Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Modular CACC System Integration and Design

This paper describes the Halmstad University entry in the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge, which is a competition in vehicle platooning. Cooperative platooning has the potential to improve traffic flow by mitigating shock wave effects, which otherwise may occur in dense traffic. A longitudinal controller that uses information exchanged via wireless communication with other cooperative vehicles to achieve string-stable platooning is developed. The controller is integrated into a production vehicle, together with a positioning system, communication system, and human-machine interface (HMI). A highly modular system architecture enabled rapid development and testing of the various subsystems. In the competition, which took place in May 2011 on a closed-off highway in The Netherlands, the Halmstad University team finished second among nine competing teams.
Updates for Nonlinear Discriminants

A novel training algorithm for nonlinear discriminants for classification and regression in Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHSs) is presented. It is shown how the overdetermined linear least squares-problem in the corresponding RKHS may be solved within a greedy forward selection scheme by updating the pseudoinverse in an order-recursive way. The described construction of the pseudoinverse gives rise to an update of the orthogonal decomposition of the reduced Gram matrix in linear time. Regularization in the spirit of Ridge regression may then easily be applied in the orthogonal space. Various experiments for both classification and regression are performed to show the competitiveness of the proposed method.
Areal Interpolation of Spatially Extensive Variables: A Comparison of Alternative Techniques

Abstract This paper presents a methodology which provides a practicable solution to a specific class of areal interpolation problems. The method allows for the transformation of the areal basis of land use data from a set of reporting units to a set of land capability classes within each of which land use mix is assumed to be homogeneous. Three alternative procedures, based on least squares criteria, are suggested for estimation of the land use mix in each land class. Although these are shown to produce similar and broadly plausible results in an empirical application, choice of procedure may be guided by consideration of the particular application and computational ease.
Thresholding of auditory cortical representation by background noise

It is generally thought that background noise can mask auditory information. However, how the noise specifically transforms neuronal auditory processing in a level-dependent manner remains to be carefully determined. Here, with in vivo loose-patch cell-attached recordings in layer 4 of the rat primary auditory cortex (A1), we systematically examined how continuous wideband noise of different levels affected receptive field properties of individual neurons. We found that the background noise, when above a certain critical/effective level, resulted in an elevation of intensity threshold for tone-evoked responses. This increase of threshold was linearly dependent on the noise intensity above the critical level. As such, the tonal receptive field (TRF) of individual neurons was translated upward as an entirety toward high intensities along the intensity domain. This resulted in preserved preferred characteristic frequency (CF) and the overall shape of TRF, but reduced frequency responding range and an enhanced frequency selectivity for the same stimulus intensity. Such translational effects on intensity threshold were observed in both excitatory and fast-spiking inhibitory neurons, as well as in both monotonic and nonmonotonic (intensity-tuned) A1 neurons. Our results suggest that in a noise background, fundamental auditory representations are modulated through a background level-dependent linear shifting along intensity domain, which is equivalent to reducing stimulus intensity.
Media Use and Child Sleep: The Impact of Content, Timing, and Environment

BACKGROUND: Media use has been shown to negatively affect a child's sleep, especially in the context of evening use or with a television in the child's bedroom. However, little is known about how content choices and adult co-use affect this relationship. OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of media content, timing, and use behaviors on child sleep. METHODS: These data were collected in the baseline survey and media diary of a randomized controlled trial on media use in children aged 3 to 5 years. Sleep measures were derived from the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Media diaries captured time, content title, and co-use of television, video-game, and computer usage; titles were coded for ratings, violence, scariness, and pacing. Nested linear regression models were built to examine the impact of timing, content, and co-use on the sleep problem score. RESULTS: On average, children consumed 72.9 minutes of media screen time daily, with 14.1 minutes occurring after 7:00 pm. Eighteen percent of parents reported at least 1 sleep problem; children with a bedroom television consumed more media and were more likely to have a sleep problem. In regression models, each additional hour of evening media use was associated with a significant increase in the sleep problem score (0.743 [95% confidence interval: 0.373–1.114]), as was daytime use with violent content (0.398 [95% confidence interval: 0.121–0.676]). There was a trend toward greater impact of daytime violent use in the context of a bedroom television (P = .098) and in low-income children (P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: Violent content and evening media use were associated with increased sleep problems. However, no such effects were observed with nonviolent daytime media use.
Parameter estimation algorithm for coherently distributed source

A low-complexity estimation method is presented to estimate the parameter of coherently distributed source. The central direction of arrival (DOA) is estimated by proposed second-order statistics based on Schur-Hadamard product steering vector, and then angular spread are given by beamforming method. The method is a low-complex estimator that does not need a joint search in two-dimensional parameter space. And angular spread is included in the constraint, so it owns more robustness in estimating angular spread. The simulation results prove the effectiveness of our method.
Analytical tools applied to the evaluation of the influence of different marine environments on the conservation state of building materials

Marine aerosol is a chemical complex system formed by inorganic salts and organic matter, together with airborne particulate matter from the surrounding environment. The primary particles transported in the marine aerosol (PMA) can experiment different chemical reactions in the atmosphere, promoting the so-called Secondary Marine Aerosol (SMA) particles. These kinds of particles, together with the natural crustal or mineral particles and the metallic airborne particulate matter emitted by anthropogenic sources (road traffic, industry, etc.) can be deposited on building materials from a specific construction following dry deposition processes. Apart from that, the acid aerosols (e.g. CO2, SO2, NOX, etc.) present in modern urban-industrial environments, coming also from anthropogenic sources, could be deposited in the buildings following dry or a wet deposition mechanisms. The interactions of these natural and anthropogenic stressors with building materials can promote different kind of pathologies.In this PhD work, the negative influence of different marine environments (direct or diffuse influence), with or without the influence of an urban-industrial area (direct or diffuse), on the conservation state of two historical constructions and some newly built houses from the Basque Country (north of Spain) was evaluated. These constructions include a wide variety of building materials (sandstones, limestones, artificial stones, bricks, plasters, cementitious materials, etc.). The analytical methodology applied for this purpose involved, in some case studies, the use of non-invasive portable/hand-held spectroscopic technique (ED-XRF and Raman spectroscopy) able to perform an in situ screening in order to extract preliminary results. After that, non-invasive spectroscopic techniques (micro-Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, -ED-XRF, SEM-EDS), together with destructive techniques (ICP-MS and ion chromatographic), thermodynamic modellings and chemometric tools was also applied to extract the final conclusions about the pathologies identified on the constructions under study in relation with the specific marine environment where they are located.Thanks to the use of these analytical tools, it was possible to characterize different deterioration processes caused mainly by the influence of marine aerosol (wet and dry deposition), infiltration waters, birds droppings, salts migrations, atmospheric acid gases impact, biological colonizations, etc. Moreover, the characterization of the PMA particles and SMA particles was conducted, thanks to the development of a home-made passive sampler in the last case. Additionally, the deposition of this kind of particles on sandstone, following dry deposition processes, was also confirmed.
Hybrid Dataflow/von-Neumann Architectures

General purpose hybrid dataflow/von-Neumann architectures are gaining attraction as effective parallel platforms. Although different implementations differ in the way they merge the conceptually different computational models, they all follow similar principles: they harness the parallelism and data synchronization inherent to the dataflow model, yet maintain the programmability of the von-Neumann model. In this paper, we classify hybrid dataflow/von-Neumann models according to two different taxonomies: one based on the execution model used for inter- and intrablock execution, and the other based on the integration level of both control and dataflow execution models. The paper reviews the basic concepts of von-Neumann and dataflow computing models, highlights their inherent advantages and limitations, and motivates the exploration of a synergistic hybrid computing model. Finally, we compare a representative set of recent general purpose hybrid dataflow/von-Neumann architectures, discuss their different approaches, and explore the evolution of these hybrid processors.
I. Measuring and Reducing Stress and Surface Roughness in IBAD MgO Films and II. Developing Tools to Measure Transfer in Undergraduate Chemistry Students

I. MgO may be grown with a biaxial texture onto an amorphous substrate with the use of ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). This MgO film may then be used as a platform on which to grow epitaxial films on an amorphous membrane for characterization purposes. However, the IBAD MgO film is stressed, causing buckles in the amorphous membrane and problems with further film growth on the IBAD MgO. This dissertation work explores the source of this film stress and develops methods to relax the stress and reduce surface roughness with annealing and increased growth temperature. It is determined that annealing and increased growth temperature coupled with a higher ion-to-atom ratio (IAR) during film growth reduce stress and surface roughness sufficiently to use even thinner IBAD MgO films as an intermediate layer between an amorphous membrane and epitaxial film. II. Much of the existing literature on knowledge transfer concludes that transfer is rare and does not occur spontaneously. However, studies supporting that transfer is rare often use methods that focus on binary success or failure to solve a problem correctly and do not analyze thought process. This dissertation work aims at developing transfer questions that allow open-ended responses, developing a method of analysis for these responses that looks for transfer in the problem-solving process, and assessing the methodology itself and its sensitivity, validity, and utility as a general transfer measurement technique for use across a broad range of expertise levels in chemistry.Detailed analysis of responses to each transfer question show that some transfer questions are more effective at distinguishing between expertise levels while also allowing responders of all levels to show knowledge transfer. Simpler questions that are more accessible to students of introductory chemistry proved the most useful at eliciting a range of responses that correlate with expertise level while still showing some degree of transfer in all levels of responders. More challenging questions with complex systems and common misconceptions are too advanced for lower level undergraduates to show knowledge transfer, but may be useful to show transfer in advanced undergraduates and experts.
Analysis of single Monte Carlo methods for prediction of reflectance from turbid media

Starting from the radiative transport equation we derive the scaling relationships that enable a single Monte Carlo (MC) simulation to predict the spatially- and temporally-resolved reflectance from homogeneous semi-infinite media with arbitrary scattering and absorption coefficients. This derivation shows that a rigorous application of this single Monte Carlo (sMC) approach requires the rescaling to be done individually for each photon biography. We examine the accuracy of the sMC method when processing simulations on an individual photon basis and also demonstrate the use of adaptive binning and interpolation using non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) to achieve order of magnitude reductions in the relative error as compared to the use of uniform binning and linear interpolation. This improved implementation for sMC simulation serves as a fast and accurate solver to address both forward and inverse problems and is available for use at http://www.virtualphotonics. org/.
Metaphor and Information Flow

This paper develops a formal model for metaphor and analogy built on information flow theory, formal concept analysis and conceptual graphs. Metaphor and analogy are important principles of human cognition based on representational maps. The model suggested in this paper defines metaphoric use in terms of information transfer via an information channel with respect to contextual constraints.
Microsoft Research at TREC 2009: Web and Relevance Feedback Track

Abstract : We took part in the Web and Relevance Feedback tracks, using the ClueWeb09 corpus. To process the corpus, we developed a parallel processing pipeline which avoids the generation of an inverted file. We describe the components of the parallel architecture and the pipeline and how we ran the TREC experiments, and we present effectiveness results.
Delineating Individual Trees from Lidar Data: A Comparison of Vector- and Raster-based Segmentation Approaches

Light detection and ranging (lidar) data is increasingly being used for ecosystem monitoring across geographic scales. This work concentrates on delineating individual trees in topographically-complex, mixed conifer forest across the California’s Sierra Nevada. We delineated individual trees using vector data and a 3D lidar point cloud segmentation algorithm, and using raster data with an object-based image analysis (OBIA) of a canopy height model (CHM). The two approaches are compared to each other and to ground reference data. We used high density (9 pulses/m2), discreet lidar data and WorldView-2 imagery to delineate individual trees, and to classify them by species or species types. We also identified a new method to correct artifacts in a high-resolution CHM. Our main focus was to determine the difference between the two types of approaches and to identify the one that produces more realistic results. We compared the delineations via tree detection, tree heights, and the shape of the generated polygons. The tree height agreement was high between the two approaches and the ground data (r2: 0.93–0.96). Tree detection rates increased for more dominant trees (8–100 percent). The two approaches delineated tree boundaries that differed in shape: the lidar-approach produced fewer, more complex, and larger polygons that more closely resembled real forest structure.
A Systematic View of the MLO Family in Rice Suggests Their Novel Roles in Morphological Development, Diurnal Responses, the Light-Signaling Pathway, and Various Stress Responses

The Mildew resistance Locus O (MLO) family is unique to plants, containing genes that were initially identified as a susceptibility factor to powdery mildew pathogens. However, little is known about the roles and functional diversity of this family in rice, a model crop plant. The rice genome has 12 potential MLO family members. To achieve systematic functional assignments, we performed a phylogenomic analysis by integrating meta-expression data obtained from public sources of microarray data and real-time expression data into a phylogenic tree. Subsequently, we identified 12 MLO genes with various tissue-preferred patterns, including leaf, root, pollen, and ubiquitous expression. This suggested their functional diversity for morphological agronomic traits. We also used these integrated transcriptome data within a phylogenetic context to estimate the functional redundancy or specificity among OsMLO family members. Here, OsMLO12 showed preferential expression in mature pollen; OsMLO4, in the root tips; OsMLO10, throughout the roots except at the tips; and OsMLO8, expression preferential to the leaves and trinucleate pollen. Of particular interest to us was the diurnal expression of OsMLO1, OsMLO3, and OsMLO8, which indicated that they are potentially significant in responses to environmental changes. In osdxr mutants that show defects in the light response, OsMLO1, OsMLO3, OsMLO8, and four calmodulin genes were down-regulated. This finding provides insight into the novel functions of MLO proteins associated with the light-responsive methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway. In addition, abiotic stress meta-expression data and real-time expression analysis implied that four and five MLO genes in rice are associated with responses to heat and cold stress, respectively. Upregulation of OsMLO3 by Magnaporthe oryzae infection further suggested that this gene participates in the response to pathogens. Our analysis has produced fundamental information that will enhance future studies of the diverse developmental or physiological phenomena mediated by the MLO family in this model plant system.
A security characterisation framework for trustworthy component based software systems

This paper explores how to characterize security properties of software components, and how to reason about their suitability for a trustworthy compositional contract. Our framework provides an explicit opportunity for software composers as well as software components to test a priori security properties of software components in a system composition. The proposed framework uses logic programming as a tool to represent security properties of atomic components and reason about their compositional matching with other components. This enables software components as well as composers to "test" possible matches and mismatches between the security properties of the candidate components and the security requirements of the enclosing applications systems.
Experimental Study of Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Surfaces Machined by Abrasive Water Jet Machining

Glass fibre reinforced polymer composites are being used increasingly for numerous applications. Conventional machining of glass fibre reinforced polymers is difficult because of excessive tool wear, delamination, improper kerf properties, etc. In this paper, an experimental study of influence of abrasive water jet machining process parameters on surface roughness of glass fibre reinforced polymer is presented. Process parameters namely stand-off distance, water pressure, traverse rate and abrasive mass flow rate are considered in the present work. The influence of process parameters on surface roughness is investigated using analysis of variance approach. It is observed that water pressure and abrasive mass flow rate are the most significant factors in influencing surface roughness. A set of optimum process parameters is determined on the basis of analysis of experimental data. The experimental results are successfully verified by comparing with the available literature. A regression model is developed using multi-linear regression approach on the basis of experimental analysis.
Drug metabolism and pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains a fatal disease in the majority of patients. The era of personalized medicine is upon us: customizing therapy according to each patient’s individual cancer. Potentially, therapy can be targeted at individuals who would most likely have a favorable response, making it more efficacious and cost effective. This is particularly relevant for pancreatic cancer, which currently portends a very poor prognosis. However, there is much to be done in this field, and more studies are needed to bring this concept to reality.
A Bookmaker's Workbench

We have been developing electronic Realistic Books that combine the natural advantages of electronic documents---full-text search, hyperlinks, animation, multimedia---with those of conventional books---the ambient information provided by the physical object, analog page turning, random-access navigation, bookmarks, highlighting and annotation. Although simple Realistic Books can easily be created from PDF or HTML files using a shell script or web service, it is not so easy for book designers to take advantage of advanced features that are not normally represented in the input files. This paper describes the Bookmaker's Workbench, an interactive system intended to help book designers produce Realistic Books. It incorporates many features, including a text mining option that automatically identifies significant key terms and marks them visually in the text, the ability to incorporate synonyms automatically into the full-text search capability, and include automatically generated back-of-the-book index. A user evaluation is reported that demonstrates the system's usability and learnability.
OPTIMIZED SELECTION AND REGENERATION CONDITIONS FOR AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION OF CHICKPEA COTYLEDONARY NODES

An efficient selection system and Agrobacterium mediated transformation for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cotyledonary nodes were investigated. Effect of selective agents and antibiotics on multiple shoot and root induction of cotyledonary nodes and effects of mechanical injury and vacuum infiltration on transformation efficiency were evaluated. Selective agents and antibiotics were applied to explants at different concentrations for one month and numbers of regenerated shoots and roots were recorded. Kanamycin at 100 mg dm -3 , hygromycin at 20 mg dm -3 , phosphinotricin at 3 mg dm -3 and glyphosate at 5 mg dm -3 were found to be appropriate to select chickpea transformants. Lowest concentrations of all selective agents (50 mg dm -3 kanamycin, 10 mg dm -3 hygromycin, 3 mg dm -3 phosphinotricin, 1 mg dm -3 glyphosate) totally inhibited rooting of the regenerated shoots. Among the Agrobacterium-eliminating-antibiotics, timentin significantly increased and carbenicillin significantly decreased shoot induction after 4 weeks of culture. On the other hand, cefotaxime at all concentrations significantly decreased root induction. Sulbactam, a βlactamase inhibitor, in combination with carbenicillin and cefotaxime displayed effective inhibition of Agrobacterium tumefaciens growth. Furthermore, selection procedure formulated in this study was used in chickpea transformation studies. Histochemical GUS staining was performed 4 and 16 days after transformation to analyze putative transgenics. On the other hand, efforts were exerted on transformation to increase the efficiency. Mechanical injury prior to transformation and vacuum infiltration at 200 mm Hg for 40 min., during bacterial inoculation might be employed to increase the efficiency of chickpea transformation.