Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maximum matchings in sparse random graphs: Karp-Sipser revisited

We study the average performance of a simple greedy algorithm for finding a matching in a sparse random graph Gn, c/n, where c>0 is constant. The algorithm was first proposed by Karp and Sipser [Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computing, 1981, pp. 364–375]. We give significantly improved estimates of the errors made by the algorithm. For the subcritical case where c e then with high probability the algorithm produces a matching which is within n1/5+o(1) of maximum size. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 12, 111–177, 1998
Modeling Information Diffusion in Networks with Unobserved Links

Modeling information diffusion in networks enables reasoning about the spread of ideas, news, opinion, and technology across a network of agents. Existing models generally assume a given network structure, in practice derived from observations of agent communication or other interactions. In many realistic settings, however, observing all connections is not feasible. We consider the problem of modeling information diffusion when the network is only partially observed, and investigate two approaches. The first learns graphical model potentials for a given network structure, compensating for missing edges through induced correlations among node states. The second learns the missing connections directly. Using data generated from a cascade model with different network structures, we empirically demonstrate that both methods improve over assuming the given network is fully observed, as well as a previously proposed structure-learning technique. We further find that potential learning outperforms structure learning when given sufficient data.
Multiple facula targets recognition based on particular distribution

An approach of multiple facula targets recognition based on particular distribution is presented. Firstly, a sort of particular distributions is proposed. Secondly, every target's edge and region pixels are searched and recorded after morphology open operation and adaptive thresholding. And then a feature vector is established, in order to segment facula targets from other disturbing regions. Finally, a feature labeling algorithm is proposed to identify each facula target. The approach simplifies the process of matching facula targets observed by two or more cameras in stereo vision measurement by segmenting facula targets and labeling each of them in single image. Experiments on simulated images and real images illustrate validity and robustness of the presented approach.
(Na+ + K+)-ATPase and plasma membrane polarity of intestinal epithelial cells: presence of a brush border antigen in the distal large intestine that is immunologically related to beta subunit

The previously produced monoclonal antibody IEC 1/48 against cultured rat intestinal crypt cells (Quaroni, A., and K. J. Isselbacher. 1981. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 67:1353-1362) was extensively characterized and found to be directed against the beta subunit of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase as assessed by immunological and enzymatic criteria. Under nondenaturing conditions the antibody precipitated the alpha-beta enzyme complex (98,000 and 48,000 Mr). This probe, together with the monoclonal antibody C 62.4 against the alpha subunit (Kashgarian, M., D. Biemesderfer, M. Caplan, and B. Forbush. 1985. Kidney Int. 28:899-913), was used to localize (Na+ + K+)-ATPase in epithelial cells along the rat intestinal tract by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. Both antibodies exclusively labeled the basolateral membrane of small intestine and proximal colon epithelial cells. However, in the distal colon, IEC 1/48, but not C 62.4, also labeled the brush border membrane. The cross-reacting beta-subunit-like antigen on the apical cell pole was tightly associated with isolated brush borders but was apparently devoid of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity. Subcellular fractionation of colonocytes in conjunction with limited proteolysis and surface radioiodination of intestinal segments suggested that the cross-reacting antigen in the brush border may be very similar to the beta subunit. The results support the notion that in the small intestine and proximal colon the enzyme subunits are exclusively targeted to the basolateral membrane while in the distal colon nonassembled beta subunit or a beta-subunit-like protein is also transported to the apical cell pole.
Investigation of the Distribution of Salmonella within an Integrated Pig Breeding and Production Organisation in the United Kingdom

To examine patterns of Salmonella herd infections in units linked by common sources of pigs, the study examined pooled pen faeces samples from 161 nursery and finishing units in a UK integrated pig enterprise. An epidemiological questionnaire was also completed by investigators for each farm. Salmonella was isolated from 630 (19.5%) of the samples: S. Typhimurium was found in 387 (12%) and S. Derby in 157 (4.9%) samples; 111 units yielded at least one sample containing Salmonella. The proportion of Salmonella-positive samples from positive farms ranged from 5% to 95%. In a univariable risk factor analysis, increasing length of time as a pig farm was positively associated with the detection of Salmonella in a herd. Larger farms (>500 pigs) were significantly more likely to be positive for S. Typhimurium than smaller farms. There was an association between Salmonella serovars isolated in the present study and those subsequently isolated in breeding herds linked to the integration.
When populists become popular: comparing Facebook use by the right-wing movement Pegida and German political parties

ABSTRACT Previous research has acknowledged the use of social media in political communication by right-wing populist parties and politicians. Less is known, however, about its pivotal role for right-wing social movements which rely on personalized messages to mobilize supporters and challenge the mainstream party system. This paper analyzes online political communication by the right-wing populist movement Pegida and German political parties. We investigate to which extent parties attract supporters of Pegida, to which extent they address topics similar to Pegida and whether their topic use has become more similar over a period of almost two years. The empirical analysis is based on Facebook posts by main accounts and individual representatives of these political groups. We first show that there are considerable overlaps in the audiences of Pegida and the new challenger in the party system, AfD. Then we use topic models to characterize topic use by party and surveyed crowdworkers to which extent they perceive the identified topics as populist communication. The results show that while Pegida and AfD talk about rather unique topics and smaller parties engage to varying degrees with the topics populists emphasize, the two governing parties CDU and SPD clearly deemphasize those. Overall, the findings indicate that the considerable attention devoted to populist actors and shifts in public opinion due to the refugee crisis have left only moderate marks in political communication within the mainstream party system.
MAP Kinase Is Required for the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint but Is Dispensable for the Normal M Phase Entry and Exit in Xenopus Egg Cell Cycle Extracts

In Xenopus laevis egg cell cycle extracts that mimic early embryonic cell cycles, activation of MAP kinase and MAP kinase kinase occurs in M phase, slightly behind that of maturation promoting factor. To examine the possible role of MAP kinase in the in vitro cell cycle, we depleted the extracts of MAP kinase by using anti–Xenopus MAP kinase antibody. Like in the mock-treated extracts, the periodic activation and deactivation of MPF occurred normally in the MAP kinase–depleted extracts, suggesting that MAP kinase is dispensable for the normal M phase entry and exit in vitro. It has recently been reported that microtubule depolymerization by nocodazole treatment can block exit from mitosis in the extracts if enough sperm nuclei are present, and that the addition of MAP kinase– specific phosphatase MKP-1 overcomes this spindle assembly checkpoint, suggesting the involvement of MAP kinase in the checkpoint signal transduction. We show here that the spindle assembly checkpoint mechanism cannot operate in the MAP kinase–depleted extracts. But, adding recombinant Xenopus MAP kinase to the MAP kinase–depleted extracts restored the spindle assembly checkpoint. These results indicate unambiguously that classical MAP kinase is required for the spindle assembly checkpoint in the cell cycle extracts. In addition, we show that strong activation of MAP kinase by the addition of a constitutively active MAP kinase kinase kinase in the absence of sperm nuclei and nocodazole, induced mitotic arrest in the extracts. Therefore, activation of MAP kinase alone is sufficient for inducing the mitotic arrest in vitro.
How children use the imput to acquire the Spanish copular "ser" and "estar" with adjectives

En esta investigacion se estudia la adquisicion de las copulas ser y estar con adjetivos. Estudios con datos de produccion indican que ser y estar se adquieren en etapas tempranas. Sin embargo, se sabe muy poco sobre como los ninos extraen este conocimiento del input linguistico al que estan expuestos. Con el objetivo de investigar que tipo de informacion esta presente en el input y como los ninos acceden a ella se recogieron datos de produccion natural de once ninos y sus respectivos padres. El analisis cualitativo de la produccion de los ninos y la produccion de los padres (input paterno) indica que la eleccion de las copulas se encuentra relacionada con las propiedades semanticas y morfologicas de los adjetivos con los que aparecen. Los resultados sugieren que los ninos podrian usar generalizaciones linguisticas independientes del input para adquirir ser y estar.
Speech-brain synchronization: a possible cause for developmental dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological learning disability characterized by the difficulty in an individual? s ability to read despite adequate intelligence and normal opportunities. The majority of dyslexic readers present phonological difficulties. The phonological difficulty most often associated with dyslexia is a deficit in phonological awareness, that is, the ability to hear and manipulate the sound structure of language. Some appealing theories of dyslexia attribute a causal role to auditory atypical oscillatory neural activity, suggesting it generates some of the phonological problems in dyslexia. These theories propose that auditory cortical oscillations of dyslexic individuals entrain less accurately to the spectral properties of auditory stimuli at distinct frequency bands (delta, theta and gamma) that are important for speech processing. Nevertheless, there are diverging hypotheses concerning the specific bands that would be disrupted in dyslexia, and which are the consequences of such difficulties on speech processing. The goal of the present PhD thesis was to portray the neural oscillatory basis underlying phonological difficulties in developmental dyslexia. We evaluated whether phonological deficits in developmental dyslexia are associated with impaired auditory entrainment to a specific frequency band. In that aim, we measured auditory neural synchronization to linguistic and non-linguistic auditory signals at different frequencies corresponding to key phonological units of speech (prosodic, syllabic and phonemic information). We found that dyslexic readers presented atypical neural entrainment to delta, theta and gamma frequency bands. Importantly, we showed that atypical entrainment to theta and gamma modulations in dyslexia could compromise perceptual computations during speech processing, while reduced delta entrainment in dyslexia could affect perceptual and attentional operations during speech processing. In addition, we characterized the links between the anatomy of the auditory cortex and its oscillatory responses, taking into account previous studies which have observed structural alterations in dyslexia. We observed that the cortical pruning in auditory regions was linked to a stronger sensitivity to gamma oscillation in skilled readers, but to stronger theta band sensitivity in dyslexic readers. Thus, we concluded that the left auditory regions might be specialized for processing phonological information at different time scales (phoneme vs. syllable) in skilled and dyslexic readers. Lastly, by assessing both children and adults on similar tasks, we provided the first evaluation of developmental modulations of typical and atypical auditory sampling (and their structural underpinnings). We found that atypical neural entrainment to delta, theta and gamma are present in dyslexia throughout the lifespan and is not modulated by reading experience.
Medical Image Segmentation Using Active Contours and a Level Set Model: Application to Pulmonary Embolism (PE) Segmentation

Level set methods are a powerful numerical technique for image segmentation, analysis and extracting boundary curves. This method requires the definition of a speed function that controls curve evolution. The image intensity gradient and the curvature are utilized together to determine the speed and direction of the propagation. Although level set methods are highly effective in segmenting image, but. they are sometimes unable to exactly detect objects in images with low-contrast boundaries. In this paper we use hybrid speed functions for an implicit active contour (level set) method which is capable of segmenting images with low-contrast boundaries. These functions are formulated based on both image intensity and image gradient. In this work, we use the proposed speed function to detect the pulmonary artery (PA) based on level set method in CTA images where edges may be weak. Finally, we detect the pulmonary embolism (PE) with a thresholding method within the pulmonary artery (PA).
A Review of the Tabu Search Literature on Traveling Salesman Problems Sumanta

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is one of the most widely studied problems in combinatorial optimization. It has long been known to be NP-hard and hence research on developing algorithms for the TSP has focused on approximate methods in addition to exact methods. Tabu search is one of the most widely applied metaheuristic for solving the TSP. In this paper, we review the tabu search literature on the TSP, point out trends in it, and bring out some interesting research gaps in this literature.
The snoRNA box C/D motif directs nucleolar targeting and also couples snoRNA synthesis and localization

Most small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) fall into two families, known as the box C/D and box H/ACA snoRNAs. The various box elements are essential for snoRNA production and for snoRNA‐directed modification of rRNA nucleotides. In the case of the box C/D snoRNAs, boxes C and D and an adjoining stem form a vital structure, known as the box C/D motif. Here, we examined expression of natural and artificial box C/D snoRNAs in yeast and mammalian cells, to assess the role of the box C/D motif in snoRNA localization. The results demonstrate that the motif is necessary and sufficient for nucleolar targeting, both in yeast and mammals. Moreover, in mammalian cells, RNA is targeted to coiled bodies as well. Thus, the box C/D motif is the first intranuclear RNA trafficking signal identified for an RNA family. Remarkably, it also couples snoRNA localization with synthesis and, most likely, function. The distribution of snoRNA precursors in mammalian cells suggests that this coupling is provided by a specific protein(s) which binds the box C/D motif during or rapidly after snoRNA transcription. The conserved nature of the box C/D motif indicates that its role in coupling production and localization of snoRNAs is of ancient evolutionary origin.
Separation of concerns in modeling distributed component-based architectures

Building component-based distributed applications is a complex task involving a set of cooperating actors like architects, developers, transactions or persistency specialists. For more than ten years, the Object Management Group (OMG) has defined open standards to build interoperable distributed applications. First, the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) introduced interoperability between heterogeneous distributed objects, object oriented middleware. Now, the Model Driven Architecture (MDA) has introduced interoperability between heterogeneous models, model oriented middleware. In this context, we advocate the separation of concerns in order to structure the modeling and meta modeling of enterprise distributed component architectures. In the meantime, design related knowledge is most often lost at runtime. Nevertheless, this knowledge could be important to reify architectures of applications at runtime and to support their administration and reconfiguration. Thus, we intend to support separation of concerns from design to runtime of applications, using a meta data repository centric approach. This paper discusses our proposal, CODeX, to structure the definition of meta models in order to offer dedicated points of view of a model to each of the actors of the software engineering process, from architects to application administrators.
Phase II rial of 7 days on / 7 days off temozolmide for recurrent high-grade glioma

Methods. Sixty patients with recurrent HGG received temozolomide at 150 mg/m/day on days 1–7 and days 15–21 during each 4-week cycle. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS-6), with a secondary endpoint of overall survival (OS). A further exploratory objective included the investigation of whether methylation status of the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter within tumor tissue predicted outcomes.
Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes Is Associated with Severity of Biliary Atresia

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes with the severity of biliary atresia (BA). Methods One hundred and fourteen BA patients and 114 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Relative telomere length (RTL) was assessed using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multivariate regression analysis was used to estimate RTL as an independent risk factor of BA. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to calculate the accuracy of biomarkers in the prediction of liver cirrhosis. Results BA patients had significantly shorter telomeres than healthy controls (p < 0.0001). The RTL in BA patients with jaundice was considerably lower than that of patients without jaundice (p = 0.005). Moreover, RTL was markedly shorter in patients with cirrhosis (F4), as compared to patients with mild fibrosis (F2) and non-fibrosis (F0-F1, p < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that short RTL was associated with a higher risk of liver cirrhosis in BA. Tertile analysis showed a dose-response effect for this association (p trend < 0.0001). Additionally, RTL in BA children revealed a negative correlation with age (r = -0.50, p < 0.001). We noted an association between reduction of RTL and liver stiffness scores, adjusted for age and gender (b = -0.01, p < 0.0001). Short RTL can be employed to distinguish cirrhosis patients from non-cirrhosis patients (AUC = 0.78). Further analysis showed a linear correlation between leukocyte RTL and liver RTL in BA patients (r = 0.83, p < 0.001). Conclusion The findings of this study provide evidence that telomere shortening is associated with an elevated risk of liver cirrhosis in BA.
Using secondary outcomes and covariates to sharpen inference in randomized experiments with noncompliance

We develop new methods for analyzing randomized experiments with noncompliance and, by extension, instrumental variable settings, when the often controversial, but key, exclusion restriction assumption is violated. We show how existing large-sample bounds on intention-to-treat effects for the subpopulations of compliers, never-takers and always-takers can be tightened by exploiting the joint distribution of the outcome of interest with a secondary outcome, for which the exclusion restriction is satisfied, or with a pretreatment variable. The derived bounds can be used to detect violations of the exclusion restriction and the magnitude of these violations in instrumental variables settings. It is shown that the reduced width of the bounds depends on the the strength of the association of the auxiliary variable with the primary outcome and the compliance status. We also show how the setup we consider offers new identifying assumptions of intention-to-treat effects. The role of the auxiliary information is shown in two examples of a real social job training experiment and a simulated medical randomized encouragement study. We also discuss issues of inference in finite samples and show how to conduct Bayesian analysis in our partial and point identified settings.
A Security Oriented Architectural Approach for Mobile Agent Systems , Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

Security is a critical parameter for the expansion and wide usage of agent technology. A threat model is constructed and subsequently the basic techniques to deal effectively with these threats are analyzed. Then this paper presents a dynamic, extensible, configurable and interoperable security architecture for mobile agent systems. It is explained how this architecture can be used to tackle a big part of security threats. All the components of the security architecture are analyzed while we also argue for the benefits they offer.
The kinematics of NGC 1333-IRAS2A – a true Class 0 protostar

Context. Low-mass star formation is described by gravitational collapse of dense cores of gas and dust. At some point during the collapse, a disk is formed around the protostar and the disk will spin up and grow in size as the core contracts because of angular momentum conservation. The question is how early the disk formation process occurs. Aims. In this paper we aim to characterize the kinematical state of a deeply embedded, Class 0 young stellar object, NGC 1333-IRAS2A, based on high angular resolution (<1 �� ≈ 200 AU) interferometric observations of HCN and H 13 CN J = 4−3 from the Submillimeter Array, and test whether a circumstellar disk can be detected based on gas kinematic features. Methods. We adopt a physical model which has been shown to describe the object well and obtain a fit of a parameterized model of the velocity field, using a two-dimensional axis-symmetric radiation transfer code. The parameterization and fit to the high angular resolution data characterize the central dynamical mass and the ratio of infall velocity to rotation velocity. Results. We find a large amount of infall and very little rotation on all scales. The central object has a relatively low mass of 0.25 M� . Our best fit is consistent with both the interferometer data and single-dish observations of the same molecule. Conclusions. As an object with a low stellar mass compared to the envelope mass, we conclude that NGC 1333–IRAS2A is consistent with the suggestion that, as a Class 0 object, it represents the earliest stages of star formation. The large amount of infall relative to rotation also suggests that this is a young object. We do however find the need of a central compact component on scales of a few hundred AU based on the continuum data, which suggests that disk formation happens shortly after the initial gravitational collapse. )