Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LivDet 2011 — Fingerprint liveness detection competition 2011

“Liveness detection”, a technique used to determine the vitality of a submitted biometric, has been implemented in fingerprint scanners in recent years. The goal for the LivDet 2011 competition is to compare software-based fingerprint liveness detection methodologies (Part 1), as well as fingerprint systems which incorporate liveness detection capabilities (Part 2), using a standardized testing protocol and large quantities of spoof and live fingerprint images. This competition was open to all academic and industrial institutions which have a solution for either software-based or system-based fingerprint vitality detection problem. Five submissions across the two parts of the competition resulted in successful completion. These submissions were: Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Automation (CASIA), Federico II University (Federico) and Dermalog Identification SystemsGmbH (Dermalog) for Part 1: Algorithms, and GreenBit and Dermalog for Part 2: Systems. Part 1 was evaluated using four different datasets. The best results were from Federico on the Digital Persona dataset with error for live and spoof detection of 6.2% and 11.61% respectively. The best overall results for Part 1 were Dermalog with 34.05 FerrFake and 11.825% FerrLive. Part 2 was evaluated using live subjects and spoof finger casts. The best results were from Dermalog with an error for live and spoof of 42.5% and 0.8%, respectively.
Implementation of automatic external defibrillator using real time ventricular fibrillation detecting algorithm based on time domain analysis

Abstract The increase in mortality associated with arrhythmia is an inevitable problem of modern society such as westernized eating habits and an increase in stress due to industrialization, and the related social costs are increasing. In this regard, the supply of automatic external defibrillator (AED) used outside hospitals is increasing mainly in public institutions, and AED is a medical practice performed by non-medical personnel. Therefore, studies on arrhythmia detection algorithm to make accurate clinical judgment for proper use are increasing. In this paper, we propose a time domain analysis method to detect arrhythmia in real time and implement AED by porting it to programmable gate array and digital signal processor. The analysis of the phase domain improves the detection rate of R-peak using the differentiated electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform rather than the existing ECG waveform and makes it easy to distinguish the normal ECG from the arrhythmia signal in the phase domain. The proposed algorithm was verified by simulation using Labview and ModelSim, and it was verified that the proposed algorithm works effectively by performing animal experiments using the implemented AED.
On recent progress for the stochastic Navier Stokes equations

We give an overview of the ideas central to some recent developments in the ergodic theory of the stochastically forced Navier Stokes equations and other dissipative stochastic partial differential equations. Since our desire is to make the core ideas clear, we will mostly work with a specific example: the stochastically forced Navier Stokes equations. To further clarify ideas, we will also examine in detail a toy problem. A few general theorems are given. Spatial regularity, ergodicity, exponential mixing, coupling for a SPDE, and hypoellipticity are all discussed. This article attempts to collect a number of ideas which have proven useful in the study of stochastically forced dissipative partial differential equations. The discussion will center around those of ergodicity but will also touch on the regularity of both solutions and transition densities. Since our desire is to make the core ideas clear, we will mostly work with a specific example: the stochastically forced Navier Stokes equations. To further clarify ideas, we will also examine in detail a toy problem. Though we have not tried to give any great generality, we also present a number of abstract results to help isolate what assumptions are used in which arguments. Though a few results are presented in new ways and a number of proofs are streamlined, the core ideas remain more or less the same as in the originally cited papers. We do improve sightly the exponential mixing results given in [Mat02c]; however, the techniques used are the same. Lastly, we do not claim to be exhaustive. This is not meant to be an all encompassing review article. The view point given here is a personal one; nonetheless, citations are given to good starting points for related works both by the author and others. Consider the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation with stochastic forcing:
Effects of Eavesdropping on Subsequent Signalling Behaviours in Male Canaries

Signalling interactions could provide information for an observing third party. This behaviour has been labelled as eavesdropping. Studies on eavesdropping in birds have concerned only few species and have mainly been conducted in the wild. Our experiment was designed to evaluate the effects of eavesdropping on subsequent interactions in male canaries in a controlled laboratory context. The experiment had two stages: a presentation stage and a test stage. During the presentation stage, subjects heard three different interaction types: an alternating interaction, an overlapping interaction or two song sequences presented separately one after the other, i.e. without interaction. Then during the test stage, subjects were allowed to listen to the songs previously heard separately. We noted calls emitted by subjects during the two stages. During the presentation stage, responses of male canaries did not differ according to the type of interaction they could hear. During the test stage, we found a clear effect of the song status on the calls emitted by subjects. They emitted less calls during the songs of the winner than during all other songs. Surprisingly, subjects also produced intermediate responses by emitting fewer calls during the second song previously heard during the presentation phase, and during the song of the looser when compared to the three other songs. Our results show that male canaries obtain information on the relative threat from an overlapping interaction whereas an alternating interaction does not seem to provide any kind of relative information on singers’ status. In following encounters, the higher the potential threat of a singer was, the less the subjects emitted calls, probably to avoid the more serious rival. This inhibiting effect is discussed.
Sequence-based estimation of minisatellite and microsatellite repeat variability.

Variable tandem repeats are frequently used for genetic mapping, genotyping, and forensics studies. Moreover, variation in some repeats underlies rapidly evolving traits or certain diseases. However, mutation rates vary greatly from repeat to repeat, and as a consequence, not all tandem repeats are suitable genetic markers or interesting unstable genetic modules. We developed a model, "SERV," that predicts the variability of a broad range of tandem repeats in a wide range of organisms. The nonlinear model uses three basic characteristics of the repeat (number of repeated units, unit length, and purity) to produce a numeric "VARscore" that correlates with repeat variability. SERV was experimentally validated using a large set of different artificial repeats located in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae URA3 gene. Further in silico analysis shows that SERV outperforms existing models and accurately predicts repeat variability in bacteria and eukaryotes, including plants and humans. Using SERV, we demonstrate significant enrichment of variable repeats within human genes involved in transcriptional regulation, chromatin remodeling, morphogenesis, and neurogenesis. Moreover, SERV allows identification of known and candidate genes involved in repeat-based diseases. In addition, we demonstrate the use of SERV for the selection and comparison of suitable variable repeats for genotyping and forensic purposes. Our analysis indicates that tandem repeats used for genotyping should have a VARscore between 1 and 3. SERV is publicly available from http://hulsweb1.cgr. harvard.edu/SERV/.
Hardware-in-the-loop simulation of Android GPGPU applications

Emerging mobile devices are likely to adopt CPU-GPU heterogeneous architecture where an embedded GPU executes offloaded computations from the CPU as well as rendering tasks. For design space exploration of such a CPU-GPU heterogeneous architecture at the early design stage or for monitoring the dynamic system behavior of a system, it is very desirable to run the same application software on a full system simulation platform without modification. Since simulations will be performed repetitively, compromise should be made between simulation speed and timing accuracy. Since all known GPU simulators are very slow, in this paper, we propose a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation framework that integrates the CPU simulator with an existent GPU hardware. A novel interfacing mechanism between the CPU simulator and the GPU hardware is devised to guarantee functional correctness. The proposed technique maintains the timing accuracy of computation workload as much as possible with unavoidable penalty on the timing accuracy of CPU-GPU communication overhead. The proposed simulation framework is implemented with a gem5 full-system simulator and various kinds of GPGPU hardware. For a real-life scenario, we ported the Android platform to the proponativesed simulation framework and ran a face detection application that calls a native function via JNI. The native function can be written in CUDA or OpenCL if it will be offloaded to the GPU, or in Pthreads if it will be run on the CPU. Preliminary experiments show some use cases of the proposed simulation framework for design space exploration and dynamic behavior monitoring.
Stimulation of TRPV1 by Green Laser Light

Low-level laser irradiation of visible light had been introduced as a medical treatment already more than 40 years ago, but its medical application still remains controversial. Laser stimulation of acupuncture points has also been introduced, and mast-cells degranulation has been suggested. Activation of TRPV ion channels may be involved in the degranulation. Here, we investigated whether TRPV1 could serve as candidate for laser-induced mast cell activation. Activation of TRPV1 by capsaicin resulted in degranulation. To investigate the effect of laser irradiation on TRPV1, we used the Xenopus oocyte as expression and model system. We show that TRPV1 can functionally be expressed in the oocyte by (a) activation by capsaicin (K 1/2 = 1.1 μM), (b) activation by temperatures exceeding 42°C, (c) activation by reduced pH (from 7.4 to 6.2), and (d) inhibition by ruthenium red. Red (637 nm) as well as blue (406 nm) light neither affected membrane currents in oocytes nor did it modulate capsaicin-induced current. In contrast, green laser light (532 nm) produced power-dependent activation of TRPV1. In conclusion, we could show that green light is effective at the cellular level to activate TRPV1. To which extend green light is of medical relevance needs further investigation.
Teachers' Acculturation Attitudes and Their Classroom Management: An Empirical Study among Fifth-Grade Primary School Teachers in Switzerland

This article investigates the influence of attitudes towards acculturation of 180 primary school teachers on their classroom management. The results indicate that teachers with integrative attitudes towards immigrant students' acculturation have a high propensity to punish students for disruptive behaviour, but they also demonstrate high levels of diagnostic expertise in social areas. Teachers with assimilative attitudes are also likely to punish students for misbehaviour, but tend to have a deficiency in the ability to diagnose social tensions among students. Teachers with assimilative attitudes who report high levels of disruptive behaviour in their classroom have the strongest tendency to punish and the lowest level of diagnostic expertise in social areas.
Output Units of Motor Behavior: An Experimental and Modeling Study

Cognitive approaches to motor control typically concern sequences of discrete actions without taking into account the stunning complexity of the geometry and dynamics of the muscles. This begs the question: Does the brain convert the intricate, continuous-time dynamics of the muscles into simpler discrete units of actions, and if so, how? One way for the brain to form discrete units of behavior from muscles is through the synergistic co-activation of muscles. While this possibility has long been known, the composition of potential muscle synergies has remained elusive. In this paper, we have focused on a method that allowed us to examine and compare the limb stabilization properties of all possible muscle combinations. We found that a small set (as few as 23 out of 65,536) of all possible combinations of 16 limb muscles are robust with respect to activation noise: these muscle combinations could stabilize the limb at predictable, restricted portions of the workspace in spite of broad variations in the force output of their component muscles. The locations at which the robust synergies stabilize the limb are not uniformly distributed throughout the leg's workspace, but rather, they cluster at four workspace areas. The simulated robust synergies are similar to the actual synergies we have previously found to be generated by activation of the spinal cord. Thus, we have developed a new analytical method that enabled us to select a few muscle synergies with interesting properties out of the set of possible muscle combinations. Beyond this, the identification of robustness as a common property of the synergies in simple motor behaviors will open the way to the study of dynamic stability, which is an important and distinct property of the vertebrate motor-control system.
Systemic action research: a strategy for whole system change

by Danny Burns, Bristol, UK, Policy Press, 2007, 208 pp., £65.00 (hardback), ISBN 978‐1‐85134‐783‐1, £26.99 (paperback), ISBN 978‐1‐83134‐737‐4 The following three reviews present different perspec.
Stability of Global Self-Evaluations in Early Adolescence: A Cohort Longitudinal Study

This study is mainly concerned with the stability (i.e., relative longitudinal consistency) of individual differences in global self-esteem in early adolescence. In the first part, stability data from a large cohort longitudinal study were presented. Approximately 2,400 subjects were followed over 2 1/2 years, yielding a total of 4.2 stability coefficients. These coefficients were then compared with 21 stability coefficients from previously published studies. We concluded that the expected stability of global self-esteem is high for relatively short time intervals (up to 1 year or so), but it declines somewhat rapidly and is considerably lower at intervals of approximately 3 years. There was also a trend for stability coefficients with a fixed time interval to be higher in older than in younger subjects. These results were interpreted as providing support for a gradual consolidation hypothesis, implying that experiences are likely to have decreasing impact with age. In all, approximately 70% of the varian.
On the varying benefit of communication between mobile agents in a decentralized team

Cooperative behavior in decentralized mobile agents requires communication among them. However, such communication can also have negative consequences for a variety of reasons, and the benefits of communication can vary over the course of the agent team's task or mission. In this paper, we compare the benefits of communication over time for a team of mobile agents performing a general search-and-engage mission. Monte Carlo simulations show that communication provides variable benefit at different times and under different circumstances. In particular, communication can sometimes lead to poorer performance if agents have imperfect sensors.
Evaluating social network reputation based on hybrid efficiency and strategy-proofness

Facing so many reputation systems in social network, the problem of evaluating a good reputation system is discussed and a solution presented. Two usual metrics applied to solve this problem are economic efficiency and strategy-proofness. However, due to the dependency of domains in real world, it is hard to measure the economic efficiency in different social networks. Thus, an alternative metric - informativeness - is introduced to approximate economic efficiency. In this paper, we propose a hybrid reputation algorithm which makes a tradeoff between informativeness and strategy-proofness to evaluate the quality of a reputation system. Experimental validation of this hybrid reputation algorithm has been conducted on real social network data from Epinions. The proposed algorithm outperforms both on the theory and experiments.
An Examination of the Shrimp Futures Market

The only two seafood commodities traded in futures markets are frozen white and black tiger shrimps on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGE). These two contracts, however, have failed to attract the expected trade volume based on the underlying shrimp cash market flow. First, we investigate the hedging effectiveness of these contracts. Then we also try to determine the adequacy of the premiums/discounts for non-par deliveries associated with the various shrimp size categories traded in each contract. Finally, we attempt to determine whether these contracts are unbiased predictors of cash market price s. The analyses indicate that the hedging effectiveness of both contracts is relatively modest. It is concluded that part of the explanation for the performance of the contracts resides in high deliverable category exchange option values, which stem from volatility in the price differentials between size categories. Results indicate ineffective premiums/discounts and poor predic tive ability of both contracts.
On the detection of elderly equilibrium degradation using multivariate-EMD

The aim of this paper is to provide a new methodology for the detection of an increased risk of falling in community-dwelling elderly. A new extended method of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) called multivariate-EMD is employed in the proposed solution. This method will be mainly used to analyze the stabilogram center of pressure (COP) time series. In this paper, we describe also the remote non-invasive assessment method, which is suitable for static and dynamic balance. Balance was assessed using a miniature force plate, while gait was assessed using wireless sensors placed in a corridor of the home. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this indicator to identify the differences in standing posture between different groups of population.
More Than Only Noun-Noun Compounds: Towards an Annotation Scheme for the Semantic Modelling of Other Noun Compound Types

The computational processing of compound semantics poses several interesting challenges. Up to now, the processing of nominal compounds with non-noun left-hand constituents (henceforth XN compounds) has not received any attention, despite the fact that these also seem to be rather productive in Germanic languages. In our research project, we aim to fill this hiatus by investigating various kinds of compounds in Afrikaans and Dutch, develop annotation protocols and data sets, and model the semantics of such compounds. In this publication we present the alpha version of an annotation protocol that was designed for both descriptive linguistic and computational linguistic purposes. We describe the protocol development and discuss the current version.
Title : Oscillators and Phase Locked Loops for Space Radiation Environments

approved: _____________________________________________________ Un-Ku Moon Kartikeya Mayaram Circuits operating outside the earth’s atmosphere are more vulnerable to cosmic radiation and require special design consideration. The purpose of this work is to explore methods of mitigating the effect of radiation in phase locked loop (PLL) circuits. Several voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) and two complete PLLs are designed and fabricated in a 0. 35μm silicon on insulator (SOI) CMOS process. These circuits are characterized before and after exposure to total ionizing dose (TID) radiation to determine the effect of the radiation. This work shows that TID radiation has a relatively minor effect on PLL circuits in SOI process technology. All digital PLLs (ADPLLs) also provide increased resistance to radiation and thus are attractive for space applications. The design of a digitally controlled analog oscillator (DCAO), a key component of an ADPLL, is also presented. Copyright by Martin Vandepas August 25, 2005 All Rights Reserved Oscillators and Phase Locked Loops for Space Radiation Environments
REDUCTION OF THE SPARK IGNITION ENGINE EMISSIONS USING LIMESTONE FILTER

ABSTRACT This paper presents an experimental study to reduce of a spark ignition engine (SI) emissions using a low cost limestone filter. The limestone filter was constructed and tested on a four cylinder, four stroke spark ignition Nissan Sunny sedan engine (1.6 L) model 2008. The limestone filter was placed in a cast iron housing through the exhaust gas passes. The concentration of pollutant emissions of hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen monoxide (NO) was measured with and without using limestone filter. The experimental results showed that the pollutant emissions were decreased dramatically after using limestone filter.
Individual Lives and Family Strategies in the French Proletariat

his sister-in-law Tatiana in 1928, he remarked, &dquo;If you’re not able to understand real individuals, you can’t understand what is universal and general&dquo; (Lawner, 1973:136). This aphorism strikes at one of the central problems of the practice of social history. In their commitment to seeking out the history of the inarticulate popular classes, social historians have necessarily turned to sources which tell about people rather than sources created by the people themselves. The typical records used by social historians-censuses, marriage, birth and death registers, tax records, police and court records-and the typical methods of analysis of these records produce collective, not individual biographies. The historical product is description and analysis of behavior patterns by categories of individuals. Alan Macfarlane (1977:204-205) contrasts the data which are the stuff of social
Application of Machine Learning in Combating Web Spam

High ranking of a Web site in search engines can be directly correlated to high revenues nowadays. This amplifies the phenomenon of Web spamming which can be defined as preparing or manipulating any features of Web documents or hosts to mislead search engines’ ranking algorithms to gain undeservedly high position in search results. Web spam remarkably deteriorates the information quality available on the Web and thus affects the whole Web community including search engines. The struggle between search engines and spammers is ongoing: both sides apply increasingly sophisticated techniques and counter-techniques against each other. In this paper we first present a general background concerning the Web spam phenomenon. We then explain why machine learning approach is so attractive today for Web spam combating. Finally, we provide results of our experiments aiming at verification of certain open questions. We investigate the quality of data provided as the Web Spam Reference Corpus, widely used by research community as a benchmark, and propose some improvements. We also try to address the question concerning parameter tuning for cost-sensitive classifier and we delve into the possibility of using linguistic features for distinguishing spam from non spam.