Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Formally Veri ed On Line Diagnosis

A recon gurable fault tolerant system achieves the attributes of dependability of operations through fault detection fault isolation and recon guration typically referred to as the FDIR paradigm Fault diagnosis is a key component of this approach requiring an accurate deter mination of the health and state of the system An imprecise state assessment can lead to catastrophic failure due to an optimistic diagnosis or conversely result in underutilization of resources because of a pessimistic diagnosis Di ering from classical testing and other o line diagnostic approaches we develop procedures for maximal utilization of the system state infor mation to provide for continual on line diagnosis and recon guration capabilities as an integral part of the system operations Our diagnosis approach unlike existing techniques does not require administered testing to gather syndrome information but is based on monitoring the system message tra c among redundant system functions We present comprehensive on line diagnosis algorithms capable of handling a continuum of faults of varying severity at the node and link level Not only are the proposed algorithms on line in nature but are themselves toler ant to faults in the diagnostic process Formal analysis is presented for all proposed algorithms These proofs o er both insight into the algorithm operations and facilitate a rigorous formal veri cation of the developed algorithms
A chatbot system as a tool to animate a corpus

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On the Automation of Security Testing

Due to the still increasing interconnectedness of systems it is very much important to further strengthen activities towards assuring security requirements of those systems. Quality assurance methods like coding guidelines with a focus on security related issues, and static analysis tools are necessary but not sufficient because of the fact that security is a system property. Therefore, it is important to also perform system tests focusing on security threads. When carrying out in a manual way testing is very labor intensive and the question arise whether it is possible to automate security testing? In this paper we take up this question, discuss the underlying challenges, and introduce current work dealing with the automation of security testing. In particular, we present work on using combinatorial testing and AI planning for detecting vulnerabilities in systems. In addition, we discuss shortcomings of the present approaches, open research challenges and further research directions.
Freeze-fracturing in ultrahigh vacuum at -196 degrees C

Conventional freeze-etching is carried out in a vacuum of approximately 10(-6) torr and at a specimen temperature of -100 degrees C. The relatively poor topographic resolution of most freeze-etch replicas, and the lack of complementarity of morphological details in double replicas have been thought to be caused by structural distortions during fracturing, and radiation damage during replication. Both phenomena can be reduced by lowering the specimen temperature. To prevent condensation of residual gases (especially H2O) on the fracture faces at lower specimen temperature, an improved vacuum is required. Therefore, an ultrahigh vacuum freeze-fracture apparatus has been developed which allows fracturing and Pt/C-shadowing of specimens at - 196 degrees C while maintaining a vacuum of 10(-9) torr. It consists of a modified Balzers BA 350 ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) unit, equipped with an airlock which enables the input of nonhoar-frosted specimens directly into the evacuated bell jar. A comparison of the paracrystalline plasmalemma structure in yeast cells portrayed by the conventional technique and by UHV-freeze-fracturing at -196 degrees C shows the improved topographic resolution which has been achieved with the new technique. The improvement is explained by less structural distortions during fracturing at lower temperatures. The particles of the paracrystalline regions on the P face are more regularly arranged and exhibit a craterlike substructure which corresponds with a ringlike depression in the E face. The optical diffraction patterns of these paracrystalline regions demonstrate the improvement of the structural record by showing well-defined third- and fourth-order spots.
Accretion Region Variability Mechanisms in Low Luminosity AGN

33 S ome low luminosity hosts of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are known to boast short variability timescales, allowing practical quantitative analysis of the outer accretion region (a region at the very center of the AGN in which matter falls inward toward a black hole, liberating large amounts of energy). Specifically, observationally deriving wavelength-specific time lags via line reverberation mapping gives us clues as to the structure of the accretion region and allows us to constrain the mass of the central black hole (BH). Regardless, the processes driving brightness variability in AGN are difficult to describe quantitatively, and in the case of some low luminosity AGN (LLAGN), we find that rapid, dynamic physical processes must occur within the accretion region so as to drive the high amplitude, high frequency variability that is observed. Here we present a qualitative survey of several theoretical accretion region variability models, highlighted by experimental data and an observationally supported discussion of the quality of such models. In doing so, we hope to motivate a coupling between the known physical properties of LLAGN and the unification paradigm for generalized AGN, so that we may begin to quantitatively strengthen accretion region models for both. The widely accepted unification paradigm of active galactic nuclei holds that the ultra-luminous cores of AGN host galaxies are powered by accretion onto a central supermassive black hole. In many cases, AGN exhibit intrinsic, sometimes highly aperiodic variability in continuum profiles, a property suggestive of a kinematically hot, dynamic accretion region. By " continuum variability " , we mean variations in AGN brightness over a period of time, (somewhat analogous to a flickering light bulb). Such variability is seen as the emission spectrum (continuum) of an AGN, especially when comparing two spectra of one object taken at different times (see Fig. 2 for a dramatic example). Unfortunately, studies of variability mechanisms in these active regions must be conducted indirectly, as the size scales for inner accretion environments are on the order of a few parsecs, mapping only to microarcsecond scales on the sky for AGN at high redshift (Z > 0.5, conservatively), where the majority are found (this makes sense, because AGN are widely regarded as young systems, so we expect them to be farther away). Despite these difficulties, spectral analysis yields several predominant, nearly universal features of the AGN accretion region, which while supportive of the unification paradigm, are not well understood. …
The LuxS Based Quorum Sensing Governs Lactose Induced Biofilm Formation by Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus species present a major concern in the dairy industry as they can form biofilms in pipelines and on surfaces of equipment and machinery used in the entire line of production. These biofilms represent a continuous hygienic problem and can lead to serious economic losses due to food spoilage and equipment impairment. Biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis is apparently dependent on LuxS quorum sensing (QS) by Autoinducer-2 (AI-2). However, the link between sensing environmental cues and AI-2 induced biofilm formation remains largely unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of lactose, the primary sugar in milk, on biofilm formation by B. subtilis and its possible link to QS processes. Our phenotypic analysis shows that lactose induces formation of biofilm bundles as well as formation of colony type biofilm. Furthermore, using reporter strain assays, we observed an increase in AI-2 production by B. subtilis in response to lactose in a dose dependent manner. Moreover, we found that expression of eps and tapA operons, responsible for extracellular matrix synthesis in B. subtilis, were notably up-regulated in response to lactose. Importantly, we also observed that LuxS is essential for B. subtilis biofilm formation in the presence of lactose. Overall, our results suggest that lactose may induce biofilm formation by B. subtilis through the LuxS pathway.
neuroBi: A Highly Configurable Neurostimulator for a Retinal Prosthesis and Other Applications

To evaluate the efficacy of a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis, a highly configurable external neurostimulator is required. In order to meet functional and safety specifications, it was necessary to develop a custom device. A system is presented which can deliver charge-balanced, constant-current biphasic pulses, with widely adjustable parameters, to arbitrary configurations of output electrodes. This system is shown to be effective in eliciting visual percepts in a patient with approximately 20 years of light perception vision only due to retinitis pigmentosa, using an electrode array implanted in the suprachoroidal space of the eye. The flexibility of the system also makes it suitable for use in a number of other emerging clinical neurostimulation applications, including epileptic seizure suppression and closed-loop deep brain stimulation. Clinical trial registration number NCT01603576 (www.clinicaltrials.gov).
A Computationally Efficient Criterion for Antenna Shuffling in DSTTD Systems

The application of double space-time transmit diversity (DSTTD) scheme to multicarrier systems, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, requires calculating the determinations of the antenna permutation matrices for all subcarriers, resulting in a heavy computation load. In this paper, we show that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-based antenna shuffling criterion for DSTTD systems can be reduced to a simple criterion that evaluates determinants of 2 times 2 submatrices of the 4 times 4 equivalent channel matrix. The new criterion can lighten the computational load by about 95%. Furthermore, it is shown that the minimum mean square error (MMSE)-based criterion for antenna permutation can also be reduced to the same criterion.
An advanced fingerprint-based indoor localization scheme for WSNs

The purpose of this paper is to propose an advanced fingerprint-based indoor localization scheme for wireless sensor networks (WSN) to improve the accuracy. Many localization methods have been introduced for WSN systems using wireless signals mainly divided into two categories, which are range-based and range-free. As wireless ranging is not reliable in indoor environment due to multipath fading and other attenuations, range-free solutions are preferable indoors. A popular solution is RSSI fingerprint-based algorithm or its variances within KNN, R-KNN, and WKNN, which can achieve accurate localization without interference. However, random and unpredictable human presence and movement cause certain level of interference to reduce the accuracy of indoor localization. In this paper, LWMA scheme is introduced to filter interfered RSSI values and contribute to algorithm recover back to no interference condition. The experiments show that the scheme can improve the average positioning accuracy by 50% with standard deviation decrease 40% in interfered condition.
Shaping low-density lattice codes using Voronoi integers

A lattice code construction that employs two separate lattices, a high dimension lattice for coding gain and a low-dimension lattice for shaping gain, is described. Systematic lattice encoding is a method to encode an integer sequence to a lattice point that is nearby that integer sequence. We describe the “Voronoi integers” ℤm/Λs, the set of integers inside the fundamental Voronoi region of a shaping lattice Λs, and a concrete scheme to label these integers. By first shaping the information using the Voronoi integers in low dimension, and then performing systematic lattice encoding using a high-dimension lattice, good shaping and coding gains can be simultaneously obtained. We concentrate on the case of using the E8 lattice for shaping and low-density lattice codes (LDLC) with dimension ~ 10,000 for coding. While optimal shaping provides a well-known 1.53 dB gain, previously reported shaping gains with LDLC lattices are on the order of 0.4 dB. The proposed method preserves the shaping gain of the E8 lattice, that is, as much as 0.65 dB. This shaping operation can be implemented with lower complexity than previous LDLC approaches.
Towards a Scalable Parallel Object Database { the Bulk Synchronous Parallel Approach

Parallel computers have been successfully deployed in many scienti c and numerical application areas, although their use in non-numerical and database applications has been scarce. In this report, we rst survey the architectural advancements beginning to make general-purpose parallel computing cost-e ective, the requirements for non-numerical (or symbolic) applications, and the previous attempts to develop parallel databases. The central theme of the Bulk Synchronous Parallel model is to provide a high level abstraction of parallel computing hardware whilst providing a realisation of a parallel programming model that enables architecture independent programs to deliver scalable performance on diverse hardware platforms. Therefore, the primary objective of this report is to investigate the feasibility of developing a portable, scalable, parallel object database, based on the Bulk Synchronous Parallel model of computation. In particular, we devise a way of providing high-level abstractions for e cient database programming, by combining elements from data-parallel functional languages, with the encapsulation and task-level features of object-oriented languages. Our work integrates collection types, that model a broad class of non-numerical applications, into the existing direct-mode BSP programming environment provided by BSPlib. We introduce collection types within a free-monoid framework, discuss the primitive operatons on collections, and outline how the collection types have been built on-top of BSPlib. In order to demonstrate the practical signi cance of our approach, we study the recently proposed ODMG-93 industry standard for object databases, including the collection types supported by the model, and the select-from-where construct of the companion Object Query Language (OQL). Using our preliminary implementation of the BSP collection types, we give experimental results on uniprocessor Sun Workstation, SGI PowerChallenge and IBM SP2 using the native BSPlib implementations, and discuss how the BSP collection types we have built can help implement object databases. These preliminary results encoragingly indicate that there is a close correspondence between the theoretical cost prediction under the BSP model, and the actual performance obtained on real machines with BSPlib.
Clinical impact of extended dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary interventions in the drug-eluting stent era: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

AIMS The aim of this study was to evaluate benefits and risks of extending dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the drug-eluting stent era. METHODS AND RESULTS We searched electronic databases (Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), relevant websites, reference lists, conference abstracts, reviews, chapters in books, and proceedings of advisory panels for the US Food and Drug Administration, for randomized controlled trials investigating the clinical impact of extending DAPT duration in patients undergoing PCI. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. The secondary endpoints were myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis (ST), cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) major bleeding. We included four trials that randomized 8231 patients (50.2%, extended DAPT duration vs. 49.8%, control duration). A total of 8158 patients (99.1%) were available for final analyses. The median DAPT duration was 16.8 vs. 6.2 months for the extended DAPT and control groups, respectively. At follow-up (median 16.8 months) extending DAPT duration did not reduce all-cause death [odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.15 (0.85-1.54), P = 0.36], MI [0.95 (0.66-1.36), P = 0.77], ST [0.88 (0.43-1.81), P = 0.73], or CVAs [1.51 (0.92-2.47), P = 0.10]. Conversely, extended DAPT duration clearly increased the risk of TIMI major bleeding [2.64 (1.31-5.30), P = 0.006]. CONCLUSIONS The extension of DAPT duration after percutaneous coronary interventions may increase the risk of bleeding without reducing ischaemic events. These results need corroboration from large ongoing trials.
Broadband Differential Phase-Shifter Design Using Bridged T-Type Bandpass Network

In this paper, a family of broadband differential phase shifters using bridged T-type bandpass networks and their design procedures are presented. Conventional high/low-pass networks are widely applied in 22.5 °-90 ° phase shifters. However, the tradeoff must be made between the bandwidths of return loss and phase error, which are limited to less than 90%. The proposed bridged T-type bandpass network can improve the bandwidth of phase error while keeping good return loss. Theoretically, the fractional bandwidth of a phase shifter using a bridged T-type bandpass network can be improved by more than 40 percentage points as compared with a conventional high-pass network. 22.5 °, 45 °, and 90 ° phase shifters are demonstrated on FR4 using discrete surface mounted device (SMD) L/C components. Due to limited discrete SMD component values, the phase and return-loss bandwidths of the realized three phase shifters are slightly reduced, but still larger than 125% and are better than 18 dB from 0.55 to 2.51 GHz.
PALette : Connecting Kids through Tangible Color-Mixing

We introduce PALette, a tangible color-mixing and drawing interface that enables the mixing of digital paint through physical actions. We sought to create a system that will allow children to express their collaborative creativity while also facilitating “thinking through doing. ” In addition, we wanted a system that would provide remote collaboration and could be used across language barriers so that children across the world would be able to interact with each other as visual pen pals. In our system, a child can create a color by physically pouring one or more paint buckets onto a display, and can consequently draw on a virtual canvas with the mixed color. A single PALette system encourages collaboration through multiple, tangible input devices (the paint buckets). Through two connected systems, two children far apart can draw on a shared canvas, thereby supporting remote, synchronous, and language-independent collaboration.
Kinematics of W Ursae Majoris type binaries and evidence of the two types of formation

We study the kinematics of 129 W UMa binaries and we discuss its implications on the contact binary evolution. The sample is found to be heterogeneous in the velocity space. That is, kinematically younger and older contact binaries exist in the sample. A kinematically young (0.5 Gyr) subsample (moving group) is formed by selecting the systems that satisfy the kinematical criteria of moving groups. After removing the possible moving group members and the systems that are known to be members of open clusters, the rest of the sample is called the field contact binary (FCB) group. The FCB group is further divided into four groups according to the orbital period ranges. Then, a correlation is found in the sense that shorter-period less-massive systems have larger velocity dispersions than the longer-period more-massive systems. Dispersions in the velocity space indicate a 5.47-Gyr kinematical age for the FCB group. Compared with the field chromospherically active binaries (CABs), presumably detached binary progenitors of the contact systems, the FCB group appears to be 1.61 Gyr older. Assuming an equilibrium in the formation and destruction of CAB and W UMa systems in the Galaxy, this age difference is treated as an empirically deduced lifetime of the contact stage. Because the kinematical ages (3.21, 3.51, 7.14 and 8.89 Gyr) of the four subgroups of the FCB group are much longer than the 1.61-Gyr lifetime of the contact stage, the pre-contact stages of the FCB group must dominantly be producing the large dispersions. The kinematically young (0.5 Gyr) moving group covers the same total mass, period and spectral ranges as the FCB group. However, the very young age of this group does not leave enough room for pre-contact stages, and thus it is most likely that these systems were formed in the beginning of the main sequence or during the pre-main-sequence contraction phase, either by a fission process or most probably by fast spiralling in of two components in a common envelope.
Automatic Detection of Expanding HI Shells in the CGPS Data

The identification of expanding HI shells is difficult because of their variable morphology. In this paper, we present an automatic detector for HI shells, based on the more stable dynamical characteristics of expanding bubbles with radii < 40 pc. The detection is performed in two stages. First, artificial neural networks are trained to recognize the dynamical signature of an expanding bubble in the velocity spectra of 21-cm data. The second stage consists in subsequent validations based on the potential bubble’s morphology. The technique is tested on 11 known bubbles, and 10 of them are successfully detected. Conducting a systematic detection on a 48◦×9◦ region in the Perseus Arm, we obtain 7100 detections with spatial distribution following the stellar distribution of the Galactic disk. The estimated radius and expansion velocity distributions for objects with R ≤ 10 pc agree with the distributions predicted by models of adiabatically expanding bubble populations. The fraction of the Perseus Arm volume occupied by the detected objects, which can be interpreted as the small bubbles’ contribution to the Galactic porosity Q, is calculated to QR<40pc = 0.007 +0.025 −0.003. Four new bubble cases and eight serious candidates, related to known progenitors, are proposed. Subject headings: ISM: bubbles – radio lines: ISM – methods: data analysis