Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Three-Phase Algorithm for Clustering Multi-typed Objects in Star-Structured Heterogeneous Data

Heterogeneous networks, composed of multiple types of objects and relationships, are ubiquitous in real life. Although many methods have been proposed for community detection in homogeneous networks which contain only one type of objects and one type of relationships between these objects, effective direct clustering objects of all types in heterogeneous networks without heterogeneous-to-homogeneous transformation remains a challenge. To achieve this goal, we propose a three-phase method for clustering starstructured heterogeneous data based on diffusion path. By adopting the principle that central objects are more important than attribute objects, we firstly assess the proximity of central objects in terms of their connected objects of all types, then based on which we cluster central objects, and thirdly we detect attribute objects groups according to their associated central objects. Finally, experiments on a real-world data set show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed methods.
Incentive Mechanism for Cached-Enabled Small Cell Sharing: A Stackelberg Game Approach

In this paper, we study a small-cell caching system consisting of one privately-owned small base station (SBS) and multiple content providers (CPs), where CPs leverage the caching capabilities of SBSs to efficiently provide content delivery service to mobile subscribers. Specifically, an incentive cache mechanism is proposed, to stimulate the privately- owned SBS and CPs to participate in the caching system. A two-stage Stackelberg game is formulated for the interaction between the SBS and CPs. In the first stage, the private SBS first decides the price policy to maximize the profit. In the second stage, according to the charge price, each CP determines the amount of caching storage to maximize its utility. The impact of transmission congestion on CP utility is also taken into consideration, which also influences CPs' decisions. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium, and design an optimal pricing algorithm to maximize the SBS's revenue. Simulation results are provided to evaluate the performance of the proposed mechanism, which demonstrates the efficiency and feasibility on the SBS resource sharing.
DOA estimation method for co-arrays with unknown number of sources

In the present paper, we consider a co-array as a coprime array or a nested array. Pal et al. proposed a method to extend a co-array to a larger virtual array, then implemented the spatial smoothing technique to construct the covariance matrix of a virtual uniform linear array (ULA). Thus subspace-based direction of arrival (DOA) estimation algorithms can be used to detect more sources than the number of array elements. However, since the subspace-based DOA estimation methods are applied, the DOA estimation accuracy depends on the performance of source number estimation. By employing a set of Toeplitz matrices, we propose a DOA estimation method for co-array, which does not need to know the number of sources prior to computing the spatial spectrum. Computer simulations are provided to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Investigating the relationship between language and picture understanding in children with autism

Previous studies report that minimally-verbal children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impaired picture comprehension when matched to typically developing (TD) controls on language comprehension. Here we compare both picture comprehension and picture production abilities in linguistically-delayed children with ASD and TD controls matched on language comprehension and language production. Participants were 20 children with ASD (M age: 11.2 years) and 20 TD children (M age: 4.4 years) matched on age equivalents for receptive language (ASD M: 4.6 years; TD M: 4.5 years) and expressive language (ASD: 4.4 years; TD: 4.5 years). Picture comprehension was assessed by asking children to identify the 3-D referents of line drawings. Picture production was assessed by asking children to create representational drawings of unfamiliar objects and having raters identify their referents. The results of both picture tasks revealed statistically equivalent performance for TD children and children with ASD, and identical patterns of performance across trial types. These findings suggest that early deficits in pictorial understanding displayed by minimally-verbal individuals may diminish as their expressive language skills develop. Theoretically, our study indicates that development in linguistic and pictorial domains may be inter-related for children with ASD (as is the case for typical development).
Development and Evaluation of a Species Diagnostic Polymerase Chain Reaction–Restriction Fragment–Length Polymorphism Procedure for Cryptic Members of the Culex sitiens (Diptera: Culicidae) Subgroup in Australia and the Southwest Pacific

Abstract Members of the Culex sitiens subgroup are important vectors of arboviruses, including Japanese encephalitis virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus and Ross River virus. Of the eight described species, Cx. annulirostris Skuse, Cx. sitiens Wiedemann, and Cx. palpalis Taylor appear to be the most abundant and widespread throughout northern Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Recent investigations using allozymes have shown this subgroup to contain cryptic species that possess overlapping adult morphology. We report the development of a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) procedure that reliably separates these three species. This procedure utilizes the sequence variation in the ribosomal DNA ITS1 and demonstrates species-specific PCR-RFLP profiles from both colony and field collected material. Assessment of the consistency of this procedure was undertaken on mosquitoes sampled from a wide geographic area including Australia, PNG, and the Solomon Islands. Overlapping adult morphology was observed for Cx. annulirostris and Cx. palpalis in both northern Queensland and PNG and for all three species at one site in northwest Queensland.
Matrix depictions for large layered graphs

Traditional node-link depictions of layered graphs such as flow charts and process or genealogy diagrams are in widespread use. Layers emerge from applied context (e.g. process stages or familial generations), or are inserted to improve visual clarity. However, these diagrams quickly lose their utility as graph complexity grows. Layout algorithms such as crossing minimizers can preserve utility for larger graphs, but also quickly reach their limits. We offer three new matrix depictions for layered graphs: sorted matrices, centered & sorted matrices, and quilts. Unlike node-link depictions, these matrix depictions scale well to layered graphs containing several hundred nodes. To date, we have only implemented the most complex and scalable of these depictions: quilts. We demonstrate quilting using activity-based management (ABM), an application that must depict layered graphs with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of nodes. For displaying layered graphs that reach such sizes, we show how to summarize these depictions using online analytical processing (OLAP) hierarchies.
Neuron J is a rapid and reliable open source tool for evaluating corneal nerve density in herpes simplex keratitis.

PURPOSE In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) demonstrates reduction in corneal sub-basal nerve density in herpes simplex keratitis (HSK). Image J is an open source image-analysis platform that can be combined with a nerve tracer, Neuron J. We sought to compare the reliability and speed of corneal nerve density quantification between these modalities and their relation to clinical damage. METHODS A total of 16 eyes (14 patients) with chronic HSK was assessed clinically and by IVCM. Randomly ordered triplicate, representative images from the central cornea were presented to two masked observers and corneal sub-basal nerve density was measured using Image J/Neuron J. Agreement was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Bland-Altman plots together with mean difference, and level of agreement (LoA). RESULTS The median nerve density was measured at 7.1 mm/mm(2) (quartiles, 3.3-11.2), with Neuron-J demonstrating good intra-/interobserver agreement (ICC, 0.96-0.99; P < 0.001; mean difference, 0.1-1.4; LoA, <±3.3). Intraeye reliability was less consistent (mean difference, 1.7-2.3; LoA, ±8.8-9.8). Neuron J was highly comparable to Image J for both observers (ICC, 1.0; P < 0.001; mean difference, <0.2; LoA, ±<1.2) and significantly faster than Image J (median, 49 vs. 102 seconds, P < 0.001). Diminished nerve density was associated with corneal opacification and reduction in visual acuity (both P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS The IVCM combined with Neuron J affords objective, user-friendly, and fast quantification of corneal nerve damage in HSK. It provides semiobjective phenotyping of the sequelae of neurotrophic corneal damage and offers a potential tool for measuring vulnerability to relapse or additional infections. Further exploration in a larger longitudinal cohort is warranted.
Blinding of outcomes in trials of orthopaedic trauma: an opportunity to enhance the validity of clinical trials.

BACKGROUND Blinding personnel in randomized controlled trials is an important strategy to minimize bias and increase the validity of the results. Trials of surgical interventions present blinding challenges not seen in drug trials. How often orthopaedic trauma investigators undertake blinding, and the frequency with which they could potentially utilize blinding, remains uncertain. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of all randomized controlled trials of orthopaedic trauma published from 1995 to 2004. Two reviewers assessed each trial for eligibility and extracted data regarding its characteristics, outcomes, reporting of blinding, and feasibility of blinding. RESULTS We included 171 unique randomized controlled trials spanning a variety of body regions and interventions. The most commonly reported outcomes were clinical (e.g., mortality or wound infection; 91% of trials), radiographic (83%), patient-reported (66%), and physiological results (e.g., range of motion; 56%). Less than 10% of the trials in each category reported the use of blinded outcome assessors. This contrasted with blinding that investigators could have accomplished: blinding was feasible with use of simple methods such as independent assessors, concealed incisions, and masked radiographs for 89% of clinical assessors, 89% of radiographic assessors, 96% of physiological assessors, and 35% of patient-reported assessors. CONCLUSIONS Trials in orthopaedic trauma typically measure many outcomes requiring judgment, but the individuals assessing those outcomes are seldom blinded. Investigators have the opportunity to enhance the validity of future clinical trials by incorporating simple blinding techniques.
NARFO* Algorithm - Optimizing the Process of Obtaining Non-redundant and Generalized Semantic Association Rules

This paper proposes the NARFO* algorithm, an algorithm for mining non-redundant and generalized association rules based on fuzzy ontologies. The main contribution of this work is to optimize the process of obtaining non-redundant and generalized semantic association rules by introducing the minGen (Minimal Generalization) parameter in the latest version of NARFO algorithm. This parameter acts on generalize rules, especially the ones with low minimum support, preserving their semantic and eliminating redundancy, thus reducing considerably the amount of generated rules. Experiments showed that NARFO* produces semantic rules, without redundancy, obtaining 68,75% and 55,54% of reduction in comparison with XSSDM algorithm and NARFO algorithm, respectively.
Acute Dacryocystitis Causing Orbital Cellulitis and Abscess

Purpose: Acute dacryocystitis commonly presents as preseptal cellulitis as lacrimal sac lies anterior to the orbital septum and hence infection localizes in the preseptal space. The purpose of this study is to describe presentation and management of cases of acute dacryocystitis presenting as orbital cellilitis and abscess secondary to acute dacryocystitis. Method: This retrospective, non-comparative, interventional case series included 6 patients presenting with orbital cellulitis and abscess secondary to acute dacryocystitis. All patients underwent drainage of abscess under general anesthesia. External dcaryocystorhinostomy was advised as the definitive treatment for all pateints. Result: Abscess was localized in the extraconal space in 4 patients and in the intraconal space in 2 patients. Patients with intraconal abscess had visual loss on presentation while vision could be preserved in patients with abscess in extraconal space. Both patients with intraconal abscess had history of acute dacryocystitis. Conclusion: Acute dacryocystitis is an ophthalmic emergency that can cause orbital cellulitis with abscess formation, and even vision loss, if left untreated.
Signatures reconfigurations over waveguide-gratings-based optical CDMA network codecs

To combat with multiple-users interference and malicious eavesdropping, this talk presents a double signatures scrambling scheme over wavelength/time for a cryptographic optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) network data transmissions. Optical switches and fiber delay lines are placed with arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) coder/decoders (codecs) to realize wavelength-spreading and time-hopping. On the transmitter side, user data bits are sliced into spectral chips, coded into pseudo-noise (PN) signature codes, and conducted with different PN-code units of time-delay. In the receiver side, complementary delay lines first reverse the summed spectral chips back into the same time basis, then optical switches follow the associated signatures to turn on-off spectral chips into balanced detector for the final data decoding. By changing signature codes frequently, the eavesdroppers cannot catch on the changing code speed and have little chance to detect the channel waveform to solve the code. With such wavelength/time scrambling scheme, data transmission reliability in OCDMA network can be greatly enhanced.
Probability collectives hybridised with differential evolution for global optimisation

Probability collectives PC is a recent agent-based search framework for function optimisation through optimising parameters of a collection of probability distributions. Differential evolution DE is a successful metaheuristic method particularly for real-parameter global optimisation. This paper presents a hybrid computational model based on a modified PC and DE algorithms for the purpose of improved solutions for real-valued optimisation problems. In the proposed model, PC performs a first phase local search and explores promising search areas through updating parameters of probability distributions over the solution space while DE uses the extracted PC-based knowledge to guide its search with adaptive heuristics. A novel distance-based adaptive mutation scheme is designed within DE to guide the search towards better regions of the solution space. Experimental results reveal that the proposed hybrid algorithm is able to integrate the PC's collective learning methodology and DE's adaptive search strategy effectively to generate improved solutions for difficult problems.
Fungal inhibition by Bromelia pinguin (Bromeliaceae) and its effect on nutrient cycle dynamics

Few studies have been done on the ecology of Bromelia pinguin (Bromeliaceae), a bromeliad with unique characteristics found throughout Central America and the Caribbean. In particular, the fruit pulp has antifungal properties against many fungal strains. We looked at the differences in belowground nutrient processes and the microbial community within bromeliad soil and in adjacent ecotonal and primary forest soils. PCR-based analysis of universal fungal 18S rRNA and universal bacterial 16S rRNA were used as indicators of inhibition, while analysis of basidiomycete internal transcribed space (ITS) was used to see if inhibition was preferential towards basidiomycota. Rhizobial 16S rRNA PCR-based abundance methods were used to determine if the plant affected nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The data suggest that this bromeliad does inhibit fungi and Basidiomycetes within the soil. Moreover, the increased soil dissolved organic carbon and decreased microbial biomass, and the lack of fungal and basidiomycete DNA, in the bromeliad soils suggests a reduced biomass of fungi and basidiomycetes in these soils may decrease the capacity to breakdown the more complex forms of organic carbon. There was decreased abundance and diversity, but greater dominance (i.e., decreased evenness) of Rhizobium 16S rRNA in the bromeliad soil. This, along with the similar amount of ammonium in all soils, and the greater amount of nitrate in the bromeliad soils, suggests that the properties of bromeliad soil select for fewer, more dominant rhizobial species, and that there may be more ammonium oxidizing activity occurring in these soils. Resumen: Se han hecho pocos estudios sobre la ecologia de Bromelia pinguin (Bromeliaceae), una bromeliacea con caracteristicas unicas que se encuentra en toda America Central y el Caribe. En particular, la pulpa de los frutos tiene propiedades antifungicas contra muchas cepas de hongos. Examinamos las diferencias en los procesos subterraneos de los nutrientes y la comunidad microbiana en el suelo de la bromelia y en suelos contiguos ecotonales y de bosque primario. Se utilizaron analisis basados en PCR de ARNr 18S fungico universal y de ARNr 16S bacteriano universal como indicadores de la inhibicion, mientras que el analisis del espacio transcrito interno (ITS, siglas en ingles) de los basidiomicetos fue usado para observar si la inhibicion era preferencial hacia los Basidiomycota. Se usaron metodos basados en PCR de abundancia de ARNr 16S de Rhizobium para determinar si la planta afectaba a las bacterias fijadoras de nitrogeno. Los datos sugieren que esta bromelia si inhibe a los hongos y los basidiomicetos en el suelo. Ademas, la cantidad mayor de carbono organico disuelto en el suelo y la cantidad menor de biomasa microbiana, asi como la ausencia de ADN fungico y de basidiomicetos en los suelos de la bromelia, sugieren que la biomasa de los hongos y los basidiomicetos esta reducida y que en estos suelos puede disminuir la capacidad de
A novel Quantized Gradient Direction based face image representation and recognition technique

This paper presents a novel quantized gradient based local feature descriptor, named Local Quantized Gradient Direction (LQGD) descriptor and the subsequent Partitioned Gradient Histogram, for facial image representation. The 8 bit LQGD descriptor accommodates eight levels quantized gradient magnitude and direction information from the horizontal and vertical gradients at local facial image pixels using 3×3 neighborhoods. The subsequent novel partitioned histogram based feature detection using the proposed descriptor offers separation in feature space resulting in recognition performance improvement. The technique is also robust to rotation, scale variations and noise due to typical preprocessing, background minimization and the descriptor itself. Spatial and transform domain feature level fusion is used for further performance improvement. The benchmarking of the proposed technique has been done using publicly available YEL and JAFFE databases with other contemporary techniques. The proposed technique outperforms the other published contemporary techniques.
A direct approach for disturbance detection based on Principal Curves

This paper proposes a direct approach based on Principal Curves for power quality disturbance detection. The main advantages of the method lie in its low computational burden in the operational phase, its capability to detect disturbances when power frequency is time-varying and its good performance to signals exhibiting high noise levels. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other methods in terms of detection rates and computational complexity.
Relationship between Obsessive Beliefs and Symptoms in Patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

INTRODUCTION Misinterpretation of intrusive thoughts because of obsessive beliefs has been thought to be important in the development of obsessive compulsive symptoms. In current study, (I) the difference between OCD patients and healthy controls in regard of obsessive beliefs and (II) the relation of obsesive beliefs with the prevelance and severity of obsessive compulsive symptoms was investigated. METHODS The current study included 47 OCD patients and 44 healthy controls who have same properties with regard to age, sex and duration of education. All subjects were applied to Obsessive Beliefs Scale, Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. OCD patients were applied to Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale as well as the other scales. RESULTS In analyses by controlling depression and anxiety scores, OCD patients had significantly higher scores than controls, with regard to all subscales of Obsessive Beliefs Scale. Also, prevalence of obsessive compulsive symptoms other than cleaning were correlated with obsessive beliefs about "responsibility and threat estimation" and "perfectionism and need for certainty". Hovewer, there was no correlation in between severity of obsessive compulsive symptoms and subscale scores of Obsessive Beliefs Scale. CONCLUSION Excluding the effects of depression and anxiety, generally the results suggests that obsessive beliefs have an important role for development of obsessive compulsive symptoms. Future studies of seperated OCD subgroup with regard to obsessive compulsive symptoms will be helpful in determinig the difference among these subgroups in regard of obsessive beliefs.
Role of Human WIPIs in Macroautophagy

Eukaroytic cellular homeostasis is critically secured by autophagy, a catabolic pathway for the degradation of cytoplasmic material in the lysosomal compartment. Macroautophagy, one of the major autophagic pathway, is initiated upon PtdIns(3)P generation by activated PtdIns3KC3 in complex with Beclin 1, p150 and Atg14L. Subsequently, specific PtdIns(3)Peffector proteins permit the formation of double-membrane vesicles, autophagosomes, that sequester the cytoplasmic material. Autophagosomes then communicate and fuse with the lysosomal compartment for final cargo degradation. Members of the human WIPI family function as essential PtdIns(3)P-binding proteins during the initiation of macroautophagy downstream of PtdIns3KC3, and become membrane proteins of generated autophagosomes. Here, we discuss the function of human WIPIs and describe the WIPI puncta-formation analysis for the quantitative assessment of macroautophagy.