Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved dynamic load balancing algorithm for parallel microscopic traffic simulation

Domain decomposition is a key technique for the efficient implementation of parallel microscopic traffic simulation (PMTS) in large-scale urban traffic scenarios. However, current domain decomposition methods don't take the dynamic property of traffic flow into account, so load imbalances among processors are unavoidable during the simulation run. In this paper, an improved distributed dynamic load balancing algorithm based on Receiver Initiated Diffusion scheme is proposed. In this algorithm which adopts near-neighbor information as the basis of load balancing determination, the under-loaded processor requests load from overloaded neighbors. Then the parallel USTCMTS2.0 based on high-performance computer KD50-I-E is adopted as the platform to implement and evaluate that algorithm. The experiment results indicate that our algorithm achieves better load balancing and more efficient parallel performances than the related work.
A meta-analysis on the efficacy and safety of St John’s wort extract in depression therapy in comparison with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in adults

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of St John’s wort extract and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of depression. Methods Databases were searched for studies comparing efficacy and/or safety of St John’s wort extract with SSRIs in depression from 1966 to April 2015. Stata software was used for statistical analysis. Results Twenty-seven studies met the study entry criteria. A total of 3,126 patients with depression were included. St John’s wort extract did not differ from SSRIs in clinical response, remission, and mean reduction in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score. St John’s wort extract had a significantly lower rate of adverse events compared to SSRIs (summary relative risk: 0.77; 95% confidence interval: 0.70, 0.84, P=0.00) and had fewer withdrawals due to adverse events. St John’s wort extract had superior safety in the management of patients with depression. Conclusion Both St John’s wort extract and SSRIs are effective in treating mild-to-moderate depression. St John’s wort extract is safer than SSRIs.
Experimental Design with Multiple Kernels

In classification tasks, labeled data is a necessity but sometimes difficult or expensive to obtain. On the contrary, unlabeled data is usually abundant. Recently, different active learning algorithms are proposed to alleviate this issue by selecting the most informative data points to label. One family of active learning methods comes from Optimum Experimental Design (OED) in statistics. Instead of selecting data points one by one iteratively, OED-based approaches select data in a one-shot manner, that is, a fixed-sized subset is selected from the unlabeled dataset for manually labeling. These methods usually use kernels to represent pair-wise similarities between different data points. It is well known that choosing optimal kernel types (e.g. Gaussian kernel) and kernel parameters (e.g. kernel width) is tricky, and a common way to resolve it is by Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL), i.e., to construct a few candidate kernels and merge them to form a consensus kernel. There would be different ways to combine multiple kernels, one of which, called the the globalised approach is to assign a weight to each candidate kernel. In practice different data points in the same candidate kernel may not have the same contribution in the consensus kernel, this requires assigning different weights to different data points in the same candidate kernel, leading to the localized approach. In this paper, we introduce MKL to OED-based active learning, specifically we propose globalised and localized multiple kernel active learning methods, respectively. Our experiments on six benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed methods have better performance than existing OED-based active learning methods.
On digraphs with unique walks of closed lengths between vertices

It is known that regular digraphs of degree d, diameter k and unique walks of length not smaller than h and not greater than k between all pairs of vertices ([ h, k ]-digraphs), exist only for h k and h = k 1, if d ;::: 2. This paper deals with the problem of the enumeration of [k 1, kJ-digraphs in the case of diameter k = 2 or degree d = 2. It is shown, using algebraic techniques, that the line digraph L K d+1 of the complete digraph Kd+J is the only [1, 2]-digraph of degree d, that is to say the only digraph -up to isomorphismswhose adjacency matrix A fulfills the equation A + A 2 = J, where J denotes the all-one matrix. As a consequence, we deduce that there does not exist any other almostMoore digraph of diameter k = 2 with all selfrepeat vertices apart from Kautz digraph. In addition, the cycle structure of a [k 1, k]-digraph is studied. Thus, a formula that provides the number of short cycles (cycles of length :::; k) of such a digraph is obtained. From this formula, using graphical arguments, the enumeration of [k 1, k]-digraphs of degree 2 and diameter not greater than 4 is concluded.
eb 2 00 1 Modes of Multiple Star Formation

This paper argues that star forming environments should be classified into finer divisions than the traditional isolated and clustered modes. Using the observed set of galactic open clusters and theoretical considerations regarding cluster formation, we estimate the fraction of star formation that takes place within clusters. We find that less than ∼ 10% of the stellar population originates from star forming regions destined to become open clusters, confirming earlier estimates. The smallest clusters included in the observational surveys (having at least N ∼ 100 members) roughly coincide with the smallest stellar systems that are expected to evolve as clusters in a dynamical sense. We show that stellar systems with too few members N < N ⋆ have dynamical relaxation times that are shorter than their formation times (∼ 1 − 2 Myr), where the critical number of stars N ⋆ ≈ 100. Our results suggest that star formation can be characterized by (at least) three principal modes: [I] isolated singles and binaries, [II] groups (N < N ⋆), and [III] clusters (N > N ⋆). Many – if not most – stars form through the intermediate mode in stellar groups with 10 < N < 100. Such groups evolve and disperse much more rapidly than do open clusters; groups also have a low probability of containing massive stars and are unaffected by supernovae and intense ultraviolet radiation fields. Because of their short lifetimes and small stellar membership, groups have relatively little effect on the star formation process (on average) compared to larger open clusters. Subject headings: open clusters and associations: general – stars: formation – 2 –
Workshop Schedule an Analysis of Aspect Composition Problems

Foreword EWAS.06, the third European Workshop on Aspects in Software, follows the tradition of its two predecessor workshop series organized independently by the German " Gesellschaft für Informatik " , Belgian and Dutch research groups. It focuses on providing AOSD researchers and practitioners with an interactive forum for fostering novel ideas and turning submitted material into conference-ready papers. Improving submitted papers is emphasized by highly interactive " writer's workshop " sessions that are designed to give authors constructive feedback regarding their paper's content and presentation. In addition, the EWAS reviewers are typically asked not to confine their comments to criticizing weaknesses but to provide their opinion also on the strengths of a paper and to give advice on how to improve it. This requires more time and consideration than other review formats and therefore EWAS would not be possible without the commitment of many expert reviewers. We are deeply thankful to all the program committee members for the time and effort they put again into their thoughtful reviews. After EWAS 2005 two of the discussed papers were revised, submitted to the AOSD'06 conference and accepted for the main technical programme. We believe this is a good indication of the usefulness of the EWAS format. The EWAS.06 programme contains four full papers (included in these proceedings), a tool demonstration (abstract included) and two " early papers " that where considered worth discussing at the workshop but not yet mature enough for inclusion in the proceedings. The early papers are available at the EWAS.06 website Contact • Organizers and PC chair: ewas@ewi.utwente. nl ABSTRACT The composition of multiple software units does not always yield the desired results. In particular, aspect-oriented composition mechanisms introduce new kinds of composition problems. These are caused by different characteristics as compared to object-oriented composition, such as inverse dependencies. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of aspect-oriented composition problems, and eventually composition problems in a more general context. To this extent we propose and illustrate a systematic approach to analyze composition problems in a precise and concrete manner. In this approach we represent aspect-based composition mechanisms as transformation rules on program graphs. We explicitly model and show where composition problems occur, in a way that can easily be fully automated. In this paper we focus on structural superimpo-sition (cf. intertype declarations) to illustrate our approach; this results in the identification of three categories of …
Conservation laws, extended polymatroids and multi-armed bandit problems: a unified approach to ind exable systems

We show that if performance measures in stochastic and dynamic scheduling problems satisfy generalized conservation laws, then the feasible region of achievable performance is a polyhedron called an extended polymatroid, that generalizes the classical polymatroids introduced by Edmonds. Optimization of a linear objective over an extended polymatroid is solved by an adaptive greedy algorithm, which leads to an optimal solution having an indexability property indexable systems. Under a certain condition the indices possess a stronger decomposition property decomposable systems. The following problems can be analyzed using our theory: multiarmed bandit problems, branching bandits, scheduling of multiclass queues with or without feedback, scheduling of a batch of jobs. Consequences of our results include: 1 a characterization of indexable systems as systems that satisfy generalized conservation laws, 2 a sufficient condition for indexable systems to be decomposable, 3 a new linear programming proof of the decomposability property of Gittins indices in multiarmed bandit problems, 4 an approach to sensitivity analysis of indexable systems, 5 a characterization of the indices of indexable systems as sums of dual variables, and an economic interpretation of the branching bandit indices in terms of retirement options, 6 an analysis of the indexability of undiscounted branching bandits, 7 a new algorithm to compute the indices of indexable systems in particular Gittins indices, as fast as the fastest known algorithm, 8 a unification of Klimov's algorithm for multiclass queues and Gittms' algorithm for multiarmed bandits as special cases of the same algorithm, 9 a closed formula for the maximum reward of the multiarmed bandit problem, with a new proof of its submodularity and 10 an understanding of the invariance of the indices with respect to some parameters of the problem. Our approach provides a polyhedral treatment of several classical problems in stochastic and dynamic scheduling and is able to address variations such as: discounted versus undiscounted cost criterion, rewards versus taxes, discrete versus continuous time, and linear versus nonlinear objective functions.
Should I Diversify My Mobile App Portfolio ? Examining the Effects of App Portfolio Size and Diversity on App Quality and Popularity

A critical challenge faced by mobile app developers today is to effectively manage their app portfolio, but this issue has rarely been addressed in the IS academic literature. To address this gap, we focus on the impact of category assortment of developers’ app portfolios on their performance. Specifically, we evaluate both the supply and demand of mobile apps with a data set from the Apple App Store. On the supply side, we examine the influence of mobile developers’ app portfolio size and diversity on app quality. A panel-level linear model estimation augmented with two identification strategies of Granger causality test and propensity score matching shows a negative impact of portfolio diversity on developers’ app quality. However, this negative influence is mitigated by the increasing size of app portfolio. On the demand side, we assess the extent and direction of popularity spillover effects between developers’ existing and new apps. Our empirical analysis with a simultaneous equations model shows that popular existing apps of a developer can promote the popularity of new apps in the same category. New apps, in turn, drive demand for a developer’s existing apps both within and across categories. Our findings highlight the important role of learning processes in the product portfolio management for human capital intensive industries.
Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling

Despite several lines of observational evidence, there is a lack of consensus on whether higher fungal:bacterial (F:B) ratios directly cause higher soil carbon (C) storage. We employed RNA sequencing, protein profiling and isotope tracer techniques to evaluate whether differing F:B ratios are associated with differences in C storage. A mesocosm 13C labeled foliar litter decomposition experiment was performed in two soils that were similar in their physico-chemical properties but differed in microbial community structure, specifically their F:B ratio (determined by PLFA analyses, RNA sequencing and protein profiling; all three corroborating each other). Following litter addition, we observed a consistent increase in abundance of fungal phyla; and greater increases in the fungal dominated soil; implicating the role of fungi in litter decomposition. Litter derived 13C in respired CO2 was consistently lower, and residual 13C in bulk SOM was higher in high F:B soil demonstrating greater C storage potential in the F:B dominated soil. We conclude that in this soil system, the increased abundance of fungi in both soils and the altered C cycling patterns in the F:B dominated soils highlight the significant role of fungi in litter decomposition and indicate that F:B ratios are linked to higher C storage potential.
Biotechnologically Relevant Enzymes and Proteins

The GPI-anchored protein Ecm33 is vital for conidiation, cell wall integrity, and multi-stress tolerance of two filamentous entomopathogens but not for virulence Abstract Ecm33 is one of several glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. This protein is known to be involved in fungal cell wall integrity, but its contribution to multi-stress tolerance is largely unknown. Here we characterized the functions of two Ecm33 orthologues, i.e., Bbecm33 in Beauveria bassiana and Mrecm33 in Metarhizium robertsii. Bbecm33 and Mrecm33 were both confirmed as GPI-anchored cell wall proteins in immunogold localization. Single-gene disruptions of Bbecm33 and Mrecm33 caused slight growth defects, but conid-ial yield decreased much more in ΔBbecm33 (76 %) than in ΔMrecm33 (42 %), accompanied with significant reductions of intracellular mannitol and trehalose contents in both mutants and weakened cell walls in ΔBbecm33 only. Consequently, ΔBbecm33 was far more sensitive to the cell wall-perturbating agents Congo red and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) than ΔMrecm33, which showed null response to SDS. Both deletion mutants became significantly more sensitive to two oxidants (menadione and H 2 O 2), two fungicides (carbendazim and ethirimol), osmotic salt NaCl, and Ca 2+ during growth despite some degrees of differences in their sensitivities to the chemical stressors. Strikingly, conidial UV-B resistance decreased by 55 % in ΔBbecm33 but was unaffected in ΔMrecm33, unlike a similar decrease (25–28 %) of conidial thermotolerance in both. All the changes were restored to wild-type levels by gene complementation through ectopic gene integration in each fungus. However, neither ΔBbecm33 nor ΔMrecm33 showed a significant change in virulence to a susceptible insect host. Our results indicate that Bbecm33 and Mrecm33 contribute differentially to the conidiation and multi-stress tolerance of B. bassiana and M. robertsii.
Compensated regulator with super twisting algorithm for the Full Information Output Regulation problem

In this paper, we present a control scheme for the Full Information Output Regulation of Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems. The main difference between this approach and the previous one is a modification in the structure of the controller since two extra terms are added. The first term leads to a reduction of the steady state tracking error. The second term, based on the Super Twisting Algorithm (STA), drives this error asymptotically to zero.
Optimal Linear Precoder Design for Space-Time Block Coded Systems

Taking the pairwise error probability (PEP) as the performance criterion and exploiting the channel covariance information at the transmitter, this paper studies the optimal linear precoder design of the correlated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless system. The precoder can be used along with any space-time block codes (STBC), which is an extension of Y. Zhao et al. (2004) . The optimal beamforming direction of the precoder is proved to match the structure of STBC and transmit correlation matrix. The optimal power allocation scheme is related to transmit correlation matrix, receive correlation matrix and STBC. The quasi-orthogonal space-time block codes (QSTBC) is taken as an illustration to investigate the performance of the optimal precoder
Incremental knowledge-based partial discharge diagnosis in oil-filled power transformers

The abstraction of meaningful diagnostic information from raw condition monitoring data in domains where diagnostic expertise and knowledge is limited presents a significant research challenge. This paper proposes a means of abstracting the salient features required to characterize partial discharge (PD) activity detected in oil-filled power transformers. This enables ultra high frequency (UHF) sensor data to be interpreted and translated into a meaningful diagnostic explanation of the observed PD activity. Plant data captured from UHF sensors forms the inputs to a knowledge-based data interpretation system, supporting on-line plant condition assessment and insulation defect diagnosis. The paper describes the functionality of a knowledge-based decision support system, providing engineers with a comprehensive diagnostic explanation of partial discharge activity detected in oil-filled power transformers. The diagnostic output can then be used to advise the engineer in (and potentially automate) the classification and location of partial discharge defect sources
Identification of molecular determinants of channel gating in the transient receptor potential box of vanilloid receptor I

Transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor subtype I (TRPV1) is an ion channel gated by physical and chemical stimuli that belongs to the TRPV protein family. TRPV receptors contain a highly conserved, 6‐mer segment near the channel gate, known as the TRP box, whose function remains unknown. Here, we performed an alanine scanning mutagenesis of the TRP box of TRPV1 (IWKLQR) and found that mutation of this motif affected channel gating by raising the free energy of channel activation. Functional characterization of TRPV1 mutants showed that substitution of I696, W697, and R701 by alanine severely affected voltage‐ and heat‐dependent activation and notably reduced the capsaicin responsiveness and tachyphylaxia, while mutation of K698, L699, and Q700 had minor effects. In addition, mutation of I696 to alanine promoted a strong outward rectification at negative membrane potentials, and slowed the kinetics of channel activation. Taken together, our findings suggest that modification of I696, W697, and R701 to alanine altered channel function by affecting events downstream of the initial stimuli‐sensing step and imply that inter‐subunit interactions within the TRP box play an important role in TRPV1 gating. —Valente, P., García‐Sanz, N. , Gomis, A. , Fernández‐Carvajal, A. , Fernández‐Ballester, G. , Viana, F. , Belmonte, C. , and Ferrer‐Montiel, A. Identification of molecular determinants of channel gating in the transient receptor potential box of vanilloid receptor I. FASEB J. 22, 3298–3309 (2008)
Market Structure in the Network Age

E-commerce will undoubtedly change the way business is done. But as we have said elsewhere, “technology changes, economic laws do not. ” Despite the changes introduced by e-commerce, many of the fundamental principles of competition will still be relevant. In this paper I investigate three aspects of competition in ecommerce: marketing, interconnection, and price matching. In each case I will describe the phenomenon, illustrate its relevance for ecommerce, and describe some research issues raised.
Reward-based online routing and spectrum assignment in flex-grid optical networks

In this paper we propose an online, reward-based routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) method for multirate flex-grid optical networks. The method, denoted as MDP-RSA, is derived from a flex-grid optical link model based on the theory of Markov decision processes. Assuming that connections arrive randomly offering a reward to the system, the objective is to take the best decision on admission, routing and spectrum assignment for each incoming connection request, such that the rate of reward from the network is maximized. This is accomplished by only admitting connections that bring a positive reward gain to the network. For selected network scenarios, the reward loss (i.e. the ratio of the reward of rejected to offered connections) caused by the MDP-RSA is compared to that of an online scheme, which admits connections on the shortest path that fulfils the contiguity and continuity constraints. It is observed that the MDP-RSA yields a lower reward loss. Furthermore, it is shown how to provide grade of service control on individual connection classes. Compared to existing online RSA schemes, the MDP-RSA is much more flexible as the connection reward parameters can be tailored to different optimization objectives (e.g. maximization of either carried traffic or economic revenue).
Surgical management of giant secondary malignant fibrous histiocytoma following radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A case report and literature review

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is rare in the chest wall, particularly in patients who have undergone radiotherapy for primary nasopharyngeal cancer. In the present study, a case of MFH of the upper chest wall that appeared four years after initial radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx is reported. Furthermore, two-step surgical management was successfully performed consisting of i) tumor-reductive excision and ii) limb salvage surgery, including wide resection of the tumor mass, defect reconstruction of the chest wall using left latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap and dermatoplasty of the flap-supplied region. The progress of the clinical characteristics, the reasons for radiation-induced carcinogenesis, the treatment options and the prognostic factors of MFH are also reviewed. Finally, the importance of prevention and follow-up of this malignancy are highlighted and specific advice is offered.