice agro-ecosystem at two plots with conventional cultivation method and ICM. Sampling of predatory Arthropods was done on the phase growth vegetative and generative paddy using net trap, yellow pan trap, and direct observation in the plants. The results showed that the predatory arthropods found were from Insecta and Arachnida class. The species diversity of predatory arthropod at phase growth of generative was higher than vegetative phase both at the conventional and ICM cultivation. Diversity predatory arthropod on the ICM method was higher compared to conventional. Paddy cultivation method with ICM through the rational use of insecticides can be part of conservation for predatory arthropod species.
Development of an actuated corrugated laminate for morphing structures

ABSTRACT This paper presents the design, manufacturing and experimental assessment of a morphing element consisting of a composite corrugated panel that hosts a diffused actuation system based on Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators. The characterisation of the SMA actuators is reported and the system performance is predicted through an analytical model and finite element analyses. Two versions of the actuated system are proposed, with different methods for the physical integration of the SMA wires into the composite part. Manufacturing and testing of specimens with different wire densities are reported. Correlation with experiments validates the analytical and numerical approaches adopted for the design and analyses. The results confirm the potential of the concept proposed for developing corrugated panels that can be contracted in a predefined direction by a load-bearing actuation system, but still retain high stiffness and strength properties in other directions.
Frontline managers' implementation of the formal and informal performance management systems

Purpose: The implementation of performance management is the responsibility of managers; more importantly, a key part of a frontline manager's role is ensuring that frontline employees are performing by meeting organisational goals. Existing research has shown a lack of focus on the role of frontline managers in the implementation of performance management systems despite plenty of research on the separate topics of frontline managers and performance management. This article aims to understand how frontline managers connect the intended performance management system, through components and processes developed by the human resources department and higher levels of management, with their employees' performance. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a qualitative method, conducting semi-structured interviews with 57 participants from two Singapore public sector organisations to understand the interaction between the formal and informal performance management systems. Findings: The authors found that frontline managers used the formal and informal performance management systems in the organisation to manage the demands of their role. Notably, the expectations that superiors and subordinates have heavily influences how the frontline managers choose to implement their performance management responsibilities. Originality/value: The article uses systems theory to illustrate and explain the complex and dynamic nature of PM in practice through the FLM's implementation of the formal and informal PM systems. The primary contribution of the study is through demonstrating under what situations do frontline managers use the formal and informal performance systems in a complementary manner within the constraints placed on them.