Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Methodological Approach to Domain Engineering for Software Variability Enhancement

Flexibility is one of the major quality aspects that are required for today’s applications. Variability realization techniques provide a mean to achieve this flexibility. Some variability realization techniques that provide higher levels of flexibility also imply more complex engineering processes. This is the case of more recent techniques like reflection and run-time code generation. This paper addresses the problem of the increasing of complexity in the engineering process caused by the adoption of very flexible variability realization techniques. We present an approach that is based on the adoption of domain engineering methods within the context of single application development. These methods, when applied in parallel with the application engineering methods, can provide support to manage the complexity of variability realization techniques.
Modeling the Relationships between Language Skills and Sentence Comprehension among Chinese Junior Elementary Graders

The present study examined the contributions of vocabulary knowledge, syntactic skills, and oral narrative skills to sentence reading comprehension among Chinese junior elementary school children. Various language and reading measures were administered to 85 Chinese normally-achieving children at Grades 2 and 3 in Hong Kong. Results showed that vocabulary knowledge and oral narrative skills contributed significantly to word order skills, an important syntactic skill in Chinese. Vocabulary knowledge contributed to word recognition directly and contributed to sentence comprehension indirectly through word recognition and syntactic skills; and syntactic skills contributed to sentence comprehension directly. These findings suggest that while vocabulary knowledge is important for Chinese word reading, syntactic word order plays a central role in Chinese sentence comprehension. The implications of these findings for our theoretical understanding of the Simple View of Reading, as well as reading instruction, will be discussed.
Control of thrombin signaling through PI3K is a mechanism underlying plasticity between hair follicle dermal sheath and papilla cells

In hair follicles, dermal papilla (DP) and dermal sheath (DS) cells exhibit striking levels of plasticity, as each can regenerate both cell types. Here, we show that thrombin induces a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway-dependent acquisition of DS-like properties by DP cells in vitro, involving increased proliferation rate, acquisition of `myofibroblastic' contractile properties and a decreased capacity to sustain growth and survival of keratinocytes. The thrombin inhibitor protease nexin 1 [PN-1, also known as SERPINE2) regulates all those effects in vitro. Accordingly, the PI3K-Akt pathway is constitutively activated and expression of myofibroblastic marker smooth-muscle actin is enhanced in vivo in hair follicle dermal cells from PN-1–/– mice. Furthermore, physiological PN-1 disappearance and upregulation of the thrombin receptor PAR-1 (also known as F2R) during follicular regression in wild-type mice also correlate with such changes in DP cell characteristics. Our results indicate that control of thrombin signaling interferes with hair follicle dermal cells plasticity to regulate their function.
ARIS: An Interface for Application Relocation in an Interactive Space

By enabling users to better manage information across PDAs, laptops, graphics tablets, and large screens, the use of an interactive space could dramatically improve how users share information in collaborative work. To enable a user to better manage information in an interactive space, we iteratively designed an interactive space window manager called ARIS. We discuss the implementation of ARIS and we share lessons learned from user evaluations about how to design a more effective window manager for an interactive space and how to better evaluate low-fidelity prototypes in an interactive space. Our work can enable richer collaborations among users of an interactive space.
Mapping inequality in access to meaningful learning in secondary education in Ethiopia: implications for sustainable development

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of primary education in Ethiopia has enabled most children to attend primary education—or at least to start schooling. This expansion, however, is largely “symbolic” rather than “substantive” where “substantive” refers to access that generates meaningful learning. The article explores spatial inequality in access to meaningful learning in secondary education in Ethiopia with a particular focus on the Amhara region, and addresses the question: Is substantive learning equitably distributed? To operationalise this question, “access-to-learning” is conceptualised using a new method of constructing a learning-oriented measure of educational quality that combines grade survival (access) and test score (quality). Moreover, the “zones of exclusion” framework has been used to see the systematic loss of students from the education system at different points in time. Using GIS tools, the extent of spatial inequality in access-to-learning was determined by mapping the proportion of students who achieved the required level of performance, and geographical variation in the distribution of inequality factors. The paper concludes with implications for educational policy and planning and recommendations for further research.
Ten Triangles around Cavernous Sinus for Surgical Approach, Described by Schematic Diagram and Three Dimensional Models with the Sectioned Images

For the surgical approach to lesions around the cavernous sinus (CS), triangular spaces around CS have been devised. However, educational materials for learning the triangles were insufficient. The purpose of this study is to present educational materials about the triangles, consisting of a schematic diagram and 3-dimensional (3D) models with sectioned images. To achieve the purposes, other studies were analyzed to establish new definitions and names of the triangular spaces. Learning materials including schematic diagrams and 3D models with cadaver's sectioned images were manufactured. Our new definition was attested by observing the sectioned images and 3D models. The triangles and the four representative surgical approaches were stereoscopically indicated on the 3D models. All materials of this study were put into Portable Document Format file and were distributed freely at our homepage (anatomy.dongguk.ac.kr/triangles). By using our schematic diagram and the 3D models with sectioned images, ten triangles and the related structures could be understood and observed accurately. We expect that our data will contribute to anatomy education, surgery training, and radiologic understanding of the triangles and related structures.
X-THEORY AND REALITY

In this paper we introduce a new ^-theory denoted by KR which is, in a sense, a mixture of these three. Our definition is motivated partly by analogy with real algebraic geometry and partly by the theory of real elliptic operators. In fact, for a thorough treatment of the index problem for real elliptic operators, our KR-theory is essential. On the other hand, from the purely topological point of view, KR-theory has a number of advantages and there is a strong case for regarding it as the primary theory and obtaining all the others from it. One of the main purposes of this paper is in fact to show how i£. R-theory leads to an elegant proof of the periodicity theorem for XO-theory, starting essentially from the periodicity theorem for JT-theory as proved in (3). On the way we also encounter, in a natural manner, the self-conjugate theory and various exact sequences between the different theories. There is here a considerable overlap with the thesis of Anderson (1) but, from our new vantage point, the relationship between the various theories is much easier to see. Recently Karoubi (8) has developed an abstract Z'-theory for suitable categories with involution. Our theory is included in this abstraction but its particular properties are not developed in (8), nor is it exploited to simplify the iTO-periodicity. The definition and elementary properties of KR are given in § 1. The periodicity theorem and general cohomology properties for KR are discussed in § 2. Then in § 3 we introduce various derived theories— KR with coefficients in certain spaces—ending up with the periodicity theorem for KO. In § 4 we discuss briefly the relation of KR with Clifford algebras on the lines of (4), and in particular we establish a lemma which is used in § 3. The significance of KR-thsory for the topological study of real elliptic operators is then briefly discussed in § 5.
Ideal liberal subjects and Muslim “Others”: liberal nationalism and the racialization of Muslim youth in a progressive Danish school

Abstract Drawing on an ethnographic case study of Muslim youth in a Danish lower secondary school, this article explores teacher talk about Muslim immigrant students and how teachers engaged liberal ideals of respect, individualism, and equality in ways that racialized immigrant students. I consider moments of vacillation in teacher talk to explore tensions between teacher’s desires to assimilate immigrant students to national norms of belonging and their desires to be perceived as inclusive and ‘open. ’ In doing so, I ask how visions of liberal schooling impose ideas of what a ‘normal’ citizen should be and how teachers produce ‘ideal’ liberal subjects in their talk and in the everyday practices of schools. I argue that teachers engage the ideals of abstract liberalism to establish a colorblind discourse of non-racism. While educators described the school as an idealized space where students are encouraged to freely express themselves, to develop unique individual outlooks, it was clear that this vision of ‘openness’ did not include Muslim students’ attachments to religious and cultural identities.
Clustering sentence level-text using fuzzy hierarchical algorithm

Clustering is a popular technique for unsupervised text analysis, often used to explore the content of large amounts of sentences. It is performed based on the similarity of sentences. Sentences may contain interrelated concepts and implementing flat clustering algorithms allows one sentence to be present only in one cluster. Also, sentences are semantically related to each other and so word co-occurrence is not a valid measure for sentence level flat clustering. So, WordNet based semantic similarity measure along with fuzzy sentence clustering algorithm is proposed. The existing system uses the Fuzzy C-Means algorithm where the cluster size should be specified as an input. Due to the rigorous convergence criteria, the time complexity is much larger. Most of the NLP documents are hierarchical in nature and so fuzzy hierarchical sentence clustering algorithm is used here. Labeling is performed for each cluster depending on the hierarchy formed and instead of considering all the terms in a sentence, only the verbs and nouns are considered for the similarity computation. Agglomerative clustering based on the verbs and divisive clustering based on nouns is proposed. This methodology is validated through various performance measures like Purity, Entropy and Time. Upon comparing the results for various datasets, it was observed that the overall improvement in purity is 36.6% and entropy is 31%. The time complexity of the hierarchical algorithm is very much less than the EM algorithm. Thus better quality clusters are formed in comparatively less time by using the Fuzzy Hierarchical Sentence Clustering Algorithm.
Common Functions for Diverse Small RNAs of Land Plants[W][OA]

Endogenous small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are critical components of plant gene regulation. Some abundant miRNAs involved in developmental control are conserved between anciently diverged plants, while many other less-abundant miRNAs appear to have recently emerged in the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage. Using large-scale sequencing of small RNAs, we extended the known diversity of miRNAs in basal plants to include 88 confidently annotated miRNA families in the moss Physcomitrella patens and 44 in the lycopod Selaginella moellendorffii. Cleavage of 29 targets directed by 14 distinct P. patens miRNA families and a trans-acting siRNA (ta-siRNA) was experimentally confirmed. Despite a core set of 12 miRNA families also expressed in angiosperms, weakly expressed and apparently lineage-specific miRNAs accounted for the majority of miRNA diversity in both species. Nevertheless, the molecular functions of several of these lineage-specific small RNAs matched those of angiosperms, despite dissimilarities in the small RNA sequences themselves, including small RNAs that mediated negative feedback regulation of the miRNA pathway and miR390-dependent ta-siRNAs that guided the cleavage of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR mRNAs. Diverse, lineage-specific, small RNAs can therefore perform common biological functions in plants.
Focus and context for volume visualization

Scientific investigation and simulation have been producing increasingly large datasets. Usually that kind of data is visualized employing some scientific visualization technique. Another related field, information visualization, deals with nonscientific large scale data, using different approaches to achieve an effective understanding. Our aim is to bring these two fields together, proposing a taxonomy for volume visualization, employing information visualization techniques, particularly the focus and context idea. A prototype is being developed, which aims to implement and evaluate a number of solutions for this problem, identifying through demonstration which applications would benefit most from focus+context approaches. We describe work in progress
Towards training-free appearance-based localization: Probabilistic models for whole-image descriptors

Whole image descriptors have been shown to be remarkably robust to perceptual change especially compared to local features. However, whole-image-based localization systems typically rely on heuristic methods for determining appropriate matching thresholds in a particular environment. These environment-specific tuning requirements and the lack of a meaningful interpretation of arbitrary thresholds limit the general applicability of these systems. In this paper we present a Bayesian model of probability for whole-image descriptors that can be seamlessly integrated into localization systems designed for probabilistic visual input. We demonstrate this method using CAT-Graph, an appearance-based visual localization system originally designed for a FAB-MAP-style probabilistic input. We show that using whole-image descriptors as visual input extends CAT-Graph's functionality to environments that experience a greater amount of perceptual change. We also present a method of estimating whole-image probability models in an online manner, removing the need for a prior training phase. We show that this online, automated training method can perform comparably to pre-trained, manually tuned local descriptor methods.
The value of feedback for decentralized detection in large sensor networks

We consider the decentralized binary hypothesis testing problem in networks with feedback, where some or all of the sensors have access to compressed summaries of other sensors' observations. We study certain two-message feedback architectures, in which every sensor sends two messages to a fusion center, with the second message based on full or partial knowledge of the first messages of the other sensors. Under either a Neyman-Pearson or a Bayesian formulation, we show that the asymptotically optimal (in the limit of a large number of sensors) detection performance (as quantified by error exponents) does not benefit from the feedback messages.
Community Crime Prevention in High–Crime Areas: The Seattle Neighborhood Group Hot Spots Project

Hot spots policing, in which police resources are directed toward small geographic areas with high crime levels, has been widely implemented and evaluated, but less is known about the effectiveness of nonpolice efforts to address high–crime locations. Here, we examine the effectiveness of two hot spot interventions led by a community–based nonprofit organization in Seattle, Washington. We use interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in total calls, as well as drug and disorder events at each site and in catchment areas surrounding each site. We find evidence of significant postintervention declines in calls for one treatment site and a decline in disorder in the second site. Overall, the results provide initial evidence that community–led crime prevention efforts can have a positive impact on calls in crime and disorder hot spots without significant spatial displacement of crime and disorder. Furthermore, these approaches may be an optimal response to residential hot spots in particular, given current concerns about community reactions to intensive police approaches focused primarily on enforcement.
p62/SQSTM1 cooperates with Parkin for perinuclear clustering of depolarized mitochondria

PINK1 and Parkin were first identified as the causal genes responsible for familial forms of early‐onset Parkinson’s disease (PD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. PINK1 encodes a mitochondrial serine/threonine protein kinase, whereas Parkin encodes an ubiquitin‐protein ligase. PINK1 and Parkin cooperate to maintain mitochondrial integrity; however, the detailed molecular mechanism of how Parkin‐catalyzed ubiquitylation results in mitochondrial integrity remains an enigma. In this study, we show that Parkin‐catalyzed K63‐linked polyubiquitylation of depolarized mitochondria resulted in ubiquitylated mitochondria being transported along microtubules to cluster in the perinuclear region, which was interfered by pathogenic mutations of Parkin. In addition, p62/SQSTM1 (hereafter referred to as p62) was recruited to depolarized mitochondria after Parkin‐directed ubiquitylation. Intriguingly, deletion of p62 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts resulted in a gross loss of mitochondrial perinuclear clustering but did not hinder mitochondrial degradation. Thus, p62 is required for ubiquitylation‐dependent clustering of damaged mitochondria, which resembles p62‐mediated ‘aggresome’ formation of misfolded/unfolded proteins after ubiquitylation.
Deploying a middleware architecture for next generation mobile systems

Although 2G systems quite adequately cater for voice communications, today demand is for high-speed access to data centric applications and multimedia. Future networks have been designed to provide higher rates for data transmission, but this will be complemented by higher speed access to services via hotspots using secondary wireless interfaces such as Bluetooth or WLAN. With a wide range of applications that may be developed, a growing number of short range wireless interfaces that may be deployed, and with mobile terminals of different capabilities, a means to integrate all these variables in order to facilitate provision of services is desirable. This paper describes an architecture involving the use of middleware that makes software development independent of the specific wireless platform
Uncovering Missing Symbols in Communication with Filtered Chaotic signals

We investigate the physical modifications caused by a linear filter in a chaotic trajectory. We show that while the filter strongly modifies the topological characteristics of the chaotic signal, it might not alter its information content. We propose a chaos-based communication system that takes advantage of this fundamental characteristic of the dynamics. We devise procedures both to recover all the symbols at the receiver end and to decode the received higher-dimensional filtered chaotic signal by using techniques from the theory of pattern recognition. Our results show that a message bearing chaotic signal can be transmitted over a low bandwidth physical channel and be decoded with a low decoding bit error rate.
Osmoprotective Transcription Factor NFAT5/TonEBP Modulates Nuclear Factor-κB Activity

Tonicity responsive binding protein (TonEBP) is a transcription factor that plays a key role in osmoprotection. Here, we demonstrate enhanced activity of prosurvival NF-κB—at the onset of hypertonic challenge that depends on p38 kinase—and Akt-dependent formation of p65-TonEBP complexes that bind to elements of NF-κB-responsive genes.
Immune Monitoring in Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trials: Critical Issues of Functional Flow Cytometry-Based Assays

The development of immune monitoring assays is essential to determine the immune responses against tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and their possible correlation with clinical outcome in cancer patients receiving immunotherapies. Despite the wide range of techniques used, to date these assays have not shown consistent results among clinical trials and failed to define surrogate markers of clinical efficacy to antitumor vaccines. Multiparameter flow cytometry- (FCM-) based assays combining different phenotypic and functional markers have been developed in the past decade for informative and longitudinal analysis of polyfunctional T-cells. These technologies were designed to address the complexity and functional heterogeneity of cancer biology and cellular immunity and to define biomarkers predicting clinical response to anticancer treatment. So far, there is still a lack of standardization of some of these immunological tests. The aim of this review is to overview the latest technologies for immune monitoring and to highlight critical steps involved in some of the FCM-based cellular immune assays. In particular, our laboratory is focused on melanoma vaccine research and thus our main goal was the validation of a functional multiparameter test (FMT) combining different functional and lineage markers to be applied in clinical trials involving patients with melanoma.
Using Co-occurence of Tags and Resources to Identify Spammers

Today, more and more social networking websites support collaborative tagging, which allows users to annotate resources (e.g., video clips, blog posts, and bookmarks) on the web. Due to its increasing popularity, however, spammers started to target this new type of service and generate misleading tags either to increase the visibility of some resources or simply to confuse users. Consequently, the performance of applications built upon tag data, such as recovery and discovery of web resources, can be limited. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to identify spammers from the collaborating systems by employing a spam score propagating technique. The three dimensional relationship among users, tags and web resources is firstly represented by a graph structure. A set of seed nodes, where each node represents a user, are then selected and assigned values to indicate whether the corresponding users are spammers or not. The initial values are propagated through the graph to infer the status of the remaining users. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in identify tag spammers.
Cross-section absorption properties for broadband microwave

This article refers to the design technique related to the cross-section absorption properties of the materials absorbing electromagnetic waves. The methodology of construction of absorber, measurements of microwave absorption, description of the original laboratory set-up for measuring the absorption characteristics of the examined materials as a function of the shape of the absorber and the testing signal angle of incidence at different points on the absorber, were introduced. The results of the above mentioned measurements for two different shapes of absorber tested at three different angles of incident were published and compared with the commercial absorber. The expected result is that, how the absorption characteristics will be at different points on the absorber. The characteristics will be verified when the testing are done at different angles of incident.