Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient Video Multiplexing Over ATM Networks

Variable Bit Rate video (VBR) allows statistical multiplexing in Asynchronous Transfer Mode Networks (ATM) while offering constant visual quality. In this paper we tackle the problem of defining video multiplexing schemes convenient for delay-sensitive video sources. A good characterization of VBR sources allows the implementation of efficient Connection Admission Control (CAC) and Police functions. In this study we show that the Gamma Distribution is a good tool for modeling the aggregate traffic of homogeneous as well as heterogeneous VBR MPEG sources.Therefore, we propose to characterize the VBR video traffic by the use of simple descriptors based on the Gamma modeling of the sources: the mean rate and variance. We show that the proposed descriptors allow the implementation of an efficient video CAC function (offering probabilistic performance guarantees) that agrees well with simulation results. In order to make these traffic descriptors policeable, we propose a Rate Control scheme to enforce the Mean Rate and Variance at the encoder output to comply with Leaky-Bucket-Like parameters at the network interface.We make use of the robustness of layered coding against losses, and propose a layered coding scheme allowing the implementation of an efficient video CAC for sources requiring deterministic performance guarantees.
Visual perception specifics of children with ASD as a determinant for educational environment outlinetimes

The idea of inclusive education raises the question of security of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It is the imperative of the time to create teaching materials that promote the effective implementation of educational curriculum. However, we have to stress the fact that most of the evaluable nowadays teaching materials have been created spontaneously, without any reliable criteria. Our primary hypothesis is that children with ASD have specific features of visual perception that do not depend on the state of their intelligence, which is confirmed by empirical data obtained by the authors. Our secondary hypothesis, specified in the process of research, stipulates that children with ASD will differently perceive different graphic images executed in different styles. These findings are further confirmed by empirical data collected by the authors in the study of perception and understanding of different graphic images by children with ASD and mental retardation. On the basis of theoretical and empirical data we specified the criteria for graphic design products which play a pivotal role in the formation of school educational environment. In this respect we focus on the criteria for design materials (including design criteria provisions, formulated by Norman, which he addressed to practicing designers).
A Regular Expression Processor Embedded in Service-Friendly Router for Future Internet

For the future application-friendly Internet, we have presented a router architecture that enables to interact with a variety of rich services. The proposed router snoops a traffic data stream, inspects the packet payload as well as packet headers, and stores the designated data in the associated database. The service-friendly router uses the technology of DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) for enriching services. For this purpose, high-throughput regular expression processing becomes a crucial component embedded in the router in order to extract the required information from traffic streams. Moreover, target patterns of the regular expression processing can be dynamically and frequently updated according to the applications requests. In this paper, we mainly focus on the design and evaluation of the high-throughput regular-expression processor. It accelerates the processing performance of OR matching (pipe(|)-based matching) that is familiar in various emerging applications of future Internet. The proposed regular-expression processor achieves a low overhead processing under the condition that the updates of the regular-expression patterns are frequently issued. Evaluation results show that the proposed processor achieves 6.0-Gbps throughput of regular-expression matching when using 45nm standard cell library.
Cooperative methods and self-regulated strategies development for argumentative writing

ABSTRACT The authors analyze the efficacy of a cooperative method associated with self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) for argumentative writing compared with a SRSD single approach. Seven teachers and 230 ninth-grade students from three middle schools participated in the present study in which teachers were part of a practice-based professional development program. Schools were assigned either to the experimental group or to the comparison group. Over a three-month period, all students were taught SRSD strategies. After this period, students from the experimental group participated in a cooperative setting, whereas the comparison group followed the SRSD only. The results indicated that students in the experimental group made statistically significant greater gains in structural argumentative elements and in the quality of writing texts immediately after the intervention and one month later. Thus, the study provides evidence for the benefits of adding a cooperative setting to SRSD in implementing argumentative writing skills.
Predictive processing and source monitoringin the psychosis continuum

Schizophrenia is a serious and debilitating mental illness, and sufferers frequently experience a multitude of symptoms. Of particular interest to the current Thesis are psychotic symptoms including delusions, hallucinations and associated self- disturbances such as interference in the agency and ownership of thoughts and actions. Since the disorder was first described over a century ago, research into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia has advanced greatly. However, there are still large gaps in the current knowledge and understanding of the neuropsychological bases of this devastating illness. The current Thesis adopts a cognitive neuropsychiatric approach and applies a continuum model to the construct of psychosis. The aim of the current Thesis was to incorporate theories such as the source monitoring and the predictive processing frameworks across a range of behavioural tasks, in order to investigate some of the neuropsychological deficits in schizotypy and early psychotic symptoms. Healthy individuals with schizotypal traits and patients with early psychosis who did not yet meet a full diagnosis of schizophrenia underwent a battery of behavioural paradigms, with each task aimed at a different aspect of predictive processing and source monitoring. In healthy individuals, nonclinical psychosis-like experiences measured with schizotypy scales were significantly associated with difficulties in the source monitoring of actions, in particular deficits in reality monitoring and internal source monitoring. However, no significant relationships were found for the predictive processing tasks, which focused on the perceptual (force-matching), associative (Kamin blocking) and motivational (reversal learning) domains. In the patients with first episode psychosis, positive psychotic symptoms were not significantly correlated with specific deficits in either category of tasks, although this study was under- powered and strong conclusion could not be drawn. Nevertheless, these findings have provided support for partial dimensionality in psychosis vulnerability and will serve as foundations for future research on a larger scale.
Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Flavonoid-Enriched Fraction AF4 in a Mouse Model of Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

We report here neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of a flavonoid-enriched fraction isolated from the peel of Northern Spy apples (AF4) in a mouse of model of hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain damage. Oral administration of AF4 (50 mg/kg, once daily for 3 days) prior to 50 min of HI completely prevented motor performance deficits assessed 14 days later that were associated with marked reductions in neuronal cell loss in the dorsal hippocampus and striatum. Pre-treatment with AF4 (5, 10, 25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o.; once daily for 3 days) produced a dose-dependent reduction in HI-induced hippocampal and striatal neuron cell loss, with 25 mg/kg being the lowest dose that achieved maximal neuroprotection. Comparison of the effects of 1, 3 or 7 doses of AF4 (25 mg/kg; p.o.) prior to HI revealed that at least 3 doses of AF4 were required before HI to reduce neuronal cell loss in both the dorsal hippocampus and striatum. Quantitative RT-PCR measurements revealed that the neuroprotective effects of AF4 (25 mg/kg; p.o.; once daily for 3 days) in the dorsal hippocampus were associated with a suppression of HI-induced increases in the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. AF4 pre-treatment enhanced mRNA levels for pro-survival proteins such as X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and erythropoietin following HI in the dorsal hippocampus and striatum, respectively. Primary cultures of mouse cortical neurons incubated with AF4 (1 µg/ml), but not the same concentrations of either quercetin or quercetin-3-O-glucose or its metabolites, were resistant to cell death induced by oxygen glucose deprivation. These findings suggest that the inhibition of HI-induced brain injury produced by AF4 likely involves a transcriptional mechanism resulting from the co-operative actions of various phenolics in this fraction which not only reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators but also enhance pro-survival gene signalling.
Oxidative stress responses in older men during endurance training and detraining.

PURPOSE Aging is associated with increased oxidative stress, whereas systematic exercise training has been shown to improve quality of life and functional performance of the aged. This study aimed to evaluate responses of selected markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in inactive older men during endurance training and detraining. METHODS Nineteen older men (65-78 yr) were randomly assigned into either a control (C, N = 8) or an endurance-training (ET, N = 11, three training sessions per week, 16 wk, walking/jogging at 50-80% of HR(max)) group. Before, immediately posttraining, and after 4 months of detraining, subjects performed a progressive diagnostic treadmill test to exhaustion (GXT). Plasma samples, collected before and immediately post-GXT, were analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA) and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) levels, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPX). RESULTS ET caused a 40% increase in running time and a 20% increase in maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2max)) (P < 0.05). ET lowered MDA (9% at rest, P < 0.01; and 16% postexercise, P < 0.05) and 3-NT levels (20% postexercise, P < 0.05), whereas it increased TAC (6% at rest, P < 0.01; and 14% postexercise, P < 0.05) and GPX (12% postexercise, P < 0.05). However, detraining abolished these adaptations. CONCLUSIONS ET may attenuate basal and exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and increase protection against oxidative stress by increasing TAC and GPX activity. However, training cessation may reverse these training-induced adaptations.
Autonomous vegetation identification for outdoor aerial navigation

Identification of landmarks for outdoor navigation is often performed using computationally expensive computer vision methods or via heavy and expensive multi-spectral and range sensors. Both choices are forbidden on Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) due to limited payload and computational power. However, an appropriate choice of the hardware sensor equipment allows the employment of mixed multi-spectral analysis and computer vision techniques to identify natural landmarks. In this work, we propose a low-cost low-weight camera array with appropriate optical filters to be exploited both as stereo camera and multi-spectral sensor. Through stereo vision and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), we are able to classify the observed materials in the scene among several different classes, identify vegetation and water bodies and provide measurements of their relative bearing and distance from the robot. A handheld prototype of this camera array is tested in outdoor environment.
Bottom-Up Demand Response by Following Local Energy Generation Voluntarily

We present an open-source low-budget hardware and software prototype of a smart plug, and the principles behind its capability to align power demand with a ref- erence signal, e.g. from local renewable energy genera- tion. We envision its use in conjunction with a platform that combines social-media and gamification elements with energy networks.
TABLEAUX 2005 Position Papers and Tutorial Descriptions

We present tableaux calculi for some logics of default reasoning, as defined by Kraus, Lehmann and Magidor. We give a tableaux proof procedure for preferential logic P and for loop-cumulative logic CL. Our calculi are obtained by introducing suitable modalities to interpret conditional assertions. Moreover, they give a decision procedure for the respective logics and can be used to establish their complexity.
Fred Hoyle: Contributions to the Theory of Galaxy Formation

I review two fundamental contributions that Fred Hoyle made to the theory of galaxy formation. Hoyle was the first to propose that protogalaxies acquired their angular momentum via tidal torques from neighbouring perturbations during a period of gravitational instability. To my knowledge, he was also the first to suggest that the masses of galaxies could be explained by the requirement that primordial gas clouds cool radiatively on a suitable timescale. Tidal torques and cooling arguments play a central role in the modern theory of galaxy formation. It is a measure of Hoyle's breadth and inventiveness that he recognised the importance of these processes at such an early stage in the history of the subject.
A Systematic Review of the Prevalence and Pattern of Imaging Defined Post-TB Lung Disease

Background Tuberculosis is an important risk factor for chronic respiratory disease in resource poor settings. The persistence of abnormal spirometry and symptoms after treatment are well described, but the structural abnormalities underlying these changes remain poorly defined, limiting our ability to phenotype post-TB lung disease in to meaningful categories for clinical management, prognostication, and ongoing research. The relationship between post-TB lung damage and patient-centred outcomes including functional impairment, respiratory symptoms, and health related quality of life also remains unclear. Methods We performed a systematic literature review to determine the prevalence and pattern of imaging-defined lung pathology in adults after medical treatment for pleural, miliary, or pulmonary TB disease. Data were collected on study characteristics, and the modality, timing, and findings of thoracic imaging. The proportion of studies relating imaging findings to spirometry results and patient morbidity was recorded. Study quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottowa score. (Prospero Registration number CRD42015027958) Results We identified 37 eligible studies. The principle features seen on CXR were cavitation (8.3–83.7%), bronchiectasis (4.3–11.2%), and fibrosis (25.0–70.4%), but prevalence was highly variable. CT imaging identified a wider range of residual abnormalities than CXR, including nodules (25.0–55.8%), consolidation (3.7–19.2%), and emphysema (15.0–45.0%). The prevalence of cavitation was generally lower (7.4–34.6%) and bronchiectasis higher (35.0–86.0%) on CT vs. CXR imaging. A paucity of prospective data, and data from HIV-infected adults and sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) was noted. Few studies related structural damage to physiological impairment, respiratory symptoms, or patient morbidity. Conclusions Post-TB structural lung pathology is common. Prospective data are required to determine the evolution of this lung damage and its associated morbidity over time. Further data are required from HIV-infected groups and those living in sSA.
Intraoperative lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node dissection in breast cancer

Because the tumor status of the regional lymph nodes is the most important prognostic factor in patients with early‐stage breast cancer, accurate histopathologic assessment of these nodes is essential for optimal management, including the selection of candidates for adjuvant systemic therapies. Intraoperative lymphatic mapping using a vital blue dye, with or without a radiocolloid, can identify the first axillary node to receive lymphatic drainage from a primary breast carcinoma. Focused histopathologic assessment of this sentinel node can be used to determine the tumor status of the entire axillary basin.
Best Position Algorithms for Top-k Queries

The general problem of answering top-k queries can be modeled using lists of data items sorted by their local scores. The most efficient algorithm proposed so far for answering top-k queries over sorted lists is the Threshold Algorithm (TA). However, TA may still incur a lot of useless accesses to the lists. In this paper, we propose two new algorithms which stop much sooner. First, we propose the best position algorithm (BPA) which executes top-k queries more efficiently than TA. For any database instance (i.e. set of sorted lists), we prove that BPA stops as early as TA, and that its execution cost is never higher than TA. We show that the position at which BPA stops can be (m-1) times lower than that of TA, where m is the number of lists. We also show that the execution cost of our algorithm can be (m-1) times lower than that of TA. Second, we propose the BPA2 algorithm which is much more efficient than BPA. We show that the number of accesses to the lists done by BPA2 can be about (m-1) times lower than that of BPA. Our performance evaluation shows that over our test databases, BPA and BPA2 achieve significant performance gains in comparison with TA.
Calibrating Randomness

in STACS 98, Lect. Notes in Comput. Sci. 1373, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1998, 596–606). [18] C. S. Calude and A. Nies, Chaitin Ω numbers and strong reducibilities, J. Univ. Comp. Sci. 3 (1998), 1162–1166. [19] C. S. Calude, L. Staiger, and S. A. Terwijn, On partial randomness, Ann. Pure Appl. Logic, in press. [20] G. J. Chaitin, A theory of program size formally identical to information theory, J. Assoc. Comput. Mach. 22 (1975), 329–340. [21] G. J. Chaitin, Algorithmic information theory, IBM Journal of Research and Development 21 (1977), 350–359, 496. [22] G. J. Chaitin, Incompleteness theorems for random reals, Adv. in Appl. Math. 8 (1987), 119–146. [23] G. J. Chaitin, Algorithmic Information Theory, Cambridge University Press,
Resource g-TEMPy : Simultaneous F itting of Components in 3 DEM Maps of Their Assembly Using a Genetic Algorithm Graphical

Graphical Abstract Highlights d g-TEMPy uses a genetic algorithm to fit multiple components into 3D-EM density maps d The fitness score is a combination of a Mutual Information score and a clash penalty d Efficient sampling is aided by using map feature points from vector quantization d Native topologies for assemblies containing up to eight components can be predicted In Brief Pandurangan et al. developed a genetic algorithm to simultaneously fit multiple atomic components into low-resolution 3D-EM density maps. The method was tested on simulated and experimental benchmarks with resolutions between 10 and 23.5 A ˚. It identifies native topologies for assemblies containing up to eight components. SUMMARY We have developed a genetic algorithm for building macromolecular complexes using only a 3D-electron microscopy density map and the atomic structures of the relevant components. For efficient sampling the method uses map feature points calculated by vector quantization. The fitness function combines a mutual information score that quantifies the goodness of fit with a penalty score that helps to avoid clashes between components. Testing the method on ten assemblies (containing 3–8 protein components) and simulated density maps at 10, 15, and 20 A ˚ resolution resulted in identification of the correct topology in 90%, 70%, and 60% of the cases, respectively. We further tested it on four assemblies with experimental maps at 7.2–23.5 A ˚ resolution, showing the ability of the method to identify the correct topology in all cases. We have also demonstrated the importance of the map feature-point quality on assembly fitting in the lack of additional experimental information.
Early detection of first-episode psychosis: the effect on 1-year outcome.

UNLABELLED Early intervention is assumed to improve outcome in first-episode psychosis, but this has not been proven. OBJECTIVE To study whether 1-year outcome will be better in a health care sector with early detection (ED) of psychosis compared with sectors with no early detection (no-ED). DESIGN A quasi-experimental study with ED in 2 experimental sectors and no-ED in 2 control sectors. ED was achieved through low-threshold ED teams and information campaigns about psychosis for the public, schools, and primary health care providers. The ED and no-ED health care areas offered an equivalent assessment and treatment program during the first year. Two hundred and eighty-one patients were included; 88% were reassessed after 1 year. RESULTS The ED-area patients (N = 141) had a median duration of untreated psychosis of 5 weeks at baseline compared with 16 weeks for patients in the no-ED area (N = 140). Positive and general symptoms, global assessment of functioning, quality of life, time to remission, and course of psychosis at 1 year after the start of treatment were not different between ED and no-ED groups. Outcome was significantly better for the ED area for negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The ED, no-ED differences at baseline become attenuated by 1 year but not the difference in negative symptoms, suggesting secondary prevention in this domain of psychopathology. However, this possibility requires further testing by follow-up and replication.