Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Precision prediction using interval exponential mapping of a parallel kinematic smart composite microstructure

In this paper, a method to predict the precision of parallel microstructures made of carbon fibers, polyimide layers and piezoelectric materials is proposed. To this aim, we propose to combine the exponential representation of transformation matrix with intervals to bound the uncertainties in each flexure joint of the microstructures. Based on interval techniques and algorithms, the derived model permits to guarantee a bound on the precision value of the end effector. The method has been demonstrated with a numerical example of parallel microrobot devoted to orient the laser spot towards vocal fold during phonomicrosurgery. This example considers the uncertainties that occur in the compliant joints caused by the fabrication technique.
A Beginner's Guide to 6-D Vectors (Part 1)

The purpose of this tutorial is to present a beginner's guide to 6-D vectors in sufficient detail that a reader can begin to use them as a practical problem-solving tool right away. This tutorial covers the basics, and Part 2 will cover the application of 6-D vectors to a variety of robot kinematics and dynamics calculations. The rest of the tutorial is chiefly concerned with explaining what spatial vectors are and how to use them. It highlights the differences between solving a rigid-body problem using 3-D vectors and solving the same problem using spatial vectors, so that the reader can get an idea of what it means to think in 6-D.
Preamble-Based Channel Estimation for CP-OFDM and OFDM/OQAM Systems: A Comparative Study

In this correspondence, preamble-based least squares (LS) channel estimation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems of the QAM and offset QAM (OQAM) types is considered. The construction of optimal (in the mean squared error (MSE) sense) preambles is investigated, for sparse (a subset of pilot tones, surrounded by nulls) preambles. The two OFDM systems are compared for the same transmit power, which, for cyclic prefix (CP) based OFDM/QAM, also includes the power spent for CP transmission. OFDM/OQAM, with a sparse preamble consisting of equipowered and equispaced pilots embedded in zeros, turns out to perform at least as well as CP-OFDM. Simulations results are presented that verify the analysis.
Internal representation in networks of nonmonotonic processing units

Connectionist networks that use nonmonotonic transfer functions tend to adopt highly structured internal representations, revealed as vertical banding in density plots of internal unit activities. Recent work has shown this banding to be easily analyzed allowing for the extraction of symbolic descriptions of the solution encoded in the network. While the banding phenomenon is well documented, the properties that give rise to this structure have never been formalized. In this paper we detail the geometry that underlies the internal unit activity clustering that banding represents. These results distinguish the operation of nonmonotonic units from that of traditional sigmoid devices in terms of the mechanism by which they carve up the input space.
Reuse by Program Transformation

Certain adaptations, that are usually performed manually by functional programmers are formalized by program transformations in this paper. We focus on adaptations to obtain a more reusable version of a program or a version needed for a special use case. The paper provides a few examples, namely propagation of additional parameters, introduction of monadic style, and symbolic rewriting. The corresponding transformations are specified by inference rules in the style of natural semantics. Preservation properties such as type and semantics preservation are discussed. The overall thesis of this paper is that suitable operator suites for automated adaptations and a corresponding transformational programming style can eventually be combined with other programming styles, such as polymorphic programming, modular programming, or the monadic style, in order to improve reusability of functional programs. Partial support received from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under the Generation of Program Transformation Systems project
Simulation of radio wave propagation in arched cross section tunnels

Since several years, wireless communication systems are developed for train to infrastructure communication needs related to railway or mass transit applications. The systems should be able to operate in specific environments like tunnels. In this context, specific radio planning tools have to be developed to optimise system deployment. Realistic tunnels geometries are generally of rectangular cross-section or arched shape. Furthermore, they are mostly curved. In order to calculate electromagnetic wave propagation in such tunnels, specific models have to be developed. Several works dealt with retransmission of GSM or UMTS [1], [2]. Few theoretical or experimental works focused on 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz bands. In this paper, we will propose an approach to model radio wave propagation in these frequency bands in arched shape cross-section straight tunnels using tessellation in multi-facets. The model will be based on a Ray-Tracing tool using images method. Work reported in this paper will also show the propagation loss variations according to the shape of tunnels. A parametric study on the size of facets to model the cross-section will be realized. Finally, the influence of some parameters like the dimensions of tunnels and the frequency of signals will be examined.
Detecting , Isolating and Enforcing Dependencies Between and Within Test Cases

Testing stateful applications is challenging, as it can be difficult to identify hidden dependencies on program state. These dependencies may manifest between several test cases, or simply within a single test case. When it’s left to developers to document, understand, and respond to these dependencies, a mistake can result in unexpected and invalid test results. Although current testing infrastructure does not currently leverage state dependency information, we argue that it could, and that by doing so testing can be improved. Our results thus far show that by recovering dependencies between test cases and modifying the popular testing framework, JUnit, to utilize this information, we can optimize the testing process, reducing time needed to run tests by 62% on average. Our ongoing work is to apply similar analyses to improve existing state of the art test suite prioritization techniques and state of the art test case generation techniques. This work is advised by Professor Gail Kaiser.
Triazole Fungicides Can Induce Cross-Resistance to Medical Triazoles in Aspergillus fumigatus

Background Azoles play an important role in the management of Aspergillus diseases. Azole resistance is an emerging global problem in Aspergillus fumigatus, and may develop through patient therapy. In addition, an environmental route of resistance development has been suggested through exposure to 14α-demethylase inhibitors (DMIs). The main resistance mechanism associated with this putative fungicide-driven route is a combination of alterations in the Cyp51A-gene (TR34/L98H). We investigated if TR34/L98H could have developed through exposure to DMIs. Methods and Findings Thirty-one compounds that have been authorized for use as fungicides, herbicides, herbicide safeners and plant growth regulators in the Netherlands between 1970 and 2005, were investigated for cross-resistance to medical triazoles. Furthermore, CYP51-protein homology modeling and molecule alignment studies were performed to identify similarity in molecule structure and docking modes. Five triazole DMIs, propiconazole, bromuconazole, tebuconazole, epoxiconazole and difenoconazole, showed very similar molecule structures to the medical triazoles and adopted similar poses while docking the protein. These DMIs also showed the greatest cross-resistance and, importantly, were authorized for use between 1990 and 1996, directly preceding the recovery of the first clinical TR34/L98H isolate in 1998. Through microsatellite genotyping of TR34/L98H isolates we were able to calculate that the first isolate would have arisen in 1997, confirming the results of the abovementioned experiments. Finally, we performed induction experiments to investigate if TR34/L98H could be induced under laboratory conditions. One isolate evolved from two copies of the tandem repeat to three, indicating that fungicide pressure can indeed result in these genomic changes. Conclusions Our findings support a fungicide-driven route of TR34/L98H development in A. fumigatus. Similar molecule structure characteristics of five triazole DMIs and the three medical triazoles appear the underlying mechanism of cross resistance development. Our findings have major implications for the assessment of health risks associated with the use of triazole DMIs.
An Interactive Streaming Service over Peer-to-Peer Networks

It is a significant challenge to provide user interactivity in peer-to-peer on-demand video streaming, such as pause, fast search and reverse search operations of VCR function. In order to provide this type of interactive services, system need to serve asynchronous user requests of large number, adjust the P2P overlay topology immediately and allocate the streaming appropriately. In this paper, we propose a Treebased Interactive MultimEdia System (TIMES). Each peer in TIMES maintains a neighbor list and hybrid caching strategy. Consequently, TIMES can significantly reduce the demand of server bandwidth, increase system flexibility and provide the interactive services.
The design of golf swing pattern analysis from motion sensors

This paper proposes a new idea of an analysis of golf swing patterns. The body movement data are collected from upper back and lower back muscles using Razor IMUs. The data are then classified in two steps according to the similarity of the changing ratio: the deviation reduction from sensors and the changing ratio at each period of time. The experimental results show the modified data in the form of Linear equation which consists of many straight lines. Each line represents each player's swing which can be compared to one another or defined the golf swing pattern among golf players and coaches and can also be adapted to the similar golf swing pattern data classification which can help golf trainers or doctors for physical therapy. This proposed method can be applied to use with other sports with certain patterns such as baseball, tennis, and ping pong.
Bounded quantification is undecidable

F≤ is a typed λ-calculus with subtyping and bounded second-order polymorphism. First proposed by Cardelli and Wegner, it has been widely studied as a core calculus for type systems with subtyping. Curien and Ghelli proved the partial correctness of a recursive procedure for computing minimal types of F≤ terms and showed that the termination of this procedure is equivalent to the termination of this procedure is equivalent to the termination of its major component, a procedure for checking the subtype relation between F≤ types. This procedure was thought to terminate on all inputs, but the discovery of a subtle bug in a purported proof of this claim recently reopened the question of the decidability of subtyping, and hence of typechecking. This question is settled here in the negative, using a reduction from the halting problem for two-counter Turing machines to show that the subtype relation of F≤ is undecidable.
Estimation of a Censored Dynamic Panel Data Model

PANEL DATA MODELS have a long history in econometrics and have become increasingly popular in empirical economics over the past two decades. Panel data expand our opportunities to study more complex economic relationships by, for example, allowing for individual heterogeneity and dynamic feedback. These goals are often achieved by including in the model individual specific effects and lagged dependent variables. These two features of the dynamic panel data model, however, often create difficulties in estimation. Although much progress has been made in the linear panel data model (see, among others, Hsiao (1986), Baltagi (1995), and Arellano and Honore (2001) for review), our knowledge of general nonlinear dynamic panel data models is very limited. In most nonlinear models, strict exogeneity of the explanatory variables is still the key assumption. The main difficulty is that with nonlinearity, it is not obvious how to "difference away" the individual specific effects and how to use instrumental variable type techniques.2 Despite these difficulties, some developments have been made on estimating certain nonlinear dynamic models using the "fixed-effects" approach, for example, the censored regression models (Honore (1993), Honore and Hu (2001)), the sample selection models (Kyriazidou (2001)), the discrete choice models (Honor6 and Kyriazidou (2000)), and the models with multiplicative individual effects (Chamberlain (1992), Wooldridge (1997)).
Web Performance and Behavior Ontology

We present a Web system architecture using ontologies to improve the behavior of the system from the performance viewpoint. Since Web system performance indexes depend on state and parameter values on runtime period, the proposed system configuration will change during this period. In order to perform this change, the Web system is monitorized and gathered information stored into a knowledge base. We also model the performance of the different Web system elements intervening in the configuration using the knowledge base expressed by means of ontologies. An example of the use of this ontology in cache tier is also presented. We propose the use of performance reasoners to change the configuration during runtime period based on the information supplied from the knowledge base.
Schematic model for QCD at finite temperature

The simplest version of a class of toy models for QCD is presented. It is a Lipkin-type model, for the quark-antiquark sector, and, for the gluon sector, gluon pairs with spin zero are treated as elementary bosons. The model restricts to mesons with spin zero and to few baryonic states. The corresponding energy spectrum is discussed. We show that ground state correlations are essential to describe physical properties of the spectrum at low energies. Phase transitions are described in an effective manner, by using coherent states. The appearance of a Goldstone boson for large values of the interaction strength is discussed, as related to a collective state. The formalism is extended to consider finite tem- peratures. The partition function is calculated, in an approximate way, showing the convenience of the use of coherent states. The energy density, heat capacity
Interference processing in dual tasks-the functional role of the lateral prefrontal cortex

Numerous studies indicate fundamental limitations in the human ability to do multiple things at the same time. Recent theories on dual-task processing postulate the involvement of cognitive control processes in the coordination of the processing stream of multiple tasks. The most prominent neuroanatomical structure associated with the control of goal-directed human behavior is the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC). It has been show with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) that the lPFC is also involved in the processing of dual tasks. However, the precise role of the lPFC for the control of dual-task processing and the neural mechanisms of dual-task coordination are still widely unknown. The three fMRI studies presented in this dissertation specify the functional role of the lPFC in interference processing in dual tasks.The results show (1) the generality of lPFC involvement across different types of dual-task situations, (2) the functional neuroanatomical dissociability of different dual-task relevant control process in the lPFC, (3) the role of the interaction of the lPFC with posterior task-relevant brain regions for the control of dual-task processing
Using nasal curves matching for expression robust 3D nose recognition

The development of 3D face recognition algorithms that are robust to variations in expression has been a challenge for researchers over the past decade. One approach to this problem is to utilize the most stable parts on the face surface. The nasal region's relatively constant structure over various expressions makes it attractive for robust recognition and, in this paper, the use of features from the three-dimensional shape of nose is evaluated. After denoising, face cropping and alignment, the nose region is cropped and 16 landmarks robustly detected on its surface. Pairs of landmarks are connected, which results in 75 curves on the nasal surface; these curves form the feature set. The most stable curves over different expressions and occlusions (due to glasses) are selected and used for nose recognition. The Bosphorus dataset is used for feature selection and FRGC v2.0 for nose recognition. Results show a rank-one recognition rate of 82.58% using only two training samples with varying expression for 505 different subjects and 4879 samples, and 90.87% and 81.61% using the FRGC v2.0 dataset Spring2003 folder for training and the Fall2003 and Spring2004 folders for testing, for neutral and varying expressions, respectively. Given the relatively low complexity of the features and matching, the varying expression results are encouraging.
Price War with Partial Spectrum Sharing for Competitive Wireless Service Providers

In 3G wireless technologies, competitive operators are assigned a fixed part of the spectrum from long-term auctions. This is known to lead to utilization inefficiencies because some providers can be congested while others are lightly used. Moreover it forbids the entrance of new candidate providers. There is now a stream of work dealing with spectrum sharing among providers to lead to a better utilization. In this paper, we study an intermediate model of price competition between two providers having a fixed (licensed) part of the spectrum, but where a remaining part (an unlicensed band) can be used in case of congestion, and is therefore shared. We discuss the existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium in the (static) pricing game when demand is distributed among providers according to Wardrop's principle so that users choose the least expensive perceived price (when congestion pricing is used), and investigate the influence of the shared band on social and user welfare.
A new evolutionary multi-objective algorithm to virtual machine placement in virtualized data center

Virtual machine (VM) placement is a key technology to improve data center efficiency. Most works consider VM placement problem only with respect to physical machine(PM) or network resource optimization. However, efficient VM placement should be implemented by joint optimization of above two aspects. In this paper, a multi-objective VM placement model to minimize the number of active PMs, minimize communication traffic and balance multi-dimensional resource use simultaneously within the data center is proposed. The improved evolutionary multi-objective algorithm: NS-GGA is also designed to tackle this problem, which incorporates the fast non-dominated sorting of NSGA-II into the Grouping Genetic Algorithms. The simulation results show that, in most cases, our model and algorithm gains significantly in all aspects and yields better solutions compared to the existing methods.
Image interpolation by estimation and deconvolution of Haar wavelet approximate subband

A backward wavelet transform (BWT) based image interpolation method, which consists of the estimation of an undecimated approximate subband and the deconvolution operation to the estimation result by solving simultaneous linear equations (SLE), is described in this paper. Our BWT means that the inverse step of wavelet transform (WT) by convolution operation and down sampling is utilized obtaining high resolution image, and inverse wavelet transform (IWT) is not utilized. For confirming the possibility and the effectiveness of this method, we concentrate on Haar wavelet, and the best result in peak-signal- to-noise-ratio (PSNR) is 38.31 dB with cubic spline interpolation.
Small lies, lots of damage: a partition attack on link-state routing protocols

The Internet consists of a large number of interconnected heterogeneous ASs (Autonomous Systems), each owned and administered by an autonomous organization. Traffic in each AS is forwarded by routers that maintain a coherent picture of the network topology using an intra-AS routing protocol. The most popular intra-AS routing protocols are link-state protocols, such as OSPF and IS-IS. An attacker who compromises a single AS router can send false routing advertisements. In the most simple and practical variant of the attack, the attacker falsifies only its own routing advertisements and not those of other routers. However, such an attack is widely considered to have limited effectiveness, because only a small part of the topology is falsified. In this paper we disprove this conception, by presenting and analyzing a new attack, referred to as a “partition attack,” which can cause extensive damage throughout the AS by causing routers to have an incoherent view of the AS topology. We investigate the computational complexity of the attack and show its effectiveness using extensive simulations. An important property of this attack is that it cannot be prevented even if LSAs are digitally signed.
On J.M. Keynes' The principal averages and the laws of error which lead to them: refinement and generalisation

Keynes (1911) derived general forms of probability density functions for which the "most probable value" is given by the arithmetic mean, the geometric mean, the harmonic mean, or the median. His approach was based on indirect (i.e., posterior) distributions and used a constant prior distribution for the parameter of interest. It was therefore equivalent to maximum likelihood (ML) estimation, the technique later introduced by Fisher (1912). Keynes' results suffer from the fact that he did not discuss the supports of the distributions, the sets of possible parameter values, and the normalising constants required to make sure that the derived functions are indeed densities. Taking these aspects into account, we show that several of the distributions proposed by Keynes reduce to well-known ones, like the exponential, the Pareto, and a special case of the generalised inverse Gaussian distribution. Keynes' approach based on the arithmetic, the geometric, and the harmonic mean can be generalised to the class of quasi-arithmetic means. This generalisation allows us to derive further results. For example, assuming that the ML estimator of the parameter of interest is the exponential mean of the observations leads to the most general form of an exponential family with location parameter introduced by Dynkin (1961) and Ferguson (1962, 1963).
Progress in Automated Evaluation of Curved Surface Range Image Segmentation

We have developed an automated framework for performance evaluation of curved-surface range image segmentation algorithms. Enhancements over our previous work include automated training of parameter values, correcting the artifact problem in K/sup 2/T scanner images, and acquisition of images of the same scenes from different range scanners. The image dataset includes planar, spherical, cylindrical, conical, and toroidal surfaces. We have evaluated the automated parameter tuning technique and found that it compares favorably with manual parameter tuning. We present initial results from comparing curved-surface segmenters by Besl and Jain (1988) and by Jiang and Bunke (1998).