Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to Identify and Measure the Level of Alignment between IT and Business Governance

Strategic business and IT alignment assessment is growing in importance. Different assessment methods have been used to try to pursue the complexity of this dynamic and evolutionary alignment. Despite the fact that alignment is a real problem and a challenge of utmost importance, no consensus can be found on what alignment really is, how it should be measured in the organization in practice, or what measures should be taken to maintain and improve it. Consequently, the key question about how to assess and accomplish (define, identify, measure, maintain and improve) the strategic business and IT alignment is still a great unanswered challenge for many enterprises.In this thesis work, three main research questions were formulated: how can the validity and reliability of an alignment assessment method be improved, what are the dominant topics in the area of alignment, and how to facilitate the analysis of the business and IT governance alignment based on business process simulation and balanced scorecard methods.This is a composite thesis work that includes an introduction and six papers (paper A-F). The main contributions and results of this thesis are described in published and included technical papers. In papers A and B an alternative organization-wide approach and metamodel for assessing strategic business and IT alignment are proposed. Two case studies were performed applying the proposed approach. In paper C, a prioritized diagram of the most widely accepted strategic alignment model, with the purpose of categorizing the most important topics in the research area of strategic business and IT alignment is presented. One of the relevant topics that were identified is governance. In papers D, E and F, there are presented a business process simulation approach and a balanced scorecard method in order to facilitate the assessment of the business and IT governance alignment. An illustrative example of the simulation approach is presented in an appendix of this thesis.This research work aims to improve the decision-making process for business and IT managers at different levels in an enterprise by means of increasing the level of understanding and knowledge as well as by enhancing existing models and methods, for evaluating strategic business and IT alignment.
Mechanisms and Games for Dynamic Spectrum Allocation: Auction-driven market mechanisms for dynamic spectrum management*

There is nowadays unanimous agreement that spectrum should be allocated in a dynamic fashion so as to match the stochastic supply and demand by responding to spatiotemporal variations of spectrum availability and request. The imminent liberalization of the spectrum markets is expected to provide more control mechanisms for spectrum exploitation in that respect. Wireless network entities will be able to trade, resell, lease or contribute their resources to a common spectrum pool. In these emerging dynamic spectrum markets there will be many involved entities with diverse and conflicting objectives and hence their success relies on employing proper market-clearing mechanisms. However, designing economicsinspired spectrum management schemes for the dynamic spectrum markets is a challenging task since the objective of the designer is twofold: ensure the socially desirable efficient spectrum utilization and allow interacting entities to accrue monetary or other benefits from participating in these markets. In this chapter, we start by outlining the peculiar characteristics that distinguish the dynamic spectrum markets from other commodity markets and from traditional spectrum markets. We then discuss auction-based mechanisms since they are expected to constitute one of the basic methods for selling spectrum. Auctions are the most suitable market mechanisms for allocating resources when there is limited information about buyers’ valuation for the resource. We analyze the properties of different auction schemes and discuss the challenges in designing such mechanisms for dynamic spectrum markets. We study hierarchical spectrum allocation schemes that are expected to proliferate in these multi-layer markets. Using simple examples it is explained that lack of coordination and the different objectives of the entities in different layers induce an inefficient overall spectrum allocation. We discuss the necessity of devising novel mechanisms that address these issues. Another important aspect of dynamic spectrum markets is that each operator and user will be both a spectrum seller and a spectrum buyer. The existence of multiple dual-role network entities calls for double auction spectrum allocation mechanisms. Unlike typical double auctions, in this case the employed schemes should be lightweight and amenable to decentralized execution. A mechanism that satisfies these requirements is presented. 2 Auction driven market mechanisms for dynamic spectrum management
Formalizing XML access control for update operations

Several languages have been proposed over the past years which support the specification of access control on XML data. Most of these languages consider read-access restrictions only and do not deal with access rights for updates(such as add, delete, or modify operations). Fine-grain XML update operations are subject to current research. This paper proposes XACU, a language for specifying access control on XML data in the presence of update operations. The update operations used in XACU are based on the W3CX Query Update Facility working draft. A formal access control model is defined which allows to study properties of XACU access policies. One essential property is consistency the policy should not allow the execution of a sequence of updates which has the same total effect as an update forbidden by the policy. Since XACU is a rich language with inherent ambiguities, checking consistency of a set of XACU rules is difficult, and undecidable in general.
Texture Image Classification Using Support Vector Machine

Texture refers to properties that represent the surface or structure of an object and is defined as something consisting of mutually related elements. The main focus in this study is to do texture segmentation and classification for texture images. Statistical features can be calculated based on the grey level co-occurrence probabilities (GLCP) generated. The statistical features used in this study are uniformity, contrast, and entropy. The features are obtained by using a combination of different angles. For noise reduction, an appropriate moving average is applied to the statistical features. To postprocess the image, support vector machines (SVM) had been proposed to do classification on the extracted features. Some kernel functions which are being tested are second degree polynomial, radial basis function (RBF), exponential radial basis function (ERBF), sigmoid, and odd-order Bspline. RBF and ERBF achieved the best classification accuracy compare to other kernels used. SVM also automatically helps RBF kernel to define the centres during optimization. Brodatz texture album is used in this study to test out the result. In the study, a combined GLCP with SVM post-processing showed a marked improvement over other classifier in terms of classification accuracy.
Towards Embodied Evolution of Robot Organisms

The theory of evolution through natural selection was conceived by Charles Darwin in the 19th century. It was used it to explain life on earth as we know it. In the 20th century the rules and concepts of evolution were transferred to the computer to evolve digital entities like programs or solutions to numerical functions. Now we aim to take the next step, taking evolution back into the real world by evolving physical things. Our goal is to create a system where robot organisms undergo evolution. Such a system is an example of second order engineering, that is, a system where we don’t directly design a robot organism but design a designer of robot organisms. Such a system can be useful when it is difficult or impossible to determine beforehand what a good design is. An example of such a situation could be planetary exploration. We do not know what the requirements for a robot on an unknown planet would be. So instead of directly designing a robot organism we could send a system to this planet which can build and deploy new robot organisms into the environment. Based on the performance of a robot organism the system can select promising ones and improve them, resulting in increasingly better robot organisms.
Involvement of residues of the ϕ29 terminal protein intermediate and priming domains in the formation of a stable and functional heterodimer with the replicative DNA polymerase

Bacteriophage ϕ29 genome consists of a linear double-stranded DNA with a terminal protein (TP) covalently linked to each 5′ end (TP-DNA) that together with a specific sequence constitutes the replication origins. To initiate replication, the DNA polymerase forms a heterodimer with a free TP that recognizes the origins and initiates replication using as primer the hydroxyl group of TP residue Ser232. The 3D structure of the DNA polymerase/TP heterodimer allowed the identification of TP residues that could be responsible for interaction with the DNA polymerase. Here, we examined the role of TP residues Arg158, Arg169, Glu191, Asp198, Tyr250, Glu252, Gln253 and Arg256 by in vitro analyses of mutant derivatives. The results showed that substitution of these residues had an effect on either the stability of the TP/DNA polymerase complex (R158A) or in the functional interaction of the TP at the polymerization active site (R169A, E191A, Y250A, E252A, Q253A and R256A), affecting the first steps of ϕ29 TP-DNA replication. These results allow us to propose a role for these residues in the maintenance of the equilibrium between TP-priming domain stabilization and its gradual exit from the polymerization active site of the DNA polymerase as new DNA is being synthesized.
Transducing Sentences to Syntactic Feature Vectors: an Alternative Way to “Parse”?

Classification and learning algorithms use syntactic structures as proxies between source sentences and feature vectors. In this paper, we explore an alternative path to use syntax in feature spaces: the Distributed Representation “Parsers”(DRP). The core of the idea is straightforward: DRPs directly obtain syntactic feature vectors from sentences without explicitly producing symbolic syntactic interpretations. Results show that DRPs produce feature spaces significantly better than those obtained by existing methods in the same conditions and competitive with those obtained by existing methods with lexical information.
Vision-based tracking control of nonholonomic mobile robots without position measurement

Localization is one of the most crucial and difficult problems for motion control of mobile robots despite of tremendous research efforts made for years. This paper presents a new vision-based controller for controlling a nonholonomic mobile robot to track a desired trajectory without directly measuring its position. A novel adaptive estimator is embedded into this new controller to estimate global position of the mobile robot online using natural visual features measured by a vision system, and its orientation and velocity measured by odometry/inertia/magnetic sensors. It is proved by Lyapunov theory that the proposed controller gives rise to asymptotic tracking of a desired trajectory and convergence of the position estimation to the actual position. The experiment is conducted to validate the proposed controller.
Characterizing exhaled airflow from breathing and talking.

UNLABELLED The exhaled air of infected humans is one of the prime sources of contagious viruses. The exhaled air comes from respiratory events such as the coughing, sneezing, breathing and talking. Accurate information on the thermo-fluid characteristics of the exhaled airflow can be important for prediction of infectious disease transmission. The present study developed a source model to provide the thermo-fluid conditions of the exhaled air from the breathing and talking processes. The source model is a set of equations obtained from the measurements of the flow rate, flow direction, and area of mouth/nose opening with human subjects. It was found that the exhaled flow rate over time can be represented as a sinusoidal function for breathing and a constant for talking. The flow rates can be calculated by physiological parameters of a subject. The direction of the exhalation jet did not vary much between subjects and the area of mouth/nose opening could be regarded as a constant. Though the mouth/nose opening size varied among subjects, they were not correlated with the physiological parameters of the subjects. If combined with appropriate virus and droplet distribution information, the model can be used to describe the disease source due to breathing and talking. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Accurate prediction of airborne disease transmission, and the infection prone zones, can aid in identifying and implementing the control strategies. With the recent advancements, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a powerful tool in predicting the disease transmission. Accurate prediction of the transmission by these CFD simulations requires information on sources and sinks of infectious viruses and models for dispersion of these viruses. The exhaled air of an infected human is one of the prime sources of disease viruses. In the present study, measurements of the flow were conducted on human subjects to develop models for the flow boundary conditions for the exhalation and inhalation during breathing and talking.
Analytical Modeling of Read Margin Probability Distribution Function of SRAM Cells in Presence of Process Variations and NBTI Effect

Abstract— In this work, we present an analytical model for calculating the Read Margin of SRAM cells as a function of different transistors parameters. Using this model and assuming normal distribution for the threshold voltages of transistors in the presence of process variations, the probability distribution function (PDF) of the Read Margin is analytically derived. In addition, the time variation of the PDF due to the NBTI (negative bias temperature instability) effect is also considered in the model. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing its results with those of HSPICE simulations in 45 nm and 32 nm technologies. The comparison demonstrates a very high level of accuracy for the proposed model.
A Method to Improve the Spelling of Children with Dyslexia

In this paper we present a method which aims to improve the spelling of children with dyslexia through playful and targeted exercises. In contrast to previous approaches, our method does not use correct words or positive examples to follow, but presents the child a misspelled word as an exercise to solve. We created these training exercises on the basis of the linguistic knowledge extracted from the errors found in texts written by children with dyslexia. To test the effectiveness of this method in Spanish, we integrated the exercises in a game for iPad, DysEggxia (Piruletras in Spanish), and carried out a within-subject experiment. During eight weeks, 48 children played either DysEggxia or Word Search, which is another word game. We conducted tests and questionnaires at the beginning of the study, after four weeks when the games were switched, and at the end of the study. The children who played DysEggxia for four weeks in a row had significantly less writing errors in the tests that after playing Word Search for the same time. This provides evidence that error-based exercises presented in a tablet help children with dyslexia improve their spelling skills.
On Sweep Coverage with Minimum Mobile Sensors

For some sensor network applications, the problem of sweep coverage, which periodically covers POIs (Points of Interest) to sense events, is of importance. How to schedule minimum number of mobile sensors to achieve the sweep coverage within specified sweep period is a challenging problem, especially when the POIs to be scanned exceeds certain scale and the speed of mobile sensor is limited. Therefore, multiple mobile sensors are required to collaboratively complete the scanning task. When the mobile sensor is restricted to follow the same trajectory in different sweep periods, we design a centralized algorithm, MinExpand, to schedule the scan path. When the scan path of the existing mobile sensors has been exceeds the length constraint, MinExpand gradually deploys more mobile sensors and eventually achieves sweep coverage to all POIs. When the mobile sensors are not restricted to follow the same trajectory in different sweep periods, we design OSweep algorithm, where all the mobile sensors are scheduled to move along a TSP (Traveling Salesman Problem) ring consists of POIs. We conduct comprehensive simulations to study the performance of the proposed algorithms. The simulation results show that MinExpand and OSweep outperform CSWEEP in both effectiveness and efficiency.
Real-Time Rendering of Rough Refraction under Dynamically Varying Environmental Lighting

The illumination of rough refraction is challenging due to the complex integrations of scattered lights from multiple directions. Prefiltered environment map is able to eliminate the comprehensive integrations, but the precomputation stage protects it from being adapted into dynamically varying environmental lighting. We propose a real-time method for rendering rough refraction, supporting dynamically changing lighting, geometries and materials. Environment maps are efficiently compressed by summed area table (SAT), whose construction only costs several milliseconds. Meanwhile, rough refraction effects are approximated by our lobe merging method. Solid results of our approach are demonstrated by comparing with ground truth results generated with a path tracing engine.
Learning bodies: What do teachers learn from embodied practice?

In this article, we reflect on ways that young adolescents learn through embodied practice, which we define as moments when the body is ‘caught up’ in learning activities. Our observations draw from two workshops conducted as part of the IMC Sky High! program which annually involves over 150 Year 7 and 8 students from schools in low socioeconomic areas of south-west Sydney, Australia. The program is delivered on and off campus by a team at the University of Technology Sydney. In addition to building confidence and skill in curriculum areas, the program aims to introduce young high school students to a tertiary environment and motivate them to engage more actively at school. Paying close attention to a classical music encounter and a trip to a museum, we use ethnographic strategies to consider how looking, doing, listening and proximity facilitate feelings of connection and motivation towards learning. We discuss how an educators’ sensitivity to the listening and speaking body, and the learning and caring body can enhance learning design and opportunities for engagement. Greater awareness of embodiment can enable educators to facilitate rich, sensory learning encounters that are empowering and transformative.
Semi‐regular Quadrilateral‐only Remeshing from Simplified Base Domains

Semi‐regular meshes describe surface models that exhibit a structural regularity that facilitates many geometric processing algorithms. We introduce a technique to construct semi‐regular, quad‐only meshes from input surface meshes of arbitrary polygonal type and genus. The algorithm generates a quad‐only model through subdivision of the input polygons, then simplifies to a base domain that is homeomorphic to the original mesh. During the simplification, a novel hierarchical mapping method, keyframe mapping, stores specific levels‐of‐detail to guide the mapping of the original vertices to the base domain. The algorithm implements a scheme for refinement with adaptive resampling of the base domain and backward projects to the original surface. As a byproduct of the remeshing scheme, a surface parameterization is associated with the remesh vertices to facilitate subsequent geometric processing, i.e. texture mapping, subdivision surfaces and spline‐based modeling.
PAPR Reduction Algorithm Based on Improved μ-law Companding Transform and PTS Technology

As a new multicarrier modulation system, orthogonal wavelet packet multiplexing (OWPM) system also has the problem of high peak to average power ratio (PAPR). In order to resolve the problem that of high computational complexity and inadequate effect of PAPR suppression for Partial Transmit Sequence (PTS) and high BER for the method of μ-law companding transform, an algorithm of PAPR reduction based on improved μ-law companding transform and PTS technology is put forward in the paper. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm compared with the original algorithm has corresponding improvement of performance, and the combined processing with μ-law companding transformation and PTS technology, on the condition that not to affect the original bit error rate(BER) of system, can better reduce PAPR, while decrease the computational complexity. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Towards a Global Optimal Multi-Layer Stixel Representation of Dense 3D Data

Dense 3D data as delivered by stereo vision systems, modern laser scanners or timeof-flight cameras such as PMD is a key element for 3D scene understanding. Real-time high-level vision systems require a compact and explicit representation of that data which allows for efficient attention control, object detection, and reasoning. Because man-made environments are dominated by planar horizontal and vertical surfaces we approximate the three dimensional scenery by using sets of thin planar rectangles called Stixels. This medium level representation serves as input for further processing steps and applications. Using this novel representation those are not required to process the large amounts of raw 3D data individually. This reconstruction is addressed by means of a unified probabilistic approach. Dynamic programming allows to incorporate real-world constraints such as perspective ordering and delivers an optimal segmentation with respect to freespace and obstacle information. We present results for both stereo vision data and laser data. The real-time capable approach can also be used to fuse the information of multiple data sources.