Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Path-constrained Trajectory Planning and Time-independent Motion Control : Application to a Forestry

In this paper we consider the problem of motion planning and control of a kinematically redundant manipulator which is used on forestry machines for logging. Once a desired path is specified in the 3D world frame, a trajectory can be planned and executed such that all joints are synchronized and path-constrained. A speed profile can be chosen according to particular costs (time, fuel consumption, etc.) and certain constraints of the mechanical construction and dynamics. We suggest a time-independent control scheme for the planned trajectory which is built upon the standard reference tracking controllers. Experimental tests underline the benefits and efficiency of the model-based trajectory planning and show success of the proposed control strategy.
System level power consumption modeling and optimization for coarse-grained reconfigurable architectures

Coarse Grained Reconfigurable Architectures (CGRAs) are promising platform because of its high performance and low cost. With the popularization of CGRAs, low power design has become one of the most challenging tasks to concern. This paper presents an improved instruction level power estimation model at the system-level as a platform for power optimization. With this model, we adopt a modified resource-monitoring heuristic on instruction level to reduce power consumption. Experiment shows our proposed approach could reduce the power by 22.9% on average with only 3.9% decreasing performance.
Interactive rendering of optical effects in wet hair

Visually, wet hair is easily distinguishable from dry hair because of the increased highlights and intense darkening displayed by them. It is therefore essential for realism to capture these characteristics under certain real world conditions. In this regard we propose a model for rendering wet hair at interactive rates. We start by analyzing the physical aspect behind this special effect in hair and then present a model for incorporating the variations in visual appearance of the hair due to presence of water. For simulating the increased specularity because of the water layer on hair, we present a parameter controlled Gaussian-based model. To simulate darkening in hair, for outer hair we consider total internal reflection at water-hair interface as dominant and propose a probabilistic approach to determine the amount of light absorbed. For inner hair, we consider that increase in opacity due to water results in stronger self-shadow and propose a model that updates the opacities based on water content and accumulates them to calculate the self-shadow term. By preprocessing and optimising our algorithm both for the self-shadow in dry hair and the special effects due to water presence, we can get visually pleasing results at interactive rates. Furthermore, the model is highly versatile and can easily be adaptable to other liquids and hair styling products.
Comparison of the brain activations of experienced and novice designers engaged in initiating imagination

Cite this article: Liang C, Liu YC. Comparison of the brain activations of experienced and novice designers engaged in initiating imagination. J Psychiatry Behav Sci. 2018; 3: 1015. *Corresponding Author(s): Chaoyun Liang Professor, Department of Bio-Industry Communication and Development, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan Email: cliang@ntu.edu. tw ISSN: 2637-8027
Mice via Enhanced Bacterial Clearance Gram-Negative Sepsis in TLR4-Deficient Bacterial Lipoprotein Induces Resistance to

TLRs are highly conserved pathogen recognition receptors. As a result, TLR4-deﬁcient C3H/HeJ mice are highly susceptible to Gram-negative sepsis. We have previously demonstrated that tolerance induced by bacterial lipoprotein (BLP) protects wild-type mice against polymicrobial sepsis-induced lethality. In this study, we assessed whether pretreatment of C3H/HeJ mice with BLP could induce resistance to a subsequent Gram-negative Salmonella typhimurium infection. Pretreatment with BLP resulted in a signiﬁcant survival beneﬁt in TLR4-deﬁcient C3H/HeJ mice ( p < 0.0002 vs control C3H/HeJ) after challenge with live S. typhimurium (0.25 (cid:1) 10 6 CFU/mouse). This survival beneﬁt was associated with enhanced bacterial clearance from the circulation and in the visceral organs ( p < 0.05 vs control C3H/HeJ). Furthermore, pretreatment with BLP resulted in signiﬁcant increases in complement receptor type 3 (CR3) and Fc (cid:2) III/IIR expression on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and macrophages ( p < 0.05 vs control C3H/HeJ). There was impaired bacterial recognition and phagocytosis in TLR4-deﬁcient mice compared with wild-type mice. However, a signiﬁcant augmented uptake, ingestion, and intracellular killing of S. typhimurium by PMNs and peritoneal macrophages was evident in BLP-pretreated C3H/HeJ mice ( p < 0.05 vs control C3H/HeJ). An up-regulation of inducible NO synthase and increased production of intracellular NO were observed in peritoneal macrophages from BLP-pre-treated C3H/HeJ mice ( p < 0.05 vs control C3H/HeJ). Depletion of PMNs did not diminish the beneﬁcial effects of BLP with regard to both animal survival and bacterial clearance. These results indicate that BLP, a TLR2 ligand, protects highly susceptible TLR4-deﬁcient mice from Gram-negative sepsis via enhanced bacterial clearance. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 174: 1020– 1026.
Implementation and Performance Analysis of Video Edge Detection System on Multiprocessor Platform

This paper presents an agile development, implementation of Edge Detection on SMT8039 based Video And Imaging module. With the development of video processing techniques its algorithm becomes more complicated. High resolution and real time application cannot be implemented with single CPU or DSP. The system offers significant performance increase over current programmable DSP,based implementations. This paper shows that the considerable performance improvement using the FPGA solution results from the availability of high I/O resources and pipelined architecture. FPGA technology provides an alternative way to obtain high performance. Prototyping a design with FPGA offer some advantages such as relatively low cost, reduce time to market, flexibility. Another capability of FPGA is the amount of support of logic to implement complete systems/subsystems and provide reconfigurable logic for purpose of application specific based programming. DSP's to provide more and more power and design nearly any function in a large enough FPGA, this is not usually the easiest, cheapest approach. This paper designed and implemented an Edge detection method based on coordinated DSP,FPGA techniques. The whole processing task divided between DSP and FPGA. DSP is dedicated for data I/O functions. FPGA's task is to take input video from DSP to implement logic and after processing it gives back to DSP. The PS4R values of the all the edge detection techniques are compared. When the system is validated, it is observed that Laplacian of Gaussian method appears to be the most sensitive even in low levels of noise, while the Robert, Canny and Prewitt methods appear to be barely perturbed. However, Sobel performs best with median filter in the presence of Gaussian, Salt and Pepper, Speckle noise in video signal. KeywordsMultiprocessor platform; Edge detection; P erformance evaluation; noise.
A systematic review of quantitative studies on the enjoyment of digital entertainment games

Enjoyment has been identified as a central component of the player experience (PX), but various, overlapping concepts within PX make it difficult to develop valid measures and a common understanding of game enjoyment. We conducted a systematic review of 87 quantitative studies, analyzing different operationalizations and measures of game enjoyment, its determinants, and how these were related to other components of PX, such as flow, presence and immersion. Results suggest that game enjoyment describes the positive cognitive and affective appraisal of the game experience, and may in part be associated with the support of player needs and values. Further, we outline that enjoyment is distinct from flow in that it may occur independently of challenge and cognitive involvement, and argue that enjoyment may be understood as the valence of the player experience. We conclude with a discussion of methodological challenges and point out opportunities for future research on game enjoyment.
Syntactic Approaches to Automatic Book Indexing

Automatic book indexing systems are based on the generation of phrase structures capable of reflecting text content. Some approaches are given for the automatic construction of back-of-book indexes using a syntactic analysis of the available texts, followed by the identification of nominal constructions, the assignment of importance weights to the term phrases, and the choice of phrases as indexing units.
THE MULTI-OBJECT, FIBER-FED SPECTROGRAPHS FOR THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY AND THE BARYON OSCILLATION SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY

We present the design and performance of the multi-object fiber spectrographs for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and their upgrade for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Originally commissioned in Fall 1999 on the 2.5 m aperture Sloan Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the spectrographs produced more than 1.5 million spectra for the SDSS and SDSS-II surveys, enabling a wide variety of Galactic and extra-galactic science including the first observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in 2005. The spectrographs were upgraded in 2009 and are currently in use for BOSS, the flagship survey of the third-generation SDSS-III project. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.35 million massive galaxies to redshift 0.7 and Lyα absorption of 160,000 high redshift quasars over 10,000 deg2 of sky, making percent level measurements of the absolute cosmic distance scale of the universe and placing tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. The twin multi-object fiber spectrographs utilize a simple optical layout with reflective collimators, gratings, all-refractive cameras, and state-of-the-art CCD detectors to produce hundreds of spectra simultaneously in two channels over a bandpass covering the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared, with a resolving power R = λ/FWHM ∼ 2000. Building on proven heritage, the spectrographs were upgraded for BOSS with volume-phase holographic gratings and modern CCD detectors, improving the peak throughput by nearly a factor of two, extending the bandpass to cover 360 nm < λ < 1000 nm, and increasing the number of fibers from 640 to 1000 per exposure. In this paper we describe the original SDSS spectrograph design and the upgrades implemented for BOSS, and document the predicted and measured performances.
On the Characteristic Isolation of Compact Subgroups within Loose Groups of Galaxies

We have explored the hypothesis that a compact subgroup lying within a dense environment as loose group of galaxies, at a certain stage of its evolutionary history, could be influenced by the action of the tidal field induced by the gravitational potential of the whole system. We argue that the empty ring observed in projection around many compact subgroups of galaxies embedded in larger hosts originates around the spherical surface drawn by the tidal radius where the internal binding force of the compact subgroup balances the external tidal force of the whole system. This effect would tear apart member galaxies situated close to this region determining a marked isolation of the subgroup from the rest of the host group. If so, subsequent evolution of these subgroups should not be affected by external influences as the infall of new surrounding galaxies on them. Following this idea we have developed a statistical method of investigation and per- formed an application to point out such an effect studying a loose group of galaxies hosting a compact group in its central region. The system UZC 578 / HCG 68 seems to be a fair example of such hypothesized process.
Some Properties of Modulo m Circuit Computing Simple Functions

In this note, we investigate the complexity of circuits with modulo gates only in two ways. (i) We describe a procedure that converts a circuit with only modulo 2p gates, where p is a prime number, into a depth two circuit with modulo 2 gates at the input level and a modulo p gate at the output. (ii) We show some properties of such depth two circuits computing symmetric functions. Thus if we can show that, for any linear size constant depth modulo 6 circuit C, a circuit obtained from C by the procedure described in (i) can not satisfy the properties described in (ii), then we could have a superlinear lower bound on the size of a constant depth modulo 6 circuit computing some symmetric functions.
The power spectrum of galaxies in the 2dF 100k redshift survey

We compute the real-space power spectrum and the redshift-space distortions of galaxies in the 2dF 100k galaxy redshift survey using pseudo-Karhunen-Loeve eigenmodes and the stochastic bias formalism. Our results agree well with those published by the 2dFGRS team, and have the added advantage of producing easy-to-interpret uncorrelated minimum-variance measurements of the galaxy-galaxy, galaxy-velocity and velocity-velocity power spectra in 27 k-bands, with narrow and well-behaved window functions in the range 0.01 h Mpc −1 0.4 and the redshift-distortion parameter β = 0.49 ± 0.16 for r = 1( β = 0.47 ± 0.16 without finger-of-god compression). Since this is an apparent-magnitude limited sample, luminosity-dependent bias may cause a slight red-tilt in the power spectrum. A battery of systematic error tests indicate that the sur- vey is not only impressive in size, but also unusually clean, free of systematic errors at the level to which our tests are sensitive. Our measurements and window functions are available at http://www.hep. upenn.edu/∼max/2df.html together with the survey mask, radial selection function and uniform subsample of the survey that we have constructed.
Development of Gene Expression–Based Score to Predict Sensitivity of Multiple Myeloma Cells to DNA Methylation Inhibitors

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell cancer with poor survival, characterized by the clonal expansion of multiple myeloma cells (MMC), primarily in the bone marrow. Novel compounds are currently tested in this disease, but partial or minor patients' responses are observed for most compounds used as a single agent. The design of predictors for drug efficacy could be most useful to better understand basic mechanisms targeted by these drugs and design clinical trials. In the current study, we report the building of a DNA methylation score (DM score) predicting the efficacy of decitabine, an inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), targeting methylation-regulated gene expression. DM score was built by identifying 47 genes regulated by decitabine in human myeloma cell lines and the expression of which in primary MMCs of previously untreated patients is predictive for overall survival. A high DM score predicts patients' poor survival, and, of major interest, high sensitivity of primary MMCs or human myeloma cell lines to decitabine in vitro. Thus, DM score could be useful to design novel treatments with DMNT inhibitor in multiple myeloma and has highlighted 47 genes, the gene products of which could be important for multiple myeloma disease development. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(12); 2685–92. ©2012 AACR.
A stage-sequential model of reading transitions : Evidence from the early childhood longitudinal study

This study uses latent transition analysis to examine reading development across the kindergarten and 1st-grade year. Data include poverty status and dichotomous measures of reading at 4 time points for a large sample of children within the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. In each of 4 waves of the study, 5 latent classes were represented in different proportions: low alphabet knowledge, early phonological processing, advanced phonological processing, early word reading, and early reading comprehension. Transition probabilities were calculated for the full sample and for children living above and below poverty. The findings indicate that children living below poverty are less likely to experience successful reading transitions than their above-poverty peers. However, children in the below-poverty group who began kindergarten with at least early phonological processing experienced transition probabilities similar to their above-poverty peers. Researchers should target and test preschool interventions for their potential efficacy to mediate the effects of poverty on early reading.
Utilizing first-order logic in query processing

The purpose of this research is to improve on the current membership algorithms and their applications in relational database model and information retrieval. A new technique proposed which makes up for deficiencies existing methods. This membership algorithm based on full first-order logic, extending Sagiv's prepositional calculus approach. Our technique does not assign one relation name (association) to all database dependencies like the representation of Nicolas. Finally, it may be used to improve relation schema design. Furthermore, we can utilize our technique derive data retrieval programs for answering queries, an idea that has not previously appeared in the literature.
Modeling Accountable Cloud Services

Cloud computing services have been increasingly considered by business as a viable option for reducing IT expenditure. The highly automated and agile nature of cloud services offer businesses low cost, high efficiency and flexibility benefits. However, there are often associated problems with unmanaged accountability such as lack of disclosure of service obligations, mechanisms for detection for obligation fulfilment or determination of liable party if an obligation is violated. This paper analyses the accountability properties of a cloud service and proposes an accountable cloud service (ACS) model to address those problems. The ACS model is underpinned by a hybrid logic system called Dynamic Logic for Accountability (DLA) extended from Dynamic Logic. ACS provides an intuitive notation for modeling service collaboration diagrams based on a reduced version of BPMN2.0 to capture the fulfillment of service obligations. We also propose an Obligation Flow Diagram (OFD) as a simple method for conflict resolution and verification for the ACS model. The ACS model enables obligation specification, decomposition, validation, machine-interpretation, monitoring and reasoning, and ultimately facilitates accountability in cloud service consumption. Using Amazon S3 service as a case study, we show how to address those known accountability problems using our ACS model. Finally we discuss the applicability of our model to cloud services in general.
Is Mothers' Time with Their Children Home Production or Leisure?

As mothers have increased their paid work efforts, conflicts between employment and family responsibilities have grown. This evolution has led researchers to explore more fully the role that caregiving responsibilities play in mothers’ time choices. We study this issue using data from the 2003 American Time Use Survey. We estimate a simultaneous four-equation system in which the dependent variables are the number of minutes in a mother’s diary day that she devotes to home production, leisure, market work, and caregiving. The first goal of this estimation is to determine if time spent with children responds to prices and demographics more like home production time or leisure. The second goal is to glean a better understanding of the importance that marital status, race, and other demographic factors play in time choices, once economic factors are controlled. Our final goal is to improve upon the existing time use literature by estimating a structural time use model that produces explicit estimates of wage and child care price elasticities. Our results show that mothers’ time with their children does not respond to price or demographic changes much like home production or leisure and that, somewhat surprisingly, the caregiving choice responds most like paid labor particularly in the response to higher wages.
Development of an Embedded Vision based Vehicle Detection System using an ARM Video Processor

Current Intelligent Transportation Systems tends to be integrated in smart environments where sensors are provided with processing and communication capabilities. This is the case of the vehicle detection system proposed in this paper. The ARM-based video processor not only deals with the video processing algorithms, but also takes advantage of the networking capabilities using an embedded operating system. Consequently, the final prototype implements the vehicle detection system as the main functionality, but offers additional features like remote detection area configuration, video delivery, remote software updating, etc. Results will show all the system capabilities as well as satisfactory vehicle detection rates.
Efficiency-based evaluation of aligners for industrial applications

This paper presents a novel efficiencybased evaluation of sentence and word aligners. This assessment is critical in order to make a reliable use in industrial scenarios. The evaluation shows that the resources required by aligners differ rather broadly. Subsequently, we establish limitation mechanisms on a set of aligners deployed as web services. These results, paired with the quality expected from the aligners, allow providers to choose the most appropriate aligner according to the task at hand.
Impact of the degree of anemia on the outcome of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and its integration into the WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS)

Background Anemia is an established negative prognostic factor in myelodysplastic syndromes but the relationship between its degree and clinical outcome is poorly defined. We, therefore, studied the relationship between severity of anemia and outcome in myelodysplastic syndrome patients. Design and Methods We studied 840 consecutive patients diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes at the Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy, and 504 patients seen at the Heinrich-Heine-University Hospital, Düsseldorf, Germany. Hemoglobin levels were monitored longitudinally and analyzed by means of time-dependent Cox’s proportional hazards regression models. Results Hemoglobin levels lower than 9 g/dL in males (HR 5.56, P=0.018) and 8 g/dL in females (HR=5.35, P=0.026) were independently related to reduced overall survival, higher risk of non-leukemic death and cardiac death (P<0.001). Severe anemia, defined as hemoglobin below these thresholds, was found to be as effective as transfusion-dependency in the prognostic assessment. After integrating this definition of severe anemia into the WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System, time-dependent regression and landmark analyses showed that the refined model was able to identify risk groups with different survivals at any time during follow up. Conclusions Accounting for severity of anemia through the WHO classification-based Prognostic Scoring System provides an objective criterion for prognostic assessment and implementation of risk-adapted treatment strategies in myelodysplastic syndrome patients.