Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cache based evaluation of iceberg queries

Nowadays, it is more demanded for techniques that are efficient in retrieval of small results from large data sets. Iceberg queries are such a kind of queries which accepts large data as input and process them for retrieve small results upon user specified threshold (T). Earlier, the iceberg queries are processed by many ways but are compromised in speed with which the data is retrieved. Thus lots of researchers are concentrating on improvement of iceberg query evaluation methods. Compressed bitmap index is an efficient technique which is developed recently to answer iceberg queries. In this paper, we proposed “Cache Based Evaluation of Iceberg Queries”. An iceberg query is evaluated using compressed bitmap index technique for threshold equals to 1, save results in cache memory for future reference. For further evaluation of an iceberg query thresholds greater than 1 are just picking the results from the cache memory instead of executing once again on the database table. Thus strategy clearly stating that, an execution time of IBQ is improved by avoiding repetition of an evaluation process by multiple times. Experimental results are demonstrating our cache based evaluation strategy is better than existing strategy.
Global optimal data association for multiple people tracking

Multiple people tracking is an important component for different tasks such as video surveillance and human-robot interaction. In this paper, a global optimization approach is proposed for long-term tracking of an a priori unknown number of targets, particularly aim to improve the robustness in case of complex interaction and mutual occlusion. With a state-space discretization scheme, the multiple object tracking problem is formulated with a grid-based network flow model, resulting in a convex problem that can be casted into an Integer Linear Programming (ILP), then solved through relaxation. In order to allow recovery from misdetections, common heuristics such as non-maxima suppression is eschewed within observations. In addition, we show that how behavior cue can be integrated into the association affinity model, providing discriminative hints for resolving ambiguities between crossing trajectories. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiments on multiple challenging video sequences, using a calibrated multi-camera setup.
ICIP 2016 competition on mobile ocular biometric recognition

With the unprecedented mobile technology revolution, a number of ocular biometric based personal recognition schemes have been proposed for mobile use cases. The aim of this competition is to evaluate and compare the performance of mobile ocular biometric recognition schemes in visible light on a large scale database (VISOB Dataset ICIP2016 Challenge Version) using standard evaluation methods. Four different teams from universities across the world participated in this competition, submitting five algorithms altogether. The submitted algorithms applied different texture analysis in a learning or a non-learning based framework for ocular recognition. The best results were obtained by a team from Norwegian Biometrics Laboratory (NTNU, Norway), achieving an Equal Error Rate of 0.06% over a quarantined test set.
Predicting Gold Prices

Given historical price data up to and including a given day, I attempt to predict whether the London PM price fix of gold the following day will increase or decrease relative to the current day’s price fix. My predictions are based primarily on technical indicators calculated from historical price data for gold as well as for a variety of financial variables. Using logistic regression for binary classification, I attain over 54% accuracy using only features calculated from the gold price, and over 69% accuracy after adding certain intermarket variable features that display a high correlation with gold prices. I also simulate executing 1-day trades based on this prediction, where I can either buy or sell 1 ounce of gold each day, and achieve an average daily profit exceeding $0.65.
Grasping and walking neuroprostheses for stroke and spinal cord injured subjects

Rapid prototyping and portable functional electrical stimulation systems with surface stimulation electrodes were developed. The proposed systems were used to design grasping and walking neuroprostheses for spinal cord injured subjects and stroke subjects. The grasping neuroprosthesis restores a palmar or a lateral grasp in high lesioned spinal cord injured subjects. The walking neuroprosthesis eliminates the "drop foot" problem in incomplete spinal cord injured subjects and stroke subjects. The preliminary results obtained with the proposed neuroprostheses indicate that they can significantly improve the quality of life of stroke and spinal cord injured subjects, and that the subjects with such prostheses are more independent in daily living activities.
Essays on entry regulation, institutions, and development

This thesis is a collection of three essays on entry regulation, institutions, and development. Chapter 1 examines the effect of a business registration reform in Mexico on economic activity. This reform made registration procedures less complex and was implemented in different municipalities at different points in time, allowing for identification. I find that the reform increased the number of registered businesses in eligible industries. This increase was due to former wage earners opening businesses. Former unregistered business owners were not more likely to register their business after the reform. The results also show an increase in employment in eligible industries. Moreover, they indicate that the competition from new entrants lowered prices and decreased the income of incumbent businesses. Chapter 2, coauthored with Francisco Gallego, argues that within country variation in economic development across the Americas can be explained by differences in institutions that have their roots in the colonial era. Colonizers engaged in different economic activities in different regions of a country, depending on the local conditions and the supply of native labor. Some activities where "bad" since they created extractive institutions, while "good" activities created inclusive institutions. We show that areas with bad colonial activities have lower GDP per capita today than other areas. Areas with high pre-colonial population density also have lower GDP per capita today. The intermediating factor between history and current development appears to be institutions and not income inequality or the share of ethnic minorities. Chapter 3 uses the example of Mexico's Progresa and Microrregion programs to illustrate that one can arrive at very different conclusions about the relative cost-effectiveness of public development programs, depending on the assumptions made about social opportunity costs. For Progresa, I estimate the amount of US$ required to save one life per 1000 live births to be 14.1. For the Microrregion Program, this number could fall anywhere between 7.6 and 29. The main challenge is that social opportunity costs are not necessarily equal to market prices in the presence of market failures, and that we currently lack good guidelines for how to address this issue in applied work. Thesis Supervisor: Esther Duflo Title: Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Thesis Supervisor: Abhijit Banerjee Title: Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics To my parents and to Luis
Clickstream Data Yields High-Resolution Maps of Science

Background Intricate maps of science have been created from citation data to visualize the structure of scientific activity. However, most scientific publications are now accessed online. Scholarly web portals record detailed log data at a scale that exceeds the number of all existing citations combined. Such log data is recorded immediately upon publication and keeps track of the sequences of user requests (clickstreams) that are issued by a variety of users across many different domains. Given these advantages of log datasets over citation data, we investigate whether they can produce high-resolution, more current maps of science. Methodology Over the course of 2007 and 2008, we collected nearly 1 billion user interactions recorded by the scholarly web portals of some of the most significant publishers, aggregators and institutional consortia. The resulting reference data set covers a significant part of world-wide use of scholarly web portals in 2006, and provides a balanced coverage of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. A journal clickstream model, i.e. a first-order Markov chain, was extracted from the sequences of user interactions in the logs. The clickstream model was validated by comparing it to the Getty Research Institute's Architecture and Art Thesaurus. The resulting model was visualized as a journal network that outlines the relationships between various scientific domains and clarifies the connection of the social sciences and humanities to the natural sciences. Conclusions Maps of science resulting from large-scale clickstream data provide a detailed, contemporary view of scientific activity and correct the underrepresentation of the social sciences and humanities that is commonly found in citation data.
Why are Returns on Swiss Franc Asset so Low

As is well known, the uncovered interest rate parity fails in the short run but usually holds in the long run. This paper analyses the long and short run interest rate parity of 10 mayor OECD currencies and finds that there is a long run failure of the uncovered interest rate parity condition for the Swiss Franc. After correcting for exchange rate changes, mean returns on Swiss assets have been significantly lower than in other currencies, an anomaly not found in any other major currency. The long run return differential has been stable over the last 20 years, transitory structural breaks are only found in times of currency turmoil. We suggest that the return anomaly may be due to an insurance premium against very rare catastrophic events, such as a major war. Supporting evidence for this hypothesis comes from two empirical findings: First, we show that the return differential is negatively affected by large unexpected geo-political events. Second we examine historical data on interest rates differentials and show that the abnormally low level of Swiss returns arises after the first world war only.
Providing fairness between TCP NewReno and TCP Vegas with RD network services

While Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) variants with delay-based congestion control (e.g., TCP Vegas) provide low queueing delay and low packet loss, the key problem with their deployment on the Internet is their relative performance when competing with traditional TCP variants with loss-based congestion control (e.g., TCP NewReno). In particular, the more aggressive loss-based flows tend to dominate link buffer usage and degrade the throughput of delay-based flows. In this paper, we study a novel approach for achieving fair sharing of the network resources among TCP variants, using Rate-Delay (RD) Network Services. In particular, loss-based and delay-based flows are isolated from each other and served via different queues. Using extensive ns-2 network simulation experiments, we show that our approach is effective in providing fairness between loss-based NewReno and delay-based Vegas flows.
Robust Fuzzy Stabilizer Design for Power System

In this paper, a robust method to changes of work points for stability of the power systems equipped with PSS controllers has been presented. In the proposed method, at first the coefficients of PSS controller for different work points of the system have been optimized off line by PSO algorithm and then a fuzzy controller to select the best power system stabilizers have been optimized according to work points of the system, is designed and used online. In this work, single machine infinite bus system (SMIB) associated PSS for three different work points has been considered. In order to evaluate the proposed fuzzy controller, the method has been simulated in MATLAB software and its out come response in different work points has been compared with CPSS controllers. Simulation results how’s that proposed method has a better performance.
A Two-Staged Model For Content Determination

In this paper we describe a two-stage model for content determination in systems that summarise time series data. The first stage involves building a qualitative overview of the data set, and the second involves using this overview, together with the actual data, to produce summaries of the time-series data. This model is based on our observations of how human experts summarise time-series data.
Podocyte Mitosis – A Catastrophe

Podocyte loss plays a key role in the progression of glomerular disorders towards glomerulosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. Podocytes form unique cytoplasmic extensions, foot processes, which attach to the outer surface of the glomerular basement membrane and interdigitate with neighboring podocytes to form the slit diaphragm. Maintaining these sophisticated structural elements requires an intricate actin cytoskeleton. Genetic, mechanic, and immunologic or toxic forms of podocyte injury can cause podocyte loss, which causes glomerular filtration barrier dysfunction, leading to proteinuria. Cell migration and cell division are two processes that require a rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton; this rearrangement would disrupt the podocyte foot processes, therefore, podocytes have a limited capacity to divide or migrate. Indeed, all cells need to rearrange their actin cytoskeleton to assemble a correct mitotic spindle and to complete mitosis. Podocytes, even when being forced to bypass cell cycle checkpoints to initiate DNA synthesis and chromosome segregation, cannot complete cytokinesis efficiently and thus usually generate aneuploid podocytes. Such aneuploid podocytes rapidly detach and die, a process referred to as mitotic catastrophe. Thus, detached or dead podocytes cannot be adequately replaced by the proliferation of adjacent podocytes. However, even glomerular disorders with severe podocyte injury can undergo regression and remission, suggesting alternative mechanisms to compensate for podocyte loss, such as podocyte hypertrophy or podocyte regeneration from resident renal progenitor cells. Together, mitosis of the terminally differentiated podocyte rather accelerates podocyte loss and therefore glomerulosclerosis. Finding ways to enhance podocyte regeneration from other sources remains a challenge goal to improve the treatment of chronic kidney disease in the future.
Political Economics and Macroeconomic Policy

This paper surveys the recent literature on the theory of macroeconomic policy. We study the effect of various incentive constraints on the policy making process, such as lack of credibility, political opportunism, political ideology, and divided government. The survey is organized in three parts. Part I deals with monetary policy in a simply Phillips curve model: it covers credibility issues, political business cycles, and optimal design of monetary institutions. Part II deals with fiscal policy in a dynamic general equilibrium set up: the main topics here are credibility of tax policy, and political determinants of budget deficits. Part III studies economic growth in models with endogenous fiscal policy.
Metaheuristics to Design Satellite Constellation Enguerran Grandchamp

At the beginning of the space conquest the space-systems were composed of unique satellite. With the growth of the needs and the explosion of the technologies, the space-systems became more and more complex. Now they are composed of many satellites working together : we talk about constellation. The aim of the constellation design, is to optimize the satellite positions in order to obtain the best performances at the lowest cost. In fact, launching a satellite is expensive and the reduction of the constellation size is necessary. The field of satellite constellation optimization is complex because of the size of the exploration space, the presence of local optimum, and the time consuming criterion. For this reason, applying any optimization algorithm over the whole constellation using a black-box criterion leads to an impossible resolution. In order to bypass these obstacles and to simplify the search we decide to split the constellation and the exploration space. We also use approximated criterions to reduce the evaluation of a solution and to analyze its behavior while using a meta-heuristic. The article first presents the terminology and the modelling step of the problem. Secondly we talk about resolution. The last part shows an overview of the results. As a conclusion we present the perspectives of the algorithm.
The Complexity of Searching Implicit Graphs

The standard complexity classes of Complexity Theory do not allow for direct classiication of most of the problems solved by heuristic search algorithms. The reason is that, almost always, these are de-ned in terms of implicit graphs of state or problem reduction spaces, while the standard deenitions of all complexity classes are speciically tailored to explicit inputs. To allow for more precise comparisons with standard complexity classes, we introduce here a model for the analysis of algorithms on graphs given by vertex expansion procedures. It is based on previously studied concepts of \succinct representation" techniques, and allows us to prove PSPACE-completeness or EXPTIME-completeness of speciic, natural problems on implicit graphs, such as those solved by A*, AO*, and other best-rst search strategies. 1 The problem and the model Heuristic search algorithms play a noticeable role among the techniques developed for attacking many relevant, practically important problems currently
Control of reaching movements by muscle synergy combinations

Controlling the movement of the arm to achieve a goal, such as reaching for an object, is challenging because it requires coordinating many muscles acting on many joints. The central nervous system (CNS) might simplify the control of reaching by directly mapping initial states and goals into muscle activations through the combination of muscle synergies, coordinated recruitment of groups of muscles with specific activation profiles. Here we review recent results from the analysis of reaching muscle patterns supporting such a control strategy. Muscle patterns for point-to-point movements can be reconstructed by the combination of a small number of time-varying muscle synergies, modulated in amplitude and timing according to movement directions and speeds. Moreover, the modulation and superposition of the synergies identified from point-to-point movements captures the muscle patterns underlying multi-phasic movements, such as reaching through a via-point or to a target whose location changes after movement initiation. Thus, the sequencing of time-varying muscle synergies might implement an intermittent controller which would allow the construction of complex movements from simple building blocks.
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology Best Target Platform for Application Migration

This paper aims on finding common key factors between different platforms that must be considered in cross-platform application migration and the assigning of weight to each of individual factors. These are achieved through two surveys. This paper will propose a standard method /. for compatibility ratio measurement regarding the origin/source and destination platforms to help system administrators and IT managers to choose the best platform in migration projects.
Altered Phenotype of β-Cells and Other Pancreatic Cell Lineages in Patients With Diffuse Congenital Hyperinsulinism in Infancy Caused by Mutations in the ATP-Sensitive K-Channel

Diffuse congenital hyperinsulinism in infancy (CHI-D) arises from mutations inactivating the KATP channel; however, the phenotype is difficult to explain from electrophysiology alone. Here we studied wider abnormalities in the β-cell and other pancreatic lineages. Islets were disorganized in CHI-D compared with controls. PAX4 and ARX expression was decreased. A tendency toward increased NKX2.2 expression was consistent with its detection in two-thirds of CHI-D δ-cell nuclei, similar to the fetal pancreas, and implied immature δ-cell function. CHI-D δ-cells also comprised 10% of cells displaying nucleomegaly. In CHI-D, increased proliferation was most elevated in duct (5- to 11-fold) and acinar (7- to 47-fold) lineages. Increased β-cell proliferation observed in some cases was offset by an increase in apoptosis; this is in keeping with no difference in INSULIN expression or surface area stained for insulin between CHI-D and control pancreas. However, nuclear localization of CDK6 and P27 was markedly enhanced in CHI-D β-cells compared with cytoplasmic localization in control cells. These combined data support normal β-cell mass in CHI-D, but with G1/S molecules positioned in favor of cell cycle progression. New molecular abnormalities in δ-cells and marked proliferative increases in other pancreatic lineages indicate CHI-D is not solely a β-cell disorder.
Automatic Segmentation of Zona Pellucida in Human Embryo Images Applying an Active Contour Model

When evaluating the feasibility of a human embryo to implant in a woman uterus on In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), one of the most important morphological parameters taken into account in the embryo selection process is the thickness of zona pellucida (i.e. the external layer of the embryo). Furthermore, the measurement of zona pellucida thickness variation is a potentially reliable parameter to evaluate the ability of embryo hatching and, it is directly related with the implantation rate. In ordinary embryo evaluation procedures this thickness is measured by human embryologists, which leads to a simple classification between thin, medium and thick values. Aiming at improving this analysis due to the potential loss of information that this implies, we introduce in this paper a vision and segmentation automatic system system which identifies on embryo images the external and internal membranes of zona pellucida applying the active contour algorithm, which allows to record and quantify the thickness variation of zona pellucida. We compare the performance of our system to manual segmentation of an embryologist expert to show the validity of our approach.
Leak Finder : A tool for Dynamic Analysis of Android Applications

In this project we implemented Leak Finder, a tool for examining how Android applications use their granted permissions. Leak Finder instruments Android applications with custom log code, then it collects the logs from actual user application runs and uses these logs to create an execution graph. Auditors can use the executing graph to examine when an applications tends to use its permissions. We used Leak Finder to audit eight different Android applications. From our results we verified that Leak Finder can give insighting the way that the application handle their permissions. We made an interesting observation that many permissions are used in a non-user interactive way.