Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bootstrapping the Learning Process for the Semi-automated Design of a Challenging Game AI

This paper proposes a methodology for the semi-automated design of a game AI for simulation and strategy games which require the player to control a potentially high number of characters or units in complex environments. After defending the idea of using Machine Learning, and especially Reinforcement Learning, as a basic technique, some of the key issues, mostly dealing with complexity, representation, and coordination, are outlined, and some ways forward are proposed. These revolve mainly around the idea of problem decomposition using the game structure, and of bootstrapping the learning process by letting the learning game AI play against another AI, and only progressively take more and more control of the decision-making. The ongoing application of this methodology to the design of a new game AI for an existing wargame system is described in some detail.
Study of light neutron-rich nuclei via one-neutron knockout reactions

El objetivo de este trabajo era el estudio de la estructura de nucleos atomicos ligeros ricos en neutrones, entendidos coma la suma de distintas configuraciones (core x neutron). Mediante reacciones de arranque de un neutron (one-neutron knockout) se investigo de forma sistematica el estado fundamental de treinta y nueve isotopos diferentes situados entre C y Al, muestreandose asi una amplia region de la carta de nucleos, comprendida entre N =9 y 22. El experimento de realizo en el centro de investigacion aleman Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung (GSI), en Darmstadt. Se llevaron a cabo medidas inclusivas de la seccion eficaz de arranque de un neutron y de la distribucion de momento longitudinal de los fragmentos A-1 producidos en la reaccion para un gran numero de proyectiles, a saber, 14-19C, 16-22N, 19-23O, 21-26F, 24-28Ne, 27-31Na, 31-33Mg e 34-35Al. Se utilizaron tambien detectores de Ge (MINIBALL) para realizar medidas exclusivas. En particular, se estudiaron los rayos gamma emitidos en coincidencia con la reaccion de one-neutron knockout para los proyectiles, 17C, 19N, 21O y 25F, para los que se determinaron coeficientes de ramificacion y secciones eficaces parciales asociadas a los distintos estados del fragmento. En terminos generales, este trabajo contribuye a una mejor comprension de la zona rica en neutrones de la carta de nucleos. Los datos obtenidos pueden analizarse junto a experimentos anteriores, dode se investigaron mayormente nucleos con numero atomico Z<10. Las medidas realizadas para nucleos con un mayor numero de protones, hasta Z=13, suponen una valiosa fuente de informacion en un dominio relativamente inexplorado hasta el momento.
Scalable Register Renaming via the Quack Register File

To improve the performance of superscalar microprocessors, developers are continually deepening pipelines, increasing the instruction window size, and widening instruction dispatch. As these microarchitecture features grow they stress the register renaming mechanism by increasing the demands for physical registers, and register read/write bandwidth. There are four major components to register renaming that suffer scaling problems: physical tag assignment (destination allocation), source operand read, result writeback, and result commit. This work introduces a new scalable register renaming scheme, built around the novel Quack register file. The Quack register file has a simple implementation that yields a read latency independent of the physical register count. It also facilitates a mapping strategy that does not require a separate mapping table, or similar structure. The latency and performance of the Quack register file are analyzed and compared to current register renaming implementations using the Cache Access and Cycle Time Information (CACTI) tool and a full functional performance simulation model. Results: The Quack register file provides a high-performance low-latency single cycle register renaming implementation that scales extremely well for ultra-large superscalar designs. The delays for all register renaming functions are independent of the rename register count and less dependent on the port count than current methods. It is demonstrated that the performance potential for the Quack register file is 6x that of current methods.
Representing information using parametric visual effects on groupware avatars

Parametric visual effects such as texture generation and shape grammars can be controlled to produce visually perceptible variation. This variation can be rendered on avatars in groupware systems in real time to represent user information in online environments. This type of extra information has been shown to enrich recognition and characterization, but has previously been limited to iconic representations. Modern, highly graphical virtual worlds require more naturalistic and stylistically consistent techniques to represent information. A number of different parametric texture generation techniques are considered and a set of texture characteristics are developed. The variations of these texture characteristics are examined in a study to determine how well users can recognize the visual changes in each. Another study is done to determine how much screen space is required for users to recognize these visual changes in a subset of these texture characteristics. Additionally, an example shape generation system is developed as an example of how shape grammars and L-systems can be used to represent information using a space ship metaphor. These different parametric visual effects are implemented in an example prototype system using space ships. This prototype is a complete functioning groupware application developed in XNA that utilizes many parametric texture and shape effects.
6LoWPAN Extension for IPsec

Real-world deployments of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) require secure communication. Recently, WSNs and traditional IP networks are more tightly integrated using IPv6 and 6LoWPAN. Available IPv6 protocol stacks can use IPsec to secure data exchange. Thus, it is desirable to extend 6LoWPAN such that IPsec communication with IPv6 nodes is possible. It is beneficial to use IPsec because the existing end-points on the Internet do not need to be modified to communicate securely with the WSN. We propose a 6LoWPAN extension for IPsec. Our extension supports both IPsec’s Authentication Header (AH) and Encapsulation Security Payload (ESP). Thus, communication endpoints are able to authenticate, encrypt, and check the integrity of messages using standardized and established IPv6 mechanisms.
Breaking alibis through cell phone mapping

, a couple was hijacked out-side their home when they returned after a day spent visiting family. Thefour attackers waited at the couple’s house in their own vehicle. When thecouple arrived, two of the attackers forced their way into the couple’s car atgunpoint and made the couple drive away. The other two attackers leftshortly thereafter in their own vehicle. The couple was taken to a desolatearea, shot and killed. Their stolen vehicle was delivered to a person whohad previously “ordered” such a make and model of vehicle.Two days later, the same attackers executed a second hijacking, usingtheir own vehicle to follow a man and his son before hijacking them. Thesevictims were relatively fortunate: They were taken to a remote area andtied to a tree, but their lives were spared. During that same night, just aftermidnight, the attackers hijacked a couple visiting Signal Hill near CapeTown, South Africa. The couple was held hostage while the gang traveledaround in their car and the couple’s car; the couple was later murderedexecution-style. Evidence showed the woman was also raped prior to beingshot.Two of the suspects (whom DNA analysis later proved had raped thewoman) were killed in a shootout with police while attempting to evadearrest. The investigating officer learned that the woman’s cell phone wasmissing and obtained the number from her family. To trace her phone, heobtained a warrant for its detail billing. The cell phone records revealedthat a particular number had been called on 12 occasions at approximatelythe time she was last seen alive. The owner of that number was traced, andthose cell phone records confirmed that the phone had received the 12calls. The receiving phone’s owner stated to police that he had lent the
How am I using inquiry-based learning to improve my practice and to encourage higher order thinking among my students of mathematics?

In this paper, I describe and explain how I enquired into my own practice as a teacher of mathematics in a post-primary school. I engaged in an action research study as I explored how I could use inquiry-based learning (IBL) to encourage higher order thinking among my students of mathematics. I did this through two cycles of action research. In cycle one my focus was on introducing IBL into my lessons. The focus of cycle two was on improving the students’ ability to write-up their inquiries. Through the cycles of the enquiry, I gained a deeper understanding of the values embodied in my practice as a teacher. I used these values as my living standards of judgement by which I judged my practice. During the research period I successfully integrated the levels of inquiry as advocated by the European Seventh Framework project ‘Pathway’ into my teaching and used the SOLO taxonomy as a way of assessing higher order thinking. In my study, I show how my students engaged in the inquiry-based learning process as I asked, researched and answered the question ‘How can I use inquiry-based learning to improve my practice and to encourage higher order thinking among my students of mathematics? ’ Through the research process, my own learning and that of my students has been transformed and this gives me enormous satisfaction.
A general theory of genetic algorithms

• A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Le timbre dans le répertoire de la valiha, cithare tubulaire de Madagascar

La valiha, cithare tubulaire de Madagascar, est un instrument de musique seculaire largement repandu dans l’ile. Sa pratique est particulierement vivace en Imerina, region des Hautes terres centrales : en temoigne la richesse de la terminologie locale qui sert a designer des variantes de factures et de jeu.Le timbre est revele comme une donnee structurellement et esthetiquement pertinente dans le jeu de la valiha en Imerina. Or, tout renouvellement du timbre a des repercussions plus ou moins profondes sur le plan stylistique. L’influence reciproque qui existe entre les procedes de facture et les caracteristiques de jeu a ete mise en evidence par une analyse des « champs de liberte » de la valiha. Le recours a des outils et des methodes specifiques a l’acoustique musicale a permis de decrire ces phenomenes, puis de les confronter a la pratique musicale des artisans-musiciens, afin d’en degager la pertinence. La complexite et la malleabilite du timbre instrumental ont permis aux artisans-musiciens de le faconner au cours de l’histoire, reactualisant ainsi le repertoire par rapport a un contexte socio-culturel en constante evolution. La reference au timbre de la valiha originelle a cordes vegetales reste sous-jacente et guide les artisans-musiciens dans leurs choix de facture et de jeu : certaines variantes sont concues en opposition, d’autres en evocation a cet instrument de reference.Specifier l’instrument comme il est d’usage dans les partitions d’orchestre classiques parait insuffisant et la difficulte que pose la notation des variantes stylistiques liees au timbre instrumental n’est pas entierement resolue.
Gait Recognition with Kinect

The prominence of systems for automatic person identification has risen increasingly during the past years. One biometric technique for unintrusive identification is gait recognition which offers the possibility to recognize and identify movement patterns of persons from some distance away. In former work, gait recognition is mainly achieved with camera systems. In this paper, we present an approach for gait recognition based on Microsoft Kinect, a peripheral for the gaming console XBOX 360, with an integrated depth sensor alowing for skeleton detection and tracking in realtime. We evaluate a number of body features together with steplength and speed, their relevance for person identification, and present the results of an empirical evaluation of our system, where we were able to accomplish a success rate of more than 90% with nine test persons.
Design for verification of a PCI-X bus model

The importance of re-usable Intellectual Properties (IPs) cores and the system-level design languages have been increasing due to the growing complexity of today's System-on-Chip (SoC) and the need for rapid prototyping. In this respect, the SystemC language is becoming an industrial standard to be used as a modeling language for SoCs at the system level. Nevertheless, it is of paramount importance to have SystemC IPs in particular bus standards in order to facilitate SoC designs using SystemC. PCI-X is the fastest and latest extension of PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) technologies that is backward compatible to previous PCI versions. It plays a crucial role in today's SoC since it helps to connect various on chip IPs. In this thesis, we provide a design for verification approach for the PCI-X bus. We use different modeling levels, namely UML, AsmL and SystemC to design and verify the PCI-X. From informal specifications, we first represent the PCI-X model in UML where a precise capture of design requirements is possible.
Customizable Object-Oriented Operating Systems

CustomizableOb ject-OrientedOp eratingSystemsRoy H. Campb ellJohnCo omesAmitabh DaveYongchengLiWilly S. LiaoSwee LimTinQianDavid K. RailaEllard RoushAamo d SaneMohlale Se kaAshish SinghaiSee-Mong TanDepartment of Computer ScienceUniversity ofIllinois atUrbana-ChampaignDigital Computer Lab oratory1304W. Spring eldUrbana, IL 61801froy,jcoomes,dave,ycli,liao,sblim,tinq,raila,roush,sane,se ka,singhai,stang@cs.uiuc. eduDecemb er 6, 19951Intro ductionOp eratingsystemsservetheneedsofapplicationprograms bymanaging systemresourcesandprovidingmechanisms bywhichprograms may usethem.Inageneralpurp oseop eratingsystem,thepoliciesthatgovern the use of these resourcesmust b eexibleenough to accommo date a broad range of usage patternsby various applications.The op erating system designer traditionally implements p olicies that most b ene ta \characteristic"workload.Aclassicexample is thechoiceof lesystem caching p olicies.Thep olicy ofdiscarding the oldest pages from the cache (theLeast Rcently Usedor LRU p olicy) is appropriate for mostapplications such as text editors.However, studies have shown that database applications consistently exhibitdecidedly non-LRU b ehavior.By attempting to cater to some average of user b ehavior, the op erating systemp erforms p o orly for some others.Userswho run one or a few programs ratherthan a large, heterogenousmix of programs matching the design pro le are particularly susceptible to this.A general purp ose op eratingsystem simply cannot o er the b est p ossible p erformance for every individual application.Anobvioussolutiontothisproblem iscustomizableoperatingsystems.Insuchasystem,theuserisallowed tocustomizetheb ehaviorof op eratingsystemservicesinanapplication-sp eci cmanner.In lecaching example, knowledgeab out temp oral and spatial patternsof le accessina databaseprogramcanb eappliedtopro duceacustomizedOSthatcaches lesappropriatelyfordatabases.Manymo dernop erating systems allow customization of some asp ects of system b ehavior.Several op erating system kernelshave system primitives that explicitly allow user-level programs to ho ok into theow of control of systemactivities.Anexample is user-levelpagersin Mach[1] and Spring[2]. Mach'svirtual memory architectureallowstheasso ciationofmemory regionswithuser-levelprograms thatareinvokedthroughterpro cesscommunications whenever events of interest, such as page-ins and page-outs, o ccur in that region.Ease ofdesign and eciency of implementation determine how successfully an op erating system can b e customized.This article o ers our solution to the problem of building customizable op erating systems and describ estheresultsachievedin implementing a customizable op eratingsystem.We havebuilt an ob ject-oriented,customizableop eratingsystem,Choices[3,4]. Weadvo cateob ject-orientedprogrammingtostructurecustomizable op erating systems, andChoicesis designed as an interacting collection of ob jectframeworks.Descriptions ofChoices, of framework metho dology and its application to OS subsystems is given in the nextsection.Structuringthesystemasa setof frameworks facilitates thedesign,maintenance, and extension1
Managing Complexity - How Many Platforms Do We Need for Metabolomics?

s5-1 Metabolomics has matured over the past 10 years. By combining different platforms, over 2,000 identified metabolites can be screened. At the UC Davis Genome Center Metabolomics Facility, two laboratories work towards advancing methods and reaching out services, the Fiehn research laboratory and the metabolomics core. We have a combined use of 11 mass spectrometers for which a range of SOPs and quality controls have been developed for (a) primary metabolism, (b) volatile metabolites, (c) lipidomics, (d) secondary metabolites and (e) metabolic polymers. Over 300 studies have been completed over the past 5 years which are stored and disseminated via the SetupX study design database and facilitated by the BinBase mass spectrometry repositories. Lipid identifications by nanoESI-ion trap MS/MS are based on Genedata's MS Refiner software and a novel cross-instrument library, the LipidBLAST tool that stores calculated MS/MS spectra of over 180,000 lipids based on fragmentation patterns of authentic standards. The FiehnLib libraries of over 1,000 primary metabolites authenticate identifications in GC-TOF platforms, in conjunction with BinBase and the Adams volatile MS library. Polymers in biofuel research are assessed by pyrolysis-GC/MS and the MIT-based SpectConnect tool. LC-ion trap, Qtrap and QTOF mass spectrometry are used for determining compounds that are not amenable by one of the above methods, such as cationic metabolites (SAM, betaine, SMM), metabolic active biomarkers (acylcarnitines) and other important metabolic classes (dietary phytochemicals, folates and glucuronides). Despite this progress, metabolomics still faces a number of analytical challenges: the need for accuracy in structural identifications and quantifications, increases in total peak capacities, improved data processing software and the need for standardized database repositories. Current efforts are presented as well as a discussion on experiences in the dual task of ‘research’ and ‘service’ for metabolomic facilities and how to meet outside expectations and financial constraints.
A Menu of Designs for Reinforcement Learning Over Time

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction and Overview, A Simple Two-Component Adaptive Critic Design, HDP and Dynamic Programming, Alternative Ways to Figure 3.2 in Adapting the Action Network, Alternatives to HDP in Adapting the Critic Network, Some Topics for Further Research, Equations and Code For Implementation, References
L’appropriation par des élèves tunisiens débutants du langage permettant de représenter la réaction chimique

Cette etude vise a mettre en evidence dans quelle mesure des eleves tunisiens demarrant l’apprentissage de la chimie en langue francaise se sont approprie le langage permettant de representer la reaction chimique. Nous avons cherche a evaluer leur capacite a associer des noms et des symboles representatifs des entites et especes chimiques et a donner du sens aux representations litterales et symboliques de la reaction chimique. Deux methodes de collecte des donnees ont ete utilisees : un questionnaire papier crayon et un exercice evaluatif. Les eleves semblent rencontrer des difficultes pour decrire une reaction chimique en respectant les regles orthographiques et grammaticales du langage de la chimie. Dans leur majorite, ils n’arrivent pas a coordonner les differents niveaux de connaissances a mettre en jeu pour arriver a donner du sens aux representations de la reaction chimique aussi bien dans le niveau macroscopique que microscopique. Trois sources de difficultes conduisant a l’utilisation de raisonnements alternatifs ont ete identifiees : l’impossibilite d’application des conventions ou regles enseignees ; l’absence de connaissances chimiques suffisantes car elles ne sont pas enseignees a ce niveau ; la non perception de la conservation a travers le changement.
Visualizing visualization: a model and framework for visualization exploration

Visualization exploration is the process of extracting insight from data via interaction with visual depictions of that data. Visualization exploration is more than presentation; the interaction with both the data and its depiction is as important as the data and depiction itself. Previous visualization research has focused on the generation of visualizations—the depiction—and not on the exploratory aspects of the visualization process. However, without user interfaces for and formal models of the visualization process, visualization exploration sessions cannot be fully utilized. Towards this end, this dissertation introduces a model and framework for the visualization exploration process. This research aims at providing a framework for capturing, representing, and manipulating information derived during the visualization discovery processes in a systematic manner. In particular, this work focuses on the exploration during the data analysis and visualization process through the use of intuitive graphical user interfaces. These interfaces provide a structured environment for the exploration of the visualization parameter space. The interfaces utilize a formal model of the visualization process that captures the fundamental operations performed during this exploration. The model is independent of the visualization performed or user interface utilized. In addition, instances of the model can be shared between users via an interoperable representation format. The goal of this work is to maximize user productivity by offering them an effective mechanism to fetch, edit, reuse, and share with others their visualizations which may include raw data, data associations, visualization results, and the steps taken to derive the visualization results.
On Computation Offloading and Virtual Machine Selection for Cloud-based Applications

Cloud computing allows elastic deployment of client applications by provisioning virtual machine(VM) instances. In practice, each VM instance is treated as a non-fractional atomic unit in provisioning, and most cloud providers offer a number of different options for VM instances. A natural question here is what are the tradeoffs of these different VM instances? Or from each client’s perspective, which VM instance(s) should it choose given its specific requirement? It is necessary to decide whether to scale up by upgrading existing VMs or scale out by adding more VMs. We study a case of video compression computation offloading to the cloud computing and present a systematic experimental study on a state-of-the-art cloud system to understand the performance of diverse VM instances and the tradeoffs therein. Our results reveal the critical performance bottlenecks of these VM instances, particularly in the presence of resource contention, providing valuable guidelines for computation offloading opportunities and the selection of VM instances in practice.