Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Federated-CNN based Proactive Caching Algorithm for vCDN System

In order to improve the speed of user's access to the contents on the Internet and reduce the flow into the core network, the virtual content delivery network (vCDN) which can support flexible deployment is proposed as a solution. A crucial problem in vCDN system is to improve the hit rate of cache on the premise of reducing the burden of vCDN nodes. At present, the main method to improve the cache hit rate is using proactive cache algorithm based on popularity prediction. There have been researches on proactive caching algorithms, such as LSTM, Random Forest and KNN. But when the training data is insufficient, the prediction performance of these models is not good enough. If collecting data from distributed nodes to improve training performance, it will bring a lot of communication overhead and cannot well protect user privacy. These problems are more notable in vCDN system because of its high dispersion. In order to solve the above problems, we propose a proactive cache algorithm based on federated learning (FL) framework. Distributed vCDN nodes use their own data to train convolutional neural network (CNN) model to predict the popularity of future content. Then, through the federal average of each node model, the model for predicting the global popularity can be obtained. Each vCDN node uses the global model to predict the incoming requests, which can improve the caching efficiency of the node by predicting popularity. Federated-CNN complete the training locally instead of centralizing all the user's data. This can reduce transmission and protect the user privacy at the same time. The simulation results show that through federated aggregation, the accuracy of Federated-CNN in popularity prediction is about 22 % higher than that of other proactive caching algorithms, and by using FL, the training efficiency increases over 10 times.
Mathematical foundations of quantum statistical mechanics : continuous systems

Introduction. 1: Evolution of States of Quantum Systems of Finitely Many Particles. 1. Principal Concepts of Quantum Mechanics. 2. Evolution of States of Quantum Systems with Arbitrarily Many Particles. 3. Evolution of States in the Heisenberg Representation and in the Interaction Representation. Mathematical Supplement I. References. 2: Evolution of States of Infinite Quantum Systems. 4. Bogolyubov Equations for Statistical Operators. 5. Solution of the Bogolyubov Equations. 6. Gibbs Distributions. Mathematical Supplement II. Mathematical Supplement III. References. 3: Thermodynamic Limit. 7. Thermodynamic Limit for Statistical Operators. 8. Statistical Operators in the Case of Quantum Statistics. 9. Bogolyubov's Principle of Weakening of Correlations. Mathematical Supplement IV. References. 4: Mathematical Problems in the Theory of Superconductivity. 10. Frohlich Model. 11. Bogolyubov's Compensation Principle for 'Dangerous' Diagrams. Compensation Equations. 12. Bardeen--Cooper--Schrieffer (BCS) Hamiltonian. 13. Microscopic Theory of Superfluidity. Mathematical Supplement V. References. 6: Green's Functions. 14. Green's Functions. Equations for Green's Functions. 15. Investigation of the Equations for Green's Functions in the Theory of Superconductivity and Superfluidity. 16. Green's Functions in the Thermodynamic Limit. References. 6: Exactly Solvable Models. 17. Description of the Hamiltonians of Model Systems. 18. Functional Spaces of Translation--Invariant Function. 19. ModelHamiltonians in the Spaces of Translation Invariant Functions. 20. Model BCS Hamiltonian in the Space hT. Equivalence of General and Model Hamiltonians in the Space of Pairs. 21. Equations for Green's Functions and their Solutions. Mathematical Supplement VI. References. 7: Quasiaverages. Theorem on Singularities of Green's Functions of 1/q2-Type. 22. Quasiaverages. 23. Green's Functions and their Spectral Representations. 24. Theorem on Singularities of Green's Functions of 1/q2-Type. References. Subject Index.
Robust Cuboid Modeling from Noisy and Incomplete 3D Point Clouds Using Gaussian Mixture Model

A cuboid is a geometric primitive characterized by six planes with spatial constraints, such as orthogonality and parallelism. These characteristics uniquely define a cuboid. Therefore, previous modeling schemes have used these characteristics as hard constraints, which narrowed the solution space for estimating the parameters of a cuboid. However, under high noise and occlusion conditions, a narrowed solution space may contain only false or no solutions, which is called an over-constraint. In this paper, we propose a robust cuboid modeling method for point clouds under high noise and occlusion conditions. The proposed method estimates the parameters of a cuboid using soft constraints, which, unlike hard constraints, do not limit the solution space. For this purpose, a cuboid is represented as a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The point distribution of each cuboid surface owing to noise is assumed to be a Gaussian model. Because each Gaussian model is a face of a cuboid, the GMM shares the cuboid parameters and satisfies the spatial constraints, regardless of the occlusion. To avoid an over-constraint in the optimization, only soft constraints are employed, which is the expectation of the GMM. Subsequently, the soft constraints are maximized using analytic partial derivatives. The proposed method was evaluated using both synthetic and real data. The synthetic data were hierarchically designed to test the performance under various noise and occlusion conditions. Subsequently, we used real data, which are more dynamic than synthetic data and may not follow the Gaussian assumption. The real data are acquired by light detection and ranging-based simultaneous localization and mapping with actual boxes arbitrarily located in an indoor space. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method outperforms a previous cuboid modeling method in terms of robustness.
Working with Statistics: An Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Social Scientists

Acknowledgements. Preface. 1. An Argument for Statistics. 2. Some Methodological Considerations. 3. The Vocabulary of Social Research. 4. Ordering the Data:. Frequency Distribution and Visual Representation. 5. Summarising the Data:. Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion. 6. Taking a Sample: Inductive Statistics. 7. Working with Two Variables. 8. Working with Three Variables. 9. Concluding Remarks. Bibliography.
Low-density series expansions for directed percolation on square and triangular lattices

Greatly extended series have been derived for moments of the pair-connectedness for bond and site percolation on the directed square and triangular lattices. The length of the various series has been at least doubled to more than 110 (100) terms for the square-lattice bond (site) problem and more than 55 terms for the bond and site problems on the triangular lattice. Analysis of the series leads to very accurate estimates for the critical parameters and generally seems to rule out simple rational values for the critical exponents. The values of the critical exponents for the average cluster size, parallel and perpendicular connectedness lengths are estimated by D 2:277 69.4/, k D 1:733 825.25/ and ? D 1:096 844.14/, respectively. An improved estimate for the percolation probability exponent is obtained from the scaling relation D.k C ? /= 2 D 0 :276 49.4/. In all cases the leading correction to scaling term is analytic.
The Khintchine inequalities and martingale expanding sphere of their action

Contents Introduction ? 1. The strong law of large numbers of Borel and its refinements ? 2. The Khintchine inequalities ? 3. Martingale extensions of the Khintchine inequalities. 1. Preliminary consideration ? 4. Martingale extensions of the Khintchine inequalities. 2. The Burkholder inequalities for p > 1 ? 5. The maximal Khintchine inequalities ? 6. The martingale extension of maximal Khintchine inequalities. (The inequalities of Davis for p = 1 and of Burkholder and Davis for p ? 1) ? 7. Comparison inequalities for martingale transforms ? 8. On the best constants in the Khintchine inequalities ? 9. The Khintchine inequalities in (exponential) Orlicz spaces ? 10. On the best constants in the Burkholder inequalities (p > 1) ? 11. Some refinements of the Khintchine inequalities (the Whittle inequalities, the Rosenthal inequalities, and their modifications and extensions to the martingale case) Bibliography
Low-Cost Predictors for Liver Function and Clinical Outcomes after Sustained Virological Response in Patients with HCV-Related Cirrhosis and Thrombocytopenia

Background and Objectives: To find low-cost markers that can identify the hepatitis C virus cirrhotic patients that are at risk for long-term severe adverse liver effects (ascites, ascites or upper gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatocellular carcinoma), after treatment. There is established evidence for the benefits of treating hepatitis C virus cirrhotic patients, but there is still some need for clarification concerning the real impact on the long-term evolution after achieving sustained virological response; there is no general consensus in the literature about identifying the patients that do not improve post-treatment. Materials and Methods: Our retrospective analysis investigated the long-term (2 years) evolution of 46 patients with cirrhosis with thrombocytopenia, previously infected with VHC, treated and who obtained an SVR after DAA treatment. Results: Despite the overall improvement, 8.7% patients developed hepatocellular carcinoma and 6.5% patients ascites/upper GI bleeding. We found that FIB-4, MELD and AFP changes at 1 year were the most significant predictors for these outcomes. Additionally, a drop in leukocyte count after 1 year seemed to indicate a risk for hepatocellular carcinoma, but this was not consistent. Conclusions: It might be beneficial to intensify the surveillance for post-treatment adverse liver effects for the patients with these marker changes at 1 year.
DC Microgrids: Benefits, Architectures, Perspectives and Challenges

One of the major paradigm shifts that will be predictably observed in the energy mix is related to distribution networks. Until now, this type of electrical grid was characterized by an AC transmission. However, a new concept is emerging, as the electrical distribution networks characterized by DC transmission are beginning to be considered as a promising solution due to technological advances. In fact, we are now witnessing a proliferation of DC equipment associated with renewable energy sources, storage systems and loads. Thus, such equipment is beginning to be considered in different contexts. In this way, taking into consideration the requirement for the fast integration of this equipment into the existing electrical network, DC networks have started to become important. On the other hand, the importance of the development of these DC networks is not only due to the fact that the amount of DC equipment is becoming huge. When compared with the classical AC transmission systems, the DC networks are considered more efficient and reliable, not having any issues regarding the reactive power and frequency control and synchronization. Although much research work has been conducted, several technical aspects have not yet been defined as standard. This uncertainty is still an obstacle to a faster transition to this type of network. There are also other aspects that still need to be a focus of study and research in order to allow this technology to become a day-to-day solution. Finally, there are also many applications in which this kind of DC microgrid can be used, but they have still not been addressed. Thus, all these aspects are considered important challenges that need to be tackled. In this context, this paper presents an overview of the existing and possible solutions for this type of microgrid, as well as the challenges that need to be faced now.
Correlation-Based Anomaly Detection in Industrial Control Systems

Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) were initially designed to be operated in an isolated network. However, recently, ICSs have been increasingly connected to the Internet to expand their capability, such as remote management. This interconnectivity of ICSs exposes them to cyber-attacks. At the same time, cyber-attacks in ICS networks are different compared to traditional Information Technology (IT) networks. Cyber attacks on ICSs usually involve a sequence of actions and a multitude of devices. However, current anomaly detection systems only focus on local analysis, which misses the correlation between devices and the progress of attacks over time. As a consequence, they lack an effective way to detect attacks at an entire network scale and predict possible future actions of an attack, which is of significant interest to security analysts to identify the weaknesses of their network and prevent similar attacks in the future. To address these two key issues, this paper presents a system-wide anomaly detection solution using recurrent neural networks combined with correlation analysis techniques. The proposed solution has a two-layer analysis. The first layer targets attack detection, and the second layer analyses the detected attack to predict the next possible attack actions. The main contribution of this paper is the proof of the concept implementation using two real-world ICS datasets, SWaT and Power System Attack. Moreover, we show that the proposed solution effectively detects anomalies and attacks on the scale of the entire ICS network.
Description of Culicoides truuskae sp. n. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from southern Africa

Culicoides truuskae Labuschagne and Meiswinkel sp. n. is described and illustrated in both sexes from material collected in South Africa and Namibia. It is restricted to the xeric western margin of the subcontinent, occurring in Fynbos, Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo ecoregions in South Africa and Desert and Savanna ecoregions in Namibia experiencing < 600 mm of rainfall annually. Culicoides truuskae sp. n. is part of the Afrotropical ‘plain-wing’ Culicoides in which the wing lacks a distinguishing pattern of light and dark spots; the diagnostic dark smudge that traverses wing cell r3 may result in C. truuskae sp. n. being misidentified as the sympatric but phyletically unrelated Culicoides herero (Enderlein) – (of the Similis group, subgenus Oecacta Poey). Additionally, this study is the first description of the male of C. herero. C. truuskae sp. n. and Culicoides coarctatus Clastrier and Wirth share similar characters in the male genitalia, although the two species are separable on wing pattern and female flagellum sensilla coeloconica (SCo) distribution. The breeding habitat and adult female blood-feeding preferences of C. truuskae sp. n. are not known. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree, using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequence data, is provided to further clarify the relationship between C. truuskae sp. n. , C. coarctatus and C. herero. Extensive light trap data, collected over 30 years, are used to map the distribution ranges of C. truuskae sp. n. , C. coarctatus and C. herero in Southern Africa. Contribution The description of this new species and the description of the male of C. herero increases our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Culicoides species in southern Africa.
The Block: A catalyst for ongoing innovation

This paper will contribute to our understanding of the Block, its pedagogical rationale and value, and explain why, apart from pandemic conditions, these might constitute a compelling alternative to traditional academic calendars. Current research highlights the need for further research on the nature of the Block, driven by an increased global focus on student outcomes and retention in Higher Education. This paper offers five case studies from institutions that have adopted a version of the Block at some time over the last 50 years. The authors seek to define the features that comprise block courses whereas the nature and functionality distinguish blocks from other intensive formats. A survey of the limited literature on this topic was based on theoretical underpinnings offered by one-course-at-a-time delivery, scholarship of teaching and learning on compressed education, and experiential learning. Using the research question, “Other than scheduling alternatives, what does the block offer HE institutions? ”, this project uses research that is qualitative in nature drawing on a controlled comparison of case studies which enables a cross-institutional evaluation. The case studies explain why each institution adopted the Block, how these schedules work, and discusses the challenges and affordances of teaching in this intensive format. First findings of this cross-institutional exploration suggest that blocks are unique in their delivery, often experiential in nature, and effective in their outcomes. The various versions of the Block described within, provide ongoing transformative models of teaching philosophy, curriculum, student success, and more.
EFFECT OF HUMAN FACTOR IN THE SUCCESS OF E-LEARNING WITH THE MODERATING EFFECT OF WEB SELF-EFFICACY IN THE CONTEXT OF MALAYSIA

Sania Tariq 1 , Khairol Anuar Bin Ishak 1 and Siti Noratisah Mohd Nafi 2 . 1. PhD Candidate, Universiti Utara Malaysia. 2. School of Business Management Universiti Utara Malaysia. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History Received: 05 September 2018 Final Accepted: 07 October 2018 Published: November 2018
The rotation of Phallus impudicus bene�ts the microenvironment via improving the soil microbial structure and soil properties

Backgroud: Rhizosphere microbiome play vital roles in soil nutrient cylcling and plant growth, their diversity and composition are commonly in�uenced by soil management systems. Currently, however, the speci�c dynamic of microbial community in cultivation of Gastrodia elata and rotation of Phallus impudicus remains unknown. To narrow this knowledge gap, soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial community in the rhizosphere soil of G. elatacultivation and rotation of P. impudicus management were analyzed and compared. Results: The results revealed that the cultivation of G. elata and rotation of P. impudicus both increased the diversity, complexity, and stability of the soil microbiome structure and reshaped the soil microbiota composition. In addition, the cultivation of P. impudicus reversed the G. elata-induced decrease in soil pH and nutrient levels, increased soil humi�cation and improved humus composition. The RDA result indicated that the soil microbial community strongly correlates with soil pH and exchangeable Ca/Mg ratio, indicating that soil nutrient levels play dominant roles in soil microbial community improvement in this rotation management system. Conclusions: Our �ndings provide insights into microbial community assembly and soil physicochemical properties in cultivation of
Investigations on the Surface Integrity and Wear Mechanisms of TiAlYN-Coated Tools in Inconel 718 Milling Operations

Inconel 718 is a Ni superalloy with superior mechanical properties, even at high temperatures. However, due to its high hardness and low thermal conductivity, it is considered a difficult-to-machine material. This material is widely used in applications that require good dimensional stability, making the milling process the most used in machining this alloy. The wear resulting from this process and the quality of the machined surface are still challenging factors when it comes to Inconel 718. TiAlN-based coating has been used on cutting tools with Yttrium as a doping element to improve the process performance. Based on this, this work evaluated the machined surface integrity and wear resistance of cutting tools coated using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) HiPIMS with TiAlYN in the end milling of Inconel 718, varying the process parameters such as cutting speed (vc), feed per tooth (fz), and cutting length (Lcut). It was verified that the Lcut is the parameter that exerts the most significant influence since, even at small distances, Inconel 718 already generates high tool wear (TW). Furthermore, the main wear mechanisms were abrasive and adhesive wear, with the development of a built-up edge (BUE) under a125 m/min feed rate (f) and a Lcut = 15 m. Chipping, cracking, and delamination of the coating were also observed, indicating a lack of adhesion between the coating and the substrate, suggesting the need for a good interlayer or the adjustment of the PVD parameters.
RNA polymerase II plays an active role in the formation of gene loops through the Rpb4 subunit

Gene loops are formed by the interaction of initiation and termination factors occupying the distal ends of a gene during transcription. RNAPII is believed to affect gene looping indirectly owing to its essential role in transcription. The results presented here, however, demonstrate a direct role of RNAPII in gene looping through the Rpb4 subunit. 3C analysis revealed that gene looping is abolished in the rpb4Δ mutant. In contrast to the other looping-defective mutants, rpb4Δ cells do not exhibit a transcription termination defect. RPB4 overexpression, however, rescued the transcription termination and gene looping defect of sua7-1, a mutant of TFIIB. Furthermore, RPB4 overexpression rescued the ssu72-2 gene looping defect, while SSU72 overexpression restored the formation of gene loops in rpb4Δ cells. Interestingly, the interaction of TFIIB with Ssu72 is compromised in rpb4Δ cells. These results suggest that the TFIIB-Ssu72 interaction, which is critical for gene loop formation, is facilitated by Rpb4. We propose that Rpb4 is promoting the transfer of RNAPII from the terminator to the promoter for reinitiation of transcription through TFIIB-Ssu72 mediated gene looping.
Inflammatory bowel disease: A survey of the epidemiology in Asia

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has long been considered a disease that affects predominantly a Western population. The incidence and prevalence rates from Asian populations are much lower in comparison. More recent data, however, have shown significantly higher rates in Asians and time trend studies have shown an increase in the incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) and a similar but lower rise in Crohn's disease (CD). The epidemiological changes that are taking place mirror that of the Western experience seen 50 years previously and seem to occur in parallel with the rapid socioeconomic development taking place in Asia. It appears that certain racial groups are more prone than others to develop IBD. For instance, Indians in South‐East Asia have higher rates compared to Chinese and Malays. While there is host genetic predisposition, environmental factor(s) may be responsible for this difference. Migrant studies of South Asians in the UK, where second‐generation immigrants have assumed incidence rates as high as the indigenous whites and Asian Jews who develop high incidence rates comparable to Jews from Europe or North America in Israel point to the role of environmental factors. It is unclear which specific factors are responsible. Studies have suggested a change in diet to a more Westernized one may underlie this epidemiological change in the Asian population. It is likely that there are racial groups amongst Asians who are more susceptible to IBD and who will demonstrate a higher frequency of IBD when exposed to putative environmental factors.