Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Speculative Computing of Recursive Functions Taking Values from Finite Sets

This paper concerns speculative parallelization as a method of improving computations efficiency and also as a method of reducing the problem solving time with reference to its sequential version. Speculative parallelization is proposed for a particular class of problems, described as recursive functions taking values from finite sets. It refers to speculative execution of consecutive iteration steps. Each of them, except the first one, depends on the preceding iteration step yet before it ends. Assuming that in the sequential version one iteration is performed in one linear execution time step (hereinafter referred to as computational step), then the aim of the speculative parallelization is the reduction of the total number of computational steps and thus execution of more than one iteration in one time step. The essence of the problem is that we assume some mapping schemes of arguments into the set of possible values of the function in speculative computing, i.e. there exists precise information about the possible values that the function can take for particular arguments. This paper presents simulation results for the chosen mapping schemes, illustrating how the number of steps, required to compute the value of the function for the given argument, depends on the structure of the mapping scheme and on the number of used parallel threads.
Next-to-leading order predictions for WW + jet distributions at the LHC

We present numerical results for the production of a W + W − pair in association with a jet at the LHC in QCD at next-to-leading order (NLO). We include effects of the decay of the massive vector bosons into leptons with spin correlations and contributions from the third generation of massive quarks. The calculation is performed using a semi- numerical method for the virtual corrections, and is implemented in MCFM. In addition to its importance per se as a test of the Standard Model, this process is an important background to searches for the Higgs boson and to many new physics searches. As an example, we study the impact of NLO corrections to W + W − + jet production on the search for a Higgs boson at the LHC.
Dense sampling of 3D color transfer functions using HDR photography

To apply brightness and color adjustments to projected images, the color transfer function (CTF) of the projector has to be known. We propose a novel approach to determine the CTF using a high sampling density, which is suitable for modern DLP projectors working with color wheels with additional primaries. Our approach is based on the principle of measuring patterns consisting thousands of color samples at once, using a DSLR camera and high dynamic range photography. To ensure high accuracy, additional correction patterns are introduced to compensate for the influence of the dynamic background light caused by displaying the patterns itself. Furthermore, several permutations of the samples in the patterns are captured to address spatial variances of both the projector and the camera. We show that our method achieves comparable accuracy to existing methods, but is one to two orders of magnitude faster. A 643 sampling of the CTF can be acquired in a few hours, compared to several weeks that sequential spot measurements would take. Additionally, we demonstrate that a different configuration of our method can be used to capture 173 samples extremely fast, indicating the applicability for cases where sparse sampling is sufficient.
Application of TCSC and SVC in damping oscillations in Bangladesh Power System

Oscillations in power system may appear due to normal changes in system configuration, addition of network components, rejection or addition of load, and due to forced outage of elements caused by faults and subsequent operation of the protection system. As power systems are highly non-linear and dynamic in nature, response to disturbances is essentially oscillatory. FACTS devices, such as Thyristor-Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC) and Static VAR Compensator (SVCs) have the potential to damp such oscillations. In Bangladesh Power System (BPS) network, bulk power is generated in the Eastern Grid and transmitted to the Western Grid by means of two East West Interconnectors (EWIs). Application of TCSC and SVC in damping oscillations in this interconnected system has been studied in this work. Modal analysis is performed to tune parameters of damping controllers of these FACTS devices.
Computational and Collective Creativity: Who's Being Creative?

Creativity research has traditionally focused on human creativity, and even more specifically, on the psychology of individual creative people. In contrast, computational creativity research involves the development and evaluation of creativity in a computational system. As we study the effect of scaling up from the creativity of a computational system and individual people to large numbers of diverse computational agents and people, we have a new perspective: creativity can ascribed to a computational agent, an individual person, collectives of people and agents and/or their interaction. By asking “Who is being creative? ” this paper examines the source of creativity in computational and collective creativity. A framework based on ideation and interaction provides a way of characterizing existing research in computational and collective creativity and identifying directions for future research.
New image processing tools for GRASS

In this paper we present a suite of new image processing tools for GRASS. New modules are suggested to support improved and semi-automated geocoding of vertical imagery. The ortho-recticatio n procedures have been extended to rectify oblique imagery from digital hand-held cameras for rendering purposes. Multi- and hyperspectral image analysis has been implemented to derive landuse/landcover maps at subpixel resolution. Image fusion with the Brovey transform is shown. We nally show high performance SMAP image classication on an openMosix cluster.
STAT1 Signaling in Astrocytes Is Essential for Control of Infection in the Central Nervous System

ABSTRACT The local production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is important to control Toxoplasma gondii in the brain, but the basis for these protective effects is not fully understood. The studies presented here reveal that the ability of IFN-γ to inhibit parasite replication in astrocytes in vitro is dependent on signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and that mice that specifically lack STAT1 in astrocytes are unable to limit parasite replication in the central nervous system (CNS). This susceptibility is associated with a loss of antimicrobial pathways and increased cyst formation in astrocytes. These results identify a critical role for astrocytes in limiting the replication of an important opportunistic pathogen. IMPORTANCE Astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the brain, and they are activated in response to many types of neuroinflammation, but their function in the control of CNS-specific infection is unclear. The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is one of the few clinically relevant microorganisms that naturally infects astrocytes, and the studies presented here establish that the ability of astrocytes to inhibit parasite replication is essential for the local control of this opportunistic pathogen. Together, these studies establish a key role for astrocytes as effector cells and in the coordination of many aspects of the protective immune response that operates in the brain. Astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the brain, and they are activated in response to many types of neuroinflammation, but their function in the control of CNS-specific infection is unclear. The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is one of the few clinically relevant microorganisms that naturally infects astrocytes, and the studies presented here establish that the ability of astrocytes to inhibit parasite replication is essential for the local control of this opportunistic pathogen. Together, these studies establish a key role for astrocytes as effector cells and in the coordination of many aspects of the protective immune response that operates in the brain.
Capture global Kad lookup traffic

Kad is the most popular P2P file sharing system. It is very difficult to capture all the users' lookup traffic because of its full distributed feature. Previous work could only monitors a subset of the lookup traffic. In this paper, we propose a lightweight method to monitor the global lookup traffic by inserting two ‘nearest neighbor’ peers into the peer at the last iteration of Kad lookup path. Since one of the inserted peer is closer than the last peer definitely, the user's search request would be redirected to the trap node. The experiment performed on eMule0.50a shows that this approach could capture most lookup traffic.
A Convex Formulation for Motion Estimation using Visual and Inertial Sensors

Most existing algorithms for vision-aided inertial navigation rely on linearization, and thus require good initial estimates of the state to operate reliably. In this paper, we present a method for computing such estimates in absence of prior motion information, by fusing the inertial measurements and observations of naturally-occurring point features extracted from images. Specifically, we propose a convex-minimization formulation, which is derived as an approximation to the optimal maximum-a-posteriori estimator. In this formulation, both the inertial and visual measurements are jointly used, and a robust cost function (bivariate Huber) is employed to provide robustness to outliers. Experimental results on both simulated and realworld data demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms competing methods by a significant margin.
Environmental Levies and Distortionary Taxation: Pigou, Taxation, and Pollution

Bovenberg and de Mooij (1994) showed that, in the presence of preexisting distorting taxes, the optimal pollution tax typically lies below social marginal damages. Many have viewed this result as a refutation of the so-called double dividend hypothesis,' which suggests that a tax on pollution can both improve the environment and reduce distortions in the tax system. Bovenberg and de Mooij's paper triggered a large literature on optimal environmental tax rates in a second-best world. In this note, I argue that the emphasis on tax rates is misguided. Using an analytical general equilibrium model, I show that for reasonable parameter values, an increase in tax distortions (arising from an increase in required tax revenues) leads to a fall in the optimal Pigouvian tax rate even while environmental quality improves. In general, knowledge of the direction of changes in optimal environmental tax rates due to changes in the economy is not sufficient for understanding the impact on environmental quality.
Disruption of cerebellar microzonal organization in GluD2 (GluRδ2) knockout mouse

Cerebellar cortex has an elaborate rostrocaudal organization comprised of numerous microzones. Purkinje cells (PCs) in the same microzone show synchronous activity of complex spikes (CSs) evoked by excitatory inputs from climbing fibers (CFs) that arise from neurons in the inferior olive (IO). The synchronous CS activity is considered to depend on electrical coupling among IO neurons and anatomical organization of the olivo-cerebellar projection. To determine how the CF–PC wiring contributes to the formation of microzone, we examined the synchronous CS activities between neighboring PCs in the glutamate receptor δ2 knockout (GluD2 KO) mouse in which exuberant surplus CFs make ectopic innervations onto distal dendrites of PCs. We performed in vivo two-photon calcium imaging for PC populations to detect CF inputs. Neighboring PCs in GluD2 KO mice showed higher synchrony of calcium transients than those in wild-type (control) mice. Moreover, the synchrony in GluD2 KO mice hardly declined with mediolateral separation between PCs up to ~200 μm, which was in marked contrast to the falloff of the synchrony in control mice. The enhanced synchrony was only partially affected by the blockade of gap junctional coupling. On the other hand, transverse CF collaterals in GluD2 KO mice extended beyond the border of microzone and formed locally clustered ectopic synapses onto dendrites of neighboring PCs. Furthermore, PCs in GluD2 KO mice exhibited clustered firing (Cf), the characteristic CF response that was not found in PCs of wild-type mice. Importantly, Cf was often associated with localized calcium transients in distal dendrites of PCs, which are likely to contribute to the enhanced synchrony of calcium signals in GluD2 KO mice. Thus, our results indicate that CF signals in GluD2 KO mice propagate across multiple microzones, and that proper formation of longitudinal olivo-cerebellar projection is essential for the spatiotemporal organization of CS activity in the cerebellum.
Two-stage approach to named entity recognition using Wikipedia and DBpedia

In natural language understanding, extraction of named entity (NE) mentions in given text and classification of the mentions into pre-defined NE types are important processes. Most NE recognition (NER) relies on resources such as a training corpus or NE dictionary, but collecting them manually is laborious and time-consuming. This paper proposes a two-stage approach based on nothing but Wikipedia and DBpedia to implement NER. This paper also addresses technical problems in developing Korean NER. In experiments, the proposed method can recognize NEs in short question sentences with 14.2% errors.
A Density Corrádi–Hajnal Theorem

Abstract We find, for all sufficiently large $n$ and each $k$ , the maximum number of edges in an $n$ -vertex graph that does not contain $k\,+\,1$ vertex-disjoint triangles. This extends a result of Moon [Canad. J. Math. 20 (1968), 96–102], which is in turn an extension of Mantel's Theorem. Our result can also be viewed as a density version of the Corrádi–Hajnal Theorem.
Impersonating spirits: The paranormal entertainer and the dramaturgy of the gothic séance

Magician Bob Neale talks about the notion of monkey movement in the practice of performing magic. For Neale the experience of performance magic is a playful movement between illusion and disillusion. The magician is the manager of this process playing a trickster by presenting magic (the illusion) but framing it as tricks (the disillusion). This chapter examines what happens when the disillusionment is taken out of performance magic, that is, when magic is performed as real within the frame of the Gothic Seance. The paranormal entertainer, who leads the seance, can be seen as coming out of a wider movement of performance magic known as the Bizarre. Bizarre magicians sought to re-enchant performance magic with the mysterious and the spiritual, (re)discovering meaning through storytelling and theatrical character. Many practitioners of the Bizarre would perform their magic tricks as real, a number choosing to remove any notion of trickery within their practice. Performers borrowed freely from goetic, pagan, psychic and Gothic cultural sources. Often known as hard bizarre this practice ultimately came under scrutiny by the magic community through ethical concerns of fakery and deception. The paranormal entertainer treads the fine-line of ambiguity within their performance practice. This chapter focuses specifically on the Gothic seance practice of the paranormal entertainer and the creation, through trickery, of a visceral experience of the dark and Gothic within the performance space. Borrowing from the folklore notion of ostension and by examining the staging of collective delusion; the paper will explore the creation of magic, spirits, the supernatural and the Gothic within the performance space of the Seance.
Efficient and dynamic bandwidth allocation for Non-Status Reporting Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON)

Upstream dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) for Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON) is an important design problem since the shared uplink carries many bursty streams of different QoS requirements and there are various practical system constraints on processing loads in the OLT (Optical Line Terminal) and the ONUs (Optical Network Units). We propose self-adaptive bandwidth allocation solutions, where the OLT allocates bandwidth among the ONUs in an efficient and responsive manner, and importantly, without requiring buffer status reports from ONUs. These solutions could allow design of simpler ONUs. Our first solution is based on simple estimation by the OLT of the sample gradient of the ONU buffer content and application of stochastic approximation for sequential updates of bandwidth allocations that minimize buffer contents. The second approach is a closed form solution that minimizes the sum of weighted throughput across all ONUs. We compare our solutions with DBA algorithms that require buffer status reporting and empirically demonstrate their advantages.
Policy Variability in Models of Endogenous Growth with Productive Spending

Existing theoretical analyses have shown that if policy variables affect investmentdecisions in either physical or human capital then an increase in policy variability results in higher trend output growth as individuals respond to higher uncertainty with a precautionary increase in these types of investment. In this paper I present two models in which policy variability arises from randomness in the provision of productive spending. In the first model, public spending enters as an input in the production technology of the economy. In this case I find that the sign of the policy variability-growth relationship depends critically on the technological parameters of the production function. In the second model, public spending is an input on the education sector of the economy. In this case I find that policy variability is always growth retarding as individuals respond to increased uncertainty by actually reducing rather than increasing their investment in human capital.
CORTICAL SURFACE FLATTENING : A QUASICONFORMAL APPROACH USING CIRCLE PACKINGS

Comparing the location and size of functional brain activity across subjects is difficult due to individual differences in folding patterns and functional foci are often buried within cortical sulci. Cortical flat mapping is a tool which can address these problems by taking advantage of the two-dimensional sheet topology of the cortical surface. Flat mappings of the cortex assist in simplifying complex information and may reveal spatial relationships in functional and anatomical data that were not previously apparent. Metric and areal flattening algorithms have been central to brain flattening efforts to date. However, it is mathematically impossible to flatten a curved surface in 3-space without introducing metric and areal distortion. Nevertheless, the Riemann Mapping Theorem of complex function theory implies that it is theoretically possible to preserve conformal (angular) information under flattening. In this paper we present a novel approach for creating flat maps of the brain that involves a computer realization of the 150-year-old Riemann Mapping Theorem. This approach uses a circle packing algorithm to compute an essentially unique (i.e. up to Möbius transformations), discrete approximation of a conformal mapping from the cortical surface to the plane or the sphere. Conformal maps are very versatile and offer a variety of visual presentations and manipulations. Maps can be displayed in three geometries: the Euclidean and hyperbolic planes, and the sphere. A wide variety of Möbius transformations can be used to zoom and focus the maps in a particular region of interest. Conformal maps are mathematically unique and canonical coordinate systems can also be specified on these maps. Although conformal maps do not attempt to preserve linear or areal information, locally they appear Euclidean. Conformal information allows shape to be preserved. In this paper we describe our approach and present some of advantages of conformal flattening using circle packings. We discuss the notion of a conformal structure on a surface, and describe the three geometries of constant curvature surfaces where our maps reside, as well as classical conformal automorphisms (Möbius transformations) of these surfaces. We describe how circle packing can be used to obtain quasi-conformal mappings of surfaces and demonstrate the advantages of this approach by producing quasi-conformal flat maps with data from the Visible Man and from an MRI volume of the human cerebellum.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment of body dysmorphic disorder

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This article reviews the research support for CBT in BDD, describes in detail some of the important considerations when administering CBT in this challenging patient group, and reviews some of the behavioral and cognitive techniques that can be used. In addition, this article identifies three basic principles for clinicians to keep in mind when providing medical treatments for BDD patients. While patients should ordinarily be referred to experienced therapists for CBT, knowledge of the basic principles and techniques can enable medical providers who are not trained in CBT to both make better referrals for treatment and work most effectively with the therapist and BDD patient.
Identification of Two Critically Deleted Regions within Chromosome Segment 7q35-q36 in EVI1 Deregulated Myeloid Leukemia Cell Lines

Chromosomal rearrangements involving the EVI1 proto-oncogene are a recurrent finding in myeloid leukemias and are indicative of a poor prognosis. Rearrangements of the EVI1 locus are often associated with monosomy 7 or cytogenetic detectable deletions of part of 7q. As EVI1 overexpression alone is not sufficient to induce leukemia, loss of a 7q tumour suppressor gene might be a required cooperating event. To test this hypothesis, we performed high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization analysis of twelve EVI1 overexpressing patients and three EVI1 deregulated cell lines to search for 7q submicroscopic deletions. This analysis lead to the delineation of two critical regions, one of 0.39 Mb on 7q35 containing the CNTNAP2 gene and one of 1.33 Mb on chromosome bands 7q35–q36 comprising nine genes in EVI1 deregulated cell lines. These findings open the way to further studies aimed at identifying the culprit EVI1 implicated tumour suppressor genes on 7q.
FPGA-based neuro-architecture intrusion detection system

These daypsilas intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are playing an essential part of any network security system. A challenging task in designing such IDSs is the ability of detecting the system attacks at a high speed and with an acceptable accuracy. In this work, an IDS system is proposed and designed with two keys of success; its neuro-architecture, and the FPGA-based implementation of this architecture. The neuro-architecture of the proposed system provides not only systempsilas capability of detecting attacks that are not included in the training sets, but also fast decision due to the natural parallelism propriety of the neural networks. Also, the software implementation of the proposed system is explained. Furthermore, an FPGA-based implementation of the system is illustrated to provide an extra enhancement of system speed. Besides, the FPGA-based implementation provides an improved scope of boosting security over the software-based system.