Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contexto: lessons learned from mobile context inference

Context-aware computing aims at tailoring services to the user's circumstances and surroundings. Our study examines how data collected from mobile devices can be utilized to infer users' behavior and environment. We present the results and the lessons learned from a two-week user study of 40 students. The data collection was performed using Contexto, a framework for collecting data from a rich set of sensors installed on mobile devices, which was developed for this purpose. We studied various new and fine-grained user contexts which are relevant to students' daily activities, such as "in class and interested in the learned materials" and "on my way to campus". These contexts might later be utilized for various purposes such as recommending relevant items to the students' context. We compare various machine learning methods and report their effectiveness for the purposes of inferring the users' context from the collected data. In addition, we present our findings on how to evaluate context inference systems, on the importance of explicit and latent labeling for context inference and on the effect of new users on the results' accuracy.
Release of intact microtubule-capping structures from Tetrahymena cilia

The distal ends of ciliary microtubules are attached to the membrane by microtubule-capping structures. The capping structures are located at the sites of tubulin addition and loss in vivo and may be part of the regulatory system that directs ciliary and flagellar microtubule assembly. This study describes conditions for the release and stabilization of microtubule capping structures as a first step in their purification. Two types of capping structures, the distal filaments and the central microtubule caps, are selectively and independently released from the axoneme by CaCl2 and MgCl2 but not by MgSO4, ZnCl2, NaCl, KCl, or KI. The release of the caps and filaments is specific for Ca+2, Mg+2, and Cl- and is not simply a function of ionic strength. The capping structures are released without major disruption of the axonemal structure. In addition to providing a means to purify and identify the cap and filament components, these results suggest ways in which their binding to the axoneme may be modulated during periods of microtubule growth or shortening. This report also reveals that the distal filaments are composed of two separable components, a small bead inserted into the end of each A-tubule and a "Y"-shaped plug and filament that slips through the bead.
Mapping the conversion of atrial flutter to atrial fibrillation and atrial fibrillation to atrial flutter. Insights into mechanisms.

It is not generally believed that there is a relation between atrial flutter, thought to be due to a single reentrant circuit, and atrial fibrillation, thought to be due to simultaneously circulating multiple-reentrant wave fronts. However, there are many reasons to suggest that these rhythms are more closely related than previously thought. To test the hypothesis that the length of an area of functional block in the right atrial free wall is critical to the conversion of atrial flutter to atrial fibrillation and of atrial fibrillation to atrial flutter, we studied spontaneous and ATP-induced conversion of stable atrial flutter to sustained atrial fibrillation and spontaneous conversion of sustained atrial fibrillation to stable atrial flutter. We studied 13 episodes of the conversion of stable atrial flutter to sustained atrial fibrillation and sustained atrial fibrillation to stable atrial flutter in seven dogs with sterile pericarditis. Six episodes were spontaneous and seven were ATP related. All episodes were studied by using a multisite mapping system to record 190 unipolar electrograms (converted in the software to 95 bipolar electrograms) from the right atrial free wall along with ECG lead II. Atrial flutter induction was attempted by atrial stimulation (S1S2 or S1S2S3) or by rapid atrial pacing for > or = 20 beats from selected sites at selected rates. For both the spontaneous and the ATP-related episodes, stable atrial flutter was defined as any episode of > or = 5 minutes, and sustained atrial fibrillation was any episode of > or = 1 minute. During all the episodes of stable atrial flutter, a line of functional block with a mean length of 24 +/- 4 mm was localized on the right atrial free wall. When the previously stable line of functional block decreased to a mean of 16 +/- 3 mm (P < .05), either spontaneously or after ATP administration (40 mg i.v.), the new line of functional block was not long enough to maintain stable atrial flutter, and conversion to atrial fibrillation resulted. This shortened line of functional block continued to change and migrate over the right atrial free wall throughout sustained atrial fibrillation. These observations were similar for both spontaneous and ATP-induced conversions. When sustained atrial fibrillation evolved to stable atrial flutter, there was reformation of a long line of functional block, long enough (> or = prior length) to create a stable reentrant circuit, which then captured the right atrial free wall and subsequently both atria. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
An anatomical study of the choledochoduodenal area

THE anatomy of the common bile-duct and associated pancreatic ducts has been submitted to the most extensive investigation in the past. Specimens have been dissected, macerated, and subjected to micro-scopical examination; casts have been prepared and material studied embryologically and radio-logically. In spite of this there remains a marked divergence of opinion over many details.
The limits of speculative trace reuse on deeply pipelined processors

Trace reuse improves the performance of processors by skipping the execution of sequences of redundant instructions. However, many reusable traces do not have all of their inputs ready by the time the reuse test is done. For these cases, we developed a new technique called reuse through speculation on traces (RST), where trace inputs may be predicted. We study the limits of RST for modern processors with deep pipelines, as well as the effects of constraining resources on performance. We show that our approach reuses more traces than the nonspeculative trace reuse technique, with speedups of 43% over a nonspeculative trace reuse and 57% when memory accesses are reused.
Quality and Chemical Profile Assessment of Different Teas in Serbia

Satureja montana, Ocimum basilicum, Camellia sinesis, Saliva officinalis, Althaea officinalis, Thymus camphoratus, Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha piperita and Mountain tea were investigated for their quality (ash and moisture contents), as well as for chemical profile. HPLC analysis was applied to determine saccharide, vitamin C and caffeine contents in all teas samples. Obtained results demonstrated high quality of all tea samples (moisture of all samples was below 12%), while chemical analysis revealed presence of glucose, fructose, sucrose, vitamin C and caffeine in tested materials. Exception was Ocimum basilicum, where only glucose was detected and quantified.
High Assurance Security/Safety for Deeply Embedded, Real-time Systems

In this paper, we describe: (i) a significant evolution to computer security architectures and secure communications MILS (Multiple Independent Levels of Security/Safety) capable of the high assurance to support MLS (Multi-Level Security) systems without the complexity of traditional MLS systems, (ii) the MILS RTOS Partitioning Kernel architecture, (iii) the MILS secure communications Partitioning Communications System architecture, (iv) Real-time MILS CORBA, and (v) industry efforts to provide implementations of this architecture.
TWIST1 a New Determinant of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in EGFR Mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma

Metastasis is a multistep process and the main cause of mortality in lung cancer patients. We previously showed that EGFR mutations were associated with a copy number gain at a locus encompassing the TWIST1 gene on chromosome 7. TWIST1 is a highly conserved developmental gene involved in embryogenesis that may be reactivated in cancers promoting both malignant conversion and cancer progression through an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible implication of TWIST1 reactivation on the acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype in EGFR mutated lung cancer. We studied a series of consecutive lung adenocarcinoma from Caucasian non-smokers for which surgical frozen samples were available (n = 33) and showed that TWIST1 expression was linked to EGFR mutations (P<0.001), to low CDH1 expression (P<0.05) and low disease free survival (P = 0.044). To validate that TWIST1 is a driver of EMT in EGFR mutated lung cancer, we used five human lung cancer cell lines and demonstrated that EMT and the associated cell mobility were dependent upon TWIST1 expression in cells with EGFR mutation. Moreover a decrease of EGFR pathway stimulation through EGF retrieval or an inhibition of TWIST1 expression by small RNA technology reversed the phenomenon. Collectively, our in vivo and in vitro findings support that TWIST1 collaborates with the EGF pathway in promoting EMT in EGFR mutated lung adenocarcinoma and that large series of EGFR mutated lung cancer patients are needed to further define the prognostic role of TWIST1 reactivation in this subgroup.
Anisotropic nonlinear diffusion in flow visualization

Vector field visualization is an important topic in scientific visualization. Its aim is to graphically represent field data in an intuitively understandable and precise way. Here a new approach based on anisotropic nonlinear diffusion is introduced. It enables an easy perception of flow data and serves as an appropriate scale space method for the visualization of complicated flow patterns. The approach is closely related to nonlinear diffusion methods in image analysis where images are smoothed while still retaining and enhancing edges. An initial noisy image is smoothed along streamlines, whereas the image is sharpened in the orthogonal direction. The method is based on a continuous model and requires the solution of a parabolic PDE problem. It is discretized only in the final implementational step. Therefore, many important qualitative aspects can already be discussed on a continuous level. Applications are shown in 2D and 3D and the provisions for flow segmentation are outlined.
Bics 2008 – Brain Inspired Cognitive Systems Reference Id on Building a Biologically-inspired Experiment on Symbol-based Communication

We describe our methodology for building a computational experiment for the investigation of the emergence of self-organized symbol-based communication involving distributed interactions between artificial creatures. Constraints from Peircean pragmatic philosophy of sign and empirical and neuroethological evidences are applied in the setup , design and synthesis of our creatures, environment and processes. We claim that the construction of synthetic experiments from empirical and theoretical constraints permits to better understand the natural phenomena under study. INTRODUCTION Computational models, simulations, and creatures of all kinds are implemented in many ontologies, by means of 'synthetic strategies' (as opposed to analytical ones) (cf. Braitenberg, 1984). They are based on different tools, being heavily influenced by meta-principles (formal theoretical constraints) and biological motivations (empirical constraints) in the design of the environment and the morphological definitions of sensors, effectors, cognitive architecture and processes of the conceived creatures. This theoretical basis influences modeling on different degrees depending on how it constrains the model being built and what decisions it leaves to the experimenter. Constraints entail a reduction in the degrees of freedom that we can assume while building the experimental setup , by 'setting values to experimental parameters' following definitions and motivations from more reliable sources than naïve or arbitrary decisions. If theoretical foundations and constraints are used to develop computational experiments,
Accuracy of pacing during breaststroke swimming using a novel pacing device, the Aquapacer™

Generally, swimmers pace themselves using their own judgement and the poolside clock during swimming training, fitness testing protocols or scientific investigation. The Aquapacer™ is a new pacing device that can be used to pace the swimming speed or stroke rate of the swimmer. The aims of this study were to determine if breaststroke swimmers could pace accurately during submaximal swimming using a poolside clock (Study 1) and the Aquapacer™ (Study 2), at swimming speeds at, just above and just below maximal 200 m time-trial speeds (using the Aquapacer™, Study 3) and under three different race pacing conditions (using the Aquapacer™, Study 4). Between 8 and 15 male national or club standard 200 m breaststroke swimmers participated in each of the studies. The swimmers in Study 2, despite being less well trained than the swimmers in Study 1 and part of a more heterogeneous group in terms of swimming performance, repeatedly demonstrated less random error in pacing, suggesting that the Aquapacer™ may be preferable to the poolside clock when swimmers are being required to pace accurately. The Aquapacer™ also enabled swimmers to pace accurately at racespecific swimming speeds (until fatigue precluded them from holding pace) (Study 3), and through a change in pace at race-specific speeds (Study 4), which suggests that it may be of use in entraining racing strategies.
Across Sex and Age: Learning and Memory and Patterns of Avian Hippocampal Gene Expression

Age-related decrements in cognitive ability have been proposed to stem from deteriorating function of the hippocampus. Many birds are long lived, especially for their relatively small body mass and elevated metabolism, making them a unique model of resilience to aging. Nevertheless, little is known about avian age-related changes in cognition and hippocampal physiology. We studied spatial cognition and hippocampal expression of the age-related gene, Apolipoprotein D (ApoD), and the immediate early gene Egr-1 in zebra finches at various developmental time points. In a first experiment, middle-aged adult males outperformed middle-aged females in learning correct food locations in a four-arm maze, but all birds remembered the task equally well after a 5- or 10-day delay. In a second experiment comparing young and old birds, aged birds showed minimal evidence for deterioration in spatial cognition or motivation relative to young birds, except that aged females showed less rapid gains in accuracy during spatial learning than young females. These findings indicate that sex differences in hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and decline with age are phylogenetically conserved. With respect to hippocampal gene expression, adult females expressed Egr-1 at significantly greater levels than males after memory retrieval, perhaps reflecting a neurobiological compensation. Contrary to mammals, ApoD expression was elevated in young zebra finches compared with aged birds. This may explain the near absence of decrements in spatial memory due to age, possibly indicating an alternative mechanism of managing oxidative stress in aged birds.
Maximum Power Point Tracking of Grid-connected Photovoltaic Arrays by sing Extremum Seeking Control

This paper focuses on the control of grid-connected photovoltaic arrays, which are required to provide the maximum of power irrespective of the solar irradiance conditions. The energy provided by the arrays is sent to the single-phased utility grid by means of a two-stage conversion system, composed of a DC-DC boost converter and a DC-AC inverter. The whole system is controlled through a two-level structure: the upper layer establishes the global scope, i.e., the desired operating regime, which is effectively implemented by the low control layer, i.e., by low-level controlling the two power electronics converters. Thus, the operating regime of the PV arrays is imposed by controlling the DC-DC converter, whereas the inverter is in charge with ensuring the power transfer to the grid. In this case, the global scope of tracking the maximum power point under variable conditions of irradiance is achieved by using a simple and robust extremum seeking control scheme. MATLAB/Simulink numerical simulations are presented and discussed in order to prove the effectiveness of the approach.
Global changes in diets and the consequences for land requirements for food

Provision of food is a prerequisite for the functioning of human society. Cropland where food and feed are grown is the central, limiting resource for food production. The amount of cropland needed depends on population numbers, average food consumption patterns, and output per unit of land. Around the globe, these factors show large differences. We use data from the Food and Agriculture Organization to consistently assess subcontinental dynamics of how much land was needed to supply the prevailing diets during a span of 46 y, from 1961 to 2007. We find that, in most regions, diets became richer while the land needed to feed one person decreased. A decomposition approach is used to quantify the contributions of the main drivers of cropland requirements for food: changes in population, agricultural technology, and diet. We compare the impact of these drivers for different subcontinents and find that potential land savings through yield increases were offset by a combination of population growth and dietary change. The dynamics of the three factors were the largest in developing regions and emerging economies. The results indicate an inverse relationship between the two main drivers behind increased land requirements for food: with socioeconomic development, population growth decreases and, at the same time, diets become richer. In many regions, dietary change may override population growth as major driver behind land requirements for food in the near future.
Applying the Object-Oriented Framework Technique to a Family of Embedded Systems

This paper discusses some experiences from a project developing an object-oriented framework for a family of fire alarm system products. TeleLarm AB, a Swedish security company, initiated the project. One application has so far been generated from the framework with successful results. The released application has shown zero defects and has proved to be highly flexible. Fire alarm systems have a long lifetime and have high reliability and flexibility requirements. The most important observations presented in this paper are that the programming language C++ can be used successfully for small embedded systems; and that object-orientation and framework techniques offer flexibility and reusability in such systems. It has also been noted that design for verifiability and testability is very important, affecting as it does both maintainability and reliability.
Smartphone‐based close‐range photogrammetric assessment of spherical objects

Smartphones have widened the possibilities for low‐cost close‐range image acquisition for three‐dimensional (3D) modelling. They allow the rapid acquisition of large amounts of data for a wide range of applications. However, the accuracy of the models and the automation possibilities depend on the image acquisition conditions and application requirements. In this study, the accuracy and reliability of the derived photogrammetric 3D models are evaluated on a spherical set‐up for close‐range applications (c.30 cm). Different numbers of images, network configurations, targets, devices and camera calibration methodologies are tested and evaluated. Results show that for this close‐range application high accuracy (0·2 mm) and reliability can be achieved. The number of images did not significantly affect the accuracy but was vital for tie‐point detection and image orientation. The use of artificial targets was found to be the key factor in increasing the final accuracy. In contrast, the image calibration strategy and the characteristics of the imaging device did not have a great impact on the results.
Trigram duration modeling in speech recognition

Rate of speech (ROS) is a very important factor in speech recognition. We present a new speech rate measurement method which first normalizes the duration of different acoustic units to a standard duration and then builds a trigram duration model to measure the speech rate of a sentence. We propose two methods based on the standard duration to compensate the influence introduced by speech rate variation in a data corpus and get 11% error rate reduction in Mandarin digit string recognition.
On the definition of "on-line" in job scheduling problems

The conventional model of on-line scheduling postulates that jobs have non-trivial release dates, and are not known in advance. However, it fails to impose any stability constraints, leading to algorithms and analyses that must deal with unrealistic load conditions arising from trivial release dates as a special case. In an effort to make the model more realistic, we show how stability can be expressed as a simple constraint on release times and processing times. We then give empirical and theoretical justifications that such a constraint can close the gap between the theory and practice. As it turns out, this constraint seems to trivialize the scheduling problem.
Novel primers for the amplification of nuclear DNA introns in the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and their cross‐amplification in seven other Heterorhabditis species

We describe 24 novel primers that amplify intron regions in housekeeping and structural genes of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. The cross‐amplification potential of these primers in seven other Heterorhabditis species was determined. The results obtained showed interspecific nucleotide, length and splice site variability in the sequenced introns and for one gene, an intron gain was observed. These primers will be useful tools for studying population genetics, genetic diversity and intron DNA evolution within the genus Heterorhabditis and other genera of rhabditid nematodes.