Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiparadigm scheduling for distributed real-time embedded computing

Increasingly complex requirements, coupled with tighter economic and organizational constraints, are making it hard to build complex distributed real-time embedded (DRE) systems entirely from scratch. Therefore, the proportion of DRE systems made up of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software is increasing significantly. There are relatively few systematic empirical studies, however, that illustrate how suitable COTS-based hardware and software have become for mission-critical DRE systems. This paper provides the following contributions to the study of real-time quality-of-service (QoS) assurance and performance in COTS-based DRE systems: it presents evidence that flexible configuration of COTS middleware mechanisms, and the operating system (OS) settings they use, allows DRE systems to meet critical QoS requirements over a wider range of load and jitter conditions than statically configured systems; it shows that in addition to making critical QoS assurances, noncritical QoS performance can be improved through flexible support for alternative scheduling strategies; and it presents an empirical study of three canonical scheduling strategies; specifically the conditions that predict success of a strategy for a production-quality DRE avionics mission computing system. Our results show that applying a flexible scheduling framework to COTS hardware, OSs, and middleware improves real-time QoS assurance and performance for mission-critical DRE systems.
Adherence to Guidelines for Cancer Survivors and Health-Related Quality of Life among Korean Breast Cancer Survivors

There is limited evidence on the association between adherence to guidelines for cancer survivors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In a cross-sectional study of Korean breast cancer survivors, we examined whether adherence to the guidelines of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) for cancer survivors was related to levels of HRQoL, assessed by the Korean version of Core 30 (C30) and Breast cancer module 23 (BR23) of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ). We included a total of 160 women aged 21 to 79 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer according to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages I to III and had breast cancer surgery at least six months before the interview. Increasing adherence to ACS guidelines was associated with higher scores of social functioning (p for trend = 0.05), whereas increasing adherence to WCRF/AICR recommendations was associated with higher scores of arm symptoms (p for trend = 0.01). These associations were limited to those with stage II or III cancer. Diet may be an important factor in relation to quality of life among Korean breast cancer survivors, however our findings warrant further prospective studies to evaluate whether healthy diet improves survivors’ quality of life.
Large-Scale Modeling of Wordform Learning and Representation

The forms of words as they appear in text and speech are central to theories and models of lexical processing. Nonetheless, current methods for simulating their learning and representation fail to approach the scale and heterogeneity of real wordform lexicons. A connectionist architecture termed the sequence encoder is used to learn nearly 75,000 wordform representations through exposure to strings of stress-marked phonemes or letters. First, the mechanisms and efficacy of the sequence encoder are demonstrated and shown to overcome problems with traditional slot-based codes. Then, two large-scale simulations are reported that learned to represent lexicons of either phonological or orthographic word-forms. In doing so, the models learned the statistics of their lexicons as shown by better processing of well-formed pseudowords as opposed to ill-formed (scrambled) pseudowords, and by accounting for variance in well-formedness ratings. It is discussed how the sequence encoder may be integrated into broader models of lexical processing.
The Robustness of CAPTCHAs: A Security Engineering Perspective

CAPTCHA (or Human Interaction Proof) is now almost a standard security technique for defending against undesirable or malicious bot programs on the Internet. However, the robustness of CAPTCHAs has so far been studied mainly just in communities such as computer vision, and document analysis and recognition. This paper motivates a security engineering perspective of the robustness of CAPTCHAs. Specifically, we show that a number of CAPTCHAs that appeared to be secure, including schemes widely deployed by Microsoft, Yahoo and Google and some other less well-known ones, could be broken with a high success rate with simple but novel attacks. In contrast to earlier work that relied on sophisticated computer vision algorithms, our attacks exploited critical design errors that we discovered in each scheme. The main lesson is that security engineering expertise and experience, in particular adversarial thinking skills, can make a unique and significant contribution to the improvement of the robustness of CAPTCHAs. © 2009 University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Printed and published by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Computing Science, Claremont Tower, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England. Bibliographical details YAN, J., EL AHMAD, A.S. The Robustness of CAPTCHAs: A Security Engineering Perspective [By] J. Yan, A.S. El Ahmad, Newcastle upon Tyne: University of Newcastle upon Tyne: Computing Science, 2009. (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Computing Science, Technical Report Series, No. CS-TR-1180)
Ray shooting and parametric search

Efficient algorithms for the ray shooting problem are presented: Given a collection $\Gamma $ of objects in $\mathbb{R}^d $, build a data structure so that, for a query ray, the first object of $\Gamma $ hit by the ray can be quickly determined. Using the parametric search technique, this problem is reduced to the segment emptiness problem. For various ray shooting problems, space/query-time trade-offs of the following type are achieved: For some integer b and a parameter $m(n \leqslant m \leqslant n^b )$ the queries are answered in time $O(({n / {m^{{1 / b}} }})\log ^{O(1)} n)$, with $O(m^{1 + \varepsilon } )$ space and preprocessing time ($\varepsilon > 0$ is arbitrarily small but fixed constant). $b = \lfloor {{d / 2}} \rfloor $ is obtained for ray shooting in a convex d-polytope defined as an intersection of n half spaces, $b = d$ for an arrangement of n hyperplanes in $\mathbb{R}^d $, and $b = 3$ for an arrangement of n half planes in $\mathbb{R}^3 $. This approach also yields fast procedures for fin.
An integrated Monte Carlo data association framework for multi-object tracking

We propose a sequential Monte Carlo data association algorithm based on a two-level computational framework for tracking varying number of interacting objects in dynamic scene. Firstly we propose a hybrid measurements generation process to facilitate varying number problems, the process mixes target-oriented measurements provided by target dynamics prior model and data-oriented measurements based on discriminative model. Secondly an improved Monte Carlo joint data association filter is used to combat the curse of dimension problem. Finally the particle based belief propagation is used to facilitate interactions among objects. This framework integrates discriminative model learning, Monte Carlo joint data association filtering, and belief propagation algorithm, these methods are realized as different levels of approximation to an 'ideal' generative model of multiple visual targets tracking, and result in a novel sequential Monte Carlo data association algorithm. The algorithm is illustrated via tracking many pedestrians in a real video sequence
Epidemiologic Study of Influenza Infection in Okinawa, Japan, from 2001 to 2007: Changing Patterns of Seasonality and Prevalence of Amantadine-Resistant Influenza A Virus

To clarify seasonal influenza patterns and the prevalence of amantadine-resistant influenza A viruses in Okinawa, located at the southern extremity of Japan in a subtropical climate, we conducted a laboratory-based study of influenza virus infections from 2001 to 2007. The annual outbreaks tended to show two peaks in Okinawa, in summer and winter, although the main islands of Japan, located in a temperate climate area, showed only winter influenza activity. Epidemic types and subtypes in Okinawa mostly matched those on the main islands of Japan in winter and those in Taiwan in summer. Rates of amantadine resistance dramatically increased, from 7.3% in the November 2002-to-March 2003 season to 90.0% in summer 2005, and a similarly high rate of resistance continued for the rest of the study period. Phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin gene of A/H3N2 isolates collected from 2002 to 2007 revealed a monophyletic lineage that was divided into four period groups. Each group included amantadine-sensitive and -resistant viruses within independent clusters. In the November 2005-to-March 2006 season, all of the amantadine-resistant viruses were clustered in clade N, with dual (position 193 and 225) amino acid mutations in their HA1 subunits. In 2005, clade N amantadine-resistant viruses existed in Okinawa several months before the circulation of this clade on the main islands of Japan. In conclusion, surveillance in Okinawa to monitor influenza virus circulation is important for elucidating the dynamics of virus transmission in a border area between temperate and subtropical areas, as Okinawa is one of the best sentinel points in Japan.
Learning Peri-saccadic Remapping of Receptive Field from Experience in Lateral Intraparietal Area

Our eyes move constantly at a frequency of 3–5 times per second. These movements, called saccades, induce the sweeping of visual images on the retina, yet we perceive the world as stable. It has been suggested that the brain achieves this visual stability via predictive remapping of neuronal receptive field (RF). A recent experimental study disclosed details of this remapping process in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), that is, about the time of the saccade, the neuronal RF expands along the saccadic trajectory temporally, covering the current RF (CRF), the future RF (FRF), and the region the eye will sweep through during the saccade. A cortical wave (CW) model was also proposed, which attributes the RF remapping as a consequence of neural activity propagating in the cortex, triggered jointly by a visual stimulus and the corollary discharge (CD) signal responsible for the saccade. In this study, we investigate how this CW model is learned naturally from visual experiences at the development of the brain. We build a two-layer network, with one layer consisting of LIP neurons and the other superior colliculus (SC) neurons. Initially, neuronal connections are random and non-selective. A saccade will cause a static visual image to sweep through the retina passively, creating the effect of the visual stimulus moving in the opposite direction of the saccade. According to the spiking-time-dependent-plasticity rule, the connection path in the opposite direction of the saccade between LIP neurons and the connection path from SC to LIP are enhanced. Over many such visual experiences, the CW model is developed, which generates the peri-saccadic RF remapping in LIP as observed in the experiment.
Improved training of neural networks for the nonlinear active control of sound and vibration

Active control of sound and vibration has been the subject of a lot of research in recent years, and examples of applications are now numerous. However, few practical implementations of nonlinear active controllers have been realized. Nonlinear active controllers may be required in cases where the actuators used in active control systems exhibit nonlinear characteristics, or in cases when the structure to be controlled exhibits a nonlinear behavior. A multilayer perceptron neural-network based control structure was previously introduced as a nonlinear active controller, with a training algorithm based on an extended backpropagation scheme. This paper introduces new heuristical training algorithms for the same neural-network control structure. The objective is to develop new algorithms with faster convergence speed (by using nonlinear recursive-least-squares algorithms) and/or lower computational loads (by using an alternative approach to compute the instantaneous gradient of the cost function). Experimental results of active sound control using a nonlinear actuator with linear and nonlinear controllers are presented. The results show that some of the new algorithms can greatly improve the learning rate of the neural-network control structure, and that for the considered experimental setup a neural-network controller can outperform linear controllers.
Paraffinic sludge reduction in crude oil storage tanks through the use of shearing and resuspension

Abstrakt This paper presents a method of cleaning paraffinic crude oil sludge from storage tanks by shearing and resuspension using an in-line jet mixer. An explanation is presented of why sludge deposition occurs in storage tanks that contain paraffinic crude oil. Conventional methods of tank cleaning are discussed. A theory regarding the behaviour of a submerged fluid jet is presented and the concept of “critical energy minimum’ is established. This paper presents a method used to successfully clean a crude oil storage tank using an in-line jet mixer and the results of a practical case study are presented.
Effects of sediment replenishment on riverbed material size distribution and attached algal biomass in the downstream reaches of a dam

Sediment replenishment is an effective method for resupplying depleted sediment and detaching overgrown algae in the downstream reaches of a dam. In this study, we used empirical data to examine the effects of sediment replenishment on bed material size and algal biomass in the downstream reaches of the Futase Dam, Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Assuming that algae detach from bed materials when they are moved by water flow, we calculated the tractive force on the riverbed (τ) and allotted a threshold bed material size in motion (Dcri) for each given τ. The resulting bed material in the downstream reaches of the dam in any year was typically finer than that in the previous year when flooding in the rainy season transported a large volume of sediment. Algal biomass was lower when monthly Dcri exceeded 2 mm, versus when it was less than 2 mm. These results suggest that replenishment of fine bed materials accelerates algal detachment and restricts the accumulation of algal biomass by reducing bed stability.
Use of Automated Facial Image Analysis for Measurement of Emotion Expression

Facial expressions are a key index of emotion. They have consistent correlation with self-reported emotion (Keltner, 1995; Rosenberg & Ekman, 1994; Ekman & Rosenberg, in press) and emotion-related central and peripheral physiology (Davidson, Ekman, Saron, Senulis, & Friesen, 1990; Fox & Davidson, 1988; Levenson, Ekman, & Friesen, 1990). They putatively share similar underlying dimensions with self-reported emotion (e.g., positive and negative affect) (Bullock & Russell, 1984; Gross & John, 1997; Watson & Tellegen, 1985). Facial expressions serve interpersonal functions of emotion by conveying communicative intent, signaling affective information in social referencing (Campos, Bertenthal, & Kermoian, 1992), and more generally contributing to the regulation of social interaction (Cohn & Elmore, 1988; Fridlund, 1994; Schmidt & Cohn, 2001). As a measure of trait affect, stability in facial expression emerges early in life (Cohn & Campbell, 1992; Malatesta, Culver, Tesman, & Shephard, 1989). By adulthood, stability is moderately strong, comparable to that for selfreported emotion (Cohn, Schmidt, Gross, & Ekman, 2002), and predictive of favorable outcomes in emotion-related domains including marriage and personal well-being over periods as long as 30 years (Harker & Keltner, 2001). Expressive changes in the face are a rich source of cues about intraand interpersonal functions of emotion (cf. Keltner & Haitd, 1999).
Reporting and interpretation in genome-wide association studies.

BACKGROUND In the context of genome-wide association studies we critique a number of methods that have been suggested for flagging associations for further investigation. METHODS The P-value is by far the most commonly used measure, but requires careful calibration when the a priori probability of an association is small, and discards information by not considering the power associated with each test. The q-value is a frequentist method by which the false discovery rate (FDR) may be controlled. RESULTS We advocate the use of the Bayes factor as a summary of the information in the data with respect to the comparison of the null and alternative hypotheses, and describe a recently-proposed approach to the calculation of the Bayes factor that is easily implemented. The combination of data across studies is straightforward using the Bayes factor approach, as are power calculations. CONCLUSIONS The Bayes factor and the q-value provide complementary information and when used in addition to the P-value may be used to reduce the number of reported findings that are subsequently not reproduced.
Transport of Beads by Several Kinesin Motors

The movements of beads pulled by several kinesin-1 (conventional kinesin) motors are studied both theoretically and experimentally. While the velocity is approximately independent of the number of motors pulling the beads, the walking distance or run-length is strongly increased when more motors are involved. Run-length distributions are measured for a wide range of motor concentrations and matched to theoretically calculated distributions using only two global fit parameters. In this way, the maximal number of motors pulling the beads is estimated to vary between two and seven motors for total kinesin concentrations between 0.1 and 2.5 μg/ml or between 0.27 and 6.7 nM. In the same concentration regime, the average number of pulling motors is found to lie between 1.1 and 3.2 motors.
Out of the box

SamenvattingEen nieuwe rubriek in TP waarin we ogenschijnlijk knellende richtlijnen willen tonen als uitdaging, en niet als korset: ‘Out of the Box’. Dat is het bedenken van passende oplossingen voor individuele problemen als maatwerk, in plaats van het toepassen van confectietandheelkunde. Richtlijnen geven immers alleen richting binnen bepaalde kaders en hebben de functie ons te stimuleren in het bedenken van creatieve, adequate oplossingen, in plaats van het kopiëren van bekende oplossingen zonder na te denken over het waarom.
Comparing and Contrasting Studies of Metrology Education and Training in Europe and North America

Abstract: This paper compares and contrasts two studies of the status of metrology education and training completed within NCSL International (NCSLI) and Implementing the Metrology European Research Area (iMERA). The current formulation by NCSLI and its partners of a strategic roadmap for metrology education and training and a survey of accreditation body assessors are presented. In addition, a corresponding iMERA study in Europe of metrology knowledge transfer has been initiated in preparation for the new European Metrology Research Program. This paper compares and contrasts the approaches and the formulations of these project and concludes with suggestions for future cooperation. Both the NCSLI and iMERA studies have shown a coordinated forum is needed to ensure that metrology staffing requirements are met at all levels – i.e., competent personnel and the necessary resources to support them.
Tweeters on Campus: Twitter a Learning Tool in Classroom?

Twitter is a well-known Web 2.0 microblogging social networking site that is quite popular for organizing events and sharing updates. It provides just in time communication, social connectivity and immediate feedback through Web, smartphones, tablet PCs, etc. The use of Twitter has also attracted educators and researchers due to its growing popularity among students, teachers, and academic communities as a whole. This study provides a critical review of Twitter use in educational settings. By practicing a systematic research methodology in the selection and review of literature, different pedagogical and instructional benefits and drawbacks of Twitter use in education were discussed. Based on these discussions, it was discovered that Twitter has positive impact on informal learning, class dynamics, motivation, as well as the academic and psychological development of young students. However, the potential long-term impact of Twitter on academic performance of students and its long-term effect on learning is still worth investigating.
The use of cannabidiol for seizure management in patients with brain tumor-related epilepsy

ABSTRACT Epilepsy, commonly encountered by patients with brain tumors, is often refractory to standard therapies. Our aim was to examine the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol (CBD; Epidiolex; Greenwich Biosciences) in those patients with epilepsy with concomitant tumors enrolled in The University of Alabama at Birmingham CBD Program (NCT02700412 and NCT02695537). Of the three patients with refractory seizures and a history of a primary brain tumor, two had improvement in seizure frequency and all three had improvement in seizure severity. These pilot results suggest that CBD should be further studied for the treatment of brain tumor-related epilepsy.
20-Gb/s 3.6-VPP-swing source-series-terminated driver with 2-Tap FFE in 65-nm CMOS

A 20 Gb/s source-series-terminated (SST) driver that provides large output swing for optical modulator is presented. This work incorporates a stacked SST driver to enlarge output swing up to 3.6 VPP, Diff. For high-speed operation over 20 Gb/s, the stacked SST driver is implemented with only thin-oxide devices. In addition, a 2-tap feed-forward equalizer (FFE) is employed to offer pre-emphasis that can compensate non-ideal effects in the optical modulator or interconnection. The prototype is fabricated in 65-nm CMOS process. Electrical measurement results show that the proposed driver achieves 3.6 VPP, Diff output swing at 20 Gb/s. The power consumption of the prototype is 477 mW with 1.2 V and 2.4 V dual supplies. The prototype occupies 0.24-mm2 active area.
Robust Fuzzy Control of an Active Magnetic Bearing Subject to Voltage Saturation

Based on a recently proposed model for the active-magnetic-bearing (AMB) switching mode of operation, this paper presents a robust Takagi-Sugeno-model-based fuzzy-control strategy to stabilize the AMB with fast response speed subject to control-voltage saturation and parameter uncertainties. The sufficient conditions for the existence of such a controller are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Numerical simulations against the proposed AMB model and a high-fidelity AMB model are used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.