Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An integrated scheme for establishing dependable real-time channels in multihop networks

The issue of providing fault-tolerance in real-time communication has been a problem of growing importance. There are two basic approaches for satisfying fault-tolerant requirements in real-time communication: (i) the forward error recovery approach, and (ii) the detect and recovery approach. The first approach is well-suited for hard real-time communication, whereas the second approach is well-suited for soft real-time communication. Neither of these basic approaches is well-suited for applications which involve both hard and soft real-time communication. In this paper, we propose an integrated scheme that combines the benefits of both the basic approaches. The proposed scheme not only caters to such mixed communication requirements, but also improves the call acceptance rate significantly due to its efficient resource allocation mechanisms such as traffic dispersion and backup multiplexing. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been evaluated through extensive simulation studies.
MADS-Box Transcription Factor Mig1 Is Required for Infectious Growth in Magnaporthe grisea

ABSTRACT Magnaporthe grisea is a model fungus for studying fungus-plant interactions. Two mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase genes, PMK1 and MPS1, have been implicated in regulating plant infection processes in M. grisea. However, transcription factors activated by these MAP kinases are not well studied. In this study we functionally characterized the MIG1 gene that encodes a MADS-box transcription factor homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rlm1. In yeast two-hybrid assays, MIG1 interacts with MPS1, suggesting that MIG1 may function downstream from the MPS1 pathway. The mig1 deletion mutant had a normal growth rate and formed melanized appressoria, but it was nonpathogenic and failed to infect rice leaves through wounds. Appressoria formed by the mig1 mutant developed penetration pegs and primary infectious hyphae, but further differentiation of the secondary infectious hyphae inside live plant cells was blocked. However, the mig1 mutant formed infectious hypha-like structures in heat-killed plant cells or cellophane membranes. In transformants expressing the MIG1-GFP fusion, green fluorescent protein (GFP) signals were not detectable in vegetative hyphae and conidiophores. Mig1-GFP was localized to nuclei in conidia, appressoria, and infectious hyphae. Deletion of the MADS box had no effect on the expression and localization of the MIG1-GFP fusion but eliminated its ability to complement the mig1 mutant. These results suggest that MIG1 may be required for overcoming plant defense responses and the differentiation of secondary infectious hyphae in live plant cells. The MADS-box domain is essential for the function of MIG1 but dispensable for its nuclear localization, which may be associated with the activation of MIG1 by MPS1 during conidiation and plant infection.
Reducing the dimentionality of the reward space in the Inverse Reinforcement Learning problem

This paper deals with the Inverse Reinforcement Learning framework, whose purpose is to learn control policies from demonstrations by an expert. This method inferes from demonstrations a utility function the expert is allegedly maximizing. In this paper we map the reward space into a subset of smaller dimensionality without loss of generality for all Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). We then present three experimental results showing both the promising aspect of the application of this result to existing IRL methods and its shortcomings. We conclude with considerations on further research.
Theorems on Positive Data: On the Uniqueness of NMF

We investigate the conditions for which nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is unique and introduce several theorems which can determine whether the decomposition is in fact unique or not. The theorems are illustrated by several examples showing the use of the theorems and their limitations. We have shown that corruption of a unique NMF matrix by additive noise leads to a noisy estimation of the noise-free unique solution. Finally, we use a stochastic view of NMF to analyze which characterization of the underlying model will result in an NMF with small estimation errors.
Performance analysis of opportunistic spectrum access protocol for multi-channel cognitive radio networks

Cognitive radio (CR) has emerged as one of effective methods to enhance the utilization of existing radio spectrum. Main principle of CR is that secondary users (SUs) are allowed to use the spectrum unused by primary users (PUs) without interfering PU's transmissions. In this paper, PUs operate on a slot-by-slot basis and SUs try to exploit the slots unused by PUs. We propose OSA protocols in the single channel and we propose an opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) protocols in the multi-channel cognitive radio networks with one control channel and several licensed channels where a slot is divided into contention phase and transmission phase. A slot is divided into reporting phase, contention phase and transmission phase. The reporting phase plays a role of finding idle channels unused by PUs and the contention phase plays a role of selecting a SU who will send packets in the data transmission phase. One SU is selected by carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) with request to send / clear to send (RTS/CTS) mechanism on control channel and the SU is allowed to occupy all remaining part of all idle channels during the current slot. For mathematical analysis, first we deal with the single-channel case and we model the proposed OSA media access control (MAC) protocol by three-dimensional discrete time Markov chain (DTMC) whose one-step transition probability matrix has a special structure so as to apply the censored Markov chain method to obtain the steady state distribution. We obtain the throughput and the distribution of access delay. Next we deal with the multi-channel case and obtain the throughput and the distribution of access delay by using results of single-channel case. In numerical results, our mathematical analysis is verified by simulations and we give numerical results on throughput and access delay of the proposed MAC protocol. Finally, we find the maximum allowable number of SUs satisfying the requirements on throughput and access delay.
Theorie und Praxis verzahnen. Lebenslanges Lernen an Hochschulen

Ein zentrales Ziel des Bund-Lander-Wettbewerbs Aufstieg durch Bildung: offene Hochschulen ist es, den Ansatz des Lebenslangen Lernens im deutschen Hochschulsystem starker zu verankern. Die Arbeit mit heterogenen, zum Teil fur die Hochschulen neuen Zielgruppen hat vielfaltige Implikationen - auch in Bezug auf die Gestaltung der Lehr-Lern-Formate. Diese stehen im Mittelpunkt des Teilprojektes Zielgruppengemase Studienformate der Deutschen Universitat fur Weiterbildung (DUW). In diesem Band wird die zugrunde liegende Vorstellung einer Theorie-Praxis-Verzahnung an den Hochschulen auf ihre Eignung fur das 21. Jahrhundert diskutiert. Dreh- und Angelpunkt ist dabei aus didaktisch-inhaltlicher Sicht vor allem die Orientierung an Kompetenzen und Lernergebnissen sowie die zentrale Rolle von Lehrenden. Der Band schliest mit einem international inspirierten Ausblick auf eine mogliche Zukunft der Hochschulen als Hochschulen des Lebenslangen Lernens. (Verlag)
A Randomized Trial of On-Pump Beating Heart and Conventional Cardioplegic Arrest in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Patients With Impaired Left Ventricular Function Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Biochemical Markers

Background— Beating heart coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) improves early postoperative cardiac function in patients with normal ventricular function, but its effect in patients with impaired function is uncertain. We compared a novel hybrid technique of on-pump beating heart CABG (ONBEAT) with conventional on-pump CABG (ONSTOP) in patients with impaired ventricular function. Methods and Results— In a single-center randomized trial, 50 patients with impaired ventricular function were randomly assigned to ONBEAT or ONSTOP. Patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for function and delayed hyperenhancement early and later after surgery. Serial assessment of biochemical markers was also undertaken. Preoperative characteristics were well matched; cardiac index was 2.85±0.53 (ONBEAT) and 2.62±0.59 L · min−1 · m−2 (ONSTOP). Early after surgery, there was a trend toward a greater reduction in end-systolic volume index in ONSTOP patients versus ONBEAT (−9±8 versus −4±11 mL · m−2; P=0.06). The changes were sustained and significant at 6 months (−14±18 versus −2±19 mL · m−2; P=0.04). Furthermore, the incidence of new hyperenhancement at 6 days was higher in ONBEAT patients (P=0.05), with 6 of 17 (35%) sustaining 8.2±5.2 g of new hyperenhancement each versus 2 of 23 (9%) in the ONSTOP group, each with 9.8±9.0 g (P=0.86). Finally, median area under the curve for troponin was higher in ONBEAT at 461 (interquartile range, 226 to 1141) &mgr;g/L versus 160 (interquartile range, 98 to 357) &mgr;g/L for ONSTOP (P=0.002). Conclusions— The incidence of new irreversible myocardial injury was significantly higher in ONBEAT than in ONSTOP patients. Furthermore, at 6 months, only ONSTOP patients demonstrated an improvement in ventricular geometry. The most likely mechanism is inadequate coronary perfusion to distal myocardial territories in patients with severe proximal coronary disease.
Towards a Theory of Elaboration Tolerance: Logic Programming Approach

This paper is an attempt at mathematical investigation of software development process in the context of declarative logic programming. We introduce notions of specification and specification constructor which are developed from natural language description of a problem. Generalizations of logic programs, called lp-functions are introduced to represent these specifications. We argue that the process of constructing lp-function representing a specification S should be supported by certain types of mathematical results which we call representation theorems. We present two such theorems to illustrate the idea.
On the “degrees of freedom” of the lasso

We study the effective degrees of freedom of the lasso in the framework of Stein’s unbiased risk estimation (SURE). We show that the number of nonzero coefficients is an unbiased estimate forthe degrees of freedom of the lasso—a conclusion that requires no special assumption on the predictors. In addition, the unbiased estimator is shown to be asymptotically consistent. With these results on hand, various model selection criteria—Cp, AIC and BIC—are available, which, along with the LARS algorithm, provide a principled and efficient approach to obtaining the optimal lasso fit with the computational effort of a single ordinary least-squares fit.
On the theory of resonances in non-relativistic QED and related models

We study the mathematical theory of quantum resonances in the standard model of non-relativistic QED and in Nelson's model. In particular, we estimate the survival probability of metastable states corresponding to quantum resonances and relate the resonances to poles of an analytic continuation of matrix elements of the resolvent of the quantum Hamiltonian.
Caudate Encodes Multiple Computations for Perceptual Decisions

Perceptual decision making is a complex process that requires multiple computations, including the accumulation of sensory evidence and an ongoing evaluation of the accumulation process to use for prediction and adjustment. Implementing these computations likely involves interactions among many brain regions. For perceptual decisions linked to oculomotor actions, neural correlates of sensory evidence accumulation have been identified in several cortical areas, including the frontal eye field and lateral intraparietal area, and one of their direct, subcortical targets, the superior colliculus. These structures are also connected indirectly, via the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia pathway has been theorized to contribute to perceptual decision making, but the nature of this contribution has yet to be examined directly. Here we show that in monkeys performing a reaction-time visual motion direction-discrimination task, neurons in a primary input structure of the basal ganglia, the caudate nucleus, encode three aspects of decision making: evidence accumulation, evaluation, and choice biases. These results indicate that the basal ganglia pathway can provide important signals to influence and assess perceptual decisions that guide oculomotor behavior.
The Influence of Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Symptoms of Depression and Related Psychosocial Variables on Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Participation

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to be an efficacious part of disease management to reduce negative outcomes associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Despite the significant amount of research support, participation rates in CR programs remain suboptimal. While a plethora of research exists which examines potential reasons for the lack of participation, there are still factors which have yet to be fully examined. For example, while depression has been associated with reduced CR participation, this association has not been fully explored in the literature and some related psychological factors may also be key contributors to the lack of participation in CR.
El aprendizaje organizacional a partir de sistemas de control interno. Un enfoque en las asociaciones rurales.

Los cambios constantes en los mercados reflejan la dinamica de un entorno globalizado, marcando desafios para la adaptacion y respuesta de las empresas, independientemente de su tamano. El aprendizaje organizacional y las practicas de control interno se constituyen en estrategias que facilitan la obtencion de ventajas competitivas sostenibles para mantenerse en los mercados. En el marco de la estrategica publica de cambio de la matriz productiva, las organizaciones productivas rurales, conformadas como asociaciones, se enfrentan constantemente al reto de sobrevivir. El objetivo de esta investigacion consiste en caracterizar el aprendizaje organizacional en las asociaciones procesadoras de derivados de cacao, mediante el analisis de practicas de control interno incorporadas en su gestion, con base en la Teoria de Recursos y Capacidades. La investigacion es de tipo cualitativo, con analisis de estadistica descriptiva obtenida del tratamiento de datos con SPSS. Se aplico un cuestionario estructurado con variables que componen un sistema estandar de control interno, siendo los informantes directivos de 7 asociaciones activas de la Provincia de El Oro, de 16 registradas en la Superintendencia de Economia Popular y Solidaria. Los resultados indican que la aplicacion de sistemas de control tiene fuerte influencia en la generacion del aprendizaje a nivel grupal y organizacional.
Visual transduction in cones of the monkey Macaca fascicularis.

1. Visual transduction in macaque cones was studied by measuring the membrane current of single outer segments projecting from small pieces of retina. 2. The response to a brief flash of light was diphasic and resembled the output of a bandpass filter with a peak frequency near 5 Hz. After the initial reduction in dark current there was a rebound increase which resulted from an increase in the number of open light‐sensitive channels. The response to a step of light consisted of a prominent initial peak followed by a steady phase of smaller amplitude. 3. Responses to dim light were linear and time‐invariant, suggesting that responses to single photons were linearly additive. From the flash sensitivity and the effective collecting area the peak amplitude of the single photon response was estimated as about 30 fA. 4. With flashes of increasing strength the photocurrent amplitude usually saturated along a curve that was gentler than an exponential but steeper than a Michaelis relation. The response reached the half‐saturating amplitude at roughly 650 photoisomerizations. 5. The response‐intensity relation was flatter in the steady state than shortly after a light step was turned on, indicating that bright light desensitized the transduction with a delay. This desensitization was not due to a reduction in pigment content. In the steady state, a background of intensity I lowered the sensitivity to a weak incremental test flash by a factor 1/(1 + I/IO), where IO was about 2.6 x 10(4) photoisomerizations s‐1, or about 3.3 log trolands for the red‐ and green‐sensitive cones. 6. Bleaching exposures produced permanent reductions in flash sensitivity but had little effect on the kinetics or saturating amplitude of subsequent flash responses. The sensitivity reductions were consistent with the expected reductions in visual pigment content and gave photosensitivities of about 8 x 10(‐9) microns2 (free solution value) for the red‐ and green‐sensitive pigments. During a steady bleaching exposure the final exponential decline of the photocurrent had a rate constant given by the product of the light intensity and the photosensitivity. 7. In some cells it was possible to measure a light‐induced increase in current noise. The power spectrum of the noise resembled the spectrum of the dim flash response and the magnitude of the noise was consistent with a single photon response roughly 20 fA in size. 8. The membrane current recorded in darkness was noisy, with a variance near 0.12 pA2 in the band 0‐20 Hz. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A probabilistic framework for dense image registration using relaxation labelling

Image Registration has investigated in many researches in recent years. It is an important preprocessing step in a variety of applications such as medical images, super resolution and remote sensing. Generally, dense image registration requires several transformations and deformations such as contrast changing, scaling, rotation and displacement. However, in most recent proposed methods, only some of these transforms are considered, which results in incorrect output. In this paper we propose a new method for dense image registration based on relaxation labelling. For each pixel of a test image, we want to find the best match in a reference image, considering the intensity and geometric constraints. We use blocks of reference image as features, then we look for the closest candidate in the test image. In next step, a relaxation labelling procedure is applied to these candidates for selecting the best match between candidate pixels. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves satisfactory performance in terms of visual quality, PSNR values and Bad pixel evaluation criteria.
The Emerging Story of Disability Associated with Lymphatic Filariasis: A Critical Review

Globally, 40 million people live with the chronic effects of lymphatic filariasis (LF), making it the second leading cause of disability in the world. Despite this, there is limited research into the experiences of people living with the disease. This review summarises the research on the experiences of people living with LF disability. The review highlights the widespread social stigma and oppressive psychological issues that face most people living with LF-related disability. Physical manifestations of LF make daily activities and participation in community life difficult. The findings confirm the need for the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) to support morbidity management activities that address the complex biopsychosocial issues that people living with LF-related disability face.
Transdisciplinary qualities in practice doctorates

ABSTRACT Doctoral programmes in which candidates research their own practice can be characterised as having transdisciplinary (TD) qualities. While most of the emphasis in the literature and in policy on TD is on research in teams, we argue for an expansion of the scope in the conception and understanding of TD research to include the way it can be articulated and assessed in practice-led and practice-based doctorates. In this sense, it is worth exploring instances of doctoral programmes that potentially allow doctoral researchers to undertake projects that have TD qualities. In these doctoral projects, researchers draw from a variety of perspectives, for example from their work practices, the theorisation of those practices, experiential learning, multiple disciplinary knowledge and approaches as well as communications and networking with appropriate stakeholders. Drawing from previous scholarship of TD in other fields we analyse and evaluate the TD qualities of a particular doctoral programme. This analysis reveals a set of qualities recognised by the literature as TD and relevant to doctoral researchers: Researching collaboratively with stakeholders; Diversity of disciplinary expertise and assessment criteria; Integration of different methodologies; Situating the research in multiple contexts; Impact on the ‘situation’ through novel procedures or products; Ethics and the importance of trust; Reflection/reflexivity. The paper posits a convergence between practice doctorates and TD research and demonstrates how TD qualities help doctoral candidates to situate their research at the interface between academia and their professional work and develop projects that have creative and beneficial relevance for practice.
Modeling of Diffusion MRI

The directional diffusivities derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have previously been proposed and demonstrated to reflect axon and myelin injury in mouse models of white matter injury (Song et al. , 2003, Song et al. , 2002, Song et al. , 2005). Unfortunately, the current DTI model does not address effects of vasogenic edema or increased cellularity associated with central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, an important pathological component of disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Vasogenic edema has long been recognized to result in an increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and the underestimation of white-matter tract diffusion anisotropy (Kuroiwa et al. , 1999, Naismith et al. , 2010, Pasternak et al. , 2009). We expect that restricted diffusion resulting from increased cellularity would lead to a decreased ADC and an underestimation of diffusion anisotropy in the white matter (Anderson et al. , 2000). Thus, in addition to crossing fiber complications (Wheeler-Kingshott and Cercignani, 2009), we contend that DTI of CNS white matter pathology is also significantly confounded by a spectrum of isotropic diffusion tensor components resulting from inflammation (Lodygensky et al. , 2010), chronic tissue loss (Kim et al. , 2007), and the partial volume effect from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or gray matter contamination (Karampinos et al. , 2008).
Supplier Relationship Management: A Case Study in the Context of Health Care

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) plays an important role in the reduction of costs and the optimization of performance in industrial enterprises. Despite enormous investments in innovation, the health care sector has not experienced fundamental change yet. However, increased market dynamics and the implementation of economic principles will force health service providers to optimize cost structures as well as effectiveness and efficiency of business relationships. This paper reviews the current state of the art in the field, translates and amends the current findings for the health care context, and presents a case study illustrating the impact of the implementation of SRM principles in a leading Swiss hospital.