Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human finger input properties for precise target selection on multi-touch screen

In recent years, touch enabling technologies potentially have supported to design and develop small and large sizes of multi-touch screens. These sensitive devices assist users to select and manipulate the target objects using their bare fingers. However, it is reported that user fingertips cause the imprecise selection of small size targets and subsequently users get frustrated during interaction. Keeping in view this problem, it is attempted to provide an overview on human finger input properties and their possible use for the selection of targets on multi-touch screens. This survey paper helps in understanding the finger touch input and some inherited finger input properties. It also provides a rational to explore the finger input properties that may help in proposing new interaction techniques to avoid the imprecision problem.
The Politics of Fear: What Right-Wing Populist Discourses Mean

Chapter 1: Populism and Politics: Transgressing Norms and Taboos Chapter 2: Theories and Definitions: The Politics of Identity Chapter 3: Protecting Borders and the People: The Politics of Exclusion Chapter 4: Language and Identity: The Politics of Nationalism Chapter 5: Antisemitism: The Politics of Denial Chapter 6: Performance and the Media: The Politics of Charisma Chapter 7: Gender and the Body Politic: The Politics of Patriarchy Chapter 8: Mainstreaming: The Normalization of Exclusion
Gordon Surface Modeling in a Network Environment

—With the advent of the Internet, we have entered the age of ubiquitous systems that will need to be able to communicate, establish criteria for measurement and then perform these measurements. These future systems, built for engineering and personal applications, will have components that have their own identities. Such dialog systems will be able to communicate among themselves and with the user.This means that individual components or nodes must be based on much richer semantics than is currently available in contemporary systems. Engineering devices of the future will have to perform traditional tasks such as monitoring and control in mutual collaborationn with users. In this paper we present a framework and some speciﬁcations for one of the spectrum of possible tasks, namely temperature modeling using ﬁxed and mobile network of sensors. The goal of the presented temperature modeling procedure is to investigate and describe the process of these measurements. The mathematical model extends from one dimensional generalized linear networks to a Gordon surface approximant. The Gordon surface interpolates a network of curves [2]. The network of curves can even be degenerated (one side collapsed into a point) [7]. The role of the entire dialog system is to provide interactive approach to solving a variety or ordinary task and to evolve the system by absorbing declarative and procedural knowledge in a way that does not rely entirely on user’s interpretation (semantics).
Seepage flow analysis on caisson-type breakwater reinforced with sheet piles by using the SPH method

the understanding of the collapse mechanism of a caisson-type breakwater has been an urgent task to reduce the projected damages caused by next millennium tsunamis. A variety of research has been done to understand this phenomenon further. From the current observations, the seepage-induced piping phenomenon, which is caused by the bearing capacity degradation inside a mound, is determined as one of the main causes. With the aim of moderating the bearing capacity degradation, a design to reinforce a mound by utilizing sheet piles has been proposed. Although the effectiveness of sheet piles installation has been confirmed through some experimental tests, the optimized design to determine the dimension and position of the sheet piles has not been established yet. Numerical simulation, which can evaluate the effect of the installed sheet piles accurately, is desired to design durable and economical breakwaters. In this study, a 3D numerical simulation based on a particle method is implemented by considering sheet piles inside a mound, and its accuracy is discussed by comparing it with experimental tests.
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and pulmonary arteriovenous fistula: survey of a large family.

LESS than a century ago a young man came to this country from Germany. He married and raised a family of 9 children. In 1920 he died at the age of seventy-four years, having passed on to his 330 descendants an inexorable familial disease, hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Of the descendants studied we have found nearly 40 per cent to have telangiectasia and more than 6 per cent to have pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas. This dramatizes the importance of 1 individual within a family, and emphasizes the need for further study of significant hereditary traits. Acquaintance with some of the members of this .
The design and implementation of the telepathic immersive virtual reality system

This paper describes a project which has a focus on immersive virtual reality (IVR) as an experimental environment and medium for telepathy. IVR denotes the use of three-dimensional computer graphics technology to generate artificial environments that afford real-time interaction and exploration. These are intended to give the user an impression of being present (‘telepresence’) or immersed in a computer-generated world. A sense of immersion is promoted through the use of head mounted displays (HMDs). These present stereo images and sound to create a perceptually encompassing computer environment. An instrumented data glove allows participants to interact with virtual objects. We argue that IVR has a number of features which make it well suited for the study of telepathy, including a higher degree of experimental control, the co-location of senders and receivers, and the opportunity for more ‘natural’ and meaningful (to participants) experimental trials. In the early stages of the project we have focussed on developing an immersive virtual environment (the Telepathic Immersive Virtual Environment, or TIVE) which acts as the experimental environment for both ‘Sender’ and ‘Receiver’ in the later telepathy trials. This environment looks like a room: for example, it has a door, a window, a chair, a bookshelf and a potted plant. During the experimental trials the bookshelf is filled with four objects. These objects are interactive; that is, both Sender and Receiver are able to pick up and manipulate the target object. In addition the Receiver can also handle three other objects which form part of the target set (the Sender does not see these additional objects). As the Sender and Receiver handle an object in the TIVE they hear a sound evocative of that object. Having constructed the TIVE our work now focuses on two telepathy studies. In these studies the Sender tries to communicate to the Receiver by telepathic means the identity of an object randomly chosen from a set of four (the set is in turn randomly chosen from a group of four sets). Within this paper we describe the general procedure for our telepathy studies using the TIVE. This includes the computerised random process of target set selection (and of selecting which object in the set acts as the target), and the use of gesture recognition for object selection and de-selection. We conclude the paper with some indication of our future plans for the TIVE.
ASIC Implementation of Soft-Input Soft-Output MIMO Detection Using MMSE Parallel Interference Cancellation

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology is the key to meet the demands for data rate and link reliability of modern wireless communication systems, such as IEEE 802.11n or 3GPP-LTE. The full potential of MIMO systems can, however, only be achieved by means iterative MIMO decoding relying on soft-input soft-output (SISO) data detection. In this paper, we describe the first ASIC implementation of a SISO detector for iterative MIMO decoding. To this end, we propose a low-complexity minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) based parallel interference cancellation algorithm, develop a suitable VLSI architecture, and present a corresponding four-stream 1.5 mm2 detector chip in 90 nm CMOS technology. The fabricated ASIC includes all necessary preprocessing circuitry and exceeds the 600 Mb/s peak data-rate of IEEE 802.11n. A comparison with state-of-the-art MIMO-detector implementations demonstrates the performance benefits of our ASIC prototype in practical system-scenarios.
European Conference on Information Systems ( ECIS ) 5-10-2012 REMOVING THE POSITIVIST STRAIGHT JACKET FROM INFORMATION SYSTEMS DESIGN SCIENCE RESEARCH

Information Systems Design Science (ISDS) as a research community is limited by a small number of research frameworks with considerable influence. The small triad of influential ISDS research, consisting of Walls, et al (1992), March and Smith (1995), and Hevner et al (2004) have primarily limited ISDS research to the positivist paradigm and the IT artefact. In contrast, Herbert Simon’s intentions for design science never had such restrictions and intended a broader perspective. This essay explores Simon’s intentions for design science, the Simonian stream of thought that includes The Sciences of the Artificial, as well as much of his most notable research, and offers an ‘informed view’ of design science in the tradition of Rortyian neopragmatism.
[N-(3-Methoxy-2-oxidobenzylidene-κO 2)threoninato-κ2 O 1,N](1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)copper(II) hemihydrate

In the title complex, [Cu(C12H13NO5)(C12H8N2)]·0.5H2O, the CuII ion is five-coordinated by one N atom and two O atoms from a tridentate Schiff base ligand, derived from the condensation of l-threonine and o-vanillin, and two N atoms from a 1,10-phenanthroline ligand in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. In the crystal, intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds form a one-dimensional left-handed helical structureextending parallel to [001]. The water molecule of crystallization shows half-occupancy.
Importance of risk stratification models in cardiac surgery.

This editorial refers to ‘Comparison of 19 pre-operative risk stratification models in open-heart surgery’† by J. Nilsson et al., on page 867 In a context of growing control of health-care expenditures, it is important to assess cardiac surgical results as precisely as possible. However, as patient population may differ significantly between institutions and geographic areas, comparison of absolute numbers, such as mortality rates, is inappropriate for cost-benefit analysis and comparison of results between institutions.1,2 Therefore, various risk stratification models have been developed to correct for differences between populations and to allow comparison of actual outcome with predicted outcome.3 Those models are increasingly used to investigate patient outcomes in relation to pre-operative patient and disease characteristics. Such models estimate coefficients for each risk factor of mortality, which are translated to risk scores. Then, the scores assigned to each risk factor are added to calculate the overall risk score of mortality for a patient and to construct clinical risk groups. Reference to these groups can be made to adjust clinical decisions to individual patients, to compare surgical performances, and for patient counselling. Health authorities, hospitals, medical practitioners, and patients are increasingly placing importance in those models, aimed at obtaining objective risk-adjusted prediction of mortality after cardiac surgery. Indeed, risk stratification models can detect and quantify differences and changes in the risk profiles of patients presented for cardiac surgery. Risk prediction allows a more objective assessment of the surgical indication in individual patients by facilitating accurate balancing of potential risks and benefits.4 Usually, such models do predict outcome more accurately in the original setting than when used for other patients populations. Indeed, there are significant differences with regard to the initial patient population on which the score design … *Corresponding author. E-mail address : philippe.kolh{at}chu.ulg. ac.be
Intelligent system for freeway ramp metering control

The number of techniques implemented in subsystems of the Intelligent System of infrastructure in transportation system in terms of agents for signal control, ramp metering, detecting incidents is numerous. Challenges, however, are still there for the researchers to optimize traffic operations. The aim of this paper is to prove the ability of artificial intelligence technique known as reinforcement learning implemented in intelligent system for freeway control. Intelligent agents are implemented as controllers in order to provide optimal performance on the freeway corridor via ramp metering control on a corridor. The algorithm used in the research was Q learning algorithm. The results are promising proving that the technique is capable for optimal control of entrance freeway ramps and suitable for building the intelligent system of the freeway.
Kinetic analysis of intracellular Hoechst 33342—DNA interactions by flow cytometry: Misinterpretation of side population status?

We outline a simple approach involving instrument setup and calibration for the analysis of Hoechst dye 33342‐loading in human cell lines for exploring heterogeneity in dye efflux efficiency and the status of side population (SP) A549 lung cancer cells. Dual excitation 488 nm/multiline UV (351–364 nm) flow cytometry was used to confirm ABCG2‐specific inhibition of dye efflux using Fumitremorgin C. Transporter gene expression, assayed by qRT‐PCR, confirmed higher expression of ABCG2 versus ABCB1, reiterated in a cloned subline. Coexpression of aldehyde dehydrogenase genes ranked as aldehyde dehydrogenase class 1A1 (ALDH1A1) > ALDH3A1 > ALDH3, relative expression of all genes was again reiterated in a cloned subline. Permeabilized cells were used to create red:violet (660:405 nm Em wavelengths) ratiometric references for mapping temporal changes in Hoechst 33342–DNA fluorescence in live cells. A live cell “kinetic SP gate” tracked progressive dye loading of the whole population and coapplication of the far red (>695 nm wavelength) fluorescing dye DRAQ7 enabled viable cell gating. Kinetic gating revealed a continuum for dye accumulation suggesting that SP enumeration is critically dependent upon the nonlinear relationship of the spectral shift with progressive dye–DNA binding and thus requires accurate definition. To this end, permeabilized cell reference samples permit reproducible instrument setup, guide gate boundaries for SP and compromised cells, and offer a simple means of comparing SP enumeration across laboratory sites/platforms. Our approach reports the dynamic range for the spectral shift, revealing noninformative staining conditions and explaining a source of variability for SP enumeration. We suggest that live cell kinetic sorting of all cells with the same dye:DNA load but with differences in efflux capacity can be used to explore drug resistance capability without prejudice. The SP phenotype should be regarded as a kinetic parameter and not a fixed characteristic—critical for functional assay design and the interpretation of heterogeneity. © 2012 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Neighbor information-based broadcast scheme for VANET

This paper proposes an efficient broadcast scheme based on a neighbor table to mitigate broadcast storms and to reduce the end-to-end delay. To alleviate a broadcast storm in a VANET, it is ideal that the rebroadcasting is performed by the vehicle furthest away from the broadcaster. Thereby the proposed scheme selects the furthest rebroadcasting vehicle based on neighbor tables. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme outperforms exiting schemes in terms of the end-to-end delay and collision ratio.
An Improved Cluster Richness Estimator

Minimizing the scatter between cluster mass and accessible observables is an important goal for cluster cosmology. In this work, we introduce a new matched filter richness estimator, and test its performance using the maxBCG cluster catalog. Our new estimator significantly reduces the variance in the L_X-richness relation, from \sigma_{\ln L_X}^2=(0.86\pm0.02)^2 to \sigma_{\ln L_X}^2=(0.69\pm0.02)^2. Relative to the maxBCG richness estimate, it also removes the strong redshift dependence of the richness scaling relations, and is significantly more robust to photometric and redshift errors. These improvements are largely due to our more sophisticated treatment of galaxy color data. We also demonstrate the scatter in the L_X-richness relation depends on the aperture used to estimate cluster richness, and introduce a novel approach for optimizing said aperture which can be easily generalized to other mass tracers.
FAQ: A Framework for Fast Approximate Query Processing on Temporal Data

Temporal queries on time evolving data are at the heart of a broad range of business and network intelligence applications ranging from consumer behavior analysis, trend analysis, temporal pattern mining, sentiment analysis on social media, cyber security, and network monitoring. In this work, we present an innovative data structure called Fast Approximate Query-able(FAQ), which provides a unified framework for temporal query processing on Big Data. FAQ uses a novel composition of data sketching, wavelet-style differencing for temporal compression, and quantization, and handles diverse kinds of queries including distinct counts, set membership, frequency estimation, top-K, p-norms, empirical entropy, and distance queries such as Histogram lp-norm distance (including Euclidean and Manhattan distance), cosine similarity, Jaccard coefficient, and rank correlation. Experiments on a real-life multi dimensional network monitoring data sets demonstrate speedups of 92x achieved by FAQ over a flat representation of data for a mixed temporal query workload.
Genome‐wide association study of body mass index in subjects with alcohol dependence

Outcomes related to disordered metabolism are common in alcohol dependence (AD). To investigate alterations in the regulation of body mass that occur in the context of AD, we performed a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) of body mass index (BMI) in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs) with AD. Subjects were recruited for genetic studies of AD or drug dependence and evaluated using the Semi‐structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism. We investigated a total of 2587 AAs and 2959 EAs with DSM‐IV AD diagnosis. In the stage 1 sample (N = 4137), we observed three genome‐wide significant (GWS) single‐nucleotide polymorphism associations, rs200889048 (P = 8.98 * 10−12) and rs12490016 (P = 1.44 * 10−8) in EAs and rs1630623 (P = 5.14 * 10−9) in AAs and EAs meta‐analyzed. In the stage 2 sample (N = 1409), we replicated 278, 253 and 168 of the stage 1 suggestive loci (P < 5*10−4) in AAs, EAs, and AAs and EAs meta‐analyzed, respectively. A meta‐analysis of stage 1 and stage 2 samples (N = 5546) identified two additional GWS signals: rs28562191 in EAs (P = 4.46 * 10−8) and rs56950471 in AAs (P = 1.57 * 10−9). Three of the GWS loci identified (rs200889048, rs12490016 and rs1630623) were not previously reported by GWAS of BMI in the general population, and two of them raise interesting hypotheses: rs12490016—a regulatory variant located within LINC00880, where there are other GWAS‐identified variants associated with birth size, adiposity in newborns and bulimia symptoms, which also interact with social stress in relation to birth size; rs1630623—a regulatory variant related to ALDH1A1, a gene involved in alcohol metabolism and adipocyte plasticity. These loci offer molecular insights regarding the regulatory mechanisms of body mass in the context of AD.
Optimal multistage designs for randomised clinical trials with continuous outcomes

Multistage designs allow considerable reductions in the expected sample size of a trial. When stopping for futility or efficacy is allowed at each stage, the expected sample size under different possible true treatment effects (δ) is of interest. The δ‐minimax design is the one for which the maximum expected sample size is minimised amongst all designs that meet the types I and II error constraints. Previous work has compared a two‐stage δ‐minimax design with other optimal two‐stage designs. Applying the δ‐minimax design to designs with more than two stages was not previously considered because of computational issues. In this paper, we identify the δ‐minimax designs with more than two stages through use of a novel application of simulated annealing. We compare them with other optimal multistage designs and the triangular design. We show that, as for two‐stage designs, the δ‐minimax design has good expected sample size properties across a broad range of treatment effects but generally has a higher maximum sample size. To overcome this drawback, we use the concept of admissible designs to find trials which balance the maximum expected sample size and maximum sample size. We show that such designs have good expected sample size properties and a reasonable maximum sample size and, thus, are very appealing for use in clinical trials. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inexact and accelerated proximal point algorithms

We present inexact accelerated proximal point algorithms for minimizing a proper lower semicon-tinuous and convex function. We carry on a convergence analysis under diﬀerent types of errors in the evaluation of the proximity operator, and we provide corresponding convergence rates for the objective function values. The proof relies on a generalization of the strategy proposed in [14] for generating estimate sequences according to the deﬁnition of Nesterov, and is based on the concept of ε -subdiﬀerential. We show that the convergence rate of the exact accelerated algorithm 1 /k 2 can be recovered by constraining the errors to be of a certain type.