Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Binary codes from graphs on triples and permutation decoding

We show that permutation decoding can be used, and give explicit PD-sets in the symmetric group, for some of the binary codes obtained from the adjacency matrices of the graphs on ` n 3 vertices, for n ≥ 7, with adjacency defined by the vertices as 3-sets being adjacent if they have zero, one or two elements in common, respectively.
Estimation of Gaussian, Poissonian–Gaussian, and Processed Visual Noise and Its Level Function

We propose a method for estimating the image and video noises of different types: white Gaussian (signal-independent), mixed Poissonian-Gaussian (signal-dependent), or processed (non-white). Our method also estimates the noise level function (NLF) of these types. We do so by classifying image patches based on their intensity and variance in order to find homogeneous regions that best represent the noise. We assume that the noise variance is a piecewise linear function of intensity in each intensity class. To find noise representative regions, noisy (signal-free) patches are first nominated in each intensity class. Next, clusters of connected patches are weighted, where the weights are calculated based on the degree of similarity to the noise model. The highest ranked cluster defines the peak noise variance, and other selected clusters are used to approximate the NLF. The more information we incorporate, such as temporal data and camera settings, the more reliable the estimation becomes. To account for the processed noise, (i.e., remaining after in-camera processing), we consider the ratio of low-to-high-frequency energies. We address noise variations along video signals using a temporal stabilization of the estimated noise. Objective and subjective simulations demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms other noise estimation techniques, both in accuracy and speed.
Cancer Risk and Incidence Trends: The Connecticut Perspective

seventh chapter considers clinical aspects of the disease, with an emphasis on Kaposi's sarcoma as it relates to AIDS. Two color plates depict nodular and oral lesions. Features of Kaposi's sarcoma distinguished on radiographs are presented next, with extensive illustrations. Finally, the treatment of the tumor is considered in a discussion of radiation therapy for AIDS patients and in a more general, but brief, discussion of chemotherapy. Kaposi's Sarcoma: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management is well referenced and well organized. It is also quite readable and of a manageable size, although this feature creates an unnecessary brevity in a few areas. The volume will be a useful addition to the bookshelves of physicians and medical students interested in AIDS, oncology, dermatology, pathology, and the etiology of multifactorial oncogenesis.
Are People Successful at Learning Sequences of Actions on a Perceptual Matching Task?

We report the results of an experiment in which human subjects were trained to perform a perceptual matching task. Subjects were asked to manipulate comparison objects until they matched target objects using the fewest manipulations possible. An unusual feature of the experimental task is that efficient performance requires an understanding of the hidden or latent causal structure governing the relationships between actions and perceptual outcomes. We use two benchmarks to evaluate the quality of subjects' learning. One benchmark is based on optimal performance as calculated by a dynamic programming procedure. The other is based on an adaptive computational agent that uses a reinforcement-learning method known as Q-learning to learn to perform the task. Our analyses suggest that subjects were successful learners. In particular, they learned to perform the perceptual matching task in a near-optimal manner (i.e., using a small number of manipulations) at the end of training. Subjects were able to achieve near-optimal performance because they learned, at least partially, the causal structure underlying the task. In addition, subjects' performances were broadly consistent with those of model-based reinforcement-learning agents that built and used internal models of how their actions influenced the external environment. We hypothesize that people will achieve near-optimal performances on tasks requiring sequences of action-especially sensorimotor tasks with underlying latent causal structures-when they can detect the effects of their actions on the environment, and when they can represent and reason about these effects using an internal mental model.
rTMS in the Treatment of Drug Addiction: An Update about Human Studies

Drug addiction can be a devastating and chronic relapsing disorder with social, psychological, and physical consequences, and more effective treatment options are needed. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been assessed in a growing number of studies for its therapeutic potential in treating addiction. This review paper offers an overview on the current state of clinical research in treating drug addiction with rTMS. Because of the limited research in this area, all studies (including case reports) that evaluated the therapeutic use of rTMS in nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug addiction were included in this review. Papers published prior to December 2012 were found through an NCBI PubMed search. A total of eleven studies were identified that met review criteria. There is nascent evidence that rTMS could be effective in reducing cocaine craving and nicotine and alcohol craving and consumption and might represent a potential therapeutic tool for treating addiction. Further studies are needed to identify the optimal parameters of stimulation for the most effective treatment of drug addiction, to improve our comprehension of the treatment neurophysiological effects, and to conduct rigorous, controlled efficacy studies with adequate power.
Bubbles alive

We propose a hybrid method for simulating multiphase fluids such as bubbly water. The appearance of subgrid visual details is improved by incorporating a new bubble model based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) into an Eulerian grid-based simulation that handles background flows of large bodies of water and air. To overcome the difficulty in simulating small bubbles in the context of the multiphase flows on a coarse grid, we heuristically model the interphase properties of water and air by means of the interactions between bubble particles. As a result, we can animate lively motion of bubbly water with small scale details efficiently.
A Semantic Approach To Textual Entailment: System Evaluation and Task Analysis

This paper discusses our contribution to the third RTE Challenge -- the SALSA RTE system. It builds on an earlier system based on a relatively deep linguistic analysis, which we complement with a shallow component based on word overlap. We evaluate their (combined) performance on various data sets. However, earlier observations that the combination of features improves the overall accuracy could be replicated only partly.
One Person, Many Votes: Divided Majority and Information Aggregation

In elections, majority divisions pave the way to focal manipulations and coordination failures, which can lead to the victory of the wrong candidate. This paper shows how this flaw can be addressed if voter preferences over candidates are sensitive to information. We consider two potential sources of divisions: majority voters may have similar preferences but opposite information about the candidates, or opposite preferences. We show that when information is the source of majority divisions, Approval Voting features a unique equilibrium with full information and coordination equivalence. That is, it produces the same outcome as if both information and coordination problems could be resolved. Other electoral systems, such as Plurality and Two-Round elections, do not satisfy this equivalence. The second source of division is opposite preferences. Whenever the fraction of voters with such preferences is not too large, Approval Voting still satisfies full information and coordination equivalence.
Overview of the Third Message Understanding Evaluation and Conference

The Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) has conducted the third in a series of evaluations of English text analysis systems. These evaluations are intended to advance our understanding of the merits of current text analysis techniques, as applied to the performance of a realistic information extraction task. The latest one is also intended to provide insight into information retrieval technology (document retrieval and categorization) used instead of or in concert with language understanding technology. The inputs to the analysis/extraction process consist of naturally-occurring texts that were obtained in the form of electronic messages. The outputs of the process are a set of templates or semantic frames resembling the contents of a partially formatted database.
Value-at-Risk Estimation with Fuzzy Histograms

Value at risk (VaR) is a measure for senior management that summarises the financial risk a company faces into one single number. In this paper, we consider the use of fuzzy histograms for quantifying the value-at-risk of a portfolio. It is shown that the use of fuzzy histograms provides a good method of value-at-risk estimation for a portfolio of stocks. The conditional parameters of the model are obtained through minimisation of a test statistic for a VaR back testing method. Evolutionary optimisation is used for this purpose. It is found that statistical back testing always accepts fuzzy histogram models, while the popular GARCH models may be rejected.
Differences in the Way to Conceive Happiness Relate to Different Reactions to Negative Events

This paper aimed to assess whether differences in the way to conceive happiness, measured by the Orientations to Happiness measure, were associated with specific reactions to negative events. We hypothesized that among orientations to pleasure (portraying hedonism), to meaning (representing a eudaimonic approach to life), and to engagement (derived from the experience of flow), orientation to meaning would have displayed a stronger protective role against recent negative and potentially stressful events. After providing a validation of the Italian version of the Orientations to Happiness measure (Study 1), we performed regression analyses of the three orientations on positive and negative emotions linked to a self-relevant negative event (Study 2), and moderation analyses assessing the interactive effects of orientations to happiness and stressful events on well-being indicators (Study 3). Our findings supported the hypotheses. In Study 2, meaning was associated with positive emotions characterized by a lower activation (contentment and interest) compared to the positive emotions associated with pleasure (amusement, eagerness, and happiness). In Study 3, only meaning buffered the effect of recent potentially stressful events on satisfaction with life and positive affect. Results suggest that orientation to meaning might help individuals to better react to negative events.
Robust Bayesian fitting of 3D morphable model

We propose to fit automatically a 3D morphable face model to a point cloud captured with a RGB-D sensor. Both data sets, the shape model and the target point cloud are modelled as two probability density functions (pdfs). Rigid registration (rotation and translation) and reconstruction on the model is performed by minimising the Euclidean distance between these two pdfs augmented with a multivariate Gaussian prior. Our resulting process is robust and it does not require point to point correspondence. Experimental results on synthetic and real data illustrates the performance of this novel approach.
Evaluation of the Alamarblue Assay for Adherent Cell Irradiation Experiments

The AlamarBlue assay is based on fluorometric detection of metabolic mitochondrial activity of cells. In this study, we determined the methodology for application of the assay to radiation response experiments in 96-well plates. AlamarBlue was added and its reduction measured 7 hours later. Selection of the initial number of plated cells was important so that the number of proliferating cells remains lower than the critical number that produced full AlamarBlue reduction (plateau phase) at the time points of measurements. Culture medium was replaced twice a week to avoid suppression of viability due to nutrient competition and metabolic waste accumulation. There was no need to replace culture medium before adding AlamarBlue. Cell proliferation continued after irradiation and the suppression effect on cell viability was most evident on day 8. At this time point, by comparing measurements from irradiated vs. non-irradiated cells, for various dose levels, a viability dose response curve was plotted. Immediately after the 8th day (nadir), cells started to re-grow at a rate inversely related to the radiation dose. By comparing measurements at the time point of nadir vs. a convenient subsequent time point, re-growth dose response abilities were plotted, simulating clonogenic assays.
Transforming Science and Engineering Classrooms with Online Collaborative Tools

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a non­profit partner, Machine Science Inc., are investigating classroom implementations of a web platform that aids teachers in engaging their students in collaborative inquiry. This technology—the Internet System for Networked Sensor Experimentation (iSENSE)—allows for the contribution of individual student­collected science data to a shared, online repository. iSENSE enables educators and students to initiate their own experiments, contribute data, and then view the data using multiple web­based visualization tools. This paper provides an overview of the iSENSE technology and its use in middle and high school physics, chemistry, and engineering classrooms. The authors worked closely with teachers to integrate data­collection hardware and the iSENSE web software into into their existing curricular designs. Teacher interviews and classroom observations were used to study their adoption. Our work indicates that there are multiple, viable paths for integrating iSENSE into classroom science and engineering instruction, and that the technology gives students new, transformative ways of sharing data with one another and learning from that experience. Perspective/Theoretical Framework The iSENSE team employs a design­based research paradigm, which Wang and Hannafin (2005) define as " a systematic but flexible methodology aimed to improve educational practices through iterative analysis, design, development, and implementation, based on collaboration among researchers and practitioners in real­world settings, and leading to contextually­sensitive design principles and theories " (p. 6). The design­based approach is well­suited for the iSENSE research because it reflects the practical limitations and advantages of evaluating an educational intervention in real­world classroom settings. Because of its iterative and flexible nature, this type of research benefits from a mixed­methods approach. Together with teacher and student learning and participation patterns, our research methodology has evolved over the past several years. As the technology and our classroom enactments evolved, we looked for changes in learning as evidenced by data from assessment instruments administered directly to students. Based on this research, the iSENSE investigators have developed detailed case studies of selected classrooms and teachers to generate a textured portrait of individual classrooms, illustrating what aspects of iSENSE are working, and why.
Enumeration, Generation, and Construction of Stereoisomers of High-Valence Stereocenters

Fundamental tools of molecular structure elucidation are computer programs generating constitutional isomers and configurational isomers. A general disadvantage of the methods of algebraic stereoisomer generation by Nourse, Smith, Carhart and Djerassi is the restriction of the valences of the stereocenters to four. The present paper discusses an extension of this concept to higher-valence centers. Methods for counting and generating all stereoisomers are provided. Moreover, for some types of isomers algorithms for constructing spatial realizations geometrically are presented. The main mathematical tool is the theory of group actions and double cosets.
WHAT IS A PROOF

This paper explores a new point in the design space of formal reasoning systems part programming language, part logical framework. The system is built on a programming language where the user expresses equality constraints between types and the type checker then enforces these constraints. This simple extension to the type system allows the programmer to describe properties of his program in the types of witness objects which can be thought of as concrete evidence that the program has the property desired. These techniques and two other rich typing mechanisms, rank-N polymorphism and extensible kinds, create a powerful new programming idiom for writing programs whose types enforce semantic properties. A language with these features is both a practical programming language and a logic. This marriage between two previously separate entities increases the probability that users will apply formal methods to their programming designs. This kind of synthesis creates the foundations for the languages of the future.
Pairs of Bubbles in Planetary Nebulae and Clusters of Galaxies

I point to an interesting similarity in the morphology and some nondimensional quantities between pairs of X‐ray–deficient bubbles in clusters of galaxies and pairs of optical‐deficient bubbles in planetary nebulae (PNs). This similarity leads me to postulate a similar formation mechanism. This postulate is used to strengthen models for PN shaping by jets (or collimated fast winds [CFWs]). The presence of dense material in the equatorial plane observed in the two classes of bubbles constrains the jets and CFW activity in PNs to occur while the asymptotic giant branch star still blows its dense wind, or very shortly after. I argue that only a stellar companion can account for such jets and CFWs.
The Influence of Urban Land-Use and Public Transport Facilities on Active Commuting in Wellington, New Zealand: Active Transport Forecasting Using the WILUTE Model

Physical activity has numerous physical and mental health benefits, and active commuting (walking or cycling to work) can help meet physical activity recommendations. This study investigated socioeconomic differences in active commuting, and assessed the impact of urban land-use and public transport policies on active commuting in the Wellington region in New Zealand. We combined data from the New Zealand Household Travel Survey and GIS data on land-use and public transport facilities with the Wellington Integrated Land-Use, Transportation and Environment (WILUTE) model, and forecasted changes in active commuter trips associated with changes in the built environment. Results indicated high income individuals were more likely to commute actively than individuals on low income. Several land-use and transportation factors were associated with active commuting and results from the modelling showed a potential increase in active commuting following an increase in bus frequency and parking fees. In conclusion, regional level policies stimulating environmental factors that directly or indirectly affect active commuting may be a promising strategy to increase population level physical activity. Access to, and frequency of, public transport in the neighbourhood can act as a facilitator for a more active lifestyle among its residents without negatively affecting disadvantaged groups.
Using sub-word n-gram models for dealing with OOV in large vocabulary speech recognition for Latvian

In the Latvian language, one word can have tens or even hundreds of surface forms. This is a serious problem for large vocabulary speech recognition. Inclusion of every form in vocabulary will make it intractable, but, on the other hand, even with a vocabulary of 400K, the out-ofvocabulary (OOV) rate will be very high. In this paper, the authors investigate the possibility of using sub-word vocabularies where words are split into frequent and common parts. The results of our experiment show that this allows to significantly reduce the OOV rate.
Emotion identification using specific sentences that are biased towards their corresponding emotions

Speakers usually use certain words more frequently in expressing their emotions since they have learned the connection between certain words and their corresponding emotions. This work focuses on speaker-dependent and text-dependent emotion identification in completely two separate and different speech databases. One database uses neutral sentences that are unbiased towards any emotion; however, the second database uses certain sentences that are biased towards their corresponding emotions. Each database consists of six emotions: neutral, angry, sad, happy, disgust, and fear. Our results, based on hidden Markov models (HMMs), show that the emotion identification performance of the second database is much better than that of the first one.
Twisted gastrulation enhances BMP signaling through chordin dependent and independent mechanisms

BMP signaling is modulated by a number of extracellular proteins, including the inhibitor Chordin, Tolloid-related enzymes (Tld), and the interacting protein Twisted Gastrulation (Tsg). Although in vitro studies have demonstrated Chordin cleavage by Tld enzymes, its significance as a regulatory mechanism in vivo has not been established in vertebrates. In addition, Tsg has been reported in different contexts to either enhance or inhibit BMP signaling through its interactions with Chordin. We have used the zebrafish gastrula to carry out structure/function studies on Chordin, by making versions of Chordin partially or wholly resistant to Tld cleavage and introducing them into chordin-deficient embryos. We examined the cleavage products generated in vivo from wild-type and altered Chordins, and tested their efficacy as BMP inhibitors in the embryo. We demonstrate that Tld cleavage is crucial in restricting Chordin function in vivo, and is carried out by redundant enzymes in the zebrafish gastrula. We also present evidence that partially cleaved Chordin is a stronger BMP inhibitor than the full-length protein, suggesting a positive role for Tld in regulating Chordin. We find that depletion of the embryo for Tsg leads to decreased BMP signaling, and to increased levels of Chordin. Finally, we show that Tsg also enhances BMP signaling in the absence of Chordin, and its depletion can partially rescue the chordin mutant phenotype, demonstrating that important components of the BMP signaling pathway remain unidentified.