Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid routing in ad hoc networks with a dynamic virtual backbone

Virtual backbone routing (VBR) is a scalable hybrid routing framework for ad hoc networks, which combines local proactive and global reactive routing components over a variable-sized zone hierarchy. The zone hierarchy is maintained through a novel distributed virtual backbone maintenance scheme, termed the distributed database coverage heuristic (DDCH), also presented in this paper. Borrowing from the design philosophy of the zone routing protocol, VBR limits the proactive link information exchange to the local routing zones only. Furthermore, the reactive component of VBR restricts the route queries to within the virtual backbone only, thus improving the overall routing efficiency. Our numerical results suggest that the cost of the hybrid VBR scheme can be a small fraction of that of either one of the purely proactive or purely reactive protocols, with or without route caching. Since the data routes do not necessarily pass through the virtual backbone nodes, traffic congestion is considerably reduced. Yet, the average length of the VBR routes tends to be close to optimal. Compared with the traditional one-hop hierarchical protocols, our results indicate that, for a network of moderate to large size, VBR with an optimal zone radius larger than one can significantly reduce the routing traffic. Furthermore, we demonstrate VBR's improved scalability through analysis and simulations
New Enlightenment of Skin Cancer Chemoprevention through Phytochemicals: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies and the Underlying Mechanisms

Skin cancer is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Skin overexposure to ultraviolet irradiations, chemicals, and several viruses has a capability to cause severe skin-related disorders including immunosuppression and skin cancer. These factors act in sequence at various steps of skin carcinogenesis via initiation, promotion, and/or progression. These days cancer chemoprevention is recognized as the most hopeful and novel approach to prevent, inhibit, or reverse the processes of carcinogenesis by intervention with natural products. Phytochemicals have antioxidant, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, and carcinogen detoxification capabilities thereby considered as efficient chemopreventive agents. Considerable efforts have been done to identify the phytochemicals which may possibly act on one or several molecular targets that modulate cellular processes such as inflammation, immunity, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. Till date several phytochemicals in the light of chemoprevention have been studied by using suitable skin carcinogenic in vitro and in vivo models and proven as beneficial for prevention of skin cancer. This revision presents a comprehensive knowledge and the main molecular mechanisms of actions of various phytochemicals in the chemoprevention of skin cancer.
Capital Markets: Theory and Evidence

This paper is a review of the foundations and current state of mean-variance capital market theory. This work, whose foundations lie in the mean-variance portfolio model of Markowitz, deals with determination of the prices of capital assets under conditions of uncertainty. The Sharpe-Lintner capital asset pricing model which forms the core of this body of literature is an investigation of the implications of the normative Markowitz model for the equilibrium structure of asset prices. The essential characteristics of these models are reviewed along with the current state of the empirical evidence bearing on them. Many of the recent extensions of the theory are also reviewed and some attempt is made to integrate these extensions with the currently available empirical evidence.
ATOMI - AUTOMATED RECONSTRUCTION OF TOPOGRAPHIC OBJECTS FROM AERIAL IMAGES USING VECTORIZED MAP INFORMATION

The project ATOMI is a co-operation between the Federal Office of Topography (L+T) and ETH Zurich. The aim of ATOMI is to update vector data of road centerlines and building roof outlines from 1:25,000 maps, fitting it to the real landscape, improve the planimetric accuracy to 1m and derive height information (one representative height for each building) with 1-2 m accuracy. This update should be achieved by using image analysis techniques developed at ETH Zurich and digital aerial imagery. The whole procedure should be implemented as a stand-alone software package, able to import and export data as used at L+T. It should be quasi operational, fast, and the most important reliable. We do not aim at full automation (ca. 80% completeness is a plausible target). The paper will present in detail the aims, input data, strategy and general methods used in ATOMI. We will also present an overview of the results achieved up to now, and problems faced in building and road reconstruction. More detailed investigations of partial aspects for buildings and roads will be presented in two other papers at this Congress.
An information approach to regularization parameter selection under model misspecification

We review the information approach to regularization parameter selection and its information complexity extension for the solution of discrete ill posed problems. An information criterion for regularization parameter selection was first proposed by Shibata in the context of ridge regression as an extension of Takeuchi’s information criterion. In the information approach, the regularization parameter value is chosen to maximize the mean expected log likelihood (MELL) of a model whose parameters are estimated using the maximum penalized likelihood method. Under the Gaussian noise assumption such a choice coincides with the minimum of mean predictive error choice. Maximization of the MELL corresponds to minimization of the mean Kullback–Leibler information, that measures the deviation of the approximating (model) distribution from the true one. The resulting regularization parameter selection methods can handle possible functional and distributional misspecifications when the usual assumptions of Gaussian noise and/or linear relationship have been made but not met. We also suggest that in engineering applications it is beneficial to find ways of lowering the risk of getting grossly under-regularized solutions and that the new information complexity regularization parameter selection method (RPSM) is one of the possibilities. Several examples of applying the reviewed RPSMs are given.
Solving self-shadow problem of shape from shading in light source projected system

This paper presents a method, as a compensation to shape from shading, for reconstructing the shapes of self-shadowed regions. The method is based on the proposed principle that the distorted shape of a self-shadowed region should be enclosed within its boundary, in order not to destroy the global 3D result. It introduces the light source projected system, to simplify the problem and make it possible to recover the depth gaps across the self-shadowed data sections in rows. The parabolic interpolation can make a smooth connection of the reconstructed shadowed shapes with other regions. It has shown that this proposed method can improve the 3D results of shape from shading efficiently.
A Framework to Support the Designers of Haptic, Visual and Auditory Displays

When designing multi-sensory displays of abstract data, the designer must decide which attributes of the data should be mapped to each sense. Because each sense can perceive a number of properties the designer must make further decisions about which of the properties perceived by each sense to use in the mapping. However, the multi-sensory design space is large and complex and issues with sensory bias and sensory conflict can complicate the design process. Furthermore designers would also like to compare and contrast designs that use different haptic, sound and visual properties. Unfortunately this is difficult without a common framework for describing the perceived properties of each sense. This lack of common grounding also makes it difficult for designers to move between sensory modalities. For example, a designer of visual displays is required to learn new concepts if they wish to become proficient with haptic or sound displays.
Parametric Robust Structured Control Design

We present a new approach to parametric robust controller design, where we compute controllers of arbitrary order and structure which minimize the worst-case H∞ norm over a pre-specified set of uncertain parameters. At the core of our method is a nonsmooth minimization method tailored to functions which are semi-infinite minima of smooth functions. A rich test bench and a more detailed example illustrate the potential of the technique, which can deal with complex problems involving multiple possibly repeated uncertain parameters.
Why are errors-in-variables problems often tricky?

There are several identification methods designed for the errors-in-variables problem. In this paper we focus on discussing the underlying assumptions for several of these methods. Some assumptions are shown to have far reaching consequences. For example, if the noise-free input happens to be periodic, simple estimators that give consistent parameter estimates of the system parameters can easily be designed. If the variances of the input and output noises are unknown, some structural assumption must be added for the system dynamics to be identifiable. On the other hand, should the ratio between output noise variance and input noise variance be known, it is possible not only to estimate the system parameters consistently, but also to combine this with a reasonable estimate of the unperturbed input.
Structural Variability within Frontoparietal Networks and Individual Differences in Attentional Functions: An Approach Using the Theory of Visual Attention

Visuospatial attention allows us to select and act upon a subset of behaviorally relevant visual stimuli while ignoring distraction. Bundesen's theory of visual attention (TVA) (Bundesen, 1990) offers a quantitative analysis of the different facets of attention within a unitary model and provides a powerful analytic framework for understanding individual differences in attentional functions. Visuospatial attention is contingent upon large networks, distributed across both hemispheres, consisting of several cortical areas interconnected by long-association frontoparietal pathways, including three branches of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF I-III) and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF). Here we examine whether structural variability within human frontoparietal networks mediates differences in attention abilities as assessed by the TVA. Structural measures were based on spherical deconvolution and tractography-derived indices of tract volume and hindrance-modulated orientational anisotropy (HMOA). Individual differences in visual short-term memory (VSTM) were linked to variability in the microstructure (HMOA) of SLF II, SLF III, and IFOF within the right hemisphere. Moreover, VSTM and speed of information processing were linked to hemispheric lateralization within the IFOF. Differences in spatial bias were mediated by both variability in microstructure and volume of the right SLF II. Our data indicate that the microstructural and macrostrucutral organization of white matter pathways differentially contributes to both the anatomical lateralization of frontoparietal attentional networks and to individual differences in attentional functions. We conclude that individual differences in VSTM capacity, processing speed, and spatial bias, as assessed by TVA, link to variability in structural organization within frontoparietal pathways.
Toward indicative discussion fora summarization

Summarization of electronic discussion fora is a unique challenge; techniques that work startlingly well on monolithic documents tend to fare poorly in this informal setting. Additionally, conventional techniques ignore much of the structures that have the potential to serve as valuable features in the summarization task. We present several novel examples of such features, including the catalyst score, which is effective at identifying salient messages without looking at their content. We also describe and evaluate NewsSum, a prototype summarization system that is able to efficiently generate variable-length summarizations of Usenet threads.
Gemini GMOS/IFU spectroscopy of NGC 1569 – I. Mapping the properties of a young star cluster and its environment

We present Gemini-North GMOS/IFU observations of a young star cluster and its environment near the centre of the dwarf irregular starburst galaxy NGC 1569. This forms part of a larger and ongoing study of the formation and collimation mechanisms of galactic winds, including three additional IFU pointings in NGC 1569 covering the base of the galactic wind which are analysed in a companion paper. The good spatial and spectral resolution of these GMOS/IFU observations, covering 4740‐6860 A, allow us to probe the interactions between clusters and their environments on small scales. For cluster 10, we combine the GMOS spectrum with Hubble Space Telescopeimaging to derive its properties. We find that it is composed of two very close components with ages of 5‐7 Myr and5 Myr, and a combined mass of 7 ± 5 × 10 3 M� . A strong red Wolf‐Rayet emission feature confirms our young derived cluster ages. A detailed analysis of the Hα emission-line profile shapes across the whole field of view shows them to be composed of a bright narrow feature [intrinsic full width at half-maximum (FWHM)∼50 km s −1 ] superimposed on a fainter broad component (FWHM300 km s −1 ). By mapping the properties of each individual component, we investigate the small-scale structure and properties of the ionized interstellar medium, including reddening, excitation and electron densities, and for the first time find spatial correlations between the line component properties. We discuss in detail the possible mechanisms that could give rise to the two components and these correlations, and conclude that the most likely explanation for the broad emission is that it is produced in a turbulent mixing layer on the surface of the cool gas clumps embedded within the hot, fast-flowing cluster winds. We discuss implications for the mass-loading of the flow under these circumstances. The average radial velocity difference between the narrow and broad components is small compared to the linewidths, implying that within the IFU field of view, turbulent motions dominate over large-scale bulk motions. We are therefore sampling well within the outer bounding shocks of the expanding superbubbles and within the outflow ‘energy injection zone’.
Water Management in Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cells: Using Integrated Passive Micromixer

In a DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell), water management is a critical issue for enhancing DMFC power per- formance and lifetime. However, the methanol-water mixing tank for water management is difficult to be miniaturized and integrated into a micro-DMFC. This paper proposes an in-fuel cell micromixer, the self-vortical micromixer, which belongs to a passive micromixer, to perform methanol and water mixing inside a micro-DMFC. Experimental results demonstrate the design, fabrication, and testing results of the self-vortical micromixer integrated with the micro-DMFC, showing that the self-vortical micromixer has high fluidic mixing performance and can be oper- ated in the micro-DMFC as a methanol-water mixing tank for water management of the micro-DMFC. The power performance testing results demonstrate that the single cell of micro-DMFC, with the included self-vortical micromixer, exhibits a maximum power density of 21.27 mW/cm 2 .
Prefetching in World Wide Web

This paper considers the use of prefetching in WWW for reducing the perceived latency. We first look at a number of basic issues and tradeoffs in prefetching. Our analysis shows that, unless the traffic is very light or the prefetching efficiency is very high, statistical prefetching may not necessarily reduce perceived delay. We then present an implementation of deterministic prefetching in a hotlist manager.
Strengthening local governments: urban fiscal decentralization in India*

Municipal governments in India have encountered increasing demographic and social pressures in recent years. The pace of urbanization, albeit modest in nature in the recent years, has been creating serious problems for the provision of urban infrastructure in general and urban basic services in particular. The scenario has worsened in the context of growth of slums and squatter settle ments in various cities. Moreover, these urban areas appear to be the cynosure for investment – domestic as well as international – as a result of the adoption of the New Economic Policy that focuses on liberalization, fiscal adjustment, and financial sector reform. To reap the benefits of these trends, it is essential to achieve a world-class urban system, which – in turn – depends on attaining efficiency and equity in the delivery and financing of urban infrastructure. The states′ decrepit financial positions as well as the institutional fabric of most municipal governments exacerbate the problem. To overcome these constraints and challenges, various institutional, fiscal, and financial reforms have been initiated. Among them, the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, recognizes the principle of local self-government and offers constitutional recognition to urban local governments. But, the critical question is how far this Constitutional Amendment is successful. This paper is an attempt in this direction.
Temperature-gradient based test scheduling for 3D stacked ICs

Defects that are dependent on temperature-gradients (e.g., delay-faults) introduce a challenge for achieving an effective test process, in particular for 3D ICs. Testing for such defects must be performed when the proper temperature gradients are enforced on the IC, otherwise these defects may escape the test. In this paper, a technique that efficiently heats up the IC during test so that it complies with the specified temperature gradients is proposed. The specified temperature gradients are achieved by applying heating sequences to the cores of the IC under test trough test access mechanism; thus no external heating mechanism is required. The scheduling of the test and heating sequences is based on thermal simulations. The schedule generation is guided by functions derived from the IC's temperature equation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique offers considerable test time savings.
Multidimensional Range Query and Load Balancing in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are usually composed by spatially distributed devices able to monitor physical or environmental conditions (pressure, temperature, motion, etc.). This kind of networks were originally built with the idea of transmitting elementary information to external sinks for further processing and querying. Nowadays, the growth of sensors memory and computational capability together with the significant reduction of energy consumptions have changing the potential of sensor networks allowing in-network storage and processing. The W-Grid infrastructure follows a data centric approach that indexes data according to any number of attributes so that it is possible to query events of interest through multi-dimensional range queries. Differently from existing data centric solutions W-Grid does not use either sensors physical position (i.e. GPS) nor estimation of their positions. For this reason W-Grid can be applied to a wider number of scenarios than existing solutions, as it works both indoor and outdoor, and can be easily suitable to other kind of ad-hoc networks, such as mesh networks and wireless community networks. In this paper we describe how W-Grid is able to efficiently managing and querying data in wireless sensor networks and we report, by means of an extensive number of simulations, several performance measures of its efficiency in comparison with a well-know competitor solution in literature.
Weiterbildung, Arbeitszeit und Lohneinkommen

This paper analyzes the determinants, work-time and income effects of continuous vocational training in West-Germany on the basis of a 70% sample of the German Microcensus 1991 - a representative 1% cross-section sampIe of all German households. Several hypotheses about the influence of qualification, demographic effects, unionization and technological progress are explicitly tested combining additional data sources, notably the Mannheim Innovation Panel, 1993. The econometric analysis refers to West-German, male employees with a professional experience between 0 and 30 years. We find the probability of further training to be positively related to the level of schooling as weIl as vocational qualification - though less significantly. Technical progress, unionization and the aging of the population excert a positive influence on the probability of individual further training. Further training leads to considerable income effects, which range from 0% to 12% depending on the type and duration of further training undertaken. They are greater for shorter further training activities. Employees participating in further training also work longer. The work-time effects amount up to 9% according to the type and duration of training undertaken. Therefore income and wage effects differ from each other. Surprisingly far employees with a university or a technical college degree income effects are much lower.
Homology stratifications and intersection homology

A homology stratification is a filtered space with local homology groups constant on strata. Despite being used by Goresky and MacPherson [Intersection homology theory: II, Inventiones Mathematicae, 71 (1983) 77-129] in their proof of topological invariance of intersection homology, homology stratifications do not appear to have been studied in any detail and their properties remain obscure. Here we use them to present a simplified version of the Goresky-MacPherson proof valid for PL spaces, and we ask a number of questions. The proof uses a new technique, homology general position, which sheds light on the (open) problem of defining generalised intersection homology.
Vehicle Movement Tracking Using Online Map with Real-Time Live Video in 3G Network

For several years, location based information services have been studied and implemented in various fields including mobile communication and ubiquitous computing to gain advantages for their usage and their convergence services nature. One of the most powerful ways to personalize mobile services is based on location. There has been a tremendous increasing number of researches as well as development both hardware and software to reach an ultimate goal and understanding about Location Based System (LBS) including satellite-based LBS which provided many services such as emergency rescue, logistics control, and navigation. In addition, the recent available integration of Online map API such as Yahoo and Google within wireless 3G networks (WIBRO or WIMAX), have opened a new page of interest and researches to developers as well as students with telecommunication academic background. However, seeing the movement of vehicle on the online map is not good enough. Therefore, a real-time video streaming from vehicle is also integrated. In this study, we develop a system which provides a virtual look and feel interface of vehicle movement on the online map with an integration of real-time live video from the vehicle. We have decided to use DCCP (Datagram Congestion Control Protocol) as the main transport protocol in order to stream the video. This system is also utilized in disaster prevention and emergency system such as fire prevention, emergency rescue and lost child systems. Test and experimental implementation of the system gave us a positive result. However, as our system is first developed, a lot of improvements are needed to make the system better and accurate.