Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of PSA for the Analysis of Operational Events in Nuclear Power Plants

An operational event is a safety-relevant incident that occurred in an industrial installation like a nuclear power plant (NPP). The probabilistic approach to event analysis focuses on the potential consequences of an operational event. Within its scope of application, it provides a quantitative assessment of the risk significance of this event (and similar events): it calculates the risk increase induced by the event. Such analyses may result in a more objective and a more accurate event severity measure than those provided by commonly used qualitative methods. Probabilistic event analysis complements the traditional event analysis approaches that are oriented towards the understanding of the (root) causes of an event. In practice, risk-based precursor analysis consists of the mapping of an operational event on a risk model of the installation, such as a probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) model. Precursor analyses result in an objective risk ranking of safety-significant events, called accident precursors. An unexpectedly high (or low) risk increase value is in itself already an important finding. This assessment also yields a lot of information on the structure of the risk, since the underlying dominant factors can easily be determined. Relevant “what if” studies on similar events and conditions can be identified and performed (which is generally not considered in conventional event analysis), with the potential to yield even broader findings. The findings of such a structured assessment can be used for other purposes than merely risk ranking. The operational experience feedback process can be improved by helping to identify design measures and operational practices in order to prevent re-occurrence or in order to mitigate future consequences, and even to evaluate their expected effectiveness, contributing to the validation and prioritisation of corrective measures. Confirmed and re-occurring precursors with correlated characteristics may point out opportunities for safety improvements that might otherwise have remained unaddressed. Precursor program results can be included in performance indicators, or can be used for the statistical monitoring and trending of the risk level in plants, sites or entire industries. Last but not least, precursor analysis results can be used to communicate in a more objective way on the safety significance of events, e.g. between regulators and utilities. The paper recapitulates on some methodological steps, and then gives an overview of the objectives and the results of the Belgian precursor program, showing some recent analysis examples. In a second part, the paper attempts to summarise the various activities worldwide in this field: it elaborates on some similarities and differences in various aspects, such as objectives, screening, analysis and modelling methodology, results, uses and achievements. It also discusses some international trends and perspectives.
eceleration Impact Experiments and Deceleration Injury Mechanism Analysis on the Thoracic and Abdominal Organs

Objective It takes animal organs as models to study the process and mechanisms of thoracic and abdominal organs deceleration injury to establish a more reasonable basis for the injury assessment. Methods New Zealand rabbits were dissected along the cross-section of the chest near the diaphragm as animal models. The chest and organs were exposure. The supine (Group A) and the prone (Group B) positions were designed to be fixed in the crash test platform. The movable platform free fell from fixed height and hit the fixed platform. The high-speed camera was used to record the whole deceleration impact process. After completion of the experiment, the image sequence analysis software was used to analyze the collision process. Results The injured areas were all at the impact side. The high-speed camera showed that before ribs squeezing the lung at the hedge side, organs had hit the chest wall at the impact side then compressed. When ribs deformed at the hedge side, they did not compress organs immediately but with a time interval before contact and compression. The deformation of Group A was significantly higher than Group B, but there were no significant differences for the severity of organ damages. Conclusions In deceleration injury, the thoracic and abdominal organ damage is mainly due to the inertia impact between organs and the chest wall, while it is of no direct correlation with the compressional deformation. Thus, the AIS injury assessment criteria have serious problems, and it needs to find a new scientific assessment method.
Comparing brain-like representations learned by vanilla, residual, and recurrent CNN architectures

aligned (with hyperalignment) fMRI brain data acquired during a naturalistic visual task. We take two approaches to comparing these CNN and brain representations. We ﬁrst use forward encoding, a predictive approach that uses CNN features to predict neural responses across the whole brain. We next use representational similarity analysis (RSA) and centered kernel alignment (CKA) to measure the similarities in representation within CNN layers and speciﬁc brain ROIs. We show that, compared to vanilla CNNs, CNNs with residual and recurrent connections exhibit representations that are even more similar to those learned by the human ventral visual stream. We also achieve state-of-the-art forward encoding and RSA performance with the residual and recurrent CNN models.
CNN joint embedding LSTM LSTM CNN joint embedding LSTM CNN joint embedding LSTM CNN joint embedding LSTM CNN joint embedding

Recognizing the identities of people in everyday photos is still a very challenging problem for machine vision, due to issues such as non-frontal faces, changes in clothing, location and lighting. Recent studies have shown that rich relational information between people in the same photo can help in recognizing their identities. In this work, we propose to model the relational information between people as a sequence prediction task. At the core of our work is a novel recurrent network architecture, in which relational information between instances’ labels and appearance are modeled jointly. In addition to relational cues, scene context is incorporated in our sequence prediction model with no additional cost. In this sense, our approach is a unified framework for modeling both contextual cues and visual appearance of person instances. Our model is trained endto-end with a sequence of annotated instances in a photo as inputs, and a sequence of corresponding labels as targets. We demonstrate that this simple but elegant formulation achieves state-of-the-art performance on the newly released People In Photo Albums (PIPA) dataset.
Characterization of Histone H 2 A Derived Antimicrobial Peptides , Harriottins , from Sicklefin Chimaera Neoharriotta pinnata ( Schnakenbeck , 1931 ) and Its Evolutionary Divergence with respect to CO 1 and Histone H 2 A

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are humoral innate immune components of fishes that provide protection against pathogenic infections. Histone derived antimicrobial peptides are reported to actively participate in the immune defenses of fishes. Present study deals with identification of putative antimicrobial sequences from the histone H2A of sicklefin chimaera, Neoharriotta pinnata. A 52 amino acid residue termed Harriottin-1, a 40 amino acid Harriottin-2, and a 21 mer Harriottin-3 were identified to possess antimicrobial sequencemotif. Physicochemical properties andmolecular structure of Harriottins are in agreement with the characteristic features of antimicrobial peptides, indicating its potential role in innate immunity of sicklefin chimaera. The histone H2A sequence of sicklefin chimera was found to differ from previously reported histone H2A sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on histone H2A and cytochrome oxidase subunit-1 (CO1) gene revealed N. pinnata to occupy an intermediate position with respect to invertebrates and vertebrates.
Personalized Semantic Query Expansion Based on Dynamic User Query Profile and Spreading Activation Model

Semantic query expansion is a widely used method to resolve the query problems of synonym and polysemy in the information retrieval field. However, it does not make users more satisfied with the search results because too much noise unfit to users’ needs is introduced in the process. In this paper a new framework combining personalization with semantic query expansion is proposed to overcome the noise problem brought by semantic query expansion. In the proposed framework, firstly, instead of using traditional hierarchical expansion strategy, the spreading activation model (SAM) is used for enhancing the selection of expansion terms to reduce the noise. Secondly, to get more accurate expansion terms for individual search, dynamic user query profile is built to capture individual variable query needs and is integrated into the semantic expansion process. The proposed expansion process is described by four steps: building dynamic user query profile, concepts mapping, personalized semantic query expansion and determining the final expansion terms. Four groups of experiments were designed to verify the validity of the proposed method. The experiment results show that the proposed method outperforms both traditional hierarchical expansion and keyword-based query, which manifests that building dynamic user query profile is important for depicting user query needs in semantic query expansion and it is more rational to improve query expansion based on spreading activation model. Moreover, personalized semantic query expansion based on dynamic user query profile and spreading activation model can reduce noise of semantic query expansion and improve the search effectiveness.
Quantile Regression Based Estimation of Statistical Contingency Fuel

Reducing fuel consumption is a unifying goal across the aviation industry. One fuel-saving opportunity for airlines is the possibility of reducing contingency fuel loading. Airline flight planning system (FPS) provides recommended statistical contingency fuel (SCF) for dispatchers. However, due to limitations of the current SCF estimation procedure, the application of SCF is limited. In this study, we propose to use quantile regression based method to estimate more reliable SCF values. Utilizing a large fuel burn dataset from a major U.S. based airline, we find that the proposed quantile regression method outperforms airline’s FPS. We also quantify the impact of implementing improved SCF values in saving fuel. While maintaining a same safety level, it has been found that for our study airline, the benefit of applying improved SCF models is estimated to be in the magnitude of $14 million annual savings as well as 98 million kilogram CO2 emission reduction. This study also builds a link between SCF95 estimation and aviation system predictability in which the proposed models can also be used to predict benefits from reduced fuel loading enabled by improved air traffic management (ATM) targeting on improved system
Road Roughness Evaluation With In-Pavement Sensors

Most transportation agencies now collect pavement roughness data using the inertial profilers. Road profiling activities require instrumented vehicles and technicians with specialized training to interpret the results, which is expensive and, therefore, limits data collection to at most once per year for portions of the national highway system. Agencies characterize roughness only for some secondary roads but much less frequently. This paper developed a method linking the output of durable in-pavement strain sensors to road roughness level by theoretical derivation and numerical simulation. The durable in-pavement sensors will continuously provide information of road roughness after they are installed and calibrated during the road construction. Without the high cost for profiling facilities and technicians, this approach will serve as an economic solution after recovering the initial cost.
SERS Decoding using Functionalized Micro Gold Balls Flowing in a Microfluidic Channel

This paper reports the decoding strategy of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals from microspheres with Au shell structures, or gold balls, with Raman-tags in a microfluidic channel. On the surface of the gold balls, Raman tags were functionalized. We measured SERS signals from functionalized gold balls on a glass plate and in a fluidic channel at static and flowing conditions, respectively.
ROBUST RECEIVER FOR RFI MITIGATION IN RADIO ASTRONOMY

In radio astronomy, it appears that the design of receivers, which is based on the hypothesis of non-corruptive environment, is not adapted. Indeed, coarse quantization is usually applied to the signal. Unfortunately, when the interference power increases, the non-linearities induced become progressively too important and make spectral estimation completely unusable. That is why new generation of robust receivers must be designed. Two objectives have to be reached : 1) receivers must be linear enough to prevent any spread of strong interferences, 2) receivers must reach sufficient spectral resolution to extract radio astronomical information between interference lines.
FORMANCE IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY: OVERVIEW AND NEW EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and new empirical evidence on frontier efficiency measurement in the insurance industry, a topic of great interest in the academic literature during the last several years. In the first step, we review 83 studies and put them into a joint evaluation of efficiency measurement in the field of insurance. In the second step, an efficiency comparison of 3,710 insurers from 37 countries is conducted using a dataset that has not yet been subject to efficiency analysis (the AM Best Non US database). We compare different methodologies, countries, organizational forms, distribution systems, lines of business, and company sizes. We find a steady efficiency growth in international insurance markets from 2002 to 2006 with large differences across countries. Furthermore, we find evidence that stock companies are more efficient than mutuals as well as for economies of scale, but no evidence for economies of scope in the insurance industry. Only minor variations are found when comparing different frontier efficiency methodologies (data envelopment analysis, stochastic frontier analysis) and different distribution types (agency-based vs. direct writers). Our results give valuable insight into the competitiveness of insurers in various countries. (At the end of the paper there is an outline of further research that we would like to integrate in a revised version of the paper to be presented at the conference on “Performance Measurement in the Financial Services Sector.”)
Investigating Heat Shock Protein 70 as a Binding Partner of MK-STYX, and the Role of MK-STYX in Neuronal Differentiation

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are important regulators of various cellular processes such as proliferation, metabolism, differentiation, and apoptosis. Intriguingly, there are members that display the structural features of PTP enzymes, but lack the critical nucleophilic cysteine in the active site for catalysis. Thus, these proteins are catalytically dead and referred to as pseudophosphatases. However, they maintain their ability to bind phosphorylated residues, thus, serving as substrate “traps”. This substrate “trap” ability is useful in understanding the functions of pseudophosphatases. A member of the dual specificity phosphatase subfamily of PTPs, MK-STYX (MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phospho-serine/threonine/tyrosine-binding protein) is a pseudophosphatase. MK-STYX is catalytically inactive due to the fact that it has a phenylalanine and serine in its signature motif instead of the expected histidine and cysteine. Our previous work utilized the substrate-trap ability and mass spectrometry for functional characterization of MK-STYX, which implicated MK-STYX in the stress response pathway. MK-STYX binds G3BP1 (GTPase activating protein (SH3 domain) binding protein 1), causing a decrease in the presence of stress granules. However, MK-STYX remains relatively uncharacterized. To further characterize MK-STYX’s function, its role in heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) signaling was investigated. Hsp70 was previously identified as a potential binding partner of MK-STYX using mass spectrometry experiments. Both MK-STYX and hsp70 have a similar function, as both proteins are capable of decreasing the presence of stress granules. In studying this interaction, hsp70 expression or the phosphorylation of heat shock transcription factor-1 (hsf-1) was not affected by MK-STYX. However, we have found that MK-STYX is a promising binding partner of hsp70. Considering the interaction between G3BP1 and MK-STYX led to understanding the pseudoposphatase’s role in the stress response pathway, further characterization of MK-STYX’s function via G3BP1’s was pursued. G3BP1 has been implicated in neuronal development. Additionally, over-expression of MK-STYX is known to induce neurite formation in PC12 cells. Here, by knocking-down MK-STYX with a short-hairpin RNA expression plasmid, we have found that the pseudophosphatase is an important regulator of neurite outgrowth. Overall, this project provides more insight into MK-STYX by further characterizing this protein’s interaction partners and cellular role.
Low-phase Noise Photonic Millimeter Wave Generation Using a Nonlinear MZM and Four-wave Mixing in Ultra Long SOAs

We demonstrate an experimental study of the influence of the Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) interaction length on the four-wave mixing (FWM) efficiency. We furthermore propose and demonstrate a simple set-up for a frequency-tunable (up to 50 GHz) photonic microwave generator using nonlinearities in a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) and the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect in an ultra-long semiconductor optical amplifier (UL-SOA). The operation principle of the photonic microwave generator is based on an external modulation scheme using a low phase noise local oscillator (LO) source to multiply the LO frequency in the optical domain. We experimentally characterized the influence of the SOA interaction length on the FWM efficiency using three types of SOAs, as well as, the overall Radio Frequency (RF) conversion efficiency at the different achieved multiplication levels to identify the optimal operation conditions for the SOA. Using a low frequency reference LO source fixed at 4 GHz, the generation of a tunable and low phase noise millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal up to 50 GHz was demonstrated. A maximum achievable multiplication factor (N) of twelve-times the LO frequency, 48 GHz, has been achieved resulting from the nonlinear behavior of the MZM and the UL-SOA. Additional phase noise measurements were performed for the fundamental LO frequency as well as of the generated mm-wave signal with a multiplication factor of N = 8. Those measurements revealed a phase noise level of −96 dBc/Hz and −78 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset from the carrier, respectively. By using novel high-output power double-mushroom PDs, output power levels up to about 0 dBm have been achieved.
FORMALIZING THE META-THEORY OF FIRST-ORDER PREDICATE LOGIC

This paper introduces a representation style of variable binding using dependent types when formalizing meta-theoretic properties. The style we present is a variation of the Coquand-McKinna-Pollack’s locally-named representation. The main characteristic is the use of dependent families in deﬁning expressions such as terms and formulas. In this manner, we can handle many syntactic elements, among which well-formedness, provability, soundness, and completeness are critical, in a compact manner. Another point of our paper is to investigate the roles of free variables and constants. Our idea is that fresh constants can entirely play the role of free variables in formalizing meta-theories of ﬁrst-order predicate logic. In order to show the feasibility of our idea, we formalized the soundness and completeness of LJT with respect to Kripke semantics using the proof assistant Coq, where LJT is the intuitionistic ﬁrst-order predicate calculus. The proof assistant Coq supports all the functionalities we need: intentional type theory, dependent types, inductive families, and simultaneous substitution.
Organizational development, change and transformation

This chapter starts with a definition and critical review of the overall concept of organizational development (OD). Approaches to change management are then examined. These have sometimes been treated as an aspect of organizational development, but in fact they are used in any organization that is concerned with the effective introduction of changed structures, policies or practices. They therefore exist in their own right. The chapter continues with a discussion of organizational transformation principles and practice which are an extension of change management methodology into comprehensive programmes for managing fundamental changes to the culture and operations of an organization. The final section of the chapter deals with specific approaches to organizational development or change, namely: team building, culture change management, total quality management, continual improvement processes, business process re-engineering and performance management.
In Praise of Simplicity : Lexicographic Lightweight Markup Language

Our paper presents a simple markup language – Lexicographic Lightweight Markup Language (LLML) that has been used for almost the last three decades in the framework of two dozen lexicographic projects carried out by our Institute, as well as in several projects carried out in co-operation with commercial dictionary publishers. While initially trying to solve the problem of insufficient computing power of early MS-DOS-based personal computers in early 1990’s only, LLML is even today the central component of lexicographic workstations our lexicographers work with. Central components of the LLML syntax are introduced and exemplified by a sample entry from the Dictionary of the Contemporary Slovak Language (SSSJ). The final part of the paper describes in short some components of the LLML-aware toolbox, i.e., programs that are used in our Institute during compilation, validation, proofreading and typesetting of the respective entries. Some of these tools, however, are just a “bonus”, and “low-cost” projects could do even without them.