Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The First-Order Theory of Subtype Constraints

We investigate the first-order theory of subtype constraints. We show that the first-order theory of non-structural subtyping is undecidable, and we show that in the case where all constructors are either unary or nullary, the first-order theory is decidable for both structural and non-structural subtyping. Our results hold for both simple and recursive types. The undecidability result is shown by a reduction from the Post’s Correspondence Problem, and the decidability result is shown by a reduction to a decision problem on tree automata. In addition, we introduce the notion of a constrained tree automaton to express non-structural subtype entailment. This work is a step towards resolving long-standing open problems of the decidability of entailment for non-structural subtyping.
Meropenem/colistin synergy testing for multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains by a two-dimensional gradient technique applicable in routine microbiology.

OBJECTIVES Precise assessment of potential therapeutic synergy, antagonism or indifference between antimicrobial agents currently depends on time-consuming and hard-to-standardize in vitro chequerboard titration methods. We here present a method based on a novel two-dimensional antibiotic gradient technique named Xact™. METHODS We used a test comprising a combination of perpendicular gradients of meropenem and colistin in a single quadrant. We compared test outcomes with those obtained with classical chequerboard microbroth dilution testing in a study involving 27 unique strains of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii from diverse origins. RESULTS We were able to demonstrate 92% concordance between the new technology and classical chequerboard titration using the A. baumannii collection. Two strains could not be analysed by Xact™ due to their out-of-range MIC of meropenem (>128 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS The new test was shown to be diagnostically useful, easy to implement and less labour intensive than the classical method.
Factors influencing Internet banking adoption

As research on this topic is increasing, we analyzed consumer Internet banking adoption, with a particular focus on privacy, trust, and security based on an analysis of 670 responses to a survey. The results showed that prospective users’ privacy concerns, particularly the concerns of those who were more socially aware, were affected by their perception of online banking security vulnerability. The results corroborate those reported in previous research demonstrating the importance of consumer perception of a bank’s reputation and similarity to a related entity in creating trust. On the other hand, the results indicate that respondents were not affected by perceived size of the institution, and that privacy concerns did not have an adverse effect on prospective users’ decision to adopt Internet banking.
Lost in Elimination: Mechanismen des Axonabbaus

Zusammenfassung Axonabbau ist ein wichtiger Vorgang sowohl während der Entwicklung, als auch im Verlauf neurologischer Erkrankungen. Während die molekularen Mechanismen des Axonabbaus in vielen Fällen bisher ungeklärt sind, vermitteln moderne Bildgebungsverfahren ein zunehmend klareres Bild der zellulären Vorgänge, die es Nervenzellen ermöglichen, einzelne Axonäste oder auch ganze Teile ihrer Axonprojektion in kontrollierter Art und Weise abzubauen. In diesem Übersichtsartikel diskutiere ich die Charakteristika des bisher am besten verstandenen Axonabbauvorgangs, der post-traumatischen Wallerschen Degeneration. Im Weiteren beschreibe ich die Besonderheiten einer Reihe von Axonabbauprozessen, die in den letzten Jahren entdeckt wurden, und die den Verlust von axonalem Material nach Axotomien im Rahmen von neuroinflammatorischen Erkrankungen und im Verlauf der normalen Entwicklung des Nervensystems teilweise erklären können.
Bifurcations in Nonsmooth Dynamical Systems

A review is presented of the one-parameter, nonsmooth bifurcations that occur in a variety of continuous-time piecewise-smooth dynamical systems. Motivated by applications, a pragmatic approach is taken to defining a discontinuity-induced bifurcation (DIB) as a nontrivial interaction of a limit set with respect to a codimension-one discontinuity boundary in phase space. Only DIBs that are local are considered, that is, bifurcations involving equilibria or a single point of boundary interaction along a limit cycle for flows. Three classes of systems are considered, involving either state jumps, jumps in the vector field, or jumps in some derivative of the vector field. A rich array of dynamics are revealed, involving the sudden creation or disappearance of attractors, jumps to chaos, bifurcation diagrams with sharp corners, and cascades of period adding. For each kind of bifurcation identified, where possible, a kind of “normal form” or discontinuity mapping (DM) is given, together with a canonical example and an application. The goal is always to explain dynamics that may be observed in simulations of systems which include friction oscillators, impact oscillators, DC-DC converters, and problems in control theory.
Group Communication for Large-scale Distributed Systems over Ip Multicast Networks

We consider the problem of providing reliable group communication support for large-scale distributed systems over IP Multicast-based networks. We observe that the semantics of a group multicast protocol are intimately related to the semantics of the shared object state that the multicast is modifying. We present a novel object-centric formulation of the group multicast problem which we refer to as the Group State Synchronization Problem (GSSP). The GSSP formulation is done at the object level and allows diierent objects in the mul-ticast group to have diierent and more appropriate reliability semantics. We present protocols for solving GSSP and for achieving the various reliability semantics.
Effects of self-monitoring on math competency of an elementary student with cerebral palsy in an inclusive classroom

ABSTRACT Students with cerebral palsy (CP) without severe intellectual impairments often experience difficulties in mathematics performance. Given the high prevalence of learning difficulties in students with CP, few studies have examined interventions to improve the math competency of these students (Jenks et al., 2009). A single-subject reversal design was used to examine the impact of a tactile cued self-monitoring with self-graphing intervention on the number of basic math problems completed and the number of math problems completed accurately by a student with CP in a first-grade inclusion classroom. Results indicated that the student increased the number and accuracy of single-digit addition and subtraction computations during independent work in an inclusion setting using this intervention.
Emotion Differentiation as Resilience Against Excessive Alcohol Use

Some people are adept at using discrete emotion categories (anxious, angry, sad) to capture their felt experience; other people merely communicate how good or bad they feel. We theorized that people who are better at describing their emotions might be less likely to self-medicate with alcohol. During a 3-week period, 106 underage social drinkers used handheld computers to self-monitor alcohol intake. From participants’ reported experiences during random prompts, we created an individual difference measure of emotion differentiation. Results from a 30-day timeline follow-back revealed that people with intense negative emotions consumed less alcohol if they were better at describing emotions and less reliant on global descriptions. Results from ecological momentary assessment procedures revealed that people with intense negative emotions prior to drinking episodes consumed less alcohol if they were better at describing emotions. These findings provide support for a novel methodology and dimension for understanding the influence of emotions on substance-use patterns.
Aggressive Program Analysis Framework for Static Error Checking in Open 64

Nowadays error checking becomes more and more significant for constructing high reliable software. In this paper, we will introduce our work of integrating static error checking into Open64. We are devoting to construct an aggressive program analysis framework for error checking in the compiler. We integrate the intraprocedural analysis into interprocedural phase in order to do flowand contextsensitive whole program analysis. The precision of alias information can heavily impact many consequent analyses and error checking. We also have improved the original alias analysis to be field-sensitive so that field members of the same structural object can be distinguished in the resulted points-to graph
Nature, Power, and Growth

This essay reviews the relationship between natural-resource abundance and economic growth around the world, and presents some new results. The principal reasons why resource-based production can inhibit economic growth over long periods are traced to the Dutch disease, neglect of education, rent seeking, and economic policy failures. Across a large number of countries in the period from 1965 to 1998, the share of the primary sector in the labour force is shown to be inversely related to exports, domestic and foreign investment, and education, and directly related to external debt, import protection, corruption, and income inequality. The cross-sectional data show, moreover, that the share of the primary sector in the labour force is inversely related to per capita growth across countries. None of this lies in the nature of things, however. What seems to matter for economic growth is not the abundance of natural resources per se, but rather the quality of their management, and of economic management and institutions in general.
Matching unlabelled configurations and protein bioinformatics

Unlabelled shape analysis is a challenging and complex problem, with many applications. Consider two configurations of unlabelled “landmarks” in d-dimensions, and suppose that after some transformation, subsets of each set of landmarks can be closely aligned. The objective is to find the transformation and the corresponding pairing or matching function between the two subsets of landmarks. Using a regression approach, we formulate an injective labelling model. An approximate solution is obtained using a mixture model and inference is carried out using the EM algorithm together with integer programming. Starting values are obtained using a type of forward search algorithm. Applications are made to two problems in Bioinformatics. In the first the landmarks are the locations of amino acids in two proteins. In the second the landmarks are the locations of dark spots in in a planar image of two electrophoretic gels.
Ucl Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis Working Papers Series Analyzing Urban Sprawl Patterns through Fractal Geometry: the Case of Istanbul Metropolitan Area Analyzing Urban Sprawl Patterns through Fractal Geometry: the Case of Istanbul Metropolitan Area

s Over the last decade, there has been a rapid increase in the amount of literature on the measurement of urban sprawl. Density gradients, sprawl indexes which are based on a series of measurable indicators and certain simulation techniques are some quantitative approaches used in previous studies. Recently, fractal analysis has been used in analyzing urban areas and a fractal theory of cities has been proposed. This study attempts to measure urban sprawl using a sprawl index and analyses urban form through fractal analysis for characterizing urban sprawl in Istanbul which has not been measured or characterized yet. In this study, measures of sprawl were calculated at each neighborhood level and then integrated within sprawl index through " density " and " proximity " factors. This identifies the pattern of urban sprawl during six periods from 1975 to 2005, and then the urban form of Istanbul is quantified through fractal analysis in given periods in the context of sprawl dynamics. Our findings suggest that the fractal dimension of urban form is positively correlated with the urban sprawl index score when urban growth pattern is more likely " concentrated ". However, a negative relationship has been observed between fractal dimension and sprawl index score when the urban growth pattern changes from the concentrated to the semi-linear form.
Channel Allocation under Batching and VCR Control in Movie-On-Demand Servers

In order to to guarantee continuous delivery of a video stream in an on-demand video server environment, a collection of resources (referred a logical channel) are reserved in advance. To conserve server resources, multiple client requests for the same video can be batched together and served by a single channel. Increasing the batching interval results in larger savings in server capacity, however, it also increases the reneging probability of a client. A complication introduced by batching is that if a batched client pauses, a new stream (which may not be immediately available) needs to be started when the client resumes. To provide short response time to resume requests, some channels are set aside and are referred to as contingency channels. To further improve resource utilization, even when a non-batched client pauses, the channel is released and reacquired upon resume. In this paper, we rst develop an analytical model that predicts the reneging probability and expected resume delay, and then use this model to optimally allocate channels for batching, on-demand playback, and contingency. The eeectiveness of the proposed policy over a scheme with no contingency channels and no batching is also demonstrated.
Infection with and Carriage of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Children

“Atypical” pneumonia was described as a distinct and mild form of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) already before Mycoplasma pneumoniae had been discovered and recognized as its cause. M. pneumoniae is detected in CAP patients most frequently among school-aged children from 5 to 15 years of age, with a decline after adolescence and tapering off in adulthood. Detection rates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or serology in children with CAP admitted to the hospital amount 4–39%. Although the infection is generally mild and self-limiting, patients of every age can develop severe or extrapulmonary disease. Recent studies indicate that high rates of healthy children carry M. pneumoniae in the upper respiratory tract and that current diagnostic PCR or serology cannot discriminate between M. pneumoniae infection and carriage. Further, symptoms and radiologic features are not specific for M. pneumoniae infection. Thus, patients may be unnecessarily treated with antimicrobials against M. pneumoniae. Macrolides are the first-line antibiotics for this entity in children younger than 8 years of age. Overall macrolides are extensively used worldwide, and this has led to the emergence of macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae, which may be associated with severe clinical features and more extrapulmonary complications. This review focuses on the characteristics of M. pneumoniae infections in children, and exemplifies that simple clinical decision rules may help identifying children at high risk for CAP due to M. pneumoniae. This may aid physicians in prescribing appropriate first-line antibiotics, since current diagnostic tests for M. pneumoniae infection are not reliably predictive.
Evidence of Oxidative Shielding of Offspring in a Wild Mammal

Oxidative damage has been proposed as a potential mechanism underlying a life history tradeoff between survival and reproduction. However, evidence that reproduction is associated with increased oxidative damage is equivocal, and some studies have found that breeding females exhibit reduced, rather than elevated, levels of oxidative damage compared to equivalent non-breeders. Recently it was hypothesised that oxidative damage could have negative impacts on developing offspring, and that mothers might down-regulate oxidative damage during reproduction to shield their offspring from such damage. We tested this hypothesis through a longitudinal study of adult survival, reproduction, and oxidative damage in wild banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in Uganda. High levels of oxidative damage as measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) were associated with reduced survival in both sexes. Levels of protein carbonyls were not linked to survival. Mothers showed reduced levels of MDA during pregnancy, and individuals with higher MDA levels gestated fewer offspring and had lower pup survival. These results suggest that maternal oxidative damage has transgenerational costs, and are consistent with the idea that mothers may attempt to shield their offspring from particularly harmful types of oxidative damage during pregnancy. Further advance in understanding of life history variation would benefit from theory and tests of the potential transgenerational impacts of the mechanisms underlying life history trade-offs.
Changes in Croplands as a Result of Large Scale Mining and the Associated Impact on Food Security Studied Using Time-Series Landsat Images

Geographic information systems and satellite remote sensing information are emerging technologies in land-cover change assessment. They now provide an opportunity to gain insights into land-cover change properties through the spatio-temporal data capture over several decades. The time series of Landsat images covering the 1985–2009 period is used here to explore the impacts of surface mining and reclamation, which constitute a dominant force in land-cover changes in the northwestern regions of the Czech Republic. Advanced quantification of the extent of mining activities is important for assessing how these land-cover changes affect ecosystem services such as croplands. The images employed from 1985, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 assist in mapping the extent of surface mines and mine reclamation for large surface mines in a few selected areas of interest. The image processing techniques are based on pixel-by-pixel calculation of the vegetation index, such as NDVI. The NDVI values are classified into the defined classes based on CORINE Land Cover 2000 data in a 3280 km2 strip of Landsat images. This distribution of NDVI values is used to estimate the land-cover classes in the local areas of interest (184 km2, 368 km2, 737 km2, and 1,474 km2). Thus, the approximate land-cover stability of the 3,280 km2 strip during the whole 1985–2009 period is used to explore land-cover disturbances in the local areas of surface mines. In the case of NDVI, it also includes variations, presumably caused by seasonal vegetation effects, and local meteorological conditions. However, the main trends related to mining activities during the long-term period can be clearly understood. As a result, other objectives can be explored in the 1985–2009 period, such as cropland changes to other land use classes, changes of cropland patterns, and their impacts on food security. The presented spatio-temporal modeling based on long time series from 12 satellite images provides considerable experience for processing NDVI in the framework of identification of land-cover classes and also, to a certain degree, cropland variability with its impact on food security.
Open source ERP for SMEs

For the last decade or so, the biggest category of the IT investment has unarguably been Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Most of the bigger corporations in the developed countries have implemented ERP systems with an aim to achieving competitive edge in their respective business areas. Now that the top end of the ERP market has been saturated, the main interest has moved to non-commercial sectors such as universities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These organisations have not been able to benefit directly from the ERP revolution because an ERP implementation requires huge resources and entails high risks. Over the same period, the concept of Open Source Software (OSS) has been enthusiastically adopted by the software engineering community. OSS has excelled in many systems software domains, for example, operating systems with Linux and web servers with Apache. Having observed these successes, the software industry has been showing interest in application domains such as enterprise information systems, more specifically ERP systems, as the next OSS candidates. In this paper, we outline the challenges as well as opportunities of OSS ERP development.
Self-Regulated Fueling of Galaxy Centers: Evidence for Star Formation Feedback in IC 342’s Nucleus

Using new, high-resolution interferometric observations of the CO and HCN molecules, we directly compare the molecular and ionized components of the interstellar medium in the center of the nearby spiral galaxy IC 342, on spatial scales of ≈10 pc. The morphology of the tracers suggests that the molecular gas flow caused by a large-scale stellar bar has been strongly affected by the mechanical feedback from recent star formation activity within the central 100 pc in the nucleus of the galaxy. Possibly, stellar winds and/or supernova shocks originating in the nuclear star cluster have compressed, and likely pushed outward, the infalling molecular gas, thus significantly reducing the gas supply to the central 10 pc. Although our analysis currently lacks kinematic confirmation due to the face-on orientation of IC 342, the described scenario is supported by the generally observed repetitive nature of star formation in the nuclear star clusters of late-type spiral galaxies.
Psychopathy as a female phenotypic expression of borderline personality disorder? Implications for the latent structure of emotional dysregulation

Although research supports the existence of primary and secondary psychopathy variants in men, little work has examined psychopathy variants in women. Research on gender differences is important, as evidence suggests that the interaction of the interpersonal-affective (F1) and impulsive-antisocial (F2) features of psychopathy is associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in women. This has prompted some theorists to propose that secondary psychopathy actually represents a female manifestation of BPD among women. However, empirical research in this area is lacking. Towards this end, the current project sought to achieve three goals using archival data collected across three different studies. These studies examined whether BPD, as well as the emotional dysregulation associated with the disorder, manifests in terms of secondary psychopathy in women. First, Studies 1 and 2 tested the hypothesis that the interaction of the two psychopathy factors is associated with BPD in women (Goal #1). Across both studies, results indicated that the interaction of F1 and F2 traits was associated with BPD in women; this association was found to be specific to women in Study 1. Second, the current investigation moved beyond the BPD diagnosis in order to clarify how the underlying pathology associated with the disorder (i.e., emotional dysregulation) relates to psychopathy across genders (Goal #2). Before this could be accomplished, Study 3 evaluated four competing models of emotional dysregulation in men versus women – (1) a two-factor hierarchical model; (2) a developmental model; (3) a two-factor model; and (4) a one-factor model. Analyses revealed that emotional dysregulation is best represented by a one-factor model and, moreover, that this model demonstrates at least partial measurement invariance across genders. Supplementary analyses further clarified how the one-factor model relates to existing internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology.