Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extending information quality assessment methodology: A new veracity/deception dimension and its measures

This paper extends information quality (IQ) assessment methodology by arguing that veracity/deception should be one of the components of intrinsic IQ dimensions. Since veracity/deception differs contextually from accuracy and other well-studied components of intrinsic IQ, the inclusion of veracity/deception in the set of IQ dimensions has its own contribution to the assessment and improvement of IQ. Recently developed software to detect deception in textual information represents the ready-to-use IQ assessment (IQA) instruments. The focus of the paper is on the specific IQ problem related to deceptive messages and affected information activities as well as IQA instruments (or tools) of detecting deception to improve IQ. In particular, the methodology of automated deception detection in written communication provides the basis for measuring veracity/deception dimension and demonstrates no overlap with other intrinsic IQ dimensions. Considering several known deception types (such as falsification, concealment and equivocation), we emphasize that the IQA deception tools are primarily suitable for falsification. Certain types of deception strategies cannot be spotted automatically with the existing IQA instruments based on underlying linguistic differences between truth-tellers and liars. We propose the potential avenues for the future development of the automated instruments to detect deception taking into account the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects and needs. Blending multidisciplinary research on Deception Detection with the one on IQ in Library and Information Science (LIS) and Management Information Systems (MIS), the paper contributes to IQA and its improvement by adding one more dimension, veracity/deception, to intrinsic IQ.
Augmented Embodiment: Developing Interactive Technology for Stroke Survivors

This paper describes an interactive scenography designed to enhance the use of embodied imagination in a stroke survivors' performance workshop called The Green Screening workshop, conceived by the company Split Britches. We explore performance techniques combined with live motion capture to provide participants with an abstract visual world that helps them to enact fantasy scenes they create in front of an audience. A simple interface provides real-time visualisations of participant's body movements in three different scenarios and promotes engagement with the co-present audience. The system was evaluated in two workshops with stroke survivors. The results indicate that the system is effective in encouraging participants' creative use of embodied improvisation.
Anatomy of High-Performance Deep Learning Convolutions on SIMD Architectures

Convolution layers are prevalent in many classes of deep neural networks, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) which provide state-of-the-art results for tasks like image recognition, neural machine translation and speech recognition. The computationally expensive nature of a convolution operation has led to the proliferation of implementations including matrix-matrix multiplication formulation, and direct convolution primarily targeting GPUs. In this paper, we introduce direct convolution kernels for x86 architectures, in particular for Xeon and Xeon Phi systems, which are implemented via a dynamic compilation approach. Our JIT-based implementation shows close to theoretical peak performance, depending on the setting and the CPU architecture at hand. We additionally demonstrate how these JIT-optimized kernels can be integrated into a light-weight multi-node graph execution model. This illustrates that single- and multi-node runs yield high efficiencies and high image-throughputs when executing state-of-the-art image recognition tasks on CPUs.
Torque Sensor Embedded Actuator Module for Robotic Applications

Measuring accurate torque is a core ability of advanced robotic technologies. However, embedding torque-sensing systems into robot joints are still a challenge due to limitations including size, weight, and cost. Moreover, the influence from axial forces/torques (x- and y-axis) and the sinusoidal effect from the harmonic drive make it difficult to measure torque accurately. This paper presents a novel actuator module for robotic applications that includes a torque sensor, harmonic drive, motor, and encoder. The torque sensor adopts the capacitive sensing scheme, which can allow for self-decoupling of the axial influences through the use of a symmetric arrangement of sensing cells. Moreover, the torque ripple cancellation method, which can reduce the sinusoidal effect from the harmonic drive, is introduced. Finally, the detailed design of the actuator module is described, and its performance is experimentally evaluated.
Look Ahead: A DASH Adaptation Algorithm

This paper proposes a video quality adaptation algorithm based on the Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH) standard for on-demand video services. When a video is encoded with constant quality, the resulting bitstream has variable bitrate due to the inherent nature of the video encoding process. The proposed algorithm, called Look Ahead, takes into account this bitrate variability in order to calculate, on the fly, the appropriate quality level that minimizes the number of interruptions during the playback. Moreover, the Look Ahead algorithm has been implemented and integrated into ExoPlayer v2, the latest version of the library developed by Google to play DASH contents. The proposed algorithm is compared to the Müller and Segment Aware Rate Adaptation (SARA) algorithms as well as to the adaptive algorithm integrated into ExoPlayer. The comparison reflects that Look Ahead outperforms the Müller, SARA and the ExoPlayer adaptive algorithms in terms of number and duration of video playback stalls, with hardly decreasing the average video quality.
Nanoscale tunable optics for photovoltaics and beyond

We show how the combination of nano-optics and the nanoferromagnetism gives rise to the new science of real-time magnetically-tunable optics. One example is of giving the 100%+ dynamic tunability to the chiroptical surfaces by introducing the magnetically-tunable optical elements to the optical nanoantennas. Another theme is adding such nanostructures to the thin-film photovoltaics and glass surfaces for the visible photons and thermal management.
Outage Probability Conjecture Does Not Hold for Two-Input-Multiple-Output (TIM 0) System

Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems have seen wide application due to its performance benefits such as multiplexing gain. For MIMO systems with non-ergodic Gaussian channel, a conjecture regarding its outage probability has been proposed by Telatar in [1] and long considered true. A special single-output case of this conjecture has been proved theoretically. In this work, we address the special Two-Input-Multiple-Output (TIMO) case, and show that the conjecture is untrue. A concrete counter-example is proposed and verified both theoretically and by numerical experiments. This result rejects the decades-long conjecture and provides interesting insight into the symmetry of MIMO systems.
Pan-Genomic Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Reflecting the Primary/Secondary Genes, Generality/Individuality, and the Interconversion Through Copy Number Variations

Tuberculosis (TB) has surpassed HIV as the leading infectious disease killer worldwide since 2014. The main pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), contains ~4,000 genes that account for ~90% of the genome. However, it is still unclear which of these genes are primary/secondary, which are responsible for generality/individuality, and which interconvert during evolution. Here we utilized a pan-genomic analysis of 36 Mtb genomes to address these questions. We identified 3,679 Mtb core (i.e., primary) genes, determining their phenotypic generality (e.g., virulence, slow growth, dormancy). We also observed 1,122 dispensable and 964 strain-specific secondary genes, reflecting partially shared and lineage-/strain-specific individualities. Among which, five L2 lineage-specific genes might be related to the increased virulence of the L2 lineage. Notably, we discovered 28 Mtb “Super Core Genes” (SCGs: more than a copy in at least 90% strains), which might be of increased importance, and reflected the “super phenotype generality. ” Most SCGs encode PE/PPE, virulence factors, antigens, and transposases, and have been verified as playing crucial roles in Mtb pathogenicity. Further investigation of the 28 SCGs demonstrated the interconversion among SCGs, single-copy core, dispensable, and strain-specific genes through copy number variations (CNVs) during evolution; different mutations on different copies highlight the delicate adaptive-evolution regulation amongst Mtb lineages. This reflects that the importance of genes varied through CNVs, which might be driven by selective pressure from environment/host-adaptation. In addition, compared with Mycobacterium bovis (Mbo), Mtb possesses 48 specific single core genes that partially reflect the differences between Mtb and Mbo individuality.
Lifted Newton-Type Optimization for Pseudospectral Methods in Nonlinear Model Predictive Control

Pseudospectral methods are often used as an efficient direct technique for solving a continuous-time optimal control problem (OCP). They namely offer exponential convergence with respect to the number of collocation nodes, in case of a smooth solution trajectory. The resulting optimization problem is generally dense, when using one high degree polynomial over the complete horizon. In this paper, we propose a lifted Newton-type optimization algorithm based on a tailored Jacobian approximation, in combination with a Gauss-Newton based Hessian, to improve the numerical efficiency of pseudospectral methods. The approach results in a structured sparsity exploiting optimization algorithm, even when using one high degree collocation polynomial. A preliminary implementation is shown to allow considerable numerical speedups for the optimal control case study of the nonlinear chain of masses.
A minimum knapsack-based resource allocation for underlaying device-to-device communication

As the numbers of smart devices increases, proximity-based services have enabled device-to-device (D2D) communication to be regarded as one of the major communication paradigms. In underlaying D2D, the devices communicating with each other directly use shared cellular resources. In this paper we propose a minimum knapsack-based interference aware resource allocation algorithm (MIKIRA) for D2D communication underlaying cellular networks. We compare the system sum rates, interference and signal-to-interference-and-noise-ratios (SINR) of MIKIRA with a graph-based resource allocation (GRA) algorithm and random allocation. In our three different sets of experiments with different percentages of D2D pairs in the total number of cellular users in the network, we observe that MIKIRA performs better than the other algorithms in terms of interference and SINR, and obtains a similar system sum rate. MIKIRA (O(n2 log(n))) is also computationally more efficient when compared with the GRA (O(n3)), which makes it suitable for use in the LTE scheduling period of 1 ms.
When Does the Rate-Determining Step in the Hepatic Clearance of a Drug Switch from Sinusoidal Uptake to All Hepatobiliary Clearances? Implications for Predicting Drug-Drug Interactions

For dual transporter-enzyme substrate drugs, the extended clearance model can be used to predict the rate-determining step(s) (RDS) of a drug and hence predict its drug-drug interaction (DDI) liabilities (i.e., transport, metabolism, or both). If the RDS of the hepatic clearance of the drug is sinusoidal uptake clearance (CLsin), even if the drug is eliminated mainly by hepatic metabolism, its DDI liability (as viewed from changes to systemic drug concentrations) is expected to be inhibition or induction of uptake transporters but not hepatic enzymes; however, this is true only if the condition required to maintain CLsin as the RDS is maintained. Here, we illustrate through theoretical simulations that the RDS condition may be violated in the presence of a DDI. That is, the RDS of a drug can switch from CLsin to all hepatobiliary clearances [i.e., metabolic/biliary clearance (CLmet + bile) and CLsin], leading to unexpected systemic DDIs, such as metabolic DDIs, when only transporter DDIs were anticipated. As expected, these analyses revealed that the RDS switch depends on the ratio of CLmet + bile to sinusoidal efflux clearance (CLsef). Additional analyses revealed that for intravenously administered drugs, the RDS switch also depends on the magnitude of CLsin. We analyzed published in vitro quantified hepatobiliary clearances and observed that most drugs have a CLmet + bile/CLsef ratio < 4; hence, in practice, the magnitude of CLsin must be considered when establishing the RDS. These analyses provide insights previously not appreciated and a theoretical framework to predict DDI liabilities for drugs that are dual transporter-enzyme substrates.
New Approach for Supporting Future Collaborative Business in Automotive Industry

Product development and product manufacturing are entering a new era, namely an era where engineering tasks are executed under collaboration of all involved parties. Engineers and potential customers work together mainly in a virtual world for the design and realization of the product. We address this so called “crowdsourcing” trend in the automotive industry that lowers cost and accelerates production of new car. Current practice and prior studies fail to handle data management and collaboration aspects in sufficient detail. We propose a PLM based crowdsourcing platform that applies best practices to the established approach and adapt it with new methods for handling specific requirements. Our work provides a basis for establishing an improved collaboration platform to support a Gig Economy in the automotive industry.
D-shaped photonic crystal fiber plasmonic refractive index sensor based on gold grating.

In this work, we proposed a high-resolution D-shaped photonic crystal fiber (PCF) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on gold grating. Gold grating is introduced to modulate the resonance wavelength and enhance the refractive index (RI) sensitivity. Structure parameters of PCF and gold grating are analyzed by the finite element method for optimizing the SPR sensor. The simulation results indicate that air hole pitch, air hole diameter, and gold thickness and grating constant have little influence on the sensitivity of the refractive index, which reduces the requirement of precise processing. For improving the resolution of RI sensing, a two-feature (2F) interrogation method, which combines wavelength interrogation and amplitude interrogation, is used. The maximum theoretical resolution of the SPR sensor reaches to 5.98×10-6 RIU in the range of 1.36-1.38, and the wavelength sensitivity reaches to 3340 nm/RIU. The proposed SPR sensor shows potential applications for developing a high-sensitivity, real-time, and fast-response SPR-RI sensor.
Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment Based on Uncertainty Analysis in the Risk Matrix

Uncertainty analysis is considered to be a necessary step in the process of vessel traffic risk assessment. The purpose of this study is to propose the uncertainty analysis algorithm which can be used to investigate the reliability of the risk assessment result. Probability and possibility distributions are used to quantify the two types of uncertainty identified in the risk assessment process. In addition, the algorithm for appropriate time window selection is chosen by considering the uncertainty of vessel traffic accident occurrence and the variation trend of the vessel traffic risk caused by maritime rules becoming operative. Vessel traffic accident data from the United Kingdom’s marine accident investigation branch are used for the case study. Based on a comparison with the common method of estimating the vessel traffic risk and the algorithm for uncertainty quantification without considering the time window selection, the availability of the proposed algorithms is verified, which can provide guidance for vessel traffic risk management.
A New Characterization Technique for Extracting Parasitic Inductances of SiC Power MOSFETs in Discrete and Module Packages Based on Two-Port S-Parameters Measurement

The parasitic inductances of silicon carbide (SiC) power mosfets have a major influence on their operation and circuit performance. They incur negative effects such as switching oscillations, power losses, and electromagnetic interference noise. This paper introduces a new technique to accurately characterize the parasitic inductances of SiC power mosfets in both discrete packages and power modules based on two-port S-parameters measurement. By treating a power mosfet as a two-port network, we obtain the scattering (S) and impedance (Z) parameters from network analyzer measurement. These parameters, through detailed network analysis, provide more accurate values of the internal parasitic inductances than the commonly used single-port impedance measurement technique. The new approach is first verified with high-frequency circuit simulation and then applied in the case study of SiC power mosfets in a TO-247 discrete package and a half-bridge power module. In addition, a number of silicon power mosfets and IGBTs in TO-247, TO-220, D2PAK, DPAK, and SO-8 packages are also characterized for comparison. A comparison between the characterization results from the new two-port and the prior art one-port methods reveals a significant difference ranging from 12.6% to 93.9%.
Distributed adaptive attitude control for multiple underactuated flexible spacecraft

This paper studies the distributed adaptive control of a team of underactuated flexible spacecraft under leader-follower architecture with the feedback of rigid bodies. For each flexible spacecraft, it is assumed that only the rigid body is actuated and measured directly. First, a distributed adaptive control strategy is proposed with the feedback of the generalized coordinates, the generalized velocities and the generalized accelerations of the rigid bodies. Second, a distributed adaptive controller is presented based on the states and the estimation of the generalized accelerations of the rigid bodies in the team. Finally, one numerical simulation is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control law.
CHS Priority Planning Tool (CPPT) - A GIS Model for Defining Hydrographic Survey and Charting Priorities

This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS) model that the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) developed to prioritize hydrographic survey and charting at a national scale. Canada has the largest coastline in the world; determining its survey and charting priorities at a national scale is a challenging task, requiring sufficient data to provide national coverage. In order to achieve this task and manage the geospatial layers, CHS has developed a GIS-based model, the CHS Priority Planning Tool (CPPT). Geospatial information of navigational significance (e.g., traffic patterns, water depth, and infrastructure) have been compiled into a GIS model to identify where CHS’s hydrographic survey and charting priorities exist. Probability risk modelling, such as a risk of grounding and collision model, as well as a drift model, are included in the CPPT to ensure that CHS has proper mitigation measures in “high-risk” areas. Other environmental factors such as ice and wind speed are also included to help define national priorities for CHS. The CPPT is operational and is currently being used to define and prioritize CHS’s survey and charting requirements nationally for multiple years. A GIS web tool has been developed to facilitate accessibility for all Department of Fisheries and Oceans employees and to aid in decision making regarding CHS’s national priorities.
More Sustainable Performances Through Lean Practices: A Case Study

Companies recognise lean practices to be a useful methodology for the reaching of more efficient performances in manufacturing processes. Moreover, there is growing attention by customers towards methods aiming at the improvement of the environmental sustainability. The method proposed in the current study aims at improving process performance and at evaluating the impact of operational advancements on environmental sustainability achievements. An application to a large manufacturing company producing steel caps for food and beverage packages was developed integrating the traditional Value Stream Mapping approach with indicators measuring environmental impact: Environmental Performance Indicator, CO2 emissions, electricity and methane consumption, and Overall Environmental Equipment Effectiveness. After having implemented Kaizen actions aiming at meliorating overall performances, improvements both regarding operational performance and environmental sustainability were detected.
Refractive index of adipose tissue and lipid droplet measured in wide spectral and temperature ranges.

This study presents refractive index measurements of human and porcine adipose tissues and lipid droplet content in the visible and near-infrared. The coefficients of the Sellmeier formula were calculated for approximation of tissue dispersion. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the phase transition temperatures and temperature increments dn/dT of adipose tissue were quantified for a wide wavelength range from 480 to 1550 nm and from room temperature up to 50°C. For human abdominal adipose tissue, the refractive index increment averaged across all wavelengths is dn/dT=-(3.54±0.15)×10-4°C-1, for porcine tissue dn/dT=-7.92(0.74)×10-4°C-1, and for porcine lipid droplet dn/dT=-6.01(0.29)×10-4°C-1. Data available in literature for refractive indices of adipose tissues measured by different techniques are summarized and compared with the received data.
Hybrid Broadband/Broadcast ATSC 3.0 SHVC Distribution Chain

In the last few years, video consumption habits have considerably evolved in terms of devices and networks. These new tendencies induce new constraints for video coding and broadcasting solutions architecture. The ATSC 3.0 standards scope covers all the components of the distribution chain and proposes recommendations for audio and video coding, content distribution … In previous works, we designed a SHVC encoder able to perform real-time encodings with interesting bit-rate savings. The Scalable extension of the High Efficiency Video Coding (SHVC) standard enables to encode several resolutions, qualities (SNR), bitdepths, codecs or color-gamut in a single bitstream with bit-rate savings over simulcast. In this paper, we first present the improvements and trade-off on our encoder performance in terms of coding speed and coding efficiency and its integration in a software compression solution. Then, we describe an end-to-end ATSC 3.0 broad-cast/broadband real-time distribution chain we have deployed and tested in lab conditions.