Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COMPARISON OF MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR DOCUMENT RANKING PROBLEM

The document ranking problem is a well-known problem which appears for example in search engines. Once a search engine has identified a set of potentially relevant documents it faces the problem to determine which of them are more relevant and which are less, it means to range this documents by relevancy. This is typically done by assigning a numerical score to each document based on a ranking function, which incorporates features of the document, the query, and the overall document collection. Main issues of determining ranking function are high dimensionality of feature space and large amount of data. We present applications of several machine learning techniques (including median statistics, k-nearest neighbor, linear regression, neural networks) to obtaining ranking function from the training dataset, and then we estimate quality of this function using test set. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of each technique and compare them by efficiency and accuracy. Both learning and testing data sets are real-world data provided by Yandex assessors.
Zero-Shot Event Detection Using Multi-modal Fusion of Weakly Supervised Concepts

Current state-of-the-art systems for visual content analysis require large training sets for each class of interest, and performance degrades rapidly with fewer examples. In this paper, we present a general framework for the zeroshot learning problem of performing high-level event detection with no training exemplars, using only textual descriptions. This task goes beyond the traditional zero-shot framework of adapting a given set of classes with training data to unseen classes. We leverage video and image collections with free-form text descriptions from widely available web sources to learn a large bank of concepts, in addition to using several off-the-shelf concept detectors, speech, and video text for representing videos. We utilize natural language processing technologies to generate event description features. The extracted features are then projected to a common high-dimensional space using text expansion, and similarity is computed in this space. We present extensive experimental results on the large TRECVID MED [26] corpus to demonstrate our approach. Our results show that the proposed concept detection methods significantly outperform current attribute classifiers such as Classemes [34], ObjectBank [21], and SUN attributes[28] . Further, we find that fusion, both within as well as between modalities, is crucial for optimal performance.
The influence of environmental conditions on the benefits of aerobic gymnastics

It has been showed that the positive mood effects of aerobics may be eliminated by unpleasant working conditions. The aim of this study was to test the dependence of fitness improvement in aerobics on environmental conditions. The study was performed on three aerobic dance groups (total of 42 women, aged between 19 and 27 years old). According to a special questionnaire, the participants evaluated the environmental working conditions as good in two groups and unsatisfactory in the third group. Mood testing (STAI and PANAS) confirmed positive acute affects in groups 1 and 2 and a lack of positive mood changes in group 3. The heart rate monitoring showed that the workload of the exercise sessions observed was approximately the same. The 12-week training programme caused significant improvements of forward trunk bend in all groups. No significant changes occurred in Harvard step-test index (obviously due to the high initial level) and standing broad jump. The medicine ball throw improved in group 1 and group 3 but not in group 2. The number of squats in 30 s increased in groups 1 and 2, and of sit-ups only in group 3. In conclusion, the negative mood affects generated by the unpleasant working conditions did not alter the influence of aerobics dance on fitness improvement.
Secure Data Retrieval Based on Ciphertext Policy Attribute-Based Encryption ( CP-ABE ) System for the DTNs

Mobile Nodes in some challenging network scenarios suffer from intermittent connectivity and frequent partitions e.g. battlefield and disaster recovery scenarios. Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN) technologies are designed to enable nodes in such environments to communicate with one another. Several application scenarios require a security design that provides fine grain access control to contents stored in storage nodes within a DTN or to contents of the messages routed through the network. In this paper, we propose an access control scheme which is based on the Ciphertext Policy Attributed-Based Encryption (CP-ABE) approach. Our scheme provides a flexible fine-grained access control such that the encrypted contents can only be accessed by authorized users. Two unique features our scheme provide are: (i) the incorporation of dynamic attributes whose value may change over time, and (ii) the revocation feature. We also provide some performance results from our im-
Assessing portfolio risk for a pairs trading strategy.

Pairs trading is an old Wall Street strategy often used in trading books and is based on joint economic forces between two assets. Since the strategy is executed by trading on temporary adverse movements in the paired assets and selling upon mean reversion, it is reasonable to assume that the assets are co-integrated. The risk level of trading books have become more restricted over the last years with the Basel capital adequacy standards, which estimate the risk with a ten day Value at Risk (VaR) forecast. This paper studies if VaR over reports the risk for a portfolio, containing A and B stocks, under a pairs trading strategy due to no consideration of co-integrated assets. This is done through a multivariate simultaneous equation system where the risk is assessed through a ten day period Monte Carlo simulation. Based on the sample, this paper finds that VaR overshoots the risk on average by 15.93 percent for a 99 percent VaR confidence level and 14.89 percent for a 95 percent confidence level. This indicates that the risk in trading books containing co-integrated assets can be increased without breaking the capital adequacy.
Resiliency and Sustainability: Eight Elements for Superintendents Who Want to Make a Difference and Have the Resolve to Do So.

TEAM TIP Although this article is written specifically for school superintendents, teams from organizations of all kinds can benefit from its principles. Each of the eight elements of sustainability can be adapted to other settings. For example, leadership development is key for organizations in every sector.As a group exercise, go through the eight elements and “translate” each item so that it applies more directly to your organization.Then evaluate what strategies and actions your enterprise could take in support of each of these tenets. SYSTEMS T H I N K E R®
A Short History of Posterior Dynamic Stabilization

Interspinous spacers were developed to treat local deformities such as degenerative spondylolisthesis. To treat patients with chronic instability, posterior pedicle fixation and rod-based dynamic stabilization systems were developed as alternatives to fusion surgeries. Dynamic stabilization is the future of spinal surgery, and in the near future, we will be able to see the development of new devices and surgical techniques to stabilize the spine. It is important to follow the development of these technologies and to gain experience using them. In this paper, we review the literature and discuss the dynamic systems, both past and present, used in the market to treat lumbar degeneration.
A LDA-based method for automatic tagging of Youtube videos

This article presents a method for automatic tagging of Youtube videos. The proposed method combines an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system, that extracts the spoken contents, and a keyword extraction component that aims at finding a small set of tags representing a video. In order to improve the robustness of the tagging system to the recognition errors, a video transcription is represented in a topic space obtained by a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), in which each dimension is automatically characterized by a list of weighted terms. Tags are extracted by combining the weighted word list of the best LDA classes. We evaluate this method by employing the user-provided tags of Youtube videos as reference and we investigate the impact of the topic model granularity. The obtained results demonstrate the interest of such model to improve the robustness of the tagging system.
MRTS: A Robust and Scalable Architecture for Metro Rail Ticketing System

The mobile revolution has distorted the lives of people, providing not just communication but also basic financial access in the form of phone based money transfer and storage. With the emerging mobile technology innovations, making use of mobile as a virtual device for online transactions has overcome the effort to be put for physical transactions as mobile phone is used with a great versatility in our daily life, the use of this technology in the transportation sector via the ticketing process would be of a great support for thousands of passengers moving to and fro for their livelihood. The proposed architecture MRTS (Metro Rail Ticketing System) put forth an advanced mobile app, supports not only for online transportation money transaction but also many other wow factor facilities. The app would not only be proven to reduce the effort of physical transaction process but would also be proven to be secured, time saving, and highly compatible.
Electrical Synapses and Synchrony: The Role of Intrinsic Currents

Electrical synapses are ubiquitous in the mammalian CNS. Particularly in the neocortex, electrical synapses have been shown to connect low-threshold spiking (LTS) as well as fast spiking (FS) interneurons. Experiments have highlighted the roles of electrical synapses in the dynamics of neuronal networks. Here we investigate theoretically how intrinsic cell properties affect the synchronization of neurons interacting by electrical synapses. Numerical simulations of a network of conductance-based neurons randomly connected with electrical synapses show that potassium currents promote synchrony, whereas the persistent sodium current impedes it. Furthermore, synchrony varies with the firing rate in qualitatively different ways depending on the intrinsic currents. We also study analytically a network of quadratic integrate-and-fire neurons. We relate the stability of the asynchronous state of this network to the phase-response function (PRF), which characterizes the effect of small perturbations on the firing timing of the neurons. In particular, we show that the greater the skew of the PRF toward the first half of the period, the more stable the asynchronous state. Combining our simulations with our analytical results, we establish general rules to predict the dynamic state of large networks of neurons coupled with electrical synapses. Our work provides a natural explanation for surprising experimental observations that blocking electrical synapses may increase the synchrony of neuronal activity. It also suggests different synchronization properties for LTS and FS cells. Finally, we propose to further test our predictions in experiments using dynamic clamp techniques.
p24 Proteins and Quality Control of LIN-12 and GLP-1 Trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans

Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans sel-9 gene elevate the activity of lin-12 and glp-1, which encode members of the LIN-12/NOTCH family of receptors. Sequence analysis indicates SEL-9 is one of several C. elegans p24 proteins. Allele-specific genetic interactions suggest that reducing sel-9 activity increases the activity of mutations altering the extracellular domains of LIN-12 or GLP-1. Reducing sel-9 activity restores the trafficking to the plasma membrane of a mutant GLP-1 protein that would otherwise accumulate within the cell. Our results suggest a role for SEL-9 and other p24 proteins in the negative regulation of transport of LIN-12 and GLP-1 to the cell surface, and favor a role for p24 proteins in a quality control mechanism for endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi transport.
Perceived Sexual Orientation Based on Vocal and Facial Stimuli Is Linked to Self-Rated Sexual Orientation in Czech Men

Previous research has shown that lay people can accurately assess male sexual orientation based on limited information, such as face, voice, or behavioral display. Gender-atypical traits are thought to serve as cues to sexual orientation. We investigated the presumed mechanisms of sexual orientation attribution using a standardized set of facial and vocal stimuli of Czech men. Both types of stimuli were rated for sexual orientation and masculinity-femininity by non-student heterosexual women and homosexual men. Our data showed that by evaluating vocal stimuli both women and homosexual men can judge sexual orientation of the target men in agreement with their self-reported sexual orientation. Nevertheless, only homosexual men accurately attributed sexual orientation of the two groups from facial images. Interestingly, facial images of homosexual targets were rated as more masculine than heterosexual targets. This indicates that attributions of sexual orientation are affected by stereotyped association between femininity and male homosexuality; however, reliance on such cues can lead to frequent misjudgments as was the case with the female raters. Although our study is based on a community sample recruited in a non-English speaking country, the results are generally consistent with the previous research and thus corroborate the validity of sexual orientation attributions.
Harnessing the power of DHTs to build dynamic quorums in large-scale enterprise infrastructures

Recently, enterprises owning a large IT hardware and software infrastructure have started looking at Peer-to-peer technologies as a mean both to reduce costs and to help their technical divisions to manage huge number of devices characterized by a high level of cooperation and a relatively low churn. Obtaining the complete and exclusive control of the system for maintenance or auditing purposes in these enterprise infrastructures is a fundamental operation to be implemented. In the context of classical distributed applications, quorum systems have been considered as a major building block for implementing many paradigms, from distributed mutual exclusion to data replication management. In this paper, we explore how to architect decentralized protocols implementing quorum systems in Distributed Hash Table based cooperative P2P networks. This paper introduces some design principles for both quorum systems and protocols using them that boost their scalability and performance. These design principles consist of a dynamic and decentralized selection of quorums and in the exposure and exploitation of internals of the DHT. As a third design principle it is also shown how to redesign quorum systems to enable efficient decentralization.
The tracheae defective gene encodes a bZIP protein that controls tracheal cell movement during Drosophila embryogenesis

The tracheae defective (tdf) gene is required for the formation of the tracheal system during Drosophila embryogenesis. It encodes a putative bZIP transcription factor (TDF). Antibodies directed against TDF detect a nuclear protein in all tracheal cells before invagination and throughout tracheal system morphogenesis. Examination of tdf mutants revealed that tdf activity is not necessary for determining tracheal cell identity but for subsequent morphogenetic cell movements. tdf activity is under the control of trachealess, the key regulator gene for tracheal development. In contrast, tdf activity is not dependent on and does not interfere with the fibroblast growth factor‐ (FGF) and Decapentaplegic‐ (DPP) mediated signalling that direct guided tracheal cell migration. Our results suggest that lack of tdf activity affects tracheal cell migration in general rather than specific aspects of cell migration. tdf activity involves a maternal and zygotic component and its requirement is not limited to tracheal system formation. The complex spatiotemporal patterns of TDF expression in the embryo correspond to defects, suggesting that cell migration is impaired. We propose that the bZIP protein TDF functions as a co‐regulator of target genes that provide cells with the ability to migrate.
Extensive Recombination Due to Heteroduplexes Generates Large Amounts of Artificial Gene Fragments during PCR

Artificial recombinants can be generated during PCR when more than two genetically distinct templates coexist in a single PCR reaction. These recombinant amplicons can lead to the false interpretation of genetic diversity and incorrect identification of biological phenotypes that do not exist in vivo. We investigated how recombination between 2 or 35 genetically distinct HIV-1 genomes was affected by different PCR conditions using the parallel allele-specific sequencing (PASS) assay and the next generation sequencing method. In a standard PCR condition, about 40% of amplicons in a PCR reaction were recombinants. The high recombination frequency could be significantly reduced if the number of amplicons in a PCR reaction was below a threshold of 1013–1014 using low thermal cycles, fewer input templates, and longer extension time. Heteroduplexes (each DNA strand from a distinct template) were present at a large proportion in the PCR products when more thermal cycles, more templates, and shorter extension time were used. Importantly, the majority of recombinants were identified in heteroduplexes, indicating that the recombinants were mainly generated through heteroduplexes. Since prematurely terminated extension fragments can form heteroduplexes by annealing to different templates during PCR amplification, recombination has a better chance to occur with samples containing different genomes when the number of amplicons accumulate over the threshold. New technologies are warranted to accurately characterize complex quasispecies gene populations.
Omid: Lock-free transactional support for distributed data stores

In this paper, we introduce Omid, a tool for lock-free transactional support in large data stores such as HBase. Omid uses a centralized scheme and implements snapshot isolation, a property that guarantees that all read operations of a transaction are performed on a consistent snapshot of the data. In a lock-based approach, the unreleased, distributed locks that are held by a failed or slow client block others. By using a centralized scheme for Omid, we are able to implement a lock-free commit algorithm, which does not suffer from this problem. Moreover, Omid lightly replicates a read-only copy of the transaction metadata into the clients where they can locally service a large part of queries on metadata. Thanks to this technique, Omid does not require modifying either the source code of the data store or the tables' schema, and the overhead on data servers is also negligible. The experimental results show that our implementation on a simple dual-core machine can service up to a thousand of client machines. While the added latency is limited to only 10 ms, Omid scales up to 124K write transactions per second. Since this capacity is multiple times larger than the maximum reported traffic in similar systems, we do not expect the centralized scheme of Omid to be a bottleneck even for current large data stores.
A Flexible Statistical Method for Detecting Genomic Copy-Number Changes Using Hidden Markov Models with Reversible Jump MCMC

We have developed a statistical method for the analysis of array-based CGH data to detect genomic DNA copy number changes. Our method allows us to answer the biologically relevant questions (what is the probability that a given gene or region has increased or decreased copy number changes) in a clear and simple way, within a rigorous statistical framework. We use a non-homogeneous Hidden Markov Model that incorporates distance between genes, a crucial requirement to analyze data from platforms where distances between probes is highly variable. As the true number of hidden states (states of copy number changes) is not known in advance in biological samples, we do not fix the number of hidden states of the model, but use Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo for inference. We can therefore investigate the likely number of hidden states in the data and, more importantly, provide posterior probabilities that a gene or a set of genes is in a given state. To summarize results, we employ Bayesian Model Averaging, averaging over models with different states, and thus incorporating model uncertainty. Our method can be used to analyze data from each chromosome independently or all chromosomes together, offering both flexibility in the biological phenomena studied and increased statistical precision. Thus, our method provides a rigorous statistical foundation for locating genes and chromosomal regions with altered copy number and potentially related to cancer and other complex diseases.
An Accountable Identity-Based Billing Protocol for Cloud Environment

Various IT strategies to utilize cost-saving cloud computing environment have been widely adopted by individuals, enterprises, and governments to reduce hardware and infrastructure management cost. Therefore, how to establish a trustable billing service between cloud computing providers and their customers is a critical issue for pay-per-use based cloud computing services. In this paper, a secure identity-based billing protocol is proposed to support customer authentication, serivice consumption verification, and billing accountability during a billing transaction session.
Changes of Orcadian Blood Pressure Patterns After Hemodynamic and Thromboembolic Brain Infarction

We investigated the changes of circadian blood pressure patterns after thromboembolic and hemodynamic brain infarction and evaluated the relation between circadian blood pressure variation, infarct location, and activation of the autonomic nervous system after thromboembolic stroke. Methods Repeated 24-hour blood pressure measurements were performed in 45 patients with proven first-ever brain infarctions of different origins. Evaluation of serum norepinephrine concentration, prolongation of the QT interval, and degree of cardiac arrhythmias were used to determine the extent of sympathetic activation after thromboembolic stroke. Results Whereas circadian blood pressure variation was significantly increased after hemodynamic infarction compared with a control group (diastolic, −25.2±4.5% versus −13.8±6.5%; P<.005), a clearly reduced variation was observed after thromboembolic infarction (diastolic, −5.2±6.9%). Blood pressure variation was positively related to serum norepinephrine concentration (r=.79; P<01) after thromboembolic infarction. Patients with involvement of the insular cortex showed a nocturnal rise of blood pressure significantly more frequently (66.7% versus 11.8%; p<.005) and had higher norepinephrine levels (540±110 pg/mL versus 290±178 pg/mL; P<.01) than patients without insular cortex infarction, indicating increased sympathetic activity. This was associated with a significantly more frequent occurrence of QT prolongation and cardiac arrhythmias. Conclusions The observed differences in circadian blood pressure patterns may (1) help to distinguish the pathophysiological basis of the stroke, (2) help to explain worsening in some cases of hemodynamic stroke, (3) confirm the importance of the insular cortex for sympathetic activation, and (4) identify subgroups of patients with increased risk of myocardial infarction and arrhythmia.