Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growing Grassroots Sustainability Groups: Understanding the Mobilisation of Community-led Action in Haringey, London

With the transition to a more sustainable society high on the agenda of academia and policymakers, ‘community’ is advocated as having an essential role in delivering behaviour change. Run by small collections of residents, grassroots sustainability groups have emerged as a means of mobilising citizens and other stakeholders in their locale. Explorations of the groups tend to coalesce in narrowly thematic literatures focusing on a single type of activity, such as community energy, gardening, or the Transition Movement. Participants in these initiatives identify with the environmental movement, and therefore this thesis explores grassroots sustainability as a social movement. It contributes to the understanding of this mobilisation through an ethnography of neighbouring groups engaged in different sustainability-related activities in a London borough. They include a group promoting renewable energy, a group involved in nurturing community space, urban food and well-being, a group experimenting with urban food and seeding other community projects, and a group engaged in communal foraging. The groups were networked together across the borough and involved in networks and collaborations at various scales to support their mobilisation. The theoretical approach utilises a social practice framework directed by insights from the social movement theory, demonstrating the utility of applying social practice theory both to complex bundles of social practices and to social movement enquiry. The thesis explores individuals’ motivations and participation temporalities, the practices performed to encourage participants through stages of participation, the mobilisation practices in physical and virtual spaces, and those which extend the groups’ influence. Culturally each group differs, with practice performance unique in each. However, common ingredients are found to contribute to the groups’ longevity: a practice-change-oriented sustainability, which supports a journey of experimentation, nurtures conviviality, and which is characterised by collaborative leadership. These ingredients help explain how and why grassroots sustainability groups continue to mobilise.
Audio Watermarking Using QIM on Wavelet Packet Coefficients

In this paper, we propose an audio watermarking method that is based on wavelet packet transform (DWPT) coefficients. One bit of watermark codes is embedded into the power ratio (quantization index) of a pair of DWPT coefficients by quantization index modulation (QIM). The encoded pair is selected from the higher harmonic regions of the most powerful coefficient in a DWPT. By using such a criterion to select the watermarked region, we can expect to deal with the conflict of the length of analyzing between the sides of embedding watermarks and detecting watermarks. Multiple bits are embedded into the several pairs that are selected from the coefficient series of a DWPT. If the selected pair was not expected to detect the power ratio, the watermark bit is not embedded into such a pair. This realizes various bit rate embedding of watermark.
Lorentz violating electrodynamics

After summarizing the most interesting results in the calculation of synchrotron radiation in the Myers-Pospelov effective model for Lorentz invariance violating (LIV) electrodynamics, we present a general unified way of describing the radiation regime of LIV electrodynamics which include the following three different models : Gambini-Pullin, Ellis et al. and Myers-Pospelov. Such uni.cation reduces to the standard approach of radiation in a dispersive and absorptive (in general) medium with a given index of refraction. The formulation is presented up to second order in the LIV parameter and it is explicitly applied to the synchrotron radiation case.
Dynamical segregation of galaxies into groups and clusters

We have performed a systematic analysis of the dynamics of different galaxy populations in galaxy groups from the 2dFGRS. For this purpose we have combined all the groups into a single system, where velocities v and radius r are expressed adimensionally. We have used several methods to compare the distributions of relative velocities of galaxies with respect to the group centre for samples selected according to their spectral type (as defined by Madgwick et al., 2002), bj band luminosity and B R colour index. We have found strong segregation effects: spectral type I objects show a statistically narrower velocity distribution than that of galaxies with a substantial star formation activity (type II-IV). Similarly, the same behavior is observed for galaxies with colour index B R>1 compared to galaxies with B R 19) galaxies show the same segregation. It is not important once the sample is restricted to a given spectral type. These effects are particularly important in the central region (Rp < 0.5 Rvir) and do not have a strong dependence on the mass of the parent group. These trends show a strong correlation between the dynamics of galaxies in groups and star formation rate reflected both by spectral type and by colour index.
Monitoring of Chlorine Concentration in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Using an Interval Estimator

Monitoring of Chlorine Concentration in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Using an Interval Estimator This paper describes the design of an interval observer for the estimation of unmeasured quality state variables in drinking water distribution systems. The estimator utilizes a set bounded model of uncertainty to produce robust interval bounds on the estimated state variables of the water quality. The bounds are generated by solving two differential equations. Hence the numerical efficiency is sufficient for on-line monitoring of the water quality. The observer is applied to an exemplary water network and its performance is validated by simulations.
Text-Independent Writer Identification and Verification Using Textural and Allographic Features

The identification of a person on the basis of scanned images of handwriting is a useful biometric modality with application in forensic and historic document analysis and constitutes an exemplary study area within the research field of behavioral biometrics. We developed new and very effective techniques for automatic writer identification and verification that use probability distribution functions (PDFs) extracted from the handwriting images to characterize writer individuality. A defining property of our methods is that they are designed to be independent of the textual content of the handwritten samples. Our methods operate at two levels of analysis: the texture level and the character-shape (allograph) level. At the texture level, we use contour-based joint directional PDFs that encode orientation and curvature information to give an intimate characterization of individual handwriting style. In our analysis at the allograph level, the writer is considered to be characterized by a stochastic pattern generator of ink-trace fragments, or graphemes. The PDF of these simple shapes in a given handwriting sample is characteristic for the writer and is computed using a common shape codebook obtained by grapheme clustering. Combining multiple features (directional, grapheme, and run-length PDFs) yields increased writer identification and verification performance. The proposed methods are applicable to free-style handwriting (both cursive and isolated) and have practical feasibility, under the assumption that a few text lines of handwritten material are available in order to obtain reliable probability estimates
Refinements to task control in the Aspect-Oriented Programming model for computing grids

Recent studies in programming tools for grid computing have proposed the use of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) as a way to separate the business logic concerns from the grid processing distribution concerns. We found that limitations in the design of current AOP languages restricted the capacity of the programming tools to manipulate the programmer's source code. Therefore, this paper proposes an extension of this concept in which both AOP and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) source codes are generated at compiling time to increase the lexicon available for programmers to express advanced computation distribution. We also tested our proposal using a distributed Apriori algorithm.
Automated User Profiling in Location-Based Mobile Messaging Applications

Location-based messaging applications (LMAs), a kind of messaging applications for mobile devices which enable users to connect with people based on their geographical locations, have recently experienced a huge popularity growth. The killer feature in LMAs that embodies the concept of geo-based instant messaging, named people nearby, allows users at any place to search and communicate with other registered users nearby. In this paper, we discuss a common weakness in LMAs that relates to the abuse of the people nearby function. In this case, rich personal data of registered LMA users can be easily obtained, bringing a chance to perform automated user profiling in LMAs. Specifically, we build an automated and scalable system to construct extended profiles (or we call life profile) of LMA users, which contain not only personal information of LMA users but also the daily activities and social ties inferred from their leaked spatio-temporal privacy. The system is highly adaptable to various applications, requiring no modification of applications or trivial work on protocol reverse engineering. We conduct the evaluation on a large scale for the first time. In our experiment, we succeed to construct life profiles for more than 280,000 users from two popular LMAs. The results of empirical analysis not only validate the existence of the privacy issue in LMAs, but also demonstrate its severity.
A survey on SQL injection attacks, detection and prevention techniques

SQL Injection poses a serious security issue over the Internet or over web application. In SQL injection attacks, hackers can take advantage of poorly coded Web application software to introduce malicious code into the organization's systems and network. The vulnerability exists when a Web application do not properly filter or validate the entered data by a user on a Web page. Large Web applications have hundreds of places where users can input data, each of which can provide a SQL injection opportunity. Attacker can steal confidential data of the organization with these attacks resulting loss of market value of the organization. This paper presents an effective survey of SQL Injection attack, detection and prevention techniques.
Cognitive styles sex the brain, compete neurally, and quantify deficits in autism

Introduction: Two key dimensions of the mind are understanding and responding to another's mental state (empathizing), and analysing lawful behaviour (systemizing). Methods: Two questionnaires, the Systemizing Quotient (SQ) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ), were administered to a normal control group and a group of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA). The multivariate correlations of the joint scores were analysed using principal components analysis. Results: The principal components were well-approximated by the sums and differences of the SQ and EQ scores. The differences in the scores corresponded to sex differences within the control group and also separated out the AS/HFA group, which showed stronger systemizing than the control group, but below-average empathy. The sums of the scores did not show sex differences, but did distinguish the AS/HFA group. Conclusions: These tests reliably sex the brain, and their correlations show that empathizing and systemizing are not independent, but compete neurally. Their combined score (EQ + SQ) quantifies the deficit in autism spectrum conditions.
Optimizing Timetabling Solutions Using Graph Coloring (cid:3)

A method using graph coloring was developed for optimizing solutions to the timetablingproblem, speci(cid:12)cally the example of scheduling courses at a university given (cid:12)xed time and space constraints. Previous work on this problem preprocessed the data with an expert system to arrive at a partial solution, and then performed simulated annealing to (cid:12)ll out the solution. The heuristic using graph coloring was designed to replace this expert system. The expert system/simulated annealing combination often did not schedule all the courses, whereas the graph coloring method was designed to produce a complete solution on its own. This complete solution will then be re(cid:12)ned through the use of simulated annealing.
Service scheduling and CAC for QoS guarantee in future PCS

A distributed polling and channel reservation scheduling algorithm and a call admission control (CAC) algorithm, which make uses of the scheduling algorithm, for intra-cell resource allocation, and a novel virtual cluster allocation with scheduled retry (VCA/SR) algorithm for inter-cell resource reservation are proposed. The interworking of the algorithms ensures optimal channel utilization and reduces forced connection dropping probability for multimedia applications in a wireless communication environment. The major strength of combining service scheduling and CAC to form a complete system is to guarantee a predefined quality of service to all classes of traffic without making conflicting assumptions about each other.
A Context-Aware NLP Approach For Noteworthiness Detection in Cellphone Conversations

This papers presents a context-aware NLP approach to automatically detect noteworthy information in spontaneous mobile phone conversations. The proposed method uses a supervised modeling strategy which considers both features from the content of the conversation as well as contextual information from the call. We empirically analyze the predictive performance of features of different nature on a corpus of mobile phone conversations. The results of this study reveal that the context of the conversation plays a crucial role on boosting the predictive performance of the model.
A mutation in amino acid permease AAP 6 reduces the amino acid content of the Arabidopsis sieve elements but leaves aphid herbivores unaffected

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the amino acid permease gene AAP6 in regulating phloem amino acid composition and then to determine the effects of this altered diet on aphid performance. A genotype of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) was produced in which the function of the amino acid permease gene AAP6 (At5g49630) was abolished. Plants homozygous for the insertionally inactivated AAP6 gene had a significantly larger mean rosette width than the wild type and a greater number of cauline leaves. Seeds from the aap6 mutant were also significantly larger than those from the wild-type plants. Sieve element (SE) sap was collected by aphid stylectomy and the amino acids derivatized, separated, and quantified using Capillary Electrophoresis with Laser Induced Fluorescence (CE-LIF). In spite of the large variation across samples, the total amino acid concentration of SE sap of the aap6 mutant plants was significantly lower than that of the wild-type plants. The concentrations of lysine, phenylalanine, leucine, and aspartic acid were all significantly lower in concentration in the aap6 mutant plants compared with wild-type plants. This is the first direct demonstration of a physiological role for an amino acid transporter in regulating SE composition in vivo. The amino acid availability in sieve element sap is thought to be the major limiting factor for aphid growth and reproduction. Despite the changes in their diet, the aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) displayed only small changes in feeding behaviour on mutant plants when measured using the Electronic Penetration Graph (EPG) technique. Salivation by the aphid into the SE (E1 phase) was increased on mutant plants but there was no significant effect on other feeding EPG behaviours, or in the rate of honeydew production. Consistent with the small effect on aphid feeding behaviour, there was only a small effect of reduced sieve element amino acid concentration on aphid reproduction. The data are discussed in relation to the regulation of phloem composition and the role of phloem amino acids in regulating aphid performance.
MAPPING OF BRAIN OPERATIONAL ARCHITECTONICS

Recent neuroscience is lacking of consistent theory and methods for understanding the mechanisms through which the brain orchestrate the symphony of perceptions, thoughts and actions. The aim of this Chapter is to contribute to a better understanding of such mechanisms by establishing methodological foundations of the Operational Architectonics framework of brain and mind functioning. The theory we offer provides a framework for mapping and understanding important aspects of the brain mechanisms that constitute perception, cognition, and eventually consciousness.
GPU-based Multi-stream Analyzer on Application Layer for Service-Oriented Router

A service-oriented router (SoR) is a new router architecture that provides rich application-layer services to Internet users by extracting information from network traffic. SoR performs stream reconstruction and selection using string matching. After on-the-fly reconstruction of stream data, SoR extracts the required information using a software-based character string analyzer. For wire-rate string matching and for design flexibility, a software-based string-matching accelerator is required. A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a promising solution as a conventional cost-effective accelerator for use in a high-end router. Existing string-matching methods do not consider the multiple-stream processing and effective thread management required in a network application. We propose an accelerated string-matching method that is customized for a router and implemented a task controller that improves thread distribution depending on the status of core processes.
Automatic Invariant Synthesis for Arrays in Simple Programs

This paper proposes a way of using abstract interpretation for discovering properties about array contents in programs which manipulate arrays by sequential traversal. The method summarizes an array property as a universally quantified property. It directly treats invariant properties (including universally quantified formulas and atomic formulas) as abstract domains. Our method is sound and converges in finite time, and it is flexible. The method has been used to automatically discover nontrivial invariants for several examples. In particular, the method can represent and process multidimensional array properties.
Red Halos of Galaxies – Reservoirs of Baryonic Dark Matter?

Abstract Deep optical/near-IR surface photometry of galaxies outside the Local Group have revealed faint and very red halos around objects as diverse as disk galaxies and starbursting dwarf galaxies. The colours of these structures are too extreme to be reconciled with stellar populations similar to those seen in the stellar halos of the Milky Way or M31, and alternative explanations like dust reddening, high metallicities or nebular emission are also disfavoured. A stellar population obeying an extremely bottom-heavy initial mass function (IMF), is on the other hand consistent with all available data. Because of its high mass-to-light ratio, such a population would effectively behave as baryonic dark matter and could account for some of the baryons still missing in the low-redshift Universe. Here, we give an overview of current red halo detections, alternative explanations for the origin of the red colours and ongoing searches for red halos around types of galaxies for which this phenomenon has not yet been reported. A number of potential tests of the bottom-heavy IMF hypothesis are also discussed.
ANALYSIS AND DETECTION OF HAEMORRHAGES AND EXUDATES IN RETINAL IMAGES

Diabetic Retinopathy [DR] is an eye disorder caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. It is one of the major problems that lead to blindness in adults around the world today. Early detection of the disease is absolutely essential in preventing unnecessary blindness. So, we have proposed an automated system to detect diabetic retinopathy from retinal images. In this approach after pre-processing, texture features are extracted from retinal images to detect abnormal images. Then the abnormal images are processed to localize and identify the problem of exudates and haemorrhages.
Third-Person Perception of Science Narratives: The Case of Climate Change Denial

Science communicators are increasingly recognizing the potential of narratives to reach and influence audiences. However, do audiences recognize and consider this tactic when evaluating how such messages influence themselves and others? This study compares third-person perceptions of persuasive narrative and nonnarrative messages in a climate change context. Results suggest that individuals are aware of the influence of narratives and are able to resist this influence, but this is only when they perceive a message as having negative influence. Otherwise, individuals underestimate the influence of narratives on themselves. These findings add an audience-centered perspective to the current discussions on incorporating narratives within science communication.
GDF15 promotes EMT and metastasis in colorectal cancer

Metastasis is the major cause of cancer deaths, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been considered to be a fundamental event in cancer metastasis. However, the role of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis and EMT remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that GDF15 promoted CRC cell metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the EMT process was enhanced by GDF15 through binding to TGF-β receptor to activate Smad2 and Smad3 pathways. Clinical data showed GDF15 level in tumor tissues, and the serum was significantly increased, in which high GDF15 level correlated with a reduced overall survival in CRC. Thus, GDF15 may promote colorectal cancer metastasis through activating EMT. Promisingly, GDF15 could be considered as a novel prognostic marker for CRC in the clinic.
Left-to-Right Shunt with Congenital Heart Disease: Single Center Experience

Objective. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in congenital heart disease (CHD) with an isolated, large left-to-right shunt and to indicate the factors in the development of PAH. Methods. The pressure measurements in the cardiac chambers and the calculations based on the Fick's principle were compared among 3 separate groups of patients, respectively, with PAH, with hyperkinetic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), and with neither PAH nor HPH. Results. PAH was diagnosed in 30 (12.3%) patients, HPH in 35 (14.4%), while 177 (73.1%) were free of either. The highest risk for the development of PAH was found in the presence of perimembranous ventricular septal defect. A statistically significant difference was seen among these groups as to their left atrial pressure (p = 0.005) and the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPmean; p < 0.001). While a correlation was present between RpI on one hand and age on the other (p = 0.014), a multiple linear regression could not evidence any correlation among age (p = 0.321), gender (p = 0.929). Conclusion. Our findings do not allow establishing a correlation between the duration of the high pulmonary flow and pulmonary vascular resistance increase or PAH development in isolated left-to-right shunts with congenital heart diseases.