Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sketching Interfaces for Remote Collaboration

Current systems for real-time distributed CSCW are largely rooted in traditional GUI-based groupware. These groupware applications generally lag behind in features and compatibility with single-user applications. As a result, having to learn new GUIs for a sporadic task discourages many users. Many researchers agree that TUIs (tangible user interfaces) are especially suited for collocated collaboration. We conclude that sketching with pencil and eraser together for early design is suited for remote collaboration and communication. Current sketching systems are largely for single-user and sketching with pencil. In this paper, we present a method supporting sketching with pencil and eraser together for remote collaboration.
DORNRÖSCHEN is a direct target of the auxin response factor MONOPTEROS in the Arabidopsis embryo

DORNRÖSCHEN (DRN), which encodes a member of the AP2-type transcription factor family, contributes to auxin transport and perception in the Arabidopsis embryo. Live imaging performed with transcriptional or translational GFP fusions shows DRN to be activated in the apical cell after the first zygotic division, to act cell-autonomously and to be expressed in single cells extending laterally from the apical shoot stem-cell zone at the position of incipient leaf primordia. Here, we show that the Auxin response factor (ARF) MONOPTEROS (MP) directly controls DRN transcription in the tips of the embryonic cotyledons, which depends on the presence of canonical Auxin response elements (AuxREs), potential ARF-binding sites flanking the DRN transcription unit. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that MP binds in vivo to two AuxRE-spanning fragments in the DRN promoter, and that MP is required for expression of DRN in cotyledon tips. Hence, DRN represents a direct target of MP and functions downstream of MP in cotyledon development.
A method to estimate robot's location using vision sensor for various type of mobile robots

The aim of our research is to realize a navigation method that can be applied to various type of mobile robots and environments. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate robot's location for the situation in which camera posture varies irregularly. Our method consists of two processes, generation of a feature vector from the image acquired by the robot and identification of a location of the robot using Support Vector Machine(SVM). The feature vector is generated from a histogram of image features extracted from an image divided into small regions. In each region, the average of color difference value and the number of edge pixels are calculated as an image feature which is not sensitive to small change of position and rotation of the camera. When the robot moves from a location to another location with acquiring images, the sequence of acquired images can be divided into segments based on similarity of feature vectors. Then we apply SVM to identify acquired images based on feature vectors, and the identifier of one segment to distinguish from other is generated based on SVM. Once the robot obtains identifiers, it can estimate its location based on the output of identifiers. To evaluate our proposed method, we experimented in a real environment with wheel type robot on uneven ground and a leg type robot.
Changing gender relations in small businesses: experiences of women entrepreneurs of Pakistani origin in Greater Manchester

This PhD contributes to the growing body of literature on South Asian women’s entrepreneurship in general, and on women of Pakistani origin in particular. The literature on the latter is comparatively scarce, and research on South Asian women’s entrepreneurship tends to overlook heterogeneity among these women. The research provides useful insights into Pakistani-origin women’s progress into and experiences of small business. An important contribution of this study is to develop new knowledge of Pakistani women’s diverse entrepreneurial roles and strategies in various business environments, such as, home-based, family and independent enterprises. The research draws theoretical insights from Brah’s multi-level framework and the ‘mixed embeddedness’ approach to conceptualise participation of women of Pakistani origin in small business. The analyses illustrate that gender practices and power relations in the family had an impact on Pakistani-origin women’s acquisition of human capital, access to resources and control of their labour, which subsequently affected their ability to exercise power and control in the family and business. The categories of business ‘leaders’ and ‘labourers’ shows that women’s business roles and experiences were diverse and embedded in complex and interwoven contexts, i.e. social, cultural, spatial, material and familial. A few of the businesses managed to ‘break out’ of the ethnic, spatial and sectoral boundaries. However, many others were strongly embedded in the existing ethnic structures. By and large, women’s business roles and performance were determined by their ability to accrue human capital, access to resources, command and control of their labour and ability to exercise power and control. The gender regimes of Pakistani families, communities and the wider British society not only determined performance of women’s business, but also transformed gender relations in many ways. An empowerment matrix I devised depicts changes in gender relations and levels of empowerment through participation in small business. Observation on levels of empowerment was mixed, which is depicted through: positive change/full empowerment, moderate change/empowerment, no change/status quo maintained and negative change/lessening of power.
Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany: Britain: Establishment Religion and Islamic Schools

List of figures and tables Preface 1. Explaining the accommodation of Muslim religious practices in Western Europe 2. Britain: establishment religion and Islamic schools 3. France: Laicite and the hijab 4. Germany: multiple establishment and public corporation status 5. Public attitudes toward state accommodation of Muslims' religious practices 6. Integration and Muslim practice Appendix Glossary Bibliography Index.
Voice Conversion Based on Speaker-Dependent Restricted Boltzmann Machines

SUMMARY This paper presents a voice conversion technique using speaker-dependent Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBM) to build high-order eigen spaces of source / target speakers, where it is easier to convert the source speech to the target speech than in the traditional cepstrum space. We build a deep conversion architecture that concatenates the two speaker-dependent RBMs with neural networks, expecting that they automatically discover abstractions to express the original input features. Under this concept, if we train the RBMs using only the speech of an individual speaker that includes various phonemes while keeping the speaker individuality unchanged, it can be considered that there are fewer phonemes and relatively more speaker individuality in the output features of the hidden layer than original acoustic features. Training the RBMs for a source speaker and a target speaker, we can then connect and convert the speaker individuality abstractions using Neural Networks (NN). The converted abstraction of the source speaker is then back-propagated into the acoustic space (e.g., MFCC) using the RBM of the target speaker. We conducted speaker-voice conversion experiments and conﬁrmed the e ﬃ cacy of our method with respect to subjective and objective criteria, comparing it with the conventional Gaussian Mixture Model-based method and an ordinary NN.
Designing a virtual whole body tactile sensor suit for a simulated humanoid robot using inverse dynamics

In this paper, we propose a novel architecture to estimate external forces applied to a compliantly controlled balancing robot in simulations. We use similar dynamics equations used in the controller to find mismatches in the available sensory data and associate them to an unknown external force. Then by decomposing Jacobians, we search over the surface of all body links in the robot to find the force application point. By approximating link geometries with ellipsoids, we can derive analytic solutions to solve the search problem very fast in real time. The proposed approach is tested on a complex humanoid robot in simulations where it outperforms static estimators over fast dynamic motions. We foresee a lot of applications for this method especially in human-robot interactions where it can serve as a whole body virtual suit of tactile sensors. It can also be very useful in identifying the inertial properties of objects being manipulated or mounted on the robot like a backpack.
The NIPALS Algorithm for Missing Functional Data

Time-average approximation and principal component analysis of the stochastic process underlying the functional data are the main tools for adapting NIPALS algorithm to estimate missing data in the functional context. The influence of the amount of missing data in the estimation of linear regression models is studied using the PLS method. A simulation study illustrates our methodology.
Independent Component Analysis of Gabor Features for Facial Expression Recognition

This paper proposes a novel method for facial expression recognition by using independent component analysis of Gabor features. In the feature extraction stage, Gabor feature vectors are firstly extracted from a set of facial expressions images, then using independent component analysis (ICA) to extract the independent Gabor features. After that, the independent Gabor features are used to train SVM to realize the facial expression recognition, and the computer simulation illustrates the effectivity of this method to classify the seven expressions of the JAFFE database.
How to gain political support for reforms

During the last thirty years, OECD countries have experienced a large number of structural reforms in several crucial sectors of the economy, such as the labour and product markets, and the welfare state. Most of these reforms went in the direction of liberalizing the product market; reducing rigidity in the labour market; and dec reasing the generosity of the welfare state to contain pension spending. Alongside this movement of reduced state intervention, many governments also reduced their involvement in production, through privatisations. In particular, liberalisation and privatisations were central in transition economies, where government intervention used to be extensive under communism, and firms were state owned as a rule.
Vitellogenin Underwent Subfunctionalization to Acquire Caste and Behavioral Specific Expression in the Harvester Ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus

The reproductive ground plan hypothesis (RGPH) proposes that the physiological pathways regulating reproduction were co-opted to regulate worker division of labor. Support for this hypothesis in honeybees is provided by studies demonstrating that the reproductive potential of workers, assessed by the levels of vitellogenin (Vg), is linked to task performance. Interestingly, contrary to honeybees that have a single Vg ortholog and potentially fertile nurses, the genome of the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus harbors two Vg genes (Pb_Vg1 and Pb_Vg2) and nurses produce infertile trophic eggs. P. barbatus, thus, provides a unique model to investigate whether Vg duplication in ants was followed by subfunctionalization to acquire reproductive and non-reproductive functions and whether Vg reproductive function was co-opted to regulate behavior in sterile workers. To investigate these questions, we compared the expression patterns of P. barbatus Vg genes and analyzed the phylogenetic relationships and molecular evolution of Vg genes in ants. qRT-PCRs revealed that Pb_Vg1 is more highly expressed in queens compared to workers and in nurses compared to foragers. By contrast, the level of expression of Pb_Vg2 was higher in foragers than in nurses and queens. Phylogenetic analyses show that a first duplication of the ancestral Vg gene occurred after the divergence between the poneroid and formicoid clades and subsequent duplications occurred in the lineages leading to Solenopsis invicta, Linepithema humile and Acromyrmex echinatior. The initial duplication resulted in two Vg gene subfamilies preferentially expressed in queens and nurses (subfamily A) or in foraging workers (subfamily B). Finally, molecular evolution analyses show that the subfamily A experienced positive selection, while the subfamily B showed overall relaxation of purifying selection. Our results suggest that in P. barbatus the Vg gene underwent subfunctionalization after duplication to acquire caste- and behavior- specific expression associated with reproductive and non-reproductive functions, supporting the validity of the RGPH in ants.
Diagnostic Significance of Intraoperative Ultrasound Contrast in Evaluating the Resection Degree of Brain Glioma By Transmission Electron Microscopic Examination

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is a dynamic and continuous modality providing real-time view of vascularization and flow distribution patterns of different organs and tumors. In order to evaluate the diagnostic significance of intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound in assessing the resection degree of brain glioma by transmission electron microscopic (TEM) examination, it is important to have specific knowledge about contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Methods: Ultrasound contrast was applied in operations of 120 cases of brain glioma, to evaluate the degree of tumor resection. Biopsy tissues were obtained the suspicious residual tumors surrounding the tumor cavity. The sensitivity and specificity of the residual tumors were determined by the intraoperative ultrasound contrast according to TEM examination results. Results: There were 44 cases of low-grade gliomas and 76 cases of high-grade gliomas. Three hundred and sixty biopsy tissues were obtained. The sensitivity of intraoperative ultrasound contrast in diagnosing the residual tumor was 62.2%, while the specificity degree of it was 92.8%. The consistency coefficient of the ultrasound contrast diagnosis and TEM examination results was 0.584 (Kappa = 0.584), which was between 0.4 and 0.6, therefore it was of medium consistency. Conclusions: Intraoperative ultrasound contrast was of a high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating the excision degree of tumor. The consistency of the residual tumor rate detected, respectively, by ultrasound contrast and TEM examination was of medium consistency. The application of intraoperative ultrasound contrast can improve the resection rate of brain glioma.
Data Mining Meets HCI: Making Sense of Large Graphs

We have entered the age of big data. Massive datasets are now common in science, government and enterprises. Yet, making sense of these data remains a fundamental challenge. Where do we start our analysis? Where to go next? How to visualize our findings? We answers these questions by bridging Data Mining and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to create tools for making sense of graphs with billions of nodes and edges, focusing on: (1) Attention Routing: we introduce this idea, based on anomaly detection, that automatically draws people's attention to interesting areas of the graph to start their analyses. We present three examples: Polonium unearths malware from 37 billion machine-file relationships; NetProbe fingers bad guys who commit auction fraud. (2) Mixed-Initiative Sensemaking: we present two examples that combine machine inference and visualization to help users locate next areas of interest: Apolo guides users to explore large graphs by learning from few examples of user interest; Graphite finds interesting subgraphs, based on only fuzzy descriptions drawn graphically. (3) Scaling Up: we show how to enable interactive analytics of large graphs by leveraging Hadoop, staging of operations, and approximate computation. This thesis contributes to data mining, HCI, and importantly their intersection, including: interactive systems and algorithms that scale; theories that unify graph mining approaches; and paradigms that overcome fundamental challenges in visual analytics. Our work is making impact to academia and society: Polonium protects 120 million people worldwide from malware; NetProbe made headlines on CNN, WSJ and USA Today; Pegasus won an open-source software award; Apolo helps DARPA detect insider threats and prevent exfiltration. We hope our Big Data Mantra "Machine for Attention Routing, Human for Interaction" will inspire more innovations at the crossroad of data mining and HCI.
Web Security Requirements : A Phishing Perspective

We are currently focusing on web security problems caused by phishing, and similar semantic attacks against users. Our current investigations are leading towards heuristic, collaborative, and semantic approaches towards thwarting such attacks. Additionally, we are considering new approaches to authentication that minimize the room for user error in the presence of semantic attacks. We feel that there is significant room for progress in both of these areas, and that further testing to validate any potential solution to web security problems must take semantic attacks into account in the context of real user behavior.
Communication between multiple senders and a constrained receiver

I analyze informative equilibria between two senders and one receiver who share compatible interests. The receiver’s action is restricted since an action is costly. If the action is severely bound only in one dimension, information can be fully transmitted irrespective of the constraint degree. When the action is bound in both dimensions, full information revelation is still possible as long as the restriction is not too severe and the action costs the same in both dimensions. Even if full information transmission is impossible due to the constraint, there exist equilibria where the state is partially revealed in the form of partitions of state interval. In partial equilibria, the level of constraint decides both a partition number and boundary conditions between partitions at the same time.
Représentation de contraintes qualitatives pour le temps et l ’ espace en SAT

Résumé : Dans cet article nous considérons le problème de la cohéren ce des réseaux de contraintes qualitatives pour le temps et l’espa ce. Une nouvelle traduction permettant de représenter et de résoudre ce problèm e dans le cadre de la logique propositionnelle est proposée. La définition de cet te représentation présuppose l’existence d’un ordre particulier sur les relatio ns de base du formalisme qualitatif utilisé tel que celui du treillis conceptuel de l ’algèbre des intervalles.
On the Semantics of UML State Machines : Categorization and Comparison Technical Report 2005-501

Within Model Driven Development (MDD), state machines are a common mechanism for modelling behaviour. The development of a formal semantics for UML state machines continues to be a very active and important area of research, because the development of interoperating MDD tools requires a precise, unambiguous, yet readable account of the meaning of the diagrams. This paper is the result of a comparative literature survey on approaches to formally capture the semantics of UML state machines; it categorizes and compares 26 different approaches. As a primary categorization, we use the underlying formalism of the approaches, e.g., mathematical models, rewriting systems and translation approaches. We also compare the approaches along several secondary dimensions, such as coverage of state machine features, analysis and tool support. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the state of the art in the field and to identify open questions and promising topics for future research.
Secure faults detection for preventing fire risk in PV systems

Photovoltaic (PV) systems has been playing a key role during the last years in the evolution of electricity sector. Concerning the design issues for guaranteeing security and safety, it is particularly important to take into account that a PV plant is a "special" system of generation, in which the presence of a d.c. generator results in changings of the technical rules used for the design of electrical systems. Choices regarding the layout of the system, the grounding of the negative pole of the d.c. side and the means of protection are fundamental for the design of a PV system that takes into account the risk of fire. The subject of this article is the analysis of the relation between electrical phenomena that can occur inside of a PV system and the related means of protection (depending on the system's architecture) that can guarantee the secure fault detection and so prevent the occurrence and development of a fire.
Evaluating the forwarding plane performance of the commodity hardware virtual routers

With the resurgent interest in virtualisation, router virtualisation seems the next step to servers virtualisation. It is also a key in deploying flexible and isolated virtual networks. In this paper, we evaluate Xen-based virtual routers on top of commodity hardware. Forwarding being achieved through the driver domain networking model, we identify and analyze the throughput limitation through profiling the CPU usage and the memory accesses. In multi-core systems, the memory access latencies are then the bottleneck. Then, we propose in this context a mechanism that classifies packets and schedules them so as to guarantee them the maximum throughput and the minimum delay based on the priority they are assigned.
Toward optimal multistep forecasts in non-stationary autoregressions

This paper investigates multistep prediction errors for non-stationary autoregressive processes with both model order and true parameters unknown. We give asymptotic expressions for the multistep mean squared prediction errors and accumulated prediction errors of two important methods, plug-in and direct prediction. These expressions not only characterize how the prediction errors are influenced by the model orders, prediction methods, values of parameters and unit roots, but also inspire us to construct some new predictor selection criteria that can ultimately choose the best combination of the model order and prediction method with probability 1. Finally, simulation analysis confirms the satisfactory finite sample performance of the newly proposed criteria.
3D Object Retrieval With Multitopic Model Combining Relevance Feedback and LDA Model

View-based 3D model retrieval uses a set of views to represent each object. Discovering the complex relationship between multiple views remains challenging in 3D object retrieval. Recent progress in the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) model leads us to propose its use for 3D object retrieval. This LDA approach explores the hidden relationships between extracted primordial features of these views. Since LDA is limited to a fixed number of topics, we further propose a multitopic model to improve retrieval performance. We take advantage of a relevance feedback mechanism to balance the contributions of multiple topic models with specified numbers of topics. We demonstrate our improved retrieval performance over the state-of-the-art approaches.