Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Concept Vector Space Model for Semantic Kernels

Kernels are widely used in Natural Language Processing as similarity measures within inner-product based learning methods like the Support Vector Machine. The Vector Space Model (VSM) is extensively used for the spatial representation of the documents. However, it is purely a statistical representation. In this paper, we present a Concept Vector Space Model (CVSM) representation which uses linguistic prior knowledge to capture the meanings of the documents. We also propose a linear kernel and a latent kernel for this space. The linear kernel takes advantage of the linguistic concepts whereas the latent kernel combines statistical and linguistic concepts. Indeed, the latter kernel uses latent concepts extracted by the Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) in the CVSM. The kernels were evaluated on a text categorization task in the biomedical domain. The Ohsumed corpus, well known for being difficult to categorize, was used. The results have shown that the CVSM improves performance compared to the VSM.
Fuzzy Systems, Modeling and Identification

This text provides an introduction to the use of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic for the approximation of functions and modeling of static and dynamic systems. The concept of a fuzzy system is first explained. Afterwards, the motivation and practical relevance of fuzzy modeling are highlighted. Two types of rule-based fuzzy models are described: the linguistic (Mamdani) model and the Takagi–Sugeno model. For each model, the structure of the rules, the inference and defuzzification methods are presented. Fuzzy modeling of dynamic systems is addressed, as well as the methods to construct fuzzy models from knowledge and data (measurements). Illustrative examples are given throughout the text. At the end, homework problems are included. MATLAB programs implementing some of the examples are available from the author. The reader is encouraged to study and possibly modify these examples in order to get a better insight in the methods presented. Preface Prerequisites: This text provides an introduction to the use of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic for the approximation of functions and modeling of static and dynamic systems. It is assumed that the reader has basic knowledge of set and fuzzy set theory (membership functions, operations on fuzzy sets – union, intersection and complement, fuzzy relations, max-min composition, extension principle), mathematical analysis (univariate and multivariate functions, composition of functions), and linear algebra (system of linear equations, least-square solution). Organization. The material is organized in five sections: In the Introduction, different modeling paradigms are first presented. Then, the concept of a fuzzy system is first explained and the motivation and practical relevance of fuzzy modeling are highlighted. Section 2 describes two types of rule-based fuzzy models: the linguistic (Mamdani) model and the Takagi–Sugeno model. For each model, the structure of the rules, the inference and defuzzification methods are presented. At the end of this section, fuzzy modeling of dynamic systems is addressed. In Section 3, methods to construct fuzzy models from knowledge and numerical data are presented. Section 4 reviews some engineering applications of fuzzy modeling, and the concluding Section 5 gives a short summary. Illustrative examples are provided throughout the text, and at the end, homework problems are included. Some of the numerical examples given have been implemented in MATLAB. The code is available from the author on request. The reader is encouraged to study and possibly modify these examples in order to get a better insight in the methods presented. A subject index …
In vivo validation of a blood vector velocity estimator with MR angiography

Conventional Doppler methods for blood velocity estimation only estimate the velocity component along the ultrasound beam direction. This implies that a Doppler angle under examination close to 90deg results in unreliable information about the true blood direction and blood velocity. The novel method transverse oscillation (TO), which combines estimates of the axial and the transverse velocity components in the scan plane, makes it possible to estimate the vector velocity of the blood regardless of the Doppler angle. The present study evaluates the TO method with magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography (MRA) by comparing in vivo measurements of stroke volume. Eleven healthy volunteers were included in this prospective study. From the obtained data sets recorded with the 2 modalities, vector velocity sequences were constructed and stroke volume calculated. Angle of insonation was approximately 90deg for TO measurements. The correlation between the stroke volume estimated by TO and MRA was 0.91 (p<0.01) with the equation for the line of regression: MRA=1.1ldrTO-0.4. A Bland-Altman plot was additionally constructed where the mean difference was 0.2 ml with limits of agreement at -1.4 ml and 1.9 ml. The results indicate that reliable vector velocity estimates can be obtained in vivo using the presented angle-independent 2-D vector velocity method. The TO method can be a useful alternative to conventional Doppler systems by avoiding the angle artifact, thus giving quantitative velocity information.
2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

In plant-based medical systems, bitter tasting plants play a key role in managing dyspepsia. Yet when it comes to defining their mechanism of activity, herbalists and pharmacologists are split between two theories: one involves cephalic elicited vagal responses while the other comprises purely local responses. Recent studies indicate that bitters elicit a range of cephalic responses which alter postprandial gastric phase haemodynamics. Caffeine and regular coffee (Coffea arabica semen, L.) increase heart rate whereas gentian (Gentiana lutea radix, L.) and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium herba L.) increase tonus in the vascular resistance vessels. Following meals increased cardiac activity acts to support postprandial hyperaemia and maintain systemic blood pressure. The increased vascular tonus acts in parallel with the increased cardiac activity and in normal adults this additional pressor effect results in a reduced cardiac workload. The vascular response is a sympathetic reflex, evident after 5 minutes and dose dependent. Thus gentian and wormwood elicit cephalic responses which facilitate rather than stimulate digestive activity when postprandial hyperaemia is inadequate. Encapsulated caffeine elicits cardiovascular responses indicating that gastrointestinal bitter receptors are functionally active in humans. However, neither encapsulated gentian nor wormwood elicited cardiovascular responses during the gastric phase. These findings provide the platform for a new evidence-based paradigm.
Single chamber multiple degree-of-freedom soft pneumatic actuator enabled by adjustable stiffness layers

Soft pneumatic actuators promise simple, adaptable, and safe manipulation, but the nature of pneumatic circuits limits the scalability of this approach. This paper introduces a method to augment the degrees-of-freedom of soft pneumatic actuators without increasing the number of independent pressure sources or complex valving networks. Our method achieves multiple degree-of-freedom actuation from a single soft pneumatic chamber by utilizing adjustable stiffness layers based on a thermoplastic polyurethane shape memory polymer (SMP), which changes stiffness when thermally activated. We incorporate SMP layers into a soft pneumatic actuator, allowing multiple degrees of soft deformation to be achieved from a single pressure source by selective activation of SMP layers. A custom printed circuit board acts as a control unit to modularize and enable closed-loop control of the proposed pneumatic actuator. We validated our proposed system and method by varying the temperature of the SMP layer on one side of the actuator while keeping the other side stable near room temperature and observed an increase in bending angle of the pneumatic actuator as a function of temperature. Furthermore, we connected two actuators in series and demonstrated independent actuation, allowing the actuators to form different shapes with a single pressure source. Our results show that the proposed method can augment the degrees of freedom of soft pneumatic actuators as an alternative to multi-chamber or multi-valve systems.
A structural test methodology for SRAM-based FPGAs

Summary form only given. This presentation focuses on SRAM-based FPGAs. Their simplicity and flexibility for user changes in the field make this type of FPGA a very popular choice among designers. The architecture and design of these devices have been widely investigated during the last decade, but their test challenges have received less attention. Only recently researchers have addressed the problem of testing FPGAs after manufacturing, in other words, before user programming of specific functions. Testing before programming presents a wide spectrum of problems, for which a number of researchers have proposed innovative solutions. Testing an FPGA chip poses a challenging problem for test engineers. It requires implementing various configurations (programmings) of the FPGA. But changing configurations incurs reprogramming costs. So the fundamental question for FPGA testing is how can we determine the minimum number of test configurations and corresponding vector test sequences that will cover all the faults of a given FPGA's fault model? Solutions are presented in the presentation for various architectural elements of SRAM-based FPGAs.
Induction of Sustained Hypercholesterolemia by Single Adeno-Associated Virus–Mediated Gene Transfer of Mutant hPCSK9

Objectives—Patients with mutations in the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) gene have hypercholesterolemia and are at high risk of adverse cardiovascular events. We aimed to stably express the pathological human D374Y gain-of-function mutant form of PCSK9 (PCSK9DY) in adult wild-type mice to generate a hyperlipidemic and proatherogenic animal model, achieved with a single systemic injection with adeno-associated virus (AAV). Approach and Results—We constructed an AAV-based vector to support targeted transfer of the PCSK9DY gene to liver. After injection with 3.5×1010 viral particles, mice in the C57BL/6J, 129/SvPasCrlf, or FVB/NCrl backgrounds developed long-term hyperlipidemia with a strong increase in serum low-density lipoprotein. Macroscopic and histological analysis showed atherosclerotic lesions in the aortas of AAV-PCSK9DY mice fed a high-fat-diet. Advanced lesions in these high-fat-diet–fed mice also showed evidence of macrophage infiltration and fibrous cap formation. Hepatic AAV-PCSK9DY infection did not result in liver damage or signs of immunologic response. We further tested the use of AAV-PCSK9DY to study potential genetic interaction with the ApoE gene. Histological analysis of ApoE−/− AAV-PCSK9DY mice showed a synergistic response to ApoE deficiency, with aortic lesions twice as extensive in ApoE−/− AAV-PCSK9DY-transexpressing mice as in ApoE−/− AAV-Luc controls without altering serum cholesterol levels. Conclusions—Single intravenous AAV-PCSK9DY injection is a fast, easy, and cost-effective approach, resulting in rapid and long-term sustained hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. We demonstrate as a proof of concept the synergy between PCSK9DY gain-of-function and ApoE deficiency. This methodology could allow testing of the genetic interaction of several mutations without the need for complex and time-consuming backcrosses.
UNDERSTANDING INTERACTION TRAPS

We propose the idea of an interaction trap as a consequence of dissonance (or “misunderstanding”) between users and systems. These result in inefficient or failed interactions that, from an objective viewpoint, could have been efficient and successful. Interaction traps result in an unsatisfactory user experience and possible long-term inefficiency. We illustrate the argument with examples taken from both empirical studies (which demonstrate that such traps occur) and discussion of systems design (arguing that such traps can often be anticipated, and hence avoided, in design).
Expeditus: Distributed Load Balancing with Global Congestion Information in Data Center Networks

We propose Expeditus, a distributed congestion-aware load balancing mechanism for Clos data center networks. The fundamental challenge in making load balancing congestion-aware is, how to collect real-time (in the order of RTT) congestion information from all possible paths, in a scalable and efficient manner. A naive solution requires each edge switch to have congestion information for O(k^4) paths for a k-pod fat-tree, and recent proposals like CONGA only work for the two-tier leaf-spine topology. Expeditus relies on scalable one-hop information collection, where a switch only monitors buffer occupancy from and to its k/2 upstream neighbors, respectively. It further uses a two-stage path selection mechanism to aggregate relevant congestion information across switches and make near-optimal path selection decisions during TCP handshaking. We outline the basic idea of these mechanisms in this extended abstract. Preliminary ns-3 simulations demonstrate that Expeditus outperforms ECMP in fat-tree networks, and outperforms CONGA significantly in leaf-spine topology.
Interactive arrangement of botanical L-system models

In this paper, we explore the problem of interactively mauipulat- ing plant models without sacrificing their botanical accuracy. The primary technical contribution of the paper is a method for interac- tively manipulating plant structures using a inverse-kinematics op- timizatitin technique. The branches of the plant are endowed with flexural and torsional stiffnesses, and these are used in the IK opti- mization. We demonstrate our approach with several examples of plant models arranged in this fashion. The power of L-systems lies in their ability to generate complicated structures from a small number of rules, but the cost of this brevity is the lack of precise control over the final form. This is a draw- back of L-system models in applications such as illustration, scene design, and animation - areas in which a designer's aesthetic vi- sion is the priority. In such areas, what is needed is a plant model that can grow and respond to its environment, yet that can be easily adjusted and controlled. Our application ilsa (interactive L-string arranger) allows a user to interactively manipulate a plant model while preserving its botanical accuracy and behavior, improving the usefulness of L-systems in domains beyond biological modeling. The ability to interact with L-system models extends their utility within the domain of botanical modeling as well. A model can be grown for a certain number of generations, arranged or pruned, and then grown some more. The final form of such a model expresses both the developmental behavior of the plant and the effects of hu- man intervention. Our project ties together threads of related work from two areas of computer graphics: plant modeling using L-systems and realistic model manipulation. The majority of work on L-system model- ing is that of Prusinkiewicz et al. (4, 10, 111. In the broad area of interactive manipulation, the most closely related work is that of Zhao and Badler, who developed a system for the interactive ma- nipulation of jointed figures using inverse-kinematics, and that of
Stochastic Analysis of a Fault-Tolerant and Bandwidth-Efficient P 2 P Network

We present the design and analysis of a fault-tolerant and bandwidth-efficient Peer-to-Peer (P2P) scheme (called as WARP). WARP employs a simple and natural fault-tolerant mechanism to manage the dynamic nature of node arrivals and departures by allowing multiple physical nodes to service data mapped to a single node in the overlay. WARP’s overlay network is asymmetric (built using an underlying tree topology) which naturally allows search queries of two different types — centralized and distributed — to be handled in an uniform way. Centralized queries go to specific chosen nodes in the network and are useful in the context of popular data while distributed queries can be directed to any node in the network. We prove via a stochastic analysis that any query, regardless of type, will be successfully serviced with high probability (w.h.p). Specifically, we show that for a network with N nodes on the average, the hop complexity of any search is O(log N) w.h. p., while the degree of each node is bounded by O(log N) w.h. p. When many search queries happen at the same time, it is important to avoid congestion at any one node. WARP achieves this by introducing small-world edges to the overlay which reduces the bandwidth complexity (the worst case expected number of queries that go through any node). We prove that this complexity is bounded by O(log N) w.h. p. We also generalize our results when the P2P network is built using other underlying topologies such as hypercubes or rings. Thus our scheme can be used to “convert” any static topology into a dynamic fault-tolerant network.
Applying design methodology to software development

Professional software development. and specifically the ex ternal design of interactive systems. suffers from a tension between the normative development models being prescribed and the actual design work being performed. This tension manifests itself in, e.g., recurring problems with fluctuating requirements. I argue that this tension can be understood as the clash of two views on external design work: the engineering design and the creative design perspectives. To explain the tension and to lay a foundation for new ways to structure software development, I seek to apply critical insights and concepts from design methodology -the theoretical frame work for creative design. The result is a development process in which external design is separated from internal design and construction. The external design work consists of concep tual, constitutive and consolidatory steps. The process shares some characteristics with participatory design, but the design er's expertise is recognized and identified.
Phylogenetic Relatedness of Circulating HIV-1C Variants in Mochudi, Botswana

Background Determining patterns of HIV transmission is increasingly important for the most efficient use of modern prevention interventions. HIV phylogeny can provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying HIV transmission networks in communities. Methods To reconstruct the structure and dynamics of a local HIV/AIDS epidemic, the phylogenetic relatedness of HIV-1 subtype C env sequences obtained from 785 HIV-infected community residents in the northeastern sector of Mochudi, Botswana, during 2010–2013 was estimated. The genotyping coverage was estimated at 44%. Clusters were defined based on relatedness of HIV-1C env sequences and bootstrap support of splits. Results The overall proportion of clustered HIV-1C env sequences was 19.1% (95% CI 17.5% to 20.8%). The proportion of clustered sequences from Mochudi was significantly higher than the proportion of non-Mochudi sequences that clustered, 27.0% vs. 14.7% (p = 5.8E-12; Fisher exact test). The majority of clustered Mochudi sequences (90.1%; 95% CI 85.1% to 93.6%) were found in the Mochudi-unique clusters. None of the sequences from Mochudi clustered with any of the 1,244 non-Botswana HIV-1C sequences. At least 83 distinct HIV-1C variants, or chains of HIV transmission, in Mochudi were enumerated, and their sequence signatures were reconstructed. Seven of 20 genotyped seroconverters were found in 7 distinct clusters. Conclusions The study provides essential characteristics of the HIV transmission network in a community in Botswana, suggests the importance of high sampling coverage, and highlights the need for broad HIV genotyping to determine the spread of community-unique and community-mixed viral variants circulating in local epidemics. The proposed methodology of cluster analysis enumerates circulating HIV variants and can work well for surveillance of HIV transmission networks. HIV genotyping at the community level can help to optimize and balance HIV prevention strategies in trials and combined intervention packages.
Autonomous Language Development Using Dialogue-Act Templates and Genetic Programming

In recent years, the concept of "autonomous mental development" (AMD) has been applied to the construction of artificial systems such as conversational agents, in order to resolve some of the difficulties involved in the manual definition of their knowledge bases and behavioral patterns. AMD is a new paradigm for developing autonomous machines, which are adaptive and flexible to the environment. Language development, a kind of mental development, is an important aspect of intelligent conversational agents. In this paper, we propose an intelligent conversational agent and its language development mechanism by putting together five promising techniques: Bayesian networks, pattern matching, finite-state machines, templates, and genetic programming (GP). Knowledge acquisition implemented by finite-state machines and templates, and language learning by GP are used for language development. Several illustrations and usability tests show the usefulness of the proposed developmental conversational agent
Weight Adjustment Schemes for a Centroid Based Classifier

Abstract : In recent years we have seen a tremendous growth in the volume of text documents available on the Internet, digital libraries, news sources, and company-wide intra-nets. Automatic text categorization, which is the task of assigning text documents to pre-specified classes (topics or themes) of documents, is an important task that can help both in organizing as well as in finding information on these huge resources. Similarity based categorization algorithms such as k-nearest neighbor, generalized instance set and centroid based classification have been shown to be very effective in document categorization. A major drawback of these algorithms is that they use all features when computing the similarities. In many document data sets, only a small number of the total vocabulary may be useful for categorizing documents. A possible approach to overcome this problem is to learn weights for different features (or words in document data sets). In this report we present two fast iterative feature weight adjustment algorithms for the linear complexity centroid based classification algorithm. Our algorithms use a measure of the discriminating power of each term to gradually adjust the weights of all features concurrently. We experimentally evaluate our algorithms on the Reuters-21578 and OHSUMED document collections and compare it against Rocchio, Widrow-Hoff and SVM. We also compared its performance in terms of classification accuracy on data sets with multiple classes. On these data sets we compared its performance against traditional classifiers such as k-nn, Naive Bayesian and C4.5. Experiments show that feature weight adjustment improves the performance of the centroid-based classifier by 2- 5%, substantially outperforms Rocchio and Widrow-Hoff and is competitive with SVM. These algorithms also outperform traditional classifiers such as k-nn, naive bayesian and C4.5 on the multi-class text document data sets.