Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Computation of the Network Reliability

It is known that a certain case of the all-terminal network reliability can be computed via the Tutte polynomial which is an invariant in graph theory. Recently, we have proposed a new approach of computing the Tutte polynomial of a graph of moderate size [9]. In this paper, by using it we analyze computation method of the general all-terminal network reliability and two-terminal network reliability with di erent edge deletion probability. In addition, to obtain the upper bound for the all-terminal network reliability, the polynomial-time algorithm of computing the Tutte polynomial for a complete graph [1] is applied to compute that reliability for a complete graph.
Using planar parallax to estimate the time-to-contact

To avoid collisions, mobile robots need a measure for assessing the proximity of obstacles. A measure that is well suited to this purpose is provided by the time-to-contact. In this paper, a novel method for estimating the time-to-contact is presented. The method is based on the assumption that the robot is moving on a locally planar ground, parts of which are visible in the acquired images. Using the optical flow field induced by the robot's motion, the time-to-contact with points on the ground is first estimated and then the concept of planar parallax is exploited to recover the time-to-contact with obstacle points. The computation of high order derivatives of the image flow, which are known to be very difficult to estimate accurately, is completely avoided. Moreover, no knowledge of the egomotion is necessary. Experimental results from the application of the method on real and simulated flow fields are also reported.
Hunter-Gatherer Inter-Band Interaction Rates: Implications for Cumulative Culture

Our species exhibits spectacular success due to cumulative culture. While cognitive evolution of social learning mechanisms may be partially responsible for adaptive human culture, features of early human social structure may also play a role by increasing the number potential models from which to learn innovations. We present interview data on interactions between same-sex adult dyads of Ache and Hadza hunter-gatherers living in multiple distinct residential bands (20 Ache bands; 42 Hadza bands; 1201 dyads) throughout a tribal home range. Results show high probabilities (5%–29% per year) of cultural and cooperative interactions between randomly chosen adults. Multiple regression suggests that ritual relationships increase interaction rates more than kinship, and that affinal kin interact more often than dyads with no relationship. These may be important features of human sociality. Finally, yearly interaction rates along with survival data allow us to estimate expected lifetime partners for a variety of social activities, and compare those to chimpanzees. Hadza and Ache men are estimated to observe over 300 men making tools in a lifetime, whereas male chimpanzees interact with only about 20 other males in a lifetime. High intergroup interaction rates in ancestral humans may have promoted the evolution of cumulative culture.
Nogo-A Inhibitory Peptide ( NEP 1-40 ) Increases Pan-Cadherin Expression Following Mild Cortical Contusion Injury in Rats Nogo-A ‹ nhibitör Peptidi ( NEP 1-40 )

BACKGROUND: Nogo-A is a myelin-associated neurite outgrowth inhibitory protein that limits elongation of central nerve fibers, neuronal regeneration and plasticity. We investigated the effect of delivering an inhibitory peptide that neutralizes Nogo-A on neuronal recovery following mild cortical contusion injury METHODS: 41 rats were allocated into the control and NEP1-40 treatment groups. PBS was applied following trauma over the parietal cortex after opening the dura in the control group. NEP1-40 solution was immediately applied following trauma after opening the dura in the treatment group. Each group was further divided into 3 subgroups and sacrificed on the third, eighth, and 21st days after injury. The brains were removed for analysis RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining of the injured cortex for pan-cadherin revealed a significant increase in staining in the NEP 1-40 treatment group at the 8th and 21st days after injury. Electron microscopic evaluation revealed better cytoarchitectural preservation in the axons of the animals treated with NEP 1-40 CONCLUSION: We observed improved preservation of injured neurons after topical application of NEP 1-40 following mild cortical injury. Pan-cadherin expression may correlate with the recovery of neurons and axonal bodies. Electron microscopical findings confirmed better preservation of neuronal structures after NEP1-40 treatment. Pan-cadherin is a good marker for neuronal recovery after cortical injury.
Fast Object Motion Estimation Based on Dynamic Stixels

The stixel world is a simplification of the world in which obstacles are represented as vertical instances, called stixels, standing on a surface assumed to be planar. In this paper, previous approaches for stixel tracking are extended using a two-level scheme. In the first level, stixels are tracked by matching them between frames using a bipartite graph in which edges represent a matching cost function. Then, stixels are clustered into sets representing objects in the environment. These objects are matched based on the number of stixels paired inside them. Furthermore, a faster, but less accurate approach is proposed in which only the second level is used. Several configurations of our method are compared to an existing state-of-the-art approach to show how our methodology outperforms it in several areas, including an improvement in the quality of the depth reconstruction.
Fast stochastic algorithm for simulating evolutionary population dynamics

MOTIVATION Many important aspects of evolutionary dynamics can only be addressed through simulations. However, accurate simulations of realistically large populations over long periods of time needed for evolution to proceed are computationally expensive. Mutants can be present in very small numbers and yet (if they are more fit than others) be the key part of the evolutionary process. This leads to significant stochasticity that needs to be accounted for. Different evolutionary events occur at very different time scales: mutations are typically much rarer than reproduction and deaths. RESULTS We introduce a new exact algorithm for fast fully stochastic simulations of evolutionary dynamics that include birth, death and mutation events. It produces a significant speedup compared to direct stochastic simulations in a typical case when the population size is large and the mutation rates are much smaller than birth and death rates. The algorithm performance is illustrated by several examples that include evolution on a smooth and rugged fitness landscape. We also show how this algorithm can be adapted for approximate simulations of more complex evolutionary problems and illustrate it by simulations of a stochastic competitive growth model.
A logic-based approach for computing service executions plans in peer-to-peer networks

Today, peer-to-peer services can comprise a large and growing number of services, e.g. search services or services dealing with heterogeneous schemas in the context of Digital Libraries. For a given task, the system has to determine suitable services and their processing order (execution plan). As peers can join or leave the network spontaneously, static execution plans are not sufficient. This paper proposes a logic-based approach for dynamically computing execution plans: Services are described in the DAML-S language. These descriptions are mapped onto Datalog. Finally, logical rules are applied on the service description facts for determining matching services and finding an optimum execution plan.
Modelling of Quality of Experience for Web Traffic

Surfing the Web is a practical task that is being used in activities that range from bank transactions to entertainment. Web technology is advancing in order to provide its users with better quality and advanced features. Based on networking parameters, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) want to ensure better Quality of Service for their customers. However, a question arises concerning the assessment of this Quality of Service, since, typically it depends on an ISP’s perspective, as to whether this is sufficient to infer a fair assessment of a user’s experience of the service when they are the direct users of the service. Therefore it may be meaningless if an ISP guarantees that the service is good but their users are not satisfied with it. Moreover, a user’s opinion, which is a subjective assessment, may not be a totally correct assessment either. In this paper we propose a new approach to measurement and analysis of Quality of Experience (QoE) where we objectively observe users' behaviour as they interact with the Web and infer their QoE. Thus our new model enables people to feedback their opinions by revealing the way in which they are interacting with the system rather than obtain an opinion via a subjective approach. This leads to the building of a measurement model that can be shown to represent a good correlation between objectively observed parameters and subjectively based parameters.
Intrauterine Growth Retardation Increases the Susceptibility of Pigs to High-Fat Diet-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Skeletal Muscle

It has been recognized that there is a relationship between prenatal growth restriction and the development of metabolic-related diseases in later life, a process involved in mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) increases the susceptibility of offspring to high-fat (HF) diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Recent findings suggested that HF feeding decreased mitochondrial oxidative capacity and impaired mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. Therefore, we hypothesized that the long-term consequences of IUGR on mitochondrial biogenesis and function make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Normal birth weight (NBW), and IUGR pigs were allotted to control or HF diet in a completely randomized design, individually. After 4 weeks of feeding, growth performance and molecular pathways related to mitochondrial function were determined. The results showed that IUGR decreased growth performance and plasma insulin concentrations. In offspring fed a HF diet, IUGR was associated with enhanced plasma leptin levels, increased concentrations of triglyceride and malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced glycogen and ATP contents in skeletal muscle. High fat diet-fed IUGR offspring exhibited decreased activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). These alterations in metabolic traits of IUGR pigs were accompanied by impaired mitochondrial respiration function, reduced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contents, and down-regulated mRNA expression levels of genes responsible for mitochondrial biogenesis and function. In conclusion, our results suggest that IUGR make the offspring more susceptible to HF diet-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
Common Property as a Concept in Natural Resources Policy

Institutions based on the concept "common property" have played socially beneficial roles in natural resources management from economic prehistory up to the present. These same institutions promise help in solving pressing resources problems in both the developed and the developing countries. It is all the more important that these institutions be the focus of an economic study because they have been misunderstood by modern day economists: We refer to the so-called "theory of common property resources" or what is often termed the "tragedy of the commons. "1 The extensive literature on the "theory of common property re-sources" accumulated over the past 20 years is summarized by the maxim "everybody's property is nobody's property. " That is, when a given natural resource is physically and legally accessible to more than one resource user, the result is said to be a free-for-all, with users competing with one another for a greater share of the resource to the detriment of themselves, the resource, and society as a whole. At one time or another, this idea has been applied to an array of resources including fisheries, grazing lands, forestry, groundwater, oil, air, campgrounds, and even highways and the radio spectrum. Students of these resources maintain that the "common property condition" is largely to blame for a host of social ills including re-were helpful in a variety of ways during the preparation of this paper. 1. The literature in economics is large. Recent examples, some of which provides extensive references to the earlier literature include:
Machine learning for tongue diagnosis

Tongue diagnosis is an important inspection method in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this paper, we investigate machine learning techniques for tongue diagnosis. To do this, we first identify tongue properties and classes. In tongue property identification, we identify 21 properties from tongue substance and coating, whereas in tongue classification, we derive 24 tongue classes. Machine learning techniques are then applied to a tongue dataset. In performance analysis, we use the Weka machine learning environment for conducting the experiment. Five different machine learning algorithms including ID3, J48, Naive Bayes, BayesNet and SMO are used and applied to a tongue dataset of 457 instances. The performance results have shown that the Support Vector Machine algorithm SMO has the best performance for tongue diagnosis based on accuracy and Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC).
A Fast Wavelet Multilevel Approach to Total Variation Image Denoising

In this paper we present an adaptive multilevel total variational (TV) method for image denoising which utilizes TV partial differential equation (PDE) models and exploits the multiresolution properties of wavelets. The adaptive multilevel TV method provides fast adaptive wavelet-based solvers for the TV model. Our approach employs a wavelet collocation method applied to the TV model using two-dimensional anisotropic tensor product of Daubechies wavelets. The algorithm inherently combines the denoising property of wavelet compression algorithms with that of the TV model, and produces results superior to each method when implemented alone. It exploits the edge preservation property of the TV model to reduce the oscillations that may be generated around the edges in wavelet compression. In contrast with previous work combining TV denoising with wavelet compression, the method presented in this paper treats the numerical solution in a novel way which decreases the computational cost associated with the solution of the TV model. We present a detailed description of our method and results which indicate that a combination of wavelet based denoising techniques with the TV model produces superior results, for a fraction of the computational cost.
Robust Recognition of Specific Human Behaviors in Crowded Surveillance Video Sequences

We describe a method that can detect specific human behaviors even in crowded surveillance video scenes. Our developed system recognizes specific behaviors based on the trajectories created by detecting and tracking people in a video. It detects people using an HOG descriptor and SVM classifier, and it tracks the regions by calculating the two-dimensional color histograms. Our system identifies several specific human behaviors, such as running and meeting, by analyzing the similarities to the reference trajectory of each behavior. Verification techniques such as backward tracking and calculating optical flows contributed to robust recognition. Comparative experiments showed that our system could track people more robustly than a baseline tracking algorithm even in crowded scenes. Our system precisely identified specific behaviors and achieved first place for detecting running people in the TRECVID 2009 Surveillance Event Detection Task.
Multinationals' Location Choice, Agglomeration Economies and Public Incentives

We study the regional location of multidimensionals in Ireland since the 1970s by focusing on the role played by agglomeration economies and public incentives intent on dispersing industrial activity to the more disadvantaged areas of Ireland. We find that regional policy has only been effective in attracting low-tech firms to the disadvantaged areas during the time when there was a much more laissez-faire approach to regional policy and when the primary industrial policy emphasis was on attracting hi-tech firms into Ireland in general. Our results also show that hi-tech firms spread more evenly across the country and that urbanization economies were for these firms a more important locational determinant than public incentives.
Physician Gender and Lifestyle Counselling to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease: A Nationwide Representative Study

Background Primary care physicians (PCPs) have a key role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, it is not clear whether lifestyle counselling behaviour differs between female and male PCPs. Nonetheless, this information might be helpful to develop need-based advanced training for female and male PCPs. Therefore, our aim was to identify potential gender differences in the implementation of health promotion and the prevention of CVD in primary care. Design and Methods In a Germany-wide survey called the ÄSP-kardio Study, we collected data from 4074 PCPs (40% female; from October 2011 to March 2012). We compared the provision of prevention measures, the attitude towards counselling, and the potential barriers in counselling among female and male German PCPs. We used chi2 tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regression analysis. Results We found differences in all of the above-mentioned aspects. Female PCPs were less likely to perceive barriers than male and more likely to ask patients about lifestyle, for example, nutrition (OR=1.62, P≤0.001). Additionally, female PCPs were more likely to feel well prepared (84.2% vs. 76.0%, P≤0.001) and successful (75.6% vs. 68.0%, P≤0.001). Male PCPs were more likely to mention barriers in daily practice that hinder lifestyle counselling. Conclusions Overall, both female and male PCPs had a positive attitude towards lifestyle counselling. Nevertheless, in view of the barriers that they indicated, incentives such as better reimbursement may help output-oriented PCPs to translate their positive attitude into action. Moreover, awareness of gender differences may help PCPs to acquire the specific advanced training that they need for effective lifestyle counselling in CVD. Significance for public health Lifestyle counselling is an important instrument to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. Here, primary care physicians (PCPs) play an important role as health advisors. Our study was able to identify deficits in the health promotion behaviour of PCPs. Because of the gender differences revealed in our study, male PCPs in particular should be sensitized to the importance and the potentials of prevention and health promotion. Overcoming the barriers of prevention and health promotion identified by the PCPs may be an important starting point. If, for instance, PCPs were better financially compensated for offering lifestyle counselling, which was rated as the most important barrier, it is conceivable that more PCPs would start to incorporate such measures into their daily routine. Additionally, a stronger focus on prevention and health promotion during advanced training programs for PCPs could increase the use of lifestyle counselling.
Identification of the Web Services starting from the existing Web applications

The paper is an attempt to explore some of the principal obstacles of company's interoperability through the use of existing technologies. We present the needs of the technologies and approaches for building new web-services from a workflow of existing web-applications. We primary interested, by the problems of reverse engineering of the existing conceptual models of the Web-applications in functional specifications Web-based Service. The proposed approach is summarized as follows: We first propose a method of classification existing Web-applications. Then, we present a step of decomposition of these Web-applications for identify a high level of granularity and reuse of logics functionality. Next, we propose software of model transformation and we briefly present evaluation of existing software of model transformation according to offer functionality.
A Study of the Hierarchical Culture Gaps Within Unionized Utilities Companies

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to measure the culture gaps between hierarchical subgroups within unionized utilities companies. We conducted a mixed methods study. Using archival survey data, we compared hierarchically-defined subgroups’ perceptions of performance-linked culture traits within five unionized utilities companies. We later conducted interviews and focus groups, followed by qualitative coding and analysis. As compared to non-union employees, union employees viewed their companies as substantially less involving, consistent, adaptable, and clear about purpose and direction. Our qualitative analysis highlighted two prior management decisions as illustrative of the contrast between high and low levels of union involvement and clarity. Culture scholars and practitioners have suggested that leaders must align subcultures where they exist. Our study demonstrates large culture gaps between union employees and other subgroups and suggests that management’s involvement of the workforce in strategic decisions may have unique consequences for how subgroups perceive and interpret the culture.
Multiuser zero forcing relaying with noisy channel state information [wireless ad hoc network applications]

We consider a wireless ad hoc network with single antenna nodes under a two-hop relay traffic pattern. Some of the nodes in the network form source/destination pairs, while the other nodes serve as amplify and forward relays. The relay gains are assigned such that the interference between different source/destination links is nulled (multiuser zero forcing relaying). This essentially realizes a spatial multiplexing gain with distributed single antenna nodes. We introduce a specific zero forcing gain allocation and give comprehensive performance results, which include the impact of noisy channel state information and time variant channel coefficients. One of our most intriguing results shows that in a typical indoor scenario (delay spread<500 ns) multiuser zero forcing relaying at 5 GHz and pedestrian speed achieves a six fold increase in the sum rate of the network, even if we take the overhead for the measurement and the dissemination of the channel matrices into account.
A Comparison of the Performance of List Ranking and Connected Components Algorithms on SMP and MTA Shared-Memory Systems

Irregular problems such as those from graph theory pose serious challenges for parallel machines due to non-contiguous accesses to global data structures with low degrees of locality. Few parallel graph algorithms on distributedor shared-memory machines can outperform their best sequential implementation due to long memory latencies and high synchronization costs. In this paper, we consider the performance and scalability of two important combinatorial algorithms, list ranking and connected components, on two types of shared-memory computers: symmetric multiprocessors (SMP) such as the Sun Enterprise servers and multithreaded architectures (MTA) such as the Cray MTA-2. Previous studies show that for SMPs performance is primarily a function of non-contiguous memory accesses, whereas for the MTA, it is primarily a function of the number of concurrent operations. We present a performance model for each machine, and use it to analyze the performance of the two algorithms. We compare the models for SMPs and the MTA and discuss how the difference affects algorithm development, ease of programming, performance, and scalability.