Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
K2: a mobile operating system for heterogeneous coherence domains

Mobile System-on-Chips (SoC) that incorporate heterogeneous coherence domains promise high energy efficiency to a wide range of mobile applications, yet are difficult to program. To exploit the architecture, a desirable, yet missing capability is to replicate operating system (OS) services over multiple coherence domains with minimum inter-domain communication. In designing such an OS, we set three goals: to ease application development, to simplify OS engineering, and to preserve the current OS performance. To this end, we identify a shared-most OS model for multiple coherence domains: creating per-domain instances of core OS services with no shared state, while enabling other extended OS services to share state across domains. To test the model, we build K2, a prototype OS on the TI OMAP4 SoC, by reusing most of the Linux 3.4 source. K2 presents a single system image to applications with its two kernels running on top of the two coherence domains of OMAP4. The two kernels have independent instances of core OS services, such as page allocator and interrupt management, as coordinated by K2; the two kernels share most extended OS services, such as device drivers, whose state is kept coherent transparently by K2. Despite platform constraints and unoptimized code, K2 improves energy efficiency for light OS workloads by 8x-10x, while incurring less than 6% performance overhead for a device driver shared between kernels. Our experiences with K2 show that the shared-most model is promising.
Evaluating Content-Independent Features for Personality Recognition

This paper describes our submission for the WCPR14 shared task on computational personality recognition. We have investigated whether the features proposed by Soler and Wanner (2014) for gender prediction might also be useful in personality recognition. We have compared these features with simple approaches using token unigrams, character trigrams and liwc features. Although the newly investigated features seem to work quite well on certain personality traits, they do not outperform the simple approaches.
Near-Optimal Density Estimation in Near-Linear Time Using Variable-Width Histograms

Let $p$ be an unknown and arbitrary probability distribution over $[0,1)$. We consider the problem of {\em density estimation}, in which a learning algorithm is given i.i. d. draws from $p$ and must (with high probability) output a hypothesis distribution that is close to $p$. The main contribution of this paper is a highly efficient density estimation algorithm for learning using a variable-width histogram, i.e., a hypothesis distribution with a piecewise constant probability density function. In more detail, for any $k$ and $\epsilon$, we give an algorithm that makes $\tilde{O}(k/\epsilon^2)$ draws from $p$, runs in $\tilde{O}(k/\epsilon^2)$ time, and outputs a hypothesis distribution $h$ that is piecewise constant with $O(k \log^2(1/\epsilon))$ pieces. With high probability the hypothesis $h$ satisfies $d_{\mathrm{TV}}(p,h) \leq C \cdot \mathrm{opt}_k(p) + \epsilon$, where $d_{\mathrm{TV}}$ denotes the total variation distance (statistical distance), $C$ is a universal constant, and $\mathrm{opt}_k(p)$ is the smallest total variation distance between $p$ and any $k$-piecewise constant distribution. The sample size and running time of our algorithm are optimal up to logarithmic factors. The "approximation factor" $C$ in our result is inherent in the problem, as we prove that no algorithm with sample size bounded in terms of $k$ and $\epsilon$ can achieve $C<2$ regardless of what kind of hypothesis distribution it uses.
Scanning tunneling spectroscopy across the insulator-to-metal transition in strained manganite films

The transition from insulating to metallic-like behavior in La[1-x]Ca[x]MnO[3] (X~0.33) films is studied by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS). The dependence on substrate-induced strain on the transition temperature and the apparent gap measured by transport is characterized for different film thickness. STS measurements on highly and weakly strained films using a home-made setup showed no evidence of a bimodal distribution of zero-bias conductance (ZBC) values, precluding a static phase separation over lengthscales of 10-100 nm. ZBC follows the trend of macroscopic conductivity, increasing (decreasing) on cooling at low (High) temperatures. At high temperatures, ZBC follows an activated behavior and normalized conductance presents a depletion at low energies, features consistent with a gapped density of states. However, the depletion does not disappear on cooling below the transition temperature. A possible explanation in terms of antiferromagnetic/charge order (AFCO) correlations, which are present both in the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases, is provided.
Novel application of kinect sensor to prevent collision accidents between machine and operator

Many collision accidents between operators and machine tools are reported. However, no effective way of preventing these accidents has been proposed to date. Therefore, the authors propose the implementation of a danger decision by measuring the human posture and face direction. By performing a danger decision, the authors aim to realize the effective prevention of collision accidents. The posture and face direction were measured by using a Kinect sensor, which has the ability to obtain information about the posture and face direction. This paper presents the results of experiments aimed at examining whether it is possible to realize a danger decision. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of using a danger decision based on the measurement of the operator's posture and face direction.
Confidence-based cue integration for visual place recognition

A distinctive feature of intelligent systems is their capability to analyze their level of expertise for a given task; in other words, they know what they know. As a way towards this ambitious goal, this paper presents a recognition algorithm able to measure its own level of confidence and, in case of uncertainty, to seek for extra information so to increase its own knowledge and ultimately achieve better performance. We focus on the visual place recognition problem for topological localization, and we take an SVM approach. We propose a new method for measuring the confidence level of the classification output, based on the distance of a test image and the average distance of training vectors. This method is combined with a discriminative accumulation scheme for cue integration. We show with extensive experiments that the resulting algorithm achieves better performances for two visual cues than the classic single cue SVM on the same task, while minimising the computational load. More important, our method provides a reliable measure of the level of confidence of the decision.
A MRI Denoising Method Based on 3D Nonlocal Means and Multidimensional PCA

Recently nonlocal means (NLM) and its variants have been applied in the various scientific fields extensively due to its simplicity and desirable property to conserve the neighborhood information. The two-stage MRI denoising algorithm proposed in this paper is based on 3D optimized blockwise version of NLM and multidimensional PCA (MPCA). The proposed algorithm takes full use of the block representation advantageous of NLM3D to restore the noisy slice from different neighboring slices and employs MPCA as a postprocessing step to remove noise further while preserving the structural information of 3D MRI. The experiments have demonstrated that the proposed method has achieved better visual results and evaluation criteria than 3D-ADF, NLM3D, and OMNLM_LAPCA.
Assessment of the Chemosensitizing Activity of TAT-RasGAP317-326 in Childhood Cancers

Although current anti-cancer protocols are reasonably effective, treatment-associated long-term side effects, induced by lack of specificity of the anti-cancer procedures, remain a challenging problem in pediatric oncology. TAT-RasGAP317-326 is a RasGAP-derived cell-permeable peptide that acts as a sensitizer to various anti-cancer treatments in adult tumor cells. In the present study, we assessed the effect of TAT-RasGAP317-326 in several childhood cancer cell lines. The RasGAP-derived peptide-induced cell death was analyzed in several neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma and leukemia cell lines (as well as in normal lymphocytes). Cell death was evaluated using flow cytometry methods in the absence or in the presence of the peptide in combination with various genotoxins used in the clinics (4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine and doxorubicin). All tested pediatric tumors, in response to at least one genotoxin, were sensitized by TAT-RasGAP317-326. The RasGAP-derived peptide did not increase cell death of normal lymphocytes, alone or in combination with the majority of the tested chemotherapies. Consequently, TAT-RasGAP317-326 may benefit children with tumors by increasing the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies notably by allowing reductions in anti-cancer drug dosage and the associated drug-induced side effects.
A Systematic Review of Studies of Open Source Software Evolution

Software evolution relates to how software systems evolve over time. With the emergence of the open source paradigm, researchers are provided with a wealth of data for open source software evolution analysis. In this paper, we present a systematic review of open source software (OSS) evolution. The objective of this review is to obtain an overview of the existing studies in open source software evolution, with the intention of achieving an understanding of how software evolvability (i.e., a software system’s ability to easily accommodate changes) is addressed during development and evolution of open source software. The primary studies for this review were identified based on a pre-defined search strategy and a multi-step selection process. Based on their research topics, we have identified four main categories of themes: software trends and patterns, evolution process support, evolvability characteristics addressed in OSS evolution, and examining OSS at software architecture level. A comprehensive overview and synthesis of these categories and related studies is presented as well.
The expression of Wnt2b in the optic cup lip requires a border between the pigmented and nonpigmented epithelium

Purpose Wnt2b is normally expressed at the optic cup lip and is implicated in ciliary body induction. The lens has often been considered an organizer for the anterior eye, but recent studies demonstrate that the anterior cell fates are correctly specified in the absence of the lens. This study uses Wnt2b as a marker to reveal the mechanism behind the specification of the anterior domain of the optic cup. Methods Developing chick embryos were used as a model system. Eyes were microsurgically manipulated to assess the role of the lens in the development of the anterior optic cup. Eyes were molecularly manipulated, using fibroblast growth factor expressing replication-incompetent retrovirus, introduced into the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) domain. Ectopic fibroblast growth factor transformed the RPE into nonpigmented epithelium (NPE; ciliary body). As the virus does not spread, discrete borders between RPE and NPE were experimentally created. Wnt2b expression was assessed after surgical and molecular manipulation. Results Contrary to expectations, we found that the lens is not able to induce Wnt2b expression in optic cup tissue: When the optic cup lip is experimentally misspecified such that it no longer contains the juxtaposition of pigmented and nonpigmented tissue, Wnt2b is not expressed. In addition, if the prelens ectoderm is removed from the optic vesicle before morphogenesis, the resulting lensless optic cup expresses Wnt2b even though it was not in contact with lens tissue. We also show that ectopic lenses do not induce Wnt2b in optic cup tissue. The ciliary body/anterior eye domain is specified at the border of RPE and the NPE of the ciliary body. During development, this border is normally found at the optic cup lip. We can manipulate tissue specification using retroviral-mediated gene transfer, and create ectopic borders between nonpigmented and pigmented tissue. At such borders, Wnt2b is ectopically expressed in the absence of lens contact. Finally, we describe a role for the lens in maintenance of Wnt2b expression and demonstrate support for this in two ways: First, we show that if the lens is removed from the formed optic cup, endogenous Wnt2b expression is specifically lost from the optic cup lip; and second, we show that while ectopic Wnt2b expression is initially found in the majority of ectopic borders, as eye development proceeds ectopic expression is maintained only in those borders that are close to the lens. Conclusions Taken together, the results provide support for a model in which the anterior optic cup domain, as described in part by Wnt2b expression, is specified through the elaboration of a border within the optic neuroepithelium rather than through interactions with the surrounding environment.
WLC14-3: A New Handover Decision Management Algorithm in Wireless Overlay Networks

Wireless overlay networks (WONs) are multi-layer networks in which mobile nodes (MNs) move freely within cells of the same overlay or between cells of different overlays. Such a structure provides global access to MNs regardless of time and location but poses many challenges. This paper covers the problem of building an efficient handover decision manager (HDM) on each MN so that the MN can decide horizontal and vertical handovers encountered in WONs. The paper studies the current handover decision schemes and proposes a hybrid scheme. The proposed HDM algorithm considers many factors such as the candidate networks' cost, coverage, data rate and traffic load. The algorithm gives accurate and timely decisions and considerably decreases MNs' power consumption at the expense of slightly increased complexity. The simulations, which compare the proposed HDM scheme with two-level thresholding and utility-based schemes, show that the number of unnecessary handovers and MNs' power consumption are decreased considerably while MNs' throughput is not significantly affected by the proposed HDM algorithm.
A preliminary investigation into the effectiveness of a group-delivered sleep management intervention for parents of children with intellectual disabilities

Sleep problems are more prevalent and severe among children with intellectual disabilities and autism compared to typically developing children. Training parents in behavioural approaches to manage sleep problems is advocated. However, delivering such interventions via groups is novel. This article reports the findings from a preliminary evaluation of a group-delivered intervention routinely delivered by a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Learning Disability team in England. For this purpose, parents (n = 23) of children with intellectual disabilities were recruited. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Parents’ Sense of Competence Scale and parent-set goals captured outcomes at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3- and 6-month follow-up. Intervention delivery costs were collected. Take-up was high (86%), and no parent dropped out. Statistically significant improvements in night wakings, parent-set goals and parents’ sense of efficacy were observed. The estimated mean cost of delivering each intervention was British (GBP) £1570. Findings suggest the intervention is a low-cost, acceptable service warranting further evaluation.
Micro‐RNA‐21 regulates TGF‐β‐induced myofibroblast differentiation by targeting PDCD4 in tumor‐stroma interaction

Transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) induces stromal fibroblast‐to‐myofibroblast transdifferentiation in the tumor‐stroma interactive microenvironment via modulation of multiple phenotypic and functional genes, which plays a critical role in tumor progression. Up to now, the involvement of micro‐RNAs (miRNAs) and their roles in TGF‐β1‐induced myofibroblast differentiation in tumor‐stroma interaction are unclear. Using quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR, we demonstrated that the expression of micro‐RNA‐21 (miR‐21) was upregulated in activated fibroblasts after treatment with TGF‐β1 or conditioned medium from cancer cells. To determine the potential roles of miR‐21 in TGF‐β1‐mediated gene regulation during myofibroblast conversion, we showed that miR‐21 expression was downregulated by miR‐21 inhibitor and upregulated by miR‐21 mimic. Interestingly, downregulation of miR‐21 with the inhibitor effectively inhibited TGF‐β1‐induced myofibroblast differentiation while upregulation of miR‐21 with a mimic significantly promoted myofibroblast differentiation. We further demonstrated that MiR‐21 directly targeted and downregulated programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) gene, which in turn acted as a negative regulator of several phenotypic and functional genes of myofibroblasts. Taken together, these results suggested that miR‐21 participated in TGF‐β1‐induced myofibroblast transdifferentiation in cancer stroma by targeting PDCD4.
Two-dimensional matched filtering for motion estimation

In this work, we describe a frequency domain technique for the estimation of multiple superimposed motions in an image sequence. The least-squares optimum approach involves the computation of the three-dimensional (3-D) Fourier transform of the sequence, followed by the detection of one or more planes in this domain with high energy concentration. We present a more efficient algorithm, based on the properties of the Radon transform and the two-dimensional (2-D) fast Fourier transform, which can sacrifice little performance for significant computational savings. We accomplish the motion detection and estimation by designing appropriate matched filters. The performance is demonstrated on two image sequences.
Distributed Burning in Type Ia Supernovae: A Statistical Approach

We present a statistical model which shows the influence of turbulence on a thermonuclear flame propagating in C+O white dwarf matter. Based on a Monte Carlo description of turbulence, it provides a method for investigating the physics in the so-called distributed burning regime. Using this method, we perform numerical simulations of turbulent flames and show that in this particular regime the flamelet model for the turbulent flame velocity loses its validity. In fact, at high turbulent intensities, burning in the distributed regime can lead to a deceleration of the turbulent flame and thus induce a competing process to turbulent effects that cause a higher flame speed. It is also shown that in dense C+O matter turbulent heat transport is described adequately by the Peclet number rather than by the Reynolds number, which means that flame propagation is decoupled from small-scale turbulence. Finally, at the onset of our results we argue that the available turbulent energy in an exploding C+O white dwarf is probably too low to make a deflagration-to-detonation transition possible.
Hepatic dendritic cells: immunobiology and role in liver transplantation

Traditional investigations of hepatic dendritic cells (DC) have focused on immunohistochemical studies of these cells within normal and pathological liver tissue. The recent availability of reagents for the improved characterization of DC, together with cytokine‐based methods for the expansion of liver DC both in vivo and in vitro have begun to provide new insight into the immunobiology of these important antigen‐presenting cells. Hepatic DC probably play a key role in the host response to blood‐borne pathogens, and in the pathogenesis of infectious and autoimmune liver diseases. They appear to be important in determining the balance between liver transplant tolerance and rejection. Their possible role in oral and portal venous tolerance remains to be defined. In this article, we focus on emerging aspects of hepatic DC immunobiology, with particular reference to liver transplantation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 322–330; 1999.
Rank Minimization across Appearance and Shape for AAM Ensemble Fitting

Active Appearance Models (AAMs) employ a paradigm of inverting a synthesis model of how an object can vary in terms of shape and appearance. As a result, the ability of AAMs to register an unseen object image is intrinsically linked to two factors. First, how well the synthesis model can reconstruct the object image. Second, the degrees of freedom in the model. Fewer degrees of freedom yield a higher likelihood of good fitting performance. In this paper we look at how these seemingly contrasting factors can complement one another for the problem of AAM fitting of an ensemble of images stemming from a constrained set (e.g. an ensemble of face images of the same person).
Changing patterns of dominance in the CD8+ T cell response during acute and persistent murine γ‐herpesvirus infection

The murine γ‐herpesvirus MHV‐68 causes an acute, transient pneumonitis, followed by an infectious mononucleosis (IM)‐like illness with splenomegaly, widespread latent infection of B lymphocytes and an expansion of Vβ4+ CD8+ T cells. CD8+ T cells specific for an H‐2Db‐restricted epitope were prominent during the acute respiratory infection, but their prevalence declined rapidly during the mononucleosis. In contrast, CD8+ T cells specific for an H‐2Kb‐restricted epitope, apparently expressed by virus‐infected B lymphocytes, were most numerous during the mononucleosis illness and were maintained at relatively high frequencies thereafter. The prevalence of all peptide‐specific CD8+ T cells decreased during the expansion of the Vβ4+ CD8+ population, which did not recognize any peptide epitopes identified and was apparent also in an MHC class I‐deficient environment. The CD8+ T cell population recognizing productively infected epithelial cells thus differed substantially from that responding during the IM illness.
Text-independent Persian Writer Identification Using Fuzzy Clustering Approach

To identify a person using his/her handwriting; it is necessary to analyze a set of handwritings. Because of special styles of Persian handwritten; identifying Persian handwriting needs different approaches in compare with to other languages. This paper introduces a writer identification method to identify the writer of a Persian handwritten text. In the proposed method, the fuzzy approach is applied for the classification and clustering of handwritten texts. The proposed method consists of three main steps: the first step uses grapheme feature to select first candidates, the second one uses area features and fuzzy approach to restrict candidate domain; and finally third step uses gradient features to finalize selection. The experimental results were satisfactory and the accuracy of system was about 90% for 50 writers
Opportunistic log: efficient installation reads in a reliable storage server

In a distributed storage system, client caches managed on the basis of small granularity objects can provide better memory utilization then page-based caches. However, object servers, unlike page servers, must perform additional disk reads. These installation reads are required to install modified objects onto their corresponding disk pages. The opportunistic log is a new technique that significantly reduces the cost of installation reads. It defers the installation reads, removing them from the modification commit path, and manages a large pool of pending installation reads that can be scheduled efficiently. Using simulations, we show that the opportunistic log substantially enhances the I/O performance of reliable storage servers. An object server without the opportunistic log requires much better client caching to outperform a page server. With an opportunistic log, only a small client cache improvement suffices. Our results imply that efficient scheduling of installation reads can substantially improve the performance of large-scale storage systems and therefore introduces a new performance tradeoff between page-based and object-based architectures.