Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AdReveal : Improving Transparency and Control in Online Targeted Advertising

The multi-billion dollar online advertising ecosystem is driven by the ubiquitous tracking of end users’ online activities. Targeted ads are matched to individual user interests mined by online tracking services. Remarkably, an end user today – the presumed beneficiary – has little transparency into this process, cannot reason about how their online behavior is being used, and lacks influence in determining the types of ads delivered to them. In this paper, we address this pressing need for transparency into online ads by developing mechanisms and simple metrics that allow users to understand the extent to which they are targeted, and the level to which different ad categories are focused on selective parts of a their interest profiles. We implement these mechanisms as a client-side browser tool, AdReveal, and evaluate these metrics with web browsing data derived from the public search logs of 20 individuals. Our results show that AdReveal can effectively distinguish between different targeting mechanisms employed by advertisers and also provide fine-grained transparency into the ad targeting mechanisms. Finally, using the building blocks in AdReveal, we propose a practical and novel browser based control mechanism that lets users opt-out of specific ad categories and prevent these ads from being displayed to the user.
The use of compression stockings for venous disorders in Brazil

Objective The aim of this study was to analyse the medical indication and the use of elastic compression stockings, and to assess patient adherence to treatment in different regions of Brazil. Method The prescription and clinical indication of elastic stockings were evaluated in a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study for a population of private patients. In 2009, 3414 patients from 123 treatment centres in southern, south-eastern and north-eastern Brazil were evaluated using a questionnaire. The following variables were analysed: sociodemographic (gender, age, occupation and education), lifestyle (physical activity and time spent standing); classification of venous disease (CEAP [clinical, aetiological, anatomical and pathophysiological] classification – clinical criteria), indications for prescription, consumer behaviour (strength, acquisition and use of stockings) and criteria of satisfaction (improvement, duration of use, adherence). The effects of compression therapy were assessed at a follow-up visit approximately 30 days after starting treatment with the following items being assessed: complaints about pain, discomfort, burning sensation and oedema of the leg while using elastic stockings. Multivariate analysis was used to compare data with an alpha error of 5% (P value < 0.05) being considered acceptable. Results The average age increased with the severity of chronic venous insufficiency; the main indications used by physicians were leg pain and discomfort; 89.3% of patients bought stockings and thus started treatment with more than 90% of these reporting improvements in symptoms. Conclusion Elastic stockings are available to the Brazilian population, look acceptable at the time of purchase and provide good results; however, some limitations regarding their use need to be addressed.
Detection of Histone Acetylation Levels in the Dorsal Hippocampus Reveals Early Tagging on Specific Residues of H2B and H4 Histones in Response to Learning

The recent literature provides evidence that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification are crucial to gene transcription linked to synaptic plasticity in the mammalian brain - notably in the hippocampus - and memory formation. We measured global histone acetylation levels in the rat hippocampus at an early stage of spatial or fear memory formation. We found that H3, H4 and H2B underwent differential acetylation at specific sites depending on whether rats had been exposed to the context of a task without having to learn or had to learn about a place or fear therein: H3K9K14 acetylation was mostly responsive to any experimental conditions compared to naive animals, whereas H2B N-terminus and H4K12 acetylations were mostly associated with memory for either spatial or fear learning. Altogether, these data suggest that behavior/experience-dependent changes differently regulate specific acetylation modifications of histones in the hippocampus, depending on whether a memory trace is established or not: tagging of H3K9K14 could be associated with perception/processing of testing-related manipulations and context, thereby enhancing chromatin accessibility, while tagging of H2B N-terminus tail and H4K12 could be more closely associated with the formation of memories requiring an engagement of the hippocampus.
Distributed Inference With M-Ary Quantized Data in the Presence of Byzantine Attacks

The problem of distributed inference with M-ary quantized data at the sensors is investigated in the presence of Byzantine attacks. We assume that the Byzantine nodes attack the inference network by modifying the symbol corresponding to the quantized data to one of the other symbols in the quantization alphabet-set and transmitting falsified symbol to the fusion center (FC). In this paper, we find the optimal Byzantine attack that blinds any distributed inference network. As the quantization alphabet size increases, a tremendous improvement in the security performance of the distributed inference network is observed. In addition to the perfect channel case, in Appendix A , we also analyze the optimal Byzantine attack when the channel between the nodes and the FC is noisy and is modelled as a discrete M-ary channel. We also investigate the optimal attack within the restricted space of highly-symmetric attack strategies, that maximally degrades the performance of the inference network in the presence of resource-constrained Byzantine attacks. A reputation-based scheme for identifying malicious nodes is also presented as the network's strategy to mitigate the impact of Byzantine threats on the inference performance of the distributed sensor network. We also provide asymptotic analysis to find the optimal reputation-based scheme as a function of the fraction of compromised nodes in the network.
Robust chaos and border-collision bifurcations in non-invertible piecewise-linear maps

This paper investigates border-collision bifurcations in piecewise-linear planar maps that are non-invertible in one region. Maps of this type arise as normal forms for grazing–sliding bifurcations in three-dimensional Filippov-type systems. A possible strategy is presented for classifying fixed and period-2 points, that are involved in such bifurcations. This allows one to determine a region of parameter space where a bifurcation leading to chaos might occur. The main part of the paper contains a careful proof of the onset of attractors which are robust to small parameter changes. An intricate structure is revealed of the limiting set on which the attractor lives, consisting of distinct continuous line segments. As parameters are varied, the attractor on the segments can change from being chaotic to periodic. Also, the mechanism by which the number of line segments can change is uncovered.
Low Blood Lead Levels Do Not Appear to Be Further Reduced by Dietary Supplements

Objective Our objective was to evaluate the association of dietary intakes of selected micronutrients and blood lead (PbB) concentrations in female adults and in children. Design With longitudinal monitoring, we measured daily intakes of the micronutrients calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, barium, strontium, phosphorus, zinc, iron (limited data), and copper from 6-day duplicate diets (2–13 collections per individual) and PbB concentrations. Participants were three groups of females of child-bearing age (one cohort consisting of 21 pregnant subjects and 15 nonpregnant controls, a second cohort of nine pregnant migrants), and one group of 10 children 6–11 years of age. Results Mean PbB concentrations were < 5 μg/dL. A mixed linear model that included only group and time accounted for 5.9% of the variance of the PbB measurements; neither the effect of time nor the effect of group was significant. The model containing all of the micronutrients (except iron, for which there was a great deal of missing data), along with time and group, accounted for approximately 9.2% of the variance of PbB; this increase was not statistically significant. There was, however, a significant association of PbB with phosphorus, magnesium, and copper when all micronutrients were included in the statistical analysis, perhaps reflecting a synergistic effect. Conclusions In contrast to most previous studies, we found no statistically significant relationships between the PbB concentrations and micronutrient intake. In adults and older children with low PbB concentrations and minimal exposure to Pb, micronutrient supplementation is probably unnecessary.
Coupled deep auto-encoder with image edge information for image super-resolution

Image super-resolution aims to recover a fine-resolution image from one or more low-resolution image(s). In this paper, we propose a novel image super-resolution approach based on the recent development of coupled deep auto-encoder. In the training step, the vector of the local low resolution (LR) and high resolution image (HR) patches and the corresponding edge information are extracted to be the input of the autoencoder. Then we learn the intrinsic representations of LR and HR image patches by auto-encoders respectively. Then we learn their relationship by a two-layer neural network. In the test step, given a LR image patch, we can obtain the corresponding HR patch through the trained deep network efficiently and effectively. Expensive experimentation results show that the proposed algorithm generates higher-quality super-resolution image compared to other state-of-the-art methods.
Estudiar educació primària en anglès: Factors sociolingüístics influents en l’elecció del grau per part dels futurs mestres

L’objectiu d’aquest article es analitzar els factors sociolinguistics que van influir en la decisio d’un grup de catorze estudiants de 1r curs a l’hora d’escollir cursar el «Grau d’Educacio Primaria – Docencia Universitaria en Angles» (GEP-DUA). L’estudi es basa en teories postructuralistes de la identitat, la llengua i l’aprenentatge, i s’emmarca dins de l’enfocament identitari d’aprenentatge de segones llengues. Els resultats obtinguts s’han interpretat des de la perspectiva del posicionament en el discurs, i assenyalen les identitats imaginades (la persona que un vol ser en un futur) com el factor principal que va condicionar l’eleccio del GEP-DUA per part dels futurs mestres. ________________________________________________________________________L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser les facteurs sociolinguistiques ayant influe sur la decision d’un groupe de quatorze etudiants de premiere annee de choisir le « Grade d’Enseignement primaire – Cours universitaires en anglais » (GEP-DUA). L’etude est fondee sur des theories poststructuralistes de l’identite, de la langue et de l’apprentissage, et s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’approche identitaire de l’apprentissage d’une deuxieme langue. Les resultats obtenus, interpretes du point de vue du positionnement dans le discours, montrent que les identites imaginees (ce qu’une personne veut etre a l’avenir) sont le facteur principal ayant conditionne le choix du GEP-DUA par les futurs enseignants.
MATRIX COMPLETION

Rank minimization problems, which consist of finding a matrix of minimum rank subject to linear constraints, have been proposed in many areas of engineering and science. A specific problem is the matrix completion problem in which a low rank data matrix is recovered from incomplete samples of its entries by solving a rank penalized least squares problem. The rank penalty is in fact the l0 norm of the matrix singular values. A convex relaxation of this penalty is the commonly used l1 norm of the matrix singular values. In this paper we bridge the gap between these two penalties and propose a simple method for solving the lq , q ∈ (0, 1), penalized least squares problem for matrix completion. We illustrate with simulations comparing our method to others in terms of solution quality.
Phages and HIV-1: From Display to Interplay

The complex hide-and-seek game between HIV-1 and the host immune system has impaired the development of an efficient vaccine. In addition, the high variability of the virus impedes the long-term control of viral replication by small antiviral drugs. For more than 20 years, phage display technology has been intensively used in the field of HIV-1 to explore the epitope landscape recognized by monoclonal and polyclonal HIV-1-specific antibodies, thereby providing precious data about immunodominant and neutralizing epitopes. In parallel, biopanning experiments with various combinatorial or antibody fragment libraries were conducted on viral targets as well as host receptors to identify HIV-1 inhibitors. Besides these applications, phage display technology has been applied to characterize the enzymatic specificity of the HIV-1 protease. Phage particles also represent valuable alternative carriers displaying various HIV-1 antigens to the immune system and eliciting antiviral responses. This review presents and summarizes the different studies conducted with regard to the nature of phage libraries, target display mode and biopanning procedures.
Logarithmic Corrections to Black Hole Entropy from the Cardy Formula

Many recent attempts to calculate black hole entropy from first principles rely on conformal field theory techniques. By examining the logarithmic corrections to the Cardy formula, I compute the first-order quantum correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy in several models, including those based on asymptotic symmetries, horizon symmetries, and certain string theories. Despite very different physical assumptions, these models all give a correction proportional to the logarithm of the horizon size, and agree qualitatively with recent results from “quantum geometry” in 3+1 dimensions. There are some indications that even the coefficient of the correction may be universal, up to differences that depend on the treatment of angular momentum and conserved charges. ∗email: carlip@dirac.ucdavis. edu
Afadin controls cadherin cluster stability using clathrin-independent mechanism

Afadin is an actin-binding protein that interacts with the intracellular region of the transmembrane proteins, nectins. In collaboration with other transmembrane proteins, cadherins, nectins form adherens junctions, a major type of cell-cell adhesive structures in the multicellular organisms. To elucidate the afadin function, we studied adherens junction defects induced by afadin depletion in epithelial A431 cells. We have found that the cells lacking afadin exhibit no abnormalities in morphology or in general dynamics of adherens junctions in the confluent cell cultures. The only observed difference is a slight increase in the rate of cadherin turnover in these junctions. However, afadin depletion strongly affects the assembly of new adherens junctions immediately after two cells touch one another: initiation of new junctions is significantly delayed, the growth of the nascent junctions stagnates, and their lifetime shortens. As a result, the afadin-depleted cells need much more time to establish the mature junctional structures. This defect is not caused by the clathrin-dependent endocytosis of cadherin clusters that was monitored using live-cell imaging of A431 cells co-expressing GFP-tagged E-cadherin and mCherry-tagged clathrin light chain. Taken together our data show that afadin reinforces adherens junctions and that this process is crucial for the fast formation of adherens junctions at the sites of new cell-cell contacts.
Aggregate uncertainty and learning in a search model

We show that there exists a unique equilibrium in monotone strategies. We characterize equilibrium behavior for given levels of frictions. We show that new buyers experiment with low bids initially. Over time, the fact that the buyer is loosing provides bad news about the state of the world, revealing that there are many competing buyers. Consequently, the buyer becomes more pessimistic and bids more aggressively. The resulting equilibrium bid pattern is monotone increasing in the buyer's search duration. Different from most existing models of search with learning, in our model, the price distribution (the distribution of competing bids) is endogeneous and depends on the level of frictions. Interestingly, lower frictions are not necessarily beneficial for buyers. While lower search frictions make search less costly, the price distribution can be much worse with lower frictions. We show that, indeed, expected equilibrium payoffs may be non-monotone in the level of search frictions. Finally we show that, as search frictions vanish, the equilibrium allocation converges to the competitive allocation. Thus, the decentralized search market aggregates dispersed information and the resulting equilibrium trading price reveals the state.
Progression of Dental Caries and Tooth Loss between the Third and Fourth Decades of Life: A Birth Cohort Study

The majority of what is known of the experience of dental caries among adults is from cross-sectional studies, and there are surprisingly few population-level longitudinal studies of dental caries among adults. Dental examinations were conducted at age 26 and again at age 32 among participants in a longstanding prospective study of a birth cohort born in Dunedin (New Zealand) in 1972/1973. Some 901 individuals (88.8%) were dentally examined at both ages. The mean number of remaining teeth and tooth surfaces fell between 26 and 32, reflecting ongoing tooth loss. The overall prevalence of caries rose from 94.9 to 96.8%, while there were greater increases in the proportion with caries-associated tooth loss (from 10.8 to 22.8%). Caries experience was greatest in the molar teeth and upper premolars, and was lowest in the lower anterior teeth. The mean crude caries increment (CCI) was 5.0 surfaces (SD 6.6); 681 (75.5%) experienced 1+ CCI, and the mean CCI among those individuals was 6.6 surfaces (SD 6.9). Substantial dental caries and tooth loss experience occur as people move from the third into the fourth decade of life.
A New Information Theory-Based Method for Causality Analysis *

Detection of causality is an important and challenging problem in root cause and hazard propagation analysis. A new information theory-based measure, transfer 0-entropy, is proposed for causality analysis on the basis of the definitions of 0-entropy and 0-information without assuming a probability space. For the cases of more than two variables, a direct transfer 0-entropy concept is presented to detect whether there is a direct information and/or material flow pathway from one variable to another. Estimation methods for the transfer 0-entropy and the direct transfer 0-entropy are addressed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by two numerical examples and one experimental case study.
Adlerian Psychology and Music Therapy: The Harmony of Sound and Matter and Community Feeling

Abstract: Music is a language of its own, immanent, with no words, yet precise, based on mathematical ratios and harmonics. Music links people together, yet resonates emotionally with each person individually. Half a century ago Dreikurs wrote, “In music therapy, individual deficiencies, symptoms, and maladjustments are deprived of their stigma” (1953). The principles of musical harmony and resonance described here find their correspondence in the standing waves that make up the electron shells of atoms and molecules that constitute matter. This human resonance in matter provides a theoretical basis for Adler’s concept of Gemeinshaftsgefühl, “a cosmic feeling, a reflection of the coherence of everything cosmic, which lives in us and which gives us the ability to empathize with things which lie outside our physical body,” (1953) and describes the great scientists and artists in their moments of originality. Modern music therapy is examined in this article and is shown to be a most useful adjunct to conventional psychotherapy as Dreikurs recommended. Adlerian Individual Psychology can provide a natural foundation for the practice of music therapy.
Immersion in film tourist experiences

ABSTRACT This study adopts appropriation theory to examine the role of film in tourist experiences. Specifically, it analyzes how tourists draw on and manipulate movies and TV programs to construct immersive experiences. Depth interviews reveal how consumers engage in nesting, investigating, and stamping operations in order to reduce the physical, mental, and emotional distance with places, plots, and characters. Findings expand the understanding of the relationship between film and tourist experiences by documenting instances of accidental film tourism wherein film plays an impromptu, meaningful role in tourist experiences, and by showing how film reconsumption extends tourist experiences beyond the trip itself.
Topology conserved 3D reconstruction and shape processing for reuse of the geometric models

This paper proposes a practical, topologically robust and noise resistive shape modeling procedure that approximates a real 3D object with the matrix-form organized meshing for the 3D shape processing, focusing on the reuse of geometric models. A geometric model with desired meshing, not limited to triangular one, but also quadrilateral, hexagonal or n-gonal mesh, is directly reconstructed based on a solid modeling approach. The radial distance of each scanning point from the axis of the cylindrical coordinates is measured using a laser triangulation sensor. The angular and vertical positions of the laser beam are two other coordinate values of the scanning. A face array listing (topology), which defines the vertex (sampling point) connectivity and the shape of the mesh, is assigned and conserved to meet the desired meshing. Stable meshing, and hence, an accurate approximation, free from the misconnection unavoidable in the widely used ICP (iterative closest point)-based modeling, is then accomplished. This proposal, sensory-modeling and information fusion, allows a versatile shape approximation, suitable for reuse of the geometric models.
Police recording of custodial interrogations

The Supreme Court of the United States recognized in its seminal case Miranda v Arizona, 384 US 436 (1966) that police used overly coercive techniques during custodial interrogations to obtain confessions. Yet, post Miranda, police officers still utilize legal coercive and deceptive techniques during custodial interrogations. Unfortunately, some of these techniques have proven to be so coercive that they lead to false confessions and innocent people being convicted for crimes they did not commit. Some states have taken measures to protect the accused during custodial interrogations and require the police to record custodial interrogations under certain conditions. The policies and procedures that mandate interrogation recording vary in scope and by state. This article sheds light on the different statutes and policies implemented at the state level that regulate custodial interrogation recording.
Clinical implications of internal carotid artery tortuosity, kinking and coiling: a systematic review

Abstract Anatomical variations of the internal carotid artery are diverse. Abnormalities in their geometry and paths are commonly identified by ultrasonography and angiography. The surgical correction of symptomatic CAs is better in preventing stroke compared with best medical therapy, as well as it completely eliminates the symptoms in patients with nonhemispheric symptoms. The ICA anomalies may be dangerous and represent a risk factor for massive bleeding. Suture ligatures can penetrate and occlude torn vessels, scalpels or biting instruments can lacerate vessels, and indirectly conducted electric cauterization can burn the soft of bony tissues