Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sequential Majoritarian Blotto Games

We study Colonel Blotto games with sequential battles and a majoritarian objective. For a large class of contest success functions, the equilibrium is unique and characterized by an even split: Each battle that is reached before one of the players wins a majority of battles is allocated the same amount of resources from the player's overall budget. As a consequence, a player's chance of winning any particular battle is independent of the battle field and of the number of victories and losses the player accumulated in prior battles. This result is in stark contrast to equilibrium behavior in sequential contests that do not involve either fixed budgets or a majoritarian objective. We also consider the equilibrium choice of an overall budget. For many contest success functions, if the sequence of battles is long enough the payoff structure in this extended games resembles an all-pay auction without noise.
Microvesicles as biomarkers in diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: current knowledge and future directions

NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disease, frequently associated with diabetes. Both of these insulin resistant states have increased cardiovascular risk factors associated, and a prevalent cause of mortality in these diseases. Microvesicles are heterogonously sized, phospholipid rich spheres released by cells upon activation and apoptosis. Evidence is continuing to accumulate of microvesicles being not only markers of disease severity but as also having a functional role in the pathophysiology of disease progression.
’ s repository of research publications and other research outputs Learning to Share : Engineering Adaptive Decision-Support for Online Social Networks Conference or Workshop Item

Some online social networks (OSNs) allow users to define friendship-groups as reusable shortcuts for sharing information with multiple contacts. Posting exclusively to a friendship-group gives some privacy control, while supporting communication with (and within) this group. However, recipients of such posts may want to reuse content for their own social advantage, and can bypass existing controls by copy-pasting into a new post; this cross-posting poses privacy risks. This paper presents a learning to share approach that enables the incorporation of more nuanced privacy controls into OSNs. Specifically, we propose a reusable, adaptive software architecture that uses rigorous runtime analysis to help OSN users to make informed decisions about suitable audiences for their posts. This is achieved by supporting dynamic formation of recipient-groups that benefit social interactions while reducing privacy risks. We exemplify the use of our approach in the context of Facebook.
3 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission Goselle

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causative organism of AIDS which has become one of the greatest public health challenges faced by mankind. AIDS was first identified in 1981 in Los Angeles, USA. Two types of HIV exist presentlyHIV-1 and HIV-2 (Alizon et al., 2010; Adoga et al., 2010). HIV-1 was first isolated in the early 1980s (BarreSinoussi et al., 1983) and linked as causative agent of AIDS (Gallo et al., 1984). HIV-2 which is similar to HIV-1 was later identified in the developing world (Clavel, 1987, Clavel et al., 1986), but found to be less virulent and can differ in its response to antiretroviral agents. HIV-1 is classified into three groups [M, N and O] based on the genetic diversity. Group M (major) has 10 subtypes (A-J), and Group O (outlier) represents a number of highly divergent strains (Carr et al., 1998; Jassens et al., 1997 Chen et al., 2010). Francois Simon and his group reported a group N of HIV-1. Despite the phenotypic classification of HIV-1 into subtypes, the number of sequenced isolates remains limited (Sharp et al., 1994). Both strains are spread in the same way and have the same AIDS causing consequences. While HIV-1 has been reported to have a shorter incubation period of 7-10years, HIV-2 is considerably longer and often less severe (Barre-Sinoussi, 1996; WHO, 1989). HIV infection is usually followed by a chronic progressive destruction of the immune and neurologic system (Price, 1996), which if not managed leads to the possible invasion and establishment of multiple opportunistic infections. ( Lindo et al., 1998; Pozio et al., 1997) and malignancy (Schulz et al., 1996). Although on average, an infected individual spends several years without manifesting the disease, AIDS has always been certain. The time from infection to AIDS varies widely between individuals, from a few months to as many as 20 years with existing evidences accepting that 50% of individuals progress to AIDS in 7-10years and this has been accepted as the incubation period of the virus (Del Amo et al., 1998; WHO, 1994).
Cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia associated with defects in collagen secretion

Cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia (CLSD) is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome manifesting with large and late-closing fontanels and calvarial hypomineralization, Y-shaped cataracts, skeletal defects, and hypertelorism and other facial dysmorphisms. The CLSD locus was mapped to chromosome 14q13-q21 and a homozygous SEC23A F382L missense mutation was identified in the original family. Skin fibroblasts from these patients exhibit features of a secretion defect with marked distension of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), consistent with SEC23A function in protein export from the ER. We report an unrelated family where a male proband presented with clinical features of CLSD. A heterozygous missense M702V mutation in a highly conserved residue of SEC23A was inherited from the clinically unaffected father, but no maternal SEC23A mutation was identified. Cultured skin fibroblasts from this new patient showed a severe secretion defect of collagen and enlarged ER, confirming aberrant protein export from the ER. Milder collagen secretion defects and ER distention were present in paternal fibroblasts, indicating that an additional mutation(s) is present in the proband. Our data suggest that defective ER export is the cause of CLSD and genetic element(s) besides SEC23A may influence its presentation.
Advancing Performance Measurement of Smart City: Compare China and the United States

Smart city initiatives are thriving around the world. However, measuring the performance of a smart city becomes a critical challenge partially due to the lack of agreement on the concept and on the components that define a city as being "smart. " The primary purpose of this study is to propose a scheme of performance measurement on smart city, based on the understanding of smart city as an ICT-enabled complex governance system in the urban context. The measurement scheme is composed of five factors: institution, actors, interactions among the actors, ICT enactment, and outcomes. Each factor is further developed into a series of indicators. As a tentative effort, this study further utilizes the proposed scheme to make a brief comparison between two existing performance measurement frameworks in the United States and China. The comparison demonstrates the power of the set of measures in gauging and guiding the practice. Meanwhile, the authors recognize that the scheme should be understood as heuristics instead of a road map, as smart city is still an emergent phenomenon.
Haptic Sounds and Vibrations of Human fingerprints

For the first time in haptics applied to virtual reality, we experimentally show that human fingerprints play a major role in the lateral touch vibratory mechanisms and that the orientation of relative motion results in different dynamic strains on the pulp. Sources that generate sounds at the interface are first empirically identified and a spherical model of the fingerpad is proposed to forecast the radiated fields. Then, haptic sounds are recorded using a miniature microphone placed in the near field. Results are corroborated with vibrometric measurements carried out in quite similar conditions. To finish, we show that fingerprint as a mechanical determinant of the tribologic interaction of touch cannot be neglected in both biomechanical and perceptual studies. This also offers new perspectives for the design of tactile displays.
The Effective Use of Online Diagnostic Tools to Help Identify Appropriate Learning Modules as a Form of Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers

According to the June 30, 2001 issue of the Science News, by about age 12, U.S. students who feel threatened by mathematics start to avoid math courses, do poorly in the few math classes they do take, and earn low scores on math-achievement tests. Some scientists have theorized that kids having little math aptitude in the first place justifiably dread grappling with numbers. That conclusion does not add up, at least for college students, according to a study in the June Journal of Experimental Psychology. On the contrary, student's intrusive worries about math temporarily disrupt mental processes needed for doing arithmetic and drag down math competence.
Preoperative diagnosis of follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of thyroid-A retrospective study

Background: Follicular variant of papillary carcinoma is the second common variant of papillary carcinoma. The diagnosis of follicular variant pre-operatively has been really very challenging and the incidence of false diagnosis is also very high. So, an attempt has been made to study the cytological as well as ultrasound findings of histologically proven cases of follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of thyroid. Materials and Methods: Sonographic findings and cytology findings of 20 histologically proven cases of Follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of thyroid are retrospectively reviewed. Results: Only 50% of cases were diagnosed as malignant on ultrasound and only 25% cases were diagnosed malignant on cytology. Conclusion: The sensitivity of diagnosis is more radiologically, so all the thyroid FNAC should be done under ultrasound guidance and also nuclear features of Papillary carcinoma should be more carefully looked into in all suspicious cases. With these initiatives, the accuracy of cytological diagnosis of FVPTC can be substantially increased.
Expertise as Effective Strategy Use: Testing the Adaptive Strategies Model in the III-Structured Domain of Leadership

Abstract : This research tested the Adaptive Strategies Model (ASM; Lemaire & Siegler, 1995) of expertise in the ill-defined domain of leadership. More specifically, we examined expert/novice differences in all components of the ASM: strategy existence, strategy choice, strategy base-rate, and strategy execution. In Experiment 1 Leadership Scenarios elicited free-text responses from undergraduates (novices), ROTC Cadets (intermediates), and US Army Platoon Leaders (experts). Each response was coded into one of ten underlying Leadership Strategies thought to underlie each response, resulting in patterns of individual strategy use. Experiment 2 used a new group of experts to gather ratings of the execution accuracy of responses from Experiment 1. The results show that the ASM is able to discern expert/novice differences in strategy choice, strategy base-rate, and strategy execution. As leaders progress from novice to expert, they 1) use multiple strategies across various scenarios, 2) develop the ability to make optimal choices about when and where to use particular strategies, 3) develop an increased sensitivity to each different strategy's base rate of success in the environment, and 4) develop the ability to execute strategies more accurately. The training of ill-defined skills, such as leadership, may be improved by focusing on the four components of ASM.
Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Mercury’s Effect on Thyroid Gland

With acute exposure, mercury has high affinity for thyroid tissue causing atrophic changes in thyroid gland. Inhibition of coupling, antagonism of deiodinases and induction of autoimmune reactions are the three fundamental pathophysiologic mechanisms that have been documented as it relates to mercury’s effect on thyroid. Mercury inhibits the coupling process through inhibition of iodide incorporation into iodothyronine fraction. Thyroid hormone has an inverse relationship with body mercury levels as measured by the three primary biomarkers, however, this relationship was found to be independent of the HPT axis. Mercury also decreases production of the potent form of thyroid hormone, i.e. triiodothyronine (T3), through its antagonizing effect on deiodinases through selenium and selenoproteins. Selenium plays a dichotomic role by decreasing affinity of mercury towards biological tissue while causing retention and saturation of mercury by attaching it to selenoproteins. Reduction of anti-TPO and anti-Tg antibodies has also been observed after the removal of source of mercury exposure in a statistically significant study. Further research is required to clinically analyze these thyro-toxic mechanisms of mercury.
Analysis error covariance versus posterior covariance in variational data assimilation

The problem of variational data assimilation for a nonlinear evolution model is formulated as an optimal control problem to find the initial condition function (analysis). The data contain errors (observation and background errors); hence there is an error in the analysis. For mildly nonlinear dynamics the analysis error covariance can be approximated by the inverse Hessian of the cost functional in the auxiliary data assimilation problem, and for stronger nonlinearity by the ‘effective’ inverse Hessian. However, it has been noticed that the analysis error covariance is not the posterior covariance from the Bayesian perspective. While these two are equivalent in the linear case, the difference may become significant in practical terms with the nonlinearity level rising. For the proper Bayesian posterior covariance a new approximation via the Hessian is derived and its ‘effective’ counterpart is introduced. An approach for computing the mentioned estimates in the matrix‐free environment using the Lanczos method with preconditioning is suggested. Numerical examples which validate the developed theory are presented for the model governed by Burgers equation with a nonlinear viscous term.
Learning with noisy labels

In the paradigms of supervised, semi-supervised or active learning with machine learning algorithms in general and deep neural nets in particular, the default models assume that the given annotations of training data are correct. However, since well-annotated data sets can be expensive and time consuming to collect, some recent research has focused on using larger but noisy sets of training data. Such data sets are much cheaper to collect, e.g. via crowdsourcing. The working assumption is that collecting larger amounts of data that are labeled with a decent accuracy can compensate for the noise (inaccurate labels). In the literature, there are three main approaches to dealing with noisy labels; (i) by incorporating the noise directly into the loss function of the training model [7, 6], either via a surrogate loss function that augments the standard classification loss with noise rate parameters or with a data reconstruction term (the unsupervised learning problem), (ii) methods from robust statistics, or (iii) using influence functions [4] to identify what labels that are most responsible for misclassifications of test data and, if possible, review those labels, correct them and then retrain the model. There is a lack of statistical understanding of models for dealing with noisy data and attempts so far seem to have been mostly heuristic. In addition, there are also many ways to model the noise yet to be explored. The simplest noise is random classification noise, whereas the training problem is of course much more difficult if there is a structured noise in the labeling (i.e. a tendency to mislabel in a certain direction).
A case of syntactical learning and judgment: How conscious and how abstract?

This study examined two possible bases for grammatical judgments following syntactical learning: unconscious representations of a formal grammar, as in Reber's (1976) hypothesis of implicit learning, and conscious rules within informal grammars. Experimental subjects inspected strings generated by a finite-state grammar, viewed either one at a time or all at a time, with implicit or explicit learning instructions. In a transfer test, experimental and control subjects judged the grammatically of grammatical and nongrammatical strings, reporting on every trial the bases for their judgments. In replication of others' results, experimental subjects met the critical test for grammatical abstraction: significantly correct classification of novel strings. We found, however, that reported rules predicted those grammatical judgments without significant residual. Subjects evidently acquired correlated grammars, personal sets of conscious rules, each of limited scope and many of imperfect validity. Those rules themselves were shown to embody abstractions, consciously represented novelty that could account for
User-assisted Object Detection by Segment Based Similarity Measures in Mobile Laser Scanner Data

This paper describes a method that aims to find all instances of a certain object in Mobile Laser Scanner (MLS) data. In a userassisted approach, a sample segment of an object is selected, and all similar objects are to be found. By selecting samples from multiple classes, a classification can be performed. Key assumption in this approach is that a one-to-one relationship exists between segments and objects. In this paper the focus is twofold: (1) to explain how to get proper segments, and (2) to describe how to find similar objects. Point attributes that help separating neighbouring objects are presented. These point attributes are used in an attributed connected component algorithm where segments are grown, based on proximity and attribute values. Per component, a feature vector is proposed that consists of two parts. The first is a height histogram, containing information on the height distribution of points within a component. The second contains size and shape information, based on the components’ bounding box. A simple correlation function is used to find similarities between samples, as selected by a user, and other components. Our approach is tested on a MLS dataset, containing over 300 objects in 13 classes. Detection accuracies heavily depend on the success of the segmentation, and the number of selected samples in combination with the variety of object types in the scene.
Mitochondria And Cancer: The Warburg Fact

Mitochondria play a key role in the energy generation of cells. Here, we reassess the opportunities to fight cancer by manipulating the expression of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mtDNA encodes 13 polypeptides that are all critical for oxidative phosphorylation. Most cancers, if not all, use glycolysis as main bioenergetic pathway, despite the presence of oxygen. This is known as the Warburg effect and leads to disturbance of the mitocytoplasmic energy balance. Cytosolic ATP levels are kept high by the increased glycolysis, limiting the demand for ATP from mitochondria. The restricted ADP-ATP exchange across the mitochondrial membranes results in a high ATP/ADP ratio within the organelles and a high mitochondrial membrane potential. Together, these increase the cancer cell’s resistance to apoptosis. Although the increased glycolysis may enhance the survival of cancer cells, several lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial activity remains indispensable for proliferation. Specific inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis, e.g. with doxycycline, results in a mitonuclear protein imbalance, decreasing the apoptotic threshold and preventing proliferation of various cancer types in vivo. The anti-cancer effects are achieved at serum levels that are present in patients treated with the antibiotic to combat infections. There is good evidence to consider further clinical investigations with doxycycline to substantiate its beneficial effects on cancer.
Improved APF strategies for dual-arm local motion planning

Manipulator motion planning is a classic problem in robotics, with a number of complete solutions available for their motion in controlled (industrial) environments. Owing to recent technological advances in the field of robotics, there has been a significant development of more complex robots with high-fidelity sensors and more computational power. One such example has been a rise in the production of humanoid robots equipped with dual-arm manipulators which require complex motion planning algorithms. Also, the technological advances have resulted in a shift from using manipulators in strictly controlled environments, to investigating the deployment of manipulators in dynamic or unknown environments. As a result, a greater emphasis has been put on the development of local motion planners, which can provide real-time solutions to these problems. Artificial Potential Fields (APFs) is one such popular local motion planning technique, which can be applied to manipulator motion planning, however, the basic algorithm is severely prone to local minima problems. Here, two modified APF-based strategies for solving the dual-arm motion planning task in unknown environments are proposed. Both techniques make use of configuration sampling and subgoal selection to assist the APFs in avoiding these local minima scenarios. Extensive simulation results are presented to validate the efficacy of the proposed methodology.
Effects of the 2006 El Niño on tropospheric ozone and carbon monoxide: implications for dynamics and biomass burning

We have studied the effects of the 2006 El Ni˜ no on tropospheric O3 and CO at tropical and sub-tropical latitudes measured from the OMI and MLS instruments on the Aura satellite. The 2006 El Ni ˜ no-induced drought caused forest fires (largely set to clear land) to burn out of control dur- ing October and November in the Indonesian region. The effects of these fires are clearly seen in the enhancement of CO concentration measured from the MLS instrument. We have used a global model of atmospheric chemistry and transport (GMI CTM) to quantify the relative importance of biomass burning and large scale transport in producing ob- served changes in tropospheric O3 and CO. The model re- sults show that during October and November biomass burn- ing and meteorological changes contributed almost equally to the observed increase in tropospheric O3 in the Indone- sian region. The biomass component was 4-6 DU but it was limited to the Indonesian region where the fires were most in- tense. The dynamical component was 4-8 DU but it covered a much larger area in the Indian Ocean extending from South East Asia in the north to western Australia in the south. By December 2006, the effect of biomass burning was reduced to zero and the observed changes in tropospheric O3 were mostly due to dynamical effects. The model results show an increase of 2-3% in the global burden of tropospheric ozone. In comparison, the global burden of CO increased by 8-12%. Ni˜ no events are generally a change in convection in the tropi- cal troposphere associated with an eastward shift of the warm SST anomaly and large scale Walker circulation. This shift results in an increase in tropospheric column O3 in the west- ern Pacific and a decrease in the eastern Pacific relative to non-El Ni˜ no years. The effect of El Ni ˜ no on specific humid-