Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishing recommendation trust relationships for internetwares

Internetware is a kind of significant emerging software systems built upon the coordination of autonomous, heterogeneous, and distributed software entities in the Internet. For the openness and dynamism of Internetwares, there are no central controllers existing to choose reliable software entities for them. Recently some distributed systems apply recommendation as the evidence to choose reliable entities, which may be a new approach suitable for internetwares. However, how to establish the recommendation trust relationships (RTR) among entities in the Internet dynamically is a very hard problem. This paper proposes an approach based on the relevant experiences to establish RTR among software entities dynamically during the runtime of internetwares. The main work includes: (1) providing a general approach to quantify trust and a description for experiences; (2) presenting an approach to evaluate recommendations based on the idea of hypothesis testing in statistics; (3) evolving the RTR based on the evaluations by considering history information and information quantity of interactions. It will be a beneficial contribution to the reliability and evolution of internetwares. A simulation is conducted to verify the rationality and validity of the approach at the end of the paper.
ANALYSIS OF ORAL AND NASAL VOWEL REALISATION IN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN FRENCH VARIETIES

We present data on the pronunciation of oral and nasal vowels in northern and southern French varieties. In particular a sharp contrast exists in the fronting of the open /O/ towards [œ] in the North and the denasalisation of nasal vowels in the South. We examine how linguistic changes in progress may affect these vowels, which are governed by the left/right context and bring to light differences between reading and spontaneous speech. This study was made possible by automatic phoneme alignment on a large corpus of over 100 speakers.
A novel 2D shape matching algorithm based on B-spline modeling

This paper presents a novel algorithm for 2D planar curve recognition based on B-spline modeling. It combines the advantages of the B-spline which are continuous curve representation and affine invariant, and the robustness of the CSS (curvature scale space) matching with respect to noise and affine transformation. It solves the problem of the nonuniqueness of the B-spline in curve matching. A new algorithm, which contains degree increase and reduction, is proposed for smoothing the B-spline and constructing the CSS image. The proposed algorithm has been tested and good performance has been obtained.
Entorhinal Cortex Lesion in Adult Rats Induces the Expression of the Neuronal Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Neurocan in Reactive Astrocytes

The chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan neurocan is a major component of brain extracellular matrix during development. Neurocan is primarily synthesized by neurons and has the ability to interact with cell adhesion molecules involved in the regulation of cell migration and axonal growth. Within the first weeks postnatally, neurocan expression is strongly downregulated. To test whether neurocan is reexpressed in areas of axonal growth (sprouting) after brain injury, the time course of neurocan expression was analyzed in the denervated fascia dentata of the rat after entorhinal cortex lesion (12 hr; 1, 2, 4, and 10 d; 2 and 4 weeks; and 6 months after lesion). In the denervated zone, immunohistochemistry revealed neurocan-positive astrocytes by 2 d after lesion and a diffuse labeling of the extracellular matrix at all later time points. Electron microscopy confirmed the deposition of neurocan in the extracellular matrix compartment. In situ hybridization demonstrated a strong upregulation of neurocan mRNA within the denervated outer molecular layer 1 and 4 d after lesion. The combination of in situ hybridization with immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein demonstrated that the neurocan mRNA-expressing cells are astrocytes. These data demonstrate that neurocan is reexpressed in the injured brain. In contrast to the situation during development, astrocytes, but not neurons, express neurocan and enrich the extracellular matrix with this molecule. Similar to the situation during development, neurocan is expressed in an area of active axon growth, and it is suggested that neurocan acts to maintain the boundaries of the denervated fascia dentata after entorhinal cortex lesion.
Testing for Unit Roots Using Economics 1 Rómulo

This paper considers the economic implications of having a unit root (UR) on the stochastic process of variables such as consumption or GDP. Using a variety of models, we develop indirect tests for unit roots based on sharp distinctions that should arise when the scale variable is di¤erence stationary (DS) or trend stationary (TS). We show that these tests do not feature the undesirable size-power trade-o¤ that characterizes traditional UR tests and apply them to a range of countries.
Challenges and Opportunities for High Frequency InP Integrated Circuits

Short-Abstract—Recent advances in InP semiconductor device design and high-yield processing have led to the demonstration of transistors with power gain cut-off frequencies (fmax) greater than 1 THz. More importantly, the devices are supported by low-loss interconnects, accurate models and robust design kits. Employing a systematic design methodology that includes significant EM and thermal modeling, we have demonstrated circuit components for transceivers up to 670 GHz and power amplifiers with >100mW of output power operating at 230 GHz. Insertion of these high frequency chips requires additional breakthroughs in packaging, and thermal management. Other applications of the technology would allow the high gain-bandwidth to be traded for high dynamic range and efficiency at mmWave frequencies.
Competition and regulation in a wireless operator market: An evolutionary game perspective

We consider a communication market where a set of wireless operators compete over a large common pool of users. The latter have a reservation utility of U0 units or, equivalently, an alternative option to satisfy their communication needs. The operators must satisfy these minimum requirements in order to attract the users. In this setting, we analyze how the users select operators and how the operators compete for the users. We identify the critical system parameters and study how they affect the market operation. We model the users decisions and interaction as an evolutionary game and the competition among the operators as a noncooperative pricing game which is proved to be a potential game. For each set of prices selected by the operators, the evolutionary game attains a different stationary point. We show that the outcome of both games depends on the reservation utility of the users and the amount of spectrum W the operators have at their disposal. We express the market welfare and the revenue of the operators as functions of these two parameters. Accordingly, we consider the scenario where a regulating agency is able to intervene and change the outcome of the market by tuning W and/or U0. Different regulators may have different objectives and criteria according to which they intervene. We analyze the various possible regulation methods and discuss their requirements, implications and impact on the market.
An Efficient Protocol for Negotiation over Combinatorial Domains with Incomplete Information

We study the problem of agent-based negotiation in combinatorial domains. It is difficult to reach optimal agreements in bilateral or multi-lateral negotiations when the agents' preferences for the possible alternatives are not common knowledge. Self-interested agents often end up negotiating inefficient agreements in such situations. In this paper, we present a protocol for negotiation in combinatorial domains which can lead rational agents to reach optimal agreements under incomplete information setting. Our proposed protocol enables the negotiating agents to identify efficient solutions using distributed search that visits only a small subspace of the whole outcome space. Moreover, the proposed protocol is sufficiently general that it is applicable to most preference representation models in combinatorial domains. We also present results of experiments that demonstrate the feasibility and computational efficiency of our approach.
Agricultural Price Distortions, Inequality, and Poverty

For decades, the earnings from farming in many developing countries have been depressed because of a pro-urban, anti-agricultural bias in own-country policies and because governments in more well off countries are favoring their farmers by imposing import barriers and providing subsidies. These policies have reduced national and global economic welfare, inhibited economic growth, and added to inequality and poverty because no less than three-quarters of the billion poorest people in the world have been dependent directly or indirectly on farming for their livelihoods (World Bank 2007). The purpose of the rest of this chapter is to outline the analytical framework and the common empirical methodology adopted in the global and national case studies reported in subsequent chapters, to summarize and compare the modeling results from the global and national models, and to draw some general policy implications. The findings are based on three chapters (part two) that each use a global model to examine the effects of farm and nonfarm price and trade policies on global poverty and the distribution of poverty within and across many of the countries identified, plus ten individual developing-country studies (parts three-five) spanning the three key regions: Asia (where nearly two-thirds of the world's poor live), Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
Autonomic parallel Data Stream Processing

Data Stream Processing (DaSP) is a recent and highly active research field, applied in various real world scenarios. Differently than traditional applications, input data is seen as transient continuous streams that must be processed “on the fly”, with critical requirements on throughput, latency and memory occupancy. A parallel solution is often advocated, but the problem of designing and implementing high throughput and low latency DaSP applications is complex per se and because of the presence of multiple streams characterized by high volume, high velocity and high variability. Moreover, parallel DaSP applications must be able to adapt themselves to data dynamics in order to satisfy desired QoS levels. The aim of our work is to study these problems in an integrated way, providing to the programmers a methodological framework for the parallelization of DaSP applications.
Low Pay and Household Poverty During Ireland’s Economic Boom

For a long time in-work poverty was not associated with European welfare states. Recently, the topic has gained relevance as welfare state retrenchment and international competition in globalized economies has put increasing pressures on individuals and families. This book provides explanations as to why in-work poverty is high in certain countries and low in others.
A computer program for fast non-LTE analysis of interstellar line spectra With diagnostic plots to interpret observed line intensity ratios

Abstract: The large quantity and high quality of modern radio and infrared line observations require efficient modeling techniques to infer physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, density, and molecular abundances. We present a computer program to calculate the intensities of atomic and molecular lines produced in a uniform medium, based on statistical equilibrium calculations involving collisional and radiative processes and including radiation from background sources. Optical depth effects are treated with an escape probability method. The program is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.sron. rug.nl/~vdtak/radex/index.shtml . The program makes use of molecular data files maintained in the Leiden Atomic and Molecular Database (LAMDA), which will continue to be improved and expanded. The performance of the program is compared with more approximate and with more sophisticated methods. An Appendix provides diagnostic plots to estimate physical parameters from line intensity ratios of commonly observed molecules. This program should form an important tool in analyzing observations from current and future radio and infrared telescopes. Note: Accepted by AA 18 A4 pages, 11 figures;
Glycine receptors: recent insights into their structural organization and functional diversity

Strychnine‐sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs) are known to mediate synaptic inhibition in spinal cord, brainstem and other regions of the CNS. During the past 5 years, considerable progress has been made in delineating structural determinants of ligand binding and channel activation in recombinant GlyRs. Furthermore, immunohistochemical and gene inactivation studies have disclosed distinct distributions and functions of differentially expressed GlyR subtypes in retina, hippocampus and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Accordingly, GlyRs regulate not only the excitability of motor and sensory neurones, but are also essential for the processing of photoreceptor signals, neuronal development and inflammatory pain sensitization. Hence, these receptors constitute promising targets for the development of clinically useful compounds.
Evidence for Tidal Interactions and Mergers as the Origin of Galaxy Morphology Evolution in Compact Groups

We present the results of a morphological study based on NIR images of 25 galaxies, with different levels of nuclear activity (star formation or AGN), in eight compact groups (CGs) of galaxies. We independently perform two different analyses: a study of the deviations of the isophotal levels from pure ellipses and a study of morphological asymmetries. The results yielded by the two analyses are highly consistent. For the first time, it is possible to show that deviations from pure ellipses are produced by inhomogeneous stellar mass distributions related to galaxy interactions and mergers. We find evidence of mass asymmetries in 74% of the galaxies in our sample. In 59% of these cases, the asymmetries come in pairs and are consistent with tidal effects produced by the proximity of companion galaxies. The symmetric galaxies are generally small in size or mass and inactive, and have an early-type morphology. They may have already lost their gas and least-attached envelope of stars to their more massive companions. In 20% of the galaxies we find evidence for cannibalism: a big galaxy swallowing a smaller companion. In 36% of the early-type galaxies the color gradient is positive (blue nucleus) or flat. Summing up these results, as much as 52% of the galaxies in our sample could show evidence of an ongoing or past merger. Our observations also suggest that galaxies in CGs merge more frequently under "dry" conditions (that is, once they have lost most of their gas). The high frequency of interacting and merging galaxies observed in our study is consistent with the bias of our sample toward CGs of type B, which represent the most active phase in the evolution of the groups. In these groups we also find a strong correlation between asymmetries and nuclear activity in early-type galaxies. This correlation allows us to identify tidal interactions and mergers as the cause of galaxy morphology transformation in CGs.
Motoneurons Derived from Embryonic Stem Cells Express Transcription Factors and Develop Phenotypes Characteristic of Medial Motor Column Neurons

Embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate into functional motoneurons when treated with a sonic hedgehog (Shh) agonist and retinoic acid (RA). Whether ES cells can be directed to differentiate into specific subtypes of motoneurons is unknown. We treated embryoid bodies generated from HBG3 ES cells with a Shh agonist and RA for 5 d in culture to induce motoneuron differentiation. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression was used to identify putative motoneurons, because eGFP is expressed under the control of the Hb9 promoter in HBG3 cells. We found that 96 ± 0.7% of the differentiated eGFP+ motoneurons expressed Lhx3, a homeobox gene expressed by postmitotic motoneurons in the medial motor column (MMCm), when the treated cells were plated on a neurite-promoting substrate for 5 d. When the treated embryoid bodies were transplanted into stage 17 chick neural tubes, the eGFP+ motoneurons migrated to the MMCm, expressed Lhx3, projected axons to the appropriate target for MMCm motoneurons (i.e., epaxial muscles), and contained synaptic vesicles within intramuscular axonal branches. In ovo and in vitro studies indicated that chemotropic factors emanating from the epaxial muscle and/or surrounding mesenchyme likely guide Lhx3+ motoneurons to their correct target. Finally, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of transplanted ES cell-derived motoneurons demonstrated that they received synaptic input, elicited repetitive trains of action potentials, and developed passive membrane properties that were similar to host MMCm motoneurons. These results indicate that ES cells can be directed to form subtypes of neurons with specific phenotypic properties.
Influence of Individual Perceptions and Bicycle Infrastructure on Decision to Bike

The focus of this study is on the opportunities and challenges presented to cyclists on and around the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. A web-based survey was conducted to understand the travel patterns and the specific issues regarding bicyclists. The survey included questions about possible bicycle infrastructure improvements, policy, and program innovations to assess the perceptions of the campus community regarding these changes. The findings of this survey, conducted to understand cyclists’ travel patterns and identify their issues and concerns, are discussed. Both nonbicycle commuters and bicycle commuters agreed that bicycle lanes, trails, and paths would encourage them to ride a bike (or ride more often) to the campus. Discrete choice models are estimated to model the commuters’ mode to campus. The findings of the models suggest that people are more sensitive to time for nonmotorized modes and women are less likely to ride a bicycle. Those who perceive walking and biking as a form of exercise and identify flexibility of departure time as an important factor in their mode choice are more likely to ride a bicycle. Those more likely to choose to drive an automobile to campus assume that they do not have other options to commute to campus. Policies designed to promote the use of bicycle transportation on and to the campus based on these findings are presented. The results of this study will help practitioners and campus transportation planners understand the reasons that prevent people from bicycling and evaluate the transportation improvements that may be considered to achieve bicycle-friendly campuses.
Preliminary evaluation of an analog procedure to assess acceptability of intimate partner violence against women: the Partner Violence Acceptability Movie Task

Acceptability of partner violence against women is a risk factor linked to its perpetration, and to public, professionals’ and victims’ responses to this behavior. Research on the acceptability of violence in intimate partner relationships is, however, limited by reliance solely on self-reports that often provide distorted or socially desirable accounts that may misrepresent respondents’ attitudes. This study presents data on the development and initial validation of a new analog task assessing respondents’ acceptability of physical violence toward women in intimate relationships: the Partner Violence Acceptability Movie Task (PVAM). This new analog task is intended to provide a more implicit measure of the acceptability of partner violence against women. For this analog task, clips were extracted from commercially available films (90-s segments) portraying partner violence. Two independent samples were used to develop and evaluate the PVAM: a sample of 245 undergraduate students and a sample of 94 male intimate partner violence offenders. This new analog task demonstrated acceptable internal consistency. Results also indicated adequate construct validity. Both perpetrators and undergraduates scoring high in the PVAM also scored higher in self-reported justifications of partner abuse. Perpetrators of partner violence scored significantly higher in acceptability of partner violence than the undergraduate sample (both male and female students), and male students scored higher than females. These preliminary results suggest that the PVAM may be a promising tool to assess the acceptability of violence in intimate partner relationships, highlighting the need to consider alternatives to self-report to evaluate potential beliefs about partner violence.
Guidelines for Evaluating GroundWater Flow Models

Ground-water flow modeling is an important tool frequently used in studies of ground-water systems. Reviewers and users of these studies have a need to evaluate the accuracy or reasonableness of the ground-water flow model. This report provides some guidelines and discussion on how to evaluate complex ground-water flow models used in the investigation of ground-water systems. A consistent thread throughout these guidelines is that the objectives of the study must be specified to allow the adequacy of the model to be evaluated.
Automated microaneurysm detection using mathematical morphology

Diabetes is one of the most rapidly increasing health threats worldwide. One of the further abnormalities is on retina (diabetic retinopathy). Early treatment can be conduct from detection of microaneurysms. The main concentration of this paper is the algorithm to detect microaneurysm with mathematical morphology. The mathematical morphology is choosen because microaneurysms tend to have typical shape. Generally, the algorithm is consist of three stages. The first is preprocessing, the second is detecting candidate microaneurysms, and the third is postprocessing handling the process of removing unused features. The performances is evaluated using the database from DIARETDB1 which provides ground truth collected from several experts and a strict evaluation protocol. The optimal performance will be satified when considering green channel obtaining, PAL size image processing, adaptive histogram equalization threshold at 0.03, canny edge detection threshold at 0.16, MAs and optimum microaneurysms size at 5 to 16 pixels.