Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast and Compact: A Simple Class of Congestion Games

We study a simple, yet rich subclass of congestion games that we call singleton games. These games are exponentially more compact than general congestion games. In contrast with some other compact subclasses, we show tractability of many natural game-theoretic questions, such as finding a sample or optimal Nash equilibrium. For best- and better-response dynamics, we establish polynomial upper and lower bounds on the rate of convergence and present experimental results. We also consider a natural generalization of singleton games and show that many tractability results carry over.
A User Preference Model and a Query Language that allow Semantic Retrieval and Filtering of Multimedia Content

We present in this paper MP7QL, a powerful query language that we are developing for querying MPEG-7 descriptions, and a user preference model that allows for expressing preferences about every aspect of an MPEG-7 multimedia content description. The MP7QL queries may utilize the user preferences as context, thus allowing for personalized multimedia content retrieval. The user preference model supports multimedia Filtering and Search Preferences (FASP) that allow for expressing semantic preferences, preferences regarding the low-level visual features and preferences regarding media-related aspects (creation, classification, source etc). The proposed FASPs essentially are MP7QL queries, allow for the systematic integration of domain knowledge in the semantic preferences of the users and have the standard MPEG-7 FASPs as a special case. The MP7QL and the FASP model have been expressed using both XML Schema and OWL syntax. An implementation on top of an XML Repository is currently under way.
How well do visual verbs work in daily communication for young and old adults?

In this paper we study how verbs are visually conveyed in daily communication contexts for both young and old adults. Four visual modes are compared: a single static image, a panel of four static images, an animation, and a video clip. The results reveal age effects, as well as performance differences introduced by lexical verb properties and visual cues. We also suggest guidelines for visual verb creation.
Towards a Highly Scalable Hybrid Metaheuristic for Haplotype Inference Under Parsimony

Haplotype inference is a challenging problem in bioinformatics that consists in inferring the basic genetic constitution of diploid organisms on the basis of their genotype. This piece of information allows researchers to perform association studies for the genetic variants involved in diseases and the individual responses to therapeutic agents. A notable approach to the problem is to encode it as a combinatorial problem (under certain hypotheses, such as the pure parsimony) and to solve it using off-the-shelf combinatorial optimization techniques. In this paper, we present and discuss an approach based on hybridization of two meta-heuristics, one being a population based learning algorithm and the other a local search. We test our approach by solving instances from common Haplotype inference benchmarks. Results show that this approach achieves an improvement on solution quality with respect to the application of a single 'pure' algorithm.
Bounds and constructions for binary codes of length less than 24 and asymmetric distance less than 6

Upper bounds to the maximum number of codewords in a binary code of length n and asymmetric distance Delta are derived for some values of n and Delta . A method is given in which a code of length n-m and asymmetric distance at least t+1 is constructed by expurgating and puncturing a code of length n and Hamming distance at least 2t+1. Novel asymmetric error-correcting codes are constructed by applying this method to some celebrated symmetric error-correcting codes. a table is presented on the size of optimal asymmetric error-correcting codes of length less than 24 and asymmetric distance less than 6. >
Improving the Accuracy of Iris Recognition System using Neural Network and Particle Swarm Optimization

Iris recognition is the process of recognizing a person by analyzing the apparent pattern of his or her iris. Many techniques have been developed for iris recognition so far. Here, we propose a new iris recognition system with the help of local histogram and then optimized with FFBNN-PSO. In the proposed system, first the input eye images are preprocessed using adaptive median filter to remove the salt and pepper noise. Then, the features, which are extracted from the preprocessed image are given to FFBNN for training. In order to get accurate results, the FFBNN parameters are optimized using PSO. General Terms Soft Computing, Biometric.
Metallicity Effects in Non-LTE Model Atmospheres of Type Ia Supernovae

We have calculated a grid of photospheric phase atmospheres of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with metallicities from 10 times to 1/30 the solar metallicity in the C+O layer of the deflagration model, W7. We have modeled the spectra using the multipurpose non-LTE model atmosphere and spectrum synthesis code PHOENIX. We show models for the epochs 7, 10, 15, 20, and 35 days after explosion. When compared to observed spectra obtained at the approximately corresponding epochs, these synthetic spectra fit reasonably well. The spectra show variation in the overall level of the UV continuum with lower fluxes for models with higher metallicity in the unburned C+O layer. This is consistent with the classical surface cooling and line-blocking effect due to metals in the outer layers of C+O. The UV features also move consistently to the blue with higher metallicity, demonstrating that they are forming at shallower and faster layers in the atmosphere. The potentially most useful effect is the blueward movement of the Si II feature at 6150 Å with increasing C+O layer metallicity. We also demonstrate the more complex effects of metallicity variations by modifying the 54Fe content of the incomplete burning zone in W7 at maximum light. We briefly address some shortcomings of the W7 model when compared to observations. Finally, we identify that the split in the Ca H+K feature produced in W7 and observed in some SNe Ia is due to a blending effect of Ca II and Si II and does not necessarily represent a complex abundance or ionization effect in Ca II.
Eight-Cell Parthenotes Originated From In Vitro Grown Sheep Preantral Follicles

We investigated the effect of the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) alone or in association with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on the in vitro growth and antrum formation of sheep preantral follicles. To evaluate oocyte quality, parthenogenetic activation of the oocytes recovered from in vitro grown preantral follicles was performed. Preantral follicles >110 μm in diameter were isolated and cultured for 18 days in basic medium either alone (control) or supplemented with LIF (10 or 50 ng/mL) in the absence or presence of FSH. Every 6 days the follicular survival, growth, and antrum formation were evaluated. When compared to control (P < .05), antrum formation was increased in follicles cultured in the presence of LIF10 and FSH. At the end of the culture, the oocytes underwent in vitro maturation (IVM); their viability and chromatin configuration were assessed. Although IVM was not affect by the treatments (P > .05), the numerically highest maturation rates (29.63%) were obtained when follicles were cultured in 50 ng/mL LIF (LIF50). Therefore, their oocytes were submitted to parthenogenetic activation; from which 58.3% of the mature oocytes resulted in 8-cell stage parthenotes. In conclusion, although LIF10 + FSH increases antrum formation when compared to a nonsupplemented medium (minimum essential medium), oocytes from sheep preantral follicles are capable of growing and maturing in vitro independent of LIF addition to the medium, which resulted in the formation of 8-cell parthenotes.
Clinical outcome in 287 consecutive young adults (15 to 45 years) with ischemic stroke

ObjectiveTo determine the 3-year outcome in 287 young adults (15 to 45 years old) consecutively admitted between 1992 and 1996 for an ischemic stroke. MethodsFollow-up was obtained with clinical examinations or telephone interviews, and data were recorded about risk factors, associated disorders, causes of stroke, and current treatments. Functional outcomes were classified with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Endpoints were stroke recurrence, myocardial infarction, epileptic seizures, and death. ResultsAfter a mean follow-up of 3 years, no patient was lost to follow-up; 25.4% of the follow-up visits were performed by telephone interview. The authors found 1) an annual mortality rate of 4.5% during the first year and then of 1.6%; 2) an annual stroke recurrence rate of 1.4% during the first year and then of 1.0%; 3) a 0.2% annual rate of myocardial infarct; 4) epileptic seizures occurring in 6.6% of patients, during the first year in most patients; 5) independence (mRS = 0 to 2) in 94.0% of patients; 6) 4.2% of patients lost their job after stroke despite an mRS score of ≤1; 7) 7.0% of patients reported divorce; and 8) only 22.2% of smokers gave up smoking. ConclusionAlthough young patients who experience ischemic strokes have a low risk of stroke recurrence and myocardial infarction, some patients do not regain independence.
Intercomparison of CALIOP, MODIS, and AERONET aerosol optical depth over China during the past decade

ABSTRACT Aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) were intercompared and validated against ground-based measurements from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) as well as space-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) over China during June 2006 to December 2015. This article aims to evaluate CALIOP daytime AOD using MODIS and AERONET AODs. Comparing the AOD between CALIOP and AERONET in different regions over China using quality control flags to screen the AOD data, we find that CALIOP AOD is generally lower than AERONET AOD especially at optical depths over 0.4 likely due to differences in the cloud screening algorithms and general retrieval uncertainty. Comparison between CALIOP AOD and MODIS AOD results show that the overall spatio-temporal distribution of CALIOP AOD and MODIS AOD is basically consistent. As for the spatial distribution, both data sets show several high-value regions and low-value regions in China. CALIOP is systematically lower than MODIS over China, especially over high AOD value regions for all seasons. As for the temporal variation, both data sets show a significant seasonal variation: AOD is largest in spring, then less in summer, and smallest in winter and autumn. A long-term linear trend analysis based on the domain averaged monthly mean CALIOP and MODIS AOD shows agreement among CALIOP and MODIS for the trends over the 10-year period in four regions examined. The trends in AOD derived from CALIOP and MODIS indicate a decline in aerosol loading in China since 2006. It is found from frequency comparison that CALIOP and MODIS AOD generally exhibit a degree of correlation over China. Statistical frequency analysis shows that CALIOP AOD frequency distribution shows a higher peak than MODIS AOD when AOD < 0.4. For the most part, mean MODIS AOD is higher than mean CALIOP AOD. Evaluation of CALIOP AOD retrievals provides the prospect for application of CALIOP data. The intercomparison suggests that CALIOP has systematically underestimated daytime AOD retrievals, especially deteriorating with increasing AOD, and therefore, CALIOP daytime AOD retrievals should be treated with some degree of caution when the AOD is over 0.4.
Predictors of influenza vaccine acceptance among healthy adults.

BACKGROUND Previous studies investigating predictors of influenza vaccine acceptance have focused on high-risk patients or health care workers. Few studies have examined flu shot acceptance among healthy adults in workplace settings, even though influenza vaccine is recommended for this group as well. METHODS Two studies investigated predictors of flu vaccine acceptance in workplace samples of healthy adults. In the first study, 79 university employees were interviewed, while in the second, 435 corporate employees completed a questionnaire. RESULTS In the first study, flu shot acceptance was predicted by perceived effectiveness of the vaccine (r = 0.36), perceived likelihood of vaccine side effects (r = -0.32), and having received the shot in the previous year (r = 0.25). In the second study, flu shot acceptance was again predicted by perceived effectiveness (r = 0.49), likelihood of side effects (r = -0.31), and previous flu shot (r = 0.66) and was also related to older age (r = 0.10) and to predicted percentage of co-workers who also received the shot (r = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS The current studies indicate that predictors of vaccine acceptance among healthy adults are similar to those identified in studies of high-risk patient populations and health care workers.
Informative SNPs Selection Based on Two-Locus and Multilocus Linkage Disequilibrium: Criteria of Max-Correlation and Min-Redundancy

Currently, there are lots of methods to select informative SNPs for haplotype reconstruction. However, there are still some challenges that render them ineffective for large data sets. First, some traditional methods belong to wrappers which are of high computational complexity. Second, some methods ignore linkage disequilibrium that it is hard to interpret selection results. In this study, we innovatively derive optimization criteria by combining two-locus and multilocus LD measure to obtain the criteria of MaxCorrelation and Min-Redundancy (MCMR). Then, we use a greedy algorithm to select the candidate set of informative SNPs constrained by the criteria. Finally, we use backward scheme to refine the candidate subset. We separately use small and middle (>1,000 SNPs) data sets to evaluate MCMR in terms of the reconstruction accuracy, the time complexity, and the compactness. Additionally, to demonstrate that MCMR is practical for large data sets, we design a parameter w to adapt to various platforms and introduce another replacement scheme for larger data sets, which sharply narrow down the computational complexity of evaluating the reconstruct ratio. Then, we first apply our method based on haplotype reconstruction for large size (>5,000 SNPs) data sets. The results confirm that MCMR leads to promising improvement in informative SNPs selection and prediction accuracy.
Security Design Patterns: Survey and Evaluation

Security design patterns have been proposed recently as a tool for the improvement of software security during the architecture and design phases. Since the appearance of this research topic in 1997, several catalogs have emerged, and the security pattern community has produced significant contributions, with many related to design. In this paper, we survey major contributions in the state of the art in the field of security design patterns and assess their quality in the context of an established classification. From our results, we determined a classification of inappropriate pattern qualities. Using a six sigma approach, we propose a set of desirable properties that would prevent flaws in new design patterns, as well as a template for expressing them
Supporting Finite Element Analysis with a Relational Database Backend, Part I: There is Life beyond Files

In this paper, we show how to use a Relational Database Management System in support of Finite Element Analysis. We believe it is a new way of thinking about data management in well-understood applications to prepare them for two major challenges, - size and integration (globalization). Neither extreme size nor integration (with other applications over the Web) was a design concern 30 years ago when the paradigm for FEA implementation first was formed. On the other hand, database technology has come a long way since its inception and it is past time to highlight its usefulness to the field of scientific computing and computer based engineering. This series aims to widen the list of applications for database designers and for FEA users and application developers to reap some of the benefits of database development.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Genotyping: Automation and Application in Routine Laboratory Testing

A large number of assays designed for genotyping human papillomaviruses (HPV) have been developed in the last years. They perform within a wide range of analytical sensitivity and specificity values for the different viral types, and are used either for diagnosis, epidemiological studies, evaluation of vaccines and implementing and monitoring of vaccination programs. Methods for specific genotyping of HPV-16 and HPV-18 are also useful for the prevention of cervical cancer in screening programs. Some commercial tests are, in addition, fully or partially automated. Automation of HPV genotyping presents advantages such as the simplicity of the testing procedure for the operator, the ability to process a large number of samples in a short time, and the reduction of human errors from manual operations, allowing a better quality assurance and a reduction of cost. The present review collects information about the current HPV genotyping tests, with special attention to practical aspects influencing their use in clinical laboratories.
Adspace Posts ’ Category Classification

Online adspaces require the seller/buyer to select a category to post their advertisements. This practice not only causes hindrance to legitimate users while posting their advertisements, but, also deter the user experience as they will see a lot of non-categorized ads due to human error or spam. Classifying advertisements posted on an online adspace can help in spam detection, better information propagation which in turn enhances user experience. Craigslist is a prevalent platform for local classified advertisements. In this paper, we present a classification system for an online advertisement space such as Craigslist. We show the performance of our algorithm with three standard classifiers, viz., Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and Multinomial Naive Bayes. An accuracy of 84% was achieved with the SVM.
Stimulation frequency extraction in SSVEP-based brain-computer interface

A periodogram-based method is used to extract the stimulation frequency in a brain-computer interface (BCI) based on steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). In the system, tens of buttons illuminated at different frequencies are used to generate deterministic sinusoidal responses or SSVEP at the visual cortex, which are derived from the electroencephalogram (EEG) by a suitable electrode array. Based on the periodogram of a time-series, we test the EEG data for the presence of hidden periodic components, which correspond to SSVEP, and extract the stimulation frequencies. The method performs well in simulation, and is applied successfully to real data.
Attempts to control clothes-borne infection in a burn unit, 3. An open-roofed plastic isolator or plastic aprons to prevent contact transfer of bacteria

SUMMARY An open-roofed plastic isolator was built in a single patient isolation room in a burn unit. It was designed to prevent contact contamination only, as this had been shown to be the important route of cross-colonization in the unit. To exclude any possible effect on airborne transfer of bacteria, the isolator was first examined by means of an airborne particle tracer of the same size as bacteria-carrying particles. Such experiments indicated that the isolator might prevent some transfer out of but not into the isolator. This was not confirmed in simulated nursing experiments nor in a patient study, where the air counts of bacteria were practically the same inside and outside the isolator wall. Two patients only were nursed in the isolator. Both patients acquired exogenous colonizations from other patients, one with Ps. aeruginosa and the other with S. aureus. Nursing in the isolator was difficult and staff-demanding. In simulated nursing experiments, plastic aprons and gaunt-lets as the only protective measures against contact contamination gave as much protection to a mock patient as did the isolator. S. aureus were released from nurses' clothes more easily during work with the isolator than in open nursing with aprons and gauntlets. In conclusion, the isolator did not seem to be a realistic alternative to impermeable clothes such as plastic aprons as a means of preventing clothes-borne cross-contamination between burn patients.
Structural and Enzymatic Characterization of the Choline Kinase LicA from Streptococcus pneumoniae

LicA plays a key role in the cell-wall phosphorylcholine biosynthesis of Streptococcus pneumonia. Here we determined the crystal structures of apo-form LicA at 1.94 Å and two complex forms LicA-choline and LicA-AMP-MES, at 2.01 and 1.45 Å resolution, respectively. The overall structure adopts a canonical protein kinase-like fold, with the active site located in the crevice of the N- and C- terminal domains. The three structures present distinct poses of the active site, which undergoes an open-closed-open conformational change upon substrate binding and product release. The structure analyses combined with mutageneses and enzymatic assays enabled us to figure out the key residues for the choline kinase activity of LicA. In addition, structural comparison revealed the loop between helices α7 and α8 might modulate the substrate specificity and catalytic activity. These findings shed light on the structure and mechanism of the prokaryotic choline kinase LicA, and might direct the rational design of novel anti-pneumococcal drugs.
Understanding the Mechanisms by Which Isoflurane Modifies the Hyperglycemic Response to Surgery

We studied the effect of anesthesia on the kinetics of perioperative glucose metabolism by using stable isotope tracers. Twenty-three patients undergoing cystoprostatectomy were randomly assigned to receive epidural analgesia combined with general anesthesia (n = 8), fentanyl and midazolam anesthesia (n = 8), or inhaled anesthesia with isoflurane (n = 7). Whole-body glucose production and glucose clearance were measured before and during surgery. Glucose clearance significantly decreased during surgery independent of the type of anesthesia. Epidural analgesia caused a significant decrease in glucose production from 10.2 ± 0.4 to 9.0 ± 0.4 &mgr;mol · kg−1 · min−1 (P < 0.05), whereas the plasma glucose concentration was not altered (before surgery, 5.0 ± 0.2 mmol/L; during surgery, 5.2 ± 0.1 mmol/L). Glucose production did not significantly change during fentanyl/midazolam anesthesia (before surgery, 10.5 ± 0.5 &mgr;mol · kg−1 · min−1; during surgery, 10.1 ± 0.5 &mgr;mol · kg−1 · min−1), but plasma glucose concentration significantly increased from 4.8 ± 0.1 mmol/L to 5.3 ± 0.2 mmol/L during surgery (P < 0.05). Isoflurane anesthesia caused a significant increase in plasma glucose concentration (from 5.2 ± 0.1 mmol/L to 7.2 ± 0.5 mmol/L) and glucose production (from 10.8 ± 0.5 &mgr;mol · kg−1 · min−1 to 12.4 ± 1.0 &mgr;mol · kg−1 · min−1) (P < 0.05). Epidural analgesia prevented the hyperglycemic response to surgery by a decrease in glucose production. The increased glucose plasma concentration during fentanyl/midazolam anesthesia was caused by a decrease in whole-body glucose clearance. The hyperglycemic response observed during isoflurane anesthesia was a consequence of both impaired glucose clearance and increased glucose production.