Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eecient Model Checking Using Tabled Resolution ?

We demonstrate the feasibility of using the XSB tabled logic programming system as a programmable xed-point engine for implementing eecient local model checkers. In particular, we present XMC, an XSB-based local model checker for a CCS-like value-passing language and the alternation-free fragment of the modal mu-calculus. XMC is written in under 200 lines of XSB code, which constitute a declarative speciication of CCS and the modal mu-calculus at the level of semantic equations. In order to gauge the performance of XMC as an algorithmic model checker, we conducted a series of benchmarking experiments designed to compare the performance of XMC with the local model checkers implemented in C/C++ in the Concurrency Factory and SPIN speciication and veriication environments. After applying certain newly developed logic-programming-based optimizations (along with some standard ones), XMC's performance became extremely competitive with that of the Factory and shows promise in its comparison with SPIN.
Efficient DSP algorithm development for FPGA and ASIC technologies

The use of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) in electronic products is increasing at a phenomenal rate. FPGAs, with their multi-million equivalent gate counts and DSP-centric features can offer dramatic performance increases over standard DSP chips. They also offer an attractive alternative for small and medium volume production FPGAs also make very powerful prototyping and verification vehicles for real- time emulation of DSP algorithms [1]. This paper discusses the challenges and requirements of creating portable algorithmic IP for FPGAs and ASICs and illustrates how an ESL synthesis methodology using Synplicity’s Synplify DSP tool can significantly reduce the time and effort to implement either technology. The Synplify DSP tool automatically creates optimized logic implementations for both FPGAs and ASICs.
Optimized asynchronous multi-channel neighbor discovery

We consider the problem of neighbor discovery in wireless networks with nodes operating in multiple frequency bands and with asymmetric beacon intervals. This is a challenging task when considering such heterogenous operation conditions and when performed without any external assistance. We present linear programming (LP) optimization and two strategies, named OPT and SWOPT, allowing nodes performing fast, asynchronous, and passive discovery. Our optimization is slotted based and determines a listening schedule describing when to listen, for how long, and on which channel. We compare our strategies with the passive discovery of the IEEE 802.15. 4 standard. The results confirm that our optimization improves the performance in terms of first, average, and last discovery time.
PET-Guided Surgery — High Correlation between Positron Emission Tomography with 11C-5-Hydroxytryptophane (5-HTP) and Surgical Findings in Abdominal Neuroendocrine Tumours

Positron emission tomography (PET) with 11C-labeled 5-hydroxytryptophane (5-HTP) is a sensitive technique to visualize neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), due to high intracellular uptake of amine-precursors like L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and 5-HTP. NETs are often small and difficult to localize in spite of overt clinical symptoms due to hormonal excess. In our study, 38 consecutive NET patients underwent 11C-5-HTP-PET and morphological imaging by CT within 12 weeks prior to surgery. Surgical, histopathological and 5-HTP PET findings were correlated. 11C-5-HTP-PET corresponded to the surgical findings in 31 cases, was false negative in six, and true negative in one case resulting in 83.8% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Positive predicted value was 100%. In 11 patients 11C-5-HTP-PET was the only imaging method applied to localize the tumour. Thus, we could demonstrate that functional imaging by 11C-5-HTP-PET in many cases adds vital preoperative diagnostic information and in more than every fourth patient was the only imaging method that will guide the surgeon in finding the NET-lesion. Although the present results demonstrates that 11C-5-HTP may be used as an universal NET tracer, the sensitivity to visualize benign insulinomas and non functioning pancreatic NETs was lower.
3D vehicle sensor based on monocular vision

Determining the position of other vehicles on the road is a key information to help driver assistance systems to increase driver's safety. Accordingly, the work presented in this paper addresses the problem of detecting the vehicles in front of our own one and estimating their 3D position by using a single monochrome camera. Rather than using predefined high level image features as symmetry, shadow search, etc., our proposal for the vehicle detection is based on a learning process that determines, from a training set, which are the best features to distinguish vehicles from non-vehicles. To compute 3D information with a single camera a key point consists of knowing the position where the horizon projects onto the image. However, this position can change in every frame and is difficult to determine. In this paper we study the coupling between the perceived horizon and the actual width of vehicles in order to reduce the uncertainty in their estimated 3D position derived from an unknown horizon.
Obstacle detection for people movers using vision and radar

People movers (autonomous road vehicles) are a new means of public transport with promising capabilities. A roadmap is presented that shows the anticipated development of crucial technologies for people movers. A critical technology is obstacle detection. An obstacle detection system is presented based on stereo vision and radar that uses sensor fusion and tracking for obstacle detection. The obstacle detection system was tested on an autonomous test vehicle and showed promising results.
The Use of Accelerometers to Quantify Collisions and Running Demands of Rugby Union Match-Play

This study examined the relationship between accelerometer metrics and both collisions and running demands during rugby union match-play. Twelve under-18 forwards and 14 under-18 backs were recruited from a professional rugby union club. Six competitive matches were filmed during which players wore micro-technological units (Optimeye S5, Catapult Innovations, Melbourne, Australia). Video footage was analysed for total collisions, while GPS data was analysed for total distance. Accelerometer metrics analysed were Player load™ (PL), Player Load™ 2D (PL2D), and Player Load™ slow (PLslow). A total of 81 player observations were included in the final analysis. Data were analysed using ordinary least squares regression. A 10-fold cross validation analysis was used to validate the findings. All PL variables demonstrated very large relationships with collisions in the forwards, while PLslow demonstrated the largest relationship (large) with collisions in the backs. Therefore, based on the strong relationship in both forwards and backs, PLslow may provide the most useful metric for measuring collision-based activity in both positional groups during match-play. Additionally, nearly perfect and very large relationships were observed between PL and total distance for forwards and backs respectively, suggesting that PL can be successfully used to quantify running demands when other methods are unavailable, for example during indoor training.
Detection of surface defects caused by mechanical damages on Mangos of Kelk-e Sorkh variety with the use of color image processing

سیستم بینایی ماشین یکی از ابزارهای قدرتمند به‌منظور خودکار کردن روش‌های درجه‌بندی محصولات کشاورزی است. در این تحقیق با استفاده از پردازش تصاویر رنگی تهیه‌شده از میوه انبه به تشخیص خرابی‌های ظاهری ناشی از صدمات مکانیکی پرداخته‌شده است. برای این منظور از میان ۸۰ عدد انبه با بازرسی چشمی تعداد ۶۰ نمونه انبه که بر روی آن‌ها لکه‌های سیاه‌رنگ ناشی از آسیب‌های مکانیکی در حین برداشت و جابجایی به وجود آمده بود، تشخیص داده شدند و از هر میوه در شرایط نوردهی یکسان تصویربرداری شد. با استخراج ویژگی‌های رنگی در سه مدل رنگی RGB، HSI و L*a*b* و مقایسه آماری داده‌ها مشخص شد که ویژگی‌های رنگی G و 0.16G/0.5R در محیط رنگی RGB به ترتیب با دقت ۹۰% و ۶/۹۱% و ویژگی‌های رنگیa* و 0.16L*-a*از فضای رنگی L*a*b* به ترتیب با دقت ۳۳/۹۳% و ۱۰۰% قادر به تشخیص بافت آسیب‌دیده می‌باشند. درصد مساحت استخراج‌شده از هر نمونه به‌عنوان معیاری برای درجه‌بندی میوه انبه مورداستفاده قرار گرفت. با استفاده از روش خوشه‌بندی K میانگین نمونه‌ها به دودسته تقسیم‌بندی شدند و نقطه برش بین این دودسته با استفاده از منحنی راک برابر با ۱۱/۳ بدست آمد. مساحت منحنی راک برابر با ۱ بدست آمد که نشان‌دهنده قدرت تفکیک بالای خوشه‌بندی است.
Measurement-based policy-driven QoS management in Converged Networks

Policy-based management is considered an effective approach to address the challenges of resource management in large complex networks. Within the IU-ATC QoS Frameworks project, a policy-based network management framework, CNQF (Converged Networks QoS Framework) is being developed aimed at providing context-aware, end-to-end QoS control and resource management in converged next generation networks. CNQF is designed to provide homogeneous, transparent QoS control over heterogeneous access technologies by means of distributed functional entities that co-ordinate the resources of the transport network through policy-driven decisions. In this paper, we present a measurement-based evaluation of policy-driven QoS management based on CNQF architecture, with real traffic flows on an experimental testbed. A Java based implementation of the CNQF Resource Management Subsystem is deployed on the testbed and results of the experiments validate the framework operation for policy-based QoS management of real traffic flows.
How Competitive is the Argentine Gasoline Market ? A Differentiated Product Model

After the deregulation of gasoline markets in Argentina in 1991, gasoline prices have not reacted to crude oil price changes as much as they have done in the United States. Not only have price responses been different, but also the level of prices in Argentina has remained higher than that in the US. In this paper, I study the extent to which a higher degree of market power in Argentina explains these differences in pricing behavior. To this end, I model demand and supply in a discrete choice framework treating gasoline as a differentiated product. Using firm-level data for five Argentine markets, I construct a likelihood ratio test to select among alternative supply relations. The supply relation obtained under Cournot competition provides the best fit to the data. JEL classification: L1, L6, C3
Postglacial climate and fire‐mediated vegetation change on the western Olympic Peninsula, Washington (USA)

The mode and tempo of forest compositional change during periods of rapid climate change, including the potential for the fire regime to produce nonlinear relationships between climate and vegetation, is a long-standing theme of forest ecological research. In the old conifer forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest, fire disturbances are sufficiently rare that their relation to climate and their ecological effects are poorly understood. We used a 14 700-year high-resolution sediment record from Yahoo Lake on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA, to examine vegetation (landscape vegetation from pollen and local vegetation from macrofossils) and fire (landscape fire from total charcoal and local fire from charcoal peaks) in conjunction with independent records of climate. We hypothesized that the successional stage of the local forest will exhibit alternate stable states over a range of fire activity, that species turnover will increase abruptly above a certain level of fire activity and that both respons.
Monaural Sound Localization Based on Structure-Induced Acoustic Resonance

A physical structure such as a cylindrical pipe controls the propagated sound spectrum in a predictable way that can be used to localize the sound source. This paper designs a monaural sound localization system based on multiple pyramidal horns around a single microphone. The acoustic resonance within the horn provides a periodicity in the spectral domain known as the fundamental frequency which is inversely proportional to the radial horn length. Once the system accurately estimates the fundamental frequency, the horn length and corresponding angle can be derived by the relationship. The modified Cepstrum algorithm is employed to evaluate the fundamental frequency. In an anechoic chamber, localization experiments over azimuthal configuration show that up to 61% of the proper signal is recognized correctly with 30% misfire. With a speculated detection threshold, the system estimates direction 52% in positive-to-positive and 34% in negative-to-positive decision rate, on average.
On the high-order multidimensional gas-kinetic scheme

The newly developed high-order-accurate multidimensional gas-kinetic scheme is further investigated, including the benefit of the consideration of tangential slopes in the flux function at a cell interface, and the application of the scheme in turbulence simulation. The present study shows that in despite of increasing of computational cost, the multidimensional scheme can evidently improve the accuracy for both inviscid and viscous flows when compared to the directional splitting one. The numerical simulation of the compressible turbulence with the high-order multidimensional gas-kinetic scheme shows better performance than the existing second-order gas-kinetic BGK method.
Decreased dyskerin levels as a mechanism of telomere shortening in X-linked dyskeratosis congenita

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a premature ageing syndrome characterised by short telomeres. An X-linked form of DC is caused by mutations in DKC1 which encodes dyskerin, a telomerase component that is essential for telomerase RNA stability. However, mutations in DKC1 are identifiable in only half of X-linked DC families. A four generation family with pulmonary fibrosis and features of DC was identified. Affected males showed the classic mucocutaneous features of DC and died prematurely from pulmonary fibrosis. Although there were no coding sequence or splicing variants, genome wide linkage analysis of 16 individuals across four generations identified significant linkage at the DKC1 locus, and was accompanied by reduced dyskerin protein levels in affected males. Decreased dyskerin levels were associated with compromised telomerase RNA levels and very short telomeres. These data identify decreased dyskerin levels as a novel mechanism of DC, and indicate that intact dyskerin levels, in the absence of coding mutations, are critical for telomerase RNA stability and for in vivo telomere maintenance.
Enabling Trusted Data-intensive execution in cloud computing

The security and privacy of user data has become a major concern in the cloud computing era. Cryptographic solutions based on secure computation outsourcing have been extensively studied in order to protect the security and privacy of user data. However, these solutions either suffer from forbiddingly high computation overhead or are only applicable to certain special classes of computations. In this paper, we tackle the challenge of secure computation outsourcing using an entirely different approach - the idea is to have a secure execution environment in the cloud such that user data can be processed in plain text format without compromising its confidentiality. We propose a TrUsted Data-intensive ExeCution (TUDEC) environment optimized for data applications in the cloud. TUDEC is a new system architecture, designed to provide a secure environment for arbitrary data computations in the cloud server. Using a very small trusted computing base including only firmware and hardware, TUDEC is able to provide user VM with isolation against both the legacy host and neighboring VMs. Such isolation is unique in that it provides protection against any software-based attacks. By direct interrupt delivery, interrupt rerouting and IOMMU configuration lock, TUDEC enables close to bare metal computation and I/O performance without sacrificing any security guaranteed. We built a prototype and showed the high efficiency of TUDEC. In particular, when the server is heavily loaded, the TCP bandwidth of the guest VM in TUDEC is significantly better than the current state of art secure execution environment design.
Modelling as a tool to redesign livestock farming systems: a literature review.

Livestock farming has recently come under close scrutiny, in response especially to environmental issues. Farmers are encouraged to redesign their livestock farming systems in depth to improve their sustainability. Assuming that modelling can be a relevant tool to address such systemic changes, we sought to answer the following question: 'How can livestock farming systems be modelled to help farmers redesign their whole farming systems? ' To this end, we made a literature review of the models of livestock farming systems published from 2000 to mid-2009 (n = 79). We used an analysis grid based on three considerations: (i) system definition, (ii) the intended use of the model and (iii) the way in which farmers' decision-making processes were represented and how agricultural experts and farmers were involved in the modelling processes. Consistent rationales in approaches to supporting changes in livestock farming were identified in three different groups of models, covering 83% of the whole set. These could be defined according to (i) the way in which farmers' decisions were represented and (ii) the model's type of contribution to supporting changes. The first type gathered models that dynamically simulated the system according to different management options; the farmers' decision-making processes are assumed to consist in choosing certain values for management factors. Such models allow long-term simulations and endorse different disciplinary viewpoints, but the farmers are weakly involved in their design. Models of the second type can indicate the best combination of farm activities under given constraints, provided the farmers' objectives are profit maximisation. However, when used to support redesigning processes, they address neither how to implement the optimal solution nor its long-term consequences. Models of the third type enable users to dynamically simulate different options for the farming system, the management of which is assumed to be planned according to the farmers' general objectives. Although more comprehensive, these models do not easily integrate different disciplinary viewpoints and different subsystems, which limits their usefulness as support tools for redesigning processes. Finally, we concluded about what specific requirements should be for modelling approaches if farmers were to be supported in redesigning their whole livestock farming systems using models.
The role of neutrophil apoptosis in the resolution of acute lung injury in newborn infants

Background: The persistent airway neutrophilia observed in chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) may reflect inappropriate suppression of neutrophil apoptosis. Methods: 134 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were obtained from 32 infants requiring mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS): 13 infants (median gestation 26 weeks, range 23 to 28) subsequently developed CLD (CLD group), and 19 infants (gestation 31 weeks, range 25 to 39) recovered fully (RDS group). A further 73 BAL samples were obtained from 20 infants (median age 2 days, range 1 to 402) receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for severe respiratory failure. Results: Neutrophil apoptosis was increased in the RDS group (mean (SEM) neutrophil apoptosis on day 7 BAL: RDS 17.0 (8.6)% v CLD 0.7 (0.2)% (p<0.05)). BAL fluid obtained from RDS but not CLD patients was proapoptotic to neutrophils (apoptosis ratio BAL fluid/saline control: day 1, RDS 9.8 (5.5) v CLD 1.2 (0.1) (p<0.05); day 2, RDS 4.32 (2.8) v CLD 0.5 (0.4) (p<0.05)). There were similar findings in the ECMO group: survivors had proapoptotic BAL fluid compared with non-survivors (apoptosis ratio day 1, survivors 7.9 (2.1) v non-survivors 2.1 (0.7) (p<0.05)). Conclusions: Inappropriate suppression of neutrophil apoptosis may be associated with a poor outcome in newborn infants with respiratory failure.
Multiple Modes of Impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease

Cognitive problems are a major factor determining quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease. These include deficits in inhibitory control, ranging from subclinical alterations in decision-making to severe impulse control disorders. Based on preclinical studies, we proposed that Parkinson's disease does not cause a unified disorder of inhibitory control, but rather a set of impulsivity factors with distinct psychological profiles, anatomy and pharmacology. We assessed a broad set of measures of the cognitive, behavioural and temperamental/trait aspects of impulsivity. Sixty adults, including 30 idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients (Hoehn and Yahr stage I–III) and 30 healthy controls, completed a neuropsychological battery, objective behavioural measures and self-report questionnaires. Univariate analyses of variance confirmed group differences in nine out of eleven metrics. We then used factor analysis (principal components method) to identify the structure of impulsivity in Parkinson's disease. Four principal factors were identified, consistent with four different mechanisms of impulsivity, explaining 60% of variance. The factors were related to (1) tests of response conflict, interference and self assessment of impulsive behaviours on the Barrett Impulsivity Scale, (2) tests of motor inhibitory control, and the self-report behavioural approach system, (3) time estimation and delay aversion, and (4) reflection in hypothetical scenarios including temporal discounting. The different test profiles of these four factors were consistent with human and comparative studies of the pharmacology and functional anatomy of impulsivity. Relationships between each factor and clinical and demographic features were examined by regression against factor loadings. Levodopa dose equivalent was associated only with factors (2) and (3). The results confirm that impulsivity is common in Parkinson's disease, even in the absence of impulse control disorders, and that it is not a unitary phenomenon. A better understanding of the structure of impulsivity in Parkinson's disease will support more evidence-based and effective strategies to treat impulsivity.
Identity formation, learning styles and trust in virtual worlds

Avatars in virtual worlds exhibit many of the social behaviors found in real life. As such, we can learn much about our own behaviors from them based on prior theories. But social psychological theories that help researchers understand real life behaviors may not necessarily apply to virtual worlds. In fact, we know little about how human behaviors, as depicted by the actions of avatars, will be different than they are in real life. For insight into this, we look at how virtual worlds impact three behaviors: forming an identity, learning, and trusting. Each of these provides some insight into behavior in virtual worlds and suggests what we must work to understand in order to modify or adapt existing social psychological theories to apply to virtual worlds.