Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utilitarian Distributed Constraint Optimization Problems

Privacy has been a major motivation for distributed problem optimization. However, even though several methods have been proposed to evaluate it, none of them is widely used. The Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem (DCOP) is a fundamental model used to approach various families of distributed problems. As privacy loss does not occur when a solution is accepted, but when it is proposed, privacy requirements cannot be interpreted as a criteria of the objective function of the DCOP. Here we approach the problem by letting both the optimized costs found in DCOPs and the privacy requirements guide the agents' exploration of the search space. We introduce Utilitarian Distributed Constraint Optimization Problem (UDCOP) where the costs and the privacy requirements are used as parameters to a heuristic modifying the search process. Common stochastic algorithms for decentralized constraint optimization problems are evaluated here according to how well they preserve privacy. Further, we propose some extensions where these solvers modify their search process to take into account their privacy requirements, succeeding in significantly reducing their privacy loss without significant degradation of the solution quality.
Regular Shape Similarity Index: A Novel Index for Accurate Extraction of Regular Objects From Remote Sensing Images

It still remains a big challenge to accurately identify the geospatial objects with well-regulated outlines within remote sensing (RS) images such as residential buildings, factory storage buildings, highways, local roads, cars, and planes. In this paper, a novel spatial feature index, which is named regular shape similarity index (RSSI), is defined to address the challenge. It represents the ratio between the area of an object and its minimum bounding shape area. The application of RSSI in identifying objects with different shapes is discussed, and its capability is found to be a great supplement to the existing spatial feature hierarchy. An approach combining RSSI with object-based image analysis (OBIA) technology is proposed for image object extraction. A Web service for RSSI calculation is developed and integrated into a Web OBIA system. In the system, four experiments extracting factory storage buildings, residential buildings, roads, and planes, respectively, are conducted on three large-scale high-resolution RS images. In each experiment, two tests, i.e., one using traditional spatial features and the other using RSSI, are performed and compared. The results show that RSSI improves the accuracy of regular object extraction.
CORRELATION TRACKING WITH CONVOLUTION KERNELS NETWORKS

Correlation filter-based tracking methods have accomplished competitive performance on accuracy and robustness, but there is still a huge potential in choosing suitable features. Recently, Convolutional Kernel Networks (CKN), which provide a fast and simple procedure to approximate kernel descriptors, have been proposed and achieved state-of-the-art performance in many vision tasks. In this paper, we present an adaptive tracker which integrates the kernel correlation filters with multiple effective CKN descriptors. By adopting a FlipFlop scheme, the weights of different features can be adjusted in the process of tracking to get better performance. Extensive experimental results on the OTB-2013 tracking benchmark show that our approach performs favorably against some representative state-of-the-art tracking algorithms.
What We Know About Stemflow's Infiltration Area

A portion of precipitation drains to the surface down plant stems, as “stemflow. ” Although per observations to date, stemflow rarely represents >2% of gross precipitation in forests, it can result in larger water fluxes to near-stem soils that are hypothetically more important to roots. The ecohydrological importance of stemflow is often predicated upon assumptions about how it infiltrates into near-stem soils. Our objective is to review the small number of studies over the ~140 years of stemflow research that have quantified its infiltration area (i.e., soil surface area over which stemflow spreads while infiltrating). We found several empirical descriptions of stemflow infiltration areas inferred from disparate approaches, and we discuss that evidence in the context of dominant assumptions and conceptualizations (i.e., equating infiltration area to basal area or estimations based on assumed soil conductivity metrics). However, we conclude that a more empirical understanding of stemflow infiltration is needed before we quantify or qualify stemflow's influence from its assumed infiltration rate. Toward this goal, we provide a critical discussion of two methods (stable isotopes and dye tracing) that seem most promising for quantifying stemflow infiltration area.
The Future of Cloud-based Botnets ?

Many Cloud Service Providers (CSP) offer access to scalable, reliable computing resources following a payas-you-go model. Research into security of the Cloud focusses mainly on protecting legitimate users of Cloud services from attacks by external, malicious users. Little attention is given to prohibit malicious users from using the Cloud to launch attacks, such as those currently done by botnets. These attacks include launching a DDoS attack, sending spam and perpetrating click fraud. This paper discusses the threat of Cloud-based botnets, or botclouds and the need for new techniques to detect them. Two experiments show how simple and cheaply these attacks can be launched from botclouds.
A novel eIF4G homolog, Off-schedule, couples translational control to meiosis and differentiation in Drosophila spermatocytes

During spermatogenesis, cells coordinate differentiation with the meiotic cell cycle to generate functional gametes. We identified a novel gene, which we named off-schedule (ofs), as being essential for this coordinated control. During the meiotic G2 phase, Drosophila ofs mutant germ cells do not reach their proper size and fail to execute meiosis or significant differentiation. The accumulation of four cell cycle regulators-Cyclin A, Boule, Twine and Roughex-is altered in these mutants, indicating that ofs reveals a novel branch of the pathway controlling meiosis and differentiation. Ofs is homologous to eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4G. The level of ofs expression in spermatocytes is much higher than for the known eIF4G ortholog (known as eIF-4G or eIF4G), suggesting that Ofs substitutes for this protein. Consistent with this, assays for association with mRNA cap complexes, as well as RNA-interference and phenotypic-rescue experiments, demonstrate that Ofs has eIF4G activity. Based on these studies, we speculate that spermatocytes monitor G2 growth as one means to coordinate the initiation of meiotic division and differentiation.
Efficient Ensemble-Based Stochastic Gradient Methods for Optimization Under Geological Uncertainty

Ensemble-based stochastic gradient methods, such as the ensemble optimization (EnOpt) method, the simplex gradient (SG) method, and the stochastic simplex approximate gradient (StoSAG) method, approximate the gradient of an objective function using an ensemble of perturbed control vectors. These methods are increasingly used in solving reservoir optimization problems because they are not only easy to parallelize and couple with any simulator but also computationally more efficient than the conventional finite-difference method for gradient calculations. In this work, we show that EnOpt may fail to achieve sufficient improvement of the objective function when the differences between the objective function values of perturbed control variables and their ensemble mean are large. On the basis of the comparison of EnOpt and SG, we propose a hybrid gradient of EnOpt and SG to save on the computational cost of SG. We also suggest practical ways to reduce the computational cost of EnOpt and StoSAG by approximating the objective function values of unperturbed control variables using the values of perturbed ones. We first demonstrate the performance of our improved ensemble schemes using a benchmark problem. Results show that the proposed gradients saved about 30–50% of the computational cost of the same optimization by using EnOpt, SG, and StoSAG. As a real application, we consider pressure management in carbon storage reservoirs, for which brine extraction wells need to be optimally placed to reduce reservoir pressure buildup while maximizing the net present value. Results show that our improved schemes reduce the computational cost significantly.
Teaching image processing using minimal mathematics

Image processing is often presented as a two dimensional version of signal processing, and as such, assumes for its background several years of undergraduate engineering-style mathematics. But such heavy mathematics does not form the background of many students of computer science. In Australia, some tertiary courses are phasing formal mathematics out of their computer science courses completely. This means that the effective teaching of image processing to students of computer science must use as little mathematics as possible. In this paper we discuss the undergraduate subjects taught at Victoria University of Technology (VUT), and our methods of keeping the mathematics in them to a minimum.
On the impact of carbon-doping on the dynamic Ron and off-state leakage current of 650V GaN power devices

A strong positive correlation between dynamic Ron and the ionization of buffer traps by injection of electrons from the Si substrate is presented. By exploring different Carbon doping profiles in the epi layers, the substrate buffer leakage is substantially reduced, which in turns results in lower dynamic Ron. The traps in the epi structure are characterized by different electrical techniques such as drain current transient, on-the-fly trapping and ramped back-gating experiments.
Imipramine and diet counseling with psychological support in the treatment of obese binge eaters: a randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study.

OBJECTIVE This study with 31 obese binge eaters (body mass index [BMI] 39.5+/-8.6 kg/m(2) [SD]) was designed to assess whether diet counseling with psychological support and imipramine or placebo has an effect on the frequency of binge eating, body weight, and depression during an 8-week treatment phase. This was followed by an open medication-free phase of 6 months of continuous diet counseling with psychological support. METHODS Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of 8 weeks followed by an open phase of 6 months. Patients were evaluated in medical visits by a semistructured videotaped interview, psychometric questionnaires, and hematochemical parameters. RESULTS From Week 0 to 8, a significant reduction in binge frequency occurred in both treatment conditions (7.1+/-4.1 to 2.8+/-3.0 binges per week [imipramine] vs. 7.1+/-4.1 to 5.4+/-5.1 [placebo], p<.01). Patients on imipramine lost -2.2+/-1.8 kg compared to placebo-treated subjects (+0.2+/-3.3 kg, p<.001). On follow-up, only the patients initially treated with imipramine continued to lose weight (-5.1+/-2.8 kg [imipramine] vs. 2.2+/-6.8 kg [placebo], p<.001 [differences to Week 0]). While both treatment conditions were associated with significant improvements on a rater's measure of depressive symptoms (Hamilton Depression Scale) at Week 8, only the patients treated with imipramine still showed a significant improvement at Week 32. Scores on the Self Depression Rating Scale did not show a group difference but a significant reduction at Weeks 8 and 32, compared to baseline. DISCUSSION These results suggest that adding low-dose imipramine to diet counseling with psychological support helps patients losing weight even for at least 6 months off medication. The effect might include a psychological priming of weight loss during the double-blind phase that continues at least for half a year after stopping the drug.
A Systematic Review of Patient Inflammatory Bowel Disease Information Resources on the World Wide Web

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:The Internet is a widely used information resource for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, but there is variation in the quality of Web sites that have patient information regarding Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The purpose of the current study is to systematically evaluate the quality of these Web sites.METHODS: The top 50 Web sites appearing in Google™ using the terms “Crohn's disease” or “ulcerative colitis” were included in the study. Web sites were evaluated using a (a) Quality Evaluation Instrument (QEI) that awarded Web sites points (0–107) for specific information on various aspects of inflammatory bowel disease, (b) a five-point Global Quality Score (GQS), (c) two reading grade level scores, and (d) a six-point integrity score.RESULTS: Thirty-four Web sites met the inclusion criteria, 16 Web sites were excluded because they were portals or non-IBD oriented. The median QEI score was 57 with five Web sites scoring higher than 75 points. The median Global Quality Score was 2.0 with five Web sites achieving scores of 4 or 5. The average reading grade level score was 11.2. The median integrity score was 3.0. CONCLUSIONS: There is marked variation in the quality of the Web sites containing information on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Many Web sites suffered from poor quality but there were five high-scoring Web sites.
Broad-spectrum virucidal activity of bacterial secreted lipases against flaviviruses, SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses

Viruses are the major aetiological agents of acute and chronic severe human diseases that place a tremendous burden on global public health and economy; however, for most viruses, effective prophylactics and therapeutics are lacking, in particular, broad-spectrum antiviral agents. Herein, we identified 2 secreted bacterial lipases from a Chromobacterium bacterium, named Chromobacterium antiviral effector-1 (CbAE-1) and CbAE-2, with a broad-spectrum virucidal activity against dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV). The CbAEs potently blocked viral infection in the extracellular milieu through their lipase activity. Mechanistic studies showed that this lipase activity directly disrupted the viral envelope structure, thus inactivating infectivity. A mutation of CbAE-1 in its lipase motif fully abrogated the virucidal ability. Furthermore, CbAE-2 presented low toxicity in vivo and in vitro, highlighting its potential as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug.
Self-ordered nanopore and nanotube platforms for drug delivery applications

The application of nanotechnology to medicine termed as ‘nanomedicine’ is recognised as an emerging field with enormous potential for developing new therapeutic concepts. A range of nanoscale materials have been explored in the last few years for drug delivery to address the problems associated with conventional drug therapies such as limited drug solubility, poor biodistribution, lack of selectivity and unfavourable pharmacokinetics. Among them, nanoporous materials with ordered and controlled pore structures, high surface area and pore volume, attracted great attention, particularly for implantable drug delivery systems. This review presents the recent progress in this field focused on electrochemically engineered nanopores/nanotube materials such as nanoporous alumina and nanotubular titania. The basic concept of fabrication of these unique materials using a self-ordering process, description of their structural properties, biocompatibility and recent applications for therapeutic implants is presented.
PADRÃO DE ATIVIDADE FÍSICA NO LAZER E FATORES ASSOCIADOS EM ESTUDANTES DE ARACAJU-SE

O objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar o padrao de atividade fisica no lazer (AFL) e fatores sociodemograficos associados em estudantes de Aracaju. O estudo transversal teve uma amostra de 974 estudantes do ensino fundamental e medio da rede publica estadual de Aracaju com uma media de 15,34 (DP=2,43) anos de idade, sendo 428 do sexo masculino. O padrao de AFL foi verificado pelo item nove do questionario PAQ-C, sendo os estudantes classificados em “ativos” ou “pouco ativos”. As variaveis sociodemograficas foram: o sexo, a faixa etaria e o nivel economico – NE. Utilizou-se a estatistica descritiva, o teste qui-quadrado e a analise de regressao logistica bruta e ajustada, adotando um nivel de signifi cância de 5%. Da amostra, 74,7% dos estudantes foram classifi cados como pouco ativos no lazer; o sexo feminino foi menos ativo do que o masculino (81,5% vs. 66,1%) (p
Effects of Dose and Route on the Disposition and Kinetics of 1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium Chloride in Male F-344 Rats

Studies were conducted to characterize the effects of dose and route of administration on the disposition of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium (BmPy-Cl) in male Fischer-344 rats. After a single oral administration of [14C]BmPy-Cl (50 mg/kg), BmPy-Cl in the blood decreased rapidly after Cmax of 89.1 min with a distribution half-life (t1/2α) of 21 min, an elimination half-life (t1/2β) of 5.6 h, and a total body clearance of 7.6 ml/min. After oral administration (50, 5, and 0.5 mg/kg), 50 to 70% of the administered radioactivity was recovered in the feces, with the remainder recovered in the urine. Serial daily oral administrations of [14C]BmPy-Cl (50 mg/kg/day for 5 days) did not result in a notable alteration in disposition or elimination. After each administration, 88 to 94% of the dose was eliminated in a 24-h period, with 63 to 76% of dose recovered in the feces. Intravenous administration of [14C]BmPy-Cl (5 mg/kg) resulted in biphasic elimination. Oral systemic bioavailability was 43.4%, approximately equal to the dose recovered in urine after oral administration (29–38%). Total dermal absorption of [14C]BmPy-Cl (5 mg/kg) was moderate when it was applied in dimethylformamide-water (34 ± 13%), variable in water (22 ± 8%), or minimal in ethanol-water (13 ± 1%) vehicles. Urine was the predominant route of elimination regardless of vehicle. Only parent [14C]BmPy-Cl was detected in the urine after all doses and routes of administration. BmPy-Cl was found to be a substrate for (Kt = 37 μM) and inhibitor of (IC50/tetraethylammonium = 0.5 μM) human organic cation transporter 2. In summary, BmPy-Cl is moderately absorbed, extracted by the kidney, and eliminated in the urine as parent compound, independent of dose, number, or route of administration.
Small-Size Monopole Antenna with Dual Band-Stop Function for Ultra-Wideband Wireless Communications

In this letter, a different method to design an ultra-wideband (UWB) monopole antenna with dual frequency band-stop performance is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a rectangular-ring radiating patch with a meander-line strip as a resonator protruded inside the ring, and a ground plane. The measured results reveal that the presented dual band-notched monopole antenna design exhibits an operating bandwidth (VSWR<2) form 2.8 GHz to 13.8 GHz with two notched bands, covering the 5.2/5.8 GHz, 3.5/5.5 GHz, and 4 GHz to suppress any interference from the wireless local area network (WLAN), worldwide interoperability microwave access (WiMAX) and C-band systems, respectively. Good return loss, antenna gain and radiation pattern characteristics are obtained in the frequency band of interest. The proposed monopole antenna configuration is simple, easy to fabricate and can be integrated into any UWB system. The antenna has a small dimension of 10×17 mm2 .
An Acyl-Ghrelin-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Inhibits the Acute Ghrelin-Mediated Orexigenic Effects in Mice

Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid peptide secreted mainly by the stomach. Acyl-ghrelin, which binds to and activates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), is considered to be the active form for its orexigenic effects. It has been demonstrated that peripheral administration of ghrelin stimulates food intake and adiposity in rodents and humans. Accordingly, different approaches to antagonize ghrelin/GHS-R1a signaling have been pursued for the treatment of obesity. In the present study, we generated and characterized high-affinity anti-acyl ghrelin-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In vitro, the lead mAb (33A) displayed specific binding to acyl-ghrelin, with an estimated Kd value < 100 pM. In recombinant receptor cell-based assays, 33A dose-dependently inhibited the ghrelin-mediated calcium signal, with an IC50 of ∼3.5 nM. In vivo, ghrelin dose-dependently stimulated food intake in mice, and this effect was fully blocked by a single injection of 33A. In a 4-week chronic study, 33A was shown to effectively bind to endogenous acyl-ghrelin; however, long-term administration of 33A did not affect food intake or body weight gain in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. Our results indicate that peripheral neutralization of ghrelin can suppress appetite stimulated by a transient surge in ghrelin levels. The lack of long-term effects on body weight control by 33A suggests that compensatory mechanisms may contribute to the regulation of energy balance.
Design of integrated stripline multibeam antenna arrays fed by compact butler matrices

The design of the fully integrated four-beam antenna array has been presented. A stripline technique has been selected which allows for achieving good properties of the feeding network which is a key issue to obtain good parameters of the antenna array and at same time ensures reliable mechanical properties. The compensated 3 dB/90deg coupled-line directional coupler is used as a basic element of our compact broadband Butler matrix. In order to ensure proper connection of the radiating elements and the feeding network in the integrated structure the compensated crossover is applied. As radiating elements stripline-fed aperture coupled patch antennas have been used. The four-beam integrated antenna array operating within 2.4 GHz band has been designed, manufactured and measured. Measurement results confirm good properties of the presented antenna.
James, Brother of Jesus, and the origin of the Jerusalem church

The thesis explores the possibility that James, the brother of Jesus, was leader of a movement in Jerusalem distinct from, yet contemporaneous (or earlier), with that of Jesus in Galilee. Study of the socio-political environment of Jerusalem prior to 70CE supports the possibility/probability of such a movement generating, and refines our sensitivity in listening to a text (the NT), that has minimal interest in James, for relevant evidence. That the movement initiated by John the Baptist impacted directly on Judea and Jerusalem with evidence of its ongoing influence there, as well as its development in Galilee through the work of Jesus, indicates distinct related movements. Our primary evidence for James is the contemporary writing of Paul, supported by later traditions incorporated in Acts, which predicate him as the undisputed leader of a movement in Jerusalem whose ethos, ideology, organisation and praxis were fully at home within the broader contemporary movement(s) for the Restoration of Israel. He was probably leader from its very beginning. Given that Paul’s initial knowledge of Jesus-tradition is derived from this Jerusalem ‘church’, the lack of reference in his letters to Galilee-tradition, contrasting with his detailed recitation of Jerusalem-tradition, suggests a comparable lack/valuing of Galilean tradition in that Jerusalem-based community. This feature is present in other Jerusalem-originating tradents. It points to the community associated with James being independently existent before the crucifixion, rather than subsequently birthed de novo. With roots in the Baptist movement, they received the death and rising of Jesus as the fulfilment of their Judaic restoration faith. The evidence, though fragmentary, is of good historical quality and must initially be listened to free of the normative Lucan account of Acts 1-5. In conclusion, the principal threads of evidence are brought together to outline a tentative history of the Jacobean movement in Jerusalem.