Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key Capacity for Product Sources With Application to Stationary Gaussian Processes

We show that for product sources, rate splitting is optimal for secret key agreement using limited one-way communication between two terminals. This yields an alternative proof of the tensorization property of a strong data processing inequality originally studied by Erkip and Cover and amended recently by Anantharam et al. We derive a water-filling solution of the communication-rate-key-rate tradeoff for a wide class of discrete memoryless vector Gaussian sources which subsumes the case without an eavesdropper. Moreover, we derive an explicit formula for the maximum secret key per bit of communication for all discrete memoryless vector Gaussian sources using a tensorization property and a variation on the enhanced channel technique of Weingarten et al. Finally, a one-shot information spectrum achievability bound for key generation is proved from which we characterize the communication-rate-key-rate tradeoff for stationary Gaussian processes.
SPOOF: Sum-Product Optimization and Operator Fusion for Large-Scale Machine Learning

Systems for declarative large-scale machine learning (ML) algorithms aim at high-level algorithm speciﬁcation and automatic optimization of runtime execution plans. State-of-the-art compilers rely on algebraic rewrites and operator selection, including fused operators to avoid materialized intermediates, reduce memory bandwidth requirements, and exploit sparsity across chains of operations. However, the unlimited number of relevant patterns for rewrites and operators poses challenges in terms of development eﬀort and high performance impact. Query compilation has been studied extensively in the database literature, but ML programs additionally require handling linear algebra and exploiting algebraic properties, DAG structures, and sparsity. In this paper, we introduce Spoof , an architecture to automatically (1) identify algebraic simpliﬁcation rewrites, and (2) generate fused operators in a holistic framework. We describe a snapshot of the overall system, including key techniques of sum-product optimization and code generation. Preliminary experiments show performance close to hand-coded fused operators, signiﬁcant improvements over a baseline without fused operators, and moderate compilation overhead.
The Muscle Regulatory Factors MyoD and Myf-5 Undergo Distinct Cell Cycle–specific Expression in Muscle Cells

The muscle regulators MyoD and Myf-5 control cell cycle withdrawal and induction of differentiation in skeletal muscle cells. By immunofluorescence analysis, we show that MyoD and Myf-5 expression patterns become mutually exclusive when C2 cells are induced to differentiate with Myf-5 staining present in cells which fail to differentiate. Isolation of these undifferentiated cells reveals that upon serum stimulation they reenter the cell cycle, express MyoD and downregulate Myf-5. Similar regulations of MyoD and Myf-5 were observed using cultured primary myoblasts derived from satellite cells. To further analyze these regulations of MyoD and Myf-5 expression, we synchronized proliferating myoblasts. Analysis of MyoD and Myf-5 expression during cell cycle progression revealed distinct and contrasting profiles of expression. MyoD is absent in G0, peaks in mid-G1, falls to its minimum level at G1/S and reaugments from S to M. In contrast, Myf-5 protein is high in G0, decreases during G1 and reappears at the end of G1 to remain stable until mitosis. These data demonstrate that the two myogenic factors MyoD and Myf-5 undergo specific and distinct cell cycle–dependent regulation, thus establishing a correlation between the cell cycle–specific ratios of MyoD and Myf-5 and the capacity of cells to differentiate: (a) in G1, when cells express high levels of MyoD and enter differentiation; (b) in G0, when cells express high levels of Myf-5 and fail to differentiate.
Generic Instance Search and Re-identification from One Example via Attributes and Categories

This paper aims for generic instance search from one example where the instance can be an arbitrary object like shoes, not just near-planar and one-sided instances like buildings and logos. First, we evaluate state-of-the-art instance search methods on this problem. We observe that what works for buildings loses its generality on shoes. Second, we propose to use automatically learned category-specific attributes to address the large appearance variations present in generic instance search. Searching among instances from the same category as the query, the category-specific attributes outperform existing approaches by a large margin on shoes and cars and perform on par with the state-of-the-art on buildings. Third, we treat person re-identification as a special case of generic instance search. On the popular VIPeR dataset, we reach state-of-the-art performance with the same method. Fourth, we extend our method to search objects without restriction to the specifically known category. We show that the combination of category-level information and the category-specific attributes is superior to the alternative method combining category-level information with low-level features such as Fisher vector.
The Nature of Customer Relationships in Services

Customer relationships in services have been insufficiently studied compared to service interactions. In this paper findings from research on relationships within industrial marketing are applied to consumer services. To manage customer relationships new concepts are needed in addition to those used in static service quality models. A conceptual framework is presented where perceived service quality and customer satisfaction are related to relationship characteristics. It is suggested that the nature of the relationship is determined by the commitment of both the customer and the service provider to the relationship and by the bonds that exist between them. BACKGROUND It has been argued that long lasting relations with customers would be beneficial for a service company. Relationship marketing has emerged as a new important approach by which marketing management can achieve customer retention. Customer retention is assumed to depend critically on the quality of and satisfaction with the service. The role of separate interactions, episodes in relation to the perception of overall quality has, however, not been scrutinized. One reason for this is that the question arises only when a dynamic perspective is applied. Both service quality and satisfaction have traditionally been approached from a static perspective (Grönroos 1993a). Empirical studies often use cross-sectional surveys to measure the service quality at a certain point of time, although initial attempts have been made to make static service quality models dynamic (Boulding et al. 1993). Customer retention indicates customer loyalty or some kind of relationship between the customer and the firm. The relationship concept gives a quite different view of the exchange processes on the market compared to the static view. In the service quality literature there is currently a discussion on the interrelationship between quality, satisfaction and value (see e.g. Anderson and Fornell 1994; Oliver 1993; Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1994; Rust and Oliver 1994). In this paper we will present a dynamic service relationship quality model that clarifies the relation between these concepts. In the model a distinction is made between episode quality and relationship quality. Satisfaction, service quality and value may all be
Treatment of Chronic Anxiety Disorder with Neurotherapy

Abstract The objective of the present case study is to report the effects of alpha-decrease biofeedback training on a patient diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder. Three Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI and MMPI-2) were used as objective measures of treatment efficacy. Following 15 sessions of slow wave inhibit/fast wave increase EEG feedback training, the patient reported a significant reduction in anxiety-related symptoms. At three year follow-up, results of an MMPI-2 showed all clinical scales within normal range. In addition, self-reports confirmed that the patient was symptom free. After treating the patient with several other clinical modalities, only the alpha-decrease feedback training produced effective, long-term improvement of symptoms.
Thermodynamic analysis of interactions between denaturants and protein surface exposed on unfolding: Interpretation of urea and guanidinium chloride m‐values and their correlation with changes in accessible surface area (ASA) using preferential interaction coefficients and the local‐bulk domain mode

A denaturant m‐value is the magnitude of the slope of a typically linear plot of the unfolding free energy change ΔG°obs vs. molar concentration (C3) of denaturant. For a given protein, the guanidinium chloride (GuHCl) m‐value is approximately twice as large as the urea m‐value. Myers et al. (Protein Sci 1995;4:2138–2148) found that experimental m‐values for protein unfolding in both urea and GuHCl are proportional to ΔASA corrmax , the calculated maximum amount of protein surface exposed to water in unfolding, corrected empirically for the effects of disulfide crosslinks: (urea m‐value/ΔASA corrmax ) = 0.14±0.01 cal M−1 Å−2 and (GuHCl m‐value/ΔASA corrmax ) = 0.28±0.03 cal M−1 Å−2.
Quasi-Dense Wide Baseline Matching Using Match Propagation

In this paper we propose extensions to the match propagation algorithm which is a technique for computing quasi-dense point correspondences between two views. The extensions make the match propagation applicable for wide baseline matching, i.e., for cases where the camera pose can vary a lot between the views. Our first extension is to use a local affine model for the geometric transformation between the images. The estimate of the local transformation is obtained from affine covariant interest regions which are used as seed matches. The second extension is to use the second order intensity moments to adapt the current estimate of the local affine transformation during the propagation. This allows a single seed match to propagate into regions where the local transformation between the views differs from the initial one. The experiments with real data show that the proposed techniques improve both the quality and coverage of the quasi-dense disparity map.
Meat inspection of reindeer – a rich source of data for monitoring food safety and animal and environmental health in Sweden

ABSTRACT Background: This study scrutinized carcass conditions recorded in post mortem inspections (PMI) of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus, L.) during 2015–2016 because of the importance for monitoring food safety and animal and environmental health threats. Material and methods: PMI results were retrieved from the National Food Agency. A negative binomial regression model was applied. For actual parameters, incident risk rate (IRR) with confidence intervals was calculated. Results and discussion: The number of conditions found in PMI varied widely between years and batches. The most common conditions (43 and 57% of all reindeer slaughtered in 2015 and 2016, respectively) derived from non-zoonotic parasites as the most abundant one, Hypoderma tarandi. Setaria sp. as well as both inflammatory processes and trauma were found in low prevalences. Further investigation of interactions with slaughterhouse size and inspector experience is needed. The conditions found rarely indicated food safety hazards and no epizooties or zoonoses have been recorded in the past two decades. Visual PMI with complementary sampling for specific hazards in slaughterhouses could thus be a helpful tool for monitoring the health and welfare of the reindeer population, the food safety risks with reindeer meat, and the status of the environment.
Highly mobile charge-transfer excitons in two-dimensional WS2/tetracene heterostructures

Ultrafast microscopy reveals mobile charge-transfer excitons at two-dimensional organic-inorganic interfaces. Charge-transfer (CT) excitons at heterointerfaces play a critical role in light to electricity conversion using organic and nanostructured materials. However, how CT excitons migrate at these interfaces is poorly understood. We investigate the formation and transport of CT excitons in two-dimensional WS2/tetracene van der Waals heterostructures. Electron and hole transfer occurs on the time scale of a few picoseconds, and emission of interlayer CT excitons with a binding energy of ~0.3 eV has been observed. Transport of the CT excitons is directly measured by transient absorption microscopy, revealing coexistence of delocalized and localized states. Trapping-detrapping dynamics between the delocalized and localized states leads to stretched-exponential photoluminescence decay with an average lifetime of ~2 ns. The delocalized CT excitons are remarkably mobile with a diffusion constant of ~1 cm2 s−1. These highly mobile CT excitons could have important implications in achieving efficient charge separation.
Capacity of MIMO broadcast channels in cognitive radio networks

This paper investigates the sum rate capacity of MIMO broadcast channels (MIMO-BCs) in cognitive radio (CR) networks. An efficient algorithm is proposed for selecting a set of users to achieve a high sum rate capacity of the system. With the above algorithm, the sum rate capacity of MIMO-BCs in CR networks with average interference power constraints and transmit power constraints is derived. We formulate the capacity as a multi-constraint optimization problem and develop efficient algorithms to solve the problem in its equivalent form. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to corroborate our theoretical results in Rayleigh fading environments. It is shown that the proposed method is capable of achieving a large sum rate capacity with a very low complexity.
Language Planning in a Multi-Ethnic State: The Majority/Minority Dichotomy in Nigeria

Language policies and planning in Nigeria have hitherto not been realistically responsive to the linguistic diversity in the country. Rather, they have succeeded in accentuating ethnic consciousness and vitality with language as a symbol. For example, Nigeria is now polarized along two linguistic lines – linguistic majority and linguistic minority. Our standpoint in this paper is that a situation such as this is inimical to our emerging democracy and our aspiration for national development. The paper, therefore, will examine language policy and planning attempts in Nigeria since independence to the present. Against the backdrop of a case study of language planning in a country like Canada, with similar linguistic problems, this paper advocates a government’s strategy of governance, which allows for greater decentralization of power and which recognizes and protects the linguistic rights of all Nigerians.
FluNet: A Hybrid Internet Simulation/Emulation Environment for a Fast Queue Regime ∗

: Motivated by the scale and complexity of simulating large-scale networks, recent research has focused on hybrid ﬂuid/packet simulators, where ﬂuid models are combined with packet models in order to reduce simulation complexity. However, these simulators still need to track the queuing dynamics of network routers, which generate considerable simulation time-complexity in a large-scale network model. In this paper, we propose a hybrid simulator – FluNet – where queueing dynamics are not tracked. The FluNet simulator is predicated on a fast-queueing regime at bottleneck routers, where the queue length ﬂuctuates on a time-scale that is much faster than the time-scale of end systems. FluNet does not track queue lengths at routers, but instead, uses an equivalent rate based model at the router queue; and queue-based AQM schemes (such as RED) are replaced by equialent rate-based models. This allows us to simulate large-scale systems, where the simulation “time-step-size” is governed only by the time-scale of the end-systems, and not the intermediate routers; whereas a ﬂuid model based simulator that tracks queue-length would require decreasingly smaller step-sizes as the scale size of system increases. We validate our model using a Linux based implementation with real trafﬁc. Our results indicate a good match between packet systems and the associated FluNet system.
Index-driven similarity search in metric spaces (Survey Article)

Similarity search is a very important operation in multimedia databases and other database applications involving complex objects, and involves finding objects in a data set S similar to a query object q, based on some similarity measure. In this article, we focus on methods for similarity search that make the general assumption that similarity is represented with a distance metric d. Existing methods for handling similarity search in this setting typically fall into one of two classes. The first directly indexes the objects based on distances (distance-based indexing), while the second is based on mapping to a vector space (mapping-based approach). The main part of this article is dedicated to a survey of distance-based indexing methods, but we also briefly outline how search occurs in mapping-based methods. We also present a general framework for performing search based on distances, and present algorithms for common types of queries that operate on an arbitrary "search hierarchy. " These algorithms can be applied on each of the methods presented, provided a suitable search hierarchy is defined.
Vocal imitation of synthesised sounds varying in pitch, loudness and spectral centroid.

Vocal imitations are often used to convey sonic ideas [Lemaitre, Dessein, Susini, and Aura. (2011). Ecol. Psych. 23(4), 267-307]. For computer based systems to interpret these vocalisations, it is advantageous to apply knowledge of what happens when people vocalise sounds where the acoustic features have different temporal envelopes. In the present study, 19 experienced musicians and music producers were asked to imitate 44 sounds with one or two feature envelopes applied. The study addresses two main questions: (1) How accurately can people imitate ramp and modulation envelopes for pitch, loudness, and spectral centroid? ; (2) What happens to this accuracy when people are asked to imitate two feature envelopes simultaneously? The results show that experienced musicians can imitate pitch, loudness, and spectral centroid accurately, and that imitation accuracy is generally preserved when the imitated stimuli combine two, non-necessarily congruent features. This demonstrates the viability of using the voice as a natural means of expressing time series of two features simultaneously.
Evaluation of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Detection of β-Lactam Resistance in Enterobacteriaceae Derived from Blood Cultures

ABSTRACT The identification of pathogens directly from blood cultures by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) can be a valuable tool for improving the treatment of patients with sepsis and bacteremia. However, the increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria makes it difficult to predict resistance patterns based only on pathogen identification. Most therapy regimens for sepsis caused by Gram-negative rods consist of at least one β-lactam antibiotic. Thus, it would be of great benefit to have an early marker of resistance against these drugs. In the current study, we tested 100 consecutive blood cultures containing Enterobacteriaceae for resistance against 3rd-generation cephalosporins in a MALDI-TOF MS β-lactamase assay. Escherichia coli was also tested for resistance against aminopenicillins. The results of the β-lactamase assay were compared with those of conventional methods. The assay permitted discrimination between E. coli strains that were resistant or susceptible to aminopenicillins with a sensitivity and a specificity of 100%. The same was true for resistance to 3rd-generation cephalosporins in Enterobacteriaceae that constitutively produced class C β-lactamases. Discrimination was more difficult in species expressing class A β-lactamases, as these enzymes can generate false-positive results. Thus, the sensitivity and specificity for this group were 100% and 91.5%, respectively. The test permitted the prediction of resistance within 2.5 h after the blood culture was flagged as positive.
Fatty Acid Synthase Inhibitors Induce Apoptosis in Non-Tumorigenic Melan-A Cells Associated with Inhibition of Mitochondrial Respiration

The metabolic enzyme fatty acid synthase (FASN) is responsible for the endogenous synthesis of palmitate, a saturated long-chain fatty acid. In contrast to most normal tissues, a variety of human cancers overexpress FASN. One such cancer is cutaneous melanoma, in which the level of FASN expression is associated with tumor invasion and poor prognosis. We previously reported that two FASN inhibitors, cerulenin and orlistat, induce apoptosis in B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells via the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Here, we investigated the effects of these inhibitors on non-tumorigenic melan-a cells. Cerulenin and orlistat treatments were found to induce apoptosis and decrease cell proliferation, in addition to inducing the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c and activating caspases-9 and -3. Transfection with FASN siRNA did not result in apoptosis. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that treatment with the FASN inhibitors did not alter either the mitochondrial free fatty acid content or composition. This result suggests that cerulenin- and orlistat-induced apoptosis events are independent of FASN inhibition. Analysis of the energy-linked functions of melan-a mitochondria demonstrated the inhibition of respiration, followed by a significant decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and the stimulation of superoxide anion generation. The inhibition of NADH-linked substrate oxidation was approximately 40% and 61% for cerulenin and orlistat treatments, respectively, and the inhibition of succinate oxidation was approximately 46% and 52%, respectively. In contrast, no significant inhibition occurred when respiration was supported by the complex IV substrate N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD). The protection conferred by the free radical scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine indicates that the FASN inhibitors induced apoptosis through an oxidative stress-associated mechanism. In combination, the present results demonstrate that cerulenin and orlistat induce apoptosis in non-tumorigenic cells via mitochondrial dysfunction, independent of FASN inhibition.
Estimating and locating the volumes of multiple primary non-small cell stage-I bronchogenic carcinomas from medical images using specially devised morphological operations

Lung tumour segmentation is one of the challenging tasks in medical image processing due to the high diversity in appearance of tumour tissue among different cases. In this paper, a novel morphological based semi-automatic method for estimating and locating the volumes of multiple primary non-small cell stage-I bronchogenic carcinomas in medical CT DICOM images is proposed. Various morphological image processing techniques along with a sequence of other image processing methods are used. Experiments are carried out on real datasets from various CT DICOM images of lung tumours. The results verify that this method is promising and accurate with the sensitivity of 93.3% and the specificity of 90.0%.