Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving probabilistic coverage and connectivity in wireless sensor networks: Cooperation and mobility

We study probabilistic coverage and connectivity in wireless sensor networks. Since many sensors are powered by battery, the sensing range and the communication range of static sensor nodes are very limited. As a result, it is very likely that the field is not completely covered and the network is not fully connected. However, we observe that clumps of sensors could be formulated and cooperation among the sensor nodes could be carried out, after the sensor nodes are randomly deployed in the field. With cooperation, the area covered by the sensor nodes increases and the data could be shared among the sensors within one clump. Moreover, mobile nodes (Mules) could be deployed in the field to further improve the coverage and connectivity. In this paper, we characterize the expected proportion of covered region, the time needed to obtain full connectivity, and the number of nodes connected by the Mules at certain time threshold. Our results show that significant improvement of coverage and connectivity can be achieved from cooperation and mobility.
Guided-wave approaches to spectrally selective energy absorption

Results of experiments designed to demonstrate spectrally selective absorption in dielectric waveguides on semiconductor substrates are reported. These experiments were conducted with three waveguides formed by sputtering films of PSK2 glass onto silicon-oxide layers grown on silicon substrates. The three waveguide samples were studied at 633 and 532 nm. The samples differed only in the thickness of the silicon-oxide layer, specifically 256 nm, 506 nm, and 740 nm. Agreement between theoretical predictions and measurements of propagation constants (mode angles) of the six or seven modes supported by these samples was excellent. However, the loss measurements were inconclusive because of high scattering losses in the structures fabricated (in excess of 10 dB/cm). Theoretical calculations indicated that the power distribution among all the modes supported by these structures will reach its steady state value after a propagation length of only 1 mm. Accordingly, the measured loss rates were found to be almost independent of which mode was initially excited. The excellent agreement between theory and experiment leads to the conclusion that low loss waveguides confirm the predicted loss rates.
Action Selection for Hammer Shots in Curling

Curling is an adversarial two-player game with a continuous state and action space, and stochastic transitions. This paper focuses on one aspect of the full game, namely, finding the optimal "hammer shot", which is the last action taken before a score is tallied. We survey existing methods for finding an optimal action in a continuous, low-dimensional space with stochastic outcomes, and adapt a method based on Delaunay triangulation to our application. Experiments using our curling physics simulator show that the adapted Delaunay triangulation's shot selection outperforms other algorithms, and with some caveats, exceeds Olympic-level human performance.
Refractories from the MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SnO 2 System for Metallurgical Applications

Due to the excellent corrosion resistance and high durability, chrome containing refractories are broadly used in many branches of modern industry. However, among different types of refractory waste, chrome-containing materials after service are probably the most dangerous, requiring complex and expensive treatment before further processing. Due to the potential hazards from refractory waste and changes in technical preferences of the users, the share of chromium containing materials in the total production of refractories has been systematically decreasing. Searching for the chrome-free alternatives, fundamental properties of materials from the MgO-Al2O3-SnO2 system, i.e., phase composition and thermal stability, were studied. On that basis three different kinds of SnO2-containing refractories were prepared, i.e., � red bricks, chemically bonded and hydraulically bonded materials. The microstructure and basic properties of the developed re
Human Neuroscience

In one such disorder, autism, impairments in face processing are a relatively recent discovery, but have quickly become a widely accepted aspect of the behavioral profi le (for summary see Behrmann et al., 2006b; but see also Jemel et al., 2006). These impairments in autism appear to impact many aspects of face processing, including diffi culty remembering faces (Boucher and Lewis, 1992; Scherf et al., 2008a), processing facial expressions (Ashwin et al., 2007; Humphreys et al., 2007), and knowing which components of faces convey especially important communicative information (Joseph and Tanaka, 2003). Although the overwhelming majority of the behavioral studies reporting atypical face processing in autism have been conducted with young children and adolescents, the majority of studies investigating abnormalities in the neural substrate of face processing have been conducted with adults. Many studies of adults with autism (Critchley et al., have found hypoactivation in core face-related regions within the ventral visual pathway, including the 'occipital face area' (OFA), fusiform face area (FFA), and the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS).
Activity in the superior colliculus reflects dynamic interactions between voluntary and involuntary influences on orienting behaviour

Performance in a behavioural task can be influenced by both bottom‐up and top‐down processes such as stimulus modality and prior probability. Here, we exploited differences in behavioural strategy to explore the role of the intermediate and deep layers of the superior colliculus (dSC) in covert orienting. Two monkeys were trained on a predictive cued‐saccade task in which the cue predicted the target’s upcoming location with 80% validity. When the delay between cue and target onset was 250 ms, both monkeys showed faster responses to the uncued (Invalid) location. This was associated with a reduced target‐aligned response in the dSC on Valid trials for both monkeys and is consistent with a bottom‐up (i.e. involuntary) bias. When the delay was increased to 650 ms, one monkey continued to show faster responses to the Invalid location whereas the other monkey showed faster responses to the Valid location, consistent with a top‐down (i.e. voluntary) bias. This latter behaviour was correlated with an increase in activity in dSC neurons preceding target onset that was absent in the other monkey. Thus, using the information provided by the cue shifted the emphasis towards top‐down processing, while ignoring this information allowed bottom‐up processing to continue to dominate. Regardless of the selected strategy, however, neurons in the dSC consistently reflected the current bias between the two processes, emphasizing its role in both the bottom‐up and top‐down control of orienting behaviour.
Siren: catching evasive malware

With the growing popularity of anomaly detection systems, which is due partly to the rise in zero-day attacks, a new class of threats have evolved where the attacker mimics legitimate activity to blend in and avoid detection. We propose a new system called Siren that injects crafted human input alongside legitimate user activity to thwart these mimicry attacks. The crafted input is specially designed to trigger a known sequence of network requests, which Siren compares to the actual traffic. It then flags unexpected messages as malicious. Using this method, we were able to detect ten spyware programs that we tested, many of which attempt to blend in with user activity. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Siren activity injection system, as well as a discussion of its potential limitations
Welfare, voting and the constitution of a federal assembly

PCT No. PCT/FR92/01241 Sec. 371 Date Jun. 29, 1994 Sec. 102(e) Date Jun. 29, 1994 PCT Filed Dec. 29, 1992 PCT Pub. No. WO93/14102 PCT Pub. Date Jul. 22, 1993.The present invention relates to the derivatives of the formula Formula (I) and their addition salts, and to their use in therapeutics, especially as analgesics and as antihypertensives.
Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in a Pediatric Primary Care Clinic

OBJECTIVES. To estimate the prevalence of intimate partner violence among parents at a pediatric primary care clinic and to evaluate the stability, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios of a very brief screen for intimate partner violence. METHODS. A total of 200 parents (mostly mothers) bringing in children less than 6 years of age for child health supervision completed the Parent Screening Questionnaire in a primary care clinic. The Parent Screening Questionnaire, a brief screen for psychosocial problems developed for the study, includes 3 questions on intimate partner violence. Mothers then completed the computerized study protocol within 2 months. This included the Parent Screening Questionnaire as well as the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Different combinations of the intimate partner violence questions were evaluated against the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. RESULTS. A total of 12.0% of the mothers answered “yes” to at least one of the screening questions. On the standardized Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, responses ranged from 9% reporting a physical injury in the past year to 76% reporting psychological aggression. There was moderate stability of the screening questions. A single question, “Have you ever been in a relationship in which you were physically hurt or threatened by a partner? ” in relation to the “physically injured” Revised Conflict Tactics Scale subscale was most effective. Sensitivity was 29%, specificity was 92%, positive predictive value was 41%, and negative predictive value was 88%. The positive likelihood ratio was 3.8, and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.77. CONCLUSIONS. Intimate partner violence is a prevalent problem. A very brief screen can reasonably identify some mothers who could benefit from additional evaluation and possible services. Additional research is needed to find a more sensitive screen and to examine whether identifying intimate partner violence leads to interventions that benefit mothers, families, and children.
Effect of Stress on Vector Magnetic Property and Two-dimensional Magnetostriction of a Non-oriented Electrical Steel Sheet

This paper presents effect of stress on vector magnetic properties and two-dimensional magnetostriction of a nonoriented electrical steel sheet. In order to evaluate two-dimensional magnetostriction under stress in the electrical steel sheet, a new six-axial stain gauge is developed. Results reveal that the amplitude and direction of the magnetic field strength vector and magnetostriction differ strongly due to the tensile and compressive stresses. In particular, it was clear that the direction of the magnetic field strength vector and magnetostriction was not parallel to the applied stress direction. In addition, the peak-to-peak value of the magnetostriction and magnetic power loss increased when the stress is applied. Therefore, evaluation of the amplitude and direction in a two-dimensional magnetostriction is necessary in order to know the relationships between the magnetic properties and stress.
Automatic Rule Acquisition for Chinese Intra-chunk Relations

Multiword chunking is defined as a task to automatically analyze the external function and internal structure of the multiword chunk(MWC) in a sentence. To deal with this problem, we proposed a rule acquisition algorithm to automatically learn a chunk rule base, under the support of a large scale annotated corpus and a lexical knowledge base. We also proposed an expectation precision index to objectively evaluate the descriptive capabilities of the refined rule base. Some experimental results indicate that the algorithm can acquire about 9% useful expanded rules to cover 86% annotated positive examples, and improve the expectation precision from 51% to 83%. These rules can be used to build an efficient rule-based Chinese MWC parser.
Comparison of Dynamic Push‐Up Training and Plyometric Push‐Up Training on Upper‐Body Power and Strength

The purpose of this study was to compare dynamic pushup (DPU) and plyometric push-up (PPU) training programs on 2 criterion measures: (a) the distance achieved on a sitting, 2-handed medicine ball put, and (b) the maximum weight for 1 repetition of a sitting, 2-handed chest press. Thirty-five healthy women completed 18 training sessions over a 6-week period, with training time and repetitions matched for the DPU (n = 17) and PPU (n = 18) groups. Dynamic push-ups were completed from the knees, using a 2-second-up-2-second-down cadence. Plyometric push-ups were also completed from the knees, with the subjects allowing themselves to fall forward onto their hands and then propelling themselves upward and back to the starting position, with 1 push-up completed every 4 seconds. The PPU group experienced significantly greater improvements than the DPU group on the medicine ball put (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference between groups for the chest press, although the PPU group experienced greater increases.
A tool for the generation of a secure access control filter

Currently, it is well recognized that coupling graphical and formal notations offers several advantages. Indeed, even if a graphical representation permits to design a visual, synthetic and user-friendly view of the system, it may be source of ambiguity and does not permit any formal verification. Formal methods help to remedy these shortcomings by giving a precise semantics to graphical notations such that it becomes possible to verify a large range of properties and even to generate correct implementations. Nevertheless, users cannot take a full advantage of the benefits of such a combination if it is not supported by an automatic tool that liberates them from the tedious translation activity. Following this direction, the present paper describes the main functionalities of a tool that automatically generates a formal secure access control filter for information systems. The goal of the filter is to regulate the access to data of an information system according to a set of static and dynamic rules. Data are described using a UML class diagram, whereas the static and dynamic rules are modeled using SECUREUML and UML activity diagrams respectively. Basically, the tool automatically generates the B formal specification corresponding to these diagrams and the filter.
Retinal image registration using control points

A method for registering pairs of digital ophthalmic images of the retina is presented using anatomical features as control points present in both images. In general, the matching between control points is unknown, however. An automated algorithm is used to determine the matching pairs of control points in the two images as follows. Using two control points from each image, rigid global transform (RGT) coefficients were calculated for all possible combinations of control point pairs. The set of RGT coefficients was then exhaustively searched and the cluster of coefficients associated with the matched control point pairs identified. This cluster was identified by calculating the Euclidean distance between each set of RGT coefficients and its Rth nearest neighbor and then using the EM algorithm to identify matched pairs of control points. Once control point pairs were established, registration of the two images was achieved by using linear regression to optimize the bilinear or 2nd order polynomial. Two examples of registration are shown. The first is an example of cross-modal image registration using an optical image and a fluorescein angiogram of an eye. The second examples shows an example of the registration of two images of an infant eye captured thirteen days apart.
Chemical and Physical Properties of Potting Media Containing Varying Amounts of Composted Poultry Litter

Composted poultry litter (CPL) was obtained from a commercial composting operation in South Carolina. The proprietary recipe included broiler breeder litter, cotton gin trash, and wood shavings. A common base mix for woody ornamentals of 8 parts pine bark and 1 part sand was compared with 3 other mixes that contained 20%, 40%, and 60% compost (v/v). The remaining fraction of these three mixes was the base mix (bark and sand). Samples of the bark and CPL were analyzed to determine the following mineral concentrations: nitrogen (organic and soluble), P2O5, K2O, Ca, S, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Na. The chemical characteristics of the three compost-based potting mixes was calculated based on a mass basis. The aeration porosity, total porosity, water holding capacity and bulk density of the four mixes were measured using a chamber that was constructed to facilitate measurement of the physical properties of potting media. The results indicated increasing the percentage of compost in potting media caused the desired decrease in aeration porosity, and total porosity. However, volumetric water holding capacity was not significantly influenced by the addition of CPL. Including CPL in potting media created a substantial increase in valuable plant nutrients and minerals. The normalized evaporation rate from the four mixes was measured by placing three replicate pots containing equal volumes of each mix in a room with common temperature and convective conditions. The pots were brought to saturation and were allowed to dry for four days. It was determined that media composition did not affect the evaporation rate, but the addition of CPL increased the mass of water in a pot at all water contents included in the experiment. It was concluded that adding 20% to 40% CPL to a screened bark base mix would provide the majority of the improvements in fertilizer value, physical properties, and mass of water in a container for a growing plant.
The spatial distribution of glutamatergic inputs to dendrites of retinal ganglion cells

The spatial pattern of excitatory glutamatergic input was visualized in a large series of ganglion cells of the rabbit retina, by using particle‐mediated gene transfer of an expression plasmid for postsynaptic density 95‐green fluorescent protein (PSD95‐GFP). PSD95‐GFP was confirmed as a marker of excitatory input by co‐localization with synaptic ribbons (RIBEYE and kinesin II) and glutamate receptor subunits. Despite wide variation in the size, morphology, and functional complexity of the cells, the distribution of excitatory synaptic inputs followed a single set of rules: 1) the linear density of synaptic inputs (PSD95 sites/linear μm) varied surprisingly little and showed little specialization within the arbor; 2) the total density of excitatory inputs across individual arbors peaked in a ring‐shaped region surrounding the soma, which is in accord with high‐resolution maps of receptive field sensitivity in the rabbit; and 3) the areal density scaled inversely with the total area of the dendritic arbor, so that narrow dendritic arbors receive more synapses per unit area than large ones. To achieve sensitivity comparable to that of large cells, those that report upon a small region of visual space may need to receive a denser synaptic input from within that space. J. Comp. Neurol. 510:221–236, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Meta-analysis of Risk Reduction Estimates Associated With Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy in BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation Carriers

Background Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) is widely used by carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutations to reduce their risks of breast and ovarian cancer. To guide women and their clinicians in optimizing cancer prevention strategies, we summarized the magnitude of the risk reductions in women with BRCA1/2 mutations who have undergone RRSO compared with those who have not. Methods All reports of RRSO and breast and/or ovarian or fallopian tube cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers published between 1999 and 2007 were obtained from a PubMed search. Hazard ratio (HR) estimates were identified directly from the original articles. Pooled results were computed from nonoverlapping studies by fixed-effects meta-analysis. Results Ten studies investigated breast or gynecologic cancer outcomes in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers who had undergone RRSO. Breast cancer outcomes were investigated in three nonoverlapping studies of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, four of BRCA1 mutation carriers, and three of BRCA2 mutation carriers. Gynecologic cancer outcomes were investigated in three nonoverlapping studies of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and one of BRCA1 mutation carriers. RRSO was associated with a statistically significant reduction in risk of breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (HR = 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37 to 0.65). Similar risk reductions were observed in BRCA1 mutation carriers (HR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.64) and in BRCA2 mutation carriers (HR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.26 to 0.84). RRSO was also associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of BRCA1/2-associated ovarian or fallopian tube cancer (HR = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.12 to 0.39). Data were insufficient to obtain separate estimates for ovarian or fallopian tube cancer risk reduction with RRSO in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Conclusion The summary estimates presented here indicate that RRSO is strongly associated with reductions in the risk of breast, ovarian, and fallopian tube cancers and should provide guidance to women in planning cancer risk reduction strategies.
Powder Characteristics and Sintering Behavior of SiO2 Coated BaTiO3

The Powder characteristics and sintering behavior of SiO2 coated BaTiO3 were studied. BaTiO3 powders were synthesized by the liquid mix method developed by Pechini, and silica coating was prepared by alkoxide hydrolysis method with TEOS and ethanol. The particle size of the BaTiO3 powders was ~35 nm and the thickness of the SiO2 coating layer was ~5 nm. As the SiO2 content increased, the SiO2 layers improved the powder dispersion by increasing electrostatic repulsion between the BaTiO3 particles. The Zeta potential of SiO2 coated BaTiO3 was getting close to that of pure silica with a more negative charge, compared with that of the uncoated BaTiO3. The onset temperature of shrinkage curves shifted to higher temperatures with increasing SiO2 contents.
Clustering techniques for personal photo album management

We propose a novel approach for the automatic representation of pictures achieving a more effective organization of personal photo albums. Images are analyzed and described in multiple representation spaces, namely, faces, background, and time of capture. Faces are automatically detected, rectified, and represented, projecting the face itself in a common low-dimensional eigenspace. Backgrounds are represented with low-level visual features based on an RGB histogram and Gabor filter bank. Faces, time, and background information of each image in the collection is automatically organized using a mean-shift clustering technique. Given the particular domain of personal photo libraries, where most of the pictures contain faces of a relatively small number of different individuals, clusters tend to be semantically significant besides containing visually similar data. We report experimental results based on a data set of about 1000 images where automatic detection and rectification of faces lead to approximately 400 faces. Significance of clustering has been evaluated, and results are very encouraging.