Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stochastic Block Models of Mixed Membership

We consider the statistical analysis of a collection of unipartite graphs, i.e., multiple matrices of relations among objects of a single type. Such data arise, for example, in biological settings, collections of author-recipient email, and social networks. In many applications, clustering the objects of study or situating them in a low dimensional space (e.g., a simplex) is only one of the goals of the analysis. Begin able to estimate relational structures among the clusters themselves is often times as important. For example, in biological applications we are interested in estimating how stable protein complexes (i.e., clusters of proteins) interact. To support such integrated data analyses, we develop the family of “stochastic block models of mixed membership”. Our models combine features of mixed-membership models (Erosheva & Fienberg, 2005) and block models for relational data (Holland et al., 1983) in a hierarchical Bayesian framework. We develop a novel “nested” variational inference scheme, which is necessary to successfully perform fast approximate posterior inference in our models of relational data. We present evidence to support our claims, using both synthetic data and biological case study.
FUSION OF MULTI FOCUSED IMAGES USING HDWT FOR MACHINE VISION

During image acquisition in machine vision, due to limited depth of field of lens, it is possible to take clear image of the objects in the scene which are in focus only. The remaining objects in the scene will be out of focus. A possible solution to bring clear images of all objects in the scene is image fusion. Image fusion is a process of combining multiple images to form the composite image with extended information content. This paper uses three band expansive higher density discrete wavelet transform to fuse two numbers of images focusing different objects in the same scene and also proposes three methods for image fusion. Experimental results on multi focused image fusion are presented in terms of root mean square, peak signal to noise ratio and quality index to illustrate the proposed fusion methods.
A multipath traffic balancing proposal to reduce gaming disconnections in MANET

In this work, we aim to improve the gameplay of time-sensitive video games over MANETs. We focus on disconnections problem. Precisely, if the path between a game client and the server breaks, the game on the player side freezes and becomes unplayable until that the network re-establishes the path toward the server. In MANETs, these disconnections occur mainly because of nodes mobility. To overcome this problem, we propose in this paper a multipath approach, which will compute for each source-destination couple two paths. The first path is constructed using end-to-end delay metric. The latter has a well-known impact on the gameplay of time sensitive multiplayers games. The second path is constructed once we have removed from the topology the link in the first path with the lowest ETX value. An adaptive traffic balancing algorithm is also considered. The proportion of traffic carried by each path depends on its robustness. The results for our experiments, which are based on a real implementation of our proposals, show that using multipath and balancing traffic among different paths reduce routes failures and thus improves the gameplay.
Circular RNA Is Expressed across the Eukaryotic Tree of Life

An unexpectedly large fraction of genes in metazoans (human, mouse, zebrafish, worm, fruit fly) express high levels of circularized RNAs containing canonical exons. Here we report that circular RNA isoforms are found in diverse species whose most recent common ancestor existed more than one billion years ago: fungi (Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a plant (Arabidopsis thaliana), and protists (Plasmodium falciparum and Dictyostelium discoideum). For all species studied to date, including those in this report, only a small fraction of the theoretically possible circular RNA isoforms from a given gene are actually observed. Unlike metazoans, Arabidopsis, D. discoideum, P. falciparum, S. cerevisiae, and S. pombe have very short introns (∼100 nucleotides or shorter), yet they still produce circular RNAs. A minority of genes in S. pombe and P. falciparum have documented examples of canonical alternative splicing, making it unlikely that all circular RNAs are by-products of alternative splicing or ‘piggyback’ on signals used in alternative RNA processing. In S. pombe, the relative abundance of circular to linear transcript isoforms changed in a gene-specific pattern during nitrogen starvation. Circular RNA may be an ancient, conserved feature of eukaryotic gene expression programs.
YC‐1 inhibits proliferation of breast cancer cells by down‐regulating EZH2 expression via activation of c‐Cbl and ERK

YC‐1 exhibits potent anticancer activity via numerous actions in many cancer cell lines. Hence, we investigated the in vivo antitumour efficacy of YC‐1 in an MDA‐MB‐468 xenograft model and elucidated the mechanism of down‐regulation of enhancer of zeste homology 2 (EZH2) by YC‐1 in breast cancer cells.
If you build it they might stay: retention mechanisms in World of Warcraft

We analyze mechanisms of player retention and commitment in massively multiplayer online games. Our ground assumptions on player retention are based on a marketing model of customer retention and commitment. To measure the influence of gameplay, in-game sociality, and real-life status on player commitment, we use the following metrics: weekly play time, stop rate and number of years respondents have been playing the game. The cross-cultural sample is composed of 2865 World of Warcraft players from North-America, Europe, Taiwan, and Hong-Kong who completed an online questionnaire. We differentiate players in terms of demographic categories including age, region, gender and marital status.
Secondary Progressive and Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Leads to Motor-Related Decreased Anatomical Connectivity

Multiple sclerosis (MS) damages central white matter pathways which has considerable impact on disease-related disability. To identify disease-related alterations in anatomical connectivity, 34 patients (19 with relapsing remitting MS (RR-MS), 15 with secondary progressive MS (SP-MS) and 20 healthy subjects underwent diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) of the brain. Based on the dMRI, anatomical connectivity mapping (ACM) yielded a voxel-based metric reflecting the connectivity shared between each individual voxel and all other brain voxels. To avoid biases caused by inter-individual brain-shape differences, they were estimated in a spatially normalized space. Voxel-based statistical analyses using ACM were compared with analyses based on the localized microstructural indices of fractional anisotropy (FA). In both RR-MS and SP-MS patients, considerable portions of the motor-related white matter revealed decreases in ACM and FA when compared with healthy subjects. Patients with SP-MS exhibited reduced ACM values relative to RR-MS in the motor-related tracts, whereas there were no consistent decreases in FA between SP-MS and RR-MS patients. Regional ACM statistics exhibited moderate correlation with clinical disability as reflected by the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). The correlation between these statistics and EDSS was either similar to or stronger than the correlation between FA statistics and the EDSS. Together, the results reveal an improved relationship between ACM, the clinical phenotype, and impairment. This highlights the potential of the ACM connectivity indices to be used as a marker which can identify disease related-alterations due to MS which may not be seen using localized microstructural indices.
Demographic and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Psychological Distress and Resilience Among Transgender Individuals.

OBJECTIVES We examined the independent demographic and psychosocial factors associated with psychological distress and resilience among transgender men and women. METHODS Our data came from an online survey involving a national Australian sample of 169 transgender men and women in 2011. Survey questions assessed demographics; sources of support; contact with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peers; and experiences of victimization. We assessed the outcomes with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale. RESULTS In all, 46.0% of the sample reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. Multivariable regression analyses identified considerably different independent factors for psychological distress and resilience. Younger age, feeling unable to turn to family for support, and victimization experiences were associated with greater psychological distress, whereas higher income, identifying as heterosexual, and having frequent contact with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peers were associated with greater resilience. CONCLUSIONS With different factors identified for psychological distress and resilience, these findings may help inform the development of tailored mental health interventions and resilience-building programs for this vulnerable population.
The role of vascular damage and fibrosis in the pathogenesis of nerve root damage.

Vascular damage and fibrosis are common within the vertebral canal and intervertebral foramen. The grossest examples occur in patients who have previously undergone oil-based myelography or spinal surgery. The mechanisms of fibrosis in the latter instance may be related to persisting cotton debris from sponges used during the operation. This debris may act as a fibrogenic stimulus. However, in cadaveric studies of nonoperated spines, the author and his colleagues have found clear evidence of vascular damage and fibrosis within the spines, and this vascular damage is significantly related to the severity of degenerative disk disease. Degenerative disk disease with osteophytic proliferation and disk protrusion may lead to compression of epidural veins with dilation of noncompressed veins. There is a significant statistical relationship between the extent of the disk degeneration and prolapse and the evidence of venous compression and dilatation. The dilatated veins may contain antemortem thromboses. In turn, there is a significant statistical relationship between the evidence for venous obstruction and perineural fibrosis. Such a relationship also exists between perineural fibrosis and neuronal atrophy. If therefore appears likely that venous obstruction with resultant hypoxia is an important mechanism leading to nerve root damage. In the peripheral blood, significant defects in the fibrinolytic system correlate with the severity of the symptoms. However, it was not possible to correlate these changes with individual clinical or imaging features. These fibrinolytic changes are recognized as markers of vascular damage and may reflect the pathologic processes that the author and his colleagues have demonstrated. It is uncertain whether they play any secondary pathogenic role in the chronicity of these back problems. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Trellis-search based dynamic multi-path connection allocation for TDM-NoCs

This paper proposes a centralized approach for connection allocation for TDM-based NoCs by making use of dedicated hardware unit called NoCManager that employs trellis-based search algorithm enabling dynamic parallel multi-path, multislot allocation. Be different to the previous unrolled trellis search algorithm, in this paper the folded architecture is employed to achieve efficiency. In comparison with previous TDM connection allocation methods, the proposed design has the following advantages: (1) hardware supported low-latency, high-throughput allocation mechanism, (2) improved success rate due to parallel multi-path search and (3) efficient NoCManager architecture. Compared to centralized software solutions the proposed design demonstrates two orders of magnitude improvement in allocation speed and ten times higher success rate. It can provide up to several times higher allocation speed and up to 18% higher success rate against recently proposed distributed solution.
Pathogenic Hantaviruses, Northeastern Argentina and Eastern Paraguay

We describe the first, to our knowledge, cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in northeastern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Andes and Juquitiba (JUQ) viruses were characterized. JUQV was also confirmed in 5 Oligoryzomys nigripes reservoir species from Misiones. A novel Akodon-borne genetic hantavirus lineage was detected in 1 rodent from the Biologic Reserve of Limoy.
Virtual-Torque-Based Control of Three-Phase Rectifier Under Grid Imbalance and Harmonics

The paper deals with a new control method of three-phase rectifier operating under simultaneous grid voltage imbalance and harmonics. The proposed method uses virtual electromagnetic torque, which is calculated on the basis of converter current and virtual flux of the power grid. Direct calculation of reference alpha/beta components of current vector does not require any synchronization procedure or grid voltage/virtual flux orientation of the reference frame. On the other hand, the proposed control is still as simple in implementation as other vector control methods such as voltage-oriented control or virtual-flux-oriented control. The introduced variable (virtual torque) allows us to calculate reference current vector components in alpha/beta frame without symmetrical components decomposition. The current vector obtained by using the proposed control method has the same asymmetry factor as unbalanced grid voltage. It means that the rectifier is seen by the grid as a resistive load with the same resistance in each phase. For the grid it is preferable target because the phase with the highest voltage is loaded most, while the other phases are less loaded. Converter power can be increased by progressive balancing of three-phase converter current keeping the phase current limit.
Repairing Event Race Errors by Controlling Nondeterminism

Modern web applications are written in an event-driven style, in which event handlers execute asynchronously in response to user or system events. The nondeterminism arising from this programming style can lead to pernicious errors. Recent work focuses on detecting event races and classifying them as harmful or harmless. However, since modifying the source code to prevent harmful races can be a difficult and error-prone task, it may be preferable to steer away from the bad executions. In this paper, we present a technique for automated repair of event race errors in JavaScript web applications. Our approach relies on an event controller that restricts event handler scheduling in the browser according to a specified repair policy, by intercepting and carefully postponing or discarding selected events. We have implemented the technique in a tool called EventRaceCommander, which relies entirely on source code instrumentation, and evaluated it by repairing more than 100 event race errors that occur in the web applications from the largest 20 of the Fortune 500 companies. Our results show that application-independent repair policies usually suffice to repair event race errors without excessive negative impact on performance or user experience, though application-specific repair policies that target specific event races are sometimes desirable.
Image-based Capture and Modeling of Dynamic Human Motion and Appearance

The goal of the proposed research is to capture a concise representation of human deformation and appearance in a low-cost environment that can be seamlessly integrated into entertainment and Virtual Reality applications–applications that often require relighting, high levels of realism, and rendering from novel viewpoints. Techniques for modeling geometric deformation of humans exist in the current state of the field, but they focus solely on geometric deformation and ignore the appearance component. I propose a combined model of both geometric and appearance deformation, leading to a more compact representation while still achieving high levels of realism. The proposed vision-based method is less expensive than, e.g., Laser scanners or motion capture, and requires only limited manual intervention. In a controlled environment, several cameras will be used to acquire a dense static geometry and a basic appearance model of a street-clothed human (e.g., a texture mapped model), and skeletal model will be aligned. The actor performs a predefined sequence of motion, from which multiimage vision-based tracking techniques are used to extract the gross kinematic motion parameters, and multi-view stereo, silhouette, and temporal cues are used to extract the time-varying residual geometric deformation. These time-dependent geometric quantities, and the time and view-dependent photometric quantities are used to create the final compact model of appearance and geometric variation. Following several graphics techniques for modeling articulated deformation and leveraging existing tools for image-based rendering, the deformation model is built on top of linear blend skinning. Appearance and geometric variation are modeled together as a function of abstract interpolating parameters that include, e.g., relative joint angles and view angles. Examples of deformation include muscle bulging and some forms of cloth budging. We model this compactly using a dimensionality reduction and sparse data interpolation, where several low-dimensional subspaces and corresponding interpolation spaces are used, clustering the surface into regions that are affected by the same abstract interpolators. Contrast to many of the vision-based human modeling techniques, our complete model can be re-rendered under novel viewpoint, novel animation, and even novel illumination when the illumination during capture is calibrated. Potential applications include appearance and deformation transfer between subjects, and usage of the model in related domains, e.g., to model facial deformations.
‘Shut Up and Teach’: Confronting the Power of Racialized Hero Discourses of Soldier and Nation

This article offers a discourse analysis of a sample of negative responses to the public position of a group of Canadian professors who contended that a particular non-governmental scholarship glorified war and was indicative of both a creeping Canadian imperialism and an expanding military-educational complex. The author argues that the powerfully negative reaction to the critique of the Project Hero scholarships was rooted in a nationalist fantasy of Canada as a benevolent do-gooder, and dependent upon both overt and subtle forms of racism. The article also aims to prompt a dialogue about the extent to which public intellectuals and public universities are free to engage openly in critique of power rooted in the articulation of nationalism, militarism and racism.
Cerebral Vasospasm after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Putative Role of Inflammation

CEREBRAL VASOSPASM IS a common, formidable, and potentially devastating complication in patients who have sustained subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Despite intensive research efforts, cerebral vasospasm remains incompletely understood from both the pathogenic and therapeutic perspectives. At present, no consistently efficacious and ubiquitously applied preventive and therapeutic measures are available in clinical practice. Recently, convincing data have implicated a role of inflammation in the development and maintenance of cerebral vasospasm. A burgeoning (although incomplete) body of evidence suggests that various constituents of the inflammatory response, including adhesion molecules, cytokines, leukocytes, immunoglobulins, and complement, may be critical in the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm. Recent studies attempting to dissect the cellular and molecular basis of the inflammatory response accompanying SAH and cerebral vasospasm have provided a promising groundwork for future studies. It is plausible that the inflammatory response may indeed represent a critical common pathway in the pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm pursuant to SAH. Investigations into the nature of the inflammatory response accompanying SAH are needed to elucidate the precise role(s) of inflammatory events in SAH-induced pathologies.
Audiometric notch as a sign of noise induced hearing loss

OBJECTIVES To investigate the relation between different types of exposure to noise and a classic sign of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), the audiometric notch. METHODS The study sample had exposure to both continuous and impulse noise and was drawn from a population of electrical transmission workers. Audiograms, taken as part of a hearing conservation programme, were read by three clinicians experienced in the assessment of NIHL. Working independently and using their clinical judgment, they were asked to identify localised increases in the threshold of hearing (audiometric notches) which they would attribute to noise, had a suitable history of exposure been elicited. Prevalent cases of NIHL were identified by the presence of a notch in either ear. Risk factors for NIHL were assessed by a questionnaire which sought information about exposure to air blast circuit breaker noise; firearms; explosions, and continuous noise. The odds of exposure to these factors in those with and without hearing loss were calculated, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS Of the 648 questionnaires sent out 357 were returned, a response rate of 55%. Of these, at least two out of the three assessors identified 175 (49%) people with a notch at any audiometric frequency. There was no association between these cases and the NIHL risk factors identified by the questionnaire, but a further frequency specific analysis showed a small proportion of people (15 (4%)) with notches at 4 kHz who had the expected associations with exposure to noise and a significant OR for firearms of 4.25 (95% CI 1.28 to 14.1). The much larger proportion of people with 6 kHz notches (110 (31%)) did not show these associations. CONCLUSIONS To diagnose NIHL it is important to elicit a detailed and accurate history of exposure to noise: although the notch at 4 kHz is a well established clinical sign and may be valuable in confirming the diagnosis, the 6 kHz notch is variable and of limited importance.
A profile of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Emirates, United Arab Emirates

Objectives: To report the characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients and their outcomes in the emirates of Sharjah, Ras-al-Khaimah, Umm Al-Quwain, Fujairah, and Ajman in the United Arab Emirates (collectively known as the Northern Emirates). Methods: This is a prospective descriptive cohort study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents transported by the national ambulance crews between February 2014 and March 2015 in the Northern Emirates. Results: A total of 384 patients were enrolled in this study. Male victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest represented 76% of the participants. The mean age of the study population was 50.9 years. An over-all prehospital return of spontaneous circulation rate of 3.1% was documented, as well as a 30% rate of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed. Public access defibrillators were applied in 0.5% of cases. Data is presented according to Utstein reporting criteria. Conclusion: Baseline data for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was established for the first time in the Northern Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. A low survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, low rates of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and low public access defibrillator use were discovered. Although low by comparison to established western systems results are similar to other systems in the region. Determining the baseline data presented in this study is essential in recommending and implementing strategies to reduce mortality from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.