Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communication-efficient leader election and consensus with limited link synchrony

We study the degree of synchrony required to implement the leader election failure detector Ω and to solve consensus in partially synchronous systems. We show that in a system with <i>n</i> processes and up to <i>f</i> process crashes, one can implement Ω and solve consensus provided there exists some (unknown) correct process with <i>f</i> outgoing links that are eventually timely. In the special case where <i>f</i> = 1 , an important case in practice, this implies that to implement Ω and solve consensus it is sufficient to have just <i>one</i> eventually timely link -- all the other links in the system, Θ(<i>n</i><sup>2</sup>) of them, may be asynchronous. There is no need to know which link <i>p</i> → <i>q</i> is eventually timely, when it becomes timely, or what is its bound on message delay. Surprisingly, it is not even required that the source <i>p</i> or destination <i>q</i> of this link be correct: either <i>p</i> or <i>q</i> may actually crash, in which case the link <i>p</i> → <i>q</i> is eventually timely in a trivial way, and it is useless for sending messages. We show that these results are in a sense optimal: even if every process has <i>f</i> - 1 eventually timely links, neither Ω nor consensus can be solved. We also give an algorithm that implements Ω in systems where some correct process has <i>f</i> outgoing links that are eventually timely, <i>such that eventually only f links carry messages</i>, and we show that this is optimal. For <i>f</i> = 1 , this algorithm ensures that all the links, except for one, eventually become quiescent.
Automatic Classification of Alzheimer ’ s Disease vs . Frontotemporal Dementia : A Decision Tree Approach with FDG-PET

We introduce a novel approach for the automatic classification of FDG-PET scans of subjects with Alzheimers Disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unlike previous work in the literature which focuses on principal component analysis and predefined regions of interest, we propose the use of decision tree learning combined with empirically determined regions of interest as attributes. The advantages of this approach are two-fold. First, empirically determining regions of interest for distinguishing between these two diseases is relevant for clinical medical practice. Second, we illustrate that the proposed method provides better classification accuracy compared to other methods on a group of 48 autopsy confirmed AD and FTD patients. Automatic Classification of Alzheimer’s Disease vs. Frontotemporal Dementia: A Decision Tree Approach with FDG-PET Neda Sadeghi, Tolga Tasdizen, Norman L. Foster, Angela Y. Wang, Satoshi Minoshima, Andrew P. Lieberman 1 School of Computing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 2 Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and Research, University of Utah, Salt Lake city, UT 84112 3 School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 4 Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Abstract. We introduce a novel approach for the automatic classification of FDG-PET scans of subjects with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unlike previous work in the literature which focuses on principal component analysis and predefined regions of interest, we propose the use of decision tree learning combined with empirically determined regions of interest as attributes. The advantages of this approach are two-fold. First, empirically determining regions of interest for distinguishing between these two diseases is relevant for clinical medical practice. Second, we illustrate that the proposed method provides better classification accuracy compared to other methods on a group of 48 autopsy confirmed AD and FTD patients. We introduce a novel approach for the automatic classification of FDG-PET scans of subjects with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unlike previous work in the literature which focuses on principal component analysis and predefined regions of interest, we propose the use of decision tree learning combined with empirically determined regions of interest as attributes. The advantages of this approach are two-fold. First, empirically determining regions of interest for distinguishing between these two diseases is relevant for clinical medical practice. Second, we illustrate that the proposed method provides better classification accuracy compared to other methods on a group of 48 autopsy confirmed AD and FTD patients.
Development of Memory for Pattern and Path: Further Evidence for the Fractionation of Visuo-Spatial Memory

Evidence from a number of sources now suggests that the visuo-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) of working memory may be composed of two subsystems: one for maintaining visual information and the other for spatial information. In this paper we present three experiments that examine this fractionation using a developmental approach. In Experiment 1, 5-, 8-, and 10-year old children were presented with a visuo-spatial working memory task (the matrices task) with two presentation formats (static and dynamic). A developmental dissociation in performance was found for the static and dynamic conditions of both tasks, suggesting that the activation of separable subsystems of the VSSP is dependent upon a static/dynamic distinction in information content rather than a visual/spatial one. A highly similar pattern of performance was found for a mazes task with static and dynamic formats. However, one strategic activity, the use of simple verbal recoding, may also have been responsible for the observed pattern of performance in the matrices task. In Experiments 2 and 3 this was investigated using concurrent articulatory suppression. No evidence to support this notion was found, and it is therefore proposed that static and dynamic visuo-spatial information is maintained in working memory by separable subcomponents of the VSSP.
Weight Status of Children With Sickle Cell Disease

OBJECTIVE: Historically, many children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) were underweight. Treatment advances like hydroxyurea have been associated with improved growth. We hypothesized that increased hemoglobin (Hb) levels would be associated with increased weight status of children with SCD. METHODS: Investigators at 6 institutions conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients aged 2 to 19 years of age for the calendar years 2007–2009. Height, weight, baseline Hb levels, demographic information, and select comorbidities were recorded from the most recent clinic visit. Overweight and obesity were defined as ≥85th and ≥95th BMI percentiles for age and gender, respectively, and underweight was defined as <5th BMI percentile. RESULTS: Data were collected on 675 children and adolescents in 3 New England states. In this sample, 22.4% were overweight or obese, whereas only 6.7% were underweight. Overweight or obese status was associated with sickle genotypes other than Hb SS or Hb Sβ0 disease, and were associated with higher baseline Hb levels. Underweight individuals were more likely to be male, older, and have had at least 1 SCD-related complication. After adjusting for demographic factors, any SCD-related complication, SCD-directed treatments, and obesity-related conditions, there was a 36% increased odds of overweight/obesity for each 1 g/dL increase in baseline Hb levels. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-quarter of children and adolescents with SCD in New England are overweight or obese. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the impact of elevated BMI on the morbidity and mortality of both children and adults with SCD.
Visual performance in cataract patients with low levels of postoperative astigmatism: full correction versus spherical equivalent correction

Purpose To evaluate whether visual performance could be improved in pseudophakic subjects by correcting low levels of postoperative astigmatism. Methods An exploratory, noninterventional study was conducted using subjects who had been implanted with an aspheric intraocular lens and had 0.5–0.75 diopter postoperative astigmatism. Monocular visual performance using full correction was compared with visual performance using spherical equivalent correction. Testing consisted of high- and low-contrast visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and reading acuity and speed using the Radner Reading Charts. Results Thirty-eight of 40 subjects completed testing. Visual acuities at three contrast levels (100%, 25%, and 9%) were significantly better using full correction than when using spherical equivalent correction (all P < 0.001). For contrast sensitivity testing under photopic, mesopic, and mesopic with glare conditions, only one out of twelve outcomes demonstrated a significant improvement with full correction compared with spherical equivalent correction (at six cycles per degree under mesopic without glare conditions, P = 0.046). Mean reading speed was numerically faster with full correction across all print sizes, reaching statistical significance at logarithm of the reading acuity determination (logRAD) 0.2, 0.7, and 1.1 (P < 0.05). Statistically significant differences also favored full correction in logRAD score (P = 0.0376), corrected maximum reading speed (P < 0.001), and logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution/logRAD ratio (P < 0.001). Conclusions In this study of pseudophakic subjects with low levels of postoperative astigmatism, full correction yielded significantly better reading performance and high- and low-contrast visual acuity than spherical equivalent correction, suggesting that cataractous patients may benefit from surgical correction of low levels of preoperative corneal astigmatism.
Creating a dialogic environment for transformative science teaching practices: towards an inclusive education for science

Abstract This paper focuses on the design and application of a teacher training strategy to promote the inclusive education of students with disabilities in the science classroom, through the creation of adult learning environments grounded on the principles of dialogic learning. Participants of the workshop proposal consisted of a group of twelve teachers who were working at various educational levels. Teacher teams proposed and implemented in their classroom, innovative, inclusive science-learning activities about a topic of their choice. Data were collected from interviews with teachers five months after the courses, teachers’ portfolios about their practice during implementation of such sequences, and researchers’ observations. The data suggest that it is possible to stimulate a gradual transformation of teaching practices through a teacher training proposal that promotes self-awareness and critical reflection, situated in the creation of meaning and a willingness to change in the spirit of solidarity and social action. We found elements to recommend the incorporation of these innovations at the curricular and practical level for teacher training schools and for in-service teacher development programmes in Mexico and elsewhere.
Adaptive RED: An Algorithm for Increasing the Robustness of RED's Active Queue Management

The RED active queue management algorithm allows network operators to simultaneously achieve high throughput and low average delay. However, the resulting average queue length is quite sensitive to the level of congestion and to the RED parameter settings, and is therefore not predictable in advance. Delay being a major component of the quality of service delivered to their customers, network operators would naturally like to have a rough a priori estimate of the average delays in their congested routers; to achieve such predictable average delays with RED would require constant tuning of the parameters to adjust to current traffic conditions. Our goal in this paper is to solve this problem with minimal changes to the overall RED algorithm. To do so, we revisit the Adaptive RED proposal of Feng et al. from 1997 [6, 7]. We make several algorithmic modifications to this proposal, while leaving the basic idea intact, and then evaluate its performance using simulation. We find that this revised version of Adaptive RED, which can be implemented as a simple extension within RED routers, removes the sensitivity to parameters that affect RED’s performance and can reliably achieve a specified target average queue length in a wide variety of traffic scenarios. Based on extensive simulations, we believe that Adaptive RED is sufficiently robust for deployment in routers.
A Geometric View of Non-Linear On-Line Stochastic Gradient Descent

We investigate a relationship between geometric structure of a parameter space and on-line learning algorithms. The geometric structure is often implied by a nature of a problem to be solved. For example, the parameters one wishes to learn are a subject to constrains, or they are intrinsically non-linear objects or they are distributed in a non uniform, but known way. We develop a mistake bound analysis for a two new geometric algorithms and show that link functions based algorithms are essentially the transformed geometric algorithms.
An Interlacing Property of Eigenvalues ofStrictly Totally Positive

We prove results concerning the interlacing of eigenvalues of principal submatrices of strictly totally positive matrices. x1. Introduction The central results concerning eigenvalues and eigenvectors of strictly totally positive (STP) matrices were proved by Gantmacher and Krein in their 1937 paper 4]. (An announcement appeared in 1935 in 3]. Chapter II of the book of Gantmacher and Krein 5] is a somewhat expanded version of this paper.) Among the results obtained in that paper is that an nn STP matrix A has n positive, simple eigenvalues, and that the n? 1 positive, simple eigenvalues of the principal submatrices obtained by deleting the rst (or last) row and column of A strictly interlace those of the original matrix. It has been known for many years that this interlacing property does not hold for all principal submatrices. An example may be found in the 1974 paper of Karlin and Pinkus 7]. Let n? 1 > 0 the eigenvalues of the principal submatrix of A obtained by deleting its kth row and column. It easily follows from the Perron Theorem on positive matrices that 1 > (k) 1 for each k. Moreover in 1985 Friedland 2] proved that (k) 1 > 2 and (k) n? 1 > n for each k, 1 < k < n. In this note we prove the following result.
Downweighting tightly knit communities in world wide web ranking.

We propose two new algorithms for using World WideWeb link structures to determine authority values of web pages from search queries. Both algorithms postulate an underlying latent cluster structure, in an effort to avoid the Tightly Knit Community (TKC) effect which can occur in the Kleinberg and SALSA algorithms. The first algorithm, Similarity Downweighting (SD), weights outlinks inversely with apparent cluster size. The second algorithm, Sequential Clustering (SC), first generates an underlying cluster structure consistent with the observed links, and then uses an empirical Bayes approach to compute authority values. We present experiments indicating that both algorithms do a fairly good job of selecting authoritative web pages for a given query, given only the link structure of the Base Set of pages, while largely avoiding the TKC effect. We also consider a fully Bayesian approach, but find that it is too sensitive to prior information to be useful at this point.
Sourcing from Africa: A Systematic Review and a Research Agenda

The African continent is rapidly growing its global economic impact and becoming a more attractive sourcing context. However, very little is known about current purchasing practices, successes and challenges on this continent. The authors investigate the specific features that characterize supply management in Africa by conducting a systematic review of the literature on sourcing in and from Africa. Their aim is to help scholars direct their future research efforts. The authors take a thematic approach in their analysis of 57 articles, and identify key findings, research challenges and opportunities. They focus on four areas previously identified as distinguishing the sourcing context in Africa: African culture and ethics; the role of African countries and suppliers in global value chains; an increasing emphasis on sustainability; and the gradual development of professional procurement practices. It is found that research in the area of supply management in the African context is still scattered, with an evident need for more theoretically rich and methodologically rigorous inquiry. The authors propose a structured, theoretically grounded research agenda for each of the themes identified, and make general observations on potential future directions.
A Robust Limited-information Feedback for a Class of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems

We propose a variant of the recently introduced strategy for stabilization with limited information recently introduced in (Liberzon and Hespanha, 2005) and analyze its robustness properties. We show that, if the nom- inal plant can be made Input-to-State Stable (ISS) with respect to measurement errors, parameter uncertainty and exogenous disturbances, then this robustness is preserved with this quantized feedback. More precisely, if a sufficient bandwidth is available on the communication network, then the resulting closed-loop is shown to be semiglobally Input-to-State practically Stable (ISpS).
Scoping Analytical Usability Evaluation Methods: A Case Study

ABSTRACT Analytical usability evaluation methods (UEMs) can complement empirical evaluation of systems: for example, they can often be used earlier in design and can provide accounts of why users might experience difficulties, as well as what those difficulties are. However, their properties and value are only partially understood. One way to improve our understanding is by detailed comparisons using a single interface or system as a target for evaluation, but we need to look deeper than simple problem counts: we need to consider what kinds of accounts each UEM offers, and why. Here, we report on a detailed comparison of eight analytical UEMs. These eight methods were applied to a robotic arm interface, and the findings were systematically compared against video data of the arm in use. The usability issues that were identified could be grouped into five categories: system design, user misconceptions, conceptual fit between user and system, physical issues, and contextual ones. Other possible categories such as user experience did not emerge in this particular study. With the exception of Heuristic Evaluation, which supported a range of insights, each analytical method was found to focus attention on just one or two categories of issues. Two of the three “home-grown” methods (Evaluating Multimodal Usability and Concept-based Analysis of Surface and Structural Misfits) were found to occupy particular niches in the space, whereas the third (Programmable User Modeling) did not. This approach has identified commonalities and contrasts between methods and provided accounts of why a particular method yielded the insights it did. Rather than considering measures such as problem count or thoroughness, this approach has yielded insights into the scope of each method.
eIF4A controls germline stem cell self-renewal by directly inhibiting BAM function in the Drosophila ovary

Stem cell self-renewal is controlled by concerted actions of extrinsic niche signals and intrinsic factors in a variety of systems. Drosophila ovarian germline stem cells (GSCs) have been one of the most productive systems for identifying the factors controlling self-renewal. The differentiation factor BAM is necessary and sufficient for GSC differentiation, but it still remains expressed in GSCs at low levels. However, it is unclear how its function is repressed in GSCs to maintain self-renewal. Here, we report the identification of the translation initiation factor eIF4A for its essential role in self-renewal by directly inactivating BAM function. eIF4A can physically interact with BAM in Drosophila S2 cells and yeast cells. eIF4A exhibits dosage-specific interactions with bam in the regulation of GSC differentiation. It is required intrinsically for controlling GSC self-renewal and proliferation but not survival. In addition, it is required for maintaining E-cadherin expression but not BMP signaling activity. Furthermore, BAM and BGCN together repress translation of E-cadherin through its 3′ UTR in S2 cells. Therefore, we propose that BAM functions as a translation repressor by interfering with translation initiation and eIF4A maintains self-renewal by inhibiting BAM function and promoting E-cadherin expression.
Obesity Appears to Be Associated With Altered Muscle Protein Synthetic and Breakdown Responses to Increased Nutrient Delivery in Older Men, but Not Reduced Muscle Mass or Contractile Function

Obesity is increasing, yet despite the necessity of maintaining muscle mass and function with age, the effect of obesity on muscle protein turnover in older adults remains unknown. Eleven obese (BMI 31.9 ± 1.1 kg · m−2) and 15 healthy-weight (BMI 23.4 ± 0.3 kg · m−2) older men (55–75 years old) participated in a study that determined muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and leg protein breakdown (LPB) under postabsorptive (hypoinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp) and postprandial (hyperinsulinemic hyperaminoacidemic-euglycemic clamp) conditions. Obesity was associated with systemic inflammation, greater leg fat mass, and patterns of mRNA expression consistent with muscle deconditioning, whereas leg lean mass, strength, and work done during maximal exercise were no different. Under postabsorptive conditions, MPS and LPB were equivalent between groups, whereas insulin and amino acid administration increased MPS in only healthy-weight subjects and was associated with lower leg glucose disposal (LGD) (63%) in obese men. Blunting of MPS in the obese men was offset by an apparent decline in LPB, which was absent in healthy-weight subjects. Lower postprandial LGD in obese subjects and blunting of MPS responses to amino acids suggest that obesity in older adults is associated with diminished muscle metabolic quality. This does not, however, appear to be associated with lower leg lean mass or strength.
Global EDF Schedulability Analysis for Synchronous Parallel Tasks on Multicore Platforms

The trend towards multi-core/many-core architectures is well underway. It is therefore becoming very important to develop software in ways that take advantage of such parallel architectures. This particularly entails a shift in programming paradigms towards fine-grained, thread-parallel computing. Many parallel programming models have been introduced targeting such intra-task thread-level parallelism. However, most successful results on traditional multi-core real-time scheduling are focused on sequential programming models. For example, thread-level parallelism is not properly captured into the concept of interference, which is key to many schedulability analysis techniques. Thereby, most interference-based analysis techniques are not directly applicable to parallel programming models. Motivated by this, we extend the notion of interference to capture thread-level parallelism more accurately. We then leverage the proposed notion of parallelism-aware interference to derive efficient EDF schedulability tests that are directly applicable to synchronous parallel task models on multi-core platforms. Our evaluation results indicate that the proposed analysis significantly advances the state-of-the-art in EDF schedulability analysis for synchronous parallel tasks.