Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A software/reconfigurable hardware SAT solver

This paper introduces a novel approach for solving the Boolean satisfiability (SAT) problem by combining software and configurable hardware. The suggested technique avoids instance-specific hardware compilation and, as a result, allows the total problem solving time to be reduced compared to other approaches that have been proposed. Moreover, the technique permits problems that exceed the resources of the available reconfigurable hardware to be solved. The paper presents the results obtained with some of the DIMACS benchmarks and a comparison of our implementation with other available SAT solvers based on reconfigurable hardware. The hardware part of the satisfier was realized on Virtex XCV812E FPGA, which has a large volume of embedded memory blocks that provide direct support for the proposed approach.
Efficient Methods for Dealing with Missing Data in Supervised Learning

We present efficient algorithms for dealing with the problem of missing inputs (incomplete feature vectors) during training and recall. Our approach is based on the approximation of the input data distribution using Parzen windows. For recall, we obtain closed form solutions for arbitrary feedforward networks. For training, we show how the backpropagation step for an incomplete pattern can be approximated by a weighted averaged backpropagation step. The complexity of the solutions for training and recall is independent of the number of missing features. We verify our theoretical results using one classification and one regression problem.
Extended Abstract: Efficient Dynamic Mobile Sensing Strategies for Context-Aware Applications

The availability of a wide range of embedded and external wearable sensors enables the development of new mobile applications with rich contextual information. Unfortunately, acquiring contextual information accurately and instantly comes at the expense of energy consumption and processing overhead. We propose the investigation of an efficient dynamic mobile sensing framework that allows intelligent interaction with sensors while optimizing performance metrics such as energy, accuracy, delay, and processing overhead.
JCrasher: an automatic robustness tester for Java

JCrasher is an automatic robustness testing tool for Java code. JCrasher examines the type information of a set of Java classes and constructs code fragments that will create instances of different types to test the behavior of public methods under random data. JCrasher attempts to detect bugs by causing the program under test to ‘crash’, that is, to throw an undeclared runtime exception. Although in general the random testing approach has many limitations, it also has the advantage of being completely automatic: o supervision is required except for off‐line inspection of the test ases that have caused a crash. Compared to other similar commercial and research tools, JCrasher offers several novelties: it transitively analyzes methods, determines the size of each tested method's parameter‐space and selects parameter combinations and therefore test cases at random, taking into account the time allocated for testing; it defines heuristics for determining whether a Java exception should be considered as a program bug or whether the JCrasher supplied inputs have violated the code's preconditions; it includes support for efficiently undoing all the state changes introduced by previous tests; it produces test files for JUnit, a popular Java testing tool; and it can be integrated in the Eclipse IDE. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the Efficient Gathering of Sufficient Statistics for Classification from Large SQL Databases

For a wide variety of classification algorithms, scalability to large databases can be achieved by observing that most algorithms are driven by a set of sufficient statistics that are significantly smaller than the data. By relying on a SQL backend to compute the sufficient statistics, we leverage the query processing system of SQL databases and avoid the need for moving data to the client. We present a new SQL operator (Unpivot) that enables efficient gathering of statistics with minimal changes to the SQL backend. Our approach results in significant increase in performance without requiring any changes to the physical layout of the data. We show analytically how this approach outperforms an alternative that requires changing in the data layout. We also compare effect of data representation and show that a "dense" representation may be preferred to a "sparse" one, even when the data are fairly sparse.
Quantigraphic Imaging: Estimating the camera response and exposures from differently exposed images

Multiple differently exposed pictures of the same subject matter arise naturally whenever a video camera having automatic exposure captures multiple frames of video with the same subject matter appearing in regions of overlap between at least some of the successive video frames. Almost all cameras have some kind of automatic exposure feature. Generally automatic exposure is center weighted, so that when a light object falls in the center of the frame the exposure is automatically decreased, whereas the exposure is automatically increased when the camera swings around to point at a darker object. In this paper, it is assumed that the spatial (e.g. projective) coordinate transformation between successive frames of the sequence is known (or equivalently that it is the identity), and the contribution of the paper is an efficient way to estimate the tonal relationship between successive frames of the sequence. In particular methods are proposed to simultaneously estimate the unknown camera response function, as well as the set of unknown relative exposure changes among images, up to a single unknown scalar constant. The method comprises a succession of guesses each of which is a refinement of the previous. The first guess is often sufficient, so that no initial solution needs to be provided by the user. Each subsequent guess is a least squares solution so that no computationally expensive optimization is required. Since the method makes use of all the data, it is extremely immune to noise. The method is tested against state-of-the art laboratory measurement instruments to confirm the accuracy of the results.
Trypanosoma brucei histone H1 inhibits RNA polymerase I transcription and is important for parasite fitness in vivo

Trypanosoma brucei is a unicellular parasite that causes sleeping sickness in humans. Most of its transcription is constitutive and driven by RNA polymerase II. RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcribes not only ribosomal RNA genes, but also protein‐encoding genes, including variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) and procyclins. In T. brucei, histone H1 (H1) is required for VSG silencing and chromatin condensation. However, whether H1 has a genome‐wide role in transcription is unknown. Here, using RNA sequencing we show that H1 depletion changes the expression of a specific cohort of genes. Interestingly, the predominant effect is partial loss of silencing of Pol I loci, such as VSG and procyclin genes. Labelling of nascent transcripts with 4‐thiouridine showed that H1 depletion does not alter the level of labelled Pol II transcripts. In contrast, the levels of 4sU‐labelled Pol I transcripts were increased by two‐ to sixfold, suggesting that H1 preferentially blocks transcription at Pol I loci. Finally, we observed that parasites depleted of H1 grow almost normally in culture but they have a reduced fitness in mice, suggesting that H1 is important for host–pathogen interactions.
Local variation in Barbary macaque shrill barks

We examined vocalizations of Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus, given in response to a dog, in two populations, at Rocamadour, France, and Salem, Germany. Calls were recorded from 16 individuals in Rocamadour and 23 individuals in Salem. Despite an overall similarity, an acoustic analysis revealed significant differences in the call structure between populations. To test the perceptual salience of these acoustic differences, we conducted playback experiments in both populations in which calls from the own or the other population were broadcast. The overall response pattern did not differ significantly between the populations with regard to the origin of the call. However, subjects responded slightly, but significantly longer after playback of calls from the other group. Although call function apparently determined the general response of subjects, they none the less discriminated between calls from different origins. These results suggest a small but possibly meaningful plasticity in call production. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Towards an Integrated Approach for Model Simulation, Property Extraction and Veri cation of P Systems

This paper presents an integrated approach for model simulation, property extraction and formal verification of P systems, illustrated on a tissue P system with active membranes solving the 3-colouring problem. The paper focuses on this problem and reports the invariants and the properties extracted and verified using a series of tools (Daikon, MeCoSim, Maple, Spin, ProB) and languages (P–Lingua, Promela, Event-B). Appropriate tools and integration plugins, which facilitate and even automate the steps involved in the aforementioned approach, have also been developed. The case study chosen is complex (it involves an exponential growth of the number of states through the use of membrane division rules) and the properties obtained are non-trivial.
Database Sampling to Support the Development of Data-Intensive Applications

A prototype database is a model of a database which exhibits the desired properties, in terms of its schema and/or data values, of an operational database. Database prototyping has been proposed as a technique to support the database design process in particular, and the whole data-intensive application development process in general (e.g. requirements elicitation, software testing, experimentation with design alternatives). Existing work on this area has been widely ignored in practice mainly on the grounds that its benefits, i.e. an increase in the quality of the resulting software systems, do not justify the costs of developing and using a satisfactory prototype of the database under construction. Increasingly more software development projects consist of extending or enhancing existing systems, as opposed to developing new ones. Legacy information systems migration and WEB-enabling existing systems are examples where operational data can be expected to be available at development time. In these types of projects, using the entire operational database may not be cost-effective and a carefully selected subset may be more appropriate. The availability of operational data and a database schema can significantly reduce the effort required to build an appropriate prototype database to support the project at hand. The benefits of using such a prototype, with domain-relevant data and semantics, can also be expected to be higher than in those cases where software is developed from scratch and thus an operational database may not be available from which to build a prototype database. This thesis investigates how a prototype database can be constructed from an existing database. A prototype database which is populated with data from an operational database is referred to as a Sample Database; when it is populated using synthetic data values, it is called a Test Database. The context in which prototype databases in general, and Sample
Constrained Stochastic Inference for Cooperative Indoor Localization

We consider cooperative position estimation in wireless networks as Bayesian inference problems in which nodes with unknown positions (agents) infer their positions based on distance measurements with respect to reference nodes (anchors) and other agents. In the indoor environment, the positions of agents can be constrained to finite geometric sets due to non-negative errors on the range estimates which arise from non-line-of-sight and multipath effects. First, we exploit the non-negativity of ranging errors in order to confine the positions of nodes to convex polygons. Subsequently, we exploit these polygons to relax the inference-based position estimation problems in terms of computational complexity. Using this two-stage approach, we show a tremendous reduction in terms of computational complexity, improvements in terms of localization accuracy, as well as the quicker convergence of the inference algorithm.
IL-27 and IL-21 Are Associated with T Cell IL-10 Responses in Human Visceral Leishmaniasis

IL-10 is believed to underlie many of the immunologic defects in human visceral leishmaniasis (VL). We have identified CD4+CD25−Foxp3− T cells as the major source of IL-10 in the VL spleen. IL-27, a member of the IL-6/IL-12 cytokine family, has been shown to promote development of IL-10–producing T cells, in part by upregulating their production of autocrine IL-21. We investigated whether IL-27 and IL-21 are associated with human VL. IL-27 was elevated in VL plasma, and at pretreatment, spleen cells showed significantly elevated mRNA levels of both IL-27 subunits, IL-27p28 and EBI-3, as well as IL-21, compared with posttreatment biopsies. CD14+ spleen cells were the main source of IL-27 mRNA, whereas CD3+ T cells were the main source of IL-21. IL-27 mRNA could be strongly upregulated in normal donor macrophages with IFN-γ and IL-1β, conditions consistent with those in the VL spleen. Last, a whole-blood assay revealed that most VL patients could produce Ag-specific IFN-γ and IL-10 and that the IL-10 could be augmented with recombinant human IL-21. Thus, proinflammatory cytokines acting on macrophages in the VL spleen have the potential to upregulate IL-27, which in turn can induce IL-21 to expand IL-10–producing T cells as a mechanism of feedback control.
A Subspace Multiuser Beamforming Algorithm for the Downlink in Mobile Communications

A new algorithm for downlink multiuser beamforming in mobile communications is described. The optimization problem is reformulated by modifying the constraints so that weight vectors of different mobile stations are optimized in a reduced feasible region which is a subset of that of the multiuser beamforming problem. The downlink beamforming weight vectors of different mobile stations are then jointly optimized in a subspace instead of searching in the entire parameter space. Simulation results show that the modified optimization problem leads to solutions that satisfy the signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio specification at each mobile station and that the total power transmitted from the base station is very close to the optimal one. The solution of the modified optimization problem requires significantly less computation than the optimal multiuser beamforming algorithms
Concordance et apports de l'hystérosalpingographie et de la cœlioscopie dans l'exploration tubaire et pelvienne en cas d'infertilité

Introduction La coelioscopie et l'hystérosalpingographie sont les deux procédures usuellement admises pour l'exploration tubaire et pelvienne en cas d'infertilité. Les objectifs de ce travail etaient de comparer les données de l'Hystérosalpingographie à celles de la coelioscopie chez des patientes explorées pour infertilité et voir l'apport de l'une par rapport à l'autre. Méthodes Etude prospective menée au service C du centre de maternité et de néonatologie de Tunis, s’étendant sur 15 mois, colligeant 120 patientes suivies pour infertilité ayant bénéficié d'une HSG suivie d'une coelioscopie. Résultats L’âge moyen de nos patientes était de 35,3 ans. L'infertilité était primaire dans 56,7% des cas et secondaire dans 43,7% des cas. Sa durée moyenne était de 48,9 mois. Le test statistique de concordance Kappa entre les 2 examens était de 0.42 pour les obstructions tubaires en général, de 0.48 pour les obstructions tubaires proximales et de 0.53 pour les obstructions tubaires distales indiquant une concordance modérée dans tous les cas. La coelioscopie a permis d'objectiver en plus une endométriose pelvienne dans 7% des cas, des adhérences pelviennes dans 33% des cas et des trompes perméables mais d'aspect pathologique dans 20% des cas. Conclusion Il existe un intérêt d′associer, chaque fois que c′est possible, l'HSG et la coelioscopie dans l'exploration du pelvis féminin dans le cadre de l'infertilité. Aucun de ces deux examens n'est parfait. Leurs résultats sont complémentaires.
A Comparative Study of Feature Metrics for Classification of Human Passport Photos

In this study, for a multimedia indexing system that uses a hierarchical cellular tree (HCT), effects of metrics that are obtained from the features extracted by using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are studied for a set of passport size photographs and classification performance is reported. Results obtained reveal that LDA has better performance than that of PCA for HCT.
DEVELOPMENTAL AND FAMILY-LEVEL DETERMINANTS OF SIBLING ADJUSTMENT TO CHILDHOOD CANCER

Each year, 14,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in the United States (Howlader et al., 2012). Significant biomedical advances have led to survival rates exceeding 80% (Jemal, et al., 2008). However, prolonged, complicated, and intensive treatment regimens often challenge and disrupt the entire family system, with effects extending to siblings. The present study examined the role of family risk factors in predicting distress among 209 siblings (ages 8-18) of children with cancer. Findings showed that greater sibling distress is independently associated with higher levels of sibling-reported problems with family functioning and parental psychological control, lower levels of sibling-reported maternal acceptance, and lower levels of paternal self-reported acceptance, with a similar trend for higher levels of parental posttraumatic stress. When examined as a function of sibling age, findings indicated that effects of sibling-reported maternal psychological control on sibling distress are stronger for older siblings, while effects of mother-reported problems with family roles on sibling distress are stronger for younger siblings. When the family risk factors were considered in combination, results supported a quadratic model in which the association between family risk and sibling distress was stronger at higher levels of cumulative family risk. Finally, hypotheses that a more positive family environment would buffer the negative influence of parent PTSS on sibling distress were largely unsupported. Together, findings support a family systems model of sibling adjustment to a brother’s or sister’s cancer diagnosis in which elevated sibling distress is predicted by higher levels of family risk factors, alone and in combination.
Analysis of aerosol composition data for western United States wildfires between 2005 and 2015: Dust emissions, chloride depletion, and most enhanced aerosol constituents

This study examines major wildfires in the western United States between 2005 and 2015 to determine which species exhibit the highest percent change in mass concentration on day of peak fire influence relative to preceding nonfire days. Forty‐one fires were examined using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) data set. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) constituents exhibited the highest percent change increase. The sharpest enhancements were for the volatile (OC1) and semivolatile (OC2) OC fractions, suggestive of secondary organic aerosol formation during plume transport. Of the noncarbonaceous constituents, Cl, P, K, NO3−, and Zn levels exhibited the highest percent change. Dust was significantly enhanced in wildfire plumes, based on significant enhancements in fine soil components (i.e., Si, Ca, Al, Fe, and Ti) and PMcoarse (i.e., PM10–PM2.5). A case study emphasized how transport of wildfire plumes significantly impacted downwind states, with higher levels of fine soil and PMcoarse at the downwind state (Arizona) as compared to the source of the fires (California). A global model (Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System, NAAPS) did not capture the dust influence over California or Arizona during this case event because it is not designed to resolve dust dynamics in fires, which motivates improved treatment of such processes. Significant chloride depletion was observed on the peak EC day for almost a half of the fires examined. Size‐resolved measurements during two specific fires at a coastal California site revealed significant chloride reductions for particle aerodynamic diameters between 1 and 10 μm.
SPO11-Independent DNA Repair Foci and Their Role in Meiotic Silencing

In mammalian meiotic prophase, the initial steps in repair of SPO11-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are required to obtain stable homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis. The X and Y chromosomes pair and synapse only in the short pseudo-autosomal regions. The rest of the chromatin of the sex chromosomes remain unsynapsed, contains persistent meiotic DSBs, and the whole so-called XY body undergoes meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). A more general mechanism, named meiotic silencing of unsynapsed chromatin (MSUC), is activated when autosomes fail to synapse. In the absence of SPO11, many chromosomal regions remain unsynapsed, but MSUC takes place only on part of the unsynapsed chromatin. We asked if spontaneous DSBs occur in meiocytes that lack a functional SPO11 protein, and if these might be involved in targeting the MSUC response to part of the unsynapsed chromatin. We generated mice carrying a point mutation that disrupts the predicted catalytic site of SPO11 (Spo11YF/YF), and blocks its DSB-inducing activity. Interestingly, we observed foci of proteins involved in the processing of DNA damage, such as RAD51, DMC1, and RPA, both in Spo11YF/YF and Spo11 knockout meiocytes. These foci preferentially localized to the areas that undergo MSUC and form the so-called pseudo XY body. In SPO11-deficient oocytes, the number of repair foci increased during oocyte development, indicating the induction of S phase-independent, de novo DNA damage. In wild type pachytene oocytes we observed meiotic silencing in two types of pseudo XY bodies, one type containing DMC1 and RAD51 foci on unsynapsed axes, and another type containing only RAD51 foci, mainly on synapsed axes. Taken together, our results indicate that in addition to asynapsis, persistent SPO11-induced DSBs are important for the initiation of MSCI and MSUC, and that SPO11-independent DNA repair foci contribute to the MSUC response in oocytes.
Optimization Method for Acquiring High Resolution Mapping of Elastic Moduli

Recently, a new technique has been developed, which allows quantitative nanoscale mapping of elastic moduli by means of a hybrid nanoindentation and force modulation instrument. We introduce a procedure for finding the experimental parameters that provide an optimal modulus contrast. Application of the procedure on three different material systems demonstrated the technique’s capability to resolve between regions with elastic moduli as close as 5%. Thus, the improved modulus mapping procedure can be applied not only to composite materials but also to many multi-phase and multi-domain material systems.