Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Performance GPU-based Power Grid Analysis

—The work developed under this dissertation belongs to the ﬁelds of simulation and optimization, in this case applied to the veriﬁcation of circuits with a large complexity. Namely, the power delivery network of integrated circuits — power grid — is studied. The problem faced consists of identifying if the power grid is designed to ensure it powers correctly all the devices in the circuit, which, by commuting, drain the required currents to keep their voltage levels within appropriate values. This is particularly hard given extension of the power grid and the enormous amount of devices connected to it commuting at high speeds. The most computationally demanding step in the veriﬁcation of the electric voltages on the nodes of a power grid is the solution of linear systems of equations. These systems present recurrent properties such as sparsity or symmetry, which can be explored to enhance the efﬁciency of the process. For that purpose, two types of methods were studied: direct methods and iterative methods. In both cases using techniques to reduce their complexity and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to accelerate the computational process. Itwas veriﬁed in both types that the existence of data dependencies limits the performance and the optimal usage of the GPU resources. It was conﬁrmed that the use of direct methods, is limited by their higher memory demand when compared to the iterative. On the other hand, better performances can be obtained more easily. The results were obtained using real power grid descriptions, with the respective solutions. An artiﬁcial set of matrices was generated in the attempt to evaluate the dependency of the performance with the problem regularity.
Visual Tools for Understanding Regression Black-Box Models

Lack of transparency has become a great barrier to the widespread adoption of machine learning in many areas of human society, despite the outstanding performance of recent algorithms in terms of accuracy. When accounting for important and costly decisions, end users need to understand the model to be able to rely on the predictions. In that regard, explaining black-box models has become a hot topic in Machine Learning. This paper develops a novel approach to inspect the estimated risks of using a black-box regression model for a given test case. We describe, evaluate and propose tools that visually convey the relationship between the expected error and the values of a predictor variable. Moreover, we illustrate the usefulness of our tools by applying them and other state-of-the-art methods to a concrete real world case study with high socioeconomic impact: understanding factors that drive the fishing effort around Large Scale Marine Protected Areas.
GANmut: Learning Interpretable Conditional Space for Gamut of Emotions

Humans can communicate emotions through a plethora of facial expressions, each with its own intensity, nuances and ambiguities. The generation of such variety by means of conditional GANs is limited to the expressions encoded in the used label system. These limitations are caused either due to burdensome labelling demand or the confounded label space. On the other hand, learning from inexpensive and intuitive basic categorical emotion labels leads to limited emotion variability. In this paper, we propose a novel GAN-based framework that learns an expressive and interpretable conditional space (usable as a label space) of emotions, instead of conditioning on handcrafted labels. Our framework only uses the categorical labels of basic emotions to learn jointly the conditional space as well as emotion manipulation. Such learning can benefit from the image variability within discrete labels, especially when the intrinsic labels reside beyond the discrete space of the defined. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework, by allowing us to control and generate a gamut of complex and compound emotions while using only the basic categorical emotion labels during training. Our source code is available at https://github.com/stefanodapolito/GANmut.
Multispectral Photometric Stereo for Spatially-Varying Spectral Reflectances

Multispectral photometric stereo (MPS) aims at recovering the surface normal of a scene measured under multiple light sources with different wavelengths. While it opens up a capability of a single-shot measurement of surface normal, the problem has been known ill-posed. To make the problem well-posed, existing MPS methods rely on restrictive assumptions, such as shape prior, surfaces having a monochromatic with uniform albedo. This paper alleviates these restrictive assumptions in existing methods. We show that the problem becomes well-posed for surfaces with uniform chromaticity but spatially-varying albedos based on our new formulation. Specifically, if at least three (or two) scene points share the same chromaticity, the proposed method uniquely recovers their surface normals with the illumination of no less than four (or five) spectral lights in a closed-form. In addition, we show that a more general setting of spatially-varying both chromaticities and albedos can become well-posed if the light spectra and camera spectral sensitivity are calibrated. For this general setting, we derive a unique and closed-form solution for MPS using the linear bases extracted from a spectral reflectance database. Experiments on both synthetic and real captured data with spatially-varying reflectance demonstrate the effectiveness of our method and show the potential applicability for multispectral heritage preservation.
Comprehensive symmetric-hybrid ring design for a proton EDM experiment at below 
10−29e·cm

Zhanibek Omarov, 2 Hooman Davoudiasl, Selcuk Hacıömeroğlu, ∗ Valeri Lebedev, William M. Morse, Yannis K. Semertzidis, 1, † Alexander J. Silenko, 7, 8 Edward J. Stephenson, and Riad Suleiman Department of Physics, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research, IBS, Daejeon 34051, Republic of Korea High Energy Theory Group, Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510, USA Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna 141980, Russia Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, Minsk 220030, Belarus IUCF, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA 23606, USA (Dated: May 2021)
Grounded, Controllable and Debiased Image Completion with Lexical Semantics

In this paper, we present an approach, namely Lexical Semantic Image Completion (LSIC) 1, that may have potential applications in art, design, and heritage conservation, among several others. Existing image completion procedure is highly subjective by considering only visual context, which may trigger unpredictable results which are plausible but not faithful to a grounded knowledge. To permit both grounded and controllable completion process, we advocate generating results faithful to both visual and lexical semantic context, i.e., the description of leaving holes or blank regions in the image (e.g., hole description). One major challenge for LSIC comes from modeling and aligning the structure of visual-semantic context and translating across different modalities. We devise multi-grained reasoning blocks to address this challenge. Another challenge relates to the unimodal biases, which occurs when the model generates plausible results without using the textual description. We devise an unsupervised unpaired-creation learning path that explicitly performs counterfactual thinking, i.e., what the complete image would be if given an unpaired text description to the incomplete image. A cycle consistency loss is devised to guarantee counterfactual faithfulness. We conduct extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments that reveal the strengths of LSIC in being grounded, controllable, and debiased.
A Multi-Camera Vehicle Tracking System based on City-Scale Vehicle Re-ID and Spatial-Temporal Information

With the demands of the intelligent city and city-scale traffic management, city-scale multi-camera vehicle tracking (MCVT) has become a vital problem. The MCVT is challenging due to frequent occlusion, similar vehicle models, significant feature variation by different lighting conditions, and viewing perspective in different cameras. This paper proposes an MCVT system composed of single-camera tracking (SCT), vehicle re-identification (Re-ID), and multi-camera tracks matching (MCTM). In the SCT phase, we designed a tracker update strategy and used the Re-ID model in advance. We also adopted a template matching method to re-associate the discontinuous tracklets. As for vehicle Re-ID, we implemented a spatial attention mechanism based on the background model. Then we fully leveraged the labels of synthetic data to train attributes Re-ID models as the attributes features extractor. Finally, we proposed an MCTM method to leverage tracklets representation and spatial-temporal information efficiently. Our system is evaluated both on the City-Scale Multi-Camera Vehicle Re-Identification task (Track 2) and City-Scale Multi-Camera Vehicle Tracking task (Track 3) at the AI City Challenge. Our vehicle Re-ID method has achieved 3rd place of Track 2, with an mAP score of 66.50%, and achieved state-of-the-art results on the VeRi776 dataset. Our MCVT system has achieved 3rd place, yielding 76.51% IDF1 of Track 3. Experimental results demonstrate that our system has achieved competitive performance for city-scale traffic management.
Efficient deformable shape correspondence via multiscale spectral manifold wavelets preservation

The functional map framework has proven to be extremely effective for representing dense correspondences between deformable shapes. A key step in this framework is to formulate suitable preservation constraints to encode the geometric information that must be preserved by the unknown map. For this issue, we construct novel and powerful constraints to determine the functional map, where multiscale spectral manifold wavelets are required to be preserved at each scale correspondingly. Such constraints allow us to extract significantly more information than previous methods, especially those based on descriptor preservation constraints, and strongly ensure the isometric property of the map. In addition, we also propose a remarkable efficient iterative method to alternatively update the functional maps and pointwise maps. Moreover, when we use the tight wavelet frames in iterations, the computation of the functional maps boils down to a simple filtering procedure with low-pass and various band-pass filters, which avoids time-consuming solving large systems of linear equations commonly presented in functional maps. We demonstrate on a wide variety of experiments with different datasets that our approach achieves significant improvements both in the shape correspondence quality and the computing efficiency.
Gender separation and the speech community: Rhoticity in early 20th century Southland New Zealand English

The existence of a shared constraint hierarchy is one of the criteria that defines and delimits speech communities. In particular, women and men are thought to differ only in their rates of variable usage, not in the constraints governing their variation; that is, women and men are typically considered to belong to the same speech community. We find that in early twentieth century Southland, New Zealand, women and men had different constraint hierarchies for rhoticity, with a community grammar of rhoticity only developing later. These results may be a product of a particular set of sociohistorical facts thatare not peculiar to Southland. We suggest that further research in other geographical locations may indeed reveal that men and women have different constraint hierarchies for other variables. Speech communities may thus be delimited along social lines in ways that have not been previously considered.
Slavery, Fiscal Capacity and Public Goods Provision in Brazil: Evidence from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, 1836-1912∗

Slavery was one of the most important colonial legacies in 19th century Brazil. More than 60 years passed from when the country became independent from Portugal in 1822 to the abolition of slavery in 1888. In this period, the country underwent deep structural changes and a radical shift in the geographical distribution of economic activity. I investigate how the incidence of slavery interacted with and helped to shape these changes by focusing on two key Brazilian provinces: Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. I employ municipal level data from the two provinces in combination with spatial and instrumental variable methods to illustrate that the incidence of slavery in the late 19th century negatively affected the development of local level fiscal capacity and public goods provision by the early 20th century. Additionally, I use the location of settler colonies to show that slavery negatively affected fiscal development by discouraging the settlement of foreign migrants, who provided a major stimulus for the development of local institutions in the late 19th and early 20th century. JEL: H20, H40, H70, N46, N56
Preliminary Validation of the Holistic Experience of Motivation Scale (HEMS): An Empirico-Philosophical Approach / Preliminarna validacija Skale cjelovito iskustvo motivacije: empirijsko - filozofski pristup

The aim of this study is to test the reliability and validity of the instrument known as Holistic Experience of Motivation Scale (HEMS) that has been used to examine the foundation of holistic experience of motivation in adolescents. Analyzing current research, theories, and practices in positive psychology, it is assumed that the need for purpose, i.e. recognition of the purpose, is a common need manifested differently in different constructs of human motivation. The HEMS is proposed after a theoretical and comparative analysis of various constructs of motivation, philosophies, and educational theories. Holistic Experience of Motivation (HEM) is measured in adolescents (age 14-15, total 50) after the intervention program (IP) in physical education that shows positive effects on intrinsic motivation, self-determination, achievement of goals, flow, thriving, and mindfulness. In the preliminary validation of the instrument, reliability and validity were measured using descriptive and principal component factor analysis for the case 1:5 with the Monte Carlo method. In the final instrument of 10 variables, three preliminary factors emerged: purpose, focus and example/role-model, but with the application of the Monte Carlo method only one factor emerged. The preliminary results show that the basis of the HEM can be the factor of “purpose”. The purpose or meaning may be a common need that is presented through different constructs of motivation in positive psychology. Different philosophical paradigms and constructs of motivation are shown to be connected. It is shown that the purpose or meaning in question is of spiritual/religious nature and that it is manifested through satisfying the basic psychological needs of selfCroatian Journal of Education Vol.23; Sp.Ed.No.1/2021, pages: 11-30 Original research paper Paper submitted: 5 May 2020 Paper accepted: 1 November 2020 https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v23i0. 4032 Branković and Badrić: Preliminary Validation of the Holistic Experience of Motivation Scale (HEMS) . 12 determination and through the realization of motivational sparks that are markers of deep personal interests. The results show that the HEMS requires an upgrade with an additional validation on a larger sample and its correlation with other constructs in positive psychology. Also, they confirm that relationships have a significant role in motivation and recognition of personal purpose. The study presents the IP that can be used for making an environment for a holistic experience of motivation, which can also be applied in programs that aim toward the development of leadership and moral and ethical values in youth.
A Comprehensive Review on Digital Image Watermarking

The advent of the Internet led to the easy availability of digital data like images, audio, and video. Easy access to multimedia gives rise to the issues such as content authentication, security, copyright protection, and ownership identification. Here, we discuss the concept of digital image watermarking with a focus on the technique used in image watermark embedding and extraction of the watermark. The detailed classification along with the basic characteristics, namely visual imperceptibility, robustness, capacity, security of digital watermarking is also presented in this work. Further, we have also discussed the recent application areas of digital watermarking such as healthcare, remote education, electronic voting systems, and the military. The robustness is evaluated by examining the effect of image processing attacks on the signed content and the watermark recoverability. The authors believe that the comprehensive survey presented in this paper will help the new researchers to gather knowledge in this domain. Further, the comparative analysis can enkindle ideas to improve upon the already mentioned techniques.
Complex structures synthesized in shock processing of nucleobases – implications to the origins of life

Nucleobases are nitrogenous bases composed of monomers that are a major constituent of RNA and DNA, which are an essential part of any cellular life on the Earth. The search for nucleobases in the interstellar medium remains a major challenge, however, the recent detection of nucleobases in meteorite samples and laboratory synthesis in simulated analogue experiments have confirmed their abiotic origin and a possible route for their delivery to the Earth. Nevertheless, cellular life is based on the interacting network of complex structures, and there is substantial lack of information on the possible routes by which such ordered structures may be formed in the prebiotic environment. In the current study, we present the evidence for the synthesis of complex structures due to shock processing of nucleobases. The nucleobases were subjected to the reflected shock temperature of 3500 – 7000 K (estimated) and pressure of about 15 – 34 bar for over ∼ 2 ms timescale. Under such extreme thermodynamic conditions, the nucleobases sample experiences superheating and subsequent cooling. Electron microscopic studies of shock processed residue show that nucleobases result in spontaneous formation of complex structures when subjected to extreme conditions of shock. These results suggest that impact shock processes might have contributed to the self-assembly of biologically relevant structures and the origin of life.
Single Surgeon Experience with 500 Cases of the Robotic Bilateral Axillary Breast Approach (BABA) for Thyroid Surgery Using the Da-Vinci Xi System

Objectives: Robotic bilateral axillary breast approach (BABA) thyroid surgery began in 2008 and is now one of the most widely used remote-access thyroid surgeries worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the results of 500 robotic BABA thyroid surgeries performed in a single institution in Korea compared with open thyroid surgery. Methods: From December 2018 to March 2020, 502 robotic BABA thyroidectomies (RTs) and 531 conventional open thyroidectomies (OTs) were performed in our institution by a single endocrine surgeon. We retrospectively reviewed patient medical records and performed a comparative analysis of OT and RT. Results: The RT group was younger (43.41 ± 11.41 versus 54.28 ± 13.41 years, p < 0.001) and had a higher proportion of females (84.3% versus 69.3%, p < 0.001), a lower BMI (24.66 ± 3.97 versus 25.83 ± 4.07 kg/m2), a higher proportion of lobectomies (52.6% versus 45.2%) and a lower proportion of lateral neck dissections (3.4% versus 10.0%, p < 0.001). The RT group had a longer operation time (145.33 ± 40.80 versus 93.39 ± 43.55 min, p < 0.001) and higher surgical costs. Although the OT group had a larger tumor size and a higher proportion of extrathyroidal extension, the numbers of retrieved lymph nodes were not significantly different between the two groups. Additionally, there was no difference in the stimulated thyroglobulin level before radioactive iodine therapy (7.01 ± 35.73 versus 8.39 ± 58.77, p = 0.782). The rates of transient vocal cord palsy and transient hypoparathyroidism were significantly lower in the RT group, and those of scar-related complications were higher in the OT group. Conclusions: Robotic BABA thyroid surgery has advantages not only in better cosmetic outcomes but also in lower rates of vocal cord palsy and hypoparathyroidism, with comparable lymph node retrieval and serum thyroglobulin levels.
T T deformations of non-relativistic models

: The light-cone gauge approach to T T deformed models is used to derive the T T deformed matrix nonlinear Schrödinger equation, the Landau-Lifshitz equation, and the Gardner equation. Properties of one-soliton solutions of the T T deformed nonlinear Schrödinger and Korteweg-de Vries equations are discussed in detail. The NLS soliton exhibits the recently discussed phenomenon of widening/narrowing width of particles under the T T deformation. However, whether the soliton’s size is increasing or decreasing depends not only on the sign of the deformation parameter but also on soliton and potential parameters. The T T deformed KdV equation admits a one-parameter family of one-soliton solutions in addition to the usual velocity parameter. The extra parameter modiﬁes the properties of the soliton, in particular, it appears in the dispersion relation.
Competencia, concentración de mercado e innovación en Ecuador

The objective is to determine how market concentration affects firms’ decisions to innovate. With company-level data l from the 2010 Ecuadorian economic census , a probabilistic/linear model was calculated with correction for selection bias. Ecuadorian companies have a limited innovation capability and there is a persistence in market concentration. The estimates confirm the theory of market power in the propensity to innovate for both models. Consequently, increased market share leads to an increase in the likelihood of innovation, thanks to the ability to exploit the gains from these processes.
Use of 3D Laser Microscopy to Determine Plant Pollen

Pollen analysis as a part of palynology deals with the morphological determination of pollen and spores. Different technologies with different resolutions varying from simple light microscopy to highly elaborate electron microscopy are used for the examination, depending on the area of application (e.g. sedimentology, melissopalynology, forensic palynology, etc.). To answer the question of whether laser scanning microscopy (LSM) can replace scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the determination of pollen species, 168 species were examined using LSM. It was concluded that LSM is both efficient and easy to handle. After preparing the fresh pollen, a 3D laser scan takes 5-10 minutes and unlike using SEM, the pollen does not have to be sputtered or processed. The 3D scans can be measured quickly and easily with the integrated software and there were no observable artifacts. At magnifications up to 8545x, the image quality is comparable to that of a sputtered SEM sample whereas at higher magnifications, the SEM method is superior. Overall, pollen display by LSM is much less time consuming and more cost effective than with the SEM method.