Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Being Economic: Perspectives on Risk and Rationality

ion versus naturalism Much of the evidence for and against SEU and other candidate models is gleaned from controlled laboratory-based experiments. But it is not at all clear that the laboratory is the best environment in which to determine people’s responses to risk. At issue are the kinds of situations used to develop and test hypotheses and, specifically, the degree of abstraction/naturalism attached to those situations. Laboratory experiments typically involve asking individuals to make choices between, or to put values on, relatively simple ‘lotteries’ offering modest sums of money as an incentive, and where the probabilities of the different possible S’s are explicitly stated. These lotteries usually employ some well-defined random process such as spinning a ‘wheel of fortune’ or picking numbers or coloured balls at random from a bag whose contents are declared and can easily be verified by participants to the experiment (for reviews, see Camerer, 1995). In principal, there is no reason why models of behaviour should not be developed and tested in this way. There is nothing which says that the state of the world ‘a blue ball is drawn from a bag containing equal numbers of blue, green and yellow balls’ is different in terms of the theory from any other state, say, the state ‘the chain slips off my bike on the way to work’. Nor is the consequence ‘you receive £5 in cash’ regarded as being any more or less the subject matter of the theory than the consequence ‘my hands get oily’. Indeed, it is often argued that using a simple choice problem where the probabilities are generated by some ‘pure’ random device, and where the consequences are straightforward and relatively simple sums of money, is the cleanest kind of test, giving a theory its best chance of being validated. An implication of this argument is that, if the theory fails to perform well under these clean and simple conditions, it should be suspected of being even less likely to perform well under the more complex non-experimental conditions to be found in field surveys.
Improved Recovery in Activities of Daily Living Associated With Remission of Poststroke Depression

Background and Purpose— Poststroke depression is associated with impaired recovery of activities of daily living (ADL) function compared with similar nondepressed patients. We examined the differences on recovery of ADL functions among poststroke depressed patients with remission of their depression compared with poststroke depressed patients without mood recovery over the first 3 to 6 months after stroke. Methods— On the basis of a semistructured psychiatric examination and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, a consecutive series of patients with poststroke major or minor depression (n=55) were selected. Their impairment in ADL function was assessed by means of the Johns Hopkins Functioning Examination during acute hospitalization and either 3 or 6 months later. Results— Patients whose mood improved at follow-up (n=21) had significantly greater recovery in ADL functions at follow-up than patients whose mood did not improve (n=34). There were no differences in demographic variables, lesion characteristics, and neurological symptoms between the two groups. Furthermore, patients with either major or minor depression at the initial evaluation showed the same amount of recovery in ADL function if they improved at follow-up. Conclusions— Our findings suggest that remission of poststroke depression over the first few months after stroke is associated with greater recovery in ADL function than continued depression. Early effective treatment of depression may have a positive effect on the rehabilitation outcome of stroke patients.
Robustness of complex networks with applications to random graphs

A notion of k-robustness for complex networks has received much attention recently. The motivation for this notion of robustness is to measure the effectiveness of local-information-based diffusion algorithms in the presence of adversarial nodes. In this paper, we first correct the relationship between k-robustness and k-connectivity studied in related work. Then we derive a sharp zero-one law for k-robustness in a random graph model called binomial random s-intersection graph, which has a wide range of applications. In such a graph, each node is equipped with a set of items following a binomial process, and any two nodes establish an undirected edge in between if and only if they have at least s common items. Our zero-one law improves relevant results in the literature.
Be Prepared: The EMV Preplay Attack

The leading system for smart card-based payments worldwide, EMV (which stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa), is widely deployed in Europe and is starting to be introduced in the US as well. Despite this wide deployment, a series of significant vulnerabilities make EMV vulnerable to the preplay attack. Specifically, weak and defective random number generators and various protocol failures leave the system open to fraud at scale.
Optimization of Low-Pressure Die Casting Process with Soft Computing

The paper presents a hybrid strategy in a soft computing paradigm for the optimization of the low-pressure die casting process. Casting process parameters, such as various parts temperatures of die, pouring temperature are considered. The hybrid strategy combines numerical simulation software, a genetic algorithm and a multilayer neural network to optimize the process parameters. An approximate analysis model is developed using a BP neural network in order to avoid the expensive computation resulting from the numerical simulation software. According to the characteristic of the optimization problem, a real-code genetic algorithm is applied to solve the optimization model. The effectiveness of the improved strategy is shown by an A356 automotive wheel.
Tracing Temporal Changes of Selection Criteria from Gaze Information

To design interactive systems that proactively assist users' decision making, the users' gaze information is an important cue for the system to estimate users' selection criteria. Users sometimes change selection criteria while browsing content. Therefore, temporal changes of those criteria need to be traced from gaze data in short time scales. In this paper, we propose an approach to detecting users' distinctive browsing periods with its appropriate time-scale by leveraging multiscale exact tests so that the system can trace temporal changes of selection criteria. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method through a toy example and experiments.
A Simple Semantics and Static Analysis for Java Security

Security in Java depends on an access control mechanism specied operationally in terms of run-time stack inspection. We give a denotational semantics in \eager" form, and show that it is equivalent to the \lazy" seman- tics using stack inspection. We give a static analysis of safety, i.e., the absence of security errors, that is signicantly simpler than previous proposals. We identify several program transformations that can be used to remove run-time checks. We give complete, detailed proofs for safety of the analysis and for the transformations, exploiting compositionality of the \eager" semantics.
Confirmation of simultaneous p and g mode excitation in HD 8801 and γ Peg from time-resolved multicolour photometry of six candidate ‘hybrid’ pulsators

We carried out a multicolour time-series photometric study of six stars claimed as 'hybrid' p and g mode pulsators in the literature. γ Peg was confirmed to show short-period oscillations of the β Cep type and simultaneous long-period pulsations typical of Slowly Pulsating B (SPB) stars. From the measured amplitude ratios in the Stromgren uvy passbands, the stronger of the two short period pulsation modes was identified as radial; the second is l = 1. Three of the four SPB-type modes are most likely l = 1 or 2. Comparison with theoretical model calculations suggests that γ Peg is either a ~8.5 M ⊙ radial fundamental mode pulsator or a ~9.6 M ⊙ first radial overtone pulsator. HD 8801 was corroborated as a 'hybrid' δ Sct/γ Dor star; four pulsation modes of the γ Dor type were detected, and two modes of the δ Sct type were confirmed. Two pulsational signals between the frequency domains of these two known classes of variables were confirmed and another was newly detected. These are either previously unknown types of pulsation or do not originate from HD 8801. The O-type star HD 13745 showed small-amplitude slow variability on a time-scale of 3.2 d. This object may be related to the suspected new type of supergiant SPB stars, but a rotational origin of its light variations cannot be ruled out at this point. 53 Psc is an SPB star for which two pulsation frequencies were determined and identified with low spherical degree. Small-amplitude variability was formally detected for 53 Ari but is suspected not to be intrinsic. The behaviour of l Her is consistent with non-variability during our observations, and we could not confirm light variations of the comparison star 34 Psc previously suspected. The use of signal-to-noise criteria in the analysis of data sets with strong aliasing is critically discussed.
Sexual differentiation in the spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera), a species with genetic sex determination.

It is hypothesized on the basis of sex determination theory that species exhibiting genetic sex determination (GSD) may undergo sexual differentiation earlier in development than species with environmental sex determination (ESD). Most turtle species exhibit a form of ESD known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), and in such species the chronology of sex differentiation is well studied. Apalone spinifera is a species of softshell turtle (Trionychidae) that exhibits GSD. We studied sexual differentiation in this species in order to facilitate comparison to TSD species. Eggs were incubated at two different temperatures and embryos were harvested at various stages of mid to late development. Gonad length was measured with image analysis software, then prepared histologically. Indifferent gonads have differentiated in stage 19 embryos. Histological details of gonadogenesis follow the same pattern as described for other reptiles. Regression of the male paramesonephric duct closely follows testicular differentiation. Gonad lengths are longer at the warmer incubation temperature, and ovaries are generally longer than testes at each stage and for each temperature. Although sexual differentiation takes place at about the same stage as in other turtles with TSD (18-20), in A. spinifera this differentiation is irreversible at this stage, while in some of the TSD species sex is reversible until about stage 22. This immutable, definitive sexual differentiation may support the hypothesis of an accelerated chronology of sex differentiation for this species. We also note that sexual dichromatism at hatching is known in this species and may provide additional evidence of early differentiation. J. Exp. Zool. 290:190-200, 2001.
Participation patterns in student teams

We describe a process that we applied for teaching teamwork in a Software Engineering module. Our objective with this process was to create opportunities for our students to experience some of the problems of working in a group before they formed teams in which they had to work for the rest of the year. The process entails expecting students to work on well defined assignments for short periods in teams where risk factors were induced. Through experiencing these short bursts of intense team tribulation students are prepared to handle difficult events and situations in their teams. We describe the design and implementation of this process. We report on changes in the levels of participation of the students during the process. We offer our explanation of possible factors that may have caused the observed variations.
More on Graph Rewriting With Contextual Refinement

In GRGEN , a graph rewrite generator tool, rules have the outstanding feature that variables in their pattern and replacement graphs may be refined with meta-rules based on contextual hyperedge replacement grammars. A refined rule may delete, copy, and transform subgraphs of unbounded size and of variable shape. In this paper, we show that rules with contextual refinement can be transformed to stan- dard graph rewrite rules that perform the refinement incrementally, and are applied according to a strategy called residual rewriting. With this transformation, it is possi- ble to state precisely whether refinements can be determined in finitely many steps or not, and whether refinements are unique for every form of refined pattern or not.
What are the Fundamentals of Bio-Mimetic Control?

This article explores the fundamentals of biomimetic control through investigating three interesting but difficult problems of robot control: 1) robotic handwriting; 2) human-like multijoints reaching with surplus DOFs (degrees-of-freedom); and 3) prehension of an object by a pair of multiDOFs robot fingers. Noteworthy characteristics in control of these systems are a) redundancy in DOF, b) dexterity in execution of a target task, and c) indispensability of sensory motor coordination, though d) all their dynamics are nonlinear and governed by geometric constraints in the latter two systems. Due to these inherent characteristics, both the conventional control-theoretic approaches originated from the linear system theory and Lyapunov's direct method are likely to fail. By gaining physical insights into these nonlinear dynamics with redundancy in DOFs and physical descriptions of target tasks, this article claims that a symbiosis of "robotics" and "biomimetics" is quite effective in finding a simpler sensor-motor coordination principle in each case that leads to accomplishment of each imposed task regardless of annoying characteristics of its motion dynamics with nonlinearity and DOF redundancy
Extent of malnutrition in end-stage renal disease patients

1. Pre-dialysis patients Malnutrition is not specific to any stage of ESRD, but evidently it is present even before starting renal replacement therapy (RRT). Reports published by the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) Study indicate that early signs of malnutrition, such as reduction in body mass index (BMI), weight and anthropometric measurements, and notable decline in urinary biochemistry parameters, including urinary creatinine excretion, was observed in chronic renal failure (CRF) patients (1). Even similar reports were found, favouring malnutrition before initiation of dialysis, indicating reductions in serum transferrin, serum cholesterol, serum IGF-1, percentage of body weight and urinary creatinine excretion as renal function deteriorated (2).
On the capacity of computer memory with defects

A computer memory with defects is modeled as a discrete memoryless channel with states that are statistically determined. The storage capacity is found when complete defect information is given to the encoder or to the decoder, and when the defect information is given completely to the decoder but only partially to the encoder. Achievable storage rates are established when partial defect information is provided at varying rates to both the encoder and the decoder. Arimoto-Blahut type algorithms are used to compute the storage capacity.
Information Security Risk Management Framework for the Cloud Computing Environments

The security risks associated with each cloud delivery model vary and are dependent on a wide range of factors including the sensitivity of information assets, cloud architectures and security controls involved in a particular cloud environment [7]. Over time, organizations tend to relax their security posture. To combat a relaxation of security, the cloud provider should perform regular security assessments [3]. Risk management framework is one of security assessment tool to reduction of threats and vulnerabilities and mitigates security risks. The goal of this paper is to present information risk management framework for better understanding critical areas of focus in cloud computing environment, to identifying a threat and identifying vulnerability. This framework is covering all of cloud service models and cloud deployment models. Cloud provider can be applied this framework to organizations to do risk mitigation.
Stochastic choice analysis of tourism destinations

The analysis of tourist destination choice, defined by intra-country administrative units and by product types "coastal/inland and village/city", permits the characterisation of tourist flow behaviour, which is fundamental for public planning and business management. In this study, we analyse the determinant factors of tourist destination choice, proposing various research hypotheses relative to the impact of destination attributes and the personal characteristics of tourists. The methodology applied estimates Nested and Random Coefficients Multinomial Logit Models, which allow control over possible correlations among different destinations. The empirical application is realised in Spain on a sample of 3,781 individuals and allows us to conclude that prices, distance to the destination and personal motivations are determinants in destination choice.
Classifiers Fusion with Data Dependent Aggregation Schemes

In this paper we studied two different classifiers fusion algorithms exploiting the combination weights expressed over the entire data space and the combination with data dependent weights. The following aggregation schemes are employed in the study: the majority vote, the averaging, the combination via Choquet integral with the – fuzzy measure, the combination via space partitioning and classifier selection approach, and the combination via Choquet integral with the data dependent – fuzzy measure.
Low Latency Audio Source Separation for Speech Enhancement in Cochlear Implants

This master thesis is a combination of two areas of Sound and Music Computing, Blind Source Separation and Cochlear Implants. The research focuses in the evaluation of existing source separation algorithms in order to improve noise reduction strategies in the context of cochlear implants. The modification and adaptation of a low latency algorithm is the point of start for the evaluation based in the requirements of speech signals in cochlear implants. The evaluation consists in a different set of objective and subjective experiments to determine the speech intelligibility enhancement produced by the separation process. Objective evaluation has revealed that a very good performance level is achieved with low latency algorithms compared to NMF which take considerably higher computation time. A series of subjective tests have been conducted with cochlear implant patients in order to compare the objective results and determine the real speech intelligibility level. The low latency algorithm showed only improvements in few situations where the noise reduction algorithm outperforms in most of the cases. Accurate analysis determined that the main reason of the speech degradation caused by low latency algorithm is because of the algorithm is not designed to detect unvoiced consonants and a lot of speech content is missing. But last experiments revealed that is possible to recover this consonants which can considerably improve the performance and later speech intelligibility of LLIS.
Withstanding Multimillion-node Botnets

Large-scale distributed denial of Service (DoS) attacks are an unfortunate everyday reality on the Internet. They are simple to execute and, with the growing size of botnets, more effective than ever. Although much progress has been made in developing techniques to address DoS attacks, no existing solution handles noncacheable, works with the internet model of open access and dynamic routes, and copes with the large numbers of attackers typical of today's botnets. We belive we have created a practical solution.
Topologically Heterogeneous Beta Cell Adaptation in Response to High-Fat Diet in Mice

Aims Beta cells adapt to an increased insulin demand by enhancing insulin secretion via increased beta cell function and/or increased beta cell number. While morphological and functional heterogeneity between individual islets exists, it is unknown whether regional differences in beta cell adaptation occur. Therefore we investigated beta cell adaptation throughout the pancreas in a model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance in mice. Methods C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD to induce insulin resistance, or control diet for 6 weeks. The pancreas was divided in a duodenal (DR), gastric (GR) and splenic (SR) region and taken for either histology or islet isolation. The capacity of untreated islets from the three regions to adapt in an extrapancreatic location was assessed by transplantation under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-treated mice. Results SR islets showed 70% increased beta cell proliferation after HFD, whereas no significant increase was found in DR and GR islets. Furthermore, isolated SR islets showed twofold enhanced glucose-induced insulin secretion after HFD, as compared with DR and GR islets. In contrast, transplantation of islets isolated from the three regions to an extrapancreatic location in diabetic mice led to a similar decrease in hyperglycemia and no difference in beta cell proliferation. Conclusions HFD-induced insulin resistance leads to topologically heterogeneous beta cell adaptation and is most prominent in the splenic region of the pancreas. This topological heterogeneity in beta cell adaptation appears to result from extrinsic factors present in the islet microenvironment.
Search Intent Induction via Search Results Partitioning

We present a computationally efficient method for automatic clustering of web search results based on partitioning the return set according to queries the user may have intended. The method requires no data other than query logs and the standard inverted indices used by most search engines. Our method outperforms standard web search in the task of enabling users to quickly find relevant documents for informational queries.
Calibração de Propriedades Materiais para Incorporação de Toque em Sistemas de Realidade Virtual

Virtual Reality enables interaction with virtual worlds and can be applied to several areas. VR applications benefit from realistic features, as they contribute to immersion by presenting rules already familiar to the user. Haptic technology, through the use of haptic systems and special devices, contributes to that aspect by allowing the user to identify objects and their properties, using the sense of touch. In haptic enabled applications, the immersion depends on these properties being as realistic as possible, achieved by calibrating the application. This calibration is a very time consuming process that depends on experts of the application domain. Aiming to speed up the development cycle of these applications, this paper presents a Haptic Calibrator that provides real time editing and testing of material properties. Intended to be very intuitive, the Calibrator allows the user to build a repository of materials, that can be used in future developments.