Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finding Information on Non-Rectangular Interfaces

With upcoming breakthroughs in free-form display technologies, new user interface design challenges have emerged. Here, we investigate a question, which has been widely explored on traditional GUIs but unexplored on non-rectangular interfaces: what are the user strategies in terms of visual search when information is not presented in a traditional rectangular layout? To achieve this, we present two complementary studies investigating eye movements in different visual search tasks. Our results unveil which areas are seen first according to different visual structures. By doing so we address the question of where to place relevant content for the UI designers of non-rectangular displays.
Vision-based mapping with cooperative robots

Two stereo-vision-based mobile robots navigate and autonomously explore their environment safely while building occupancy grid maps of the environment. The robots maintain position estimates within a global coordinate frame using landmark recognition. This allows them to build a common map by sharing position information and stereo data. Stereo vision processing and map updates are done at 3 Hz and the robots move at speeds of 200 cm/s. Cooperative mapping is achieved through autonomous exploration of unstructured and dynamic environments. The map is constructed conservatively, so as to be useful for collision-free path planning. Each robot maintains a separate copy of a shared map, and then posts updates to the common map when it returns to observe a landmark at home base. Issues include synchronization, mutual localization, navigation, exploration, registration of maps, merging repeated views (fusion), centralized vs decentralized maps.
Evaluation of the SPUR Lisp architecture

The SPUR microprocessor has a 40-bit tagged architecture designed to improve its performance for Lisp programs. Although SPUR includes just a small set of enhancements to the Berkeley RISC-II architecture, simulation results show that with a 150-ns cycle time SPUR will run Common Lisp programs at least as fast as a Symbolies 3600 or a DEC VAX 8600. This paper explains SPUR's instruction set architecture and provides measurements of how certain components of the architecture perform.
Cell density regulates cellular reversal frequency in Myxococcus xanthus.

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that aggregates to form fruiting bodies when nutrients are limiting. Previous studies showed that the frz mutants that are defective in chemotaxis exhibited irregular and infrequent patterns of cellular reversal. In contrast, wild-type cells, when examined individually, reverse relatively frequently, about once every 6 min. It is not known how the change of reversal frequency effects cellular aggregation during fruiting body formation in M. xanthus. In this study, we stained cells with a tetrazolium dye so that we could track the reversal frequencies of single cells and cells in groups. We found that developmental cells in large groups reverse much less than cells in small groups or as single cells. This reduced cellular reversal frequency is related to the frz signal transduction system and correlated with the methylation of FrzCD (a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein). Cells containing a mutation in the frz genes or in the genes required for social motility do not respond in this way. The reduction in cellular reversals as developmental cells accumulate in groups suggests a simple hypothesis for the aggregation of cells into discrete mounds during fruiting body formation. We also found that M. xanthus cells glide with equal frequency in the forward or reverse directions, indicating that cells do not contain a "head" or "tail. "
Approximate input-output linearization of nonlinear systems using the observability normal form

The problem of controlling nonlinear nonminimum-phase systems is considered, where standard input-output feedback linearization leads to unstable internal dynamics. This problem is handled here by using the observability normal form in conjunction with input-output linearization. The system is feedback linearized upon neglecting a part of the system dynamics, with the neglected part being considered as a perturbation. A linear controller is designed to accommodate the perturbation resulting from the approximation. Stability analysis is provided based on the vanishing perturbation theory.
Triangle singularity in the production of 
X(3872)
 and a photon in 
e+e−
 annihilation

If the X(3872) is a weakly bound charm-meson molecule, it can be produced in e+e- annihilation by the creation of D*0D¯*0 from a virtual photon followed by the rescattering of the charm-meson pair into X and a photon. A triangle singularity produces a narrow peak in the cross section for e+e-→Xγ about 2.2 MeV above the D*0D¯*0 threshold. We predict the normalized cross section in the region near the peak. The peak from the triangle singularity may be observable by the BESIII detector.
Finite sample size effect on minimum variance beamformers: optimum diagonal loading factor for large arrays

Minimum variance beamformers are usually complemented with diagonal loading techniques in order to provide robustness against several impairments such as imprecise knowledge of the steering vector or finite sample size effects. This paper concentrates on this last application of diagonal loading techniques, i.e., it is assumed that the steering vector is perfectly known and that diagonal loading is used to alleviate the finite sample size impairments. The analysis herein is asymptotic in the sense that it is assumed that both the number of antennas and the number of samples are high but have the same order of magnitude. Borrowing some results of random matrix theory, the authors first derive a deterministic expression that describes the asymptotic signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio (SINR) at the output of the diagonally loaded beamformer. Then, making use of the statistical theory of large observations (also known as general statistical analysis or G-analysis), the authors derive an estimator of the optimum loading factor that is consistent when both the number of antennas and the sample size increase without bound at the same rate. Because of that, the estimator has an excellent performance even in situations where the quotient between the number of observations is low relative to the number of elements of the array.
The dynamics of socio-connective trust within support networks accessed by informal caregivers

This article introduces the concept of socio-connective trust, the synapse between the social structures and processes that underpin relationships in supportive care networks. Data from an ethnographic case study of 18 informal caregivers providing in-home care for people with life-limiting illness were analysed drawing on theoretical concepts from the work of Giddens and writings on social capital, as well as the construction of trust in the caregiving literature. While conceptions of trust were found to contribute to understanding supportive care relationships, they did not account for the dynamic nature of the availability and use of support networks. Instead, informal caregivers undertook ongoing reflexive negotiation of relationship boundaries in response to their own conception of the current situation and their perception of trust in their relationships with the various members of the support network. The concept of socio-connective trust describes the movement and flow of the flexible bonds that influence relationships among care networks and determine the type and range of support accessed by informal caregivers. Understanding the complexities of socio-connective trust in caregiving relationships will assist health and social care workers to mobilize relevant resources to support informal caregivers.
Liveness Detection : An Overview

Biometric system provides a mechanism to identify or verify every individual on the basis of their biometric traits. As every system is prone to attack by intruders so this system can also be breached by an imposter by gaining access to the personalized data of a legitimate user and getting unauthorised access. The biometric system needs to become more secure by using different techniques and one such technique is liveness detection. Liveness Detection can be used to detect whether the input is being given by a live user or some imposter is providing non-live or fake data. This paper presents a brief overview about some techniques which can be used to detect liveness in the different input samples being presented.
Combining Revealed and Stated Preference Data to Estimate the Nonmarket Value of Ecological Services: An Assessment of the State of the Science

This paper reviews the marketing, transportation, and environmental economics literature on the joint estimation of revealed and stated preference data. The revealed preference and stated preference approaches are first described with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each. Recognizing these strengths and weaknesses, the potential gains from combining data are described. A classification system for combined data that emphasizes the type of data combination and the econometric models used is proposed. A methodological review of the literature is pursued based on this classification system. Examples from the environmental economics literature are highlighted. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of jointly estimated model is then presented. Suggestions for future research, in particular opportunities for application of these models to environmental quality valuation, are presented.
Automatic Derivation of Substructures Yields Novel Structural Building Blocks in Globular Proteins

Because the general problem of predicting the tertiary structure of a globular protein from its sequence is so difficult, researchers have tried to predict regular substructures, known as secondary structures, of proteins. Knowledge of the position of these structures in the sequence can significantly constrain the possible conformations of the protein. Traditional protein secondary structures are alpha-helices, beta-sheets, and coil. Secondary structure prediction programs have been developed, based upon several different algorithms. Such systems, despite their varied natures, are noted for their universal limit on prediction accuracy of about 65%. A possible cause for this limit is that traditional secondary structure classes are only a coarse characterization of local structure in proteins. This work presents the results of an alternative approach where local structure classes in proteins are derived using neural network and clustering techniques. These give a set of local structure categories, which we call Structural Building Blocks (SBBs), based upon the data itself, rather than a priori categories imposed upon the data. Analysis of SBBs shows that these categories are general classifications, and that they account for recognized helical and strand regions, as well as novel categories such as N- and C-caps of helices and strands.
The Utility Challenge of Privacy-Preserving Data-Sharing in Cross-Company Defect Prediction: An Empirical Study of the CLIFF&MORPH Algorithm

In practice, the data owners of source projects may need to share data without disclosing sensitive information. Therefore, privacy-preserving data-sharing becomes an important topic in cross-company defect prediction (CCDP). In this context, the challenge is how to achieve a high privacy-preserving level while ensuring the utility of the shared privatized data for CCDP. CLIFF&MORPH is a recently proposed state-of-the-art privacy-preserving data-sharing algorithm for CCDP. It has been reported that the CLIFF&MORPH CCDP model produces a promising defect prediction performance. However, we find that ManualDown, a simple (unsupervised) module size model, built on the target projects has a comparable or even better defect prediction performance. Since ManualDown does not require any source project data to build the model, it is free of the privacy-preserving data-sharing challenges for CCDP. This means that, for practitioners, the motivation of applying privacy-preserving data-sharing algorithms to CCDP could not be well justified if the utility challenge is not addressed. We analyze the implications of our findings and outline the directions for future research. In particular, we strongly suggest that future studies at least use ManualDown as a baseline model for comparison to help develop practical privacy-preserving data-sharing algorithms for CCDP.
Greatly Increased Toughness of Infiltrated Spider Silk

Infiltration of spider silk with impurities enhances the mechanical performance. Improving on Spider Silk? In a conventional atomic layer deposition, alternating pulses of a reactive metal-based precursor and a reactant, such as water, are deposited onto a solid surface to create a coating that conforms closely to the original surface. Lee et al. (p. 488) apply this process to fibers of spider silk, which are soft and porous. In addition to forming a coating on the fibers, some of the metal ions penetrate the fibers and react with the protein structure. These doped fibers show significant increase in toughness as measured by the work required to deform them. In nature, tiny amounts of inorganic impurities, such as metals, are incorporated in the protein structures of some biomaterials and lead to unusual mechanical properties of those materials. A desire to produce these biomimicking new materials has stimulated materials scientists, and diverse approaches have been attempted. In contrast, research to improve the mechanical properties of biomaterials themselves by direct metal incorporation into inner protein structures has rarely been tried because of the difficulty of developing a method that can infiltrate metals into biomaterials, resulting in a metal-incorporated protein matrix. We demonstrated that metals can be intentionally infiltrated into inner protein structures of biomaterials through multiple pulsed vapor-phase infiltration performed with equipment conventionally used for atomic layer deposition (ALD). We infiltrated zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), or aluminum (Al), combined with water from corresponding ALD precursors, into spider dragline silks and observed greatly improved toughness of the resulting silks. The presence of the infiltrated metals such as Al or Ti was verified by energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra measured inside the treated silks. This result of enhanced toughness of spider silk could potentially serve as a model for a more general approach to enhance the strength and toughness of other biomaterials.
Predicting build outcome with developer interaction in Jazz

Investigating the human aspect of software development is becoming prominent in current research. Studies found that the misalignment between the social and technical dimensions of software work leads to losses in developer productivity and defects. We use the technical and social dependencies among pairs of developers to predict the success of a software build. Using the IBM Jazz#8482; data we found information about developers and their social and technical relation can build a powerful predictor for the success of a software build. Investigating human aspects of software development is becoming prominent in current research. High misalignment between the social and technical dimensions of software work lowers productivity and quality.
Tele-manipulation with a humanoid robot under autonomous joint impedance regulation and vibrotactile balancing feedback

This work presents an enriched human-machine interface for performing effective tele-manipulation using a humanoid robot. To provide the slave with the ability to dexterously interact with the remote environment, we implement an autonomous impedance controller that regulates the slave's joints stiffness and damping according to the manipulation loading conditions. In the proposed strategy, free-space operations are performed with compliant limbs to ensure safe interactions during unforeseen collisions on the whole-arm together with a soft behaviour at the initial phase of contact. During the manipulation task, the designed controller accounts for the arm configuration and the direction/amplitude of the external force sensed at the end-effector to stiffen the humanoid arm joints, permitting to handle the task loads. Experiments performed on the compliant humanoid robot COMAN demonstrate the effectiveness of this human-inspired impedance controller during a teleoperated pick-and-place task. The interaction forces during manipulation can destabilize the floating base humanoid robot. To address this concern we also investigate the operators ability to rely on a cutaneous feedback of the slave's balance state to adjust their teleoperation strategy when required so as to complete the task while maintaining the slave's balance. A comparative study shows that the proposed vibrotactile feedback allows for a proper recognition of the slave's drop of stability during interaction tasks and that the tactile guidance leads to enhanced teleoperation performances characterized by a significantly lower number of falls.
Amino acid residues in the pro region of Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin I that affect efficiency of translocation across the inner membrane

Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin Ip (STIp), which is a typical extracellular toxin consisting of 18 amino acid residues, is synthesized as a precursor consisting of pre (amino acid residues 1 to 19), pro (amino acid residues 20 to 54), and mature (amino acid residues 55 to 72) regions. Though the pre region functions as a conventional leader peptide that guides the following region to cross the inner membrane, the role of the pro region in the maturation pathway remains to be elucidated. We previously indicated that the sequence from residues 29 to 38 in the pro region increases the efficiency of STI translocation across the inner membrane (H. Yamanaka, Y. Fuke, S. Hitotsubashi, Y. Fujii, and K. Okamoto, Microbiol. Immunol. 37:195-205, 1993). We therefore examined the amino acid residues in the sequence that are responsible for this function. We substituted several amino acid residues in the sequence by means of oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis. We then evaluated the effect of the substitution on the efficiency of STI translocation across the inner membrane by determining the enterotoxic activity of the culture supernatant, the amount of a fusion protein consisting of STI and nuclease A released into the periplasm, and the amount of the labeled ST released into the periplasm after pulse-labeling with [35S]cysteine. Substitution of the charged amino acid residues at positions 29 to 31 (K-E-K) with hydrophobic (I-V-L, F-W-F, or F-W-Q) or basic (K-K-K) residues significantly reduced these values in every assay. In contrast, the substitution of these amino acid residues with acidic amino acid residues (E-E-E) increased these values in all assays. This means that the negative charge near position 30 is important for STI to translocate efficiently across the inner membrane. A similar substitution of lysine residues at positions 37 and 38 showed that they are not involved in the translocation of STI across the inner membrane.
Carcinogenesis in tissue culture. 22. Malignant transformation of cloned rat liver cells treated in culture with 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene and properties of the transformed cells.

Cultured rat liver cells which were cloned from a single cell were transformed into malignant cells by a chemical carcinogen, 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB). The DAB-transformed cells produced tumors when back-transplanted into new-born rats but the carcinogen-untreated control cells did not. Characteristics of the transformed liver cells were compared to those of DAB-untreated control cells in regard to the morphology, the consumption of DAB from the culture medium by the cells, the incorporation of 3H.DAB into the cells, and the aggregate.forming ability of the cells in rotation culture. The results showed that no significant parameter of malig. nant transformation in culture was detectable except the tumorigenicity of the transformed cells upon the inoculation into animals.
Context-aware service discovery, selection and usage

Ongoing advances in technology and proceeding miniaturization have led to growing popularity and widespread use of mobile devices. Apart from communication features and basic functionality like address books or organizers users expect of today’s portable and handheld devices to provide more advanced features such as presenting relevant timetable information, a location plan or information about nearby shopping facilities. In spite of the advanced technological opportunities mobile devices are still restricted in terms of computing power, storage space, battery life, available network bandwidth and display size. One solution to overcome these shortcomings is by utilizing external functionality provided by services together with appropriate filtering mechanisms to obtain only relevant information. Since available and required services may vary due to the device’s mobility, the process of service discovery, selection and comparison has to be context-aware. In this paper we present our general idea of a framework for context-aware service discovery, selection and usage. We analyze problems and challenges in conjunction with our approach and discuss related works in this area of research.
Regression testing for component-based software systems by enhancing change information

In recent years, component-based software has been widely used in various application domains and becomes a fairly popular software form. However, due to the lack of information about the externally-developed components, system testers (i.e., component users) generally can't perform effective testing (especially regression testing) on their component-based systems. Component users don't know the details about change in component, so they aren't able to select the proper test cases to retest the modified system. In this paper, we present an improved regression testing method based on the enhanced change information of component version to test the software system containing some modified components. It is a collaborative testing method, needing the joint participations of component developer and user. Component developers calculate the change information from labeled method call graph and provide it to component users via XML files. Component users use this change information and their instrumentation records together to pick out test cases for next-round testing. In addition, we have employed preliminary experiments on some medium scale systems, the experiment results show that our regression testing method is fairly feasible and cost-effective in practice.