Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of coordinated motions of the human hand for robotic applications

This paper presents an acquisition method that comprehensively looks for the mimic configurations of the human hand. The data obtained through this process is further analyzed, transformed, and then used to synthesize a reduced configuration space of a robot anthropomorphic hand. The method rely on a dimensionality reduction technique that provides a new basis of the full configuration space, from which one can select a subset of the vectors forming that basis, and finally obtaining a simpler configuration subspace. These vectors are called Principal Motion Directions, and represent the coordinated motions captured by a sensorized glove on a human hand and transferred to the robot hand. The characteristics and limitations of the subspace are discussed, as well as its application in several scenarios within robotics such as the motion planning of robot hands, where the subspace has been successfully implemented and executed.
Visual EKF-SLAM from Heterogeneous Landmarks †

Many applications require the localization of a moving object, e.g., a robot, using sensory data acquired from embedded devices. Simultaneous localization and mapping from vision performs both the spatial and temporal fusion of these data on a map when a camera moves in an unknown environment. Such a SLAM process executes two interleaved functions: the front-end detects and tracks features from images, while the back-end interprets features as landmark observations and estimates both the landmarks and the robot positions with respect to a selected reference frame. This paper describes a complete visual SLAM solution, combining both point and line landmarks on a single map. The proposed method has an impact on both the back-end and the front-end. The contributions comprehend the use of heterogeneous landmark-based EKF-SLAM (the management of a map composed of both point and line landmarks); from this perspective, the comparison between landmark parametrizations and the evaluation of how the heterogeneity improves the accuracy on the camera localization, the development of a front-end active-search process for linear landmarks integrated into SLAM and the experimentation methodology.
A Comparative Study on ANN, ANFIS and SVM Methods for Computing Resonant Frequency of A$Shaped Compact Microstrip Antennas

Abstract — In this study, three robust predicting methods, namely artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and support vector machine (SVM) were used for computing the resonant frequency of A-shaped compact microstrip antennas (ACMAs) operating at UHF band. Firstly, the resonant frequencies of 144 ACMAs with various dimensions and electrical parameters were simulated with the help of IE3D™ based on method of moment (MoM). The ANN, ANFIS and SVM models for computing the resonant frequency were then built by considering the simulation data. 124 simulated ACMAs were utilized for training and the remaining 20 ACMAs were used for testing the ANN, ANFIS and SVM models. The performance of the ANN, ANFIS and SVM models are compared in the training and test process. The average percentage errors (APE) regarding the computed resonant frequencies for training of the ANN, ANFIS and SVM were obtained as 0.457%, 0.399% and 0.600%, respectively. The constructed models were then tested and APE values as 0.601% for ANN, 0.744% for ANFIS and 0.623% for SVM were achieved. The results obtained here show that ANN, ANFIS and SVM methods can be successfully applied to compute the resonant frequency of ACMAs, since they are useful and versatile methods that yield accurate results.
EXPERIMENTS WITH MULTITHREADING IN PARALLEL COMPUTING

This paper presents experiments with multithreading in several computationally intensive examples in which the time of parallel, multithreaded execution is significantly shorter than sequential, single-threaded. Algorithms used in these examples are not fully optimized for that wasn't the goal. The intention was to find out multithreading mechanism and structure and how to improve the performance on a multitasking, multi-user and multiprocessor operating system. The target operating system was SunOS 5.5. 1 on twoprocessor workstation Ultra sparc 2.
Up or Down? Click-Through Rate Prediction from Social Intention for Search Advertising

In search advertising, advertisers should carefully compose keywords in order to enhance the opportunity for ads to be clicked. Thus, timely presenting proper advertisements to users will encourage them to click on search ads. Until now, how to efficiently improve the ad performance to earn more clicks remains a main task. In this paper, we focus on the scope of smart phone and produce a social intentional model with advertising based features to forecast future trend on ads' click-through rate (CTR). In terms of social intentional model, we analyze Chinese text content of technology forum to derive social intentional factors which are Hotness, Sentiment, Promotion, and Event. Our results indicate that with knowing public opinions or occurring events beforehand can efficiently enhance click prediction. This will be very helpful for advertisers on adjusting bidding keywords to improve ad performance via social intention.
Collective Narcissism: Political Consequences of Investing Self‐Worth in the Ingroup’s Image

This article proposes a new theoretical framework for the reviewed state-of-the-art research on collective narcissism—the belief that the ingroup’s exceptionality is not sufficiently appreciated by others. Collective narcissism is motivated by the investment of an undermined sense of self-esteem into the belief in the ingroup’s entitlement to privilege. Collective narcissism lies in the heart of populist rhetoric. The belief in ingroup’s exceptionality compensates the undermined sense of self-worth, leaving collective narcissists hypervigilant to signs of threat to the ingroup’s position. People endorsing the collective narcissistic belief are prone to biased perceptions of intergroup situations and to conspiratorial thinking. They retaliate to imagined provocations against the ingroup but sometimes overlook real threats. They are prejudiced and hostile. Deficits in emotional regulation, hostile attribution bias, and vindictiveness lie behind the robust link between collective narcissism and intergroup hostility. Interventions that support the regulation of negative emotions, such as experiencing self-transcendent emotions, decrease the link between collective narcissism and intergroup hostility and offer further insights into the nature of collective narcissism. This suggests that deficits in the ability to regulate negative emotions may be associated with likelihood to uphold the collective narcissist belief about the ingroup and intergroup hostility. This conclusion is further supported by results indicating that collective narcissism is associated with low self-esteem and vulnerable narcissism, characterized by the resentment for lack of external recognition of personal entitlements. Collective narcissism mediates the link between low self-esteem and outgroup derogation.
DNA rearrangement can account for in vitro switching to IgG1

During immune responses, B lymphocytes may switch from the expression of immunoglobulin M (IgM) to the expression of another isotype (e.g., IgG, IgE, IgA). In stable hybridomas and myelomas expressing a "switched" (S) isotype, DNA deletions between S mu and a "downstream" S region (S region recombination) have been found. In primary B cells, studies of the molecular basis of switching have been limited by the ability to sensitively quantitate the amount of DNA deletion; such studies would be of interest because other nondeletional mechanisms (trans-splicing, alternative processing of a long transcript) have been proposed to account for isotype switching in certain circumstances. We have applied the digestion-circularization polymerase chain reaction (DC-PCR) technique to measure the amount of S region recombination that occurs in the course of class switching in primary B lymphocytes. Resting B cells were cultured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) to stimulate switching to IgG1. These cells begin to express membrane IgG1 at day 2.5 of culture and reach maximum expression by day 4.5. DNA was prepared from cultured cells and analyzed for S mu-S gamma 1 rearrangement by DC-PCR. Chimeric switch regions, indicating S mu-S gamma 1 recombination, were detected in amounts that, in most cases, correlated with surface expression. Furthermore, when cells were sorted on the basis of surface IgG1 expression, a mean of at least one S mu-S gamma 1 rearrangement per cell was seen in five out of seven experiments. In general, the IgG1+ cells obtained at 4.5 and 5.5 d of culture had close to 2 S mu-S gamma 1 rearrangements per cell. In IgG1- cells, S mu-S gamma 1 rearrangements were detectable, but at frequencies substantially lower that in IgG1+ cells. Thus, these results indicate that DNA deletion accompanies class switching in normal B cells stimulated with LPS and IL-4.
Complex domain onset detection for musical signals

We present a novel method for onset detection in musical signals. It improves over previous energy-based and phase-based approaches by combining both types of information in the complex domain. It generates a detection function that is sharp at the position of onsets and smooth everywhere else. Results on a handlabelled data-set show that high detection rates can be achieved at very low error rates. The approach is more robust than its predecessors both theoretically and practically.
Interactions with real and digital elements for collaborative document creation

We present a workspace based on a large interactive desktop that provides interaction with digital information and physical objects. This environment is designed to support the tasks that usually are performed at our laboratory work desk, such as workgroup, brainstorming sessions and meetings, for users who can be at the laboratory or accessing to it from a remote location. Digital and real object share the same space and mixed manipulation is easily achieved. Users can transfer information from a real document or any object to create digital versions, or can augment objects with digital information. Also real objects, even others than documents, can be used to perform programmed actions. Any task can be performed with the most ideal physical tool for a given action. Our objective is to use the available technologies to eliminate the barrier between real and digital when interacting with a computer.
Self-Adaptive Image Cropping for Small Displays

We propose a new self-adaptive image cropping algorithm where the processing steps are driven by the classification of the images into semantic classes. The algorithm exploits both visual and semantic information. Visual information is obtained from a visual attention model, while semantic information relates to the automatically assigned image genre and to the detection of face and skin regions.
Plasma tPA-Activity and Progression of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities in Lacunar Stroke Patients

Introduction Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-activity and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) antigen are considered to be haemostasis-related markers of endothelial activation and relate to presence of cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) as was earlier shown in a cross-sectional study. We investigated whether tPA-activity and PAI-1 levels are associated with WMH progression in a longitudinal study. Methods In 127 first-ever lacunar stroke patients in whom baseline brain MRI and plasma levels of tPA-activity and PAI-1-antigen were available, we obtained a 2-year follow-up MRI. We assessed WMH progression by a visual WMH change scale. We determined the relationship between levels of tPA-activity and PAI-1 and WMH progression, by logistic regression analysis. Results Plasma tPA-activity was associated with periventricular WMH progression (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.01–5.49, with correction for age and sex and baseline presence of WMH), but not with deep or any (periventricular and/or deep) WMH progression. PAI-1 levels were lower in patients with WMH progression, but these results were not significant. Conclusion We found a relationship between plasma tPA-activity and progression of periventricular WMH. More research is needed to determine whether there is a (direct) role of tPA in the development and progression of WMH.
Terrorism as Opiniotainment: Perceptions Warriors and the Public Battlefield

Terrorism continues to have a significant impact on the lives of Australians. Whilst Australian cities remain untargeted during this present wave of terrorism, many Australians perceive the threat to be significant. Terrorism is offered for consumption daily in the news media and many Australians have seen the images of terrorism. In addition to television images, media consumers have been inundated with terrorism reporting on talkback radio, in feature films, and in newspapers. What impact does the perceptions wars on terrorism have on Australian society? Are the public more or less knowledgeable because of public debate? These are questions that need to be answered is Australia is to remain a safe and free country in which to live. In this paper, a content analysis is conducted on the Herald Sun newspaper in the week following the second Bali bombing on October 1, 2005. In particular the opinion editorials are examined. Australians have a right to know and understand the threat that terrorism poses in our cities. Public debate is not always a way that this can be achieved.
Sequence analysis of the Pseudomonas sp. strain P51 tcb gene cluster, which encodes metabolism of chlorinated catechols: evidence for specialization of catechol 1,2-dioxygenases for chlorinated substrates

Pseudomonas sp. strain P51 contains two gene clusters located on catabolic plasmid pP51 that encode the degradation of chlorinated benzenes. The nucleotide sequence of a 5,499-bp region containing the chlorocatechol-oxidative gene cluster tcbCDEF was determined. The sequence contained five large open reading frames, which were all colinear. The functionality of these open reading frames was studied with various Escherichia coli expression systems and by analysis of enzyme activities. The first gene, tcbC, encodes a 27.5-kDa protein with chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity. The tcbC gene is followed by tcbD, which encodes cycloisomerase II (39.5 kDa); a large open reading frame (ORF3) with an unknown function; tcbE, which encodes hydrolase II (25.8 kDa); and tcbF, which encodes a putative trans-dienelactone isomerase (37.5 kDa). The tcbCDEF gene cluster showed strong DNA homology (between 57.6 and 72.1% identity) and an organization similar to that of other known plasmid-encoded operons for chlorocatechol metabolism, e.g., clcABD of Pseudomonas putida and tfdCDEF of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134. The identity between amino acid sequences of functionally related enzymes of the three operons varied between 50.6 and 75.7%, with the tcbCDEF and tfdCDEF pair being the least similar of the three. Measurements of the specific activities of chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenases encoded by tcbC, clcA, and tfdC suggested that a specialization among type II enzymes has taken place. TcbC preferentially converts 3,4-dichlorocatechol relative to other chlorinated catechols, whereas TfdC has a higher activity toward 3,5-dichlorocatechol. ClcA takes an intermediate position, with the highest activity level for 3-chlorocatechol and the second-highest level for 3,5-dichlorocatechol.
Get Kicked-Machine Learning Predictions for Car Buying

When you go to an auto dealership with the intent to buy a used car, you want a good selection to choose from and you want to be able to trust the condition of the car that you buy. Auto dealerships purchase many of their used cars through auto auctions with the same goals that you have: they want to buy as many cars as they can in the best condition possible. The problem that these dealerships often face is the risk of buying used cars that have serious issues, preventing them from being sold to customers. These bad purchases are called "kicks", and they can be hard to spot for a variety of reasons. Many kicked cars are purchased due to tampered odometers or mechanical issues that could not be predicted ahead of time. For these reasons, car dealerships can benefit greatly from the predictive powers of machine learning. If there is a way to determine if a car would be kicked a priori, car dealerships can not only save themselves money, but also provide their customers with the best inventory selection possible.
Stylometric features for emotion level classification in news related blogs

Breaking news and events are often posted in the blogo-sphere before they are published by any media agency. Therefore, the blogosphere is a valuable resource for news-related blog analysis. However, it is crucial to first sort out news-unrelated content like personal diaries or advertising blogs. Besides, there are different levels of emotionality or involvement which bias the news information to a certain extent. In our work, we evaluate topic-independent stylometric features to classify blogs into news versus rest and to assess the emotionality in these blogs. We apply several text classifiers to determine the best performing combination of features and algorithms. Our experiments revealed that with simple style features, blogs can be classified into news versus rest and their emotionality can be assessed with accuracy values of almost 80%.
Urban Interactions : Soft Skills vs . Specialization

This paper considers the role of soft skills in cities and industry clusters. It begins by specifying a model of agglomeration economies where soft skills allow agents to interact more productively. The model exposes two conflicting forces: agglomeration allows opportunities to interact, but it also produces thick, specialized markets, and this specialization can be a substitute for interaction. In order to empirically evaluate the soft skills – agglomeration relationship, the paper matches data on the interaction requirements of occupations from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles to Census data. The withinindustry average level of soft skills is found to be higher in cities but not in industry clusters. Workers at the top of the skill distribution in large cities typically have higher levels of soft skills than in small cities, while the least skilled workers are less skilled in large cities than in small cities. This pattern is reversed for industry clusters.
Bayesian Games for Threat Prediction and Situation Analysis

Higher levels of the JDL model call for prediction of future development and awareness of the development of a situation. Since the situations handled by Command and Control systems develop by actions performed by opposing agents, pure probabilistic or evidential techniques are not quite sufficient tools for prediction. Game theoretic tools can give an improved appreciation of the real uncertainty in this prediction task, and also be a tool in the planning process. We review recent developments in game theory and apply them in a decision support tool for Command and Control situation awareness enhancements.
Evaluating reverse logistics networks with centralized centers: An adaptive genetic algorithm approach based on fuzzy logic controller

This paper proposes an adaptive genetic algorithm (FLC-aGA) approach based on fuzzy logic controller (FLC) for evaluating the reverse logistics (RL) networks with centralized centers. For the FLC-aGA approach, an adaptive scheme using a fuzzy logic controller is applied to GA loop. Five components which are composed of customers, collection centers, recovery centers, redistribution centers, and secondary markets are used to design the RL networks. For the RL with centralized centers (RLCC), collection center, recovery center, redistribution center and secondary market will be opened alone. The RLCC will be formulated as a mixed integer programming (MIP) model and its objective function is to minimize the total cost of unit transportation costs, fixed costs, and variable costs under considering various constraints. The MIP model for the RLCC is solved by using the FLC-aGA approach. Three test problems with various sizes of collection centers, recovery centers, redistribution centers, and secondary markets are considered and they are compared the FLC-aGA approach with other competing approaches. Finally, the optimal solutions by the FLC-aGA and other competing approaches are demonstrated each other using some measures of performance.
Cortical Processing of Noxious Somatosensory Stimuli in the Persistent Vegetative State

The persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a devastating medical condition characterized by preserved wakefulness contrasting with absent voluntary interaction with the environment. We used positron emission tomography to assess the central processing of noxious somatosensory stimuli in the PVS. Changes in regional cerebral blood flow were measured during high-intensity electrical stimulation of the median nerve compared with rest in 15 nonsedated patients and in 15 healthy controls. Evoked potentials were recorded simultaneously. The stimuli were experienced as highly unpleasant to painful in controls. Brain glucose metabolism was also studied with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose in resting conditions. In PVS patients, overall cerebral metabolism was 40% of normal values. Nevertheless, noxious somatosensory stimulation-activated midbrain, contralateral thalamus, and primary somatosensory cortex in each and every PVS patient, even in the absence of detectable cortical evoked potentials. Secondary somatosensory, bilateral insular, posterior parietal, and anterior cingulate cortices did not show activation in any patient. Moreover, in PVS patients, the activated primary somatosensory cortex was functionally disconnected from secondary somatosensory, bilateral posterior parietal, premotor, polysensory superior temporal, and prefrontal cortices. In conclusion, somatosensory stimulation of PVS patients, at intensities that elicited pain in controls, resulted in increased neuronal activity in primary somatosensory cortex, even if resting brain metabolism was severely impaired. However, this activation of primary cortex seems to be isolated and dissociated from higher-order associative cortices.
A survey on model-based testing approaches: a systematic review

This paper describes a systematic review performed on model-based testing (MBT) approaches. A selection criterion was used to narrow the initially identified four hundred and six papers to focus on seventy-eight papers. Detailed analysis of these papers shows where MBT approaches have been applied, the characteristics, and the limitations. The comparison criteria includes representation models, support tools, test coverage criteria, the level of automation, intermediate models, and the complexity. This paper defines and explains the review methodology and presents some results.