Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A score test for linkage using identity by descent data from sibships

We consider score tests of the null hypothesis H 0 : θ = 1/2 against the alternative hypothesis H 1 : 0 < θ < 1/2, based upon counts multinomially distributed with parameters n and ρ(θ, π) 1×m = π 1×m T(θ) m×m , where T(θ) is a transition matrix with T(0) = I, the identity matrix, and T(1/2) = (1,., 1) T (α 1 ,…,α m ). This type of testing problem arises in human genetics when testing the null hypothesis of no linkage between a marker and a disease susceptibility gene, using identity by descent data from families with affected members. In important cases in this genetic context, the score test is independent of the nuisance parameter π and based on a widely used test statistic in linkage analysis. The proof of this result involves embedding the states of the multinomial distribution into a continuous-time Markov chain with infinitesimal generator Q. The second largest eigenvalue of Q and its multiplicity are key in determining the form of the score statistic. We relate Q to the adjacency matrix of a quotient graph in order to derive its eigenvalues and eigenvectors.
Task generation and compile-time scheduling for mixed data-control embedded software

The problem of optimal software synthesis for concurrent processes to be implemented on a single processor is addressed. The approach calls for the representation of the concurrent processes with Petri nets that give a theoretical foundation for the scheduling algorithm that sequentializes the concurrent processes and for the code generation step. The approach maximizes the amount of static scheduling to reduce the need of context switch and operating system intervention. Experimental results show the potential of our method to reduce software design time and errors.
The results of a modified Middlebrook-Dubos hemagglutination test in leprosy; 261 cases.

There is continuing interest in the diagnostic potentialities of the hemagglutination test for tuberculosis described by Middlebrook and Dubos in 1948 (6) and modified by Scott and Smith in 1950 (12). This test was initially described as a useful tool to aid the clinician in the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (9, 10, 12) . Middlebrook's emphasis has been on its usefulness in studying various immunologic processes in relation to tuberculosis. In December of 1950 this hospital supplied sera from 35 lepromatous patients to Dr. Leslie C. Murphy of the Brooke Army Medical Center (8), who was employing the Middlebrook test in diseases other than tuberculosis in an effort to evaluate its specificity. He found titers varying between 1:2 to 1 :512 in the Carville sera. Results of this test in leprosy patients have also been reported by Levine et al. in 1951 and 1952 (4, 5), and by Ahuir et al. of Spain (1). In Japan (3) Tajiri, Kawaguchi, Fukuda, and Arai have also reported on the test in leprosy. The present study was made primarily in order that the results of the hemagglutination test might be recorded in a larger group of leprosy patients than has been tested heretofore. A second objective was to observe any changes in titer which might occur in a small group of patients studied repeatedly during the course of a year, in different stages of the disease process and during various treatment regimens.
A Guide to Conducting Consensual Qualitative Research

The authors discuss the components of consensual qualitative research (CQR) using open-ended questions to gather data, using words to describe phenomena, studying a few cases intensively, recognizing the importance of context, using an inductive analytic process, using a team and making decisions by consensus, using auditors, and verifying results by systematically checking against the raw data. The three steps for conducting CQR are developing and coding domains, constructing core ideas, and developing categories to describe consistencies across cases (cross analysis). Criteria for evaluating CQR are trustworthiness of the method, coherence of the results, representativeness of the results to the sample, testimonial validity, applicability of the results, and replicability across samples. Finally, the authors discuss implications for research, practice, and training.
Exploring the influence of the surface resistance of nanoporous particles on molecular transport

Molecular transport through the nanoporous particles, in particular, zeolite crystallites, is influenced both by intracrystalline diffusion and surface resistance. In comparison to zeolite crystallites with ideal structure, molecular transport in real-world zeolite particles may often be influenced by the surface barriers resulting from various defects at the surface of the crystallite. The potentials of the combined use of the pulsed field gradient NMR and dynamic Monte Carlo simulations for exploration of the surface permeability of nanoporous particles are demonstrated.
Context- and scale-dependent effects of floral CO2 on nectar foraging by Manduca sexta

Typically, animal pollinators are attracted to flowers by sensory stimuli in the form of pigments, volatiles, and cuticular substances (hairs, waxes) derived from plant secondary metabolism. Few studies have addressed the extent to which primary plant metabolites, such as respiratory carbon dioxide (CO2), may function as pollinator attractants. Night-blooming flowers of Datura wrightii show transient emissions of up to 200 ppm above-ambient CO2 at anthesis, when nectar rewards are richest. Their main hawkmoth pollinator, Manduca sexta, can perceive minute variation (0.5 ppm) in CO2 concentration through labial pit organs whose receptor neurons project afferents to the antennal lobe. We explored the behavioral responses of M. sexta to artificial flowers with different combinations of CO2, visual, and olfactory stimuli using a laminar flow wind tunnel. Responses in no-choice assays were scale-dependent; CO2 functioned as an olfactory distance-attractant redundant to floral scent, as each stimulus elicited upwind tracking flights. However, CO2 played no role in probing behavior at the flower. Male moths showed significant bias in first-approach and probing choice of scented flowers with above-ambient CO2 over those with ambient CO2, whereas females showed similar bias only in the presence of host plant (tomato) leaf volatiles. Nevertheless, all males and females probed both flowers regardless of their first choice. While floral CO2 unequivocally affects male appetitive responses, the context-dependence of female responses suggests that they may use floral CO2 as a distance indicator of host plant quality during mixed feeding-oviposition bouts on Datura and Nicotiana plants.
Learning Information Retrieval Agents: Experiments with Automated Web Browsing

The current exponential growth of the Internet precipitates a need for new tools to help people cope with the volume of information. To complement recent work on creating searchable indexes of the World-Wide Web and systems for filtering incoming e-mail and Usenet news articles, we describe a system which helps users keep abreast of new and interesting information. Every day it presents a selection of interesting web pages. The user evaluates each page, and given this feedback the system adapts and attempts to produce better pages the following day. We present some early results from an AI programming class to whom this was set as a project, and then describe our current implementation. Over the course of 24 days the output of our system was compared to both randomly-selected and human-selected pages. It consistently performed better than the random pages, and was better than the human-selected pages half of the time.
Worst Practices for Domain-Specific Modeling

Interest in creating domain-specific modeling (DSM) languages is surging, but little guidance is available on how to do it right. Along with heeding best practices, learning what not to do-including how to handle common pitfalls and recognize troublesome areas-can help first-time developers. The authors have identified several worst practices based on an analysis of 76 DSM cases spanning 15 years, four continents, several tools, around 100 language creators, and projects with from three to more than 300 modelers. They present these worst practices in the order that language developers would encounter them over the life of a project.
Testing the Use of Egocentric Interactive Techniques in Immersive Virtual Environments

Navigation, object selection and manipulation in virtual environments are based on interaction methods or techniques driven by conventional or special devices. There are a number of techniques and devices available for the development of applications involving interaction in immersive worlds, and to choose the most suitable one for a given situation is a difficult task. This paper reports the evaluation of selection and manipulation techniques in an immersive environment based on a chess game. The techniques evaluated in the experiment were the virtual hand, associated to a common mouse or data glove, and the ray-casting, used with a data glove. We propose some hypotheses and discuss experimental results.
Software agents: Can we trust them?

In this paper we briefly describe multi-agent system architectures that are proved to be suited to address problems which simultaneously are of a Distributed, Decentralized and Dynamic nature. Two clearly different scenarios are used to show how the multi-agent system paradigm can be used to cope with realistic situations which are eiter mainly cooperative or mainly competitive and, thus, asking for specific characteristics that make those systems trustworthy. Negotiation protocols are used for the sake of getting, through cooperative strategies involving several agents, commonly accepted final solutions for an overall goal. We also advocate the use of Trust measures, together with normative environments that enforce legality, to make multi-agent systems useful in real demanding scenarios, like it is the case in competitive B2B situations.
Regional subgraph discovery in social networks

This paper solves a region-based subgraph discovery problem. We are given a social network and some sample nodes which is supposed to belong to a specific region, and the goal is to obtain a subgraph that contains the sampled nodes with other nodes in the same region. Such regional subgraph discovery can benefit region-based applications, including scholar search, friend suggestion, and viral marketing. To deal with this problem, we assume there is a hidden backbone connecting the query nodes directly or indirectly in their region. The idea is that individuals belonging to the same region tend to share similar interests and cultures. By modeling such fact on edge weights, we search the graph to extract the regional backbone with respect to the query nodes. Then we can expand the backbone to derive the regional network. Experiments on a DBLP co-authorship network show the proposed method can effectively discover the regional subgraph with high precision scores.
Fully Isolated High Side and Low Side LIGBTs in Junction Isolation Technology

It is well known that the operating conditions of adjacent LIGBTs is greatly restricted in JI technology due to severe cross-talk limitations. Extensive investigations reveal that grounded guard rings are ineffective to prevent such cross-talk. To overcome this problem, a new isolation technique is proposed herein. It is shown that cross-talk suppression can be achieved through using a combination of deep oxide filled trenches made through the back of the wafer and a single grounded guard ring. It is shown that the width and depth of the oxide trenches are quite tolerant to dimensional fluctuations. Furthermore, the solution is shown to be easily extendable to realise compact, monolithic integration of both low-side and high-side LIGBTs in junction isolation technology
An algorithm for the graph crossing number problem

We study the Minimum Crossing Number problem: given an n-vertex graph G, the goal is to find a drawing of G in the plane with minimum number of edge crossings. This is one of the central problems in topological graph theory, that has been studied extensively over the past three decades. The first non-trivial efficient algorithm for the problem, due to Leighton and Rao, achieved an O(n log4n)-approximation for bounded degree graphs. This algorithm has since been improved by poly-logarithmic factors, with the best current approximation ratio standing on O (n poly(d) log3/2n ) for graphs with maximum degree d. In contrast, only APX-hardness is known on the negative side. In this paper we present an efficient randomized algorithm to find a drawing of any n-vertex graph G in the plane with O(OPT10poly(d log n)) crossings, where OPT is the number of crossings in the optimal solution, and d is the maximum vertex degree in G. This result implies an ~O(n9/10poly(d))-approximation for Minimum Crossing Number, thus breaking the long-standing ~O(n)-approximation barrier for bounded-degree graphs.
Analysing Service Quality: The Case of Post-Graduate Chinese Students

Abstract The competitive state of the Chinese higher education industry is set to intensify over the forthcoming years. Where previously institutions may have been able to obtain high returns for relatively little effort, the future most certainly will be tougher. In response, an ‘action research’ process is adopted initially using a modified SERVQUAL instrument to investigate expectations and perceptions of service quality among a sample of post-graduate Chinese students at a leading business and management school in the UK. Research into service quality in a higher educational context is somewhat scant, and where investigations have been undertaken, very little has been concluded among post-graduates – particularly regarding the significant number of Chinese post-graduate students. The research findings suggest that the instrument is suitable for use in a Chinese and post-graduate context, and the statements load on the five original SERVQUAL dimensions. In an attempt to raise service quality, several managerial recommendations are extracted, and some direction for future research is suggested.
Control-plane isolation and recovery for a secure SDN architecture

Software Defined Networking (SDN) allows scalable and flexible network management without requiring costly hardware changes. However, this technology is relatively new, and creates new security risks. More specifically, in current SDN designs (1) a compromised component can affect the whole SDN network due to its centralized architecture, and (2) existing designs do not allow recovery of compromised components. To solve these problems, we propose a secure SDN architecture which (1) limits damage due to a compromised controller and switch processes by using strong software isolation mechanisms, and (2) allows recovery of compromised controller and switch processes by regularly and automatically rolling them back to a pristine state. We show detailed designs of these mechanisms. We discuss the main aspects of our system's design and show preliminary evaluation results of a prototype implementation.
On the Mechanism of the Probabilistic Nature of Ventricular Defibrillation Threshold

The probabilistic nature of ventricular defibrillation threshold (DFT) remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that shock outcome is a function of the amount of myocardium in its vulnerable period (VP). The endocardial surface of five isolated and perfused swine right ventricles (RV) was mapped with 477 bipolar electrodes during ventricular fibrillation (VF). Shock parameters and VF cycle length were not significantly different in the successful (S) (N=26) and failed (F) (N=26) trials. At the instant of the shock, the number of sites with 45-55 ms recovery was significantly smaller in the S than the F trials (P<0.04). No significant difference in the number of sites with recovery intervals outside the 45 to 55 ms range was seen in the S and F shocks. Endocardial action potential showed that a recovery time of 45 to 55 ms corresponded to the VP spanning-15 to –60 mV in 92% of the regenerative action potentials. We conclude that the probabilistic nature of the DFT is related to the amount of myocardium in its VP. It is known that in a given heart, shocks of threshold defibrillation strength may or may not succeed in terminating (defibrillation) ventricular fibrillation (VF) (24). (6) The lack of a preset, fixed defibrillation threshold (DFT) (i.e., a shock below threshold will never defibrillate, and one above it will always defibrillate) led to the proposal of an alternative approach: "the probability of defibrillation" for a particular defibrillation shock (1). (4) The mechanism of the probabilistic nature of the DFT remains poorly understood. It is not known why in the same heart a given electrical shock strength can be successful in some episodes while failed in others. It was suggested that shock outcome depends on the electrical state of the heart at the instant of the shock (2), VF regularity (8),(11) and VF voltage amplitude (12). Recent optical mapping studies (28) suggest that failed defibrillation does not result from incomplete termination of VF wavefronts (32) or incomplete resynchronization of repolarization (7). (20) The demonstration of the presence of a post-shock optical equivalent of an isoelectric window after near-threshold failed shocks argues for complete cessation of all activation wavefronts and subsequent reinitiation of VF after an isoelectric window (28). The optical equivalent of an isoelectric window supports the earlier electrode-based proposal that subthreshold shock terminates VF but fails to achieve successful defibrillation because the same shock reinitiates VF (3). For successful defibrillation the shock strength must reach …
Seamful interweaving: heterogeneity in the theory and design of interactive systems

Design experience and theoretical discussion suggest that a narrow design focus on one tool or medium as primary may clash with the way that everyday activity involves the interweaving and combination of many heterogeneous media. Interaction may become seamless and unproblematic, even if the differences, boundaries and 'seams' in media are objectively perceivable. People accommodate and take advantage of seams and heterogeneity, in and through the process of interaction. We use an experiment with a mixed reality system to ground and detail our discussion of seamful design, which takes account of this process, and theory that reflects and informs such design. We critique the 'disappearance' mentioned by Weiser as a goal for ubicomp, and Dourish's 'embodied interaction' approach to HCI, suggesting that these design ideals may be unachievable or incomplete because they underemphasise the interdependence of 'invisible' non-rationalising interaction and focused rationalising interaction within ongoing activity.
A Peptide Sequence from Bax That Converts Bcl-2 into an Activator of Apoptosis (*)

Bcl-2 and Bax are members of a family of cytoplasmic proteins that regulate apoptosis. The two proteins have highly similar amino acid sequences but are functionally opposed: Bcl-2 acts to inhibit apoptosis, whereas Bax counteracts this effect. The antagonism appears to depend upon dimerization between Bcl-2 and Bax, but its mechanism is otherwise unknown. Here we report that overexpressing Bax induces apoptosis in a mammalian fibroblast cell line, and we identify a novel, short “suicide domain” in Bax that is required for this effect. Inserting this domain in place of the corresponding, divergent sequence in Bcl-2 converts Bcl-2 from an inhibitor into an activator of cell death. These findings imply that a specific region in Bax confers an active propensity for apoptosis in mammalian cells and support the view that Bcl-2 may block death primarily by suppressing Bax activity.
Improving IMES Localization Accuracy by Integrating Dead Reckoning Information

Indoor positioning remains an open problem, because it is difficult to achieve satisfactory accuracy within an indoor environment using current radio-based localization technology. In this study, we investigate the use of Indoor Messaging System (IMES) radio for high-accuracy indoor positioning. A hybrid positioning method combining IMES radio strength information and pedestrian dead reckoning information is proposed in order to improve IMES localization accuracy. For understanding the carrier noise ratio versus distance relation for IMES radio, the signal propagation of IMES radio is modeled and identified. Then, trilateration and extended Kalman filtering methods using the radio propagation model are developed for position estimation. These methods are evaluated through robot localization and pedestrian localization experiments. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid positioning method achieved average estimation errors of 217 and 1846 mm in robot localization and pedestrian localization, respectively. In addition, in order to examine the reason for the positioning accuracy of pedestrian localization being much lower than that of robot localization, the influence of the human body on the radio propagation is experimentally evaluated. The result suggests that the influence of the human body can be modeled.
Risk, responsibilities and rights: Reassessing the ‘economic causes of crime’ thesis in a recession

This article explores competing accounts of an apparent inversion of the previously prevailing relationship between young people’s unemployment and the incidence of youth offending at a time of economic recession. It begins by highlighting the faltering association between unemployment and offending, and considers the paradoxical implications for risk-based methodologies in youth justice practice. The article then assesses explanations for the changing relationship that suggest that youth justice policies have successfully broken the unemployment–offending link; and alternatively that delayed effects of recession have yet to materialize, by reference to the work of four inter-governmental organizations and to youth protests beyond the UK. In place of ever more intensive risk analyses, the article then focuses on the adverse effects of unemployment on social cohesion, and proposes a rights-based approach to youth justice that recognizes the growing disjuncture between the rights afforded to young people and the responsibilities expected of them.
Chapter 14. The acquisition of odour preferences via evaluative olfactory conditioning

Odours are powerful in bringing back distant memories linked to emotional content. This inherent hedonic property of olfactory stimuli, together with poor accessibility to semantic processing and language, makes odour particularly suitable for studies on evaluative conditioning, a variant of Pavlovian classical conditioning, through which a neutral stimulus acquires the affective valence of another stimulus with which it is paired (Hermans & Baeyens, 2002; Levey & Martin, 1975, 1987). Investigations on olfactory evaluative learning have undergone a surge in recent decades, ranging from literature on taste aversions, emergence of phobias, unconscious and subliminal conditioning, and cross-modal conditioning (De Howver et al., 2001; Li et al., 2007; Rozin et al., 1998; Zucco et al., 2009), to the effect of odour conditioning on consuming attitude, cognitive performance, and somatic syndromes in humans (Schneider et al., 1999; Van den Bergh et al., 1999; Vermetten & Bremner, 2003; Zucco, Militello, & Doty, 2008). The aim of this chapter is, therefore, to examine the most relevant literature on preference acquisition via evaluative olfactory conditioning, from the earliest demonstrations to the most recent investigations.