Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficient Architecture for Low-Cost Adaptive 3D Graphics-Based E-Learning Applications

This work describes the design and implementation of the Virtual Reality Tool (VRT), a core component within the educational platform developed for the European research project IST-2001-33184, SLIM-VRT (Self Learning Integrated Methodology – Virtual Reality Tool). The main objective of this project is to propose an alternative for integrated maritime self-learning on board and ashore based on the use of interactive multimedia and low-cost 3D graphics technologies. The integration of the Virtual Reality Tool in the educational platform involves the incorporation of 3D graphic experiences to the educational process. Based on VRML and other standard tools, the VRT-enabled case studies are used for those learning activities in which the students interact with a virtual environment either to access multimedia information associated to relevant objects/devices in the scene, or to manipulate those devices to carry out specific simulations of operational tasks identified in the case study. With the aim of fulfilling the user’s requirements and learning needs identified within this field of application, the design of the VRT has required specific developments to overcome VRML limitations and make it possible to: (i) customize dynamically both the education programme and the multimedia content according to the specific user’s and terminal profiles; (ii) manage efficiently the interactivity with the virtual environment to adapt in real-time the learning process, according to student’s actions; and (iii) design and implement multiple case studies based on the same virtual environments, thus minimizing the modelling effort.
A Personal Revisitation of Neural Nets

Neural nets have a long history. The first paper on the subject, by McCulloch and Pitts, appeared in May 1943 in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics [1]. This was before even the ENIAC had been built. The paper was written in the jargon of neurology, but what it actually contained was the proof of a number of results in formal logic which could be applied to the description of threshold switching circuits. Von Neumann refers to this work in his EDVAC report and knowledge of it evidently conditioned his reaction to what he learned about the ENIAC project at the Moore School.
Regret Analysis for Continuous Dueling Bandit

The dueling bandit is a learning framework wherein the feedback information in the learning process is restricted to a noisy comparison between a pair of actions. In this research, we address a dueling bandit problem based on a cost function over a continuous space. We propose a stochastic mirror descent algorithm and show that the algorithm achieves an $O(\sqrt{T\log T})$-regret bound under strong convexity and smoothness assumptions for the cost function. Subsequently, we clarify the equivalence between regret minimization in dueling bandit and convex optimization for the cost function. Moreover, when considering a lower bound in convex optimization, our algorithm is shown to achieve the optimal convergence rate in convex optimization and the optimal regret in dueling bandit except for a logarithmic factor.
Autophagy promotes degradation of internalized collagen and regulates distribution of focal adhesions to suppress cell adhesion

ABSTRACT Adhesion of cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) via focal adhesions (FAs) is crucial for cell survival, migration, and differentiation. Although the regulation of FAs, including by integrins and the ECM, is important to cell behavior, how FAs are regulated is not well known. Autophagy is induced by both cell adhesion and cell detachment. Here, we showed that autophagosomes are located close to internalized collagen and paxillin, which is a well-known marker of FAs. Autophagy-deficient cells showed increased levels of internalized collagen compared with control cells. Moreover, paxillin exhibited a more peripheral distribution and the area of paxillin was increased, and adhesion-induced focal adhesion kinase signaling was impaired and adhesion was enhanced, in autophagy-deficient cells. These results suggest that autophagy suppressed cell adhesion by regulating internalized ECM and FAs. Summary: Autophagosomes localized close to internalized collagen and focal adhesions. In autophagy-deficient cells, internalized collagen and focal adhesion were increased, focal adhesion kinase signaling was impaired, and cell adhesion was enhanced.
The Distribution of Precipitation in the Qilian Mountains

Precipitation in the mountains plays a significant role in providing water for the sustainable development of oasis cities downstream. The precipitation data of 49 national meteorological stations that surround the Qilian Mountains were analysed during the period from 1980 to 2013. The results show that the precipitation is affected not only by the source of water vapour, but also by the topography. The distribution of mean annual precipitation decreased from southeast to northwest. The value of precipitation is high around Qinghai Lake. Considering the seasonal distribution, the summer precipitation accounts for above half of annual precipitation, whereas the winter precipitation accounts for below 10% of annual precipitation.
Discrete Wavelet Spectrum Analysis for Multifractal Network Traffic

The aggregate traffic of rapid Internet traffic have shown to be multifractal because of the self-similarity behavior at all time scales. In this paper, we study the stochastic properties and construction of multifractal products of processes using wavelet analysis. Following the lead of Fourier spectrum analysis, we define a spectrum function, based on the discrete wavelet analysis, to represent statistic properties of multifractal process. Based on large deviation theorem, the existence proof of the spectrum is given as well as its characterization properties and the corresponding conditions. A simple method of spectrum estimating is given at last
Morphometric analysis of Dwarakeswar watershed, Bankura district, West Bengal, India, using spatial information technology

Spatial information technology that is, remote sensing (RS) coupled with geographical information system (GIS) has come out as an efficient tool in delineating drainage pattern and water resource management and its planning. GIS and Image Processing techniques have been adopted for the identification of morphological features and analyzing their properties in Dwarakeswar River Basin area in Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal, India. The basin morphometric parameters such as linear and aerial aspects of the river basin have been determined. The parameters worked out include both linear aspects [Stream order (Nu), Bifurcation ratio(Rb), Stream length(Lu), Stream frequency] and aerial aspects [Form factor (Rf), Circulatory Ratio (Rc), Elongation Ratio (Re) and Drainage Density]. The study reveals that the area is characterized by fine drainage texture and lower drainage density indicating the basin is characterized by highly resistant permeable material with low relief. The overall drainage pattern of the Dwarkeswar watershed reflects a dendritic pattern. Dendritic pattern, in general, is considered as a group of resequent streams within homogeneous lithology and gently sloping topography. This study would help the local people to utilize the resources for sustainable development of the basin area. Key words: Quantitative geomorphology, drainage basin, Dwarakeswar watershed, morphometric analysis, spatial information technology.
Patient-ventilator asynchrony: Automatic detection of AutoPEEP

This paper introduces a method to automatically detect AutoPEEP (pulmonary distension), a frequent asynchrony in the patient-ventilator interface. The detection algorithm is developed based on a robust non-parametric hypothesis testing that requires no prior information on the distribution of the signal. The experiment results have shown that the proposed algorithm provide relevant AutoPEEP detection on both simulated and real data.
Current Concept and Update of the Macrophage Plasticity Concept: Intracellular Mechanisms of Reprogramming and M3 Macrophage “Switch” Phenotype

Macrophages play a key role in immunity. In this review, we consider the traditional notion of macrophage plasticity, data that do not fit into existing concepts, and a hypothesis for existence of a new switch macrophage phenotype. Depending on the microenvironment, macrophages can reprogram their phenotype toward the proinflammatory M1 phenotype or toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Macrophage reprogramming involves well-coordinated changes in activities of signalling and posttranslational mechanisms. Macrophage reprogramming is provided by JNK-, PI3K/Akt-, Notch-, JAK/STAT-, TGF-β-, TLR/NF-κB-, and hypoxia-dependent pathways. Posttranscriptional regulation is based on micro-mRNA. We have hypothesized that, in addition to the M1 and M2 phenotypes, an M3 switch phenotype exists. This switch phenotype responds to proinflammatory stimuli with reprogramming towards the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype or, contrarily, it responds to anti-inflammatory stimuli with reprogramming towards the proinflammatory M1 phenotype. We have found signs of such a switch phenotype in lung diseases. Understanding the mechanisms of macrophage reprogramming will assist in the selection of new therapeutic targets for correction of impaired immunity.
Complexity Classification in Infinite-Domain Constraint Satisfaction

A constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) is a computational problem where the input consists of a finite set of variables and a finite set of constraints, and where the task is to decide whether there exists a satisfying assignment of values to the variables. Depending on the type of constraints that we allow in the input, a CSP might be tractable, or computationally hard. In recent years, general criteria have been discovered that imply that a CSP is polynomial-time tractable, or that it is NP-hard. Finite-domain CSPs have become a major common research focus of graph theory, artificial intelligence, and finite model theory. It turned out that the key questions for complexity classification of CSPs are closely linked to central questions in universal algebra. This thesis studies CSPs where the variables can take values from an infinite domain. This generalization enhances dramatically the range of computational problems that can be modeled as a CSP. Many problems from areas that have so far seen no interaction with constraint satisfaction theory can be formulated using infinite domains, e.g. problems from temporal and spatial reasoning, phylogenetic reconstruction, and operations research. It turns out that the universal-algebraic approach can also be applied to study large classes of infinite-domain CSPs, yielding elegant complexity classification results. A new tool in this thesis that becomes relevant particularly for infinite domains is Ramsey theory. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with two complete complexity classification results: one on CSPs in temporal reasoning, the other on a generalization of Schaefer's theorem for propositional logic to logic over graphs. We also study the limits of complexity classification, and present classes of computational problems provably do not exhibit a complexity dichotomy into hard and easy problems.
In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 12 Coastal Navigation with Mobile Robots

The problem that we address in this paper is how a mobile robot can plan in order to arrive at its goal with minimum uncertainty. Traditional motion planning algorithms often assume that a mobile robot can track its position reliably, however, in real world situations, reliable localization may not always be feasible. Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) provide one way to maximize the certainty of reaching the goal state, but at the cost of computational intractability for large state spaces. The method we propose explicitly models the uncertainty of the robot's position as a state variable, and generates trajectories through the augmented pose-uncertainty space. By minimizing the positional uncertainty at the goal, the robot reduces the likelihood it becomes lost. We demonstrate experimentally that coastal navigation reduces the uncertainty at the goal, especially with degraded localization.
Bifurcation of the resistive Alfvén wave spectrum

A phase integral (WKBJ) theory of damped modes in a resistive cylindrical plasma column is developed. The theory predicts several phenomena observed previously in numerical studies: (i) the complex frequency ω has a point spectrum lying on a locus which is approximately independent of the resistivity, and which intersects the ideal continuum only at its end points (at angles of 45° and 30°); (ii) the qualitative features are independent of current profile and m–number, provided |k.B| is monotonic and strictly positive; and (iii) the two branches of the spectral locus joining the two end points of the ideal continuum correspond to precisely defined ‘internal’ and ‘wall’ modes, and bifurcate from a ‘global’ mode at a certain complex frequency which can be predicted from the topological features of the Stokes diagram in the complex radial position plane. In order to derive consistent connexion formulae for reflexions from the wall, the magnetic axis, and from turning points, we reduce the resistive hydromagnetic equations to a scalar wave equation, uniformly valid over the entire plasma to two orders in an expansion in the square root of the resistivity. Good numerical agreement is found between eigenvalues from the full equations, the reduced equation, and from the WKBJ method.
Hemispheric differences in recognition of facial expressions: a VHF-study of negative, positive, and neutral emotions.

The present study was concerned with a tachistoscopic investigation of asymmetry of recognition of different facial emotional expressions. Twenty-eight subjects had nine different drawings of facial expressions (either positive, negative, or neutral in emotional content) presented either to the left or right visual half-field. Recognition of the correct face was made for each stimulus-presentation. The results showed overall better recognition for presentations in the left half-field (LVF) (i.e., right hemisphere) compared to right half-field (RVF) (i.e., left hemisphere) presentations. Furthermore, while all three emotional categories were recognized about equally well in the right half-field, positive emotional expressions were significantly better than the neutral and negative categories when presented to the left half-field. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings of cerebral asymmetry in processing of emotional facial expressions.
A Diffusion Model for Optimal Dividend Distribution for a Company with Constraints on Risk Control

This paper investigates a model of a corporation which faces constant liability payments andwhich can choose a production/business policy from an available set of control policies with d ifferent expectedprofits andrisks. The objective is to finda business policy anda d ivid end distribution scheme so as to maximize the expected present value of the total dividend distributions. The main feature of this paper is that there are constraints on business activities such as inability to completely eliminate risk (even at the expense of reducing the potential profit to zero) or when such a risk cannot exceed a certain level. The case in which there is no restriction on the dividend pay-out rates is dealt with. This gives rise to a mixed regular-singular stochastic control problem. First the value function is analyzedin great d etail andin particular is shown to be a viscosity solution of the correspond ing Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. Basedon this it is further provedthat the value function must be twice continuously differentiable. Then a delicate analysis is carried out on the HJB equation, leading to an explicit expression of the value function as well as the optimal policies.
BorderPatrol: isolating events for black-box tracing

Causal request traces are valuable to developers of large concurrent and distributed applications, yet difficult to obtain. Traces show how a request is processed, and can be analyzed by tools to detect performance or correctness errors and anomalous behavior. We present BorderPatrol, which obtains precise request traces through suystems built from a litany of unmodified modules. Traced components include Apache, thttpd, PostgreSQL, TurboGears, BIND and notably Zeus, a closed-source event-driven web server. BorderPatrol obtains traces using active observation which carefully modifies the event stream observed by modules, simplifying precise observation. Protocol processors leverage knowledge about standard protocols, avoiding application-specific instrumentation. BorderPatrol obtains precise traces for black-box systems that cannot be traced by any other technique. We confirm the accuracy of BorderPatrol's traces by comparing to manual instrumentation, and compare the developer effort required for each kind of trace. BorderPatrol imposes limited overhead on real systems (approximately 10-15%) and it may be enabled or disabled in at run-time, making it a viable option for deployment in production environments.
Generation of infrasonic signals during earthquakes under Lake Hovsgool (Northern Mongolia) on December 5, 2014

The paper discusses the results of the detection of seismic and infrasonic waves generated by a major earthquake and its aftershock (the moment magnitude MW=4.9 and MW=4.2 respectively), which occurred in northern Mongolia under Lake Hovsgool on December 5, 2014. The joint analysis of waveforms of seismic and infrasonic oscillations has shown that the signal recorded by the infrasound station of the Geophysical Observatory of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS (ISTP SB RAS) is formed from sources of three generation types: local, secondary, and epicentral. This analysis enables us to propose a hypothesis of generation of epicentral infrasonic signal by flexural waves in an elastic ice membrane on the surface of Lake Hovsgool, which appear during the passage of seismic wave packets. This hypothesis explains the similarity between seismic and epicentral infrasonic signals, negative initial phase of epicentral infrasonic waves, and detection of a weak signal after a small-magnitude aftershock.
Disaster anxiety and self-assistance behaviours among persons with cervical cord injury in Japan: a qualitative study

Objectives Persons with disabilities, especially those with a severe disability, have a vague anxiety about future disasters; however, the measures of self-assistance for disaster preparedness have not been standardised. The present study aimed to describe disaster-related anxiety and behaviours related to disaster preparedness among persons who have cervical cord injury in Japan. Design Qualitative study. Setting Tokyo Metropolitan area, Japan. Participants 16 persons with cervical cord injury participated. Inclusion criteria were being 20 years old and older, being diagnosed with cervical cord injury, being able to communicate verbally, having an interest in disaster preparedness, and belonging to a self-help group of persons with cervical cord injury in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Results Participants usually had ‘anxiety about health management’ and it became more serious once they thought about a disaster. We identified three themes in relation to their anxiety: ‘storing needed items,’ ‘staying in a safe place’ and ‘having reliable caregivers. ’ We also identified three other themes that were the reasons behind these themes: ‘travel experiences,’ ‘experiences of failure’ and ‘information from peers. ’ Conclusions To buffer the anxiety about health management in a disaster, it would be important for persons with cervical cord injury to store needed items, stay in a safe place and have reliable caregivers. Various daily experiences, including experiences of failure, would encourage such behaviours.
A DE — ANFIS hybrid technique for adaptive deadbeat controller

This paper demonstrates the control parameter optimization using a hybrid Differential Evolution (DE) — Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) technique for permanent-magnet brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive system ensuring deadbeat response. The parameter settings are further used in adaptive current and speed controllers to attain the objective in a BLDC drive system. The parameters of both inner-loop and outer-loop PI controllers, which vary with the operating conditions of the system, are adapted in order to maintain deadbeat response for current and speed. The ANFIS is modeled using the evenly distributed operating points selected within preset regions of system loading. The optimized data from DE are used to train the ANFIS that could deduce the controller parameters at any other loading condition within the same region of operation.
Optimizing network virtualization in Xen

In this paper, we propose and evaluate three techniques for optimizing network performance in the Xen virtualized environment. Our techniques retain the basic Xen architecture of locating device drivers in a privileged 'driver' domain with access to I/O devices, and providing network access to unprivileged 'guest' domains through virtualized network interfaces. First, we redefine the virtual network interfaces of guest domains to incorporate high-level network offfload features available in most modern network cards. We demonstrate the performance benefits of high-level offload functionality in the virtual interface, even when such functionality is not supported in the underlying physical interface. Second, we optimize the implementation of the data transfer path between guest and driver domains. The optimization avoids expensive data remapping operations on the transmit path, and replaces page remapping by data copying on the receive path. Finally, we provide support for guest operating systems to effectively utilize advanced virtual memory features such as superpages and global page mappings. The overall impact of these optimizations is an improvement in transmit performance of guest domains by a factor of 4.4. The receive performance of the driver domain is improved by 35% and reaches within 7% of native Linux performance. The receive performance in guest domains improves by 18%, but still trails the native Linux performance by 61%. We analyse the performance improvements in detail, and quantify the contribution of each optimization to the overall performance.
Experimental validation of new direct power control switching table for shunt active power filter

This paper deals with a new concept and analysis of direct power control (DPC) switching table for a three phase shunt active power filter (SAPF) to improve power quality. The active power reference is obtained from the VSI dc-bus voltage controlled at the required level using an integrator proportional corrector. Compared to their references, active and reactive powers are directly controlled by selecting the optimal vector using a new switching table. From the SAPF's equivalent scheme analysis the instantaneous active and reactive powers (IARP) variations are obtained. The new predefined switching table is designed based on comparative study and voltage source inverter (VSI) switching vectors effect on the total IARP variations. The main advantages of this control technique are that it provides a sinusoidal source current and unity power factor with no need of linear current controllers and coordinates transformations or modulators. Extensive simulation and experimental results, obtained from steady and transient states, prove the excellent performance and verify the validity and effectiveness of the proposed power control for improving the power quality.