Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combined Web/mobile authentication for secure Web access control

Previous Web access authentication systems have used either the Web or the mobile channel individually to confirm the claimed identity of the remote user. Both approaches proved to be insecure when used in isolation. An investigation is presented into the enhanced security of a new combined Web/mobile authentication system. The hybrid system enables a strong authentication by augmenting the traditional Web-based username/password approach with a mobile-based challenge/response authentication. Experiments show that the combined system is relatively immune to eavesdropping attacks and provides a trade-off between security and usability of the remote authentication system. The system is promising for current as well as for future 3G mobile and pervasive computing environments [A. Al-Qayedi et al., 2003].
Texture-preserving abstraction

Image abstraction traditionally eliminates texture, but doing so ignores the more elegant alternative of texture indication, e.g., suggesting the presence of texture through irregular silhouettes and locally chosen details. We propose a variant of geodesic image filtering which preserves the locally strongest edges, leading to preservation of both strong edges and weak edges depending on the surrounding context. Our contribution is to introduce cumulative range geodesic filtering, where the distance in the image plane is lengthened proportional to the color distance. We apply the new filtering scheme to abstraction applications and demonstrate that it has powerful structure-preserving capabilities, especially regarding preservation and indication of textures.
A Sociophonetic Study of the Urban Bahamian Creole Vowel System

This thesis seeks to contribute to research in the fields of creolistics, sociolinguistics and phonetics by providing an in-depth acoustic description of the vowel system(s) of 33 Bahamian Creole speakers from Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, taking into account the social countenance of synchronic variation. Results are related to the historical development of Bahamian Creole and to its position at the linguistic crossroads of the Americas.
Backlash compensation with filtered prediction in discrete time nonlinear systems by dynamic inversion using neural networks

A dynamics inversion compensation scheme is designed for control of nonlinear discrete-time systems with input backlash. This paper extends the dynamic inversion technique to discrete-time systems by using a filtered prediction, and shows how to use a neural network (NN) for inverting the backlash nonlinearity in the feedforward path. The technique provides a general procedure for using NN to determine the dynamics preinverse of an invertible discrete time dynamical system. A discrete-time tuning algorithm is given for the NN weights so that the backlash compensation scheme guarantees bounded tracking and backlash errors, and also bounded parameter estimates. A rigorous proof of stability and performance is given and a simulation example verifies performance. Unlike standard discrete-time adaptive control techniques, no certainty equivalence (CE) or linear-in-the-parameters (LIP) assumptions are needed.
De Cultura aux MOOCs de communication interculturelle : quelles opportunités pour l’apprentissage interculturel à distance?

L’objectif de cet article est d’identifier des dimensions de la formation a distance qui pourraient influencer le developpement de rencontres interculturelles ‘renouvelees’, et de discuter des strategies a soutenir sur un plan educatif. Les auteurs convoquent les resultats d’une etude centree sur le role de la communication en ligne dans la rencontre de l’autre dans le modele pedagogique Cultura . En guise de contraste, les tensions inherentes a la rencontre interculturelle sont examinees dans un MOOC de communication interculturelle. Le MOOC, par ses caracteristiques, permet-il aux participants d’approcher l’interculturel de facon dialogique, critique et reflexive –marques d’un interculturel ‘renouvele’ en education ? Abstract This article aims to identify aspects of telecollaboration that could have a positive influence on the development of ‘renewed’ intercultural encounters. The authors also discuss the strategies needed to construct new knowledge about such encounters. The starting point is a review of a ‘classic’ model of online intercultural telecollaboration, Cultura . As a contrast, the way(s) the intercultural is constructed, negotiated and problematised in a MOOC about intercultural communication. Through their specific aspects, can MOOCs allow participants to look into the intercultural from a dialogical, critical and reflexive angle, which are signs of a much needed ‘renewed’ interculturality in education?
Optimizing Research Methods to Understand HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infant and Child Morbidity: Report of the Second HEU Infant and Child Workshop

CITATION: Slogrove, A. L. , et al. 2016. Optimizing research methods to understand HIV-exposed uninfected infant and child morbidity : report of the second HEU infant and child workshop. Frontiers in Immunology, 7:576, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2016. 00576.
Snorkeling and scuba diving with manta rays: encounters, norms, crowding, satisfaction, and displacement

ABSTRACT This research note examined encounters, norms, crowding, satisfaction, and displacement among people snorkeling and scuba diving with manta rays at sites in Hawaii. These sites are popular with up to 30 tour boats and 300 participants each day. Data from a survey of 444 participants showed that 82% felt crowded by snorkelers, 78% felt crowded by boats, and 69% felt crowded by scuba divers when viewing manta rays. In reporting their norms, participants stated they would accept seeing an average of no more than 52 snorkelers, 32 scuba divers, and 11 boats at one time. However, 77% of respondents encountered more snorkelers than their norm for seeing snorkelers, 67% saw more scuba divers than they would accept, and 68% encountered more boats than their norm. These participants were more crowded, less satisfied, and more likely to become displaced (not visit again) compared to those who encountered fewer than their norms.
Robust attitude control for a variable-pitch quadrotor

This paper deals with the problem of robust control design for the attitude dynamics of a variable-pitch quadrotor. The proposed approach is based on structured H∞ synthesis applied to a black-box model of the quadrotor identified in dedicated bench-test experiments. An integrated procedure aimed at a fast and reliable deployment of the vehicle's attitude control system was developed, covering identification and optimization-based tuning for the parameters of the on-board controller structure, based on desired closed-loop performance requirements. The goal is to demonstrate that the obtained attitude controller, achieved without risky and time consuming in flight identification test campaign, guarantees satisfactory performance in flight, in near hovering conditions.
Post-Deployment Anomaly Detection and Diagnosis in Networked Embedded Systems by Program Profiling and Symptom Mining

Detecting and diagnosing anomalies in networked embedded systems like sensor networks is a very difficult task, due to the variable workloads and severe resource constraints. In this paper, we focus on how to aid bug diagnosis after the system has been deployed. We notice that most node-level debugging tools can provide detailed program information inside the node but fail to detect when and where a problem occurs in the network. On the other hand, most network-level diagnosis tools can effectively detect a problem from the network but fail to narrow down the problem within the node because they lack detailed program information. To close the gap, we propose D2, a new method for post-deployment anomaly detection and diagnosis in networked embedded systems by combining program profiling and symptom mining. D2 employs binary instrumentation to perform lightweight function count profiling. Based on the statistics, D2 uses PCA (Principal Component Analysis) based approach for automatically detecting network anomalies. Compared with previous methods, D2 is able to point programmers closer to the most likely causes by a novel approach combining statistical tests and program call graph analysis. We implement our method based on TinyOS 2.1. 1 and evaluate its effectiveness by case studies in the development of a working sensor network. Results show that our method can aid programmers to diagnose problems quickly in real-world sensor network systems, and at the same time, incurs an acceptable overhead to the running system.
Cross-Species Hybridization with Fusarium verticillioides Microarrays Reveals New Insights into Fusarium fujikuroi Nitrogen Regulation and the Role of AreA and NMR

ABSTRACT In filamentous fungi, the GATA-type transcription factor AreA plays a major role in the transcriptional activation of genes needed to utilize poor nitrogen sources. In Fusarium fujikuroi, AreA also controls genes involved in the biosynthesis of gibberellins, a family of diterpenoid plant hormones. To identify more genes responding to nitrogen limitation or sufficiency in an AreA-dependent or -independent manner, we examined changes in gene expression of F. fujikuroi wild-type and ΔareA strains by use of a Fusarium verticillioides microarray representing ∼9,300 genes. Analysis of the array data revealed sets of genes significantly down- and upregulated in the areA mutant under both N starvation and N-sufficient conditions. Among the downregulated genes are those involved in nitrogen metabolism, e.g., those encoding glutamine synthetase and nitrogen permeases, but also those involved in secondary metabolism. Besides AreA-dependent genes, we found an even larger set of genes responding to N starvation and N-sufficient conditions in an AreA-independent manner. To study the impact of NMR on AreA activity, we examined the expression of several AreA target genes in the wild type and in areA and nmr deletion and overexpression mutants. We show that NMR interacts with AreA as expected but affects gene expression only in early growth stages. This is the first report on genome-wide expression studies examining the influence of AreA on nitrogen-responsive gene expression in a genome-wide manner in filamentous fungi.
Simplified Joint Iterative Detection and Decoding in BICM MIMO-OFDM Systems

Joint iterative detection and decoding scheme is exploited for a bit interleaved coded modulation (BICM) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Orthogonal-Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system. A simplified channel estimation utilizing channel frequency-domain correlation is used to decrease FFT order and provide channel state information for the demapper. An improved list sphere-decoding (ILSD) SISO demapper without the requirement of initial radius is also adopted. The computation complexity of ILSD can be further reduced by the simplified channel estimation method. Simulations show that the BICM MIMO-OFDM scheme is robust to the timing-vary frequency selective fading channels. Performance degradation caused by simplification can be compensated by increasing the iterative number of the receiver.
Tempering the polylogarithm

We show that the function Li_s(e^x) extends to an entire function of the complex variable s, taking values in tempered distributions in x on the whole real line. That the classical polylogarithm extends similarly, as an entire function taking values in distributions on compactly-supported functions on the positive real axis, is a corollary. We then identify the singularities of Li_s(e^x) in terms of distribution powers of x; this leads to a simple proof of the smoothness of the `modified' polylogarithm of Bloch, Ramakrishnan, Wigner, Wojtkowiak, Zagier, and others.
Draft Genome Sequence of Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacterium Paraburkholderia tropica Strain P-31 Isolated from Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Rhizosphere

ABSTRACT We report the 8.9 Mb draft genome sequence of phosphate-solubilizing bacterium Paraburkholderia tropica strain P-31, isolated from pomegranate (Punica granatum) rhizosphere. The draft genome sequence of Paraburkholderia tropica strain P-31 consists of 8,881,246 bp with a G+C content of 64.7%, 8,039 protein-coding genes, and 49 RNAs.
Équations et systèmes de réaction-diffusion en milieux hétérogènes et applications

Cette these est consacree a l'etude des equations et systemes de reaction-diffusion dans des milieux heterogenes. Elle est divisee en deux parties. La premiere est dediee a l'etude des equations de reaction-diffusion dans des milieux periodiques. Nous nous interessons en particulier aux equations posees dans des domaines qui ne sont pas l'espace entier $\mathbb{R}^{N}$, mais des domaines periodiques, avec des "obstacles". Dans un premier chapitre, nous etudions l'effet de la geometrie du domaine sur la vitesse d'invasion des solutions. Apres avoir derive une formule de type Freidlin-Gartner, nous construisons des domaines ou la vitesse d'invasion est strictement inferieure a la vitesse critique des fronts. Nous donnons egalement des criteres geometriques qui garantissent l'existence de directions ou l'invasion se produit a la vitesse critique. Dans le chapitre suivant, nous donnons des conditions necessaires et suffisantes pour garantir que l'invasion ait lieu, apres quoi nous construisons des domaines ou des phenomenes intermediaires (blocage, invasion orientee) se produisent. La deuxieme partie de cette these est consacree a l'etude de modeles decrivant l'influence de lignes a diffusion rapide (une route, par exemple) sur la propagation d'especes invasives. Il a en effet ete observe que certaines especes, dont le moustique-tigre, envahissent plus rapidement que prevu certaines zones proches du reseau routier. Nous etudions deux modeles : le premier decrit l'influence d'une route courbe sur la propagation. Nous nous interessons en particulier au cas de deux routes non-paralleles. Le second modele decrit l'influence d'une route sur une niche ecologique, en presence d'un changement climatique. Le resultat principal est que l'effet de la route est ambivalent : si la niche est stationnaire, alors l'effet de la route est deletere. Cependant, si la niche se deplace, suite a un changement climatique, nous montrons que la route peut permettre a une population de survivre. Pour etudier ce second modele, nous developpons une notion de valeur propre principale generalisee pour des systemes de type KPP, et nous derivons une inegalite de Harnack, qui est nouvelle pour ce type de systemes.
Package 'statmatch' Title Statistical Matching Statmatch-package Statistical Matching or Data Fusion Statistical Matching of Data from Complex Sample Surveys

Description Integration of two data sources referred to the same target population which share a number of common variables (aka data fusion). Some functions can also be used to impute missing values in data sets through hot deck imputation methods. Methods to perform statistical matching when dealing with data from complex sample surveys are available too. Description Functions to perform statistical matching (aka data fusion), i.e. the integration of two data sources. Some functions can also be used to impute missing values in data sets through hot deck imputation methods. Statistical matching (aka data fusion) aims at integrating two data sources referred to same target population and sharing a number of variables in common. The final objective is that of studying the relationship of variables not jointly observed in a single data sources. The integration can be performed at micro (a synthetic of fused file is the output) or macro level (estimates of correlations, regression coefficients, contingency tables are required). Nonparametric hot deck imputation methods (random, rank and nearest neighbour donor) can be used to derive the synthetic data set. In alternative it is possible to use a mixed (parametric–nonparametric) procedure based on predictive mean matching. Methods to perform statistical matching when dealing with data from complex sample surveys are available too. Finally some functions can be used to explore the uncertainty due to the typical matching framework. For major details see D'Orazio et al. (2006) or the package vignette. Description This function permits to cross–tabulate two categorical variables, Y and Z, observed separately in two independent surveys (Y is collected in survey A and Z is collected in survey B) carried out on the same target population. The two surveys share a number of common variables X. When it is available a third survey C, carried on the same population, in which both Y and Z are collected, these data are used as a source of auxiliary information. The statistical matching is performed by carrying out calibration of the survey weights, as suggested in Renssen (1998). It is possible also to use the function to derive the estimates that units present a given category of the target variable (estimation are based on Liner Probability Models and are obtained as a by-product of the Renssen's method). Arguments svy.A A svydesign R object that stores the data collected in the survey A and all the information concerning the sampling design. This …
Context-Aware Service Selection Based on the Augmented Reality Toolkit

This paper deals with extending the AR Toolkit's functionality to allow not only small stationary setups but wide range tracking applications as well. Based on a visionary scenario of a mobile user walking around in a building with an intelligent environment, we split the AR Toolkit's functionality in several components based on the DWARF (Distributed Wearable Augmented Reality Framework) system. Using a thin mobile client we describe a mechanism for a dynamic configuration according to the location context during runtime. This means that the system triggers a context change with different strategies and then gets reconfigured by the environment. We discuss the architecture of the location component, evaluate several strategies for a context change and show how environmental conditions can influence the quality of the system.
- 1-Solving a unique Shortest Path problem using Ant Colony Optimisation

Ant Colony Optimisation (ACO) has in the past proved suitable to solve many optimisation problems. This research explores the ability of the ACO algorithm to balance two quality metrics (length and cost) in its decision making process. Results are given for a preliminary investigation based on a series of shortest path problems. It is concluded that, for these problems at least, the solution quality and time to solution make ACO competitive as an optimisation technique for shortest path problems in which multiple factors such as cost and length are involved.
Can Sea Bands® be used to Mitigate Simulator Sickness

A North American tier-one automotive supplier (TOAS) conducted a study in 2002 using a vehicle driving simulator to study simulator sickness. The goals of the study were twofold: (a) determine a screening process to identify those individuals who should be excluded from future simulator studies due to their susceptibility to simulator sickness and (b) explore a mitigation technique to lessen the severity of simulator sickness symptoms using the FDA-approved Sea Bands® acupressure wrist bands. The study revealed that prior experience with motion sickness is not necessarily a good predictor of who will become sick in a simulator, but one's own perception of susceptibility to motion and simulator sicknesses may be a reliable predictor. It also revealed that the acupressure wrist bands may be an effective method for managing simulator sickness among older participants.
Diversity of Functional Astroglial Properties in the Respiratory Network

A population of neurons in the caudal medulla generates the rhythmic activity underlying breathing movements. Although this neuronal network has attracted great attention for studying neuronal aspects of synaptic transmission, functions of glial cells supporting this neuronal activity remain unclear. To investigate the role of astrocytes in the respiratory network, we applied electrophysiological and immunohistochemical techniques to characterize astrocytes in regions involved in the generation and transmission of rhythmic activity. In the ventral respiratory group and the hypoglossal nucleus (XII) of acutely isolated brainstem slices, we analyzed fluorescently labeled astrocytes obtained from TgN(GFAP-EGFP) transgenic mice with the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. Three subpopulations of astrocytes could be discerned by their distinct membrane current profiles. A first group of astrocytes was characterized by nonrectifying, symmetrical and voltage-independent potassium currents and a robust glutamate transporter response to d-aspartate. A second group of astrocytes showed additional A-type potassium currents, whereas a third group, identified by immunolabeling for the glial progenitor marker NG2, expressed outwardly rectifying potassium currents, smaller potassium inward currents, and only minimal d-aspartate-induced transporter currents. Astrocytes of all groups showed kainate-induced inward currents. We conclude that most of the astrocytes serve as a buffer system of excess extracellular glutamate and potassium; however, a distinct cell population (NG2-positive, A-type potassium currents) may play an important role for network plasticity.
Optimized Nested Complex Event Processing Using Continuous Caching

Complex Event Processing (CEP) has become increasingly important for tracking and monitoring anomalies and trends in event streams emitted from business processes such as supply chain management to online stores in e-commerce. These monitoring applications submit complex event queries to track sequences of events that match a given pattern. While the state-of-the-art CEP systems mostly focus on the execution of flat sequence queries, we instead support the execution of nested CEP queries specified by the (NEsted Event Language) NEEL. However the iterative execution often results in the repeated recomputation of similar or even identical results for nested subexpressions as the window slides over the event stream. This work proposes to optimize NEEL execution performance by caching intermediate results. In particular a method of applying selective caching of intermediate results called Continuous Sliding Caching technique has been designed. Then a further optimization of the previous technique which we call the Semantic Caching and the Continuous Semantic Caching have been proposed. Techniques for incrementally loading, purging and exploiting the cache content are described. Our experimental study using real-world stock trades evaluates the performance of our proposed caching strategies for different query types.
Modelling information manufacturing systems

The manufacture of an information product (IP) is akin to the manufacture of a physical product. Current approaches to model such information manufacturing systems (IMS), lack the ability to systematically represent the dynamic changes involved in manufacturing (or creating) an IP. They also have limitations to consistently include aspects of process and information management at an organisational level. This paper aims to address these limitations and presents a modelling approach, the IASDO model. Our work also represents a framework to evaluate the quality of the meta-models for IMS modelling which enable us to compare the IASDO model with current approaches.