Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progressive Compression of Arbitrary Triangular Meshes

In this paper we present a mesh compression method based on a multiresolution decomposition whose detail coefficients have a compact representation and thus smaller entropy than the original mesh. Given an arbitrary triangular mesh with an irregular connectivity, we use a hierarchical simplification scheme, which generates a multiresolution model. By reversing the process we define a hierarchical progressive refinement process, where a simple prediction plus a correction is used for inserting vertices to form a finer level. We show how the connectivity of an arbitrary triangulation can be encoded efficiently by a coloring technique, and recovered incrementally during the progressive reconstruction of the original mesh.
On Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity, Memristive Devices, and Building a Self-Learning Visual Cortex

In this paper we present a very exciting overlap between emergent nanotechnology and neuroscience, which has been discovered by neuromorphic engineers. Specifically, we are linking one type of memristor nanotechnology devices to the biological synaptic update rule known as spike-time-dependent-plasticity (STDP) found in real biological synapses. Understanding this link allows neuromorphic engineers to develop circuit architectures that use this type of memristors to artificially emulate parts of the visual cortex. We focus on the type of memristors referred to as voltage or flux driven memristors and focus our discussions on a behavioral macro-model for such devices. The implementations result in fully asynchronous architectures with neurons sending their action potentials not only forward but also backward. One critical aspect is to use neurons that generate spikes of specific shapes. We will see how by changing the shapes of the neuron action potential spikes we can tune and manipulate the STDP learning rules for both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. We will see how neurons and memristors can be interconnected to achieve large scale spiking learning systems, that follow a type of multiplicative STDP learning rule. We will briefly extend the architectures to use three-terminal transistors with similar memristive behavior. We will illustrate how a V1 visual cortex layer can assembled and how it is capable of learning to extract orientations from visual data coming from a real artificial CMOS spiking retina observing real life scenes. Finally, we will discuss limitations of currently available memristors. The results presented are based on behavioral simulations and do not take into account non-idealities of devices and interconnects. The aim of this paper is to present, in a tutorial manner, an initial framework for the possible development of fully asynchronous STDP learning neuromorphic architectures exploiting two or three-terminal memristive type devices. All files used for the simulations are made available through the journal web site1.
Integrating word relationships into language models

In this paper, we propose a novel dependency language modeling approach for information retrieval. The approach extends the existing language modeling approach by relaxing the independence assumption. Our goal is to build a language model in which various word relationships can be integrated. In this work, we integrate two types of relationship extracted from WordNet and co-occurrence relationships respectively. The integrated model has been tested on several TREC collections. The results show that our model achieves substantial and significant improvements with respect to the models without these relationships. These results clearly show the benefit of integrating word relationships into language models for IR.
Beyond the Shoe Box: Foundations for Flexibly Organizing Photographs on a Computer

As a foundation for designing computer-supported photograph management tools, we have been conducting focused experiments. Here, we describe our analysis of how people initially organize collections of familiar images. We asked 26 subjects in pairs to organize 50 images on a common horizontal table. Each pair then organized a different 50-image set on a computer table of identical surface area. The bottom-projected computer tabletop displayed our interface to several online, pile-based affordances we wished to evaluate. Subjects used pens to interact with the system. We highlight aspects of the computer environment that were notably important to subjects and others that they cared about less than we had hypothesized. For example, a strong majority preferred computer-generated representations of piles to be grid- shaped over several alternatives, some of which mimicked the physical world closely and others that used transparency to save space.
Towards specifying pragmatic software reuse

Software reuse has numerous benefits, including reduced development time, defect density, and increased developer productivity. Numerous approaches to software reuse have been developed and we can divide them into two categories: preplanned approaches, where software artifacts are developed to be reused; and pragmatic approaches, that facilitate the reuse of software artifacts not necessarily designed for reuse. In this paper, we specify the general approach to pragmatic software reuse, which consists of three steps:i) feature location, which identifies the source code of an individual feature; ii) code analysis and modification, which fixes conflicts that can happen when achieving reuse; and iii) feature integration, which achieves reuse by integrating code into the target system. We also discuss how certain steps in the process are used in current state-of-the-art pragmatic reuse approaches. In addition, based on the experience of developing an approach to pragmatically reusing web application features, we identify general challenges in pragmatic reuse approaches.
Fingertip force estimation via inertial and magnetic sensors in deformable object manipulation

Fingertip contact forces are of utmost importance in evaluating the quality of the human grasp. However, measuring such forces during object manipulation is not a trivial task. In this paper, we propose a novel method to estimate the fingertip contact forces in grasping deformable objects with known shape and stiffness matrix. The proposed approach uses a sensing glove instrumented with inertial and magnetic sensors. Data obtained from the accelerometers and gyroscopes placed on the distal phalanges are used to determine when the fingers establish contacts with the object. The sensing glove is used to estimate the configuration of the hand and the deformation of the object at each contact with the fingertips of the human hand. The force exerted by each fingertip is obtained by multiplying the stiffness matrix of the object and the vector of object's local deformation in the contact point. Extensive simulations have been performed in order to evaluate the robustness of the proposed approach to noisy measurements, and uncertainties in human hand model. In order to validate the proposed approach, experimental validations with a virtual object have been performed. A haptic device was used to generate the contact forces with the virtual object and accurately measure the forces exerted by the users during the interaction.
TrilobiteG: A programming architecture for autonomous underwater vehicles

Programming autonomous systems can be challenging because many programming decisions must be made in real time and under stressful conditions, such as on a battle field, during a short communication window, or during a storm at sea. As such, new programming designs are needed to reflect these specific and extreme challenges. TrilobiteG is a programming architecture for buoyancy-driven autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), called gliders. Gliders are designed to spend weeks to months in the ocean, where they operate fully autonomously while submerged and can only communicate via satellite during their limited time at the surface. Based on the experience gained from a seven year long collaboration with two oceanographic institutes, the TrilobiteG architecture has been developed with the main goal of enabling users to run more effective missions. The TrilobiteG programming environment consists of a domain-specific language called ALGAE, a lower level service layer, and a set of real-time and faster-than-real-time simulators. The system has been used to program novel and robust glider behaviors, as well as to find software problems that otherwise may have remained undetected, with potentially catastrophic results. We believe that TrilobiteG can serve as a blueprint for other autonomous systems as well, and that TrilobiteG will motivate and enable a broader scientific community to work on extreme, real-world problems by using the simulation infrastructure.
Motion Planning Of An Intelligent Robot Using Ga Motivated Temporal Associative Memory

ABSTRACT The paper discusses the concept of re-planning for a mobile robot in the presence of semidynamic obstacles. The navigational planning is done by employing genetic algorithm until it reaches the goal point. The path segments traversed by the mobile robot are stored by a simple matrix, employing temporal associative memory. During subsequent traversal, the robot utilizes the previously stored matrix to avoid an obstacle path. In case of deadlock, the robot back tracks using TAM and finds alternative paths to reach the goal. This algorithm has been realized on a Pioneer 2DX mobile robot of ActiveMedia Robotic LLC, USA, through client server architecture. The result shows that the robot reaches the goal within a vicinity of a 20 mm radius.
Secure routing for mobile ad hoc networks

In this paper we present a survey of secure ad hoc routing protocols for mobile wireless networks. A mobile ad hoc network is a collection of nodes that is connected through a wireless medium forming rapidly changing topologies. The widely accepted existing routing protocols designed to accommodate the needs of such self-organized networks do not address possible threats aiming at the disruption of the protocol itself. The assumption of a trusted environment is not one that can be realistically expected; hence several efforts have been made towards the design of a secure and robust routing protocol for ad hoc networks. We briefly present the most popular protocols that follow the table-driven and the source-initiated on-demand approaches. Based on this discussion we then formulate the threat model for ad hoc routing and present several specific attacks that can target the operation of a protocol. In order to analyze the proposed secure ad hoc routing protocols in a structured way we have classified them into five categories; solutions based on asymmetric cryptography, solutions based on symmetric cryptography, hybrid solutions, reputation-based solutions and a category of add-on mechanisms that satisfy specific security requirements. A comparison between these solutions can provide the basis for future research in this rapidly evolving area.
A Genetic Relationship between Phosphorus Efficiency and Photosynthetic Traits in Soybean As Revealed by QTL Analysis Using a High-Density Genetic Map

Plant productivity relies on photosynthesis, and the photosynthetic process relies on phosphorus (P). The genetic basis of photosynthesis and P efficiency (PE) affecting yield has been separately characterized in various crop plants. However, the genetic relationship between PE and photosynthesis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used a combined analysis of phenotypic correlation, linkage mapping, and expression analysis to dissect the relationship between PE and photosynthesis. We found significant phenotypic correlations between PE and photosynthetic related traits, particularly under low P stress. A total of 172 QTLs for both traits were detected and classified into 29 genomic regions. 12 (41.4%) of 29 regions were detected to be associated with both PE and photosynthetic related traits. Three major QTLs, q14-2, q15-2, and q19-2, were found to be associated with both traits and explained 6.6–58.9% of phenotypic variation. A photosynthetic-specific QTL cluster, q12-1, was detected under both normal and low P conditions, suggesting that genes responsible for this region were less effected by low P stress, and could be used in high photosynthetic efficiency breeding programs. In addition, several candidate genes with significantly differential expression upon low P stress, such as a purple acid phosphatase gene (Glyma.19G193900) within q19-2 region, were considered as promising candidates involved in regulating both soybean PE and photosynthetic capacity. Our results reveal a significant genetic relationship between PE and photosynthetic traits, and uncover several major genomic regions specific or common to these traits. The markers linked closely to these major QTLs may be used for selection of soybean varieties with improved P efficiency and photosynthetic capacity.
Encoding of emotion-paired spatial stimuli in the rodent hippocampus

Rats can acquire the cognitive component of CS-US associations between sensory and aversive stimuli without a functional basolateral amygdala (BLA). Thus, other brain regions should support such associations. Some septal/dorsal CA1 (dCA1) neurons respond to both spatial stimuli and footshock, suggesting that dCA1 could be one such region. We report that, in both dorsal and ventral hippocampus, different neuronal ensembles express immediate-early genes (IEGs) when a place is experienced alone vs. when it is associated with foot shock. We assessed changes in the size and overlap of hippocampal neuronal ensembles activated by two behavioral events using a cellular imaging method, Arc/Homer1a catFISH. The control group (A-A) experienced the same place twice, while the experimental group (A-CFC) received the same training plus two foot shocks during the second event. During fear conditioning, A-CFC, compared to A-A, rats had a smaller ensemble size in dCA3, dCA1, and vCA3, but not vCA1. Additionally, A-CFC rats had a lower overlap score in dCA1 and vCA3. Locomotion did not correlate with ensemble size. Importantly, foot shocks delivered in a training paradigm that prevents establishing shock-context associations, did not induce significant Arc expression, rejecting the possibility that the observed changes in ensemble size and composition simply reflect experiencing a foot shock. Combined with data that Arc is necessary for lasting synaptic plasticity and long-term memory, the data suggests that Arc/H1a+ hippocampal neuronal ensembles encode aspects of fear conditioning beyond space and time. Rats, like humans, may use the hippocampus to create integrated episodic-like memory during fear conditioning.
Shadow generation on an image based on tricolor linear attenuation model

In this paper, we present a shadow generation method based on our previous tricolor linear attention shadow model. Compared with shadow generation methods in Graphics or based on matting and compositing shadow generation, our method does not need complex calculations or any matting operation, but only to calculate the pixel values of generated shadow on the basis of original image pixel information and tricolor values linear attenuation of shadow. This physically-based shadow generation method enhances the visual effects of shadow generation. A series of experimental results validate this method.
EuroSCORE Models in a Cohort of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease and a High Prevalence of Rheumatic Fever Submitted to Surgical Procedures

Objectives Epidemiological differences can be found between Brazilian and European valvular heart disease patients. The prevalence of heart valve diseases due to rheumatic disease is significantly higher in the Brazilian compared with the European population. Therefore, they could have different risks during and after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the additive and logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II in a cohort of high-risk patients with valvular heart disease of predominantly rheumatic aetiology submitted to surgery. Methods Between 1 February and 30 December 2009, 540 consecutive patients scheduled for valvular heart surgery were included in this study. In this set of patients, we examined the performance of the additive, logistic, and EuroSCORE II models for predicting in-hospital mortality. Calibration of each model was assessed by comparing predicted and observed in-hospital mortality and by the goodness of fit of the Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square test. Discrimination performance of the model was evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results The mean age was 56 ± 16 years, 50.6% were female, and the mortality rate was 16.0% (6.0% in elective surgery and 34.0% in emergency/urgency surgery). Mortality rates were estimated according to the additive and logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II at 6.1%, 8.7%, and 4.3%, respectively. The AUC was 0.76 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.70–0.81) for the additive EuroSCORE, 0.76 (95% CI 0.70–0.81) for the logistic EuroSCORE and 0.81 (95% CI 0.76–0.86) for EuroSCORE II. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistics were P = 0.52, P = 0.07, and P = 0.12 for additive, logistic EuroSCORE, and EuroSCORE II. Conclusions In this cohort of Brazilian patients with valvular heart disease submitted to surgical procedure, the EuroSCORE models had a good discriminatory capacity; however, the calibration was compromised because of an underestimation of the mortality rate.
Mathematical Assessment of the Effects of Parabolic and Spherical Surface Topographies on the Interfacial State of Stress

A mathematical procedure to utilize the complementary energy method was developed, by minimization, in order to find an approximate analytical solution to the 3-D stress distributions in bonded interfaces of dissimilar materials. In order to incorporate the effects of surface topography, the interface was expressed as a general surface in Cartesian coordinates, i.e., F (x, y, z) = 0. The 3-D stress functions were used to produce 3-D stress components in dissimilar materials. At the interface, the internal tractions in each of the coordinate directions were balanced by the mathematical procedure. By using a penalty function method of the optimization theory, integration of the complementary energy produced the necessary equations to solve the 3-D stress distribution problem at the interface. A noticeable advantage of our method is that the stress jumps at the interface predicted in elasticity theory are captured, while standard finite element analysis (FEA) methods usually have difficulty to show such stress jumps at interfaces. The 3-D mathematical procedure we developed for obtaining the stress components at bonded bi-material interfaces offers significant promise in solving interface problems with different surface topographies, which can be described mathematically. Thus, the procedure developed provides an efficient tool to optimize interface construction by various methods such as chemical (etching), mechanical (machining, roughening, etc.), and other novel methods, such as laser ablation, currently becoming available to achieve desired interface stress distributions for bonded materials. In this paper, the parabolic interface problem, i.e., y = x2, and the spherical interface problem, i.e., y = x2/4 + z2/4, are considered for an aluminum/epoxy interface.
Influence of Rapid Tryptophan Depletion on Laboratory-Provoked Aggression in Children with ADHD

Background: The present study investigated the effects of rapid tryptophan depletion (RTD), and the ensuing reduction of central nervous system levels of serotonin (5-HT), upon reactive aggression in patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, it was asked whether the relation between 5-HT function and behavioural aggression in patients is influenced by their age, the intensity of their attention problems or their comorbid symptoms. Methods: The study employed a double-blind, within-subject crossover design. On day 1, 22 male adolescent patients with ADHD were subjected to RTD and the subsequent reduction of central 5-HT levels. On day 2, they received a tryptophan-balanced amino acid mixture (BAL), which acted as a placebo. On both days, 4.5 h after the intake of the RTD/BAL amino acids, reactive aggressive behaviour was provoked using a competitive reaction time game, which consisted of both high and low provocation conditions. Results: The number of aggressive responses was significantly higher after low provocation during acute tryptophan depletion, in comparison to the placebo. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that neither age nor the intensity of attention symptoms in ADHD patients had an impact on the relation between 5-HT and reactive aggression. Conclusion: This study indicates that in children with ADHD, there is an inverse relationship between 5-HT and aggression.
A multivariate mixed hidden Markov model to analyze blue whale diving behaviour during controlled sound exposures

Characterization of multivariate time series of behaviour data from animal-borne sensors is challenging. Biologists require methods to objectively quantify baseline behaviour, then assess behaviour changes in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we apply hidden Markov models (HMMs) to characterize blue whale movement and diving behaviour, identifying latent states corresponding to three main underlying behaviour states: shallow feeding, travelling, and deep feeding. The model formulation accounts for inter-whale differences via a computationally efficient discrete random effect, and measures potential effects of experimental acoustic disturbance on between-state transition probabilities. We identify clear differences in blue whale disturbance response depending on the behavioural context during exposure, with whales less likely to initiate deep foraging behaviour during exposure. Findings are consistent with earlier studies using smaller samples, but the HMM approach provides more nuanced characterization of behaviour changes.
Co-occurrence Degree Based Word Alignment in Statistical Machine Translation

To alleviate the data sparseness problem during word alignment, we propose a word alignment method based on word co-occurrence degree. In this paper, we propose a new method to get the statistical information from word co- occurrence. We combine the co-occurrence counts and the fuzzy co-occurrence weights as word co-occurrence degree. Fuzzy co-occurrence weights can be obtained by searching for fuzzy co-occurrence word pairs and computing differences of length between current word and other words in fuzzy co-occurrence word pairs. Experiments show that the quality of word alignment and the translation performance both improved.