Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inferring Taxi Status Using GPS Trajectories

In this paper, we infer the statuses of a taxi, consisting of occupied, non-occupied and parked, in terms of its GPS trajectory. The status information can enable urban computing for improving a city's transportation systems and land use planning. In our solution, we first identify and extract a set of effective features incorporating the knowledge of a single trajectory, historical trajectories and geographic data like road network. Second, a parking status detection algorithm is devised to find parking places (from a given trajectory), dividing a trajectory into segments (i.e., sub-trajectories). Third, we propose a two-phase inference model to learn the status (occupied or non-occupied) of each point from a taxi segment. This model first uses the identified features to train a local probabilistic classifier and then carries out a Hidden Semi-Markov Model (HSMM) for globally considering long term travel patterns. We evaluated our method with a large-scale real-world trajectory dataset generated by 600 taxis, showing the advantages of our method over baselines.
High dynamic range texture compression for graphics hardware

In this paper, we break new ground by presenting algorithms for fixed-rate compression of high dynamic range textures at low bit rates. First, the S3TC low dynamic range texture compression scheme is extended in order to enable compression of HDR data. Second, we introduce a novel robust algorithm that offers superior image quality. Our algorithm can be efficiently implemented in hardware, and supports textures with a dynamic range of over 109:1. At a fixed rate of 8 bits per pixel, we obtain results virtually indistinguishable from uncompressed HDR textures at 48 bits per pixel. Our research can have a big impact on graphics hardware and real-time rendering, since HDR texturing suddenly becomes affordable.
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Promotes Tumorigenesis via Induction of Neovascularization: Implication in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as a novel angiogenic factor, and yet its impact on tumorigenesis is unclear. This study aimed at investigating the roles of BDNF in angiogenesis and tumor development. Experimental Design: BDNF was overexpressed in a mouse endothelial cell (EC) line by stable transfection, and angiogenic properties of the transfectants were assessed. Microarray analysis was employed to explore the molecular pathways. The impact of modulating BDNF levels in two mouse EC lines on tumorigenic potential of a transformed mouse liver cell line was evaluated by an in vivo cotransplantation model. BDNF and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) protein levels were determined in 50 pairs of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Survival analysis was carried out to determine their clinical significance. Results: Overexpression of BDNF could promote EC proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. Microarray and molecular studies showed that RhoA, caspase-9, caspase-3, growth arrest specific 6, and VEGF could mediate BDNF/TrkB-induced angiogenesis. The cotransplantation experiment showed that high BDNF-expressing ECs could facilitate tumor angiogenesis and growth, whereas knockdown of BDNF by short hairpin RNAs impaired such effects. Furthermore, examination on human HCC tissues revealed upregulation of BDNF and TrkB protein levels in 46.0% and 33.3% of the cases studied, respectively. Immunohistochemistry disclosed strong BDNF reactivity in both tumor and endothelial cells. High TrkB expression was associated with shorter overall survival. Conclusions: BDNF/TrkB system was crucial for tumor angiogenesis and growth, which may represent a potential target for antiangiogenic therapy in HCC. Clin Cancer Res; 17(10); 3123–33. ©2011 AACR.
Safe substitution for service-based applications

In order to have desired levels of flexibility, service-based applications (SBAs) are dynamically adapted to replace constituent software services at runtime. These services are owned, provided, and developed by third parties, which makes it difficult to know whether such service components introduce undesirable features into the SBA. It requires a new method to ensure that the replacement or substitution is safe. This paper proposes an integrity-based substitution checking method and uses an adaptive Web application as an example for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Electronic properties of WC nano-compound: Compton spectroscopy and band structure calculations

We present the electronic properties of tungsten carbide (WC) nano-compound using the Compton scattering technique. We have measured the Compton profile (CP) of nano-powder using our 137Cs Compton spectrometer. To determine the theoretical CPs of WC nano-compound, we have employed linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) with Hartree-Fock and density functional theory. Although all the LCAO-based calculations show similar agreement with the experiment, the second-order generalised gradient approximation gives a marginally better agreement with the measured CP data. Layered structures and slight over-lapping in energy bands show a small role of exchange and correlation potentials in case of WC nano-compound, which is in contrast to bulk WC.
The Old and the New: Some Remarks on Phonology and its History

L'A. montre la maniere dont ont ete representees depuis plusieurs decenies les relations entre la phonologie generative et la phonologie pre-generative, le structuralisme americain. Il affirme que la continuite entre les travaux menes par Bloomfield et Harris (1930-1940) et ceux menes dans le cadre de la phonologie generative classique est bien plus importante qu'il n'est habituellement suggere. L'A. examine comment, a partir du milieu des annees 70, les phonologues generativistes ont consciemment developpe des relations entre leurs travaux et ceux des pre-generativistes
Drug-induced acute pancreatitis

The most common etiology for AP are gallstones and alcohol abuse. Other causes include iatrogenic injury (i.e. post-ERCP), metabolic and autoimmune disorders, inherited disorders, neoplasia (even intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasiaIPMN), anatomical abnormalities, infections, ischaemia, trauma and drugs (87). Additional investigations after recovery from the acute episode are recommended in patients with an episode of AP classified as idiopathic (68).
Proposing a Formal Method to Reduce RTS Logical Model Complexity

Complex real time systems (RTS) often come with many requirements, which have a difficult description with a large number of scenarios. In order to control this complexity and improve the system QoS, a formal method was applied to decrease the complexity of logical model descriptions, related to state diagrams. The approach introduces a mapping of states diagrams to automata, in order to bring in formal methods into the system development process. By applying the Myhill Nerode minimization process for automata, the authors could recognize some decrease of the model complexity. The case study validates the approach by reducing the initial state diagram of a RTS from 5 states and 40 transitions to 1 state with 5 transitions. This finding can motivate the software engineers' community to research formal methods that could be applied to software development processes.
An adaptive offset cancellation technique for adaptive filters

Offset may be introduced in the adaptation process in certain implementations of adaptive filters. The adaptive filters. The adaptive filter still converges with the offset, however, to nonoptimal tap weights with excess mean square error. Here, an offset cancellation technique, also adaptive, is proposed. A set of new taps is introduced to counteract the offset. The convergence of this adaptive cancellation technique is demonstrated analytically and by using computer simulation. >
Detection and classification of power quality event using wavelet transform and extreme learning machine

The objective of this paper is to detect the Power Quality Events (PQEs) by Wavelet Transform (WT) and classification by Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). Power Quality Events are non-stationary in nature and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is used to analyze those signal by Multi Resolution Analysis (MRA). In this approach, the distinctive features of PQ event signals have been acquired by applying the WT on all the spectral components and in order to analyze the performance of the proposed method on noisy conditions, three types of PQ event data sets are constructed by accumulating noise of 25, 35 and 45dB. ELM is an efficient learning algorithm for generalized single hidden layer feedforward networks (SLFNs), which is implemented to recognizing the various PQ fault classes. Based on very high performance under noiseless and noisy conditions, the proposed WT-ELM method has robust recognition structure that can be used in real power systems.
Infusion of Epinephrine Augments Pressor Responses to Mental Stress

Circulating epinephrine may facilitate neural release of norepinephrine both during and after periods of sympathoadrenal activation by stimulation of prejunctional β-adrenergic receptors. The present study was undertaken to examine possible effects and aftereffects of epinephrine on the hemodynamic reactivity to mental stress. To this end, two strictly standardized mental stress tests were performed in 14 normotensive men during and 1 hour after double-blind infusion of epinephrine (50 ngxkg-1xmin-1) or placebo given in random order. During epinephrine infusion, the systolic pressor response to psychosocial stress was augmented (+17 versus +10 mm Hg during epinephrine and placebo, respectively, p=0.02). This was associated with an attenuated post-stress recovery, with the result that the stress exposure induced a prolonged elevation of systolic blood pressure. Heart rate was elevated and diastolic blood pressure lowered during epinephrine infusion without any change in the reactivity to stress. One hour after the end of the epinephrine infusion resting heart rate was still maintained on a higher level independentiy of level of arousal, but heart rate and blood pressure responses to stress were unaffected. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that high circulating epinephrine levels amplify pressor responses to mental stress but do not support the suggestion that short-term infusion of epinephrine causes prolonged augmentation of blood pressure responses to psychosocial stress.
A generalized framework for compensation of mel-filterbank outputs in feature extraction for robust ASR

This paper describes a novel and efficient noise-robust front-end that utilizes a set of Mel-filterbank output compensation methods, together with cumulative distribution mapping of cepstral coefficients, for noisy speech recognition. The proposed compensation framework includes the use of noise spectral subtraction, spectral flooring and log Mel-filterbank output weighting. Recognition experiments on the Aurora II connected digit database have revealed that the proposed front-end achieves an average digit recognition accuracy of 83.46% for a model set trained from clean data. Compared with the recognition results obtained by using the ETSI standard Mel-cepstral front-end, these results represent a relative error reduction of around 58%.
Minimum Power Multicast Beamforming With Superposition Coding for Multiresolution Broadcast and Application to NOMA Systems

Multicast beamforming with superposition coding (SC) is studied for multiresolution broadcast where both data streams of high priority (HP) and low priority (LP) are to be transmitted for a user close to a base station (BS), while only data stream of LP is to be transmitted to a user not close to the BS (e.g., a cell-edge user). Using SC, a minimum total transmission power beamforming problem has been formulated to find beamforming vectors and powers for both users. For given normalized beamforming vectors, a closed-form expression for the optimal power allocation is derived from which an iterative algorithm is considered to find beamforming vectors. The proposed multicast beamforming with SC is applied to nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems to support multiple users as a two-stage beamforming method.
Shared control in hybrid vision/force robotic servoing using the task frame

Hybrid position/force control can be extended to incorporate visual servoing. Together with the task frame formalism (TFF), it forms the basis to easily model, implement and execute robotic tasks in an uncalibrated workspace, using traded, hybrid or shared vision/force control. This paper emphasizes shared control in which both vision and force simultaneously control a given task frame direction. Our work shows the usefulness and feasibility of a range of tasks using shared control. Moreover, it offers a framework based on the TFF to distinguish between different (and partly new) forms of shared control. Each basic form is illustrated by a robotic task with shared control in one direction. In addition, an extension to classify multi-dimensional shared control tasks is presented. As shown by the experimental results, the tasks at hand benefit from the shared control approach.
Finding low-rank solutions to smooth convex problems via the Burer-Monteiro approach

A rank-r matrix X ∈ ℝ<sup>m×n</sup> can be written as a product UV <sup>⊤</sup>, where U ∈ ℝ<sup>m×r</sup> and V ∈ ℝ<sup>n×r</sup>. One could exploit this observation in optimization: e.g., consider the minimization of a convex function ƒ(X) over rank-r matrices, where the set of rank-r matrices is modeled via the factorization in U and V variables. Such heuristic has been widely used before for problem instances, where the solution is (approximately) low-rank. Though such parameterization reduces the number of variables and is more efficient w.r. t. computational and memory requirements (of particular interest is the case r ≪ min{m, n}), it comes at a cost: ƒ(UV <sup>⊤</sup>) becomes a non-convex function w.r. t. U and V. In this paper, we study such parameterization in optimizing generic smooth convex ƒ, that has Lipschitz continuous gradients, and focus on first-order, gradient descent algorithmic solutions. We propose the Bi-Factored Gradient Descent (BFGD) algorithm, an efficient first-order method that operates on the U, V factors. We show that when ƒ is smooth and BFGD is initialized properly, it has local sublinear convergence to a globally optimum point. As a test case, we consider the 1-bit matrix completion problem: We compare BFGD with state-of-the-art approaches and show that it has at least competitive test error performance on real dataset experiments, while being faster in execution, as compared to the rest of the algorithms. We conclude this work with some remarks and open questions for further investigations.
Propagation mechanisms of guided streamers in plasma jets: the influence of electronegativity of the surrounding gas

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets for biomedical applications are often sustained in He with small amounts of, for example, O2 impurities and typically propagate into ambient air. The resulting poorly controlled generation of reactive species has motivated the use of gas shields to control the interaction of the plasma plume with the ambient gas. The use of different gases in the shield yields different behavior in the plasma plume. In this paper, we discuss results from experimental and computational investigations of He plasma jets having attaching and non-attaching gas shields. We found that negative ion formation in the He-air mixing region significantly affects the ionization wave dynamics and promotes the propagation of negative guided streamers through an electrostatic focusing mechanism. Results from standard and phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy ratios of emission from states of N2 and He imply different electric fields in the plasma plume depending on the composition of the shielding gas. These effects are attributed to the conductivity in the transition region between the plasma plume and the shield gas, and the immobile charge represented by negative ions. The lower conductivity in the attaching mixtures enables more extended penetration of the electric field whereas the negative ions aid in focusing the electrons towards the axis.
Clinical symptomatology and drug compliance in schizophrenic patients

ABSTRACT— The differences in the psychopathologic status of 26 compliant and 32 noncompliant schizophrenic patients were evaluated on the basis of rating scales used at discharge. Noncompliant patients had significatly higher scores for grandiosity, lack of feeling of illness and insight into it. Their score for global psychopathological state and disturbance in social adjustment was also significantly higher. The compliant patients had significantly higher score for self‐rated depression.
Cisplatin and fluorouracil alone or with docetaxel in head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND A randomized phase 3 trial of the treatment of squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck compared induction chemotherapy with docetaxel plus cisplatin and fluorouracil (TPF) with cisplatin and fluorouracil (PF), followed by chemoradiotherapy. METHODS We randomly assigned 501 patients (all of whom had stage III or IV disease with no distant metastases and tumors considered to be unresectable or were candidates for organ preservation) to receive either TPF or PF induction chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiotherapy with weekly carboplatin therapy and radiotherapy for 5 days per week. The primary end point was overall survival. RESULTS With a minimum of 2 years of follow-up (> or =3 years for 69% of patients), significantly more patients survived in the TPF group than in the PF group (hazard ratio for death, 0.70; P=0.006). Estimates of overall survival at 3 years were 62% in the TPF group and 48% in the PF group; the median overall survival was 71 months and 30 months, respectively (P=0.006). There was better locoregional control in the TPF group than in the PF group (P=0.04), but the incidence of distant metastases in the two groups did not differ significantly (P=0.14). Rates of neutropenia and febrile neutropenia were higher in the TPF group; chemotherapy was more frequently delayed because of hematologic adverse events in the PF group. CONCLUSIONS Patients with squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck who received docetaxel plus cisplatin and fluorouracil induction chemotherapy plus chemoradiotherapy had a significantly longer survival than did patients who received cisplatin and fluorouracil induction chemotherapy plus chemoradiotherapy. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00273546 [ClinicalTrials.gov].).
An improved diffusion driven watershed algorithm for image segmentation of cells

The image segmentation is one of the most crucial steps in automated analysis of medical and biological images. The segmentation process allows for a detection of object contours. Due to specificity of imaging technique, a correct detection of cell contours is problematic because of the fuzzy and broken edges. Moreover, the cells are very often connected. The modified watershed algorithm based on the diffusion model presented in this paper has been successfully applied to segmentation of cells where the mentioned difficulties appear. The method was tested in contact endoscopy, a novel technique in the diagnosis of the larynx.
Discriminating DDoS Flows from Flash Crowds Using Information Distance

Discriminating DDoS flooding attacks from flash crowds poses a tough challenge for the network security community. Because of the vulnerability of the original design of the Internet, attackers can easily mimic the patterns of legitimate network traffic to fly under the radar. The existing fingerprint or feature based algorithms are incapable to detect new attack strategies. In this paper, we aim to differentiate DDoS attack flows from flash crowds. We are motivated by the following fact: the attack flows are generated by the same prebuilt program (attack tools), however, flash crowds come from randomly distributed users all over the Internet. Therefore, the flow similarity among DDoS attack flows is much stronger than that among flash crowds. We employ abstract distance metrics, the Jeffrey distance, the Sibson distance, and the Hellinger distance to measure the similarity among flows to achieve our goal. We compared the three metrics and found that the Sibson distance is the most suitable one for our purpose. We apply our algorithm to the real datasets and the results indicate that the proposed algorithm can differentiate them with an accuracy around 65%.
The effects of heating and cooling on ultraviolet radiation‐induced erythema and pigmentation in human skin

Background/Purpose: As most biochemical systems are affected by temperature, thermal changes before or after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation could influence skin vascular blood flow changes and inflammatory responses. In this study, our aim was to investigate the influence of thermal changes on UV‐induced acute skin reactions, namely, erythema and pigmentation.
Multichannel Classification of Target Signals by Means of an SVM Ensemble in C-OTDR Systems for Remote Monitoring of Extended Objects

The report proposes a new method for multichannel classification of C-OTDR signals. The method is based on the use of an ensemble of SVM-classifiers and it is robust to the types of environments of seismoacoustic signals propagation. The report presents the results of practical application of the proposed method in systems for remote monitoring of extended (distributed) objects.
Proinflammatory cytokine-induced tight junction remodeling through dynamic self-assembly of claudins

Epithelial barriers are vital components of the innate immune system. This barrier is provided by tight junctions and compromised by proinflammatory cytokine signaling. Study of claudin 4 live-cell protein dynamics shows that tight junctions are self-assembling systems that undergo remodeling through heterotypic claudin incompatibility.
Diaquabis[5-(1-oxidopyridin-1-ium-2-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrazolido]manganese(II) dihydrate

In the title compound, [Mn(C6H4N5O)2(H2O)2]·2H2O, the MnII ion is situated on an inversion centre and is coordinated by the O and N atoms of two bis-chelating 5-(2-pyridyl-1-oxide)tetrazolate ligands and two O atoms of two water molecules in a distorted octahedral geometry. All the water H atoms are involved in O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds with uncoordinated water O atoms and tetrazole N atoms, which link the molecules into a three-dimensional network.