Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The delivery of multimedia presentations in a graphical user interface environment

A major issue in many domains is to present information to people that is tailored to their need, in such a way that it supports them in their tasks. In this paper, we present the Virtual Document Planner (VDP), a platform we developed for generating tailored interactive multimedia presentations in the surveillance domain. Integrated with the surveillance operators' graphical interface, the VDP provides tailored information delivery mechanisms that adapt the operators' information rich environment to their tasks and information needs.
Measuring telomere length and telomere dynamics in evolutionary biology and ecology

Telomeres play a fundamental role in the protection of chromosomal DNA and in the regulation of cellular senescence. Recent work in human epidemiology and evolutionary ecology suggests adult telomere length (TL) may reflect past physiological stress and predict subsequent morbidity and mortality, independent of chronological age. Several different methods have been developed to measure TL, each offering its own technical challenges. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the advantages and drawbacks of each method for researchers, with a particular focus on issues that are likely to face ecologists and evolutionary biologists collecting samples in the field or in organisms that may never have been studied in this context before. We discuss the key issues to consider and wherever possible try to provide current consensus view regarding best practice with regard to sample collection and storage, DNA extraction and storage, and the five main methods currently available to measure TL. Decisions regarding which tissues to sample, how to store them, how to extract DNA, and which TL measurement method to use cannot be prescribed, and are dependent on the biological question addressed and the constraints imposed by the study system. What is essential for future studies of telomere dynamics in evolution and ecology is that researchers publish full details of their methods and the quality control thresholds they employ.
Harmonic Summation and Assessment Based on Probability Distribution

At the point of common coupling, there are many cases where the phase-angle difference between harmonic vectors is unknown. In practice, for example, in calculating the steady-state rating of the ac passive harmonic filter, the arithmetic summation method is often used in determining the maximal harmonic level. This summation law is very conservative as it may result in high cost of equipment ratings. Actually, a compromise should be made in taking into account the equipment safety and the risk of overrating as well as excessive costs. Based on uniform distribution of the difference in phase angles, this letter provides an algorithm to calculate the probability upon which the magnitude of summation vector of two harmonics may exceed a given value. This may also result in a recommendation of another harmonic summation method for the standard IEC/TR 61000-3-6.
Choosing natural enemies for conservation biological control: use of the prey detectability half‐life to rank key predators of Colorado potato beetle

Determining relative strengths of trophic links is critical for ranking predators for conservation biological control. Molecular gut‐content analysis enables ranking by incidence of prey remains in the gut, but differential digestive rates bias such rankings toward predators with slower rates. This bias can be reduced by indexing each predator’s half‐life to that of the middle‐most half‐life in a predator complex. We demonstrate this with data from key species in the predator complex of Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), comprising adults and immatures of four taxonomically diverse species. These animals display order‐of‐magnitude variation in detectability half‐life for the cytochrome oxidase I DNA sequence of a single CPB egg: from 7.0 h in larval Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to 84.4 h in nymphal Perillus bioculatus (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). The raw species‐specific incidence of L. decemlineata DNA in the guts of 351 field‐collected predators ranged from 11 to 95%, ranking them as follows: C. maculata adults < Lebia grandis Hentz (Coleoptera: Carabidae) adults < Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) adults < P. maculiventris nymphs < P. bioculatus adults < P. bioculatus nymphs. Half‐life adjustment reorders the rankings: C. maculata adults < P. bioculatus adults < P. bioculatus nymphs < P. maculiventris nymphs < L. grandis adults < P. maculiventris adults. These changes in status demonstrate the value of half‐life‐adjusted molecular gut‐content data for ranking predators. This is the first study to measure prey detectability half‐lives for the key arthropod predators of a major insect pest, and to use them to evaluate the relative impact of all adults and immatures in this predator complex.
Adaptive Naive Bayes method for masquerade detection

Recently, researchers have proposed efficient detection mechanisms for masquerade attacks. Most of these techniques use machine learning methods to learn the behavioral patterns of users and to check if an observed behavior conforms to the learnt behavior of a user. Masquerade attack is detected when the observed behavior, reportedly of a specific user, does not match with the learnt pattern of this user's past data. A major shortcoming in this process is that the user may legitimately deviate temporarily from its past behavior. If the deviation is large and near-permanent, it is desirable that such deviations are captured in a detection mechanism. We propose, in this paper, a method that takes into consideration this aspect of user behavior while detecting masquerade attacks. Our scheme is based on the premise that the commands used by a legitimate user or an attacker may differ from the trained signature. But the deviation of the legitimate user is momentary whereas that of an attacker persists longer. By introducing this novel concept in the detection mechanism, the performance improves. We show this empirically using several benchmark datasets. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lattice-based encryption over standard lattices in hardware

Lattice-based cryptography has gained credence recently as a replacement for current public-key cryptosystems, due to its quantum-resilience, versatility, and relatively low key sizes. To date, encryption based on the learning with errors (LWE) problem has only been investigated from an ideal lattice standpoint, due to its computation and size efficiencies. However, a thorough investigation of standard lattices in practice has yet to be considered. Standard lattices may be preferred to ideal lattices due to their stronger security assumptions and less restrictive parameter selection process. In this paper, an area-optimised hardware architecture of a standard lattice-based cryptographic scheme is proposed. The design is implemented on a FPGA and it is found that both encryption and decryption fit comfortably on a Spartan-6 FPGA. This is the first hardware architecture for standard lattice-based cryptography reported in the literature to date, and thus is a benchmark for future implementations. Additionally, a revised discrete Gaussian sampler is proposed which is the fastest of its type to date, and also is the first to investigate the cost savings of implementing with A/2-bits of precision. Performance results are promising compared to the hardware designs of the equivalent ring-LWE scheme, which in addition to providing stronger security proofs; generate 1272 encryptions per second and 4395 decryptions per second.
Helicopter UAV systems for in situ measurements and sensor placement

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is growing in research and civil applications. Advancing technology offers huge potential which is just starting being used. We present a method to have a helicopter UAS interacting with the environment physically. This basic technology, which includes high precision control and a vision system can be adapted for different in situ measurement tasks. Applications cover a wide range from placement of sensors or direct measurements to sampling. While UAS systems get more complex, we describe a way of interacting with a them by means of an interactive control framework, which can also include other systems and sensors.
Heat-responsive microRNAs regulate the transcription factors and heat shock proteins in modulating thermo-stability of starch biosynthesis enzymes in wheat ('Triticum aestivum' L.) under the heat stress

Heat-responsive miRNAs regulate the expression of the transcription factors (HSFs) and majority of the heat stress-associated genes (HSPs). Here we report identification of few heats - responsive miRNAs in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)through de novo sequencing on Illumina Hiseq 2000. Validation of identified miRNAs in endospermic tissues of thermotolerant (HD2985) and thermosusceptible (NIAW-34-34) wheat cultivars using real time PCR showed up-regulation of 4 micro RNAs (tae-miR156, tae-miR167, tae-miR395b and tae-miR398) and down-regulation of 6 micro RNAs (tae-miR159a, tae-miR159b, tae-miR160, tae- miR171a, tae-miR319, and tae-miR1117) in response to the heat stress. Target analysis of identified miRNAs showed HSF3, HSFA4a, HSP17, HSP70 and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as most probable target genes. Expression profiling of identified target genes under heat stress (42 degrees C, 2 h) showed 2.34, 1.33 fold (HSF3), 2.45, 1.44 fold (HSFA4a), 3.9, 1.9 fold (HSP17), 5.6, 2.4 fold (HSP70), 1.9, 1.2 fold (SOD) and 2.7, 1.6 fold (catalase) increase in the expression in HD2985 and NIAW-34-34 cultivars of wheat compared to control. A defragmented, small and pleated starch granule structure was observed in sample with low expression of target genes (NIAW-34-34) compared to intact, robust and globular starch granules in samples with high expression of target genes (HD2985). Transcript profiling and activity assay of soluble starch synthase (SSS) showed less transcript accumulation and activity in heat shock treated samples compared to control sample in both the cultivars.
THE ECONOMICS OF SEXUALITY : THE EFFECT OF HIV / AIDS ON SEXUAL BEHAVIOR , DESIRE , AND IDENTITY IN THE UNITED STATES

In this paper, I develop and test a simple economic model of sexuality. The key idea is that— taking the biological determinants of sexual preferences as given—social, cultural, and economic variables play a crucial role in the development and expression of sexual behavior, desire, and identity, which together characterize sexual orientation. I apply the theory to make predictions about the effect of AIDS on sexuality, since AIDS dramatically altered the cost of sexual activities. Using a nationally representative dataset on sexual behavior in the United States, I estimate the impact of AIDS. I employ an instrumental variables strategy, as well as examine the change in sexual behavior before and after AIDS is discovered. I create an instrumental variable based on whether a person has a relative with AIDS. People who have a relative with AIDS, on average, have more knowledge, awareness, and fear of AIDS than those who do not. I argue that this variable is exogenous, as it is uncorrelated with a large number of individual background characteristics. The empirical results validate the economics of sexuality. I find that AIDS causes people to shift from less safe sexual activities to safer ones. I find that AIDS causes men to shift from homosexual to heterosexual behavior, desire, and identity, whereas AIDS causes women to shift from heterosexual to homosexual desire. Neither genetic nor hormonal theories of sexual orientation can explain these findings. Therefore, biology is not the sole determinant of sexual behavior, desire, and identity. Both biology and economics shape sexual orientation. ∗ Andrew M. Francis is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (afrancis@uchicago.edu). I would like to thank Gary Becker, Jeremy Fox, Matthew Gentzkow, Jonathan Guryan, Shareen Joshi, Julie Kao, Michael Kremer, Edward Laumann, Steve Levitt, Casey Mulligan, Kevin Murphy, Derek Neal, Emily Oster, Tomas Philipson, Jesse Shapiro, Chad Syverson, and Hsin-yu Tseng for insightful comments and suggestions.
Assembly to high-level language translation

Translation of assembly code to high-level language code is of importance in the maintenance of legacy code, as well as in the areas of program understanding, porting, and recovery of code. We present techniques used in the asm2c translator, a SPARC assembly to C translator. The techniques involve data and control flow analyses. The data flow analysis eliminates machine dependencies from the assembly code and recovers high-level language expressions. The control flow analysis recovers control structure statements. Simple data type recovery is also done. The presented techniques are extensions and improvements on previously developed CISC techniques. The choice of intermediate representation allows for both RISC and CISC assembly code to be supported by the analyses. We tested asm2c against SPEC95 SPARC assembly programs generated by a C compiler. Results using both unoptimized and optimized assembly code are presented.
SERENDIPITOUS MENTORSHIP IN MUSIC RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS

Nowadays the amount of content and products easily available on-line for purchase or fruition is so high that recommender systems represent an important resource for users in order to get suggestions about items (songs, movies, books, news, products in general.) they might like. For many years, research, in the field of recommender systems focused on improving accuracy, i.e. improving the precision with which the systems predict the rate that a given user would give to a given item. In the last years, an increasing number of efforts have been directed towards other important aspects such as novelty, diversity and serendipity of recommendations. In particular, with serendipity, in this context, we refer to the ability of a recommender system to propose unexpected and liked recommendations. Serendipity is likely the aspect which has received the least attention and it is the one, in this work, we focus more on. The aim of this thesis is to propose techniques which can be adopted by recommender system designers in order to increase serendipity while keeping an acceptable level of precision of the recommendations. We work in the domain of music, which presents a particularly suitable context for trying to propose non-obvious recommendations, mainly due to the lower cost, respect to other domains, of “bad” recommendations (listening to a song a user dislikes is not much time consuming).
Quantitative Image Recovery From Measured Blind Backscattered Data Using a Globally Convergent Inverse Method

The goal of this paper is to introduce the application of a globally convergent inverse scattering algorithm to estimate dielectric constants of targets using time-resolved backscattering data collected by a U.S. Army Research Laboratory forward-looking radar. The processing of the data was conducted blind, i.e., without any prior knowledge of the targets. The problem is solved by formulating the scattering problem as a coefficient inverse problem for a hyperbolic partial differential equation. The main new feature of this algorithm is its rigorously established global convergence property. Calculated values of dielectric constants are in a good agreement with material properties, which were revealed a posteriori.
A Mid-Level Representation for Melody-Based Retrieval in Audio Collections

Searching audio collections using high-level musical descriptors is a difficult problem, due to the lack of reliable methods for extracting melody, harmony, rhythm, and other such descriptors from unstructured audio signals. In this paper, we present a novel approach to melody-based retrieval in audio collections. Our approach supports audio, as well as symbolic queries and ranks results according to melodic similarity to the query. We introduce a beat-synchronous melodic representation consisting of salient melodic lines, which are extracted from the analyzed audio signal. We propose the use of a 2D shift-invariant transform to extract shift-invariant melodic fragments from the melodic representation and demonstrate how such fragments can be indexed and stored in a song database. An efficient search algorithm based on locality-sensitive hashing is used to perform retrieval according to similarity of melodic fragments. On the cover song detection task, good results are achieved for audio, as well as for symbolic queries, while fast retrieval performance makes the proposed system suitable for retrieval in large databases.
IMU and cable encoder data fusion for in-pipe mobile robot localization

Inner pipe inspection of sewer networks is a hard and tedious task, due to the nature of the environment, which is narrow, dark, wet and dirty. So, mobile robots can play an important role to solve condition assessment of such huge civil infrastructures, resulting in a clear benefit for citizens. One of the fundamental tasks that a mobile robot should solve is localization, but in such environments GPS signal is completely denied, so alternative methods have to be developed. Visual odometry and visual SLAM are promising techniques to be applied in such environments, but they require a populated set of visual feature tracks, which is a requirement that can not be fulfilled in such environments in a continuous way. With the aim of designing robust and reliable robot systems, this paper proposes and evaluates a complementary approach to localize a mobile robot, which is based on sensor data fusion of an inertial measurement unit and of a cable encoder, which measures the length of an unfolded cable, from the starting point of operations up to the tethered robot. Data fusion is based on optimization of a set of windowed states given the sensor measurements in that window. The paper details theoretical basis, practical implementation issues and results obtained in testing pipe scenarios.
Practical and secure dynamic searchable encryption via oblivious access on distributed data structure

Dynamic Searchable Symmetric Encryption (DSSE) allows a client to perform keyword searches over encrypted files via an encrypted data structure. Despite its merits, DSSE leaks search and update patterns when the client accesses the encrypted data structure. These leakages may create severe privacy problems as already shown, for example, in recent statistical attacks on DSSE. While Oblivious Random Access Memory (ORAM) can hide such access patterns, it incurs significant communication overhead and, therefore, it is not yet fully practical for cloud computing systems. Hence, there is a critical need to develop private access schemes over the encrypted data structure that can seal the leakages of DSSE while achieving practical search/update operations. In this paper, we propose a new oblivious access scheme over the encrypted data structure for searchable encryption purposes, that we call Distributed Oblivious Data structure DSSE (DOD-DSSE). The main idea is to create a distributed encrypted incidence matrix on two non-colluding servers such that no arbitrary queries on these servers can be linked to each other. This strategy prevents not only recent statistical attacks on the encrypted data structure but also other potential threats exploiting query linkability. Our security analysis proves that DOD-DSSE ensures the unlink-ability of queries and, therefore, offers much higher security than traditional DSSE. At the same time, our performance evaluation demonstrates that DOD-DSSE is two orders of magnitude faster than ORAM-based techniques (e.g., Path ORAM), since it only incurs a small-constant number of communication overhead. That is, we deployed DOD-DSSE on geographically distributed Amazon EC2 servers, and showed that, a search/update operation on a very large dataset only takes around one second with DOD-DSSE, while it takes 3 to 13 minutes with Path ORAM-based methods.
A Deep Learning Approach for Classification of Reaching Targets from EEG Images

In this paper, we propose a new approach for the classification of reaching targets before movement onset, during visually-guided reaching in 3D space. Our approach combines the discriminant power of two-dimensional Electroencephalography (EEG) signals (i.e., EEG images) built from short epochs, with the feature extraction and classification capabilities of deep learning (DL) techniques, such as the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). In this work, reaching motions are performed into four directions: left, right, up and down. To allow more natural reaching movements, we explore the use of Virtual Reality (VR) to build an experimental setup that allows the subject to perform self-paced reaching in 3D space while standing. Our results reported an increase both in classification performance and early detection in the majority of our experiments. To our knowledge this is the first time that EEG images and CNN are combined for the classification of reaching targets before movement onset.
Toward Elucidating the Membrane Topology of Helix Two of the Colicin E1 Channel Domain*

The membrane-bound closed state of the colicin E1 channel domain was investigated by site-directed fluorescence labeling using a bimane fluorophore attached to each single cysteine residue within helix 2 of each mutant protein. The fluorescence properties of the bimane fluorophore were measured for the membrane-associated form of the closed channel and included fluorescence emission maximum, fluorescence anisotropy, apparent polarity, surface accessibility, and membrane bilayer penetration depth. The fluorescence data show that helix 2 is an amphipathic α-helix that is situated parallel to the membrane surface, but it is less deeply embedded within the bilayer interfacial region than is helix 1 in the closed channel. A least squares fit of the various data sets to a harmonic wave function indicated that the periodicity and angular frequency for helix 2 in the membrane-bound state are typical for an amphipathic α-helix (3.8 ± 0.1 residues per turn and 94 ± 4°, respectively) that is located at an interfacial region of a membrane bilayer. Dual quencher analysis also revealed that helix 2 is peripherally membrane associated, with one face of the helix dipping into the interfacial region of the lipid bilayer and the other face projecting outwardly into the aqueous solvent. Finally, our data show that helices 1 and 2 remain independent helices upon membrane association with a short connector link (Tyr363–Gly364) and that short amphipathic α-helices participate in the formation of a lipid-dependent, toroidal pore for this colicin.