Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lower Bounds for Asymptotic Consensus in Dynamic Networks

In this work we study the performance of asymptotic and approximate consensus algorithms in dynamic networks. The asymptotic consensus problem requires a set of agents to repeatedly set their outputs such that the outputs converge to a common value within the convex hull of initial values. This problem, and the related approximate consensus problem, are fundamental building blocks in distributed systems where exact consensus among agents is not required, e.g., man-made distributed control systems, and have applications in the analysis of natural distributed systems, such as flocking and opinion dynamics. We prove new nontrivial lower bounds on the contraction rates of asymptotic consensus algorithms, from which we deduce lower bounds on the time complexity of approximate consensus algorithms. In particular, the obtained bounds show optimality of asymptotic and approximate consensus algorithms presented in [Charron-Bost et al., ICALP'16] for certain classes of networks that include classical failure assumptions, and confine the search for optimal bounds in the general case. Central to our lower bound proofs is an extended notion of valency, the set of reachable limits of an asymptotic consensus algorithm starting from a given configuration. We further relate topological properties of valencies to the solvability of exact consensus, shedding some light on the relation of these three fundamental problems in dynamic networks.
History of one defeat: reform of the Julian calendar as envisaged by Isaac Newton

Having been asked in February 1700 by The Royal Society to respond to G. W. Leibniz's letter from Hanover about the decision of the German states to accept a so-called ‘improved calendar’, Isaac Newton, then Master of the Mint, developed a proposal for the reform of the Julian and Ecclesiastical calendars that was later found among his unpublished manuscripts (now grouped as Yahuda MS 24). His calendar, if implemented, would have become for England a viable alternative to the Gregorian. Despite having a different algorithm, its solar part agrees with the latter until ad 2400 and is more precise in the long run, within a period of 5000 years. Although Newton's lunar algorithm is more elegant than the Gregorian, his Ecclesiastical calendar remained incomplete. We explain why blank spaces were left and data were changed in several of the manuscripts, discuss the time frame and the order in which Newton wrote different drafts of Yahuda MS 24, analyse their relation with three manuscripts from the Cambridge collection, and suggest a reason for Newton's delay and failure to press for the implementation of his calendar. Newton, as can be discerned from his statistical analysis of Hipparchus's equinox observations, can be credited, historically, with the first application of the technique known today as linear regression analysis and also with a remarkable guess about the ancient Greek observations of the equinoxes that recently has been confirmed.
IRAK-M Promotes Alternative Macrophage Activation and Fibroproliferation in Bleomycin-Induced Lung Injury

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating lung disease characterized by inflammation and the development of excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Currently, there are only limited therapeutic intervenes to offer patients diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. Although previous studies focused on structural cells in promoting fibrosis, our study assessed the contribution of macrophages. Recently, TLR signaling has been identified as a regulator of pulmonary fibrosis. IL-1R–associated kinase-M (IRAK-M), a MyD88-dependent inhibitor of TLR signaling, suppresses deleterious inflammation, but may paradoxically promote fibrogenesis. Mice deficient in IRAK-M (IRAK-M−/−) were protected against bleomycin-induced fibrosis and displayed diminished collagen deposition in association with reduced production of IL-13 compared with wild-type (WT) control mice. Bone marrow chimera experiments indicated that IRAK-M expression by bone marrow–derived cells, rather than structural cells, promoted fibrosis. After bleomycin, WT macrophages displayed an alternatively activated phenotype, whereas IRAK-M−/− macrophages displayed higher expression of classically activated macrophage markers. Using an in vitro coculture system, macrophages isolated from in vivo bleomycin-challenged WT, but not IRAK-M−/−, mice promoted increased collagen and α-smooth muscle actin expression from lung fibroblasts in an IL-13–dependent fashion. Finally, IRAK-M expression is upregulated in peripheral blood cells from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients and correlated with markers of alternative macrophage activation. These data indicate expression of IRAK-M skews lung macrophages toward an alternatively activated profibrotic phenotype, which promotes collagen production, leading to the progression of experimental pulmonary fibrosis.
The Effectiveness of Concept Based Search for Video Retrieval

In this paper we investigate how a small number of high-level concepts derived for video shots, such as Sport. Face.Indoor. etc., can be used effectively for ad hoc search in video material. We will answer the following questions: 1) Can we automatically construct concept queries from ordinary text queries? 2) What is the best way to combine evidence from single concept detectors into final search results? We evaluated algorithms for automatic concept query formulation using WordNet based concept extraction, and we evaluated algorithms for fast, on-line combination of concepts. Experimental results on data from the TREC Video 2005 workshop and 25 test users show the following. 1) Automatic query formulation through WordNet based concept extraction can achieve comparable results to user created query concepts and 2) Combination methods that take neighboring shots into account outperform more simple combination methods.
A Comparison of Methods for Measuring Achievement in Basic Skills Program Evaluation

Standardized achievement tests continue to be used as the primary criterion measures in the evaluation of basic skills programs despite explicit recommendations against this practice by many testing and evaluation experts. A major issue behind this criticism is examined in this comparative study of three types of tests. These tests represent three points on a content validity continuum which references their correspondence to the instructional program being evaluated. Data are examined on these tests at two levels in eight groups of elementary school students receiving instruction on various basic skills. The results show why and how standardized tests provide different information from other tests that are more closely matched to program instruction. They also show why out-of-level standardized test results often correspond more closely to the results of instructionally referenced tests as compared to at-level tests. The implications of this research for basic skill program evaluations are discussed.
Real time monitoring of endogenous cytoplasmic mRNA using linear antisense 2′-O-methyl RNA probes in living cells

Visualization and monitoring of endogenous mRNA in the cytoplasm of living cells promises a significant comprehension of refined post-transcriptional regulation. Fluorescently labeled linear antisense oligonucleotides can bind to natural mRNA in a sequence-specific way and, therefore, provide a powerful tool in probing endogenous mRNA. Here, we investigated the feasibility of using linear antisense probes to monitor the variable and dynamic expression of endogenous cytoplasmic mRNAs. Two linear antisense 2′-O-methyl RNA probes, which have different interactive fluorophores at the 5′-end of one probe and at the 3′-end of the other, were used to allow fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) upon hybridization to the target mRNA. By characterizing the formation of the probe-mRNA hybrids in living cells, we found that the probe composition and concentration are crucial parameters in the visualization of endogenous mRNA with high specificity. Furthermore, rapid hybridization (within 1 min) of the linear antisense probe enabled us to visualize dynamic processes of endogenous c-fos mRNA, such as fast elevation of levels after gene induction and the localization of c-fos mRNA in stress granules in response to cellular stress. Thus, our approach provides a basis for real time monitoring of endogenous cytoplasmic mRNA in living cells.
An Effective Method for Defense against IP Spoofing Attack

With the wide usage of internet in many fields, networks are being exposed to many security threats, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, worm/virus, and so on. So prevention failure of network security leads to the revealing of information or interruption of network services, thereby results in the enormous economic loss. In this paper, we propose an effective method for defense against IP spoofing attack, which is based on traceroute and the cooperation with trusted adjacent nodes. We present the results of the experiment, compare the method with others. The result demonstrates that the method can effectively and steadily detect the IP spoofing attack, thereby blocks it.
Emotion Detection Based on Concept Inference and Spoken Sentence Analysis for Customer Service

In this study, we aim to construct an emotion detection system, which is capable of recognizing emotions of customers from product feedback forms for customer service. The proposed system integrated the ontology and the fuzzy inference algorithm for analyzing and recognizing various emotions through verbal/spoken sentences. Companies can evaluate users’ degree of satisfaction from emotions and automatically find out opinions of interest, saving unnecessary human resources. In order to tag emotion labels and compute the relation strength between concepts, we have proposed two algorithms: One is the semantic parser based on natural language processing technique and emotion distance calculation; the other is the concept semantic knowledge database (OMCSNet) combined with fuzzy inference algorithm. Each sentence is then sent into the inference engine for determining its corresponding emotion. Compared with the other baseline systems, our experimental results showed that the emotion recognition rate was increased by 10% on average. The experiments also demonstrated the efficacy of our proposed approaches.
Plasmid-Determined Resistance to Erythromycin: Comparison of Strains of Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pyogenes with Regard to Plasmid Homology and Resistance Inducibility

Streptococcus faecalis strains DS-5 and Streptococcus pyogenes strain AC-1 both have a 17 million dalton plasmid that determines resistance to erythromycin, lincomycin, and vernamycin Bα. The results of deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization experiments indicate that the two plasmids are about 95% homologous. It was also shown that erythromycin resistance is inducible in AC-1 and constitutive in DS-5.
Privacy-preserving approach for sharing and processing intrusion alert data

Amplified and disrupting cyber-attacks might lead to severe security incidents with drastic consequences such as large property damage, sensitive information breach, or even disruption of the national economy. While traditional intrusion detection and prevention system might successfully detect low or moderate levels of attack, the cooperation among different organizations is necessary to defend against multi-stage and large-scale cyber-attacks. Correlating intrusion alerts from a shared database of multiple sources provides security analysts with succinct and high-level patterns of cyber-attacks - a powerful tool to combat with sophisticate attacks. However, sharing intrusion alert data raises a significant privacy concern among data holders, since publishing this information means a risk of exposing other sensitive information such as intranet topology, network services, and the security infrastructure. This paper discusses possible cryptographic approaches to tackle this issue. Organizers can encrypt their intrusion alert data to protect data confidentiality and outsource them to a shared server to reduce the cost of storage and maintenance, while, at the same time, benefit from a larger source of information for alert correlation process. Two privacy preserving alert correlation techniques are proposed under semi-honest model. These methods are based on attribute similarity and prerequisite/consequence conditions of cyber-attacks.
A single-phase D-STATCOM inverter for distributed energy sources

Currently many utilities are resistant to the idea of increasing the penetration of distributed energy sources on distribution systems. The majority of distribution systems in the United States are radial and provide utilities with no communication or feedback on the low-voltage side of the substation. This makes the dynamic control of feeder lines very limited with time steps that are well above the variable power output of wind turbines and solar installations. This is in part due to the added technical difficulties associated with maintaining compliance with IEEE standards. This paper presents the design of a unique inverter with D-STATCOM capability for small to mid-sized (10kW-20kW) permanent magnet wind installations. The proposed inverter can actively regulate VARs on individual feeder lines at a programmable output while providing the variable output power of the renewable energy source. The aim is to provide utilities with distributive control of VAR compensation and power factor correction on feeder lines. The designed inverter utilizes a multi-level voltage-source converter (VSC) topology. Reactive power control is achieved by modulation index control. Active power control is achieved by phase-shift-angle control and VSC harmonics are eliminated by the optimized harmonic stepped waveform technique (OHSW). All simulations were done in MATLAB.
An efficient K-means algorithm for Massive Data

Due to the progressive growth of the amount of data available in a wide variety of scientific fields, it has become more difficult to ma- nipulate and analyze such information. Even though datasets have grown in size, the K-means algorithm remains as one of the most popular clustering methods, in spite of its dependency on the initial settings and high computational cost, especially in terms of distance computations. In this work, we propose an efficient approximation to the K-means problem intended for massive data. Our approach recursively partitions the entire dataset into a small number of sub- sets, each of which is characterized by its representative (center of mass) and weight (cardinality), afterwards a weighted version of the K-means algorithm is applied over such local representation, which can drastically reduce the number of distances computed. In addition to some theoretical properties, experimental results indicate that our method outperforms well-known approaches, such as the K-means++ and the minibatch K-means, in terms of the relation between number of distance computations and the quality of the approximation.
AIS Electronic Library (AISeL)

A good mobility model can help researchers to study the user mobility issues in many areas (wireless LAN context switching). In this paper, we propose a new framework for constructing a realistic mobility model incorporating decision and operation models. We use the revised social force model to simulate the realistic mobile users’ movements and artificial neural networks (ANN) models to create a decision model within the proposed mobility framework
Interaction between Coat Morphogenetic Proteins SafA and SpoVID

ABSTRACT Morphogenetic proteins such as SpoVID and SafA govern assembly of the Bacillus subtilis endospore coat by guiding the various protein structural components to the surface of the developing spore. Previously, a screen for peptides able to interact with SpoVID led to the identification of a PYYH motif present in the C-terminal half of the SafA protein and to the subsequent demonstration that SpoVID and SafA directly interact. spoVID and safA spores show deficiencies in coat assembly and are lysozyme susceptible. Both proteins, orthologs of which are found in all Bacillus species, have LysM domains for peptidoglycan binding and localize to the cortex-coat interface. Here, we show that the interaction between SafA and SpoVID involves the PYYH motif (region B) but also a 13-amino-acid region (region A) just downstream of the N-terminal LysM domain of SafA. We show that deletion of region B does not block the interaction of SafA with SpoVID, nor does it bring about spore susceptibility to lysozyme. Nevertheless, it appears to reduce the interaction and affects the complex. In contrast, lesions in region A impaired the interaction of SafA with SpoVID in vitro and, while not affecting the accumulation of SafA in vivo, interfered with the localization of SafA around the developing spore, causing aberrant assembly of the coat and lysozyme sensitivity. A peptide corresponding to region A interacts with SpoVID, suggesting that residues within this region directly contact SpoVID. Since region A is highly conserved among SafA orthologs, this motif may be an important determinant of coat assembly in the group of Bacillus spore formers.
Sensitizing ESL Learners to Genre

This article evaluates the efficacy of explicit genre-based instruction by sensitizing the ESL learners to the concept of genre. The main questions addressed are: How does sensitizing ESL learners to the rhetorical move structure of a genre, the communicative purposes of these moves, and linguistic features that realize these moves help them to become confident writers? What impact does this sensitization have on the learners? To answer these questions, an experiment was carried out by identifying two genres--sales promotion and job application letters--and a text-type--academic essays. This was done for two different groups of students with two different needs--English for Specific Academic Purposes and English for General Academic Purposes. Pre- and post-tests were conducted. An analysis of these test scripts revealed that the students improved not only their confidence to handle genres but also their attitude toward language learning, as explicit instruction provided them with "a concrete opportunity to acquire conceptual and cultural frameworks to undertake writing tasks beyond the courses in which such teaching occurs" (Cheng, 2006, p. 77). The findings drawn from the analysis were also crosschecked for corroboration with the students' responses on the questionnaire and observations recorded in the teaching journal. The findings suggest that knowledge of genre and the generic features works as a powerful pedagogical tool for teachers and it benefits students as well.
A Scan for Human-Specific Relaxation of Negative Selection Reveals Unexpected Polymorphism in Proteasome Genes

Environmental or genomic changes during evolution can relax negative selection pressure on specific loci, permitting high frequency polymorphisms at previously conserved sites. Here, we jointly analyze population genomic and comparative genomic data to search for functional processes showing relaxed negative selection specifically in the human lineage, whereas remaining evolutionarily conserved in other mammals. Consistent with previous studies, we find that olfactory receptor genes display such a signature of relaxation in humans. Intriguingly, proteasome genes also show a prominent signal of human-specific relaxation: multiple proteasome subunits, including four members of the catalytic core particle, contain high frequency nonsynonymous polymorphisms at sites conserved across mammals. Chimpanzee proteasome genes do not display a similar trend. Human proteasome genes also bear no evidence of recent positive or balancing selection. These results suggest human-specific relaxation of negative selection in proteasome subunits; the exact biological causes, however, remain unknown.
The Malleability of Bicultural Identity Integration (BII)

Bicultural Identity Integration (BII), or biculturals’ perceived compatibility between their two cultural identities, has been found to predict a variety of psychological processes and behavioral outcomes. However, it is not clear why biculturals differ in their levels of BII. We suggest that the valence of bicultural experiences influences BII. Furthermore, we predict that biculturals’ level of BII can be changed momentarily by recalling valenced bicultural experiences. An experimental study manipulating recall of positive or negative bicultural experiences found that recalling positive bicultural experiences increased BII, whereas recalling negative bicultural experiences decreased BII. However, recalling experiences irrelevant to bicultural experiences did not change BII. Theoretical and practical implications of the malleability of BII are discussed.
Cooperative Learning in Physical Education

: Gymnastics exercises? Strengthening exercises? Oh, that is boring. Not necessarily. Gymnastics and strengthening exercises in a pair or group, making human pyramids, acro yoga. can make Physical Education even more interesting and attractive for pupils. During my lessons I have noticed that especially typical total body strength training can be boring. To avoid this problem, we can use one of the learning techniques called cooperative learning. This method utilizes small groups of students working together to maximize their own and one another’s learning. In this way we can improve certain motor or functional skills in addition to having fun. We recorded the activities, made 25 videos and wrote instructions in the English language. This project was part of the KA2 project Erasmus+ Cell (Cooperative Europe Looking for Learning) with two more partners from Spain and Poland. At the end of last school year we tested pupils attending all three partner schools and used those videos to improve skills that turned out to be underdeveloped. Pupils
SOURCE: a unified genomic resource of functional annotations, ontologies, and gene expression data

The explosion in the number of functional genomic datasets generated with tools such as DNA microarrays has created a critical need for resources that facilitate the interpretation of large-scale biological data. SOURCE is a web-based database that brings together information from a broad range of resources, and provides it in manner particularly useful for genome-scale analyses. SOURCE's GeneReports include aliases, chromosomal location, functional descriptions, GeneOntology annotations, gene expression data, and links to external databases. We curate published microarray gene expression datasets and allow users to rapidly identify sets of co-regulated genes across a variety of tissues and a large number of conditions using a simple and intuitive interface. SOURCE provides content both in gene and cDNA clone-centric pages, and thus simplifies analysis of datasets generated using cDNA microarrays. SOURCE is continuously updated and contains the most recent and accurate information available for human, mouse, and rat genes. By allowing dynamic linking to individual gene or clone reports, SOURCE facilitates browsing of large genomic datasets. Finally, SOURCEs batch interface allows rapid extraction of data for thousands of genes or clones at once and thus facilitates statistical analyses such as assessing the enrichment of functional attributes within clusters of genes. SOURCE is available at http://source.stanford. edu.