Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous Bayesian Sparse Approximation With Structured Sparse Models

Sparse approximation is key to many signal processing, image processing, and machine learning applications. If multiple signals maintain some degree of dependency, for example, the support sets are statistically related, then it will generally be advantageous to jointly estimate the sparse representation vectors from the measurement vectors as opposed to solving for each signal individually. In this paper, we propose simultaneous sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) for joint sparse approximation with two structured sparse models (SSMs), where one is row-sparse with embedded element-sparse and the other one is row-sparse plus element-sparse. While SBL has attracted much attention as a means to deal with a single sparse approximation problem, it is not obvious how to extend SBL to SSMs. By capitalizing on a dual-space view of existing convex methods for SMs, we showcase the precision component model and covariance component model for SSMs, where both models involve a common hyperparameter and an innovation hyperparameter that together control the prior variance for each coefficient. The statistical perspective of precision component versus covariance component models unfolds the intrinsic mechanism in SSMs, and also leads to our development of SBL-inspired cost functions for SSMs. Centralized algorithms that include 11 and 12 reweighting algorithms and consensus-based decentralized algorithms are developed for simultaneous sparse approximation with SSMs. In addition, theoretical analysis is conducted to provide valuable insights into the proposed approach, which includes global minima analysis of the SBL-inspired nonconvex cost functions and convergence analysis of the proposed 11 reweighting algorithms for SSMs. Superior performance of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by numerical experiments.
Global regularity and convergence of a Birkhoff-Rott-alpha approximation of the dynamics of vortex sheets of the 2D Euler equations

We present an alpha-regularization of the Birkhoff-Rott equation, induced by the two-dimensional Euler-alpha equations, for the vortex sheet dynamics. We show the convergence of the solutions of Euler-alpha equations to a weak solution of the Euler equations for initial vorticity being a finite Radon measure of fixed sign, which includes the vortex sheets case. We also show that, provided the initial density of vorticity is an integrable function over the curve with respect to the arc-length measure, (i) an initially Lipschitz chord arc vortex sheet (curve), evolving under the BR-alpha equation, remains Lipschitz for all times, (ii) an initially Holder C^{1,beta}, 0 <= beta < 1, chord arc curve remains in C^{1,beta} for all times, and finally, (iii) an initially Holder C^{n,beta}, n <= 1, 0 < beta < 1, closed chord arc curve remains so for all times. In all these cases the weak Euler-alpha and the BR-alpha descriptions of the vortex sheet motion are equivalent.
A method of building Chinese field association knowledge from Wikipedia

Field Association (FA) terms form a limited set of discriminating terms that give us the knowledge to identify document fields. The primary goal of this research is to make a system that can imitate the process whereby humans recognize the fields by looking at a few Chinese FA terms in a document. This paper proposes a new approach to build a Chinese FA terms dictionary automatically from Wikipedia. 104,532 FA terms are added in the dictionary. The resulting FA terms by using this dictionary are applied to recognize the fields of 5,841 documents. The average accuracy in the experiment is 92.04%. The results show that the presented method is effective in building FA terms from Wikipedia automatically.
How stakeholder participation can contribute to systematic reviews of complex interventions

Although patient and public involvement in research is a requirement for research funding in many countries, the knowledge base for how to effectively involve people—and evidence of the effectiveness of involvement—is weak. This article describes how methods used in participatory health research were used to involve patients, clients, providers and community health workers across all stages of a realist review. Sustained involvement enabled better identification of the components of the complex intervention of community-based peer support. It also challenged assumptions of how peer support is constructed, leading the review team to question whether the process of designing and implementing interventions has more influence on effectiveness than previously recognised in empirical studies. We conclude with a discussion on when sustained involvement should be used, and the challenges of incorporating it into the traditional researcher-led approach to systematic reviews.
Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy for symptoms of depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis

Background. We studied to what extent internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) programs for symptoms of depression and anxiety are effective. Method. A meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials. Results. The effects of internet-based CBT were compared to control conditions in 13 contrast groups with a total number of 2334 participants. A meta-analysis on treatment contrasts resulted in a moderate to large mean effect size [fixed effects analysis (FEA) d=0·40, mixed effects analysis (MEA) d=0·60] and significant heterogeneity. Therefore, two sets of post hoc subgroup analyses were carried out. Analyses on the type of symptoms revealed that interventions for symptoms of depression had a small mean effect size (FEA d=0·27, MEA d=0·32) and significant heterogeneity. Further analyses showed that one study could be regarded as an outlier. Analyses without this study showed a small mean effect size and moderate, non-significant heterogeneity. Interventions for anxiety had a large mean effect size (FEA and MEA d=0·96) and very low heterogeneity. When examining the second set of subgroups, based on therapist assistance, no significant heterogeneity was found. Interventions with therapist support (n=5) had a large mean effect size, while interventions without therapist support (n=6) had a small mean effect size (FEA d=0·24, MEA d=0·26). Conclusions. In general, effect sizes of internet-based interventions for symptoms of anxiety were larger than effect sizes for depressive symptoms; however, this might be explained by differences in the amount of therapist support.
Becoming Legal: Immigration Law and Mixed-Status Families by Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz (review)

In this unique academic approach to how immigration processes work, Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz challenges, defines, and articulates the intimate relationships created between immigration policy and practices and families from Mexican descent who have decided to make the United States their home. On the book cover, a young man holds an emblem that reads “We want our mother here! ” The phrase resonates throughout the book, with its emphasis on the reunification of families whose migratory mixed status in the United States has become complex and perilous. The signal phrase also underscores the lack of humanity embedded in immigration laws that specifically target people of Mexican descent. Gomberg-Muñoz tackles head on and without apology the cynicism and hypocrisy of civil society when she confronts general questions about unauthorized migration. Questions such as “Why don’t undocumented people wait their turn to enter the United States legally? ” and “Why don’t they legalize their status once they have U.S. citizen relatives? ” display “convenient naiveté. ” But Gomberg-Muñoz answers these questions nonetheless, contributing in the process two main arguments to immigration and transnational studies. Gomberg-Muñoz underlines how immigrants with mixed-immigration statuses in the United States experience immigration processes quite differently, depending on their place of origin, their gender, race, and sexuality. Second, she attests to the fact that the criminal justice system is tightly linked to the immigration system, insofar as immigration categories are not arbitrary but are imposed on some immigrants who are deemed unacceptable.
The Effect of Number and Presentation Order of High-Constraint Sentences on Second Language Word Learning

This paper presents the results of an experiment that investigated the effects of number and presentation order of high-constraint sentences on semantic processing of unknown second language (L2) words (pseudowords) through reading. All participants were Chinese native speakers who learned English as a foreign language. In the experiment, sentence constraint and order of different constraint sentences were manipulated in English sentences, as well as L2 proficiency level of participants. We found that the number of high-constraint sentences was supportive for L2 word learning except in the condition in which high-constraint exposure was presented first. Moreover, when the number of high-constraint sentences was the same, learning was significantly better when the first exposure was a high-constraint exposure. And no proficiency level effects were found. Our results provided direct evidence that L2 word learning benefited from high quality language input and first presentations of high quality language input.
WiMed : An Infrastructure-less Approach to Wireless Diagnosis

The availability of unlicensed spectrum coupled with the increasing popularity of wireless communication has given rise to a diverse range of wireless technologies that compete for spectrum. In particular, 802.11 devices face a host of problems such as interference with other 802.11 devices (hidden terminals) as well as with technologies like Bluetooth and ZigBee. Inferring the cause of wireless performance problems based on observations from a single node is hard. Past work on wireless diagnosis has made use of monitoring infrastructures with co-ordinated observations from multiple monitors to tackle this problem. In this paper, we try to answer the question: ”how can we enable users to reason about wireless performance variations without requiring elaborate instrumentation and infrastructure support? ”. We propose WiMed, a tool that uses only local physical layer measurements from commodity 802.11 NICs (at the node being diagnosed) to diagnose a variety of performance-related problems. We have implemented a WiMed prototype using the MadWifi driver for Atheros NICs. Our results show that WiMed can diagnose non-802.11 interference better than existing systems. WiMed’s time allocation map shows how the medium is utilized, which is useful in identifying performance bottlenecks.
Maintenance of Genetic Diversity in Natural Spawning of Captively-Reared Endangered Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka

Captive propagation of Pacific salmon is routine, but few captive breeding programs have been conducted to successfully re-establish extirpated wild populations. A captive breeding program for endangered Sakinaw Lake sockeye salmon was established from 84 adults between 2002 and 2005, just prior to extirpation of the wild population. After several years of absence, sockeye salmon released from captivity returned to spawn in Sakinaw Lake in 2010 and in all years thereafter. Freshwater survival rates of released hatchery fry and naturally produced progeny of reintroduced sockeye salmon have not limited abundance of the reintroduced population. In contrast, marine survival rates for Sakinaw sockeye salmon have been <1%, a level that precludes population restoration in the absence of supplementation. Genetic diversity commensurate with the number of parental founders has been maintained in captivity. The 517 adult second-generation captive fish that spawned in Sakinaw Lake in 2011 produced a smolt emigration of almost 28,000 juvenile fish with an effective population size of 132. Allelic richness and gene diversity levels in the smolts were similar to those observed in captivity. This indicates genetic contributions from all or most founding parents have been retained both in captivity and in the nascent reintroduced natural population.
An Experimental Study and Analysis of Crowds based Anonymity

Crowds provides probable innocence in the face of large number of attackers. In this paper, we present the experimental results of the behavior of Crowds in a dense network. We begin by providing a brief description about Crowds followed by the experimental environment in which the simulations were carried out. We then present the results of our simulations and the inferences made out of them. We will also show that the obtained results match the predictions made by others.
Learning hash codes for efficient content reuse detection

Content reuse is extremely common in user generated mediums. Reuse detection serves as be the basis for many applications. However, along with the explosion of Internet and continuously growing uses of user generated mediums, the task becomes more critical and difficult. In this paper, we present a novel efficient and scalable approach to detect content reuse. We propose a new signature generation algorithm, which is based on learned hash functions for words. In order to deal with tens of billions of documents, we implement the detection approach on graphical processing units (GPUs). The experimental comparison in this paper involves studies of efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approach in different types of document collections, including ClueWeb09, Tweets2011, and so on. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can achieve the same detection rates with state-of-the-art systems while uses significantly less execution time than them (from 400X to 1500X speedup).
Characterization of a Second tfd Gene Cluster for Chlorophenol and Chlorocatechol Metabolism on Plasmid pJP4 in Ralstonia eutropha JMP134(pJP4)

ABSTRACT Within the 5.9-kb DNA region between the tfdR andtfdK genes on the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) catabolic plasmid pJP4 from Ralstonia eutropha JMP134, we identified five open reading frames (ORFs) with significant homology to the genes for chlorocatechol and chlorophenol metabolism (tfdCDEF and tfdB) already present elsewhere on pJP4. The five ORFs were organized and assigned as follows:tfdDIICIIEIIFIIand tfdBII (in short, thetfdII cluster), by analogy totfdCDEF and tfdB (thetfdI cluster). Primer extension analysis of mRNA isolated from 2,4-D-grown R. eutropha JMP134 identified a single transcription start site in front of the first gene of the cluster, tfdDII, suggesting an operon-like organization for the tfdII genes. By expressing each ORF in Escherichia coli, we confirmed that tfdDII coded for a chloromuconate cycloisomerase, tfdCII coded for a chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase, tfdEII coded for a dienelactone hydrolase, tfdFII coded for a maleylacetate reductase, and tfdBII coded for a chlorophenol hydroxylase. Dot blot hybridizations of mRNA isolated from R. eutropha JMP134 showed that bothtfdI and tfdII genes are transcribed upon induction with 2,4-D. Thus, the functions encoded by the tfdII genes seem to be redundant with respect to those of the tfdI cluster. One reason why the tfdII genes do not disappear from plasmid pJP4 might be the necessity for keeping the regulatory genes for the 2,4-D pathway expression tfdR andtfdS.
“ Sensing ” mobility : an outline of a MAS model for urban mobility

In order to develop a MAS approach to mobility phenomena a strong notion of agency is required. This implies to articulate both an analyticalepistemological and a conceptual-ontological dimension. While increasing attention is being given to the former, the latter dimension is to date still largely unexplored. The salient features which distinguish a MAS approach to mobility phenomena are emphasized. It is claimed that the possibility to take into account agents’ mental worlds is both a potential and challenge of MAS approaches. Elements of a conceptual framework which may serve as a reference for designing a MAS model for urban mobility are outlined.
Blind color image deconvolution based on wavelet decomposition

This paper presents a new framework to address blind color image deconvolution based on wavelet decomposition. Blind color image deconvolution is a challenging problem due to the lack of information available. Conventional methods based on single-input single-output (SISO) model experience significant color artifacts in the restored images. On the other hand, there are limitations on the practicality of using multi-input multi-output (MIMO) model in solving this problem as the color channels are usually highly correlated. In view of this, the paper proposes a new framework to solve blind color image deconvolution by first decomposing the color channels into wavelet subbands, and performing image deconvolution using a combination of SISO and single-input multi-output (SIMO) models. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to achieve satisfactory restored images.
Automatic Source Code Plagiarism Detection

Plagiarism is one form of academic dishonesty, which is often done by students in programming classes. In a large class, detecting plagiarism manually is both difficult and time-consuming¿especially due to the numerous modifications of the source code to conceal the cheating.We designed and developed Deimos, a prototype of a source code plagiarism detector, which can be extended to handle other programming languages, simply by implementing new scanners and parsers. Deimos works in two steps: (1) parsing source code and transforming it into tokens, and then (2) comparing each pair of token strings obtained in the first step using Running Karp-Rabin Greedy String Tiling algorithm. Instructor can access Deimos via a web application interface that receives input parameters, triggers a background process, and displays the result. The web interface offers user friendliness while the background process prevents timeout and reduces bandwidth consumption. This approach was chosen since Deimos is intended to be used for processing more than 100 source code. The web application was implemented using PHP, while Java was used to implement the backend application, which is responsible for the background process.Unit test, functional test, and nonfunctional test has been conducted. Detection time is 1 hour for processing 100 samples of beginner’s source code taken from real assignment of our programming class where the average length of source code is 150 lines. This code similarity detector could also be used for other pedagogical tools, such as autograder, which checks consistency of source code based on a template or solution.
LBOs and innovation: the French case

A long-standing controversy is whether LBOs generate economic efficiencies through a superior governance framework, or whether LBO funds are driven by short-term profit motives and sacrifice long-term growth to boost short-term performance. Using a propensity score methodology, this paper provides an empirical analysis of the innovative efforts of a sample of 89 French manufacturing firms that underwent a buyout between 2001 and 2005. The matching estimates (average treatment on the treated, ATT) of the effect of LBOs on firm level of innovation expenditures in 2006 show no significant differences between LBO targets and comparable companies that did not go through an LBO. In contrast, we find significant effects of LBOs on both service innovation and marketing innovations in design and packaging and product promotion.
Cytomegalovirus Antibody Elevation in Bipolar Disorder: Relation to Elevated Mood States

The neurobiology of mood states is complicated by exposure to everyday stressors (e.g., psychosocial, ubiquitous environmental infections like CMV), each fluctuating between latency and reactivation. CMV reactivation induces proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α) associated with induction of neurotoxic metabolites and the presence of mood states in bipolar disorder (BD). Whether CMV reactivation is associated with bipolar diagnoses (trait) or specific mood states is unclear. We investigated 139 BD type I and 99 healthy controls to determine if concentrations of IgG antibodies to Herpesviridae (e.g., CMV, HSV-1, and HSV-2) were associated with BD-I diagnosis and specific mood states. We found higher CMV antibody concentration in BD-I than in healthy controls (T234 = 3.1, P uncorr = 0.002; P corr = 0.006) but no difference in HSV-1 (P > 0.10) or HSV-2 (P > 0.10). Compared to euthymic BD-I volunteers, CMV IgG was higher in BD-I volunteers with elevated moods (P < 0.03) but not different in depressed moods (P > 0.10). While relationships presented between BD-I diagnosis, mood states, and CMV antibodies are encouraging, they are limited by the study's cross sectional nature. Nevertheless, further testing is warranted to replicate findings and determine whether reactivation of CMV infection exacerbates elevated mood states in BD-I.
Phone-based Spoken Document Retrieval in Conformance with the MPEG-7 Standard

This paper presents a phone-based approach of spoken document retrieval, developed in the framework of the emerging MPEG-7 standard. The audio part of MPEG-7 encloses a SpokenContent tool that provides a standardized description of the content of spoken documents. In the context of MPEG-7, we propose an indexing and retrieval method that uses phonetic information only and a vector space IR model. Experiments are conducted on a database of German spoken documents, with 10 city name queries. Two phone-based retrieval approaches are presented and combined. The first one is based on the combination of phone N-grams of different lengths used as indexing terms. The other consists of expanding the document representation by means of phone confusion probabilities.
Potential role of the ocean thermostat in determining regional differences in coral reef bleaching events

Several negative feedback mechanisms have been proposed by others to explain the stability of maximum sea surface temperature (SST) in the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP). If these “ocean thermostat” mechanisms effectively suppress warming in the future, then coral reefs in this region should be less exposed to conditions that favor coral reef bleaching. In this study we look for regional differences in reef exposure and sensitivity to increasing SSTs by comparing reported coral reef bleaching events with observed and modeled SSTs of the last fifty years. Coral reefs within or near the WPWP have had fewer reported bleaching events relative to reefs in other regions. Analysis of SST data indicate that the warmest parts of the WPWP have warmed less than elsewhere in the tropical oceans, which supports the existence of thermostat mechanisms that act to depress warming beyond certain temperature thresholds.
File Block Classification by Support Vector Machine

Retrieval of files without the support of file system structures is arguably essential for digital forensics. Files are typically stored as sequences of data blocks, which have to be reconstructed in the retrieval process. This is commonly performed, among other approaches, through file carving, in general detecting the original block sequences by means of signatures of known headers and footers of files. Of course, this creates challenges with fragmented files, where blocks belonging to different files may be interleaved. Ways to classify file blocks into file types relying on their content may provide a support to achieve a successful reconstruction. We propose to classify file blocks using Support Vector Machines (SVMs), and we do so by studying in-depth the impact of an appropriate selection of the features used in the classification process. We analyze several potential features and test their performance over a large and representative collection of file blocks and file types. We find out that SVM classifiers can achieve a good accuracy and that a specific type of features (based on byte frequency distribution) performs well across almost all of the examined file types.