Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Probing for Surface Mesh Generation through Delaunay Refinement

Surface mesh generation through Delaunay refinement is considered as a relevant alternative to the common marching cubes algorithm. One distinctive feature lies into the fact that it interleaves shape probing (through intersection with Voronoi edges) with refinement. The current implementations require seeding the refinement procedure for each connected component so as to guarantee that all components are properly discovered by the mesh refinement procedure. This task is often left to the user. Although this is an easy task for input polyhedral surfaces, it is not when the input surface is defined as an isovalue of an implicit function. In this report we propose an automatic seeding procedure which interleaves refinement, seeding and initialization steps with the qualities of the refinement and the guarantees of careful seeding.
Laughing with / at the national self: Greek television satire and the politics of self-disparagement

ABSTRACT This study engages with the cultural consequences of the self-disparaging politics of television satire. It focuses on an emblematic program of Greek television fiction, Oi Afthairetoi (MEGA channel, 1989–1991) and the ways it both constructs and ridicules a particular version of the Greek self, the “Neoellinas”. By proposing a wider understanding of the political side-effects of television satire, which have so far been mainly addressed within the study of political satire, it turns the attention toward the role of satirical discourse in a public’s view on its national self in times of change or transition. More specifically, while it recognizes the contradictory impact that satire can have on society, it applies the concept of “satiric misfire” as a means to understand satirical endeavors which reinforce rather than counter the problematics they set out to fight against in the first place.
Multiple, Developmentally Regulated Expression Mechanisms of Long-Term Potentiation at CA1 Synapses

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission at hippocampal CA1 synapses has been extensively studied, but the mechanisms responsible for its expression remain unresolved. We tested a hypothesis that there are multiple, developmentally regulated expression mechanisms by directly comparing LTP in hippocampal slices obtained from rats of two ages. At postnatal day 12 (P12), LTP was fully accounted for by an increase in potency (mean amplitude of responses excluding failures). This was associated with either an increase in AMPA receptor single-channel conductance (γ) or no change in γ, suggesting an increase in the number of AMPA receptors. At P6, LTP was explained by an additional two mechanisms. In the majority of neurons, LTP was associated with an increase in success rate and a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation. In the remaining neurons, LTP was attributable to an increase in potency. However, in contrast to P12 neurons, the potency increase was associated with a decrease in γ, suggesting the insertion of receptors with lower γ. We conclude that there are multiple expression mechanisms for LTP at CA1 synapses that are developmentally regulated. These findings suggest that a single class of synapse uses a number of different molecular mechanisms to produce long-term changes in synaptic strength.
Manifold embedding based visualization of signals

We address the problem of transforming statistically stationary waveform signals into their intrinsic geometries by embedding them into two or three dimensional space for the purpose of visualizing them. The graph Laplacian based manifold embedding algorithms basically generate geometries intrinsic to the signal characteristics under the conditions that it is smooth enough and sufficient number of patches are extracted from it. Especially, commute time is known to have the properties of shrinking the mutual distance between two points as the number of paths connecting them increases, which makes it possible to align the statistically different patches in the form of curves. Extensive experiment is conducted with speeches and musical instrumental sounds to investigate the relevance of the waveforms to their own inherent geometries.
Push-Pull: Deterministic Search-Based DAG Scheduling for Heterogeneous Cluster Systems

Consider directed acyclic graph (DAG) scheduling for a large heterogeneous system, which consists of processors with varying processing capabilities and network links with varying bandwidths. The search space of possible task schedules for this problem is immense. One possible approach for this optimization problem, which is NP-hard, is to start with the best task schedule found by a fast deterministic task scheduling algorithm and then iteratively attempt to improve the task schedule by employing a general random guided search method. However, such an approach can lead to extremely long search times, and the solutions found are sometimes not significantly better than those found by the original deterministic task scheduling algorithm. In this paper, we propose an alternative strategy, termed Push-Pull, which starts with the best task schedule found by a fast deterministic task scheduling algorithm and then iteratively attempts to improve the current best solution using a deterministic guided search method. Our simulation results show that given similar runtimes, the Push-Pull algorithm performs well, achieving results similar to or better than all of the other algorithms being compared.
Are Quantum Computing Models Realistic

The commonly used circuit model of quantum computing leaves out the problems of imprecision in the initial state preparation, particle statistics (indistinguishability of particles belonging to the same quantum state), and error correction (current techniques cannot correct all small errors). The initial state in the circuit model computation is obtained by applying potentially imprecise Hadamard gate operations whereas useful quantum computation requires a state with no uncertainty. We review some limitations of the circuit model and speculate on the question if a hierarchy of quantum-type computing models exists.
GRB 051022: Physical Parameters and Extinction of a Prototype Dark Burst

GRB 051022 was undetected to deep limits in early optical observations, but precise astrometry from radio and X-rays showed that it most likely originated in a galaxy at z ≈ 0.8. We report radio, optical, near-infrared, and X-ray observations of GRB 051022. Using the available X-ray and radio data, we model the afterglow and calculate its energetics, finding it to be an order of magnitude lower than that of the prompt emission. The broadband modeling also allows us to precisely define various other physical parameters and the minimum required amount of extinction to explain the absence of an optical afterglow. Our observations suggest a high extinction, at least 2.3 mag in the infrared (J) and at least 5.4 mag in the optical (U) in the host-galaxy rest frame. Such high extinctions are unusual for GRBs and likely indicate a geometry where our line of sight to the burst passes through a dusty region in the host that is not directly colocated with the burst itself.
Fault Detection in Software Code Fault Detection in Software Code

Inspections and testing are two fault detection techniques used to find faults in software programs. In the area of cognitive science, testing is often referred to as debugging, which also could consist of finding faults after compiling. In this report debugging is used as the technique to find faults when one knows that a fault exists in the program. The debugging strategy is often preceeded by some sort of testing. Inspections is used when one is manually looking for faults without knowing whether there exists any.
Comparison and design of VCOs for ultra-low power CMOS temperature sensors

Voltage controller oscillator (VCO) based CMOS temperature sensors are capable of lower power operation (albeit at the cost of sensitivity and resolution) than their BJT counterparts. The power consumption of the sense and conversion blocks is much lower than the VCO itself and hence any further power reduction would be a daunting task. In this work, we compare the performance of three types of VCOs that are suitable for ultra-low power CMOS temperature sensing. The proposed VCOs have been implemented in 150 nm standard CMOS technology, and are biased in sub-threshold region to ensure ultra-low power operation. The frequency of operation for the VCOs is purposely kept low in order to reduce the switching losses. The Differential Cross Coupled (DCC) VCO shows the sensitivity of 1.66Hz/°C with power consumption of 2.5nW. While the Current Starved VCO shows better sensitivity, which is 3.66Hz/°C with power consumption of 12nW. The Transmission Gate-based VCO has the worst sensitivity of 0.28Hz/°C with power consumption of 3nW. Based on extensive simulations, we conclude that the DCC-based VCO is the best choice based on its medium sensitivity and ultra-low power consumption.
GitHubAnalyser: a Tool Detecting Class Correlations on Git Repositories

—We have realised a tool, dubbed GitHubAnalyser, performing data mining and analysis of GitHub repositories in order to gain several statistics on Java classes. The sought statistics aim at highlighting the correlation between classes, detected from the simultaneous occurrence of changes on a repository. The tool has been developed using MetricMiner2, a Java mining library, and MrJob that uses Python with the MapReduce model to compute data analysis in a distributed and parallel manner.
A Comparison of the Cognitive Restructuring Psychotherapy Paradigm and Several Spiritual Approaches to Mental Health

The present article suggests that a parallel exists between the cognitive restructuring paradigm of cognitive therapy and some evangelical and charismatic approaches to counseling. A brief examination of these respective literatures is included as well as a brief report of a psychotherapy outcome study attempting to combine these models. It is suggested that Christian counseling and psychotherapy can legitimately make more use of the techniques coming from within their own traditions.
Large-Scale Spatial Distribution Identification of Base Stations in Cellular Networks

The performance of cellular system significantly depends on its network topology, while cellular networks are undergoing a heterogeneous evolution. This promising trend introduces the unplanned deployment of smaller base stations (BSs), thus complicating the performance evaluation even further. In this paper, based on large amount of real BS locations data, we present a comprehensive analysis on the spatial modeling of a cellular network structure. Unlike the related works, we divide the BSs into different subsets according to geographical factor (e.g., urban or rural) and functional type (e.g., macrocells or microcells), and perform a detailed spatial analysis to each subset. After discovering the inaccuracy of the Poisson point process in BS locations modeling, we consider the Gibbs point processes as well as Neyman-Scott point processes and compare their performance in the view of a large-scale modeling test, and finally reveal the general clustering nature of BSs deployment. This paper carries out the first large-scale identification regarding available literature, and provides more realistic and general results to contribute to the performance analysis for the forthcoming heterogeneous cellular networks.
Can employment programs reduce poverty and social instability? Experimental evidence from a Ugandan aid program

Can cash transfers promote employment and reduce poverty in rural Africa? Will lower youth unemployment and poverty reduce the risk of social instability? We experimentally evaluate one of Uganda’s largest development programs, which provided thousands of young people unconditional cash transfers in small groups to pay for vocational training, tools, and business start-up costs. Survey results after two and four years let us assess level and growth effects on economic and social outcomes. We have four broad findings. First, despite a lack of central monitoring and accountability, most youth groups invest the majority of the transfer in individual vocational skills and tools, suggesting that youth groups can be forward-looking investors even with large sums of cash. Second, the economic impacts are large: hours of non-household employment double and cash earnings increase by roughly half relative to the control group. We estimate the transfer yields a real annual return on capital of 35% on average. Third, midterm results suggest that poverty and poor access to credit is a major reason youth cannot start these vocations in the absence of aid. Much of the variation in impact is unexplained, however, and conventional measures of ability have little predictive power, suggesting we have much to learn about entrepreneurship. Finally, these economic gains have small social and security externalities in both the short and long run. Measures of social cohesion and community support within the 2-year horizon improve by roughly 0 to 10%, especially among males, most likely because the youth becomes a net giver rather than a net taker in his kin and community network. Most strikingly, after 2 years we see a 50% fall in interpersonal aggression and disputes among males, but a 50% increase among females. Neither change seems related to economic performance nor does social cohesion. The disappearance after 4 years suggest these may have been aberrations, and is more in line with the modest social effects of this significant poverty reduction. These results suggest that unconditional cash transfers may be a more cost-effective form of large-scale aid than commonly believed, and that increasing access to credit and capital could stimulate employment growth in rural Africa, albeit with more limited positive spillovers to social stability than commonly assserted.
THE POSSIBILITIES FOR COHERENCE OF AWARENESS AND TRANSCENDENCE IN EDUCATION

While the cognitive dimension is an inseparable part of the learning process, modern research has acknowledged the roles of affective and spiritual as being compatible within this process. Thus, stressing the interaction between teachers and students, the need for spiritually-based qualities in educational process emerges. Spirituality is the indwelled knowing of our self, the understanding of the highest transcendence-driven spiritual features. The underlying argument in favor of transcendence in education is that there can be no teaching without a notion of transcendence. The problem question asks what are the possibilities to develop the awareness, which is based on transcendental aspects, in an educational context. Based on these assumptions the objective of this presentation is to introduce the conceptual framework of the development of transcendental awareness.
A code for spatial alternation during fixation in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons.

The classical notion of hippocampal CA1 "place cells," whose activity tracks physical locations, has undergone substantial revision in recent years. Here, we provide further evidence of an abstract spatial code in hippocampal CA1, which relies on memory and adds complexity to the basic "place cell. " Using a nose-poking paradigm with four male Wistar rats, we specifically concentrated on activity during fixation, when the rat was immobile and waiting for the next task event in a memory-guided spatial alternation task. The rat had to alternate between choosing the right and left holes on a trial-by-trial basis, without any sensory cue, and relying on an internal representation of the sequence of trials. Twelve tetrodes were chronically implanted for single-unit recording in the right CA1 of each rat. We focus on 76 single neurons that showed significant activation during the fixation period compared with baseline activity between trials. Among these 76 fixation neurons, we observed 38 neurons that systematically changed their fixation activity as a function of the alternation sequence. That is, even though these rats were immobile during the fixation period, the neurons fired differently for trials in which the next spatial choice should be left (i.e., RIGHT-TO-LEFT trials) compared with trials in which the next spatial choice should be right (i.e., LEFT-TO-RIGHT trials), or vice versa. Our results imply that these neurons maintain a sequential code of the required spatial response during the alternation task and thus provide abstract information, derived from memory, that can be used for efficient navigation.
Extraction of High Quality RNA from Cannabis sativa Bast Fibres: A Vademecum for Molecular Biologists

In plants there is no universal protocol for RNA extraction, since optimizations are required depending on the species, tissues and developmental stages. Some plants/tissues are rich in secondary metabolites or synthesize thick cell walls, which hinder an efficient RNA extraction. One such example is bast fibres, long extraxylary cells characterized by a thick cellulosic cell wall. Given the economic importance of bast fibres, which are used in the textile sector, as well as in biocomposites as green substitutes of glass fibres, it is desirable to better understand their development from a molecular point of view. This knowledge favours the development of biotechnological strategies aimed at improving specific properties of bast fibres. To be able to perform high-throughput analyses, such as, for instance, transcriptomics of bast fibres, RNA extraction is a crucial and limiting step. We here detail a protocol enabling the rapid extraction of high quality RNA from the bast fibres of textile hemp, Cannabis sativa L. , a multi-purpose fibre crop standing in the spotlight of research.
Time-frequency-multiplex preamble design for joint I/Q imbalance, CFO and channel estimation in OFDM systems

In this paper, a novel time-frequency-multiplex preamble design is proposed to estimate the in-phase and quadrature-phase (I/Q) imbalance, carrier frequency offset (CFO) and channel impulse response parameters for the zero-IF receiver of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. First, the contiguous time-multiplex preamble is designed to estimate CFO. Then, the two CFO compensators of the positive and negative subcarriers are proposed to separate and estimate I/Q imbalance and channel parameters. Finally, the image signal cancellation via the estimated parameters is designed to enhance the receiver performance. The advantage of the proposed time-frequency-multiplex preamble design is low computational complexity and robust performance. Simulation results confirm that the proposed estimator can provide reliable performance over the severe I/Q imbalance, CFO, and multipath fading channel environment.
High-speed CMOS analog-to-digital converter for front-end receiver applications

Modern front-end receivers perform direct conversion of an analog signal to digital form at intermediate frequencies (IF), simplifying the overall system design and alleviating the problems associated with IF mixers. The final aspiration is to directly digitize the RF signal and hence eliminate any RF/analog mixers. In order to direct digitize the analog input signal, a high dynamic-range and high-speed ADC is needed. Continuous-Time Bandpass Delta-Sigma Modulator can meet these specifications, using high-performance multi-bit quantizers. This article presents the design of a high-speed CMOS Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) to be used as a quantizer in modern digital receivers. It is designed in a 130 nm CMOS technology from STMicroelectronics. The main features of the ADC are 3-bit resolution with 4 GHz sample rate in a 0.8-2GHz bandwidth.
The Promises, Methodological Discrepancies and Pitfalls in Measurement of Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Diseases

Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous population of phospholipid-based endogenously produced particles. EVs are detected in several biological fluids and tissues as biomarkers of diseases and target of medicines. The conventional approach for measuring the MPs is based on commonly used flow cytometry, fluorescent methods, and nano-particle tracking analysis that recognized as a gold standard, as well as Western blot analysis, dynamic light scattering, resistive pulse sensing, mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods and electron microscopy. However the definition of MPs using these techniques is yet under discussion. The aim of the review: to summarize the knowledge regarding detection and measurement of the EVs and define the balance between advantages and limitations of each contemporary analytical methods of EV assay.
Digital anastylosis of the Octagon in Ephesos

Anastylosis is the archaeological and architectural reconstruction of a ruined monument at the historic site after careful study of the remaining original elements. We present research results concerning 3D technologies that are used in the digital anastylosis of cultural heritage monuments. Based on current state-of-the-art research, we present 3D data collection, digital artifacts reconstruction, and digital reassembly of existing fragments illustrated by means of the Octagon monument in Ephesos, Turkey. Our focus is on methods that belong to geometry processing.
A multivariate double EWMA process adjustment scheme for drifting processes

The “predictor-corrector” feedback controller, a process adjustment scheme proposed for semiconductor manufacturing run-to-run processes that drift, is extended to the multiple-input–multiple-output case. The controller is based on two coupled multivariate Exponentially-Weighted-Moving-Average (EWMA) equations, thus its performance depends on the choices of EWMA weight matrices. Stability conditions are given for a pure gain process adjusted with a MIMO double EWMA (dEWMA) controller. It is shown that the stability conditions are invariant with respect to various realistic drift disturbance models. Recommendations on how to choose the EWMA weight matrices are given. An analysis is conducted to assess the impact of errors in the estimates of the process gains. The proposed MIMO dEWMA feedback controller is compared to the common practice of using multiple single-input–single-ouput dEWMA controllers running in parallel.
Hα Imaging with Hubble Space Telescope-NICMOS of an Elusive Damped Lyα Cloud at z = 0.6

Despite previous intensive ground-based imaging and spectroscopic campaigns and wideband Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging of the z = 0.927 QSO 3C 336 field, the galaxy that hosts the damped Lyα system along this line of sight has eluded detection. We present a deep narrowband Hα image of the field of this zabs = 0.656 damped Lyα absorber, obtained through the F108N filter of NICMOS1 on board the HST. The goal of this project was to detect any Hα emission 10 times closer than previous studies to unveil the damped absorber. We do not detect Hα emission between 0. ″05 and 6'' (0.24 and 30 h-1 kpc) from the QSO, with a 3 σ flux limit of 3.70 × 10-17 h-2 ergs s-1 cm-2 for an unresolved source, corresponding to a star formation rate (SFR) of 0.3 h-2 M☉ yr-1. This leads to a 3 σ upper limit of 0.15 M☉ yr-1 kpc-2 on the SFR density, or a maximum SFR of 1.87 M☉ yr-1 assuming a disk of 4 kpc in diameter. This result adds to the number of low-redshift damped Lyα absorbers that are not associated with the central regions of Milky Way-like disks. Damped Lyα absorption can arise from high-density concentrations in a variety of galactic environments including some that, despite their high local H I densities, are not conducive to widespread star formation.