Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ManifoldPlus: A Robust and Scalable Watertight Manifold Surface Generation Method for Triangle Soups

We present ManifoldPlus, a method for robust and scalable conversion of triangle soups to watertight manifolds. While many algorithms in computer graphics require the input mesh to be a watertight manifold, in practice many meshes designed by artists are often for visualization purposes, and thus have non-manifold structures such as incorrect connectivity, ambiguous face orientation, double surfaces, open boundaries, self-intersections, etc. Existing methods suffer from problems in the inputs with face orientation and zero-volume structures. Additionally most methods do not scale to meshes of high complexity. In this paper, we propose a method that extracts exterior faces between occupied voxels and empty voxels, and uses a projection-based optimization method to accurately recover a watertight manifold that resembles the reference mesh. Compared to previous methods, our methodology is simpler. It does not rely on face normals of the input triangle soups and can accurately recover zero-volume structures. Our algorithm is scalable, because it employs an adaptive Gauss-Seidel method for shape optimization, in which each step is an easy-to-solve convex problem. We test ManifoldPlus on ModelNet10 and AccuCity datasets to verify that our methods can generate watertight meshes ranging from object-level shapes to city-level models. Furthermore, through our experimental evaluations, we show that our method is more robust, efficient and accurate than the state-of-the-art. Our implementation is publicly available.
A Novel Confidence-Based Algorithm for Structured Bandits

We study finite-armed stochastic bandits where the rewards of each arm might be correlated to those of other arms. We introduce a novel phased algorithm that exploits the given structure to build confidence sets over the parameters of the true bandit problem and rapidly discard all sub-optimal arms. In particular, unlike standard bandit algorithms with no structure, we show that the number of times a suboptimal arm is selected may actually be reduced thanks to the information collected by pulling other arms. Furthermore, we show that, in some structures, the regret of an anytime extension of our algorithm is uniformly bounded over time. For these constant-regret structures, we also derive a matching lower bound. Finally, we demonstrate numerically that our approach better exploits certain structures than existing methods.
Bad($\mathbf{w}$) is hyperplane absolute winning

In 1998 Kleinbock conjectured that any set of weighted badly approximable $d\times n$ real matrices is a winning subset in the sense of Schmidt's game. In this paper we prove this conjecture in full for vectors in $\mathbf{R}^d$ in arbitrary dimensions by showing that the corresponding set of weighted badly approximable vectors is hyperplane absolute winning. The proof uses the Cantor potential game played on the support of Ahlfors regular absolutely decaying measures and the quantitative non-divergence estimate for a class of fractal measures due to Kleinbock, Lindenstrauss and Weiss.
STUDIES ON THE FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF GERRIS NAJAS DEGEER (HEM. HET. GERRIDAE)

SUMMARY Various aspects of the morphology of a. najas are described from a functional viewpoint, and experimental evidence is used to support some of the conclusions reached. Special attention is focused on the structure of the hypopharynx and the associated structures, and the function of the mandibular muscles is reassessed. The thorax is considered as a functional unit in relation to locomotion, and experiments on the mechanism of rowing, with its significance in regard to alary polymorphism are described. The reactions of Gerris species to surface tension are investigated. Preliminary observations are made on the function of the metasternal gland in this genus. The structure and function of the reproduotive system in both aexes are disoussed, with some observations on the eggs, oviposition and development. A new interpretation of the spermatheoa is presented. Many aspects of the morphology are shown to be adaptations to life on the surfaae film of water.
ChirpOTLE: a framework for practical LoRaWAN security evaluation

Low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs) are becoming an integral part of the Internet of Things. As a consequence, businesses, administration, and, subsequently, society itself depend on the reliability and availability of these communication networks. Released in 2015, LoRaWAN gained popularity and attracted the focus of security research, revealing a number of vulnerabilities. This lead to the revised LoRaWAN 1.1 specification in late 2017. Most of previous work focused on simulation and theoretical approaches. Interoperability and the variety of implementations complicate the risk assessment for a specific LoRaWAN network. In this paper, we address these issues by introducing ChirpOTLE, a LoRa and LoRaWAN security evaluation framework suitable for rapid iteration and testing of attacks in testbeds and assessing the security of real-world networks. We demonstrate the potential of our framework by verifying the applicability of a novel denial-of-service attack targeting the adaptive data rate mechanism in a testbed using common off-the-shelf hardware. Furthermore, we show the feasibility of the Class B beacon spoofing attack, which has not been demonstrated in practice before.
Drag force of an exciton-polariton condensate under nonresonant pumping

Exciton-polariton condensate in semiconductor microcavities constitute a novel kind of non-equilibrium superfluid. In a recent experiment [P. Stepanov, {\it et. al.,} Nat. Commun. {\bf 10}, 1038 (2019)], the dispersion relation of collective excitations in a polariton condensate under the resonant pumping has been investigated with the emphasis on the role of reservoir of long-lived excitons in determining the superfluidity. Inspired by such an experimental advance, we study the superfluidity of a exciton-polaritonn condensate under non-resonant pumping by calculating the drag force exerted on a classical impurity moving in a polariton condensate. For a non-resonant pumped polariton condensate prepared in the gapped phase, due to the reservoir's modes, the drag force can be large when the velocity of the impurity is small. Besides, as the velocity increases, the drag force can decrease. For not very large velocity, the drag force is enhanced if the condensate is tuned to be more dissipative. When the condensate is close to the transition point between the gapped phase and the gapless one, the drag force is similar to that of the equilibrium superfluid. Our present work reveals the effects of the reservoir's modes on the superfluidity properties of a polariton condensate with the non-resonant pumping.
Boundary Element Solution of Electromagnetic Fields for Non-Perfect Conductors at Low Frequencies and Thin Skin Depths

A novel boundary element formulation for solving problems involving eddy currents in the thin skin depth approximation is developed. It is assumed that the time-harmonic magnetic field outside the scatterers can be described using the quasistatic approximation. A two-term asymptotic expansion with respect to a small parameter characterizing the skin depth is derived for the magnetic and electric fields outside and inside the scatterer, which can be extended to higher order terms if needed. The introduction of a special surface operator (the inverse surface gradient) allows the reduction of the computational complexity of the solution. A method to compute this operator is developed. The obtained formulation operates only with scalar quantities and requires the computation of surface integral operators that are customary in boundary element (method of moments) solutions to the Laplace equation. The formulation can be accelerated using the fast multipole method. The resulting method is much faster than solving the vector Maxwell equations. The obtained solutions are compared with the Mie solution for scattering from a sphere, and the error of the solution is studied. Computations for much more complex shapes of different topologies, including for magnetic and electric field cages used in testing, are also performed and discussed.
A different viewpoint on the Hadronic light-by-light tensor short-distance constraints

We discuss short-distance constraints for the hadronic light-by-light tensor via introducing a different viewpoint that gravitates around the anomaly constraints and emphasizes the transverse contributions to the aforementioned tensor so far ignored. While we do not propose a full solution to the problem, our standpoint shall be of general interest. As a particular realization of our viewpoint, our scheme splits the axial-vector meson exchanges into a model-independent pole-part and a contact contribution (a subtraction in the dispersive language), that is linked to fulfilling the anomaly (for which transverse degrees of freedom are needed) and might require a model estimate.
Descendant of the X-ogen carrier and a ‘mass of 69’: infrared action spectroscopic detection of HC3O+ and HC3S+

ABSTRACT The carbon chain ions HC O and HC S – longer variants of the famous ‘X-ogen’ line carrier HCO – have been observed for the first time using two cryogenic 22-pole ion trap apparatus (FELion, Coltrap) and two different light sources: the Free Electron Laser for Infrared eXperiments (FELIX), which was operated between 460 and 2500 cm , and an optical parametric oscillator operating near 3200 cm ; signals from both experiments were detected by infrared predissociation action spectroscopy. The majority of vibrational fundamentals were observed for both ions and their wavenumbers compare very favourably with results from high-level anharmonic force field calculations performed here at the coupled-cluster singles and doubles level augmented by a perturbative treatment of triple excitations, CCSD(T). As the action scheme employed here probes the Ne-tagged weakly bound variants, Ne–HC O and Ne–HC S , corresponding calculations of these systems were also performed. Differences in the structures and molecular force fields between the bare ions and their Ne-tagged complexes are found to be very small. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Biologia populacional de Cyphocarax modestus (Osteichthyes, Curimatidae) no córrego Ribeirão Claro, município de Rio Claro (SP)

This work aimed a better understanding of the annual cycle of Cyphocarax modestus in the reservoir of water captation of Ribeirao Claro stream. The growth parameters were estimated through the analysis of length distribution and the relationships among time of smaller growth, alimentary activity, fat accumulation and reproductive period were considered. Besides, the instantaneous rate of natural mortality was calculated. Monthly samplings were accomplished in the Ribeirao Claro stream, in the reservoir of water captation of Rio Claro city. For that, 50 m of wait net was used, with meshes of 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 cm measured between adjacent knots. The ELEFAN I program was used to estimate the growth parameters, and its application was done using the FISAT program. It was also used the seasonal version of von Bertalanffy's growth curve. It was considered that the reproduction of C. modestus is annual and concentrated from December to February, allowing the identification of different modas in the distributions, an essential condition for the conduction of that analysis type. The estimated parameters were: K = 0.34/year, L ∞ = 15.40 cm, C = 0.2, Wp = 0.6 and M = 0.949/year, with the identification of four cohorts. The physiologic sequence in the annual cycle of the specie could be noted when data of accumulated fat in the visceral cavity, alimentary activity, reproduction time and time of smaller growth were analyzed together. It was noted that with the beginning of the maturation of gonads, the energy resources stopped being invested in the growth and passed to be used for reproduction. Kyewords: Saguiru, Corumbatai river sub-basin, reservoir, growth, mortality.
Fomite transmission and disinfection strategies for SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses

Contaminated objects or surfaces, referred to as fomites, play a critical role in the spread of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The long persistence of viruses (hours to days) on surfaces calls for an urgent need for surface disinfection strategies to intercept virus transmission and the spread of the disease. Elucidating the physicochemical processes and surface science underlying the adsorption and transfer of virus between surfaces, as well as their inactivation, are important in understanding how the disease is transmitted, and in developing effective interception strategies. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge and underlying physicochemical processes of virus transmission, in particular via fomites, and common disinfection approaches. Gaps in knowledge and needs for further research are also identified. The review focuses on SARS-CoV-2, but will supplement the discussions with related viruses.
When Program Analysis Meets Bytecode Search: Targeted and Efficient Inter-procedural Analysis of Modern Android Apps in BackDroid

Widely-used Android static program analysis tools, e.g., Amandroid and FlowDroid, perform the whole-app inter-procedural analysis that is comprehensive but fundamentally difficult to handle modern (large) apps. The average app size has increased three to four times over five years. In this paper, we explore a new paradigm of targeted inter-procedural analysis that can skip irrelevant code and focus only on the flows of security-sensitive sink APIs. To this end, we propose a technique called on-the-fly bytecode search, which searches the disassembled app bytecode text just in time when a caller needs to be located. In this way, it guides targeted (and backward) inter-procedural analysis step by step until reaching entry points, without relying on a whole-app graph. Such search-based inter-procedural analysis, however, is challenging due to Java polymorphism, callbacks, asynchronous flows, static initializers, and inter-component communication in Android apps. We overcome these unique obstacles in our context by proposing a set of bytecode search mechanisms that utilize flexible searches and forward object taint analysis. Atop this new inter-procedural analysis, we further adjust the traditional backward slicing and forward constant propagation to provide the complete dataflow tracking of sink API calls. We have implemented a prototype called BackDroid and compared it with Amandroid in analyzing 3,178 modern popular apps for crypto and SSL misconfigurations. The evaluation shows that for such sink-based problems, BackDroid is 37 times faster (2.13v.s. 78.15 minutes) and has no timed-out failure (v.s. 35% in Amandroid) while maintaining close or even better detection effectiveness.
Observer variability for disk meter measurements of forage mass

Inconsistency among research workers in estimating forage mass in grazing experiments would limit the value of forage mass estimates, but this problem has not been thoroughly examined. A study was conducted to determine variation among observers in using the disk meter to measure forage mass on tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (L.) Screb. ] pastures which were grazed by steers (Bos taurus L.) at stocking rates of 2.0, 4.5, and 6.0 animals ha −1 . Four observers, with varying degrees of training and experience, were used to visually identify sites which represented mean disk meter height (DMH), determine DMH from random location of DMH measurements, and calibrate the disk meter for estimating forage mass (.)
The in situ relationships between season of hatching, growth and condition in the southern calamary, Sepioteuthis australis

This paper examines seasonal patterns in growth and condition of Sepioteuthis australis from temperate waters of Tasmania, Australia. Growth was described by a power function and was fast for a temperate species, with an average rate over the lifetime of 4–5% BW day–1. Sepioteuthis australis is an annual species, however spawning and hatching of juveniles appears to occur all year round. Analysis of individual juvenile growth demonstrated a correlation between seasonally increasing temperatures and progressively faster growth. Season of hatching also had a clear effect on adult growth; summer-hatched individuals were larger at 170–190 days of age compared with winter-hatched individuals (1002 ± 98 g and 632 ± 27 g respectively). The length–mantle weight relationship of adults was also dependent on season of hatching, with individuals hatched in summer and spring having heavier mantles at a given length than those hatched in winter or autumn. Differential rates of growth or varying levels of condition, or perhaps both, may affect the survivorship of individuals. Growth, condition and potentially lifespan of S. australis are dependent on environmental factors, with the dynamic nature of oceanographical conditions on the east coast of Tasmania resulting in a highly variable and fluctuating population structure.
Passivity-based distributed acquisition and station-keeping control of a satellite constellation in areostationary orbit

We present a distributed control law to assemble a cluster of satellites into an equally-spaced, planar constellation in a desired circular orbit about a planet. We assume each satellite only uses local information, transmitted through communication links with neighboring satellites. The same control law is used to maintain relative angular positions in the presence of disturbance forces. The stability of the constellation in the desired orbit is proved using a compositional approach. We first show the existence and uniqueness of an equilibrium of the interconnected system. We then certify each satellite and communication link is equilibrium-independent passive with respective storage functions. By leveraging the skew symmetric coupling structure of the constellation and the equilibrium-independent passivity property of each subsystem, we show that the equilibrium of the interconnected system is stable with a Lyapunov function composed of the individual subsystem storage functions. We further prove that the angular velocity of each satellite converges to the desired value necessary to maintain circular, areostationary orbit. Finally, we present simulation results to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control law in acquisition and station-keeping of an equally-spaced satellite constellation in areostationary orbit despite the presence of unmodeled disturbance forces.
An Audio-enriched BERT-based Framework for Spoken Multiple-choice Question Answering

In a spoken multiple-choice question answering (SMCQA) task, given a passage, a question, and multiple choices all in the form of speech, the machine needs to pick the correct choice to answer the question. While the audio could contain useful cues for SMCQA, usually only the auto-transcribed text is utilized in system development. Thanks to the large-scaled pre-trained language representation models, such as the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT), systems with only auto-transcribed text can still achieve a certain level of performance. However, previous studies have evidenced that acoustic-level statistics can offset text inaccuracies caused by the automatic speech recognition systems or representation inadequacy lurking in word embedding generators, thereby making the SMCQA system robust. Along the line of research, this study concentrates on designing a BERT-based SMCQA framework, which not only inherits the advantages of contextualized language representations learned by BERT, but integrates the complementary acoustic-level information distilled from audio with the text-level information. Consequently, an audio-enriched BERT-based SMCQA framework is proposed. A series of experiments demonstrates remarkable improvements in accuracy over selected baselines and SOTA systems on a published Chinese SMCQA dataset.
Domain-Specific, Semi-Supervised Transfer Learning for Medical Imaging

Limited availability of annotated medical imaging data poses a challenge for deep learning algorithms. Although transfer learning minimizes this hurdle in general, knowledge transfer across disparate domains is shown to be less effective. On the other hand, smaller architectures were found to be more compelling in learning better features. Consequently, we propose a lightweight architecture that uses mixed asymmetric kernels (MAKNet) to reduce the number of parameters significantly. Additionally, we train the proposed architecture using semi-supervised learning to provide pseudo-labels for a large medical dataset to assist with transfer learning. The proposed MAKNet provides better classification performance with fewer parameters than popular architectures. Experimental results also highlight the importance of domain-specific knowledge for effective transfer learning. Additionally, we interrogate the proposed network with integrated gradients and perturbation methods to establish the superior quality of the learned features.
In vitro ruminal methane suppression by lauric acid as influenced by dietary calcium

The effect of Ca supplementation on the methane-suppressing effect of lauric acid was investigated in an experiment based on a 2 × 2-factorial arrangement using the in vitro system Rusitec. Additional Ca was supplemented at 1 g kg-1 diet in the form of compounds of relatively low solubility in rumen fluid. Lauric acid (C12:0), the predominant effective medium-chain fatty acid in coconut oil, was added at a level of 50 g kg-1. Adding C12:0 did not affect bacterial count, but eliminated ciliate protozoa from fermenters. Ammonia concentration in fermentation mixture declined and volatile fatty acid pattern changed with C12:0. The apparent degradation rate of total organic matter was not altered by C12:0, but fiber fermentation was depressed (P < 0.001). Effects of Ca on microbial counts and fermentation characteristics remained low. Without additional Ca, C12:0 reduced the average daily methane release (mmol g-1 organic matter degraded) by 76%. In comparison, C12:0 only reduced methane production by 47% when.
Pulse Replication and Accumulation of Eigenvalues

Motivated by pulse-replication phenomena observed in the FitzHugh--Nagumo equation, we investigate traveling pulses whose slow-fast profiles exhibit canard-like transitions. We show that the spectra of the PDE linearization about such pulses may contain many point eigenvalues that accumulate onto a union of curves as the slow scale parameter approaches zero. The limit sets are related to the absolute spectrum of the homogeneous rest states involved in the canard-like transitions. Our results are formulated for general systems that admit an appropriate slow-fast structure.
Chemical composition and oxidative evolution of Sacha Inchi (Plukentia volubilis L.) oil from Xishuangbanna (China)

Sacha Inchi oil was studied for its physicochemical characteristics, chemical composition, radical scavenging activity and storage stability. The fatty acid composition was studied by gas chromatography–flame ionization (GC–FID) and the analysis showed that the oil is highly enriched in α–linolenic (43.5%) and linoleic (39.6%) acids. The tocopherol content in the oil analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet– visible detector (HPLC/UV–VIS) was also high (161.87 mg.100 g -1 ). Both DPPH and ABTS assays detected relatively high radical scavenging activity. After twelve months of storage, the oil showed relatively good storage stability. The results will help guide further investigation of the health benefits of Sacha Inchi oil for the population and the development of better edible oil products and nutraceuticals.