Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flow-level performance analysis of data networks using processor sharing models

Most telecommunication systems are dynamic in nature. The state of the network changes constantly as new transmissions appear and depart. In order to capture the behavior of such systems and to realistically evaluate their performance , it is essential to use dynamic models in the analysis. In this thesis, we model and analyze networks carrying elastic data traffic at flow level using stochastic queueing systems. We develop performance analysis methodology, as well as model and analyze example systems. The exact analysis of stochastic models is difficult and usually becomes computationally intractable when the size of the network increases, and hence efficient approximative methods are needed. In this thesis, we use two performance approximation methods. Value extrapolation is a novel approximative method developed during this work and based on the theory of Markov decision processes. It can be used to approximate the performance measures of Markov processes. When applied to queueing systems, value extrapolation makes possible heavy state space truncation while providing accurate results without significant computational penalties. Balanced fairness is a capacity allocation scheme recently introduced by Bonald and Proutì ere that simplifies performance analysis and requires less restrictive assumptions about the traffic than other capacity allocation schemes. We introduce an approximation method based on balanced fairness and the Monte Carlo method for evaluating large sums that can be used to estimate the performance of systems of moderate size with low or medium loads. The performance analysis methods are applied in two settings: load balancing in fixed networks and the analysis of wireless networks. The aim of load balancing is to divide the traffic load efficiently between the network resources in order to improve the performance. On the basis of the insensitivity results of Bonald and Proutì ere, we study both packet-and flow-level balancing in fixed data networks. We also study load balancing between multiple parallel discriminatory processor sharing queues and compare different balancing policies. In the final part of the thesis, we analyze the performance of wireless networks carrying elastic data traffic. Wireless networks are gaining more and more popularity, as their advantages, such as easier deployment and mobility, outweigh their downsides. First, we discuss a simple cellular network with link adaptation consisting of two base stations and customers located on a line between them. We model the system and analyze the performance using different capacity allocation policies. Wireless multihop networks are analyzed using two different MAC schemes. On …
Novel human-centric force control methods of power assist robots for object manipulation

We propose two novel human-centric force control methods for a power assist robot for lifting objects with it by the human. For this purpose, we developed a 1 DoF experimental power assist system for lifting objects. We included human's weight perception in the robot dynamics, and derived two novel force control methods for the system. We then implemented the force control methods separately. For each control method, the subjects lifted different sizes of objects with the system at different conditions, and evaluated the performances of the system. The performances were expressed in terms of perceived heaviness, force and motion features, safety, stability etc. We analyzed the performances and the results showed that both of the novel force control methods produced satisfactory performances of the assistive system though the performances varied between the control methods. We then proposed to use the findings to develop control methods for human-friendly power assist robots for manipulating heavy objects in industries that may improve productivity, man-machine interactions, and human's health and safety.
Sarcasm detection on Twitter

: State-of-the-art approaches for sarcasm detection in social media combine lexical clues with contextual information surrounding the potentially sarcastic posting including author information. This article presents detailed methods for performing contextualizing sarcasm detection on Twitter, including data extraction, feature engineering and classiﬁcation model settings. I reproduce the state-of-the-art results reported by Bamman and Smith (2015).
Improvements to Dependency Parsing Using Automatic Simplification of Data

In dependency parsing, much effort is devoted to the development of new methods of language modeling and better feature settings. Less attention is paid to actual linguistic data and how appropriate they are for automatic parsing: linguistic data can be too complex for a given parser, morphological tags may not reflect well syntactic properties of words, a detailed, complex annotation scheme may be ill suited for automatic parsing. In this paper, I present a study of this problem on the following case: automatic dependency parsing using the data of the Prague Dependency Treebank with two dependency parsers: MSTParser and MaltParser. I show that by means of small, reversible simplifications of the text and of the annotation, a considerable improvement of parsing accuracy can be achieved. In order to facilitate the task of language modeling performed by the parser, I reduce variability of lemmas and forms in the text. I modify the system of morphological annotation to adapt it better for parsing. Finally, the dependency annotation scheme is also partially modified. All such modifications are automatic and fully reversible: after the parsing is done, the original data and structures are automatically restored. With MaltParser, I achieve an 8.3% error rate reduction.
Synthesis of Well Dispersed Supported Metal Catalysts by Strong Electrostatic Adsorption and Electroless Deposition

Enhancing the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts can be done by increasing active site count as well as modification of the physico-chemical characteristics of the catalyst material. For supported metal nanoparticles this can be achieved by decreasing particle size, thus increasing dispersion or metal utilization on the surface of the particles, while modification of metal properties can be attained by addition of a secondary metal that has a strong interaction to the primary metal, beneficial for a given reaction. In addition, the accessibility of the metal surface is necessary for reliable performance of catalysts. For carbon supported catalysts, Temperature Programmed Oxidation has been used to show the presence of decorating carbon on the metal surface, which can be cleaned by oxidative removal of the carbon overlayer.
Large-scale joint rate and power allocation algorithm combined with admission control in cognitive radio networks

In this paper, we investigate a dynamic spectrum sharing problem for the centralized uplink cognitive radio networks using orthogonal frequency division multiple access. We formulate a large-scale joint rate and power allocation as an optimization problem under quality of service constraint for secondary users and interference constraint for primary users. We also suggest admission control to find a feasible solution to the optimization problem. To implement the resource allocation on a large-scale, we introduce a notion of using the conservative factors α and β depending on the outage and violation probabilities. Since estimating instantaneous channel gains is costly and requires high complexity, the proposed algorithm pursues a practical and implementation-friendly resource allocation. Simulation results demonstrate that the large-scale joint rate and power allocation incurs a slight loss in system throughput over the instantaneous one, but it achieves lower complexity with less sensitivity to variations in shadowing statistics.
Acylated ghrelin inhibits spontaneous luteinizing hormone pulsatility and responsiveness to naloxone but not that to gonadotropin-releasing hormone in young men: evidence for a central inhibitory action of ghrelin on the gonadal axis.

CONTEXT Recent evidence suggests that ghrelin exerts a negative modulation on the gonadal axis. Ghrelin was reported to suppress LH secretion in both animal and human models. Moreover, acylated ghrelin (AG) also decreases the LH responsiveness to GnRH in vitro. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of AG infusion on spontaneous and stimulated gonadotropin secretion. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION In seven young healthy male volunteers (age mean +/- sem 26.4 +/- 2.6 yr), we evaluated LH and FSH levels every 15 min during: 1) iv isotonic saline infusion; 2) iv saline followed by AG; LH and FSH response to GnRH (100 microg iv as a bolus), 3) alone and 4) during AG infusion; LH and FSH response to naloxone (0.1 mg/kg iv as a slow bolus), 5) alone and 6) during AG infusion. RESULTS Significant LH but not FSH pulses were recorded in all subjects under saline infusion. AG infusion inhibited LH levels [area under the curve((240-480)): 415.8 +/- 69.7 mIU/ml.min during AG vs. 744.6 +/- 120.0 mIU/ml.min during saline, P < 0.02] and abolished LH pulsatility. No change in FSH secretion was recorded. The LH and FSH responses to GnRH during saline were not affected by AG administration. However, AG inhibited the LH response to naloxone [area under the curve ((120-210)): 229.9 +/- 39.3 mIU/ml.min during AG vs. 401.1 +/- 44.6 mIU/ml.min during saline, P < 0.01]. FSH levels were not modified by naloxone alone or in combination with AG. CONCLUSIONS AG inhibits both spontaneous LH pulsatility and the LH response to naloxone. Because AG does not affect the LH response to GnRH, these findings indicate that the ghrelin system mediates central inhibition of the gonadal axis.
Predicting blood glucose levels of diabetics using artificial neural networks

It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of artificial neural networks, although this is not absolutely necessary. If you are not interested in the details of neural networks, chapters 1, 3.1-3.3, 4, 7 and 8 are recommended. Chapter 2 gives a detailed background of available research in diabetes management using various kinds of control systems. If you are only interested in the results, chapter 7 is also recommended besides chapters 1 and 8.
Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Inactivate Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Induce Long-Term Depression of Fast Nicotinic Synaptic Transmission

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), ligand-gated ion channels implicated in a variety of cognitive, motor, and sensory behaviours, are targeted to compartments rich in mitochondria, particularly postsynaptic domains and presynaptic terminals, exposing these receptors to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, these receptors can become exposed to ROS during the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases. Because ROS are known to modify several membrane proteins, including some types of ion channels, it raises the question of whether elevations in cytosolic ROS alter the function of nAChRs. To address this, we elevated ROS in cultured sympathetic neurons, directly by perfusing neurons intracellularly with ROS, indirectly by blocking the mitochondrial electron transport chain, or noninvasively by transient NGF removal; we then simultaneously measured changes in cytosolic ROS levels and whole-cell ACh-evoked currents. In addition, we elevated cytosolic ROS in postganglionic neurons in intact ganglia and measured changes in nerve-evoked EPSPs. Our experiments indicate that mild elevations in cytosolic ROS, including that produced by transient interruption of NGF signaling, induce a use-dependent, long-lasting rundown of ACh-evoked currents on cultured sympathetic neurons and a long-lasting depression of fast nerve-evoked EPSPs. We show that these effects of cytosolic ROS are specific to nAChRs on neurons and do not cause rundown of ACh-evoked currents on muscle. Our results demonstrate that elevations in cytosolic ROS inactivate neuronal nAChRs in a use-dependent manner and suggest that mild oxidative stress impairs mechanisms mediated by cholinergic nicotinic signaling at neuronal–neuronal synapses.
The Effects of Perceptual Grouping and Category Boundary Salience on Location Memory

The type of information used to process spatial layouts was assessed by observing the effect of spatial category salience and perceptual grouping (a non-spatial category), on a location memory task. Participants (N = 64) learnt the pairings between twenty objects and twenty marked locations within a “house”. They then placed the objects in the remembered locations, without the aid of location markers. Spatial category salience was manipulated by presenting the house as an open space (no boundary condition) or by dividing the space into quadrants (boundary condition). Perceptual grouping was manipulated by using identical shapes (control condition) or sets of shapes which identified triads of objects (perceptual grouping condition). Both non-spatial and spatial categories improved location memory accuracy. The non- spatial category produced a prototype effect and the spatial category produced a subdivision effect. Different patterns of category dominance (spatial vs. non-spatial) were observed for level of accuracy compared to distortion effects.
Observations of new western Mediterranean deep water formation using Argo floats 2004–2006

Abstract. The deep convection that occurs in the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea was investigated using Argo float data over two consecutive winters in 2004–2005 and 2005–2006. The results showed deep mixed layers reaching 2000 m in surprising locations, namely the eastern Catalan subbasin (39.785° N, 4.845° E) and the western Ligurian subbasin (43.392° N, 7.765° E). Subsequently, new deep water was formed in March of 2005 and 2006 with θ=12.89–12.92°C, S=38.48–38.49 and σθ=29.113 kg m−3. The deep water produced in the Ligurian subbasin during 2006 was more saline, warmer and denser than any historical observations of western Mediterranean deep water. The results show S, θ and σθ in the western Mediterranean deep water are higher than 1990s values, with a salinity increase of 1.5×10−3 yr−1, a temperature increase of 3.6×10−3 °C yr−1 and a density increase of 4.0×10−4 kg m−3 yr−1 apparent from a dataset of western Mediterranean deep water properties spanning 1955–2006.
Minimizing the Euclidean Condition Number

This paper considers the problem of determining the row and/or column scaling of a matrix $A$ that minimizes the condition number of the scaled matrix. This problem has been studied by many authors. For the cases of the $\infty$-norm and the 1-norm, the scaling problem was completely solved in the 1960s. It is the Euclidean norm case that has widespread application in robust control analyses. For example, it is used for integral controllability tests based on steady-state information, for the selection of sensors and actuators based on dynamic information, and for studying the sensitivity of stability to uncertainty in control systems. Minimizing the scaled Euclidean condition number has been an open question---researchers proposed approaches to solving the problem numerically, but none of the proposed numerical approaches guaranteed convergence to the true minimum. This paper provides a convex optimization procedure to determine the scalings that minimize the Euclidean condition number. This optimization can be solved in polynomial-time with off-the-shelf software.
Lysosomal pH and the Control of Genes Involved in Inflammation and Degradation

The endosomal/lysosomal system is essential for cell survival. The regulation of lysosomal pH is critical for lysosomal function and has been known to play a pivotal role in aging and disease. The pH within the lysosomes is essentially increased in certain diseases and our preliminary data suggests that it may also increase with age. It is known that the methods used for lysosomal pH measurement are extremely difficult and technique sensitive. In this study, we searched for key genetic markers to help identify the presence of chronic elevation of lysosomal pH. This will allow us to utilize the speed, specificity and sensitivity of laboratory confirmation with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as an alternative method to direct measurement of lysosomal pH. In our study, we demonstrated a trend towards an increased expression of Tcf EB and vATPase genes in the presence of long-term lysosomal pH elevation. Therefore, these two genes could potentially be used as markers to recognize the presence of chronic lysosomal pH elevation in diseased cells. In contrast, a short-term lysosomal pH elevation showed a decreased expression of IL-1b, IL-18 and Tcf EB highlighting the time-dependent nature of genetic expression. Both genes, Tcf EB and vATPase, might be used as important tools for the rapid detection of disease or infection in clinical specimens and are also particularly suitable in optimizing the therapeutic management of diseased cells.
STRONG SELECTION AGAINST HYBRIDS AT A HYBRID ZONE IN THE ENSATINA RING SPECIES COMPLEX AND ITS EVOLUTINARY IMPLICATIONS

Abstract The analysis of interactions between lineages at varying levels of genetic divergence can provide into the process of speiation through the accumulation of incompatiable mutations. Ring species, and especially the Ensatina eschscholtzii system exemplify this approach. The plethodontid salamanders E. eschscholtzii xanthoptica and E. eschscholtzii platensis hybridize in the central Sierran foothills of California. We compared the genetic structure across two transects (southern and northern Calaveras Co.), one of which was resampled over 20 years, and examined diagnostic molecular markers (eight allozyme loci and mitochondrial DNA) and a diagnostic quantitative trait (color pattern). Key results across all studies were: (1) cline centers for all markers were coincident and the zones were narrow, with width estimates of 730 m to 2000 m; (2) cline centers at the northern Calveras transect were coincident between 1981 and 2001, demonstrating repeatability over five generations; (3) there were very few if any putative F1S, but a relatively high number of backcrossed individuals in the central portion of transects; and (4) we found substantial linkage disequilibrium in all three studies and strong heterozygote deficit both in northern Calaveras, in 2001, and southern Calaveras. Both linkage disequilibrium and heterozygote deficit showed maximum values near the center of the zones. Using estimates of cline width and dispersal, we infer strong selection against hybrids. This is sufficient to promote accumulation of differences at loci that are neutral or under divergent selection, but would still allow for introgression of adaptive alleles. The evidence for strong but incomplete isolation across this centrally located contact is consistent with theory suggesting a gradual increase in postzygotic incompatibility between allopatric populations subject to divergent selection and reinforces the value of Ensatina as a system for the study of divergence and speciation at multiple stages.
Homeobox gene Dlx3 is regulated by p63 during ectoderm development: relevance in the pathogenesis of ectodermal dysplasias

Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) are a group of human pathological conditions characterized by anomalies in organs derived from epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during development. Dlx3 and p63 act as part of the transcriptional regulatory pathways relevant in ectoderm derivatives, and autosomal mutations in either of these genes are associated with human EDs. However, the functional relationship between both proteins is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Dlx3 is a downstream target of p63. Moreover, we show that transcription of Dlx3 is abrogated by mutations in the sterile α-motif (SAM) domain of p63 that are associated with ankyloblepharon-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (AEC) dysplasias, but not by mutations found in ectrodactylyectodermal dysplasia-cleft lip/palate (EEC), Limb-mammary syndrome (LMS) and split hand-foot malformation (SHFM) dysplasias. Our results unravel aspects of the transcriptional cascade of events that contribute to ectoderm development and pathogenesis associated with p63 mutations.
Testing mode-coupling theory for a supercooled binary Lennard-Jones mixture I: The van Hove correlation function.

We report the results of a large scale computer simulation of a binary supercooled Lennard-Jones liquid. We find that at low temperatures the curves for the mean squared displacement of a tagged particle for different temperatures fall onto a master curve when they are plotted versus rescaled time tD(T), where D(T) is the diffusion constant. The time range for which these curves follow the master curve is identified with the \ensuremath{\alpha}-relaxation regime of mode-coupling theory (MCT). This master curve is fitted well by a functional form suggested by MCT. In accordance with idealized MCT, D(T) shows a power-law behavior at low temperatures. The critical temperature of this power law is the same for both types of particles, and also the critical exponents are very similar. However, contrary to a prediction of MCT, these exponents are not equal to the ones determined previously for the divergence of the relaxation times of the intermediate scattering function [Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1376 (1994)]. At low temperatures, the van Hove correlation function (self as well as distinct part) shows almost no sign of relaxation in a time interval that extends over about three decades in time. This time interval can be interpreted as the \ensuremath{\beta}-relaxation regime of MCT. From the investigation of these correlation functions, we conclude the hopping processes are not important on the time scale of the \ensuremath{\beta} relaxation for this system and for the temperature range investigated. We test whether the factorization property predicted by MCT holds and find that this is indeed the case for all correlation functions investigated. The distance dependences of the critical amplitudes are in qualitative agreement with the ones predicted by MCT for some other mixtures. The non-Gaussian parameter for the self part of the van Hove correlation function for different temperatures follows a master curve when plotted against time t.
Improving the fault tolerance of multi-robot networks through a combined control law strategy

Applications based on groups of self-organized mobile robots and - more generically - agents are becoming pervasive in communication, monitoring, traffic and transportation systems. Their advantage is the possibility of providing services without the existence of a previously defined infrastructure and with a high degree of autonomy. On the other hand, physical agents, in general, are prone to failures, adding uncertainty and unpredictability in the environments in which they operate. Therefore, a robust topology regarding failures is an imperative requirement. In this paper, we show that mechanisms based solely on connectivity maintenance are not enough to obtain a sufficiently resilient network, and a robustness-oriented approach is necessary. Thus, we propose a local combined control law that aims at maintaining the overall network connectivity while improving the network robustness via actions that reduce vulnerability to failures that might lead to network disconnection. The combined control law performance was validated from two perspectives: as a reactive and as a proactive mechanism. As a reactive mechanism, it was able to accommodate ongoing failures and postpone or avoid network fragmentation. As a proactive mechanism, the network topology was able to evolve from a potentially vulnerable topology w.r. t. failures to a more robust one.