Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paraphrase Detection Based on Identical Phrase and Similar Word Matching

Paraphrase detection has numerous important applications in natural language processing (such as clustering, summarizing, and detecting plagiarism). One approach to detecting paraphrases is to use predicate argument tuples. Although this approach achieves high paraphrase recall, its accuracy is generally low. Other approaches focus on matching similar words, but word meaning is often contextual (e.g., ‘get along with,’ ‘look forward to’). An effective approach to detecting plagiarism would take into account the fact that plagiarists frequently cut and paste whole phrases and/or replace several words with similar words. This generally results in the paraphrased text containing identical phrases and similar words. Moreover, plagiarists usually insert and/or remove various minor words (prepositions, conjunctions, etc.) to both improve the naturalness and disguise the paraphrasing. We have developed a similarity matching (SimMat) metric for detecting paraphrases that is based on matching identical phrases and similar words and quantifying the minor words. The metric achieved the highest paraphrase detection accuracy (77.6%) when it was combined with eight standard machine translation metrics. This accuracy is better than the 77.4% rate achieved with the state-of-the-art approach for paraphrase detection.
Swarming Robot Design, Construction and Software Implementation

In this paper is presented an overview of the hardware design, construction overview, software design and software implementation for a small, low-cost robot to be used for swarming robot development. In addition to the work done on the robot, a full simulation of the robotic system was developed using Robot Operating System (ROS) and its associated simulation. The eventual use of the robots will be exploration of evolving behaviors via genetic algorithms and builds on the work done at the University of New Mexico Biological Computation Lab.
Early Experiences with OpenCL on FPGAs: Convolution Case Study

Many proprietary standards and tools have been designed in order to cover a closed set of architectures, and OpenCL has become a free standard for parallel programming on heterogeneous systems, which include custom devices, CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs. This work evaluates the use of the well-known convolution operator in signal processing disciplines focused on FPGA evaluation under different optimizations with respect to thread and memory level exploitation.
Robust super-resolution

A robust approach for super-resolution is, presented, which is especially valuable in the presence of outliers. Such outliers may be due to motion errors, inaccurate blur models, noise, moving objects, motion blur etc. This robustness is needed since super-resolution methods are very sensitive to such errors. A robust median estimator is combined in an iterative process to achieve a super resolution algorithm. This process can increase resolution even in regions with outliers, where other super resolution methods actually degrade the image.
(Nearly) Optimal Differentially Private Stochastic Multi-Arm Bandits

We study the problem of private stochastic multi-arm bandits. Our notion of privacy is the same as some of the earlier works in the general area of private online learning [13, 17, 24]. We design algorithms that are i) differentially private, and ii) have regret guarantees that (almost) match the regret guarantees for the best non-private algorithms (e.g., upper confidence bound sampling and Thompson sampling). Moreover, through our experiments, we empirically show the effectiveness of our algorithms.
State of the Art in Transfer Functions for Direct Volume Rendering

A central topic in scientific visualization is the transfer function (TF) for volume rendering. The TF serves a fundamental role in translating scalar and multivariate data into color and opacity to express and reveal the relevant features present in the data studied. Beyond this core functionality, TFs also serve as a tool for encoding and utilizing domain knowledge and as an expression for visual design of material appearances. TFs also enable interactive volumetric exploration of complex data. The purpose of this state‐of‐the‐art report (STAR) is to provide an overview of research into the various aspects of TFs, which lead to interpretation of the underlying data through the use of meaningful visual representations. The STAR classifies TF research into the following aspects: dimensionality, derived attributes, aggregated attributes, rendering aspects, automation, and user interfaces. The STAR concludes with some interesting research challenges that form the basis of an agenda for the development of next generation TF tools and methodologies.
Phosphatidylinositol 5-Kinase Stimulates Apical Biosynthetic Delivery via an Arp2/3-dependent Mechanism*

The mechanisms by which polarized epithelial cells target distinct carriers enriched in newly synthesized proteins to the apical or basolateral membrane remain largely unknown. Here we investigated the effect of phosphatidylinositol metabolism and modulation of the actin cytoskeleton, two regulatory mechanisms that have individually been suggested to function in biosynthetic traffic, on polarized traffic in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. Overexpression of phosphatidylinositol 5-kinase (PI5K) increased actin comet frequency in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and concomitantly stimulated trans-Golgi network (TGN) to apical membrane delivery of the raft-associated protein influenza hemagglutinin (HA), but did not affect delivery of a non-raft-associated apical protein or a basolateral marker. Modulation of actin comet formation by pharmacologic means, by overexpression of the TGN-localized inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase Ocrl, or by blockade of Arp2/3 function had parallel effects on the rate of apical delivery of HA. Moreover, HA released from a TGN block was colocalized in transport carriers in association with PI5K and actin comets. Inhibition of Arp2/3 function in combination with microtubule depolymerization led to a virtual block in HA delivery, suggesting synergistic coordination of these cytoskeletal assemblies in membrane transport. Our results suggest a previously unidentified role for actin comet-mediated propulsion in the biosynthetic delivery of a subset of apical proteins.
Semantic annotation for dynamic web environment

The semantic Web is a promising future Web environment. In order to realize the semantic Web, the semantic annotation should be widely available. The studies for generating the semantic annotation do not provide a solution to the 'document evolution' requirement which is to maintain the consistency between semantic annotations and Web pages. In this paper, we propose an efficient solution to the requirement, that is to separately generate the long-term annotation and the short-term annotation. The experimental results show that our approach outperforms an existing approach which is the most efficient among the automatic approaches based on static Web pages.
The Fibrinolytic Activity in the Newborn

The fibrinolytic activity of umbilical cord blood was investigated in 143 cases. In about half of the cases no fibrinolytic activity could be demonstrated. In the other cases there was a mild or moderate fibrinolytic activity. There was no difference in activity between the samples investigated immediately after the puncture and those kept in refrigerator up to 12 hours.
Draft Genome Sequences of Histamine-Producing Photobacterium kishitanii and Photobacterium angustum, Isolated from Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) and Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) Tuna

ABSTRACT Histamine-producing bacteria are responsible for scombrotoxin (histamine) fish poisoning, a leading cause of fish poisoning in the United States. We report here the draft genome sequences of four histamine-producing (HP) Photobacterium kishitanii strains and nine HP Photobacterium angustum strains isolated from tuna.
Predicting hypoxaemia during flights in children with cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND We have previously suggested that it is possible to predict oxygen desaturation during flight in children with cystic fibrosis and chronic lung disease by non-invasive measurement of oxygen saturation following inhalation of 15% oxygen—the pre-flight hypoxic challenge. This study reports on the results of measurements over 5 years. METHODS The study comprised a pre-flight hypoxic challenge measuring oxygen saturation by finger tip pulse oximetry (Spo 2) during tidal breathing of 15% oxygen in nitrogen and spirometric testing 1 month before the flight followed by Spo 2 measurements during intercontinental flights to and from holidays abroad with children in wake and sleep states. RESULTS Pre-flight tests were completed on 87 children with cystic fibrosis. Desaturation of <90% occurred in 10 children at some stage during the flight, three of whom received supplementary oxygen. Using a cut off Spo 2 of 90%, the pre-flight hypoxic challenge correctly predicted desaturation in only two of these children. The sensitivity and specificity of the pre-flight hypoxic challenge were 20% and 99%, respectively, compared with 70% and 96% for spirometric tests (using a cut off for forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of <50% predicted). Overall, pre-flight spirometric tests were a better predictor of desaturation during flight with the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.89 compared with 0.73 for the hypoxic challenge test. CONCLUSIONS In this group of subjects pre-flight spirometric testing was a better predictor of desaturation during flight than the pre-flight hypoxic challenge.
About Myths and Facts in the Cardiovascular System of the Giraffe

Being the tallest living animals, giraffes are endowed with a mean arterial pressure (MAP) twice as high as other mammals, including humans. The high pressure of the giraffe cardiovascular system undoubtedly causes serious challenges to both the heart and the systemic vasculature. Mechanisms must have evolved to protect the giraffe cardiovascular system from the adverse effects of a high MAP. The present thesis aims to unveil some of the protective mechanisms in the cardiovascular system in the giraffe and to gain knowledge of the evolutionary adaptations accompanying the highest known MAP of any mammals.
Stochastic and Deterministic Unit Commitment Considering Uncertainty and Variability Reserves for High Renewable Integration

The uncertain and variable nature of renewable energy sources in modern power systems raises significant challenges in achieving the dual objective of reliable and economically efficient system operation. To address these challenges, advanced scheduling strategies have evolved during the past years, including the co-optimization of energy and reserves under deterministic or stochastic Unit Commitment (UC) modeling frameworks. This paper presents different deterministic and stochastic day-ahead UC formulations, with focus on the determination, allocation and deployment of reserves. An explicit distinction is proposed between the uncertainty and the variability reserve, capturing the twofold nature of renewable generation. The concept of multi-timing scheduling is proposed and applied in all UC policies, which allows for the optimal procurement of such reserves based on intra-hourly (real-time) intervals, when concurrently optimizing energy and commitments over hourly intervals. The day-ahead scheduling results are tested against different real-time dispatch regimes, with none or limited look-ahead capability, or with the use of the variability reserve, utilizing a modified version of the Greek power system. The results demonstrate the enhanced reliability achieved by applying the multi-timing scheduling concept and explicitly considering the variability reserve, and certain features regarding the allocation and deployment of reserves are discussed.
How to Build a Low-Cost, Extended-Range RFID Skimmer

Radio-Frequency Identifier (RFID) technology, using the ISO-14443 standard, is becoming increasingly popular, with applications like credit-cards, national-ID cards, Epassports, and physical access control. The security of such applications is clearly critical. A key feature of RFID-based systems is their very short range: Typical systems are designed to operate at a range of 5-10cm. Despite this very short nominal range, Kfir and Wool predicted that a rogue device can communicate with an ISO-14443 RFID tag from a distance of 40-50cm, based on modeling and simulations. Moreover, they claimed that such a device can be made portable, with low power requirements, and can be built very cheaply. Such a device can be used as a stand-alone RFID skimmer, to surreptitiously read the contents of simple RFID tags. The same device can be as the "leech" part of a relay-attack system, by which an attacker can make purchases using a victim's RFID-enhanced credit card-despite any cryptographic protocols that may be used. In this study we show that the modeling predictions are quite accurate. We show how to build a portable, extended-range RFID skimmer, using only electronics hobbyist supplies and tools. Our skimmer is able to read ISO-14443 tags from a distance of ≈ 25cm, uses a lightweight 40cm-diameter copper-tube antenna, is powered by a 12V battery-and requires a budget of ≈$100. We believe that, with some more effort, we can reach ranges of ≈35cm, using the same skills, tools, and budget. We conclude that (a) ISO-14443 RFID tags can be skimmed from a distance that does not require the attacker to touch the victim; (b) Simple RFID tags, that respond to any reader, are immediately vulnerable to skimming; and (c) We are about halfway toward a full-blown implementation of a relay-attack.
Structuring Information and Entropy: Catalyst as Information Carrier

Many authors tried to exploit the similarities between expressions of the statistical thermodynamics for the entropy and those of Shannon's information theory. In a new approach, we highlight the role of information involved in chemical systems, in particular in the interaction between catalysts and reactants, what we call structuring information. By means of examples, we present some applications of this concept to the biosphere, by visiting a very vast domain going from the appearance of life on earth to its present evolution.
Role of PET/CT in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of a nasal-type natural killer T-cell lymphoma in the larynx: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND Nasal-type natural killer T-cell lymphoma involving the larynx is uncommon. Our search revealed only 12 cases reported previously in the English-language literature. CASE REPORT We report a case of laryngeal NKTCL. In December 2011, the patient was diagnosed with nasal-type NKTCL and FDG PET/CT showed the lesions were confined to the nasal cavity (stage I). At 1 year after radiotherapy, the patient presented with hoarseness and FDG PET/CT revealed high FDG uptake in the subglottic region and left cervical lymph nodes. A biopsy of the subglottis confirmed NKTCL (stage II). He then received chemotherapy and 14 months after the completion of chemotherapy, FDG PET/CT showed no evidence of recurrence or metastasis. CONCLUSIONS PET/CT has better sensitivity than other conventional methods and may play an important role in the diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of nasal-type natural killer T-cell lymphoma.
Addiction-like behavior in Drosophila

Alcohol abuse is a pervasive problem known to be influenced by genetic factors, yet our understanding of the mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction is far from complete. Drosophila melanogaster has been established as a model for studying the molecular mechanisms that mediate the acute and chronic effects of alcohol. However, the Drosophila model has not yet been extended to include more complex alcohol-related behaviors such as self-administration. We recently established a paradigm to characterize ethanol consumption and preference in flies. We demonstrated that flies prefer to consume ethanol-containing food over regular food, and this preference exhibits several features of alcohol addiction: flies increase ethanol consumption over time, they consume ethanol to pharmacologically relevant concentrations, they will overcome an aversive stimulus in order to consume ethanol, and they exhibit relapse after a period of ethanol deprivation. Thus, ethanol preference in flies provides a new model for studying important aspects of addiction and their underlying mechanisms. One mutant that displayed decreased ethanol preference, krasavietz, may represent a first step toward uncovering those mechanisms.
Acoustic modeling for hindi speech recognition in low-resource settings

We propose an approach for acoustic modeling of Hindi speech by borrowing from English data, for the purpose of Hindi LVCSR. Hindi, like many Indian languages, has a significant speaker base but there have not been a lot of resources to obtain large amounts of transcribed Hindi data for LVCSR. We compare a baseline Gaussian model-sharing approach with DNN training. A widely used data-borrowing method with DNN is to firstly train a DNN with English, for which a large amount of training data is available; then the whole DNN, except the last layer, is fine-tuned by using the target Hindi data. We propose to do phonetic mapping between Hindi and English in the first stage, training Hindi acoustic models by sharing data between Hindi-English phone pairs in the second stage, and finally fine-tuning the acoustic model by using the Hindi data. We evaluate and compare these approaches with experiments using 1 hour of transcribed Hindi data and 15 hours of Wall Street Journal English data. Experiments show that the proposed method significantly outperforms conventional baseline models in a low-resource setting for phone recognition tasks.
University of Huddersfield Repository How places influence crime: The impact of surrounding areas on neighbourhood burglary rates in a British City

Burglary prevalence within neighbourhoods is well understood but the risk from bordering areas is under-theorised and under-researched. If it were possible to fix a neighbourhood’s location but substitute its surrounding areas, one might expect to see some influence on its crime rate. But by treating surrounding areas as independent observations, ecological studies assume that identical neighbourhoods with markedly different surroundings are equivalent. If not, knowing the impact of different peripheries would have significance for crime prevention, land use planning and other policy domains. This paper tests whether knowledge of the demographic makeup of surrounding areas can improve on the prediction of a neighbourhood's burglary rate based solely on its internal socio-demographics. Results identify significant between-area effects with certain types of periphery exerting stronger influences than others. The advantages and drawbacks of the Spatial Error and Predictor Lag model used in the analysis are discussed and areas for further research defined.
Towards a Bufferless Optical Internet

This paper investigates the relationship between buffer size and long-term average TCP performance in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks. By investigating TCP NewReno, we demonstrate that buffer requirements are related to the number of wavelength channels at a bottleneck. With sufficient wavelengths, high throughput can be obtained with a buffer of one packet per channel; furthermore, there may be situations where an entirely bufferless optical packet switching (OPS) will become feasible. For this study, we develop new evaluation tools. First, we propose a method based on a two-part analytical model, with a new ¿open loop¿ component which approximates packet discarding in a bottleneck DWDM switch, and a ¿closed loop¿ fixed-point which reflects the impact of TCP. This analytical method provides accurate and scalable approximations of throughput and packet loss rate that can be used as part of a tool for DWDM network and switch design. Second, we propose an extrapolation technique to allow simulation of TCP over long ultra-high bit rate links, avoiding the intractable processing and memory requirements of direct simulation. This extrapolation technique enables us to validate the analytical model for arbitrarily high bit rate scenarios.
Pervasive, secure access to a hierarchical sensor-based healthcare monitoring architecture in wireless heterogeneous networks

This study presents a healthcare monitoring architecture coupled with wearable sensor systems and an environmental sensor network for monitoring elderly or chronic patients in their residence. The wearable sensor system, built into a fabric belt, consists of various medical sensors that collect a timely set of physiological health indicators transmitted via low energy wireless communication to mobile computing devices. Three application scenarios are implemented using the proposed network architecture. The group-based data collection and data transmission using the ad hoc mode promote outpatient healthcare services for only one medical staff member assigned to a set of patients. Adaptive security issues for data transmission are performed based on different wireless capabilities. This study also presents a monitoring application prototype for capturing sensor data from wireless sensor nodes. The implemented schemes were verified as performing efficiently and rapidly in the proposed network architecture.
Design of low-leakage power-rail ESD clamp circuit with MOM capacitor and STSCR in a 65-nm CMOS process

A power-rail electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp circuit designed with low-leakage consideration has been proposed and verified in a 65-nm low-voltage CMOS process. By using the metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitor in the ESD-detection circuit, the power-rail ESD clamp circuit realized with only thin-oxide (1-V) devices has very low stand-by leakage current, as compared to the traditional design. The experimental results in the silicon chip showed that the standby leakage current is only 358 nA at room temperature (25 °C) under the power-supply voltage of 1 V, whereas the traditional design realized with the NMOS capacitor is as high as 828 µA under the same bias condition.
DLS: A Resource-Aware Localization Algorithm with High Precision in Large Wireless Sensor Networks

One of the key issues in large wireless sensor networks is a precise position determination of every node with minimal hardware requirements and lowest energy consumption. Exact localization techniques, which are prone to input errors, are resource-intensive and not feasible on simple sensor nodes without adaptations. The key mechanism is to effectively split the complex computation and distribute the communication load across all nodes. Therefore, we present the "distributed least squares" (DLS)-algorithm. DLS is a resource-aware localization method that achieves 47% computation savings and 86% energy savings compared to the reference method, a "fully distributed multilateration" on every sensor node.