Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consensus of multi-agent system under directed network: A matrix analysis approach

This paper investigates the consensus of multiagent system in network (i.e. a swarm). The topological structure of the network is characterized by a digraph. The agents of the network are described by an integrator and distributed in Rm. By means of transforming the Laplacian of the digraph into its Frobenius canonical form the system may be decomposed into one or several minimal-independent subsystems and one or several non-independent subsystems. Each minimal-independent subsystem, which consists of some agents of system, achieves consensus of its own. In other worlds, the agents of the subsystem converge into a state (equilibrium position), which is weighted-average of initial states of agents in the subsystem. Thus, the system may has several local consensus positions. When system consists of one or several non-independent subsystems, we further show that all agents in a non-independent subsystem will converge into a state (aggregation position), which are located inside of a convex-combination set of aggregation positions of minimal-independent subsystems. We study these problem mainly by means of graph theory and matrix theory.
Parallel genetic algorithm based optimal fusion in sensor networks

In this paper, we propose a Parallel Genetic Algo- rithm (PGA) for optimizing the performance of a parallel decen- tralized sensor network. The metric used for the optimization is the probability of global detection error. The Parallel Genetic Algorithm simultaneously optimizes both the fusion rule and the local decision rules. We show that our approach provides results comparable to those obtained by using a GA and gradient- based algorithm from previous work by Aldosari and Moura, with reduced complexity. We consider both the cases of identical (homogeneous) and non-identical (heterogeneous) sensors and demonstrate that our algorithm converges to the same optimal solution in both cases. We also discuss the effect of the quality of the initial solution on the convergence of the PGA.
Handoff algorithm for hybrid network to attain in elevation QOS using impart position

The Wireless network plays a significant role in today’s life. A handoff is a one of the foremost factors in order to provide continuous connectivity service to the mobile user. A handoff will be taken place by different network in order to maintain connectivity. In the existing system handoff will be measured without usage of relay network. To increase the quality of service within WLAN and WIMAX network, Interference Elimination Handoff Algorithm (IEH) is proposed. The proposed IEH algorithm combines the Carrier interference plus noise ratio (CINR) and Received radio signal strength (RSSI) along with the relay station to existing Vertical Handoff Algorithm. Based on the requirement of Bandwidth, handoff is provided to that particular network. This paper discusses about how effectively providing high QOS with minimum handoff by additionally adding a relay station to the existing WIMAX network in order to attain more coverage extension and increased service capacity with relatively low cost.
HEVC interpolation filter architecture for quad full HD decoding

In this paper, an area-efficient and high-throughput interpolation filter architecture is presented for the latest video coding standard, High Efficiency Video Coding. A unified filter design is first proposed for the 8-tap luma and 4-tap chroma filters to optimize area, which uses only 13 adders. And a 2D filter architecture is then devised with an adaptive scheduling which supports all symmetric prediction partitions with a throughput of at least two samples/cycle. Experimental results also show that this architecture can achieve 2.58 samples/cycle on the average. The total gate count is 45.2k when synthesized at 200MHz with 40nm process, and the corresponding performance can support at least 3840×2160 videos at 30 fps.
Convergence to Homogenized or Stochastic Partial Differential Equations

We consider the behavior of solutions to parabolic equations with large, highly oscillatory, possibly time dependent, random potential with Gaussian statistics. The Gaussian potential fluctuates in the spatial variables and possibly in the temporal variable. We seek the limit of the solution to the parabolic equation as the scale ε at which the random medium oscillates converges to zero. Depending on spatial dimension and on the decorrelation properties of the Gaussian potential, we show that the solution converges, as ε tends to 0, either to the solution of a deterministic, homogenized, equation with negative effective medium potential or to the solution of a stochastic partial differential equation with multiplicative noise that should be interpreted as a Stratonovich integral. The transition between the deterministic and stochastic limits depends on the elliptic operator in the parabolic equation and on the decorrelation properties of the random potential. In the setting of convergence to a deterministic solution, we characterize the random corrector, which asymptotically captures the stochasticity in the solution. Such models can be used to calibrate upscaling schemes that aim at understanding the influence of microscopic structures in macroscopic calculations.
Money can’t buy love but can it buy peace? Evidence from the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE II)

Efforts to evaluate third-party peacebuilding interventions are welcome but many studies rely on experimental approaches that might be at odds with the theories that underpin the discipline. Rigorously evaluating interventions ill-suited to experimental analyses is just as important, however, especially when programmes adopt novel approaches. In this article, we employ an instrumental variables approach to evaluate one such intervention – the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE II). Following contemporary peacebuilding theories, PEACE II disseminated funds to grassroots organizations via unique intermediate funding bodies and an innovative open competition. Splitting Northern Ireland into 582 wards, we merge panel data on individuals’ perceptions of neighbourhood quality with PEACE II’s accounts. One-stage analyses show that individuals in treatment regions report significantly elevated perceptions. Two-stage approaches, accounting for biases arising from the rollout method, show no significant relationship. Post-estimation analyses imply that funding did not reach areas with the poorest observable indicators. We thus remain agnostic on the effectiveness of the funded projects but conclude that, despite solid theoretical foundations, weaknesses in the application of these theories hampered potential positive impacts. Future interventions can learn from this and should ensure stronger ties between the theoretical base and how these theories are applied to funding disbursement. JEL Codes: O18; F35
IMAGING FOSSILS USING REFLECTANCE TRANSFORMATION AND INTERACTIVE MANIPULATION OF VIRTUAL LIGHT SOURCES

Many fossils cannot be fully illustrated using a setting of physical light sources, and conventional photographic approaches are therefore insufficient. Polynomial texture mapping (PTM), a new technique for imaging surface relief using an ordinary digital camera and multiple light sources, offers an opportunity to resolve these difficulties. In PTM, a series of 50 pictures is taken with the specimen and camera in fixed positions, but with varying directions of incoming light. These pictures are converted digitally into a PTM file, incorporating information about the reflectance of each pixel under different lighting conditions. The number, position, and intensity of virtual light sources can then be manipulated, as can the reflectance properties of the imaged surface. In addition to bringing out low surface relief that may otherwise be difficult to illustrate, PTM also allows electronic transfer, storage, and publication of images, allowing users to manipulate virtual light sources interactively. Herein we test this technique using fossils with different types of preservation, including Cambrian fossils from the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang conservation lagerstatten, Cambrian fossils with 3D relief from dark shales of Norway, Carboniferous plant fossil impressions from England, Cambrian trace fossils in sandstone from Sweden, and Neoproterozoic impression fossils from the Ediacara lagerstatten of south Australia. Whereas not optimal for all types of fossil preservation, PTM enhancement techniques can provide noticeable improvement in the imaging of specimens with low color contrast and low but definite relief. The imaging of specimens with higher relief, although they can be easily photographed with traditional techniques, will still benefit from PTM because of the opportunity of interactive manipulation of light and reflectance.
The role of Institutions in Explaining Wage Determination in the Euro Area: a Panel Cointegration approach

Over the last 15 years, the evolution of labor costs has been very diverse across EMU countries. Since wages have important second-round effects on prices and competitiveness, and EMU countries do not have the tool of the nominal exchange rate to correct for such imbalances, understanding the determinants of the wage is a matter of increasing concern and debate. We estimate the equilibrium wage equation for the Euro Area over the period 1995-2011 using panel cointegration techniques that allow for cross-section dependence and structural breaks. The results show that the equilibrium wage has a positive relation with productivity and negative relation with unemployment, as expected. We also include institutional variables in our analysis, showing that a more flexible labor market is consistent with long-run wage moderation. Allowing for a regime break, we find that, since 2004, possibly due to increased international competition, wage determination was more strictly related to productivity, and real wage appreciation triggers a drop in the real wage. Furthermore, results point to a wage-moderating role of government intervention and concertation in wage bargaining.
Role of cytochrome P450-dependent transient receptor potential V4 activation in flow-induced vasodilatation.

AIMS Fluid shear stress elicits endothelium-dependent vasodilatation via nitric oxide and prostacyclin-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The latter includes the opening of Ca(2+)-operated potassium channels by cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) leading to endothelial hyperpolarization. We previously reported that EETs activate the transient receptor potential (TRP) V4 channel in vascular endothelial cells and that Ca(2+) influx in these cells in response to mechanical stimuli is dependent on the activation of CYP epoxygenases. We therefore hypothesized that the TRPV4 channel is involved in the flow-induced vasodilatation attributed to the endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). METHODS AND RESULTS In the presence of N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and diclofenac, precontracted mouse carotid arteries displayed a considerable vasodilatation in response to step-wise increases in luminal flow. The EDHF-mediated, flow-induced vasodilatation could be inhibited by the epoxygenase inhibitor MS-PPOH, was abolished after down-regulation of CYP epoxygenases in tissue culture, and could be restored by viral expression of CYP2C9 in the endothelium. The TRPV4-channel inhibitor ruthenium red (RuR) inhibited the EDHF-mediated flow response, but the combination of MS-PPOH and RuR had no further effect. RuR also inhibited the response in CYP2C9-overexpressing vessels. Moreover, TRPV4-deficient mice demonstrated a blunted EDHF-mediated response to increases in luminal flow in comparison to their wild-type littermates, and the addition of MS-PPOH was without effect in these mice (up to 38 +/- 3% in TRPV4(-/-) vs. 57 +/- 6% in TRPV4(+/+), P < 0.01). In cultured human endothelial cells, exposure to fluid shear stress induced the translocation of the TRPV4 channel from a perinuclear localization to the cell membrane. CONCLUSION We conclude that the TRPV4 channel is involved in flow-induced, endothelium-dependent vasodilatation of murine carotid arteries. Moreover, the activation of the TRPV4 channel by flow requires an active CYP epoxygenase and the translocation of the channel to the cell membrane.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND POLLUTION IN SELECTED OPEC COUNTRIES: TESTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE HYPOTHESIS

This study attempted to investigate empirically the causal relationships among energy consumption, pollution, and economic growth for a panel of 8 selected OPEC countries over the period 1971-2008 inspiring panel data techniques. The findings showed that in the long-run equilibrium there is a bi-directional causality between energy consumption, and co2 emissions and a uni-directional causality running from economic growth to energy consumption, and pollution. In the short- run, the causality resulted also pointed out a uni-directional causality from economic growth to co2 emissions and from energy consumption to co2 emissions, and economic growth. Finally, since economic growth causes co2 emissions both in the short-run and in the long-run, we examined the functional form of the environmental Kuznets Curve. Our findings suggested a cubic (i.e. N-shaped) relationship between economic growth and co2 emissions for the countries under analysis. Therefore, panel data analyses did not confirm the inverted u-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.
Prophylactic effect of antiretroviral therapy on hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is common in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus, especially in men who have sex with men (MSM). Almost all currently used regimens of antiretroviral therapy (ART) contain lamivudine (LAM) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), both of which have significant anti-HBV activity. However, the prophylactic effect of ART on HBV infection has not been assessed previously. METHODS Non-HBV-vaccinated HIV-infected MSM were serologically evaluated for HBV infection using stocked serum samples. Cases negative for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs), and antibody to HBV core antigen (anti-HBc) in first serum samples were serologically followed until last available stocked samples. HBV genotype and LAM-resistant mutation (rtM204V/I) were analyzed in cases that became HBsAg-positive. RESULTS The first stocked samples were negative for all analyzed HBV serological markers in 354 of 1434 evaluated patients. The analysis of their last samples indicated HBV incident infection in 43 of them during the follow-up period. The rate of incident infections was lower during LAM- or TDF-containing ART (0.669 incident infections in 100 person-years) than during no ART period (6.726 incident infections in 100 person-years) and other ART (5.263 incident infections in 100 person-years) (P < .001). Genotype A was most prevalent (76.5%), and LAM-resistant HBV was more frequent in incident infections during LAM-containing ART (50.0%) than in those during no ART and other ART (7.1%) (P = .029). CONCLUSIONS LAM- and TDF-containing ART regimens seem to provide prophylaxis against HBV infection, although drug-resistant strains seem to evade these effects.
Contamination of Bananas with Beauvericin and Fusaric Acid Produced by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

Background Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most destructive diseases of banana. Toxins produced by Foc have been proposed to play an important role during the pathogenic process. The objectives of this study were to investigate the contamination of banana with toxins produced by Foc, and to elucidate their role in pathogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings Twenty isolates of Foc representing races 1 and 4 were isolated from diseased bananas in five Chinese provinces. Two toxins were consistently associated with Foc, fusaric acid (FA) and beauvericin (BEA). Cytotoxicity of the two toxins on banana protoplast was determined using the Alamar Blue assay. The virulence of 20 Foc isolates was further tested by inoculating tissue culture banana plantlets, and the contents of toxins determined in banana roots, pseudostems and leaves. Virulence of Foc isolates correlated well with toxin deposition in the host plant. To determine the natural occurrence of the two toxins in banana plants with Fusarium wilt symptoms, samples were collected before harvest from the pseudostems, fruit and leaves from 10 Pisang Awak ‘Guangfen #1’ and 10 Cavendish ‘Brazilian’ plants. Fusaric acid and BEA were detected in all the tissues, including the fruits. Conclusions/Signficance The current study provides the first investigation of toxins produced by Foc in banana. The toxins produced by Foc, and their levels of contamination of banana fruits, however, were too low to be of concern to human and animal health. Rather, these toxins appear to contribute to the pathogenicity of the fungus during infection of banana plants.
Lagrangian Delay Predictive Model for Sector-Based Air Traffic Flow

A control theoretical model of sector-based air traffic flow is derived using hybrid automata theory. This model is Lagrangian, because it models the properties of the system along its trajectories. A subset of this model is used to generate analytic predictions of air traffic congestion: A dynamic sector capacity is defined and derived that is used fo rp redicting the time it takes to overload a given portion of airspace. This result links the Lagrangian approach with Eulerian models, which account for temporal variations of parameters in a fixed volume. To determine the accuracy of predictions, an air traffic flow simulator is designed and validated. The simulator is then used to show that flow scheduling and conflict resolution may be decorrelated by reducing aircraft density.
Universal P Systems: One Catalyst Can Be Suficient

Whether P systems with only one catalyst can already be universal, is still an open problem. Here we establish universality (computational completeness) by using specific variants of additional control mechanisms. At each step using only multiset rules from one set of a finite number of sets of rules allows for obtaining computational completeness with one catalyst and only one membrane. If the targets are used for choosing the multiset of rules to be applied, for getting computational completeness with only one catalyst more than one membrane is needed. If the available sets of rules change periodically with time, computational completeness can be obtained with one catalyst in one membrane. Moreover, we also improve existing computational completeness results for P systems with mobile catalysts and for P systems with membrane creation.
PROPOGATION OF ACTION POTENTIAL FOR HANSEN ’ S DISEASE AFFECTED NERVE MODEL USING FITZHUGH NAGUMO LIKE EXCITATION

This paper deals with the modeling of a Hansen’s disease (HD) affected nerve using FEM based simulation tool. There exists an exponential delay in the propagation of action potential for a diseased nerve as compared to a healthy one. To include this exponential delay, the FitzHugh Nagumo equation has been modified and modeled using COMSOL Multiphysics 4.0a. Time domain and frequency domain analyses help in a better diagnosis of the disease. The simulation results are promising and the systematic exposition discussed in this paper will be useful for the diagnosis of Hansen’s disease
POLICY WITHOUT PURPOSE: THE MISALIGNMENT OF POLICYMAKERS' AND STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE GOALS OF EDUCATION

This dissertation focused on understanding high school students’ perception of the goals of education as they relate to those of policymakers, as these perceptions have largely been absent in the dialogue of education reform and policy. These goals may compete with each other, as do broader educational goals, reflecting different societal views of the purpose of education. Understanding students’ perception of the goals of education (as framed by the goals of policymakers) may provide greater insight into current policy, and serve as a compass in directing future reforms that is inclusive of all stakeholders involved in this complex system. Using David F. Labaree’s (1997a, 1997b, 2010) construct of the competing goals of education (democratic equality, social efficiency, and social mobility) as a theoretical framework, three research questions were examined through a quantitative design: to what extent do students identify with each of the competing goals of education? to what extent do students’ course of study and grade point average (GPA) relate to each of the competing goals of education? and to what extent do students’ GPA and the competing goal with which students most strongly identify with predict membership in course of study? This study employed χ 2 analysis, multivariate dimension reduction factor and scale reliability, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and multinomial logistic regression as the statistical methods. Version 22.0 of Statistical Product and
Efficient Discovery of the Most Interesting Associations

Self-sufficient itemsets have been proposed as an effective approach to summarizing the key associations in data. However, their computation appears highly demanding, as assessing whether an itemset is self-sufficient requires consideration of all pairwise partitions of the itemset into pairs of subsets as well as consideration of all supersets. This article presents the first published algorithm for efficiently discovering self-sufficient itemsets. This branch-and-bound algorithm deploys two powerful pruning mechanisms based on upper bounds on itemset value and statistical significance level. It demonstrates that finding top-k productive and nonredundant itemsets, with postprocessing to identify those that are not independently productive, can efficiently identify small sets of key associations. We present extensive evaluation of the strengths and limitations of the technique, including comparisons with alternative approaches to finding the most interesting associations.