Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strongly secure privacy amplification cannot be obtained by encoder of Slepian-Wolf code

The privacy amplification is a technique to distill a secret key from a random variable by a hash function so that the distilled key and an eavesdropper's random variable is statistically independent. There are two kinds of security criteria for the key distilled by the privacy amplification: the weak security criterion and the strong security criterion. As a technique to distill a secret key, it is known that the encoder of a Slepian-Wolf (the source coding with full side-information at the decoder) code can be used as a hash function for the privacy amplification if we employ the weak security criterion. In this paper, we show that the encoder of a Slepian-Wolf code cannot be used as a hash function for the privacy amplification if we employ the strong security criterion.
Image contrast enhancement for outdoor machine vision applications

Outdoor machine vision is getting a concern nowadays. Ranging from surveillance and monitoring system to automotive system such as driver assistance system require vision application or artificial eye to keep monitoring the situations. However, most of these applications works very well during clear weather and degrade during bad weather due to the atmospheric particles mitigate the quality of vision system. This paper discuss the state of the art of image enhancement techniques used to adjust the contrast of an outdoor image degrade by fog, haze, and rain. A brief overview of bad weather will be discussed and several recent techniques on removing fog, haze and rain are discussed.
Locating Complex Named Entities in Web Text

Named Entity Recognition (NER) is the task of locating and classifying names in text. In previous work, NER was limited to a small number of pre-defined entity classes (e.g., people, locations, and organizations). However, NER on the Web is a far more challenging problem. Complex names (e.g., film or book titles) can be very difficult to pick out precisely from text. Further, the Web contains a wide variety of entity classes, which are not known in advance. Thus, hand-tagging examples of each entity class is impractical. This paper investigates a novel approach to the first step in Web NER: locating complex named entities in Web text. Our key observation is that named entities can be viewed as a species of multiword units, which can be detected by accumulating n-gram statistics over the Web corpus. We show that this statistical method's F1 score is 50% higher than that of supervised techniques including Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) and Conditional Markov Models (CMMs) when applied to complex names. The method also outperforms CMMs and CRFs by 117% on entity classes absent from the training data. Finally, our method outperforms a semi-supervised CRF by 73%.
Linear Full-Wave-Interaction Analysis of a Gyrotron-Traveling-Wave-Tube Amplifier Based on a Lossy Dielectric-Lined Circuit

A lossy dielectric-lined (DL) waveguide is inherent with excellent mode-selective-propagation ability. A millimeter-wave gyrotron-traveling-wave (gyro-TWT) amplifier based on such kind of waveguide is characterized with high stability. In this paper, the analytical expressions of the field components of the operating modes in the DL waveguide are obtained from the eigenequation, and the linear theory of electron-cyclotron-maser (ECM) instability in the DL waveguide is developed by employing the full-wave-interaction method. This linear theory takes the waveguide structure and the characteristics of the lossy dielectric material into consideration. It is capable of accurately calculating the ECM instability between a cyclotron harmonic and a circular polarized mode, as well as effectively predicting the linear stability of the DL-waveguide-based interaction system. The validity of the linear theory is verified via comparing with results obtained using a coherently developed self-consistent nonlinear theory. Numerical calculation reveals a series of interesting results. This paper provides specific guidance for future designs of millimeter-wave lossy dielectric-loaded gyro-TWTs.
Learning to combine discriminative classifiers: confidence based

Much of research in data mining and machine learning has led to numerous practical applications. Spam filtering, fraud detection, and user query-intent analysis has relied heavily on machine learned classifiers, and resulted in improvements in robust classification accuracy. Combining multiple classifiers (a.k.a. Ensemble Learning) is a well studied and has been known to improve effectiveness of a classifier. To address two key challenges in Ensemble Learning-- (1) learning weights of individual classifiers and (2) the combination rule of their weighted responses, this paper proposes a novel Ensemble classifier, EnLR, that computes weights of responses from discriminative classifiers and combines their weighted responses to produce a single response for a test instance. The combination rule is based on aggregating weighted responses, where a weight of an individual classifier is inversely based on their respective variances around their responses. Here, variance quantifies the uncertainty of the discriminative classifiers' parameters, which in turn depends on the training samples. As opposed to other ensemble methods where the weight of each individual classifier is learned as a part of parameter learning and thus the same weight is applied to all testing instances, our model is actively adjusted as individual classifiers become confident at its decision for a test instance. Our empirical experiments on various data sets demonstrate that our combined classifier produces "effective" results when compared with a single classifier. Our novel classifier shows statistically significant better accuracy when compared to well known Ensemble methods -- Bagging and AdaBoost. In addition to robust accuracy, our model is extremely efficient dealing with high volumes of training samples due to the independent learning paradigm among its multiple classifiers. It is simple to implement in a distributed computing environment such as Hadoop.
Effects Of A Logging Tool On The Stoneley Wave Propagation In Elastic And Porous Formations

A detailed study is carried out to investigate the effects of an acoustic logging tool on the propagation characteristics of Stoneley waves in both elastic and porous formations. In an elastic formation, the presence of the tool in the borehole reduces the Stoneley velocity and enhances the Stoneley wave excitation. When intrinsic attenuation due to formation and bore fluid anelasticity is present, the tool reduces Stoneley attenuation due to fluid and increases the attenuation due to formation. For a permeable porous formation, the simplified Biot-Rosenbaum model of Tang et al. (1990) is modified to incorporate the effects of the tool on the Stoneley propagation. The presence of the tool increases the sensitivity of the Stoneley waves to the formation flow properties. Specifically, the dispersion of Stoneley velocity due to formation permeability is increased and the attenuation of the Stoneley waves is more pronounced, compared with the results without the tool. Consequently, in the determination of formation flow properties using Stoneley wave measurements, the effects of permeability may be better estimated using a tool with large diameter.
Simulating online compensation for pitch-shifted auditory feedback with target approximation model

This study attempts to achieve modeling simulation of the well-known phenomenon of online compensation for pitch-shifted auditory feedback. We used the Target Approximation (TA) model as the underlying kinematic mechanism of pitch contour generation, and simulated feedback compensation through responsive perturbation of the height parameter of the TA model. Results show that both within-syllable and cross-syllable pitch compensation in di-syllabic utterances can be replicated. Furthermore, our data analysis also revealed an over-rectification phenomenon. By adjusting the height parameter back and beyond its original value after the compensation, the over-rectification was also replicated, further improving the overall simulation results
An indirect ELISA and a PCR technique for the detection of Grouper ( Epinephelus marginatus ) mislabeling

An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure was applied for the detection of Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) mislabelling in the fish market. An indirect ELISA (microtiter-plate format) using two monoclonal antibodies (3D12 and 1A4) was assayed and multiplex PCR performed using species-specific primers of the 5S rDNA gene for the rapid authentication of grouper. A total of 70 commercial fish fillet samples, collected from local markets and supermarkets, labelled as grouper were analysed: 12 of the 70 samples were confirmed to be Grouper. The PCR technique permitted the detection of Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) in the commercial fillet samples, which was not possible using ELISA. The results suggest that both ELISA and PCR are specific and reliable tools for the detection of Grouper mislabelling/adulteration and the accurate implementation of traceability for successful regulatory food controls.
Cognitive Strategies and Skill Acquisition in Musical Performance.

This paper reports on a longitudinal study with a group of high school instrumentalists which examined the development of four distinct types of musical performance over three years. Subjects were administered tests which measured their capacity to sightread, play by ear, play from memory, and improvise. Additional data concerning a range of factors thought to influence the development of these skills were obtained in face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire, and a content analysis of reflective comments made by students immediately after they completed each of the four measures. Results show a significant improvement in each of the skills across the three years, plus changes in terms of the aural and creative activities which instrumentalists report engaging in during their practice and related musical activities. Reflective comments show distinct differences in the types of strategies used by instrumentalists to perform on each of the measures. Based on these results, the study has implications for instrumental teaching which range from a re-evaluation of teaching practices that are restricted to the refinement of performance repertoire and technique, to guidance in the aural and creative styles of performance and cognitive strategies which this study shows may exert a positive influence on the development of overall performance ability.
Quantification of rHVT-F genome load in feather follicles by specific real-time qPCR as an indicator of NDV-specific humoral immunity induced by day-old vaccination in SPF chickens

The purpose of this study was to look for a reliable molecular method for confirmation of uptake of recombinant turkey herpesvirus vaccine against Newcastle disease (rHVT-F) and for use as a valuable prediction tool of Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-specific immune response in chickens deprived of maternally derived antibody (MDA). A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time qPCR) specific to rHVT-F was developed. The method was applied to various tissue samples taken from specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens experimentally inoculated at day-old with one dose of rHVT-F vaccine over a 6-week period. Among the tested tissues, the rHVT-F vaccine was detected predominantly in the bursa of Fabricius (BF) and the lung for the first week, followed by a progressive decline from 9 days onwards. Then, an increase of genome load was observed in the feather follicles (FF) with a peak at 2 weeks, rising to a level almost 103-fold greater than in the other tissues. Importantly, the rHVT-F genome load in FF appeared to be strongly correlated to the humoral immunity specific to NDV as evaluated by haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and NDV-specific IgG, IgM and IgA ELISAs. This is the first report of quantification of rHVT-F vaccine in FF and its correlation with the induction of ND-specific immune response in chickens with no MDA. Our data indicate that the application of this real-time qPCR assay on FF samples taken from chickens in the field may be used to confirm rHVT-F vaccine administration and uptake with the important added benefit of offering a non-disruptive sampling procedure.
A Flexible Approach to Automated RNN Architecture Generation

The process of designing neural architectures requires expert knowledge and extensive trial and error. While automated architecture search may simplify these requirements, the recurrent neural network (RNN) architectures generated by existing methods are limited in both flexibility and components. We propose a domain-specific language (DSL) for use in automated architecture search which can produce novel RNNs of arbitrary depth and width. The DSL is flexible enough to define standard architectures such as the Gated Recurrent Unit and Long Short Term Memory and allows the introduction of non-standard RNN components such as trigonometric curves and layer normalization. Using two different candidate generation techniques, random search with a ranking function and reinforcement learning, we explore the novel architectures produced by the RNN DSL for language modeling and machine translation domains. The resulting architectures do not follow human intuition yet perform well on their targeted tasks, suggesting the space of usable RNN architectures is far larger than previously assumed.
Cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide lability is a key feature of the oxidative susceptibility of small, dense LDL.

Abundant evidence has been provided to substantiate the elevated cardiovascular risk associated with small, dense, low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. The diminished resistance of dense LDL to oxidative stress in both normolipidemic and dyslipidemic subjects is established; nonetheless, the molecular basis of this phenomenon remains indeterminate. We have defined the primary molecular targets of lipid hydroperoxide formation in light, intermediate, and dense subclasses of LDL after copper-mediated oxidation and have compared the relative stabilities of the hydroperoxide derivatives of phospholipids and cholesteryl esters (CEs) as a function of the time course of oxidation. LDL subclasses (LDL1 through LDL5) were isolated from normolipidemic plasma by isopycnic density gradient ultracentrifugation, and their content of polyunsaturated molecular species of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and CE and of lipophilic antioxidants was quantified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The molar ratio of the particle content of polyunsaturated CE and PC species containing linoleate or arachidonate relative to alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene did not differ significantly between LDL subspecies. Nonetheless, dense LDL contained significantly less polyunsaturated CE species (400 mol per particle) compared with LDL1 through LDL4 (range, approximately 680 to 490 mol per particle). Although the formation of PC-derived hydroperoxides did not vary significantly between LDL subspecies as a function of the time course of copper-mediated oxidation, the abundance of the C18:2 and C20:4 CE hydroperoxides was uniquely deficient in dense LDL (23 and 0.6 mol per particle, respectively, in LDL5; 47 to 58 and 1.9 to 2.3 mol per particle, respectively, in other LDL subclasses) at propagation half-time. When expressed as a lability ratio (mol hydroperoxides formed relative to each 100 mol of substrate consumed) at half-time, the oxidative lability of CE hydroperoxides in dense LDL was significantly elevated (lability ratio <25:100) relative to that in lighter, larger LDL particle subclasses (lability ratio >40:100) throughout the oxidative time course. We conclude that the elevated lability of CE hydroperoxides in dense LDL underlies the diminished oxidative resistance of these particles. Moreover, this phenomenon appears to result not only from the significantly elevated PC to free cholesterol ratio (1.54:1) in dense LDL particles (1.15:1 to 1.25:1 for other LDL subclasses) but also from their unique structural features, including a distinct apoB100 conformation, which may facilitate covalent bond formation between oxidized CE and apoB100.
Relationship between Genotype and Phenotype: Thalassemia Intermedia a

Abstract: Thalassemia intermedia encompasses a number of clinical conditions ranging in severity from β‐thalassemia carrier state to transfusion‐dependent thalassemia major. The molecular bases of thalassemia intermedia, only partially defined, are very heterogeneous, but in general any factor able to reduce the globin‐chain imbalance results in a milder form of thalassemia. These factors are the presence of a silent or mild β‐thalassemia allele, associated with a high residual β‐globin production, and the coinheritance of α‐thalassemia or of genetic determinants that increase the γ‐chain production. Less frequent mechanisms are double heterozygosity for β‐thalassemia and triplicated α genes, and the presence of a hyperunstable hemoglobin variant. However, for a consistent number of β0‐thalassemia homozygotes with a thalassemia intermedia phenotype the modifying factor has not been defined yet. In contrast, there are simple β‐thalassemia carriers who, for unknown reasons, have an unusually severe clinical phenotype.
Characterization of Hepatitis C Virus E2 Glycoprotein Interaction with a Putative Cellular Receptor, CD81

ABSTRACT A truncated soluble form of the hepatitis C virus E2 glycoprotein, E2661, binds specifically to the surface of cells expressing human CD81 (hCD81) but not other members of the tetraspanin family (CD9, CD63, and CD151). No differences were noted between the level of E2661 binding to hCD81 expressed on the surface of rat RBL or KM3 cells compared to Daudi and Molt-4 cells, suggesting that additional human-cell-specific factors are not required for the primary interaction of E2 with the cell surface. E2 did not interact with African green monkey (AGM) CD81 on the surface of COS cells, which differs from the hCD81 sequence at four residues within the second extracellular region (EC2) (amino acids [aa] 163, 186, 188, and 196), suggesting that one or more of these residues defines the site of interaction with E2. Various recombinant forms of CD81 EC2 show differences in the ability to bind E2, suggesting that CD81 conformation is important for E2 recognition. Regions of E2 involved in the CD81 interaction were analyzed, and our data suggest that the binding site is of a conformational nature involving aa 480 to 493 and 544 to 551 within the E2 glycoprotein. Finally, we demonstrate that ligation of CD81 by E2661 induced aggregation of lymphoid cells and inhibited B-cell proliferation, demonstrating that E2 interaction with CD81 can modulate cell function.
A Posteriori Analysis of Discontinuous Galerkin Schemes for Systems of Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

In this work we construct reliable a posteriori estimates for some semi- (spatially) discrete discontinuous Galerkin schemes applied to nonlinear systems of hyperbolic conservation laws. We make use of appropriate reconstructions of the discrete solution together with the relative entropy stability framework, which leads to error control in the case of smooth solutions. The methodology we use is quite general and allows for a posteriori control of discontinuous Galerkin schemes with standard flux choices which appear in the approximation of conservation laws. In addition to the analysis, we conduct some numerical benchmarking to test the robustness of the resultant estimator.
99 Cent: Price Points in E-Commerce

Setting prices ending in nines is a common feature of many markets for consumer products. This prevalence has been explained either by a specific image of such price points or by the exploitation of rational inattention on the part of the consumers who want to economize on the cost of information processing. We use data from an Austrian price comparison site and find a remarkable prevalence of such price setting. Prices ending with nine are also sticky: price-setters change them with a significantly lower probability; rivals underbid these prices more seldom if they represent the cheapest price on the market, and we observe higher price jumps by price leaders for these price points. Finally, we explore the impact of these price points on the consumers’ demand.
Don't Skype & Type!: Acoustic Eavesdropping in Voice-Over-IP

Acoustic emanations of computer keyboards represent a serious privacy issue. As demonstrated in prior work, physical properties of keystroke sounds might reveal what a user is typing. However, previous attacks assumed relatively strong adversary models that are not very practical in many real-world settings. Such strong models assume: (i) adversary's physical proximity to the victim, (ii) precise profiling of the victim's typing style and keyboard, and/or (iii) significant amount of victim's typed information (and its corresponding sounds) available to the adversary. This paper presents and explores a new keyboard acoustic eavesdropping attack that involves Voice-over-IP (VoIP), called Skype & Type (S&T), while avoiding prior strong adversary assumptions. This work is motivated by the simple observation that people often engage in secondary activities (including typing) while participating in VoIP calls. As expected, VoIP software acquires and faithfully transmits all sounds, including emanations of pressed keystrokes, which can include passwords and other sensitive information. We show that one very popular VoIP software (Skype) conveys enough audio information to reconstruct the victim's input -- keystrokes typed on the remote keyboard. Our results demonstrate that, given some knowledge on the victim's typing style and keyboard model, the attacker attains top-5 accuracy of 91.7% in guessing a random key pressed by the victim. Furthermore, we demonstrate that S&T is robust to various VoIP issues (e.g., Internet bandwidth fluctuations and presence of voice over keystrokes), thus confirming feasibility of this attack. Finally, it applies to other popular VoIP software, such as Google Hangouts.
Dual Targeted Therapy with p53 siRNA and Epigallocatechingallate in a Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Model

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive phenotype that is resistant to standard therapy. Thus, the development of alternative therapeutic strategies for TNBC is essential. The purpose of our in vitro study was to evaluate the impact of p53 gene silencing in conjunction with the administration of a natural compound, epigallocatechingallate (EGCG). RT2Profiler PCR Array technology was used to evaluate the impact of dual treatment on the main genes involved in apoptosis in the Hs578T cell culture model of TNBC. Gene expression analysis revealed 28 genes were significantly altered (16 upregulated and 12 downregulated) in response to combined p53 siRNA and EGCG treatment. Further analysis revealed that p53 siRNA and EGCG dual therapy leads to the activation of pro-apoptotic genes and the inhibition of pro-survival genes, autophagy, and cell network formation. These results indicate that this dual therapy targets both the apoptotic and angiogenic pathways, which may improve treatment effectiveness for tumors resistant to conventional treatment.