Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Convolutional Fusion Network for Face Verification in the Wild

Part-based methods have seen popular applications for face verification in the wild, since they are more robust to local variations in terms of pose, illumination, and so on. However, most of the part-based approaches are built on hand-crafted features, which may not be suitable for the specific face verification purpose. In this paper, we propose to learn a part-based feature representation under the supervision of face identities through a deep model that ensures that the generated representations are more robust and suitable for face verification. The proposed framework consists of the following two deliberate components: 1) a deep mixture model (DMM) to find accurate patch correspondence and 2) a convolutional fusion network (CFN) to extract the part-based facial features. Specifically, DMM robustly depicts the spatial-appearance distribution of patch features over the faces via several Gaussian mixtures, which provide more accurate patch correspondence even in the presence of local distortions. Then, DMM only feeds the patches which preserve the identity information to the following CFN. The proposed CFN is a two-layer cascade of convolutional neural networks: 1) a local layer built on face patches to deal with local variations and 2) a fusion layer integrating the responses from the local layer. CFN jointly learns and fuses multiple local responses to optimize the verification performance. The composite representation obtained possesses certain robustness to pose and illumination variations and shows comparable performance with the state-of-the-art methods on two benchmark data sets.
Annotated statistical indices for sequence analysis

A statistical index for string x is a digital-search tree or trie that returns, for any query string /spl omega/ and in a number of comparisons bounded by the length of /spl omega/, the number of occurrences of /spl omega/ in x. Clever algorithms are available that support the construction and weighting of such indices in time and space linear in the length of x. This paper addresses the problem of annotating a statistical index with such parameters as the expected value and variance of the number of occurrences of each substring.
Anti-jamming transmission in UAV communication networks: A Stackelberg game approach

We investigate the anti-jamming problem in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) communication networks, in which the mutual interference among UAVs is considered. A Stackelberg game approach is proposed to solve this problem. The smart jammer who has the privilege over multiple users acts first as the leader of the game, while the users act as the followers after knowing the strategy of the smart jammer. The optimal transmission power of users and smart jammer are derived, and the influence of transmission cost on the users and the smart jammer are shown in the simulation results. The existence as well as the uniqueness of the Stackelberg equlibrium (SE) have been proved as well.
Self-Biased Magnetoelectric Composites: An Overview and Future Perspectives

Abstract Self-biased magnetoelectric (ME) composites, defined as materials that enable large ME coupling under external AC magnetic field in the absence of DC magnetic field, are an interesting, challenging and practical field of research. In comparison to the conventional ME composites, eliminating the need of DC magnetic bias provides great potential towards device miniaturization and development of components for electronics and medical applications. In this review, the current state-of-the-art of the different self-biased structures, their working mechanisms, as well as their main characteristics are summarized. Further, the nature and requirement of the self-biased magnetoelectric response is discussed with respect to the specific applications. Lastly, the remaining challenges as well as future perspective of this research field are discussed.
Characterising Dental Implant Surfaces by Topographical, Electrochemical, and Biomechanical Methods.

Replacement of extracted teeth by dental implants was first introduced in the 1950’s. From the beginning, threaded titanium implants with smooth surfaces were used. Later on, screw shaped implants with micro-scaled roughened surfaces were introduced showing bone ingrowth and improved in vivo and in vitro results and good long term stability. The rough surface induces both a larger area for mechanical interlocking and biomechanical stimulation at the micro level. Today most dental implants present on the commercial market are made of titanium or titanium alloys and have micro-scaled roughened surfaces. The unique properties of titanium implants have been attributed to the thin natural oxide film present on the surface, which interacts with the surrounding tissue and facilitates the healing process. In this thesis three studies were performed covering the fields of surface characterisation, biomechanics and electrochemistry. The overall goal is to design an implant surface that has faster and improved anchoring properties compared with commercial implants used today. In order to reach this goal, characterisation of the surface is of vital importance. In this respect, surface roughness parameters have been critically evaluated as a measure of the geometrical influence on the anchoring and a local model was developed where the mechanical properties of the implant-tissue interface were assumed to be the determining factor for success. The development of the Local model showed that the induced interfacial shear strength is dependent on the mean slope of the surface. Thus, a correlation between surface roughness parameters and in vivo performance is established. Such a relationship is beneficial for the development of new surfaces and could also minimize the need for animal studies. Further model developments are needed in order to take into account also the quality of the bone. Besides geometrical factors, physical (blasting) and chemical treatment (HF etching) were shown to influence the electric properties of the oxide film. Blasting introduces defects in the oxide and the conductivity increases compared to a turned surface. In the chemical treatment, fluoride ions are incorporated in the surface of TiO2. This results in lower surface stoichiometry and a higher number of charge carriers compared with the same surface without HF etching. The beneficial effects of HF treated surface, such as increased pull-out forces, can possibly be explained by the combined effect of increased conductivity and lower surface charge of the oxide due to incorporation of fluoride ions.
Robust real-time detection of multiple balls on a mobile robot

In this paper, we present a robust method for detecting multiple balls without using color information. The method builds upon the boosted Haar classifier approach introduced by Viola et al. [11] and is applied onto an image from a catadioptric camera without performing rectification of the image. We compare the method with one based on a classical color segmentation approach. Originally both methods have been developed for the participation on the 2012 “SICK robot day”, an international robotics competition. The task was to collect balls with a robot and put them into dedicated perches within a certain amount of time. Both methods showed to be robust during the competition. Our team placed second out of fifteen contenders.
Progress Toward “ the Holy Grail ” : The Continued Quest to Automate Fact-Checking

Two years ago at this conference we issued what we said was a “call to arms” to advance automated fact-checking [1]. We said the “Holy Grail” was “a completely automated fact-checking platform that can detect a claim as it appears in real time, and instantly provide the voter with a rating about its accuracy. ” We acknowledged that goal “may remain far beyond our reach for many, many years to come,” but we called on the journalism and computer science communities to redouble their efforts to make progress. Since then there has been remarkable progress and the “Holy Grail” is no longer a distant dream. Although computer scientists and journalists still have significant hurdles to overcome, recent advances with the creation of a global database of structured factchecks and fact-checking tools such as ClaimBuster and iCheck have laid a groundwork for additional advances in the next few years. As we noted in our 2015 paper, fact-checking is a growing form of journalism. According to the Duke Reporters’ Lab, the number of fact-checkers has nearly doubled from 64 in 2015 to 126 today. Fact-checking is uniquely suited for automated journalism because the individual articles have value weeks after they have been published because of the tendency of government officials to repeat political claims. During live events such as debates and speeches, fact-checking organizations have typically relied on editors and reporters to manually match new statements with previously published fact-checks. But in a fully automated system, the statements could be detected and, if they had been previously fact-checked, a link or summary of the conclusion could pop up in real time for the reader. A promising development in this effort is the creation of a schema to identify fact-checking articles. This project, which is led by members of our team from Google and Duke University, has created a global open standard known as ClaimReview so that organizations can identify the people and statements they are checking, as well as their conclusion about the accuracy of claims. Google and Bing are now using the schema for search results. Publishers can generate the schema from their content management systems or use the “Share the Facts” widget
Selective channel feedback mechanisms for wireless multichannel scheduling

Opportunistic scheduling can significantly improve wireless network performance by exploiting the feedback information that conveys the underlying channel condition. In emerging multichannel systems, the perchannel feedback induces a substantial amount of feedback overhead and requires high computational complexity. To reduce the feedback overhead, we consider an opportunistic feedback strategy that activates the channel feedback opportunistically according to the channel condition. Then, we combine the opportunistic feedback with the best-n channel feedback scheme where a mobile user chooses the best n channels and transfers this information to the base station. We analyze the throughput and the amount of channel feedback information for proportionally fair opportunistic scheduling under Rayleigh fading i.i. d. channels. The numerical results confirm that our partial feedback schemes achieve a remarkable reduction in the amount of feedback information without a significant throughput degradation, thereby saving the scarce wireless bandwidth and limited battery power
CSF Aβ42 and tau in Parkinson's disease with cognitive impairment

We tested the hypothesis that the CSF biomarker signature associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is present in a subset of individuals with Parkinson's disease and Dementia (PD‐D) or with PD and Cognitive Impairment, Not Dementia (PD‐CIND). We quantified CSF Aβ42, total tau (T‐tau), and phospho‐tau (P181‐tau) using commercially available kits. Samples were from 345 individuals in seven groups (n): Controls ≤50 years (35), Controls >50 years (115), amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) (24), AD (49), PD (49), PD‐CIND (62), and PD‐D (11). We observed expected changes in AD or aMCI compared with age‐matched or younger controls. CSF Aβ42 was reduced in PD‐CIND (P < 0.05) and PD‐D (P < 0.01), whereas average CSF T‐tau and P181‐tau were unchanged or decreased. One‐third of PD‐CIND and one‐half of PD‐D patients had the biomarker signature of AD. Abnormal metabolism of Aβ42 may be a common feature of PD‐CIND and PD‐D. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society
Hybrid IP/SDN Networking: Open Implementation and Experiment Management Tools

The introduction of SDN in large-scale IP provider networks is still an open issue and different solutions have been suggested so far. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach that allows the coexistence of traditional IP routing with SDN based forwarding within the same provider domain. The solution is called OSHI-Open Source Hybrid IP/SDN networking, as we have fully implemented it combining and extending open source software. We discuss the OSHI system architecture and the design and implementation of advanced services like pseudo wires and virtual switches. In addition, we describe a set of open source management tools for the emulation of the proposed solution using either the Mininet emulator or distributed physical testbeds. We refer to this suite of tools as Mantoo (management tools). Mantoo includes an extensible Web-based graphical topology designer, which provides different layered network “views” (e.g., from physical links to service relationships among nodes). The suite can validate an input topology, automatically deploy it over a Mininet emulator or a distributed SDN testbed and allows access to emulated nodes by opening consoles in the web GUI. Mantoo provides also tools to evaluate the performance of the deployed nodes.
Automated Analysis of Diffie-Hellman Protocols and Advanced Security Properties

We present a general approach for the symbolic analysis of security protocols that use Diffie-Hellman exponentiation to achieve advanced security properties. We model protocols as multiset rewriting systems and security properties as first-order formulas. We analyze them using a novel constraint-solving algorithm that supports both falsification and verification, even in the presence of an unbounded number of protocol sessions. The algorithm exploits the finite variant property and builds on ideas from strand spaces and proof normal forms. We demonstrate the scope and the effectiveness of our algorithm on non-trivial case studies. For example, the algorithm successfully verifies the NAXOS protocol with respect to a symbolic version of the eCK security model.
Influence of Rotating Speed on Mechanical Alloying Behavior of the Elemental Powder Blends of Nb-Ti-Si Based Alloy during Ball Milling Process

The elemental powder mixtures with the nominal composition of Nb-20Ti-15Si-5Cr-3Hf-3Al (at. %) were ball milled via QM-1SP4-CL planetary ball-milling machine at different rotating speed (300, 400 and 500 rpm). The corresponding mechanical alloying behaviors of the powder blends, including the evolutions of their phase constituent, microstructure, size and morphology, have been analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS. The results showed that with increasing rotating speed, the particle was remarkably refined and spheroidized, and meanwhile, the grain size decreased, accompanied with an improved microstrain. Herein, a lamellar microstructure of particles formed at the rotating speed of 300 rpm, and became finer with increasing the rotating speed up to 400 rpm. When further increasing the rotating speed up to 500 rpm, the homogenous microstructure composed of a supersaturated Nb solid solution (Nbss) finally formed.
Growth Opportunities, Earnings Permanence and the Valuation of Free Cash Flow

This paper examines empirically the effect of firm growth opportunities and earnings quality on the market valuation of free cash flow, defined as the difference between operating cash flows and capital expenditures. Equity valuation theory prescribes that free cash flow should not be associated with stock returns because it does not add value. However, free cash flow could become a value-relevant construct in certain contexts. This study considers growth opportunities and transitory earnings as two such contexts and examines the valuation of free cash flow. An accounting-based valuation framework is developed where stock returns are regressed on free cash flow interacted with growth and earnings quality proxies, after controlling for book values, dividends, and current earnings realisations. Findings reveal that firms with a positive free cash flow and attractive growth opportunities command a valuation premium. Furthermore, free cash flow is found to be positively associated with stock returns when earnings are transitory. The results are robust to alternative definitions of both free cash flow and growth opportunities.
Limbal stem cell transplantation: current perspectives

Regeneration of the corneal surface after an epithelial insult involves division, migration, and maturation of a specialized group of stem cells located in the limbus. Several insults, both intrinsic and extrinsic, can precipitate destruction of the delicate microenvironment of these cells, resulting in limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). In such cases, reepithelialization fails and conjunctival epithelium extends across the limbus, leading to vascularization, persistent epithelial defects, and chronic inflammation. In partial LSCD, conjunctival epitheliectomy, coupled with amniotic membrane transplantation, could be sufficient to restore a healthy surface. In more severe cases and in total LSCD, stem cell transplantation is currently the best curative option. Before any attempts are considered to perform a limbal stem cell transplantation procedure, the ocular surface must be optimized by controlling causative factors and comorbid conditions. These factors include adequate eyelid function or exposure, control of the ocular surface inflammatory status, and a well-lubricated ocular surface. In cases of unilateral LSCD, stem cells can be obtained from the contralateral eye. Newer techniques aim at expanding cells in vitro or in vivo in order to decrease the need for large limbal resection that may jeopardize the “healthy” eye. Patients with bilateral disease can be treated using allogeneic tissue in combination with systemic immunosuppressive therapy. Another emerging option for this subset of patients is the use of noncorneal cells such as mucosal grafts. Finally, the use of keratoprosthesis is reserved for patients who are not candidates for any of the aforementioned options, wherein the choice of the type of keratoprosthesis depends on the severity of the disease. In summary, limbal stem cell transplantation improves both vision and quality-of-life in patients with ocular surface disorders associated with LSCD, and overall, the use of autologous tissue offers the best results. Future studies aim at improving cellular expansion and finding different sources of stem cells.
Design of the Dual – Wideband Monopole Antenna for UMTS , WLAN and WiMAX Applications by using a Novel Hybrid Optimization Algorithm Deniz ÜSTÜN

In this study, a compact dual–wideband monopole antenna is proposed for the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) applications. In order to obtain the desired operating frequency bands, UMTS (1.9–2.1 GHz), WLAN (2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz) and WiMAX (2.5/3.5/5.5 GHz), a novel integration technique consisting of the HyperLynx ® 3D electromagnetic (EM) platform based on the method of moments (MoM) and a new hybrid optimization algorithm (HOA) is utilized. The HOA is developed by integrating powerful mutation and crossover strategies of differential evolution (DE) algorithm with the onlooker bee phase of the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. The monopole antenna is capable of producing two distinct operating bands. First impedance bandwidth of 2.48 GHz is from 1.44 to 3.92 GHz and second band having the bandwidth of 1.58 GHz is between 4.92 and 6.50 GHz. The proposed antenna has been designed, simulated and fabricated on 42×49.2×1.6 mm 3 FR4 substrate with relative permittivity 4.4 and loss tangent 0.02. The better performance in terms of impedance matching is achieved, as compared to the double–or triple–band antennas previously published in the literature. In addition, the design antenna performs the omnidirectional radiation patterns with a good gain performance in the operating bands.
Analog wavelet transform employing dynamic translinear circuits for cardiac signal characterization

An analog QRS complex detection circuit, for pacemaker applications, based on the Wavelet Transform (WT) is presented. The system detects the wavelet modulus maxima of the QRS complex. It consists of a wavelet transform filter, an absolute value circuit, a peak detector and a comparator. In order to achieve the low-power requirement in pacemakers, we propose a new method for implementing the WT in an analog way by means of the Dynamic Translinear (DTL) circuit technique. Simulations indicate a good performance of the WT and the QRS complex detection. The resulting circuit operates from a 2-V supply voltage, dissipates at most 55 nW per scale and can be fully integrated.
Identifying User and Group Information from Collaborative Filtering Datasets

This paper considers the information that can be captured about users and groups from a collaborative filtering dataset. The aims of the paper are to create a user model and to use this model to explain the performance of a collaborative filtering approach. A number of user and group features are defined and the performance of a collaborative filtering system in producing recommendations for users with different feature values is tested. Graph-based representations of the collaborative filtering space are presented and these are used to define some of the user and group features as well as being used in a recommendation task.
Highly enhanced upconversion luminescence in lanthanide-doped active-core/luminescent-shell/active-shell nanoarchitectures

We reported a new strategy to remarkably improve upconversion luminescence of Ln3+-doped nanoparticles via an active-core/luminescent-shell/active-shell engineering technique. By optimization of the structure of a NaGdF4:Yb@NaYF4:Yb/Er@NaGdF4:Yb sandwich-like nanoarchitecture, a significant enhancement of upconversion emission intensity was realized with the help of the synergistic actions of the suppression of Er-defect energy transfer and the efficient energy transfer from Yb3+ in both active-core and active-shell to Er3+ in the luminescent-shell layer.
Context-aware ontological schemes for multimedia personalization

Current methods used to explore the possibility of using context-aware ontological semantics for evaluating user-profile similarity are limited. The contributions of this paper are three-fold: a) to utilize and leverage the concept of ontology in p2p-based recommender system, b) to evaluate ontologically expanded user-profile for similarity evaluation, and c) to address the issue of cold-start in p2p-based personalization systems. We evaluated our method using user-profiles, extracted from Netflix Dataset, in measuring similarity between IPTV peer-users. Our method enriches user-profile vector for enhanced similarity evaluation with other peer-users in p2p network. Our approach expands the vector components for similarity evaluation with the other IPTV peer-users' expanded user-profile. This overall facilitates better comparison, better recommender aggregation, and quality recommendations.
On Moral Judgements and Personality Disorders

Psychopathic personality has always been a contentious concept, but it continues to be used in clinical practice and research. It also has its contemporary synonyms in the categories of antisocial personality disorder in DSM–III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980) and “personality disorder with predominantly asocial or sociopathic manifestations” in ICD–9 (World Health Organization, 1978), and some overlap between these and the legal category of psychopathic disorder identified in the English Mental Health Act 1983 is commonly assumed. Although the literal meaning of ‘psychopathic’ is nothing more specific than psychologically damaged, the term has long since been transmogrified to mean socially damaging, and as currently used, it implies a specific category of people inherently committed to antisocial behaviour as a consequence of personal abnormalities or deficiencies.