Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Verifiable Order Queries and Order Statistics on a List in Zero-Knowledge

Given a list L with n elements, an order query on L asks whether a given element x2L precedes or follows another element y2 L. More generally, given a set of m elements from L, an order query asks for the set ordered according to the positions of the elements in L. We introduce two formal models for answering order queries on a list in a verifiable manner and in zero-knowledge. We also present efficient constructions for these models. Our first model, called zero-knowledge list (ZKL), generalizes membership queries on a set to order queries on a list in zero-knowledge. We present a construction of ZKL based on zero-knowledge sets and a homomorphic integer commitment scheme. Our second model, privacy-preserving authenticated list (PPAL), extends authenticated data structures by adding a zero-knowledge privacy requirement. In this model, a list is outsourced by a trusted owner to an untrusted cloud server, which answers order queries issued by clients. The server also returns a proof of the answer, which is verified by the client using a digest of the list obtained from the owner. PPAL supports the security properties of data integrity against a malicious server and privacy protection against a malicious client. Though PPAL can be implemented using our ZKL construction, this construction is not as efficient as desired in cloud applications. To this end, we present an efficient PPAL construction based on blinded bilinear accumulators and bilinear maps, which is provably secure and zero-knowledge (e.g., hiding even the size of the list). Our PPAL construction uses proofs of O(m) size and allows the client to verify a proof in O(m) time. The owner executes the setup in O(n) time and space. The server uses O(n) space to store the list and related authentication information, and takes O(min(m log n; n)) time to answer a query and generate a proof. Both our ZKL and PPAL constructions have one round of communication and are secure in the random oracle model. Finally, we show that our ZKL and PPAL frameworks can be extended to support fundamental statistical queries (including maximum, minimum, median, threshold and top-t elements) efficiently and in zero-knowledge.
Effects of sex and age in the Arjeplog dialect: a listening test and measurements of preaspiration and VOT

This study tested whether older speakers are ‘more dialectal’ than younger speakers, and whether men are more dialectal than women. Speech material from the Arjeplog dialect was used in a listening test and a set of durational measurements of preaspiration and VOT. In the listening test, unscripted monologues produced by 3 men and 3 women of an older generation, and 3 men and 3 women of a younger generation were presented to 19 young listeners. The younger women were judged as less dialectal than the remaining speakers, but no significant differences were observed between the remaining speaker groups. Measurement results revealed that the older speakers displayed longer preaspiration intervals than did the younger speakers but, contrary to the hypothesis, women turned out to produce longer preaspirations and VOTs than the men. No significant age-related VOT differences were observed.
PROBABILISTIC MODELS FOR FOCUSED WEB CRAWLING

A focused crawler is an efficient tool used to traverse the Web to gather documents on a specific topic. It can be used to build domain‐specific Web search portals and online personalized search tools. Focused crawlers can only use information obtained from previously crawled pages to estimate the relevance of a newly seen URL. Therefore, good performance depends on powerful modeling of context as well as the quality of the current observations. To address this challenge, we propose capturing sequential patterns along paths leading to targets based on probabilistic models. We model the process of crawling by a walk along an underlying chain of hidden states, defined by hop distance from target pages, from which the actual topics of the documents are observed. When a new document is seen, prediction amounts to estimating the distance of this document from a target. Within this framework, we propose two probabilistic models for focused crawling, Maximum Entropy Markov Model (MEMM) and Linear‐chain Conditional Random Field (CRF). With MEMM, we exploit multiple overlapping features, such as anchor text, to represent useful context and form a chain of local classifier models. With CRF, a form of undirected graphical models, we focus on obtaining global optimal solutions along the sequences by taking advantage not only of text content, but also of linkage relations. We conclude with an experimental validation and comparison with focused crawling based on Best‐First Search (BFS), Hidden Markov Model (HMM), and Context‐graph Search (CGS).
Late aspergilloma of a renal allograft without need for operative management: a case report and review of the literature

Aspergillus infection localized to the renal allograft is a rare and potentially life‐threatening infection and typically requires a combination of operative and medical management. We report the case of a renal allograft aspergilloma in a renal transplant patient presenting 2 years post transplant, successfully managed non‐surgically. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient presenting with an allograft aspergilloma so long after transplantation and being successfully managed with antifungal therapy alone.
Chronic Kidney Disease: Novel Insights from Genome-Wide Association Studies

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common, affecting about 10% of the general population, and causing significant morbidity and mortality. Apart from the risk conferred by traditional cardiovascular risk factors, there is a strong genetic component. The method of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful hypothesis-free approach to unravel this component by association analyses of CKD with several million genetic variants distributed across the genome. Since the publication of the first GWAS in 2005, this method has led to the discovery of novel loci for numerous human common diseases and phenotypes. Here, we review the recent successes of meta-analyses of GWAS on renal phenotypes. UMOD, SHROOM3, STC1, LASS2, GCKR, ALMS1, TFDP2, DAB2, SLC34A1, VEGFA, PRKAG2, PIP5K1B, ATXN2/SH2B3, DACH1, UBE2Q2, and SLC7A9 were uncovered as loci associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CKD, and CUBN as a locus for albuminuria in cross-sectional data of general population studies. However, less than 1.5% of the total variance of eGFR and albuminuria is explained by the identified variants, and the relative risk for CKD is modified by at most 20% per locus. In African Americans, much of the risk for end-stage nondiabetic kidney disease is explained by common variants in the MYH9/APOL1 locus, and in individuals of European descent, variants in HLA-DQA1 and PLA2R1 implicate most of the risk for idiopathic membranous nephropathy. In contrast, genetic findings in the analysis of diabetic nephropathy are inconsistent. Uncovering variants explaining more of the genetically determined variability of kidney function is hampered by the multifactorial nature of CKD and different mechanisms involved in progressive CKD stages, and by the challenges in elucidating the role of low-frequency variants. Meta-analyses with larger sample sizes and analyses of longitudinal renal phenotypes using higher-resolution genotyping data are required to uncover novel loci associated with severe renal phenotypes.
Automated analysis of cartilage morphology

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allows early detection of and assessment of progression in Osteoarthritis (OA). It is known that the rate of cartilage loss varies in individual cartilage plates. No known completely automated algorithms exist to reliably segments MRI image data and accurately delineate cartilage plates. We report an automated method for cartilage segmentation and definition of cartilage plates. We present a modified Layered Optimal Graph Image Segmentation of Multiple Objects and Surfaces (LOGISMOS) with a robust steerable-feature-based design and demonstrate improvements of segmentation accuracy. Our new method was tested on 60 data sets provided by the MICCAI segmentation challenge 2010. The mean and standard deviation of surface positioning errors are reported for individual cartilage plate regions.
Photosynthetic performance of benthic microbial mats in Lake Hoare, Antarctica

We measured in situ photosynthesis of benthic microbial mats at various depths in Lake Hoare, a permanently ice‐covered lake of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, using oxygen (O2) microelectrodes. We further investigated the vertical distribution and activity of pigments in the microbial mats using an imaging pulseamplitude‐ modulated fluorometer. Microbial mats to at least 16.6‐m water depth are net producers of O2 during the summer period. Net O2 production ranges from 100‐500 µmol m−2 h−1 at incident downwelling irradiances of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of 1.0‐4.6 µmol quanta m−2 s−1. Photosynthesis of mat‐forming cyanobacteria and diatoms occurs at all lake depths at or close to maximum efficiency. We measured absorption by the pigment arrays at a single water depth and, by assuming that absorption is water‐depth invariant, we estimated an area‐specific maximum community quantum yield of 0.073 mol carbon per mol photons. A community compensation irradiance of 0.1 µmol quanta m−2 s−1 was estimated, reflecting extreme shade acclimation. These results confirm estimates previously derived from laboratory gas‐exchange measurements and imply that even minor changes in the intensity of the incident downwelling irradiance of PAR caused by, for example, changes in the transparency of the ice cover or the optical properties of the water column can significantly alter rates of benthic carbon fixation. In situ measurements were confined to mats with flat surfaces. Laboratory measurements at the surface of mats with pinnacled surfaces revealed a complex small‐scale chemical structure at the mat‐water interface.
What Is a Good Imputation Under MAR Missingness?

Missing values pose a persistent challenge in modern data science. Consequently, there is an ever-growing number of publications introducing new imputation methods in various fields. The present paper attempts to take a step back and provide a more systematic analysis: Starting from an in-depth discussion of the Missing at Random (MAR) condition for nonparametric imputation, we first develop an identification result, showing that the widely used Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE) approach indeed identifies the right conditional distributions. This result, together with two illuminating examples, allows us to propose four essential properties a successful MICE imputation method should meet, thus enabling a more principled evaluation of existing methods and more targeted development of new methods. In particular, we introduce a new method that meets 3 out of the 4 criteria. We then discuss and refine ways to rank imputation methods, even in the challenging setting when the true underlying values are not available. The result is a powerful, easy-to-use scoring algorithm to rank missing value imputations under MAR missingness.
A working memory model applied to physics problem solving

A study has been made of how physics problems are attempted by school and by university students, in both examination and tutorial situations. The performance of the students is interpreted within the framework of a psychological model of learning which incorporates working memory capacity and disembedding ability. The implications of the results for teaching and for setting problems is emphasized, in that the same question in different forms may be testing different skills.
Supplemental Data Structural Basis of Microtubule Plus End Tracking by XMAP 215 , CLIP-170 , and EB 1

Most constructs were cloned into pET28 (Novagen) for expression studies except Msps TOG12 (1-505), MAST TOG1-TOGL1 (1-538), human EB1 full length (1-268), EB112-255, EB11-133, and CLIP-17057-210 for which pGEX-2T or pGEX-6P2 (GE Healthcare) was used. CLIP-1701350 in pET19b (Novagen) was a gift from Holly Goodson. Proteins were expressed in BL21 DE3 cells under appropriate selection, induced with 100 μM IPTG for 12 hr at 25o C. Cells were harvested, lysed in 25 mM Tris pH 8.0, 300 mM NaCl, 0.1% β-ME and 1 mM PMSF using a Microfluidizer (Microfluidics) and purified over either Ni-NTA (Qiagen) or glutathione sepharose (GE Healthcare) according to manufacturer’s protocols. Where appropriate, the affinity tag was removed through addition of specific protease followed by ion exchange chromatography. Due to insolubility when expressed alone, Msps TOG1 was generated through plasmin treatment of Msps TOG1-2 (1-505) which cleaved between residues K241 and I242 (verified by N-terminal amino acid sequencing performed by the Yale Keck Center’s Protein Sequencing Core).
Comparison of early postoperative results for laparoscopic versus standard open cholecystectomy.

Alternative (nonresective) therapies of symptomatic cholelithiasis have been followed by frequent recurrence of gallstones. Great interest has been generated by the recent development of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which in addition to preventing recurrence, may be associated with less patient discomfort, shorter hospital stays and more rapid return to work than standard cholecystectomy. We compared the first 25 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at our institution to the most recent 25 patients undergoing standard cholecystectomy by the same surgeon. The results of analysis of the two patient groups showed that they were similar in age, weight and gallstone burden. A slightly longer operative time (mean plus or minus S.E.M., 122 +/- 9 minutes versus 95 +/- 5 minutes, p) was required to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy than standard cholecystectomy during this early experience. However, patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy had a markedly diminished usage of parental narcotic analgesia during the first 24 hours postoperatively (1.7 +/- 0.5 milligrams of morphine sulfate versus 34.5 +/- 4.1 milligrams of morphine sulfate). They also were discharged from the hospital (1.0 +/- 0 days versus 4.1 +/- 0.3 days) and returned to work or unrestricted activity (8.5 +/- 1.1 days versus 35.6 +/- 4.5 days) much sooner postoperatively than those treated by standard open cholecystectomy. Based on these favorable results, we conclude that laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be the procedure of choice for most patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis.
Chemical and antimicrobial treatments change the viscoelastic properties of bacterial biofilms

Changes in the viscoelastic material properties of bacterial biofilms resulting from chemical and antimicrobial treatments were measured by rheometry. Colony biofilms of Staphylococcus epidermidis or a mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa were subjected to a classical creep test performed using a parallel plate rheometer. Data were fit to the 4-parameter Burger model to quantify the material properties. Biofilms were exposed to the chloride salts of several common mono-, di-, and tri- valent cations, and to urea, industrial biocides, and antibiotics. Many of these treatments resulted in statistically significant alterations in the material properties of the biofilm. Multivalent cations stiffened the P. aeruginosa biofilm, while ciprofloxacin and glutaraldehyde weakened it. Urea, rifampin, and a quaternary ammonium biocide weakened the S. epidermidis biofilm. In general, there was no correspondence between the responses of the two different types of biofilms to a particular treatment. These results underscore the distinction between the killing power of an antimicrobial agent and its ability to alter biofilm mechanical properties and thereby influence biofilm removal. Understanding biofilm rheology and how it is affected by chemical treatment could lead to improvements in biofilm control.
Focus Group on Computer Tools Used for Professional Writing and Preliminary Evaluation of LinguisTech

This paper focuses on computer writing tools used during the production of documents in a professional setting. Computer writing tools include language technologies, for example electronic dictionaries and text correction software, as well as information and communication technologies, for example collaborative platforms and search engines. As we will see, professional writing has become an entirely computerised activity. First, we report on a focus group with professional writers, during which they discussed their experience using computer tools to write documents. We will describe their practices, point out the most important problems they encounter, and analyse their needs. Second, we describe LinguisTech, a reference web site for language professionals (translators, writers, language instructors, etc.) that was launched in Canada in September, 2011. We comment on a preliminary evaluation that we conducted to determine if this new platform meets professional writers' needs.
Channel Deduction: A New Learning Framework to Acquire Channel from Outdated Samples and Coarse Estimate

How to reduce the pilot overhead required for channel estimation? How to deal with the channel dynamic changes and error propagation in channel prediction? To jointly address these two critical issues in next-generation transceiver design, in this paper, we propose a novel framework named channel deduction for high-dimensional channel acquisition in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Specifically, it makes use of the outdated channel information of past time slots, performs coarse estimation for the current channel with a relatively small number of pilots, and then fuses these two information to obtain a complete representation of the present channel. The rationale is to align the current channel representation to both the latent channel features within the past samples and the coarse estimate of current channel at the pilots, which, in a sense, behaves as a complementary combination of estimation and prediction and thus reduces the overall overhead. To fully exploit the highly nonlinear correlations in time, space, and frequency domains, we resort to learning-based implementation approaches. By using the highly efficient complex-domain multilayer perceptron (MLP)-mixer for crossing space-frequency domain representation and the recurrence-based or attention-based mechanisms for the past-present interaction, we respectively design two different channel deduction neural networks (CDNets). We provide a general procedure of data collection, training, and deployment to standardize the application of CDNets. Comprehensive experimental evaluations in accuracy, robustness, and efficiency demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach, which reduces the pilot overhead by up to 88.9% compared to state-of-the-art estimation approaches and enables continuous operating even under unknown user movement and error propagation.
Implementation and calibration of a Bayesian binaural system for 3D localisation

In this text we present a Bayesian system of auditory localisation in distance, azimuth and elevation using binaural cues only; we focus mainly on implementation details and the calibration procedure, and present experimental results. This binaural system is also integrated in a spatial representation framework for multimodal perception of 3D structure and motion — the Bayesian Volumetric Map (BVM). This solution will enable the implementation of an active perception system with great potential in applications as diverse as social robots or even robotic navigation.
Influenza virus-specific CD4+ T helper type 2 T lymphocytes do not promote recovery from experimental virus infection

T lymphocytes play a primary role in recovery from viral infections and in antiviral immunity. Although viral-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells have been shown to be able to lyse virally infected targets in vitro and promote recovery from lethal infection in vivo, the role of CD4+ T lymphocytes and their mechanism(s) of action in viral immunity are not well understood. The ability to further dissect the role that CD4+ T cells play in the immune response to a number of pathogens has been greatly enhanced by evidence for more extensive heterogeneity among the CD4+ T lymphocytes. To further examine the role of CD4+ T cells in the immune response to influenza infection, we have generated influenza virus-specific CD4+ T cell clones from influenza-primed BALB/c mice with differential cytokine secretion profiles that are defined as T helper type 1 (Th1) clones by the production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), or as Th2 clones by the production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. Our studies have revealed that Th1 clones are cytolytic in vitro and protective against lethal challenge with virus in vivo, whereas Th2 clones are noncytolytic and not protective. Upon further evaluation of these clonal populations we have shown that not only are the Th2 clones nonprotective, but that pulmonary pathology is exacerbated as compared with control mice as evidenced by delayed viral clearance and massive pulmonary eosinophilia. These data suggest that virus-specific CD4+ T cells of the Th2 subset may not play a primary role in virus clearance and recovery and may lead to immune mediated potentiation of injury.
An Integrative and Comprehensive Methodology for Studying Aesthetic Experience in the Field

In the interdisciplinary context of the Swiss National Research Project eMotion—mapping museum experience, an integrative methodology for visitor research was developed. The goal was to investigate aesthetic experien-ces in the environment of a fine-arts museum. The methodology and technical setup merged different data levels (movement tracking data, heart rate and skin conductance, sociological variables, emotional and aesthetic evaluations of specific artworks) into one integrated data set. The merging was achieved online with high spatial and temporal resolution, using data gloves and a wireless network. This data set was used to generate information cartographies of visitors, visualizing their spatial behavior and physiological responses in the environment. In a field study with 576 museum visitors, the methodology was successfully implemented. Significant associations between physiology and aesthetic evaluations supported the validity of the cartographic representations; participants reported little reactivity toward the technical equipment. This methodology appears feasible for environmental behavior research in general.
E � cient Planning in MDPs by Small Backups

E cient planning plays a crucial role in model-based reinforcement learning. Traditionally, the main planning operation is a full backup based on the current estimates of the successor states. Consequently, its computation time is proportional to the number of successor states. In this paper, we introduce a new planning backup that uses only the current value of a single successor state and has a computation time independent of the number of successor states. This new backup, which we call a small backup, opens the door to a new class of model-based reinforcement learning methods that exhibit much finer control over their planning process than traditional methods. We empirically demonstrate that this increased flexibility allows for more e cient planning by showing that an implementation of prioritized sweeping based on small backups achieves a substantial performance improvement over classical implementations.