Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Semi-Supervised Clustering Algorithm with Sequential Constraints

Semi-supervised clustering leverages side information such as pairwise constraints to guide clustering procedures. Despite promising progress, existing semi-supervised clustering approaches overlook the condition of side information being generated sequentially, which is a natural setting arising in numerous real-world applications such as social network and e-commerce system analysis. Given emerged new constraints, classical semi-supervised clustering algorithms need to re-optimize their objectives over all data samples and constraints in availability, which prevents them from efficiently updating the obtained data partitions. To address this challenge, we propose an efficient dynamic semi-supervised clustering framework that casts the clustering problem into a search problem over a feasible convex set, i.e., a convex hull with its extreme points being an ensemble of m data partitions. According to the principle of ensemble clustering, the optimal partition lies in the convex hull, and can thus be uniquely represented by an m-dimensional probability simplex vector. As such, the dynamic semi-supervised clustering problem is simplified to the problem of updating a probability simplex vector subject to the newly received pairwise constraints. We then develop a computationally efficient updating procedure to update the probability simplex vector in O(m2) time, irrespective of the data size n. Our empirical studies on several real-world benchmark datasets show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art semi-supervised clustering algorithms with visible performance gain and significantly reduced running time.
Increased mitochondrial oxidative damage and oxidative DNA damage contributes to the neurodegenerative process in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

To investigate the possibility that mitochondrial oxidative damage or oxidative DNA damage or both contribute to the neurodegenerative process of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS), this study used high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector to measure the concentrations of the reduced and oxidized forms of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 17 patients with sALS and 17 age-matched controls with no neurological diseases. The percentage of oxidized CoQ10 in the CSF of sALS patients was greater than that in the CSF of controls (p<0.002) and was negatively correlated with the duration of illness (ρ=−0.61, p<0.01). The concentration of 8-OHdG in the CSF of sALS patients was greater than that in the CSF of controls (p<0.005) and was positively correlated with the duration of illness (ρ=0.53, p<0.005). The percentage of oxidized CoQ10 was correlated with the concentrations of 8-OHdG in the CSF of sALS patients (ρ=−0.53, p<0.05). These results suggest that both mitochondrial oxidative damage and oxidative DNA damage play important roles in the pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Identification of diazotrophic nostocalean cyanobacteria of north eastern region of India and evaluation for nitrogenase activity and extracellular ammonium excretion

Article history: Received on: 07/07/2015 Revised on: 25/07/2015 Accepted on: 22/08/2015 Available online: 19/12/2015 In this study, morphological and microscopic observations were performed along with growth measurements, evaluation of extracellular ammonium and nitrogenase activity. A total of 62 diazotrophic nostocalean cyanobacteria belonging to 12 genera vizScytonema (2), Anabaena (22), Nostoc (17), Cylindrospermum (2), Anabaenopsis (1), Dichothrix (1), Tolypothrix (2), Calothrix (6), Aulosira (4), Microchaete (3), Wollea (1) and Rivularia (1) which were originally isolated from different niches of north east India were procured from National fresh water cyanobacterial and microalgal repository of DBT-IBSD, Imphal, Manipur, India. Among the different nostocalean cyanobacteria encountered from the various habitats, Anabaena sp. BTA650, an isolate from lithophytes under running water, Moreh, Chandel, Manipur exhibited highest nitrogenase activity of 111.08±13.26 nmole C2H4 μg -1 Chl-a h -1 can be a potential candidate for biofertilizer formulation particularly for terraced hill rice culture condition.
A selective move generator for the game axis and allies

We consider the move generation in a modern board game where the set of all the possible moves is too large to be generated. The idea is to provide a set of simple abstract tactics that would generate enough combinations to provide strong opposition. The reduced search space is then traversed using the αβ search. We also propose a technique that allows us to remove the stochasticity from the search space. The model was tested in a game called Axis and Allies: a modern, turn-based, perfect information, non-deterministic, strategy board game. We first show that a tree search technique based on a restrained set of moves can beat the actual scripted AI engine — E.Z. FODDER. We can conclude from the experiments that searching deeper generates complex maneuvers which in turn significantly increase the likelihood of victory.
Foiling the cracker: A survey of, and improvements to, password security

With the rapid burgeoning of national and international networks, the question of system security has become one of growing importance. High speed inter-machine communication and even higher speed computational processors have made the threats of system {open_quotes}crackers,{close_quotes} data theft, and data corruption very real. This paper outlines some of the problems of current password security by demonstrating the ease by which individual accounts may be broken. Various techniques used by crackers are outlined, and finally one solution to this point of system vulnerability, a proactive password checker, is proposed. 11 refs., 2 tabs.
Children's evolving capabilities in their interaction with touchable devices from birth to 2 years old

In the last few years there has been an increase in development of digital games to be used on mobile devices for children as young as babies. Although prestigious organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children shouldn't use screens until they are at least 2 years old, the first studies show that a relevant number of parents are letting the youngest infants play with screen devices. To address the lack of information for developers of this rapidly growing industry, we are carrying out a study to provide a better understanding of what the main characteristics are that designers should consider when creating apps for such a vulnerable audience. For the first stage of the research, we have analyzed the evolving capabilities children acquire in their interaction with touchable devices from birth to 2 years old.
Annotation propagation revisited for key preserving views

This paper revisits the analysis of annotation propagation from source databases to views defined in terms of conjunctive (SPJ) queries. Given a source database D, an SPJ query Q, the view Q(D) and a tuple ΔV in the view, the view (resp. source) side-effect problem is to find a minimal set ΔD of tuples such that the deletion of ΔD from D results in the deletion of ΔV from Q(D) while minimizing the side effects on the view (resp. the source). A third problem, referred to as the annotation placement problem, is to find a single base tuple ΔD such that annotation in a field of ΔD propagates to ΔV while minimizing the propagation to other fields in the view Q(D). These are important for data provenance and the management of view updates. However important, these problems are unfortunately NP-hard for most subclasses of SPJ views [5]. To make the annotation propagation analysis feasible in practice, we propose a key preserving condition on SPJ views, which requires that the projection fields of an SPJ view Q retain a key of each base relation involved in Q. While this condition is less restrictive than other proposals [11, 14], it often simplifies the annotation propagation analysis. Indeed, for key-preserving SPJ views the annotation placement problem coincides with the view side-effect problem, and the view and source side-effect problems become tractable. In addition we generalize the setting of [5] by allowing ΔV to be a group of tuples to be deleted, and investigate the insertion of tuples to the view. We show that group updates make the analysis harder: these problems become NP-hard for several subclasses of SPJ views. We also show that for SPJ views the source and view side-effect problems are NP-hard for single-tuple insertion, but are tractable for some subclasses of SPJ for group insertions, in the presence or in the absence of the key preservation condition.
Group II Phospholipase A2 Content of Tears in Patients with Senile Cataract and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Purpose To determine the group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) content of tears in patients with senile cataract or primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and to compare it with the PLA2 content of tears in age-matched healthy controls. Methods The PLA2 concentration of tears was measured with time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay in 21 patients with senile cataract, 23 patients with POAG and in 40 healthy controls. Results The PLA2 content of tears was 38.3 ± 30.1 μg/ml in patients with senile cataract, 32.1 ± 22.3 μg/ml in patients with POAG, and 36.6 ± 31.1 μg/ml in healthy controls. There were no significant differences between the patient and the control groups. Conclusions We conclude that neither senile cataract nor POAG has any effect on the PLA2 content of tears.
Complications of therapy for venous thromboembolic disease in patients with brain tumors

Venous thromboembolic disease is a frequent complication in patients with intracranial malignancies. Because these patients are often perceived to be at increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage with anticoagulation, inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are frequently used in their treatment. We reviewed the records of 49 patients with intracranial malignancies and venous thromboembolic disease to determine the effectiveness of, and the complications resulting from, treatment. Of the 42 patients receiving IVC filters, a strikingly high percentage (62%) developed complications. Twelve percent developed recurrent pulmonary embolism, while 57% developed either IVC or filter thrombosis, recurrent deep venous thrombosis, or post-phlebitic syndrome. These complications severely reduced the quality of life of the affected patients. Only 15 of our patients were treated with anticoagulation, and seven of these received it because of continued thromboembolic disease. None of these 15 patients had proven hemorrhagic complications. This study suggests that the complication rate of IVC filters in patients with brain tumors is higher than commonly perceived and may outweigh the risk of anticoagulation.
Molecular Confirmation of Co-Infection by Pathogenic Leptospira spp. and Orientia tsutsugamushi in Patients with Acute Febrile Illness in Thailand

Leptospirosis and scrub typhus are major causes of acute febrile illness in rural Asia, where co-infection is reported to occur based on serologic evidence. We re-examined whether co-infection occurs by using a molecular approach. A duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction was developed that targeted a specific 16S ribosomal RNA gene of pathogenic Leptospira spp. and Orientia tsutsugamushi. Of 82 patients with an acute febrile illness who had dual infection on the basis of serologic tests, 5 (6%) had polymerase chain reaction results positive for both pathogens. We conclude that dual infection occurs, but that serologic tests may overestimate the frequency of co-infections.
Pathway of Actin Filament Branch Formation by Arp2/3 Complex*

A spectroscopic assay using pyrene-labeled fission yeast Arp2/3 complex revealed that the complex binds to and dissociates from actin filaments extremely slowly with or without the nucleation-promoting factor fission yeast Wsp1-VCA. Wsp1-VCA binds both Arp2/3 complex and actin monomers with high affinity. These two ligands have only modest impacts on the interaction of the other ligand with VCA. Simulations of a mathematical model based on the kinetic parameters determined in this study and elsewhere account for the full time course of actin polymerization in the presence of Arp2/3 complex and Wsp1-VCA and show that an activation step, postulated to follow binding of a ternary complex of Arp2/3 complex, a bound nucleation-promoting factor, and an actin monomer to an actin filament, has a rate constant at least 0.15 s-1. Kinetic parameters determined in this study constrain the process of actin filament branch formation during cellular motility to one main pathway.
Verhaltenstherapeutische Gruppenbehandlung am Beispiel des Trainings bei ADS im Erwachsenenalter

" zweitens die offenen Gruppen, die zielund teilnehmeroffen sind und am ehesten Einzeltherapie in der Gruppe beinhalten (vgl. Fiedler 2005). Das seltene Vorkommen von ambulanten Gruppenangeboten begründet Tschuschke mit den Schwierigkeiten bzw. der geringeren Bepunktung der Abrechnung. Dies sieht er in einer historischen Hypothek begründet, welche nach wissenschaftlichem Kenntnisstand eigentlich nicht aufrechtzuhalten sei (s. Tschuschke 2001, S.13). Auch wenn sich die Bepunktung heutzutage deutlich verbessert hat, sind ambulante Gruppenangebote weiterhin rar. Insbesondere in der verhaltenstherapeutischen Behandlung der ADHS haben Gruppen aber spezifische Vorteile gegenüber der Einzelbehandlung und sollten daher nicht nur im Sinne einer zeitlichen Ökonomisierung der Behandlung, sondern auch als Ansatz mit zusätzlicher Wirkung gegenüber der Einzelbehandlung gesehen werden.
Web caching in Semantic Web based multiple search engines

The World Wide Web is a global information space. With the tremendous growth of information available to end users through the Web, search engines come to play ever a more critical role. Because of their general-purpose approach, it is always less uncommon that obtained result sets provide a burden of useless pages. The next-generation Web architecture, represented by the Semantic Web, provides the layered architecture possibly allowing overcoming this limitation. The ontology for multiple search engines is written such that in this search engine for single query the final result is got from multiple search engines. After getting the user query result we can use the clustering. In this clustering the user query results is formed in the a to z form, the several search engines have been proposed, which allow increasing information retrieval accuracy by exploiting a key content of Semantic Web resources, that is, relations. We can use web cache optimization in search engine to get fast retrieval of user query results. In this work I have used web cache optimization based on eviction method for semantic web search engine. In this paper, analization of both advantages and disadvantages of some current Web cache replacement algorithms including lowest relative value algorithm, least weighted usage algorithm and least unified-value algorithm is done. Based on the analysis, I have used least grade replacement (LGR), algorithm in my work which takes recency, frequency, perfect history, and document size into account for Web cache optimization. When the set is full, the least grade document will be replaced, but its grade will be stored in a perfect-history grade depository for future references
Substance use by same sex attracted young people: Prevalence, perceptions and homophobia.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Research highlights that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people use alcohol and drugs (AOD) more than heterosexual people; however, the incidence of AOD use by LGBT youth is less understood. The purpose of the current study was to ascertain AOD prevalence rates for LGBT youth compared with the Australian youth population; perceptions of AOD use within the LGBT community; and the impact of homophobia on AOD use. DESIGN AND METHODS The study surveyed a cross-sectional sample of LGBT youth (13-24 years) (n = 161) who attended a LGBT festival in Brisbane, Australia, in 2012. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and Drug Check Assessment Tool were utilised to examine patterns of AOD use, with items developed to explore perceptions of AOD use and homophobia. RESULTS AOD use was common among the LGBT sample, with higher prevalence rates compared with the general Australian youth population (2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey). AOD use by under 18-year-olds, and gender diverse youth was markedly higher. The majority misperceived AOD use to be the same in the LGBT and heterosexual communities. Those who believed homophobia impacted on AOD use were significantly more likely to use AOD. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The higher prevalence of AOD use strongly suggests the need for AOD agencies to better respond to LGBT youth by not only screening sexuality and gender identity but also exploring young people's perceptions of AOD use in the LGBT community and their experiences of homophobia in order to provide effective AOD clinical treatment.
Prevalence of Smoking and Its Impact on Treatment Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients: A Hospital-Based Prospective Study

There is growing evidence that tobacco smoking is an important risk factor for tuberculosis (TB). India, with a population of 1.26 billion, has the highest number of both TB patients and smokers. The convergence of these two important health hazards is likely severely affecting India's TB control programs. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of smoking in newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients and the impact of smoking on disease outcomes in a tertiary care hospital. All patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB as per the Revised National Tuberculosis Program of India (RNTCP) 2013 criteria were enrolled in the study. On the basis of their self-reported smoking status, the participants were classified as never smokers, current smokers, and ex-smokers. Patients were started on anti-TB treatment and were followed for 2 years. Among the 2350 subjects (1,758 males and 592 females), 1,593 patients (67.78%) were never smokers. Current and ex-smokers numbered 757 (32.21%), of which 751 (31.95%) were males and 6 (0.26%) were females. Smoking was associated with more extensive lung disease, lung cavitation, and positive sputum smear and culture results at baseline. In both current smokers and ex-smokers, sputum smears and cultures were significantly more likely to remain positive after 2 months of treatment. Ex-smokers and current smokers had significantly high rates of defaults, treatment failures, and relapses. The prevalence of smoking is very high in TB patients. Tobacco smoking is associated with a considerably increased risk of advanced and more severe disease in the form of lung cavitations, positive sputum smear and culture results, and slower smear and culture conversion after initiation of treatment. Smoking has a great negative effect on treatment completion, cure rates, and relapse rates in patients with pulmonary TB.
A two-stage market model for microgrid power transactions via aggregators

In this paper, we propose a market model where microgrids sell their surplus power to a utility via aggregators. This is a scalable model where a utility does not directly interact with a large number of microgrids. Thus, aggregators collect power from microgrids and resell it to the utility. From the microgrids' perspective, aggregators are buyers. From the utility's perspective, aggregators are sellers. In this context, based on the two-stage Stackelberg game, we show how to achieve efficient market equilibrium using the tatonnement process and supply function bidding. We also show that the participation of aggregators may significantly affect the market depending on the supply elasticity of microgrids, which in turn depends on the cost structure of microgrids. For example, when the cost function of microgrids is roughly linear, the aggregators may not make a profit. However, if the cost function of microgrids has a higher order term, aggregators may accumulate a large profit, which potentially raises the issue of the regulator's role in the market.
The alternative Medicago truncatula defense proteome of ROS—defective transgenic roots during early microbial infection

ROP-type GTPases of plants function as molecular switches within elementary signal transduction pathways such as the regulation of ROS synthesis via activation of NADPH oxidases (RBOH-respiratory burst oxidase homolog in plants). Previously, we reported that silencing of the Medicago truncatula GTPase MtROP9 led to reduced ROS production and suppressed induction of ROS-related enzymes in transgenic roots (MtROP9i) infected with pathogenic (Aphanomyces euteiches) and symbiotic microorganisms (Glomus intraradices, Sinorhizobium meliloti). While fungal infections were enhanced, S. meliloti infection was drastically impaired. In this study, we investigate the temporal proteome response of M. truncatula MtROP9i transgenic roots during the same microbial interactions under conditions of deprived potential to synthesize ROS. In comparison with control roots (Mtvector), we present a comprehensive proteomic analysis using sensitive MS protein identification. For four early infection time-points (1, 3, 5, 24 hpi), 733 spots were found to be different in abundance: 213 spots comprising 984 proteins (607 unique) were identified after S. meliloti infection, 230 spots comprising 796 proteins (580 unique) after G. intraradices infection, and 290 spots comprising 1240 proteins (828 unique) after A. euteiches infection. Data evaluation by GelMap in combination with a heatmap tool allowed recognition of key proteome changes during microbial interactions under conditions of hampered ROS synthesis. Overall, the number of induced proteins in MtROP9i was low as compared with controls, indicating a dual function of ROS in defense signaling as well as alternative response patterns activated during microbial infection. Qualitative analysis of induced proteins showed that enzymes linked to ROS production and scavenging were highly induced in control roots, while in MtROP9i the majority of proteins were involved in alternative defense pathways such as cell wall and protein degradation.