Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Logic Based Navigation of Mobile Robots

Robots are no longer confined to engineered, well protected sealed corners, but they are currently “employed” in places closer and closer to “us”. Robots are getting out of factories and are finding their way into our homes and to populated places such as, museum halls, office buildings, schools, airports, shopping malls and hospitals. The gained benefit of the potential service and personal robots comes along with the necessity to design the robot in a way that makes it safe for it to interact with humans and in a way that makes it able to respond to a list of complex situations. This includes at least the possibility to have the robot situated in an unknown, unstructured and dynamic environment and to navigate its way in such an environment. One of the fundamental issues to be addressed in autonomous robotic system is the ability to move without collision. An "intelligent" robot should avoid undesirable and potentially dangerous impact with objects in its environment. This simple capability has been the subject of interest in robotic research. Behavior based navigation systems (Arkin, 1987, 1989; Arkin & Balch, 1997; AlYahmedi et al., 2009; Brooks, 1986, 1989; Fatmi et al. 2006 and Ching-Chih et al. 2010) have been developed as an alternative to the more traditional strategy of constructing representation of the world and then reasoning prior to acting. The main idea of behavior based navigation is to identify different responses (behaviors) to sensory inputs. For example, a behavior could be "avoiding obstacles" in which sonar information about a close obstacle should result in a movement away from the obstacle. A given set of behaviors is then blended in a certain way to produce either a trade off behavior or a more complex behavior. However, a number of issues with regard to behavior based navigation are still under investigation. These issues range from questions concerning the design of individual behaviors to behavior coordination issues, to intelligently improve “behaviors” through learning. An important problem in autonomous navigation is the need to deal with the large amount of uncertainties of the sensory information received by the robot which is incomplete and approximate as well as with the fact that the environment in which such robots operate contains dynamics and variability elements. A fuzzy logic behavior based navigation approach is introduced in this chapter in order to deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity of the information the system receives. Issues of individual behavior design and action coordination of the behaviors will be addressed using fuzzy logic. The approach described herein, consists of the following four tasks,
Krótkookresowe prognozowanie inflacji z użyciem modeli czynnikowych

Dynamiczne modele czynnikowe (DFM) umozliwiają uzyskanie syntetycznej informacji o ksztaltowaniu sie zmienności duzego zbioru danych. Celem niniejszego opracowania jest sprawdzenie jakości krotkookresowych prognoz inflacji CPI oraz inflacji bazowej w Polsce (z wylączeniem cen energii i zywności), sporządzonych za pomocą modeli DFM. W badaniu wykorzystano 182 szeregi czasowe o czestotliwości miesiecznej, obejmujące obserwacje zmiennych makroekonomicznych od 1999 do 2009 r. Otrzymane rezultaty wskazują, ze efektywne korzystanie z duzego zbioru danych moze obnizyc bledy poza probe prognoz inflacji, szczegolnie dla dluzszych horyzontow prognozy. Podobne wyniki dla inflacji uzyskano we wcześniejszych badaniach.
Internal Capital Markets, Bank Borrowing and Investment: Evidence from German Corporate Groups

Large German corporations are often suspected to be isolated from organized external capital markets and instead rely on capital sources from within the corporate group or from closely connected universal banks. This paper firstly reviews and discusses the benefits and costs of financing through internal capital markets and close bank relationships. The theoretical analysis shows that there is no clear preference regarding the relative pros and cons of internal capital markets and such bank borrowing. Secondly, the paper empirically investigates the joint effects of internal capital markets and bank borrowing on the internal cash flow dependence of investment (investment-cash flow sensitivity) which is often used to identify firms with financing constraints. For a sample of 220 German corporate groups, empirical evidence is found that the investment-cash flow sensitivity for firms heavily using internal capital markets is higher than for firms relying more on bank financing and that investment-cash flow sensitivities vary greatly depending on the degree of internal capital market activity and bank borrowing intensity. This is directly in contrast to existing empirical evidence documenting that firms that rely more on internal capital markets have lower investment-cash flow sensitivities in tendency. It is suggested that separating samples into firms relying on internal capital markets and firms relying on bank financing gives no unambiguous empirical prediction for the investment-cash flow sensitivities because the latter financing form might stem from a close universal bank relationship which has similar characteristics like an internal capital market. Furthermore, a descriptive analysis of firms with high investment-cash flow sensitivities suggests that not all of these companies appear to be financially constrained. This supports recent research which claims that the investment-cash flow sensitivity is not a useful measure of financing constraints.
Travel photo album summarization based on aesthetic quality, interestingness, and memorableness

Photo album summarization refers to the process of choosing a representative subset of photos in a photo album. In this paper, we propose a novel system capable of automatic photo album summarization based on three fundamental criteria, namely, aesthetic quality, interestingness, and memorableness. Based on these criteria, steps for filtering and scoring photos are designed. Through an experiment with photo albums of different sizes, it is demonstrated that the proposed system works well consistently.
Comparing 3D content creation interfaces in two virtual worlds: World of Warcraft and Second Life

In this article we compare the content creation systems of two popular virtual worlds: World of Warcraft and Second Life. We then discuss recommendations for 3D content creation systems based on current trends in 3D user interface research. We hypothesize that by designing 3D content creation systems that follow these recommendations, virtual world economies based on custom content creation (e.g., Second Life) may be transformed, as more people will be able to create and modify content.
On Unbiased Estimation for the Group Testing Problem

Abstract: Debiased estimation of disease prevalence has long been an area of interest in the group testing literature. Such research has focused primarily on the assumed use of fixed sampling plans (i), although some recent papers have suggested alternative designs that sample until a predetermined number of positive tests (ii). In this paper, we introduce a design which samples until a fixed number of negatives (iii), and show that an unbiased estimator exists under this model, while unbiased estimation is not possible for either of the preceding designs (i) and (ii). We present new estimators under the different sampling plans that are either unbiased or that have reduced bias relative to those already in use. Numerical comparisons are made in order to compare designs in terms of bias and mean square error under practical situations with small and medium sample sizes.
Minutiae-Based Offline Palmprint Identification System

As a noteworthy biometric technology, offline palmprint identification plays a very important role in the application of social security. Given a palmprint scanned by a digital instrument, offline palmprint identification needs to perform robust feature matching because of the rotation and distortion existed in input. In our paper we design and implement aminutiae-based offline palmprint identification system, which can realize the unrestricted matching between the complete palmprint and misshapen palmprint, therefore being able to identify of the owner of the palmprint. The paper presents the location, image enhancement, thinning, minutia feature extraction and feature matching in detail. The system framework and processing approach can overcome various issues caused by the limitation of condition in palmprint acquisition and achieve stable results. The experiment based on the true date test proves the effictiveness and efficiency of the work in this article.
Thymosin beta 4 sequesters the majority of G-actin in resting human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4), a 5-kD peptide which binds G-actin and inhibits its polymerization (Safer, D., M. Elzinga, and V. T. Nachmias. 1991. J. Biol. Chem. 266:4029-4032), appears to be the major G-actin sequestering protein in human PMNs. In support of a previous study by Hannappel, E. , and M. Van Kampen (1987. J. Chromatography. 397:279- 285), we find that T beta 4 is an abundant peptide in these cells. By reverse phase HPLC of perchloric acid supernatants, human PMNs contain approximately 169 fg/cell +/- 90 fg/cell (SD), corresponding to a cytoplasmic concentration of approximately 149 +/- 80.5 microM. On non- denaturing polyacrylamide gels, a large fraction of G-actin in supernatants prepared from resting PMNs has a mobility similar to the G- actin/T beta 4 complex. Chemoattractant stimulation of PMNs results in a decrease in this G-actin/T beta 4 complex. To determine whether chemoattractant induced actin polymerization results from an inactivation of T beta 4, the G-actin sequestering activity of supernatants prepared from resting and chemoattractant stimulated cells was measured by comparing the rates of pyrenyl-actin polymerization from filament pointed ends. Pyrenyl actin polymerization was inhibited to a greater extent in supernatants from stimulated cells and these results are qualitatively consistent with T beta 4 being released as G- actin polymerizes, with no chemoattractant-induced change in its affinity for G-actin. The kinetics of bovine spleen T beta 4 binding to muscle pyrenyl G-actin are sufficiently rapid to accommodate the rapid changes in actin polymerization and depolymerization observed in vivo in response to chemoattractant addition and removal.
Is It Profitable to Invest According to the VIX Fear Index

This study demonstrates how the volatility index (VIX) can help predict the returns for sequential trading days. Using a logit function and previous VIX information, we present an initial attempt to estimate the probability of a positive market return. The estimation procedure is applied to recent data on the S&P500 and to the 10-year U.S. Treasury Bonds yields. Our findings indicate that such a relationship does exist and is significant, especially for the bond market. We also ran an investment simulation using different VIX scores and found that from 2004 to June 2009. VIX=18 was the score that yielded the highest.
Fuzzy modeling to predict performance of collocated virtual machines in private clouds

This research describes a general model for estimating performance of collocated virtual machines (VMs) on physical machines (PMs). This prediction is measured based on resource contention between several VMs. Using a Fuzzy model, we predict how VMs and PMs would be affected in different work scenarios. Base on the Model, the level of contention on the resource usage is quantified and can be used to predict VMs performance behavior toward more efficient resource allocation decisions. Experimental evaluations on resource benchmarks using several client/server side applications and relational database management systems (RDBMS) demonstrate that this modeling approach can detect and quantify the relationship between VMs and PMs for CPU, disk I/O, memory and network consumption profiles.
Dendritic branching angles of pyramidal cells across layers of the juvenile rat somatosensory cortex

The characterization of the structural design of cortical microcircuits is essential for understanding how they contribute to function in both health and disease. Since pyramidal neurons represent the most abundant neuronal type and their dendritic spines constitute the major postsynaptic elements of cortical excitatory synapses, our understanding of the synaptic organization of the neocortex largely depends on the available knowledge regarding the structure of pyramidal cells. Previous studies have identified several apparently common rules in dendritic geometry. We study the dendritic branching angles of pyramidal cells across layers to further shed light on the principles that determine the geometric shapes of these cells. We find that the dendritic branching angles of pyramidal cells from layers II–VI of the juvenile rat somatosensory cortex suggest common design principles, despite the particular morphological and functional features that are characteristic of pyramidal cells in each cortical layer. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:2567–2576, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Knowledge audit roles and contributions towards continuous quality improvement: A review

Knowledge audit output helps organizations to make recommendation of KM strategy that can be used for better managing the knowledge. However, knowledge audit can only be an effective strategic tool if the process is done cyclically and continuously. This paper reviews literature on knowledge audit process with the aim to understand the various roles and contributions of knowledge audit in knowledge management initiatives. The literature was analyzed by adopting the three-stage method for extracting, analyzing and reporting the literature-based findings. The paper concludes with an understanding on how knowledge audit output could contribute to the organizations’ continuous quality improvement.
Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations in hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations are among the most frequent noncoding somatic mutations in multiple cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The clinical and pathological implications of TERT promoter mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated HCC have not been resolved. To investigate TERT promoter mutations, protein expression, and their clinical-pathological implications, we sequenced the TERT promoter region for hotspot mutations in HCC tissues and performed immunostaining for TERT protein expression from HBV-associated HCC in Chinese patients. Of 276 HCC tumor DNA samples sequenced, 85 (31%) carried TERT promoter mutations. TERT promoter mutations were more frequent in those with low α-fetoprotein (AFP) serum levels (p = 0.03), advanced age (p = 0.04), and in those lacking HCC family history (p = 0.02), but were not correlated with HCC stages and grades. TERT protein levels were higher in HCC (n = 28) compared to normal liver tissues (n = 8) (p =0.001), but did not differ between mutated and non-mutated tumor tissues. In conclusion, TERT promoter mutations are common somatic mutations in HCC of Han Chinese with HBV infection. Detection of TERT promoter mutations in those with low levels of AFP may aid diagnosis of HCC with atypical presentation.
Laplacian star coordinates for visualizing multidimensional data

Multidimensional data visualization is an interesting research field with many applications in ubiquitous all fields of sciences. Star coordinates are one of the most common information visualization techniques for visualizing multidimensional data. A star coordinate system is a linear transformation that maps a multidimensional data space into a two-dimensional visual space, unfortunately, involving a loss of information. In this paper, we proposed to improve standard star coordinates by developing the concept of Laplacian star coordinates for visualizing multidimensional data. The Laplacian star coordinate system is based on dimension axes placement according to their similarity, which improves the quality of data representation. We prove the efficiency and robustness of our methods by measuring the quality of the representations for several data sets.
Engaging spaces: innovative learning environments, pedagogies and student engagement in the middle years of school

i Declaration . iii Preface . iv Acknowledgements . v Table of contents . vii List of tables . xiii List of figures . xiv Definition of terms for the purposes of this study . xvii Chapter 1: Introduction .
Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci for meat quality and muscle metabolic traits in cattle.

A whole-genome scan was carried out in New Zealand and Australia to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) for live animal and carcass composition traits and meat quality attributes in cattle. Backcross calves (385 heifers and 398 steers) were generated, with Jersey and Limousin backgrounds. The New Zealand cattle were reared and finished on pasture, whilst Australian cattle were reared on grass and finished on grain for at least 180 days. This paper reports on meat quality traits (tenderness measured as shear force at 4-5 ages on two muscles as well as associated traits of meat colour, pH and cooking loss) and a number of metabolic traits. For meat quality traits, 18 significant QTL (P < 0.05), located in nine linkage groups, were detected on a genome-wise basis, in combined-sire (seven QTL) or within-sire analyses (11 QTL). For metabolic traits, 11 significant QTL (P < 0.05), located in eight linkage groups, were detected on a genome-wise basis, in combined-sire (five QTL) or within-sire analyses (six QTL). BTA2 and BTA3 had QTL for both metabolic traits and meat quality traits. Six significant QTL for meat quality and metabolic traits were found at the proximal end of chromosome 2. BTA2 and BTA29 were the most common chromosomes harbouring QTL for meat quality traits; QTL for improved tenderness were associated with Limousin-derived and Jersey-derived alleles on these two chromosomes, respectively.
Fano resonances in nanoscale structures

Modern nanotechnology allows one to scale down various important devices (sensors, chips, fibers, etc.) and thus opens up new horizons for their applications. The efficiency of most of them is based on fundamental physical phenomena, such as transport of wave excitations and resonances. Short propagation distances make phase-coherent processes of waves important. Often the scattering of waves involves propagation along different paths and, as a consequence, results in interference phenomena, where constructive interference corresponds to resonant enhancement and destructive interference to resonant suppression of the transmission. Recently, a variety of experimental and theoretical work has revealed such patterns in different physical settings. The purpose of this review is to relate resonant scattering to Fano resonances, known from atomic physics. One of the main features of the Fano resonance is its asymmetric line profile. The asymmetry originates from a close coexistence of resonant transmission and resonant reflection and can be reduced to the interaction of a discrete (localized) state with a continuum of propagation modes. The basic concepts of Fano resonances are introduced, their geometrical and/or dynamical origin are explained, and theoretical and experimental studies of light propagation in photonic devices, charge transport through quantum dots, plasmon scattering in Josephson-junction networks, and matter-wave scattering in ultracold atom systems, among others are reviewed.
Measuring Interestingness of Political Documents

Political texts are pervasive on the Web covering laws and policies in national and supranational jurisdictions. Access to this data is crucial for government transparency and accountability to the population. The main aim of our research is developing a ranking method for political documents which captures the interesting content within political documents. Text interestingness is a measure of assessing the quality of documents from users' perspective which shows their willingness to read a document. Different approaches are proposed for measuring the interestingness of texts. In this research we focus on measuring political texts' interestingness. As political data sources, we use publicly available parliamentary proceedings.
Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence On-Road

This paper gives an overview of the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of computer vision (CV) in the context of road traffic. The visual perception of the environment out of vehicles leaded to first vision-based driver support systems, such as lane keeping assistants. For efficient solutions, an exclusive computer vision based approach is not enough. Hybrid approaches try to exploit the advantages of both disciplines (CV and AI) for more robust and self-adaptive vision-enabled intelligent systems in the car.
Where are the limits of regulation

Regulation is an important part of government activity. Distinguishing between the intensity of regulation , and the range of regulation, it is possible to show that a utility maximizing government has an incentive to overregulate both in the short and long run, but that there are definite limits to regulatory intensity. Models of the limits of regulation and of the limits of taxation are special cases of a more general model in which government simultaneously uses the intensity of regulation and tax rates as instruments. In this case, it is possible that there is overregulation but no overtaxation.
The Plight of the Targeted Attacker in a World of Scale

Despite neglecting even basic security measures, close to two billion people use the Internet, and only a small fraction appear to be victimized each year. This paper suggests that an explanation lies in the economics of attacks. We distinguish between scalable attacks, where costs are almost independent of the number of users attacked, and non-scalable (or targeted) attacks, which involve per-user effort. Scalable attacks reach orders of magnitude more users. To compensate for her disadvantage in terms of reach the targeted attacker must target users with higher than average value. To accomplish this she needs that value be both visible and very concentrated, with few users having very high value while most have little. In this she is fortunate: power-law longtail distributions that describe the distributions of wealth, fame and other phenomena are extremely concentrated. However, in these distributions only a tiny fraction of the population have above average value. For example, fewer than 2% of people have above average wealth in the US. Thus, when attacking assets where value is concentrated, the targeted attacker ignores the vast majority of users, since attacking them hurts rather than helps her requirement to extract greater than average value. This helps explain why many users escape harm, even when they neglect security precautions: most users never experience most attacks. Attacks that involve per-user effort will be seen by only a tiny fraction of users. No matter how clever the exploit, unless the expected value is high, there is little place for per-user effort in this world of mass-produced attacks.
APPROXIMATE BOUNDS FOR THE BUFFER ALLOCATION PROBLEM USING MATHEMATICAL PROGRAMMING REPRESENTATION

Optimization via simulation consists in applying iteratively two detached models until an optimality condition is reached: a simulation model for predicting the system performance and an optimization model for finding out the optimal solution. Mathematical programming representation has been recently used to describe the behavior of discrete event systems as well as their formal properties. This paper uses this new general concept of simulation-optimization for developing an algorithm to find approximate bounds for the buffer space allocation problem in serial production lines. Numerical results demonstrate that the approximated bounds are quite strong and drastically reduce the computational time to solve the buffer allocation problem at optimality.