Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Experimental Investigation of Parallel Multimedia Streams Over IEEE 802.11e WLAN Networks Using TXOP

In this paper we perform an experimental investigation of the IEEE 802.11e TXOP facility to enhance the transmission of parallel multimedia streaming sessions through efficient bandwidth reservation and explicitly consider both the audio and video streams. The delay constraints associated with the audio and video streams that comprise a multimedia session pose the greatest challenge since real-time multimedia is particularly sensitive to delay as the packets require a strict bounded end-to-end delay. We show how the TXOPLimit parameter can be efficiently dimensioned to reduce the transmission delay for the video frames. Due to its frame-based nature, video applications are considered to be bursty as each video frame is typically transmitted as a burst of packets. The size of the burst is related to the size of the video frame and the number of packets required to transmit the video frame. The TXOP facility is particularly suited to efficiently deal with this burstiness since it can be used to reserve bandwidth for the duration of the packet burst. Through experimental investigation, we show that there is a significant performance improvement for the video streams by using the TXOPLimit parameter however there is no such improvement for the audio streams. We show that over-dimensioning the TXOPLimit parameter can cause the video stream to seize too much bandwidth which results in a deterioration in performance for the other competing traffic streams. This deterioration becomes more prominent as the number of parallel multimedia streams increases. We show that there is a performance improvement to all traffic streams by providing differentiated service to the constituent I, P, and B video frame types in conjunction with the TXOP facility.
A Unified Approach to the Study of Temporal, Correlational, and Rate Coding

We demonstrate that the information contained in the spike occurrence times of a population of neurons can be broken up into a series of terms, each reflecting something about potential coding mechanisms. This is possible in the coding regime in which few spikes are emitted in the relevant time window. This approach allows us to study the additional information contributed by spike timing beyond that present in the spike counts and to examine the contributions to the whole information of different statistical properties of spike trains, such as firing rates and correlation functions. It thus forms the basis for a new quantitative procedure for analyzing simultaneous multiple neuron recordings and provides theoretical constraints on neural coding strategies. We find a transition between two coding regimes, depending on the size of the relevant observation timescale. For time windows shorter than the timescale of the stimulus-induced response fluctuations, there exists a spike count coding phase, in which the purely temporal information is of third order in time. For time windows much longer than the characteristic timescale, there can be additional timing information of first order, leading to a temporal coding phase in which timing information may affect the instantaneous information rate. In this new framework, we study the relative contributions of the dynamic firing rate and correlation variables to the full temporal information, the interaction of signal and noise correlations in temporal coding, synergy between spikes and between cells, and the effect of refractoriness. We illustrate the utility of the technique by analyzing a few cells from the rat barrel cortex.
A Middleware Infrastructure for Active Spaces

The paper discusses the Gaia metaoperating system which extends the reach of traditional operating systems to manage ubiquitous computing habitats and living spaces as integrated programmable environments. Gaia exports services to query, access, and use existing resources and context, and provides a framework to develop user-centric, resource-aware, multidevice, context-sensitive, and mobile applications.
Building block level urban land-use information retrieval based on Google Street View images

Land-use maps are important references for urban planning and urban studies. Given the heterogeneity of urban land-use types, it is difficult to differentiate different land-use types based on overhead remotely sensed data. Google Street View (GSV) images, which capture the façades of building blocks along streets, could be better used to judge the land-use types of different building blocks based on their façade appearances. Recently developed scene classification algorithms in computer vision community make it possible to categorize different photos semantically based on various image feature descriptors and machine-learning algorithms. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a method to derive detailed land-use information at building block level based on scene classification algorithms and GSV images. Three image feature descriptors (i.e., scale-invariant feature transform-Fisher, histogram of oriented gradients, GIST) were used to represent GSV images of different buildings. Existing land-use maps were used to create training datasets to train support vector machine (SVM) classifiers for categorizing GSV images. The trained SVM classifiers were then applied to case study areas in New York City, Boston, and Houston, to predict the land-use information at building block level. Accuracy assessment results show that the proposed method is suitable for differentiating residential buildings and nonresidential buildings with an accuracy of 85% or so. Since the GSV images are publicly accessible, this proposed method would provide a new way for building block level land-use mapping in future.
Bis[4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl-κ2 N)imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide-κO]tris(nitrato-κ2 O,O′)terbium(III)

The title compound, [Tb(NO3)3(C12H16N3O2)2], was prepared from the nitroxide radical ligand 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide and TbIII nitrate. The TbIII ion adopts a doubly-capped square-antiprismatic coordination environment defined by three chelating nitrate anions and two N,O-bidentate nitronyl nitroxide radical ligands. Weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect the molecules into a three-dimensional framework. The title structure is isotypic with the Ho analogue [Li (2012 ▶). Acta Cryst. E68, 550].
Policing congestion response in an internetwork using re-feedback

This paper introduces a novel feedback arrangement, termed re-feedback. It ensures metrics in data headers such as time to live and congestion notification will arrive at each relay carrying a truthful prediction of the remainder of their path. We propose mechanisms at the network edge that ensure the dominant selfish strategy of both network domains and end-points will be to set these headers honestly and to respond correctly to path congestion and delay, despite conflicting interests. Although these mechanisms influence incentives, they don't involve tampering with end-user pricing. We describe a TCP rate policer as a specific example of this new capability. We show it can be generalised to police various qualities of service. We also sketch how a limited form of re-feedback could be deployed incrementally around unmodified routers without changing IP.
An efficient genetic algorithm for subgraph isomorphism

In this paper we propose a multi-objective genetic algorithm for the subgraph isomorphism problem. Usually, the number of different edges between two graphs has been used as a fitness function. This approach has limitations in that it only considers directly-visible characteristics of current solutions, not considering the potential for being an optimal solution. We designed a fitness function in which solutions with higher potential can be rated high. This new fitness function has good properties such as transforming the solution space globally convex and improving the performance of local heuristics and genetic algorithms. Experimental results show that the suggested approach brings a considerable improvement in performance and efficiency.
The Classical Pathways of Occipital Lobe Epileptic Propagation Revised in the Light of White Matter Dissection

The clinical evidences of variable epileptic propagation in occipital lobe epilepsy (OLE) have been demonstrated by several studies. However the exact localization of the epileptic focus sometimes represents a problem because of the rapid propagation to frontal, parietal, or temporal regions. Each white matter pathway close to the supposed initial focus can lead the propagation towards a specific direction, explaining the variable semiology of these rare epilepsy syndromes. Some new insights in occipital white matter anatomy are herein described by means of white matter dissection and compared to the classical epileptic patterns, mostly based on the central position of the primary visual cortex. The dissections showed a complex white matter architecture composed by vertical and longitudinal bundles, which are closely interconnected and segregated and are able to support specific high order functions with parallel bidirectional propagation of the electric signal. The same sublobar lesions may hyperactivate different white matter bundles reemphasizing the importance of the ictal semiology as a specific clinical demonstration of the subcortical networks recruited. Merging semiology, white matter anatomy, and electrophysiology may lead us to a better understanding of these complex syndromes and tailored therapeutic options based on individual white matter connectivity.
Automatic Microfossil Detection in Somosaguas Sur paleontologic site ( Pozuelo de Alarcón , Madrid , Spain ) using Multilayer Perceptrons

Microvertebrate fossils are used in biochronology to determinate the age of geological layers with a high grade of accuracy, and in paleoecology to extract information about the past enviroment. Actual techniques used to extract microfossils are manual, and require of a high amount of time and human resources. This fact make interesting the study of other more complex techniques. The work presented in this paper evaluates the use of neural networks in order to help in the microfossil extraction tasks, using a high resolution image of the sediment. Color information of the pixels are used to train Multilayer Perceptrons. The analyzed material has been obtained from Somosaguas paleontological site, in Madrid (Spain). Key-Words: Multilayer Perceptron, Neyman-Pearson, Microfossil detection, Somosaguas site.
Evolving neural networks

Neuroevolution, i.e. evolution of artificial neural networks, has recently emerged as a powerful technique for solving challenging reinforcement learning problems. Compared to traditional (e.g. value-function based) methods, neuroevolution is especially strong in domains where the state of the world is not fully known: the state can be disambiguated through recurrency, and novel situations handled through pattern matching. In this tutorial, we will review (1) neuroevolution methods that evolve fixed-topology networks, network topologies, and network construction processes, (2) ways of combinine traditional neural network learning algorithms with evolutionary methods, and (3) applications of neuroevolution to game playing, robot control, resource optimization, and cognitive science.
Restriction of adenoviral replication to the transcriptional intersection of two different promoters for colorectal and pancreatic cancer treatment

In our current study, we developed oncolytic adenoviruses which preferentially lyse pancreatic and colon cancer cells by replacing viral E1 and/or E4 promoter with the tumor/tissue-specific promoters, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), midkine (MK), or the cell cycle–dependent promoter, E2F1. We generated three sets of recombinant adenoviral vectors. In the first set, only the native E1A promoter was replaced by the COX-2, MK, or E2F1 promoter, respectively. In the second set, the viral E4 promoter was substituted by these heterologous promoters and the viral E1A promoter was substituted by the ubiquitously active cytomegalovirus-IE promoter. In the third set, we substituted the viral E1A and E4 promoters with the COX-2, MK, or E2F1 promoter, respectively. In our system, transcriptional targeting of solitary viral E1A resulted in 50% enhanced restricted vector replication when compared with an unrestricted replication-competent adenovirus. Furthermore, a targeted expression of the viral E1A gene products had a greater effect on restricted adenoviral replication than that of the E4 region. With our vectors, Ad.COX·MK and Ad.MK·COX, using two different heterologous promoters to control E1A and E4 expression, we showed enhanced viral replication specificity when compared with Ad.COX·COX or Ad.MK·MK, respectively. In a s.c. xenograft tumor model, there was no significant difference in the antineoplastic efficacy of the double heterologous promoter–controlled vectors when compared with our unrestricted replication-competent control adenovirus or vectors with only E1A transcriptionally driven by a heterologous promoter. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(2):374–81]
Statistical Analysis of Human Facial Expressions

This paper presents a method for generalizing human facial expressions by means of a statistical analysis of human facial expressions coming from various per- sons. The data used for the statistical analysis are obtained by tracking a generic facial wireframe model in video sequences depicting the formation of the different human fa- cial expressions, starting from a neutral state. Wireframe node tracking is performed by a pyramidal variant of the well-known Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) tracker. The loss of tracked features is handled through a model deformation procedure that increases the robustness of the tracking algorithm. Tracking initialization is performed in a semi- automatic fashion, i.e., the facial wireframe model is fitted to an image representing a neutral facial expression, exploiting physics-based deformable shape modeling. The dy- namic facial expression output model is MPEG-4 compliant. The method has been tested on a variety of sequences with very good results, including a database of video sequences representing human faces changing from the neutral state to the one that represents a fully formed human facial expression.
Implementing Managed Loosely-Coupled Distributed Business Processes: A New Approach Using DIME Networks

The support for coordination and choreography of independently-developed and locally-managed distributed processes is a key requirement of the emerging business environment in which organizations form, and break, relationships with other organizations on the fly to meet business goals, for example, provide customer and stakeholder value. The current set of Business Process Management Systems do not support this dynamicity of relationships and processes - or process mobility - creating new channels, reassigning channels, in particular, to processes whose existence becomes known only at run-time and may differ by instance. This dynamic nature of the relationships and processes is founded on π-calculus mobility. This paper presents a new approach to implement π-calculus mobility using DIME network architecture; it is shown how process mobility is an inherent capability of DIMEs. This paper also proposes the use of DIME FCAPS capabilities to support business services management, including fault tolerance, performance and security.
Sub-constant error low degree test of almost-linear size

Given a function f:Fm→F over a finite field F, a low degree tester tests its agreement with an m-variate polynomial of total degree at most d over F. The tester is usually given access to an oracle A providing the supposed restrictions of f to affine subspaces of constant dimension (e.g., lines, planes, etc.). The tester makes very few (probabilistic) queries to f and to A (say, one query to f and one query to A), and decides whether to accept or reject based on the replies.We wish to minimize two parameters of a tester: its error and its size. The error bounds the probability that the tester accepts although the function is far from a low degree polynomial. The size is the number of bits required to write the oracle replies on all possible tester's queries.Low degree testing is a central ingredient in most constructions of probabilistically checkable proofs (PCPs) and locally testable codes (LTCs). The error of the low degree tester is related to the soundness of the PCP and its size is related to the size of the PCP (or the length of the LTC). We design and analyze new low degree testers that have both sub-constant error o(1) and almost-linear size n1+o(1) (where n=|F|m). Previous constructions of sub-constant error testers had polynomial size [13, 16]. These testers enabled the construction of PCPs with sub-constant soundness, but polynomial size [13, 16, 9]. Previous constructions of almost-linear size testers obtained only constant error [13, 7]. These testers were used to construct almost-linear size LTCs and almost-linear size PCPs with constant soundness [13, 7, 5, 6, 8].
Coarse-grained Scheduling with Software-Defined Networking Switches

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) enables consolidation of the control plane of a set of network equipments with a fine-grained control of traffic flows inside the network. In this work, we demonstrate that some coarse-grained scheduling mechanisms can be easily offered by SDN switches without requiring any unsupported operation in OpenFlow. We leverage the feedback loop - flow statistics - exposed by SDN switches to the controller, combined with priority queuing mechanisms, usually available in typical switches on their output ports. We illustrate our approach through experimentations with an OpenvSwitch SDN switch controlled by a Beacon controller.
Coinfections of Zika and Chikungunya Viruses in Bahia, Brazil, Identified by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing

ABSTRACT Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of samples from 15 patients with documented Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in Bahia, Brazil, from April 2015 to January 2016 identified coinfections with chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2 of 15 ZIKV-positive cases by PCR (13.3%). While generally nonspecific, the clinical presentation corresponding to these two CHIKV/ZIKV coinfections reflected infection by the virus present at a higher titer. Aside from CHIKV and ZIKV, coinfections of other viral pathogens were not detected. The mNGS approach is promising for differential diagnosis of acute febrile illness and identification of coinfections, although targeted arbovirus screening may be sufficient in the current ZIKV outbreak setting.
An efficient storage framework design for cloud computing: Deploying compression on de-duplicated No-SQL DB using HDFS

Cloud Computing is an alluring technology which provides elasticity, scalability and cost-efficiency over a network. In recent years, database obtrusion has become a crucial feature in cloud computing. Rapid data growth and need to keep it safer require organizations to integrate how they manage and use their data. To meet these necessities, No-SQL has proven to be better over RDBMS because of its high scalability. To provide better availability, No-SQL databases has a huge among of Redundant data. In order to address this neophyte challenges and further achieve a dependable and secure cloud storage service, different storage efficiency approaches are used these days. This paper proposed a novel design of efficient storage framework for cloud computing for No-SQL databases. The framework tackles the challenge of managing the huge amount of the data at the back end of the cloud service provider. The Framework uses Map-Reduce paradigm of Hadoop with the schema-less document-oriented MongoDB. The outcomes are improved storage efficiency by saving subsequent storage space and network bandwidth during data transfer among multiple nodes.
Development of a half-circle-shaped tubular permanent magnet machine

This paper presents a novel half-circle-shaped tubular linear permanent magnet machine named as “circular shaft motor (CSM)” for direct-drive applications. A CSM is a kind of the tubular synchronous actuator. Both the stator and the mover of a CSM are bent in a circle. A CSM can realize the motion along the circumference of a circle. In this paper, the design of a circular shaft motor is described. The prototype of CSM is introduced. Then, the measurement experimental results of the thrust characteristic are demonstrated. The utility of the developed CSM is confirmed from the results.
Local Feedback in Full-Text Retrieval Systems

AaSTRACT. In a full-text natural-language retrieval system, local feedbacl~ is the process of formulating a new ~mproved search based on clustering terms from the documents returned m a previous search of any given query Experiments were run on a database of US patents It ~s concluded that m contrast toglobalclustermg, w h e r e the size of matrices hmmts apphcatmns to small databases and improvements are doubtful, local clustering is practical also for large databases and appears to improve overall performance, especially tf metrical constraints and weighting by proximity are embedded m the local feedback The local methods adapt themselves to each mdwtdual search and produce useful searchonyms terms which are "synonymous" m the context of one query Searchonyms lead to new ~mproved search formulahons both via manual and vm automahc feedback
Design guidelines for rapid and simple context-aware mobile application development - an android case study

Presenting a context-aware service and information is a key aspect of ubiquitous computing, but development of such applications is quite complicated. Context-aware applications should be able to obtain raw data from sensors, create high-level context information, detect the user’s situation, and adapt the behavior of the application to the recognized situation . These complexities caused to reduce the impact of context-awareness in mobile computing while sensors of smartphones have made huge potential for developing context-aware mobile applications. In this paper, we explain some guidelines to overcome the existing obstacles by separating the context-aware application layers and make a loosely coupled connection between them. These guidelines will bring easy and rapid development, reusability of the code and flexibility for developers. Finally, we provide a case study example in the Android platform to demonstrate how the guidelines can be used in a real application.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Differentiable Pooling for Unsupervised Acoustic Model Adaptation

—We present a deep neural network (DNN) acoustic model that includes parametrised and differentiable pooling operators. Unsupervised acoustic model adaptation is cast as the problem of updating the decision boundaries implemented by each pooling operator. In particular, we experiment with two types of pooling parametrisations: learned L p -norm pooling and weighted Gaussian pooling, in which the weights of both operators are treated as speaker-dependent. We perform investigations using three different large vocabulary speech recognition corpora: AMI meetings, TED talks and Switchboard conversational telephone speech. We demonstrate that differentiable pooling operators provide a robust and relatively low-dimensional way to adapt acoustic models, with relative word error rates reductions ranging from 5–20% with respect to unadapted systems, which themselves are better than the baseline fully-connected DNN-based acoustic models. We also investigate how the proposed techniques work under various adaptation conditions including the quality of adaptation data and complementarity to other feature-and model-space adaptation methods, as well as providing an analysis of the characteristics of each of the proposed approaches.