Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement Scheduling for Cooperative Localization in Resource-Constrained Conditions

This letter studies the measurement scheduling problem for a group of $N$ mobile robots moving on a flat surface that are preforming cooperative localization (CL). We consider a scenario in which due to the limited on-board resources such as battery life and communication bandwidth only a given number of relative measurements per robot are allowed at observation and update stage. Optimal selection of which teammates a robot should take a relative measurement from such that the updated joint localization uncertainty of the team is minimized is an NP-hard problem. In this paper, we propose a suboptimal greedy approach that allows each robot to choose its landmark robots locally in polynomial time. Our method, unlike the known results in the literature, does not assume full-observability of CL algorithm. Moreover, it does not require inter-robot communication at scheduling stage. That is, there is no need for the robots to collaborate to carry out the landmark robot selections. We discuss the application of our method in the context of an state-of-the-art decentralized CL algorithm and demonstrate its effectiveness through numerical simulations. Even though our solution does not come with rigorous performance guarantees, its low computational cost along with no communication requirement makes it an appealing solution for operations with resource constrained robots.
Is ADC(3) as Accurate as CC3 for Valence and Rydberg Transition Energies?

The search for new models rapidly delivering accurate excited state energies and properties is one of the most active research lines of theoretical chemistry. Along with these developments, the performances of known methods are constantly reassessed thanks to new benchmark values. In this Letter, we show that the third-order algebraic diagrammatic construction, ADC(3), does not yield transition energies of the same quality as the third-order coupled cluster method, CC3. This is demonstrated by extensive comparisons with several hundreds high-quality vertical transition energies obtained with FCI, CCSDTQ, and CCSDT. Direct comparisons with experimental 0-0 energies of small- and medium-size molecules support the same conclusion, which holds for both valence and Rydberg transitions. In regards of these results, we introduce a composite approach, ADC(2.5), which consists in averaging the ADC(2) and ADC(3) excitation energies. Although ADC(2.5) does not match the CC3 accuracy, it significantly improves the ADC(3) results, especially for vertical energies.
Navigating in Virtual Reality using Thought: The Development and Assessment of a Motor Imagery based Brain-Computer Interface

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems have potential as assistive technologies for individuals with severe motor impairments. Nevertheless, individuals must first participate in many training sessions to obtain adequate data for optimizing the classification algorithm and subsequently acquiring brain-based control. Such traditional training paradigms have been dubbed unengaging and unmotivating for users. In recent years, it has been shown that the synergy of virtual reality (VR) and a BCI can lead to increased user engagement. This study created a 3-class BCI with a rather elaborate EEG signal processing pipeline that heavily utilizes machine learning. The BCI initially presented sham feedback but was eventually driven by EEG associated with motor imagery. The BCI tasks consisted of motor imagery of the feet and left and right hands, which were used to navigate a single-path maze in VR. Ten of the eleven recruited participants achieved online performance superior to chance (p < 0.01), while the majority successfully completed more than 70% of the prescribed navigational tasks. These results indicate that the proposed paradigm warrants further consideration as neurofeedback BCI training tool. A paradigm that allows users, from their perspective, control from the outset without the need for prior data collection sessions.
Lightweight Sybil-Resilient Multi-Robot Networks by Multipath Manipulation

Wireless networking opens up many opportunities to facilitate miniaturized robots in collaborative tasks, while the openness of wireless medium exposes robots to the threats of Sybil attackers, who can break the fundamental trust assumption in robotic collaboration by forging a large number of fictitious robots. Recent advances advocate the adoption of bulky multi-antenna systems to passively obtain fine-grained physical layer signatures, rendering them unaffordable to miniaturized robots. To overcome this conundrum, this paper presents ScatterID, a lightweight system that attaches featherlight and batteryless backscatter tags to single-antenna robots to defend against Sybil attacks. Instead of passively "observing" signatures, ScatterID actively "manipulates" multipath propagation by using backscatter tags to intentionally create rich multipath features obtainable to a single-antenna robot. These features are used to construct a distinct profile to detect the real signal source, even when the attacker is mobile and power-scaling. We implement ScatterID on the iRobot Create platform and evaluate it in typical indoor and outdoor environments. The experimental results show that our system achieves a high AUROC of 0.988 and an overall accuracy of 96.4% for identity verification.
Low-rank representations with incoherent dictionary for face recognition

Face recognition remains a hot topic in computer vision, and it is challenging to tackle the problem that both the training and testing images are corrupted. In this paper, we propose a novel semi-supervised method based on the theory of the low-rank matrix recovery for face recognition, which can simultaneously learn discriminative low-rank and sparse representations for both training and testing images. To this end, a correlation penalty term is introduced into the formulation of our proposed method to learn an incoherent dictionary. Experimental results on several face image databases demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, i.e., the proposed method is robust to the illumination, expression and pose variations, as well as images with noises such as block occlusion or uniform noises.
Magnet System for the Quantum Electromechanical Metrology Suite

The design of the permanent magnet system for the new quantum electromechanical metrology suite (QEMMS) is described. The QEMMS, developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), consists of a Kibble balance, a programmable Josephson voltage standard, and a quantum Hall resistance standard. It will be used to measure masses up to 100 g with relative uncertainties below <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2 \times 10^{-8}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The magnet system is based on the design of the NIST-4 magnet system with significant changes to adopt to a smaller Kibble balance and to overcome known practical limitations. Analytical models are provided to describe the coil-current effect and model the forces required to split the magnet into two parts to install the coil. Both models are compared to simulation results obtained with finite-element analysis and measurement results. Other aspects such as the coil design and flatness of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${Bl}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> profile are considered.
An improved recursive construction for disjoint Steiner quadruple systems

Let D(n) be the number of pairwise disjoint Steiner quadruple systems (SQS) of order n . A simple counting argument shows that D(n)≤n−3 and a set of n−3 such systems is called a large set. No nontrivial large set was constructed yet, although it is known that they exist if n≡2 or 4(mod6) is large enough. When n≥7 and n≡1 or 5(mod6) , we present a recursive construction and prove a recursive formula on D(4n) , as follows: D(4n)≥2n+min{D(2n),2n−7}. The related construction has a few advantages over some of the previously known constructions for pairwise disjoint SQSs.
ColosseumRL: A Framework for Multiagent Reinforcement Learning in N-Player Games

Much of recent success in multiagent reinforcement learning has been in two-player zero-sum games. In these games, algorithms such as fictitious self-play and minimax tree search can converge to an approximate Nash equilibrium. While playing a Nash equilibrium strategy in a two-player zero-sum game is optimal, in an $n$-player general sum game, it becomes a much less informative solution concept. Despite the lack of a satisfying solution concept, $n$-player games form the vast majority of real-world multiagent situations. In this paper we present a new framework for research in reinforcement learning in $n$-player games. We hope that by analyzing behavior learned by agents in these environments the community can better understand this important research area and move toward meaningful solution concepts and research directions. The implementation and additional information about this framework can be found at this https URL.
Depth-Width Trade-offs for ReLU Networks via Sharkovsky's Theorem

Understanding the representational power of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and how their structural properties (e.g., depth, width, type of activation unit) affect the functions they can compute, has been an important yet challenging question in deep learning and approximation theory. In a seminal paper, Telgarsky highlighted the benefits of depth by presenting a family of functions (based on simple triangular waves) for which DNNs achieve zero classification error, whereas shallow networks with fewer than exponentially many nodes incur constant error. Even though Telgarsky's work reveals the limitations of shallow neural networks, it does not inform us on why these functions are difficult to represent and in fact he states it as a tantalizing open question to characterize those functions that cannot be well-approximated by smaller depths. In this work, we point to a new connection between DNNs expressivity and Sharkovsky's Theorem from dynamical systems, that enables us to characterize the depth-width trade-offs of ReLU networks for representing functions based on the presence of generalized notion of fixed points, called periodic points (a fixed point is a point of period 1). Motivated by our observation that the triangle waves used in Telgarsky's work contain points of period 3 - a period that is special in that it implies chaotic behavior based on the celebrated result by Li-Yorke - we proceed to give general lower bounds for the width needed to represent periodic functions as a function of the depth. Technically, the crux of our approach is based on an eigenvalue analysis of the dynamical system associated with such functions.
A SkyMapper view of the Large Magellanic Cloud: the dynamics of stellar populations

We present the first SkyMapper stellar population analysis of the Large Magellanic Cloud (hereafter LMC),including the identification of 3578 candidate Carbon Stars through their extremely red $g-r$ colours. Coupled with Gaia astrometry, we analyse the distribution and kinematics of this Carbon Star population, finding the LMC to be centred at $(R.A., Dec.) = (80.90^{\circ}\pm{0.29}, -68.74^{\circ}\pm{0.12})$, with a bulk proper motion of $(\mu_{\alpha},\mu_{\delta}) = (1.878\pm0.007,0.293\pm0.018) \mathrm{mas\ yr^{-1}}$ and a disk inclination of $i = 25.6^{\circ}\pm1.1$ at position angle $\theta = 135.6^{\circ}\pm 3.3^{\circ}$. We complement this study with the identification and analysis of additional stellar populations, finding that the dynamical centre for Red Giant Branch (RGB) stars is similar to that seen for the Carbon Stars, whereas for young stars the dynamical centre is significantly offset from the older populations. This potentially indicates that the young stars were formed as a consequence of a strong tidal interaction, probably with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). In terms of internal dynamics, the tangential velocity profile increases linearly within $\sim3\ \mathrm{kpc}$, after which it maintains an approximately constant value of $V_{rot} = 83.6\pm 1.7 \mathrm{km\ s^{-1}}$ until $\sim7 \mathrm{kpc}$. With an asymmetric drift correction, we estimate the mass within $7 \mathrm{kpc}$ to be $M_{\rm LMC}(<7\mathrm{kpc}) = (2.5\pm0.1)\times10^{10}\ \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$ and within the tidal radius ($\sim 30\ \mathrm{kpc}$) to be $M_{\rm LMC}(<30\mathrm{kpc}) = (1.06 \pm 0.32)\times10^{11}\ \mathrm{M}_{\odot}$, consistent with other recent measurements.
Effects of 5-HT4 receptor agonists, cisapride and mosapride citrate on electrocardiogram in anaesthetized rats and guinea-pigs and conscious cats

The purpose of this study was to examine the arrhythmogenic potential of 5-HT4 receptor agonists, cisapride and mosapride citrate (mosapride) in vivo. In anaesthetized rats, cisapride at intravenous infusion of 10 and 30 mg/kg/hr for 1 hr prolonged the electrocardiographic RR and QT intervals, whereas at 3 mg/kg/hr, it prolonged the RR interval without affecting the QT interval. Mosapride at 30 mg/kg/hr for 1 hr slightly, but not significantly, prolonged the QT interval. In anaesthetized guinea-pigs, cisapride at intravenous infusion of 0.3, 1 and 3 mg/kg over 15 min. prolonged the RR interval (18-44%), QT interval (18-42%) and the corrected QT interval (QTc; 8-19%). Mosapride at 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg over 15 min. little affected the QTc although at 30 mg/kg, it slightly prolonged the RR and QT intervals. With repeated oral administrations of 30 mg/kg twice a day for 7 days, cisapride prolonged the QT interval (11-35%) and QTc (11-32%) at the 3rd and 7th days in conscious cats. In addition, cisapride depressed the ST segment in two out of five cats. Mosapride at 60 mg/kg twice a day for 7 days did not affect the QT interval or QTc in cats. The maximal plasma concentrations of mosapride and its main metabolite (a des-4-fluorobenzyl-mosapride) at the 7th day in cats were 9.4+/-2.8 microM and 2.5+/-0.3 microM , respectively, being 100 and 30-60 times higher than those in man given therapeutic doses (Sakashita et al. 1993a&b). These results indicate that mosapride has little arrhythmogenic potential.
PANEL SURVEY ESTIMATION IN THE PRESENCE OF LATE REPORTING AND NONRESPONSE

Title of Dissertation: PANEL SURVEY ESTIMATION IN THE PRESENCE OF LATE REPORTING AND NONRESPONSE Kennon R. Copeland, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Partha Lahiri Joint Program in Survey Methodology Estimates from economic panel surveys are generally required to be published soon after the survey reference period, resulting in missing data due to late reporting as well as nonresponse. Estimators currently in use make some attempt to correct for the impact of missing data. However, these approaches tend to simplify the assumed nature of the missing data and often ignore a portion of the reported data for the reference period. Discrepancies between preliminary and revised estimates highlight the inability of the estimation methodology to correct for all error due to late reporting. The current model for one economic panel survey, the Current Employment Statistics survey, is examined to identify factors related to potential model misspecification error, leading to identification of an extended model. An approach is developed to utilize all reported data from the current and prior reference periods, through missing data imputation. Two alternatives to the current models that assume growth rates are related to recent reported data and reporting patterns are developed, one a simple proportional model, the other a hierarchical fixed effects model. Estimation under the models is carried out and performance compared to that of the current estimator through use of historical data from the survey. Results, although not statistically significant, suggest the potential associated with use of reported data from recent time periods in the working model, especially for smaller establishments. A logistic model for predicting likelihood of late reporting for sample units that did not report for preliminary estimates is also developed. The model uses a combination of operational, respondent, and environmental factors identified from a reporting pattern profile. Predicted conditional late reporting rates obtained under the model are compared to actual rates through use of historical information for the survey. Results indicate the appropriateness of the parameters chosen and general ability of the model to predict final reporting status. Such a model has the potential to provide information to survey managers for addressing late reporting and nonresponse. PANEL SURVEY ESTIMATION IN THE PRESENCE OF LATE REPORTING AND NONRESPONSE
Exéresis de las lesiones hiperplásicas de la cavidad bucal. Estudio retrospectivo de 128 casos

Aims: Based on our accumulated experience, the present study evaluates and discusses the indications, advantages and inconveniences of oral cavity epulis resection using the carbon dioxide laser (CO2) versus the Erbium:YAG laser (Er:YAG), diode laser and surgical scalpel. Material and methods: A retrospective study has been made of 120 patients involving the removal of 128 epulis lesions with the CO2 laser, Er:YAG laser, diode laser and surgical scalpel. Postoperative controls were carried out after 7, 15 and 30 days to evaluate healing and wound evolution, and after 3, 6 and 12 months to assess possible relapse. Results: Two groups were defined, based on the clinical and etiopathogenic characteristics of the excised lesions: gingival hyperplastic lesions (77 cases) and fibromatous hyperplasia (51 cases). The lower jaw was the most frequent location of gingival hyperplasia (51.9%). Fibrous hyperplasia was the most common histological diagnosis (49 cases; 63.6%). Percentage relapse following removal was 9.1%, of which 5 cases corresponded to fibrous hyperplasia. Only one malignancy was identified, corresponding to infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma. On the other hand, of the 51 treated cases of fibromatous hyperplasia, 58.8% were located in the upper jaw. These were histologically confirmed to be fibrous hyperplasia, with relapse in 19.6% of the cases. Conclusions: Although the different surgical techniques used for removal of epulis of the oral cavity are appropriate, we consider the CO2 laser to be the treatment of choice, since it offers a number of both intra- and postoperative advantages. On the other hand, all oral lesions require histological study to establish a firm diagnosis.
Mannheim Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Plaque Consensus (2004–2006–2011)

Intima-media thickness (IMT) provides a surrogate end point of cardiovascular outcomes in clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of cardiovascular risk factor modification. Carotid artery plaque further adds to the cardiovascular risk assessment. It is defined as a focal structure that encroaches into the arterial lumen of at least 0.5 mm or 50% of the surrounding IMT value or demonstrates a thickness >1.5 mm as measured from the media-adventitia interface to the intima-lumen interface. The scientific basis for use of IMT in clinical trials and practice includes ultrasound physics, technical and disease-related principles as well as best practice on the performance, interpretation and documentation of study results. Comparison of IMT results obtained from epidemiological and interventional studies around the world relies on harmonization on approaches to carotid image acquisition and analysis. This updated consensus document delineates further criteria to distinguish early atherosclerotic plaque formation from thickening of IMT. Standardized methods will foster homogenous data collection and analysis, improve the power of randomized clinical trials incorporating IMT and plaque measurements and facilitate the merging of large databases for meta-analyses. IMT results are applied to individual patients as an integrated assessment of cardiovascular risk factors. However, this document recommends against serial monitoring in individual patients.
HIV-1-specific CD4 helper function in persons with chronic HIV-1 infection on antiviral drug therapy as measured by ELISPOT after treatment with an inactivated, gp120-depleted HIV-1 in incomplete Freund's adjuvant.

OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that treatment of HIV-1-seropositive study subjects receiving potent antiviral therapy with an HIV-specific immune-based therapy would increase HIV-1-specific T-helper immune function. DESIGN 10 HIV-1-seropositive study subjects receiving antiretroviral therapy were treated with an inactivated, gp120-depleted immunogen in IFA (HIV-1 immunogen, Remune) at baseline, week 12, and week 24. METHODS The frequency of HIV-1 antigen-stimulated interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-producing cells was determined by the ELISPOT assay. RESULTS Study subjects significantly increased their frequency of HIV-1-stimulated (p <. 001) or p24 antigen-stimulated (p <.01) IFN-gamma-producing cells after one, two, and three treatments of HIV-1 immunogen. Depletion of CD4 cells resulted in the strongest abrogation of the IFN-gamma response. The frequency of HIV-1 (r = 0.64; p =.0002) and p24 (r = 0. 72; p <.001) antigen-stimulated IFN-gamma-producing cells in the CD8-depleted population before and after treatment was associated with the lymphocyte-proliferative response. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with HIV-1 immunogen significantly enhanced the frequency of HIV-1-specific IFN-gamma-producing cells. Studies are ongoing to determine the relationship between this reversal of HIV-specific anergy and virologic outcomes.
Current Results of Bone Marrow Transplantation in Patients with Acquired Severe Aplastic Anemia

We have analyzed 2,002 patients grafted in Europe between 1976 and 1998 from an identical twin (n = 34), from an HLA-identical sibling (n = 1,699) or from an alternative donor (n = 269), which included unrelated and family mismatched donors. The proportions of patients surviving in these three groups are, respectively, 91, 66 and 37%: major causes of failure were acute graft-versus host disease (GvHD) (11%), infection (12%), pneumonitis (4%), rejection (4%). In multivariate Cox analysis, factors predicting outcome were patient’s age (p < 0.0001), donor type (p < 0.0001), interval between diagnosis and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) (p < 0.0005), year of BMT (p = 0.0005) and female donor for a male recipient (p = 0.02). Patients were then divided in two groups according to the year of BMT: up to or after 1990. The overall death rate dropped from 43 to 24% (p < 0.00001). Improvements were seen mostly for grafts from identical siblings (from 54 to 75%, p < 0.0001), and less so for alternative-donor grafts (from 28 to 35%; p = 0.07). Major changes have occurred in the BMT protocol: decreasing use of radiotherapy in the conditioning regimen (from 35 to 24%; p < 0.0001) and increasing use of cyclosporin (with or without methotrexate) for GvHD prophylaxis (from 70 to 98%; p < 0.0001). In conclusion, the outcome of allogeneic BMT for patients with severe aplastic anemia has considerably improved over the past two decades: young patients, grafted early after diagnosis from an identical sibling, have currently an over 80% chance of long-term survival. Transplants from twins are very successful as well. The risk of complications with alternative donor transplants is still high.