Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SPOCK: Static performance analysis and deadlock verification for efficient asynchronous circuit synthesis

Performance analysis and deadlock verification are two critical issues in asynchronous circuit design, which can be advantageous over the synchronous counterpart in terms of robustness against timing variability, security against side-channel attack, and other benefits. Nevertheless, asynchronous design automation tools are far away from mature. In this paper, we advance the synthesis of quasi-delay insensitive (QDI) circuits of pre-charged half buffer (PCHB) and weak-conditioned half buffer (WCHB) pipelines in three respects. First, static performance analysis (SPA) with linear time complexity is generalized from acyclic to cyclic PCHB and WCHB pipelines. Second, a deadlock verification (DV) algorithm with linear time complexity is proposed for checking PCHB and WCHB pipelines using their four-phase marked graph models. Third, we propose a new simple register circuitry for PCHB and WCHB pipelines that consists of one reset-latch and one buffer-latch and is amenable to circuit minimization. With the above two algorithms, we develop an efficient synthesis flow for buffer-latch minimization while maintaining the system throughput and deadlock-free property. Experimental results show the efficiency of our SPA and DV algorithms and demonstrate the effectiveness of our synthesis method with an average of 37% reduction on the number of buffer-laches. As our SPA and DV algorithms are applicable to arbitrary PCHB and WCHB pipelines and our buffer-latch minimization algorithm is orthogonal to existing synthesis methods such as cut-based technology mapping and slack matching, our methods can be generally useful in the analysis, verification, and synthesis of PCHB and WCHB pipelines.
Nomadic Virtual Reality: Exploring New Interaction Concepts for Mobile Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays

Technical progress and miniaturization enables virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) now to be solely operated using a smartphone as a display, processing unit and sensor unit. These mobile VR HMDs (e.g. Samsung GearVR) allow for a whole new interaction scenario, where users can bring their HMD with them wherever they want and immerse themselves anytime at any place (nomadic VR). However, most of the early research on interaction with VR HMDs focused around stationary setups. My research revolves around enabling new forms of interaction for these nomadic VR scenarios. In my research I choose a user-centered design approach where I build research prototypes to solve potential problems of nomadic VR and evaluate those prototypes in user studies. I am going to present three prototypes revolving around current challenges of nomadic VR (input and feedback).
Measuring end-point stiffness by means of a modular mechatronic system

Human arm muscular stiffness measurement is often a complex procedure which is of great interest for many disciplines from biomechanics to medicine and robotics. Modulation of impedance represents the principal mechanism underlying control of movements and interaction with external environment. Past literature proposed several methods to estimate multijoint hand stiffness while postural maintaining and dynamic tasks, mainly performed by means of planar robotic manipulanda. Despite these approaches are still considered robust and accurate, the computational burden of the robotic controller and hardware limitations make them not easy to implement. In the present paper a novel mechanism conceived for measuring multijoint planar stiffness by in single trial and in a reduced execution time is described and tested in different configurations. The device consisted in a mechanical rotary mechanism which applies cyclic radial perturbation to human arm of a known displacement and the force is acquired by means of a 6-axes commercial load cell. The outcomes suggest that the system is not only reliable in standalone mode but allows obtaining a reliable bi-dimensional estimation of arm stiffness even plugged in a planar manipulandum, dramatically reducing the amount of time for measurement and allowing to decouple the two controllers of the planar manipulator on which is mounted and the device itself.
Age- and Gender-Specific Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in 2228 First Graders: The PEP Family Heart Study

Because first graders are critical for excess weight gain, we assessed components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) using the pediatric definition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). We compared four MetS components as defined by the IDF with age- and gender-specific components in 2228 first graders at the age of 6. The growth curves were derived from 22113 children and adolescents who participated in the PEP Family Heart Study. The aim was to determine in first graders precise values of waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), triglycerides (TG), and HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) based on growth curves that were developed for a large German population of youths and to assess the prevalence in terms of both definitions at this critical age. The prevalence of high blood pressure for age was 13% compared with only 2% according to IDF. Because of this considerable divergence, we propose to define MetS components based on national growth curves.
Sample size considerations for studies of intervention efficacy in the occupational setting.

OBJECTIVE Due to a shared environment and similarities among workers within a worksite, the strongest analytical design to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention to reduce occupational health or safety hazards is to randomly assign worksites, not workers, to the intervention and comparison conditions. Statistical methods are well described for estimating the sample size when the unit of assignment is a group but these methods have not been applied in the evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions. We review and apply the statistical methods for group-randomized trials in planning a study to evaluate the effectiveness of technical/behavioral interventions to reduce wood dust levels among small woodworking businesses. METHODS We conducted a pilot study in five small woodworking businesses to estimate variance components between and within worksites and between and within workers. In each worksite, 8 h time-weighted dust concentrations were obtained for each production employee on between two and five occasions. With these data, we estimated the parameters necessary to calculate the percent change in dust concentrations that we could detect (alpha = 0.05, power = 80%) for a range of worksites per condition, workers per worksite and repeat measurements per worker. RESULTS The mean wood dust concentration across woodworking businesses was 4.53 mg/m3. The measure of similarity among workers within a woodworking business was large (intraclass correlation = 0.5086). Repeated measurements within a worker were weakly correlated (r = 0.1927) while repeated measurements within a worksite were strongly correlated (r = 0.8925). The dominant factor in the sample size calculation was the number of worksites per condition, with the number of workers per worksite playing a lesser role. We also observed that increasing the number of repeat measurements per person had little benefit given the low within-worker correlation in our data. We found that 30 worksites per condition and 10 workers per worksite would give us 80% power to detect a reduction of approximately 30% in wood dust levels (alpha = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the application of the group-randomized trials methodology to evaluate interventions to reduce occupational hazards. The methodology is widely applicable and not limited to the context of wood dust reduction.
Grammars for Games: A Gradient-Based, Game-Theoretic Framework for Optimization in Deep Learning

Deep learning is currently the subject of intensive study. However, fundamental concepts such as representations are not formally defined -- researchers "know them when they see them" -- and there is no common language for describing and analyzing algorithms. This essay proposes an abstract framework that identifies the essential features of current practice and may provide a foundation for future developments. The backbone of almost all deep learning algorithms is backpropagation, which is simply a gradient computation distributed over a neural network. The main ingredients of the framework are thus, unsurprisingly: (i) game theory, to formalize distributed optimization; and (ii) communication protocols, to track the flow of zeroth and first-order information. The framework allows natural definitions of semantics (as the meaning encoded in functions), representations (as functions whose semantics is chosen to optimized a criterion) and grammars (as communication protocols equipped with first-order convergence guarantees). Much of the essay is spent discussing examples taken from the literature. The ultimate aim is to develop a graphical language for describing the structure of deep learning algorithms that backgrounds the details of the optimization procedure and foregrounds how the components interact. Inspiration is taken from probabilistic graphical models and factor graphs, which capture the essential structural features of multivariate distributions.
Implementation of HOAP-2 Humanoid Walking Motion in OpenHRP Simulation

This paper describes the implementation of walking motion of HOAP-2 Humanoid in OpenHRP simulation. Weput forward the existing knowledge on humanoid walking in aconcise and straightforward manner and integrate it to make the humanoid walk. We make use of the concept of Zero Moment Point (ZMP) for stability analysis and Cart Table Model to determine the relation between Zero Moment Point and Centre of Mass for generating a walking motion pattern. The walking motion pattern is generated in Matlab which is then fed to OpenHRP simulation to test stable walking of the humanoid. The paper also discusses some stabilization algorithms which have been implemented on the humanoid in order to account for variations like surface unevenness and backlash which are encountered by the humanoid during walking in the real world.
Efficient soft QoS guarantee in mobile ad hoc networks

More and more Quality of Service (QoS) sensitive applications, such as streaming media, high bandwidth content distribution and VoIP, will be deployed in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) as part of the pervasive computing realization. However, traditional QoS guarantee technologies cannot be used directly in MANETs due to the dynamic network environment. This paper proposes a QoS management mechanism combining Caching and Backup Service Paths (CBSP) and an Enhanced CBSP (ECBSP) for soft QoS guarantee in MANETs. In CBSP, Service Provider Nodes (SPNs) with distinct Service Paths (SPs) providing the required service are found in the MANET during the service discovery phase. The client node then selects one SP to get the service and the other SPs as Backup Service Paths (BSPs). If the serving SP fails to serve the client node, the client node can handover quickly to a BSP and consume the resource in its cache during the handover operation in order to avoid service interruption. In ECBSP, the required data are further divided into several segments and transmitted concurrently to the client node through different SPs for enhanced availability. Simulation experiments in ns2 show that CBSP/ECBSP can improve the performance of applications in MANETs effectively.
Extended Overview Techniques for Outdoor Augmented Reality

In this paper, we explore techniques that aim to improve site understanding for outdoor Augmented Reality (AR) applications. While the first person perspective in AR is a direct way of filtering and zooming on a portion of the data set, it severely narrows overview of the situation, particularly over large areas. We present two interactive techniques to overcome this problem: multi-view AR and variable perspective view. We describe in details the conceptual, visualization and interaction aspects of these techniques and their evaluation through a comparative user study. The results we have obtained strengthen the validity of our approach and the applicability of our methods to a large range of application domains.
A Non-Human Primate Model of Severe Pneumococcal Pneumonia

Rationale Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and infectious death in adults worldwide. A non-human primate model is needed to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of severe pneumonia, identify diagnostic tools, explore potential therapeutic targets, and test clinical interventions during pneumococcal pneumonia. Objective To develop a non-human primate model of pneumococcal pneumonia. Methods Seven adult baboons (Papio cynocephalus) were surgically tethered to a continuous monitoring system that recorded heart rate, temperature, and electrocardiography. Animals were inoculated with 109 colony-forming units of S. pneumoniae using bronchoscopy. Three baboons were rescued with intravenous ampicillin therapy. Pneumonia was diagnosed using lung ultrasonography and ex vivo confirmation by histopathology and immunodetection of pneumococcal capsule. Organ failure, using serum biomarkers and quantification of bacteremia, was assessed daily. Results Challenged animals developed signs and symptoms of pneumonia 4 days after infection. Infection was characterized by the presence of cough, tachypnea, dyspnea, tachycardia and fever. All animals developed leukocytosis and bacteremia 24 hours after infection. A severe inflammatory reaction was detected by elevation of serum cytokines, including Interleukin (IL)1Ra, IL-6, and IL-8, after infection. Lung ultrasonography precisely detected the lobes with pneumonia that were later confirmed by pathological analysis. Lung pathology positively correlated with disease severity. Antimicrobial therapy rapidly reversed symptomology and reduced serum cytokines. Conclusions We have developed a novel animal model for severe pneumococcal pneumonia that mimics the clinical presentation, inflammatory response, and infection kinetics seen in humans. This is a novel model to test vaccines and treatments, measure biomarkers to diagnose pneumonia, and predict outcomes.
Harnessing the dynamics of a soft body with “timing”: Octopus inspired control via recurrent neural networks

This study aims to explore a control architecture that enables the control of a soft and flexible octopus-like arm for an object reaching task. Inspired by the division of functionality between the central and peripheral nervous systems of a real octopus, we discuss that the important factor of the control is not to regulate the arm muscles one by one but rather to control them globally with appropriate timing, and we propose an architecture equipped with a recurrent neural network (RNN). By setting the task environment for the reaching behavior, and training the network with an incremental learning strategy, we evaluate whether the network is then able to achieve the reaching behavior or not. As a result, we show that the RNN can successfully achieve the reaching behavior, exploiting the physical dynamics of the arm due to the timing based control.
RoBlock: a demonstration of flexible productiontechnology

In this article we give a description of the scope and objectives of the RoBlock project [1]. The RoBlock project is an interdisciplinary research project within the area of intelligent manufacturing systems. The purpose of the project is to develop a platform usable for demonstration of how state-of-the-art technology and methods can be combined to make integrated and flexible manufacturing systems. In particular, we will show that intelligent manufacturing systems can be developed to a degree of flexibility where it becomes profitable to use in one-of-a-kind productions and small niche productions. In full operational mode the RoBlock system will be a manufacturing system in which 2 industrial robots suspended from a gantry will cooperate to continuously perform tasks specified by an external user. The system will be able to handle sudden changes in the design and planning phase, as well as changes in the production environment during the production cycle. Innovative features in the RoBlock Intelligent Manufacturing System includes: • An advanced collision free motion generation system based on offline motion planning and real-time sensor based compensations. • A distributed, modular and generic controller technology ensuring flexibility in the production platform design. • The use of a fast, flexible and robust vision-based sensor system, named SCAPE, for recognition and position estimation of complex 3D items, including precise grasping of the items. • Integration of product design, trajectory planning and control with the sensor systems in a distributed Java application running on a network of PC’s attached to the individual physical components. By January 2001 the RoBlock project will consist of one robot with controller and gripper, a programmable turntable, an advanced trajectory planner including off-line collision avoidance, the SCAPE vision system, and a Java based design, planning and integration platform. In the current state pick-and-place tasks on LEGO blocks are used as demonstration scenario.
Multiple pathways of angiotensin I conversion and their functional role in the canine penile corpus cavernosum.

Multiple pathways of angiotensin (Ang) I conversion and their functional role in the canine penile corpus cavernosum were investigated. Biochemical analysis revealed high activities of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (6.9 +/- 1.7 mU/mg of protein, mean +/- S.E.M., n = 8) and chymase-like enzyme (4.0 +/- 1.4 mU/mg of protein). Functional recording of isometric tension showed that Ang I (3 x 10(-7) M) induced a tension of 0.17 +/- 0.05 g (n = 5), which was reduced to about 60% by pretreatment with an ACE inhibitor, lisinopril (10(-6) M), and almost completely blocked by lisinopril in combination with a chymase inhibitor, chymostatin (10(-4) M). Binding sites for ACE and Ang II receptors were studied by in vitro autoradiography using 125I-351A and 125I-[Sar1, Ile8]Ang II as ligands, respectively. Dense binding of ACE appeared in the endothelial layer of the corpus cavernosum penis, and Ang II receptors were localized in the trabecular smooth muscle layer. An AT1 receptor antagonist, CV-11974 (10(-6) M), markedly displaced 125I-[Sar1, Ile8]Ang II bindings, indicating that the corpus cavernosum penis contains AT1 receptors exclusively. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated ACE in the endothelium of the corpus cavernosum penis. Mast cells that produce chymase were present mainly in the cavernosal area. These results demonstrate that chymase, in addition to ACE, is involved in the contraction of canine penile corpus cavernosum through local Ang II formation.
Perpendicular axes of incipient speciation generated by mitochondrial introgression

Differential introgression of mitochondrial versus nuclear DNA generates discordant patterns of geographic variation and can promote speciation. We examined a potential case of mitochondrial introgression leading to two perpendicular axes of differentiation. The Eastern Yellow Robin, a widespread Australian bird, shows a deep mitochondrial split that is perpendicular to north-south nuclear DNA and plumage colour differentiation. We proposed a scenario to explain this pattern: (1) the two nuclear and mitochondrial genomes differentiated in concert during north-south population divergence; (2) later, their histories disconnected after two mitochondrial introgression events resulting in a deep mitochondrial split perpendicular to the nuclear DNA structure. We tested this scenario by coalescent modelling of ten mitochondrial genes and 400 nuclear DNA loci. Initial mitochondrial and nuclear genome divergences were estimated to have occurred in the early Pleistocene, consistent with the proposed scenario. Subsequent climatic transitions may have driven later mitochondrial introgression. We reject neutral introgression and consider evidence consistent with adaptive mitochondrial introgression and selection against incompatible mitochondrial-nuclear combinations. This likely generated an axis of incipient speciation associated with mitochondrial differentiation in the face of nuclear gene flow, perpendicular to the initial north-south axis of incipient speciation (reflected in nuclear differentiation and colour variation).
Multilevel Cross-Layer Feedback Based Adaptive Video Coding for Wireless Transmission

In this paper, a multilevel cross-layer feedback based adaptive video coding scheme is proposed to enhance the robustness of the wireless video transmission. Two level cross-layer feedbacks are developed in this work to achieve timely and accurate channel-aware: one is the feedback from physical (PHY) to applying (APP) layer, named PHY-APP feedback, which is used to get the available bandwidth of the physical channel using the feedback mechanism of adaptive modulation and coding (AMC); The second one is the feedback from data link (DL) layer to APP layer: an agent is deployed at the DL layer to predict the possible frame losses by analyzing the DL layer's automatic repeat request (ARQ) , and then the frame losses information is sent to APP layer for proper reference picture selection (RPS). By exploiting the two-level feedback, the methods of rate control and RPS are combined to achieve channel-adaptive video coding. Experimental results show that: compared to the existed scheme without the multilevel feedback, the proposed method can get a significant improvement in Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) for the wireless video transmission.
Combining Transcranial Electrical Stimulation With Magnetic Resonance Imaging In Behavioural Measurements In Health And Disease

The ability of the brain to rearrange its circuitry and adapt its functioning is termed neuroplasticity and underlies early brain development and complex brain functions, such as learning and memory formation. Furthermore, mechanisms responsible for neuroplasticity are of fundamental importance for recovery from brain injury and malfunctioning of such mechanisms plays a relevant role in the development of several neuropsychiatric diseases. The cellular mechanisms associated with neuroplasticity have been a subject of extensive research and multiple methods have been developed to induce neuroplasticity in cell cultures and brain slices. Manipulation of human neuroplasticity in vivo can be achieved by invasive electric stimulation of the brain or with pharmacological interventions, which are often developed in an attempt to prevent, cure or delay the progression of diseases related to neuroplasticity alterations. However, pharmacological interventions affect the whole brain and are often accompanied by undesirable side-effects, consequently having limited application. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have received increased attention in the last decades as methods for the research of plasticity in the intact human brain. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a well established technique while transcranial electric current stimulation (tES) methods have more recently gained popularity and demonstrated growing potential in basic neuroscience research as well as in numerous clinical applications. This thesis addresses the effects of tES techniques on aspects of human healthy and pathologic cognitive functioning, using behavioural measurements and functional imaging methods. The first section presents the basic concepts concerning neuroplasticity and techniques of non-invasive brain stimulation, which are necessary for the understanding of the studies presented in the thesis. The second and the third sections describe the research projects that were performed, presenting and discussing the obtained results. Finally, the last section summarizes and discusses the overall findings and offers a perspective on future research directions.