Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Band discontinuities at Si-TCO interfaces from quasiparticle calculations: Comparison of two alignment approaches

Modern quasiparticle theory based on hybrid functionals and the GW approximation yields electronic band structures with a high accuracy for silicon but also for oxides applied as transparent electrodes or layers in solar cells. The quasiparticle electronic structures are used to derive natural band discontinuities applying two different methods, a modified Tersoff method for the branch-point energy and the Shockley-Anderson model via the electron affinity rule. For the known Si-SiO2 interface, which leads to type-I junctions, we demonstrate that both approaches are in good agreement with measured values. For the Si-oxide heterojunctions we observe a tendency for misaligned type-II heterostructures for In2O3, ZnO, and SnO2, which indicates highly efficient separation of electron-hole pairs generated in the Si layer. We show how surface orientation and structure as well as many-body effects influence the ionization energy and electron affinity and, hence, the band discontinuities obtained within the Shockley-Anderson model.
Fandom and the Search for Meaning: Examining Communal Involvement With Popular Media Beyond Pleasure

The present study expands on current theorizing about fandom by considering how communal involvement with popular media extends beyond pleasure and is more strongly associated with the search for meaning. Using the context of one of the most widespread media phenomena dominating popular culture—the Harry Potter franchise, results of an online questionnaire (N = 235) indicated that individual differences among fans (i.e., narrative exposure and eudaimonic motivation or the desire to seek meaning from entertainment) predicted involvement in fan communities. Further, perceived membership in fan communities enhanced enjoyment, appreciation, physiological reactions, knowledge acquisition, and intentions to seek fan-related materials. Implications for expanding entertainment scholarship in the study of meaningful media related to fandom and our understanding of contemporary forms of fandom in light of new technological affordances are discussed.
Estimation and filtering of potential protein-protein docking positions

MOTIVATION Software systems predicting automatically whether and how two proteins may interact are highly desirable, both for understanding biological processes and for the rational design of new proteins. As a part of a future complete solution to this problem, a bundle of programs is presented designed (i) to estimate initial docking positions for a given pair of docking candidates, (ii) to adjust them, and (iii) to filter them, thus preparing more detailed computations of free energies. RESULTS The system is evaluated on a test set of 51 co-crystallized complexes aiming at redocking the subunits. It works completely automatically and the evaluation is performed using one single set of parameters for all complexes in the test set. The number of solutions is fixed to 50 positions with a median CPU time of 26 min. For 30 complexes, these contain a near-correct solution with root mean square deviation ( RMSD ) </=5.0 A, which is ranked first in five cases. For all complexes, the best solution is scored on rank 16 as the worst case, and has a median RMSD of 4.3 A. Alternatively to this initial estimation of docking positions, a global sampling of rotations was tested. Whereas this yields top-ranked solutions with RMSD </=3.0 A for all 51 complexes, the median CPU time increases to 11 h. This shows that this blind sampling is not feasible for most applications. AVAILABILITY The system and its components are available on request from the authors. CONTACT friedric@techfak.uni-bielefeld or posch@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF QUICKPROP AND GPD OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS FOR MCELR ADAPTATION OF CDHMM PARAMETERS

In our previous work, we have presented an approach of minimum classiﬁcation error linear regression (MCELR) for adaptation of Gaussian mixture continuous density HMM (CDHMM) parameters. It is shown that a stochastic approximation approach known as the GPD (generalized probabilistic descent) can be used to optimize the MCE objective function. However, it is relatively difﬁ-cult to set an appropriate value for the learning control parameter to achieve a fast yet stable GPD optimization process. In this paper, we study another batch-mode approximate second-order optimization approach, namely Quickprop, aiming at speeding up the convergence of the objective function of MCELR while making the learning more robust. It is demonstrated by a series of experiments for supervised speaker adaptation that Quickprop is a better alternative to GPD for MCELR.
On extended RLS lattice adaptive filter variants: error-feedback, normalized and array-based algorithms

This paper develops several lattice structures for RLS orthonormally-based input data structures, including error feedback, normalized and array-based forms. All recursions are theoretically equivalent, however they tend to differ in performance under finite precision effects. As a result, we verify that compared to the standard extended lattice equations, the new variants do not improve robustness to quantization, unlike what is normally expected for FlR models.
Apocrypha: Making P2P Overlays Network-aware

A peer-to-peer(P2P) system consists of a dynamic set of nodes that organizes itself in an overlay network. In general, this overlay network may have nothing to do with the location of nodes on the physical network. We propose a generic mechanism called Apocrypha to make any P2P overlay ``network-aware'', and thus improve its quality, using topology-preserving transformations. We demonstrate the applicability and utility of Apocrypha on two different P2P systems: the Chord system which uses a deterministic overlay topology, and the Gnutella system which operates on an ad hoc topology. We also describe new, improved routing protocols for the Chord system, and introduce the long-circuit phenomenon in Gnutella.
PLC based Implementation of Fuzzy Controller for Boost Converter

In this paper, the two-input fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and proportional –integral–derivative (PID) controller for boost converter output-voltage regulation are proposed by using Siemens Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Here the output voltage has been used as a closed loop feedback to determine the output voltage error (e) and the change in error (∆e) as two inputs to the controller. The elements of the boost converter as inductance and capacitor have been selected to insure continues operating mode (CCM) and low output voltage ripple. The proposal is implemented by using Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) on 150 watts prototype and compare (FLC) with (PID) results. The experimental results show that the FLC has a good output voltage response compare with PID controller response. General Terms Fuzzy logic controller (FLC), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), continues operating mode (CCM)
A Multi-Objective Genetic Approach to Concurrently Learn Partition Granularity and Rule Bases of Mamdani Fuzzy Systems

In this paper we propose a multi-objective genetic algorithm to generate Mamdani fuzzy rule-based systems with optimal trade-offs between complexity and accuracy. The main novelty of the algorithm is that both rule base and granularity of the uniform partitions defined on the input and output variables are learned concurrently. To this aim, we exploit a chromosome composed of two parts, which codify the numbers of fuzzy sets for each linguistic variable and the rule base, respectively. Rule bases defined on partitions with different granularity are handled by using an appropriate mapping strategy. The algorithm has been tested on a real word regression problem showing very promising results.
An experimental study of robot control during environmental contacts based on projected operational space dynamics

This paper addresses the problem of constrained motion for a manipulator performing a task while in contact with the environment, and proposes a solution based on projected operational space dynamics. The main advantages of this control technique are: 1) it exploits the environment contact constraint itself, so as to minimise the joint torques needed to perform the task; 2) it enables full decoupling of motion and force control; 3) force feedback from a force sensor mounted at the end effector or other contact points is not needed. This work is a step towards a robot control strategy which mimics the human behaviour of exploiting contacts with the environment to help perform tasks. We present an experimental implementation of the control method in which a KUKA LWR IV manipulator uses an eraser to wipe a whiteboard, and we show that this controller can effectively exploit contact with the whiteboard in order to reduce joint torques while still performing the desired wiping motion.
Achieving adaptivity for OLAP-XML federations

Motivated by the need for more flexible OLAP systems, this paper presents work on logical integration of external data in OLAP databases, carried out in cooperation between the Danish OLAP client vendor targit and Aalborg University. Flexibility is ensured by supporting XML as the external data format, since almost all data sources can be efficiently wrapped in XML. Earlier work has resulted in an extension of the targit system, allowing external XML data to be used as dimensions and measures in OLAP databases. This work has led to a number of new idea for improving the system's ability to adapt to changes in its surroundings.This paper describes the potential problems that may interrupt the operation of the integration system, in particular those caused by the often autonomous and unreliable nature of external XML data sources, and methods for handling these problems. Specifically, we describe techniques for handling changes in external XML data sources. We also describe techniques for improving the reliability of external XML sources, e.g., when these are found on the Internet, by dynamically trying to locate alternative sources during the evaluation of a query. Finally, we discuss solutions to a number of other possible problems, and show how the techniques can be integrated in the targit architecture. Experiments performed with a prototype implementation of central functionality shows the viability of the proposed solutions.
Polynomial Algorithms for Complete State Coding and Synthesis of Hazard-free Circuits from Signal Tr

Methods for the synthesis of asynchronous circuits from Signal Transition Graphs (STGs) have commonly used the State Graph to solve the two main steps of this process: the state assignment problem and the generation of hazard-free logic. The size of the State Graph can be of order O(2 n ), where n is the number of signals of the circuit. As synthesis tools for asynchronous systems start to mature, the size of the STGs increases and the exponential algorithms that work on the State Graph become obsolete. This paper presents alternative algorithms that work in polynomial time and, therefore, avoid the generation of the SG. With the proposed algorithms, STGs can be synthesized and hazard-free circuits generated in extremely low CPU times. Improvements in 2 or 3 orders of magnitude (from hours to seconds) with respect to existing algorithms are achieved when synthesizing fairly large STGs.
Chin EMG analysis for REM sleep behavior disorders

Many sleep disorders not only diminish daytime performance, increase sleepiness, and affect mood of an individual, but can lead to serious consequences such as: high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and even death. The analysis of chin electromyography (EMG) usually reflects an inhibitory influence on motor activity and muscle tone. Based on literature, it has been reported that the level of chin EMG drops to its lowest level during REM between normal and there is an increase in amplitude in rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD) cohorts. In this work, a research study is conducted across eight subjects, to evaluate chin EMG during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycle and to measure the strength of muscle activation. The obtained results show that there is a significant increase in RMS value of chin EMG in RBD in comparison to healthy subjects, i.e. RMS value for RBD is at least 2.5 times the normal. Further, the change in regularity among healthy and RBD subjects is investigated for facilitating efficient characterization of sleep-related disorders. Such an analysis could be targeted towards providing a useful objective measure for assessing response to neuroprotective drugs.
From CLIR to CLIE: some lessons in NTCIR evaluation

Cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) facilitates the use of one language to access documents in other languages. Cross-language information extraction (CLIE) extracts relevant information in finer granularity from multilingual documents for some specific applications like summarization, question answering, opinion extraction, etc. This paper reviews CLIR, CLQA, and opinion analysis tasks in NTCIR evaluation. The design methodologies and some key technologies are reported.
Self-correlating predictive information tracking for large-scale production systems

Automatic management of large-scale production systems requires a continuous monitoring service to keep track of the states of the managed system. However, it is challenging to achieve both scalability and high information precision while continuously monitoring a large amount of distributed and time-varying metrics in large-scale production systems. In this paper, we present a new self-correlating, predictive information tracking system called InfoTrack, which employs lightweight temporal and spatial correlation discovery methods to minimize continuous monitoring cost. InfoTrack combines both metric value prediction within individual nodes and adaptive clustering among distributed nodes to suppress remote information update in distributed system monitoring. We have implemented a prototype of the InfoTrack system and deployed the system on the PlanetLab. We evaluated the performance of the InfoTrack system using both real system traces and micro-benchmark prototype experiments. The experimental results show that InfoTrack can reduce the continuous monitoring cost by 50-90% while maintaining high information precision (i.e., within 0.01-0.05 error bound).
A Survey and Analysis of the P3P Protocol's Agents, Adoption, Maintenance, and Future

In this paper, we survey the adoption of the platform for privacy preferences protocol (P3P) on Internet Web sites to determine if P3P is a growing or stagnant technology. We conducted a pilot survey in February 2005 and our full survey in November 2005. We compare the results from these two surveys and the previous (July 2003) survey of P3P adoption. In general, we find that P3P adoption is stagnant, and errors in P3P documents are a regular occurrence. In addition, very little maintenance of P3P policies is apparent. These observations call into question P3P's viability as an online privacy-enhancing technology. Our survey exceeds other previous surveys in our use of both detailed statistical analysis and scope; our February pilot survey analyzed more than 23,000 unique Web sites, and our full survey in November 2005 analyzed more than 100,000 unique Web sites.
Signal processing methods for beat tracking, music segmentation, and audio retrieval

The goal of music information retrieval (MIR) is to develop novel strategies and techniques for organizing, exploring, accessing, and understanding music data in an efficient manner. The conversion of waveform-based audio data into semantically meaningful feature representations by the use of digital signal processing techniques is at the center of MIR and constitutes a difficult field of research because of the complexity and diversity of music signals. In this thesis, we introduce novel signal processing methods that allow for extracting musically meaningful information from audio signals. As main strategy, we exploit musical knowledge about the signals’ properties to derive feature representations that show a significant degree of robustness against musical variations but still exhibit a high musical expressiveness. We apply this general strategy to three different areas of MIR: Firstly, we introduce novel techniques for extracting tempo and beat information, where we particularly consider challenging music with changing tempo and soft note onsets. Secondly, we present novel algorithms for the automated segmentation and analysis of folk song field recordings, where one has to cope with significant fluctuations in intonation and tempo as well as recording artifacts. Thirdly, we explore a cross-version approach to content-based music retrieval based on the query-by-example paradigm. In all three areas, we focus on application scenarios where strong musical variations make the extraction of musically meaningful information a challenging task.
Symmetric Spiral Patterns on Spheres

Spiral patterns on the surface of a sphere have been seen in laboratory experiments and in numerical simulations of reaction-diffusion equations and convection. We classify the possible symmetries of spirals on spheres, which are quite different from the planar case since spirals typically have tips at opposite points on the sphere. We concentrate on the case where the system has an additional sign-change symmetry, in which case the resulting spiral patterns do not rotate. Spiral patterns arise through a mode interaction between spherical harmonics of degrees $\ell$ and $\ell+1$. Using the methods of equivariant bifurcation theory, possible symmetry types are determined for each $\ell$. For small values of $\ell$, the center manifold equations are constructed, and spiral solutions are found explicitly. Bifurcation diagrams are obtained showing how spiral states can appear at secondary bifurcations from primary solutions or at tertiary bifurcations. The results are consistent with numerical simulations of .
An Effective Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization with Decline Disturbance Index for Expanded Job-shop Scheduling Problem

In this paper, an improved particle swarm optimization with decline disturbance index (DDPSO), is proposed for expanded job-shop scheduling problem (EJSSP). To balance the exploration and exploitation abilities of DDPSO, both PSO-based global search and an adaptive local search are designed and applied simultaneously in the proposed DDPSO. An index was added when the velocity of the particle is prone to stagnation in the middle and later evolution periods. The modification improves the ability of particles to explore the global and local optimization solutions, and reduces the probability of being trapped into the local optima. Theoretical analysis, which is based on stochastic processes, proves that the trajectory of particle is a Markov processes and DDPSO algorithm converges to the global optimal solution with mean square merit. After the exploration based on DDPSO, neighborhood search strategy is used in a local search and an adaptive Meta-Lamarckian strategy is employed to dynamically decide which neighborhood should be selected to stress exploitation in each generation. Simulation results and comparisons with typical algorithms show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed DDPSO. Streszczenie. Opisano ulepszony al;gorytm mrowkowy z indeksem DDPSO do rozwiązywania problemu EJSSP (expanded job-shop scheduling problem). Dodano indeks kiedy szybkośc cząstki jest podatna na stagnacje w środku i koncowej cześci procesu ewolucji. Analiza teoretyczna bazująca na ;procesach stochastycznych dowodzi ze trajektoria cząstki jest procesem Markova i algorytm DDPSO pokrywa sie z rozwiązaniem globalnego optimum metodą średniokwadratową. (Efektywna hybrydowa optymalizacja algorytmu mrowkowego z indeksem DD (Decline Disturbane) do rozwiązywania problemu EJSSP (Expanded Job-shop Scheduling Problem)).
Characterization of a Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium Operon Associated with Virulence and Drug Detoxification

The lprG-p55 operon of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis is involved in the transport of toxic compounds. P55 is an efflux pump that provides resistance to several drugs, while LprG is a lipoprotein that modulates the host's immune response against mycobacteria. The knockout mutation of this operon severely reduces the replication of both mycobacterial species during infection in mice and increases susceptibility to toxic compounds. In order to gain insight into the function of LprG in the Mycobacterium avium complex, in this study, we assayed the effect of the deletion of lprG gene in the D4ER strain of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium. The replacement of lprG gene with a hygromycin cassette caused a polar effect on the expression of p55. Also, a twofold decrease in ethidium bromide susceptibility was observed and the resistance to the antibiotics rifampicin, amikacin, linezolid, and rifabutin was impaired in the mutant strain. In addition, the mutation decreased the virulence of the bacteria in macrophages in vitro and in a mice model in vivo. These findings clearly indicate that functional LprG and P55 are necessary for the correct transport of toxic compounds and for the survival of MAA in vitro and in vivo.
Test of Gross Motor Development

Time Requirements The examiner can assure a reliable administration of the test by following several general guidelines. During the collection of norms, approximately 15 minutes was required to assess one child. Testing time will vary with the age of the child and ability of the test administrator. Test administrators should have several balls available for the striking, catching, kicking, and throwing items to minimize the time spent on retrieval after each trial. 1. Read the entire test to acquaint yourself with items, equipment, directions, and performance criteria. 2. Practice administering the test several times. 3. Establish rapport with the child. Initiate friendly conversation emphasizing how much fun he or she will have performing the skills. Encourage the student to give maximum effort. Using terms such as “throw hard” or “jump far” will promote the best efforts. For young children, explain that several of the skills may be too hard for them to perform and they are not expected to be good at everything. Provide positive reinforcement for effort in attempting to perform skills that are beyond their ability. Testing Conditions The testing environment should be arranged to minimize distractions and according to specific directions for each item. The equipment specified in each item is commonly found in motor skill programs and is listed in the directions for each item. Testing conditions should be arranged prior to beginning the test to help minimize administration time. A list of needed equipment is described below.