Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thomson Reuters at TAC 2008: Aggressive Filtering with FastSum for Update and Opinion Summarization

In TAC 2008 we participated in the main task (Update Summarization) as well as the Sentiment Summarization pilot task. We modified the FastSum system (Schilder and Kondadadi, 2008) and added more aggressive filtering in order to adapt the system to update summarization and sentiment summarization. For the Update Summarization task, we show that a classifier that identifies sentences that are similar to typical first sentences of a news article improves the overall linguistic quality of the generated summaries. For the Sentiment Summarization pilot task, we use a simple sentiment classifier based on a gazetteer of positive and negative sentiment words derived from the General Inquirer and other sources to produce opinion-based summaries for a collection of blog posts given a set of positive and negative questions.
On the Characterisation of Complex Transactional Memory Applications

AbstractTransactional Memory (TM) has become an active research area as it promises to sim-plify the development of highly scalable parallel programs. Scalability is quickly becomingan essential software requirement as successive commodity processors integrate ever largernumbers of cores. However, complex TM applications to test TM implementations haveonly recently begun to emerge, and their execution characteristics have not been fully inves-tigated. Complicating matters further, the complex TM applications have been written indiﬀerent programming languages, using diﬀerent TM implementations, making comparisonsdiﬃcult. We have ported several complex TM applications to a single TM implementation, andbuilt into it a framework to proﬁle their execution. This paper presents performance ﬁguresand execution characteristics of major complex TM applications up to 8 processors, andfor the ﬁrst time, due to executing under a single TM implementation, presents directlycomparable performance ﬁgures and execution characteristics. Also the priority contentionmanager is found to provide the best overall results for these applications, in contrast to pre-viously published results that suggest the polka contention manageer gives the best overallresults.
Evaluation of reverse tone mapping through varying exposure conditions

Most existing image content has low dynamic range (LDR), which necessitates effective methods to display such legacy content on high dynamic range (HDR) devices. Reverse tone mapping operators (rTMOs) aim to take LDR content as input and adjust the contrast intelligently to yield output that recreates the HDR experience. In this paper we show that current rTMO approaches fall short when the input image is not exposed properly. More specifically, we report a series of perceptual experiments using a Brightside HDR display and show that, while existing rTMOs perform well for under-exposed input data, the perceived quality degrades substantially with over-exposure, to the extent that in some cases subjects prefer the LDR originals to images that have been treated with rTMOs. We show that, in these cases, a simple rTMO based on gamma expansion avoids the errors introduced by other methods, and propose a method to automatically set a suitable gamma value for each image, based on the image key and empirical data. We validate the results both by means of perceptual experiments and using a recent image quality metric, and show that this approach enhances visible details without causing artifacts in incorrectly-exposed regions. Additionally, we perform another set of experiments which suggest that spatial artifacts introduced by rTMOs are more disturbing than inaccuracies in the expanded intensities. Together, these findings suggest that when the quality of the input data is unknown, reverse tone mapping should be handled with simple, non-aggressive methods to achieve the desired effect.
Quantifying brain atrophy in clinical practice for MS patients: a feasibility study on the measurement error

Poster: "ECR 2015 / C-2223 / Quantifying brain atrophy in clinical practice for MS patients: a feasibility study on the measurement error" by: "A. Ribbens1, M. Cambron2, J. De Keyser2, A. -M. Van Binst2, J. de Mey3, S. Jain1, G. Nagels2, A. Maertens1, W. Van Hecke1; 1Leuven/BE, 2Brussel/BE, 3Brussels/BE"
Using a Trust Model to Reduce False Positives of SIP Flooding Attack Detection in IMS

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is constantly evolving to meet the growth of mobile services and Internet applications. One major security problem of the IMS is flooding attacks. There are many works that have been proposed to detect such attacks. However, generally, the detection systems trigger many alarms and most of them are false positives. These false alarms impact the quality of the detection. In this paper, we first present a method to improve the detection accuracy of SIP flooding detection in IMS by using a trust model. The trust value is calculated by a communication activity between a caller and a callee. By this algorithm, the trust value of an attacker is lower than a legitimate user because it does not have real human activities. To evaluate the proposed method, we integrate the trust model with three SIP flooding attack detection algorithms: Cumulative sum, Hellinger distance, and Tanimoto distance. The system is evaluated by using a comprehensive traffic dataset that consists of varying legitimate and malicious traffic patterns. The experimental results show that the trust integration method can reduce false alarms and improve the accuracy of the flooding attack detection algorithms.
CONSTRAINTS ON A SECOND PLANET IN THE WASP-3 SYSTEM

There have been previous hints that the transiting planet WASP-3b is accompanied by a second planet in a nearby orbit, based on small deviations from strict periodicity of the observed transits. Here we present 17 precise radial velocity (RV) measurements and 32 transit light curves that were acquired between 2009 and 2011. These data were used to refine the parameters of the host star and transiting planet. This has resulted in reduced uncertainties for the radii and masses of the star and planet. The RV data and the transit times show no evidence for an additional planet in the system. Therefore, we have determined the upper limit on the mass of any hypothetical second planet, as a function of its orbital period.
Dialogue in team formation: a formal approach

The process of cooperative problem solving can be divided into four stages. First, finding potential team members, then forming a team followed by constructing a plan for that team. Finally, the plan is executed by the team. Traditionally, very simple protocols like the Contract Net protocol are used for performing the first two stages of the process. And often the team is already taken for granted. In an open environment (like in e.g. electronic commerce) however, there can be discussion among the agents in order to form a team that can achieve the collective goal of solving the problem. For these cases fixed protocols like contract net do not suffice. In this paper we present an alternative solution, using structured dialogues that can be shown to lead to the required team formation. The dialogues are described formally (using some modal logics), thus making it possible to actually prove that a certain dialogue has a specific outcome. 0This research was supported by ESPRIT under the Grant CRIT-2 No. 20288.
Predictive Ensemble Decoding of Acoustical Features Explains Context-Dependent Receptive Fields

A primary goal of auditory neuroscience is to identify the sound features extracted and represented by auditory neurons. Linear encoding models, which describe neural responses as a function of the stimulus, have been primarily used for this purpose. Here, we provide theoretical arguments and experimental evidence in support of an alternative approach, based on decoding the stimulus from the neural response. We used a Bayesian normative approach to predict the responses of neurons detecting relevant auditory features, despite ambiguities and noise. We compared the model predictions to recordings from the primary auditory cortex of ferrets and found that: (1) the decoding filters of auditory neurons resemble the filters learned from the statistics of speech sounds; (2) the decoding model captures the dynamics of responses better than a linear encoding model of similar complexity; and (3) the decoding model accounts for the accuracy with which the stimulus is represented in neural activity, whereas linear encoding model performs very poorly. Most importantly, our model predicts that neuronal responses are fundamentally shaped by “explaining away,” a divisive competition between alternative interpretations of the auditory scene. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neural responses in the auditory cortex are dynamic, nonlinear, and hard to predict. Traditionally, encoding models have been used to describe neural responses as a function of the stimulus. However, in addition to external stimulation, neural activity is strongly modulated by the responses of other neurons in the network. We hypothesized that auditory neurons aim to collectively decode their stimulus. In particular, a stimulus feature that is decoded (or explained away) by one neuron is not explained by another. We demonstrated that this novel Bayesian decoding model is better at capturing the dynamic responses of cortical neurons in ferrets. Whereas the linear encoding model poorly reflects selectivity of neurons, the decoding model can account for the strong nonlinearities observed in neural data.
Nonlinear flow control for network traffic management with capacity constraints

We present our nonlinear flow control schemes based on a buffer management model with physical constraints. It extends the previous result of A. Pitsillides, P. Ioannou and L. Rossides (2001) by improving the buffer management of a network to better serve a class of traffic. Extension to decentralized control of a large scale network is also considered. The proposed discontinuous controller asymptotically regulates the buffer queue length at the output port of a router/switch to a constant value, in the face of unknown interfering traffics and control input constraint. Its continuous approximation achieves practical regulation with an ultimate bound on the regulation error tunable by a design parameter.
Scalable Video for Peer-to-Peer Streaming

Pulsar is a peer-to-peer streaming software that allows the distribution of live and on-demand video files. Pulsar clients are typically comprised of a very diverse group of peers with varying local computing resources or network conditions. Thereby, scalable video coding provides an efficient solution to serve the different requirements as it allows to trade between bit rate and subjective quality. This report concentrates on the topic of scalable video with respect to its application in peer-to-peer networks. In a first step various aspects of scalable video are discussed by an introduction on the existing Scalable Video Coding (SVC) standard of the Joint Video Team (JVT). Building on those explanations the implementation of scalable video in Pulsar is presented. Different parts of the software are discussed that had to be modified in order to allow Pulsar to cope with scalable video streams. The report is concluded by results from evaluation test runs regarding SVC alone as well as its application in Pulsar.
An application of a hybrid algorithm to identification of parameters of semi-empirical model describing a real process

In the paper the problem of identification is formulated and solved using a hybrid algorithm. The identification means calculation of parameters of a model describing a real process. The method proposed is applied to a semi-empirical model of the working cycle of an engine which enables calculations of the pressure courses in a cylinder. The identification procedure determines the values of the computational model parameters in order to ensure the minimal difference between the measured and calculated pressure courses in the cylinder. The identification is performed by solving dynamic optimization task using a hybrid approach. In the hybrid algorithm genetic algorithms are connected with the gradientless Nelder-Mead method. Results of the identification for different vectors of input to the model are presented as well.
Feature selection for clustering problems: a hybrid algorithm that iterates between k-means and a Bayesian filter

There are two fundamentally different approaches for feature selection: wrapper and filter. It is also possible to combine them, obtaining hybrid approaches. This paper describes a hybrid method for selecting relevant features in clustering problems. The proposed approach is based on the combination of the widely known k-means algorithm and a Bayesian filter, which is based on the Markov Blanket concept. Since the number of clusters and the subset of relevant features are usually inter-related, we propose a method that iterates between clustering (assuming that the number of clusters is not known a priori) and filtering. Experiments in a number of datasets show that the proposed approach allows selecting features that provide good partitions.
Abundances and Depletions of Interstellar Oxygen

We report on the abundance of interstellar neutral oxygen (O I) for 26 sight lines, using data from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, the International Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Hubble Space Telescope. O I column densities are derived by measuring the equivalent widths of several ultraviolet absorption lines and subsequently fitting those to a curve of growth. We consider both our general sample of 26 sight lines and a more restrictive sample of 10 sight lines that utilize HST data for a measurement of the weak 1355 Å line of oxygen and are thus better constrained owing to our sampling of all three sections of the curve of growth. The column densities of our HST sample show ratios of O/H that agree with the current best solar value if dust is considered, with the possible exception of one sight line (HD 37903). We note some very limited evidence in the HST sample for trends of increasing depletion with respect to RV and f(H2), but the trends are not conclusive. Unlike a recent result from Cartledge et al., we do not see evidence for increasing depletion with respect to ⟨nH⟩, but our HST sample contains only two points more dense than the critical density determined in that paper. The column densities of our more general sample show some scatter in O/H, but most agree with the solar value to within errors. We discuss these results in the context of establishing the best method for determining interstellar abundances, the unresolved question of the best value for O/H in the interstellar medium, the O/H ratios observed in Galactic stars, and the depletion of gas-phase oxygen onto dust grains.
Greatest lower bounds on the Ricci curvature of Fano manifolds

Abstract On a Fano manifold M we study the supremum of the possible t such that there is a Kähler metric ω∈c1(M) with Ricci curvature bounded below by t. This is shown to be the same as the maximum existence time of Aubin’s continuity path for finding Kähler–Einstein metrics. We show that on P2 blown up in one point this supremum is 6/7, and we give upper bounds for other manifolds.
A Rule Repository Model for Rule-Driven Question-Answer-Based Web Applications

In current times, information system is a key part of the infrastructure for enterprises to run business. The efficiency and agility of the systems are vitally important for enterprises to survive. Business rule approach is a relevant new technique and can be used to assist enterprises to achieve business agility. This paper introduces briefly the concepts relating to business rule management techniques, such as business rule, business rule classification and the components of rule-driven applications. A rule repository model for rule-driven question-answer style web application is analyzed and presented. The way how a rule-driven question-answer-based web application works with the repository model is described.
A NOVEL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ROBOTIC DEVICES

It is difficult to find an autonomous robot capable of performing certain services in a real environment. One advantage of a robot is its ability to accomplish many of the tasks entrusted to him with high efficiency compared to that of humans. This paper aims to design and implement a robot system which has the ability to route traffic through a specific route and move with discretion through a place in so many forms, classified and put in place every time. A field programmable analog array (FPAA) technology has been used in building the proportional-integral (PI) controller system on the route of the robot in addition to the use of this technology in the programming the movement of robotic arm used to pick up the required objects. The proposed robot system underwent many tests, which showed the possibility of movement and it completed the required tasks with high accuracy according to the path planned.
Analysis of EGM licensing decisions by the gambling regulator, Victoria, Australia

Abstract Gambling expansion is commonly justified in public discourse by claims of community benefit, increased employment and capital investment. Compared to other jurisdictions, the Electronic Gambling Machine (EGM) license process in Victoria, Australia, is relatively transparent and amenable to analysis. This article describes research that assessed factors relevant to EGM license decisions made by Victoria’s gambling regulator between 2007 and 2014. During the period under review, the regulator granted 144 of 154 applications, finding that approving these applications would not be detrimental to relevant communities. Most commonly cited factors supporting approvals were commitments to undertake capital works, contribute to community purposes and increase employment. The regulator overwhelmingly agreed that supportive factors would balance harms, such as problem gambling, high levels of expenditure or socio-economic disadvantage. This research demonstrates the difficulty of balancing apparently quantifiable benefits against less readily measurable gambling-related harms in regulatory decision-making. The study found that harms were poorly conceived and understood inadequately and supportive factors frequently overstated. This process may lead to unnecessarily high levels of community harm, contradicting the purposes of the relevant legislation. The article suggests that better, more consistently applied principles are required to ensure the more rigorous scrutiny of supportive factors and improved understanding of gambling harms.
Stability and harmonic assessment of a controlled microgrid using newton methods

This paper presents the accelerated computation of the periodic steady state solutions of a nonlinear controlled microgrid system with multiple distributed generation units, using six Newton methods. The performance of the Newton methods are compared in terms of their numerical properties, computational effort and efficiency in order to know their advantages and disadvantages in the computation of the periodic steady state solution of microgrids. The commutation of the power electronic converters and the closed-loop power management control are explicitly considered in the computed solution. Simulation results are presented to evaluate the Newton methods.
The Demography of Massive Dark Objects in Galaxy Centers

We construct dynamical models for a sample of 36 nearby galaxies with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry and ground-based kinematics. The models assume that each galaxy is axisymmetric, with a two-integral distribution function, arbitrary inclination angle, a position-independent stellar mass-to-light ratio Υ, and a central massive dark object (MDO) of arbitrary mass M•. They provide acceptable fits to 32 of the galaxies for some value of M• and Υ; the four galaxies that cannot be fitted have kinematically decoupled cores. The mass-to-light ratios inferred for the 32 well-fitted galaxies are consistent with the fundamental-plane correlation Υ ∝ L0.2, where L is galaxy luminosity. In all but six galaxies the models require at the 95% confidence level an MDO of mass M• ∼ 0.006Mbulge ≡ 0. 006ΥL. Five of the six galaxies consistent with M• = 0 are also consistent with this correlation. The other (NGC 7332) has a much stronger upper limit on M•. We predict the second-moment profiles that should be observed at HST resolution for the 32 galaxies that our models describe well. We consider various parameterizations for the probability distribution describing the correlation of the masses of these MDOs with other galaxy properties. One of the best models can be summarized thus: a fraction f ≃ 0.97 of early-type galaxies have MDOs, whose masses are well described by a Gaussian distribution in log (M•/Mbulge) of mean -2.28 and standard deviation ∼0.51. There is also marginal evidence that M• is distributed differently for "core" and "power law" galaxies, with core galaxies having a somewhat steeper dependence on Mbulge.
Management Perceptions of a Higher Educational Brand for the Attraction of Talented Academic Staf

Orientation: Academic staff members have a crucial role in the success of higher education institutions (HEIs). Therefore, it is imperative to cultivate an appealing organisational brand that will attract them to HEIs as an employer of choice. Research purpose: The main objective of this study was to explore management perceptions on a higher educational institution as a brand for the attraction of talented academic staff. Motivation for the study: Although a substantial amount of research has been conducted on organisational branding, not much has emphasised the higher educational sector. Research approach, design and method: A qualitative research approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews to collect data from management ( N = 12) of a merged South African HEI. Main findings: The findings revealed six themes that should form the core of a higher educational brand for academic staff: reputation and image, organisational culture and identity, strategic vision, corporate social responsibility and work and surrounding environment. Practical/managerial implications: The findings of the study will assist higher education management to create a compelling organisational brand and work environment to attract and retain talented academic staff members. Contribution/value-add: This research makes a valuable contribution towards creating new knowledge in the key that should form part of an appealing higher education brand that will attract and retain current and future talent.
A Critical Survey of Predictive Mathematical Models for Migration from Packaging

The migration of chemicals from food contact materials into foods is an important issue in food safety. The assessment of materials compliance with regulations includes migration monitoring for many monomers and additives. However, it is recognized that predictive mathematical modelling can be used in many cases, to avoid or to reduce the effort on migration experiments. This article reviews the approaches followed to apply mathematical models to migration, particularly the models used, the approaches to estimate model parameters, and the systems used to experimentally validate the models. Conclusions on the issues requiring further research are drawn.