Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mixtures of Bivariate von Mises Distributions with Applications to Modelling of Protein Dihedral Angles

The modelling of empirically observed data is commonly done using mixtures of probability distributions. In order to model angular data, directional probability distributions such as the bivariate von Mises (BVM) is typically used. The critical task involved in mixture modelling is to determine the optimal number of component probability distributions. We employ the Bayesian information-theoretic principle of minimum message length (MML) to distinguish mixture models by balancing the trade-off between the model's complexity and its goodness-of-fit to the data. We consider the problem of modelling angular data resulting from the spatial arrangement of protein structures using BVM distributions. The main contributions of the paper include the development of the mixture modelling apparatus along with the MML estimation of the parameters of the BVM distribution. We demonstrate that statistical inference using the MML framework supersedes the traditional methods and offers a mechanism to objectively determine models that are of practical significance.
Performance Self-Assessment by and for Regulation in Autonomous Agents

We are studying the problem of connecting intelligence to performance in the context of autonomous agents with very limited capabilities, where performance is suspected to include very few parameters and be easier to quantify than in more complex cases. We are reviewing and comparing three behavioral models that solve three typical autonomous agent problems, the explorer robot [1][2], the food-collector ant [3] and the cooperative tit-for-tat agent [4]. In all three cases and despite the apparent differences between them, we have defined a single problemdependent performance measure and, on that basis, we have found that the most intelligent among several alternative models, i.e., the one that to the eyes of an observer achieves better performance, is a selfregulatory model involving a two-level regulatory process and an internal variable representing the state of the problem-solving process, thus self-assessing recent performance. The power of the agent lies in the second level and regulation mechanism, that is problem-dependent, and that has been shown to achieve the highest performance among many alternative models in all three problems. The whole design thus allows the agent to assess its actual performance and correct its behavior by modifying accordingly the first-level regulation rates, or equivalently by adapting the first level regulation law. From a symmetrical point of view, the agent may also be thought of as predicting the future state of the environment and adapting accordingly. The self-regulatory process appears therefore as both the means to effective performance assessment and the low-level prerequisite to enhanced intelligence.
Macroglial Plasticity and the Origins of Reactive Astroglia in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Accumulations of hypertrophic, intensely glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive (GFAP+) astroglia, which also express immunoreactive nestin and vimentin, are prominent features of multiple sclerosis lesions. The issues of the cellular origin of hypertrophic GFAP+/vimentin+/nestin+ “reactive” astroglia and also the plasticities and lineage relationships among three macroglial progenitor populations—oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), astrocytes and ependymal cells—during multiple sclerosis and other CNS diseases remain controversial. We used genetic fate-mappings with a battery of inducible Cre drivers (Olig2-Cre-ERT2, GFAP-Cre-ERT2, FoxJ1-Cre-ERT2 and Nestin-Cre-ERT2) to explore these issues in adult mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The proliferative rate of spinal cord OPCs rose fivefold above control levels during EAE, and numbers of oligodendroglia increased as well, but astrogenesis from OPCs was rare. Spinal cord ependymal cells, previously reported to be multipotent, did not augment their low proliferative rate, nor give rise to astroglia or OPCs. Instead, the hypertrophic, vimentin+/nestin+, reactive astroglia that accumulated in spinal cord in this multiple sclerosis model were derived by proliferation and phenotypic transformation of fibrous astroglia in white matter, and solely by phenotypic transformation of protoplasmic astroglia in gray matter. This comprehensive analysis of macroglial plasticity in EAE helps to clarify the origins of astrogliosis in CNS inflammatory demyelinative disorders.
Banked Multiported Register File for Superscalar Microprocessors

Introduction: Multiported register files and bypass networks lie at the heart of a superscalar microprocessor core, providing buffered communication of register values between producer and consumer instructions. As issue widths increase, both the number of ports and the number of registers required increase, causing the area of a conventional multiported register file to grow more than quadratically. Therefore, we examine the design of banked multiported register file that employ multiple interleaved banks of fewer ported register cells to reduce power and area. Banked register files designs have been shown to provide sufficient bandwidth for a superscalar machine, but these previous designs had complex control structures that would likely limit cycle time and add to design complexity. We develop a banked register file with much simpler and faster control logic while only slightly increasing the number of ports per bank.
Application Development: Fly to the Clouds or Stay In-house?

Cloud computing is a recent trend in IT that moves computing and data away from desktop and portable PCs into large data centers, and outsources the “applications” (hardware and software) as services over the Internet. Cloud computing promises to increase the velocity with which applications are deployed, increase innovation, and lower costs, all while increasing business agility. But, is the migration to the Cloud the most profitable option for every business? This article presents a study of the basic parameters for estimating the potential costs deriving from building and deploying applications on cloud and on-premise assets.
Usenix Association 10th Usenix Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation (nsdi '13) 227 Split/merge: System Support for Elastic Execution in Virtual Middleboxes

Developing elastic applications should be easy. This paper takes a step toward the goal of generalizing elasticity by observing that a broadly deployed class of software— the network middlebox—is particularly well suited to dynamic scale. Middleboxes tend to achieve a clean separation between a small amount of per-flow network state and a large amount of complex application logic. We present a state-centric, systems-level abstraction for elastic middleboxes called Split/Merge. A virtual middle-box that has appropriately classified its state (e.g., per-flow state) can be dynamically scaled out (or in) by a Split/Merge system, but remains ignorant of the number of replicas in the system. Per-flow state may be transparently split between many replicas or merged back into one, while the network ensures flows are routed to the correct replica. As a result, Split/Merge enables load-balanced elasticity. We have implemented a Split/Merge system, called FreeFlow, and ported Bro, an open-source intrusion detection system, to run on it. In controlled experiments , FreeFlow enables a 25% reduction in maximum latency while eliminating hotspots during scale-out and a 50% quicker scale-in than standard approaches.
Effects of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents on Thyroid Hormone Receptor Action and Thyroid Hormone-Induced Cerebellar Purkinje Cell Morphogenesis

Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are used in diagnostic imaging to enhance the quality of magnetic resonance imaging or angiography. After intravenous injection, GBCAs can accumulate in the brain. Thyroid hormones (THs) are critical for the development and functional maintenance of the central nervous system. TH actions in brain are mainly exerted through nuclear TH receptors (TRs). We examined the effects of GBCAs on TR-mediated transcription in CV-1 cells using transient transfection-based reporter assay and TH-mediated cerebellar Purkinje cell morphogenesis in primary culture. We also measured the cellular accumulation and viability of Gd after representative GBCA treatments in cultured CV-1 cells. Both linear (Gd-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid-bis methyl acid, Gd-DTPA-BMA) and macrocyclic (Gd-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid, Gd-DOTA) GBCAs were accumulated without inducing cell death in CV-1 cells. By contrast, Gd chloride (GdCl3) treatment induced approximately 100 times higher Gd accumulation and significantly reduced the number of cells. Low doses of Gd-DTPA-BMA (10−8 to 10−6M) augmented TR-mediated transcription, but the transcription was suppressed at higher dose (10−5 to 10−4M), with decreased β-galactosidase activity indicating cellular toxicity. TR-mediated transcription was not altered by Gd-DOTA or GdCl3, but the latter induced a significant reduction in β-galactosidase activity at high doses, indicating cellular toxicity. In cerebellar cultures, the dendrite arborization of Purkinje cells induced by 10−9M T4 was augmented by low-dose Gd-DTPA-BMA (10−7M) but was suppressed by higher dose (10−5M). Such augmentation by low-dose Gd-DTPA-BMA was not observed with 10−9M T3, probably because of the greater dendrite arborization by T3; however, the arborization by T3 was suppressed by a higher dose of Gd-DTPA-BMA (10−5M) as seen in T4 treatment. The effect of Gd-DOTA on dendrite arborization was much weaker than that of the other compounds. These results indicate that exposure to specific GBCAs may, at least in part, cause toxic effects in the brain by disrupting the action of THs on TRs. The toxic effects of GBCAs may depend on the chemical structure of GBCA and the dose. Thus, it is very important to choose appropriate GBCAs for imaging to prevent adverse side effects.
Multiple parallel concatenated codes with optimal puncturing and energy distribution

In this paper we show how to find optimal energy distribution together with optimal puncturing ratios for parallel concatenated codes with two or more constituent codes. The energy distribution and the puncturing ratios are optimal in terms of minimizing the average signal-to-noise ratio convergence threshold. The extrinsic information transfer functions of the constituent codes are used for the optimization. Using this technique we obtain additional degrees of freedom for constructing codes with low convergence thresholds over a large range of code rates.
The Impact of the Invasive Alien Plant, Impatiens glandulifera, on Pollen Transfer Networks

Biological invasions are a threat to the maintenance of ecological processes, including pollination. Plant-flower visitor networks are traditionally used as a surrogated for pollination at the community level, despite they do not represent the pollination process, which takes place at the stigma of plants where pollen grains are deposited. Here we investigated whether the invasion of the alien plant Impatiens glandulifera (Balsaminaceae) affects pollen transfer at the community level. We asked whether more alien pollen is deposited on the stigmas of plants on invaded sites, whether deposition is affected by stigma type (dry, semidry and wet) and whether the invasion of I. glandulifera changes the structure of the resulting pollen transfer networks. We sampled stigmas of plants on 10 sites invaded by I. glandulifera (hereafter, balsam) and 10 non-invaded control sites. All 20 networks had interactions with balsam pollen, although significantly more balsam pollen was found on plants with dry stigmas in invaded areas. Balsam pollen deposition was restricted to a small subset of plant species, which is surprising because pollinators are known to carry high loads of balsam pollen. Balsam invasion did not affect the loading of native pollen, nor did it affect pollen transfer network properties; networks were modular and poorly nested, both of which are likely to be related to the specificity of pollen transfer interactions. Our results indicate that pollination networks become more specialized when moving from the flower visitation to the level of pollen transfer networks. Therefore, caution is needed when inferring pollination from patterns of insect visitation or insect pollen loads as the relationship between these and pollen deposition is not straightforward.
Chinese gooseberry stage division based on computer vision

Chinese gooseberry manual classification exists fault of time-consuming, arduous, costly, less effective etc, but computer vision technology has advantage of high speed, large information content, high precision etc. This paper describes the detection of Chinese gooseberry's characteristics such as color, shape, size based on computer vision, and then to carry out stage treatment, improves the work efficiency meanwhile reduce the cost.
MSDoT — Memory size and depth of tier based queuing model for scheduling a multi-tier cloud

Scheduling is a process of allocating available resources to the submitted requests. The main function of scheduling is to optimize the resource utilization and response time. Cloud is a new architecture, where a huge number of requests are submitted by various customers. Some of these requests need multi-tiers in the network to perform effective execution. In a federated cloud environment, scheduling methods should consider the tier factor of execution for each request. To minimize the resource utilization, in the present scenario, virtualization technology is used in a cloud environment. In this paper, a new scheduling algorithm is proposed based on queuing models to schedule the requests in a vertically scaled virtualized machine. It is named as Memory Size and Depth of Tier based scheduling algorithm (MSDoT). This algorithm works based on the properties of requests such as depth of tier and memory size.
Implementation of the Inter-Agency Collaboration in Vocational Education of Students with Learning Disabilities towards Preparation of Career Experience

Inter-agency collaboration is a very important element in the success of vocational education programs for students with special needs, especially for students with learning disabilities. Inter-agency collaboration is a team consisting of students, parents, school representatives and representatives of outside agencies involved in implementing, coordinating and developing service plans for students with special needs. However, the implementation of inter-agency collaboration with schools has remained at low levels. Therefore, this study was undertaken to explore the implementation of inter-agency collaboration and the obstacles faced by teachers in vocational education of students with learning disabilities towards career experience preparation. This study used a qualitative approach with case study design. Data were collected using interviews involving 10 teachers from vocational education in 6 Integration Program with Learning Disabilities (IPLD) schools. The findings show that there is inter-agency collaboration implemented with the schools involved but the implementation is not comprehensive. Results from interviews show that there are several obstacles in the implementation of inter-agency collaboration in terms of student attitude, parental attitude, and attitude of employers, financial problems and lack of information about the implementation of vocational education in IPLD. This study is expected to assist schools in implementing inter-agency collaboration to provide the best service to enhance the skills and careers of students with special needs especially students with learning disabilities.
On the Progenitor of Supernova 2001du in NGC 1365

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 archival images obtained years prior to the explosion of the Type II‐plateau supernova (SN) 2001du in NGC 1365 previously have been analyzed to isolate the progenitor star. The SN site was located using precise astrometry applied to the HST images, with significant uncertainty, leaving three possible progenitor candidates. Images of the fading SN have recently become publicly available in the HST archive, allowing us to pinpoint the SN’s exact location on the preexplosion images. We show that the SN occurred in very close proximity to one of the blue candidate stars, but we argue that this star is not the actual progenitor. Instead, the progenitor was not detected on the pre‐SN images, and we constrain the progenitor’s mass to be less than 13+ 7-4 M⊙. This is consistent with previous constraints on the progenitor masses of other Type II‐plateau SNe, suggesting that such SNe arise from the iron core collapse of massive stars at the lower extreme of the possible mass range.
Evaluating a Potentiometer-Based Graphical User Interface for Interacting with a Music Recommendation Service

This paper studies the idea of using potentiometers as a graphical user interface for interacting with a music recommendation service. In the implemented prototype, the user selects a musical genre and adjusts tempo and energy level potentiometers to fine-tune the play list of new music recommendations. The look of the interface is changed to reflect the currently selected genre. In a user study with 40 participants, the idea of using potentiometers to access music collections was found to be suitable for discovering new music and to complement traditional music player applications. The prototype was seen to be easy to use and entertaining, and the graphical designs matched well with the musical genres. In the longer-term use, the prototype was slightly too simple and it would have benefited from e.g. text-based search functionality. Several other interesting ideas for the future development of the concept were also received.
Growth and slowdown of nations: what role for the elasticity of substitution?

Although the importance of the elasticity of substitution between capital and labor (σ) has long been recognized in several branches of economics, it has received too little attention in the growth literature. This paper aims to partly rectify this omission by exploring the growth potentials with σ as a yardstick and studying how different values of σ impact upon the balanced growth paths in theoretical model. When σ is high, the incremental capital is easily substituted for labor, resulting in a nearly equiproportionate increase in both factors. Under constant returns to scale, diminishing returns sets-in very slowly, and the marginal and average products of capital can remain sufficiently large so that output can grow indefinitely. The theoretical model is built upon the work of de La Grandville and Solow (2004) who show that perpetual growth is possible in the Solow (1956) model even without technological progress, if value of σ exceeds a critical value that is greater than unity ( cH σ ). I extend the model to show that output level, capital stock and consumption follow perpetual decline if σ is less than another critical value ( cL σ ) that lies between zero and unity. The critical values depend on saving, population growth and depreciation rates, and the initial share of capital in total output; hence each country has at most one critical value. I show that the above results also carry into in a model of endogenous saving, and analytically prove that the balanced growth path exists only if σ lies between two critical values- cL σ and cH σ . I calibrate the critical value of σ from the data for each country. These values are then compared to σˆ ’s estimated from country time series data. A number of countries, mainly from Africa, have ˆ cL σ σ ).
On the greedy coded caching scheme

Coded caching is a technique that receives much attention in the network literature, since it is able to achieve significant gains compared to the conventional uncoded caching schemes. In this paper, we first identify a family of placement and delivery schemes. Then we derive a lower bound on the average rate for the identified schemes. Based on the clue in deriving the lower bound, a new delivery algorithm is proposed to pursue full multicast adaptively, which can exploit more cooperative opportunities compared to the known schemes. Particularly, the proposed scheme has the advantage that, when the file size is not large enough, the proposed scheme is still able to achieve a reasonable coding gain. We perform simulations to validate our design.
Computer Game – Discussing Development Process

Developing game is anymore essentially a personal effort. The game development process is an important issue. In fact, games are becoming more and more complex task, involving multidisciplinary teams composed by member with specialised knowledge and skills. In this paper, we propose a framework, based in the information systems development literature and aplied to game development. This framework is also illustrated in a case.
Abnormal event detection based on IPZM

This paper presents a new method to detect events in the Self-service Banking. The method reduces two-person interactions to event semantics template match. Firstly, the method gets the objects using the back-ground subtraction algorithm and counts the person in the video. Then, the computation could be reduced by the symmetry of Fourier kernel function of the improved pseudo-Zernike moment. The event semantics template and a shape description vector consists of seven IPZM are combined to detect events at last. Through the experiment, this method is proved to be effective with the three indicators of precision A, recall R and frame-rate F on detecting three kinds of events, such as normal event, standing one by one when withdrawing and violent robbery.
Social Networks and Memory over 15 Years of Followup in a Cohort of Older Australians: Results from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing

The purpose was to examine the relationship between different types of social networks and memory over 15 years of followup in a large cohort of older Australians who were cognitively intact at study baseline. Our specific aims were to investigate whether social networks were associated with memory, determine if different types of social networks had different relationships with memory, and examine if changes in memory over time differed according to types of social networks. We used five waves of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and followed 706 participants with an average age of 78.6 years (SD 5.7) at baseline. The relationships between five types of social networks and changes in memory were assessed. The results suggested a gradient of effect; participants in the upper tertile of friends or overall social networks had better memory scores than those in the mid tertile, who in turn had better memory scores than participants in the lower tertile. There was evidence of a linear, but not quadratic, effect of time on memory, and an interaction between friends' social networks and time was apparent. Findings are discussed with respect to mechanisms that might explain the observed relationships between social networks and memory.
A Multi-authority Attribute-Based Encryption Scheme with Pre-decryption

Depending on the user's attribute, Cipher text-Policy Attribute-based Encryption (CP-ABE) can achieve user's access control which can be widely used in cloud environment. The extended CP-ABE mechanism with multi-authorities (MA-ABE) is de-signed for the practical application. In all existing schemes, the user needs to execute the whole decryption operation. For mobile devices, it is time-consuming and inefficient. In this paper, we propose an efficient and secure multi-authority access control scheme transfer the computing to the cloud server. Our scheme implements partial decryption operation in cloud server and improves the user's decryption efficiency, which can be applied to the scenario of access to the Internet using mobile devices.