Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stereo Holographic Diffraction Based Tracking of Microrobots

Three-dimensional (3-D) tracking of microrobots is demonstrated using stereo holographic projections. The method detects the lateral position of a microrobot in two orthogonal in-line holography images and triangulates to obtain the 3-D position in an observable volume of 1 cm<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{3}$</tex-math> </inline-formula>. The algorithm is capable of processing holograms at 25 Hz on a desktop computer and has an accuracy of 24.7 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and 15.2 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in the two independent directions and 7.3 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> in the shared direction of the two imaging planes. This is the first use of stereo holograms to track an object in real time and does not rely on the computationally expensive process of holographic reconstruction.
Etanercept, adalimumab, and ustekinumab in psoriasis: analysis of 209 treatment series in Austria

Widely used in the treatment of psoriasis, biologics have been tested in numerous clinical trials. However, drug efficacies and adverse events (AEs) may differ in ‘real‐world’ patients as they do not undergo as rigorous selection and monitoring. Our objective was to examine drug survival, efficacy, and AEs (quality, time of onset) in ‘real‐world’ psoriasis patients treated with etanercept, adalimumab, and ustekinumab.
Task level pipelining with PEACH2: An FPGA switching fabric for high performance computing

We demonstrate task level pipelining on multiple accelerators with PEACH2. PEACH2 is implmented on FPGA, and enables ultra low latency direct communication among multiple accelerators over computational nodes. By installing PEACH2, typical high performance computation nodes are tightly coupled. In this environment, application can be accelerated by exploiting not only data level parallelism, but also task level pipelined operation. Furthermore, we can processe multiple task on multiple accelerators in a pipelined manner. In our demonstration, application achieves 44% speed up compared to a single GPU.
A fast topology changing algorithm of snake for multiple objects boundary detection

Snake is an active contour for representing object contours. Traditional snake algorithms are often used to represent the contour of single object. However, if there is more than one object in the image, the snake model must be adaptive to determine the corresponding contour of each object. In this paper, we present a new snake method for efficiently detecting irregular contours of multiple objects. Our proposed algorithm can provide a straightforward approach for snake contour rapid splitting and connection, which usually cannot be gracefully handled by traditional snakes. The topology changes are automatically implemented. If a single snake contour encloses multiple objects of interest, it will split into two smaller snakes and every contour will repeat the splitting and connecting process in order to capture the boundary of each object. Experimental results of various test images with multiple objects show good performance which proves that the proposed method is both effective and accurate.
Temperature-Sensitive Simian Virus 40-Transformed Cells: Phenomena Accompanying Transition from the Transformed to the “Normal” State

Temperature-sensitive simian virus (SV 40)-transformed 3T3 cells (tsSV3T3), which express the transformed phenotype when growing at 32 C but not at 39 C, were used to study changes in growth behavior during shift-up or shift-down experiments. In cultures of tsSV3T3 cells which had reached or were beyond monolayer density at 32 C, DNA synthesis reached very low levels within 24 to 48 h after shift-up. When cells which had been allowed to grow to high densities at 32 C were shifted to 39 C, not only cell growth stopped, but within two to three days the cultures shed a large number of cells into the medium. These cells were nonviable, and shedding stopped only when the number of cells attached had been reduced to that characteristic of the saturation density at 39 C. The remaining attached cells were viable and after the shift to 32 C were again able to grow from the monolayer to high cell densities. This behavior has been compared with that of normal 3T3 and wild-type SV3T3 cells under different conditions. We have also isolated new tsSV3T3 lines, using cells which had been infected with non-mutagenized wild-type SV40. This further demonstrates that the temperature sensitivity of these lines is due to a cellular rather than a viral mutation.
Allergenicity of Mycobacterial Ribosomal and Ribonucleic Acid Preparations in Mice and Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs were injected subcutaneously with mycobacterial ribosomal fraction incorporated in Freund's incomplete adjuvant and tested 6 and 12 weeks later by the intradermal injection of 0.5 μg (25 TU) of Purified Protein Derivative. No evidence of delayed-type hypersensitivity could be detected in these animals, although large necrotic reactions were obtained in guinea pigs sensitized with living, attenuated mycobacterial cells. Mice also were vaccinated by the intraperitoneal injection of mycobacterial ribosomal fraction or ribonucleic acid (RNA) and tested for sensitivity to tuberculin at various subsequent times. No evidence of true tuberculin hypersensitivity could be detected at any time, although what appeared to be small Arthus type reactions were seen in mice given the largest vaccinating doses. Attempts to recall tuberculin sensitivity in vaccinated mice by the intravenous injection, 4 weeks after vaccination of living cells, of either the virulent or attenuated mycobacterial strains were unsuccessful. Instead, when the virulent cells were injected, a suppression of footpad reactivity was noted in animals made sensitive to tuberculin by the previous intraperitoneal injection of viable attenuated mycobacterial cells. Both guinea pigs and mice, vaccinated as described above, were also skin tested or footpad tested, respectively, with 2 μg of the ribosomal fraction or RNA used for vaccination. No evidence of true tuberculin hypersensitivity could be obtained; instead, in guinea pig skin very small dermonecrotic areas were noted, and in mice swelling and redness of the footpad occurred to an equal extent in both vaccinated and nonvaccinated mice. The possible role of tuberculin hypersensitivity in acquired immunity to tuberculosis is discussed, and the conclusion is reached that its part, if any, is minor.
Using search-based metric selection and oversampling to predict fault prone modules

Predictive models can be used in the detection of fault prone modules using source code metrics as inputs for the classifier. However, there exist numerous structural measures that capture different aspects of size, coupling and complexity. Identifying a metric subset that enhances the performance for the predictive objective would not only improve the model but also provide insights into the structural properties that lead to problematic modules. Another difficulty in building predictive models comes from unbalanced datasets, which are common in empirical software engineering as a majority of the modules are not likely to be faulty. Oversampling attempts to overcome this deficiency by generating new training instances from the faulty modules. We present the results of applying search-based metric selection and oversampling to three NASA datasets. For these datasets, oversampling results in the largest improvement. Metric subset selection was able to reduce up to 52% of the metrics without decreasing the predictive performance gained with oversampling.
Raw Cow Milk Bacterial Population Shifts Attributable to Refrigeration

ABSTRACT We monitored the dynamic changes in the bacterial population in milk associated with refrigeration. Direct analyses of DNA by using temporal temperature gel electrophoresis (TTGE) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) allowed us to make accurate species assignments for bacteria with low-GC-content (low-GC%) (<55%) and medium- or high-GC% (>55%) genomes, respectively. We examined raw milk samples before and after 24-h conservation at 4°C. Bacterial identification was facilitated by comparison with an extensive bacterial reference database (∼150 species) that we established with DNA fragments of pure bacterial strains. Cloning and sequencing of fragments missing from the database were used to achieve complete species identification. Considerable evolution of bacterial populations occurred during conservation at 4°C. TTGE and DGGE are shown to be a powerful tool for identifying the main bacterial species of the raw milk samples and for monitoring changes in bacterial populations during conservation at 4°C. The emergence of psychrotrophic bacteria such as Listeria spp. or Aeromonas hydrophila is demonstrated.
Requirements and the Business Case

We hear a lot about the necessity of finding the right requirements. But how do we know which requirements are the right ones? How do we choose which requirements to spend time on and which ones to put in the waiting room? And how can we determine whether we're missing any of the "right" requirements? The answer to all these questions lies in having a well-understood reason for doing the project along with quantified expectations of its costs and benefits. We often refer to this collection of knowledge as the business case. A business case provides a mechanism for justifying and guiding a project. The business case is the basis for deciding the most profitable investment of effort. It's the project driver.
Structure of the herpesvirus major capsid protein

Herpes simplex virus‐1 (HSV‐1) virions are large, complex enveloped particles containing a proteinaceous tegument layer connected to an icosahedral capsid. The major capsid protein, VP5 (149 kDa), makes up both types of capsomere, pentons and hexons. Limited trypsin digestion of VP5 identified a single stable 65 kDa fragment which represents a proposed protein folding nucleus. We report the 2.9 Å crystal structure of this fragment and its modeling into an 8.5 Å resolution electron cryomicroscopy map of the HSV‐1 capsid. The structure, the first for any capsid protein from Herpesviridae, revealed a novel fold, placing herpesviruses outside any of the structurally linked viral groupings. Alterations in the geometrical arrangements of the VP5 subunits in the capsomeres exposes different residues, resulting in the differential association of the tegument and VP26 with the pentons and hexons, respectively. The rearrangements of VP5 subunits required to form both pentavalent and hexavalent capsomeres result in structures that exhibit very different electrostatic properties. These differences may mediate the binding and release of other structural proteins during capsid maturation.
Evaluation of a functional soy product with addition of soy fiber and fermented with probiotic kefir culture

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical, sensory properties and stability of a functional soy product with soy fiber and fermented with probiotic kefir culture. The product was characterized by the chemical composition, color and sensory analysis. The stability of the product was evaluated by pH, acidity, viscosity, firmness, syneresis measurements and cells counts. The functional soy product presented better chemical composition and difference in color compared to the fermented product without fiber. Sensory analysis showed that the functional soy product had good acceptance and had better firmness and reduced syneresis compared to fermented product without fiber. The lactic acid bacteria counts decreased slightly during 28 days at 4°C of the storage and the product showed good microbiological stability. The functional soy product due to high Lactococcus lactis counts could be considered as a probiotic for the entire storage period.
Conformation of self-assembled porphyrin dimers in liposome vesicles by phase-modulation 2D fluorescence spectroscopy

By applying a phase-modulation fluorescence approach to 2D electronic spectroscopy, we studied the conformation-dependent exciton coupling of a porphyrin dimer embedded in a phospholipid bilayer membrane. Our measurements specify the relative angle and separation between interacting electronic transition dipole moments and thus provide a detailed characterization of dimer conformation. Phase-modulation 2D fluorescence spectroscopy (PM-2D FS) produces 2D spectra with distinct optical features, similar to those obtained using 2D photon-echo spectroscopy. Specifically, we studied magnesium meso tetraphenylporphyrin dimers, which form in the amphiphilic regions of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine liposomes. Comparison between experimental and simulated spectra show that although a wide range of dimer conformations can be inferred by either the linear absorption spectrum or the 2D spectrum alone, consideration of both types of spectra constrain the possible structures to a “T-shaped” geometry. These experiments establish the PM-2D FS method as an effective approach to elucidate chromophore dimer conformation.
Relationship between serum circulating insulin‐like growth factor‐1 and liver fat in the United States

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), circulating insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), and IGF‐1/IGF‐binding protein‐3 (IGFBP‐3) concentrations are associated with adiposity and insulin resistance. We aimed to determine whether serum IGF‐1, IGFBP‐3, and IGF‐1/IGFBP‐3 are associated with presence or severity of NAFLD independent of potential confounding.
Impact of Employees' Social Characteristics on Companies' Performance: Case of Croatia

Different researches from the human resource management showed that human resource practices had strong and positive impact on financial and productivity performance of different companies. The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence concerning impacts of human resource investments, more precisely vocational education and career development on companies’ financial performances. Verification of empirical evidence will be provided through the sample of Croatian labour intensive companies. All variables that will be used in this research will be based on previous researches on the similar topic, but also chosen according to the specificity of Croatia, as well as to the possibility of their implementation. The results of research confirm positive correlation between employees’ social characteristics and companies’ performance in Croatia.
Machine learning techniques for taming the complexity of modern hardware design

The continual quest to improve performance and efficiency for new generations of IBM servers leads to a corresponding increase in system complexity. As hardware complexity increases, i.e., more complicated hardware architectures requiring more design choices, the level of sophistication in automation also increases to manage the design challenges. The number of design choices in modern hardware design calls for intelligent automated techniques to navigate the design space. This paper covers three machine learning-based automation techniques used during the design and lifetime of IBM systems. In particular, we describe applying these techniques to the IBM z13 mainframe. During the presilicon design phase, a software system called synthesis tuning system is employed to optimize the parameters of the synthesis program vital to hardware implementation. During both the presilicon and postsilicon phases of the design, a framework called MicroProbe automatically generates microbenchmarks, i.e., small programs, to determine power, performance, and resilience characteristics of the system. Following system product deployment in customer environments, the Call Home facility monitors and analyzes a wide range of in-field usage metrics to help administrators understand current system behavior and improve future designs. Beyond existing IBM system contributions, this high-level overview paper also describes additional machine learning (and related) techniques in the field of hardware design, along with future directions for such work.
The Potential for Machine Learning Analysis over Encrypted Data in Cloud-based Clinical Decision Support - Background and Review

This paper appeared at the 8th Australasian Workshop on Health Informatics and Knowledge Management (HIKM 2015), Sydney, Australia, January 2015. Conferences in Research and Practice in Information Technology (CRPIT), Vol. 164, Anthony Maeder and Jim Warren, Ed. Reproduction for academic, not-for profit purposes permitted provided this text is included
Corporate Governance Compliance, Governance Structures, and Firm Performance

The paper deals with the issue whether the adoption of CG practices is associated with the firm ownership and capital structure. The authors have developed a relative disclosure CG Index using twenty parameters emanating from published annual reports. The beneficial influence of CG compliance was found independent of firm ownership structure. The extent of debt in the capital structure of the firm was found to influence CG. PSUs were a significant force in the emerging CG regime. Results indicate that greater CG compliance is significantly associated with firm’s market capitalisation. Firm operating performance (measured by ROA) has a positive association with CG and there also exists an association between ROA, ownership structure variables and debt equity ratio.
Analysing and Prioritizing the Antecedents of Customer Shopping Experience Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Modelling

The aim of this study is to analyse and prioritize the antecedents of customer shopping experience to enhance the understanding of marketers about what their consumers really want. The construct of customer shopping experience in the consumer behaviour theory is a well acclaimed one and has been studied in several contexts with varied perspectives; however, the researchers seldom noticed any endeavour to prioritize the antecedents of the shopping experience from the experts’ viewpoint. The present study endeavours to utilize analytical hierarchy process (AHP) modelling to find the degree of importance that customers attach to different criteria of the three key precursors of shopping experience, that is, the store environment, the social environment and the purchase motives with their underlying sub-criteria. The results of the study evidently propagate social environment as the most important criterion followed by store environment and purchase motives. This ranking is not just an ordinary exposition of placing one before another, but it expounds that the consumer is much concerned about the environment while making a buying decision. The key sub-criterion of social environment is customer interaction, which means that the customer is more concerned about the social interactions that have the potential to influence their psychology when they shop with their family or peer group. These results have several interestingly explorable implications for both retailers as well as marketers.
Employing ontology and BIM to facilitate the information for subcontractor's payment requests and ledger generation

General contractors usually need to handle subcontractor’s payment requests periodically according to the progress of the construction project. The documents required for payment requests are related to various types of information generated from construction work items. Consequently, construction company needs to spend a lot of efforts to verify and approve the submitted documents in order to record accounts on the ledger. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been used to derive the information for various operations within the construction project. One of the important functions provided by BIM is quantity takeoff. With this capability, BIM can serve as an information platform to provide the information regarding various aggregated amounts of work required to be performed by subcontractors. However, detail information required to process payment requests is still hard to be obtained from the BIM model if no proper development specifications have been established. This study employs ontology and BIM to facilitate the information required to process payment requests and ledger. First, various work items performed by subcontractors are analyzed to identify the information required to process payment requests. Then the relationships between work items and BIM elements are determined through the ontology developed according to the required information identified. Next, a variety of Dynamo modules are applied to develop the BIM model that can provide various types of measurements required by work items. Finally, a database that can help construction managers to facilitate information for payment requests and ledger is developed for future uses.
Deaf Readers Reading Beyond the Literal

Demographic studies and educational research document that deaf readers encounter world knowledge, linguistic and metacognitive difficulties as they learn to read and read to learn at the interpretive level of understanding. The author advocates a collaborative "externally guided thinking" approach to instruction that helps deaf literal readers learn to read at the evaluative level.
The Small Heat Shock-related Protein, HSP20, Is Phosphorylated on Serine 16 during Cyclic Nucleotide-dependent Relaxation*

The small heat shock-related protein 20 (HSP20) is present in four isoforms in bovine carotid artery smooth muscles. Three of the isoforms are phosphorylated and one is not. Increases in the phosphorylation of two isoforms of HSP20 (isoform 3, pI 5.9; and 8, pI 5.7) are associated with cyclic nucleotide-dependent relaxation of bovine carotid artery smooth muscles. Increases in the phosphorylation of another isoform (isoform 4, pI 6.0) are associated with phorbol ester-induced contraction of bovine carotid artery smooth muscles. In this investigation we determined that isoforms 3 and 8 are phosphorylated on Ser16 of the HSP20 molecule during activation of cAMP-dependent signaling pathways. Phosphorylation state-specific antibodies produced against a peptide containing phosphorylated Ser16 recognized isoforms 3 and 8 but not isoform 4. In human vascular tissue, only isoform 3 is present. Incubation of transiently permeabilized strips of bovine carotid artery smooth muscle with synthetic peptides in which Ser16 is phosphorylated, inhibits contractile responses to high extracellular KCl and to serotonin. These data suggest that phosphorylation of HSP20 on Ser16 modulates cAMP-dependent vasorelaxation.
Improving virtualization performance and scalability with advanced hardware accelerations

Many advanced hardware accelerations for virtualization, such as Pause Loop Exit (PLE), Extended Page Table (EPT), and Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV), have been introduced recently to improve the virtualization performance and scalability. In this paper, we share our experience with the performance and scalability issues of virtualization, especially those brought by the modern, multi-core and/or overcommitted systems. We then describe our work on the implementation and optimizations of the advanced hardware acceleration support in the latest version of Xen. Finally, we present performance evaluations and characterizations of these hardware accelerations, using both micro-benchmarks and a server consolidation benchmark (vConsolidate). The experimental results demonstrate an up to 77% improvement with these hardware accelerations, 49% of which is due to EPT and another 28% due to SR-IOV.