Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Call admission control algorithm for CDMA systems with adaptive antennas

In CDMA systems with adaptive antennas, the direction of the terminals must be considered when controlling the admission of new calls. This paper proposes a call admission control algorithm based on the estimated signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) at the output of the adaptive antennas. The algorithm estimates the SINR for a new call using the response vector of the call request packet and the correlation matrix deciding to accept or block new calls. Numerical results show that adaptive antennas are effectively utilized under the proposed call admission control algorithm.
Three new records of dinoflagellates in Singapore’s coastal waters, with observations on environmental conditions associated with microalgal growth in the Johor Straits

The coastal environment in Singapore is increasingly affected by algal blooms. In addition to some 20 species previously reported in the literature, we have recently detected three dinoflagellate species, namely Karenia mikimotoi and two species of Karlodinium, i.e., K. cf. australe and K. cf. veneficum, for the first time in Singapore waters. Our studies indicate that the recent dinoflagellate blooms in the Johor Strait were formed during neap tide under physical settings that encouraged eutrophic conditions. In such conditions, several nitrogen (N) sources are available at high concentrations in contrast to low silicate (Si) concentration. A high N:Si ratio appears to allow a dinoflagellate bloom to be maintained for a prolonged period. The dinoflagellates Takayama xiamenensis, Karlodinium cf. veneficum and K. australe identified during the recent bloom appear to be associated with the fish kills along Johor. Detailed studies are needed to understand the dynamics of these blooms and causal factors initiating such blooms. Implementation of a long term science-based harmful algal blooms (HAB) management programme will be useful to safeguard our health of our coastal waters, mariculture activities and human health.
Detection of Internet-Scale Traffic Redirection

Internet security has become a major concern amongst users and internet services providers, since successful attacks can cause serious damages. A world-wide redirection of target traffic allows attackers to intercept the information sent by the user before it reaches its destination. This action will compromise unencrypted communications and allow the deployment of various attacks on encrypted communications. Detecting these intrusions in real-time would allow the users to, not only be aware they were under attack, but also take protective measures to stop their malicious effects. In this paper we present a solution to this problem, which intends to identify if a certain time period, characterized by the traffic registered in that period, is the result, or not, of an attack. The first step is to identify the anomalous periods, and then detect if the machine that produces such traffic is or not under attack. It is expected that a compromised machine produces atypical traffic, when compared to the traffic the machine produces in a regular regime. The goal of this study is to analyse several classification methods (both supervised and unsupervised), as well as methods based in heuristic rules, in order to determine if we are facing a global attack or just legitimate irregularities caused by the traffic generated by the machine at study. This final decision is obtained using a latent class model, which combines the results of the classification of a certain supervised method, applied to traffic measurements with origin in the machine at study, but with different destinations, in the same time intervals.
Running with the Red Queen : An Integrated Assessment of Agricultural Land Expansion and Global Biodiversity Decline ∗

Modern agriculture relies on a small number of highly productive crops and the continued expansion of agricultural land area has led to a significant loss of biodiversity. In this paper we consider the macroeconomic consequences of a continued expansion of modern agriculture from the perspective of agricultural productivity and food production: as the genetic material supporting agriculture declines, pests and pathogens become more likely to adapt to crops and proliferate, increasing crop losses due to biological hazards. To evaluate the macroeconomic consequences of a reduction in agricultural productivity associated with the expansion of agriculture, we employ a quantitative, structurally estimated model of the global economy in which economic growth, population and food demand, agricultural innovations, and the process of land conversion are jointly determined. We show that even a small impact of global biodiversity on agricultural productivity calls for both a halt in agricultural land conversion and increased agricultural R&D in order to maintain food production associated with population and income growth.
Preventing Exploits Against Software of Uncertain Provenance (PEASOUP)

Abstract : We describe the results of the research and development of PEASOUP (Preventing Exploits Against Software of Uncertain Provenance), a technology that enables the safe execution of software executables. PEASOUP provides the following capabilities: prevents exploits of number-handling weaknesses and memory-safety weaknesses; prevents OS command injections, OS command argument injections, SQL injections, and denial-of-service exploits based on inducing a null-pointer dereference; and prevents any exploit based on arc-injection or code-injection, regardless of the type of vulnerability targeted for attack. PEASOUP also offers experimental protection against exploit of many concurrency and resource drain vulnerabilities, including: file-system Time-Of-Check-to-Time-Of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerabilities, use of non-reentrant functions in signal handlers, deadlock vulnerabilities, atomicity violations, memory leaks, and file-handle leaks. The PEASOUP effort advanced the state-of-the-art in automatic machine-code analysis, diversification, confinement, and remediation. Specific results include: a technique for preventing command injection attacks inspired by DNA Shotgun Sequencing, a technique that often allows server programs to remain operational after an attempted null-pointer dereference, improved integer-error analyses, improved protections for heap- and stack-allocated memory, novel techniques for analyzing file input types, and a superior design for a software dynamic translator that prevents attacks against the translator.
DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILE GROUP MODEL IN TWO – LAYER SANDY SOIL SUBJECTED TO LATERAL EARTHQUAKE EXCITATION

The behavior of pile foundations under earthquake loading is an important factor affecting the performance of such structures. Observations from past earthquakes have shown that piles in stiff soils generally perform well, while those installed in soft or liquefiable soils are more subjected to problems arising from ground amplification or excessive soil movements. A series of laboratory tests were conducted to measure the response of pile foundation when subjected to dynamic loads. A special vibration box was manufactured. The accompanied measurements include vertical and horizontal displacement and settlement of pile cap, acceleration in three dimensions in both soil and cap and earth pressures. The model pile used has an outer diameter of 18 mm and inner diameter of 15 mm. A group of (2x2) piles was tested. It was concluded that for soil bed in dry state, the acceleration amplitudes increase with frequency for both soil relative densities (loose and medium). The maximum acceleration in the foundation is lower than in soil bed for all operating shaking frequencies and soil states. The decreasing of the maximum acceleration recorded in the foundation as compared to that in the soil bed is between 10-100 % for loose and medium state of soil, and the decrease in loose state is more than in medium state. This means that there is damping effect or attenuation of vibration waves.
Optimizations of the GPU-based three-dimensional FDTD program with CPML boundary condition on Kepler architecture GPU

An effective way to accelerate the Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is the use of a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). This paper describes an implementation of the three dimensional FDTD method with CPML boundary condition on a Kepler (GK110) architecture GPU. We optimize the FDTD domain decomposition method on Kepler GPU. And then, several Kepler-based optimizations are studied and applied to the FDTD program. The optimized program achieved up to 270.9 times speedup compared to the CPU sequential version. The experiments show that 22.2% of the simulation time is saved compared to the GPU version without optimizations. The solution is also faster than previous works.
A G 3-Continuous Extend Procedure for Path Planning of Mobile Robots with Limited Motion Curvature and State Constraints

Provably correct and computationally efficient path planning in the presence of various constraints is essential for autonomous driving and agile maneuvering of mobile robots. In this paper, we consider the planning of G3-continuous planar paths with continuous and limited curvature in a motion environment that is bounded and contains obstacles modeled by a set of (non-convex) polygons. In practice, the curvature constraints often arise from mechanical limitations for the robot, such as limited steering and articulation angles in wheeled robots, or aerodynamic constraints in unmanned aerial vehicles. To solve the planning problem under those stringent constraints, we improve upon known path primitives, such as Reeds–Shepp (RS) and CC-steer (curvature-continuous) paths. Given the initial and final robot configuration, we developed extend-procedure computing paths that can approximate RS paths with arbitrary precision, but guaranteeing G3-continuity. We show that satisfaction of all stated path constraints is guaranteed and, contrary to many other methods known from the literature, the method of checking for collisions between the planned path and obstacles is given by a closed-form analytic expression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our approach is not conservative, i.e., it allows for precise maneuvers in tight environments under the assumption of a rectangular robot footprint. The presented extend procedure can be integrated into various motion-planning algorithms available in the literature. In particular, we utilized the Rapidly exploring Random Trees (RRT*) algorithm in conjunction with our extend procedure to demonstrate its feasibility in motion environments of nontrivial complexity and low computational cost in comparison to a G3-continuous extend procedure based on η3-splines.
An Actuator Line Model Simulation of two semi-aligned wind turbine models , operating above-rated wind speed

Wind energy is expanding rapidly worldwide, being horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) the technology of greater installed capacity. A characteristic of this technology is the need to limit the production of power when the wind speed is greater than the rated one. In this work we show results of a validated numerical method applied to the simulation of two model wind turbines operating at above rated wind speed, showing their ability to control the power output. Five di erent wind velocity pro les at the inlet of the simulations domain were considered. The results of one simulation are compared to data obtained from a well known wind tunnel campaign, nding good agreement between the temporal evolution of the involved variables.
Muslims and Minorities: Religion and City Growth in the Ottoman Empire

Using a dataset of population estimates of cities in the period 1600 to 1910, this paper examines the relationship between the religious composition of Ottoman cities’ populations and their economic performances. From 1800, cities with higher proportions of Christians and Jews grew quicker than others, a reversal of the trend between 1600 and 1800. Results from instrumental variable regressions are broadly similar to OLS estimates, suggesting the e(cid:27)ect is causal. As such, it was only in the (cid:28)nal years of the Empire that religious diversity brought an economic advantage to cities. This break in trends in 1800 is di(cid:30)cult to reconcile with explanations of Muslims’ economic under-performance which revolve around limitations of Islamic law (e.g Kuran 2011), which were largely overcome in the mid-nineteenth century.
Genetic polymorphism of MTHFR C 677 T contributes to the risk of ovarian cancer : a meta-analysis

The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between genetic polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) in exon 4 codon 677 (C/T) and the susceptibility to ovarian cancer. A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of 12 studies involving 7876 controls and 5057 cases was performed to evaluate the association between ovarian cancer risk and genetic polymorphism of MTHFR C677T. Use the odds ratio (OR) the degree of possible correlation with the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was determined. Overall, in all genetic models, our study showed that MTHFR C677T polymorphism didn’t contribute to the risk of ovarian cancer. Results of subgroup analysis based on ethnicity showed no significant association between genetic polymorphism of MTHFR C677T and ovarian cancer risk in the Caucasian group, while MTHFR C677T polymorphism in the Asian group, as a risk factor, contributes to a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer. No publication bias was found in our study. This meta-analysis included all eligible studies showing that MTHFR C677T polymorphism conferred an increased risk to ovarian cancer in Asians although there was no association observed in Caucasian group or a pooled group
Contributions SHORT-TERM UNSCHEDULED RETURN VISITS OF ADULT PATIENTS TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

, Abstract—Background: Emergency department (ED) crowding is amajor international concern that affects patients and providers. Study Objective: We describe the characteristics of patients who had an unscheduled related return visit to the ED and investigate its relation to ED crowding. Methods: Retrospective medical record review of all unscheduled related ED return visits by patients older than 16 years of age over a 1-year period. The top quartile of ED occupancy rates was defined as ED crowding. Results: Eight hundred thirty-seven patients (1.9%) made an unscheduled related return visit. Length of stay (LOS) at the ED for the index visit and the LOS for the return visit (5 h, 54 min vs. 6 h, 51 min) were significantly different, as were the percent admitted (11.6% vs. 46.1%). Of these patients, 85.1% and 12.0% returned due to persistence or a wrong initial diagnosis, of their initial illness, respectively, and 2.9% returned due to an adverse event related to the treatment initially received. Patients presented the least frequently with an alcohol-related complaint during the index visit (480 patients), but they had the highest number of unscheduled return visits (45 patients; 9.4%). Unscheduled related return visits were not associated with ED crowding. Conclusion: Return visits impose additional pressure on the ED, because return patients have a significantly longer LOS at the ED. However, the rate of unscheduled return visits and ED crowding was not related. Because this parameter serves as an essential quality assurance tool, we can assume that the studied hospital scores well on this particular parameter. 2014 Elsevier Inc.
Influence of Stress , Social Support-Seeking , and Trait Resilience on Problem Solving and Avoidance : A Cross-Country Study

This study explored factors that contribute to problem-solving and avoidance strategies. A path model that connects stress to trait resilience, avoidance, social support-seeking, and problem solving was developed and tested in this study. Three hundred forty-three college students (177 recruited in the United States and 166 recruited in China) were involved in this study. In both the U.S. and Chinese samples, stress could predict avoidance, social support-seeking, and trait resilience. In addition, social support-seeking and trait resilience could each predict problem solving. Although social support-seeking and trait resilience indirectly influenced problem solving in both samples, stress directly influenced problem solving in the U.S. sample but not the Chinese sample. When under increased stress, students in both the U.S. and Chinese samples were able to make problem-solving decisions. The difference between these two samples was that U.S. participants' problem solving was influenced by stress (direct effect) as well as social support-seeking and trait resilience (indirect effect) while their Chinese counterparts' problem solving was influenced by social support-seeking and trait resilience (indirect effect). These findings are discussed from a globalization and localization perspective. Practical implications of the findings are also discussed.
Generator LSTM Question Decoder Bi-LSTM Answer Encoded Sentence Encoder Pcg Attention distribution Vocabulary DistributionContext Vector Word Coverage Vector Final Distribution Evaluator

Asking intelligent and relevant questions is an important capability of conversational systems such as chatbots. Neural network-based approaches represent the state-of-the-art in automatic question generation (QG). In this work, we attempt to strengthen them significantly by adopting a holistic and novel generatorevaluator framework that directly optimizes objectives that reward semantics and structure. In this paper, we present a novel deep reinforcement learning based framework for automatic question generation. The generator of the framework is a sequence-to-sequence model, whereas the evaluator model of the framework evaluates and assigns a reward to each predicted question. The overall model is trained by learning the parameters of the generator network which maximizes the reward.Our framework allows us to directly optimize any task-specific score including evaluation measures such as BLEU, GLEU, ROUGE-L,etc., suitable for sequence to sequence tasks such as QG. Our evaluation shows that our approach significantly outperforms state-of-the-art systems on the widely-used SQuAD benchmark in both automatic and human evaluation.
PREDICTION OF INTERIOR NOISE BY EXCITATION FORCE OF THE POWERTRAIN BASED ON HYBRID TRANSFER PATH ANALYSIS

−In the early design stage of a vehicle, simulation of interior noise is useful for assessment and enhancement of the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance. Traditional transfer path analysis (TPA) technology cannot simulate interior noise since it uses an experimental method. In order to solve this problem, hybrid TPA is employed in this paper. Hybrid TPA uses simulated excitation force as the input force, which excites the flexible body of a car at the mount points, while traditional TPA uses the measured force. This simulated force is obtained by numerical analysis of the finite element (FE) model of a powertrain. Interior noise is predicted by multiplying the simulated force by the vibro-acoustic transfer function (VATF) of the vehicle. The VATF is the acoustic response in the compartment of a car to the input force at the mount point of the powertrain in the flexible car body. The trend of the predicted interior noise based on the hybrid TPA corresponds very well to the measured interior noise, with some difference due to not only experimental error and simulation error, but also the effect of the airborne path.
: A Designing Editor for Line Stone Decoration

Line stone decoration is popular with young people. They enjoy applying line stone decorations to personal goods, such as notebook PCs, mobile phones and digital cameras. However, novices often find line stone decorations difficult to design, as the user must consider stroke length, stone width, and stone spacing. Hence, many people employ off-the-shelf design sheets or have their items decorated by an in-store professional. We have developed an interactive designing editor for line stone decoration. The user interactively draws freeform strokes on the canvas, as shown in Figure 1. The system then automatically generates a virtual line stone image (Fig. 1(b)), in which none of the stones overlap. Various off-line methods have been proposed for designing such decorations (e.g., tile mosaics [Hausner 2001]). Using our system, the user can create the designs interactively at the computer. Our system also creates a physical pattern to help novice users to construct real line stone (Fig. 1 (c), (d)).
A new approach for filtering nonlinear systems

In this paper we describe a new recursive linear estimator for filtering systems with nonlinear process and observation models. This method uses a new parameterisation of the mean and covariance which can be transformed directly by the system equations to give predictions of the transformed mean and covariance. We show that this technique is more accurate and far easier to implement than an extended Kalman filter. Specifically, we present empirical results for the application of the new filter to the highly nonlinear kinematics of maneuvering vehicles.
Analysis and detection of ceramic-glass surface defects based on computer vision

The whole ceramic-glass manufacturing process is basically operated automatically. The final stage of the process concerned with visual inspection, i.e. product quality inspection, is closely related with computer vision, image processing and pattern recognition. We propose methods to detect surface defects of the ceramic-glass based on digitized images. The thresholds were used to gain binary images. Markov random field models were fitted to binary textures. Finally the experiments carried out on factory samples were used to verify the feasibility of these methods.
Multi-resolution Perlin Noise Decomposition and Procedural Texture Synthesis by Example

Procedural noise has many advantages such as memory compactness, non-periodicity, etc. However, it is hard to obtain appropriate textures through direct controlling of parameters. Procedural noise by example has been presented as a solution. In this paper, we describe a texture decomposition method, called difference map, for the analysis of given example generated by multi-resolution Perlin noise. We illustrate the relationship between difference map with corresponding Perlin band noise and explain how the appropriate parameters can be estimated. Finally, we validate our method through the experimental results and show the compatibility to real-time interactive systems.