Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Free-rider detection and punishment in BitTorrent based P2P networks

BitTorrent is one of the most popular peer to peer (P2P) protocols used for downloading large sized files over internet. Success of BitTorrent relies heavily upon the peers contributing to the protocol by uploading the partially (or fully) downloaded files to other peers. However, it is matter of common observation that very often a peer is found only downloading large files and not allowing uploading of files so as to minimize bandwidth utilization at its own end. Such peers are referred as free-riders and the phenomenon is called free-riding. Free-riding is a major problem in BitTorrent based peer to peer protocol because such free rides consume network resources (download files) without contributing to the network (upload files). In this paper, we first prove empirically that presence of free-riders degrades the performance of BitTorrent system by increasing the download time of peers in P2P networks. Thereafter, a detection-cum-punishment mechanism is proposed which detects and punishes free-riders in P2P network. Impact of proposed mechanism on free-riders and non-free-riders is analyzed using ns-2 based simulation. Results prove that the proposed punishment mechanism improves the performance of the P2P network by decreasing the download times of non-free-rider peers of the network and punishes free-riders by increasing their download times.
Evidence-based Practice Center Systematic Review Protocol Project Title: Decision support tools for screening and treatment decisions in early cancer I. Background and Objectives for the Systematic Review Complex Decisions and Decision Support Tools for Health Care Consumers

Some health care decisions do not have an obvious “optimal choice. ” For example, while it is clear that a person with a ruptured appendix must have immediate surgery or that someone with bacterial pneumonia must receive antibiotics, it is not clear whether a 55-year-old man with a localized low-grade prostatic malignancy should opt for treatments that remove or destroy the cancer, for active surveillance, or for watchful waiting. In the examples with a clear “optimal” choice, the likelihood of death or very serious complications is much smaller with the optimal treatment, and the benefits of the intervention outweigh the risks for most if not all patients. In the case of conditions for which there is not an optimal treatment choice, such as localized lowgrade prostate cancer, the difference in the expected survival or other serious health outcomes between the available options is small enough for other considerations to take the forefront. For example, choosing to remove or destroy a low-grade prostatic malignancy can lead to complications, such as urinary or bowel incontinence and sexual dysfunction, while choosing active surveillance can cause anxiety about not treating the condition, inconvenience associated with regular testing, and a higher risk of disease progression. Individual patients and those close to them place different values on these outcomes and can therefore have different assessments of the balance of benefits and harms associated with each option. In other words, no universally “optimal” choice exists; the “optimal” choice is the one that best corresponds to the values of the health care consumer facing the decision. Decision support tools (DSTs) are designed to aid health care consumers facing complex decisions. They are not meant to replace health care providers but to supplement the consumerprovider interaction and promote shared decisionmaking. 2 DSTs may include brochures, audiovisual materials, educational sessions, counseling sessions, computer programs, interactive Web sites or media, or combinations thereof. They may be used to prepare the health care consumer for a consultation with the provider or during the consultation between the consumer and the provider. According to the International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration, a DST aims to improve the quality of decisions, that is, the extent to which the choices of health care consumers are congruent with their informed and considered values in the presence of uncertainty.
Malware Behavior Analysis: Learning and Understanding Current Malware Threats

Malware is one of the major security threats in computer and network environment. However, Signature-based approach that commonly used does not provide enough opportunity to learn and understand malware threats that can be used in implementing security prevention mechanisms. In order to learn and understand the malwares, behavior-based technique that applied dynamic approach is the possible solution for identification, classification and clustering the malwares. In the paper, we present a new approach for conducting behavior-based analysis of malicious programs. One experiment was conducted on the campus network to generate an analysis of current malware behaviors. The result shows that the most potential malware threats in campus network are worm and Trojan.
Targeting and transport: How microtubules control focal adhesion dynamics

Directional cell migration requires force generation that relies on the coordinated remodeling of interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is mediated by integrin-based focal adhesions (FAs). Normal FA turnover requires dynamic microtubules, and three members of the diverse group of microtubule plus-end-tracking proteins are principally involved in mediating microtubule interactions with FAs. Microtubules also alter the assembly state of FAs by modulating Rho GTPase signaling, and recent evidence suggests that microtubule-mediated clathrin-dependent and -independent endocytosis regulates FA dynamics. In addition, FA-associated microtubules may provide a polarized microtubule track for localized secretion of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). Thus, different aspects of the molecular mechanisms by which microtubules control FA turnover in migrating cells are beginning to emerge.
Linguistic clues for corpus-based acquisition of lexical dependencies

Disambiguation of prepositional phrase attachment is a crucial issue for all NLP applications that need textual resources enriched with syntactic knowledge. We are confronted to this problem in the process of designing SYNTEX, a shallow parser specialised in the extraction of lexical dependencies (such as adjective/noun, or verb/noun associations) from French technical corpora. These word-to-word associations will be used as material for the construction of semantic classes on a distributional basis. In this context, the first step towards the automatic discovery of such dependencies is to determine to which word a preposition must be attached. For example, in the phrase dissequer le plateau rocheux en chevron, taken from a corpus in the domain of geomorphology, the preposition en may potentially be attached to any of the three words dissequer, plateau, rocheux, as verbs, nouns or adjectives (and also adverbs) may govern a prepositional phrase.
On the quantum analogue of Galileo's leaning tower experiment

The quantum analogue of Galileo's leaning tower experiment is revisited using wave packets evolving under the gravitational potential. We first calculate the position detection probabilities for particles projected upwards against gravity around the classical turning point and also around the point of initial projection, which exhibit mass dependence at both these points. We then compute the mean arrival time of freely falling particles using the quantum probability current, which also turns out to be mass dependent. The mass dependence of both the position detection probabilities and the mean arrival time vanish in the limit of large mass. Thus, compatibility between the weak equivalence principle and quantum mechanics is recovered in the macroscopic limit of the latter.
Drops walking on a vibrating bath: towards a hydrodynamic pilot-wave theory

Abstract We present the results of a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of droplets walking on a vertically vibrating fluid bath. Several walking states are reported, including pure resonant walkers that bounce with precisely half the driving frequency, limping states, wherein a short contact occurs between two longer ones, and irregular chaotic walking. It is possible for several states to arise for the same parameter combination, including high- and low-energy resonant walking states. The extent of the walking regime is shown to be crucially dependent on the stability of the bouncing states. In order to estimate the resistive forces acting on the drop during impact, we measure the tangential coefficient of restitution of drops impacting a quiescent bath. We then analyse the spatio-temporal evolution of the standing waves created by the drop impact and obtain approximations to their form in the small-drop and long-time limits. By combining theoretical descriptions of the horizontal and vertical drop dynamics and the associated wave field, we develop a theoretical model for the walking drops that allows us to rationalize the limited extent of the walking regimes. The critical requirement for walking is that the drop achieves resonance with its guiding wave field. We also rationalize the observed dependence of the walking speed on system parameters: while the walking speed is generally an increasing function of the driving acceleration, exceptions arise due to possible switching between different vertical bouncing modes. Special focus is given to elucidating the critical role of impact phase on the walking dynamics. The model predictions are shown to compare favourably with previous and new experimental data. Our results form the basis of the first rational hydrodynamic pilot-wave theory.
Nuclear Deformation in Response to Mechanical Confinement is Cell Type Dependent

Mechanosensing of the mechanical microenvironment by cells regulates cell phenotype and function. The nucleus is critical in mechanosensing, as it transmits external forces from the cellular microenvironment to the nuclear envelope housing chromatin. This study aims to elucidate how mechanical confinement affects nuclear deformation within several cell types, and to determine the role of cytoskeletal elements in controlling nuclear deformation. Human cancer cells (MDA-MB-231), human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and mouse fibroblasts (L929) were seeded within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices containing microchannels of varying cross-sectional areas, and nuclear morphology and volume were quantified via image processing of fluorescent cell nuclei. We found that the nuclear major axis length remained fairly constant with increasing confinement in MSCs and MDA-MB-231 cells, but increased with increasing confinement in L929 cells. Nuclear volume of L929 cells and MSCs decreased in the most confining channels. However, L929 nuclei were much more isotropic in unconfined channels than MSC nuclei. When microtubule polymerization or myosin II contractility was inhibited, nuclear deformation was altered only in MSCs in wide channels. This work informs our understanding of nuclear mechanics in physiologically relevant spaces, and suggests diverging roles of the cytoskeleton in regulating nuclear deformation in different cell types.
Interventions to treat mental disorders during pregnancy: A systematic review and multiple treatment meta-analysis

Background For women suffering from an antepartum mental disorder (AMD), there is lack of evidence-based treatment algorithms due to the complicated risk-benefit analysis for both mother and unborn child. We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to treat AMD and performed a meta-analysis of the estimated treatment effect on the psychiatric symptoms during pregnancy. Methods MedLine, PsycINFO and Embase databases were searched by two independent reviewers for clinical trials with a control condition on treatment of women with AMD, i.e. major depressive (MDD), anxiety, psychotic, eating, somatoform and personality disorders. We inventoried the effect of the treatment, i.e. decrease of psychiatric symptoms at the end of the treatment or postpartum. We adhered to the PRISMA-protocol. Findings Twenty-nine trials were found involving 2779 patients. Trials studied patients with depressive disorders (k = 28), and anxiety disorders (k = 1). No pharmacological trials were detected. A form of psychotherapy, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (g = -0.61; 95%CI:-0.73 to -0.49, I2 = 0%; k = 7) or Interpersonal Psychotherapy (g = -0.67; 95%CI:-1.27 to -0.07; I2 = 79%; k = 4), holds robust benefit for pregnant women with MDD. Body-oriented interventions (g = -0.43; 95%CI:-0.61 to -0.25; I2 = 17%; k = 7) and acupuncture (g = -0.43; 95%CI:-0.80 to -0.06; I2 = 0%; k = 2) showed medium sized reduction of depressive symptoms. Bright light therapy (g = -0.59; 95%CI:-1.25 to 0.06; I2 = 0%; k = 2), and food supplements (g = -0.51; 95%CI:-1.02 to 0.01; I2 = 20%; k = 3) did not show significant treatment effects. One study was found on Integrative Collaborative Care. Conclusions This meta-analysis found a robust moderate treatment effect of CBT for MDD during pregnancy, and to a lesser extent for IPT. As an alternative, positive results were found for body-oriented interventions and acupuncture. No evidence was found for bright light therapy and food supplements. Only non-pharmacological trials on women with MDD were found. Research on a wider range of AMD is needed.
Design of block ciphers by simple chaotic functions

The relationships of chaotic functions and cryptography are investigated in this paper. 128-bit symmetric keys are derived from some chaotic function, called simple logistic function (SLF), for suitable parameters. An improved algorithm of discretization of SLF is introduced and applied to the design of block encryption ciphers and key schedules with proper parameters and initial values. These are chosen by the Lyapunov exponent method for testing chaos. Dynamic S- Boxes of such block ciphers are generated. Security analysis is also given to these S-Boxes.
Tree Diversity Limits the Impact of an Invasive Forest Pest

The impact of invasive herbivore species may be lower in more diverse plant communities due to mechanisms of associational resistance. According to the “resource concentration hypothesis” the amount and accessibility of host plants is reduced in diverse plant communities, thus limiting the exploitation of resources by consumers. In addition, the “natural enemy hypothesis” suggests that richer plant assemblages provide natural enemies with more complementary resources and habitats, thus promoting top down regulation of herbivores. We tested these two hypotheses by comparing crown damage by the invasive Asian chestnut gall wasp (Dryocosmus kuriphilus) on chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) in pure and mixed stands in Italy. We estimated the defoliation on 70 chestnut trees in 15 mature stands sampled in the same region along a gradient of tree species richness ranging from one species (chestnut monocultures) to four species (mixtures of chestnut and three broadleaved species). Chestnut defoliation was significantly lower in stands with higher tree diversity. Damage on individual chestnut trees decreased with increasing height of neighboring, heterospecific trees. These results suggest that conservation biological control method based on tree species mixtures might help to reduce the impact of the Asian chestnut gall.
An optimization model for antenna selection and deployment in single and multi-cell RFID systems

This paper presents an optimization model for antenna selection and deployment in ceiling mounted, single and multi-cell RFID systems. The proposed model utilises a three-dimensional (3D) antenna radiation pattern, taking into consideration of both antenna half power beam width and downtilt angle. Specifically, we have analysed the effects of cell structures on detection probability in single-cell operation and signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) in multi-cell scenario. Four cell structures have been studied, namely, triangular cells, conventional rectangular cells, offset rectangular cells and hexagonal cells. Several design examples are also presented to show how to use this model to find the optimal configuration to cover the maximum area with a minimum number of antennas for a single cell scenario, as well as the trade-offs that have to be made to achieve a reasonable SIR in multi-cell operation. We believe this optimization model provides new insights into the optimal deployment of single and multi-cell RFID systems.
Consistent Measures and Bounds for Control Policies Interdisciplinary Studies of Intelligent Systems Consistent Measures and Bounds for Control Policies

Many procedures exist for nding solutions to optimal control problems. Measures characterizing each method describe the method's performance as functions of quantities that the method utilizes. However, the measures are not usually consistent across solutions so as to allow unbiased comparison of diierent solutions to the same problem. This paper presents state entropy, control entropy, and average work | measures inspired by Source Coding Theory | that characterize the complexity of solutions, the solution environments, and the performance of a solution, all in a consistent fashion. It demonstrates that there is a trade-oo between the complexity of a solution and its performance. It further presents a lower bound on the measures (Shannon's Bound) and presents Blahut's Algorithm that computes the bound. Finally, it demonstrates that Blahut's Algorithm may be useful in computing optimal policies subject to system constraints.
Parallel-split shadow maps for large-scale virtual environments

Shadowing effects dramatically enhance the realism of virtual environments by providing useful visual cues. Shadow mapping is an efficient algorithm for real-time shadow rendering, which is extensively adopted in real-time applications by its generality and efficiency. However, shadow mapping usually suffers from the inherent aliasing errors due to the image-based nature. In this paper, we present the Parallel-Split Shadow Maps (PSSMs) scheme, which splits the view frustum into different parts by using the planes parallel to the view plane and then generates multiple smaller shadow maps for the split parts. A fast and robust split strategy based on the analysis of shadow map aliasing has been proposed, which produces a moderate aliasing distribution over the whole depth range. By applying the geometry approximation procedure to each of the split parts instead of the whole scene, the tighter bounding shapes of visible objects enhance the utilization of the shadow map resolution. Hardware-acceleration is used to remove the extra rendering passes when synthesizing the scene-shadows. Our approach is intuitive to implement without using complex data structures, with real-time performance for dynamic and large-scale virtual environments.
In Vitro Preclinical Testing of Nonoxynol-9 as Potential Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Microbicide: a Retrospective Analysis of Results from Five Laboratories

ABSTRACT The first product to be clinically evaluated as a microbicide contained the nonionic surfactant nonoxynol-9 (nonylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol; N-9). Many laboratories have used N-9 as a control compound for microbicide assays. However, no published comparisons of the results among laboratories or attempts to establish standardized protocols for preclinical testing of microbicides have been performed. In this study, we compared results from 127 N-9 toxicity and 72 efficacy assays that were generated in five different laboratories over the last six years and were performed with 14 different cell lines or tissues. Intra-assay reproducibility was measured at two-, three-, and fivefold differences using standard deviations. Interassay reproducibility was assessed using general linear models, and interaction between variables was studied using step-wise regression. The intra-assay reproducibility within the same N-9 concentration, cell type, assay duration, and laboratory was consistent at the twofold level of standard deviations. For interassay reproducibility, cell line, duration of assay, and N-9 concentration were all significant sources of variability (P < 0.01). Half-maximal toxicity concentrations for N-9 were similar between laboratories for assays of similar exposure durations, but these similarities decreased with lower test concentrations of N-9. Results for both long (>24 h) and short (<2 h) exposures of cells to N-9 showed variability, while assays with 4 to 8 h of N-9 exposure gave results that were not significantly different. This is the first analysis to compare preclinical N-9 toxicity levels that were obtained by different laboratories using various protocols. This comparative work can be used to develop standardized microbicide testing protocols that will help advance potential microbicides to clinical trials.
Extending dictionary-based entity extraction to tolerate errors

Entity extraction (also known as entity recognition) extracts entities (e.g., person names, locations, companies) from text. Approximate (dictionary-based) entity extraction is a recent trend to improve extraction quality, which extracts substrings in text that approximately match predefined entities in a given dictionary. In this paper, we study the problem of approximate entity extraction with edit-distance constraints. A straightforward method first extracts all substrings from the text and then for each substring identifies its similar entities from the dictionary using existing methods for approximate string search. However many substrings of the text have overlaps, and we have an opportunity to utilize the shared computation across the overlaps to avoid unnecessary duplicate computations. To this end, we propose a heap-based framework to efficiently extract entities. We have implemented our techniques, and the experimental results show that our method achieves high performance and outperforms existing studies significantly.
Computational Photography : Coded Exposure and Coded Aperture Imaging

The emerging field of computational photography is exploring the possibilities of digital photography beyond the imitation of film cameras. Novel illumination, optics, sensors, and processing methods are employed to expand the set of images that cameras can create. This thesis introduces the field of computational photography and presents two exemplary techniques that address the problem of blur in photographs. Using simple hardware modifications, coded exposure and coded aperture cameras produce images for which the traditionally ill-posed deconvolution problem can be solved. The thesis begins by introducing the limits of traditional photography, then proceeds to explore how coded imaging techniques circumvent them, concluding by placing these techniques in the context of computational photography and the future of digital cameras.
A Generic Model of the Pi Calculus

We present a generic model of the -calculus based on a new mathematical structure called -forests. We present a small theory of the static properties of -forests, with a short study of homomorphisms. We then present the dynamic aspects of the model by encoding the -calculus. Finally we consider an example using the model, which uses a general -calculus result that relates languages with process constants with languages with replication. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisors Tony Hoare and David Walker for their guidance, help and endless patience. I would also like to thank Je Sanders for his support during the past year. i