Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatio-temporal pattern recognizers using spiking neurons and spike-timing-dependent plasticity

It has previously been shown that by using spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), neurons can adapt to the beginning of a repeating spatio-temporal firing pattern in their input. In the present work, we demonstrate that this mechanism can be extended to train recognizers for longer spatio-temporal input signals. Using a number of neurons that are mutually connected by plastic synapses and subject to a global winner-takes-all mechanism, chains of neurons can form where each neuron is selective to a different segment of a repeating input pattern, and the neurons are feed-forwardly connected in such a way that both the correct input segment and the firing of the previous neurons are required in order to activate the next neuron in the chain. This is akin to a simple class of finite state automata. We show that nearest-neighbor STDP (where only the pre-synaptic spike most recent to a post-synaptic one is considered) leads to “nearest-neighbor” chains where connections only form between subsequent states in a chain (similar to classic “synfire chains”). In contrast, “all-to-all spike-timing-dependent plasticity” (where all pre- and post-synaptic spike pairs matter) leads to multiple connections that can span several temporal stages in the chain; these connections respect the temporal order of the neurons. It is also demonstrated that previously learnt individual chains can be “stitched together” by repeatedly presenting them in a fixed order. This way longer sequence recognizers can be formed, and potentially also nested structures. Robustness of recognition with respect to speed variations in the input patterns is shown to depend on rise-times of post-synaptic potentials and the membrane noise. It is argued that the memory capacity of the model is high, but could theoretically be increased using sparse codes.
The Spectrum of the Lagrange Velocity Autocorrelation Function in Conflned Anisotropic Liquids

The results of our further analysis of the thermal hydrodynamic ∞uctuations in an anisotropic liquid under heterogeneous conditions are represented. The heterogeneity is modeled in the form of a plane-parallel layer, the liquid is considered is taken to be incompressible, and the rapid processes of the angular momentum relaxation to equilibrium are ignored. The extended system of hydrodynamics equations is linearized for small deviations from the equilibrium values. For the case of spontaneous ∞uctuation flelds being present in the system of equations for the velocity and inertia tensor components, the boundary problem solution is found in the form of an expansion in the harmonic functions. The spectral densities of the ∞uctuation correlation functions are obtained by using the ∞uctuation dissipation theorem (FDT). A special attention is paid to the correlation functions (CFs) for the velocity fleld in the anisotropic liquid. The spectrum of the Lagrange velocity autocorrelation function (LVACF) and the collective part of the self{difiusion coe-cient of the molecules are determined as functions of the coordinate normal to the conflning planes. c
Flip-and-forward achieves the optimal diversity-multiplexing tradeoff for the two-hop MIMO relay channel, with two relay antennas

The flip-and-forward scheme introduced in (Yang-Belfiore, 2007) for handling communication in multi-hop MIMO relay networks was shown to achieve a better diversity-multiplexing tradeoff than pure amplify-and-forward schemes. In the present paper, we show that the flip-and-forward scheme actually achieves the optimal diversity-multiplexing tradeoff for a two-hop relay network, when the relay is equipped with two antennas.
New Elementary Teachers ’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Instructional Representations : A Longitudinal Study

Acknowledgments This research is funded by a PECASE / CAREER Award grant number REC-0092610 and the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science, a CLT grant, number 0227557, both from the National Science Foundation. However, any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors. We thank the three teachers who made this research possible for their interest and cooperation. We also appreciate Cory Forbes, Carrie Beyer, Julie Smithey, and Michele Nelson for their helpful discussion throughout this study.
Subthreshold Source-Coupled Logic Circuits for Ultra-Low-Power Applications

This paper presents a novel approach for implementing ultra-low-power digital components and systems using source-coupled logic (SCL) circuit topology, operating in weak inversion (subthreshold) regime. Minimum size pMOS transistors with shorted drain-substrate contacts are used as gate-controlled, very high resistivity load devices. Based on the proposed approach, the power consumption and the operation frequency of logic circuits can be scaled down linearly by changing the tail bias current of SCL gates over a very wide range spanning several orders of magnitude, which is not achievable in subthreshold CMOS circuits. Measurements in conventional 0.18 m CMOS technology show that the tail bias current of each gate can be set as low as 10 pA, with a supply voltage of 300 mV, resulting in a power-delay product of less than 1 fJ. Fundamental circuits such as ring oscillators and frequency dividers, as well as more complex digital blocks such as parallel multipliers designed by using the STSCL topology have been experimentally characterized.
Architecture for a multi-user general-purpose parllel system

A multi-user general-purpose parallel system can make good use of the available hardware by sharing it among a mix of jobs with complementary requirements. The central task of the operating system in such an environment is to partition the machine dynamically between these jobs. We propose a new control structure to support this task, called distributed hierarchical control, which requires additional control processors to be placed on top of the parallel processors. Thus the processors are effectively organized in a tree structure, where the leaves are user processors and the higher levels are used for operating-system work; note that this structure is orthogonal to the interconneetion pattern between the user processors. Operating system algorithms for this structure are outlined.
Improving Asynchronous Search for Distributed Generalized Assignment Problem

Distributed Generalized Assignment Problem (D-GAP) is very popular in scalable multi-agent systems. However, existing algorithms are not effective or efficient in large scale or highly dynamic domains due to the limited communication and computation resource. In this paper, we present a novel approach to address this issue. To reduce communication, we propose a decentralized model for agents to jointly search for optimized solutions. Considering the complexity of D-GAP in a massive multi-agent system, agents cannot perform the optimal search based on their local views, we propose a heuristic algorithm. By inferring knowledge from their previous communicated searches, agents are able to predict how to deploy their future similar searches more efficiently. If an agent can solve some parts of D-GAP well, similar searches will be sent to it. By taking the advantage of the accumulation effect to agents' local knowledge, agents can independently make simple decisions with highly reliable performance and limited communication overheads. Finally, we present a simulation to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of our algorithm.
On Decision Machines for Media Transformation

This document is meant to serve as an interim report of one of the channel S subprojects this year. This subproject specifically addresses a problem area which goes under several different names, including: media (or content) transformation, media adaptation, filtering and/or distillation. This document offers an initial orientation to the problem area, as well as a more extensive review of various dimensions and issues specifically relevant to the area of media transformation. It concludes with a summary of the future work planned within the subproject in 2002. Emneord/
Ram-pressure histories of cluster galaxies

Ram-pressure stripping can remove significant amounts of gas from galaxies that orbit in clusters and massive groups, and thus has a large impact on the evolution of cluster galaxies. In this paper, we reconstruct the present-day distribution of ram pressure and the ram-pressure histories of cluster galaxies. To this aim, we combine the Millennium Simulation and an associated semi-analytic model of galaxy evolution with analytic models for the gas distribution in clusters. We find that about one quarter of galaxies in massive clusters are subject to strong ram pressures that are likely to cause an expedient loss of all gas. Strong ram pressures occur predominantly in the inner core of the cluster, where both the gas density and the galaxy velocity are higher. Since their accretion on to a massive system, more than 64 per cent of galaxies that reside in a cluster today have experienced strong ram pressures of > 10 -11 dyn cm -2 which most likely led to a substantial loss of the gas.
Cosmological spacetimes from negative tension brane backgrounds

We identify a time-dependent class of metrics with potential applications to cosmology, which emerge from negative-tension branes. The cosmology is based on a gen- eral class of solutions to Einstein-dilaton-Maxwell theory, presented in hep-th/0106120. We argue that solutions with hyperbolic or planar symmetry describe the gravitational interactions of a pair of negative-tension q-branes. These spacetimes are static near each brane, but become time-dependent and expanding at late epoch | in some cases asymptot- ically approaching ∞at space. We interpret this expansion as being the spacetime's response to the branes' presence. The time-dependent regions provide explicit examples of cosmo- logical spacetimes with past horizons and no past naked singularities. The past horizons can be interpreted as S-branes. We prove that the singularities in the static regions are repulsive to time-like geodesics, extract a cosmological \bounce" interpretation, compute the explicit charge and tension of the branes, analyse the classical stability of the solution (in particular of the horizons) and study particle production, deriving a general expression for Hawking's temperature as well as the associated entropy.
Latency for Real-Time Machine-to-Machine Communication in LTE-Based System Architecture

Machine-to-machine communication has attracted a lot of interest in the mobile communication industry and is under standardization process in 3GPP. Of particular interest is LTE-Advanced support for various M2M service requirements and efficient management and handling of a huge number of machines as mobile subscribers. In addition to the higher throughput, one of the main advantages of LTE/LTE-A in comparison with the previous cellular networks is the reduced transmission latency, which makes this type of networks very attractive for real-time mobile M2M communication scenarios. This paper presents a M2M system architecture based on LTE/LTE-A and highlights the delays associated with each part of the system. Three real-time M2M applications are analyzed and the main latency bottlenecks are identified. Proposals on how the latency can be further reduced are described.
Dynamic virtual machine allocation in cloud server facility systems with renewable energy sources

This paper explores the problem of virtual machine (VM) allocation in a network of cloud server facilities which are deployed in different geographical areas. Each cloud server facility is connected to the conventional power grid network and in addition it is supported by an attached renewable energy source (RES). We address the problem of energy-efficient task allocation in the system in the presence of a time-varying grid energy price and the unpredictability and time variation of provisioned power by the RES. The objective is to reduce the total cost of power consumption for the operator. The key idea is to match the VM load with the RES provisioned power. Each request for a task to be executed in the cloud is associated with a VM request with certain resource requirements and a deadline by which it needs to be completed. The cloud provider has to create a VM with the resource requirements of the request and to execute the VM before the deadline. We propose an online algorithm with given look-ahead horizon, in which the grid power prices and patterns of output power of the RESs are known a priori and we compare it with a greedy online algorithm. Numerical results on real traces of cloud traffic and renewable source generation patterns are encouraging in terms of the performance of our techniques and motivate further research on the topic.
Evaluating the effects of diffused lavender in an adult day care center for patients with dementia in an effort to decrease behavioral issues: a pilot study

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the effects of diffused lavender on the frequency of behavioral issues [BIs], defined as a composite of restlessness/wandering [RW], agitation [AGT], anger [ANG], and anxiety [ANX] in an adult day care center. Secondary objectives evaluate systematic differences on the frequency of BIs between age cohorts, gender, and individual behaviors. Design: Pre-post quasi-experimental study. Setting: Private nonprofit adult day care center for patients with dementia. Participants: Elderly patients older than 65 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of dementia, who require daytime monitoring. Intervention: Lavender aromatherapy twice a day for 20 min during a two-month period during active clinic days. Measurements: Behavioral issues were recorded using the behavior/intervention monthly flow record during the pre- and post-intervention periods. Results: There was no significant difference on frequency of BIs between pre-intervention and post-intervention periods (p = .06). There was a significant difference between pre-intervention and post-intervention total number of AGT occurrences (129 vs. 25; p value < .01). There was no significant difference between age cohorts for computed difference of RW, ANG, and ANX issues. There was a significant difference between age cohorts for computed difference of AGT (p value = .04) as the 70–85 age cohort showed less agitation compared to the 85–100 age cohort. Conclusion: The use of diffused lavender twice daily has shown to reduce the frequency of agitation in elderly patients with dementia, especially in the 70–85 age cohort. Though diffused lavender did not show statistical differences in the frequency of other behaviors (restlessness/wander, anger, anxiety), the study population may have been too small to find a difference.
Implementation strategy for downgraded flash-memory storage devices

In recent years, low-cost flash-memory devices have contributed greatly to the rapid growth of the flash memory market. Given that the most of the cost of such devices is the cost of the flash-memory chips, many vendors are managing the cost of such devices by using flash-memory chips of low quality, and they will continue to do so in the near future. Recognizing strong market demand, this work presents a set-based mapping strategy with an effective implementation and low hardware resource requirements for making downgraded flash-memory chips useable in products. A configurable management design for managing chips of various qualities with improved lifetime is presented. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is evaluated by performing a series of experiments and analyzed with reference to popular implementations in industry.
Object database evolution using separation of concerns

This paper proposes an object database evolution approach based on separation of concerns. The lack of customisability and extensibility in existing evolution frameworks is a consequence of using attributes at the meta-object level to implement links among meta-objects and the injection of instance adaptation code directly into the class versions. The proposed approach uses dynamic relationships to separate the connection code from meta-objects and aspects - abstractions used by Aspect-Oriented Programming to localise cross-cutting concerns - to separate the instance adaptation code from class versions. The result is a customisable and extensible evolution framework with low maintenance overhead.
Face Recognition Using DCT and Hybrid Flexible Neural Tree

This paper proposes a new face recognition approach by using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and hybrid flexible neural tree (FNT) classification model. The DCT is employed to extract the input features to build a face recognition system, and the flexible neural tree is used to identify the faces. Based on the pre-defined instruction/operator sets, a flexible neural tree model can be created and evolved. This framework allows input features selection, over-layer connections and different activation functions for the various nodes involved. The FNT structure is developed using an evolutionary algorithm and the parameters are optimized by a particle swarm optimization algorithm. Empirical results indicate that the proposed framework is efficient for face recognition
Ultrastructural analysis of the autophagic process in yeast: detection of autophagosomes and their characterization

Under nutrient-deficient conditions, the yeast S. cerevisiae sequesters its own cytoplasmic components into vacuoles in the form of "autophagic bodies" (Takeshige, K., M. Baba, S. Tsuboi, T. Noda, and Y. Ohsumi. 1992. J. Cell Biol. 119:301-311). Immunoelectron microscopy showed that two cytosolic marker enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase, are present in the autophagic bodies at the same densities as in the cytosol, but are not present in vacuolar sap, suggesting that cytosolic enzymes are also taken up into the autophagic bodies. To understand this process, we performed morphological analyses by transmission and immunological electron microscopies using a freeze- substitution fixation method. Spherical structures completely enclosed in a double membrane were found near the vacuoles of protease-deficient mutant cells when the cells were shifted to nutrient-starvation media. Their size, membrane thickness, and contents of double membrane- structures corresponded well with those of autophagic bodies. Sometimes these double membrane structures were found to be in contact with the vacuolar membrane. Furthermore their outer membrane was occasionally seen to be continuous with the vacuolar membrane. Histochemical staining of carbohydrate strongly suggested that the structures with double membranes fused with the vacuoles. These results indicated that these structures are precursors of autophagic bodies, "autophagosomes" in yeast. All the data obtained suggested that the autophagic process in yeast is essentially similar to that of the lysosomal system in mammalian cells.
Molecular Detection of Persistent Francisella tularensis Subspecies holarctica in Natural Waters

Tularemia, caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, where F. tularensis subspecies holarctica has long been the cause of endemic disease in parts of northern Sweden. Despite this, our understanding of the natural life-cycle of the organism is still limited. During three years, we collected surface water samples (n = 341) and sediment samples (n = 245) in two areas in Sweden with endemic tularemia. Real-time PCR screening demonstrated the presence of F. tularenis lpnA sequences in 108 (32%) and 48 (20%) of the samples, respectively. The 16S rRNA sequences from those samples all grouped to the species F. tularensis. Analysis of the FtM19InDel region of lpnA-positive samples from selected sampling points confirmed the presence of F. tularensis subspecies holarctica-specific sequences. These sequences were detected in water sampled during both outbreak and nonoutbreak years. Our results indicate that diverse F. tularensis-like organisms, including F. tularensis subsp. holarctica, persist in natural waters and sediments in the investigated areas with endemic tularemia.
Distributional Impacts of an Environmental Tax Shift: The Case of Motor Vehicle Emissions Taxes

One of the most common criticisms of pollution taxes is that they are often believed to be inequitable — i.e., low income households are thought to be disproportionately harmed. In this paper, we assess the distributional impacts of three taxes aimed at reducing emissions from motor vehicles: (i) a tax on total annual emissions, (ii) a tax on emissions rates (in grams per mile), and (iii) a tax on annual miles traveled. We use two alternative measures of economic well-being, annual household income and a constructed measure of lifetime income. We find that all three fees look regressive, both on the basis of annual and lifetime income — though much less so on a lifetime income basis. However, if one of these fees is used to substitute for existing vehicle registration fees, the differential impacts over existing fees are quite small: on a lifetime income basis, the mileage-based fee looks almost identical to the current system, while the total emissions fee is a little more regressive and the emissions rate-based fee slightly more regressive still than the current system. These results highlight the importance of tax shifting to help the environment.
Option-Implied Probability Distributions for Future Inflation

Beliefs about future inflation play a major role in determining the rate of inflation, and so it is important for the Monetary Policy Committee to take them into account when making their policy decisions. A number of measures of central expectations for inflation are available, such as surveys of inflation expectations or measures derived from financial markets. But until recently far fewer measures of beliefs about the full distribution of possible future inflation rates have been available. This article describes a new method for producing option-implied probability density functions for future inflation, which can be used as a measure of that distribution, and examines the recent rise in uncertainty about future inflation that they reveal.
Fathers’ experiences of caring for an adult child with psychosis: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Previous research exploring parental experiences of caring has highlighted both the rewarding nature and associated difficulties with this role. Within these studies the majority of parents have been mothers, resulting in minimal understanding about fathers’ experiences. The aim of the current study was to explore how fathers described and made sense of their caring experiences. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven participants, including six biological fathers and one step-father. Interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five themes emerged: “Father versus carer”; “Change in quality of the relationship with child”; ‘To share or not to share; “Acceptance is a struggle”; and “Mental health services: inconsistency versus luck”. Previous research has indicated a minimal role of fathers. In contrast the current study found fathers were deeply committed to their caring role, viewing this as central to being a parent, caring unconditionally for their adult child with additional needs. Fathers can play a crucial and unconditional role in the care of their adult children. With long-term complex conditions, such as psychoses, it is important for services to recognise the contribution of fathers, to enable greater involvement whilst also offering support for them to help sustain their important caring role.