Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Combined SLAM Based on RBPF-SLAM and EIF-SLAM for Mobile System Sensing in a Large Scale Environment

Mobile autonomous systems are very important for marine scientific investigation and military applications. Many algorithms have been studied to deal with the computational efficiency problem required for large scale Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and its related accuracy and consistency. Among these methods, submap-based SLAM is a more effective one. By combining the strength of two popular mapping algorithms, the Rao-Blackwellised particle filter (RBPF) and extended information filter (EIF), this paper presents a Combined SLAM—an efficient submap-based solution to the SLAM problem in a large scale environment. RBPF-SLAM is used to produce local maps, which are periodically fused into an EIF-SLAM algorithm. RBPF-SLAM can avoid linearization of the robot model during operating and provide a robust data association, while EIF-SLAM can improve the whole computational speed, and avoid the tendency of RBPF-SLAM to be over-confident. In order to further improve the computational speed in a real time environment, a binary-tree-based decision-making strategy is introduced. Simulation experiments show that the proposed Combined SLAM algorithm significantly outperforms currently existing algorithms in terms of accuracy and consistency, as well as the computing efficiency. Finally, the Combined SLAM algorithm is experimentally validated in a real environment by using the Victoria Park dataset.
Acoustic Pronunciation Variations Modeling for Standard Malay Speech Recognition

This paper presents different methods of handling pronunciation variations in Standard Malay (SM) speech recognition. Pronunciation variation can be handled by explicitly modifying the knowledge sources or improving the decoding method. Two types of pronunciation variations are defined, namely, complete or phone changes and partial or sound changes. Complete or phone change means that one phoneme is realized as another phoneme. Meanwhile, a partial or sound change happens when the acoustic realization is ambiguous between two phonemes. Complete or phone changes can be handled by constructing a pronunciation variation dictionary to include alternative pronunciations at the lexical level or dynamically expanding the search space to include those pronunciation variants. Sound or partial changes can be handled by adjusting the acoustic models through sharing or adaptation of the Gaussian mixture components. Experimental results show that the use of a pronunciation variation dictionary and the method of dynamic search space expansion can improve speech recognition performance substantially. The methods of acoustic model refinement were found to be relatively less effective in our experiments.
“They Hate on Me!” Black Teachers Interrupting Their White Colleagues’ Racism

Black teachers have long been aware that Black students face racism in multiple forms throughout their lives. As racism has consistently been present throughout the history of the United States, Black teachers have used education as a platform to work against that racism, adapting their strategies through different periods in American history. Although Black teachers who taught in the Jim Crow era of legally mandated segregated schools taught their students how to deal with the racism that they faced outside of the school building, those who teach in diverse schools today find themselves preparing students to deal with the racism they experience beyond school and helping students navigate the racism they experience within the school building. The purpose of this article is to examine the ways in which Black teachers work to interrupt the racism that their White colleagues inflict upon their students. Findings indicate that efforts to protect Black students from White teachers’ racism led Black teachers to engage their students in emancipatory pedagogies and serve as interceders on behalf of their students. The teachers also found themselves on the receiving end of their colleagues’ racism. Any effort to recruit or retain teachers of color must first consider the experiences of contemporary teachers of color, and the findings reported in this article help researchers further understand the experiences of Black teachers.
A RISC-Based Moving Tiny Threads Architecture

We describe a RISC-based architecture for moving tiny light-weight threads instead of data in the multicore context. We assume the architecture to consist of homogeneous cores that are connected with an on-chip network. A sparse 3D torus is considered as a network delivering enough bandwidth. Besides rather ordinary ALU capabilities, each core maintains a rather large set of threads, and has separate memory and instruction caches. For the data cache, we avoid coherence problems by partitioning the memory and assuming that a portion of the main memory can be accessed only via one specific data cache. Consequently, we need to move light-weight hardwaresupported threads between the cores in the on-chip network. Compared to approaches where all memory locations are accessible via each cache, we avoid coherence problems and do less loads to caches. The price is an additional network between the cores and possible inefficiencies due to moving threads between the cores. As the threads in each core are used to hide memory access and thread moving latencies, we characterize requirements for the amount of tiny threads.
Improving ensemble docking for drug discovery by machine learning

Ensemble docking has provided an inexpensive method to account for receptor flexibility in molecular docking. However, it is still unclear how best to use the docking scores from multiple structures to classify compounds into actives and inactives. Previous studies have also found that the performance of classification could decrease rather than increase with the number of structures included in the ensemble. Machine learning could help to alleviate these problems.
Experiences in Malware Binary Deobfuscation

Malware authors employ a myriad of evasion techniques to impede automated reverse engineering and static analysis efforts. The most popular technologies include ‘code obfuscators’ that serve to rewrite the original binary code to an equivalent form that provides identical functionality while defeating signature-based detection systems. These systems significantly complicate static analysis, making it challenging to uncover the malware intent and the full spectrum of embedded capabilities. While code obfuscation techniques are commonly integrated into contemporary commodity packers, from the perspective of a reverse engineer, deobfuscation is often a necessary step that must be conducted independently after unpacking the malware binary. In this paper, we describe a set of techniques for automatically unrolling the impact of code obfuscators with the objective of completely recovering the original malware logic. We have implemented a set of generic debofuscation rules as a plug-in for the popular IDA Pro disassembler. We use sophisticated obfuscation strategies employed by two infamous malware instances from 2009, Conficker C and Hydraq (the binary associated with the Aurora attack) as case studies. In both instances our deobfuscator enabled a complete decompilation of the underlying code logic. This work was instrumental in the comprehensive reverse engineering of the heavily obfuscated P2P protocol embedded in the Conficker worm. The plug-in is integrated with the HexRays decompiler to provide a complete reverse engineering of malware binaries from binary form to C code and is available for free download on the SRI malware threat center website: http://www.mtc. sri.com/deobfuscation/.
A Combined Weight method in Automatic Classiflcation of Chinese Text

In this paper, we set a shielded level in a concept tree to use both the concept attributes from a semantic dictionary and the Chinese words to make the feature set. After comparing the weight theories and classification precise, of the eight methods, we give a new selection method, the CHI-MCOR weight method, which is derived from two normal methods which present well in our experiments. Our former experiment result shows that if we can set a proper shielded level, we can not only reduce the feature dimension but also improve the classification precise. The later result shows that the combined weight method makes a good balance between the fuzzy words which have a high occurrence and the dividing words which have a middle or low occurrence, and the classification precise is higher than any one of the weight methods
Intra-frame compression of video sequences with Inverse Difference Pyramid decomposition

The paper presents one new method for intra-frame compression of video sequences based on the Inverse Difference Pyramid decomposition. The compression starts with the processing of a selected frame in a group of consecutive TV frames. The coarse approximation of this frame is calculated and it is then used as a reference for the whole group. The remaining TV frames in the group are processed sequentially one by one, using the coarse approximation of the reference frame and correcting this approximation in correspondence to the currently processed one. The individual additional information, which represents the details for every frame is added to the coded video sequence data. The new method for intra-frame processing offers much higher compression than M-JPEG for same quality. When compared to MPEG the method ensures better quality for the fast moving objects.
Register Caching as a Way of Mitigating Intercluster Communication Penalties in Clustered Microarchitectures

Two important factors in any clustered microarchitecture are the intercluster communication penalties (involved when importing operands from another cluster) and workload balance (involves the balanced utilization of each cluster's computing resources). The goal in any design undertaking is to minimize the former and maximize the latter, failure in any of which would degrade the microarchitecture's performance. A novel technique that could mitigate intercluster communication penalties, called register caching, is explored in this paper. Register caching involves buffering or caching a very small number of register or operand values imported from another cluster (and thus having incurred intercluster communication penalty) with the hopes that they'd be referenced again without being modified. Should the said referencing happen, the cluster would no longer have to import the values again, and intercluster communication penalty savings are incurred. Effectiveness of replacement algorithms, necessary since the register cache would be full most of the time, would be explored in this paper, along with the technique's performance as a function of register cache size and intercluster communication latency values.
FOOT AND SYLLABLE IN SOUTHERN PAIUTE

This paper shows that Southern Paiute (SP), a Shoshonean language, may assign adjacent, tautosyllabic vowels to separate feet. This violates Syllable Integrity (SI -see (1)). SP counts vowels, not syllables, in its stress system, yet syllables are necessary to account for phonotactics and some morpheme alternations. I will show that the syllables we need to account for these phenomena do not always respect the foot structure that’s part of the stress system, resulting in violations of SI.
Le dessin comme stratégie constructive des apprentissages à l’école

L’école est un lieu d’apprentissage et les stratégies que les enseignants peuvent promouvoir auprès des élèves pour favoriser les apprentissages scolaires sont primordiales. Dans les cultures occidentales, le dessin produit par l’apprenant est potentiellement l’une de ces stratégies. Nous aborderons les différentes raisons pour lesquelles l’école utilise le dessin pour soutenir les apprentissages, puis nous présenterons les principales conclusions issues de recherches expérimentales sur l’utilité du dessin produit par l’apprenant. Il existe en effet un corpus de recherches menées par la psychologie visant à tester et à mesurer l’efficacité du dessin sur la mémoire et la compréhension d’un phénomène. Nous discuterons alors les points de convergence et les divergences possibles entre les suggestions de la pratique et les apports de la recherche expérimentale. Finalement, nous conclurons sur le potentiel du dessin produit par l’apprenant comme stratégie d’apprentissage et envisagerons des recommandations possibles pour sa pratique en classe.
Market Liquidity as a Sentiment Indicator Market Liquidity as a Sentiment Indicator

We build a model that helps explain why increases in liquiditysuch as lower bid-ask spreads, a lower price impact of trade, or higher turnoverpredict lower subsequent returns in both firm-level and aggregate data. The model features a class of irrational investors, who underreact to the information contained in order flow, thereby boosting liquidity. In the presence of short-sales constraints, high liquidity is a symptom of the fact that the market is dominated by these irrational investors, and hence is overvalued. This theory can also explain how managers might successfully time the market for seasoned equity offerings, by simply following a rule of thumb that involves issuing when the SEO market is particularly liquid. Empirically, we find that: i) aggregate measures of equity issuance and share turnover are highly correlated; yet ii) in a multiple regression, both have incremental predictive power for future equal-weighted market returns. * We thank Josh Coval, Ken French, Anthony Lynch, Andrei Shleifer, Tuomo Vuolteenaho and seminar participants at the Atlanta Finance Forum (Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Emory Universities), Harvard Business School, and the Texas Finance Festival for helpful comments. Financial support from the Division of Research of the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration (Baker) and from the National Science Foundation (Stein) is gratefully acknowledged.
Color Image Segmentation that Preserves Boundary by using Mean Shift Algorithm and Region Merging Method

Mean shift algorithm is a nonparametric statistical method for seeking the main modes of a point sample distribution. This process achieves a high quality, discontinuity preserving spatial filtering. For the segmentation task, the convergence points sufficiently close in the joint domain are fused to obtain the homogeneous regions in the image. However, a color image is segmented differently according to the inputted spatial parameter or range parameter and the image is broken into many small regions in case of the small parameter. In this paper, to improve this demerit, we propose the method that groups similar regions using region merging method for oversegmented images. The proposed method converts an over-segmented image in RGB color space into in HSI color space and merges similar regions by hue information. Here, to preserve edge information, the proposed method use by region merging constraints to decide whether regions is merged or not. After then, we merge the regions in RGB color space for nonprocessed regions in HSI color space. Experimental results show the proposed method is superior to conventional methods in region's segmentation results.
POSTER: Preliminary evaluation of optimized transfer method for cluster-wide RAID-4

Exa-scale storage systems will require a reliable and high bandwidth I/O mechanism. Replication and erasure coding among storage nodes are often used to improve reliability; however, the replication has a problem in storage capacity, and the erasure coding among storage nodes requires additional calculation cost and network traffic that may reduce the I/O performance. This paper proposes method to reduce client-side calculation cost and network traffic, and describes the zero-copy implementation of the cluster-wide RAID system using the InfiniBand RDMA mechanism. The evaluation result shows 34% improvement of I/O bandwidth. The performance is almost same as no parity mode. It means that the proposed mechanism is a breakthrough technology to build almost zero overhead cluster-wide RAID systems.
DNA sequence influences hexasome orientation to regulate DNA accessibility

Abstract Nucleosomes, the fundamental organizing units of eukaryotic genomes, contain ∼146 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a histone H3–H4 tetramer and two histone H2A–H2B dimers. Converting nucleosomes into hexasomes by removal of a H2A–H2B dimer is an important regulatory event, but its regulation and functional consequences are not well-understood. To investigate the influence of hexasomes on DNA accessibility, we used the property of the Widom-601 Nucleosome Positioning Sequence (NPS) to form homogeneously oriented hexasomes in vitro. We find that DNA accessibility to transcription factors (TF) on the hexasome H2A–H2B distal side is identical to naked DNA, while the accessibility on the H2A–H2B proximal side is reduced by 2-fold, which is due to a 2-fold reduction in hexasome unwrapping probability. We then determined that a 23 bp region of the Widom-601 NPS is responsible for forming homogeneously oriented hexasomes. Analysis of published ChIP-exo data of hexasome containing genes identified two DNA sequence motifs that correlate with hexasome orientation in vivo, while ExoIII mapping studies of these sequences revealed they generate homogeneously oriented hexasomes in vitro. These results indicate that hexasome orientation, which is influenced by the underlying DNA sequence in vivo, is important for modulating DNA accessibility to regulate transcription.
Constructing Information Networks Using One Single Model

In this paper, we propose a new framework that unifies the output of three information extraction (IE) tasks - entity mentions, relations and events as an information network representation, and extracts all of them using one single joint model based on structured prediction. This novel formulation allows different parts of the information network fully interact with each other. For example, many relations can now be considered as the resultant states of events. Our approach achieves substantial improvements over traditional pipelined approaches, and significantly advances state-of-the-art end-toend event argument extraction.
Visual recognition of cognates and interlingual homographs in two non-native languages: Evidence from Asian adult trilinguals

Abstract Previous studies on bilingual visual word recognition have been mainly based on European participants, while less is understood about Asian populations. In this study, the recognition of German-English cognates and interlingual homographs in lexical decision tasks was examined in the two non-native languages of Cantonese-English-German trilinguals. In the L2 English task, cognates were reacted to faster and more accurately than their matched non-cognates, while in the equivalent L3 German task, no cognate facilitation effect was found. However, cognate facilitation effects on response time and accuracy were observed in another L3 German task including cognates and interlingual homographs. The study suggests that Asian trilinguals access L2 and L3 in a language non-selective manner, despite their low proficiency in the recently acquired L3. Meanwhile, lexical processing in a non-proficient L3 is to a great extent affected by multiple contextual factors.
Comparative Study of Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio System Using Energy Detection over Different Channels

The radio spectrum is the most source that needs to be utilized using cognitive radio (CR) system Detecting primary users (PU) over the spectrum is one of the problems that face cognitive radio system. To overcome this problem, we use sensing techniques like energy detection, matched filter detection and Cyclostationary feature detection. This paper focuses on spectrum sensing using energy detection technique for both cases over additive white Gaussian noise(AWGN) channel and Rayleigh fading channel. Also plots of the probability of missed detection (Pm) vs. probability of false alarm (Pf) for both channels were obtained using MATLAB software.
XMM–Newton X-ray observations of the Wolf–Rayet binary system WR 147

We present results of an ≈20-ks X-ray observation of the Wolf-Rayet (WR) binary system WR 147 obtained with XMM-Newton. Previous studies have shown that this system consists of a nitrogen-type WN8 star plus an OB companion whose winds are interacting to produce a colliding wind shock. X-ray spectra from the pn and MOS detectors confirm the high extinction reported from infrared studies and reveal hot plasma including the first detection of the Fe Ka line complex at 6.67 keV. Spectral fits with a constant-temperature plane-parallel shock model give a shock temperature kT shock = 2.7 keV (T shock ≈ 31 MK), close to but slightly hotter than the maximum temperature predicted for a colliding wind shock. Optically thin plasma models suggest even higher temperatures, which are not yet ruled out. The X-ray spectra are harder than can be accounted for using 2D numerical colliding wind shock models based on nominal mass-loss parameters. Possible explanations include: (i) underestimates of the terminal wind speeds or wind abundances, (ii) overly simplistic colliding wind models or (iii) the presence of other X-ray emission mechanisms besides colliding wind shocks. Further improvement of the numerical models to include potentially important physics such as non-equilibrium ionization will be needed to rigorously test the colliding wind interpretation.
Actuator fault estimation and compensation based on an augmented state observer approach

Faults or process failures may drastically change system behaviour leading to performance degradation and instability. The reliability and fault-tolerance of a control system can be achieved through the design of either an active or passive Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) scheme. This paper proposes a new approach to fault compensation for FTC using fault estimation by which the faults acting in a dynamical system are estimated and compensated within an adaptive control scheme with required stability and performance robustness. The FTC scheme has an augmented state observer (ASO) in the control system, which has an intrinsic robustness in terms of the stability and performance of the estimation error. The design concepts are illustrated using the notion that the friction forces in a mechanical system can be estimated and compensated to give good control performance and stability. The example given is that of a non-linear inverted pendulum with Stribeck friction.
Civic laboratories: youth political expression in anonymous, ephemeral, geo-bounded social media

ABSTRACT While political expression is theoretically important for young citizens, research finds that young people approach expression on dominant social media (e.g., Facebook) with trepidation and uncertainty. What might a social media that facilitates youth political expression look like? We address this question by examining young people’s experiences with the mobile social media Yik Yak, whose affordances (i.e., anonymity, geo-boundedness, ephemerality) offer a theoretically beneficial infrastructure for political expression. Using in-depth interviews conducted during the 2016 US election, we find that Yik Yak’s affordances allowed users to assess the opinions of their peers, experiment with political expression and articulate their political voices. Participants also raised concerns over whether political talk on social media like Yik Yak could result in substantive dialogue or meaningful change. Based on our findings, we propose the concept of civic laboratories, which are social media that maximize opportunities for experimentation with political expression, while minimizing social risk.