Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Hardness of SAT Instances

The search of a precise measure of what hardness of SAT instances means for state-of-the-art solvers is a relevant research question. Among others, the space complexity of treelike resolution (also called hardness), the minimal size of strong backdoors and of cycle-cutsets, and the treewidth can be used for this purpose. We propose the use of the tree-like space complexity as a solid candidate to be the best measure for solvers based on DPLL. To support this thesis we provide a comparison with the other mentioned measures. We also conduct an experimental investigation to show how the proposed measure characterizes the hardness of random and industrial instances.
Contribution of Working Memory, Orthographic and Sentential Processing to Chinese Text Comprehension by Tibetan and Yi Students.

Two groups of 12-year-old ethnic minority (EM) users of alphasyllabary (66 Tibetan and 45 Yi) were compared with 42 Han Chinese students in comprehending Chinese narrative and expository texts, each with inferential questions requiring short open-ended written answers. Three constructs (verbal working memory, orthographic and sentential processing), each with two indicators, were hypothesized to predict text comprehension differentially in the three groups. A 43-item Students’ Approaches to Learning (SAL) scale showed the EM students might not have developed effective strategies in learning Chinese. A task x group MANCOVA with SAL as covariate showed substantial differences in the students’ performance. Multiple comparisons found group differences changed across tasks. Structural equation modeling, multiple regression analyses point to the significant and differential contribution of the constructs and the tasks to the two genres of Chinese text comprehension in the different groups. Educational implications include strengthening teaching the structure and function of Chinese characters, words, syntax and the need for adaptive curriculum materials.
Smooth tail-index estimation

The two parametric distribution functions appearing in the extreme-value theory – the generalized extreme-value distribution and the generalized Pareto distribution – have log-concave densities if the extreme-value index γ∈[−1, 0]. Replacing the order statistics in tail-index estimators by their corresponding quantiles from the distribution function that is based on the estimated log-concave density ˆ f n leads to novel smooth quantile and tail-index estimators. These new estimators aim at estimating the tail index especially in small samples. Acting as a smoother of the empirical distribution function, the log-concave distribution function estimator reduces estimation variability to a much greater extent than it introduces bias. As a consequence, Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the smoothed version of the estimators are well superior to their non-smoothed counterparts, in terms of mean-squared error.
In Vivo Characterization of Dynein-Driven nanovectors Using Drosophila Oocytes

Molecular motors transport various cargoes including vesicles, proteins and mRNAs, to distinct intracellular compartments. A significant challenge in the field of nanotechnology is to improve drug nuclear delivery by engineering nanocarriers transported by cytoskeletal motors. However, suitable in vivo models to assay transport and delivery efficiency remain very limited. Here, we develop a fast and genetically tractable assay to test the efficiency and dynamics of fluospheres (FS) using microinjection into Drosophila oocytes coupled with time-lapse microscopy. We designed dynein motor driven FS using a collection of dynein light chain 8 (LC8) peptide binding motifs as molecular linkers and characterized in real time the efficiency of the FS movement according to its linker’s sequence. Results show that the conserved LC8 binding motif allows fast perinuclear nanoparticle's accumulation in a microtubule and dynein dependent mechanism. These data reveal the Drosophila oocyte as a new valuable tool for the design of motor driven nanovectors.
Iterative cascade parallel N-FINDR algorithm for hyperspectral remote sensing image exploration

Hyperspectral remote sensing image processing has become a fast growing technique in the field of remote sensing. One of the most important hyperspectral remote sensing image processing is spectral unmixing that is to decompose a mixed pixel into a collection of endmembers their corresponding abundance fractions. N-FINDR is one of the most classical and commonly used endmember extraction algorithms. However, it is a time-consuming task, even in the parallel version. This paper considers a new parallel N-FINDR algorithm, called iterative cascade parallel N-FINDR algorithm, which improves the performance of parallel N-FINDR. In experiment, our proposed algorithm demonstrates high performance for endmember extraction.
A remark on the BA model of scale-free networks

The degree distributions of many real world networks follow power-laws whose exponents tend to fall between two and three. Within the framework of the Barabasi-Albert model (BA model), we explain this empirical observation by a simple fact. To that end we propose a modified BA model with one parameter that serves as a regulatory factor for the growth rate of added links in scale-free networks. The regulatory factor has something to do with the obvious fact that one link has two nodes. The modified model also allows to connect nodes by newly added links that do not necessarily emanate from new nodes. Another related model using the master equation is also given, from which the same power-law degree distribution can be derived.
Talking Robot and the Analysis of Autonomous Voice Acquisition

A talking and singing robot which adaptively learns the vocalization skill by an auditory feedback learning is being developed. In vocalization, the vibration of vocal cords generates a source sound, and then the sound wave is led to a vocal tract, which works as a resonance filter to determine the spectrum envelope. The robot consists of motor-controlled vocal organs such as vocal cords, a vocal tract and a nasal cavity to generate a natural voice imitating a human vocalization. The paper briefly introduces the construction of vocal cords and vocal tract for the realization of the talking robot, and then describes how the robot autonomously acquires the vocalization skill in the auditory feedback learning by listening to human talking and singing voices. The acquired voices were evaluated by listening experiments
A Depolarizing Chipless RFID Tag for Robust Detection and Its FCC Compliant UWB Reading System

A new chipless RF identification (RFID) tag design is presented in this paper to ease the detection of items in a real environment. For this purpose, we present multiple scatterers able to depolarize the incident wave to create a response in the orthogonal polarization. Measurements in anechoic chamber and in a real environment, when the tags are positioned on dielectric and metal objects, show their higher detection capability. For the first time, a study on the technique to increase the detection area with a simplified calibration step is carried out. This makes possible the detection of the tag on objects of various sizes and compositions, which is required in the majority of RFID applications.
Stochastic Reasoning for Uav Supported Reconstruction of 3d Building Models

The acquisition of detailed information for buildings and their components becomes more and more important. However, an automatic reconstruction needs high-resolution measurements. Such features can be derived from images or 3D laserscans that are e.g. taken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Since this data is not always available or not measurable at the first for example due to occlusions we developed a reasoning approach that is based on sparse observations. It benefits from an extensive prior knowledge of probability density distributions and functional dependencies and allows for the incorporation of further structural characteristics such as symmetries. Bayesian networks are used to determine posterior beliefs. Stochastic reasoning is complex since the problem is characterized by a mixture of discrete and continuous parameters that are in turn correlated by nonlinear constraints. To cope with this kind of complexity, the implemented reasoner combines statistical methods with constraint propagation. It generates a limited number of hypotheses in a model-based top-down approach. It predicts substructures in building facades – such as windows – that can be used for specific UAV navigations for further measurements.
Mechanistic insights into mutually exclusive splicing in dynamin 1

SUMMARY Mutually exclusive splicing is a strictly regulated pattern of alternative splicing. A specific group of mutually exclusive splicing events has been shown to be regulated by the formation of specific RNA secondary structures. This type of regulation has been shown to exist only in arthropods. The present study involved a detailed sequence analysis of human gene structures that undergo mutually exclusive splicing, which showed that this type of regulation may also occur in dynamin 1 in mammals. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the dynamin 1 orthologs in invertebrates did not share the same sequence features, which suggests that the regulatory mechanism has independently evolved in the mammalian lineage. Therefore, the emergence of this elaborate mechanism for mutually exclusive splicing may be attributable to mechanistic convergence.
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Anticlockwise or clockwise? A dynamic Perception-Action-Laterality model for directionality bias in visuospatial functioning

Orientation bias and directionality bias are two fundamental functional characteristics of the visual sys- tem. Reviewing the relevant literature in visual psychophysics and visual neuroscience we propose here a three-stage model of directionality bias in visuospatial functioning. We call this model the ‘ Perception- Action-Laterality ’ (PAL) hypothesis. We analyzed the research ﬁndings for a wide range of visuospatial tasks, showing that there are two major directionality trends in perceptual preference: clockwise versus anticlockwise . It appears these preferences are combinatorial, such that a majority of people fall in the ﬁrst category demonstrating a preference for stimuli/objects arranged from left-to-right rather than from right-to-left, while people in the second category show an opposite trend. These perceptual biases can guide sensorimotor integration and action, creating two corresponding turner groups in the population. In support of PAL, we propose another model explaining the origins of the biases – how the neurogenetic factors and the cultural factors interact in a biased competition framework to determine the direction and extent of biases. This dynamic model can explain not only the two major categories of biases in terms of direction and strength, but also the unbiased, unreliably biased or mildly biased cases in visuosptial functioning.
Modeling of Post-Incident Root Cause Analysis

: In today’s business environment the objective of an investigation of a digital incident often is not to trace the incident to its external source and prosecute the perpetrator. Rather, the objective may be determining the underlying root cause that permitted the incident to be successful and applying appropriate countermeasures to prevent its recurrence. Because digital incidents are not always from an external source, the focus often is upon the internal network and the people who use it. Frauds, abuses and other insider threats are, by most accounts, more common than externally caused events. In any event, such root cause investigations usually center upon the internal network, the entry point (especially in large-scale virus and worm infections) and the damage done during the incident.
Multidimensional tactons for non-visual information presentation in mobile devices

Tactons are structured vibrotactile messages which can be used for non-visual information presentation when visual displays are limited, unavailable or inappropriate, such as in mobile phones and other mobile devices. Little is yet known about how to design them effectively. Previous studies have investigated the perception of Tactons which encode two dimensions of information using two different vibrotactile parameters (rhythm and roughness) and found recognition rates of around 70. When more dimensions of information are required it may be necessary to extend the parameter-space of these Tactons. Therefore this study investigates recognition rates for Tactons which encode a third dimension of information using spatial location. The results show that identification rate for three-parameter Tactons is just 48, but that this can be increased to 81 by reducing the number of values of one of the parameters. These results will aid designers to select suitable Tactons for use when designing mobile displays.
Simple advice for injured hazardous drinkers: an implementation study.

AIM To evaluate the implementation of a screening and intervention procedure for hazardous drinkers in the routine praxis of an emergency service, without increasing the ED (emergency department) staff. METHODS Four stages of the implementation process were undertaken: exploration and adoption, programme installation, and initial implementation. Two hospitals participated, with a coordinator, four trainers and all the emergency nursing staff. Eligible patients were males over age 15 presenting at the weekend with a traffic injury. Screening was performed with five questions (the three items of alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT-C) plus two questions about drinking within 6 h before the crash). Hazardous drinkers and drivers who had driven while intoxicated were offered simple advice. The programme implementation was evaluated by reviewing the patients' forms and by interviews and surveys of the nursing staff. RESULTS The study lasted for 27 weeks. Knowledge and compliance with the programme were good. However, only 25% of the eligible patients were identified. Simple advice was accomplished by 94.7% of those in need of it. Although the majority of nurses felt at ease performing the intervention, 75% considered the programme as a work overload and only 21% reckoned that it was feasible for the emergency service. CONCLUSION The emergency setting poses important barriers to the implementation of brief interventions.
Integration of sketch-based ideation and 3D modeling with CAD systems

This thesis is concerned with the study of how sketch-based systems can be improved to enhance idea generation process in conceptual design stage. It is also concerned with achieving a kind of integration between sketch-based systems and CAD systems to complete the digitization of the design process as sketching phase is still not integrated with other phases due to the different nature of it and the incomplete digitization of sketching phase itself. Previous studies identified three main related issues: sketching process, sketch-based modeling, and the integration between the digitized design phases. Here, the thesis is motivated from the desire to improve sketch-based modeling to support idea generation process but unlike previous studies that only focused on the technical or drawing part of sketching, this thesis attempts to concentrate more on the mental part of the sketching process which play a key role in developing ideas in design. Another motivation of this thesis is to produce a kind of integration between sketch-based systems and CAD systems to enable 3D models produced by sketching to be edited in detailed design stage. As such, there are two main contributions have been addressed in this thesis. The first contribution is the presenting of a new approach in designing sketch-based systems that enable more support for idea generation by separating thinking and developing ideas from the 3D modeling process. This kind of separation allows designers to think freely and concentrate more on their ideas rather than 3D modeling. the second contribution is achieving a kind of integration between gesture-based systems and CAD systems by using an IGES file in exchanging data between systems and a new method to organize data within the file in an order that make it more understood by feature recognition embedded in commercial CAD systems.
Simulations of Marine Ecosystem Response to Climate Variation with a One Dimensional Coupled Ecosystem/Mixed Layer Model

Existing observations are inadequate to identify and to understand the processes by which oceanic and atmospheric variability affect the marine biota at climate scales. To aid in the identification and study of important processes, we employ a one-dimensional coupled mixed layer / planktonic ecosystem (Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton-Detritus) model of the subarctic Pacific Ocean. Increasing evidence indicates that the subarctic Pacific, along with the Southern Ocean and the equatorial Pacific, are High Nutrient-Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regimes because of the scarcity of the micronutrient iron. Under the assumption that the availability of iron might vary as the climate varies, we test the response of our model to a simple formulation of iron limitation. Simulations with and without iron limitation of primary production by phytoplankton yield a difference of about a factor of two in the standing stock of zooplankton during the productive season, although changes in phytoplankton biomass are small. A similar difference in zooplankton biomass has been observed over a 30 year period in the eastern subarctic Pacific (Brodeur and Ware, 1992). The modelled result occurs whether we employ a linear or a quadratic formulation for zooplankton losses. An important implication of this result is that a doubling in zooplankton biomass would mean more food for fish populations, yet contemporary plans to monitor ocean productivity from satellites would detect only minor changes in phytoplankton biomass.
Organization of Intralaminar and Translaminar Neuronal Connectivity in the Superficial Spinal Dorsal Horn

The spinal dorsal horn exhibits a high degree of intrinsic connectivity that is critical to its role in the processing of nociceptive information. To examine the spatial organization of this intrinsic connectivity, we used laser-scanning photostimulation in parasagittal and transverse slices of lumbar spinal cord to stimulate presynaptic neurons by glutamate uncaging, and mapped the location of sites that provide excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input to neurons of the superficial laminae. Excitatory interneuronal connectivity within lamina II exhibited a pronounced sagittal orientation, in keeping with the somatotopic organization present in the pattern of primary afferent projections. Excitatory inputs to all classes of lamina II neurons arose from a wider rostrocaudal area than inhibitory inputs, whereas both excitatory and inhibitory input zones were restricted mediolaterally. Lamina I–II neurons exhibited cell type-specific patterns in the laminar distribution of their excitatory inputs that were related to their dorsoventral dendritic expanse. All cell types received excitatory input predominantly from positions ventral to that of their soma, but in lamina I neurons and lamina II vertical cells this ventral displacement of the excitatory input zone was greater than in the other cell types, resulting in a more pronounced translaminar input pattern. A previously unknown excitatory input to the superficial dorsal horn from lamina III–IV was identified in a subset of the vertical cell population. These results reveal a specific three-dimensional organization in the local patterns of excitatory and inhibitory connectivity that has implications for the processing of information related to both somatotopy and sensory modality.
HMM word recognition engine

We describe a hidden Markov model (HMM) based word recognition engine being developed to be integrated with the CENPARMI bank cheque processing system. The various modules are described in detail, and preliminary results are compared with our previous global feature recognition scheme. The engine is tested on words from a database of over 4,500 cheques of 1,400 writers.
Object Interconnections Distributed Callbacks and Decoupled Communication in CORBA ( Column 8 )

We’re changing gears in this column. Our recent columns have used a distributed stock quoting example to focus on different concurrency models for developing multithreaded server applications. In this column, we’ll start looking at another aspect of distributed object computing systems: decoupling the relationship between “clients” and “servers. ” Our examples to date have focused exclusively on request/response communication. In this approach, requests flow from client to server and responses flow back from server to client. In this column, we’ll discuss distributed callbacks and extend our stock quoting example to show why they’re useful. We’ll also briefly discuss the OMG Events object service [1], which supports decoupled peer-to-peer relationships between consumers and suppliers. We intend to cover the OMG Events object service in more detail in future columns.
JPEG for Arabic Handwritten Character Recognition: Add a Dimension of Application

The ultimate objective of any Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system is to simulate the human reading capabilities. That is why OCR systems are considered a branch of artificial intelligence and a branch of computer vision as well [Sunji Mori (1999)] Character recognition has received a lot of attention and success for Latin and Chinese based languages, but this is not the case for Arabic and Arabic-like languages such as Urdu, Persian, Jawi, Pishtu and others [Abdelmalek Z (2004)]. Researchers classify OCR problem into two domains. One deals with the image of the character after it is input to the system by, for instant, scanning in which is called Off-line recognition. The other has different input way, where the writer writes directly to the system using, for example, light pen as a tool of input. This is called On-line recognition. The online problem is usually easier than the offline problem since more information is available [Liana M & Venu G (2006)]. These two domains (offline & online) can be further divided into two areas according to the character itself that is either handwritten or printed character. Roughly, the OCR system based on three main stages: preprocessing, feature extraction, and discrimination (called also, classifier, or recognition engine) Figure 1.1 depicts the block diagram of the typical OCR system. Traditional OCR systems are suffering from two main problems, one comes from features extraction stage and the other comes from classifier (recognition stage). Feature extraction stage is responsible for extracting features from the image and passing them as global or local information to the next stage in order to help the later taking decision and recognizing the character. Two challenges are faced; if feature extractor extracts many features in order to offer enough information for classifier, this means many computations as well as more complex algorithms are needed. Thus, long processor time will be consumed. On the other hand, if few features are extracted in order to speed up the process, insufficient information may be passed to classifier. The second main problem that classifier is responsible for, is that most of classifiers are based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). However, to improve the intelligence of these ANNs, huge iterations, complex computations, and learning algorithms are needed, which also lead to consume the processor time. Therefore, if the recognition accuracy is improved, the consumed time will increase and vice versa. O pe n A cc es s D at ab as e w w w . ite ch on lin e. co m