Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recognizing human intentional actions from the relative movements between human and robot

Human intention recognition is one of the most important research areas in the human-robot interaction in order to accomplish more natural and intelligent interaction. In the public service area, the basic four human intentional actions, ‘approach’, ‘depart’, ‘bypass’, and ‘stop’ were investigated by the human's movement pattern. In order to recognize those four human intentional actions, the mobile robot measured 360 degree distance between a robot and a human by two IR-scanner sensors, and three problems were solved: 1) human detection and tracking by improved K-means clustering method, 2) absolute human velocity estimation by Extended Kalman Filter, and 3) inferring intentional actions by HMM with position-dependent observation model. The result showed as quite good performance that inferred the probabilities of those four intentional actions.
A Quantitative Model of the GIRK1/2 Channel Reveals That Its Basal and Evoked Activities Are Controlled by Unequal Stoichiometry of Gα and Gβγ

G protein-gated K+ channels (GIRK; Kir3), activated by Gβγ subunits derived from Gi/o proteins, regulate heartbeat and neuronal excitability and plasticity. Both neurotransmitter-evoked (Ievoked) and neurotransmitter-independent basal (Ibasal) GIRK activities are physiologically important, but mechanisms of Ibasal and its relation to Ievoked are unclear. We have previously shown for heterologously expressed neuronal GIRK1/2, and now show for native GIRK in hippocampal neurons, that Ibasal and Ievoked are interrelated: the extent of activation by neurotransmitter (activation index, Ra) is inversely related to Ibasal. To unveil the underlying mechanisms, we have developed a quantitative model of GIRK1/2 function. We characterized single-channel and macroscopic GIRK1/2 currents, and surface densities of GIRK1/2 and Gβγ expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Based on experimental results, we constructed a mathematical model of GIRK1/2 activity under steady-state conditions before and after activation by neurotransmitter. Our model accurately recapitulates Ibasal and Ievoked in Xenopus oocytes, HEK293 cells and hippocampal neurons; correctly predicts the dose-dependent activation of GIRK1/2 by coexpressed Gβγ and fully accounts for the inverse Ibasal-Ra correlation. Modeling indicates that, under all conditions and at different channel expression levels, between 3 and 4 Gβγ dimers are available for each GIRK1/2 channel. In contrast, available Gαi/o decreases from ~2 to less than one Gα per channel as GIRK1/2's density increases. The persistent Gβγ/channel (but not Gα/channel) ratio support a strong association of GIRK1/2 with Gβγ, consistent with recruitment to the cell surface of Gβγ, but not Gα, by GIRK1/2. Our analysis suggests a maximal stoichiometry of 4 Gβγ but only 2 Gαi/o per one GIRK1/2 channel. The unique, unequal association of GIRK1/2 with G protein subunits, and the cooperative nature of GIRK gating by Gβγ, underlie the complex pattern of basal and agonist-evoked activities and allow GIRK1/2 to act as a sensitive bidirectional detector of both Gβγ and Gα.
QoS-aware energy-efficient radio resource allocation in heterogeneous wireless networks

In this paper, we investigate the energy-efficient uplink radio resource allocation scheme with quality of service (QoS) guarantees in heterogeneous wireless networks. All mobile terminals (MTs) have multi-homing capability, which can communicate with access points (APs) of the multiple radio access technologies (RATs) simultaneously. Currently, the energy efficiency (EE) is very important in the mobile communication, and become a critical metric of the radio resource management (RRM). Most of the previous studies aim to optimize the total throughput or the total power consumption. Only a few focus on energy efficiency in heterogeneous wireless networks. Thus, we formulate an energy-efficient resource allocation problem which takes the sum of energy efficiency of the MTs as the optimization object. The proposed problem is a sum-of-ratios fractional programming problem, which is NP-hard. To obtain the optimal solution, we propose an iteration-based energy-efficient resource allocation algorithm, which jointly allocates the bandwidth and the power. The proposed algorithm is divided into three stages, and the resource allocation in each stage is energy-efficient. Numerical simulation evaluates the performance of the proposed algorithm.
A Method for Building Burst-Annotated Co-Occurrence Networks for Analysing Trends in Textual Data

This paper presents a method for constructing a specific type of language resources that are conveniently applicable to analysis of trending topics in time-annotated textual data. More specifically, the method consists of building a co-occurrence network from the on-line content (such as New York Times articles) that conform to key words selected by users (e.g., ‘Arab Spring’). Within the network, burstiness of the particular nodes (key words) and edges (co-occurrence relations) is computed. A service deployed on the network then facilitates exploration of the underlying text in order to identify trending topics. Using the graph structure of the network, one can assess also a broader context of the trending events. To limit the information overload of users, we filter the edges and nodes displayed by their burstiness scores to show only the presumably more important ones. The paper gives details on the proposed method, including a step-by-step walk through with plenty of real data examples. We report on a specific application of our method to the topic of `Arab Spring’ and make the language resource applied therein publicly available for experimentation. Last but not least, we outline a methodology of an ongoing evaluation of our method.
Predicting outcome of Internet-based treatment for depressive symptoms

Abstract In this study we explored predictors and moderators of response to Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Internet-based problem-solving therapy (PST) for depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 263 participants with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Of those, 88 were randomized to CBT, 88 to PST and 87 to a waiting list control condition. Outcomes were improvement and clinically significant change in depressive symptoms after 8 weeks. Higher baseline depression and higher education predicted improvement, while higher education, less avoidance behavior and decreased rational problem-solving skills predicted clinically significant change across all groups. No variables were found that differentially predicted outcome between Internet-based CBT and Internet-based PST. More research is needed with sufficient power to investigate predictors and moderators of response to reveal for whom Internet-based therapy is best suited.
Poster: Design and evaluation of 3D content with wind output

In this paper we discuss the effect of two different wind output devices and compare head mounted wind with stationary wind, i.e., wind output of fix mounted fans on a rack. By means of a simple interactive 3D application we evaluated the subjects' feeling of presence in a pre-test using a standard presence questionnaire. The preliminary results showed that wind output increases presence and indicated a tendency towards stationary wind output. This pilot study delivered us some initial guidance for future in-depth evaluation of wind output.
Taxonomies of Distributed Denial of Service Networks, Attacks, Tools, and Countermeasures

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become a large problem for users of computer systems connected to the Internet. DDoS attackers hijack secondary victim systems using them to wage a coordinated large-scale attack against victim systems. As new countermeasures are developed to prevent DDoS attacks and help systems that are victims of such an attack, attackers are constantly developing new software and adapting older DDoS attack tools to circumvent these new countermeasures. In this paper we describe the taxonomies of DDoS attacks, the software tools used to wage a DDoS attack and the countermeasures available. These different taxonomies are presented so that similarities and patterns within DDoS attacks and tools can be better understood. This work is intended to assist in developing solutions that will provide a more generalized approach to countering DDoS attacks so that as new derivative attacks are developed a generic countermeasure model can be used to prevent secondary victims and stop DDoS attacks.
Magnetoresistance mobility measurements in sub 0.1 /spl mu/m Si MOSFETs

In this work, for the first time, are reported magnetoresistance (MR) mobility measurements performed on sub 0.1 /spl mu/m Si MOSFETs. This method enables the carrier mobility to be measured from weak to strong inversion without knowing the device channel length. The MR mobility results are compared to effective mobility data obtained by standard parameter extraction and split C-V techniques. The MR data clearly indicates a significant decrease of the mobility with the gate length reduction. This behavior and the difference between MR and effective mobility values are discussed and interpreted by 2D transport analysis.
Developmental alcohol exposure alters light-induced phase shifts of the circadian activity rhythm in rats.

BACKGROUND Developmental alcohol (EtOH) exposure produces long-term changes in the photic regulation of rat circadian behavior. Because entrainment of circadian rhythms to 24-hr light/dark cycles is mediated by phase shifting or resetting the clock mechanism, we examined whether developmental EtOH exposure also alters the phase-shifting effects of light pulses on the rat activity rhythm. METHODS Artificially reared Sprague-Dawley rat pups were exposed to EtOH (4.5 g/kg/day) or an isocaloric milk formula (gastrostomy control; GC) on postnatal days 4 to 9. At 2 months of age, rats from the EtOH, GC, and suckle control groups were housed individually, and wheel-running behavior was continuously recorded first in a 12-hr light/12-hr dark photoperiod for 10 to 14 days and thereafter in constant darkness (DD). Once the activity rhythm was observed to stably free-run in DD for at least 14 days, animals were exposed to a 15-min light pulse at either 2 or 10 hr after the onset of activity [i.e., circadian time (CT) 14 or 22, respectively], because light exposure at these times induces maximal phase delays or advances of the rat activity rhythm. RESULTS EtOH-treated rats were distinguished by robust increases in their phase-shifting responses to light. In the suckle control and GC groups, light pulses shifted the activity rhythm as expected, inducing phase delays of approximately 2 hr at CT 14 and advances of similar amplitude at CT 22. In contrast, the same light stimulus produced phase delays at CT 14 and advances at CT 22 of longer than 3 hr in EtOH-treated rats. The mean phase delay at CT 14 and advance at CT 22 in EtOH rats were significantly greater (p < 0.05) than the light-induced shifts observed in control animals. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that developmental EtOH exposure alters the phase-shifting responses of the rat activity rhythm to light. This finding, coupled with changes in the circadian period and light/dark entrainment observed in EtOH-treated rats, suggests that developmental EtOH exposure may permanently alter the clock mechanism in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and its regulation of circadian behavior.
Students’ Value Orientations, Intuitive Decision Making, and Motivational Interference, and Their Relations to Regret

Students’ learning activities frequently compete with their leisure options, leading to regret after decisions to study. Using a sample of 233 German and 194 Australian undergraduate students, the authors explored possible determinants of the personality construct regret. They investigated whether the level to which students rely on intuition in decision making is negatively connected to the tendency to regret a decision and whether the degree to which during studying students are distracted by leisure incentives (motivational interference) is positively related to regret. Students’ achievement and well-being value orientations are expected to be linked to intuition and interference. In both samples, interference was positively related to regret whereas intuition was negatively related to regret only in the German sample. The authors did not find the expected link between intuition and interference. In both samples, value orientations were related, as expected, to intuition and interference. Regret could possibly be reduced if motivational interference is avoided.
Combining many alignments for speech to speech translation

Alignment combination (symmetrization) has been shown to be useful for improving Machine Translation (MT) models. Most existing alignment combination techniques are based on heuristics, and can combine only two sets of alignments at a time. Recently in [1], we proposed a power mean based algorithm that can be optimized to combine an arbitrary number alignment tables simultaneously. In this paper we present an empirical investigation of the merits of the approach for combining a large number of alignments (more than 200 in total before pruning). The results of the study suggest that the algorithm can often improve the performance of speech to speech translation systems for low resource languages.
A cyclical evaluation model of information security maturity

Purpose – This paper aims at presenting a cyclical evaluation model of information security (IS) maturity. The lack of a security evaluation method might expose organizations to several risky situations. Design/methodology/approach – This model was developed through the definition of a set of steps to be followed to obtain periodical evaluation of maturity and continuous improvement of controls. Findings – This model, based on controls present in ISO/IEC 27002, provides a means to measure the current situation of IS management through the use of a maturity model and provides a subsidy to take appropriate and feasible improvement actions, based on risks. A case study is performed, and the results indicate that the method is efficient for evaluating the current state of IS, to support IS management, risks identification and business and internal control processes. Research limitations/implications – It is possible that modifications to the process may be needed where there is less understanding of security .
Multiresolution analysis for meshes with appearance attributes

We present a new multiresolution analysis framework for irregular meshes with attributes based on the lifting scheme. We introduce a surface prediction operator to compute the detail coefficients for the geometry and the attributes of the model. Attribute analysis gives appearance information to complete the geometrical analysis of the model. A set of experimental results are given to show the efficiency of our framework. We present two applications to adaptive visualization and denoising.
A comparison of the intra-cyclic velocity variation in breaststroke swimmers with flat and undulating styles

The aim of this study was to establish differences in intra-cyclic horizontal velocity variation of the body's centre of mass in breaststroke swimmers with flat and undulating styles. Vertical eel-like body waving and trunk rotations were measured to distinguish styles. To reconstruct trunk extension and kyphosis in the poorly visible zone close to the water surface, a semi-automated video-analysis system was developed. From 45 internationallevel swimmers examined, two groups of women and two groups of men were identified, those using the most undulating and those using the flattest styles. Among the men with the flattest style, the maximum and minimum horizontal velocity of the body's centre of mass differed by 76% from the mean swimming velocity; among the women with the most undulating style, the figure was 53%. In the most undulating style, less horizontal velocity variation of the body's centre of mass could be explained by movements of the body parts above the water surface, creating a transfer of m.
Syntropic Authentication

Verifying the identity of a computer user has not changed much since the earliest days of interactive computing. With limited exceptions, userid and password have dominated, occasionally supplemented with a secondary factor. We propose an alternative approach to continuous user authenticate in an interactive system based on the composition of behavioral authentication techniques. We outline what we refer to as syntropic authentication, where multiple behavioral authentication techniques are composed to produce an overall score about whether the claimed identity is the user of the system. We examine continuous authentication in the context of a user using a desktop/laptop computer, although the approach can be applied to mobile, augmented reality, and other computing environments. A syntropic authentication system complements other kinds of authentication, including traditional and biometric authentication techniques.
Subband spectral histogram feature for improved sound recognition in low SNR conditions

In this work, we use the subband intensity histogram values extracted from the spectrogram image of sound signals to form the feature vector for sound classification in an audio surveillance application. We propose two features based on this approach. Firstly, we extract the histogram features from the short time Fourier transform spectrogram image of sound signals, which we refer as the spectral histogram feature (SHF). Secondly, we apply the mel-filter to the spectrogram image before histogram feature extraction which we refer as the mel-spectral histogram feature (MSHF). When compared to baseline features from similar work, the SHF was shown to give significantly improved results in low SNR conditions with a higher overall classification performance. In addition, the MSHF produced even better results than the SHF with the added advantage of a lower feature dimension.
Controlled Formation of Sharp Zigzag and Armchair Edges in Graphitic Nanoribbons

Graphene nanoribbons can exhibit either quasi-metallic or semiconducting behavior, depending on the atomic structure of their edges. Thus, it is important to control the morphology and crystallinity of these edges for practical purposes. We demonstrated an efficient edge-reconstruction process, at the atomic scale, for graphitic nanoribbons by Joule heating. During Joule heating and electron beam irradiation, carbon atoms are vaporized, and subsequently sharp edges and step-edge arrays are stabilized, mostly with either zigzag- or armchair-edge configurations. Model calculations show that the dominant annealing mechanisms involve point defect annealing and edge reconstruction.
High‐performer turnover and firm performance: The moderating role of human capital investment and firm reputation

Summary Research has shown a complex relationship between turnover and firm performance. Not only does it matter who leaves (e.g., high-performing versus low-performing employees), but the context also stands to influence this effect in complex ways. We apply human capital theory, social capital theory, and the cost–benefit perspective to propose two boundary conditions to the high-performer turnover and firm performance relationship. Specifically, we predict that the negative impact of high-performer turnover on firm performance will be the strongest for reputable firms and for firms who invest less in human capital (e.g., selection, training, and incentive-based pay). We present data from 155 South Korean firms that support the hypothesized model. We discuss findings in terms of current and future theory, practical implications, and subsequent research needs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of complex sleep apnea syndrome in Japan

Though complex sleep apnea syndrome (compSAS) has recently been recognized as a new category of sleep apnea syndrome, its prevalence has not been determined, especially in Japan. Hence, we surveyed the prevalence of compSAS in Japan from the data of 4582 patients at eight sleep institutes who were diagnosed with obstructive SAS (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] > 20). Using Morgenthaler’s criteria we diagnosed as compSAS in 194 patients with a larger proportion of cardiac patients than in all titrated patients. Thus, the prevalence of compSAS in Japan was estimated to be 4.2%. We concluded that compSAS is an interesting condition but is not frequently found in Japan.
Inferring Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) Based on Computational Methods

Proteins are involved in many essential cellular processes, such as metabolism and signalling. They function by interacting with other molecules within the cell. Thus, protein interaction is one of the important keys to understand protein functions. As a consequence of the development of high-throughput experimental methods for detecting protein interactions, large volumes of data are now available. Although the data are valuable, there are limitations to their application. Therefore, computational methods are helpful tools for predicting protein interactions. With the increase in genome sequence data, the importance of computational methods in this field is growing more and more.
Beyond the Dilemma of Cross-Cultural Psychology: Resolving the Tension between Etic and Emic Approaches

The dynamics of cross-cultural psychology derive from the basic dilemma between the etic and the emic approach. Following a critique of the two approaches, I attempt to resolve the tension between the two approaches by presenting a conceptual framework called the triarchic resonance principle. This principle explicitly takes the dynamic relationship between culture, individual and ecological task demands into account. This dynamic relationship is exhibited by three different perspectives of temporal development—ontogenetic development, cultural change and microgenetic development of ecological task demands—which are integrated into a common model. The conceptual framework is illustrated with examples from research on intelligence and perception.
Fibre pathways of the brain

This large, well illustrated volume deals with one aspect of the fibre systems of the brain. The book reports the results of tracing efferent fibre connections from various areas of the cerebral cortex of 32 macaque monkeys. The book would be useful for those wishing to have an anatomical basis for interpreting patterns of connectivity seen in scans, and some of the clinical symptoms that might be associated with interruption of fibre pathways. There is a brief history of prior contributions, and some elegant illustrations from the classical literature. The bulk of the book reports the results of studies of the course of cortically-originating nerve fibres after an injection of a labelled amino acid is placed into a specific region of the monkey cerebral cortex. The study of neural connections has a long history. Early views were changed by later evidence, and old problems clarified. The process continues. The tracing technique used here is useful, but it is not the final word, and it leaves many problems to solve. Here I consider the problem of fibre connections in the brain in a broader, historical context. Introductory students of neuroscience quickly learn that axons are extensions of nerve cell bodies. This simple truth took well over 100 years to establish. Even when that became established, it was still not at all clear how the axon is formed. The idea that an axon either fires or it does not fire; the ‘all or none law’, also is usually introduced in chapter 1 of introductory texts, seldom with any consideration of how we know this or why it should be true. The early history of some of these questions can help to put our modern views in perspective. Nerve fibres were recognized long before nerve cells. Early anatomists searched for tube-like structures that …