Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topological sorting of large networks

The use of programmed digital computers as general pattern classification and recognition devices is one phase of the current lively interest in artificial intelligence. It is important to choose a class of signals which is, at present, undergoing a good deal of visual inspection by trained people for the purpose of pattern recognition. In this way comparisons between machine and human performance may be obtained. A practical result also serves as additional motivation. Clinical electrocardiograms make up such a class of signals. The approach to the problem presented here centers upon the use of multiple adaptive matched filters that classify normalized signals. The present report gives some of the background for the application of this method.
Digital literacy practices of Saudi female university students

This study examines the way young Saudi women use language and other communicative resources in their digitally mediated interactions. It is motivated by the debate in Saudi Arabia on the impact of digital media on the way people use language, especially Arabic, the way they manage their social relationships, and the way they enact their cultural identities. The study was conducted at a women’s university in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. A hundred and three participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on their online language use. Forty-seven of those participants were asked to keep a detailed literacy log of their digital practices over a period of four days and to submit samples of their interactions for closer analysis. The theoretical framework used to analyze the data combines concepts from new literacy studies (Barton & Hamilton, 1998; Gee & Hayes, 2010; Street, 2003), multimodal discourse analysis (Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006; Jewitt, Bezemer, & O'Halloran, 2016), and mediated discourse analysis (Jones & Norris, 2005; Scollon, 2001). The framework sees people’s language use in terms of social practices and explores how those practices are affected by the different media people use to communicate, and how mediated communication is linked to broader issues of culture and identity. The analysis reveals that the participants’ digital practices are multimodal and multilingual, and the choices they make about the codes and modes they use take place in the context of a complex nexus of practice, involving the interaction among (i) the affordances and constrains of the different technologies they use, (ii) the demands of their social relationships, and (iii) their individual experiences and socialization into different ways of communicating. By appropriating different codes and modes in different ways in social media, young Saudi women are able to strategically situate themselves in different cultural ‘worlds’, maintaining traditional identities and cultural practices while at the same time enacting new kinds of identities. The study contributes to the debate on the effect of digital media on language use by adopting a sociocultural approach which links language use to social practices, social relationships and social identities.
Revision 1 : Manuscript JCBFM-0068-07-ORIG Hypoxia-Induced Acute Mountain Sickness is Associated With Intracellular Cerebral Edema . A 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Acute mountain sickness is common amongst not acclimatized persons ascending to high-altitude; the underlying mechanism is unknown, but may be related to cerebral edema. Nine healthy male students were studied before and after 6-hours exposure to isobaric hypoxia. Subjects inhaled room air enriched with N 2 to obtain SaO 2 values of 75-80%. Acute mountain sickness was assessed with the environmental symptom questionnaire, and cerebral edema with 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging in 18 regions of interest in the cerebral white matter. The main outcome measures were development of intra-and extracellular cerebral white matter edema assessed by visual inspection and quantitative analysis of apparent diffusion coefficients, derived from diffusion-weighted imaging, and B0 signal intensities, derived from T2-weighted imaging. Seven of nine subjects developed acute mountain sickness. Mean apparent diffusion coefficient increased 2. resonance images failed to reveal cerebral edema. Cerebral acute mountain sickness scores showed a negative correlation with relative changes of apparent diffusion coefficients (r=-0.83, p=0.006); there was no correlation with relative changes of B0 signal intensities. In conclusion, isobaric hypoxia is associated with mild extracellular (vasogenic) cerebral edema irrespective of the presence of acute mountain sickness in most subjects, and severe acute mountain sickness with additional mild intracellular (cytotoxic) cerebral edema.
MediaMill: Video Search using a Thesaurus of 500 Machine Learned Concepts

In this technical demonstration we showcase the current version of the MediaMill system, a search engine that facilitates access to news video archives at a semantic level. The core of the system is a thesaurus of 500 automatically detected semantic concepts. To handle such a large thesaurus in retrieval, an engine is developed which automatically selects a set of relevant concepts based on the textual query and user- specified example images. The result set can be browsed easily to obtain the final result for the query.
The feasibility of normalizing CALL in teaching; analysing teacher’s and administrator’s attitudes

This paper analyses the attitudes of administrators and teachers towards the normalization of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in their context. It is divided into six paragraphs to synthesize theoretical orientations, research methodology, context and participants in line with previous related studies. In order to contrast the interviewees’ attitudes, they were enquired with questions related to CALL.
Long-term trends in the honeybee ‘whooping signal’ revealed by automated detection

It is known that honeybees use vibrational communication pathways to transfer information. One honeybee signal that has been previously investigated is the short vibrational pulse named the ‘stop signal’, because its inhibitory effect is generally the most accepted interpretation. The present study demonstrates long term (over 9 months) automated in-situ non-invasive monitoring of a honeybee vibrational pulse with the same characteristics of what has previously been described as a stop signal using ultra-sensitive accelerometers embedded in the honeycomb located at the heart of honeybee colonies. We show that the signal is very common and highly repeatable, occurring mainly at night with a distinct decrease in instances towards midday, and that it can be elicited en masse from bees following the gentle shaking or knocking of their hive with distinct evidence of habituation. The results of our study suggest that this vibrational pulse is generated under many different circumstances, thereby unifying previous publication’s conflicting definitions, and we demonstrate that this pulse can be generated in response to a surprise stimulus. This work suggests that, using an artificial stimulus and monitoring the changes in the features of this signal could provide a sensitive tool to assess colony status.
Quantum control design by Lyapunov trajectory tracking for dipole and polarizability coupling

In this paper we analyze the Lyapunov trajectory tracking of the Schrödinger equation for a coupling control operator containing both a linear (dipole) and a quadratic (polarizability) term. We show numerically that the contribution of the quadratic part cannot be exploited by standard trajectory tracking tools and propose two improvements: discontinuous feedback and periodic (time-dependent) feedback. For both cases we present theoretical results and support them by numerical illustrations.
Texture Networks: Feed-forward Synthesis of Textures and Stylized Images

Gatys et al. recently demonstrated that deep networks can generate beautiful textures and stylized images from a single texture example. However, their methods require a slow and memory-consuming optimization process. We propose here an alternative approach that moves the computational burden to a learning stage. Given a single example of a texture, our approach trains compact feed-forward convolutional networks to generate multiple samples of the same texture of arbitrary size and to transfer artistic style from a given image to any other image. The resulting networks are remarkably light-weight and can generate textures of quality comparable to Gatys et al., but hundreds of times faster. More generally, our approach highlights the power and flexibility of generative feed-forward models trained with complex and expressive loss functions.
Measuring Sample Quality with Kernels

Approximate Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) offers the promise of more rapid sampling at the cost of more biased inference. Since standard MCMC diagnostics fail to detect these biases, researchers have developed computable Stein discrepancy measures that provably determine the convergence of a sample to its target distribution. This approach was recently combined with the theory of reproducing kernels to define a closed-form kernel Stein discrepancy (KSD) computable by summing kernel evaluations across pairs of sample points. We develop a theory of weak convergence for KSDs based on Stein's method, demonstrate that commonly used KSDs fail to detect non-convergence even for Gaussian targets, and show that kernels with slowly decaying tails provably determine convergence for a large class of target distributions. The resulting convergence-determining KSDs are suitable for comparing biased, exact, and deterministic sample sequences and simpler to compute and parallelize than alternative Stein discrepancies. We use our tools to compare biased samplers, select sampler hyperparameters, and improve upon existing KSD approaches to one-sample hypothesis testing and sample quality improvement.
In vivo parahippocampal white matter pathology as a biomarker of disease progression to Alzheimer's disease

Noninvasive diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's disease (AD) are limited. Postmortem diagnosis is based on density and distribution of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid‐rich neuritic plaques. In preclinical stages of AD, the cells of origin for the perforant pathway within the entorhinal cortex are among the first to display NFTs, indicating its compromise in early stages of AD. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess the integrity of the parahippocampal white matter in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD, as a first step in developing a noninvasive tool for early diagnosis. Subjects with AD (N = 9), MCI (N = 8), or no cognitive impairment (NCI; N = 20) underwent DTI‐MRI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean (MD) and radial (RD) diffusivity measured from the parahippocampal white matter in AD and NCI subjects differed greatly. Discriminant analysis in the MCI cases assigned statistical membership of 38% of MCI subjects to the AD group. Preliminary data 1 year later showed that all MCI cases assigned to the AD group either met the diagnostic criteria for probable AD or showed significant cognitive decline. Voxelwise analysis in the parahippocampal white matter revealed a progressive change in the DTI patterns in MCI and AD subjects: whereas converted MCI cases showed structural changes restricted to the anterior portions of this region, in AD the pathology was generalized along the entire anterior–posterior axis. The use of DTI for in vivo assessment of the parahippocampal white matter may be useful for identifying individuals with MCI at highest risk for conversion to AD and for assessing disease progression. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:4300–4317, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SUITABILITY OF PROCESS MAPS FOR BUSINESS PROCESS SIMULATION IN BUSINESS PROCESS RENOVATION PROJECTS

Many different methods and techniques can be used for modelling business processes within business process renovation (BPR) projects. There are several techniques and tools that attempt to effectively represent all modelling perspectives and fulfil all goals and objectives but as such generate complex models that are hard to understand and reduce their ease of use. One of widely used techniques for process modelling is process maps. They are based on flowcharts and one of their most important advantages, that is extremely important in early phases of BPR projects, is that models are easily understandable to all members of a project group. It is believed that this technique can provide only basic facilities in representing processes and is inappropriate for simulation. The main objective of this paper is to show that enhanced process maps have all elements required for simulation, they can serve as a foundation for IS modelling, and they are very suitable for business renovation. However, a single technique cannot cope with a variety of different aspects related to modelling without becoming too complex and thus less useful in phases where communication of models is very important.
Cloud Energy Broker: Towards SLA-Driven Green Energy Planning for IaaS Providers

Demand for Green services is increasing considerably as people are getting more environmental conscious to build a sustainable society. Therefore, enterprise and clients want to shift their workloads towards green Cloud environment offered by the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider. The main challenge for an IaaS provider is to determine the best trade-off between its profit while using renewable energy and customers satisfaction. In order to address this issue, we provide a Cloud energy broker, which can adjust the availability and price combination to buy Green energy dynamically from the market to make data center green. We investigate a simplified power model from where we can formulate and predict power demand. Our energy broker tries to maximize of using renewable energy under strict budget constraint whereas it also tries to minimize the use of brown energy by capping the limit of overall energy consumption of data center. The energy broker was evaluated with a real workload traced by Planet Lab. Experimental results show that our energy broker successfully keeps the best trade-off.
PSInSAR as a new tool to monitor pre‐eruptive volcano ground deformation: Validation using GPS measurements on Piton de la Fournaise

The Permanent Scatterers Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (PSInSAR™) is a technique, which aims at ground deformation mapping with millimetric precision. In the framework of the Globvolcano ESA project, we evaluated a PSInSAR derived approach to monitor ground deformation in highly active volcanic areas, based on the example of Piton de La Fournaise. The Permanent Scatterer (PS) velocities show two main areas of deformation: (1) the eastern flank displaying old lava flow subsidence (0.05–0.13 m.y−1); and (2) the summit cone highly disturbed by eruptions. The PS time series for the summit area agree with the cGPS trends with small long‐term (weeks/months) ground displacements preceding eruptions (0.05–0.35 m.y−1) and large rapid ground displacements linked to eruptions. Despite some limitations, such as the loss of coherence during the most rapid ground displacements and lava flow emplacement, PSInSAR and its derived approach provide a reliable inference of the volcano ground deformation over large areas.
Role of Homocysteine in the Ischemic Stroke and Development of Ischemic Tolerance

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a toxic, sulfur-containing intermediate of methionine metabolism. Hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcy), as a consequence of impaired Hcy metabolism or defects in crucial co-factors that participate in its recycling, is assumed as an independent human stroke risk factor. Neural cells are sensitive to prolonged hHcy treatment, because Hcy cannot be metabolized either by the transsulfuration pathway or by the folate/vitamin B12 independent remethylation pathway. Its detrimental effect after ischemia-induced damage includes accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and posttranslational modifications of proteins via homocysteinylation and thiolation. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is an adaptive response of the CNS to sub-lethal ischemia, which elevates tissues tolerance to subsequent ischemia. The main focus of this review is on the recent data on homocysteine metabolism and mechanisms of its neurotoxicity. In this context, the review documents an increased oxidative stress and functional modification of enzymes involved in redox balance in experimentally induced hyperhomocysteinemia. It also gives an interpretation whether hyperhomocysteinemia alone or in combination with IPC affects the ischemia-induced neurodegenerative changes as well as intracellular signaling. Studies document that hHcy alone significantly increased Fluoro-Jade C- and TUNEL-positive cell neurodegeneration in the rat hippocampus as well as in the cortex. IPC, even if combined with hHcy, could still preserve the neuronal tissue from the lethal ischemic effects. This review also describes the changes in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) protein pathways following ischemic injury and IPC. These studies provide evidence for the interplay and tight integration between ERK and p38 MAPK signaling mechanisms in response to the hHcy and also in association of hHcy with ischemia/IPC challenge in the rat brain. Further investigations of the protective factors leading to ischemic tolerance and recognition of the co-morbid risk factors would result in development of new avenues for exploration of novel therapeutics against ischemia and stroke.
Multiple views as aid to linguistic annotation error analysis

This paper describes a methodology for supporting the task of annotating sentiment in natural language by detecting borderline cases and inconsistencies. Inspired by the co-training strategy, a number of machine learning models are trained on different views of the same data. The predictions obtained by these models are then automatically compared in order to bring to light highly uncertain annotations and systematic mistakes. We tested the methodology against an English corpus annotated according to a fine-grained sentiment analysis annotation schema (SentiML). We detected that 153 instances (35%) classified differently from the gold standard were acceptable and further 69 instances (16%) suggested that the gold standard should have been improved.
MIMO-OFDM wireless systems: basics, perspectives, and challenges

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless technology in combination with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) is an attractive air-interface solution for next-generation wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs), and fourth-generation mobile cellular wireless systems. This article provides an overview of the basics of MIMO-OFDM technology and focuses on space-frequency signaling, receiver design, multiuser systems, and hardware implementation aspects. We conclude with a discussion of relevant open areas for further research
Mutated and Bacteriophage T4 Nanoparticle Arrayed F1-V Immunogens from Yersinia pestis as Next Generation Plague Vaccines

Pneumonic plague is a highly virulent infectious disease with 100% mortality rate, and its causative organism Yersinia pestis poses a serious threat for deliberate use as a bioterror agent. Currently, there is no FDA approved vaccine against plague. The polymeric bacterial capsular protein F1, a key component of the currently tested bivalent subunit vaccine consisting, in addition, of low calcium response V antigen, has high propensity to aggregate, thus affecting its purification and vaccine efficacy. We used two basic approaches, structure-based immunogen design and phage T4 nanoparticle delivery, to construct new plague vaccines that provided complete protection against pneumonic plague. The NH2-terminal β-strand of F1 was transplanted to the COOH-terminus and the sequence flanking the β-strand was duplicated to eliminate polymerization but to retain the T cell epitopes. The mutated F1 was fused to the V antigen, a key virulence factor that forms the tip of the type three secretion system (T3SS). The F1mut-V protein showed a dramatic switch in solubility, producing a completely soluble monomer. The F1mut-V was then arrayed on phage T4 nanoparticle via the small outer capsid protein, Soc. The F1mut-V monomer was robustly immunogenic and the T4-decorated F1mut-V without any adjuvant induced balanced TH1 and TH2 responses in mice. Inclusion of an oligomerization-deficient YscF, another component of the T3SS, showed a slight enhancement in the potency of F1-V vaccine, while deletion of the putative immunomodulatory sequence of the V antigen did not improve the vaccine efficacy. Both the soluble (purified F1mut-V mixed with alhydrogel) and T4 decorated F1mut-V (no adjuvant) provided 100% protection to mice and rats against pneumonic plague evoked by high doses of Y. pestis CO92. These novel platforms might lead to efficacious and easily manufacturable next generation plague vaccines.
Targeted Elimination of G Proteins and Arrestins Defines Their Specific Contributions to Both Intensity and Duration of G Protein-coupled Receptor Signaling*

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can initiate intracellular signaling cascades by coupling to an array of heterotrimeric G proteins and arrestin adaptor proteins. Understanding the contribution of each of these coupling options to GPCR signaling has been hampered by a paucity of tools to selectively perturb receptor function. Here we employ CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to eliminate selected G proteins (Gαq and Gα11) or arrestin2 and arrestin3 from HEK293 cells together with the elimination of receptor phosphorylation sites to define the relative contribution of G proteins, arrestins, and receptor phosphorylation to the signaling outcomes of the free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4). A lack of FFA4-mediated elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in Gαq/Gα11-null cells and agonist-mediated receptor internalization in arrestin2/3-null cells confirmed previously reported canonical signaling features of this receptor, thereby validating the genome-edited HEK293 cells. FFA4-mediated ERK1/2 activation was totally dependent on Gq/11 but intriguingly was substantially enhanced for FFA4 receptors lacking sites of regulated phosphorylation. This was not due to a simple lack of desensitization of Gq/11 signaling because the Gq/11-dependent calcium response was desensitized by both receptor phosphorylation and arrestin-dependent mechanisms, whereas a substantially enhanced ERK1/2 response was only observed for receptors lacking phosphorylation sites and not in arrestin2/3-null cells. In conclusion, we validate CRISPR/Cas9 engineered HEK293 cells lacking Gq/11 or arrestin2/3 as systems for GPCR signaling research and employ these cells to reveal a previously unappreciated interplay of signaling pathways where receptor phosphorylation can impact on ERK1/2 signaling through a mechanism that is likely independent of arrestins.
Some properties of minimizers for the L 1 TV functional

We present two results characterizing minimizers of the LTV functional F (u) ≡ ∫ |∇u|dx+λ ∫ |u−f |dx; u, f : R → R. If we restrict to u = χΣ and f = χΩ, Σ,Ω ∈ R, the LTV functional reduces to E(Σ) = Per(Σ) + λ|Σ M Ω|. We show that there is a minimizer Σ such that its boundary ∂Σ lies between the union of all balls of radius nλ contained in Ω and the corresponding union of nλ -balls in Ω . We also show that if a ball of radius nλ + is almost contained in Ω, a slightly smaller concentric ball can be added to Σ to get another minimizer. Finally, we comment on recent results Allard has obtained on LTV minimizers and how these relate to our results.