Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finding a Needle in a Haystack: An Image Processing Approach

Image segmentation (also known as object/edge detection) is the process of dividing an image into its constituent parts using information about the boundaries between objects, edges within objects, variations in intensity, et cetera. Often, the human eye can easily recognize salient information from an image; however, background variations in intensity, noise and other degradations, and other highly oscillatory features make the process of image segmentation challenging. This work is unique because we propose using a cartoon-texture-noise separation to remove highly oscillatory features from the image prior to segmentation. The cartoon and texture components can be used to analyze important information from the original image; specifically, by applying a segmentation algorithm on the cartoon component, we can extract objects from the original image. A new numerical implementation is provided for one of the two decompositions used as well as various experimental results. The method is applied to the classic example of finding a needle in a haystack, as well as real images where the texture component and noise causes problems for standard techniques.
Retinal Vessel Diameters and Their Relationship with Cardiovascular Risk and All-Cause Mortality in the Inter99 Eye Study: A 15-Year Follow-Up

Purpose. To describe associations between retinal vessel diameters and cardiovascular risk markers and mortality. Methods. The present study included 908 persons aged 30 to 60 years. Vessel diameters were expressed as central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) and central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE). Multiple linear regression analyses and Cox regression models were used. Results. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that narrower CRAE was associated with higher systolic blood pressure, age, and higher HDL cholesterol, whereas wider CRAE and CRVE were associated with smoking. Narrower CRVE was associated with higher HDL cholesterol. In an age-adjusted model, associations between wider CRVE and risk of ischemic heart disease were found (P < 0.001). Wider CRVE was associated with all-cause mortality (HR = 2.02, P = 0.033) in a model adjusted for age, gender, and blood pressure. However, the association was not statistically significant after additional adjustment for smoking. Conclusions. The associations between retinal vessel diameters and known cardiovascular risk factors were confirmed. All-cause mortality was not associated with retinal vessel diameters when adjusting for relevant confounders.
Cross-Lingual Linking of News Stories using ESA

In this paper, we describe our approach for Cross-Lingual linking of Indian news stories, submitted for Cross-Lingual Indian News Story Search (CL! NSS) task at FIRE 2012. Our approach consists of two major steps, the reduction of search space by using di�erent features and ranking of the news stories according to their relatedness scores. Our approach uses Wikipedia-based Cross-Lingual Explicit Semantic Analysis (CLESA) to calculate the semantic similarity and relatedness score between two news stories in di�erent languages. We evaluate our approach on CL! NSS dataset, which consists of 50 news stories in English and 50K news stories in Hindi.
A comparative study of navigation meshes

A navigation mesh is a representation of a 2D or 3D virtual environment that enables path planning and crowd simulation for walking characters. Various state-of-the-art navigation meshes exist, but there is no standardized way of evaluating or comparing them. Each implementation is in a different state of maturity, has been tested on different hardware, uses different example environments, and may have been designed with a different application in mind. In this paper, we conduct the first comparative study of navigation meshes. First, we give general definitions of 2D and 3D environments and navigation meshes. Second, we propose theoretical properties by which navigation meshes can be classified. Third, we introduce metrics by which the quality of a navigation mesh implementation can be measured objectively. Finally, we use these metrics to compare various state-of-the-art navigation meshes in a range of 2D and 3D environments. We expect that this work will set a new standard for the evaluation of navigation meshes, that it will help developers choose an appropriate navigation mesh for their application, and that it will steer future research on navigation meshes in interesting directions.
Energy optimization in 3D MPSoCs with Wide-I/O DRAM using temperature variation aware bank-wise refresh

Heterogeneous 3D integrated systems with Wide-I/O DRAMs are a promising solution to squeeze more functionality and storage bits into an ever decreasing volume. Unfortunately, with 3D stacking, the challenges of high power densities and thermal dissipation are exacerbated. We improve DRAM refresh power by considering the lateral and vertical temperature variations in the 3D structure and adapting the per-DRAM-bank refresh period accordingly. In order to provide proof of our concepts we develop an advanced virtual platform which models the performance, power, and thermal behavior of a 3D-integrated MPSoC with Wide-I/O DRAMs in detail. On this platform we run the Android OS with real-world benchmarks to quantify the advantages of our ideas. We show improvements of 16% in DRAM refresh power due to temperature variation aware bank-wise refresh. Furthermore, two solutions are investigated to speedup system simulations: (1) Adaptive tuning of sampling intervals based on the estimated chip thermal profile, which results in speedups of 2X. (2) Hardware acceleration of thermal simulations using the Maxeler engine, which shows possible speedups of 12X.
Group escape behavior of multiple mobile robot system by mimicking fish schools

Cooperative behaviors and control strategies using by animals, birds, fishes and human are usually good examples for designing distributed control architecture of multiple robot team. In last two decades, school behavior of fish was being used as a good model to control multi-mobile robots with local sensing ability and local interaction only, and several research groups have successfully demonstrated distributed control architectures on controlling robot swarm systems via simulations or experiments. Another interesting behavior of fish schools is group escape behavior which shows all fish change their moving directions rapidly without any explicit global communications while some fish sense a predator. In this paper, we proposed a distributed algorithm to perform group escape behavior without inter-robot communication by mimicking behavior of fish schools. This behavior provides an alternate method for a robot team to achieve some emergency tasks while inter-robot communication is restricted. The mechanism of the group escape behavior is introduced, and the characteristics of escape motion state transferring in the swarm are discussed. Some simulation results and experimental results are provided for illustrating the validity of the proposed group escape algorithm.
Multidimensional Separation Using HILIC and SCX Pre-fractionation for RP LC-MS/MS Platform with Automated Exclusion List-based MS Data Acquisition with Increased Protein Quantification

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based proteomics is one of the most widely used analytical platforms for global protein discovery and quantification. One of the challenges is the difficulty of identifying low abundance biomarker proteins from limited biological samples. Extensive fractionation could expand proteomics dynamic range, however, at the cost of high sample and time consumption. Extensive fractionation would increase the sample need and the labeling cost. Also quantitative proteomics depending on high resolution MS have the limitation of spectral acquisition speed. Those practical problems hinder the in-depth quantitative proteomics analysis such as tandem mass tag (TMT) experiments. We found the joint use of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and strong cation exchange Chromatography (SCX) prefractionation at medium level could improve MS/MS efficiency, increase proteome coverage, shorten analysis time and save valuable samples. In addition, we scripted a program, Exclusion List Convertor (ELC), which automates and streamlines data acquisition workflow using the precursor ion exclusion (PIE) method. PIE reduces redundancy of high abundance MS/MS analyses by running replicates of the sample. The precursor ions detected in the initial run(s) are excluded for MS/MS in the subsequent run. We compared PIE methods with standard data dependent acquisition (DDA) methods running replicates without PIE for their effectiveness in quantifying TMT-tagged peptides and proteins in mouse tears. We quantified a total of 845 proteins and 1401 peptides using the PIE workflow, while the DDA method only resulted in 347 proteins and 731 peptides. This represents a 144% increase of protein identifications as a result of PIE analysis.
Reusing an on-chip network for the test of core-based systems

Networks-on-chip are likely to become the main communication platform of systems-on-chip. To cope with the growing complexity of the test of such systems, the authors propose the reuse of the on-chip network as a test access mechanism to the cores embedded into systems that use this communication platform. An algorithm exploiting the network characteristics to minimize test time is presented. Then, the reuse strategy is evaluated considering a number of system configurations, such as different positions of the cores in the network, power consumption constraints and number of interfaces with the tester. Experimental results for the ITC'02 SOC Test Benchmarks show that the parallelization capability of the network can be exploited to reduce the system test time, whereas area and pin overhead are strongly minimized.
Visual Programming Language for Thymio II Robot

This paper introduces a visual programming language (vpl) for Thymio II, an educational robot. Our vpl is intended for children in primary school and aims at making robotics programming approachable for young children by creating a close correspondence between the icons of the programming language and the design of the robot. Its two modes of operation | basic and advanced | allow children to learn programming at a level suitable for their current skill. Moreover, our vpl provides a live generation of textual code that eases the transition to textual programming for more advanced children. This paper describes the goals and the guiding principles behind the design of our vpl and demonstrates how an iterative development process with evaluations with children resulted in an improved vpl.
Combined influence of dietary restriction and treadmill running on MCP-1 and the expression of oxidative stress-related mRNA in the adipose tissue in obese mice

[Purpose] This study suggests that the negative effects of inflammation caused by obesity could be prevented through diet restriction and exercise. [Methods] In this study, 44 C57/BL6 male mice at about 4 weeks old (Orient bio, South Korea) were given a high fat diet for 5 weeks to make them obese. To help the mice lose weight, their dietary intake was limited and they were exercised on the treadmill for 8 weeks, and during that period, we analyzed the changes of MCP-1, ERK, Mn-SOD, HIF-1, and NOX in epididymal adipose tissue. There ND control group and obese group with high fat diet (HFD), and it is divided into four groups; HFD-ND-EX group, HFD-ND-nonEX group, HFD-DR-EX group and HFD-DR-nonEX group. [Results] During their progress, the mRNA expressions of HIF-1α and ERK2 decreased, as did the expression of MCP-1 contained in the nucleus by suppressing oxygen free radicals, which was observed after the exercise program. However, dietary restriction without exercise training triggered an increase in the mRNA expression of MCP-1. [Conclusion] To put this in perspective, combining exercise and dietary intake restriction likely prevented an influx of macrophages by reducing the number of fat cells, whereas only dietary restriction was not effective against reducing inflammation.
Shape memory alloy-based High Phase Order Motor

In this paper, we present our current work in the design and characterisation of a new shape memory alloy (SMA)-based High Phase Order Motor (HPOM). The motor can be used either in stepping mode or in servo mode of operation. Each phase of the motor consists of an SMA wire with a spring. The principle of operation of the HPOM is presented. In its operation the motor resembles a stepper motor though the actuation principles are different and hence has been characterised similar to a stepper motor. This motor can be actuated in either direction depending on which SMA is actuated, which are presented in this work. The motor is modelled and simulated and the results of simulations and experiments are presented.
X-Efficiency Analysis of Pakistani Commercial Banks

[Abstract] This paper contributes to literature by extending the analysis on efficiency assessment of commercial banks across Pakistan for the years from 2001 to 2006 by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The average efficiency scores of banks across Pakistan appear to be low. Foreign banks tend to perform better than those of the local banks in Pakistan, both private and public. However, private local banks perform better than those of their counterparts in the public sector. Furthermore, findings of the research support the global advantage hypothesis where foreign banks appear to be overcoming the cross-border disadvantages. This might be surfacing out of their superior investment strategies, advanced management techniques, and better-quality services to their clients. On the contrary, Pakistani commercial banks fail to support the home field advantage hypothesis , where local banks are expected to perform more efficiently than those from abroad. This might be due to concentrating on servicing the retail markets only, existence of competition in the banking industry, rising interest rates, higher levels of non-interest and administrative expenses, pursuing less sophisticated investment strategies, and providing less competitive managerial services to their clients. The study bears some useful managerial implications for banking sectors of developing countries across the globe.
Optimizing support vector machine parameters using cuckoo search algorithm via cross validation

Support vector machine is one of the most popular techniques for solving classification problems. It is known that the choice of parameters directly affects its performance. This problem can be solved using a search algorithm which is suitable optimization technique for the parameter optimization. In this research, we propose a method to determine the optimal parameters for support vector machines using the cuckoo search algorithm via maximization of the average accuracy from k-fold cross validation. Our experimental results show that the cuckoo search algorithm provides very good convergence rate and outcomes. The comparison between its performance and another population based optimization namely the particle swarm optimization is also performed. It shows that the cuckoo search algorithm yields better convergence rate and outcomes than the particle swarm optimization in most datasets. It implies that the mechanism of cuckoo search algorithm is efficient for this parameter optimization problem and is more effective than the particle swarm optimization in this particular problem.
Cyclic proofs of program termination in separation logic

We propose a novel approach to proving the termination of heap-manipulating programs, which combines separation logic with cyclic proof within a Hoare-style proof system.Judgements in this system express (guaranteed) termination of the program when started from a given line in the program and in a state satisfying a given precondition, which is expressed as a formula of separation logic. The proof rules of our system are of two types: logical rules that operate on preconditions; and symbolic execution rules that capture the effect of executing program commands. Our logical preconditions employ inductively defined predicates to describe heap properties, and proofs in our system are cyclic proofs: cyclic derivations in which some inductive predicate is unfolded infinitely often along every infinite path, thus allowing us to discard all infinite paths in the proof by an infinite descent argument. Moreover, the use of this soundness condition enables us to avoid the explicit construction and use of ranking functions for termination. We also give a completeness result for our system, which is relative in that it relies upon completeness of a proof system for logical implications in separation logic. We give examples illustrating our approach, including one example for which thecorresponding ranking function is non-obvious: termination of the classical algorithm for in-place reversal of a (possibly cyclic) linked list.
Higher prudence as the supreme virtue in international politics

This article defends a radical, morally ambitious version of prudence in international politics. Thus, it claims that, rather than the \'lower prudence\' favoured by political realist Hans Morgenthau, \'higher prudence\' (Cochran 1983) should be regarded as the supreme virtue in international politics. This claim is based on a threefold argument. First, while Morgenthau rightly stresses the key importance of prudence for international political decision making, his own understanding of prudence lacks adequate ethical development and justification. Second, prudence in international politics must accept the ultimate authority of the \'theoretical wisdom\' of cosmopolitan justice. Third, as international \'practical wisdom\', prudence in international politics should accept risk for the ethically relevant yet non-basic values of national survival and international order for the sake of cosmopolitan justice, safeguarding only core national interests and values. Theoretically, higher prudence is a key concept of an international ethics that has advanced from political realism to cosmopolitan pluralism by including recent cosmopolitan insights. Keywords: international ethics, prudence, political realism, cosmopolitanism, pluralism
Adaptive multiuser detection

An important thrust in research in multiuser detection is the design of adaptive detectors, which self-tune the detector parameters from the observation of the received waveform. The literature on this subject is surveyed in this tutorial paper. It contains background material used throughout the paper on the multiaccess channel model, optimum multiuser detection and the decorrelating detector. It deals with the MMSE linear multiuser detector and its adaptive implementations, and gives an overview of adaptive tentative-decision based detectors such as those that use successive cancellation and decision-feedback. Blind multiuser detection is discussed, and in particular, it presents a multiuser detector which is optimally near-far resistant and requires no more knowledge than the conventional single-user detector. Multiuser detection using learning neural networks is also examined. <<ETX>>
Biocompatibility and Biomechanical Effect of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Implanted in the Corneal Stroma: A Proof of Concept Investigation

Corneal ectatic disorders are characterized by a progressive weakening of the tissue due to biomechanical alterations of the corneal collagen fibers. Carbon nanostructures, mainly carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, are nanomaterials that offer extraordinary mechanical properties and are used to increase the rigidity of different materials and biomolecules such as collagen fibers. We conducted an experimental investigation where New Zealand rabbits were treated with a composition of CNTs suspended in balanced saline solution which was applied in the corneal tissue. Biocompatibility of the composition was assessed by means of histopathology analysis and mechanical properties by stress-strain measurements. Histopathology samples stained with blue Alcian showed that there were no fibrous scaring and no alterations in the mucopolysaccharides of the stroma. It also showed that there were no signs of active inflammation. These were confirmed when Masson trichrome staining was performed. Biomechanical evaluation assessed by means of tensile test showed that there is a trend to obtain higher levels of rigidity in those corneas implanted with CNTs, although these changes are not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Implanting CNTs is biocompatible and safe procedure for the corneal stroma which can lead to an increase in the rigidity of the collagen fibers.
Quantification in social networks

In many real-world applications there is a need to monitor the distribution of a population across different classes, and to track changes in this distribution over time. As an example, an important task is to monitor the percentage of unemployed adults in a given region. When the membership of an individual in a class cannot be established deterministically, a typical solution is the classification task. However, in the above applications the final goal is not determining which class the individuals belong to, but estimating the prevalence of each class in the unlabeled data. This task is called quantification. Most of the work in the literature addressed the quantification problem considering data presented in conventional attribute format. Since the ever-growing availability of web and social media we have a flourish of network data representing a new important source of information and by using quantification network techniques we could quantify collective behavior, i.e., the number of users that are involved in certain type of activities, preferences, or behaviors. In this paper we exploit the homophily effect observed in many social networks in order to construct a quantifier for networked data. Our experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed approaches and the comparison with the existing state-of-the-art quantification methods shows that they are more accurate.
Intuitive, Hands-free Travel Interfaces for Virtual Environments

Navigation is one of the most important tasks in virtual environments. We present two novel interfaces for navigation, a dance pad based and a chair based interface. Both interfaces are designed to be intuitive to use by novice users and leave the user’s hands free for other tasks like object manipulation or system control. In an informal study, both interfaces were immediately usable by novice VE users using a ground following travel metaphor without any prior explanation of how the interface functions. In addition, the chair based interface was found to be highly intuitive, effective, and fun to operate.
Algebraic models of computation and interpolation for algebraic proof systems

are preserved). In such a case the matroid represented by the matrix would not change. We show that this approach cannot work, as there exist matroids that are representable over R but not over Q, and also matroids that are representable over Q, but only with doubly exponential coe(cid:14)cients. This