Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved AOMDV routing protocol for V2V communication

Active security and intelligent transportation are important Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) applications, which need suitable vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology, especially routing technology. When designing routing protocol for VANET, driving information of vehicles can be used as routing metrics, which can provide additional routing information. A routing metric combining hop and speed is proposed with consideration of vehicle driving information employment and delay reduction. Also a driving information collecting module is designed and implemented using On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) technology to collect speed information in real time without any modification of vehicles. Based on the new routing metric, an improved Ad hoc On-demand Multipath Distance Vector with speed metric (S-AOMDV) routing protocol is designed to make use of advantages of multi-path routing protocol, such as fault-tolerant and load balance. Compared with AOMDV with minimum hop-count metric, simulation results show that S-AOMDV achieves better performance.
Obesity and Prader-Willi Syndrome Affect Heart Rate Recovery from Dynamic Resistance Exercise in Youth

Following exercise, heart rate decline is initially driven by parasympathetic reactivation and later by sympathetic withdrawal. Obesity delays endurance exercise heart rate recovery (HRR) in both children and adults. Young people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a congenital cause for obesity, have shown a slower 60-s endurance exercise HRR compared to lean and obese children, suggesting compromised regulation. This study further evaluated effects of obesity and PWS on resistance exercise HRR at 30 and 60 s in children. PWS (8–18 years) and lean and obese controls (8–11 years) completed a weighted step-up protocol (six sets x 10 reps per leg, separated by one-minute rest), standardized using participant stature and lean body mass. HRR was evaluated by calculated HRR value (HRRV = difference between HR at test termination and 30 (HRRV30) and 60 (HRRV60) s post-exercise). PWS and obese had a smaller HRRV30 than lean (p < 0.01 for both). Additionally, PWS had a smaller HRRV60 than lean and obese (p = 0.01 for both). Obesity appears to delay early parasympathetic reactivation, which occurs within 30 s following resistance exercise. However, the continued HRR delay at 60 s in PWS may be explained by either blunted parasympathetic nervous system reactivation, delayed sympathetic withdrawal and/or poor cardiovascular fitness.
Metrics For Advertisement Effectiveness Measurement In The Interactive TV Environment : The iMEDIA Case * 1

Recent technological developments allow for the convergence of interactive services with the passive TV environment, creating opportunities and threats for the advertising industry. Interactive TV excels and differs from traditional media, because of its power as both advertising and direct marketing medium. In this paper we propose metrics for advertisement effectiveness measurement in the interactive TV environment. We argue that advertisement pricing and assessment is based on data that need to be accurate and accountable, while today’s infrastructure supports neither of these. We go one step further and propose metrics for the observation of a viewer’s response to advertising. In addition, we look into how these features are implemented within the iMEDIA advertising mediation platform, a development of an innovative research project. We conclude with some general comments, putting our discussion in a broader business perspective and provide guidelines for further research in this emerging field.
Erikson Online: Identity and Pseudospeciation in the Internet Age

ABSTRACT An Eriksonian perspective posits the importance of the societal context in which the individual develops. Part and parcel of that approach is a consideration of how contemporary technology might affect development. This article examines the impact of the defining technology of contemporary society—the Internet—on individual development of Millennials. Specifically, it delineates how the characteristics and affordances of the Internet may impact those elements of identity formation that may contribute to a sense of pseudospeciation. The focus is on the particular challenges of the Internet age on both identity formation and pseudospeciation at a time in which Millennials begin to undertake positions of influence in both their personal and professional lives. The challenges and possibilities inherent in the above are outlined and discussed.
Why Spanish Working Fathers Do not Request the Reconciliation Measures Available in Their Companies?

Abstract:Many working fathers would be potential users of the existing reconciliation measures but they do not request them. One barrier they encounter is the lack of sensitivity on the part of corporate culture to men who want to balance work and family life. We use a sample of Spanish wage-earner fathers and path analysis to analyze—following Sen's capability approach—how companies that support the use of reconciliation measures by fathers can reduce the gap between theoretical rights to and effective use of reconciliation measures, which leads to a decrease in levels of work–family conflict experienced by these working fathers.
Using ADAS sensors in implementation of novel automotive features for increased safety and guidance

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems which was once limited to high end luxury vehicles are available to low end economy vehicles. This is as a result of the advancements in high density chip manufacturing and cost efficient sensor fusion techniques. Most of these features are implemented using a forward looking long/mid-range RADAR, rear radar, stereo and mono cameras which can monitor the entire surroundings of the vehicle, LIDAR sensors, IR sensors and ultrasonic sensors. This paper explores on some novel features that can be implemented using these sensors which are presently not researched on by the automotive community. Automatic power door, power tailgate and power hood opening limiter based on the static and dynamic obstacle information from ultrasonic sensor and radar is explored here. The application level algorithm, implementation details, sensors and actuators used and the bus interface are discussed too. The Paper also deals with how the dynamic traffic details and traffic sign status from the camera and information from V2V and V2X sensors can be used in fine tuning and recalculation of the Estimated Time of Arrival in navigation feature. Another novel feature is to assist the driver in safe overtaking of the vehicle. Such features and its implementation details are discussed in detail which can pave way to its realization in future vehicles.
Optimization of Stiffness to Achieve Increased Bandwidth and Torque Resolution in Nonlinear Stiffness Actuators

Nonlinear stiffness actuators with coupled stiffness and load can achieve a tradeoff between high bandwidth in high stiffness and high torque resolution in low stiffness, but numerous studies have focused on the implementation of novel mechanical actuator structures with nonlinear stiffness rather than optimization of the stiffness values to improve the actuator performances. Designing the optimal stiffness profile to simultaneously achieve increased control bandwidth and torque resolution is a critical problem that needs to be resolved. This paper investigates this problem, proposes a quantized comprehensive performance index the perceptivity and responsiveness index (PRI), and achieves increased control bandwidth and torque resolution using a common feedback controller. Minimizing PRI enables nonlinear stiffness actuators to achieve optimal stiffness profiles. Afterward, an optimal stiffness curve and corresponding feedback control gains are obtained for a load-dependent nonlinear stiffness actuator (LDNSA) based on the proposed methodology. Simulations and experiments based on the LDNSA are conducted at the optimal stiffness to verify the proposed method. Remarkably, the results show that the LDNSA with optimal stiffness yields high comprehensive performance including increased bandwidth in the case of low stiffness and increased torque resolution in the cases of large load.
On-the-fly specific person retrieval

We describe a method of visual search for finding people in large video datasets. The novelty is that the person of interest can be specified at run time by a text query, and a discriminative classifier for that person is then learnt on-the-fly using images downloaded from Google Image search. The performance of the method is evaluated on a ground truth dataset of episodes of Scrubs, and results are also shown for retrieval on the TRECVid 2011 IACC.1. B dataset of over 8k videos. The entire process from specifying the query to receiving the ranked results takes only a matter of seconds.
Characterization of heterologous protein-protein interactions using analytical ultracentrifugation.

Methods for quantitative characterization of heterologous protein-protein interactions by means of analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) include sedimentation equilibrium, tracer sedimentation equilibrium, sedimentation velocity, and analytical band sedimentation. Fundamental principles governing the behavior of macromolecules in a centrifugal field are summarized, and the application of these principles to the interpretation of data obtained from each type of experiment is reviewed. Instrumentation and software for the acquisition and analysis of data obtained from different types of AUC experiments are described.
A compensatory subpopulation of motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal paralytic disease that targets motor neurons, leading to motor neuron death and widespread denervation atrophy of muscle. Previous electrophysiological data have shown that some motor axon branches attempt to compensate for loss of innervation, resulting in enlarged axonal arbors. Recent histological assays have shown that during the course of the disease some axonal branches die back. We thus asked whether the two types of behavior, die‐back and compensatory growth, occur in different branches of single neurons or, alternatively, whether entire motor units are of one type or the other. We used high‐resolution in vivo imaging in the G93A SOD1 mouse model, bred to express transgenic yellow fluorescent protein in all or subsets of motor neurons. Time‐lapse imaging showed that degenerative axon branches are easily distinguished from those undergoing compensatory reinnervation, showing fragmentation of terminal branches but sparing of the more proximal axon. Reconstruction of entire motor units showed that some were abnormally large. Surprisingly, these large motor units contained few if any degenerating synapses. Some small motor units, however, no longer possessed any neuromuscular contacts at all, giving the appearance of “winter trees. ” Thus, degenerative versus regenerative changes are largely confined to distinct populations of neurons within the same motor pool. Identification of factors that protect “compensatory” motor neurons from degenerative changes may provide new targets for therapeutic intervention. J. Comp. Neurol. 490:209–219, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Power through Collaboration: Stakeholder Influence in EU Climate and Energy Negotiations

Who gets what in high-level European Union (EU) negotiations and how? This study draws on data concerning stakeholder preferences during heated negotiations leading to the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework. It tests the explanatory values of Liberal Intergovernmentalism (LI), the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), and Historical Institutionalism (HI). Large member states were key (LI). However, coordinated groups of member states, bound by specific common interests, also played crucial roles. ACF explains the 2030 Framework only if: a) the decisive coalitions consisted of the EU’s supranational institutions, the coordinated groups of member states and long-term advocacy coalitions in the interest group community; b) coalition members held comparatively similar views; and c) coalition members adjusted their strategies mutually and/or shared information. The European Commission set the agenda (HI). The analysis demonstrates that LI, HI and ACF may be used as complementary analytical tools, filling several of each other’s gaps.
The Origin and Structure of Easterly Waves in the Lower Troposphere of North Africa

Abstract This study investigates the origin and structure of easterly waves that form in the lower troposphere of North Africa and have a periodicity of 3–5 days,. From June to early October these waves propagate across the Atlantic and occasionally reach the eastern Pacific. Although only a few of these disturbances actually intensify after reaching the Atlantic, they account for approximately half of the tropical cyclones that form in the Atlantic. Spectral analysis of five years of upper air data shows that African waves produce a spectral peak of the meridional wind at periods of 3–5 days with a maximum amplitude of 1–2 m sec−1 near 700 mb. These waves normally originate between Khartoum (32E) and Ft. Lamy (I5E) and affect a greater depth of the atmosphere as they propagate westward. Wind statistics at stations flanking the mountains in Ethiopia indicate that airflow over these mountains is not the cause of the easterly waves. This study shows that the African waves are directly related to the mid-tro.
Cooperative flocking and learning in multi-robot systems for predator avoidance

In this paper we propose a hybrid system that integrates reinforcement learning and flocking control in order to create an adaptive and intelligent multi-robot system. First, we present a flocking control algorithm that allows multiple mobile robots to move together while avoiding obstacles. Second, we propose a distributed cooperative learning algorithm that can quickly enable the mobile robot network to avoid predator/enemy while maintaining the network connectivity and topology. The convergence of the cooperative learning algorithm is discussed. As a result, the hybrid system of flocking control and cooperative reinforcement learning results in an efficient integration of high level behaviors (discrete states and actions) and low level behaviors (continuous states and actions) for multi-robot cooperation. The simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Gummy for multi-platform user interface designs: shape me, multiply me, fix me, use me

Designers still often create a specific user interface for every target platform they wish to support, which is time-consuming and error-prone. The need for a multi-platform user interface design approach that designers feel comfortable with increases as people expect their applications and data to go where they go. We present Gummy, a multi-platform graphical user interface builder that can generate an initial design for a new platform by adapting and combining features of existing user interfaces created for the same application. Our approach makes it easy to target new platforms and keep all user interfaces consistent without requiring designers to considerably change their work practice.
Triclustering on temporary microarray data using the TriGen algorithm

The analysis of microarray data is a computational challenge due to the characteristics of these data. Clustering techniques are widely applied to create groups of genes that exhibit a similar behavior under the conditions tested. Biclustering emerges as an improvement of classical clustering since it relaxes the constraints for grouping allowing genes to be evaluated only under a subset of the conditions and not under all of them. However, this technique is not appropriate for the analysis of temporal microarray data in which the genes are evaluated under certain conditions at several time points. In this paper, we propose the TriGen algorithm, which finds triclusters that take into account the experimental conditions and the time points, using evolutionary computation, in particular genetic algorithms, enabling the evaluation of the gene's behavior under subsets of conditions and of time points.
Tribrid Inflation in Supergravity

We propose a novel class of F‐term hybrid inflation models in supergravity (SUGRA) where the η‐problem is resolved using either a Heisenberg symmetry or a shift symmetry of the Kahler potential. In addition to the inflaton and the waterfall field, this class (referred to as tribrid inflation) contains a third ‘driving’ field which contributes the large vacuum energy during inflation by its F‐term. In contrast to the “standard”hybrid scenario, it has several attractive features due to the property of vanishing inflationary superpotential (Win f = 0) during inflation. While the symmetries of the Kahler potential ensure a flat inflaton potential at tree‐level, quantum corrections induced by symmetry breaking terms in the superpotential generate a slope of the potential and lead to a spectral tilt consistent with recent WMAP observations.
Mechatronic system design: The ideal capstone course?

A major focus of mechatronic engineering education is on the design and analysis of integrated engineering systems. Therefore, it is importance to develop a well-structured mechatronic system design course for undergraduate engineering students. This course can be considered as a capstone course that integrates vast amount of knowledge and skills acquired by students throughout their education. This paper presents an overview of a mechatronic design course contents. It also provides the appropriate method of delivering the needed material through case studies and examples.
Gauge-Invariant Formulation of the Adiabatic Self-Consistent Collective Coordinate Method

The adiabatic self-consistent collective coordinate (ASCC) method is a practical microscopic theory of large-amplitude collective motion in nuclei with superfluidity. We show that its basic equations are invariant under transformations involving the gauge angle in particlenumber space. By virtue of this invariance, a clean separation of the large-amplitude collective motion and the pairing rotational motion can be made, and this allows us to restore the particle-number symmetry broken by the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) approximation. We formulate the ASCC method explicitly in a gauge-invariant form. In solving the ASCC equations, it is necessary to fix the gauge. Applying this new formulation to the multi-O(4) model, we compare different gauge-fixing procedures and demonstrate that calculations using different gauges indeed yield the same results for gauge-invariant quantities, such as the collective path and quantum spectra. We propose a gauge-fixing prescription that seems most convenient in realistic calculations.
Chinese sign language recognition based on video sequence appearance modeling

According to the temporal characteristic and the spatial characteristic of video sequence, a novel recognition method of sign language spatio-temporal appearance modeling is introduced for the vision-based multi-features classifier of Chinese sign language recognition. The obvious advantage with such a novel approach is that we can exclude some skin-like object and tracking the moving recognized hand more precisely in the sign language video sequence. Experiments demonstrate that this new modeling method is feasible and robust. At first, dynamic sign language appearance modeling is done, and then classification method of SVMs for recognition is brought into use. Experimentation with 30 groups of the Chinese manual alphabet images is conducted and the results prove that this appearance modeling method is simple, efficient, and effective for characterizing hand gestures, and the SVMs method has excellent classification and generalization ability in solving learning problem with small training set of sample in sign language recognition. The experimentation shows that linear kernel function is suitable for sign language recognition, and the best recognition rate of 99.7% of letter ‘F’ image group is achieved.
CBIR approach to the recognition of a sign language alphabet

The task of recognizing letters from the sign language alphabet, by means of which the hearing impaired people finger-spell words and proper nouns, is interpreted as a CBIR (Content Based Image Retrieval) problem. An arbitrary input image of given sign (palm gesture) is treated as a sample for search within a database (DB), which contains a large enough set of images (i.e. projections from a sufficient number of view points) for each letter of the sign language alphabet. We assume that the gestures for recognition are static images, which have been appropriately extracted from the input video sequence. In addition, we have at our disposal a CBIR method for image DB access that is simultaneously fast enough and noise-tolerant. The paper describes both the methodology used for building up the DB of image samples and the experimental study for the noise-tolerance of the available CBIR method. The latter is used to acknowledge the applicability of the proposed approach.
The Onsager algebra symmetry of τ(j)-matrices in the superintegrable chiral Potts model

We demonstrate that the τ(j)-matrices in the superintegrable chiral Potts model possess the Onsager algebra symmetry for their degenerate eigenvalues. The Fabricius–McCoy comparison of functional relations of the eight-vertex model for roots of unity and the superintegrable chiral Potts model has been carefully analysed by identifying equivalent terms in the corresponding equations, by which we extract the conjectured relation of Q-operators and all fusion matrices in the eight-vertex model corresponding to the -relation in the chiral Potts model.
Control of an inverted pendulum using an Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite actuator

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are electroactive materials that bend under an applied electric field. Existing work has typically dealt with the control of IPMC actuators themselves. In this paper we investigate the stabilization of an inverted pendulum on a cart using an IPMC actuator. Different from the traditional setting of cart-pendulum systems, we require that the voltage on the IPMC actuator stay close to zero, to prolong the actuator life and reduce power consumption. A state-space model is developed for the system, based on which an LQR controller together with an observer is designed. The proposed control scheme is able to stabilize the inverted pendulum for the entire duration of the experiment (five minutes). These results indicate that IPMC actuators hold potential for more sophisticated control applications.
IFCRS: An Information Fusion Based Check Recognition System

Considering that the legal amount, courtesy amount and E13B amount code on the Chinese bank checks can be recognized independently, this paper presents an information fusion based check recognition system called IFCRS. An adaptive template matching algorithm is presented to locate recognition regions for check layout analysis. We use hidden markov model to segment and recognize legal amount, and adopt artificial neural network to recognize courtesy amount and E13B code, respectively. D-S evidence theory is introduced to fuse above three recognition results for better recognition performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the system can robustly recognize checks and the information fusion based algorithm improves the recognition rate by 5~10 percent.