Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High resolution X-ray tomography with applications in biology and materials science

With the new tomography setup developed for the x-ray microscope XM-I installed at the Advanced Light Source, tomography of immunolabelled frozen-hydrated cells to detect protein distributions inside of cells was performed. The distribution of the nuclear protein, male specific lethal 1 (MSL-1) in the Drosophila meianogaster cell was studied. Another application field for high resolution tomography which is of fundamental interest in materials science is electromigration in advanced copper interconnects. In this work, quantitative time-resolved x-ray microscopy mass transport studies of the early stages of electromigration in an inlaid Cu line/via structure were performed with 40 nm sptial resolution at 1.8 keV photon energy. Correlation of the real time x-ray microscopy images with post mortem high voltage electron micrographs of the sample shows that the void nucleation occurs at the site of grain boundaries in Cu and that the voids migrate along these grain boundaries during electromigration. To provide 3D information about the exact location (bulk or interface) of void nucleation and migration during an EM experiment, as well as to measure quantitatively the mass transport in the volume, future experiments must be based on time-resolved x-ray tomography.
Heart rate variability in preterm and term neonates.

BACKGROUND Several studies have demonstrated the importance of the autonomic nervous system through sympathetic and parasympathetic components in the management of the interaction between different parts of the body. These studies have applied linear and nonlinear techniques (Chaos Theory) for assessment in different situations, illnesses and age groups, using the heart rate variability (HRV). OBJECTIVE To apply knowledge of linear and nonlinear dynamics in the assessment of preterm neonates (PTN), analyzing their HRV and comparing with healthy term neonates (NT). METHODS Forty-eight premature neonates with different gestational ages had their heart rates assessed with the aid of a Polar Advanced S810i and HRV obtained by recording RR intervals. HRV was analyzed according to time (SDNN, RMSSD, SD1/SD2), frequency (VLF, LF, HF and LF/HF) and chaos (TAU and its standardization [TAU(n)], Lyapunov Exponent and Enthropy). PTN were compared with a group of 78 healthy NT with no perinatal events using Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. RESULTS We detected a statistically significant difference between groups for all variables, both in time, frequency and chaos. CONCLUSION Preterm Neonates have a less complex heart rate variability behavior than term neonates, which was evident in time, frequency and chaos. The study of heart rate variability in this group can be considered another tool in the evaluation of autonomic maturation and hence the progression to normality.
Preliminary Studies on Membrane Filtration for the Production of Potable Water: A Case of Tshaanda Rural Village in South Africa

Ultrafiltration (UF) systems have been used globally for treating water from resources including rivers, reservoirs, and lakes for the production of potable water in the past decade. UF membranes with a pore size of between 0.1 and 0.01 micrometres provide an effective barrier for bacteria, viruses, suspended particles, and colloids. The use of UF membrane technology in treating groundwater for the supply of potable water in the impoverished and rural village, Tshaanda (i.e., the study area) is demonstrated. The technical and administrative processes that are critical for the successful installation of the pilot plant were developed. Given the rural nature of Tshaanda, the cultural and traditional protocols were observed. Preliminary results of the water quality of untreated water and the permeate are presented. Escherichia coli in the untreated water during the dry season (i.e., June and July) was 2 cfu/100 ml and was <1 cfu/100 ml (undetected) following UF, which complied with the WHO and South African National Standards and Guidelines of <1 cfu/100 ml. During the wet/rainy season (February) total coliform was unacceptably high (>2419.2 cfu/100 ml) before UF. Following UF, it dramatically reduced to acceptable level (7 cfu/100 ml) which is within the WHO recommended level of <10 cfu/100 ml. Additionally, during the wet/rainy season E. coli and enterococci were unacceptably high (40.4 cfu/100 ml and 73.3 cfu/100 ml, respectively) before UF but were completely removed following UF, which are within the WHO and SANS recommended limit. The values for electrical conductivity (EC) and turbidity were constantly within the WHO recommended limits of 300 µS/cm corrected at 25°C and <5 NTU, respectively, before and after UF, during dry season and wet season. This suggests that there is no need for pre-treatment of the water for suspended particles and colloids. Considering these data, it can be concluded that the water is suitable for human consumption, following UF.
Application of visual servoing for grasping and placing operation in slaughterhouse

In food industry due to the high variety of the object including the shape, size and structure the involvement of real time robotic system is limited compared to the applications of robotic systems in automotive industry. For completing operations within food industry it is generally necessary to contain dynamical adjustment to each target in the control loop. This work focuses on using visual feedback to capture information of each piece of work for robotic control. A grasping and placing operation is selected as a case study of using visual servoing in slaughterhouse. For detecting the location of the target the color information provided by a visual sensor is utilized. The control command for the robot is generated based on the real time visual feedback. An industrial robot arm UR10 is applied to complete the operation. A lab-scale experimental setup is constructed for system validation. The experimental results show that the proposed visual servoing system works well for the grasping and placing task in slaughterhouse. The system is implemented in ROS and can be easily extended to similar operation tasks using different hardware.
The Effects of Cognitive and Emotional Contagion on Repurchase Intentions of Information Technology

This research explores the repurchase intentions of technology consumers who have experienced malfunctions of purchased products. Identifying the theoretical factors associated with repurchase intentions is essential for testing the applicability of technology adoption research within the context of different product lifecycles. Also, it is an important matter for technology companies in shaping their future product and service strategies. We conducted a virtual ethnography study using online consumer support forums of two global IT companies. Our qualitative data analysis led to a virtual herding framework that includes four types of herding behaviors. These herding behaviors are differentiated by their contextual and process characteristics, and behavioral intentions on product repurchase. The process characteristics include cognitive contagion and emotional contagion. The results identify important roles of cognitive and emotional contagions in influencing consumers’ repurchase intentions.
A New Method for Facial Features Quantification of Caricature Based on Self-Reference Model

Some facial features that differ from an ordinary face should be identified by a computer when generating a facial caricature. These distinctive facial features are called self-features. Compared with traditional Mean Face Model (MFM) that is unable to quantify these self-features well, a Self-Reference Model (SRM) is presented in this paper. Firstly, based on the physiology structure of a front face, a self-reference is found, and this reference is used to measure the self-features. According to the self-reference, some standard facial parameters are worked out by collecting statistic data of many facial images. Then, in an input face image, by evaluating some differences between the input face and the standard facial parameters, the self-features are properly estimated and quantified. Finally, by analyzing some caricatures produced by caricaturists, the SRM can prove the validity of the proposed Algorithm.
Topic relatedness in evaluative information extraction

The task of extracting opinions/evaluations related to a given topic from a large number of documents such as Web documents is crucial for developing an automatic evaluation finding system, which can handle a wide variety of topics as input. In this paper, we discuss the topic relatedness of extracted evaluation through analysis of a corpus we developed. We suggest here that the semantic relationship between the target of each extracted evaluation and a given topic helps in judging topic relatedness. In addition, we point out other factors that are beyond the analysis of topic-target relations for judging the topic relatedness of evaluation.
ESTIMATION OF ENTROPIES AND DIVERGENCES VIA NEAREST NEIGHBORS

We extend the results in (L. F. Kozachenko, N. N. Leonenko: On statistical estimation of entropy of random vector, Problems Inform. Transmission 23 (1987), 95-101; Translated from Problemy Peredachi Informatsii 23 (1987), 9-16 (in Russian)) and (M. N. Goria, N. N. Leonenko, V. V. Mergel, P. L. Novi Inverardi: A new class of random vector entropy estimators and its applications in testing statistical hypotheses, J. Nonparametr. Statist. 17 (2005), 277-297) and show how kth nearest-neighbor distances in a sample of N i.i. d. vectors distributed with the probability density f can be used to estimate consistently Reny and Tsallis entropies of the unknown f under minimal assumptions. The method is extended to the estimation of statistical distances between two distributions in the case when one i.i. d. sample from each is available.
Effect of synthetic methods on the thermoelectrical properties of textured Bi2Ca2Co1.7Ox ceramics

Las prestaciones de las ceramicas basadas en oxidos de cobalto pueden modificarse por medio de la orientacion de los granos. Este proceso puede llevarse a cabo mediante solidificacion direccional de las muestras, que previamente han podido ser preparadas por diferentes rutas. En este trabajo se han utilizado tres metodos de sintesis, estado solido, sol-gel y por via polimerica, para preparar ceramicas con composicion Bi2Ca2Co1.7Ox. Estos polvos se han crecido direccionalmente a 30 mm/h, por el metodo de zona flotante inducida por laser. En todos los casos la microestructura consiste en capas alternas, de Bi2Ca2Co2Ox y una solucion solida Bi-Ca-O, con pequenas inclusiones de CoO. Se ha encontrado que los metodos de disolucion mejoran el factor de potencia a 50 oC, con respecto a los valores que se obtienen a traves de los metodos de sinterizado en estado solido.
New technique of in situ rolling friction stir welding

A new technique of in situ rolling friction stir welding (IRFSW) has been developed to reduce the residual stress and distortion. It can eliminate the weld flashes and improve corrosion resistance of the FSW seam. A new kind of FSW tool consisting of rolling balls was designed to achieve IRFSW. The residual stresses across the weld were measured by ultrasonic stress measurement experimental installation. The 3·5%NaCl solution was used to corrode the surface of welded joint, and corrosion current and potential were determined by an electrochemical analyser. The results shown that the residual tensile stress was reduced, the weld flashes were eliminated, and the corrosion resistance was improved. By applying IRFSW, the reduction of distortion was ∼34·4% compared with that of conventional FSW joint for aluminium plant with 3 mm in thickness and 300 mm in length.
Exploiting Reactive Mobility for Collaborative Target Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent years have witnessed the deployments of wireless sensor networks in a class of mission-critical applications such as object detection and tracking. These applications often impose stringent Quality-of-Service requirements including high detection probability, low false alarm rate, and bounded detection delay. Although a dense all-static network may initially meet these Quality-of-Service requirements, it does not adapt to unpredictable dynamics in network conditions (e.g., coverage holes caused by death of nodes) or physical environments (e.g., changed spatial distribution of events). This paper exploits reactive mobility to improve the target detection performance of wireless sensor networks. In our approach, mobile sensors collaborate with static sensors and move reactively to achieve the required detection performance. Specifically, mobile sensors initially remain stationary and are directed to move toward a possible target only when a detection consensus is reached by a group of sensors. The accuracy of final detection result is then improved as the measurements of mobile sensors have higher Signal-to-Noise Ratios after the movement. We develop a sensor movement scheduling algorithm that achieves near-optimal system detection performance under a given detection delay bound. The effectiveness of our approach is validated by extensive simulations using the real data traces collected by 23 sensor nodes.
A simple multilingual machine translation system

The multilingual machine translation system described in the first part of this paper demonstrates that the translation memory (TM) can be used in a creative way for making the translation process more automatic (in a way which in fact does not depend on the languages used). The MT system is based upon exploitation of syntactic similarities between more or less related natural languages. It currently covers the translation from Czech to Slovak, Polish and Lithuanian. The second part of the paper also shows that one of the most popular TM based commercial systems, TRADOS, can be used not only for the translation itself, but also for a relatively fast and natural method of evaluation of the translation quality of MT systems.
Maturation of the Escherichia coli divisome occurs in two steps

Cell division proteins FtsZ (FtsA, ZipA, ZapA), FtsE/X, FtsK, FtsQ, FtsL/B, FtsW, PBP3, FtsN and AmiC localize at mid cell in Escherichia coli in an interdependent order as listed. To investigate whether this reflects a time dependent maturation of the divisome, the average cell age at which FtsZ, FtsQ, FtsW, PBP3 and FtsN arrive at their destination was determined by immuno‐ and GFP‐fluorescence microscopy of steady state grown cells at a variety of growth rates. Consistently, a time delay of 14–21 min, depending on the growth rate, between Z‐ring formation and the mid cell recruitment of proteins down stream of FtsK was found. We suggest a two‐step model for bacterial division in which the Z‐ring is involved in the switch from cylindrical to polar peptidoglycan synthesis, whereas the much later localizing cell division proteins are responsible for the modification of the envelope shape into that of two new poles.
A crowd-based route recommendation system-CrowdPlanner

Route recommendation service has become a big business in industry since traveling is now an important part of our daily life. We can travel to unknown places by simply typing in our destination and then following recommendation service's guidance, that a pleasant trip desires them to provide a good route. However, previous research shows that even the routes recommended by the big-thumb service providers can deviate significantly from the routes travelled by experienced drivers since the many latent factors affect drivers' preferences and it is hard for a single route recommendation algorithm to model all of them. In this demo we will present the CrowPlanner system to leverage crowds' knowledge to improve the recommendation quality. It requests human workers to evaluate candidates routes recommended by different sources and methods, and determines the best route based on the feedbacks of these workers. In this demo, we first introduce the core component of our system for smart question generation, and then show several real route recommendation cases and the feedback of users.
The Relation of Continuum Mechanics to Adhesive Fracture

Abstract From the standpoint of continuum mechanics, there is an essential similarity between cohesive and adhesive failure. Continuum mechanics can, therefore, be used to analyze adhesive fracture including certain cases of interfacial debonding, by applying an extension of the Griffith energy balance concept. Present researches permit a consideration of the influence of material behavior such as viscoelasticity and geometric parameters such as interlayer bond thickness. These advances and quantitative predictions of failure are reviewed with special reference to the characteristic adhesive fracture energy, new or applicable test methods, and its connection with the association between macro- and micro-constitution of the media. Various testing methods for determination of the adhesive fracture energy are discussed. A pressurized bubble or blister at the interface is shown to have certain advantages. Experimental results from various materials using this test will be presented as confirmation of the model.
Cross-sectional dimensions of fiber and pore networks based on Euclidean distance maps

This study demonstrates the suitability of an Euclidean distance transform (EDT) for assessing the structure of paper. EDT-maps are used for performing a comprehensive assessment of the fiber and pore structure. The suitability of the proposed approach for assessing paper structure is demonstrated with a series of laboratory-made mechanical pulp sheets. Detailed information about the fiber wall thickness, fine material and pore diameters is detailed obtained in an effective way. The method is compared to previously reported procedures for paper structure assessment based on microscopy. The presented EDT-approach can improve the extraction of relevant information about paper structures. The effects of the fiber and pore dimensions on light scattering are assessed.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Mining Social Media

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Backstepping and adaptive control for variable wind speed turbine based on PM synchronous generator

This paper presents a design and comparative study of backstepping and adaptive nonlinear control for variable wind speed energy conversion system based on a permanent magnets synchronous generator. The adaptive Backstepping control is applied in order to extract the maximum energy from wind by the high tracking performance of speed control. The main contribution of this control is the robustness against the uncertainties of system parameters such as the stator resistance, the rotor flux linkage and load torque. The convergence of variable states is assured by Lyapunov function. To verify the feasibility of the proposed controls, simulations are carried out in Simulink to compare the performances of each controller.
An Analysis of Efficient Multi-Core Global Power Management Policies: Maximizing Performance for a Given Power Budget

Chip-level power and thermal implications will continue to rule as one of the primary design constraints and performance limiters. The gap between average and peak power actually widens with increased levels of core integration. As such, if per-core control of power levels (modes) is possible, a global power manager should be able to dynamically set the modes suitably. This would be done in tune with the workload characteristics, in order to always maintain a chip-level power that is below the specified budget. Furthermore, this should be possible without significant degradation of chip-level throughput performance. We analyze and validate this concept in detail in this paper. We assume a per-core DVFS (dynamic voltage and frequency scaling) knob to be available to such a conceptual global power manager. We evaluate several different policies for global multi-core power management. In this analysis, we consider various different objectives such as prioritization and optimized throughput. Overall, our results show that in the context of a workload comprised of SPEC benchmark threads, our best architected policies can come within 1% of the performance of an ideal oracle, while meeting a given chip-level power budget. Furthermore, we show that these global dynamic management policies perform significantly better than static management, even if static scheduling is given oracular knowledge
Dynamic management of applications with constraints in virtualized data centres

Managing single-VM applications in data centres is a well-studied problem, managing multi-VM applications is not. Multi-VM applications usually have, in addition to their basic resource requirements, a special set of requirements that the data centre provider has to satisfy as well. We refer to these requirements as placement constraints. We propose two management strategies designed to manage multi-VM applications with placement constraints in data centres. These management strategies aim to increase data centre's resource utilization (and thus reduce power consumption) while at the same time minimizing SLA violations. One of the management strategies enforces placement constraints at all times, while the other allows for a temporary violation of placement constraints. The two management strategies are evaluated through simulation in multiple scenarios. Results suggest that both strategies are able to achieve high levels of infrastructure utilization and SLA achievement, while satisfying applications' placement constraints, and that temporarily violating constraints does not provide any advantage and it does add cost.
CPGs with Continuous Adjustment of Phase Difference for Locomotion Control

The central pattern generator (CPG) has been found to be a real, existing neuron controller for the locomotion control of animals and it has been used on bio-inspired robots widely in recent years. However, research on the adaptability of CPG-based locomotion control methods is still a challenge. In particular, the performance of the CPG method on quadruped robots is not good enough in some situations compared with the traditional force control methods. In this article, we adopt a CPG method in which phase difference between oscillators can be arbitrarily adjusted, and we try to improve the CPG's applications in quadruped robots in some aspects. One aspect is static walk gait locomotion, in which we try to add a transition state in the CPG network to enhance the static balance of the robot. Another aspect is gait transition. Compared with the traditional abrupt gait transition, we try to realize a continuous gait transition between walk gait and trot gait to decrease the fluctuations of the robot. The improved CPG method is tested on a quadruped model and it shows positive results with regard to the improvement of static walk gait and gait transitions.