Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hidden Hazards: Finding Missing Nodes in Large Graph Epidemics

Given a noisy or sampled snapshot of an infection in a large graph, can we automatically and reliably recover the truly infected yet somehow missed nodes? And, what about the seeds, the nodes from which the infection started to spread? These are important questions in diverse contexts, ranging from epidemiology to social media. In this paper, we address the problem of simultaneously recovering the missing infections and the source nodes of the epidemic given noisy data. We formulate the problem by the Minimum Description Length principle, and propose NetFill, an efficient algorithm that automatically and highly accurately identifies the number and identities of both missing nodes and the infection seed nodes. Experimental evaluation on synthetic and real datasets, including using data from information cascades over 96 million blog posts and news articles, shows that our method outperforms other baselines, scales near-linearly, and is highly effective in recovering missing nodes and sources.
Face Recognition using SIFT Features

Face recognition has many important practical applications, like surveillance and access control. It is concerned with the problem of correctly identifying face images and assigning them to persons in a database. This paper proposes using SIFT features [4] for the recognition process. The new technique is compared with well-established face recognition algorithms, namely Eigenfaces [7] and Fisherfaces [6, 2]. The results show the superiority of the new method over these two methods, specially using smaller training sets.
Diskussionspapier Comparative Strategy Process Research : A Methodological Approach

Today, there is no generally accepted concept for the comparative empirical exploration of strategy processes. The paper proposes a methodological approach that combines a number of established research methods. The six-step approach enables the researcher to identify turning points in strategic change processes from the outside-in as well as allowing him to increase the effectiveness of interviews with key organizational informants. It is illustrated based on an analysis of Ciba’s and Sandoz’s strategy processes prior to their Novartis megamerger.
Code Consistent Hashing Based on Information-Theoretic Criterion

Learning based hashing techniques have attracted broad research interests in the Big Media research area. They aim to learn compact binary codes which can preserve semantic similarity in the Hamming embedding. However, the discrete constraints imposed on binary codes typically make hashing optimizations very challenging. In this paper, we present a code consistent hashing (CCH) algorithm to learn discrete binary hash codes. To form a simple yet efficient hashing objective function, we introduce a new code consistency constraint to leverage discriminative information and propose to utilize the Hadamard code which favors an information-theoretic criterion as the class prototype. By keeping the discrete constraint and introducing an orthogonal constraint, our objective function can be minimized efficiently. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed CCH outperforms state-of-the-art hashing methods in both image retrieval and classification tasks, especially with short binary codes.
Genomic Predictability of Interconnected Biparental Maize Populations

Intense structuring of plant breeding populations challenges the design of the training set (TS) in genomic selection (GS). An important open question is how the TS should be constructed from multiple related or unrelated small biparental families to predict progeny from individual crosses. Here, we used a set of five interconnected maize (Zea mays L.) populations of doubled-haploid (DH) lines derived from four parents to systematically investigate how the composition of the TS affects the prediction accuracy for lines from individual crosses. A total of 635 DH lines genotyped with 16,741 polymorphic SNPs were evaluated for five traits including Gibberella ear rot severity and three kernel yield component traits. The populations showed a genomic similarity pattern, which reflects the crossing scheme with a clear separation of full sibs, half sibs, and unrelated groups. Prediction accuracies within full-sib families of DH lines followed closely theoretical expectations, accounting for the influence of sample size and heritability of the trait. Prediction accuracies declined by 42% if full-sib DH lines were replaced by half-sib DH lines, but statistically significantly better results could be achieved if half-sib DH lines were available from both instead of only one parent of the validation population. Once both parents of the validation population were represented in the TS, including more crosses with a constant TS size did not increase accuracies. Unrelated crosses showing opposite linkage phases with the validation population resulted in negative or reduced prediction accuracies, if used alone or in combination with related families, respectively. We suggest identifying and excluding such crosses from the TS. Moreover, the observed variability among populations and traits suggests that these uncertainties must be taken into account in models optimizing the allocation of resources in GS.
Recognizing Textual Entailment with Temporal Expressions in Natural Language Texts

The TACTE system proposed in this paper focuses on one problem in natural language processing, namely recognizing textual entailment involving temporal expressions. The system consists of two components: one for temporal expression extraction and anchoring, and the other one for recognizing textual entailment based on events. The entailment rules are constructed using a small set of temporal expression relations and lexical resources. Several experiments are conducted, and various aspects of the system performance are illustrated. The evaluation on different data sets shows the great improvement of our TACTE system in comparison with the baseline. As a system potentially to be integrated into a larger framework, TACTE is shown to be very promising as a specialized module on entailment cases where temporal expression information is available.
The Stagger-grid: A grid of 3D stellar atmosphere models - I. Methods and general properties

Aims. We present the Stagger-grid, a comprehensive grid of time-dependent, three-dimensional (3D), hydrodynamic model atmospheres for late-type stars with realistic treatment of rad iative transfer, covering a wide range in stellar parameter s. This grid of 3D models is intended for various applications besides studies of stellar convection and atmospheres per se, including stellar parameter determination, stellar spectroscopy and abundance analysis, asteroseismology, calibration of stellar evolution mo dels, interferometry, and extrasolar planet search. In this introductory paper, w e describe the methods we applied for the computation of the grid and discuss the general properties of the 3D models as well as of their temporal and spatial averages (here denotedh 3Di models). Methods. All our models were generated with the Stagger-code, using realistic input physics for the equation of sta te (EOS) and for continuous and line opacities. Our∼ 220 grid models range in effective temperature, Teff, from 4000 to 7000 K in steps of 500 K, in surface gravity, log g, from 1.5 to 5.0 in steps of 0.5 dex, and metallicity, [Fe/H], from−4.0 to +0.5 in steps of 0.5 and 1.0 dex. Results. We find a tight scaling relation between the vertical velocit y and the surface entropy jump, which itself correlates with the constant entropy value of the adiabatic convection zone. The range in intensity contrast is enhanced at lower metallici ty. The granule size correlates closely with the pressure scale height sampled at the depth of maximum velocity. We compare theh 3Di models with currently widely applied one-dimensional (1D) atmosphere models, as well as with theoretical 1D hydrostatic models generated with the same EOS and opacity tables as the 3D models, in order to isolate the effects of using self-consistent and hydrodynamic modeling of convection, rather than the classical mixing length theory (MLT) approach. For the first time, we are able to quantify s ystematically over a broad range of stellar parameters the uncertainties of 1D models arising from the simplified treatment of physics, in particular convective energy transport. In agreement with previous fin dings, we find that the di fferences can be rather significant, especially for metal-poor stars.
The role and influence of the secretary in relation to governing bodies in Higher Education

The role and influence of the secretary of the governing body have been overlooked in contemporary research on UK higher education governance. Despite occasional investigations of the contribution of the secretary to governance structures, little is known about the working relationships of the secretary with other key players in higher education governance and the way in which they impact upon the effectiveness of the governing body. This study considered, through the lens of the secretary, but with contributions from chairs and heads of institutions, whether the part played by the governing body secretary in the ‘doing’ of governing had been underestimated, and how this role was undertaken. A multi-method research strategy was adopted, in which a conceptual understanding of the place of the secretary within the governance system and a micro-process analysis of the secretary’s role were developed, to inform the way in which quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interview) data could be gathered from across the UK higher education sector. The research identified evidence of a triadic network (Simmel, 1950; Krackhardt, 1999) in which distinctive areas of influence had been adopted by the three key players in the governance system. There were, however, differences in the perceptions of influence between the secretary and the head of institution in some areas of governance practice, highlighting tensions that could ultimately affect governance performance. The research also identified an apparent cluster grouping of the survey population that suggested that the use of conventional typologies (eg pre-or post-’92 universities) to describe an institution’s approach to governance needs to be reconsidered. Finally, a number of recommendations for governance practice, and areas for further research, emerged from the study, in support of the conclusion that there should be a greater recognition of this critical role in the effective governance of the UK higher education sector.
A Randomized Distributed Algorithm for Peer-to-Peer Data Replication in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we focus on enhancing the data accessibility of ad hoc networks, with emphasis on peer-to-peer communications. To achieve this goal, we propose a randomized distributed algorithm for data replication. Furthermore, a probabilistic approach is presented to derive the upper bound of convergence by a novel technique, called path coupling, which gives more insight into factors determining system performance. Our analysis demonstrates that data accessibility can be improved by the proposed approach, with very limited memory consumption.
Information‐based sensor management for landmine detection using electromagnetic induction, ground‐penetrating radar, and seismic sensors

An information‐based sensor management framework is presented that enables the automated tasking of a suite of sensors when detecting static targets. The sensor manager chooses the sensors to use and the grid‐based locations to observe in order to maximize the expected information gain that will be obtained with each new sensor observation. Initially, sensor probabilities of detection and false alarm, Pd and Pf, are assumed to be known by the sensor manager. In a field setting, however, Pd and Pf cannot be known exactly, and so uncertainty modeling for Pd and Pf is also presented. The sensor manager is tested on real landmine data using electromagnetic induction (EMI), ground‐penetrating radar (GPR), and seismic sensors. A matched subspace detector is used to process the EMI data, an adaptive pre‐screening algorithm based on the least mean squares (LMS) adaptive filter is used to process the GPR data, and whitening followed by an energy detector is used to process the seismic data. The sensor manager is a.
Strategies for the Efficient Solution of Hybrid Constraint Logic Programs

Meta-S is a system for defining the cooperation and coordination of constraint solvers to attack hybrid constraint problems. The integration of a logic programming language into this system by considering the language evaluation mechanism resolution as constraint solver yields a CLP language with support for solver cooperation. Using the strategy definition framework of Meta-S we define classical search strategies as well as new ones for an efficient evaluation of hybrid constraint logic programs.
Molecular forms of prostate-specific antigen in malignant and benign prostatic tissue: biochemical and diagnostic implications.

BACKGROUND Patients with prostate cancer (PCa) show a lower ratio of free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA) to total PSA (tPSA) in serum than patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The patterns of the intracellular PSA isoforms in malignant and benign prostatic tissue have been studied as potential molecular reasons for this phenomenon. METHODS Prostatic tissue samples were obtained after cystoprostatectomy from patients with bladder cancer (n = 10), from BPH patients (transurethral resection of the prostate, n = 10; adenomectomy, n = 10), and from the cancerous and noncancerous parts of the same prostates removed surgically by prostatectomy because of PCa (n = 20). PSA pattern was characterized by gel filtration, immunoblotting, and immunoassays for tPSA, fPSA, alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin-PSA (ACT-PSA), and complexed PSA (Bayer Immuno 1 assay). Comparisons were made with the PSA concentrations in serum. RESULTS The major portion of tPSA in all tissue samples was fPSA; complexed PSA forms were <2%. Samples from cystoprostatectomy patients had the lowest and those from adenomectomy patients the highest values of tPSA and fPSA. PSA concentrations were lower in cancerous than in the noncancerous parts of the prostate. No significant correlations were found between tumor stage or grade and the amounts of tPSA, fPSA, and ACT-PSA in tissue. Tissue PSA values were not correlated with the serum PSA concentrations nor with the ratios fPSA/tPSA and ACT-PSA/tPSA in sera. CONCLUSIONS The amounts of tPSA and the PSA isoforms in prostatic tissue explain neither the concentrations of tPSA and PSA isoforms in serum nor the behavior of the ratio fPSA/tPSA in patients with BPH and PCa.
Women in the Superintendency: Discarded Leadership

Chapter 1 Social Justice: 100-Plus Years of Effort Chapter 2 Challenges Faced by Women Superintendents Chapter 3 Sociocultural, Political, and Religious Ideologies Chapter 4 Power and Control Chapter 5 Teaching and Leadership Chapter 6 Emerging Leadership Challenges Chapter 7 The Power of Negotiation Chapter 8 Dilemmas and Discarded Leadership Chapter 9 Needed Support Chapter 10 So.Are There Solutions? Lessons Learned?
Bounded Support Vector Machines, Semidefinite

Credit risk assessment is a basic and critical factor in credit risk management. In addition to conventional statistical method, neural network, decision tree and Support Vector Machine are the popular methods in this field in recent years. However, they all have weakness in two aspects: poor classification accuracy for unbalanced data and poor interpretability in real applications. A novel method, called Least Squares Support Feature Machine (LS-SFM), is proposed to reduce the misclassification cost and achieve an interpretable model by introducing the single feature kernel and sampling method. One important character of LS-SFM is that it can deliver the significance of each feature to users Our experiment on a real credit card dataset shows good performance. LS-SFM outperforms some well-known methods in several aspects.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of respiratory epithelium in a cystic fibrosis xenograft model.

Pulmonary infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) causes a chronic destructive bronchitis. A xenograft model was used to study the susceptibility of the CF respiratory epithelium to P. aeruginosa strain PAK and the virulence of certain mutants. Despite an early trend toward increased susceptibility, colonization of CF xenografts (ID(95), 62 colony-forming units [cfu]) was not statistically different (P=.5) than in xenografts with normal respiratory cells (ID(95), 1.2x10(3) cfu). Infection severity in 12 CF xenografts (mean polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMNL] density, 1.88x10(6)+/-1.75x10(6)/xenograft) was similar to that in 16 non-CF xenografts (3.19x10(6)+/-2.45x10(6) PMNL/xenograft; P=. 38), despite slightly greater bacterial density in the CF xenografts (mean, 1.57+/-2.73x10(6) cfu/xenograft) versus xenografts with normal epithelium (mean, 1.03+/-1.3x10(6) cfu/xenograft). P. aeruginosa mutants pilA and fliF, but not rpoN, colonized normal respiratory xenografts, indicating that colonization and infection in this model depend on an uncharacterized RpoN-controlled gene. This model appears to be suitable for genetic study of P. aeruginosa virulence but not of the CF respiratory tract's unique susceptibility.
Molecular Map of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Nuclear Genome

ABSTRACT We have prepared a molecular map of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genome anchored to the genetic map. The map consists of 264 markers, including sequence-tagged sites (STS), scored by use of PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis, and restriction fragment length polymorphism markers, scored by use of Southern blot hybridization. All molecular markers tested map to one of the 17 known linkage groups of C. reinhardtii. The map covers approximately 1,000 centimorgans (cM). Any position on the C. reinhardtii genetic map is, on average, within 2 cM of a mapped molecular marker. This molecular map, in combination with the ongoing mapping of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones and the forthcoming sequence of the C. reinhardtii nuclear genome, should greatly facilitate isolation of genes of interest by using positional cloning methods. In addition, the presence of easily assayed STS markers on each arm of each linkage group should be very useful in mapping new mutations in preparation for positional cloning.
Independent regulation of IgM, IgD, and Ia antigen expression in cultured immature B lymphocytes

Long-term cultured bone marrow cells were characterized with respect to a number of B and pre-B cell markers. Cells expressing ThB, B-220, and IgM were found within cultures set up according to the procedure of Whitlock and Witte. This culture system was modified by placing sorted pre-B cells (ThB+, IgM-) from bone marrow in culture with previously- established bone marrow adherent layers. These cultures commenced growth without the lag associated with the Whitlock cultures. These cultured nonadherent cells show a high frequency of IgM+ cells, but do not express either IgD or Ia, and we refer to them as immature B cells. Cells with a similar phenotype (IgM+, Ia-, IgD-) are found within the spleens of young but not adult mice. The phorbol ester PMA induces expression of IgD on the cultured immature B cells, but has no effect on Ia expression. This suggests that the processing of H chain RNA transcripts may be affected by protein kinase C. These results demonstrate that the appearance of IgM, IgD, and Ia are independently controlled in long-term cultured B-lineage cells.
Cryptographic protection of biometric templates: Chance, challenges and applications

In this contribution a survey is presented about the possibilities and difficulties of a cryptographic protection of biometric information for the purpose of authentication. The crucial role of sufficient information content of biometric templates will be presented. It will be shown how to use this approach of a cryptographic protection of biometric templates in connection with biometric databases. Finally, a proposal is given, how to combine it with centralised PIN verification procedures in online banking scenarios as a new application scenario. 1. Requirements for the protection of biometric information. Traditional biometric authentication systems store biometric templates together with the data identifying an individual in a database for later comparison. In order to authenticate an individual the biometric data presented is looked up in the database. If a record is found with biometric data that is sufficiently close to that presented, the person is identified. However, the storage of biometric data leads to considerable risks for the authentication system and raises serious concerns regarding data protection. This way of storing biometric data is often criticised as a mass storage of privacy sensitive personal data that is potentially threatened by internal or external attacks on the database. The following risks concerning security and privacy are to be prevented:
Image Processing for Identifying Different Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the damage caused to the retina of the eye due the complications of diabetes. There are a large number of people, who are suffering from Diabetic Retinopathy that leads to blurring of vision or even blindness, if not treated at an early stage. Hence it is important to detect DR at an earlier stage and provide treatment otherwise it may lead to blurring of vision or total blindness. In medical practice so far, the stages of DR are detected by merely looking at the fundus images. This paper presents a more mathematical and statistical approach to identify the different stages of Diabetic Retinopathy. In this paper development of an algrithm for the identification of different stages of DR is discussed.This is carried out by extracting blood vessels from a fundus image and then calculating the perimeter and area of the blood vessels. Retinal blood vessel segmentation is employed by edge detection techniques after pre-processing the images. This is followed by perimeter and area analysis that helps in identifying the severity of Diabetic Retinopathy. The proposed algorithm is simulated on LabVIEW platform. The algorithm is tested on the images of MESSIDOR Data Set and has yielded an accuracy of 85 %.
Analysis and modeling of rotor slot enclosure effects in high speed induction motors

In this paper the effects due the presence of closed or open rotor slots in high speed induction motors is presented. In particular, the problem linked to electromagnetic effects on the motor current is analyzed in detail. Two 32000 rpm induction motor prototypes, the former with open rotor slots and the latter with closed ones, have been built and tested in order to verify the theoretical analysis and considerations. A modified steady-state equivalent circuit to take into account the electromagnetic effects of rotor closed slots is proposed and experimental tests have been performed to validate the proposed model. The presented study has been focused on high speed induction motors for turbomolecolar vacuum pumps.