Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Higher Semantics of Quantum Protocols

We propose a higher semantics for the description of quantum protocols, which deals with quantum and classical information in a unified way. Central to our approach is the modelling of classical data by information transfer to the environment, and the use of 2-category theory to formalize the resulting framework. This 2-categorical semantics has a graphical calculus, the diagrams of which correspond exactly to physically-implementable quantum procedures. Quantum teleportation in its most general sense is reformulated as the ability to remove correlations between a quantum system and its environment, and is represented by an elegant graphical identity. We use this new formalism to describe two new families of quantum protocols.
Structure of two intramolecular G-quadruplexes formed by natural human telomere sequences in K+ solution†

Intramolecular G-quadruplexes formed by human telomere sequences are attractive anticancer targets. Recently, four-repeat human telomere sequences have been shown to form two different intramolecular (3 + 1) G-quadruplexes in K(+) solution (Form 1 and Form 2). Here we report on the solution structures of both Form 1 and Form 2 adopted by natural human telomere sequences. Both structures contain the (3 + 1) G-tetrad core with one double-chain-reversal and two edgewise loops, but differ in the successive order of loop arrangements within the G-quadruplex scaffold. Our results provide the structural details at the two ends of the G-tetrad core in the context of natural sequences and information on different loop conformations. This structural information might be important for our understanding of telomere G-quadruplex structures and for anticancer drug design targeted to such scaffolds.
A real-time scheme of video stabilization for mine tunnel inspectional robot

The purpose for this research is to develop a realtime video stabilization algorithm for mine tunnel inspectional robot. The inspectional robot moves violently and randomly depending on the tunnel terrain, the video flow captured from the camera bounded on the robot is affected by jitters. These jitters mean there are errors between the captured video flow and the desired video flow. These errors affect the robot operator's visual experience. In this paper, a real-time scheme of video stabilization is proposed to overcome the rotational and translational movement of video flow. In proposed scheme, the LSE analytical solution is adopted to estimate the global motion parameters through local motion vectors, and for the purpose of getting smooth video flow, the weighting least error fitting algorithm is used to smooth the video frames. Finally, the experimental results show the effectiveness of this scheme.
Shrinkage tuning parameter selection with a diverging number of parameters

Summary. Contemporary statistical research frequently deals with problems involving a diverging number of parameters. For those problems, various shrinkage methods (e.g. the lasso and smoothly clipped absolute deviation) are found to be particularly useful for variable selection. Nevertheless, the desirable performances of those shrinkage methods heavily hinge on an appropriate selection of the tuning parameters. With a fixed predictor dimension, Wang and co‐worker have demonstrated that the tuning parameters selected by a Bayesian information criterion type criterion can identify the true model consistently. In this work, similar results are further extended to the situation with a diverging number of parameters for both unpenalized and penalized estimators. Consequently, our theoretical results further enlarge not only the scope of applicabilityation criterion type criteria but also that of those shrinkage estimation methods.
A Real-Time Measuring Method of Translational/Rotational Velocities of a Flying Ball

Abstract We propose a real-time measuring method of both the translational/rotational velocities of a flying ball using two high speed cameras. The rotational velocity is estimated by the kinematics which relates the velocity to the position variation of the centroid of a feature area marked on the ball. The position variation is calculated by the correlation between two images with respect to the translational displacement in the images. The corresponding 3D position of the feature area is necessary for the estimation by the kinematics. It is calculated by the centroids of all the feature areas on the ball in the left and right images with the assumption where the centroids coincide with each other in the 3D space. The proposed method is verified with respect to some configurations of the cameras and texture patterns of the feature areas by numerical simulations. The effectiveness of the method is verified by experiments.
Minimal Intensity Physical Activity (Standing and Walking) of Longer Duration Improves Insulin Action and Plasma Lipids More than Shorter Periods of Moderate to Vigorous Exercise (Cycling) in Sedentary Subjects When Energy Expenditure Is Comparable

Background Epidemiological studies suggest that excessive sitting time is associated with increased health risk, independent of the performance of exercise. We hypothesized that a daily bout of exercise cannot compensate the negative effects of inactivity during the rest of the day on insulin sensitivity and plasma lipids. Methodology/Principal Findings Eighteen healthy subjects, age 21±2 year, BMI 22.6±2.6 kgm−2 followed randomly three physical activity regimes for four days. Participants were instructed to sit 14 hr/day (sitting regime); to sit 13 hr/day and to substitute 1 hr of sitting with vigorous exercise 1 hr (exercise regime); to substitute 6 hrs sitting with 4 hr walking and 2 hr standing (minimal intensity physical activity (PA) regime). The sitting and exercise regime had comparable numbers of sitting hours; the exercise and minimal intensity PA regime had the same daily energy expenditure. PA was assessed continuously by an activity monitor (ActivPAL) and a diary. Measurements of insulin sensitivity (oral glucose tolerance test, OGTT) and plasma lipids were performed in the fasting state, the morning after the 4 days of each regime. In the sitting regime, daily energy expenditure was about 500 kcal lower than in both other regimes. Area under the curve for insulin during OGTT was significantly lower after the minimal intensity PA regime compared to both sitting and exercise regimes 6727.3±4329.4 vs 7752.0±3014.4 and 8320.4±5383.7 mU•min/ml, respectively. Triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B plasma levels improved significantly in the minimal intensity PA regime compared to sitting and showed non-significant trends for improvement compared to exercise. Conclusions One hour of daily physical exercise cannot compensate the negative effects of inactivity on insulin level and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Reducing inactivity by increasing the time spent walking/standing is more effective than one hour of physical exercise, when energy expenditure is kept constant.
Counting and Correcting Thermodynamically Infeasible Flux Cycles in Genome-Scale Metabolic Networks

Thermodynamics constrains the flow of matter in a reaction network to occur through routes along which the Gibbs energy decreases, implying that viable steady-state flux patterns should be void of closed reaction cycles. Identifying and removing cycles in large reaction networks can unfortunately be a highly challenging task from a computational viewpoint. We propose here a method that accomplishes it by combining a relaxation algorithm and a Monte Carlo procedure to detect loops, with ad hoc rules (discussed in detail) to eliminate them. As test cases, we tackle (a) the problem of identifying infeasible cycles in the E. coli metabolic network and (b) the problem of correcting thermodynamic infeasibilities in the Flux-Balance-Analysis solutions for 15 human cell-type-specific metabolic networks. Results for (a) are compared with previous analyses of the same issue, while results for (b) are weighed against alternative methods to retrieve thermodynamically viable flux patterns based on minimizing specific global quantities. Our method, on the one hand, outperforms previous techniques and, on the other, corrects loopy solutions to Flux Balance Analysis. As a byproduct, it also turns out to be able to reveal possible inconsistencies in model reconstructions.
Quark Deconfinement and Implications for the Radius and the Limiting Mass of Compact Stars

We study the consequences of the hadron-quark deconfinement phase transition in stellar compact objects when finite-size effects between the deconfined quark phase and the hadronic phase are taken into account. We show that above a threshold value of the central pressure (gravitational mass) a neutron star is metastable to the decay (conversion) to a hybrid neutron star or to a strange star. The mean lifetime of the metastable configuration dramatically depends on the value of the stellar central pressure. We explore the consequences of the metastability of "massive" neutron stars and of the existence of stable compact quark stars (hybrid neutron stars or strange stars) on the concept of the limiting mass of compact stars. We discuss the implications of our scenario for the interpretation of the stellar mass and radius extracted from the spectra of several X-ray compact sources. Finally, we show that our scenario implies, as a natural consequence, a two-step process that is able to explain the inferred "delayed" connection between supernova explosions and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), giving also the correct energy to power GRBs.
A real-time and energy aware QoS routing protocol for Multimedia Wireless Sensor Networks

Image and video sensing data in the multimedia wireless sensor networks make many requirements in the resource of bandwidth and energy. For the purpose of real-time transmission of multimedia data, this paper proposes a new QoS protocol applied to multimedia wireless sensor networks REAR. In this protocol metadata is used to establish multi-path routing for reducing the energy consumption and a cost function is constructed to evaluate the consumption of the transmission links which trades off the relationship of energy and delay, and then a QoS routing is chosen. The experiments show that the protocol could ensure the real-time transmission of multimedia data and prolong the lifetime of sensor networks.
Analysis of learning rate using BP algorithm for hand written digit recognition application

The objective of the research is to analyze the learning rate using BP algorithm of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for hand written digit recognition application. In this paper the results are obtained using two variations of BP algorithm variations of Back Propagation (BP) algorithm: simple BP and BP with momentum. Different patterns of handwritten digits are used to analysis the performance of BP algorithm. Various parameters such as learning rate, number of hidden neurons in hidden layer, momentum term and number of training runs are used during the analysis of the BP algorithm. The parameters of BP algorithm are used to analyze the learning rate which shows its impact for hand written digit recognition application. Simulation results show that the learning rate affects the performance of ANN.
infrastructure grant from the Ministère de l ' l ' Économie , de l ' Innovation et des Exportations , and grants and research mandates obtained by its research teams

CIRANO Le CIRANO est un organisme sans but lucratif constitué en vertu de la Loi des compagnies du Québec. Le financement de son infrastructure et de ses activités de recherche provient des cotisations de ses organisations-membres, d'une subvention d'infrastructure du Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et des Exportations, de même que des subventions et mandats obtenus par ses équipes de recherche. CIRANO is a private non-profit organization incorporated under the Québec Companies Act. Its infrastructure and research activities are funded through fees paid by member organizations, an infrastructure grant from the Ministère de l' l'Économie, de l'Innovation et des Exportations, and grants and research mandates obtained by its research teams.
Recent Developments in Empirical Dynamic Models of Demand and Competition in Oligopoly Markets∗

Empirically studying dynamic competition in oligopoly industries requires dealing with large states spaces and tackling difficult computational problems, while handling heterogeneity and multiple equilibria. In this paper, we discuss some of the ways recent work in Industrial Organization has dealt with these challenges. We illustrate problems and proposed solutions using as examples recent work on dynamic demand for differentiated products and on dynamic games of oligopoly competition. Our discussion of dynamic demand focuses on models for storable and durable goods and surveys how researchers have used the "inclusive value" to deal with dimensionality problems and reduce the computational burden. We clarify the assumptions needed for this approach to work, the implications for the treatment of heterogeneity and the different ways it has been used. In our discussion of the econometrics of dynamics games of oligopoly competition, we deal with challenges related to estimation and counterfactual experiments in models with multiple equilibria. We also examine methods for the estimation of models with persistent unobserved heterogeneity in product characteristics, firms’ costs, local market profitability, or agents’ information sets. Finally, we discuss different approaches to deal with large state spaces in dynamic games, paying particular attention to the "inclusive-values approach. "
Direct formulas for stereo-based visual odometry error modeling

Visual odometry is the most suitable method for recovering the camera motion in the context of video processing applications. The main advantages it brings are the accuracy of the estimation, the computation efficiency, and the elimination of the need to synchronize a video processing system with other odometry sensors. There is a large amount of recently published visual odometry methods, but none of them provides a reliable error model for the estimation. The goal of this paper is to present an analytical method to compute the covariance matrix for a stereo-based visual odometry method and to analyze its performance and quality by using both synthetic data and real world video sequences acquired in urban traffic scenarios.
Inflammation Is Necessary for Long-Term but Not Short-Term High-Fat Diet–Induced Insulin Resistance

OBJECTIVE Tissue inflammation is a key factor underlying insulin resistance in established obesity. Several models of immuno-compromised mice are protected from obesity-induced insulin resistance. However, it is unanswered whether inflammation triggers systemic insulin resistance or vice versa in obesity. The purpose of this study was to assess these questions. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to wild-type mice and three different immuno-compromised mouse models (lymphocyte-deficient Rag1 knockout, macrophage-depleted, and hematopoietic cell-specific Jun NH2-terminal kinase–deficient mice) and measured the time course of changes in macrophage content, inflammatory markers, and lipid accumulation in adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle along with systemic insulin sensitivity. RESULTS In wild-type mice, body weight and adipose tissue mass, as well as insulin resistance, were clearly increased by 3 days of HFD. Concurrently, in the short-term HFD period inflammation was selectively elevated in adipose tissue. Interestingly, however, all three immuno-compromised mouse models were not protected from insulin resistance induced by the short-term HFD. On the other hand, lipid content was markedly increased in liver and skeletal muscle at day 3 of HFD. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the initial stage of HFD-induced insulin resistance is independent of inflammation, whereas the more chronic state of insulin resistance in established obesity is largely mediated by macrophage-induced proinflammatory actions. The early-onset insulin resistance during HFD feeding is more likely related to acute tissue lipid overload.
A no-reference method for JPEG image compression impairment evaluation

Visual quality measurement of the compressed image is of importance to evaluate the effective of image compression algorithm. In this paper, we adopt a no-reference method to predict the perceived quality of JPEG compressed images. We claim that the restored information, which is got through postfiltering in shifted windows of image blocks, can replace the reference image to be compared with the distorted image in structure similarity index. The performance of the proposed measure is validated on a database of JPEG compressed images [1]. The experimental results prove that our method has a good performance on predicting the image quality compressed by JPEG standard.
An information plane architecture supporting home network management

Home networks have evolved to become small-scale versions of enterprise networks. The tools for visualizing and managing such networks are primitive and continue to require networked systems expertise on the part of the home user. As a result, non-expert home users must manually manage non-obvious aspects of the network - e.g., MAC address filtering, network masks, and firewall rules, using these primitive tools. The Homework information plane architecture uses stream database concepts to generate derived events from streams of raw events. This supports a variety of visualization and monitoring techniques, and also enables construction of a closed-loop, policy-based management system. This paper describes the information plane architecture and its associated policy-based management infrastructure. Exemplar visualization and closed-loop management applications enabled by the resulting system (tuned to the skills of non-expert home users) are discussed.
Notice of RetractionOptimization of flight sequencing on airport based on gene expression algorithm

Optimization problem of flight sequencing on the ground of airport with multi-taxiway and multi-runway is resolved based on gene expression algorithm, and a standard algorithm of aircraft approach sequencing for airports with any topology structure in theory is approved. Based on an actual airport ground operation situation, a standard algorithm for the two runways of this airport is provided. Compared to several algorithms commonly used, this one has shown superiority on the optimization of ground operation.
Low power/low voltage high speed CMOS differential track and latch comparator with rail-to-rail input

A new CMOS differential latched comparator suitable for low voltage, low-power application is presented. The circuit consists of constant-gm rail-to-rail common-mode operational transconductance amplifier followed by a regenerative latch in a track and latch configuration to achieve a relatively constant delay. The use of a track and latch minimizes the total number of gain stages required for a given resolution. Potential offset from the constant-g/sub m/ differential input stage, estimated as the main source of offset, can be minimized by proper choice of transistors sizes. Simulation results show that the circuit requires less than 86 /spl mu/A with a supply voltage of 1.65 V in a standard CMOS 0.18 /spl mu/m digital process. The average delay is less than 1 ns and is approximately independent of the common-mode input voltage.
Avian Plasmodium in Culex and Ochlerotatus Mosquitoes from Southern Spain: Effects of Season and Host-Feeding Source on Parasite Dynamics

Haemosporidians, a group of vector-borne parasites that include Plasmodium, infect vertebrates including birds. Although mosquitoes are crucial elements in the transmission of avian malaria parasites, little is known of their ecology as vectors. We examined the presence of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus lineages in five mosquito species belonging to the genera Culex and Ochlerotatus to test for the effect of vector species, season and host-feeding source on the transmission dynamics of these pathogens. We analyzed 166 blood-fed individually and 5,579 unfed mosquitoes (grouped in 197 pools) from a locality in southern Spain. In all, 15 Plasmodium and two Haemoproteus lineages were identified on the basis of a fragment of 478 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Infection prevalence of blood parasites in unfed mosquitoes varied between species (range: 0–3.2%) and seasons. The feeding source was identified in 91 mosquitoes where 78% were identified as bird. We found that i) several Plasmodium lineages are shared among different Culex species and one Plasmodium lineage is shared between Culex and Ochlerotatus genera; ii) mosquitoes harboured Haemoproteus parasites; iii) pools of unfed females of mostly ornithophilic Culex species had a higher Plasmodium prevalence than the only mammophylic Culex species studied. However, the mammophylic Ochlerotatus caspius had in pool samples the greatest Plasmodium prevalence. This relative high prevalence may be determined by inter-specific differences in vector survival, susceptibility to infection but also the possibility that this species feeds on birds more frequently than previously thought. Finally, iv) infection rate of mosquitoes varies between seasons and reaches its maximum prevalence during autumn and minimum prevalence in spring.
Intelligence with Attitude

An essential feature of intelligence is the ability to make a utonomous choices. A new paradigm of satisficing decision making incor porates two utilities for decision making, rather than the usual sin gle utility that is characteristic of optimal decision making. These tw o utilities may be used to define figures of merit for the intellectual powe r or fitness of the decision maker as it functions in its environme t. These utilities may also be applied in group settings. In particul ar, societies of negotiatory decision makers may undergo considerable te nsion as they attempt to reach a compromise that is acceptable to the g roup as a whole and to all members of the group.
Active Learning of Intuitive Sound Qualities

There is often a mismatch between the high-level goals an artist wants to express and what the parameters of a synthesizer allow them to control. To enable composers to directly adjust personalized high-level qualities during sound synthesis, our system actively learns functions that map from the space of synthesizer control parameters to perceived levels of high-level qualities.
The Effect of Stakes on Accountability Test Scores and Pass Rates

ABSTRACT Students may not fully demonstrate their knowledge and skills on accountability tests if there are no stakes attached to individual performance. In that case, assessment results may not accurately reflect student achievement, so the validity of score interpretations and uses suffers. For this study, matched samples of students taking state accountability tests under low-stakes and high-stakes conditions were used to estimate the effect of stakes on test performance and subsequent pass rates. Across five assessments, expected performance was greater under high-stakes conditions, with effect sizes ranging from 0.41 to 0.50 standard deviations and with students of lower ability tending to be slightly more affected by stakes. Depending on where cut scores were set, pass rates differed by up to 30% when comparing the low- and high-stakes conditions.