Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A perspective on emerging automotive safety applications, derived from lessons learned through participation in the DARPA Grand Challenges

This paper reports on various aspects of the Intelligent Vehicle Systems (IVS) team's involvement in the recent 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, wherein our platform, the autonomous “XAV‐250,'' competed as one of the 11 finalists qualifying for the event. We provide a candid discussion of the hardware and software design process that led to our team's entry, along with lessons learned at this event and derived from participation in the two previous Grand Challenges. In addition, we give an overview of our vision‐, radar‐, and LIDAR‐based perceptual sensing suite, its fusion with a military‐grade inertial navigation package, and the map‐based control and planning architectures used leading up to and during the event. The underlying theme of this article is to elucidate how the development of future automotive safety systems can potentially be accelerated by tackling the technological challenges of autonomous ground vehicle robotics. Of interest, we will discuss how a production manufacturing mindset imposes a unique set of constraints upon approaching the problem and how this worked for and against us, given the very compressed timeline of the contests. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Computational Gene Expression Score for Predicting Immune Injury in Renal Allografts

Background Whole genome microarray meta-analyses of 1030 kidney, heart, lung and liver allograft biopsies identified a common immune response module (CRM) of 11 genes that define acute rejection (AR) across different engrafted tissues. We evaluated if the CRM genes can provide a molecular microscope to quantify graft injury in acute rejection (AR) and predict risk of progressive interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) in histologically normal kidney biopsies. Methods Computational modeling was done on tissue qPCR based gene expression measurements for the 11 CRM genes in 146 independent renal allografts from 122 unique patients with AR (n = 54) and no-AR (n = 92). 24 demographically matched patients with no-AR had 6 and 24 month paired protocol biopsies; all had histologically normal 6 month biopsies, and 12 had evidence of progressive IFTA (pIFTA) on their 24 month biopsies. Results were correlated with demographic, clinical and pathology variables. Results The 11 gene qPCR based tissue CRM score (tCRM) was significantly increased in AR (5.68 ± 0.91) when compared to STA (1.29 ± 0.28; p < 0.001) and pIFTA (7.94 ± 2.278 versus 2.28 ± 0.66; p = 0.04), with greatest significance for CXCL9 and CXCL10 in AR (p <0.001) and CD6 (p<0.01), CXCL9 (p<0.05), and LCK (p<0.01) in pIFTA. tCRM was a significant independent correlate of biopsy confirmed AR (p < 0.001; AUC of 0.900; 95% CI = 0.705–903). Gene expression modeling of 6 month biopsies across 7/11 genes (CD6, INPP5D, ISG20, NKG7, PSMB9, RUNX3, and TAP1) significantly (p = 0.037) predicted the development of pIFTA at 24 months. Conclusions Genome-wide tissue gene expression data mining has supported the development of a tCRM-qPCR based assay for evaluating graft immune inflammation. The tCRM score quantifies injury in AR and stratifies patients at increased risk of future pIFTA prior to any perturbation of graft function or histology.
Performance evaluation of DTN protocols for vehicular network by variations in buffer size

This paper presents a comparison of Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) routing protocols in a realistic environment. This scenario is created by considering local map for vehicular network. The concept of this research conforms to actual conditions related to the lack of infrastructure or conditions that lead to malfunction of some infrastructure in the network. This simulation is focusses on the use of native routing protocols affected by the buffer size on this limitation. The simulation results of this scenario indicate that the file sizes tend to be not significantly affect to the network. Messages delivered at the same rate on buffer size between 10 MB to 20 MB, while the smaller file size that is around 5 MB message dropped more. However, the improvement of the routing protocol used is necessary to show transmit condition of the infrastructure.
Trading Card Game Exploiting RFID and 3D Graphic

As the computer technology evolves, traditional card games are shifting into more interesting ones by adapting Ubiquitous technology. In this paper, we present an effective game framework using various computer technology including RFID and 3D graphics. The user can be convenient and fun to play games with the proposed framework. Especially, we focus on game immersion. The game card is automatically recognized by the RFID reader and 3-D graphical battle scene is presented on the table screen. We performed surveys on a table card games and the result showed that the proposed framework is more effective than traditional card game.
Education and anti-poverty: Policy theory and strategy of poverty alleviation through education in China

Abstract Countries around the world have adopted different policies to address the global issue of poverty, though their poverty line varies. China has achieved remarkable results in poverty alleviation through education. Aware that poverty eradication must rely on intellectual support, the country has shifted its anti-poverty theory and policy actions from a passive, one-off poverty reduction mode based on ‘blood transfusion’ to an active and sustainable mode aimed at improving the ‘blood making’ capacity of the poor population, namely the Chinese mode. Education is the fundamental way of such a mode. China has always focused on nine-year compulsory education in implementing anti-poverty policies; conducted classified and tiered efforts in education against poverty and made policies more targeted; adopted diverse policy instruments and shifted the focus from subsidy to educational capacity building; developed quantified poverty alleviation indexes to set standards for policy evaluation; and included education against poverty into the national anti-poverty strategic plan. China will further advance poverty alleviation through education, and form a unique and effective anti-poverty mode, so as to contribute to the building of a community of shared future for all humankind.
Reprogramming Neutral Lipid Metabolism in Mouse Dendritic Leucocytes Hosting Live Leishmania amazonensis Amastigotes

Background After loading with live Leishmania (L) amazonensis amastigotes, mouse myeloid dendritic leucocytes/DLs are known to undergo reprogramming of their immune functions. In the study reported here, we investigated whether the presence of live L. amazonensis amastigotes in mouse bone marrow-derived DLs is able to trigger re-programming of DL lipid, and particularly neutral lipid metabolism. Methodology/Principal Findings Affymetrix-based transcriptional profiles were determined in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mouse bone marrow-derived DLs that had been sorted from cultures exposed or not to live L. amazonensis amastigotes. This showed that live amastigote-hosting DLs exhibited a coordinated increase in: (i) long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and cholesterol uptake/transport, (ii) LCFA and cholesterol (re)-esterification to triacyl-sn-glycerol (TAG) and cholesteryl esters (CE), respectively. As these neutral lipids are known to make up the lipid body (LB) core, oleic acid was added to DL cultures and LB accumulation was compared in live amastigote-hosting versus amastigote-free DLs by epi-fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. This showed that LBs were both significantly larger and more numerous in live amastigote-hosting mouse dendritic leucocytes. Moreover, many of the larger LB showed intimate contact with the membrane of the parasitophorous vacuoles hosting the live L. amazonensis amastigotes. Conclusions/Significance As leucocyte LBs are known to be more than simple neutral lipid repositories, we set about addressing two related questions. Could LBs provide lipids to live amastigotes hosted within the DL parasitophorous vacuole and also deliver? Could LBs impact either directly or indirectly on the persistence of L. amazonensis amastigotes in rodent skin?
Measuring Energy Consumption for Web Service Product Configuration

Because of the economies of scale that Cloud provides, there is great interest in hosting web services on the Cloud. Web services are created from components such as Database Management Systems and HTTP servers. There is a wide variety of components that can be used to configure a web service. The choice of components influences the performance and energy consumption. Most current research in the web service technologies focuses on system performance, and only small number of researchers give attention to energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a method to select the web service configurations which reduce energy consumption. Our method has capabilities to manage feature configuration and predict energy consumption of web service systems. To validate, we developed a technique to measure energy consumption of several web service configurations running in a Virtualized environment. Our approach allows Cloud companies to provide choices of web service technology that consumes less energy.
Reusable Learning Objects: Let's give it another trial

Learning objects (LOs) and computer supported learning settings are topics of high concern in academia and industry. But although hundreds of LO repositories exist these days, LO reuse has not become reality on a broader scale. The nationally funded project CampusContent represents an interdisciplinary research effort investigating question like how must LOs be designed to increase their didactically useful reuse in different learning arrangements and thereby allow the seamless combination of content objects and educational scenarios from different providers. In this paper we present a first analysis of the reasons why LO reusability is still low and introduce a conceptual model of modular leaning content that tries to overcome the conflict between context-independence of such modules, which is necessary to increase reusability, and pedagogic context, which is required to make learning effective. We also sketch the draft design of selected interface functionality of the infrastructure we aim to build.
A multiple-imputation Metropolis version of the EM algorithm

In this paper we introduce a new stochastic variant of the EM algorithm. The algorithm combines the principle of multiple imputation and the theory of simulated annealing to deal with cases where the E-step and the M-step can be intractable or numerically inefficient. Copyright Biometrika Trust 2003, Oxford University Press.
Interaural Time Difference Estimation Using Generalized Cross- correlation with Maximum Likelihood Weighting in Reverberant Environments

In this paper, an interaural time difference (ITD) estimation method is proposed for binaural speech separation in reverberant environments. First, the auditory signals are represented in the time-frequency (T-F) domain, and the ITD for each T-F bin is then estimated using generalized cross-correlation (GCC) with a maximum likelihood (ML) weighting function. In particular, the ML weighting function is designed to reduce the reverberation effect. Then, a mask is estimated by comparing the estimated ITD with the ITD corresponding to the location of the pre-defined target speech source. Finally, the target speech is separated by applying the mask to the auditory signals. It is shown that the proposed ITD estimation method outperforms a conventional cross-correlation-based ITD estimation method under reverberant conditions in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR) of the separated speech signals.
Using Julia for Place Recognition 6 . 338 – Parallel Computing Final Project

Place recognition is an important aspect of navigation, especially in GPS-restricted environments. Internal measurement systems and vision-aided navigation are suitable replacements for GPS in short time spans, but internal error or drift soon starts to accumulate and will destroy estimations unless a new corrective measure can be taken. Place recognition allows for a visually-driven navigation system to recognize a previous location it has visited and to update its internal model with that observation using loop closure. For an autonomous robot, this technique truly becomes effective when it begins to reach real-time operation. However, costly algorithms slow down the approach and reliance on Matlab as a simulation technology provide a distorted view of algorithm speed. This paper proposes switching to Julia for this problem as it encapsulates both speed and usability and also modifying some of the more expensive exact calculations to faster approximations in Julia.
Elf : A MetaLanguage for Deductive Systems ( System Description )

Its conceptual basis are deductive systems which are used pervasively in the study of logic and the theory of programming languages. Logics and type systems for programming languages, for example, are often specified via inference rules. Structured operational semantics and natural semantics also employ deductive systems, and other means for semantic specification (for example, by rewrite rules) can be easily cast into this framework. Many meta-theorems can be proved by induction over the structure of derivations. Elf’s formal foundation is the logical framework LF [5] in which systems of natural deduction can be concisely represented. LF employs the judgments-as-types encoding technique for the representation of derivations in a type theory with dependent types. In addition, Elf provides sophisticated type reconstruction and a constraint logic programming interpretation for LF. The latter allows the execution of algorithms when expressed as deductive systems. Proofs of meta-theorems can be represented concisely as higher-level judgments relating derivations. The most complete reference describing the Elf language is [10]. Gentler introductions can be found in [12] and [6]. Elf has also been used in a graduate course on the theory of programming languages. A draft of the course notes may be available from the author upon request. Below we provide a brief overview of how specification, implementation, and meta-theory tasks are supported in the Elf language. The subsequent sections list some case studies and describe the implementation of Elf. Object Language Specification. LF generalizes first-order terms by allowing objects from a dependently typed λ-calculus to represent object language expressions. This allows variables in the object language to be represented by variables in the metalanguage, using the technique of higher-order abstract syntax. Common operations
Multiple Trigger Points for Quantifying Heat-Health Impacts: New Evidence from a Hot Climate

Background Extreme heat is a public health challenge. The scarcity of directly comparable studies on the association of heat with morbidity and mortality and the inconsistent identification of threshold temperatures for severe impacts hampers the development of comprehensive strategies aimed at reducing adverse heat-health events. Objectives This quantitative study was designed to link temperature with mortality and morbidity events in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a focus on the summer season. Methods Using Poisson regression models that controlled for temporal confounders, we assessed daily temperature–health associations for a suite of mortality and morbidity events, diagnoses, and temperature metrics. Minimum risk temperatures, increasing risk temperatures, and excess risk temperatures were statistically identified to represent different “trigger points” at which heat-health intervention measures might be activated. Results We found significant and consistent associations of high environmental temperature with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, heat-related mortality, and mortality resulting from conditions that are consequences of heat and dehydration. Hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to heat-related conditions and conditions associated with consequences of heat and dehydration were also strongly associated with high temperatures, and there were several times more of those events than there were deaths. For each temperature metric, we observed large contrasts in trigger points (up to 22°C) across multiple health events and diagnoses. Conclusion Consideration of multiple health events and diagnoses together with a comprehensive approach to identifying threshold temperatures revealed large differences in trigger points for possible interventions related to heat. Providing an array of heat trigger points applicable for different end-users may improve the public health response to a problem that is projected to worsen in the coming decades. Citation Petitti DB, Hondula DM, Yang S, Harlan SL, Chowell G. 2016. Multiple trigger points for quantifying heat-health impacts: new evidence from a hot climate. Environ Health Perspect 124:176–183; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1409119
Correlates of Performance of Healthcare Workers in Emergency, Triage, Assessment and Treatment plus Admission Care (ETAT+) Course in Rwanda: Context Matters

Background The Emergency, Triage, Assessment and Treatment plus Admission care (ETAT+) course, a comprehensive advanced pediatric life support course, was introduced in Rwanda in 2010 to facilitate the achievement of the fourth Millennium Development Goal. The impact of the course on improving healthcare workers (HCWs) knowledge and practical skills related to providing emergency care to severely ill newborns and children in Rwanda has not been studied. Objective To evaluate the impact of the ETAT+ course on HCWs knowledge and practical skills, and to identify factors associated with greater improvement in knowledge and skills. Methods We used a one group, pre-post test study using data collected during ETAT+ course implementation from 2010 to 2013. The paired t-test was used to assess the effect of ETAT+ course on knowledge improvement in participating HCWs. Mixed effects linear and logistic regression models were fitted to explore factors associated with HCWs performance in ETAT+ course knowledge and practical skills assessments, while accounting for clustering of HCWs in hospitals. Results 374 HCWs were included in the analysis. On average, knowledge scores improved by 22.8/100 (95% confidence interval (CI) 20.5, 25.1). In adjusted models, bilingual (French & English) participants had a greater improvement in knowledge 7.3 (95% CI 4.3, 10.2) and higher odds of passing the practical skills assessment (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.60; 95% CI 1.25, 5.40) than those who were solely proficient in French. Participants who attended a course outside of their health facility had higher odds of passing the skills assessment (aOR = 2.11; 95% CI 1.01, 4.44) than those who attended one within their health facility. Conclusions The current study shows a positive impact of ETAT+ course on improving participants’ knowledge and skills related to managing emergency pediatric and neonatal care conditions. The findings regarding key factors influencing ETAT+ course outcomes demonstrate the importance of considering key contextual factors (e.g., language barriers) that might affect HCWs performance in this type of continuous medical education.
Switching Pattern Optimisation Algorithm for Modular Multilevel Converters

The modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are widely used in different applications in recent years. Due to lowloss operation, compactness and high modularity, MMC is greatly attractive for high voltage direct current (HVDC) applications. The HVDC station costs and losses are highly related to the switching frequency, capacitor voltage ripple and power quality; which are influenced by modulation algorithm and cell selection methods. This paper formulates the modulation algorithm in an advanced mathematical approach in order to initiate a versatile optimisation problem for switching pattern generation. The most optimised patterns can be obtained through employing various optimisation constraints for different applications. To overcome the calculation complexity for the optimisation problem, a permissive implementable algorithm is proposed and studied in a time-domain simulation platform. The method utilizes the current level for switching purposes in order to obtain the lossless switching at zero-current crossing. Although this paper focuses on HVDC, the mathematical model is widely available for any MMC application and, consequently, can enhance the converter performance by cutting down the losses.
Usefulness of Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study in Treacher Collins Syndrome With Cleft Palate: A Case Report

A 3-year-old girl had multiple anomalies compatible with Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS). From the neonatal period, sucking was poor, making tube feeding necessary. Excessive saliva was retained in the oral cavity. Nasal leakage caused by the cleft palate was observed when she spoke. The initial videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) showed a poor posterior bolus transit and nasopharyngeal regurgitation. A delayed swallow reflex and bolus stasis at the vallecular and pyriform sinuses were recognized. Based on the VFSS findings, the patient underwent palatoplasty at 20 months of age. At approximately 23 months of age, a follow-up VFSS was performed; poor posterior bolus transit, nasopharyngeal regurgitation, and delayed swallow reflex were not observed. Finally, the patient was able to eat ground or chopped foods and solid foods orally. We deem VFSS to be helpful in deciding the appropriate management of dysphagia in TCS.
Covering Point Patterns

A source generates a point pattern consisting of a finite number of points in an interval. Based on a binary description of the point pattern, a reconstructor must produce a covering set that is guaranteed to contain the pattern. We study the optimal tradeoff (as the length of the interval tends to infinity) between the description length and the least average Lebesgue measure of the covering set. The tradeoff is established for point patterns that are generated by homogeneous and inhomogeneous Poisson processes. The homogeneous Poisson process is shown to be the most difficult to describe among all point patterns. We also study a Wyner-Ziv version of this problem, where some of the points in the pattern are revealed to the reconstructor but not to the encoder. We show that this scenario is as good as when they are revealed to both encoder and reconstructor. A connection between this problem and the queueing distortion is established via feedforward. Finally, we establish the aforementioned tradeoff when the covering set is allowed to miss some of the points in the pattern at a certain cost.
WikEar: Automatically Generated Location-Based Audio Stories between Public City Maps

Many mobile applications that lead tourists to landmarks and businesses ignore the educational component of tourism. The systems that do satiate the tourist’s desire for learning about visited places require so much costly custom content development that they can only be implemented at very local scales. Moreover, these systems quickly fall out-of-date and continually have to be manually updated. In our approach, called WikEar, data mined from Wikipedia is automatically organized according to principles derived from narrative theory to woven into an educational audio tours starting and ending at stationary city maps. The system generates custom, location-based “guided tours” that are never out-of-date and ubiquitous – even at an international scale. WikEar uses a magic lens-based interaction scheme for paper maps, which have been shown to be particularly important in the tourist experience. By leveraging on the wide availability of large public city maps, WikEar avoids the costs of GPS and the interaction problems of small screen map programs.