Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exact Routing for MicroElectrode-Dot-Array Digital Microfluidic Biochips

Digital microfluidics is an emerging technology that provide fluidic-handling capabilities on a chip. One of the most important issues to be considered when conducting experiments on the corresponding biochips is the routing of droplets. A recent variant of biochips uses a micro-electrode-dot-array (MEDA) which yields a finer controllability of the droplets. Although this new technology allows for more advanced routing possibilities, it also poses new challenges to corresponding CAD methods. In contrast to conventional microfluidic biochips, droplets on MEDA biochips may move diagonally on the grid and are not bound to have the same shape during the entire experiment. In this work, we present an exact routing method that copes with these challenges while, at the same time, guarantees to find the minimal solution with respect to completion time. For the first time, this allows for evaluating the benefits of MEDA biochips compared to their conventional counterparts as well as a quality assessment of previously proposed routing methods in this domain.
Model parameters conditioning on regional hydrologic signatures for process-based design flood estimation in ungauged basins.

The use of rainfall-runoff models represents an alternative to statistical approaches (such as at-site or regional flood frequency analysis) for design flood estimation, and constitutes an answer to the increasing need for synthetic design hydrographs (SDHs) associated to a specific return period. However, the lack of streamflow observations and the consequent high uncertainty associated with parameter estimation, usually pose serious limitations to the use of process-based approaches in ungauged catchments, which in contrast represent the majority in practical applications. This work presents the application of a Bayesian procedure that, for a predefined rainfall-runoff model, allows for the assessment of posterior parameters distribution, using the limited and uncertain information available for the response of an ungauged catchment (Bulygina et al. 2009; 2011). The use of regional estimates of river flow statistics, interpreted as hydrological signatures that measure theoretically relevant system process behaviours (Gupta et al. 2008), within this framework represents a valuable option and has shown significant developments in recent literature to constrain the plausible model response and to reduce the uncertainty in ungauged basins. In this study we rely on the first three L-moments of annual streamflow maxima, for which regressions are available from previous studies (Biondi et al. 2012; Laio et al. 2011). The methodology was carried out for a catchment located in southern Italy, and used within a Monte Carlo scheme (MCs) considering both event-based and continuous simulation approaches for design flood estimation. The applied procedure offers promising perspectives to perform model calibration and uncertainty analysis in ungauged basins; moreover, in the context of design flood estimation, process-based methods coupled with MCs approach have the advantage of providing simulated floods uncertainty analysis that represents an asset in risk-based decision making and in hydraulic design. The obtained results highlight the relevant impact of uncertainty in regional estimates of hydrological signatures on posterior parameters distribution and on uncertainty bounds of simulated peak discharges. The results of the continuous simulation, generally, better matched those of the statistical flood frequency analysis, thus this approach is recommended for the flood frequency analysis in the study area.
TYPE Leveraging OSD + Devices for Implementing a High-Throughput Parallel File System

Present Address Present address Abstract OSD+s are enhanced object-based storage devices (OSDs) able to deal with both data and metadata operations via data and directory objects, respectively. So far, we have focused on designing and implementing efficient directory objects in OSD+s. This paper, however, presents our work on also supporting data objects, and describes how the coexistence of both kinds of objects in each OSD+ is profited to efficiently implement data objects and to speed up some common file operations. We compare our OSD+-based Fusion Parallel File System (FPFS) with Lustre and OrangeFS through different microbenchmarks and HPCS-IO scenarios. Results show that FPFS provides a throughput up to 37× better than Lustre, and up to 95× better than OrangeFS, for metadata workloads. FPFS also provides 34%more bandwidth than OrangeFS for data workloads, and competes with Lustre in data writes. Results also show serious scalability problems in Lustre and OrangeFS that limit their performance.
Modeling Customers in the Euclidean Plane for Routing Applications

In recent years logistic service providers face more and more dynamic challenges. Customers can request service at any point of time and at any location in the served region. This leads to highly dynamic and uncertain settings. For these settings traditional approaches may not be suitable, because they use a discrete set of possible customers as representatives. Thus, they may insufficiently model dynamic spatio-temporal stochastical customer requests. Hence, modeling customer locations as continuous random variables (e.g. in the Euclidean Plane) leads to a more realistic representation of customers. In this paper, both the traditional and a new approach without representatives are compared by means of a Single Vehicle Pickup and Delivery Problem. The results of the new attempt indicate significantly increases in served requests and confirm the assumption, that more detailed planning can clearly improve the efficiency of routing and decision making.
Estimation and Control of Networked Distributed Parameter Systems: Application to Traffic Flow

Estimation and Control of Networked Distributed Parameter Systems: Application to Traffic Flow Edward Esteban Sanchez Canepa The management of large-scale transportation infrastructure is becoming a very complex task for the urban areas of this century which are covering bigger geographic spaces and facing the inclusion of connected and self-controlled vehicles. This new system paradigm can leverage many forms of sensing and interaction, including a high-scale mobile sensing approach. To obtain a high penetration sensing system on urban areas more practical and scalable platforms are needed, combined with estimation algorithms suitable to the computational capabilities of these platforms. The purpose of this work was to develop a transportation framework that is able to handle different kinds of sensing data (e.g., connected vehicles, loop detectors) and optimize the traffic state on a defined traffic network. The framework estimates the traffic on road networks modeled by a family of Lighthill-Whitham-Richards equations. Based on an equivalent formulation of the problem using a Hamilton-Jacobi equation and using a semi-analytic formula, I will show that the model constraints resulting from the Hamilton-Jacobi equation are linear, albeit with unknown integer variables. This general framework solve exactly a variety of problems arising in transportation networks: traffic estimation, traffic control (including robust control), cybersecurity and sensor fault detection, or privacy analysis of users in probe-based traffic monitoring systems. This framework is very flexible, fast, and yields exact results. The recent advances in sensors (GPS, inertial measurement units) and microprocessors enable the development low-cost dedicated devices for traffic sensing in cities, 5 which are highly scalable, providing a feasible solution to cover large urban areas. However, one of the main problems to address is the privacy of the users of the transportation system, the framework presented here is a viable option to guarantee the privacy of the users by design.
Impact of Pathologies on Automatic Age Estimation

Automatic Age estimation using speech is a challenging problem. Among other things, the many influences that lead to a change in the voice make it difficult to estimate the exact age. Examples are the microphone used, the distance to this microphone or the sex of the speaker. Stable results can be achieved by extracting Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCCs) from the speech signal and processing them into i-vectors, classification and regression tools such as Support Vector Regression (SVR) can then be used for the age estimation from these features. An additional factor influencing the age estimation are speech or voice disorders of a speaker. Rarely is this impact assessed, resulting in systems that are not tailored to the needs of pathological speakers like Siri or Amazon echo. Another example are companies which use automatic age estimation to forward calls to persons of the same age as the caller. These systems are also adapted to the characteristics of healthy speakers. This paper examines the impacts of such pathologies on age estimation and assess the possibility of reducing their influence by using the Word Accuracy (WA) of the speakers. This measure gives information about the intelligibility of a speaker and should help to reduce the variance of the extracted features. The features with low variance should provide more stable results in the age estimation.
Factor Strategy Model: Proofs of Prototype Concept for Software Quality Evaluation

The objective of this study is to provide software developers some measures to evaluate software quality of a Java program. Studies on software quality requirements, software quality models (as a quantifying measurement technique) and various good design rules are required for. This study aims to solve the problem for software developers or students having difficulty to identify the bad software design in their software product. Thus, by providing an algorithm analyzer to analyze the quality of design of the software product, developers or students can identify possible bad software design in their application.
On the Efficacy of New Privacy Attacks against 5G AKA

The AKA protocol is the primary mechanism in mobile telephony for establishment of a secure channel between mobile subscribers and their service providers. In addition to the requisite security guarantees, provisioning subscription privacy is an essential requirement for AKA. A recent paper by Borgaonkar et al. has uncovered a new vulnerability in one of the associated mechanisms of the AKA protocol. Based upon this vulnerability, Borgaonkar et al. have presented two privacy attacks; namely, activity monitoring attack and location confidentiality attack. In this paper, we analyze these attacks for their effectiveness, practicability and potency against 5G. Our analysis reveal that the activity monitoring attack is not as effective against 5G as it is against the previous generations (3G/4G). The analysis also bring to light the fact that the location confidentiality attack is a direct extension of an existing privacy vulnerability that affects all generations (including 5G) of mobile telephony in a much severe manner. In this paper we also establish that any countermeasure introduced to fix this existing vulnerability will also render these two new attacks ineffective.
IMPROVED APPROACHES FOR MEASURING THE QUALITY OF CONVECTIVE WEATHER FORECASTS

Verification is a critical component of the development and use of forecasting systems. Ideally, verification should play a role in monitoring the quality of forecasts, provide feedback to developers and forecasters to help improve forecasts, and provide meaningful information to forecast users to apply in their decision-making processes. In addition, as noted by Mahoney et al. (2002) forecast verification can help to identify differences among forecasts. Finally, because forecast quality is intimately related to forecast value, albeit through sometimes complex relationships, verification has an important role to play in assessments of the value of particular types of forecasts (Murphy 1993). Recently, verification of convective and quantitative precipitation forecasts has received a great deal of attention. For example, a recent (May 2001) World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Research Program workshop focused on the verification of quantitative precipitation forecasts (see http://www.chmi.cz/meteo/ov/wmo/). Unfortunately, traditional approaches for the verification of convective forecasts are inadequate, for a number of reasons. These methods generally rely on overlaying a forecast grid on an observation grid and computing standard statistics based on the 2x2 verification table. A major flaw with this type of verification is that it is insensitive to the size of the forecast error in terms of intensity, areal coverage, location, and timing. For purposes of this paper, we will not directly address an additional important issue, concerning characteristics of the observations used for these types of verification analyses. These observations generally are based on rain gages (which poorly sample the regions of interest) or radar observations (which provide an indirect measure of the phenomena of interest). Finally, spatial and temporal scale issues are of critical importance for precipitation/convective forecasts, and can have especially large impacts on verification results based on this simple approach. This paper reviews some of the issues mentioned above and some alternative approaches for verification of convective forecasts. Further background is provided in Section 2, with a discussion of specific verification issues in Section 3. Some alternative approaches are described in Section 4, with an example of a simple diagnostic approach presented in Section 5. Future work in this area is considered in Section 6.
EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND GERMPLASM ON BERGENIN ACCUMULATION OF BERGENIA PURPURASCENS (J.D. HOOKER & THOMSON) ENGLER

Bergenin, an important active compound with multiple pharmaceutical effects, is mainly extracted from Bergenia purpurascens (J.D. Hooker & Thomson) Engler. Long-term over-exploitation has resulted in an endangered status of wild B. purpurascens and its industrial cultivation is the only way to preserve wild resources and meet the market demand. In order to screen out best cultivation site and germplasm in relation to high level bergenin accumulation, 4 germplasms of B. purpurascens were simultaneously cultivated in 5 different sites of Yunnan Province. The results showed that Taian town was the best site for industrial scale cultivation of the germplasm of B. purpurascens collected from Yulong snow mountain accumulating high level of bergenin. The results also suggested that sufficient rainfall in June was beneficial for enhanced level of bergenin content. Introduction Bergenia purpurascens (J.D. Hooker & Thomson) Engler, an important medicinal plant belonging to Saxifragaceae, is widely used in China for the treatment of various diseases such as coughs, pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, menorrhagia, excessive uterine hemorrhage, kidney stones and ulcer of large intestines (Li et al. 2006, Pan 1988, Pan and Soltis 2001, Wang et al. 2012, Yeo 1966, Yuan et al. 2011). It is distributed in South-west of China, North of Bhutan, North-east of India, North of Myanmar and Nepal and commonly cultivated as ground cover in Occident (Yeo 1966). Bergenin, the most important active compound in B. purpurascens, is reported to have anti-arthritic, anti-arrhythmic, anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-HIV, anti-hyperuricemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-tussive, antiulcerogenic, anti-urolithic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, hypolipidaemic, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective effects and inhibitory effects on Citrus pathogens and bovine adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase (Bajracharya et al. 2011, Bashir et al. 2009, Dong et al. 2012, Li et al. 2006, Li et al. 2013, Lim et al. 2000, Nazir et al. 2007, Nazir et al. 2011, Patel et al. 2012, Rajkumar et al. 2010, Sajad et al. 2010, Zhang et al. 2003, Zhou et al. 2014, Zuo et al. 2012). It was first used for medicine production in 1972 and the average medical demand from 1995 to 2005 was about 4000 tons (fresh weight) every year. Due to the long-term over-exploitation B. purpurascens became an endangered species in China ten years ago and the industrial cultivation of B. purpurascens is the only way to preserve its wild resources and meet the medical demand. Since best germplasm containing high level of good quality bergenin is the important base for cultivation of this plant several projects about bergenin content determination and genetic diversity of B. purpurascens *Author for correspondence: . College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, Yunnan Province, China.
Lending Competition and Endogenous Credit Supply : A General Equilibrium Theory of Loan Sales

We develop a general equilibrium theory of loan sales based on bank competition. We show how credit shortage can arise endogenously in response to an increase in bank competition for lending, and how such credit shortage can motivate loan sales as a means to nancing risky yet potentially pro table projects that would otherwise be rationed. Our results highlight an environment in which lower lending standards and sub-prime loans, and higher aggregate risk, can arise endogenously due to an increase in bank competition, without misalignment of incentives, mis-perception of risks, or mis-pricing of assets. Our theory has a number of testable implications, which are all supported by empirical evidence. On a general level, by demonstrating the rudimentary role of lending competition in motivating o¤-balance-sheet activities, our theory provides a novel account for the fundamental shift, over the past two decades or so, in the lending practice of U.S. and European banks, from the traditional originate to holdmodel of credit provision, towards the originate to distributeapproach for credit extension, or, the emergence of the shadow banking system.
A New Dynamic Simulated Annealing Algorithm for Global Optimization

Many problems in system analysis in real world lead to continuous-domain optimization. Existence of sophisticated and many-variable problems in this field emerge need of efficient optimization methods. One of the optimization algorithms for multi-dimensional functions is simulated annealing (SA). In this paper, a modified simulated annealing named Dynamic Simulated Annealing (DSA) is proposed which dynamically switch between two types of generating function on traversed path of continuous Markov chain. Our experiments indicate that this approach can improve convergence and stability and avoid delusive areas in benchmark functions better than SA without any extra mentionable computational cost.
Geodynamics of Pluto

In this article we summarize our understanding of Pluto’s internal structure and evolution following the New Horizons mission. Pluto’s density implies it is roughly 70% rock and 30% ice by mass, although it may plausibly also contain a sizeable fraction of carbon compounds. The lack of compressional structures indicates that it is fully differentiated, although this differentiation most likely cannot have been complete prior to the Charon-forming impact. Heat flux estimates are conflicting: one relaxed crater suggests high heat fluxes, while the absence of observed flexure suggests low heat fluxes. Pluto’s energy budget is dominated by slow radioactive decay, and is sufficient to form and maintain a present-day subsurface ocean roughly 100 km thick beneath an ice shell. Four lines of circumstantial evidence point towards such an ocean; although none is definitive, taken together we think it probable that an ocean existed, and may still be present. These are: surface extension and possible cryovolcanism (both likely due to a thickening ice shell); an absence of a detectable fossil bulge; and reorientation driven by the nitrogen-filled Sputnik Planitia basin. If an ocean exists, the ice shell above must be cold and rigid. These conditions could be maintained if the ocean is ammonia-rich, or if there is a layer of clathrates at the base of the ice shell. At least the second half of Pluto’s history consisted of slow cooling and thickening of an ice shell and continued reactions between the warm silicate core and the overlying ocean.
ESTIMATION OF GROUND REACTION FORCES FROM KINEMATICS IN SKI-JUMPING IMITATION JUMPS

The purpose of the study was to determine the accuracy and the precision of calculated forces based on inverse dynamics during imitation jumps by comparing the results with force plate data. Ten ski-jumpers performed four imitation jumps on a force plate. Additionally, the vertical ground reactions forces were calculated based on an inverse dynamics (ID) approach using kinematic data from a motion capture system. The average accuracy and precision was found to be 60 N and ± 20 N for the peak vertical force, respectively, and -0.3 cm and ±1.6 cm, respectively, for the average jump height. The ID approach is assessed to be feasible for the estimation of vertical ground reaction forces exclusively from kinematic data with sufficient accuracy and precision so it can be used for the development of a universal diagnostics tool for ski-jumping imitation jumps.
Higher Inductive Types and Parametricity in Cubical Type Theory

Cubical type theory is a novel extension of dependent type theory with a form of equality called a path. Path equality enjoys extensionality properties missing from traditional treatments of equality, and it is proof-relevant: paths are data, and there can be many different paths between the same pair of objects. In particular, any isomorphism of types gives rise to a path between them; as everything respects equality, this means that constructions can be transferred between isomorphic objects just as in informal mathematical practice. By providing a sensible equality, cubical type theory also enables sensible quotient types. However, the proof-relevant setting also motivates a more general notion of quotient known as a higher inductive type. The idea is to regard a quotient as an inductive definition where the generating operations may construct paths as well as ordinary elements. From this starting point, several directions of generalization are possible, just as with ordinary inductive types: there are indexed higher inductive types, higher inductive-inductive types, and so on. Originally proposed for homotopy type theory, a progenitor of cubical type theory, instances of higher inductive types have been used to great effect, but their general theory is still emerging. In this proposal, I describe a bare-bones schema for indexed higher inductive types, complete with a computational interpretation. I propose to extend this work to a fully-featured schema including inductive-inductive types and to implement it as part of a cubical proof assistant. Working with proof-relevant equality has its own challenges, and effectively reasoning with higher inductive types is still a murky business. I propose that parametricity is a useful tool for this purpose, and describe an extension of cubical type theory with internal parametricity primitives. I propose to establish a connection between the extended theory and ordinary cubical type theory, to use it to simplify presently difficult proofs, and to implement the parametric extension.