Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real-time object recognition: hierarchical image matching in a parallel virtual machine environment

This paper describes an approach to high performance image matching, which includes parallel feature detection and hierarchical image matching. To improve the performance of the traditional image matching algorithms, we adopted interesting points as feature points to reduce the redundant edge points and proposed a parallel guided image matching scheme by using Hausdorff distance. A series of experiments have been conducted and the results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in terms of speed-up and matching accuracy.
An SiC-MOSFET-Based Nine-Switch Single-Stage Three-Phase AC–DC Isolated Converter

Three-phase power factor correction rectifiers followed by a dc–dc isolated converter are widely used for conversion of three-phase ac to isolated dc output used for high-power telecommunication loads. In this paper, a reduced device count nine-switch converter topology, which integrates the two stages of a conventional three-phase ac–dc power supply with an isolated dc output voltage for telecom applications is proposed. A novel modulation scheme using three separate 120$^{\circ }$ phase-shifted high-frequency carriers for the three legs of the proposed converter is developed to drive the switches. It is shown that such modulation scheme leads to interleaved operation of the three dc–dc resonant converters integrated within the proposed topology resulting in low output dc voltage ripple. Justification is provided for the choice of the SiC MOSFET as the enabling technology for the converter. The proposed system with the modulation scheme is validated with a 1.5-kW laboratory prototype, which meets the Energy Star 80PLUS platinum efficiency standard for all loads.
On the effect of word frequency on distributional similarity

The dependency of word similarity in vector space models on the frequency of words has been noted in a few studies, but has received very little attention. We study the influence of word frequency in a set of 10 000 randomly selected word pairs for a number of different combinations of feature weighting schemes and similarity measures. We find that the similarity of word pairs for all methods, except for the one using singular value decomposition to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space, is determined to a large extent by the frequency of the words. In a binary classification task of pairs of synonyms and unrelated words we find that for all similarity measures the results can be improved when we correct for the frequency bias.
Electron-Beam Deposition of Superconducting Molybdenum Thin Films for the Development of Mo/Au TES X-ray Microcalorimeter

We are exploring the properties of electron-beam evaporated molybdenum thin films on silicon nitride coated silicon wafers at substrate temperatures between room temperature and 650°C. The temperature dependence of film stress, transition temperature, and electrical properties are presented. X-ray diffraction measurements are performed to gain information on molybdenum crystallite size and growth. Results show the dominant influence of the crystallite size on the intrinsic properties of our films. Wafer-scale uniformity, wafer yield, and optimal thermal bias regime for TES fabrication are discussed.
DNA-Functionalized Nanotube Membranes with Single-Base Mismatch Selectivity

We describe synthetic membranes in which the molecular recognition chemistry used to accomplish selective permeation is DNA hybridization. These membranes contain template-synthesized gold nanotubes with inside diameters of 12 nanometers, and a “transporter” DNA-hairpin molecule is attached to the inside walls of these nanotubes. These DNA-functionalized nanotube membranes selectively recognize and transport the DNA strand that is complementary to the transporter strand, relative to DNA strands that are not complementary to the transporter. Under optimal conditions, single-base mismatch transport selectivity can be obtained.
Hybridising Collaborative Filtering and Trust-aware Recommender Systems

Recommender systems (RS) aim to predict items that users would appreciate, over a list of items. In evaluation of recommender systems, two issues can be defined: accuracy of prediction which implies the satisfaction of the user, coverage which implies the percentage of satisfied users. Collaborative filtering (CF) is the master approach in this domain, but still has some weaknesses especially about coverage. Trust-aware approach is today another promising approach in RS within social environments, whose prediction exceeds the quality of (CF). In this paper we propose several strategies to hybridize those both approaches in order to improve prediction quality, in the term of accuracy and coverage.
A Review of Water Isotopes in Atmospheric General Circulation Models : Recent Advances and Future Prospects

Stable water isotopologues, mainly H 2 O, HHO (HDO), and H2 18O, are useful tracers for processes in the global hydrological cycle.The incorporation of water isotopes into Atmospheric General CirculationModels (AGCMs) since 1984 has helped scientists gain substantial new insights into our present and past climate. In recent years, there have been several significant advances in water isotopes modeling in AGCMs.This paper reviews and synthesizes key advances accomplished in modeling (1) surface evaporation, (2) condensation, (3) supersaturation, (4) postcondensation processes, (5) vertical distribution of water isotopes, and (6) spatial δ O-temperature slope and utilizing (1) spectral nudging technique, (2) higher model resolutions, and (3) coupled atmosphereocean models. It also reviews model validation through comparisons of model outputs and ground-based and spaceborne measurements. In the end, it identifies knowledge gaps and discusses future prospects of modeling and model validation.
Closed-Loop Control of FES-Assisted Arm-Free Standing in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury : A Feasibility Study Running

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to show that the design of a neuroprosthesis for unsupported (arm-free) standing is feasible. We review findings suggesting that a closed-loop controlled functional electrical stimulation (FES) system should be able to facilitate arm-free quiet standing in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Particularly, this manuscript identifies: 1) a control strategy that accurately mimics the strategy healthy individuals apply to regulate the ankle joint position during quiet standing, and 2) the degrees of freedom (DOF) of the redundant, closed-chain dynamic system of bipedal stance that have to be regulated to facilitate stable standing. Methods and Results: First, we utilized a single DOF model of quiet standing (inverted pendulum) to analytically identify a proportional and derivative (PD) feedback controller that regulates the ankle torque in a physiological manner despite a long sensory-motor time delay. Second, these theoretical results were experimentally validated by implementing the proposed PD controller to stabilize an individual with SCI during quiet standing. Third, a realistic, three-dimensional dynamic model of quiet standing with twelve DOF was used to determine the optimal combination of the minimum number of DOF that need to be regulated with the PD controller to ensure stability during quiet standing. Finally, perturbation simulations confirmed that the kinematics of this system are similar
xurban sprawl increases the extinction probability of a threatened tortoise due o pet collections

Human behavior is an important factor in understanding the impact of exurban sprawl (i.e. low-density rural home development) on native species. We studied the long-term effect of pet collection on populations of the threatened spur-thighed tortoise by residents of exurban areas in southeastern Spain. We built a system dynamic model using authors’ own data and bibliographic data about tortoise population dynamics, the housing development dynamics, and the behavior of local residents toward this species. The model includes two submodels (spur-thighed population dynamics and households dynamics) interystem dynamics estudo graeca xurban sprawl connected through a tortoise collection submodel. Simulations showed that exurban intensity (i.e. size of a housing development) is essential in determining the intensity and speed of tortoise population decrease. Populations may become extinct due to collection in areas around medium to large housing developments (above 650 houses). Low housing development causes a considerable reduction of original population levels (more than 14%). Environmental education program by itself, with the aim of reducing the willingness of new residents to keep tortoises in captivity, does not seem very effective. The qualhich ation lopm urba ity and the speed with w effectiveness of the educ of policies of strong deve reducing the impact of ex
The language of film: corpora and statistics in the search for authenticity. Notting Hill (1998), a case study

Recent research projects conducted jointly by a number of Italian universities (Trieste, Padua, Pavia, Pisa) have borne such names as CITATAL, LINGUATEL, DIDACTAS, etc. Dissecting the acronyms, the terms ‘corpus’, ‘text’, ‘text analysis’, ‘translation’, ‘dubbing’ and ‘subtitling’ regularly emerge, and it is the purpose of this paper to focus on just these aspects of a much wider range of research interests represented in the various projects. In short, the texts for analysis are film scripts, subsequently to be translated and adapted for dubbing or subtitling. The corpora of spoken language provide a means of comparing the film ‘texts’ —both scripts and transcriptions— with genuine oral language. The data emerging from the comparisons provides information about speech characteristics that the translator and dubber or subtitler need to be aware of in adapting a film text and transferring it to another language and culture. It is now well known, especially in screen translation circles, that film scripts generally fall short of capturing the varied and subtle characteristics of spontaneous dialogue, though it is less clear exactly how and to what extent such language fails in this respect. The Trieste branch of the research group thus set out to analyse the components of both spontaneous talk and screen discourse over a wide range of film and television material including feature films, TV soap operas, cartoons,
GRelC DAS: A Grid-DB Access Service for gLite Based Production Grids

Production grids such as EGEE allow scientists and researchers using aggregated computational power and storage resources. Many users/virtual organizations (VOs) e.g., bioinformatics, astrophysics, etc., need relational databases for their experiments. However, the EGEE middleware (gLite) lacks ad hoc software, and other available solutions are not currently suitable for this purpose within a gLite based environment. We present the GRelC data access service, a data grid access service developed by the GRelC team (SPACI Consortium and University of Salento) showing up how this component could be integrated within the EGEE grid. Deployment on the GILDA testbed as well as porting issues on gLite middleware are also proposed.
Use of Taylor-Aris Dispersion for Measurement of a Solute Diffusion Coefficient in Thin Capillaries

A method for the fast measurement of the diffusion coefficients of both small and large molecules in thin capillaries is reported. The method relies on Taylor-Aris dispersion theory and uses standard instrumentation for capillary zone electrophoresis. With this equipment, which consists of thin capillaries (50 to 100 micrometers in inner diameter), an injection system, detector ports, and computer data acquisition, a sample plug is pumped through the capillary at known velocity and the peak dispersion coefficient (D*) is measured. With the experimentally measured values of D* and flow velocity, and knowledge of the inner diameter of the capillary, the molecular diffusion coefficient (D) can be rapidly derived. For example, for ovalbumin a D value of 0.759 x 10-6 square centimeter per second is found versus a tabulated value of 0.776 x 10-6 square centimeter per second (error, 2 percent). For hemoglobin a D value of 0.676 x 10-6 square centimeter per second is obtained versus a literature value of 0.690 x 10-6 square centimeter per second (error, 1.5 percent).
Enterprise Software and Service Innovation: Standardization Versus Customization

This paper analyzes the relationship between service innovation and different types of enterprise software systems, i.e. standardized enterprise software designed to fit one certain business sector and enterprise software specifically customized for a single firm. Using firm-level data of a survey among ICT service providers and knowledge-intensive service providers in Germany, this is the first paper empirically analyzing whether both types of enterprise software foster innovation in the service sector. The analysis is based on a knowledge production function. The results reveal that there is no relationship between sector specific enterprise software and innovation activity while customized enterprise software is possibly related to the probability of service innovation. The results stay robust if former innovation activity and general openness to new technologies are controlled for.
Tetraaquabis[5-(pyridin-3-yl)tetrazolido-κN 5]manganese(II) tetrahydrate

The title compound, [Mn(C6H4N5)2(H2O)4]·4H2O, was obtained by the solution reaction of MnCl2 and 3-(2H-tetrazol-5-yl)pyridine. The MnII atom, located on an inversion center, shows a slightly distorted octahedral geometry and is coordinated by two pyridine N atoms from two 5-(pyridin-3-yl)tetrazolide ligands occupying trans positions and four water molecules. In the crystal, the mononuclear complex molecules and solvent water molecules are connected into a three-dimensional framework by O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.
Multistatic Scenarios for a GPS SAR System

This paper presents research results in space-surface multistatic synthetic aperture radar (SS-MSAR) with non-cooperative GPS satellites. The effect of the system's geometry is investigated. We will show that in SS-MSAR, the spatial resolution depends on the geometry of the system, i.e. satellite-receiver-target positions relative to each other. General ambiguity function (GAF) and the point spread function (PSF) are defined in our case in a 3D case corresponding to our study. These criteria are then computed, and compared, for several scenarios including one (bistatic case) to three emitters (multistatic case).
Relations between Students’ Motivation, and Perceptions of the Learning Environment

In this research, we have examined the characteristics of university students’ motivation and its connection with perceptions of the learning environment. Higher education teachers often find it challenging to decide how to organize their lectures and what instructional strategy they should use to be most effective. Therefore, we endeavoured to determine which characteristics of the learning environment best predict the motivational orientation of students and their satisfaction with the course. The survey included 120 postgraduate students of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana. In order to measure their motivation, we employed several scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich etal., 1991). For the purpose of this research, we created a new questionnaire for their evaluation of the learning environment. The results revealed a high correlation between the intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, and control beliefs. The most important factors of the learning environment that are connected with the formation of intrinsic goal-orientation and the enjoyment of education are the perception of the usefulness of the studied topics, a feeling of autonomy, and teacher support. To an extent, these findings are supported by the findings of those authors who recommend using those methods of teaching that are in compliance with the student-centred understanding of teaching and learning.
Personality and Intellectual 1 Running Head: DECISION MAKING, INTELLIGENCE AND PERSONALITY Personality and Intellectual Abilities as Predictors of Intelligent Behavior Personality and Intellectual 2 Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between intellectual abilities and 

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between intellectual abilities and personality in predicting intelligent behavior, operationalized as good decision making practices. It examines certain personal characteristics that are hypothesized to lead to intelligent behavior, namely personality, emotional intelligence and subjective wellbeing. It aims at understanding how such personal characteristics influence decision making. It was hypothesized that the relationship between intellectual abilities and decision making would be mediated or moderated by the personality characteristics mentioned previously. Ninety seven participants took tests that assessed these factors. The analysis of the data revealed no significant correlation between intellectual abilities and decision making; neither was there a correlation between any of the personality factors and decision making or intelligence. It is suspected that the restricted population sample did not allow enough variance to show us any correlation.
Endobronchial ultrasonography-guided transbronchial needle aspiration increases the diagnostic yield of peripheral pulmonary lesions: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND The diagnostic yield of endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS)-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) for peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) has not been evaluated. The diagnostic impact of TBNA when the EBUS probe is adjacent to lesions remains to be determined. DESIGN A prospective, randomized trial. METHODS Two hundred two patients with PPLs and positive EBUS findings were enrolled. They were randomly classified into two groups. In the EBUS conventional diagnostic procedures (CDPs) group (103 patients), both transbronchial biopsy (TBB) and bronchial washing (BW) were performed. In the EBUS-TBNA plus CDPs group (99 patients), TBNA, TBB, and BW were performed. The diagnostic yield in each group was compared. RESULTS A total of 182 patients (94 in the EBUS CDPs group and 88 in the EBUS-TBNA plus CDPs group) were analyzed. The yield in the EBUS-TBNA plus CDPs group (78.4%) was significantly higher than the EBUS CDPs group (60.6%, p = 0.015). Cases in which the EBUS probe was located within the lesions had a significantly higher diagnostic yield (78.3%) than when the EBUS probe was adjacent to them (47.2%, p < 0.001). Concerning the three different techniques, TBNA showed the highest diagnostic yield (62.5%) in comparison to TBB (48.9%) and to BW (19.8%). The diagnostic yield of TBNA remained unchanged even when the EBUS probe was adjacent to the lesions (p = 0.89). No additional adverse effects were observed in the EBUS-TBNA plus CDPs group. CONCLUSIONS Applying TBNA to EBUS-guided CDPs further increased the diagnostic yield of PPLs without additional risk. The diagnostic advantage of TBNA became more obvious if the EBUS probe was adjacent to the lesions. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00626587.
Induction of hepatosplenic disease by single pairs of the Philippine, Formosan, Japanese, and Chinese strains of Schistosoma japonicum.

For a comparison of the ability of the four geographically distinct strains of Schistosoma japonicum to produce hepatosplenic disease, Swiss albino female mice were exposed to two or three cercariae each of the Philippine, Formosan, Japanese, or Chinese strains. Approximately 40% of them acquired one pair of worms, and the remainder were used as controls. For each geographic strain, at eight, 10, 12, 20, and 40 weeks after exposure to cercariae, 10 animals with bisexual infections and 10 controls were investigated for enlargement of liver and spleen, portal hypertension, fall in hematocrit, number of schistosome eggs in the liver, and histopathologic changes. The Philippine and Formosan strains were consistently the most virulent, the Japanese strain was intermediate in virulence, and the Chinese strain was least virulent. In spite of the continued accumulation of large numbers of eggs in the livers (reaching a peak of 103,000 in infections with the Formosan strain), hepatosplenic disease remained in a relatively steady state from 10 to 40 weeks or showed some amelioration (Philippine strain) at 40 weeks. This phenomenon appeared to be related to a marked decrease in the host's granulomatous response to the eggs as the infection progressed.
H∞ fuzzy output tracking control of an autopilot with actuator dynamics

This paper investigates the H∞ output tracking control system design of an autopilot applying Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model. The nonlinear dynamics of the autopilot are modeled as a two-rule fuzzy model. Based on the T-S fuzzy model, an observer-based controller is designed to achieve the required tracking performance. A compensator is proposed by using backstepping method to compensate for the influence of the actuator dynamics. Performance and stability analysis for the designed control system are deduced in this work. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed design.
Cross-genre Gender Identification in Russian Texts Using Topic Modeling Working Note: Team DUBL

In this paper, we describe the results of gender identification from Team DUBL. We used a topic modeling approach for identifying the author’s gender based on his/her written texts. The model was trained on the RusProfiling PAN 2017 Twitter Corpus that contains data in the Russian language. The model has been evaluated on texts of other genres, including texts such as letters to a friend, online reviews, Facebook posts and etc. Our model has obtained competitive results and has been shown to outperform more sophisticated algorithms on gender identification.
Evaluating evolvability of computer based systems architectures-an ontological approach

System evolvability is a system's ability to withstand changes in its requirements, environment and implementation technologies. The need for greater systems evolvability is becoming recognised, especially in the engineering of computer based systems, where the development, commissioning and replacement of large systems is highly resource intensive. Despite this need, there are no formal means for evaluating the evolvability of a system and thus no means of proving that one system is more evolvable than another. Recognising this, we review the nature of change and evolution with respect to computer based systems. We contend that a systems architecture is the best level of abstraction at which to evaluate its evolvability. An ontological basis which allows for the formal definition of a system and its change at the architectural level is presented and applied to the domain of computer based systems engineering. Utilising this definition of change we draw on the deeper ontological theories in order to establish a model of systems architecture evolution. This model is then applied to a small CBS for concept validation.