Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AN INVITATION TO A NEW TRANSPORTATION MODE

The trends of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) and Automated Highways are converging. The result may be a new transportation mode built around robotic vehicles. This paper outlines how technology can transform transportation, making it more convenient, safer, more sustainable and less subject to congestion. Such a system could utilize existing infrastructure, but split highway lanes in half with vehicles less than a meter wide. This paper presents lessons from several relevant vehicles that the author's research teams have worked on. It describes open source work in progress and invites participation from other researchers.
Approximate Predictive Representations of Partially Observable Systems

We provide a novel view of learning an approximate model of a partially observable environment from data and present a simple implementation of the idea. The learned model abstracts away unnecessary details of the agent's experience and focuses only on making certain predictions of interest. We illustrate our approach in small computational examples, demonstrating the data efficiency of the algorithm.
Gender differences in response to acute and chronic angiotensin II infusion: a translational approach

Women with renal disease progress at a slower rate to end stage renal disease than men. As angiotensin II has both hemodynamic and direct renal effects, we hypothesized that the female protection may result from gender differences in responses to angiotensin II. Therefore, we studied gender differences in response to angiotensin II, during acute (human) and chronic (rats) angiotensin II administration. In young healthy men (n = 18) and women (n = 18) we studied the responses of renal hemodynamics (125I‐iothalamate and 131I‐Hippuran) and blood pressure to graded angiotensin II infusion (0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 ng/kg/min for 1 h). Men had increased responses of diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.01), mean arterial pressure (P = 0.05), and a more pronounced decrease in effective renal plasma flow (P = 0.009) than women. We measured the changes in proteinuria and blood pressure in response to chronic administration (200 ng/kg/min for 3 weeks) of angiotensin II in rats. Male rats had an increased response of proteinuria compared with females (GEE analysis, P = 0.001). Male, but not female, angiotensin II‐treated rats had increased numbers of renal interstitial macrophages compared to sham‐treated rats (P < 0.001). In conclusion, gender differences are present in the response to acute and chronic infusion of angiotensin II. Difference in angiotensin II sensitivity could play a role in gender differences in progression of renal disease.
PRICE-BASED RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN CDMA NETWORKS AND STABILITY ANALYSIS

Abstract We present an optimal model based on utility functions and pricing for downlink radio resource allocation in code division multiple access (CDMA) systems. The aim of this model is to achieve the throughput maximization via dynamic price adjustment. Due to the existence of action delays, we give globally asymptotical stability results using Lyapunov-Razumikhin arguments for rate and price evolvement closed-loop systems. Considering total power constraint for base station, we introduce a power allocation policy, which need only users’ local information. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the joint rate and power control scheme.
A new image correcting method based on MWLS_SVR

Image correction is to establish the correspondence between two images or to determine the geometric transformation. In this paper, we present a novel method to correct image geometric distortion. The method can find the desired transformation by a set of ground control points (GCPs) based on local adaptive multi-scale wavelet least squares support vector regression(MWLS_SVR) and computer the unknown pixels location by the estimated transformations. To test the proposed method, a number of experiments are carried out. The simulated results illustrate that the proposed method can actually correct image geometric distortion and regress arbitrary distortion function such as linear and nonlinear transformation. It is demonstrated in the experiment that the performance of the method has interesting result.
Is Willingness to Pay for Farmland Preservation Transferable Across States? Evidence from a Choice Experiment

In stated preference assessments of farmland preservation programs, respondents are often told that preservation will occur within a given scale-e.g., community, state, county-but do not know the specific location of parcels in question. Hence, welfare estimates may be available for different scales, providing numerous avenues for benefit transfer. This paper provides a systematic assessment of transfer error, contrasting methods for the transfer of farmland preservation values across states and jurisdictional scales. The data are drawn from choice experiments conducted simultaneously in two different states and at two different scales. Results suggest that transfers across state outperform transfers across scale, and that simpler methods often outperform more complex approaches that calibrate for differences across scale.
Behavioral Modeling for High-Level Synthesis of Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems from VHDL-AMS

High-level synthesis is highly demanded for managing the complexity of analog and mixed-signal system designs. However, synthesis methods are currently in their infancy. The absence of a high-level specification notation is an important limitation for the development of efficient synthesis methods. This paper presents a behavioral model and a VHDL-AMS subset for high-level synthesis of analog and mixed-signal systems. The model (named aBlox) offers a composition semantics for functionality description, and an orthogonal, declarative mechanism for expressing the performance requirements of a system. The model was developed after analyzing a large number of systems for telecommunication, signal processing, control engineering, and analog computing. The model expresses the meaning of (1) analog and digital data, (2) continuous and event-driven functionality (behavior), (3) analog performance attributes, and (4) analog-digital interactions. The aBlox model served as a foundation for defining a semantically sound VHDLAMS subset for synthesis. Also, the VHDL-AMS subset was identified so that its constructs can be mapped to architectures of circuits. We introduced several restrictions to the VHDL-AMS instructions, such that their semantics matches to that of the aBlox model. To motivate the usefulness of the model and the VHDL-AMS subset, we presented a case study that used VHDLAMS inputs.
Examining the presentation of tumor-associated antigens on peptide-pulsed T2 cells

Peptide-pulsed T2 cells are routinely used to study T-cell activation by MHC-restricted peptides derived from tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Nevertheless, the capacity of T2 cells to present antigenic epitopes remains to be precisely quantified, primarily due to the detection limits imposed by available methods. Since naturally-processed TAA-derived epitopes have been shown to be displayed at levels as low as 10–150 copies per cell, highly sensitive detection and quantification techniques are essential to assess the natural degree of T-cell sensitivity. Here, we report the use of soluble, high-affinity T-cell receptors (TCRs) coupled with single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to quantify three reported TAA-derived epitopes on peptide-pulsed T2 cells, dissecting the relationship between concentration of exogenous peptide, number of epitopes presented, and activation of epitope-specific T cells. Our findings indicate that peptide concentrations in the low nanomolar range are required for T2 cells to present TAAs in extents that are comparable to those of malignant cells.
Review of passenger transport demand elasticities

A report was prepared in 2002 to assess international evidence on elasticities of demand for passenger transport (both public and private) and to recommend elasticity values that could be applied in forecasting the impacts on travel demand of urban transport policy measures in New Zealand. While considerable information is available, both in New Zealand and internationally, on passenger transport demand elasticities, no comprehensive guide exists on appropriate values for use in New Zealand. The project was designed to fill this gap. The research included a review of the international literature on passenger transport demand elasticities relating to the following: 1. Effects of changes in public transport system variables (principally fares. service levels. in-vehicle time) on public transport demand; 2. Effects of changes in private transport system variables (principally in- vehicle travel time. fuel prices. parking charges. toll charges) on both private transport demand and public transport demand. Recommendations for elasticity values applicable to urban areas of New Zealand are given. (a)
On stabilization conditions of linear stochastic switched systems

We are interested in the switching stabilizing control problem of linear Itâ stochastic systems. Based on constructing the quasi-quadratic Lyapunov function, we derive some stabilization conditions in the senses of in probability and almost sure, respectively. Further, a detailed discussion on the difference between the results on the two senses is presented. Numerical example is provided to illustrate the results.
Dispositivos robóticos de rehabilitación basados en Interfaces Cerebro- Ordenador: silla de ruedas y robot para teleoperación

Este artículo describe dos dispositivos de rehabilitación cuyo funcionamiento se apoya únicamente en el pensamiento, ambos desarrollados en la Universidad de Zaragoza: el primero de ellos es una silla de ruedas con navegación autónoma y controlada con el pensamiento, mientras que el segundo es un robot controlado con el pensamiento para realizar tareas de teleoperación de manera remota. Básicamente, el usuario observa una reconstrucción virtual del entorno en tiempo real (silla de ruedas) o video real capturado por una cámara y con diferentes aspectos añadidos de realidad aumentada (robot), y se concentra en el área del espacio a alcanzar. Un proceso de estimulación visual elicita el fenómeno neurológico (P300 en este caso), el procesado de señal EEG detecta el objetivo, y a continuación es enviado al sistema de navegación autónomo, que conduce el dispositivo hasta el lugar deseado esquivando los obstáculos detectados. Estos sistemas han sido rigurosamente validados con diez usuarios sanos (cinco por cada aplicación). El resultado general es que todos los usuarios usaron correctamente los dispositivos con relativa facilidad y adaptabilidad.
Ancient DNA evidence of population replacement following the Aztec conquest of Xaltocan, Mexico

Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank Deborah A. Bolnick, my advisor. This master's report would not have been completed without her guidance. I also thank Enrique R. Rodríguez-Alegría and Lisa Overholtzer for loaning the samples and instructing me in the archaeological aspects of this project. I will always be deeply grateful to the Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza for its wonderful fellowship. Thanks for this opportunity. The Aztec empire emerged in AD 1428 as a result of the triple alliance among the city-states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Although it is well documented that the Aztecs conquered numerous polities in the Basin of Mexico over the next 100 years, the demographic consequences of this expansion remain unclear. At the influential Otomi city-state of Xaltocan, for example, colonial documents suggest that the Aztec conquest led to a replacement of the original Otomi population, whereas archaeological finds suggest that a significant portion of the original population may have remained at the city under Aztec rule. To help resolve questions about Xaltocan's population history during this period, I extracted ancient DNA from 21 individuals that can be divided into two temporal subpopulations (roughly predating and postdating the hypothesized replacement event). I determined mitochondrial DNA haplogroups through RFLP analyses and constructed haplotypes based on 372 bp of HVR1 sequence. Statistical analyses show significant differences between the mitochondrial composition of the two subpopulations. Altogether, the results of this study support the hypothesis that matrilines at Xaltocan vi underwent a significant replacement event following the Aztec conquest, and they suggest that the Aztec expansion may have had a substantial genetic impact on certain Mesoamerican populations.
Load Balancing in Corba: a Survey Response to the Aggregated Computing Rfi

CORBA is an industrial standard for distributed object-oriented applications covering aspects such as heterogeneity and interoperability of products of different vendors. However, the CORBA standard does not define any methods for load balancing and there is a considerable confusion of terms describing associated load balancing techniques. Starting from the general platform-and language-independent CORBA object model, this paper presents a new hierarchical classification of possible load distribution methods for CORBA applications. The classification is a valuable starting point to identify the load balancing method that is appropriate for a given application. Furthermore, we show the relations to modern software design patterns and indicate the places in a CORBA application where load balancing components such as monitoring (obtaining load information), strategy (performing load distribution decisions), and control (executing the strategy decisions) may be integrated. Besides the discussion of the general object model as defined in the CORBA standard, we deal with concrete CORBA-compliant Object Request Brokers such as Orbix and VisiBroker. The presented techniques and examples are useful to systematically evaluate whether a given CORBA ORB can be used to implement a load balancing method as required by the application.
On metamodel superstructures employing UML generalization features

We employ UML generalization features in order to describe multi-level metamodels and their connections. The basic idea is to represent several metamodel levels in one UML and OCLmodel and to connect the metamodels with (what we call) a superstructure. The advantage of having various levels in one model lies in the uniform handling of all levels and in the availability of OCL for constraining models and navigating between them. We establish the connection between the metamodel levels by typing links that represent the instance-of relationship. These typing links are derived from associations that are defined on an abstraction of the metamodel classes and that are restricted by redefines and union constraints in order to achieve level-conformant typing. The abstraction of the metamodel classes together with the connecting associations and generalizations constitutes the superstructure.
From Cell Capacity to Subcarrier Allocation in Multi-User OFDM

In this paper we show how a fundamental result from information theory can be used to calculate the aggregate channel capacity in the uplink of an access point or a base station. The fundamental limits for this cell capacity provide an upper bound for any practically implementable multiple-access scheme. The capacity loss due to various implementation constraints is evaluated and a method for adaptive subcarrier allocation in OFDMA is presented. This method is based on the famous iterative water-filling algorithm and results in a surprisingly simple algorithm for the subcarrier allocation in OFDMA.
Editing Configurations of P Systems

This paper proposes and investigates the possibility of transforming a configuration of a P system (the membrane structure and the multisets of symbol-objects present in the compartments) into another configuration by means of a given set of rules to be applied to the membranes and to the multisets of objects. Although this transformation is obtained during the computation in a P system, we consider it as a goal per se, as a pre-computation phase, when the system itself is built. In this framework, several important problems appear: the edit-distance between configurations (with respect to a given set of editing rules), normal forms, the reachability of configurations, or the existence of single configurations from which a given family of configurations can be constructed, only to mention a few. We investigate here some of these questions; the paper is mainly devoted to formulating problems in the new framework, to calling attention to the possible extensions and the usefulness of the present approach.
Angular Resolution of A Network of Gravitational-Wave Detectors and Localization Methods

Abstract. We report for the first time a general geometrical expression for the angular resolution of an arbitrary network of interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors when the arrival-time of a GW is unknown. We discuss the implications of our results on how to improve angular resolutions of the network. An example of an improved localization method for GWs of unknown waveforms is demonstrated.
Assisting Students in Finding Bugs and their Locations in Programming Solutions

Teaching experience shows that programming is time consuming and can be acquired with substantial practice. Besides, students need to know whether their solutions are correct or incorrect and the root causes of their errors. Thus, teaching programming in a large class requires considerably many teaching assistants, which is costly. More importantly, a communication means that can support students virtually anytime is also desirable. In order to handle these problems, a static method was applied to build an online intelligent tutoring system that can assist students checking their solutions. In addition, when detecting the errors, this system can suggest students to investigate the suspected code. This feature is really significant for students to self-practice and improve their learning.
Mother–offspring distances reflect sex differences in fine-scale genetic structure of eastern grey kangaroos

Natal dispersal affects life history and population biology and causes gene flow. In mammals, dispersal is usually male-biased so that females tend to be philopatric and surrounded by matrilineal kin, which may lead to preferential associations among female kin. Here we combine genetic analyses and behavioral observations to investigate spatial genetic structure and sex-biased dispersal patterns in a high-density population of mammals showing fission–fusion group dynamics. We studied eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) over 2 years at Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia, and found weak fine-scale genetic structure among adult females in both years but no structure among adult males. Immature male kangaroos moved away from their mothers at 18–25 months of age, while immature females remained near their mothers until older. A higher proportion of male (34%) than female (6%) subadults and young adults were observed to disperse, although median distances of detected dispersals were similar for both sexes. Adult females had overlapping ranges that were far wider than the maximum extent of spatial genetic structure found. Female kangaroos, although weakly philopatric, mostly encounter nonrelatives in fission–fusion groups at high density, and therefore kinship is unlikely to strongly affect sociality.
A Study on Author Identification through Stylometry

Electronic communication is one of the popular ways of communication in this era. E-mail communication is the most popular way of electronic communication. Internet works as the backbone for these communications. In digital forensics, questions is arises that the authors of documents and the author identity, demographic background is linked to other documents or not. So identification of the author(s) of the message(s) and non repudiation are some of the major challenges. Author identification is a critical point to be ensured, because many people are used to copy the content of others. Stylometry can be used for the author identification for text documents. As the non–repudiation and integrity of the message are the major concerns. Stylometry is not only identifying a writing pattern but we can also identify the gender of the human. So this document discussed about identification of author, authentication through stylometry technique. In this paper different stylometric techniques are discussed.
Uncertainty in the Analysis of Ethnicity Classifications: Issues of Extent and Aggregation of Ethnic Groups

Uncertainty is inherent in the conception and measurement of ethnicity, by both individuals themselves and those who seek to gather evidence of discrimination or inequalities in social and economic outcomes. These issues have received attention in the literature, yet rather little research has been carried out on the uncertainty subsequently created through the analysis of such measurements. We argue that, while general-purpose ethnicity classifications offer a method of standardising results, such groupings are inherently unstable, both in their upward aggregation and in their downward granulation. As such, the results of ethnicity analysis may possess no validity independent of the ethnicity classes upon which it is based. While this conclusion is intuitive, it nevertheless seems to pass unnoticed in the interpretation of research conducted in public policy applications such as education, health and residential segregation. In this paper we use examples based on the standard Census classification of ethnicity, alongside new rich ethnicity datasets from the education domain, in order to evaluate the sensitivity of results to the particular aggregation that is chosen. We use a case study to empirically illustrate the far-reaching consequences of this commonly overlooked source of uncertainty.
Emerging Roles of Filopodia and Dendritic Spines in Motoneuron Plasticity during Development and Disease

Motoneurons develop extensive dendritic trees for receiving excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to perform a variety of complex motor tasks. At birth, the somatodendritic domains of mouse hypoglossal and lumbar motoneurons have dense filopodia and spines. Consistent with Vaughn's synaptotropic hypothesis, we propose a developmental unified-hybrid model implicating filopodia in motoneuron spinogenesis/synaptogenesis and dendritic growth and branching critical for circuit formation and synaptic plasticity at embryonic/prenatal/neonatal period. Filopodia density decreases and spine density initially increases until postnatal day 15 (P15) and then decreases by P30. Spine distribution shifts towards the distal dendrites, and spines become shorter (stubby), coinciding with decreases in frequency and increases in amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic currents with maturation. In transgenic mice, either overexpressing the mutated human Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (hSOD1G93A) gene or deficient in GABAergic/glycinergic synaptic transmission (gephyrin, GAD-67, or VGAT gene knockout), hypoglossal motoneurons develop excitatory glutamatergic synaptic hyperactivity. Functional synaptic hyperactivity is associated with increased dendritic growth, branching, and increased spine and filopodia density, involving actin-based cytoskeletal and structural remodelling. Energy-dependent ionic pumps that maintain intracellular sodium/calcium homeostasis are chronically challenged by activity and selectively overwhelmed by hyperactivity which eventually causes sustained membrane depolarization leading to excitotoxicity, activating microglia to phagocytose degenerating neurons under neuropathological conditions.