Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of distortion in a memoryless bandpass nonlinearity

In this paper we study linear models for some nonlinear systems with random Gaussian input signals. The model consists of a linear deterministic gain plus an additive random distortion. The model is used for some typical nonlinearities in a digital communication link. The validity of the model in comparison with the most commonly used model for a scalar quantizer is also studied. As an example of the application of the model we will look at the performance of an OFDM system with nonlinearity.
Integrating WordNet with NL-Soar

NL-Soar is an extension of Soar, a uni ed theory of cognition implemented as an agent (Newell, 1990). It is designed to simulate aspects of human language comprehension and production in a cognitively plausible way. Soar (and thus NL-Soar) is tightly integrated with the Toolkit Command Language (Tcl), which in turn is useful in unifying disparate toolkits and information repositories. In this paper we mention how a Tcl interface between WordNet (Fellbaum, 1998) and NL-Soar has added signi cant capability to the latter system. Modeling language comprehension as a real-time process is one goal of NL-Soar. The system "hears" each sentence word-wise and sequentially, and each word must be processed before it decays from the input bu er. Basic processing for each word involves four stages: (a) lexical access, (b) syntax, (c) semantics, and (d) discourse. In this paper we survey the rst three stages. Access is the stage whereby lexical information (subcategorization possibilities, part-of-speech category, in ectional features, semantic properties, etc.) is retrieved from the lexicon. This is carried out immediately when the lexical item is attended to, and precedes all other stages of linguistic processing. Two di erent but related linguistic structures are managed by the system. An X syntax model re ects the surface syntactic representation of a sentence. A semantic representation, loosely based on LexicalConceptual Structure (LCS) (Jackendo , 1990), relates various kinds of predicates with associated concepts and their attributes. In this paper we discuss how integrating WordNet (version 1.6) into NL-Soar extends the latter's treatment of: (a) morphology, (b) syntax, (c) semantics, and (d) automatic learning of constraints
The Amyloid Precursor Protein and Its Regulatory Protein , FE 65 , in Growth Cones and Synapses In Vitro and In Vivo

Although the Alzheimer amyloid protein precursor (APP) has been studied intensely for more than a decade, its function in neurons is unresolved. Much less is known about its binding partner FE65. We have shown recently that APP and FE65 synergistically regulate the movement of transfected cells. It remained to be shown whether endogenous APP and FE65 could play a similar role in vivo. Here, we show that FE65, like APP, is expressed at high levels in neurons. Using a combination of immunofluorescence, live imaging, and subcellular fractionation, we find that FE65 and APP localize in vitro and in vivo to the most motile regions of neurons, the growth cones. Within growth cones, APP and FE65 concentrate in actin-rich lamellipodia. Finally, APP and FE65 interact in nerve terminals, where they associate with Rab5-containing synaptic organelles but not with synaptic vesicles. Our data are consistent with a role for the APP/FE65 complex in regulation of actin-based membrane motility in neurons, which could be important for highly dynamic processes such as neurite growth and synapse modification.
Vision-Based Monte Carlo Localization without Measurement: A Qualitative Approach during Update Phase

This paper presents a qualitative approach for updating the particles used by Monte Carlo Localization (MCL) during a mobile robot localization procedure. The combination between MCL and qualitative data will be called, in this article, Hybrid Localization. The motivation of using qualitative data is to obtain a level of abstraction closer to the human categorization of space and, also, to have a more effective way of interaction between robots and humans. The proposal uses the concept of a qualitative ego sphere, whereby the robot will perceive the world using qualitative relations. As RoboCup Humanoid League offers a challenging domain for robot localization, this environment was used to perform the experiments of this work, where experiments consisted of comparing the robustness of the proposed approach to a traditional vision based MCL model. The results allowed us to conclude that the use of qualitative data can show similar performance when compared to the traditional Vision Based MCL, bringing the advantage of being closer to the way humans reason about space, which can improve the communication between robots, as well as the development of high-level strategies during a game.
A uniform modeling pattern for operating systems access control policies with an application to SELinux

Modern operating systems increasingly rely on enforcing mandatory access control through the use of security policies. Given the critical property of policy correctness in such systems, formal methods and models are applied for both specification and verification of these policies. Due to the heterogeneity of their respective semantics, this is an intricate and error-prone engineering process. However, diverse access control systems on the one hand and diverse formal criteria of correctness on the other hand have so far impeded a unifying framework for this task. This paper presents a step towards this goal. We propose to leverage core-based model engineering, a uniform approach to security policy formalization, and refine it by adding typical semantic abstractions of contemporary policy-controlled operating systems. This results in a simple, yet highly flexible framework for formalization, specification and analysis of operating system security policies. We substantiate this claim by applying our method to the SELinux system and practically demonstrate how to map policy semantics to an instance of the model.
On the Convergence of Biogeography-Based Optimization for Binary Problems

Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) is an evolutionary algorithm inspired by biogeography, which is the study of the migration of species between habitats. A finite Markov chain model of BBO for binary problems was derived in earlier work, and some significant theoretical results were obtained. This paper analyzes the convergence properties of BBO on binary problems based on the previously derived BBO Markov chain model. Analysis reveals that BBO with only migration and mutation never converges to the global optimum. However, BBO with elitism, which maintains the best candidate in the population from one generation to the next, converges to the global optimum. In spite of previously published differences between genetic algorithms (GAs) and BBO, this paper shows that the convergence properties of BBO are similar to those of the canonical GA. In addition, the convergence rate estimate of BBO with elitism is obtained in this paper and is confirmed by simulations for some simple representative problems.
Circularly permuted green fluorescent proteins engineered to sense C[lc]a(2+) and their application to imaging of subcellular C[lc]a(2+) dynamics

To visualize Ca2+-dependent protein-protein interactions in living cells by fluorescence readouts, we utilized a circularly permuted green fluorescent protein (cpGFP), in which the amino and carboxyl portions had been interchanged and reconnected by a short spacer between the original termini. The cpGFP was fused to calmodulin and its target peptide, M13. The chimeric protein, which we have named “pericam”, was fluorescent and its spectral properties changed reversibly with the amount of Ca2+, probably due to the interaction between calmodulin and M13, leading to an alteration of the environment surrounding the chromophore. Three types of pericam were obtained by mutating several amino acids adjacent to the chromophore. Of these, “flash-pericam” became brighter with Ca2+, while “inverse-pericam” dimmed. On the other hand, “ratiometric-pericam” had an excitation wavelength that changed in a Ca2+-dependent manner. All the pericams expressed in HeLa cells were able to monitor free Ca2+ dynamics, such as Ca2+ oscillations in the cytosol and the nucleus. To obtain confocal images of Ca2+ using ratiometric-pericam, we established a system in which two laser beams (excitation 408 and 488 nm) are alternated on every scanning line under the control of two acousto-optic tunable filters. We visualized the dynamic changes of Ca2+ concentrations in highly motile mitochondria of HeLa cells. Our new confocal imaging system will expand the range of potential applications of ratiometric-pericam and other dual-excitation ratiometric indicators.
Tilewise Accumulated Cost Surface Computation with Graphics Processing Units

Accumulated cost surfaces are used in a variety of fields that employ spatial analysis. Several algorithms have been suggested in the past for solving them efficiently or with minimal errors. Meanwhile, a new wave on the technological frontier has brought about general-purpose computing on GPUs. In this article, we describe how accumulated cost surfaces can be solved with CUDA. To verify the performance of our solution, we performed an experimental comparison against implementations run on a CPU. Our results with realistic cost models indicate that the move to GPUs can engender a speed-up of an order of magnitude.
Studying the Migratory Behavior of Individual Bats: Current Techniques and Future Directions

Abstract Migrating bats are among the most poorly understood of migratory taxa, with relatively little information available on their behavior and ecology during migration compared to other taxa. This arises because of the “small animal problem,” namely the limitations of current technology to track individual animals that weigh <190 g. In this paper (which is not a comprehensive review of bat migration) we assess the limits of current techniques available to study the migratory behavior of individual bats and what is needed to take the study of the behavior and ecology of migrating bats forward.
Quantum Chemistry of Solids: The Lcao First Principles Treatment of Crystals

From the contents Introduction. - Part 1 Theory: Symmetry of Periodic Solids. LCAO Hartree-Fock and Density Functional Methods. - Space groups and crystal structure. Irreducible representations of space groups. - Site symmetry and induced representations of point and space groups. - Use of the space symmetry groups in LCAO methods. - One electron and one determinant approximations for crystals. - Hartree-Fock-Roothaan (LCAO) method for periodic solids. - DFT LCAO methods for periodic solids. - Part 2 Applications: LCAO calculations of a bulk crystal properties, point defects and surfaces. Band structure, optical properties and density of states in bulk crystals. Crystal structure optimization in LCAO methods. - Localized orbitals in crystals. Chemical bonding in periodic solids. - LCAO calculations of magnetic ordering in transition metal oxides. - Wannier functions and Berry phase. - Molecular Cluster model of defective crystal. Point defects in ionic solids. - Supercell model of defective crystal. Point defects in semiconductors. - Single and Repeating slab models of surface. - LCAO surface calculations on rutile and perovskite crystals. - Molecular cluster models of adsorption.
Lumiracoxib: the evidence of its clinical impact on the treatment of osteoarthritis

Introduction: The symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) include joint pain, stiffness, and a reduced ability to perform normal daily activities, which result in decreased quality of life. There is currently no known cure or means of preventing the progression of joint damage due to OA. Therefore, treatment focuses on the control of symptoms, including the use of various agents [including nonselective and selective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)] to provide pain relief and reduce inflammation. Lumiracoxib is a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor for the treatment of OA. Aims: To review the evidence for the treatment of OA with lumiracoxib. Evidence review: There is evidence that lumiracoxib reduces the pain and stiffness associated with OA, and is as effective as nonselective NSAIDs, and the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib. There is some evidence that lumiracoxib treatment results in a lower incidence of upper gastrointestinal (GI) ulcer complications compared with nonselective NSAIDs. However, evidence suggests that there is no GI benefit in patients receiving concomitant aspirin medication. With the exception of GI ulcers, the evidence indicates that lumiracoxib has a tolerability profile similar to nonselective NSAIDs: low risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and a low incidence of edema. Changes in liver function occur in some patients, largely at doses >100 mg. The cost effectiveness of lumiracoxib compared with nonselective NSAIDs remains to be determined. Clinical value: Lumiracoxib is an alternative treatment option for OA which provides effective pain relief without the GI complications associated with nonselective NSAIDs, and with a low risk of CV events. Lumiracoxib is contraindicated in patients with current, previous, or at risk of, hepatic impairment.
Metric semantics for modern second order communication abstractions

In a recent paper [9] we presented a semantic study of a language LJ that extends Hoare's CSP model with communication on multiple channels and synchronization based on join patterns in the style of Join calculus. In this paper we investigate the semantics of a language L2J that extends LJ with second order communication: sending and receiving of statements rather than values. The study takes place in the mathematical framework of 1-bounded complete metric spaces.
Supertubes in reduced holonomy manifolds

We show that the supertube configurations exist in all supersymmetric type IIA backgrounds which are purely geometrical and which have, at least, one flat direction. In other words, they exist in any spacetime of the form 1,1 × 8, with 8 being any of the usual reduced holonomy manifolds. These generalized supertubes preserve 1/4 of the supersymmetries preserved by the choice of the manifold 8. We also support this picture with the construction of their corresponding family of IIA supergravity backgrounds preserving from 1/4 to 1/32 of the total supercharges.
Essays on productivity growth in agriculture

Baldos, Uris Lantz Caldo. Ph.D. Purdue University, December 2014. Essays on Productivity Growth in Agriculture. Major Professor: Dr. Thomas W. Hertel This dissertation aims to explore the current trends in agricultural productivity and analyse its impact on the global farm and food system. Chapter 2 in this dissertation looks at the current trends in agricultural productivity in India – one most of the populous country in the world. In this chapter, productivity trends in Indian agriculture are examined by looking at changes in Total Factor Productivity – a measure which takes into account all farm outputs and inputs. Estimates in this chapter suggest that TFP growth for the 10-year period – between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010 – steadily grew at the national level. Looking at the 5-year estimates, TFP growth in the early 2000s was sluggish but this poor performance was offset by sharp growth in the late 2000s. Developments at the global scale ultimately affect world food production and prices. This dissertation develops a new framework for the analysis of productivity, prices, nutrition and land use in the context of a global economy. The Simplified International Model of agricultural Prices, Land use and the Environment (SIMPLE) forms the basis for Chapters 3 and 4. In Chapter 3, projections from the SIMPLE model are validated against actual changes in key agricultural variables during the historical period 1961-2006. Given observed growths in population, incomes and total factor productivity, SIMPLE can successfully replicate historical changes in global crop
Authoring Adaptive Educational Hypermedia in WINDS

Web-based Intelligent Design and Tutoring System (WINDS) is a European project with the objective to implement a learning environment integrating an intelligent tutoring system, a computer instruction management system and a set of cooperative tools. This environment will be used to build a large knowledge base supporting Architecture and Civil Engineering Design Courses and to experiment a comprehensive Virtual University of Architecture and Engineering Design. In this paper we present the basic concepts of the system, the design of its authoring environment as well as the strategy to implement adaptation and personalisation.
The Fitness Effects of Spontaneous Mutations Nearly Unseen by Selection in a Bacterium with Multiple Chromosomes

Mutation accumulation (MA) experiments employ the strategy of minimizing the population size of evolving lineages to greatly reduce effects of selection on newly arising mutations. Thus, most mutations fix within MA lines independently of their fitness effects. This approach, more recently combined with genome sequencing, has detailed the rates, spectra, and biases of different mutational processes. However, a quantitative understanding of the fitness effects of mutations virtually unseen by selection has remained an untapped opportunity. Here, we analyzed the fitness of 43 sequenced MA lines of the multi-chromosome bacterium Burkholderia cenocepacia that had each undergone 5554 generations of MA and accumulated an average of 6.73 spontaneous mutations. Most lineages exhibited either neutral or deleterious fitness in three different environments in comparison with their common ancestor. The only mutational class that was significantly overrepresented in lineages with reduced fitness was the loss of the plasmid, though nonsense mutations, missense mutations, and coding insertion-deletions were also overrepresented in MA lineages whose fitness had significantly declined. Although the overall distribution of fitness effects was similar between the three environments, the magnitude and even the sign of the fitness of a number of lineages changed with the environment, demonstrating that the fitness of some genotypes was environmentally dependent. These results present an unprecedented picture of the fitness effects of spontaneous mutations in a bacterium with multiple chromosomes and provide greater quantitative support for the theory that the vast majority of spontaneous mutations are neutral or deleterious.
Virtual Organizations as Sociotechnical Systems: Exploring How Organization Scientists and Virtual Organization Leaders Can Collaborate

This report describes the results of a workshop held in Cleveland, Ohio in May of 2012 that brought organization scientists together with Virtual Organization (VO) leaders to address the challenges facing managers of VOs, identify key insights from research on VOs, and determine whether it is possible to build a sustainable community among organization scientists and VO leaders. Both organization scientists and VO leaders were enthusiastic about collaborating, but there were challenges. One challenge is the difficulty of achieving collaboration when VO leaders want simple, clear, and validated answers to their problems; while the complex and highly contextual findings from organization science could fill volumes. Another involves misalignment of goals - VO leaders wanting actionable insights into the issues important to their organizations, and organization scientists wanting to understand how organizations work in specific situations and in general. Five possible relationships between organization scientists and VO leaders were identified: - Engineering (organization scientists provide formulaic "cookbook"); - Research (VO leaders provide research setting in which organization scientists work); - Education (organization scientists teach a custom curriculum for VO leaders); - Consultative (organization scientists study specific issues for VO leaders); and - Collaborative Research (joint research that addresses VO leader needs and that is academically publishable). Going forward there are four themes that require attention: - evidence-based management: (translate general findings to local contexts); - benchmarking and best practice (documenting what works in different contexts); - embedded researchers (finding the appropriate organization scientists to study issues of concern to VO leaders); and - executive education (developing a specialized curriculum for VO leaders).
A comparison of clustering and modification based graph anonymization methods with constraints

this paper a comparison is performed on two of the key methods for graph anonymization and their behavior is evaluated when constraints are incorporated into the anonymization process. The two methods tested are node clustering and node modification and are applied to online social network (OSN) graph datasets. The constraints implement user defined utility requirements for the community structure of the graph and major hub nodes. The methods are benchmarked using three real OSN datasets and different levels of kanonymity. The results show that the constraints reduce the information loss while incurring an acceptable disclosure risk. Overall, it is found that the modification method with constraints gives the best results for information loss and risk of disclosure.
Perfectionism and athlete burnout in junior elite athletes: The mediating role of motivation regulations.

This study investigated whether motivation regulations mediate the relationship between socially prescribed and self-oriented dimensions of perfectionism and athlete burnout. Two-hundred and thirty-one (N = 231) elite junior athletes completed the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (Flett, Hewitt, Boucher, Davidson, & Munro, 2000), the Sport Motivation Scale (Pelletier, Fortier, Valle-rand, Tuson, & Blais, 1995), and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (Raedeke & Smith, 2009). Multiple mediator regression analyses revealed that amotivation mediated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and burnout symptoms. Amotivation and intrinsic motivation emerged as significant mediators of the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and burnout symptoms. The findings suggest that patterns of motivation regulations are important factors in the perfectionism-athlete burnout relationship.
1 Cache-efficient sorting for Burrows-Wheeler Transform

The expensive activity during compression in the Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT) is sorting of all the rotations of the block of data to compress. Most of the fast suffix sorting algorithms suggested to encounter this problem suffer from adverse memory effects. We present cache-efficient suffix sorting algorithms that can overcome this overhead. We analyze the performance of Sadakane’s algorithm that uses a cache-oblivious Distribution sort instead of Quick sort. We then present a fast cache-efficient suffix sorting algorithm based on a Divide and Conquer strategy and evaluate its effectiveness. A recent breakthrough in the field of suffix sorting has been the emergence of a linear time suffix sorting algorithm. We present improvisations to the algorithm and compare its performance against contemporary suffix sorting implementations.