Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Name-Centric Approach to Gender Inference in Online Social Networks

Traditionally it has been laborious, via census or otherwise, to obtain a contemporary list of people’s names. By crawling Facebook public proﬁle pages of a large and diverse user population in New York City, we create a comprehensive and contemporary ﬁrst name list, in which each name is annotated with a popularity estimate and a gender probability. We ﬁrst study the properties of the annotated name list itself, and ﬁnd that the resulting name popularity follows a Zipf distribution, and that more than 94% of the names can be assigned a speciﬁc gender with high probability. Second, we use the name list as part of a novel and powerful technique for inferring Facebook users’ gender. Our name-centric approach to gender prediction partitions the users into two groups, A and B , and is able to accurately predict genders for users belonging to A . Applying our methodology to NYC users in Facebook, we are able to achieve an accuracy of 95 . 2% for group A consisting of 95 . 1% of the NYC users. This is a significant improvement over recent results of gender prediction [16], which achieved a maximum accuracy of 77 . 2 % based on users’ group afﬁliations. Moreover, since name is a fundamental attribute of a Facebook user, which can not possibly be hidden from general public (and users also do not intend to use fake names, otherwise it will be hard to locate the user), our gender inference methodology would be difﬁcult to circumvent.
A selection-mutation model for q-learning in multi-agent systems

Although well understood in the single-agent framework, the use of traditional reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms in multi-agent systems (MAS) is not always justified. The feedback an agent experiences in a MAS, is usually influenced by the other agents present in the system. Multi agent environments are therefore non-stationary and convergence and optimality guarantees of RL algorithms are lost. To better understand the dynamics of traditional RL algorithms we analyze the learning process in terms of evolutionary dynamics. More specifically we show how the Replicator Dynamics (RD) can be used as a model for Q-learning in games. The dynamical equations of Q-learning are derived and illustrated by some well chosen experiments. Both reveal an interesting connection between the exploitation-exploration scheme from RL and the selection-mutation mechanisms from evolutionary game theory.
Cross-Accent Intelligibility of Speech in Noise: Long-Term Familiarity and Short-Term Familiarization

Listeners must cope with a great deal of variability in the speech signal, and thus theories of speech perception must also account for variability, which comes from a number of sources, including variation between accents. It is well known that there is a processing cost when listening to speech in an accent other than one's own, but recent work has suggested that this cost is reduced when listening to a familiar accent widely represented in the media, and/or when short amounts of exposure to an accent are provided. Little is known, however, about how these factors (long-term familiarity and short-term familiarization with an accent) interact. The current study tested this interaction by playing listeners difficult-to-segment sentences in noise, before and after a familiarization period where the same sentences were heard in the clear, allowing us to manipulate short-term familiarization. Listeners were speakers of either Glasgow English or Standard Southern British English, and they listened to speech in either their own or the other accent, thereby allowing us to manipulate long-term familiarity. Results suggest that both long-term familiarity and short-term familiarization mitigate the perceptual processing costs of listening to an accent that is not one's own, but seem not to compensate for them entirely, even when the accent is widely heard in the media.
Quantification of Contralateral Differences of the Scaphoid: A Comparison of Bone Geometry in Three Dimensions

The purpose of this study was to accurately quantify contralateral differences of the scaphoid in three-dimensional space to evaluate the feasibility of using the healthy contralateral bone as a reconstruction template in the preoperative planning of complex mal- or nonunions. Three-dimensional surface models of the left and right scaphoids were reconstructed from computed tomography images and compared in 26 individuals. Left-right differences were quantified with respect to volume, surface area, length, and surface-to-surface deviation. The average left-right differences in volume, surface area, and length were 95.4 mm3 (SD 66.2 mm3), 32.7 mm2 (SD 22.9 mm32), and 0.28 mm (SD 0.4 mm), respectively. The average surface-to-surface deviation between the sides was 0.26 mm (SD 0.2 mm). High statistical correlation (Pearson) between the left and the right side was found in all evaluated measures.
Combining Parent and Child Training for Young Children with ADHD

The efficacy of the Incredible Years parent and child training programs is established in children diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder but not among young children whose primary diagnosis is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We conducted a randomized control trial evaluating the combined parent and child program interventions among 99 children diagnosed with ADHD (ages 4–6). Mother reported significant treatment effects for appropriate and harsh discipline, use of physical punishment, and monitoring, whereas fathers reported no significant parenting changes. Independent observations revealed treatment effects for mothers' praise and coaching, mothers' critical statements, and child total deviant behaviors. Both mothers and fathers reported treatment effects for children's externalizing, hyperactivity, inattentive and oppositional behaviors, and emotion regulation and social competence. There were also significant treatment effects for children's emotion vocabulary and problem-solving ability. At school teachers reported treatment effects for externalizing behaviors and peer observations indicated improvements in treated children's social competence.
RECTIFICATION OF FIGURES AND PHOTOS IN CAMERA-CAPTURED IMAGES OF PRINTED DOCUMENTS

A method for the rectification of figures and photos in printed documents using a single camera-captured image. The algorithm requires a bounding box for the objects in a single-view image. On receiving the bounding box, the desired image can be cropped for further processing. The main feature of segmentation method is that, it exploits the properties of printed figures to detect the boundaries using an optimization scheme. The boundary is extracted to obtain the boundary points and rectifying the distorted image is carried out using a dewarping method. The method improves the quality of output by largely removing perspective distortions. The rectified image having low resolution is converted to a higher resolution image using an edge directed interpolation method. Thus, an enhanced rectified output image is obtained as a result.
Role of the cortico-basal ganglia loops in visual attention: effects of dopaminergic and subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson's disease

We aimed to investigate the possible role of cortico-basal ganglia loops and dopaminergic pathways in the mechanisms of top-down and bottom-up control of visual attention (VA). We compared the performances on 3 computerized tasks, respectively suitable to study attentional capture (AC), motor response selection and movement initiation, of two groups of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), one evaluated in different sets of electrical stimulation (without stimulation, or selective stimulation of the sensorimotor, SM, or associative, AS, parts of the subthalamic nucleus, STN), the other in different conditions of medication (with or without levodopa), with those of a group of controls. Our results showed that in PD there is a weakening of the mechanisms underlying the top-down control of VA, which also would account indirectly account for the enhancement of AC. Dopaminergic treatment proved to be effective in restoring the top-down mechanisms of VA, suggesting an involvement of dopaminergic pathways in this cognitive domain. These pathways seem to play a role also in the bottom-up mechanisms of attention, as suggested by the enhancement of AC under dopaminergic treatment. The STN-stimulation showed a similar effect to that obtained by dopaminergic treatment, establishing a direct involvement of the basal ganglia loops in VA control. Our results highlighted a functional specialization of different sub-territories of the STN in relation to the top-down mechanisms. SM stimulation produced marked effects on the movement initiation processes and appreciable positive effects on endogenous VA mechanisms, while AS stimulation seems to be especially effective in improving the mechanisms of target selection.
Automatic Compiler-Inserted Prefetching for Pointer-Based Applications

As the disparity between processor and memory speeds continues to grow, memory latency is becoming an increasingly important performance bottleneck. While software-controlled prefetching is an attractive technique for tolerating this latency, its success has been limited thus far to array-based numeric codes. In this paper, we expand the scope of automatic compiler-inserted prefetching to also include the recursive data structures commonly found in pointer-based applications. We propose three compiler-based prefetching schemes, and automate the most widely applicable scheme (greedy prefetching) in an optimizing research compiler. Our experimental results demonstrate that compiler-inserted prefetching can offer significant performance gains on both uniprocessors and large-scale shared-memory multiprocessors.
A Markovian Waypoint Mobility Model with Application to Hotspot Modeling

In this paper we introduce a Markovian random waypoint model which allows us to create diverse mobility patterns in the given movement domain. The model allows adjusting random pause times and the momentary velocity. Furthermore, the distribution used to pick the next waypoint may depend on the current location, which allows, e.g., creation of typical routes. As an application for the Markovian random waypoint we consider modelling hotspots. There are several mechanisms which may be causing a hotspot and we present how the parameters of the proposed model can be adjusted accordingly to match the scenario in question. We further illustrate how two seemingly similar mobility patterns lead to highly different estimates of achievable performance levels. Finally, we show how the state of the MWP model can be initialised in simulations such that the node starts from the stationary state without any initial transient.
Toward building grid applications in bioinformatics

In silico bioinformatics experiments involve integration of and access to computational tools and biological databases. The emerging grid computing technologies enable bioinformatics scientists to conduct their researches in a virtual laboratory, in which they share public databases, computational tools as well as their analysis workflows. However, the development of grid applications is still a nightmare for general bioinformatics scientists, due to the lack of grid programming environments, standards and high-level services. Here, we present a system, which we named Bioinformatics: Ask Any Questions (BAAQ), to automate this development procedure as much as possible. BAAQ allows scientists to store and manage remote biological data and program resources, to build analysis workflows that integrate these resources seamlessly, and to discover knowledge from available resources. This paper addresses two issues in building grid applications in bioinformatics: how to smoothly compose an analysis workflow using heterogeneous resources and how to efficiently discover and re-use available resources in the grid community. Correspondingly an intelligent grid programming environment and an active solution recommendation service are proposed. Finally, we present a case study applying BAAQ to a bioinformatics problem
Ischemia/reperfusion‐induced alterations of enzymatic and signaling functions of the rat cardiac Na+/K+‐ATPase: protection by ouabain preconditioning

Cardiac glycosides (CG) are traditionally known as positive cardiac inotropes that inhibit Na+/K+‐ATPase‐dependent ion transport. CG also trigger‐specific signaling pathways through the cardiac Na+/K+‐ATPase, with beneficial effects in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury (e.g., ouabain preconditioning, known as OPC) and hypertrophy. Our current understanding of hypersensitivity to CG and subsequent toxicity in the ischemic heart is mostly based on specific I/R‐induced alterations of the Na+/K+‐ATPase enzymatic function and has remained incomplete. The primary goal of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of I/R on Na+/K+‐ATPase enzymatic and signaling functions. Second, we assessed the impact of OPC on both functions. Langendorff‐perfused rat hearts were exposed to 30 min of ischemia and 30 min of reperfusion. At the inotropic concentration of 50 μmol/L, ouabain increased ERK and Akt phosphorylation in control hearts. In I/R hearts, this concentration did not induced positive inotropy and failed to induce Akt or ERK phosphorylation. The inotropic response to dobutamine as well as insulin signaling persisted, suggesting specific alterations of Na+/K+‐ATPase. Indeed, Na+/K+‐ATPase protein expression was intact, but the enzyme activity was decreased by 60% and the enzymatic function of the isoform with high affinity for ouabain was abolished following I/R. Strikingly, OPC prevented all I/R‐induced alterations of the receptor. Further studies are needed to reveal the respective roles of I/R‐induced modulations of Na+/K+‐ATPase enzymatic and signaling functions in cardiomyocyte death.
MicroBlog recommendation based on user interaction

Microblog is a broadcast social network platform which uses "following" mechanism to share brief real-time information. Due to its simpleness and convenience, more and more people use microblog to communicate with each other. However, with the increasing number of users, there generates lots of data, which brings a challenge for users to obtain information they are interested in. Moreover, the reverse chronological order property and the homepage page limit also increase the difficulty of information retrieval. Therefore, the information publishers should recommend users based on the users' personal preference. In order to match user demands, we present a method using "user influence" to solve the recommendation problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm, an extension of PageRank, which considers that the "user influence" is related to the link structure between user pages and the user interaction in mircoblog. We conduct an experiment using a public Sina search dataset and Kendall's r correlation analysis, and conclude that our algorithm performs reasonably.
ECOMORPHOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF FEEDING BEHAVIOR IN RECENT AND FOSSIL RAPTORS

Modern raptors feed predominantly on animals and exhibit a wide range of feeding behaviors and prey preferences. The following six ecomorphs, based on feeding preferences served to classify members from all families of diurnal birds of prey: (1) avivores, which feed primarily on avian prey; (2) mammalivores, which feed primarily on mammalian prey; (3) herpetivores, which feed primarily on reptiles and amphibians; (4) piscivores, which feed primarily on fishes; (5) scavengers, which are primarily carrion feeders; and (6) gen- eralists, which are opportunistic feeders on all of the above prey and on invertebrates. A series of skull-based indices were created to reflect functional aspects of prey preferences- calculated from measures of the cranium, maxilla (beak) and mandible-and were analyzed separately and with all units combined. The same indices were determined for 13 raptor species, including some extinct genera unearthed from the Pleistocene Rancho La Brea tar pits in California. A discriminant function analysis was used to assess the functional pre- dictability of the indices for the extant raptors and also to predict the ecomorphs of the fossils. Results indicate that all of the indices combined provide the best predictor of prey preferences, especially for scavengers and avivores. Cranial and mandibular indices provide a better resolution than maxillary indices when considering only isolated elements. Eleven fossil species were assigned to their dietary categories with high probabilities and two were less definitely classified. Received 28 February 1994, accepted 16 May 1994.
Finite control set model predictive control-a powerful control algorithm for grid-connected power converters

This paper presents a detailed description of Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control applied to power converters. Some key features related to this methodology are presented and compared with model predictive control based space vector modulation methods. The basic models, principles, control diagrams, and simulation results are presented to provide a comparison between them. The analysis is performed on a three-phase/ two-level voltage source inverter, which is one of the most common converter topologies used in industry. Among the conclusions are the feasibility and great potential of Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control due to the advanced signal-processing capability, particularly for power systems with a reduced number of switching states and more complicated principles.
Refinement of index term set and improvement of classification accuracy on text categorization

In our previous paper, we proposed a new classification technique called the frequency ratio accumulation method (FRAM). This is a simple technique that adds up the ratios of term frequency among categories. However, in FRAM, the use of index terms is unlimited. Then, we adopt character N-gram as index terms improving the above-described particularity of FRAM. In the present paper, we will refine the DB of the index term set using mutual information and frequency ratio, and improve the classification accuracy. Next, the proposed method is evaluated by performing several experiments. In these experiments, we classify newspaper articles from English Reuters-21578 using FRAM. Reuters-21578 provides benchmark data in automatica text categorization. As a result, we show that it has the good classification accuracy. Specifically, the macro-averaged F-measure of the proposed method is 92.3% for Reuters-21578. Our method is language-independent and provides a new perspective and has excellent potential.
Bringing Carl Rogers Back in: Exploring the Power of Positive Regard at Work

We draw on Carl Rogers’ client-centred therapy theory and the theoretical lens of positive work relationships to explain why and how positive regard can be a powerful source for the development of employees’ sense of vitality, job performance and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). We theorize that when employees experience relationships characterized by a high level of regard with their co-workers they are likely to develop a sense of vitality, which in turn results in enhanced job performance and OCBs. These relationships are examined in both experimental and field studies. The results of these multiple studies provide general support for the power of positive regard in augmenting a sense of vitality and enhancing both job performance and citizenship behaviours.
GosperMap: Using a Gosper Curve for Laying Out Hierarchical Data

The emergence of very large hierarchies that result from the increase in available data raises many problems of visualization and navigation. On data sets of such scale, classical graph drawing methods do not take advantage of certain human cognitive skills such as shape recognition. These cognitive skills could make it easier to remember the global structure of the data. In this paper, we propose a method that is based on the use of nested irregular shapes. We name it GosperMap as we rely on the use of a Gosper Curve to generate these shapes. By employing human perception mechanisms that were developed by handling, for example, cartographic maps, this technique facilitates the visualization and navigation of a hierarchy. An algorithm has been designed to preserve region containment according to the hierarchy and to set the leaves' sizes proportionally to a property, in such a way that the size of nonleaf regions corresponds to the sum of their children's sizes. Moreover, the input ordering of the hierarchy's nodes is preserved, i.e., the areas that represent two consecutive children of a node in the hierarchy are adjacent to one another. This property is especially useful because it guarantees some stability in our algorithm. We illustrate our technique by providing visualization examples of the repartition of tax money in the US over time. Furthermore, we validate the use of the GosperMap in a professional documentation context and show the stability and ease of memorization for this type of map.
A Student Project Using the TMS 320 C 6201 EVM Board

This paper reports on a student project performed at the University of Southampton jointly by 4th year MEng students within the course “Advanced Radio Communications”. The aim was to design a software modem capable of transmitting 16kb/s of data, whereby random number generation, advanced modulation, pulse shaping, synchronisation, and error counting techniques had to be applied. The ultimate aim was the implementation on a Texas Instruments TMS320-C6201 EVM board, which dictated some of the specifications of the design.
Open Stack Secure Enterprise File Sync and Share Turnkey Solution

The Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) is one of the most important services to provide enterprises' employees with cloud file sync, share, and collaboration services. To take enterprises' concerns into account, such as security, privacy, compliance, and regulation, the existing EFSS solutions are either using private (on-premise) or hybrid cloud service model to provide their services. They usually emphasize that files stored in the solutions are encrypted on transfer and at rest and events occurred in the service are logged as the audit trail. However, support of data encryption and audit trail are not capable of protecting enterprise sensitive data from not well addressed security issues of the EFSS service. The security issues, including employee privacy protection, management of share links and synchronized cloud files, and the secure enterprise directory integration, are pointed out in this article. To address these issues, this work proposes and develops a scalable Secure EFSS service which can be deployed on the on-premise Open Stack cloud infrastructure to securely provide employees with EFSS service. Designs of an integrated security approach are introduced in this article, including data and metadata isolations, Distinct Share Link utility, encryption key management for personal and shared files, sandbox-based cloud file synchronization, and out-of-band authentication method.