Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Machine Teaching to Identify Optimal Training-Set Attacks on Machine Learners

We investigate a problem at the intersection of machine learning and security: training-set attacks on machine learners. In such attacks an attacker contaminates the training data so that a specific learning algorithm would produce a model profitable to the attacker. Understanding training-set attacks is important as more intelligent agents (e.g. spam filters and robots) are equipped with learning capability and can potentially be hacked via data they receive from the environment. This paper identifies the optimal training-set attack on a broad family of machine learners. First we show that optimal training-set attack can be formulated as a bilevel optimization problem. Then we show that for machine learners with certain Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions we can solve the bilevel problem efficiently using gradient methods on an implicit function. As examples, we demonstrate optimal training-set attacks on Support VectorMachines, logistic regression, and linear regression with extensive experiments. Finally, we discuss potential defenses against such attacks.
Representations of loneliness in children’s drawings

This article reports the results of a study which aimed to examine the development of children’s ability to depict loneliness in their drawings. Seventy-eight children and 20 adults took part in the study. Participants were first asked a series of questions assessing their conceptions of loneliness, and were then invited to draw a picture that conveys loneliness. The resulting drawings were coded and scored for the presence of the two dimensions of loneliness: cognitive and emotional. First, the authors examined the use by participants of graphic indicators denoting deficiencies in one’s social relations resulting to loneliness (cognitive dimension); second, they assessed the expressive strategies participants employed to convey the negative affect that typically accompanies loneliness in their drawings (emotional dimension). Finally, the authors tested the relationship between children’s definitions of loneliness with their drawings of the construct. The results show a clear developmental progression in children’s pictorial representations of loneliness. Whereas the majority of young children represented loneliness as the absence of a social network, older children used graphic indicators to convey both the absence of a social network and the sadness that accompanies loneliness. In contrast to children, adults consistently included symbolic or metaphoric graphic indicators in their drawings to convey the negative affect accompanying the experience of loneliness.
Complex security and strategic latency: the UK Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015

Whichever party or parties form the next UK government, a Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is expected to begin soon after the general election in May. The review might be a ‘light touch’ exercise—little more than a reaffirmation of the SDSR produced by the coalition government in 2010. It seems more likely, however, that the review will be a lengthier, more deliberate exercise and one which might even last into 2016. For those most closely engaged in the process the challenge is more complex than that confronted by their predecessors in 2010. The international security context is more confused and contradictory; the UK's financial predicament is still grave; security threats and challenges will emerge that cannot be ignored; the population's appetite for foreign military engagement appears nevertheless to be restricted; and prevailing conditions suggest that the risk-based approach to national strategy might be proving difficult to sustain. Two key questions should be asked of the review. First, in the light of recent military experiences, what is the purpose of the United Kingdom's armed forces? Second, will SDSR 2015–16 sustain the risk-based approach to national strategy set out in 2010, and if so how convincingly? Beginning with a review of the background against which SDSR 2015–16 will be prepared, this article examines both enduring and immediate challenges to the national strategic process in the United Kingdom and concludes by arguing for strategic latency as a conceptual device which can complement, if not reinvigorate, the risk-based approach to national strategy and defence.
Comprehension monitoring and reading comprehension in bilingual students

The aim of this study was to explore the comprehension monitoring, use of reading strategies and reading comprehension of bilingual students at different levels of the Italian language proficiency. The participants were the bilingual elementary school students -the fifth-to eighth-graders coming from four Italian schools in Rijeka, Croatia. In addition to measure of reading comprehension, Metacomprehension test (Pazzaglia, Beni and Cristante, 1994) and cloze-task, as a measure of comprehension monitoring skill, as well as Strategic reading questionnaire (Kolic-Vehovec & Bajsanski, 2001), as a self-report measure of strategic reading, were applied. Questionnaire of Italian language use and perceived proficiency in Italian language was also applied. The difference in age of second language acquisition before the start of schooling was not the crucial determinant of later language proficiency. The bilingual students in the higher elementary school grades, who are more proficient in Italian, have better metacognitive reading skills than the less proficient students.
“Meant to be”: how religious beliefs and cultural religiosity affect the implicit bias to think teleologically

A large body of previous research has found that people exhibit a cognitive bias to reason teleologically about natural kinds, explaining them in terms of intelligent design and inherent purpose. In the present study, we examined whether people are also cognitively biased to explain naturally occurring events in terms of inherent purpose (i.e., mistakenly attributing intentional design behind naturally caused life events), and if so, how explicit religious beliefs may interact with this implicit bias. A semi-structured interview was conducted concerning important autobiographical events. Overall, results indicated that differing levels of cultural religiosity (i.e., whether participants were from the relatively religious USA or the relatively secular UK) did not affect the tendency to reason teleologically. As predicted, explicit religious beliefs had an effect in that atheists gave significantly fewer teleological explanations than theists; however, half the atheists (n=17) gave at least one teleological response and more than three-quarters (n=26) gave a teleological response or admitted feeling conflicted between teleological intuitions and more rational, naturalistic explanations for significant life events. We interpret these results as suggesting that basic theory-of-mind competencies underlie the propensity to reason teleologically about major life events.
John Holland's Vocational Typology and Personality Theory.

Abstract John Holland has been clear that he believes vocational interests to be “an expression of personality. ” In this paper, we document evidence for fundamental links between measures of personality and vocational interests. We go on to provide an interpretation of those links and suggest that personality assessment and interest measurement offer information that is critical to predicting individuals' success in achieving status and acceptance in groups. We also suggest a distinction between the perspective afforded by each type of measure. That is, personality assessment reflects the individual viewed from the perspective of an observer (i.e., an individual's “reputation”) while interest measurement reflects the perspective of the actor (i.e., an individual's “identity”).
Spatially Discordant Alternans and Arrhythmias in Tachypacing-Induced Cardiac Myopathy in Transgenic LQT1 Rabbits: The Importance of IKs and Ca2+ Cycling

Background Remodeling of cardiac repolarizing currents, such as the downregulation of slowly activating K+ channels (IKs), could underlie ventricular fibrillation (VF) in heart failure (HF). We evaluated the role of I ks remodeling in VF susceptibility using a tachypacing HF model of transgenic rabbits with Long QT Type 1 (LQT1) syndrome. Methods and Results LQT1 and littermate control (LMC) rabbits underwent three weeks of tachypacing to induce cardiac myopathy (TICM). In vivo telemetry demonstrated steepening of the QT/RR slope in LQT1 with TICM (LQT1-TICM; pre: 0.26±0.04, post: 0.52±0.01, P<0.05). In vivo electrophysiology showed that LQT1-TICM had higher incidence of VF than LMC-TICM (6 of 11 vs. 3 of 11, respectively). Optical mapping revealed larger APD dispersion (16±4 vs. 38±6 ms, p<0.05) and steep APD restitution in LQT1-TICM compared to LQT1-sham (0.53±0.12 vs. 1.17±0.13, p<0.05). LQT1-TICM developed spatially discordant alternans (DA), which caused conduction block and higher-frequency VF (15±1 Hz in LQT1-TICM vs. 13±1 Hz in LMC-TICM, p<0.05). Ca2+ DA was highly dynamic and preceded voltage DA in LQT1-TICM. Ryanodine abolished DA in 5 out of 8 LQT1-TICM rabbits, demonstrating the importance of Ca2+ in complex DA formation. Computer simulations suggested that HF remodeling caused Ca2+-driven alternans, which was further potentiated in LQT1-TICM due to the lack of IKs. Conclusions Compared with LMC-TICM, LQT1-TICM rabbits exhibit steepened APD restitution and complex DA modulated by Ca2+. Our results strongly support the contention that the downregulation of IKs in HF increases Ca2+ dependent alternans and thereby the risk of VF.
Asset Prices and Trading Volume under Fixed Transactions Costs

We propose a dynamic equilibrium model of asset prices and trading volume when agents face fixed transactions costs. We show that even small fixed costs can give rise to large “no‐trade” regions for each agent’s optimal trading policy. The inability to trade more frequently reduces the agents’ asset demand and in equilibrium gives rise to a significant illiquidity discount in asset prices.
The Multicultural Muse

This article explores the relationship between culture and creativity and innovation. It critically reviews the literature in which cross cultural differences in approaches to creativity and innovation are discussed. It first examines how creativity is conceptualized differentially across cultures and how social structural factors account for differences in creativity and innovation. Evidence for the impact of culture on cognitive style and personality as related to creativity and innovation is covered next. Finally, it addresses directly the relationship between cultural values and creativity/innovation. The article draws the following conclusions: (1) culture can and does impact on creative and innovation processes, but the relationship should not be considered universalistically, simplistically or unreflexively; (2) there is insufficient evidence to enable definitive statements to be made about systematic differences across cultures in personality or cognitive style with respect to creativity; (3) creativity and innovation are complex psychosocial processes involving numerous salient factors of which culture is but one; (4) the weight of evidence suggests that the relationship should be viewed contingently and in subtle and nuanced ways. A contingent view suggests that there are different processes, mechanisms, and structures through which creativity and innovation emerge. Cultures are creative and innovative within the context of their own systems and the exigencies and contingencies of those particular systems.
The relationship between the performance and the perceived benefits of using an electronic performance support system (EPSS)

A survey instrument developed to measure the perceived performance of the six components of an electronic performance support system (EPSS) and the perceived benefits of EPSS use was mailed to 182 target EPSS co‐ordinators. A total of 98 (54.0%) questionnaires were returned. Of these, there were 79 (80.6%) usable surveys. Research results indicate that all six components of an EPSS were perceived to be effective by survey respondents during their use of EPSS. The user interface and online help/reference components were perceived as the most effective components, but they were not the components that made the greatest contribution to the perceived overall benefit of EPSS use. The highest relative contributors to the perceived overall benefit of EPSS use were the data/information base and an advisory system of job‐oriented or problem‐solving components. However, these two components were not perceived to be the most effective ones. This result also reveals that the perceived level of performance of the components of an EPSS was not absolutely reflected in the perceived level of overall benefit associated with EPSS use.
Tourist segmentation in Taiwan's wineries: A cultural perspective

We examined the segmentation of wine tourists in Taiwan in relation to their cultural values and lifestyle, and conducted a cultural comparison of wine drinking values and lifestyle between the results of Western and Taiwanese studies. The results of factor analysis and a 2-step cluster analysis of 428 wine tourists at the Shin-Yi and Shu-Sheng wineries showed that wine tourists can be categorized into 3 groups: conservative, hedonistic, and reward seeking. Our findings may assist Taiwanese winery owners to utilize marketing strategies that consider the lifestyle and cultural values of wine tourists, so that the appeal of the wines and wineries will be increased.
XLynx—An FPGA-based XML filter for hybrid XQuery processing

While offering unique performance and energy-saving advantages, the use of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for database acceleration has demanded major concessions from system designers. Either the programmable chips have been used for very basic application tasks (such as implementing a rigid class of selection predicates) or their circuit definition had to be completely recompiled at runtime—a very CPU-intensive and time-consuming effort. This work eliminates the need for such concessions. As part of our XLynx implementation—an FPGA-based XML filter—we present skeleton automata, which is a design principle for data-intensive hardware circuits that offers high expressiveness and quick reconfiguration at the same time. Skeleton automata provide a generic implementation for a class of finite-state automata. They can be parameterized to any particular automaton instance in a matter of microseconds or less (as opposed to minutes or hours for complete recompilation). We showcase skeleton automata based on XML projection [Marian and Siméon 2003], a filtering technique that illustrates the feasibility of our strategy for a real-world and challenging task. By performing XML projection in hardware and filtering data in the network, we report on performance improvements of several factors while remaining nonintrusive to the back-end XML processor (we evaluate XLynx using the Saxon engine).
Attitudes towards CAPTCHA: A Survey of Thai Internet Users

CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” and has received much attention since it first began appearing on websites. It requires the deciphering of distorted texts, mostly in English which is something that computers still cannot do well. It is also helpful in preventing the abuse of online services. The current text-based CAPTCHA requires users to be able to read English characters. For Thai Internet users who might not be very familiar with English, a Thai language based CAPTCHA may be a more appropriate option. To date, no published work has examined the extent to which Thai Internet users are familiar with CAPTCHA; therefore, this study attempts to survey their awareness of, and attitudes towards, the online test. Based on 340 usable online questionnaire submissions, it was found that Thai Internet users are generally aware of CAPTCHA, but their understanding of it does not go very deep. Using exploratory factor analysis, their attitudes towards CAPTCHA can be classified in two dimensions: (1) the perceived drawbacks of the CAPTCHA test and (2) the feasibility of Thai language CAPTCHA. In addition to providing our insights into the application of CAPTCHA in the Thai Internet user context, online service providers could take certain measures to improve users’ attitudes and understanding regarding CATPCHA.
Comparing Focus Group and Individual Responses on Sensitive Topics: A Study of Water Decision Makers in a Desert City

Focus groups have gained a reputation for facilitating data collection about sensitive topics. However, we know little about how focus group methods perform compared to individual response formats, particularly for sensitive topics. The goal of this study is to assess how well focus groups perform when compared to individual responses collected using open-ended self-administered questionnaires for sensitive policy-making topics among water decision makers in Phoenix, Arizona. The analysis compares focus group and self-administered questionnaire responses among fifty-five decision makers for three types of sensitive topics: competence, risk, and gatekeeping. The results indicate that respondents (1) gave similar responses in group and open-ended self-administered questionnaires when discussion topics were only moderately sensitive, (2) volunteered less information in focus groups than in open-ended self-administered questionnaires for very sensitive topics when there did not appear to be a compelling reason for respondents to risk being stigmatized by other group members, and (3) volunteered more information in focus groups than in open-ended self-administered questionnaires for very sensitive topics when there appeared to be an opportunity to exchange important information or solve a pressing problem. The authors conclude that multimethod research—including individual and group response formats—may be the best strategy for collecting data from decision makers about sensitive policy-related issues.
Violence: The silent determinant of child labor.

This qualitative research study explores determinants of child labor in two low‐income urban communities in Beirut and reveals that violence against children, both at home and at school, is a recurring theme. Our analysis of interviews with and observations of working children and their parents in their homes and at the children's work places shows that violence is an important determinant of child labor. Findings reveal that, contrary to the importance usually placed on family and school for children's well‐being, certain home and school environments may indeed be unfavorable for learning and development and thereby play a role in a child's decision to leave school and start work at a young age.
Small Screens and Big Streets: A Comparison of Women Police Officers on Primetime Crime Shows and in U.S. Police Departments, 1950 to 2008

This article utilizes a longitudinal approach to assess the visibility of women as police officers in primetime crime shows from 1950 to 2008 and compares these numbers for television to actual data on women who work as police officers in the United States. We find that as expected, annual labor force data and crime show data both indicate increases in the number of minorities and women working in the criminal justice system over time. Given the robust literature on the general underrepresentation of women on television, however, we did not expect to uncover that both White and minority women are overrepresented as police officers on television every year compared to the occupational reality. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Petrogenesis and geodynamic implications of the Kajan Neogene subvolcanic , Nain , Central Iran

Kajan subvolcanic rocks in the Urumieh – Dokhtar magmatic arc (UDMA), Central Iran, form a Late Miocene-Pliocene shallow-level intrusion. These subvolcanics correspond to a variety of intermediate and felsic rocks, comprising quartz diorite, quartz monzodiorite, tonalite and granite. These lithologies are medium-K calc-alkaline, with SiO 2 (wt. %) varying from 52 % (wt. %) to 75 (wt. %). The major element chemical data also show that MgO, CaO, TiO 2 , P 2 O 5 , MnO, Al 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 define linear trends with negative slopes against SiO 2 , whilst Na 2 O and K 2 O are positively correlated with silica. Contents of incompatible trace elements (e.g. Ba, Rb, Nb, La and Zr) become higher with increasing SiO 2 , whereas Sr shows an opposite behaviour. Chondrite-normalized multi-element patterns show enrichment in LILE relative to
Chenodeoxycholic Acid as a Potential Prognostic Marker for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass in Chinese Obese Patients.

CONTEXT Bile acids (BAs) have been suggested as key mediators of the improvements in glucose metabolism after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to test whether the individual or a group of BAs have potential value to predict diabetes remission after RYGB. DESIGN AND PATIENTS A retrospective cohort of 38 Chinese obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who had undergone RYGB and a cross-sectional cohort of 327 subjects from the Shanghai Obesity Study were involved in the study. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES We applied a targeted metabolomics approach to quantitatively measure 26 serum BAs. The relative proportion of each BA in total BAs was calculated. RESULTS In the metabolic surgery study, RYGB was effective in the reduction of body weight in both remission and nonremission groups. The reductions of body mass index (BMI) in both groups were 7.34 ± 2.10 kg/m(2) and 6.31 ± 2.38 kg/m(2), respectively (P = .14). Patients in the remission group had a shorter duration of diabetes, lower glycated hemoglobin, and higher C-peptide and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) proportion at baseline compared with the nonremission group. Multiple logistic regression indicated that a higher level of CDCA relative to total BA (CDCA%) and shorter duration of diabetes at baseline were associated with a greater chance of diabetes remission. The odd ratios were 0.19 (95% confidence interval 0.05-0.74) and 1.77 (95% confidence interval 1.13-2.76), respectively, after adjustment for age, gender, and BMI. In the cross-sectional study, CDCA% was significantly higher in obese individuals with T2DM than the normal glucose tolerance group. Correlation analysis showed CDCA% was positively correlated with BMI, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and diabetes duration. CONCLUSION Increased CDCA, a major primary BA, was correlated with a shorter duration of T2DM, which was associated with a higher possibility of remission after surgery. CDCA% might act as a potential prognostic marker of RYGB.