Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bayesian optimisation for Intelligent Environmental Monitoring

Environmental Monitoring (EM) is typically performed using sensor networks that collect measurements in predefined static locations. The possibility of having one or more autonomous robots to perform this task increases versatility and reduces the number of necessary sensor nodes to cover the same area. However, several problems arise when making use of autonomous moving robots for EM. The main challenges are how to build an accurate spatial-temporal model while choosing locations for measuring the phenomenon. This paper addresses the problem by using Bayesian Optimisation for choosing sensing locations, and presents a new utility function that takes into account the distance travelled by a moving robot. The proposed methodology is tested in simulation and in a real environment. Compared to existing strategies, our approach exhibits slightly better accuracy in terms of RMSE error and considerably reduces the total distance travelled by the robot.
Attachment and parental reflective functioning features in ADHD: enhancing the knowledge on parenting characteristics

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder characterized by a chronic, pervasive, and developmentally inappropriate levels of impulsivity and in attention. It is associated with adverse academic and social functions and stress to families. Studies provide evidence that family variables are correlated with this disorder and that parenting styles play an important role in its complexity. However, a thorough investigation of the impact of parental affective and relational aspects on the ADHD child’s areas of functioning is still needed. In designing future research on ADHD, we suggest to investigate parenting characteristics to a greater extent by adopting an attachment perspective with a focus on parental reflective functioning as it pertains to the child’s ADHD clinical condition.
Reproducibility, reliability and validity of population-based administrative health data for the assessment of cancer non-related comorbidities

Background Patients with comorbidities do not receive optimal treatment for their cancer, leading to lower cancer survival. Information on individual comorbidities is not straightforward to derive from population-based administrative health datasets. We described the development of a reproducible algorithm to extract the individual Charlson index comorbidities from such data. We illustrated the algorithm with 1,789 laryngeal cancer patients diagnosed in England in 2013. We aimed to clearly set out and advocate the time-related assumptions specified in the algorithm by providing empirical evidence for them. Methods Comorbidities were assessed from hospital records in the ten years preceding cancer diagnosis and internal reliability of the hospital records was checked. Data were right-truncated 6 or 12 months prior to cancer diagnosis to avoid inclusion of potentially cancer-related comorbidities. We tested for collider bias using Cox regression. Results Our administrative data showed weak to moderate internal reliability to identify comorbidities (ICC ranging between 0.1 and 0.6) but a notably high external validity (86.3%). We showed a reverse protective effect of non-cancer related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) when the effect is split into cancer and non-cancer related COPD (Age-adjusted HR: 0.95, 95% CI:0.7–1.28 for non-cancer related comorbidities). Furthermore, we showed that a window of 6 years before diagnosis is an optimal period for the assessment of comorbidities. Conclusion To formulate a robust approach for assessing common comorbidities, it is important that assumptions made are explicitly stated and empirically proven. We provide a transparent and consistent approach useful to researchers looking to assess comorbidities for cancer patients using administrative health data.
Hardness of Approximating p 2 Minimization Problems

We show that a number of natural optimization problems in the second level of the Polynomial Hierarchy are p2-hard to approximate to within n factors, for specific > 0. The main technical tool is the use of explicit dispersers to achieve strong, direct inapproximability results. The problems we consider include Succinct Set Cover, Minimum Equivalent DNF, and other problems relating to DNF minimization. Under a slightly stronger complexity assumption, our method gives optimal n1 inapproximability results for some of these problems. We also prove inapproximabilityof a variant of an NP optimizationproblem, Monotone Minimum Satisfying Assignment, to within an n factor using the same technique.
Performance of Markov models for frame‐level errors in IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs

Interference among different wireless hosts is becoming a serious issue due to the growing number of wireless LANs based on the popular IEEE 802.11 standard. Thus, an accurate modeling of error paths at the data link layer is indispensable for evaluating system performance and for tuning and optimizing protocols at higher layers. Error paths are usually described looking at sequences of consecutive correct or erroneous frames and at the distributions of their sizes. In recent years, a number of Markov‐based stochastic models have been proposed in order to statistically characterize these distributions. Nevertheless, when applied to analyze the data traces we collected, they exhibit several flaws.
DASH in Twitch: Adaptive Bitrate Streaming in Live Game Streaming Platforms

Live game streaming platforms such as Twitch allow gamers to broadcast their gameplay over the Internet. The popularity of these platforms boosts the market of eSport but poses new delivery problems. In this paper, we focus on the implementation of adaptive bitrate streaming in massive live game streaming platforms. Based on three months of real data traces from Twitch, we motivate the need for an adoption of adaptive bitrate streaming in this platform to reduce the delivery bandwidth cost and to increase QoE of viewers. We show however that a naive implementation requires the reservation of a large amount of computing resources for transcoding purposes. To address the trade-off between benefits and costs, we formulate a management problem and we design two strategies for deciding which online channels should be delivered by adaptive bitrate streaming. Our evaluations based on real traces show that these strategies can reduce the overall infrastructure cost by 40% in comparison to an implementation without adaptive streaming.
Distributed Totally Asynchronous Iterative Waterfilling for Wideband Interference Channel with Time/Frequency Offset

This paper considers the competitive maximization of information rates in the Gaussian frequency-selective interference channel, subject to global power and spectral mask constraints. We focus on the practical case in which the transmission by the different users contains time and frequency synchronization offsets. We propose a unified framework based on a distributed algorithm called asynchronous iterative waterfilling algorithm. In this algorithm, the users update their power spectral density in a completely distributed and asynchronous way: some users may update their power allocation more frequently than others and they may even use outdated measurements of the received interference. Moreover the users are not required to know time and frequency offsets. Our main contribution is to provide a unified set of convergence conditions for the whole class of algorithms obtained from the asynchronous iterative waterfilling algorithm.
Diversification as a Public Good: Community Effects in Portfolio Choice

Within a rational general equilibrium model in which agents care only about personal consumption, we consider a setting in which, due to borrowing constraints, individuals endowed with local resources underparticipate in financial markets. As a result, investors compete for local resources through their portfolio choices. Even with complete financial markets and no aggregate risk, agents may herd into risky portfolios. This yields a Pareto-dominated outcome as agents introduce "community" risk unrelated to fundamentals. Moreover, if some agents are behaviorally biased, or cannot completely diversify their holdings, rational agents may choose more extreme portfolios and amplify the effect. Copyright 2004 by The American Finance Association.
Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Tandem Repeat Proteins Reveals Evidence of Phosphorylation and Absence of Glycosylation

Background Ehrlichia chaffeensis has a small subset of immunoreactive secreted, acidic (pI ∼4), tandem repeat (TR)-containing proteins (TRPs), which exhibit abnormally large electrophoretic masses that have been associated with glycosylation of the TR domain. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we examined the extent and nature of posttranslational modifications on the native TRP47 and TRP32 using mass spectrometry. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) demonstrated that the mass of native TRP47 (33,104.5 Da) and TRP32 (22,736.8 Da) were slightly larger (179- and 288-Da, respectively) than their predicted masses. The anomalous migration of native and recombinant TRP47, and the recombinant TR domain (C-terminal region) were normalized by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) modification of negatively charged carboxylates to neutral amides. Exhaustive tandem mass spectrometric analysis (92% coverage) performed on trypsin and Asp-N digested native TRP47 identified peptides consistent with their predicted masses. Two TRP47 peptides not identified were located in the normally migrating amino (N)-terminal region of TRP47 and contained predicted phosphorylation sites (tyrosine and serine residues). Moreover, native TRP47 was immunoprecipitated from E. chaffeensis-infected cell lysate with anti-phosphotyrosine (anti-pTyr) antibody. Conclusions/Significance TRP47 and TRP32 are not modified by glycans and the substantial net negative charge of the ehrlichial TRPs, and particularly the highly acidic TRs present within the ehrlichial TRPs, is responsible for larger-than-predicted masses. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that the N-terminal region of the TRP47 is tyrosine phosphorylated.
Human platelet reactivity during stressful diagnostic procedures

Conscious subjects undergoing cardiac catheterization and other diagnostic procedures showed a rise in platelet-aggregation response to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) one hour before and during the procedure. The responses returned towards normal one hour afterwards. The response to glass beads was decreased one hour before the procedure, but was unchanged in subsequent samples. Plasma-free fatty acid (FFA) levels were increased during the procedure, and one hour afterwards, but had returned to normal by the following day. Platelet counts were slightly reduced on the day after the procedure. It is suggested that catecholamines released due to emotional stress may be responsible for the increased platelet responses to ADP and that this could influence the development of thrombosis and atherosclerosis.
Multilinear Multitask Learning

Many real world datasets occur or can be arranged into multi-modal structures. With such datasets, the tasks to be learnt can be referenced by multiple indices. Current multitask learning frameworks are not designed to account for the preservation of this information. We propose the use of multilinear algebra as a natural way to model such a set of related tasks. We present two learning methods; one is an adapted convex relaxation method used in the context of tensor completion. The second method is based on the Tucker decomposition and on alternating minimization. Experiments on synthetic and real data indicate that the multilinear approaches provide a significant improvement over other multitask learning methods. Overall our second approach yields the best performance in all datasets.
Efficient Induction of CCR9 on T Cells Requires Coactivation of Retinoic Acid Receptors and Retinoid X Receptors (RXRs): Exaggerated T Cell Homing to the Intestine by RXR Activation with Organotins

The active vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid (RA) imprints gut-homing specificity on lymphocytes upon activation by inducing the expression of α4β7 integrin and CCR9. RA receptor (RAR) activation is essential for their expression, whereas retinoid X receptor (RXR) activation is not essential for α4β7 expression. However, it remains unclear whether RXR activation affects the RA-dependent CCR9 expression on T cells and their gut homing. The major physiological RA, all-trans-RA, binds to RAR but not to RXR at physiological concentrations. Cell-surface CCR9 expression was often induced on a limited population of murine naive CD4+ T cells by all-trans-RA or the RAR agonist Am80 alone upon CD3/CD28-mediated activation in vitro, but it was markedly enhanced by adding the RXR agonist PA024 or the RXR-binding environmental chemicals tributyltin and triphenyltin. Accordingly, CD4+ T cells treated with the combination of all-trans-RA and tributyltin migrated into the small intestine upon adoptive transfer much more efficiently than did those treated with all-trans-RA alone. Furthermore, naive TCR transgenic CD4+ T cells transferred into wild-type recipients migrated into the small intestinal lamina propria following i.p. injection of Ag, and the migration was enhanced by i.p. injection of PA024. We also show that PA024 markedly enhanced the all-trans-RA–induced CCR9 expression on naturally occurring naive-like regulatory T cells upon activation, resulting in the expression of high levels of α4β7, CCR9, and Foxp3. These results suggest that RXR activation enhances the RAR-dependent expression of CCR9 on T cells and their homing capacity to the small intestine.
A Three-Year Longitudinal Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Performance Monitoring and Test-Retest Reliability from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Previous cross-sectional functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown that performance monitoring functions continue to develop well into adolescence, associated with increased activation in brain regions important for cognitive control (prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parietal cortex). To date, however, the development of performance monitoring has not yet been studied longitudinally, which leaves open the question whether changes can be detected within individuals over time. In the present study, human boys and girls, between ages 8 and 27 years, performed a child-friendly rule-switch task in the scanner on two occasions ∼3.5 years apart. Change versus stability was examined using two methods: (1) repeated-measures analyses and (2) test-retest reliabilities of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses. Results showed that with increasing age, participants performed better on the task. The changes in neural activation associated with the processing of performance feedback were, however, more reliably correlated with changes in performance than with age. Test-retest reliability was at least fair to good for adults and adolescents, but poor to fair for the youngest age group. Substantially more variability was observed in the pattern and magnitude of children compared with adults, which may be interpreted as proxy for developmental change. Together, the results show that (1) change within individuals is variable, and more so for children than for adolescents and adults, and (2) performance is a better predictor for change in neural activation over time. These findings set the stage for studying developmental change in the perspective of multiple predictors, rather than solely by divisions based on age groups.
Pain sensitivity in prematurely born adolescents.

BACKGROUND Several studies reported that preterm infants were found to be hypersensitive to pain. However, longitudinal and quantitative assessments of subsequent pain thresholds in adolescence are scarce. OBJECTIVE To assess the tenderness threshold in adolescents born prematurely compared with matched children born at full term. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Children in the community recruited from the files of the neonatal intensive care unit. PARTICIPANTS Sixty adolescents (aged 12-18 years) born prematurely and 60 adolescents born at full term. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Tenderness thresholds were assessed by tender-point count and by dolorimeter. RESULTS The preterm-born children had significantly more tender points (6.0 +/- 5.2 vs 3.3 +/- 3.3; P =.001) and lower tender thresholds (4.2 +/- 1.5 vs 4.8 +/- 1.6 kg; P =.04), measured by a dolorimeter, than children born at full term. In both groups, girls had significantly more tender points and lower tender thresholds. Despite their increased tenderness, most of the preterm children did not report pain or other related symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The fact that preterm-born children and adolescents display higher somatic pain sensitivity may be of relevance to physicians taking care of these children, since they may be prone to developing pain syndromes in the future. Further follow-up studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Yaşlı Bireylerin Algılanan Sosyal Destek Sistemleri, Sağlıklı Yaşam Biçimi Davranışları ve Etkileyen Faktörler

Bu calisma yasli bireylerin algilanan sosyal destek ile saglikli yasam bicimi davranislari arasindaki iliskinin incelenmesi amaciyla yapilmistir. Arastirma, Kastamonu Halk Sagligi Mudurlugune bagli aile sagligi merkezlerine basvuran 65 yas ve ustu bireyler ile yurutulmustur. Verilerin toplanmasinda yasli bireyin tanitici ozelliklerini iceren anket formu, cok boyutlu algilanan sosyal destek olcegi (CBASDO) ve saglikli yasam bicimi davranislari olcegi (SYBDO) kullanilmistir. Calismadan elde edilen bulgular yaslilarin yas, ekonomik durum, egitim durumu ve kronik hastalik durumu ile CBASDO ve SYBDO arasinda anlamli iliski bulundugunu (p<0.05) gostermistir. Ayrica yasli bireylerin algilanan sosyal destek ile saglikli yasam bicimi toplam puan ortalamalari arasinda pozitif bir korelasyon bulunmustur. Calisma sonucunda, yaslilarin sosyal destek sistemlerinin artirilmasi beraberinde saglikli yaslanmaya yonelik onlemler alinmasi onerilmektedir.
On the representation of object structure in human vision: evidence from di erential priming of shape and location

Theories of object representation can be classi ed as structural, holistic or hybrid, depending on their approach to the mereology and compositionality of shapes. We tested the predictions of some of the current theories in three experiments, by quantifying the e ects of various priming cues on response times to 3D objects. In experiment 1, there were two possible locations for the stimulus components: left-right and top-bottom. The prime could be identical to the stimulus, identical in location but with di erent parts, identical in the complement of di erently located parts, or altogether di erent. Both location and part identity e ects were signi cant. In experiment 2 we added a part-neutral (empty frame) prime condition; the e ect of location, but not of part, remained signi cant. In experiment 3, which included an additional location-neutral prime condition, only the location e ect, again, was signi cant. These ndings are not entirely compatible either with the structural description theories of representation (which predict priming by \disembodied" parts or geons) or with the holistic theories (which do not predict priming by \shapeless" location on its own). They may be interpreted in terms of a hybrid theory, according to which conjunctions of shape and location are explicitly represented, and therefore amenable to priming. 1 The Problem of Representation The nature of the memory trace left by perceived objects in the human visual system is a fascinating problem, whose solution would lead both to a better understanding of vision in the brain, and to the development of better arti cial visual systems. From a computational standpoint, the Problem of Representation of object shapes has several distinct aspects. For example, any computational model of object recognition must explain how to represent objects internally in such a manner that the variability of their appearance caused by changing viewing conditions (such as viewpoint or illumination) will not disrupt recognition (Ullman, 1996). In theorizing about human vision, this consideration led to the emergence of two classes of models. On the one hand, there are models that postulate essentially viewpoint-invariant representations, claiming that human performance in recognition does not, by and large, depend on viewpoint (Biederman, 1987; Biederman and Gerhardstein, 1993; Biederman and Gerhardstein, 1995). On the other hand, there are models that
Room E ff ects

We present clean evidence of a direct social context effect on behavior in a laboratory experiment: the gender composition of the room significantly alters the risk decisions of subjects even when the actions or presence of others are neither payoff nor information relevant. Our design is such that subjects do not know the decisions of others, nor can they be inferred. We find that women become more risk taking as the proportion of men in the group increases. This is most consistent with women imitating the expected behavior of others in the session. Our results imply that aggregate behavior is not a simple extrapolation of individual preferences. Groups might have more extreme behavior than the average individual. JEL codes: C91, D81, J16
High-precision magnification lenses

Focus+context interfaces provide in-place magnification of a region of the display, smoothly integrating the focus of attention into its surroundings. Two representations of the data exist simultaneously at two different scales, providing an alternative to classical pan & zoom for navigating multi-scale interfaces. For many practical applications however, the magnification range of focus+context techniques is too limited. This paper addresses this limitation by exploring the quantization problem: the mismatch between visual and motor precision in the magnified region. We introduce three new interaction techniques that solve this problem by integrating fast navigation and high-precision interaction in the magnified region. Speed couples precision to navigation speed. Key and Ring use a discrete switch between precision levels, the former using a keyboard modifier, the latter by decoupling the cursor from the lens' center. We report on three experiments showing that our techniques make interacting with lenses easier while increasing the range of practical magnification factors, and that performance can be further improved by integrating speed-dependent visual behaviors.
Mapping Mediterranean Altimeter Data with a Multiresolution Optimal Interpolation Algorithm

A multiresolution optimal interpolation scheme is described and used to map the sea level anomaly of the Mediterranean Sea based on TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1 data. The principal advantages of the multiresolution scheme are its high computational efficiency, the requirement for explicit statistical models for the oceanographic signal and the measurement errors, and the production of error variances for all estimates at multiple scales. A set of MATLAB-callable routines that implement the multiresolution scheme have been made available via anonymous FTP. The oceanographic signal is here modeled as a stationary 1/km process, where k is the horizontal wavenumber. Measurement noise is modeled as the sum of two separate random processes: a Gaussian white noise process and a correlated process of a low wavenumber representing the uncertainties in the orbital position of the satellite and in the atmospheric load corrections. The efficiency of the multiresolution scheme allowed the testing of more than 16 000 sets of hypothesized statistical prior model parameters to determine the most likely parameters. Mapping results with and without low wavenumber error corrections are presented and compared.