Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the Q-Linear Convergence of Distributed Generalized ADMM Under Non-Strongly Convex Function Components

Solving optimization problems in multi-agent networks where each agent only has partial knowledge of the problem has become an increasingly important problem. In this paper, we consider the problem of minimizing the sum of $n$ convex functions. We assume that each function is only known by one agent. We show that generalized distributed alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) converges Q-linearly to the solution of the mentioned optimization problem if the overall objective function is strongly convex but the functions known by each agent are allowed to be only convex. Establishing Q-linear convergence allows for tracking statements that cannot be made if only R-linear convergence is guaranteed. In other words, in scenarios in which the objective functions are time-varying at the same scale as the algorithm is updated R-linear convergence is typically insufficient. Further, we establish the equivalence between generalized distributed ADMM and proximal exact first-order algorithm (P-EXTRA) for a sub-set of mixing matrices. This equivalence yields insights in the convergence of P-EXTRA when overshooting to accelerate convergence.
Covert timing channel detection method based on random forest algorithm

Network stealth events emerging in endless stream, covert timing channel is one of the most difficult means to prevent. In order to further improve the detection rate of the covert timing channel under the condition of small embedded information length. In this paper, the detection method based on SVM is analyzed. On the basis of the above analysis, adds a variety of statistical features, and a detection method based on random forest algorithm is proposed. The Inter-Packet Delay sequence of the covert timing channel is described from the statistical features of each order, and the above characteristics are used as the communication fingerprint of the covert channel. Then, the classifier based on the random forest algorithm is trained according to the communication fingerprint of the sample, and the classifier is used to judge whether the channel to be detected is the normal channel. The experimental results show that the method can effectively detect the covert timing channel in the case where the length of the embedded information is small. Compared with existing related works, this method has a certain rate of improvement, and the importance of the proposed statistical features are evaluated.
Bilirubin and oxidative stress in term and preterm infants

Abstract Hyperbilirubinemia is the most frequent clinical problem neonatologists must deal with during the newborn period. It has been suggested that bilirubin is involved in the balance between antioxidant and pro-oxidant agents due to its antioxidant properties. However, the relevance of these effects in vivo in term and preterm infants is still debated. We performed a literature review of studies that investigated the association between total serum bilirubin (TSB) and oxidative stress in newborn infants. We found that studies in term infants give contradictory results, while studies in preterm infants suggest that the TSB increase is associated with an oxidative stress increase due to concurrent factors other than bilirubin level, such as heme oxygenase (HO) activity. Moreover, it could be speculated that low physiologic TSB values are associated with antioxidant effects, while high pathologic TSB values are associated with pro-oxidant effects. Literature data do not allow the establishment of whether if the antioxidant properties of bilirubin are important from a clinical point of view and can affect the outcome in ill infants.
SynPaFlex-Corpus: An Expressive French Audiobooks Corpus dedicated to expressive speech synthesis.

This paper presents an expressive French audiobooks corpus containing eighty seven hours of good audio quality speech, recorded by a single amateur speaker reading audiobooks of different literary genres. This corpus departs from existing corpora collected from audiobooks since they usually provide a few hours of mono-genre and multi-speaker speech. The motivation for setting up such a corpus is to explore expressiveness from different perspectives, such as discourse styles, prosody, and pronunciation, and using different levels of analysis (syllable, prosodic and lexical words, prosodic and syntactic phrases, utterance or paragraph). This will allow developing models to better control expressiveness in speech synthesis, and to adapt pronunciation and prosody to specific discourse settings (changes in discourse perspectives, indirect vs. direct styles, etc.). To this end, the corpus has been annotated automatically and provides information as phone labels, phone boundaries, syllables, words or morpho-syntactic tagging. Moreover, a significant part of the corpus has also been annotated manually to encode direct/indirect speech information and emotional content. The corpus is already usable for studies on prosody and TTS purposes and is available to the community.
PEG-Like Design of Binary QC-LDPC Codes Based on Detecting and Avoiding Generating Small Cycles

In this paper, we propose a new multi-edge metric-constrained quasi-cyclic progressive edge-growth algorithm (MM-QC-PEGA), which is suitable for constructing both single- and multi-weighted (binary) QC low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes with arbitrary lengths, rates, circulant sizes, and variable node (VN)-degree distributions. The MM-QC-PEGA is able to detect all cyclic-edge-set-minimum-virtual cycles (CMVCs), as it accurately computes the metric value of each CMVC with an a posteriori test. In addition, we propose a new greatest-common-divisor (GCD)-approximation for time efficiently approximating the metric value of a CMVC without a posteriori tests, and propose a new GCD-approximated MM-QC-PEGA (G-MM-QC-PEGA) by using the GCD-approximation to replace the a posteriori test involved in the MM-QC-PEGA. As a result, the G-MM-QC-PEGA is faster than the MM-QC-PEGA, and the CMVCs undetectable to the G-MM-QC-PEGA under multi- and single-weighted QC-LDPC code graphs have minimum lengths of eight and ten, respectively. Moreover, we propose a new masking technique that is efficient in masking the parity-check matrix consisting of an array of arbitrary circulants of the same size. Compared with the several existing works, our proposed algorithms could perform better or comparably in terms of avoiding generating small cycles and error performances. Our proposed algorithms somewhat perfect the works of QC-LDPC code construction.
Hey Wait! I Just Thought of Something Else! Advaita and Clinical Hypnosis

While much has been made of the value of Buddhist mindfulness in clinical treatment, little attention has been given over to its parallels, if not antecedents in Hindu philosophy. Buddhist traditions in the vipassana, ch’an and zen tradition, and the practices associated, find their roots in Advaita philosophy and practice. This article looks at the useful/effective nature of Advaita and its specific application in clinical hypnosis. The linkage between traditional wisdom sources, psychological investigations of the self and contemporary hypnosis is articulated in the article which follows, and a case example, regarding clinical application, is provided.
Closing the Black-White Achievement Gap in High School: An Assessment of Evidence on Interventions to Improve Test Scores and College Prospects of African American Students

In this paper, we review policy levers that could potentially help close the achievement gap between African-American and white high school students, and draw on the literature to glean recommendations for superintendents, principals and education policy makers. We address, in turn: Policies to recruit and train teachers; policies to improve attendance, discipline and relationships among students and adults; policies to provide additional services to students; policies to increase the types of schools available to African-American teens; policies to engage parents and communities; and policies to effectively use data. In the end, students of all races benefit from good educational practices, adequate resources and strong support. Policies and interventions to improve the performance of African-American students will overlap significantly with those that would improve the performance of students of other races.
A Rapid Screen for Host-Encoded miRNAs with Inhibitory Effects against Ebola Virus Using a Transcription- and Replication-Competent Virus-Like Particle System

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may become efficient antiviral agents against the Ebola virus (EBOV) targeting viral genomic RNAs or transcripts. We previously conducted a genome-wide search for differentially expressed miRNAs during viral replication and transcription. In this study, we established a rapid screen for miRNAs with inhibitory effects against EBOV using a tetracistronic transcription- and replication-competent virus-like particle (trVLP) system. This system uses a minigenome comprising an EBOV leader region, luciferase reporter, VP40, GP, VP24, EBOV trailer region, and three noncoding regions from the EBOV genome and can be used to model the life cycle of EBOV under biosafety level (BSL) 2 conditions. Informatic analysis was performed to select up-regulated miRNAs targeting the coding regions of the minigenome with the highest binding energy to perform inhibitory effect screening. Among these miRNAs, miR-150-3p had the most significant inhibitory effect. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, and double fluorescence reporter experiments demonstrated that miR-150-3p inhibited the reproduction of trVLPs via the regulation of GP and VP40 expression by directly targeting the coding regions of GP and VP40. This novel, rapid, and convenient screening method will efficiently facilitate the exploration of miRNAs against EBOV under BSL-2 conditions.
Temporal transcriptional logic of dynamic regulatory networks underlying nitrogen signaling and use in plants

Significance Our study exploits time—the relatively unexplored fourth dimension of gene regulatory networks (GRNs)—to learn the temporal transcriptional logic underlying dynamic nitrogen (N) signaling in plants. We introduce several conceptual innovations to the analysis of time-series data in the area of predictive GRNs. Our resulting network now provides the “transcriptional logic” for transcription factor perturbations aimed at improving N-use efficiency, an important issue for global food production in marginal soils and for sustainable agriculture. More broadly, the combination of the time-based approaches we develop and deploy can be applied to uncover the temporal “transcriptional logic” for any response system in biology, agriculture, or medicine. This study exploits time, the relatively unexplored fourth dimension of gene regulatory networks (GRNs), to learn the temporal transcriptional logic underlying dynamic nitrogen (N) signaling in plants. Our “just-in-time” analysis of time-series transcriptome data uncovered a temporal cascade of cis elements underlying dynamic N signaling. To infer transcription factor (TF)-target edges in a GRN, we applied a time-based machine learning method to 2,174 dynamic N-responsive genes. We experimentally determined a network precision cutoff, using TF-regulated genome-wide targets of three TF hubs (CRF4, SNZ, and CDF1), used to “prune” the network to 155 TFs and 608 targets. This network precision was reconfirmed using genome-wide TF-target regulation data for four additional TFs (TGA1, HHO5/6, and PHL1) not used in network pruning. These higher-confidence edges in the GRN were further filtered by independent TF-target binding data, used to calculate a TF “N-specificity” index. This refined GRN identifies the temporal relationship of known/validated regulators of N signaling (NLP7/8, TGA1/4, NAC4, HRS1, and LBD37/38/39) and 146 additional regulators. Six TFs—CRF4, SNZ, CDF1, HHO5/6, and PHL1—validated herein regulate a significant number of genes in the dynamic N response, targeting 54% of N-uptake/assimilation pathway genes. Phenotypically, inducible overexpression of CRF4 in planta regulates genes resulting in altered biomass, root development, and 15NO3− uptake, specifically under low-N conditions. This dynamic N-signaling GRN now provides the temporal “transcriptional logic” for 155 candidate TFs to improve nitrogen use efficiency with potential agricultural applications. Broadly, these time-based approaches can uncover the temporal transcriptional logic for any biological response system in biology, agriculture, or medicine.
Pathogenesis of tuberculous meningitis.

hydrazide, etc. have shown marked curative effectonthedisease. However, despite the frequency and the importance of the meningitis, the pathogenesis itself still remains obscure and comparatively few papers have been presented about the pathological findings and the pathogenesis of the disease. In the previous publications, some opinions about this problem were recommended. Kmenti' had detail investigatjons and stated the irnportant r61e of the
Congenital heart disease: an overview of the condition and treatment options.

What is it? CDH consists of the triad of lung hypoplasia, incomplete formation of the diaphragm and herniation of the abdominal contents into the thorax. In about 90 percent of CDH patients, the hernia occurs on the left side, with the remainder occurring on the right side. Very few of these hernias occur bilaterally. Origtion that pulmonary hypoplasia is the cause, not the result, of the diaphragmatic hernia has opened new possibilities for therapy.
Cognitive robotics - active perception of the self and others

The paper describes constructive approach of active perception for anthropomorphic robots. The key idea is that a robot tries to identify a human's action as an own action based on the observation of action effects for objects. In the proposed framework, the active perception are decomposed into the three phases; (1) a robot voluntarily generates actions to discover the own body and other objects. Here the object is defined as what the robot can interact with. (2) the robot characterizes its own action with its effect for objects. (3) the robot identifies the human action as the own action. The mirrored perception of the own action and the human's action allows the robot to share motor intelligence with humans. The approach was evaluated in experiments with a humanoid robot equipped with multi sensory modalities such as vision, tactile, and proprioceptive sensing.
It's all Relative: Monocular 3D Human Pose Estimation from Weakly Supervised Data

We address the problem of 3D human pose estimation from 2D input images using only weakly supervised training data. Despite showing considerable success for 2D pose estimation, the application of supervised machine learning to 3D pose estimation in real world images is currently hampered by the lack of varied training images with associated 3D poses. Existing 3D pose estimation algorithms train on data that has either been collected in carefully controlled studio settings or has been generated synthetically. Instead, we take a different approach, and propose a 3D human pose estimation algorithm that only requires relative estimates of depth at training time. Such training signal, although noisy, can be easily collected from crowd annotators, and is of sufficient quality for enabling successful training and evaluation of 3D pose. Our results are competitive with fully supervised regression based approaches on the Human3.6M dataset, despite using significantly weaker training data. Our proposed approach opens the door to using existing widespread 2D datasets for 3D pose estimation by allowing fine-tuning with noisy relative constraints, resulting in more accurate 3D poses.
Preparation and Evaluation of a Novel Cationic Amphiphilic Lignin Derivative with High Surface Activity

A novel cationic amphiphilic lignin derivative with high surface activity was prepared from kraft lignin via the introduction of dehydroabietyl groups as lipophilic groups and diethylenetriamine groups as hydrophilic groups by the Mannich and ketone-amine condensation reactions. Solubility, surface tension, hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values, foamability, and zeta potential were used to evaluate the basic physico-chemical properties of the cationic amphiphilic lignin derivative. The experiments show that the solubility of the cationic amphiphilic lignin derivative is 2.10 wt%, the critical micelle concentration is 5.0 g•L-1, the surface tension is 29.85 mN•m-1 at a concentration of 5.0 g•L-1, the HLB value is 12, and the foam volume is 11.1 mL initially and 8.0 mL after standing for 5 min in an aqueous solution at pH 2.0.
BLEND: BLE Beacon-Aided Fast WiFi Handoff for Smartphones

Recently, WiFi has become irreplaceable wireless technology to support increasing mobile applications and data traffic. While today's smartphone users frequently use WiFi on the move, smartphone does not perform WiFi handoff to nearby access points (APs) even if signal quality is severely degraded. Such undesired operation of smartphone is known as sticky client problem. In this work, we focus on resolving sticky client problem through fast WiFi handoff. First, we analyze the causes of sticky client problem based on experiments with commercial Android smartphones by focusing on WiFi scanning and handoff operations. Note that smartphones and state-of-the-art APs are equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), we propose a practical solution, called BLEND, utilizing BLE to enable fast WiFi handoff. Smartphone acquires information about nearby APs through BLE advertising packet sent by APs, and then judiciously performs WiFi handoff. We implement BLEND on Android smartphones and demonstrate that BLEND achieves up to 61% and 111% higher throughput and video bitrate, respectively, compared with a commercial Android application. We also validate that BLEND operates on smartphone with negligible energy overhead.
Comparison of the Xpert Flu/RSV XC and Xpress Flu/RSV Assays

Molecular diagnostics for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have become commonplace, and various tests and systems have been cleared by the FDA for use in the United States. We performed a retrospective study to compare the Cepheid Xpress Flu/RSV assay with the Xpert Flu/RSV XC assay, using laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) as the reference method. ABSTRACT Molecular diagnostics for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have become commonplace, and various tests and systems have been cleared by the FDA for use in the United States. We performed a retrospective study to compare the Cepheid Xpress Flu/RSV assay with the Xpert Flu/RSV XC assay, using laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) as the reference method. The Xpress assay was 100% accurate compared to LDTs, whereas the Xpert Flu/RSV XC assay was 96.0% accurate. The Xpress test was determined to be faster and more sensitive than the XC assay.
Cultural Relevance of the Transtheoretical Model in Activity Promotion: Mexican-American Women’s use of the Process of Change

Hispanic women in the U.S. have disproportionately high rates of obesity and health disparities related to insufficient physical activity (PA). While the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is one of the most commonly used behavioral theories in interventions promoting PA, there is a lack of evidence to support the cultural relevance of theoretical constructs for increasing PA in Hispanic women. To learn about Hispanic women’s use and interpretation of the construct Processes of Change (POC) for increasing PA, we conducted focus groups with overweight/obese Mexican/Mexican-American females (N=13) ages 27-40 years. Major themes centered on the importance of children and family caretaking, social support, and PA to promote weight loss. Participants identified strategies they use to enact the POC for increasing PA such as retos (challenges), exercise as an alternative to eating, and clothing as a reward/reminder for PA. This study examined culture-specific factors used by Mexican-American women for becoming more physically active as they correspond to the theoretical constructs of the TTM. We showed that the POC examined in our study are culturally relevant and enacted by MexicanAmerican women for increasing PA, and are poised to be deployed in culturally appropriate PA promotion and weight loss interventions.
Habitat use by western purple-faced langurs (Colobinae: Trachypithecus vetulus nestor) in a fragmented suburban landscape

As natural habitats around the globe disappear, humans and non-human primates become increasingly engaged in complex interactions, both peaceful and hostile. Sri Lanka’s endemic western purple-faced langur Trachypithecus vetulus nestor persists in the majority of its range in complete sympatry with humans. Critically Endangered and one of the World’s Top 25 Most Endangered Primates, their survival appears dependent on the tolerance of humans with whom they coexist. Our aims were to augment the limited information on T. v. nestor focusing on group composition and behavioural adaptations in relation to its heavily fragmented habitat. Research was carried out in Talangama Wetlands, Sri Lanka in 2007. The 5 groups varied in size from 11 to 19 ind. Monkeys regularly used fences, rooftops, power lines, and agricultural trees. Two groups of 19 and 16 ind. had home ranges of 3.06 and 2.86 ha respectively. They consumed a variety of foods including fruits, showing dietary flexibility; the fruits and leaves of Arctocarpus heterophyllus were the langurs’ most frequently consumed foods. The langurs seem to be adapting to these human-modified environments. Notwithstanding, areas for concern include potentially fatal dangers when crossing between fragments, increasing human–primate conflict and inter-group conflict, and permanent genetic isolation.
Opportunistic resource blocks allocation for underlay D2D communications in 5G uplink network with awareness of BER constraint

In this paper we consider the radio resource management based interference mitigation in an uplink underlay D2D communications. A BER-aware opportunistic resource blocks allocation scheme is put forward as a candidate design for 5G systems. In this model the multi-sharing is enabled for a very big number of D2D pairs and cellular users. We provide a formulation of the optimization problem which is of Non Polynomial complexity. Then, we propose a heuristic solution that aims to maximize the overall system throughput while satisfying the BER-aware SINR constraint for both cellular and D2D users. The performance evaluation of our algorithm proves its ability to improve the spectrum sharing and fairness through spatial reuse gain.
Changing places: how the results of new field work in the Rubeho Mountains influence conservation priorities in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania

TheRubehoMountainsareapoorlystudiedmountainblock within the Eastern Arc Mountain range of Tanzania and Kenya. We present the results offield surveys for vertebrates undertaken during the period February 2000 to December 2002. One hundred and twelve man-days of surveys recorded 35 mammal, 107 bird, ten reptile and nine amphibian species, including eleven species endemic and sevennear-endemictotheEasternArc,withonespeciesnew to science. Of these, nine species are regarded as threatened with extinction. The new survey data significantly elevate the biological importance of the Rubehos within the Eastern Arc range. Further analyses highlight how the overall biological ranking of the Eastern Arc mountain blocks is correlated with survey effort. The majority of the forest habitat on the Rubehos is contained in three national (Central Government) Forest Reserves (Mang’alisa, Mafwomero and Ukwiva). Our surveys recorded high levels of disturbance to the foresthabitatinallthreereserves andwedrawattention to the need for additional conservation investment in this