Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanism and Performance Evaluation of a Rate Control Method for Streaming Distribution

This paper introduces a novel end-to-end rate control scheme for streaming applications considering playback time of buffered data. The primary target of this scheme is to prevent the degradation of playback quality of all clients when congestion occurs. In this scheme, the streaming server utilizes available bandwidth to increase throughput and to reduce the total transmission time, while each client uses its playback time of buffered data to generate feedback timer. The rate control scheme is TCP friendly and is well-suited to large scale streaming system, where the server is handling many concurrent connections and the clients spread widely over the network.
Noise Measurement for Raw-Data of Digital Imaging Sensors by Automatic Segmentation of Nonuniform Targets

In this paper, we present a new method for measuring the temporal noise in the raw-data of digital imaging sensors [e.g., CMOS and charge-coupled device (CCD)]. The method is specially designed to estimate the variance function which describes the signal-dependent noise found in raw-data. It gives the standard-deviation of the noise as a function of the expectation of the pixel raw-data output value. In contrast with established methods (such as the ISO 15739), our method does not require the use of a specific target or a particular calibration. This is possible due to an automatic segmentation embedded in the data analysis. We show experimental results for the raw-data from two different CMOS sensors of commercial cameraphones.
From parallel grammar development towards machine translation – a project overview

We give an overview of a MT research project jointly undertaken by Xerox PARC and XRCE Grenoble. The project builds on insights and resources in large-scale development of parallel LFG grammars. The research approach towards translation focuses on innovative computational technologies which lead to a flexible translation architecture. Efficient processing of "packed" ambiguities not only enables ambiguity preserving transfer. It is at the heart of a flexible architectural design, open for various extensions which take the right decisions at the right time.
Variability and spectral energy distributions of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: a simultaneous X-ray/UV look with Swift

We have observed four low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) classified as type 1 Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions (LINERs) with the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and the Ultraviolet–Optical Telescope (UVOT) onboard Swift, in an attempt to clarify the main powering mechanism of this class of nearby sources. Among our targets, we detect X-ray variability in NGC 3998 for the first time. The light curves of this object reveal variations of up to 30 per cent amplitude in half a day, with no significant spectral variability on this time-scale. We also observe a decrease of ∼30 per cent over 9 d, with significant spectral softening. Moreover, the X-ray flux is ∼40 per cent lower than observed in previous years. Variability is detected in M81 as well, at levels comparable to those reported previously: a flux increase in the hard X-rays (1–10 keV) of 30 per cent in ∼3 h and variations by up to a factor of 2 within a few years. This X-ray behaviour is similar to that of higher luminosity, Seyfert-type objects. Using previous high-angular-resolution imaging data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we evaluate the diffuse UV emission due to the host galaxy and isolate the nuclear flux in our UVOT observations. All sources are detected in the UV band, at levels similar to those of the previous observations with HST. The XRT (0.2–10 keV) spectra are well described by single power laws and the UV-to-X-ray flux ratios are again consistent with those of Seyferts and radio-loud AGNs of higher luminosity. The similarity in X-ray variability and broad-band energy distributions suggests the presence of similar accretion and radiation processes in low- and high-luminosity AGNs.
A secure routing protocol for Vehicular Ad Hoc Network to provide ITS services

Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is an emerging area of research to provide Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) services to the end users. It is a challenging topic for its high mobility and frequent link disruption. Recently researchers are working on many specific issues related to VANET like routing, broadcasting, Quality of Service (QoS), security, architectures, applications, protocols, etc. The increase in vehicles leads to severe road accidents and traffic jam in urban areas, so to eradicate these problems there should be an efficient and secure communication between the vehicles. Security is a main issue nowadays in VANET because malicious drivers in the network disrupt the system performance. This paper presents a new Position Based Secure Routing Protocol (PBSRP) which is a hybrid of Most Forward within Radius (MFR) and Border Node based Most Forward within Radius (B-MFR) routing protocols. A security module is added in this protocol by using station to station key agreement protocol to prevent the system from various attacks. It consists of three phases: initialization phase, optimal node selection phase and secure data delivery phase. Simulation results shows PBSRP shows better results than MFR and B-MFR in terms of end to end delay and packet delivery ratio when malicious drivers are included in the network.
Exiles-Migrants and Reconciliation in the Spanish Low Countries after the Peace of Arras (1579)

This article contributes to the assessment of the management of migrants at the end of the 16 th century as part of the challenge, by both central and municipal authorities, for ending the civil war in the Spanish Low Countries. In particular, it questions to what extent experiences of exiles, returnees and migrants presented a challenge for families, economic regulation and public order in the French-speaking reconciled provinces (Hainaut, Artois and the Walloon Flanders), in the new framework of the pacification and religious normalization. It focuses on how did the towns, when confronted with various forms of mobility, attempt to apply the practice of reconciliation. On the one hand, the general policy of reconciliation tried to build a post bellum society under the Roman Catholic faith and the King’s sovereignty, not only by excluding those who refused to recant in order to conform to the rules of the pacification, but also by forgiving and reincorporating the migrants who crossed confessional boundaries. Then, it considers how, at their level, the municipal authorities had to take various patterns of migration into account, in particular those that connected most of the towns of the Union of Arras to the Protestant Refuge in England and the Dutch Republic, reducing the importance of the migrants’ religious status in their selection criteria. Finally, theses practices opened a space for discussion and a shy civic toleration between the Catholic aldermen, the ex-Calvinists who had chosen official reconciliation, and the textile workers migrants while still being accommodated and welcomed into the exile Protestant Churches, relegating the debate about personal confessional practices and religion from public space to the family sphere.
First step towards an automated designed Multi-Arm Snake-Like Robot for minimally invasive surgery

The development of minimally invasive surgery will lead to the further reduction of incisions regarding single-port surgery using only one single artificial or natural incision. Thus, it appears that instruments and workflow have to be designed in a way that provides a dexterous manipulation of instruments inside the body. The aim should be to support the surgeon with a system most suitable to the specific application. This article presents the concept of designing an individualized robot for minimally invasive surgery (e.g. partial nephrectomy) on basis of our Multi-Arm Snake-Like Robot. The system is designed as overtube for standard optics in minimally invasive surgery and possesses articulated arms to manipulate standard instruments enabling the physician to manipulate tissue from two sides (triangulation of the instruments). By using additive manufacturing and new design algorithms, we were able to design robotic structures adaptable to different clinical applications such as endoscopic or laparoscopic interventions. This paper presents the first step towards a patient, surgeon and task specific automated design of disposable robots.
Guided wave localization of damage via sparse reconstruction

Ultrasonic guided waves are frequently applied for structural health monitoring and nondestructive evaluation of plate-like metallic and composite structures. Spatially distributed arrays of fixed piezoelectric transducers can be used to detect damage by recording and analyzing all pairwise signal combinations. By subtracting pre-recorded baseline signals, the effects due to scatterer interactions can be isolated. Given these residual signals, techniques such as delay-and-sum imaging are capable of detecting flaws, but do not exploit the expected sparse nature of damage. It is desired to determine the location of a possible flaw by leveraging the anticipated sparsity of damage; i.e., most of the structure is assumed to be damage-free. Unlike least-squares methods, L1-norm minimization techniques favor sparse solutions to inverse problems such as the one considered here of locating damage. Using this type of method, it is possible to exploit sparsity of damage by formulating the imaging process as an optim.
Frequency dependent radio structure of the gravitational lens system b0218+357

We present multi-frequency radio continuum VLBI observations of the gravitational lens system B0218+357 carried out using a global VLBI network and the VLBA. The source has been observed with resolutions from 0.2 milliarcsec to 5 milliarcsec and displays interesting structure. The spectral properties of various components show that the lensed object is a standard flat spectrum radio source which has many self-absorbed components. Based on the flux ratio of the lensed images as a function of frequency we propose a simple model for the background radio source.
Evaluating markers for treatment selection based on survival time

For many medical conditions, several treatment options may be available for treating patients. We consider evaluating markers based on a simple treatment selection policy that incorporates information on the patient's marker value. For example, colon cancer patients may be treated by surgery alone or surgery plus chemotherapy. The c‐myc gene expression level may be used as a biomarker for treatment selection. Although traditional regression methods may assess the effect of the marker and treatment on outcomes, it is more appealing to quantify directly the potential impact on the population of using the marker to select treatment. A useful tool is the selection impact (SI) curve proposed by Song and Pepe for binary outcomes (Biometrics 2004; 60:874–883). However, the current SI method does not deal with continuous outcomes, nor does it allow to adjust for other covariates that are important for treatment selection. In this paper, we extend the SI curve for general outcomes, with a specific focus on survival time. We further propose the covariate‐specific SI curve to incorporate covariate information in treatment selection. Nonparametric and semiparametric estimators are developed accordingly. We show that the proposed estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal. The performance is assessed by simulation studies and illustrated through an application to data from a cancer clinical trial. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adaptive Double Threshold based Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Networks

Rapid growth of wireless communication and limited spectrum availability to support the applications and services, has led to the development of cognitive radio as promising solution to address the problem of spectrum scarcity. Spectrum sensing is one of the fundamental functions towards the implementation of the cognitive radio concept in wireless communication. In this paper, we present an adaptive double threshold based spectrum sensing utilizing fuzzy logic. It is shown that the proposed scheme achieves enhanced detection performance under noise uncertainty at a given Pf and also overcomes the problem of spectrum sensing failure. In this scheme, fuzzy logic is implemented at individual CR and the implementation of fusion center for decision making is done away with. Hence, overheads are reduced as compared to existing techniques. Probability of detection, probability of false alarm, and SNR are used as performance metrics. Simulation results shows that proposed scheme outperforms conventional and Cooperative sensing with single threshold, schemes by 33% and 16% at 5 dB SNR, respectively We have further implemented cooperative sensing along with the proposed scheme using fusion center and compared with recent techniques. It is further found that CSS with proposed scheme provides 8% , 33.3% and 16% improvement in detection as compared to that for cooperative CED with MRC and OR scheme and Hierarchical scheme at −8dB SNR, respectively. Since, in proposed scheme, only one bit decision is sent by each CR to fusion centre, hence communications overheads are also reduced as compared to MRC and Hierarchical scheme.
Document-Oriented Pruning of the Inverted Index in Information Retrieval Systems

Searching very large collections can be costly in both computation and storage. To reduce this cost, recent research has focused on reducing the size (pruning) of the inverted index. The inverted index represents a table, the rows and columns of which are terms in the lexicon and documents in the collection, respectively. A non-zero entry in the table, known as a posting, indicates that the corresponding document contains the term. Previous researches on static index pruning was either (i) posting-oriented, in which less important postings are removed from the table, or (ii) term-oriented, in which less important terms are removed from the table. In this paper, we investigate a new, document-oriented pruning strategy that removes entire columns of the table, i.e. removes less important documents from the collection. Three methods for estimating the importance of a document are proposed. Methods 1 and 2 are dependent on the score function of the retrieval system (e.g. Okapi BM25), while Method 3 is independent of the retrieval system. Experimental results compare the three proposed methods with Carmel et al.'s posting-oriented approach, using both the FT and LA Times collections and using both ordinary and difficult queries. Based on mean average precision and precision at 10, experimental results show that Method 3 generally performs best on the FT collection for pruned indexes down to 35% of the original size. However, for more severe pruning, Carmel et al.'s algorithm is better. For the LA Times collection, the performance of Method 3 and that of Carmel et al. are reversed. This variation in performance across collections has not been previously reported.
Sexual Coercion in Marriage: Narrative Accounts of Abused Mexican-American Women

ABSTRACT Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) has been relatively understudied particularly from the perspective of women of color. This study documents the experiences with partner sexual violence of ten Mexican-American women. Qualitative interviews were conducted using snowball sampling with women that had been in abusive marital relationships. A phenomenological approach was used and through a thematic analysis, participant narrative responses were synthesized into themes. All participants reported sexual coercion and violence in their marriages, yet most did not label those experiences as “rape” despite the threatening context in which these incidents occurred. Tacit, but not always explicit acceptance of machismo, patriarchy, and male dominance were common themes possibly increasing IPV risk. Results highlight the complex interaction between upholding cultural values on the one hand, and preserving individual well-being and safety, on the other, underscoring the need for more extensive culturally sensitive research, prevention and intervention efforts for abused Mexican-American women
Experiments with query translation and re-ranking methods in Vietnamese-English bilingual information retrieval

Using bilingual dictionaries is a common way for query translation in Cross Language Information Retrieval. In this article, we focus on Vietnamese-English Bilingual Information Retrieval and present algorithms for query segmentation, word disambiguation and re-ranking to improve the dictionary-based query translation approach. An evaluation environment is implemented to verify and compare the application of proposed algorithms with the baseline method using manual translation.
The Impact of Emotional Characteristics in the Chronicity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

BACKGROUND The research objective was to identify overstated emotional characteristics in armed conflict veterans as well as both the similarities and differences in personality profiles between patients suffering from acute and chronic forms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). SUBJECTS AND METHODS Our study's sample consisted of 60 participants in the armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February, 1998 until 11 June, 1999. All of them were diagnosed with PTSD, during the six months period after their return from active duty. In 2014 we retested the same subjects to see their current psychological state. Diagnoses of PTSD were made using Structure Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), while the assessment of emotional characteristics was made using Plutchik's emotion profile index (PIE). RESULTS We established no statistically significant difference in PIE profiles between both groups in recent re-testing. The only significant difference as per PIE classification was found earlier when the subjects were initially diagnosed. The amplified emotional dimension was exploration, and only the group of chronic PTSD patients displayed significantly higher values (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Emotional profiles, as a whole, proved to be very similar amongst subjects with both acute and chronic form of the PTSD. The only noted difference is in the significantly higher values of exploration emotional dimension, but only at the time when they were first given initial diagnosis, and only in the group of subjects who later developed the chronic form of PTSD which can indicate that exploration is a factor of vulnerability which is important in chronicity.
Very compact radio emission from high-mass protostars I. CRL 2136: Continuum and water maser observations

We report 5–43 GHz radio observations of the CRL 2136 region at $0\farcs6$–$6''$ resolution. We detect weak (mJy intensity) radio emission from the deeply embedded high-mass protostar IRS 1, which has an optically thick spectrum up to frequencies of 22 GHz, flattening at higher frequencies, which might be explained by emission from a jet. Water maser mapping shows that the strong emission observed redshifted relative to the systemic velocity is spatially coincident with the optically thick continuum emission. The H 2 O maser emission from this object (and others we know of) seems to have a different origin than most of these masers, which are frequently tracing bipolar high-velocity outflows. Instead, the CRL 2136 H 2 O emission arises in the close circumstellar environment of the protostar (within 1000 AU). We speculate that most of it is excited in the hot, dense infalling gas after the accretion shock, although this cannot explain all the H 2 O emission. An accretion shock nature for the continuum emission seems unlikely.
Quick Trigger on Stack Overflow: A Study of Gamification-Influenced Member Tendencies

In recent times, gamification has become a popular technique to aid online communities stimulate active member participation. Gamification promotes a reward-driven approach, usually measured by response-time. Possible concerns of gamification could a trade-off between speedy over quality responses. Conversely, bias toward easier question selection for maximum reward may exist. In this study, we analyze the distribution gamification-influenced tendencies on the Q&A Stack Overflow online community. In addition, we define some gamification-influenced metrics related to response time to a question post. We carried experiments of a four-month period analyzing 101,291 members posts. Over this period, we determined a Rapid Response time of 327 seconds (5.45 minutes). Key findings suggest that around 92% of SO members have fewer rapid responses that non-rapid responses. Accepted answers have no clear relationship with rapid responses. However, we did find that rapid responses significantly contain tags that did not follow their usual tagging tendencies.
Children's attentional breadth around their mother: Comparing stimulus-driven vs. cognitively controlled processes

Attentional processes in children are tuned toward their mother. It is unclear whether this is a cognitively controlled or more automatic, stimulus-driven process. Therefore, 172 children (age 9–13) were assigned to either a cognitively controlled or a stimulus-driven task measuring the breadth of their attentional field around their mother. Results demonstrated a narrower field around the mother for children completing the more stimulus-driven task. Moreover, only for the stimulus-driven task, this effect was linked with the interaction between children's age and self-reported trust in maternal support. More trust was linked with a narrower attentional field around the mother in younger children, but with a less narrow field in older children. This resembles the expected age-related shift toward increased autonomy and points at stimulus-driven attentional processes.
Mindfulness and Self-Compassion in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Examining Predictors of Disability

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a condition characterized by worry and physiological arousal symptoms that causes significant disabilities in patients' lives. In order to improve psychotherapeutic interventions, a careful characterization of the deficiencies of this population as well as factors that ameliorate disability is crucial. Variables that have not traditionally been the focus of research should be considered, such as trait mindfulness and self-compassion. We investigated whether GAD patients would report lower mindfulness and self-compassion levels than healthy stressed individuals. Eighty-seven GAD patients and 49 healthy controls completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale, and measures of anxiety. Patients with GAD also completed the Sheehan Disability Scale. Results showed that GAD patients had lower mindfulness and self-compassion than healthy stressed controls, and both were negatively correlated with levels of anxiety, worry, and anxiety sensitivity. In patients, mindfulness was a better predictor of disability than actual anxiety symptom scores. These findings highlight that in the presence of anxiety symptoms, mindfulness can be a factor that helps protect against feeling disabled by the disorder. The findings thereby add an important variable to the characterization of this disorder and should be taken into consideration for future treatment development.
On the invariance of second-order modes under frequency transformation in 2-D separable denominator digital filters

This paper discusses the invariance of the second-order modes of 2-D separable denominator digital filters under frequency transformation. It is proved that the second-order modes of 2-D separable denominator digital filters are not invariant under all frequency transformations, but invariant under specific frequency transformations of which transfer functions are strictly proper.