Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a new wheat microarray from a durum wheat totipotent cDNA library used for a powdery mildew resistance study

Totipotent cDNA libraries representative of all the potentially expressed sequences in a genome would be of great benefit to gene expression studies. Here, we report on an innovative method for creating such a library for durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) and its application for gene discovery. The use of suitable quantities of 5-azacytidine during the germination phase induced the demethylation of total DNA, and the resulting seedlings potentially express all of the genes present in the genome. A new wheat microarray consisting of 4925 unigenes was developed from the totipotent cDNA library and used to screen for genes that may contribute to differences in the disease resistance of two near-isogenic lines, the durum wheat cultivar Latino and the line 5BIL-42, which are respectively susceptible and resistant to powdery mildew. Fluorescently labeled cDNA was prepared from the RNA of seedlings of the two near-isogenic wheat lines after infection with a single powdery mildew isolate under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. Hybridization to the microarray identified six genes that were differently expressed in the two lines. Four of the sequences could be assigned putative functions based on their similarity to known genes in public databases. Physical mapping of the six genes localized them to two regions of the genome: the centromeric region of chromosome 5B, where the Pm36 resistance gene was previously localized, and chromosome 6B.
How many Computer Scientists does it take to model a coee machine

This paper reviews a number of methodologies used in the development and verification of systems, with two aims: (i) provide a possible teaching path, and (ii) provide a starting point for teachers, PhD students, and researchers, to select the most appropriate method for a given purpose. Additionally, the paper aims at stimulating the discussion about this topic by providing an open wiki.
Motion and Region Detection for Effective Recursive Temporal Noise Reduction

This paper proposes a method to integrate motion and region information into a recursive temporal noise reduction filter for video signals. We also propose an artifact-robust motion detection algorithm suitable for noise reduction. It is based on local low-pass and maximum filters and on noise-adaptive global gray-level stabilization. Region information is obtained from difference frames resulting from the proposed motion detection. The detected motion and regions are then integrated to compute the temporal filter coefficients that reduce both noise and motion blur. Simulation results show that the proposed method increases the performance of recursive temporal filtering and achieves an average gain of 3.6 dB.
Coordinated scheduling in MIMO heterogeneous wireless networks using submodular optimization

Multiple transmission point (TP) coordination is an effective tool for managing interference in heterogeneous networks. Using network-level MIMO coordination among TPs, multiple TPs can transmit independent data streams to a single user. We formulate our scheduling problem as a utility optimization problem over the set of user-TP pairs in each subframe, in which each user can be served by multiple TPs. We first prove that this optimization problem is NP-hard. Then, we propose a new scheme based on the difference-of-submodular-function optimization approach. We evaluate our scheme using detailed simulation and demonstrate that it performs on par with a more computationally demanding successive convex approximation optimization scheme. Moreover, the proposed scheme performs within a reasonable percentage of the optimal solution (Table IV). We also study its performance with varying network topology and parameters.
Exponential Moving Average Model in Parallel Speech Recognition Training

As training data rapid growth, large-scale parallel training with multi-GPUs cluster is widely applied in the neural network model learning currently.We present a new approach that applies exponential moving average method in large-scale parallel training of neural network model. It is a non-interference strategy that the exponential moving average model is not broadcasted to distributed workers to update their local models after model synchronization in the training process, and it is implemented as the final model of the training system. Fully-connected feed-forward neural networks (DNNs) and deep unidirectional Long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are successfully trained with proposed method for large vocabulary continuous speech recognition on Shenma voice search data in Mandarin. The character error rate (CER) of Mandarin speech recognition further degrades than state-of-the-art approaches of parallel training.
CONSIDERATIONS ON WINDOW SWITCHING WITH THE BIORTHOGONAL MODULATED LAPPED TRANSFORM

The modulated lapped transform (MLT) can be regarded as the fundamental transform in the field of audio coding. The MLT is, however, an orthogonal tranform, which poses the limitation of the synthesis transform matrix being simply the transpose of the analysis transform matrix. This requires the analysis and synthesis window functions to be the same. It is possible to generalize the MLT into the biorthogonal modulated lapped transform (BMLT), and gain more flexibility in the choice of the analysis and synthesis window functions. It is further possible to adapt the BMLT window functions for example to tune the energy compaction of the analysis transform. This paper addresses the requirements of perfect reconstruction when the BMLT transform windows are varied in time.
Analogical Reasoning with a Synergy of WordNet and HowNet

WordNet and HowNet are large-scale lexical resources that adopt complementary perspectives toward semantic representation. WordNet is differential, inasmuch as it provides a rich taxonomic structure but little in the way of explicit propositional content. HowNet is constructive, and dedicates its representational energies to the explicit definition of relational structures for each lexico-conceptual entry. For purposes of analogy, no one approach is best. Rather, a synergy of both is required, since analogy is a knowledge-hungry process that demands both taxonomic richness and causally descriptive propositional structure. In this paper we consider how such a synergy might be achieved, and how it can be exploited to support a robust model of analogical reasoning.
A CHANDRA STUDY OF THE ROSETTE STAR-FORMING COMPLEX. II. CLUSTERS IN THE ROSETTE MOLECULAR CLOUD

We explore here the young stellar populations in the Rosette Molecular Cloud (RMC) region with high spatial resolution X-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which are effective in locating weak-lined T Tauri stars as well as disk-bearing young stars. A total of 395 X-ray point sources are detected, 299 of which (76%) have an optical or near-infrared (NIR) counterpart identified from deep FLAMINGOS images. From X-ray and mass sensitivity limits, we infer a total population of ∼1700 young stars in the survey region. Based on smoothed stellar surface density maps, we investigate the spatial distribution of the X-ray sources and define three distinctive structures and substructures within them. Structures B and C are associated with previously known embedded IR clusters, while structure A is a new X-ray-identified unobscured cluster. A high-mass protostar RMCX #89 = IRAS 06306+0437 and its associated sparse cluster are studied. The different subregions are not coeval but do not show a simple spatial-age pattern. Disk fractions vary between subregions and are generally ≲20% of the total stellar population inferred from the X-ray survey. The data are consistent with speculations that triggered star formation around the H ii region is present in the RMC, but do not support a simple sequential triggering process through the cloud interior. While a significant fraction of young stars are located in a distributed population throughout the RMC region, it is not clear if they originated in clustered environments.
Social Networking with Frientegrity: Privacy and Integrity with an Untrusted Provider

Today's social networking services require users to trust the service provider with the confidentiality and integrity of their data. But with their history of data leaks and privacy controversies, these services are not always deserving of this trust. Indeed, a malicious provider could not only violate users' privacy, it could equivocate and show different users divergent views of the system's state. Such misbehavior can lead to numerous harms including surreptitious censorship. In light of these threats, this paper presents Frientegrity, a framework for social networking applications that can be realized with an untrusted service provider. In Frientegrity, a provider observes only encrypted data and cannot deviate from correct execution without being detected. Prior secure social networking systems have either been decentralized, sacrificing the availability and convenience of a centralized provider, or have focused almost entirely on users' privacy while ignoring the threat of equivocation. On the other hand, existing systems that are robust to equivocation do not scale to the needs social networking applications in which users may have hundreds of friends, and in which users are mainly interested the latest updates, not in the thousands that may have come before. To address these challenges, we present a novel method for detecting provider equivocation in which clients collaborate to verify correctness. In addition, we introduce an access control mechanism that offers efficient revocation and scales logarithmically with the number of friends. We present a prototype implementation demonstrating that Frientegrity provides latency and throughput that meet the needs of a realistic workload.
One species with two biologies: Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the wild and in aquaculture

Today, over 94% of all adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are in the aquaculture niche and wild numbers continue to decline while aquaculture numbers increase. The developmental and evolutionary forces in the aquaculture or "domestic" niche are so unlike those in the wild niche that two distinct biologies are being created from the original Atlantic salmon species. We may now need to recognize a new biological entity — Salmo domesticus — and treat it as an "exotic" when it escapes into the wild. Escapement therefore raises important concerns about ecological and genetic impacts, both within and outside the native range of Salmo salar. This paper explains why escaped domestic Atlantic salmon have had an impact on wild Atlantic salmon populations and now threaten Pacific salmonids as well. A polarization of views between aquaculturists and environmentalists will not resolve the problems. The three interest groups in fisheries — aquaculture, biodiversity, and capture — must begin to work together if we are to take up the challenge of preserving biodiversity and if aquaculturists, who hold the future of Atlantic salmon in their hands, can be expected to willingly prevent further impacts from their industry. Resume : Aujourd'hui, 94 % des saumons de l'Atlantique (Salmo salar) adultes sont issus de l'aquaculture, et les effectifs de saumons sauvages continuent de decroitre tandis que les effectifs provenant de l'aquaculture augmentent. Les forces agissant sur le developpement et l'evolution des saumons d'aquaculture, ou des saumons « domestiques », sont si differentes de celles agissant sur les saumons sauvages que deux biologies distinctes se sont formees a partir du saumon atlantique d'origine. Nous pouvons aujourd'hui considerer une nouvelle entite biologique — Salmo domesticus — et la traiter comme une entite exotique quand elle s'echappe dans le milieu naturel. Le fait que des saumons d'aquaculture s'echappent dans le milieu naturel souleve des inquietudes importantes au chapitre des impacts ecologiques et genetiques tant a l'interieur qu'a l'exterieur de l'aire de repartition naturelle de Salmo salar. Le present article explique pourquoi les saumons atlantiques domestiques evades ont eu un impact sur les populations sauvages de l'espece et menacent maintenant aussi les salmonides du Pacifique. Les problemes ne trouveront pas de solution dans une polarisation des positions des aquaculteurs et des environnementalistes. Les trois groupes d'interets du secteur des peches — les aquaculteurs, les personnes qui se preoccupent de la biodiversite, et les pecheurs — doivent commencer a collaborer si nous voulons reussir a preserver la biodiversite et si nous voulons faire en sorte que les aquaculteurs, qui ont l'avenir du saumon atlantique en leur pouvoir, en arrivent a freiner volontairement les impacts de leur industrie. (Traduit par la Redaction) Gross 144
Process centric work breakdown structure for easing Software Project management challenges: Business case analysis example

Software Project management involves coordinating various aspects of a project in order to bring forth a positive result. There have been increasing challenges faced by Project Managers. The major challenges of project management include unrealistic deadlines, communication deficit, uncertain dependencies, failure to manage risk, not well-defined vision and goals, and invisibility of the final product. Meeting these challenges is very difficult and in many cases they are not met which eventually leads to the project failure. This situation is even worse where project dispersion is higher. Different studies reveal that an IT project is more likely to be unsuccessful than successful and 7 out of 10 IT projects fail in some respect. The process centric work breakdown structure (WBS) can play a very vital role in this regard to improve the situations significantly. Instead of hierarchical work breakdown structures as a tree, the process centric WBS takes whole software production process and splits whole process into smaller process units which take right set of inputs with the right set of standar, put right set of practices in place that eventualy produce the work products with expected standards and quality. This process centric work breakdown structure helps project Managers plan, estimate, monitor and control the project activities in greater accuracy and efficiency. In this article, Business Case Analysis phase of software projects has been taken as an example to demonstrate how process centric WBS can help for easing project management challenges.
A novel bounded cooperative multi-rate current-sharing control for parallel charging system with directed communication

In order to address the output current imbalanced problem of a parallel charging system with directed communication for energy storage type light rail vehicles, a cooperative current-sharing scheme is proposed in this paper. This parallel charging system is a non-identical nonlinear multi-agent systems with bounded input constraints by considering each charger as an agent. Each charger transmits the current state information to its neighbors via communication network, which can be modeled by a directed graph. Input-output feedback linearization is introduced to convert the current-sharing control of non-identical nonlinear parallel charging system into a first-order multi-rate integrator current consensus-tracking problem. To satisfy the boundedness of control input, a general saturation function is put forward to design the bounded cooperative current-sharing control law based on the nearest neighborhood rule. A novel Lyapunov candidate function depending on the communication topology is proposed to rigorously prove the cooperative current-sharing stability of closed-loop system, which is under the fixed directed topology provided that the digraph only has a directed spanning tree. Several charging schemes are compared and analyzed. The output current of parallel chargers can be balanced by adopting the proposed approach, which is verified by simulating a parallel charging test system.
Source-specific system identification

Many applications in audio communication require the identification of Loudspeaker-Enclosure-Microphone Systems (LEMS) with multiple inputs and outputs. The according computational complexity typically grows at least proportionally along the number of acoustic paths, which is the product of the number of loudspeakers and the number of microphones. Furthermore, the typical, highly correlated loudspeaker signals preclude an exact identification of the LEMS. To this end, a novel system identification scheme employing prior information from an object-based rendering system, e.g., Ambisonics [1,2] or Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) [3,4], is proposed. In this scheme, only a source-specific system from each virtual source to each microphone is identified adaptively and uniquely. This estimate for a source-specific system can then be transformed into a statistically optimal estimate of the LEMS, which could have been found by a computationally expensive direct LEMS estimation as well. The basic concept is extended to time-varying acoustic scenes and simulations of a WFS application confirm the validity of this novel approach for system identification.
A SURVEY ON ISOLATION OF BLACKHOLE ATTACK USING TRUST MANAGEMENT

MANET is a self methodized system comprised of mobile nodes without any infrastructure. MANET are at more imperil to attacks since it is dynamic in nature. To define and manage trust in a military MANET, we must cogitate the interface between the communication networks, and severe resource constraints such as computing power, energy, bandwidth, time etc and dynamics. Dynamics include changes in topology, mobility of the node, failure of the node and conditions for propagation channel. Therefore trust in MANET plays a vital role in the performance of MANET. MANET is vulnerable to several attacks. Black Hole attack is one of the attacks that advertise it for having the shortest route to destination node and then drops the entire packet that is coming from source node. In this paper, we have reviewed different solutions against Black hole attacks in Mobile Ad-Hoc networks and thoroughly compare these schemes to find out their various advantages and disadvantages based on trust evaluation and management.
Are Circles Communities? A Comparative Analysis of Selective Sharing in Google+

The audience of shared content in Social Media is often hard to determine. To protect users from over-sharing, several services provide a feature for grouping contacts. Communities, interest groups, and circles are common examples. In this work, we investigate the structural properties of the circles in Google+ in comparison to the well-known communities. Based on several data sets and scoring functions, we search for the specific characteristics of circles. Our findings indicate that circles indeed form a special substructure that clearly differs from community groups. While the internal connectivity of circles and communities appear fairly similar, circles admit a much enhanced intensity of external relations. Circles resemble communities to which a large number of external links have been added. Selective sharing in circles is thus less confined.
Introducing interactive help for reinforcement learners

The reinforcement learning problem is a very difﬁcult problem when considering real-size applications. To solve it, we think that many issues should be studied altogether. To achieve such an endeavor, we also think that it is quite common that human begins can provide help on-the-ﬂy to the reinforcement learner, that is when he/she sees how the learner is (mis)behaving, or could perform better than what it is currently performing. This work precisely aims at designing a principled way to help a reinforcement learner in such a context. We put the emphasis on the fact that the help being provided cannot be expected to be perfect (whatever “perfect” might mean here.).
Downregulation of miR-221/222 by a microRNA sponge promotes apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells through upregulation of PTEN

MicroRNA-221 and microRNA-222 (miR-221/222) have been identified as oncogenes and confirmed to be overexpressed in various types of cancer. However, the regulation mechanism of miR-221/222 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains to be fully elucidated. Previously, an miR-221/222 sponge was successfully constructed and its effect on the downregulation of miR-221/222 expression was investigated. In the present study, the dual luciferase reporter assay revealed a phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) deletion on chromosome 10 to be a target gene of miR-221/222. It was also demonstrated that miR-221/222 suppression by transfection with an miR-221/222 sponge in vitro resulted in upregulation of PTEN. Notably, the proliferation and invasiveness of the miR-221/222 sponge-transfected cells was significantly inhibited, while apoptosis was promoted, when determined by Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell assays and flow cytometry. The results of the present study prove that miR-221/222 may downregulate the expression of PTEN in OSCC cells and function as oncogenes, providing a novel insight into the underlying mechanism of OSCC tumorigenesis. The present study suggests that upregulating the expression of PTEN by downregulation of miR-221/222 may be a potential treatment for OSCC.
Emodin-Loaded Magnesium Silicate Hollow Nanocarriers for Anti-Angiogenesis Treatment through Inhibiting VEGF

The applications of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment in ophthalmic fields to inhibit angiogenesis have been widely documented in recent years. However, the hydrophobic nature of many agents makes its delivery difficult in practice. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to introduce a new kind of hydrophobic drug carrier by employing nanoparticles with a hollow structure inside. Followed by the synthesis and characterization of magnesium silicate hollow spheres, cytotoxicity was evaluated in retina capillary endothelial cells. The loading and releasing capacity were tested by employing emodin, and the effect on VEGF expression was performed at the gene and protein level. Finally, an investigation on angiogenesis was carried on fertilized chicken eggs. The results indicated that the magnesium silicate nanoparticles had low toxicity. Emodin–MgSiO3 can inhibit the expression of both VEGF gene and protein effectively. Angiogenesis of eggs was also reduced significantly. Based on the above results, we concluded that magnesium silicate hollow spheres were good candidates as drug carriers with enough safety.
An asymptotic Lower Bound for the Maximal Number of Runs in a String

An asymptotic lower bound for the maxrun function ρ(n) = max {number of runs in string x | all strings x of length n} is presented. More precisely, it is shown that for any e > 0, (α−e)n is an asymptotic lower bound, where . A recent construction of an increasing sequence of binary strings “rich in runs” is modified and extended to prove the result.