Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
URBAN AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN CHINA : A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Air pollution is perhaps the most visible environment problem in today's urban life in China. This paper uses air quality data collected in two Chinese cities to assess the environmental health effects of urban air pollution. Spatial models are developed to identify the sources of damage and estimate population exposures to high ambient concentrations of particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions. Dose-response functions are used to quantify the impact on human mortality and morbidity. Our simulation results show significant health costs associated with air pollution in Chinese cities, which are an order of magnitude larger than the estimated damages to agro-ecosystems. Air pollution control options are explored by evaluating the costs and benefits of alternative abatement policies.
Specifiers , Not Heads , Determine Phrase and Clause Type

The idea that the head of an expression determines the type of that expression is a deeply entrenched axiom of modern linguistics. It is the basis of X-Bar Theory and Dependency Grammar and a key notion underlying Head Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG) and Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar (GPSG). It has a long history dating back at least to Bloomfield’s notion of endocentric constructions. There are only a few criticisms of this important axiom. Very different linguistic theories accept it as central (e.g. Minimalist Program and Transformational Grammar, Dependency Grammar, HPSG and to a lesser extent GPSG). Despite the wide acceptance of this axiom within modern linguistics, it is argued in this paper that specifiers, not heads, determine the grammatical type of expressions in which they occur. After considering the evidence for treating specifiers as the phrase and clause type determining elements, some theoretical and computational ramifications of this position will be considered.
Radioadaptive Response Induced by Alpha-Particle-Induced Stress Communicated in Vivo between Zebrafish Embryos

We report data demonstrating that zebrafish embryos irradiated by alpha particles can release a stress signal into the water, which can be communicated to the unirradiated zebrafish embryos sharing the same water medium and thereby inducing a radioadaptive response in these unirradiated zebrafish embryos. The effects of radiation on the whole embryos were studied through quantification of apoptotic signals at 24 h post fertilization through staining with the vital dye acridine orange, followed by counting the stained cells under a microscope. In these experiments, dechorionated embryos were irradiated and then partnered with two other groups of unirradiatedembryos,namelythebystandergroup(nomorefurther treatments) and adaptive group (subjected to a further challenging dose) of embryos. The adaptive group of embryos were then separately further irradiated with a challenging dose. The results show that the number of apoptotic signals for the adaptive group is smaller than that for the corresponding control group, while that for the bystander group is larger than that for the corresponding control group. These suggest that the stress communicated in vivo between the irradiated zebrafish embryos and those unirradiated embryos sharing the same medium will induce radioadaptive response in the unirradiated embryos.
Study on soft-sensing model for condenser vacuum based-on Support Vector Regression

In this paper, depending on the interrelation of condenser's operational parameters, the factors which affect the vacuum of condenser are analyzed. And a soft-sensing model for condenser vacuum is given by using Support Vector Regression (SVR), then the model is verified and parameters are discussed based on the data of the 300MW steam turbine unit, and the prognostication precision is compared with a RBF model. The results indicate that model based-on SVR has forcible generalization ability and stability and can be adapted to application. The condenser vacuum can be calculated by using the soft-sensing model when the vacuum measuring point is fault, so the model based-on SVR provides a redundancy method for the measurement and diagnosis of condenser vacuum.
Designing Biofeedback for Games and Playful Applications

During the last three years we have developed several prototypes of biosignal adaptive games and playful applications. We have been primarily using pulse, heart-rate intervals (HRV), skin conductance (EDA) and respiration as adaptation sources (RESP), but we have also experience in real-time analysis of more demanding signals such as electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG). Our applications range from desktop to mobile and from single user to multiuser setups. One of the core research questions in our studies is to understand how the biofeedback mechanisms have impact on psychophysiological responses and how implicit and explicit biofeedback differs from each other. In our future studies we are going to explore inter-subject synchrony and related biofeedback effects in co-located collaborative games and applications. This position paper for CHI 2010 workshop “Brain, Body and Bytes: Psychophysiological User Interaction” describes briefly our previous research efforts, our methodologies, and our future research directions.
INTEGRATING BUILDING PRODUCT MODELS WITH LIVE VIDEO STREAM

Various Building Information Models (BIMs) are increasingly used for data sharing and communication purposes in real estate and construction sector. This change can be seen as part of more general development where the main target is wide integration infrastructure to handle user interaction, business process, applications and data. Besides of new achievements in BIM technologies the described general development is enabled in an interesting manner by the overall technological integration that is bringing together traditional IT, telecommunication, Internet, TV and radio technologies and entertainment business. The resultant solutions have already changed clearly our working environment, its processes and business, and, more even radical changes are likely to appear. This paper shall present a research project addressing combination of building product models with live video stream applications. The research project named '4D Live' explores hardware, middleware and software platforms for the named purpose whilst the main target is to study emerging new sector specific business processes and changes arising from these solutions. 4D Live project is producing several demonstrative solutions where building models are combined with live video stream from one or several digital video cameras: i) Live internet based 4D, ii) Augmented reality web camera, and iii) Multi-Camera studio for BIM-Human interaction.
Research on optimization of train ODs scheme for high-speed railways

The optimization of the origin and destination of trains (hereinafter referred to as “train ODs”) is important to improve the quality of train line planning. In China, High-speed Railway (HSR) is characterized by “large scale, many city nodes and long lines, different operating conditions of each line” etc., making large amounts of possible train ODs. Due to technical and economic performance of HSR, train ODs should be set to be centralized, fewer number and high service frequency, which are different from conventional railway lines. Therefore, firstly, based on analyzing the structure of HSR and properties of cities in the network, node classification system is established. Secondly, the principles and optimal method on setting train ODs of HSR are formulated. Finally, Beijing-Shanghai HSR is studied as a case.
Exploiting hopping pilots for parametric channel estimation in OFDM systems

In this letter, we investigate the effect of hopping pilots on the parametric channel estimation in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Channel estimation algorithms based on parametric channel modeling require the multipath delays to be estimated at the receiver. The use of a fixed pilot pattern leads to longer training overhead in multipath delay estimation for slow fading channels. However, if hopping pilot patterns are available, then we show that the normalized mean-squared error (NMSE) convergence rate of the channel estimates can be significantly improved. We also show that hopping pilot patterns in OFDM systems effectively allow the eigenvectors of the delay subspace (of the autocorrelation matrix) to be estimated faster. Simulation results are provided to show the faster convergence rate of the NMSE for the hopping pilot pattern over the fixed pilot pattern.
The evolution of coercive policing in genetically mixed groups: the case of plasmid copy number control

Policing is a widespread mechanism regulating cooperation in both human and animal social groups. Policing can promote the evolution and maintenance of cooperation among non-relatives by tying the reproductive success of individuals to the efficiency and success of the group. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of reproductive policing using a multi-scale computational model inspired by the copy number control system of conjugative bacterial plasmids. Our results show that the repression of competition through policing can evolve across a very broad range of migration (plasmid conjugation) rates, improving system-level performance and bringing efficiency gains to the group beyond those achievable by pure self-restraint. Reproductive policing acts to increase genetic relatedness by reducing variation in group size which, in turn, reduces the heterogeneity of the plasmid population. When among-group migration is high, coercive policing strategies are favoured, characterized by high levels of policing coupled with relatively lower obedience. Coercive policing strategies preferentially limit the reproduction of rival lineages while, at the same time, maintaining effective collective reproductive control. Author Summary The emergence and maintenance of cooperation is a topic of great importance in evolutionary biology. The evolution of cooperation has been explained in the context of kin selection when there is sufficient genetic relatedness among interacting individuals. When there is insufficient relatedness, the presence of alternative mechanisms, such as mutual policing, can promote the evolution and maintenance of cooperation by tying the reproductive success of individual to the efficiency and success of the group. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of reproductive policing using an agent-based computational model inspired by a simple and elegant biological example: replication control among conjugative plasmids, a class of molecular symbionts of bacterial hosts. Our results show that the repression of competition through policing evolves and improves plasmid group performance beyond levels achievable by self-restraint, across a very broad range of migration rates. Under conditions of high migration (frequent conjugation), we observe the evolution of coercive policing strategies that limit the reproduction of rival lineages by investing disproportionately in policing relative to their obedience to the policing trait.
Products of endocytosis and autophagy are retrieved from axons by regulated retrograde organelle transport

Cellular homeostasis in neurons requires that the synthesis and anterograde axonal transport of protein and membrane be balanced by their degradation and retrograde transport. To address the nature and regulation of retrograde transport in cultured sympathetic neurons, I analyzed the behavior, composition, and ultrastructure of a class of large, phase-dense organelles whose movement has been shown to be influenced by axonal growth (Hollenbeck, P. J., and D. Bray. 1987. J. Cell Biol. 105:2827-2835). In actively elongating axons these organelles underwent both anterograde and retrograde movements, giving rise to inefficient net retrograde transport. This could be shifted to more efficient, higher volume retrograde transport by halting axonal outgrowth, or conversely shifted to less efficient retrograde transport with a larger anterograde component by increasing the intracellular cyclic AMP concentration. When neurons were loaded with Texas red- dextran by trituration, autophagy cleared the label from an even distribution throughout the neuronal cytosol to a punctate, presumably lysosomal, distribution in the cell body within 72 h. During this process, 100% of the phase-dense organelles were fluorescent, showing that they contained material sequestered from the cytosol and indicating that they conveyed this material to the cell body. When 29 examples of this class of organelle were identified by light microscopy and then relocated using correlative electron microscopy, they had a relatively constant ultrastructure consisting of a bilamellar or multilamellar boundary membrane and cytoplasmic contents, characteristic of autophagic vacuoles. When neurons took up Lucifer yellow, FITC-dextran, or Texas red-ovalbumin from the medium via endocytosis at the growth cone, 100% of the phase-dense organelles became fluorescent, demonstrating that they also contain products of endocytosis. Furthermore, pulse-chase experiments with fluorescent endocytic tracers confirmed that these organelles are formed in the most distal region of the axon and undergo net retrograde transport. Quantitative ratiometric imaging with endocytosed 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6- trisulfonic acid showed that the mean pH of their lumena was 7.05. These results indicate that the endocytic and autophagic pathways merge in the distal axon, resulting in a class of predegradative organelles that undergo regulated transport back to the cell body.
Achieving efficient packet-based memory system by exploiting correlation of memory requests

Packet-based interface is a trend for future memory system to alleviate memory capacity and bandwidth bottlenecks. On the other hand fine-grained memory access has been proven to efficiently reduce memory power. However leveraging both these two technologies will result in high packet overhead, because previous implementations of packet-based interface all adopt a simple design that a single packet is dedicated to a single request (SPSR). In this paper, we propose three optimizations to overcome the problem by exploiting correlations of memory requests. First, we propose a novel single packet multiple requests (SPMR) interface that encapsulates multiple requests into a packet to share packet header and tail. Second, we propose an adaptive address compression mechanism within a packet by adopting a base-difference algorithm. Third, we propose a mechanism to merge multiple memory requests with continuous access addresses into a single request before packing. By this way, the granularity constraint of cache line size is broken to enable efficiently row buffer scheduling. The experimental results show that, for certain memory-intensive workloads, the optimizations can effectively reduce packet overhead by about 53.9% and improve system performance by about 63.6% in average.
User Manual for Libra 1 . 0 . 1

The Libra Toolkit provides a collections of algorithms for learning and inference with probabilistic models in discrete domains. Each algorithm can be run from the command-line with a variety of options. These command-line programs include many common options and file formats, so they can be used together for experimental or application-driven workflows. This user manual gives a brief overview of Libra’s functionality, describes the file formats used, and explains the operation of each command in the toolkit. See the developer’s guide for information on modifying and extending Libra.
Cogeneration systems for industrial sector: An optimal power

Today's industrial sector depends more and more upon cogeneration systems due to their global efficiency and reduced pollution. These systems may operate from conventional fuel sources as well as from renewable energy sources (biomass, solar, fuel cell). Cogeneration is installed as a distributed generation and on-site generation source to profit from the produced heat. The utility can motivate factories to install such systems by permitting them to link their residual production capacity to the electrical grid. This work presents a study concerning the optimized cogeneration capacity to be installed in a factory. Genetic algorithm (GA) optimization method is then used with a sensitivity analysis to find a compromise between the economic and the environmental issues.
The effects of time and personality on the productivity of management information systems

The paper studies the relationship between information technology (IT), time personality and managerial productivity. Time personality is captured by concepts of polychronicity and monochronicity. They reflect an individual's preference for being engaged in either many (polychronicity) or one (monochronicity) activity at a time block. The concepts of time personality, poly/monochronicity are represented by a set of the temporal dimensions. In this paper, we present a descriptive study in a form of survey, in which the temporal dimensions serve as mediators between IT and productivity. By conducting this study we aim to find evidence for the existence of a link between IT, poly/monochronicity and the productivity of managerial work. Analysis of the data shows the positive nature of the relationships between IT and productivity within the frames of the research design. Managers reported that IT influences productivity positively by altering the temporal dimensions. We also found differences between the impact of IT on the productivity of senior and middle managers. While the work of middle managers is greatly influenced by organizational processes, the work of senior managers is influenced by such a factor as their personality. Personal preferences are often ignored in current practice of IS development - a fact that weakens the positive impact of IT on the productivity of managers. In our paper, we propose an approach to the development of IS that takes into account a manager's time personality. The approach is based on an understanding and modeling of managerial activities and an elicitation of requirements imposed by different time personalities on the management information systems.
A Compactification of the Space of Plane Curves

We define a geometrically meaningful compactification of the moduli space of smooth plane curves, which can be calculated explicitly. The basic idea is to regard a plane curve D in P^2 as a pair (P^2,D) of a surface together with a divisor, and allow both the surface and the curve to degenerate. For plane curves of degree d at least 4, we obtain a compactification M_d which is a moduli space of stable pairs (X,D) using the log minimal model program. A stable pair (X,D) consists of a surface X such that -K_X is ample and a divisor D in a given linear system on X with specified singularities. Note that X may be non-normal, and K_X is Q-Cartier but not Cartier in general. We give a rough classification of stable pairs of arbitrary degree, a complete classification in degrees 4 and 5, and a partial classification in degree 6. The compactification is particularly simple if d is not a multiple of 3 - in particular the surface X has at most 2 components. We give a characterisation of these surfaces in terms of the singularities and the Picard numbers of the components. Moreover, we show that M_d is smooth in this case.
Temporal trajectories in shared interactive narratives

Temporal trajectories can represent the complex mappings between story time and clock time that are to be found in shared interactive narratives such as computer games and interactive performances. There are three kinds. Canonical trajectories express an author's intended mapping of story time onto clock time as part of the plot and schedule of an experience. Participant trajectories reflect a participant's actual journey through story time and clock time as they interact with the experience. Historic trajectories represent the subsequent selection and reuse of segments of recorded participant trajectories to create histories of past events. We show how temporal trajectories help us analyse the nature of time in existing experiences and can also generate new approaches to dealing with temporal issues such as: disengagement and reengagement, adapting to different paces of interaction, synchronising different participants, and enabling encounters and travel across time.
Business-driven capacity planning of a cloud-based it infrastructure for the execution of Web applications

With the emergence of the cloud computing paradigm and the continuous search to reduce the cost of running Information Technology (IT) infrastructures, we are currently experiencing an important change in the way these infrastructures are assembled, configured and managed. In this research we consider the problem of managing a computing infrastructure whose processing elements are acquired from infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) providers, and used to support the execution of long-lived on-line transactions processing applications, whose workloads experience huge fluctuations over time, such as Web applications. Resources can be acquired from IaaS providers in different ways, each with its own pricing scheme and associated quality of service. One acquisition model allows resources to be reserved for long periods of usage at a reduced usage price, while others allow dedicated resources to be instantiated on demand at any time, subject to the availability of resources, with a usage price that is usually larger than that paid for reserved resources. In this context, the problem that we address in this paper is how the provider of a Web application should plan the long-term reservation contracts with an IaaS provider, in such a way that its profitability is increased. We propose a model that can be used for guiding this capacity planning activity. We use the model to evaluate the gains that can be achieved with the judicious planning of the infrastructure capacity in a number of scenarios. We show that the gains can be substantial, specially when the load variation between normal operational periods and surge periods is large.