Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variants of Differential Evolution for Multi-Objective Optimization

In multi-objective optimization not only fast convergence is important, but it is also necessary to keep enough diversity so that the whole Pareto-optimal front can be found. In this work four variants of differential evolution are examined that differ in the selection scheme and in the assignment of crowding distance. The assumption is checked that the variants differ in convergence speed and amount of diversity. The performance is shown for 1000 consecutive generations, so that different behavior over time can be detected
Wild Mandrillus sphinx Are Carriers of Two Types of Lentivirus

ABSTRACT Mandrillus sphinx, a large primate living in Cameroon and Gabon and belonging to the Papionini tribe, was reported to be infected by a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) (SIVmndGB1) as early as 1988. Here, we have identified a second, highly divergent SIVmnd (designated SIVmnd-2). Genomic organization differs between the two viral types; SIVmnd-2 has the additionalvpx gene, like other SIVs naturally infecting the Papionini tribe (SIVsm and SIVrcm) and in contrast to the other SIVmnd type (here designated SIVmnd-1), which is more closely related to SIVs infecting l'hoest (Cercopithecus lhoesti lhoesti) and sun-tailed (Cercopithecus lhoesti solatus) monkeys. Importantly, our epidemiological studies indicate a high prevalence of both types of SIVmnd; all 10 sexually mature wild-living monkeys and 3 out of 17 wild-born juveniles tested were infected. The geographic distribution of SIVmnd seems to be distinct for the two types: SIVmnd-1 viruses were exclusively identified in mandrills from central and southern Gabon, whereas SIVmnd-2 viruses were identified in monkeys from northern and western Gabon, as well as in Cameroon. SIVmnd-2 full-length sequence analysis, together with analysis of partial sequences from SIVmnd-1 and SIVmnd-2 from wild-born or wild-living mandrills, shows that thegag and pol regions of SIVmnd-2 are closest to those of SIVrcm, isolated from red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus), while the env gene is closest to that of SIVmnd-1. pol and env sequence analyses of SIV from a related Papionini species, the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), shows a closer relationship of SIVdrl to SIVmnd-2 than to SIVmnd-1. Epidemiological surveys of human immunodeficiency virus revealed a case in Cameroon of a human infected by a virus serologically related to SIVmnd, raising the possibility that mandrills represent a viral reservoir for humans similar to sooty mangabeys in Western Africa and chimpanzees in Central Africa.
Functional Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Containing α6 Subunits Are on GABAergic Neuronal Boutons Adherent to Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neurons

Diverse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes containing different subunit combinations can be placed on nerve terminals or soma/dendrites in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). nAChR α6 subunit message is abundant in the VTA, but α6*–nAChR cellular localization, function, pharmacology, and roles in cholinergic modulation of dopaminergic (DA) neurons within the VTA are not well understood. Here, we report evidence for α6β2*–nAChR expression on GABA neuronal boutons terminating on VTA DA neurons. α-Conotoxin (α-Ctx) MII labeling coupled with immunocytochemical staining localizes putative α6*–nAChRs to presynaptic GABAergic boutons on acutely dissociated, rat VTA DA neurons. Functionally, acetylcholine (ACh) induces increases in the frequency of bicuculline-, picrotoxin-, and 4-aminopyridine-sensitive miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) mediated by GABAA receptors. These increases are abolished by α6*–nAChR-selective α-Ctx MII or α-Ctx PIA (1 nm) but not by α7 (10 nm methyllycaconitine) or α4* (1 μm dihydro-β-erythroidine)–nAChR-selective antagonists. ACh also fails to increase mIPSC frequency in VTA DA neurons prepared from nAChR β2 knock-out mice. Moreover, ACh induces an α-Ctx PIA-sensitive elevation in intraterminal Ca2+ in synaptosomes prepared from the rat VTA. Subchronic exposure to 500 nm nicotine reduces ACh-induced GABA release onto the VTA DA neurons, as does 10 d of systemic nicotine exposure. Collectively, these results indicate that α6β2*–nAChRs are located on presynaptic GABAergic boutons within the VTA and modulate GABA release onto DA neurons. These presynaptic α6β2*–nAChRs likely play important roles in nicotinic modulation of DA neuronal activity.
Gene alterations after ionizing radiation in human cervical carcinoma-associated endothelial cells

s: More and more researchers pay attention to the response of endothelial cells during tumor radiotherapy, and most researches presented that endothelial cell apoptosis ratio influences the efficacy of radiotherapy. Nevertheless, radiation-induced gene conversions in human cervical endothelial cells (HCECs) remain rarely understood. This study would address the gene expression conversions after X-ray radiation in these cells and provide novel treatment strategies for human cervical cancer. We obtained endothelial cells from six human cervical cancer patients before and 4 h after 400 cGy X-ray irradiation. The significant genes were selected by a 22K Human Genome Oligonucleotide Microarray Kit and confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot. Our results showed that 46 genes consistently altered in all the microarray experiments. Compared with the control group, 26 genes were up-regulated and 20 genes were down-regulated. Most of the genes were identified as significant conversions (≥2 fold), including the regulation of the cell cycle, cell adhesion, the immune response, chemokines, the inflammatory response, growth factors, angiogenesis, DNA synthesis and repair, and protein synthesis. Four genes were randomly selected to confirm the microarray data. Radiation-induced gene alterations and gene-related signal pathways were related to vasculogenesis and radiosensitivity of human cervical cancer. This study elucidates that the identified genes and gene-related signaling pathways may provide meaningful biomarkers for radiation and antiangiogenesis treatments against human cervical cancer.
Modeling accents for automatic speech recognition

In British English the term 'accent' refers to systematic variations in pronunciation, often associated with particular geographic regions. Accent is one of the most frequently cited causes of variability in speech. The problem of accents is becoming more important with the advancement of computerised services and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems. Speech recognition technology is used in a wide range of applications and services such as health care, education, automated call centres, authentication and information services. In many of these applications accents and foreign languages posed a problem for speech recognition developers because, if the people using the system could not be understood, they might become frustrated and stop using the system. For example, a recent news story reported that an automated phone system deployed by Birmingham City Council could not cope with ‘Brummie’ accents [1]. This research investigates how we can exploit the knowledge of accents to obtain both rapid and robust ASR systems for British accented utterances using only 30 seconds of speech. When we hear another person’s speech for the first time, we quickly establish a 'profile' of that person based on his or her speech, in terms of factors such as gender, age, accent, and social group. It is possible that we use this characterization to adapt very quickly to that person’s speech. Current ASR systems typically differentiate between genders, but otherwise tend to ignore important factors including accents. Additionally, conventional adaptation techniques for ASR require a substantial amount of training material from each individual to be able to adapt the system in order to have a more user specific system. Now the question is whether the concept of ‘regional accent’ is useful to overcome these two problems. The first section describes the techniques used to visualise the space where accent recognition is performed, otherwise known as the ‘accent recognition’ space, and show the extent to which the emergent structure is consistent with subjective notions of accent. The two techniques used are Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). We then interpret speech recognition results on accented speech from 14 different British regions, analysed in terms of their structure in the ‘accent recognition’ space. Following this we present results on accent adaptation using conventional adaptation techniques such as MAP (Maximum A Posteriori Adaptation) and MLLR (Maximum Likelihood Linear Regression). We use these accent adaptation techniques along with the knowledge from accent recognition techniques, such as the ACCDIST accent recognition measure, to provide an accent robust, rapid speaker adaptation system. 1. “Brummie accents baffle automated phone system . at Birmingham City Council”, Daily Mail, 5th November 2012.
An ensemble technique to handle missing data from sensors

Automated classification is often used in advanced systems to monitor system events. All data, and hence features from all sensors, must be present in order to make a meaningful classification. An ensemble approach, Learn ++ . MF, was recently introduced that allows classification with up to 10% of feature missing, where several classifiers are trained on random subsets of the available sensor data. Given an instance with missing features, only those classifiers trained with the available features are then used in classification. In this paper, we present a modified approach that accommodates up to 30% missing features along with the effect of varying algorithm parameters.
Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content

Polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancers. Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only freely available web-based database on the content of polyphenols in food and their in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Here we report the third release of the database (Phenol-Explorer 3.0), which adds data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol contents in foods. Data on >100 foods, covering 161 polyphenols or groups of polyphenols before and after processing, were collected from 129 peer-reviewed publications and entered into new tables linked to the existing relational design. The effect of processing on polyphenol content is expressed in the form of retention factor coefficients, or the proportion of a given polyphenol retained after processing, adjusted for change in water content. The result is the first database on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content and, following the model initially defined for Phenol-Explorer, all data may be traced back to original sources. The new update will allow polyphenol scientists to more accurately estimate polyphenol exposure from dietary surveys. Database URL: http://www.phenol-explorer.eu
A novel X-band bandpass filter using substrate integrated waveguide resonators

This paper presents design and implementation of an X-band substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) filter based on cavities coupled to a microstrip line. This method of coupling which is suitable for multilayer structures may also be used as a tunable filter by tuning the SIW cavity. A three pole narrowband SIW filter has been designed based on this method of cavity coupling. Simulations using HFSS and measurement of the fabricated filter has been presented. Also a comparison has been done with recently reported three pole narrowband filters. Major benefits of this filter are simple designing procedure, steep cutoff and flat bandpass.
Kierkegaard as Physician of the Soul: On Self-forgiveness and Despair

Despair (sickness of the spirit) and divine forgiveness are decisive psychological and theological themes essential to both Søren Kierkegaard's relational vision of ‘the self before God’ and his own personal struggles with guilt and the consciousness of sin. Reading Kierkegaard as both a physician and a patient of this struggle, therefore, this article examines The Sickness unto Death (1849) as an attempt to resolve the sinful ‘self’ by integrating a psychological perspective on despair with a theology of the forgiveness of sins. It is suggested that by presenting this integrative notion of self-knowledge through the ‘higher’ Christian pseudonym of Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard is indicting his own resistances to accepting divine forgiveness and thereby operating—via a ‘higher’ pastoral identity—as a physician to his own soul. By diagnosing the unconscious psychological and theological relationships between sin/forgiveness, offense, and human impossibility/divine possibility, Kierkegaard finally reveals faith—as a self-surrendering recognition of acceptance before the Holy Other—to be the key to unlocking the enigma of the self in despair.
Hordeum Vulgare Hull in the Design of Fast Disintegrating Tablets

In the present study, fast disintegrating tablets were designed with a view to enhance patient compliance. In this method, the hull of Hordeum vulgare, cross carmellose sodium, and sodium starch glycolate were used as superdisintegrants (4 and 6%), along with microcrystalline cellulose and mannitol, to enhance mouth feel. The prepared batches of tablets were evaluated for hardness, friability, drug content uniformity, wetting time, water absorption ratio and in vitro dispersion time. Based on the in vitro dispersion time, the formulations were tested for the in vitro drug release pattern. Tablets having H. vulgare hull showed the release profile comparable to those tablets having sodium starch glycolate and cross carmellose sodium.
Mars: Accelerating MapReduce with Graphics Processors

We design and implement Mars, a MapReduce runtime system accelerated with graphics processing units (GPUs). MapReduce is a simple and flexible parallel programming paradigm originally proposed by Google, for the ease of large-scale data processing on thousands of CPUs. Compared with CPUs, GPUs have an order of magnitude higher computation power and memory bandwidth. However, GPUs are designed as special-purpose coprocessors and their programming interfaces are less familiar than those on the CPUs to MapReduce programmers. To harness GPUs' power for MapReduce, we developed Mars to run on NVIDIA GPUs, AMD GPUs as well as multicore CPUs. Furthermore, we integrated Mars into Hadoop, an open-source CPU-based MapReduce system. Mars hides the programming complexity of GPUs behind the simple and familiar MapReduce interface, and automatically manages task partitioning, data distribution, and parallelization on the processors. We have implemented six representative applications on Mars and evaluated their performance on PCs equipped with GPUs as well as multicore CPUs. The experimental results show that, the GPU-CPU coprocessing of Mars on an NVIDIA GTX280 GPU and an Intel quad-core CPU outperformed Phoenix, the state-of-the-art MapReduce on the multicore CPU with a speedup of up to 72 times and 24 times on average, depending on the applications. Additionally, integrating Mars into Hadoop enabled GPU acceleration for a network of PCs.
Porn.com : making sense of online pornography

Online obscenity and myths of freedom : dangerous images, child porn, and neoliberalism / Stephen Maddison -- Child pornography : classifications and conceptualizations / Adam Stapleton -- Debbie does Dallas again and again : pornography, technology, and market innovation / David Slayden -- Porn 2.0 : technology, social practice, and the new online porn industry / Sharif Mowlabocus -- Younger, paler, decidedly less straight : the new porn professionals / Feona Attwood -- Behind the scenes of straight pleasure / Sanna Harma and Joakim Stolpe -- Horrorporn/pornhorror : the problematic communities and contexts of extreme online shock imagery / Steven Jones -- Good amateurs : erotica writing and notions of quality / Susanna Paasonen -- Gay for pay, gay for(e)play : the politics of taxonomy and authenticity in LGBTQ online porn / Jennifer Moorman -- Widening the glory hole : the discourse of online porn fandom / Simon Lindgren -- The new world dream and the female itch : sex blogging and Lolita costume play in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China / Katrien Jacobs -- How do I rate? : web sites and gendered erotic looking glasses / Dennis D. Waskul and Cheryl L. Radeloff -- Beyond "key parties" and "wife swapping" : the visual culture of online swinging / Alison Rooke and Monica Moreno Figueroa -- Conclusion: Toward the study of online porn cultures and practices / Feona Attwood.
Defining the Earliest Transcriptional Steps of Chondrogenic Progenitor Specification during the Formation of the Digits in the Embryonic Limb

The characterization of genes involved in the formation of cartilage is of key importance to improve cell-based cartilage regenerative therapies. Here, we have developed a suitable experimental model to identify precocious chondrogenic events in vivo by inducing an ectopic digit in the developing embryo. In this model, only 12 hr after the implantation of a Tgfβ bead, in the absence of increased cell proliferation, cartilage forms in undifferentiated interdigital mesoderm and in the course of development, becomes a structurally and morphologically normal digit. Systematic quantitative PCR expression analysis, together with other experimental approaches allowed us to establish 3 successive periods preceding the formation of cartilage. The “pre-condensation stage”, occurring within the first 3 hr of treatment, is characterized by the activation of connective tissue identity transcriptional factors (such as Sox9 and Scleraxis) and secreted factors (such as Activin A and the matricellular proteins CCN-1 and CCN-2) and the downregulation of the galectin CG-8. Next, the “condensation stage” is characterized by intense activation of Smad 1/5/8 BMP-signaling and increased expression of extracellular matrix components. During this period, the CCN matricellular proteins promote the expression of extracellular matrix and cell adhesion components. The third period, designated the “pre-cartilage period”, precedes the formation of molecularly identifiable cartilage by 2–3 hr and is characterized by the intensification of Sox 9 gene expression, along with the stimulation of other pro-chondrogenic transcription factors, such as HifIa. In summary, this work establishes a temporal hierarchy in the regulation of pro-chondrogenic genes preceding cartilage differentiation and provides new insights into the relative roles of secreted factors and cytoskeletal regulators that direct the first steps of this process in vivo.
Melisa - a distributed multimedia system for multiplatform interactive sports content broadcasting

The new generation of television (TV) viewers is currently being confronted and becoming acquainted with a series of technological developments in the realm of consumer electronics and gaming that raise their expectations for similar advances in TV broadcasts. The Melisa platform aims at the cross-media broadcasting of sports eevents featurin interactive advertising and sports-related games over digital television and next generation mobile network infrastructures. The platform provides services for optimal presentation of complex interactive real time video content, for advertisement and an advanced real-time gaming (betting) engine. The Melisa server receives information from geographically separated betting, advertisement and video capturing servers that enforces the notion of a distributed system design for information exchange. The resulted business model offers great flexibility in system configuration both in scalability and physical layout configuration.
Smile or smirk? Automatic detection of spontaneous asymmetric smiles to understand viewer experience

Asymmetric facial expressions, such as a smirk, are strong emotional signals indicating valence as well as discrete emotion states such as contempt, doubt and defiance. Yet, the automated detection of asymmetric facial action units has been largely ignored to date. We present the first automated system for detecting spontaneous asymmetric lip movements as people watched online video commercials. Many of these expressions were subtle, fleeting and co-occurred with head movements. For each frame of the video, the face is located, cropped, scaled and flipped around the vertical axis. Both the normalized and flipped versions of the face feed a right hemiface trained (RHT) classifier. The difference between both outputs indicates the presence of asymmetric facial actions on a framebasis. The system was tested on over 500 facial videos that were crowdsourced over the Internet, with an overall 2AFC score of 88.2% on spontaneous videos. A dynamic model based on template matching is then used to identify asymmetric events that have a clear onset and offset. The event detector reduced the false alarm rate due to tracking inaccuracies, head movement, eating and non-uniform lighting. For an event that happens once every 20 videos, we are able to detect half of the occurrences with a false alarm rate of 1 event every 85 videos. We demonstrate the application of this work to measuring viewer affective responses to video content.
Finite Record Effects of the Errors-in-Variables Estimator for Linear Dynamic Systems

The frequency domain errors-in-variables (EIV) estimator for linear dynamic systems with periodic excitations is generally formulated as a maximum likelihood (ML) estimator, where the estimated input-output noise (co)variances are used. In this paper, we study the finite record influences on the uncertainty of the ML estimator. Furthermore, we discuss when a significant influence can occur and derive a practical method to circumvent this problem without the need of introducing parametric noise models.