Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Handling within-writer variability and between-writer variation in the recognition of on-line handwriting . ∗

Although the performance of current automatic recognition algorithms of on-line handwriting has much improved in recent years, there are still many problems with the actual application of these systems. It appears that the step from academical experiments to real-life use of such algorithms, in, e.g., portable pen computers, is still difficult. What is particularly intriguing is the fact that reported academic (and commercial) recognition rates usually are 10-20% overestimated. When such systems are given the real test, i.e., use by any writer, in a realistic application such as note taking during lectures, their performance drops sharply. One reason lies in the fact that for on-line handwriting, only limited training databases exist. A project is currently running to alleviate this problem: UNIPEN (Guyon & Schomaker, 1994). Although the availability of huge databases for system training and development potentially improves the performance of existing algorithms due to the wider coverage of handwriting shapes, it is very likely that many algorithms are not well fit to handle the case of an infinitely large training set. Neural network-based approaches, but also approaches based on hidden-Markov models both run the risk of satiation, where the system yields an average but incomplete representation of all possible handwriting shapes. Similarly, brute force matching methods run the risk of becoming computationally impractical, when all possible character shapes (allographs) have to be considered. This study is directed at the development of procedures to obtain an insight in the underlying variation of shapes within large quantities of handwriting data from several writers. At this stage, it is useful to make a distinction between two source of variation in handwriting shapes:
Dissecting social engineering

In information security terms, social engineering (SE) refers to incidents in which an information system is penetrated through the use of social methods. The literature to date (40 texts), which was reviewed for this article, emphasises individual techniques in its description of SE. This leads to a very scattered, anecdotal, and vague notion of SE. In addition, due to the lack of analytical concepts, research conducted on SE encounters difficulties in explaining the success of SE. In such explanations, the victim's psychological traits are overemphasised, although this kind of explanation can cover only a small portion of SE cases. In this article, we have sought to elaborate the concept of SE through analysis of the functions of different techniques. In this way, we have been able to extrapolate three dimensions of SE: persuasion, fabrication, and data gathering. By utilising these dimensions, SE can be grasped in all its aspects instead of through individual techniques. Furthermore, research can benefit from our multidimensional approach as each of the dimensions pertains to a different theory. Therefore, the victim's personal traits cannot function as the only explanation. All in all, the analysis, understanding, and explanation of the success of SE can be furthered using our new approach.
Adrenal incidentaloma - follow-up results from a Swedish prospective study.

OBJECTIVES To examine the risk of developing adrenal carcinomas and clinically overt hypersecreting tumours during short-term follow-up in patients with adrenal incidentalomas. DESIGN 229 (98 males and 131 females) patients with adrenal incidentalomas were investigated in a prospective follow-up study (median time 25 months; range 3-108 months). The patients were registered between January 1996 and July 2001 and followed until December 2004. Twenty-seven Swedish hospitals contributed with follow-up results. METHODS Diagnostic procedures were undertaken according to a protocol including reinvestigation with computed tomography scans after 3-6 months, 15-18 months and 27-30 months, as well as hormonal evaluation at baseline and after 27-30 months of follow-up. Operation was recommended when the incidentaloma size increased or if there was a suspicion of a hypersecreting tumour. RESULTS The median age at diagnosis of the 229 patients included in the follow-up study was 64 years (range 28-84 years) and the median size of the adrenal incidentalomas when discovered was 2.5 cm (range 1-8 cm). During the follow-up period, an increase in incidentaloma size of > or =0.5 cm was reported in 17 (7.4%) and of > or =1.0 cm was reported in 12 (5.2%) of the 229 patients. A decrease in size was seen in 12 patients (5.2%). A hypersecreting tumour was found in 2% of the hormonally investigated patients: Cushing's syndrome (n = 2) and phaeochromocytoma (n = 1). Eleven patients underwent adrenalectomy, but no cases of primary adrenal malignancy were observed. CONCLUSIONS Patients with adrenal incidentaloma had a low risk of developing malignancy or hormonal hypersecretion during a short-term follow-up period.
The effect of timeliness of benefits and costs on mobile coupon sharing : a moderating role of use of length in social network sites

Timeliness of benefits and costs have some unusual effects on m-coupon sharing. Length of use was considered as a moderating variable between the relationship of long-term factors and sharing intention. This paper provides a new perspective for retailers and SNSs generating a strategy of mobile marketing and the spreading of eWOMs.
Selectivity estimation of range queries in data streams using micro-clustering

Selectivity estimation is an important task for query optimization. The common data mining techniques are not applicable on large, fast and continuous data streams as they require one pass processing of data. These requirements make Range Query Estimation (RQE) a challenging task. We propose a technique to perform RQE using micro,clustering. The technique maintains cluster statistics in terms of micro,clusters. These micro,clusters also maintain data distribution information of the cluster values using cosine coefficients. These cosine coefficients are used for estimating range queries. The estimation can be done over a range of data values spread over a number of clusters. The technique has been compared with cosine series technique for selectivity estimation. Experiments have been conducted on both synthetic and real datasets of varying sizes and results confirm that our technique offers substantial improvements in accuracy over other methods.
Chromatin Structure and Transcriptional Control Elements of the Erythroid Krüppel-like Factor (EKLF) Gene*

Erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF) is a red cell-specific transcription factor whose activity is critical for the switch in expression from fetal to adult β-globin during erythroid ontogeny. We have examined its own regulation using a number of approaches. First, the EKLF transcription unit is in an open chromatin configuration in erythroid cells. Second, in vivotransfection assays demonstrate that the more distal of the two erythroid-specific DNase-hypersensitive sites behaves as an enhancer. Although this conserved element imparts high level transcription to a heterologous promoter in all lines examined, erythroid specificity is retained only when it is fused to the proximal EKLF promoter, which contains an important GATA site. Third, extensive mutagenesis of this enhancer element has delimited its in vivo activity to a core region of 49 base pairs. Finally, in vitro footprint and gel shift assays demonstrate that three distinct DNA binding activities in erythroid cell extracts individually interact with three short sequences within this core enhancer element. These analyses reveal that high level erythroid expression of EKLF relies on the interplay between conserved proximal and distal promoter elements that alter chromatin structure and likely provide a target for genetic control via extracellular induction pathways.
Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Damage

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are due to the rupture or erosion of atheromatous plaques. This produces, depending on plaque size, vascular anatomy and degree of collateral circulation, progressive tissue ischaemia which may progress to cardiomyocyte necrosis. This may then result in cardiac remodelling. Serum biomarkers are available which can be used for diagnosis of all of these stages. Markers to detect myocardial ischaemia at the pre-infarction stage are potentially the most interesting but also the most challenging. An ischaemia marker offers the opportunity to intervene to prevent progression to infarction. The problems with potential ischaemia markers are specificity and the reference diagnostic standard against which they can be judged. To date, only one, ischaemia-modified albumin®, has reached the point where clinical studies can be performed. The measurement of the cardiac troponins, cardiac troponin T and cardiac troponin I, have become recognised as the diagnostic reference standard for myocardial necrosis. The sensitive nature of these tests has also revealed that myocardial necrosis is also found in a range of other clinical situations, highlighting the need to use all clinical information for diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. The measurement of B-type natriuretic peptides can be shown to be diagnostic and prognostic in both ACS and detecting the sequelae of post-infarction myocardial insufficiency. The role of the B-type natriuretic peptides in detection of cardiac failure, both acute and chronic, is well defined but remains the subject of further studies, in ACS.
A DSS for Strategic Management Based on the Balanced Scorecard Model

This paper focuses on the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard model [1] for strategic management by a Portuguese insurance company and presents the Decision Support System (DSS) that has been conceived and developed to embody this adoption. A special emphasis is given to the definition of a strategy, the selection of the strategic measures to analyse and monitor and to the selection of initiatives taken to operationalize the identified strategy. The DSS was designed in close interaction with senior executives and was conceived aiming at enabling the company to more effectively analyse and control indicators relevant for its strategic decisions. The achievements resulting from the implementation of the system are presented and reveal that the BSC integrated with a DSS can be an effective strategic management tool for an SME.
Cooperative control of heterogeneous robotic systems

Establishing a cooperative heterogeneous robotic system comprising autonomous vehicles operating in air, on ground and on/under water is a challenging task that can significantly contribute solving complex problems related to environmental monitoring (e.g. prediction, prevention and recovery from natural disasters) and security (e.g. border control, fight against terrorism). This paper presents a short overview of a project that involves cooperative control of heterogeneous robotic systems at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing. An overview of the vehicles to be used in the heterogeneous systems is given and the envisioned scenario of neutralization of suspicious underwater objects is presented. Tasks of each vehicle are described and emphasis is placed on the actions and communication routes that are required to ensure cooperative behavior.
Investigation of transmembrane protein fused in lipid bilayer membranes supported on porous silicon

This article investigates a device made from a porous silicon structure supporting a lipid bilayer membrane (LBM)fused with Epithelial Sodium Channel protein. The electrochemically-fabricated porous silicon template had pore diameters in the range 0.2~2 µm. Membranes were composed of two synthetic phospholipids: 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine and 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine. The LBMwas formed by means of the Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaefer techniques, at a monolayer surface tension of 26 m Nm−1 in room temperature and on a deionized water subphase, which resulted in an average molecular area of 0.68–0.73 nm2. Fusion of transmembrane protein was investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy. Initial atomic force microscopy results demonstrate the ability to support lipid bilayers fused with transmembrane proteins across a porous silicon substrate. However, more control of the membrane’s surface tension using traditional membrane fusion techniques is required to optimize protein incorporation.
A Model for Generating Random Quantified Boolean Formulas

The quantified boolean formula (QBF) problem is a powerful generalization of the boolean satisfiability (SAT) problem where variables can be both universally and existentially quantified. Inspired by the fruitfulness of the established model for generating random SAT instances, we define and study a general model for generating random QBF instances. We exhibit experimental results showing that our model bears certain desirable similarities to the random SAT model, as well as a number of theoretical results concerning our model.
The New Contextual Therapy: Guiding the Power of Give and Take

Preface. Section One: The Dimensions of Contextual Therapy. The Basics of the Theory. Just the Facts. It's Not Just Anxiety. It's How You Play the Game. The Drive to be Constructive or Destructive. Section Two: The Techniques of Contextual Therapy. Slapping the Face and Violations Impacting Self. Sinking Sand and Violations that Impact Relational Ethics.
Navigation in three-dimensional cluttered environments for mobile manipulation

Collision-free navigation in cluttered environments is essential for any mobile manipulation system. Traditional navigation systems have relied on a 2D grid map projected from a 3D representation for efficiency. This approach, however, prevents navigation close to objects in situations where projected 3D configurations are in collision within the 2D grid map even if actually no collision occurs in the 3D environment. Accordingly, when using such a 2D representation for planning paths of a mobile manipulation robot, the number of planning problems which can be solved is limited and suboptimal robot paths may result. We present a fast, integrated approach to solve path planning in 3D using a combination of an efficient octree-based representation of the 3D world and an anytime search-based motion planner. Our approach utilizes a combination of multi-layered 2D and 3D representations to improve planning speed, allowing the generation of almost real-time plans with bounded sub-optimality. We present extensive experimental results with the two-armed mobile manipulation robot PR2 carrying large objects in a highly cluttered environment. Using our approach, the robot is able to efficiently plan and execute trajectories while transporting objects, thereby often moving through demanding, narrow passageways.
Post-Quantum Key Exchange on ARMv8-A - A New Hope for NEON made Simple

NewHope and NewHope-Simple are two recently proposed post-quantum key exchange protocols based on the hardness of the Ring-LWE problem. Due to their high security margins and performance, there have been already discussions and proposals for integrating them into Internet standards, like TLS, and anonymity network protocols, like Tor. In this work, we present time-constant and vector-optimized implementations of NewHope and NewHope-Simple for ARMv8-A 64-bit processors which target high-speed applications. This architecture is implemented in a growing number of smart phone and tablet processors, and features powerful 128-bit SIMD operations provided by the NEON engine. In particular, we propose the use of three alternative modular reduction methods, which allow to better exploit NEON parallelism by avoiding larger data types during the Number Theoretic Transform ( NTT ) and remove the need to transform input coeﬃcients into Mont-gomery domain during pointwise multiplications. The NEON vectorized NTT uses a 16-bit unsigned integer representation and executes in only 18 , 909 clock cycles on an ARM Cortex-A53 core. Our implementation improves previous assembly-optimized results on ARM NEON platforms by a factor of 3 . 4 and outperforms the C reference implementation on the same platform by a factor of 8 . 3. The total time spent on the key exchange was reduced by more than a factor of 3 . 5 for both protocols.
Ecology-inspired Admission Control scheme in heterogeneous wireless Networks

Different radio access technology vary with communication parameters, such as mobility, coverage and bandwidth etc. Joint Admission Control (JAC) technology therefore is put forward to make the different Radio Access Networks (RANs) work together. This paper proposes a distributed JAC scheme based on the ecology theory in heterogeneous wireless network. It establishes a mapping relationship of ecological competition and heterogeneous radio resources management, and adopts the Gause-Lotka-Volterra (GLV) model to predict the heterogeneous network traffic. Based on the mapping relationship and GLV model, the network parameters can be adjusted to achieve a balanced traffic state for different RANs. In the simulation, we evaluate the network traffic and blocking probability performances. Results show that the ecology-inspired JAC scheme can balance the traffic, reduces the networks competition effect, and moreover makes the profits by different operators jointly.
Load characterization and anomaly detection for voice over IP traffic

We consider the problem of traffic anomaly detection in IP networks. Traffic anomalies typically arise when there is focused overload or when a network element fails and it is desired to infer these purely from the measured traffic. We derive new general formulae for the variance of the cumulative traffic over a fixed time interval and show how the derived analytical expression simplifies for the case of voice over IP traffic, the focus of this paper. To detect load anomalies, we show it is sufficient to consider cumulative traffic over relatively long intervals such as 5 min. We also propose simple anomaly detection tests including detection of over/underload. This approach substantially extends the current practice in IP network management where only the first-order statistics and fixed thresholds are used to identify abnormal behavior. We conclude with the application of the scheme to field data from an operational network.
Use of Vegetation Change Tracker and Support Vector Machine to Map Disturbance Types in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems in a 1984–2010 Landsat Time Series

Time series Landsat data have been used to track ecosystem disturbances using an algorithm such as the vegetation change tracker. However, efficiently identifying and separating types of disturbances (e.g., wildfires and harvests) still remain a technical challenge. In this letter, we tested the support vector machine algorithm in separating forest disturbance types, including wildfires, harvests, and other disturbance types (a generalized disturbance class, including insect disease outbreak, tornado, snow damage, and drought-induced mortality) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) using annual Landsat images from 1984 to 2010. The algorithm has been proven to be highly reliable, with overall accuracy about 87% for the study region. Average producer's and user's accuracy for wildfires and harvests were 85% and 90%, respectively. Based on the mapped forest disturbance type results, fire was the most dominant disturbance in GYE National Parks (NPs) from 1984 to 2010, affecting over 37% of the forested area in GYE NPs, whereas other disturbances such as insect and disease outbreaks were more frequent in national forests of the region during this time interval. With the free public access of the Landsat data and careful selection of training samples, this method can be useful in other ecosystems with similar disturbance dynamics as GYE.
Using a genetic algorithm to obtain a neural network-based model of a real autonomous vehicle

In this paper, a set of radial basis function (RBF) neural networks, capable to learn the kinematic and dynamic behavior of the Romeo 4R autonomous vehicle, is presented. In order to obtain a set of good RBF nets in terms of the number of neurons and the number of lagged inputs, a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) has been used. The kinematic and dynamic systems of the mobile robot have been split into three subsystems: the steering module, the drive module and the heading module. Each subsystem is modeled with a neural network that learns its behaviour using, among others, a set of lagged outputs as inputs. The outputs from the steering and drive modules are also used as inputs in the heading module. Neural networks - based models are compared to classical approaches.
Evaluation of MBEC™‐HTP biofilm model for studies of implant associated infections

The bacteria in implant‐related infections can evade host defenses by forming biofilms. The more we understand biofilm behavior, the better we can fight against then clinically. In vitro models for biofilms allow tests simulating in vivo conditions. In this study we evaluated the Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration‐High Throughput Plates (MBEC™‐HTP) as biofilm in vitro model for studies of implant associated infections. Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms were grown on MBEC™‐HTP. To ensure the biofilm formation, antibiotic susceptibility tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out. Susceptibility tests were carried out using gentamicin, vancomycin, rifampicin, fosfomycin, clindamycin, and linezolid. Colony forming units counting were carried out. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and biofilm inhibitory concentration (BIC) were estimated. The CFU counting showed potency of rifampicin and daptomycin against S. epidermidis biofilms and rifampicin against S. aureus biofilms. SEM images showed proteic material in contact with cells. The differences between BIC and MIC demonstrated the biofilm formation as well as the SEM images. Rifampicin and daptomycin are good choices against biofilm related infections. Moreover, after suggested modifications, the model used in this study is eligible to further studies of implant associated infections. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1176–1180, 2012
A High-Q Microwave MEMS Resonator

A High-Q microwave (K band) MEMS resonator is presented, which employs substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) and micromachined via-hole arrays by ICP process. Nonradiation dielectric waveguide (NRD) is formed by metal filled via-hole arrays and grounded planes. The three dimensional (3D) high resistivity silicon substrate filled cavity resonator is fed by current probes using CPW line. This monolithic resonator results in low cost, high performance and easy integration with planar circuits. The measured quality factor is beyond 180 and the resonant frequency is 21GHz.It shows a good agreement with the simulation results. The chip size is only 4.7mm×4.6mm×0.5mm. Finally, as an example of applications, a filter using two SIW resonators is designed.
Achieving O(1) IP lookup on GPU-based software routers

IP address lookup is a challenging problem due to the increasing routing table size, and higher line rate. This paper investigates a new way to build an efficient IP lookup scheme using graphics processor units(GPU). Our contribution here is to design a basic architecture for high-performance IP lookup engine with GPU, and to develop efficient algorithms for routing prefix operations such as lookup, deletion, insertion, and modification. In particular, the IP lookup scheme can achieve O(1) time complexity. Our experimental results on real-world route traces show promising 6x gains in IP lookup throughput.