Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time-completeness trade-offs in record linkage using adaptive query processing

Applications that involve data integration among multiple sources often require a preliminary step of data reconciliation in order to ensure that tuples match correctly across the sources. In dynamic settings such as data mashups, however, traditional offline data reconciliation techniques that require prior availability of the data may not be applicable. The alternative, performing similarity joins at query time, is computationally expensive, while ignoring the mismatch problem altogether leads to an incomplete integration. In this paper we make the assumption that, in some dynamic integration scenarios, users may agree to trade the completeness of a join result in return for a faster computation. We explore the consequences of this assumption by proposing a novel, hybrid join algorithm that involves a combination of exact and approximate join operators, managed using adaptive query processing techniques. The algorithm is optimistic: it can switch between physical join operators multiple times throughout query processing, but it only resorts to approximate join operators when there is statistical evidence that result completeness is compromised. Our experiments show that sensible savings in join execution time can be achieved in practice, at the expense of a modest reduction in result completeness.
Successful use of nicotine replacement therapy to quit e‐cigarettes: lack of treatment protocol highlights need for guidelines

Although use of electronic nicotine delivery system devices, such as e‐cigarettes and vapor pens, is on the rise, no treatment protocols exist to help such users quit. We report the case of a 24‐year‐old patient in a tobacco treatment program who successfully quit e‐cigarette use by using nicotine replacement therapy.
A new control mechanism for real-time video transmission based on H.264

Real-time streaming over the Internet has become an important way of delivering video data to the user, but packets may be lost because of the unreliable channel. In some real-time video applications such as video conference and video surveillance systems, time delay and Quality of Service are both very important. This makes the use of error resilience and flow control techniques necessary. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive mechanism for real-time video stream transmission based on H.264. We propose a new framework to meet the realtime application. The key algorithms are improved and a new flow control system is designed to decrease flow of the network. Finally, the experiment shows that our method has achieved the desired results in practice.
ENERGY AWARE SECURITY SERVICES FOR SENSOR NETWORKS

DEDICATION To My Parents v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to express my deep gratitude to Prof. To Manish, Akash and many other friends at UMass, my thanks, for making this a truly memorable time. Their faith in me has encouraged me to go after my dreams. Their constant motivation and prompting has made me work for those dreams and their selfless love and support seen me through failures and successes that have come along the way. My love and reverence for them. Advances in low power electronics, progress in MEMS combined with growth of wireless networking have enabled creation of small, cheap, highly capable wireless sensors which can bridge the gap between computing infrastructure and physical environment. Indeed, these devices are being considered for a wide variety of civil and defense applications in transportation, safety, agriculture, medical, environmental, battlefield and disaster recovery systems. By providing a rich data set of local conditions, sensors enable monitoring and control at a finer granularity than has ever been possible These new devices come with new challenges. To remove the constraints imposed by wires, sensors come with their own limited energy sources and communicate using wireless networks. Given the nature of applications, securing data generated by sensors is critical. While securing sensor data is essential, the cost of doing so in terms of energy requirements needs to be assessed carefully. vii The thesis studies security services required by networked sensors and estimates the energy costs of these measures. We use the results to design EASY (Energy Aware SecuritY Services), a novel approach to security services. In the current implementations, where different security services are isolated from each other, each service ends up adding its communication overhead. By integrating energy-intensive security services that are frequently needed in sensor network applications into a single primitive we significantly reduce the energy consumed in providing these services.
Challenges to Inference in the Study of Crisis Bargaining*

The possibility that actors strategically condition their behavior on partially unobservable factors poses a grave challenge to causal inference, particularly if only some of the actors whose behavior we analyze are at risk of experiencing the outcome of interest. We present a crisis bargaining model that indicates that targets can generally prevent war by arming. We then create a simulated data set where the model is assumed to perfectly describe interactions for those states engaged in crisis bargaining, which we assume most pairs of states are not. We further assume researchers cannot observe which states are engaged in crisis bargaining, although observable variables might serve as proxies. We demonstrate that a naïve design would falsely (and unsurprisingly) indicate a positive relationship between arming and war. More importantly, we then evaluate the performance of matching, instrumental variables, and statistical backwards induction. The latter two show some promise, but matching fares poorly.
Coronary Sinus Atrial Septal Defect (Unroofed Coronary Sinus) with Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection—A Case Report

Introduction: To present a rare occurrence of coronary sinus atrial septal defect (ASD) associated with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). Case Report: A 16-year-old girl was diagnosed with features of an atrial septal defect (ASD) by transthoracic echocardiography and the absence of PLSVC (persistent left superior vena cava) connection to coronary sinus was confirmed by saline contrast echocardiography (“bubble study”). Discussion: The cause of the dilated coronary sinus was due to total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Conclusion: Coronary sinus atrial septal defect (ASD) is a rare interatrial shunt that is commonly associated with a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) and occurs in less than 1% of cases of ASDs. It is characterized by the absence of at least a portion of the common wall that separates the coronary sinus and left atrium. Isolated defects are associated with low rate of morbidity and mortality.
A Feature-Based Approach to Automated Registration of Remotely Sensed Images

In this paper, a new automatic control point selection and matching technique for satellite image registration is proposed. This technique exploits the invariant relations between regions of a reference and a sensed image, respectively. It involves an edge-based selection of the most distinctive control points in the reference image. The search for the corresponding control points in the sensed image is based on local similarity detection by means of template matching according to a combined invariants-based similarity measure. The final transformation of the sensed image according to the selected control points is performed by using the thin-plate spline (TPS) interpolation. The proposed technique has been successfully applied to register multitemporal SPOT images from urban and agricultural areas. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm which have outperformed manual registration in terms of root mean square error at the control points
Can self-compassion improve sleep quality via reduced rumination?

ABSTRACT Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent in modern societies and can be associated with a multitude of problems for individuals and organizations, and also for society at large. Thus, there is a demand for efficient treatments. We suggest that short self-compassion interventions will improve sleep quality via reducing ruminative thoughts, a key variable associated with poor sleep quality. We ran three studies to test this hypothesis. In Study 1 (correlational data), a positive relationship between self-compassion and sleep quality emerged in students’ self-reports. This effect was mediated by rumination. In Study 2, students in two different self-compassion intervention conditions reported higher sleep quality compared to a control condition. Again, rumination mediated this effect. In Study 3, patients with major depressive disorder reported a significant increase in sleep quality and a significant decrease of ruminative thoughts after one week in a daily self-compassion intervention (compared to patients in a control condition). Limitations and implications for future research, such as the need of placebo control groups, objective sleep quality measures, and person–intervention fit designs are discussed.
How Age Affects Journalists’ Adoption of Social Media as an Innovation

American newsrooms are adopting social media as an innovation for greater engagement. However, several organizational and individual factors may affect the extent to which news outlets adopt social media innovations. In particular, there is assumed to be a divide among different age groups of journalists in embracing social media. Utilizing a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, the study seeks to understand how social media culture in newsrooms affects journalists’ strategies of taking social media as an innovation, and how journalists of different age groups differ in the SEM model fit. The analyses indicated Twitter engagement mediates social media culture and journalists’ attitude toward social media. However, that was not the case with Facebook. Additionally, while younger journalists favored Twitter, older journalists embraced Facebook and middle-aged journalists adopted both Facebook and Twitter. The analyses showed the more that middle-aged journalists interacted on Twitter, the more they tended to have a positive attitude toward social media. However, the more that younger and older journalists engaged on Twitter, the more they tended to have a negative attitude toward social media. Journalists from all three age groups tended to hold a negative attitude toward social media if they engaged more on Facebook.
Glycosylated haemoglobin as a predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Glycosylated haemoglobin level (HbA1c) is an indicator of the average blood glucose concentrations over the preceding 2–3 months and is used as a convenient and well-known biomarker in clinical practice. Currently, epidemiological evidence suggests that HbA1c level is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure. This protocol aim is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine relationships of HbA1c levels with cardiovascular outcomes and cause of death, and to analyse the range of HbA1c levels that is a predictor of cardiovascular disease and/or mortality based on data from published observational studies. Methods and analysis The search will be conducted using Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science databases from their inception. Observational studies written in Portuguese, Spanish or English will be included. The Quality In Prognosis Studies tool will be used to assess the risk of bias for the studies included in the systematic review or meta-analysis. HRs for cardiovascular outcomes and causes of death with 95% CIs will be determined as primary outcomes. Subgroup analyses will be performed based on cardiovascular outcomes, cause of death studied, and type of population included in the studies. Ethics and dissemination This systematic review will synthesise evidence on the potential of using HbA1c level as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular disease outcomes and/or mortality. The results will be disseminated by publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Ethics approval will not be needed because the data used for this systematic review will be obtained from published studies and there will be no concerns about privacy. Trial registration number PROSPERO CRD42015032552.
LSBN: A Large-Scale Bayesian Structure Learning Framework for Model Averaging

The motivation for this paper is to apply Bayesian structure learning using Model Averaging in large-scale networks. Currently, Bayesian model averaging algorithm is applicable to networks with only tens of variables, restrained by its super-exponential complexity. We present a novel framework, called LSBN(Large-Scale Bayesian Network), making it possible to handle networks with infinite size by following the principle of divide-and-conquer. The method of LSBN comprises three steps. In general, LSBN first performs the partition by using a second-order partition strategy, which achieves more robust results. LSBN conducts sampling and structure learning within each overlapping community after the community is isolated from other variables by Markov Blanket. Finally LSBN employs an efficient algorithm, to merge structures of overlapping communities into a whole. In comparison with other four state-of-art large-scale network structure learning algorithms such as ARACNE, PC, Greedy Search and MMHC, LSBN shows comparable results in five common benchmark datasets, evaluated by precision, recall and f-score. What's more, LSBN makes it possible to learn large-scale Bayesian structure by Model Averaging which used to be intractable. In summary, LSBN provides an scalable and parallel framework for the reconstruction of network structures. Besides, the complete information of overlapping communities serves as the byproduct, which could be used to mine meaningful clusters in biological networks, such as protein-protein-interaction network or gene regulatory network, as well as in social network.
Therapist Experience and Knowledge Acquisition in Internet-Delivered CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Guided internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) has been tested in several trials on social anxiety disorder (SAD) with moderate to large effects. The aims of this study were threefold. First, to compare the effects of ICBT including online discussion forum with a moderated online discussion forum only. Second, to investigate if knowledge about SAD increased following treatment and third to compare the effects of inexperienced versus experienced therapists on patient outcomes. Methods A total of 204 participants with a primary diagnosis of SAD were included and randomized to either guided ICBT or the control condition. ICBT consisted of a 9-week treatment program which was guided by either psychology students at MSc level (n = 6) or by licensed psychologists with previous experience of ICBT (n = 7). A knowledge test dealing with social anxiety was administered before and after treatment. Measures of social anxiety and secondary outcomes dealing with general anxiety, depression, and quality of life were administered before and after treatment. In addition, a 1-year follow-up was conducted on the treated individuals. Results Immediately following treatment, the ICBT group showed superior outcome on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale self-report version with a between group posttreatment Hedges g effect size of g = 0.75. In addition, significant differences on all the secondary outcomes were observed. Gains were well maintained one year later. Knowledge, as assessed by the knowledge test, increased following treatment with little gain in the control group. Therapist experience did not result in different outcomes, but experienced therapists logged in less frequently compared to the inexperienced therapists, suggesting that they needed less time to support patients. Discussion We conclude that guided ICBT reduce symptoms of SAD, increase knowledge about SAD and that therapist experience does not make a difference apart from the finding that experienced therapist may require less time to guide patients. Trial Registration UMIN.ac. jp UMIN000001383
Prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV patients in Baringo, Kenya

Introduction HIV patients have reduced immune response which makes them more susceptible to different infections. This cross-sectional study was carried out to document the prevalence of intestinal parasites among HIV patients in Baringo County, Kenya. Methods Structured questionnaires were used to collect clinical information after obtaining consent from the participants. Stool samples were collected from 285 respondents for intestinal parasitic examination using direct and formol-ether concentration to detect ova and cysts. Chi-square (X2) statistical analysis was used to test level of significance at P = 0.05 using SPSS. Results A prevalence of 50.9% of intestinal parasites was recorded. Majority of the parasitic infections were waterborne protozoa with few helminthes. There was an association (P < 0.05) between intestinal parasitic infection and place of residence, agro-ecological location, family size, water source, treatment and reliability and diarrheal status. There was no association (P > 0.05) between age groups and gender with parasitic infection. Parasites identified were Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (58.3%), Giardia lamblia (16.6%), Ascaris lumbricoides (8.6%), Entamoeba coli (5.9%), Taenia saginata (5.3%), Trichuris trichuria (1.9%), Enterobius vermicularis (1.9%) and hookworm (1.3%). Conclusion There was high prevalence of intestinal parasites, therefore, health education to HIV patients and community health workers on the importance of good environmental sanitation and personal hygiene could curb water, food and individual contamination promoting good management and care of HIV patients, hence improving their health status.
RBAC Constraints Specification and Enforcement in Extended XACML

Constraints are considered to be the principal motivation for RBAC model. XACML profile for RBAC can not meet the need of expressing static and dynamic RBAC constraints well. We give the XACML syntax of common static and dynamic Separation of Duty constraints and cardinality constraints of RBAC. We also complement Role Enablement Authority to extend this profile in order to enforce these constraints.
Striatal morphology correlates with frontostriatal electrophysiological motor processing in Huntington's disease: an IMAGE‐HD study

Huntington's disease (HD) causes progressive atrophy to the striatum, a critical node in frontostriatal circuitry. Maintenance of motor function is dependent on functional connectivity of these premotor, motor, and dorsolateral frontostriatal circuits, and structural integrity of the striatum itself. We aimed to investigate whether size and shape of the striatum as a measure of frontostriatal circuit structural integrity was correlated with functional frontostriatal electrophysiological neural premotor processing (contingent negative variation, CNV), to better understand motoric structure–function relationships in early HD.
The L 2 F Language Verification System for NIST LRE 2009

This paper presents a description of the INESC-ID’s Spoken Language Systems Laboratory (L 2 F) Language Verification system submitted to the 2009 NIST Language Recognition evaluation. The L 2 F system is composed by the fusion of eight individual sub-systems: four phonotactic systems and four acoustic based methods. Language recognition results have been submitted for the “closed-set”, “open-set” and all the “languagepair” conditions except for the English American versus English Indian pair. The data used for training both the phonotactic and the acoustic models, the calibration and fusion development data and measurements of the processing time of the complete system during test are also described in this document.
She gets a sports car from our donation: rumor transmission in a Chinese microblogging community

In this paper we report on a case study of rumor transmission during a nationwide scandal via China's most popular microblogging service, weibo.com. Specifically, we explore dynamics of the rumor discourse by characterizing different statement types and their evolution over time. We examine the roles that different user groups play in the rumor discussions. Through qualitative and statistical analyses, our results identify seven reaction patterns to rumors and their different development trends. We reveal a three-stage pattern of the change of leadership during the rumor discussions. By connecting social theories on rumor transmission to the large scale social platform, this paper offers insight into understanding rumor development in social media, as well as utilizing microblogging data for effectively detecting, analyzing and controlling public rumors.
A ADAPTIVE METHOD FOR HIERARCHICAL TEXTURE-BASED SEGME TATIO

Texture is a complex concept seen the diversity of its visual aspects, what makes challenging the establishment of a segmentation method while considering the different texture types. Besides, the image segmentation is strongly related to the scale observation and to the definition of an analysis window. We propose an adaptive segmentation providing two levels of texture perception. After the over-segmentation of the image, a statistical analysis is conducted to determine the nature of each region (fine texture vs. coarse texture). Then, a wavelet-based analysis is achieved by adapting the wavelet sub-band choice to the textural nature of each region. Final segmentation is obtained by merging regions, of the same nature, while exploiting an adjacency graph. Results show the accuracy of the proposed method.