Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Principles of Agent-Oriented Programming

In the early of 1970s the Artificial Intelligence (AI) was defined as a system based on the Von Neumann model (with a single control center) and the concepts of traditional Psychology. In the late of 1970s the idea of individual behavior was tested from several works that required a distributed control. For example, works related to blackboards (Fennel & Lesser, 1977) and actors (Hewitt, 1977) allowed the modeling of classical problems considering concepts such as cooperation, communication and distribution. Therefore, the researchers started to investigate the interaction between systems, trying to solve distributed problems in a more social perspective. In order to find solutions for distributed systems, the Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI) started in the early of 1980s to be investigated. It combines the theoretical and practical concepts of AI and Distributed Systems (DS). The solution is also based on social behaviors where the cooperative behavior is utilized to solve a problem. The DAI is different of DS because (i) it is not based on the client-server model, and (ii) the DAI area does not address issues related to distributed processing, aiming to increase the efficiency of computation itself (transmission rate, bandwidth, etc). However it aims to develop technical cooperation between entities involved in a system. Also, the DAI differs from AI because it brings a new and broader perspectives on knowledge representation, planning, problem solving, coordination, communication, negotiation, etc. The Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) is one of the research areas of DAI, and uses autonomous agents with their own actions and behaviors. The agents in a MAS are designed to act as experts in a particular area. The main characteristic is to control their own behaviors and, if necessary, to act without any intervention of humans or other systems. The focus of the designer is to develop agents working in an autonomous or social way, as well as systems of communication and cooperation/collaboration, so that the solution arises from the interactions. This bottom-up approach usually leads to an open architecture, where agents can be inserted, deleted, and reused. According to Sawyer (2003), the Internet is an example of MAS because it is constituted by thousands of independent computers, each on running autonomous software programs that are capable of communication with a program running on any other node in the network. The term agent is used frequently in AI, but also outside its field, for example in connection with databases and manufacturing automation. When people in AI use the term, they are 16
A formal approach to distributed application synthesis and deployment automation. (Une approche formelle à la synthèse des applications distribuées et leur déploiement automatique)

Des applications reparties complexes sont assemblees en connectant des composants logiciels distribues sur plusieurs machines. Concevoir et deployer tels systemes est un probleme difficile, qui necessite un niveau important d'expertise: l'architecte systeme doit s'assurer que toutes les dependances des composants sont satisfaits, eviter les composants incompatibles et ajuster la quantite de repliques du chaque composant pour tenir compte de la qualite de service et la tolerance aux pannes. Dans un environnement cloud il faut aussi minimiser les ressources virtuelles utilisees, afin de reduire le cout. Une fois l'architecture complete est concue, il est necessaire d'orchestrer correctement le processus de deploiement, en assurant que tous les composants sont installes, demarres et connectes dans le bon ordre. Dans ce travail, nous decrivons le modele formel Aeolus et l'outil Zephyrus, developpes au cours du projet de recherche Aeolus, qui tente d'aborder les defis scientifiques lies a l'administration des systemes distribues modernes et de les resoudre en pratique. Le modele Aeolus nous permet d'exprimer une specification de haut niveau du systeme souhaite, l'ensemble des composants disponibles avec leurs exigences et la quantite maximale de ressources virtuelles a engager. L'outil Zephyrus, base sur ce modele formel, est capable d'automatiser l'assemblage des applications distribuees complexes: il synthetise l'architecture complete du systeme en placant les composants de maniere optimale sur les machines disponibles. Autres outils developpes dans le projet Aeolus peuvent ensuite etre utilises pour deployer automatiquement le systeme complet dans un environnement cloud.
Radiosensitization of DNA by Gold Nanoparticles Irradiated with High-Energy Electrons

Abstract Zheng, Y. , Hunting, D. J., Ayotte, P. and Sanche, L. Radiosensitization of DNA by Gold Nanoparticles Irradiated with High-Energy Electrons. Radiat. Res. 168, 19–27 (2008). Thin films of pGEM-3Zf(−) plasmid DNA were bombarded by 60 keV electrons with and without gold nanoparticles. DNA single- and double-strand breaks (SSBs and DSBs) were measured by agarose gel electrophoresis. From transmission electron micrographs, the gold nanoparticles were found to be closely linked to DNA scaffolds, probably as a result of electrostatic binding. The probabilities for formation of SSBs and DSBs from exposure of 1:1 and 2:1 gold nanoparticle:plasmid mixtures to fast electrons increase by a factor of about 2.5 compared to neat DNA samples. For monolayer DNA adsorbed on a thick gold substrate, the damage increases by an order of magnitude. The results suggest that the enhancement of radiosensitivity is due to the production of additional low-energy secondary electrons caused by the increased absorption of ionizing radiation energy by the metal, in the form of gold nanoparticles or of a thick gold substrate. Since short-range low-energy secondary electrons are produced in large amounts by any type of ionizing radiation, and since on average only one gold nanoparticle per DNA molecule is needed to increase damage considerably, targeting the DNA of cancer cells with gold nanoparticles may offer a novel approach that is generally applicable to radiotherapy treatments.
On Routing Maskable Messages in Hypercube-Derived Multistage Interconnection Networks

A vast number of message patterns can be represented by (/sup s//sub d/) masks. We consider the problem of routing maskable messages in the hypercube derived multistage interconnection networks. Network contention is settled by delivering conflicting data in different network cycles. We propose an indirect, two phase routing strategy which is optimal within two network cycles. For (/sup s//sub d/) mask message patterns in which every destination receives data from 2/sup V/ sources, we identity a subclass of maskable messages that can be routed in minimal 2/sup V/ network cycles, and the other maskable messages can be routed in 2/sup V/+2 network cycles.
UQMG @ TRECVID 2015: Instance Search

The UQMG group submits three runs for instance search at TRECVid 2015 [13]: all of them are automatic runs. Instead of adopting the traditional retrieval approach, e.g., Bag-of-Visual-Word (BoVW), our approach consists of three major steps: video decomposition, feature extraction and indexing. During decomposition, video segmentation is applied and various objects are extracted. Here a visual object is a minimal unit, and a video might consists of thousands of objects. Then we extract the visual feature of the object by using a convolutional neural network (ConvNet), which is a high-dimensional vector outputted by a fully connected layer of the network. Finally, the instance search problem is treated as ﬁnding the approximate nearest neighbors (ANN) of a given query in a large set of data points in high-dimensional space. Our best mAP is 0.114.
Parallelized Power Iteration Clustering of Nouns and Verbs using Subject-Verb and Verb-Object Pairs

We explore the use of Power Iteration Clustering for large-scale clustering of nouns and verbs, using subject-verb-object triple relations. We have implemented a parallelized version of PIC, which can efficiently handle clustering of hundreds of thousands of sparse “documents. ” We tested our implementation on clustering of over 1 million noun phrases, and over 650K verb phrases. We also evaluate our verb clustering quantitatively using verb categories from VerbNet as our “gold standard” clusters.
Ubiquitylation of MHC class I by the K3 viral protein signals internalization and TSG101‐dependent degradation

The Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpes virus gene product K3 (KK3) subverts the MHC class I antigen presentation pathway by downregulating MHC class I from the plasma membrane. We now show that KK3 associates with MHC class I molecules and promotes ubiquitylation of class I after export from the endoplasmic reticulum. Ubiquitylation requires the KK3 N‐terminal plant homeodomain and provides the signal for class I internalization at the plasma membrane. Once internalized, ubiquitylated MHC class I is targeted to the late endocytic pathway, where it is degraded. Depletion by small interfering RNA of TSG101, a ubiquitin enzyme 2 variant protein involved in late endosomal sorting, prevents class I degradation and preserves cell surface class I expression in KK3‐expressing cells. These results suggest a mechanism by which the KK3‐induced class I ubiquitylation provides a signal for both internalization and sorting to the late endosomal pathway for degradation. KK3 is the first viral gene product that subverts the trafficking of a host protein via the ubiquitin‐dependent endosomal sorting machinery.
Hyperperfusion in Carotid Stenting Patients

Purpose This study aimed to define hyperperfusion in carotid stenting patients without excluding patients with stenosis on the contralateral side. Materials and Methods A total of 32 patients were enrolled. Prestent computed tomography perfusions were performed within 1 week before stenting, poststent perfusions 3 days after stenting. Prestent relative cerebral blood volume, relative cerebral blood flow, and relative mean transient time (rMTT) were calculated by dividing measurements from ipsilateral stent sides to contralateral sides and prestent difference mean transit time (dMTT) by subtracting contralateral mean transient time (MTT) from ipsilateral MTT. Poststent values were calculated similarly. For differences between prestent and poststent values, independent t test was used between groups and paired sample t test within the groups. Results Of the 31 patients, 4 showed poststent clinical hyperperfusion syndrome. Six showed poststent radiologic hyperperfusion with increased cerebral blood flow, increased or spared cerebral blood volume, and shortened MTT values, but only 1 demonstrated clinical hyperperfusion. Between normal and hyperperfused groups, only appreciable difference was noted in prestent and poststent dMTT without statistical significance. Within the groups, only statistical difference (P < 0.001) was noted in rMTT and dMTT in normal groups and no significant difference in the hyperperfused group. Conclusions Radiologic hyperperfusion does not match clinical hyperperfusion. Normal group responded to stenting with statistically significant changes of rMTT and dMTT. Hyperperfusion mostly occurred in the contralateral critically stenosed patients. The hyperperfused group, due to similar MTT of both hemispheres and ipsilateral internal carotid artery being the main feeder of both hemispheres, did not show significant changes in their rMTT and dMTT values after stenting. This shows that reduced hemodynamic reserve is the main reason behind the hyperperfusion after carotid stenting.
Identification and Characterization of the Gene Cluster Involved in Chitin Degradation in a Marine Bacterium, Alteromonas sp. Strain O-7

ABSTRACT Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 secretes chitinase A (ChiA), chitinase B (ChiB), and chitinase C (ChiC) in the presence of chitin. A gene cluster involved in the chitinolytic system of the strain was cloned and sequenced upstream of and including the chiA gene. The gene cluster consisted of three different open reading frames organized in the order chiD, cbp1, and chiA. The chiD, cbp1, and chiA genes were closely linked and transcribed in the same direction. Sequence analysis indicated that Cbp1 (475 amino acids) was a chitin-binding protein composed of two discrete functional regions. ChiD (1,037 amino acids) showed sequence similarity to bacterial chitinases classified into family 18 of glycosyl hydrolases. The cbp1 and chiD genes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant proteins were purified to homogeneity. The highest binding activities of Cbp1 and ChiD were observed when α-chitin was used as a substrate. Cbp1 and ChiD possessed a chitin-binding domain (ChtBD) belonging to ChtBD type 3. ChiD rapidly hydrolyzed chitin oligosaccharides in sizes from trimers to hexamers, but not chitin. However, after prolonged incubation with large amounts of ChiD, the enzyme produced a small amount of (GlcNAc)2 from chitin. The optimum temperature and pH of ChiD were 50°C and 7.0, respectively.
Genetic variation affecting host–parasite interactions: major‐effect quantitative trait loci affect the transmission of sigma virus in Drosophila melanogaster

In natural populations, genetic variation affects resistance to disease. Whether that genetic variation comprises lots of small‐effect polymorphisms or a small number of large‐effect polymorphisms has implications for adaptation, selection and how genetic variation is maintained in populations. Furthermore, how much genetic variation there is, and the genes that underlie this variation, affects models of co‐evolution between parasites and their hosts. We are studying the genetic variation that affects the resistance of Drosophila melanogaster to its natural pathogen — the vertically transmitted sigma virus. We have carried out three separate quantitative trait locus mapping analyses to map gene variants on the second chromosome that cause variation in the rate at which males transmit the infection to their offspring. All three crosses identified a locus in a similar chromosomal location that causes a large drop in the rate at which the virus is transmitted. We also found evidence for an additional smaller‐effect quantitative trait locus elsewhere on the chromosome. Our data, together with previous experiments on the sigma virus and parasitoid wasps, indicate that the resistance of D. melanogaster to co‐evolved pathogens is controlled by a limited number of major‐effect polymorphisms.
Time domain formulation of the method of moments for inhomogeneous conductive bodies at low frequencies

This paper discusses a novel time-domain formulation of the method of moments. The proposed approach utilizes divergence-free rotational basis functions to describe the electric field integral equation in terms of a divergence-free vector quantity. The presented transient formulation can efficiently be implemented under certain simplifying conditions that depend on the choice of conductivity, time step size, and dielectric media properties. The method is tested by comparing the numerical predictions with the Mie series solution for plane wave scattering by a dielectric sphere.
Factors affecting the reliability of the McMaster technique

ABSTRACT Factors detraction from the reliability of faecal egg counts based on the McMaster technique include variation in flotation time (interval between loading chamber and counting eggs) and sample dilution (ratio of faecal material to salt solution). We recommend standardization of both these variables as normal laboratory procedure, and propose optima of a 30 minute flotation time and a sample dilution of 15 ml salt solution/ g faeces for use of the McMaster technique in the estimation of the fecundity of Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Nematoda).
Macular pigment measurement in clinics: controlling the effect of the ageing media

We report a series of experiments designed to ensure that Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) measurements obtained with a clinical instrument are not influenced by lens yellowing and ocular media optical density. These effects were determined in six subjects using seven Lee Colour Temperature Correcting filters to simulate changes in the transmittance of the ocular media with age. Calculated simulated age matched the data linking age and optical density reported in the literature, and the MPOD was independent of simulated age. The instrument allows an estimation of MPOD to be made which is based only on a foveal (centre‐only) measurement rather than, as is conventional, making a comparison between foveal and peripheral measurements. We assessed the performance of this facility by comparing the centre‐only estimate of MPOD with that obtained from both central and peripheral measurements in 5616 eyes. The 95% limits of agreement for the two estimates was 0.13 OD units.
Financial Statement Fraud Detection using Text Mining: a Systemic Functional Linguistics Theory Perspective

Fraudulent financial information made by public companies not only cause significant financial loss to broad shareholders but also result in a great loss of confidence to capital market. Conventional auditing practices, which primarily focus on statistical analysis of structured financial ratios in auditing process, work not so well with the presence of misleading financial reports. This research tries to tap the power of huge amount of largely ignored textual contents in financial statements. With the theoretical guidance of Systemic Functional Linguistics theory (SFL), we develop a systematic text analytic framework for financial statement fraud detection. Seven information types, i.e., topics, opinions, emotions, modality, personal pronouns, writing style, and genres are identified based on ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions in SFL. Under the analytic framework, Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm, computational linguistics, term frequency-inverse document frequency method, are integrated to create a synergy for extracting both word-level and document-level features. All these features serve as the input of Liblinear Support Vector Machine classifier. Finally, with application to detect fraud in 1610 firm-year samples from U.S. listed companies, the analytic framework makes a classification with average accuracy at 82.36% under ten-fold cross validation, much better than baseline method using financial ratios.
miRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing by Translational Repression Followed by mRNA Deadenylation and Decay

Translation Block MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA genes that are found in the genomes of most eukaryotes, where they play an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Although whether gene activity is repressed by blocking translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) targets, or by promoting their deadenylation and then degradation, has been open to debate. Bazzini et al. (p. 233, published online 15 March) and Djuranovic et al. (p. 237) looked at early points in the repression reaction in the zebrafish embryo or in Drosophila tissue culture cells, respectively, and found that translation was blocked before target mRNAs were significantly deadenylated and degraded. Thus, miRNAs appear to interfere with the initiation step of translation. MicroRNAs act to destroy their messenger RNA targets by blocking translation initiation, which leads to degradation. microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression through translational repression and/or messenger RNA (mRNA) deadenylation and decay. Because translation, deadenylation, and decay are closely linked processes, it is important to establish their ordering and thus to define the molecular mechanism of silencing. We have investigated the kinetics of these events in miRNA-mediated gene silencing by using a Drosophila S2 cell-based controllable expression system and show that mRNAs with both natural and engineered 3′ untranslated regions with miRNA target sites are first subject to translational inhibition, followed by effects on deadenylation and decay. We next used a natural translational elongation stall to show that miRNA-mediated silencing inhibits translation at an early step, potentially translation initiation.
Signal processing applications for embedded Java systems

Digital signal processing is a ubiquitous application in the era of system-on-chip. However, because of its stream-like behavior, specialized processors and compilers are required. This paper presents a set of architecture and compiler optimizations allowing the use of a single language (Java, in this case) for the specification of complex system-on-chips with signal processing characteristics. Experimental results show that with a small area overhead, one can reach from 23% to 45% performance improvement in a FemtoJava microcontroller with few modifications.
The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly Individuals in Screening Mild Cognitive Impairment With or Without Functional Impairment

The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly individuals (IQCODE) is a reliable, validated informant-based instrument. Most of the studies well support the validity of the IQCODE in dementia screening, but the sensitivity of the rating scale at the early stage during the course of dementia is limited. In this study, we investigate the utility of the IQCODE for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the discriminative power of the IQCODE in patients having MCI with and without functional impairment. The samples included mild Alzheimer disease (AD, N = 280), MCI ([N = 657], further divided into 2 subgroups: patients with MCI having functional impairment [MCI-fi, N = 357] and patients having MCI without functional impairment [MCI-fn, N = 300]), and normal cognition (NC, N = 274). The IQCODE, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and other neuropsychological tests were administered to all participants. Logistic regression and receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of the IQCODE, compared to the MMSE. The optimal cutoff scores of the IQCODE were 3.19 for the MCI (sensitivity/specificity: 0.979/0.714) and MCI-fn (0.900/0.817), 3.25 for the MCI-fi (0.978/0.701), and 3.31 for mild AD (0.893/0.779), while the MMSE was identical, that is 26, for both MCI and its functional normal and functional impaired subgroups (0.892/0.755, 0.867/0.745, and 0.913/0.745, respectively) and 24 for mild AD (0.807/0.836). The discriminating accuracy of the IQCODE was slightly superior to that of the MMSE but did not reach statistical significance. Our study suggests that the IQCODE might be useful in screening for MCI, with hierarchical scores indicating functional normal or impaired.
A Framework for Criminal Network Analysis Using Big Data

Big data analytics have been proposed as a disruptive technology that will reshape security and law enforcement agencies, which is a domain that relies on data analytics to achieve criminal network insights for better decision-making. Rooted in current literature, we review the landscape of criminal network analysis through the big data analytic framework in this paper. We identify the big data sources, big data platforms, tools, and applications related to criminal network analysis. We then present some real-world examples, research challenges, and future research directions of applying big data analytics to the criminal analytics domain.