Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeted Distribution of Resource Allocation for Backup LSP Computation

Under the hypothesis of single failures in the network, some backup paths cannot be active at the same time because they protect against the failure of different components. Hence, share the bandwidth between such backup paths is central to optimize the bandwidth allocated in the network and to decrease the bandwidth wasting. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm, based on targeted distribution of resource allocation (TDRA), to compute the backup label switched paths (LSPs) in a distributed multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) environment. Our algorithm is scalable, efficient and capable to protect against the three types of failure risk: node, link and shared risk link group (SRLG). Indeed, the TDRA algorithm decreases the quantity of information (resource or bandwidth allocation) transmitted in the network with the selection of nodes to be advertised (with the selection of recipient nodes). Furthermore, bandwidth availability is increased by sharing bandwidth between backup LSPs as long as possible. Simulations show that the ratio of rejected backup LSPs obtained with the transmission of a small quantity of information in the network is low.
Multi-scale multi-feature codebook-based background subtraction

This paper presents a novel real-time multi-feature multi-scale codebook-based background subtraction algorithm, targeted for challenging surveillance environments. Our contribution is three-fold. First, we present an extension of the Codebook background model [4] that combines multiple features, such as intensity, colour and texture, in a principled way, simultaneously taking into account both the feature's confidence and its similarity score. Second, a new local texture pattern descriptor is proposed, entitled Local Ratio Pattern, generalizing previously successful local pattern methods [9]. Third, a generic multi-scale confidence fusion scheme is provided, in order to aggregate individual results at different scales. A thorough evaluation is performed on the challenging I2R dataset [8]. In addition, a comparison is carried out with other competing methods, leading to state-of-the-art performance.
Using probability distribution functions for satellite validation

Probability distribution functions (PDFs) can be used to assist in the validation of trace gas retrievals made by satellites. A major advantage of this approach is that large statistical samples are used that do not require correlative measurements to be co-located in space and time. Examples are shown from the launch of UARS through to the present. This approach is also useful to evaluate the consistency among Aura instruments as well as their agreement with other datasets. A key feature of this work is putting the observations of Aura in their long-term historical context via statistical comparisons with previous datasets collected over more than a decade. To validate the Aura data, we use data from a variety of platforms including solar occultation (Canadian ACE) and limb sounder satellite instruments, ozonesondes (WOUDC), lidar (NDSC), and aircraft instruments (AVE, PAVE, and MOZAIC). The width of the trace gas PDFs can be used to accurately estimate the atmospheric spatial variability (or representativeness uncertainty) of trace gases as a function of time and location. This statistical analysis is also being used as preparation for full Kalman filter chemical assimilations. The analysis is presented online at http://www.PDFCentral. info.
Epigenetic landscape of germline specific genes in the sporophyte cells of Arabidopsis thaliana

In plants, the germline lineages arise in later stages of life cycle as opposed to animals where both male and female germlines are set aside early in development. This developmental divergence is associated with germline specific or preferential expression of a subset of genes that are normally repressed for the rest of plant life cycle. The gene regulatory mechanisms involved in such long-term suppression and short-term activation in plant germline remain vague. Thus, we explored the nature of epigenetic marks that are likely associated with long-term gene repression in the non-germline cells. We accessed available Arabidopsis genome-wide DNA methylation and histone modification data and queried it for epigenetic marks associated with germline genes: genes preferentially expressed in sperm cells, egg cells, synergid cells, central cells, antipodal cells or embryo sac or genes that are with enriched expression in two or more of female germline tissues. The vast majority of germline genes are associated with repression-related epigenetic histone modifications in one or more non-germline tissues, among which H3K9me2 and H3K27me3 are the most widespread repression-related marks. Interestingly, we show here that the repressive epigenetic mechanisms differ between male and female germline genes. We also highlight the diverse states of epigenetic marks in different non-germline tissues. Some germline genes also have activation-related marks in non-germline tissues, and the proportion of such genes is higher for female germline genes. Germline genes include 30 transposable element (TE) loci, to which a large number of 24-nt long small interfering RNAs were mapped, suggesting that these small RNAs take a role in suppressing them in non-germline tissues. The data presented here suggest that the majority of Arabidopsis gamete-preferentially/-enriched genes bear repressive epigenetic modifications or regulated by small RNAs.
Simpler and faster HLBVH with work queues

A recently developed algorithm called Hierachical Linear Bounding Volume Hierarchies (HLBVH) has demonstrated the feasibility of reconstructing the spatial index needed for ray tracing in real-time, even in the presence of millions of fully dynamic triangles. In this work we present a simpler and faster variant of HLBVH, where all the complex book-keeping of prefix sums, compaction and partial breadth-first tree traversal needed for spatial partitioning has been replaced with an elegant pipeline built on top of efficient work queues and binary search. The new algorithm is both faster and more memory efficient, removing the need for temporary storage of geometry data for intermediate computations. Finally, the same pipeline has been extended to parallelize the construction of the top-level SAH optimized tree on the GPU, eliminating round-trips to the CPU, accelerating the overall construction speed by a factor of 5 to 10x.
The Neurophysiology of Decision Making as a Window on Cognition

Nervous systems extract sensory information from the environment to guide behavior. The underlying neural mechanisms have been studied extensively, in part by identifying neurons with responses linked deterministically to sensory and motor events. Higher nervous systems are also capable of widespread cognitive abilities, includin interpretation, decision-making, valuation, intention, language, and learning. The mechanisms underlying these abilities is less clear, in part because they seem beyond the scope of the machine-like behavior of sensory and motor neurons. This chapter examines this conundrum: How do properties of neurons and neural circuits give rise not just to reflexive sensory and motor abilities, but to cognition, as well? We suggest that an answer can be found in circuits that link sensory input to motor output. Here, transformations of sensory and motor signals reflect the kinds of nuance and flexibility that are hallmarks of cognition.
Large Area Growth and Electrical Properties of p-Type WSe2 Atomic Layers

Transition metal dichacogenides represent a unique class of two-dimensional layered materials that can be exfoliated into single or few atomic layers. Tungsten diselenide (WSe2) is one typical example with p-type semiconductor characteristics. Bulk WSe2 has an indirect band gap (∼1.2 eV), which transits into a direct band gap (∼1.65 eV) in monolayers. Monolayer WSe2, therefore, is of considerable interest as a new electronic material for functional electronics and optoelectronics. However, the controllable synthesis of large-area WSe2 atomic layers remains a challenge. The studies on WSe2 are largely limited by relatively small lateral size of exfoliated flakes and poor yield, which has significantly restricted the large-scale applications of the WSe2 atomic layers. Here, we report a systematic study of chemical vapor deposition approach for large area growth of atomically thin WSe2 film with the lateral dimensions up to ∼1 cm2. Microphotoluminescence mapping indicates distinct layer dependent efficiency. The monolayer area exhibits much stronger light emission than bilayer or multilayers, consistent with the expected transition to direct band gap in the monolayer limit. The transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrate excellent crystalline quality of the atomically thin WSe2. Electrical transport studies further show that the p-type WSe2 field-effect transistors exhibit excellent electronic characteristics with effective hole carrier mobility up to 100 cm2 V–1 s–1 for monolayer and up to 350 cm2 V–1 s–1 for few-layer materials at room temperature, comparable or well above that of previously reported mobility values for the synthetic WSe2 and comparable to the best exfoliated materials.
How may low‐cloud radiative properties simulated in the current climate influence low‐cloud feedbacks under global warming?

The influence of cloud modelling uncertainties on the projection of the tropical low‐cloud response to global warming is explored by perturbing model parameters of the IPSL‐CM5A climate model in a range of configurations (realistic general circulation model, aqua‐planet, single‐column model). While the positive sign and the mechanism of the low‐cloud response to climate warming predicted by the model are robust, the amplitude of the response can vary considerably depending on the model tuning parameters. Moreover, the strength of the low‐cloud response to climate change exhibits a strong correlation with the strength of the low‐cloud radiative effects simulated in the current climate. We show that this correlation primarily results from a local positive feedback (referred to as the “beta feedback”) between boundary‐layer cloud radiative cooling, relative humidity and low‐cloud cover. Based on this correlation and observational constraints, it is suggested that the strength of the tropical low‐cloud feedback predicted by the IPSL‐CM5A model in climate projections might be overestimated by about fifty percent.
Property-Based Software Engineering Measurement

Little theory exists in the field of software system measurement. Concepts such as complexity, coupling, cohesion or even size are very often subject to interpretation and appear to have inconsistent definitions in the literature. As a consequence, there is little guidance provided to the analyst attempting to define proper measures for specific problems. Many controversies in the literature are simply misunderstandings and stem from the fact that some people talk about different measurement concepts under the same label (complexity is the most common case). There is a need to define unambiguously the most important measurement concepts used in the measurement of software products. One way of doing so is to define precisely what mathematical properties characterize these concepts, regardless of the specific software artifacts to which these concepts are applied. Such a mathematical framework could generate a consensus in the software engineering community and provide a means for better communication among researchers, better guidelines for analysts, and better evaluation methods for commercial static analyzers for practitioners. We propose a mathematical framework which is generic, because it is not specific to any particular software artifact, and rigorous, because it is based on precise mathematical concepts. We use this framework to propose definitions of several important measurement concepts (size, length, complexity, cohesion, coupling). It does not intend to be complete or fully objective; other frameworks could have been proposed and different choices could have been made. However, we believe that the formalisms and properties we introduce are convenient and intuitive. This framework contributes constructively to a firmer theoretical ground of software measurement.
Protein Replacement Therapy Partially Corrects the Cholesterol-Storage Phenotype in a Mouse Model of Niemann-Pick Type C2 Disease

Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) disease is a fatal autosomal recessive neurovisceral degenerative disorder characterized by late endosomal-lysosomal sequestration of low-density lipoprotein derived cholesterol. The breach in intracellular cholesterol homeostasis is caused by deficiency of functional NPC2, a soluble sterol binding protein targeted to the lysosomes by binding the mannose-6-phosphate receptor. As currently there is no effective treatment for the disorder, we have investigated the efficacy of NPC2 replacement therapy in a murine gene-trap model of NPC2-disease generated on the 129P2/OlaHsd genetic background. NPC2 was purified from bovine milk and its functional competence assured in NPC2-deficient fibroblasts using the specific cholesterol fluorescent probe filipin. For evaluation of phenotype correction in vivo, three-week-old NPC2 −/− mice received two weekly intravenous injections of 5 mg/kg NPC2 until trial termination 66 days later. Whereas the saline treated NPC2 −/− mice exhibited massive visceral cholesterol storage as compared to their wild-type littermates, administration of NPC2 caused a marked reduction in cholesterol build up. The histological findings, indicating an amelioration of the disease pathology in liver, spleen, and lungs, corroborated the biochemical results. Little or no difference in the overall cholesterol levels was observed in the kidneys, blood, cerebral cortex and hippocampus when comparing NPC2 −/− and wild type mice. However, cerebellum cholesterol was increased about two fold in NPC2 −/− mice compared with wild-type littermates. Weight gain performance was slightly improved as a result of the NPC2 treatment but significant motor coordination deficits were still observed. Accordingly, ultrastructural cerebellar abnormalities were detected in both saline treated and NPC2 treated NPC2 −/− animals 87 days post partum. Our data indicate that protein replacement may be a beneficial therapeutic approach in the treatment of the visceral manifestations in NPC2 disease and further suggest that neurodegeneration is not secondary to visceral dysfunction.
Evaluate a Racial/Ethnic Discrimination Scale Comparing Cognitive Interviewing and Psychometric Methods to

Proponents of survey evaluation have long advocated the integration of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, but this recommendation has rarely been practiced. The authors used both methods to evaluate the ‘‘Everyday Discrimination’’ scale (EDS), which measures frequency of various types of discrimination, in a multiethnic population. Cognitive testing included 30 participants of various race/ethnic backgrounds and identified items that were redundant, unclear, or inconsistent (e.g., cognitive challenges in quantifying acts of discrimination). Psychometric analysis included secondary data from two national studies, including 570 Asian Americans, 366 Latinos, and 2,884 African Americans, and identified redundant items as well as those exhibiting differential item functioning (DIF) by race/ethnicity. Overall, qualitative and quantitative techniques complemented one another, as cognitive interviewing findings provided context and explanation for quantitative results. Researchers should consider further how to integrate these methods into instrument pretesting as a way to minimize response bias for ethnic and racial respondents in population-based surveys.
First Documented Cases of Polygyny in the Grasshopper Sparrow

Abstract We studied the breeding biology of Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) on restored grasslands in Maryland from 1999 to present. We report the first documented cases of social polygyny in this species. Polygyny increased reproductive success for males in two of four cases, but its rarity suggests it is only a facultative behavior for this usually socially monogamous species
We are data: algorithms and the making of our digital selves

At an earlier point in history, one might have been taken aback by a scholarly presentation of targeted drone strikes, percussion playing robots and couple-making dating sites as case studies for serious consideration within the same book. However, in the context of the second decade of the twenty-first century, we find that digitization has woven the banal trivialities of everyday life as well as the abject severities of state security into a common, discursive web that permeates every facet of contemporary existence. Through the unrelenting use of our personal digital technologies, a dimension of our identity is shaped within this pervasive digital web. Indeed, algorithms have arrived and, for better or worse, they are here to stay. Throughout the length of his most recent book, We are data: Algorithms and the making of our digital selves, John Cheney-Lippold presents compelling evidence that we now simultaneously inhabit both natural and artificial worlds, and that who we are is negotiated somewhere between the two. The focus of his book is dedicated to understanding how our emergent digital identities are defined within an algorithmically moderated environment on data’s terms. According to his account of how data defines us on its terms, Cheney-Lippold explains that our metadata, procured through algorithmic deduction, is strategically siphoned into typified profiles of ‘who we are’ according to formulaic parameters (and in relation to the digital identity narrative that the governing algorithm is tasked to procure). He has aptly coined these typified profiles ‘measurable types,’ inspired by Max Weber and Erving Goffman’s conception of the ‘ideal type’ (Cheney-Lippold, 2017, p. 51). According to Weber, an ‘ideal type’ is,
Processing of Kansui Roots Stir-Baked with Vinegar Reduces Kansui-Induced Hepatocyte Cytotoxicity by Decreasing the Contents of Toxic Terpenoids and Regulating the Cell Apoptosis Pathway

Euphorbia kansui is a Traditional Chinese Medicine widely used for the treatment of oedema, ascites and asthma. However, its serious hepatotoxicity hinders its safe clinical application. The process of stir-baking with vinegar is regularly used to reduce the toxicity of kansui. Up till now, the exact mechanism of the reduction in hepatotoxicity of kansui stir-baked with vinegar has been poorly defined. In this study, decreased contents of five diterpene and one triterpene in kansui (GS-1) after stir-baking with vinegar (GS-2) was investigated by UPLC-QTOF/MS. Flow cytometry and Hoechst staining were used to show that the stir-baking with vinegar process reduces kansui-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the result also indicated that kansui stir-baked with vinegar protects LO2 cells from apoptosis by increasing the cell mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), decreasing the release of cytochrome c and inhibiting the activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3 as evidenced by means of high content screening (HCS), ELISA and western blotting. These results suggested that the stir-baking vinegar could reduce the hepatotoxicity of kansui by effectively decreasing the contents of toxic terpenoids and inhibiting the intrinsic pathway of hepatocyte cell apoptosis. In conclusion, the study provided significant data for promoting safer and better clinical use of this herb.
Large-scale inhomogeneities of the intracluster medium: improving mass estimates using the observed azimuthal scatter

Achieving a robust determination of the gas density profile i n cluster outskirts is a crucial point in order to measure their baryonic content and to use them as cosmological probes. The difficulty in obtaining this measurement lies not only in the low surface brightness of the ICM, but also in the inhomogeneities of the gas associated to clumps, asymmetries and accretion patterns. Using a set of hydrodynamical simulations of 62 galaxy clusters and groups we study this kind of inhomogeneities, focusing on the ones on the large scale that, unlike clumps, are the most difficult to identify. To this purpose we introduce the concept of residual clumpiness, CR, that quantifies the large-scale inhomogeneity of the ICM. A fter showing that this quantity can be robustly defined for relaxed systems, we characterize how it varies with radius, mass and dynamical state of the halo. Most importantly, we observe that it introduces an overestimate in the determination of the density profile f rom the X-ray emission, which translates into a systematic overestimate of 6 (12) per cent in the measurement of Mgas at R200 for our relaxed (perturbed) cluster sample. At the same time, the increase of CR with radius introduces also a �2 per cent systematic underestimate in the measurement of the hydrostatic-equilibrium mass (Mhe), which adds to the previous one generating a systematic �8.5 per cent overestimate in fgas in our relaxed sample. Since the residual clumpiness of the ICM is not directly observable, we study its correlation with the azimuthal scatter in the X-ray surface brightness of the halo, a quantity that is well -constrained by current measurements, and in the y-parameter profiles that is at reach of the forthcoming SZ exp eriments. We find that their correlation is highly significant ( rS = 0.6 0.7), allowing to define the azimuthal scatter measured in the X-ray surface brightness profile and in the y-parameter as robust proxies of CR. After providing a function that connects the two quantitie s, we obtain that correcting the observed gas density profiles using the a zimuthal scatter eliminates the bias in the measurement of Mgas for relaxed objects, which becomes 0 ± 2 per cent up to 2R200, and reduces it by a factor of 3 for perturbed ones. This method allows also to eliminate the systematics on the measurements of Mhe and fgas, although a significant halo to halo scatter remains.
A gestural interaction design model for multi-touch displays

Media platforms and devices that allow an input from a user's finger/hand touch are becoming more ubiquitous, such as Microsoft Surface and DiamondTouch, as well as numerous experimental systems in research labs. Currently the definition of touch styles is application-specific and each device/application has its own set of available touch types to be recognized as input. In this paper we attempt a comprehensive understanding of all possible touch types for touch-sensitive devices by constructing a design model for touch interaction and clarifying their characteristics. The model is composed of three structural levels (action level, motivation level and computing level) and the relationships between them (mapping). In action level, we construct a unified definition and description of all possible touch gestures, first by analyzing how a finger/hand touch on a surface can cause a particular event that can be recognized as a legitimate action, and then using this analysis we define all possible touch gestures, resulting in touch gesture taxonomy. In motivation level, we analyze and describe all the direct interactive motivation according to applications. Then we define the general principles for mapping between the action and motivation levels. In computing level, we realize the motivation and response to gestural inputs using computer languages. The model is then used to illustrate how it can be interpreted in the context of a photo management application based on DiamondTouch and iPod Touch. It allows to reuse touch types in different platforms and applications in a more systematic and generic manner than how touch has been designed so far.