Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Schema Independent and Scalable Relational Learning By Castor

Learning novel relations from relational databases is an important problem with many applications in database systems and machine learning. Relational learning algorithms leverage the properties of the database schema to find the definition of the target relation in terms of the existing relations in the database. However, the same data set may be represented under different schemas for various reasons, such as efficiency and data quality. Unfortunately, current relational learning algorithms tend to vary quite substantially over the choice of schema, which complicates their off-the-shelf application. We demonstrate Castor, a relational learning system that efficiently learns the same definitions over common schema variations. The results of Castor are more accurate than well-known learning systems over large data.
Wireless power charging control in multiuser broadband networks

Recent advances in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology provide a cost-effective solution to charge wireless devices remotely without disruption to the use. In this paper, we propose an efficient wireless charging control method for exploiting the frequency diversity in multiuser broadband wireless networks, to reduce energy outage and keep the system operating in an efficient and sustainable state. In particular, we first analyze the impact of charging control method to the operating lifetime of a WPT-enabled broadband system. Based on the analysis, we then propose a multi-criteria charging control policy that optimizes the transmit power allocation over frequency by jointly considering the channel state information (CSI) and the battery state information (BSI) of wireless devices. For practical implementation, the proposed scheme is realized by a novel limited CSI estimation mechanism embedded with partial BSI, which significantly reduces the energy cost of CSI and BSI feedback. Simulation results show that the proposed method could significantly increase the network lifetime under stringent transmit power constraint. Reciprocally, it also consumes lower transmit power to achieve near-perpetual network operation than other single-criterion based charging control methods.
Multi-fidelity Gaussian Process Bandit Optimisation

In many scientific and engineering applications, we are tasked with the maximisation of an expensive to evaluate black box function f. Traditional settings for this problem assume just the availability of this single function. However, in many cases, cheap approximations to f may be obtainable. For example, the expensive real world behaviour of a robot can be approximated by a cheap computer simulation. We can use these approximations to eliminate low function value regions cheaply and use the expensive evaluations of f in a small but promising region and speedily identify the optimum. We formalise this task as a multi-fidelity bandit problem where the target function and its approximations are sampled from a Gaussian process. We develop MF-GP-UCB, a novel method based on upper confidence bound techniques. In our theoretical analysis we demonstrate that it exhibits precisely the above behaviour and achieves better bounds on the regret than strategies which ignore multi-fidelity information. Empirically, MF-GP-UCB outperforms such naive strategies and other multi-fidelity methods on several synthetic and real experiments.
Optimal sampling from distributed streams

A fundamental problem in data management is to draw a sample of a large data set, for approximate query answering, selectivity estimation, and query planning. With large, streaming data sets, this problem becomes particularly difficult when the data is shared across multiple distributed sites. The challenge is to ensure that a sample is drawn uniformly across the union of the data while minimizing the communication needed to run the protocol and track parameters of the evolving data. At the same time, it is also necessary to make the protocol lightweight, by keeping the space and time costs low for each participant. In this paper, we present communication-efficient protocols for sampling (both with and without replacement) from k distributed streams. These apply to the case when we want a sample from the full streams, and to the sliding window cases of only the W most recent items, or arrivals within the last w time units. We show that our protocols are optimal, not just in terms of the communication used, but also that they use minimal or near minimal (up to logarithmic factors) time to process each new item, and space to operate.
ORGANOCHLORINE CONTAMINANTS IN DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS FROM LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER ESTUARY

The Columbia River receives numerous contaminants from permitted municipal and industrial discharges, nonpoint pollution, accidental spills, and hazardous waste sites. Studies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others have documented bioaccumulation of organochlorine contaminants in fish and wildlife in or along the river, and these compounds have been associated with poor reproductive success in resident bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Elsewhere in the United States, double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have been used as indicators of exposure to organochlorine compounds. The Columbia River estuary supports an estimated 6,620 breeding cormorant pairs which are exposed to, and potentially harmed by, organochlorine contaminants. Between 1990 and 1995, we collected cormorant eggs from two islands along the lower Columbia River, and in 1993 from a reference colony off the coast of southern Oregon. Eggs were chemically analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, total mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and furans. Extracts from some eggs were also used in a H4IIE rat hepatoma bioassay to assess exposure to planar halogenated hydrocarbons (dioxin-like compounds). Concentrations of p,pN-DDE and total PCBs in eggs from the reference colony were lower than in eggs from the Columbia River colonies. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in 1993 eggs were elevated in the lower Columba River colonies, but below detection limits at the reference colony. Concentrations of nearly all chemical constituents in the lower Columbia River eggs appeared higher at the upriver colony at Rice Island than at the colony located near the mouth of the river on East Sand Island, and some contaminants were significantly higher. Some eggs of lower Columbia River cormorants exhibited eggshell thinning, and concentrations of p,pN-DDE in eggs were correlated (r= -0.47, P=0.001, n=46) to eggshell thickness. The toxicity of the dioxin-like compounds, measured as toxic equivalents (TEQs), in some Columbia River cormorant eggs approached or exceeded threshold effects levels or concentrations associated with reproductive impacts in some sensitive species. Results of the H4IIE-extract bioassay conducted on eggs in 1993 and 1994 indicated as much as 24% egg mortality could occur at Columbia River colonies when compared to concentration-response relationships for cormorants in the Great Lakes. Results indicated that concentrations of organochlorine chemicals could impact developing embryos or elicit egg mortality in some individuals, but concentrations were near estimated no-effect levels and did not approach levels considered to impact the population.
Hazard Analysis and Validation Metrics Framework for System of Systems Software Safety

Safety-critical software-intensive systems of systems require rigorous verification and validation to ensure that they function as per requirements. Unlike verification, validation is typically an ill-defined activity for software development. This paper presents a well-defined validation metrics framework which uses hazard analysis, and the derived software requirements for mitigating the identified hazards, as proxies in gauging the sufficiency of the software safety requirements early in the software development process. Moreover, traditional hazard analysis techniques are insufficient to deal with the complexity and size of systems of systems. This paper examines the nature and types of hazards associated with systems of systems and presents a new technique for analyzing one type of emergent hazard known as an interface hazard.
Intergenerational poverty transmission in Europe: The role of education

This paper examines the role of education as causal channel through which growing up poor affects the individual’s economic outcomes as an adult. We contribute to the literature on intergenerational transmission in two ways. First, we apply a potential outcomes approach to quantify the impact of experiencing poverty while growing up and we provide a sensitivity analysis on the unobserved parental ability. Second, we analyze the role of individual human capital accumulation as an intermediate variable and we provide a sensitivity analysis on further possible unobserved confounders. The analysis is based on the module on intergenerational transmission of 2011 of the EU-SILC data, where retrospective questions about parental characteristics (such as education, age, occupation) were asked. We find that, on average, over the 27 European countries considered, growing up poor leads to an increase of 4 percentage points in the risk of being poor and to a decrease of 5% in the adult equivalent income. Moreover, we find that experiencing poverty during childhood will more likely translate into an exclusion from secondary education (of 12 percentage points on average) and that education plays indeed a substantial role accounting for almost 35% of the total effect on adult income.
Design space exploration of adaptive beamforming acceleration for bedside and portable medical ultrasound imaging

The use of adaptive beamforming is a viable solution to provide high-resolution real-time medical ultrasound imaging. However, the increase in image resolution comes at an expense of a significant increase in compute requirement over conventional algorithms. In a bedside diagnosis setting where plug-in power is available, GPUs are promising accelerators to address the processing demand. However, in the case of point-of-care diagnostics where portable ultrasound imaging devices must be used, alternative power-efficient computer systems must be employed, possibly at the expense of lower image resolution in order to maintain real-time performance. This paper presents an initial design space exploration on viable compute architectures that might address the drastically different requirements between bedside and portable medical ultrasound imaging systems using adaptive beamforming. The design and implementation of a GPU accelerator that provides over 45x performance improvement over the equivalent C implementation on a single CPU is presented. Furthermore, and implementation of the beamforming algorithm on a high-performance mobile platform based on an ARM Cortex A8 mobile processor in combination with the built-in NEON accelerator is also presented. The mobile platform delivers over 270x reduction in power consumption when compared to the GPU platform at an expense of much reduced performance. The tradeoffs between power, performance and image quality among the target platforms are studied and future research directions in power-efficient architectures for high-performance medical ultrasound systems are presented.
Electrical source imaging in cortical malformation–related epilepsy: A prospective EEG‐SEEG concordance study

Delineation of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in refractory epilepsy related to malformations of cortical development (MCDs) often requires intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, especially in cases of negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or discordant MRI and video‐EEG findings. It is therefore crucial to promote the development of noninvasive methods such as electrical source imaging (ESI). We aimed to (1) analyze the localization concordance of ESI derived from interictal discharges and EZ estimated by stereo‐EEG (SEEG); (2) compare the concordance of ESI, MRI, and electroclinical correlations (ECCs) with SEEG‐EZ; and (3) assess ESI added value in the EZ localization.
Wrapper design for the reuse of a bus, network-on-chip, or other functional interconnect as test access mechanism

A new core test wrapper design approach is proposed which transports streaming test data, for example scan test patterns, into and out of an embedded core exclusively via (some of) its functional data ports. The latter are typically based on standardised protocols such as AXI, DTL, and OCP. The new wrapper design allows a functional interconnect, such as an on-chip bus or network-on-chip (NOC) to transport test data to embedded cores, and hence eliminates the need for a conventional dedicated test access mechanism (TAM), such as a TestRail or test bus. The approach leaves both the tester, as well as the embedded core and its test unchanged, while the functional interconnect can handle the test data transport as a regular data application. The functional interconnect is required to offer guaranteed throughput and zero latency variation, a service that is available in many buses and networks. For 672 example cases based on the ITC'02 System-on-Chip (SOC) Test Benchmarks, the new approach in comparison with the conventional approach shows an average wrapper area increase of 14.5%, which is negligible at the SOC level, especially since the dedicated TAM can be eliminated. Futhermore, the new approach decreases the core test length by 3.8% on average.
The Effect of Instructional Technology and Material Design Course to Teacher Candidates' Gaining of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Competencies.

Accepted: 06.01. 2015 The aim of this study is to determine Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Competencies of teacher candidates in Turkish Teaching department of Mevlana (Rumi) University and the effect of Instructional Technology and Material Design (ITMD) Course on TPACK. The study is a study of quantitative type and single-group pretest-posttest experimental design has been used. The study has been conducted in the spring semester of 2013/2014 academic year, candidates who are studying in 2nd class of Turkish teaching department in Education Faculty of Mevlana (Rumi) University. In this study, Sahin (2011)’s Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Survey has been used. The survey is a 5 point likert type survey and it has 47 items in total. This survey has been applied as pre-test in the classroom to the students who participated in the study. After a period of 10 weeks, the same survey has been applied again to the same students as post-test and thus, pre-test/posttest data has been obtained for the study. According to the findings of the study, TPACK levels of Turkish teacher candidates who participated in the study have been differentiated significantly in terms of all the subscales of the survey. In the light of this study, it can be said that TPACK model plays a leading role on the subject of teachers’ needs about technology, pedagogy and content in order to ensure professional development of teachers.
Mortality associated with acute watery diarrhea, dysentery and persistent diarrhea in rural North India

Mortality associated with diarrhea was investigated in a longitudinally followed cohort of children under six years of age in rural North India. During the follow‐up, 1663 episodes of diarrhea and 23 diarrhea related deaths were recorded in 1467 children followed up for 20 months. The case fatality rate was 0.56% for acute watery diarrhea, 4.27% for dysentery and 11.94% for non‐dysenteric persistent diarrhea. Most of the episodes lasted less than a week; 5.2% became persistent (duration > 14 days). The case fatality rate was similar in episodes of one and two weeks’duration (0.64% and 0.8%) and increased to 13.95% for persistent episodes. Of the total 86 persistent episodes, 22.1% were dysenteric; the case fatality rate for such dysenteric persistent episodes was 21.1% and for watery persistent diarrhea 11.4%. Diarrheal attack rates were similar among different nutritional groups, but diarrheal case fatality rates progressively increased with increasing severity of malnutrition, these were 24 times higher in children with severe malnutrition (7.48%) compared to those normally nourished (0.31%). With availability and use of oral rehydration therapy, dysentery and persistent diarrhea emerge as major causes of diarrhea related mortality, with underlying malnutrition as a key associated factor.
IMPROVED CELLULAR AUTOMATA SEGMENTATION OF BRAIN TUMORS ON MR IMAGES AND SVM CLASSIFICATION Sakthivel

Image Processing is one of the developing research areas today. Medical image processing is the most demanding and hugely wanted field in image processing. Brain tumor recognition in Magnetic resonance imaging (MR) has grow to be an developing area in the field of medical image processing. In our paper Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique that has played an essential role in neuro science research for studying brain images. Classification is an main part in order to differentiate between normal patients and those who have the possibility of having abnormality or tumor. The proposed method consists of two stages: feature extraction and classification. In first stage features be extracted from images using ICA. In the next stage, extracted features are feed as input to SVM classifier. It classify the images between normal and abnormal along with type of disease depending upon features. The aim of this paper is to design an automated tool for brain tumor detection using MRI scanned image records. Detection and extraction of tumor from MRI scan images of the brain was done using MATLAB software. KeywordsBrain tumor segmentation, cellular automata, contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), necrotic tissue segmentation, seeded segmentation.
Regulation of alveolar macrophage p40phox: hierarchy of activating kinases and their inhibition by PGE2

PGE2, produced in the lung during infection with microbes such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, inhibits alveolar macrophage (AM) antimicrobial functions by preventing H2O2 production by NADPH oxidase (NADPHox). Activation of the NADPHox complex is poorly understood in AMs, although in neutrophils it is known to be mediated by kinases including PI3K/Akt, protein kinase C (PKC) δ, p21‐activated protein kinase (PAK), casein kinase 2 (CK2), and MAPKs. The p40phox cytosolic subunit of NADPHox has been recently recognized to function as a carrier protein for other subunits and a positive regulator of oxidase activation, a role previously considered unique to another subunit, p47phox. The regulation of p40phox remains poorly understood, and the effect of PGE2 on its activation is completely undefined. We addressed these issues in rat AMs activated with IgG‐opsonized K. pneumoniae. The kinetics of kinase activation and the consequences of kinase inhibition and silencing revealed a critical role for a PKCδ‐PAK‐class I PI3K/Akt1 cascade in the regulation of p40phox activation upon bacterial challenge in AMs; PKCα, ERK, and CK2 were not involved. PGE2 inhibited the activation of p40phox, and its effects were mediated by protein kinase A type II, were independent of interactions with anchoring proteins, and were directed at the distal class I PI3K/Akt1 activation step. Defining the kinases that control AM p40phox activation and that are the targets for inhibition by PGE2 provides new insights into immunoregulation in the infected lung.
Activation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases after Transient Forebrain Ischemia in Gerbil Hippocampus

We investigated the expression, activation, and distribution of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38s) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in gerbil hippocampus after transient forebrain ischemia to clarify the role of these kinases in delayed neuronal death (DND) in the CA1 subfield. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that activities of JNK, p38, and ERK in whole hippocampus were increased after 5 min of global ischemia. We used an immunohistochemical study to elucidate the temporal and spatial expression of these kinases after transient global ischemia. The immunohistochemical study showed that active JNK and p38 immunoreactivities were enhanced at 15 min of reperfusion and then gradually reduced and disappeared in the hippocampal CA1 region. On the other hand, in CA3 neurons, active JNK and p38 immunoreactivities were enhanced at 15 min of reperfusion and peaked at 6 hr of reperfusion and then gradually reduced but was continuously detected 72 hr after ischemia. Active ERK immunoreactivity was observed transiently in CA3 fibers and dentate gyrus. Pretreatment with SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, but not with PD98059, an ERK kinase 1/2 inhibitor, reduced ischemic cell death in the CA1 region after transient global ischemia by inhibiting the activity of p38. These findings indicate that the p38 pathway may play an important role in DND during brain ischemia in gerbil. Components of the pathway are important target molecules for clarifying the mechanism of neuronal death.
Self regulation and learning : evidence from meta-analysis and from classrooms.

Background. Research indicates that supporting self-regulation and metacognition in learners improves their attainment and wider learning capabilities. However, using this knowledge effectively is challenging. Aims. This paper has two main aims. The first is to make a case for the relative benefits of metacognitive and self-regulatory approaches for improving learning. Comparative data from over 50 meta-analyses of interventions in schools indicates such approaches are more beneficial than other interventions. The second aim is to present data about different kinds of metacognitive thinking in classrooms which was elicited with cartoon templates. Sample and methods. Data about thinking in classrooms is drawn from a sample of 355 pupils, aged 4–15, in 12 schools who were involved in a project which promoted meta-cognition and self-regulation. The completed templates were coded for different kinds of thinking, including metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skillfulness. A two way ANOVA (gender and age) was conducted to examine the development of thinking across age groups (4–7 year olds; 7–11 year olds; 11–15 year olds). Results. There was an increase in all kinds of thinking recorded on the templates with younger children (4 -11 year olds), but contrary to expectation more complex kinds of thinking were identified less frequently with the 11–15 year olds. Conclusion. There is strong evidence from meta-analysis that metacognition and selfregulation are key dimensions in supporting learning, but there are also indications from classrooms that such approaches are not routinely embedded in schools in a way which takes advantage of learners’ developing capabilities.