Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Providing End-to-end Bandwidth Guarantees with OpenFlow

QoS (Quality of Service) control is an important concept in computer networking as it is related to end user experience. End-to-end QoS guarantees, in particular, can give firm guarantees to end hosts. Unfortunately, it has never actually been used on the Internet since it was deemed too complicated. With the emergence of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow as its most popular standards, we have an opportunity to re-introduce the QoS control concept. The centralized nature and programmability of OpenFlow allow more flexible and more simple QoS control. In this thesis, we propose an end-to-end bandwidth guaranteeing model for OpenFlow. The primary design consideration of the model is to allow QoS flow to send more than its guaranteed rate. To further maximize the overall network utilization, best-effort flows are allowed to use any unused bandwidth in the network. Bandwidth borrowing concept is employed to achieved this. To ensure that it will not affect the guaranteed bandwidth for the QoS flows, we analyze the reliability of the bandwidth borrowing concept in Linux HTB, which is used as the underlying mechanism of OpenFlow queue. From the simulations, we found that the borrowed bandwidth is returned instantly when a QoS flow requires the bandwidth. Thus, it is possible to guarantee bandwidth and maximize bandwidth utilization at the same time. We also explore the possibility of using OpenFlow meter table for traffic aggregation. The aggregation only puts overheads in the first switch, but no other complexities added in the subsequent switches. Therefore, it solves the scalability problem which commonly associated with end-to-end QoS guarantees.
NEUROBLASTOMA: AN UNUSUAL PRESENTATION

Neuroblastoma is a childhood malignancy derived from the primordial neural crest cells that form the sympathetic nervous system. These tumours are notorious for their early tendency of metastasis. Symptoms arising from these such as proptosis can be the only manifestation of metastatic neuroblastoma (1). Early investigation is important, as metastatic disease requires aggressive management. We present a case of a 6 year old girl initially presenting with proptosis. INTRODUCTION: Virchow originally described Neuroblastoma in 1863. By the beginning of the 20 th century, its origin in sympathetic tissue was determined by Zuckerkandl and Kohn. It is the third most common pediatric malignancy, after leukaemia and central nervous system tumours (2). The median age at diagnosis is 22 months, and more than 95% cases are diagnosed by the age of 10 years. Approximately 1% of the patients present initially evidence of metastatic disease without a readily identifiable primary lesion. Neuroblastoma commonly metathesizes to bone (60%), regional lymph nodes (45%), orbits (20%), liver (15%), intracranial (14%) and lung (10%)(2). CASE REPORT: A 6 year old girl presented with the complaint of progressively increasing proptosis of bilateral eyes. The girl underwent contrast enhanced CT Scan of brain and orbits which revealed: 1. Bilateral enhancing retro-orbital masses. 2. Enhancing soft tissue masses overlying the bilateral parietal bones. 3. Separation of the coronal sutures. 4. Enhancing extra axial intracranial soft tissue mass suggestive of dural metastasis.
Einfluss naher Infrarotstrahlung auf die durch ionisierende Strahlung induzierten zellulären Veränderungen

Nahe Infrarotstrahlung (NIR) und Rontgenstrahlung sind beide Bestandteil des elektromagnetischen Spektrums, liegen jedoch auf Grund ihrer physikalischen Charakteristika auf verschiedenen Seiten des Spektrums. Trotz ihrer unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften beeinflussen beide eine Vielzahl von zellularen Prozessen wie den Metabolismus, die Genexpression, die Proliferation als auch das Zelluberleben und werden daher auch beide fur therapeutische Zwecke eingesetzt. Die Auswirkungen auf den Patienten unterscheiden sind dabei stark. Wahrend nahe Infrarotstrahlung vorrangig eine positiven Einfluss zeigt, sind die Auswirkungen der Rontgenstrahlung eher negativ. So resultiert eine Exposition mit Rontgen in der Induktion von reaktiven Sauerstoffspezies (ROS), verschiedensten DNA-Schaden, dem Zelltod durch Apoptose oder aber moglichweise auch in einer erhohten genomischen Instabilitat. Die Entstehung letzerer hangt unter anderem stark vom Status des mitochondrialen Metabolismus wahrend der Rontgenbestrahlung ab. Gerade dieser kann durch nahe Infrarotstrahlung stark beeinflusst werden. Es sollte daher untersucht werden, ob eine Vorbehandlung von Zellen mit NIR einen Einfluss auf die zellulare Strahlenantwort nach Rontgenbestrahlung hat. Dies wurde in Fibroblasten, Keratinozyten und retinalen Vorlauferzellen, alles samt Zellentypen welche naturlicherweise NIR exponiert sein konnen, untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass die Vorbehandlung von Zellen mit naturlicherweise auftretenden NIR-Dosen tatsachlich einen deutlichen Einfluss auf die zellulare Strahlenantwort nach Rontgen hat. Dies auserte sich in einer Erhohung der genomischen Instabilitat in Form eines erhohten Auftretens mitotischer Katastrophen, erhohten ROS-Level, einem vermehrten Eintritt von bestrahlten Zellen in die S-Phase sowie einer gestorten DNA-Doppelstrangbruchreparatur.
Prevalence of Different Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in a Spanish Cohort With High Myopia

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of different optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in European patients with high myopia. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in the Macula Unit of the University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe (Valencia, Spain). A total of 134 myopic eyes of 69 patients (16 males and 53 females) were included. All patients underwent a spectral domain OCT examination at least once. The presence of tractional and atrophic myopic maculopathy and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was evaluated through OCT scans. Results: The prevalence of tractional myopic maculopathy was found in 53.7% of the eyes. Within this group, 9.7% had foveal retinoschisis, 23.9% extrafoveal retinoschisis, 31.3% internal limiting membrane rigidity, 24.6% epiretinal membrane, and none had vitreomacular traction. The most prevalent OCT finding was chorioretinal atrophy, present in 79.1% of the eyes. Choroidal neovascularization was present in 61.9% of the eyes. There was a trend toward higher prevalence of CNV in eyes with patchy atrophy with foveal involvement compared to those without foveal involvement (81.8% vs 65.5%; P = .103). Conclusion: The prevalence of CNV was quite high, especially in patients with patchy atrophy with foveal involvement.
Regulator design for linear parameter varying systems using dynamic inversion

A new method is presented for regulator design for linear parameter varying systems. The regulator renders the closed loop system's steady state input-output linear time invariant (LTI) and causes the output to track a commanded trajectory. The controller consists of an inner loop and an outer loop. The primary focus of this paper is the inner loop, which uses real-time parameter information to fix the plant poles at desired locations using parameter dependent state feedback or if necessary, an observer based controller. With accurate parameter data, the inner loop effectively cancels the parameter dependent terms so that the combined plant and inner loop are LTI from the input to the output. The outer loop is designed using standard LTI H/sub /spl infin// synthesis to enable the closed loop system to meet stability and performance goals. The key ideas in the paper are illustrated with a missile flight control example.
Atherogenic Index of Plasma(AIP) in Post Menopausal Women

Menopause is the phase of declined ovarian activity & fall in estrogen level. Since there is an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases for women after menopause, the present study was carried out to evaluate the lipid profile status and Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in Postmenopausal women. Blood samples from 30 premenopausal and 30 post-menopausal women were collected for this study. Atherogenic index of plasma a risk for coronary heart disease was calculated using the formula log (TG/HDL-C). There was significant increase in TC, LDLC, TG and significant decrease in HDL-C (p<0.01) in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. The (AIP) was found to be significantly elevated in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women and correlated positively with TG (r= 0.258,p<0.01) and negatively with HDL-C (r= -0.306, p<0.01) in postmenopausal women. This suggests that female sex steroids in “pre-menopausal” women has plasma cholesterol lowering action, where as in post-menopausal women due estrogen deficiency causes increase in serum cholesterol levels. Hence “post-menopausal” women are more prone for coronary artery disease compared to premenopausal women.
Mobile-assisted ESP learning in technical education

Abstract This paper presents research results from the field of mobile-assisted instruction of English for specific purposes for technical and engineering students. The research was structured in three phases: (1) Questionnaire 1 was applied to detect what sources of information students use in higher education, what types of mobile devices they own, what purposes they use them for, (2) how the process of instruction, particularly students´ autonomous work supported by mobile devices ran, (3) students´ feedback was collected by Questionnaire 2 to evaluate the mobile-assisted learning and provide proposals for future exploitation of mobile devices in higher technical language education. The results show students are sufficiently equipped with mobile technologies and exploit them for various purposes, including education and ESP. At the end, examples of helpful mobile applications are presented.
Quality of life before and after coronary artery bypass grafting: findings among pre-operative and post-operative patients at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a common method of treatment for patients with coronary artery disease, which is known to improve quality of life (QoL). However little is known about how CABG affects QoL in the Sri Lankan setting. Objective: The purpose of this study therefore was to document the pre-operative and post-operative QoL of the patients undergoing CABG at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from January-March 2013 in the thoracic unit and cardiology unit of NHSL on two groups of patients matched for age, gender and body mass index: pre-operative patients awaiting CABG (pre-CABG) and post-operative patients who had undergone CABG (post-CABG); with 50 subjects in each group. The health and functioning, socioeconomic, psychological/spiritual and family subscales of QoL were assessed using Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index – Cardiac IV Version. Results: The post-CABG group had higher mean scores for overall QoL and health and functioning, psychological/spiritual and family subscales and lower mean scored for social and economic subscale than the pre-CABG group, regardless of age and gender. In the post-CABG group, older patients had significantly higher scores for health and functioning subscale than younger patients ( p Conclusion: QoL was better in most aspects in the post-CABG group than the pre-CABG group, especially among the older patients.
Physical Activity; Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Students Living in Semnan University of Medical Sciences Dormitories in Semnan, Iran

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in health promotion as well as disease prevention, especially among young adults. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards PA among medical sciences students living in university dormitories in Semnan, Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 421 students living in the dormitories of Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran, were randomly included to the study. Students’ knowledge of physical activity (KPA), attitudes of physical activity (APA), and practices of physical activity (PPA) were investigated using a targeted questioner. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 at the significance level of 0.05. Results: Participants included 165 (39.2%) male and 256 (60.85%) female students with the mean age of 21.05 ± 2.7 years. The mean scores of KPA, APA and PPA were 48.74 ± 16.01, 58.91 ± 9.02, and 232.5 ± 334.42 minutes per week, respectively. Students’ APA had a significant correlation with age (P value = 0.007, r = 0.70) and there was a significant difference (P value = 0.008), between recorded APA from the male group (57.40 ± 10.01) compared to the female group (59.88 ± 8.20), whereas no statistically significant correlation was seen between other variables in the study (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Most of the students had moderate KPA and APA and also an unfavorable PPA. More attention should be paid in improving the KPA, APA, and PPA of medical sciences students living in university dormitories.
Applying big 6 on digital book for supporting learning

The purpose of this study was to identify a way for applying big 6 information skill on digital book for supporting learning in the formal education. Digital learning projects show us fruitful opportunities of promoting learning. Those abundant research products should be used in a more efficient way to support our formal education. The standard based formal education provides a well defined foundation for teachers to develop learning experience for their students. Based upon both the content of digital book and guide line of educational standard, a big 6 learning activity design procedure was identified and verified.
Model and Domain Independence : an Experience in Model Management and Information Extraction

Information systems play a crucial role in handling the flow of information generated, exchanged, acquired and stored nowadays. The strife to pursue modeland domain-independent approaches by prescinding from the specificity of their respective instances is a natural way to keep advancing towards more scalable and interoperable information systems, and therefore contributing to the creation of a more cohesive and productive world. In this regard, this dissertation addresses the problem of model and domain independence applied to two critical elements of the whole lifecycle of information management: the modeling and design phase, and the acquisition and storage phase, respectively exemplified here by the areas of Model Management and Information Extraction. Specifically, in this Thesis we first focus on the topic of model-independent schema and data translations, where we show an extension of a model management operator at both the conceptual and the operative level, by introducing the concepts of inheritance and polymorphism within its underlying data dictionary and the rules used to perform the actual translations. Subsequently, we shift our attention towards the automatic discovery of abbreviations from fulltext scientific papers, where we propose a domain-independent methodology to identify and resolve acronyms and abbreviations and match them with entities of a given domain, all within a suitable implementing framework. Eventually, we discuss potential future directions of this research, by introducing the concept of semantic similarity among ontologies and the challenge of automatically build them and align them, in order to both extend the proposed methodology and tackle wider areas of knowledge discovery.
Learning from challenges in the recruitment of patients with advanced cancer from hospice day care

Abstract Background The background literature suggests that recruiting patients with advanced cancer from hospice day care to participate in a research study may be challenging. Aim This paper describes such challenges and considers whether those faced by researchers in this study reflect those recorded in the literature. Method Six hundred and twenty-six patients with advanced cancer from hospice day care units in the north-west region of England were recruited as part of a multi-centre mixed methods study to determine the prevalence, aetiology, and natural history of depression and demoralization. Results A number of challenges were reported (i) data collection sometimes presented researchers with ethical dilemmas, although the ability to respond appeared to be influenced by disciplinary background and training, (ii) emotional impact of the research may force researchers to face a variety of emotional responses, and (iii) dilemmas relating to the setting and maintenance of role boundaries included determining the level of emotional connection required to establish relationships of trust between researchers and participants, and imbalances in power and status. Discussion Many of the challenges faced by researchers to recruit patients with advanced cancer from hospice day care to participate in this research study were similar to those described in the literature. Conclusion Most researchers reported that the overall experience was positive, although a number of moral and ethical dilemmas required ongoing reflection and continuing support and supervision to resolve. It is hoped that other researchers engaging in similar forms of research in the future can learn from the challenges that have been identified.
Spiral-CT zur Diagnostik fokaler Leberläsionen

Different methodological aspects and experimental studies were performed for the optimization of the diagnostics of focal liver lesions with helical CT including the multislice technique. The obtained results were evaluated in successive clinical examinations. The diagnostic impact of helical CT was substantially influenced by various CT scan parameters such as slice thickness, pitch factor, reconstruction interval and tube current. These parameters should be ideally adapted for a sufficiently high contrast-tonoise ratio of liver lesions in respect to the surrounding parenchyma. The intravenous administration of iodinated contrast material was another important feature. Especially the tailoring of the contrast material bolus to the start of the CT scan was essential. Different techniques were developed and evaluated for this reason. In experimental and clinical studies a specially developed CT software for a semiautomatic bolus-tracking proved to be successful and represents the current standard of reference. The examination of the liver in different perfusion phases, eg. arterial and portal venous phase, was very sensitive and specific in patients with hypervascular liver tumors while the portalvenous phase alone was sufficient for hypovascular liver lesions. The unenhanced CT series could be omitted in all instances. Helical CT, especially after introduction of the multi-slice technique proved to be a very effective diagnostic tool for the evaluation of focal liver lesions.
La Prótesis Odontológica en la Ecología de Candida Albicans en Cavidad Bucal

espanolEn este articulo se hace referencia a las protesis odontologicas como factores determinantes de patogenicidad que influyen en la boca para que Candida albicans, como residente habitual de la misma pase de saprofito a patogeno. Para ello se analizan 40 pacientes portadores de protesis y se correlacionaron los datos con un grupo control, analizandose muestras para C. albicans en mucosa y superficie de protesis. Se discuten aspectos en referencia a habitos de uso e higiene de las protesis, asi como lesiones producidas por las mismas. EnglishIn this article we made reference about denture as determinant factors that influence Candida albicans to become from saprophytic to pathological stage. 40 denture wearers are analyzed Vs. 10 no denture wearers control group with samples from mucosa and denture surfaces. Denture trauma, continuous denture wearing, denture hygiene are discussed.
A Parallelizable Message Authentication Code

This paper defines and analyzes a fully deterministic parallelizable block-cipher mode of operation for message authentication— DPMAC (deterministic parallelizable message authentication code). DPMAC is constructed based on a 128-bit block cipher, works for strings of any bit length, and employs a single block-cipher key. Its security is proved, using the Game-Playing technique to quantify an adversary's forgery probability in terms of the quality of the block cipher as a pseudo-random permutation.
Multiuser detection for up-link throughput enhancement in mobile packet communications

A slotted ALOHA mobile packet communication system utilizing the multiuser detection (MD) is proposed for system capacity enhancement. MD can be easily implemented by using an adaptive interference canceller. Employment of MD enables simultaneous detection of several packets in a collision, which results in system enhancement for increasing the throughput and shortening the average delay time. Detailed theoretical analysis and computer simulation for two multiuser detection in a single cell environment shows: (i) the throughput increases twice as much as that of the conventional one, and (ii) the average delay time becomes half.
Insulin glargine and its role in glycaemic management of Type 2 diabetes

Background: Insulin glargine (Lantus®) was the first recombinant-DNA long-acting insulin analogue to be licensed for use in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Objective: This review considers the use of insulin glargine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Medline, Cochrane and Embase databases were searched for relevant papers from the year 2000 onwards. Results/conclusion: Overall glargine provides at least equivalent glycaemic control and is associated with less hypoglycaemia, especially nocturnal hypoglycaemia owing to its 24 h peakless profile, which allows more aggressive titration to achieve glycaemic targets. Glargine has been shown to be safely initiated both individually and within a group setting and titration algorithms self-managed by patients are effective in achieving diabetes control. Despite these advantages, caution is needed as clinical guidelines do not advocate its use in all people with T2DM until clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness have been proved. However, insulin glargine is a welcome addition to the plethora of treatment options available for T2DM.
Computational tool for analysis of ferroresonance in transformers

This paper presents a computational tool named FerroUV which is capable of evaluating ferroresonance phenomenons in distribution transformers connected by shielded power cable. Due to the complexity of the ferroresonance phenomenon, analysis requires the use of simulation tools, as well as, highly specialized data clusters, which hinders its rapid assessment. Since there are currently few commercial tools aimed to analysis of ferroresonance, FerroUV is presented as an alternative computational tool that facilitates the study of this phenomenon. FerroUV integrates three high level components: a local database (DB) implemented on MySQL which is useful to query the configuration parameters of the elements under study; a powerful mathematical computing capability and an intuitive user interface which allows easy input of specific parameters, thus obtaining useful results in order to make appropriate decisions which avoid or reduce the risk of damage due to the phenomenon of ferroresonance.