Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A New Fuzzy Multicategory Support Vector Machines Classifier

This paper proposes a new fuzzy multicategory support vector machines (FMSVM) classifier. The main idea is that the proposed FMSVM uses knowledge of the ambiguity associated with the membership of samples for a given class and the relative location of samples to the origin. Compared with the existing SVMs, the new proposed FMSVM that uses the L2-norm in the objective function has the improvement in aspects of classification accuracy and reducing the effects of noises and outliers.
Object Recognition using Local Affine Frames on Distinguished Regions

A novel approach to appearance based object recognition is introduced. The proposed method, based on matching of local image features, reliably recognises objects under very different viewing conditions. First, distinguished regions of data-dependent shape are robustly detected. On these regions, local affine frames are established using several affine invariant constructions. Direct comparison of photometrically normalised colour intensities in local, geometrically aligned frames results in a matching scheme that is invariant to piecewise-affine image deformations, but still remains very discriminative. The potential of the approach is experimentally verified on COIL-100 and SOIL-47 ‐ publicly available image databases. On SOIL-47, 100% recognition rate is achieved for single training view per object. On COIL-100, 99.9% recognition rate is obtained for 18 training views per object. Robustness to severe occlusions is demonstrated by only a moderate decrease of recognition performance in an experiment where half of each test image is erased.
Is the thermohaline circulation changing

Analyses of ocean observations and model simulations suggest that there have been considerable changes in the thermohaline circulation (THC) during the last century. These changes are likely to be the result of natural multidecadal climate variability and are driven by low-frequency variations of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) through changes in Labrador Sea convection. Indications of a sustained THC weakening are not seen during the last few decades. Instead, a strengthening since the 1980s is observed. The combined assessment of ocean hydrography data and model results indicates that the expected anthropogenic weakening of the THC will remain within the range of natural variability during the next several decades.
Unsupervised acoustic sub-word unit detection for query-by-example spoken term detection

In this paper we present a method for automatically generating acoustic sub-word units that can substitute conventional phone models in a query-by-example spoken term detection system. We generate the sub-word units with a modified version of our speaker diarization system. Given a speech recording, the original diarization system generates a set of speaker models in an unsupervised manner without the need for training or development data. Modifying the diarization system to process the speech of a single speaker and decreasing the minimum segment duration constraint allows us to detect speaker-dependent sub-word units. For the task of query-by-example spoken term detection, we show that the proposed system performs well on both broadcast and non-broadcast recordings, unlike a conventional phone-based system trained solely on broadcast data. A mean average precision of 0.28 and 0.38 was obtained for experiments on broadcast news and on a set of war veteran interviews, respectively.
Dense coding in experimental quantum communication.

Classically, sending more than one bit of information requires manipulation of more than one two-state particle. We demonstrate experimentally that one can transmit one of three messages, i.e., 1 {open_quote}{open_quote}trit{close_quote}{close_quote} {approx_equal}1.58 bit, by manipulating only one of two entangled particles. The increased channel capacity is proven by transmitting ASCII characters in five trits instead of the usual eight bits. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society. }
Tropospheric biennial oscillation of the Indian summer monsoon with and without the El Nino‐Southern Oscillation

Tropospheric biennial oscillation (TBO) is the tendency for a relatively strong monsoon to be followed by a weaker one, and vice versa, for the Asian–Australian monsoon system. According to this definition, TBO years include most of the El nino‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO)‐onset years and some other years also. It is believed that the TBO years, with and without ENSO‐onset years, have differences only in the magnitude of the signal. In the present paper, the process of coupled TBO involving the Indian monsoon and the Indian Ocean are studied through composites of relatively strong minus weak monsoon years, with and without the ENSO‐onset years, using National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Centers for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) data sets for the 1950–2004 time period. Different seasonal evolutions of anomalies for convection, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and wind in a biennial cycle have been identified with and without the ENSO‐onset years. In both these cases, a perfect biennial cycle for convection has been noted. In the non‐ENSO biennial cycle, a perfect biennial cycle is obtained in the areas close to the Indian subcontinent for SST and wind. But for the ENSO‐only years, the seasonal evolutions are different. The Indian Ocean dipole, which is considered an inherent factor for TBO, is absent in the non‐ENSO years. The development and propagation of anomalies are also different in these two cases. It seems that factors other than ENSO are contributing to the biennial cycle in the non‐ENSO years. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society
Rotor Materials for Medium-Speed Solid-Rotor Induction MotorS

The effects of different solid-rotor materials on the motor performance are studied. The performance characteristics of a 180 kW medium-speed induction motor with solid rotor are analyzed using two-dimensional finite element method. A set of fictitious and realistic ferromagnetic materials, the mechanical properties of which satisfy the requirements of high-speed operation, were used in the calculations. It is shown that the highest torque is reached with a material having high saturation magnetic flux density and good electrical conductivity. It is also shown that in order to achieve efficient operation of the motor the rotor resistive losses should be minimized.
What controls the isotopic composition of the African monsoon precipitation? Insights from event‐based precipitation collected during the 2006 AMMA field campaign

The stable isotopic composition of the tropical precipitation constitutes a useful tool for paleoclimate reconstructions and to better constrain the water cycle. To better understand what controls the isotopic composition of tropical precipitation, we analyze the δ18O and deuterium‐excess of the precipitation of individual events collected in the Niamey area (Niger) during the monsoon season, as part of the 2006 AMMA field campaign. During the monsoon onset, the abrupt increase of convective activity over the Sahel is associated with an abrupt change in the isotopic composition. Before the onset, when convective activity is scarce, the rain composition records the intensity and the organization of individual convective systems. After the onset, on the contrary, it records a regional‐scale intra‐seasonal variability over the Sahel, by integrating convective activity both spatially and temporally over the previous days.
Phytochemistry and medicinal properties of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl. extracts

Phaleria macrocarpa, commonly known as Mahkota dewa is a medicinal plant that is indigenous to Indonesia and Malaysia. Extracts of P. macrocarpa have been used since years in traditional medicine that are evaluated scientifically as well. The extracts are reported for a number of valuable medicinal properties such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant and vasorelaxant effect. The constituents isolated from different parts of P. macrocarpa include Phalerin, gallic acid, Icaricide C, magniferin, mahkoside A, dodecanoic acid, palmitic acid, des-acetylflavicordin-A, flavicordin-A, flavicordin-D, flavicordin-A glucoside, ethyl stearate, lignans, alkaloids andsaponins. The present review is an up-to-date summary of occurrence, botanical description, ethnopharmacology, bioactivity and toxicological studies related to P. macrocarpa.
Online Analysis of Security Risks in Elastic Cloud Applications

Security-related concerns in elastic cloud applications call for a risk-based approach due to the inherent trade-offs among security and other nonfunctional requirements, such as performance. To this end, the authors advocate a solution that can be efficiently realized through modeling the application behavior as a Markov decision process, on top of which probabilistic model checking is applied. The article explains the main steps in this approach and illustrates its use in online analysis and decision making regarding elasticity decisions. The runtime analysis is capable of providing evidence for key security-related aspects of the running applications, such as the probability of data leakage in the next hour.
Post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma: risk factors, management and visual outcome.

PURPOSE To evaluate the incidence, associated risk factors, graft status and treatment modalities in patients with post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma. METHODS A retrospective analysis of 747 consecutive penetrating keratoplasties was undertaken at a tertiary eye care centre. The frequency of post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma was determined and correlated with the pre-operative corneal diagnosis, lens status and associated surgeries performed during penetrating keratoplasty. The response to antiglaucoma therapy (i.e. medical, surgical or cyclo-destructive procedures) and graft outcome was also evaluated. RESULTS The incidence of post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma was 10.6% (79/747). Pre-operative corneal diagnosis of adherent leucomas was significantly associated with the development of postoperative glaucoma. Post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma was significantly higher in aphakes (odds ratio (OR) 6.6; confidence interval (CI) 3.81-11.69) compared with phakic or pseudophakic eyes. Associated vitrectomy (OR 2.32; CI 1.16-4.73) and anterior segment reconstruction (OR 3.31; CI 1.43-7.72) were other high-risk factors. Most patients responded to medical therapy (41/79; 51.9%), whereas filtering surgery and cyclo-destructive procedures were performed in 29.1 (23/79) and 19% (15/79) of eyes, respectively. Despite clear grafts in 39 eyes (49.4%), visual acuity of 6/18 or better was achieved in 15 eyes (18.9%). CONCLUSIONS A high incidence of post-penetrating keratoplasty glaucoma occurs in eyes with adherent leucomas. Anterior vitrectomy and associated surgeries further accentuate the risk Anti-glaucoma therapy may not achieve optimum visual outcome, despite a clear graft.
Automatic model-driven recovery in distributed systems

Automatic system monitoring and recovery has the potential to provide a low-cost solution for high availability. However, automating recovery is difficult in practice because of the challenge of accurate fault diagnosis in the presence of low coverage, poor localization ability, and false positives that are inherent in many widely used monitoring techniques. In this paper, we present a holistic model-based approach that overcomes these challenges and enables automatic recovery in distributed systems. To do so, it uses theoretically sound techniques including Bayesian estimation and Markov decision theory to provide controllers that choose good, if not optimal, recovery actions according to a user-defined optimization criteria. By combining monitoring and recovery, the approach realizes benefits that could not have been obtained by using them in isolation. In this paper, we present two recovery algorithms with complementary properties and trade-offs, and validate our algorithms (through simulation) by fault injection on a realistic e-commerce system.
The Neoproterozoic Noonday Formation, Death Valley region, California

The Neoproterozoic–Cambrian succession in the Death Valley region of the southwestern United States is among the best exposed and easily accessible in the world. The largest single exposure of these strata occurs in the Panamint Range on the west side of Death Valley, and it, although variably metamorphosed, contains the most complete sections of the Noonday Formation cap carbonate sequence. New geological mapping, measured sections, and high-resolution carbon isotope data for the Noonday Formation in this range enable establishment of a unified stratigraphy across the Death Valley region that consists of three units. From the base upward, they include: the Sentinel Peak Member of light-gray, massive to laminated fine dolostone locally containing vugs and tubes variably filled with micrite, spar, or quartz (and rarely galena), and varying from 2 to 200 m in thickness; the Radcliff Member, composed of feldspathic shale and sandstone and thin-bedded limestone, 0–200 m thick; and the newly defined Mahogany Flats Member of gray, commonly stromatolitic, thin- to medium-bedded fine dolostone that is ~200 m thick at its type locality. Carbon isotopic trends in the Panamint Range match to within 1‰–2‰ reproducibility those known for the equivalent nonmetamorphosed strata in the eastern Death Valley sections. A composite section of the Noonday Formation displays a chemostratigraphic profile with values near −3‰ through the cap dolostone of the Sentinel Peak Member, a decline to −6‰ in the lower part of the Radcliff Member, followed by a recovery to near 0‰ and subsequent decline toward −2‰ in the remainder of the Radcliff units and lower Mahogany Flats Member, and then a return to positive values (4‰) through the remainder of the Mahogany Flats Member. This pattern matches the Ediacaran cap carbonate in Namibia remarkably well, and, assuming our carbon isotopic correlations are correct, it indicates that Noonday deposition occurred at the beginning of the Ediacaran Period, and that the immediately underlying Wildrose Diamictite of the Kingston Peak Formation probably represents the younger Cryogenian (Marinoan) glacial episode.
Delivery of several forms of DNA, DNA-RNA hybrids, and dyes across human sclera by electrical fields.

PURPOSE Iontophoresis has been used for drug delivery across the cornea for many years. We sought to test whether small charged dyes and DNA can be transferred across human sclera by an electric field. METHODS Full-thickness human scleral fragments were embedded vertically in an agarose gel and positioned to completely span individual gel lanes. The scleral fragments were located approximately 1 cm downstream from the gel wells. DNA or dyes were loaded into the wells and electrophoresis was carried out at about 3.3 V/cm for approximately 2 h per run. Movement of DNA and dyes through the agarose and sclera was measured with either digital time-lapse photography or through DNA extraction and purification from the gel. SYBR green stain was used as a sensitive method to detect DNA. RESULTS Digital time-lapse photography of agarose gel electrophoresis revealed that two dyes, xylene cyanol and bromphenol blue, passed through the sclera in the presence of an electric field. Xylene cyanol was driven through the sclera virtually unimpeded except for some spreading of the dye. Bromphenol blue was slowed markedly by the sclera, but it too eventually passed through the tissue. Small DNAs, including a single stranded 51-mer and a double hairpin 68-mer oligonucleotide, passed through the sclera as detected by SYBR green staining. Linear double stranded DNAs ranging from 50 bp to 12,000 bp passed through the sclera. The larger the DNA, the slower the rate of passage through the sclera, and the greater the band spreading. pEGFP-1 (a 3 kb plasmid) passed through the sclera but was accompanied by a great amount of band spreading. Following completion of the initial electrophoresis run, the plasmid DNA was extracted from the smeared bands in the agarose distal to the sclera and re-run on a second gel without sclera. The initially smeared plasmid bands resolved into 2 distinct bands after extraction and purification and matched well with control plasmid bands. CONCLUSIONS Charged molecules such as xylene cyanol, bromphenol blue, and DNAs ranging from 51 bp oligonucleotides to a 3 kb plasmid can be driven across human sclera by an electric field and directly detected. Passage of plasmids was efficient, but the plasmid bands were diffuse after transit. This technique offers promise as a noninvasive DNA delivery tool, where gene therapy can be accomplished by small RNA or DNA synthetic oligonucleotides, larger double stranded fragments, or even plasmids.
Acoustic detection and automatic identification of insect stages activity in grain bulks by noise spectra processing through classification algorithms.

The activity of insects within a grain bulk produces noises in the audible range of wavelengths, which can be detected by high performance acoustic sensors. A portable probe of 1.4 m length was built up with three levels acoustical sensors coupled to a computer-assisted processing system. The recorded sound signals of the major grain insect species were digitized and stored into a reference database. A classification algorithm was developed for the automatic recognition of recorded insect noise signals by their comparison to the specific spectra of the reference database. The system was calibrated for Sitophilus oryzae and Rhyzopertha dominica , either at the adult or larval stage. The performances of the computer-assisted acoustic probe have been checked in small pilot scale conditions of 300-kg grain bin units. The distance to the sensor from which the insect noise spectrum was no more accurately identifiable was assessed at 20 cm, representing a “sampled volume” equivalent to 65 kg of wheat gain at each probing. For S. oryzae in wheat grain, the relationship between insect activity (either of larval or adult stage) and density levels was quantitatively modelled in the range from one individual per 10 kg to 10 individuals per kg at temperature levels from 5 to 30°C. The cold stupor temperature of the rice weevil larva was assessed through the determination of the temperature level at the complete stop of activity deduced from the acoustical data. The threshold of temperature enabling insect larva activity was observed as low as 8°C, i.e. much lower than was previously established, published, or believed. This new tool of early detection of an infestation in grain bulk will be now associated to decision support system for IPM implementation in grain handling and storing plants.
Gulf Stream meanders along the Continental Margin from the Florida Straits to Cape Hatteras

A rapid increase in the magnitude of Gulf Stream meanders downstream of a seaward deflection of the Stream off Charleston, South Carolina, has been indicated by an analysis of the shoreward surface thermal front of the Stream. The sixty four cases examined show that lateral movements of the Stream from Charleston to Cape Hatteras may be as great as 40 km from the mean, whereas upstream of Charleston the movements are generally less than 15 km in amplitude. This difference points to the importance of the deflection of the Stream by a bottom feature off Charleston in producing Gulf Stream meanders.
Causal Transportability with Limited Experiments

We address the problem of transferring causal knowledge learned in one environment to another, potentially different environment, when only limited experiments may be conducted at the source. This generalizes the treatment of transportability introduced in [Pearl and Bareinboim, 2011; Bareinboim and Pearl, 2012b], which deals with transferring causal information when any experiment can be conducted at the source. Given that it is not always feasible to conduct certain controlled experiments, we consider the decision problem whether experiments on a selected subset Z of variables together with qualitative assumptions encoded in a diagram may render causal effects in the target environment computable from the available data. This problem, which we call z-transportability, reduces to ordinary transportability when Z is all-inclusive, and, like the latter, can be given syntactic characterization using the do-calculus [Pearl, 1995; 2000]. This paper establishes a necessary and sufficient condition for causal effects in the target domain to be estimable from both the non-experimental information available and the limited experimental information transferred from the source. We further provides a complete algorithm for computing the transport formula, that is, a way of fusing experimental and observational information to synthesize an unbiased estimate of the desired causal relation.
An Ensemble Classifier for Drifting Concepts

This paper proposes a boosting-like method to train a classifier ensemble from data streams. It naturally adapts to concept drift and allows to quantify the drift in terms of its base learners. The algorithm is empirically shown to outperform learning algorithms that ignore concept drift. It performs no worse than advanced adaptive time window and example selection strategies that store all the data and are thus not suited for mining massive streams.
Application of Multicriteria Decision Analysis in Environmental Decision Making

Abstract Decision making in environmental projects can be complex and seemingly intractable, principally because of the inherent trade-offs between sociopolitical, environmental, ecological, and economic factors. The selection of appropriate remedial and abatement strategies for contaminated sites, land use planning, and regulatory processes often involves multiple additional criteria such as the distribution of costs and benefits, environmental impacts for different populations, safety, ecological risk, or human values. Some of these criteria cannot be easily condensed into a monetary value, partly because environmental concerns often involve ethical and moral principles that may not be related to any economic use or value. Furthermore, even if it were possible to aggregate multiple criteria rankings into a common unit, this approach would not always be desirable because the ability to track conflicting stakeholder preferences may be lost in the process. Consequently, selecting from among many different alternatives often involves making trade-offs that fail to satisfy 1 or more stakeholder groups. Nevertheless, considerable research in the area of multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) has made available practical methods for applying scientific decision theoretical approaches to complex multicriteria problems. This paper presents a review of the available literature and provides recommendations for applying MCDA techniques in environmental projects. A generalized framework for decision analysis is proposed to highlight the fundamental ingredients for more structured and tractable environmental decision making.