Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LoadAtomizer: A locality and I/O load aware task scheduler for MapReduce

Data-intensive computing systems like MapReduce and Dryad have emerged as a framework for leveraging computing resources of a cluster. I/O bottlenecks need to be eased to improve performance in data-intensive computing systems. State-of-the-art frameworks for data-intensive computing have tackled the issue with a data locality based task scheduling policy. However, locality-aware scheduling does not always work good to mitigate I/O bottlenecks when different I/O characteristic jobs run concurrently. This paper presents LoadAtomizer, a locality and I/O load aware task scheduler for MapReduce. LoadAtomizer mitigates the I/O bottlenecks of a cluster with locality and I/O load aware map task assignment and storage selection. LoadAtomizer quickly assigns a slave a map task whose input data is stored in a lightly loaded storage and commands the slave to read the input data from the storage. LoadAtomizer maintains the load information of storages and the network with a topology-aware load tree. A topology-aware load tree enables LoadAtomizer to select quickly a lightly loaded storage that a slave can access through a lightly loaded network path. Experimental results demonstrated that our prototype of LoadAtomizer shortened completion time of multiple jobs by up to 18.6 %.
Robust cDNA microarray image processing on a hand-held device

Genetic microarray image processing has become an important field of research to produce tools aiming to reliable gene expression estimation. Current instrumentation to analyze microarray images lacks flexibility, portability and accuracy. In the present paper an FPGA-based hand-held device for the analysis of microarrays is described, which may implement basic scanning and reticle algorithms to estimate spots and expression levels in cDNA microarrays. The algorithms are based on global and local spot correlation, background removal and rectangular mask fitting. These algorithms can be recursively applied and are intrinsically parallelizable for practical implementation purposes. Results using specific microarray images are shown
Locomotor capacity of spinal cord in paraplegic patients

The induction of complex bilateral leg muscle activation combined with coordinated stepping movements is demonstrated in patients with complete paraplegia. This was achieved by partially unloading patients who were on a moving treadmill. In comparison to healthy subjects, the paraplegic patients displayed a less dynamic mode of muscle activation. In all other respects leg muscle electromyographic activity was modulated in a similar manner to that in healthy subjects. However, the level of electromyographic activity in the gastrocnemius (the main antigravity muscle during gait) was considerably lower in the patients. During the course of a daily locomotor training program, the amplitude of gastrocnemius electromyographic activity increased significantly during the stance phase, while inappropriate tibialis anterior activation decreased. Incompletely paraplegic patients benefited form the training with respect to performance of unsupported stepping movements on solid ground. In about half of completely paraplegic patients with low muscle tone, no beneficial effect of the training was seen. This may be due to an inhibitory effect on spinal neuronal activity by drugs patients were taking (e.g., prazosin, clonidine, cannabinoids). In this study intrathecal application of clonidine drastically reduced, while epinephrine enhanced locomotor muscle electromyographic activity. The results of this study promise to be significant in the treatment of paraplegic patients.
WebGL-based streaming and presentation of objects with bidirectional texture functions

Museums and Cultural Heritage institutions have a growing interest in presenting their collections to a broader community via the Internet. The photo-realistic presentation of interactively inspectable virtual surrogates is one of the most challenging problems in this field. For this purpose, we seek to employ not only a 3D geometry but also a powerful material representation capable of reproducing the full visual appeal of an object. In this article, we propose a WebGL-based presentation framework in which reflectance information is represented via Bidirectional Texture Functions (BTF). Our approach works out-of-the-box in modern Web browsers and allows for the progressive transmission and interactive rendering of digitized artifacts consisting of 3D geometry and reflectance information. We handle the huge amount of data needed for this representation by employing a novel progressive streaming approach for BTFs, which allows for the smooth interactive inspection of a steadily improving version during the download. We demonstrate an interesting use-case of this technique at a cross section of Cultural Heritage, medical education, and research and provide an evaluation of the capabilities of our framework in the scope of BTF compression and transmission.
Speech act modeling and verification of spontaneous speech with disfluency in a spoken dialogue system

This work presents an approach to modeling speech acts and verifying spontaneous speech with disfluency in a spoken dialogue system. According to this approach, semantic information, syntactic structure and fragment class of an input utterance are statistically encapsulated in a proposed speech act hidden Markov model (SAHMM) to characterize the speech act. An interpolation mechanism is exploited to re-estimate the state transition probability in SAHMM, to deal with the problem of disfluency in a sparse training corpus. Finally, a Bayesian belief model (BBM), based on latent semantic analysis (LSA), is adopted to verify the potential speech acts and output the final speech act. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the proposed approach using a spoken dialogue system for providing air travel information. A testing database from 25 speakers, with 480 dialogues that include 3038 sentences, was established and used for evaluation. Experimental results show that the proposed approach identifies 95.3% of speech act at a rejection rate of 5%, and the semantic accuracy is 4.2% better than that obtained using a keyword-based system. The proposed strategy also effectively alleviates the disfluency problem in spontaneous speech.
Simulating personal future events: Contributions from episodic memory and beyond

Episodic simulation refers to the construction of imagined, hypothetical events that might occur in one’s personal future. Damage to our capacity for episodic simulation can produce grave consequences, impairing our ability to anticipate, plan, and prepare for the future. New theoretical approaches have begun to uncover the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying episodic simulation, but much remains to be examined. The purpose of this dissertation is to further investigate the mechanisms supporting episodic simulation as well as the functions it serves. In the first study of the dissertation I examine age-related deficits in imagining the future, remembering the past, and describing the present (Paper 1). These findings replicate known deficits in older adults in episodic simulation and memory, yet provide evidence of non-episodic processes that also shape their expression. I next examine component cognitive and neural processes that are recruited to generate imagined events (Paper 2). Distinct regions of the hippocampus were active when encoding, tracking novelty, or constructing imagined events, suggesting a multifaceted role of the hippocampus in supporting episodic simulation. Finally, I present evidence that episodic simulation and memory can be used to facilitate empathy, that is, intentions to help a person in need (Paper 3). People are more willing to help a person in need after imagining or remembering helping that individual. Furthermore, the episodic vividness of these imagined or remembered events heightened intentions to help. These findings elucidate a previously unconsidered mechanism for facilitating empathy, and, in doing so, open the possibility for a new functional account of episodic simulation. I close by discussing the promise
Introduction to Treatment Outcome

Outcome research on child and adolescent mental health services serves many important purposes, the most important of which is to improve upon the efficacy of techniques that may be used to alleviate the suffering of countless troubled youngsters. The current body of research in this arca is small compared to the body of research on the outcomes of adult psychotherapy, perhaps because, historically, the treatment of childhood mental disorders has not received as much attention. Meta-analyses of outcome studies conducted over the past twenty ycars have concluded that research has demonstrated the efficacy of child and adolescent psychotherapy; however, recent evaluations of these meta-analyses have warned that most studies have included features that may not be generalizable to treatment as actually practiced in clinical settings. Measuring and defining improvement in any population is complicated and there is, as yet, no consensus on standards. For several reasons, conducting research on children and adol.
Upscaling sparse ground‐based soil moisture observations for the validation of coarse‐resolution satellite soil moisture products

The contrast between the point‐scale nature of current ground‐based soil moisture instrumentation and the ground resolution (typically >102 km2) of satellites used to retrieve soil moisture poses a significant challenge for the validation of data products from current and upcoming soil moisture satellite missions. Given typical levels of observed spatial variability in soil moisture fields, this mismatch confounds mission validation goals by introducing significant sampling uncertainty in footprint‐scale soil moisture estimates obtained from sparse ground‐based observations. During validation activities based on comparisons between ground observations and satellite retrievals, this sampling error can be misattributed to retrieval uncertainty and spuriously degrade the perceived accuracy of satellite soil moisture products. This review paper describes the magnitude of the soil moisture upscaling problem and measurement density requirements for ground‐based soil moisture networks. Since many large‐scale networks do not meet these requirements, it also summarizes a number of existing soil moisture upscaling strategies which may reduce the detrimental impact of spatial sampling errors on the reliability of satellite soil moisture validation using spatially sparse ground‐based observations.
Negotiating Displacement Spaces: Exploring Teachers' Stories About Learning and Diversity

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore the learning of six in‐service U.S. teachers who engaged in a cross‐cultural learning experience during the summer of 2001. The teachers were enrolled in a graduate seminar conducted in English and entitled “Literacy Across Languages and Cultures. ” Cindy (the first author of this manuscript) was the course instructor. The primary emphasis of the course was exploring current conceptions of quality literacy instruction for children from diverse backgrounds in mainstream U. S. classrooms. One credit of the three‐credit course was conducted on WebCT in the United States. Two credits of the course were conducted at the Universidid Nacional in Heredia, Costa Rica. The teachers who were enrolled in the course lived with Costa Rican families for the month that they were studying in Costa Rica. In this investigation we sought to explore what we learned about literacy instruction for students from diverse backgrounds from course readings, one another, and a cross‐cultural experience in Costa Rica. Our experiences positioned us to reexamine our own cultural frames of reference and our thinking about instructing children in our classrooms whose cultural and linguistic backgrounds are different from ours.
Effects of raloxifene on gonadotrophins, sex hormones, bone turnover and lipids in healthy elderly men.

OBJECTIVE To explore effects on serum lipids, pituitary-gonadal axis, prostate and bone turnover of the administration of the mixed oestrogen agonist/antagonist raloxifene in healthy elderly men. PARTICIPANTS Thirty healthy men aged 60-70 years randomly received raloxifene 120 mg/day (n=15) or placebo (n=15) for 3 months. MEASUREMENTS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, serum gonadotrophins, sex hormones, prostate specific antigen (PSA), a marker of bone turnover, urinary hydroxyproline (OHPro) and cholesterol were measured at baseline and after 3 months. RESULTS Raloxifene significantly increased serum concentrations of LH and FSH (by 29% and 21%), total testosterone (20%), free testosterone (16%) and bioavailable testosterone (not bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG; 20%). In parallel with testosterone, 17 beta-oestradiol also increased by 21%. SHBG increased by 7%. Total cholesterol (TChol) decreased significantly, from 5.7 to 5.5 mmol/l (P=0.03). Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) showed a trend to decrease. Overall, there was no change in urinary OHPro/creatinine ratio as a marker for bone resorption. However, the raloxifene-induced increases in both serum testosterone and 17 beta-oestradiol were significantly related to a lower OHPro/creatinine ratio. Total PSA increased by 17% without significant changes in free PSA or free/total PSA ratio. Participants reported no side effects and raloxifene was well tolerated. CONCLUSION In healthy elderly man, raloxifene 120 mg/day for 3 months increased LH, FSH and sex steroid hormones. Potentially beneficial effects were the small but significant decrease in TChol and the trend towards a decrease in LDL-c. Negative effects were the trend towards a decrease in HDL-c and the significant increase in serum PSA. A decrease in markers of bone resorption during raloxifene treatment was found only in men with relatively high increases in serum testosterone and 17 beta-oestradiol. Overall, there were no clear beneficial effects of administration of raloxifene to ageing men in this preliminary investigation.
The Lack of Lutein Accelerates the Extent of Light‐induced Bleaching of Photosynthetic Pigments in Thylakoid Membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana

The high light‐induced bleaching of photosynthetic pigments and the degradation of proteins of light‐harvesting complexes of PSI and PSII were investigated in isolated thylakoid membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana, wt and lutein‐deficient mutant lut2, with the aim of unraveling the role of lutein for the degree of bleaching and degradation. By the means of absorption spectroscopy and western blot analysis, we show that the lack of lutein leads to a higher extent of pigment photobleaching and protein degradation in mutant thylakoid membranes in comparison with wt. The highest extent of bleaching is suffered by chlorophyll a and carotenoids, while chlorophyll b is bleached in lut2 thylakoids during long periods at high illumination. The high light‐induced degradation of Lhca1, Lhcb2 proteins and PsbS was followed and it is shown that Lhca1 is more damaged than Lhcb2. The degradation of analyzed proteins is more pronounced in lut2 mutant thylakoid membranes. The lack of lutein influences the high light‐induced alterations in organization of pigment–protein complexes as revealed by 77 K fluorescence.
Impact of an Active Video Game on Healthy Children’s Physical Activity

OBJECTIVE: This naturalistic study tests whether children receiving a new (to them) active video game spontaneously engage in more physical activity than those receiving an inactive video game, and whether the effect would be greater among children in unsafe neighborhoods, who might not be allowed to play outside. METHODS: Participants were children 9 to 12 years of age, with a BMI >50th percentile, but <99th percentile; none of these children a medical condition that would preclude physical activity or playing video games. A randomized clinical trial assigned children to receiving 2 active or 2 inactive video games, the peripherals necessary to run the games, and a Wii console. Physical activity was monitored by using accelerometers for 5 weeks over the course of a 13-week experiment. Neighborhood safety was assessed with a 12 item validated questionnaire. RESULTS: There was no evidence that children receiving the active video games were more active in general, or at anytime, than children receiving the inactive video games. The outcomes were not moderated by parent perceived neighborhood safety, child BMI z score, or other demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide no reason to believe that simply acquiring an active video game under naturalistic circumstances provides a public health benefit to children.
Optimal Design for Offshore Wind Farm considering Inner Grid Layout and Offshore Substation Location

This paper introduces an efficient methodology to design optimally cable layout of inner grid as well as location of offshore substation. The methodology is composed of two optimizers: one is inner grid layout optimizer, which consists of several algorithms such as the k-clustering-based genetic algorithm, the minimum spanning tree, and the cable selection; the other one is offshore substation location optimizer based on the pattern search method. While performing iteratively two optimizers, alternatives for cable layout and candidates for location of offshore substation are generated and evaluated in the economic and reliability aspects, respectively. Optimal layout of offshore wind farm is determined so as to minimize the total cost which is a sum of construction, power loss, maintenance, and reliability costs.
The Doctrine of Social Mix in the Mobile Society: A Theoretical Perspective

Drawing on Wellman's classic “Community Question” this paper offers a theoretical framework with which to examine contemporary community formation and the doctrine of social mix, which finds form in the renewal of stigmatized public housing estates in Australia and the United Kingdom. Proponents of “social mix” argue that geographic propinquity of social groups “elevates” lower‐class values through contact with more affluent residents, providing them with greater access to social capital, employment opportunities and other resources. The Community Question incorporates three perspectives: Community Lost, Community Saved and Community Liberated. Where both the Lost and Saved perspectives examine community from the position of geographical propinquity, the Liberated perspective inquires directly into the structure and network of primary ties, finding that most social ties are not dense, tightly bounded solidarities but sparse, loosely bounded networks. Thus community is “liberated” from being restricted to interpersonal affiliations based on geographic propinquity alone. Three interrelated aspects which give viability to the “liberated community” are discussed: the production of social space, the principle of homophily, and the influence of communicative technology. The latter is examined through the “new mobilities paradigm” which emphasizes differential access to mobilities resources. The paper concludes by probing the implications for policies of “social mix” underpinned by sedentarist notions of community which normalize stability, meaning and place rather than dynamic networks in social space. It does this with reference to public housing regeneration programs in Australia, which rest on the doctrine of social mix to promote positive interactions between disparate residential groups.
Estimating Structural Models of Equilibrium and Cognitive Hierarchy Thinking in the Field: The Case of Withheld Movie Critic Reviews

Film studios occasionally withhold movies from critics before their release. Because the unreviewed movies tend to be below average in quality, this practice provides a useful setting in which to test models of limited strategic thinking: Do moviegoers seem to realize that no review is a sign of low quality? A companion paper showed that in a set of all widely released movies in 2000--2009, cold opening produces a significant 20%--30% increase in domestic box office revenue, which is consistent with moviegoers overestimating quality of unreviewed movies perhaps due to limited strategic thinking. This paper reviews those findings and provides two models to analyze this data: an equilibrium model and a behavioral cognitive hierarchy model that allows for differing levels of strategic thinking between moviegoers and movie studios. The behavioral model fits the data better, because moviegoer parameters are relatively close to those observed in experimental subjects. These results suggests that limited strategic thinking rather than equilibrium reasoning may be a better explanation for naive moviegoer behavior. This paper was accepted by Brad Barber, behavioral economics.
Numerical ISS controller design via a dynamic game approach

We present a numerical design method for an input-to-state practically stabilizing (ISpS) feedback controller for perturbed discrete time nonlinear control systems. By appropriately scaling the system, the problem of ISpS controller design can be converted into a uniform practical stabilization problem under perturbations which can be solved by a numerical dynamic game approach. We present and analyze this approach with a particular focus on a quantitative analysis of the resulting gain and the size of the exceptional region for practical stability.
Role of female aggression in prevention of infanticidal behavior in male common voles, Microtus arvalis (Pallas, 1779)

Infanticidal behavior of male common voles (Microtus arvalis) was investigated in relation to the age of unfamiliar pups. Sires from 18 pairs were removed after parturition of their offspring and replaced by unfamiliar males at different ages of the neonates. In group 1, containing six females with their offspring, the new male was introduced into the females' cages on day 1 after the parturition. In group 2 the new male was introduced on day 5 after parturition and in group 3 on day 9 after parturition. The male was removed after 3 days and the neonates recounted. Male common voles killed up to 100% of the neonates in litters containing neonates younger than 9 days by rapid bites to the head of the neonates (groups 1 and 2, mortality rates of 0.86 and 0.38). However, with older pups, a mortality rate of 0.06 was observed while 33% of the intruder males showed signs of injuries (group 3). These findings show that infanticidal behavior of male common voles represents one factor of pup mortality. The results are discussed in relation to changes in the degree of maternal aggression and in the context of the social system of the common vole for solving the conflict between postpartum estrous mating and infanticidal behavior of male common voles. Aggr. Behav. 23:293–298, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.