Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The pricing of grid services in enterprises: deriving pay-per-use tariffs from preference data

Grid computing has been identified as an instrument to fulfil high computational demand, a promising approach for higher resource utilization, and an instrument for cost reduction. The full potential of cost savings can be tapped when incentives are set such that demand is shifted to periods or hardware with lower demand, thereby flattening the demand. To set such incentives, it is mandatory to know the preferences of the Grid resource consumers. We propose the application of the ADBUDG-function to estimate the willingness-to-pay function of prospective resource consumers and K-means clustering to determine optimal tariffs based on this information. We demonstrate the application of this approach in the financial service industry at a large European bank that is planning to move from dedicated servers for single business units to an enterprise Grid. Based on a sample of 21 project leaders and business unit heads with their own budget responsibility, we show how optimal price tariffs can be determined using our proposed approach. Based on the selfreported preferences, we determine tariffs that allow an additional cost savings of 7% or an increase in utility by at least 6% and 9%, on average.
Carbohydrate specificity of sea urchin sperm bindin: a cell surface lectin mediating sperm-egg adhesion

We have examined the carbohydrate specificity of bindin, a sperm protein responsible for the adhesion of sea urchin sperm to eggs, by investigating the interaction of a number of polysaccharides and glycoconjugates with isolated bindin. Several of these polysaccharides inhibit the agglutination of eggs by bindin particles. An egg surface polysaccharide was found to be the most potent inhibitor of bindin- mediated egg agglutination. Fucoidin, a sulfated fucose heteropolysaccharide, was the next most potent inhibitor, followed by the egg jelly fucan, a sulfated fucose homopolysaccharide, and xylan, a beta(1 leads to 4) linked xylose polysaccharide. A wide variety of other polysaccharides and glycoconjugates were found to have no effect on egg agglutination. We also report that isolated bindin has a soluble lectinlike activity which is assayed by agglutination of erythrocytes. The bindin lectin activity is inhibited by the same polysaccharides that inhibit egg agglutination by particulate bindin. This suggests that the egg adhesion activity of bindin is directly related to its lectin activity. We have established that fucoidin binds specifically to bindin particles with a high apparent affinity (Kd = 5.5 X 10(-8) M). The other polysaccharides that inhibit egg agglutination also inhibit the binding of 125I-fucoidin to bindin particles, suggesting that they compete for the same site on bindin. The observation that polysaccharides of different composition and linkage type interact with bindin suggests that the critical structural features required for binding may reside at a higher level of organization. Together, these findings strengthen the hypothesis that sperm-egg adhesion in sea urchins is mediated by a lectin-polysaccharide type of interaction.
Topical Video-On-Demand Recommendations based on Event Detection

Recommender systems help users to discover relevant items. Traditionally, recommender systems rely on both detailed knowledge of the domain and an extensive user profile. However, small numbers of users, privacy concerns, or a very specific domain limit access or availability to this information. In this work, we present an approach for recommending items based on events relevant to the target group of our system. We exemplify the approach with the aid of a Video-On-Demand platform specialized in independent and art-house movies. Our recommender analyzes domain-specific blogs and news. It extracts current events that can be used for triggering topical recommendations. We show that our approach successfully identifies relevant events and provides highly relevant results without requiring detailed user profiles.
Wine, Beer, Alcohol and Polyphenols on Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer

Since ancient times, people have attributed a variety of health benefits to moderate consumption of fermented beverages such as wine and beer, often without any scientific basis. There is evidence that excessive or binge alcohol consumption is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, as well as with work related and traffic accidents. On the contrary, at the moment, several epidemiological studies have suggested that moderate consumption of alcohol reduces overall mortality, mainly from coronary diseases. However, there are discrepancies regarding the specific effects of different types of beverages (wine, beer and spirits) on the cardiovascular system and cancer, and also whether the possible protective effects of alcoholic beverages are due to their alcoholic content (ethanol) or to their non-alcoholic components (mainly polyphenols). Epidemiological and clinical studies have pointed out that regular and moderate wine consumption (one to two glasses a day) is associated with decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, including colon, basal cell, ovarian, and prostate carcinoma. Moderate beer consumption has also been associated with these effects, but to a lesser degree, probably because of beer’s lower phenolic content. These health benefits have mainly been attributed to an increase in antioxidant capacity, changes in lipid profiles, and the anti-inflammatory effects produced by these alcoholic beverages. This review summarizes the main protective effects on the cardiovascular system and cancer resulting from moderate wine and beer intake due mainly to their common components, alcohol and polyphenols.
Diurnal migrating tide as seen by the high-resolution Doppler imager/UARS 1. Monthly mean global meridional winds

The high-resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) instrument on board the upper atmosphere research satellite measures global winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere on a day-to-day basis. The horizontal coverage of the HRDI data is excellent and provides a unique opportunity to study global-scale dynamic phenomena; however, the local time resolution and coverage are limited because of the nature of the satellite sampling. The lack of local time coverage makes conventional methods of data analysis (e.g., Fourier analysis) both di cult and erroneous. An original method of analysis, based on a numerical model of atmospheric thermal tides, is proposed and applied to the HRDI data. The tidal model is solved for the tidal oscillations in the meridional wind component. The simulated diurnal meridional tidal winds are used as a rst guess in the analysis. The results of the model are adjusted to give meridional migrating tidal winds that have maximum consistency with HRDI measurements. This technique is used to derive monthly mean tidal oscillations of the meridional velocity. The derived tidal amplitudes show profound seasonal changes that seem to be consistent with gravity wave breaking theory. The results are compared with MF radar data. It is found that in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere, the tidal amplitudes obtained by HRDI can be bigger than those from MF radars by a factor of 2.
Kindred domains: detecting and clustering botnet domains using DNS traffic

In this paper we focus on detecting and clustering distinct groupings of domain names that are queried by numerous sets of infected machines. We propose to analyze domain name system (DNS) traffic, such as Non-Existent Domain (NXDomain) queries, at several premier Top Level Domain (TLD) authoritative name servers to identify strongly connected cliques of malware related domains. We illustrate typical malware DNS lookup patterns when observed on a global scale and utilize this insight to engineer a system capable of detecting and accurately clustering malware domains to a particular variant or malware family without the need for obtaining a malware sample. Finally, the experimental results of our system will provide a unique perspective on the current state of globally distributed malware, particularly the ones that use DNS.
A Multiscale and Multidirectional Image Denoising Algorithm Based on Contourlet Transform

In this paper, we propose a novel image denoising algorithm in Contourlet domain. The Contourlet transform is adopted by virtual of its advantages over the Wavelet transform in order to obtain a flexible multiresolution, local, and directional image expansion using contour segments, it is good at isolating the smoothness along the contours. We present a weighing factor which submits to the negative exponential distribution, it can combine the hard thresholding function with the soft thresholding, the new thresholding function is continuous[4]. We adapt different thresholdings on different scales and different directions to get better denoising results. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm improves the SNR on a certain extent.
A Reality Emulator Featuring Autonomous Virtual Pedestrians and its Application to Distributed Visual Surveillance

A Reality Emulator—i.e., a computer simulated world that approaches the complexity and realism of the real world, inhabited by virtual humans that look, move, and behave like real humans— could be used in revolutionary ways with profound impact across multiple scientific disciplines. To this end, I review an artificial life framework that addresses the challenging problem of emulating the rich complexity of pedestrians in urban environments. Our approach integrates motor, perceptual, behavioral, and cognitive components within a comprehensive model of pedestrians as highly capable autonomous agents that can perform a variety of natural activities. Featuring innovations in each of these components, as well as in their combination, our agent model yields results of unprecedented fidelity and complexity for fully autonomous multi-human simulation in an extensive urban environment. Furthermore, our prototype reality emulator, which takes the form of a richly populated virtual train station, has motivated a provocative Virtual Vision paradigm for computer vision research. Virtual vision exploits visually and behaviorally realistic reality emulators, such as our prototype, as a simulation tool in support of research on large-scale visual sensor networks. In particular, it has facilitated our efforts to develop multi-camera control and scheduling algorithms for nextgeneration smart video surveillance systems.
Impact of Aerosol Intrusions on Arctic Boundary Layer Clouds. Part I: 4 May 1998 Case

Abstract The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of the entrainment of aerosol from above the inversion on the microphysical structure and radiative properties of boundary layer clouds. For that purpose, the Los Alamos National Laboratory sea ice model was implemented into the research and real-time versions of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System at Colorado State University. A series of cloud-resolving simulations have been performed for a mixed-phase Arctic boundary layer cloud using a new microphysical module that considers the explicit nucleation of cloud droplets. Different aerosol profiles based on observations were used for initialization. When more polluted initial ice-forming nuclei (IFN) profiles are assumed, the liquid water fraction of the cloud decreases while the total condensate path, the residence time of the ice particles, and the downwelling infrared radiation monotonically increase. Results suggest that increasing the aerosol concentrations above the boundary layer may .
Molecular Mechanisms of Phosphorus Metabolism and Transport during Leaf Senescence

Leaf senescence, being the final developmental stage of the leaf, signifies the transition from a mature, photosynthetically active organ to the attenuation of said function and eventual death of the leaf. During senescence, essential nutrients sequestered in the leaf, such as phosphorus (P), are mobilized and transported to sink tissues, particularly expanding leaves and developing seeds. Phosphorus recycling is crucial, as it helps to ensure that previously acquired P is not lost to the environment, particularly under the naturally occurring condition where most unfertilized soils contain low levels of soluble orthophosphate (Pi), the only form of P that roots can directly assimilate from the soil. Piecing together the molecular mechanisms that underpin the highly variable efficiencies of P remobilization from senescing leaves by different plant species may be critical for devising effective strategies for improving overall crop P-use efficiency. Maximizing Pi remobilization from senescing leaves using selective breeding and/or biotechnological strategies will help to generate P-efficient crops that would minimize the use of unsustainable and polluting Pi-containing fertilizers in agriculture. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms whereby P is remobilized from senescing leaves and transported to sink tissues, which encompasses the action of hormones, transcription factors, Pi-scavenging enzymes, and Pi transporters.
Efficient spatio-temporal local stereo matching using information permeability filtering

Spatiotemporal stereo matching has attracted much interest over the last few years. The problem is to maintain the temporally consistent disparity of video sequences and to avoid the flickering-artifacts occurring in consecutive disparity maps. In this paper, we propose a constant time spatiotemporal local stereo matching based on the information permeability method that was recently proposed and achieves good stereo results for static image pairs. The proposed three-pass aggregation method takes into account multiple preceding and following frames of the video instead of a single image pair as in the conventional method. Consequently, the temporal disparity consistency is enforced without requiring an explicit motion estimation as several spatiotemporal approaches have done. Experiments showed that our method improves the disparity consistency compared to the conventional information permeability method, and that it outperforms existing spatiotemporal stereo matching techniques.
Speeded-up Bag-of-Words algorithm for robot localisation through scene recognition

This paper describes a new scalable scheme for the real-time detection of identical scenes for mobile robot localisation, allowing fast retraining to learn new environments. It uses the image bag-of-words algorithm, where images are described by a set of local feature descriptors mapped to a discrete set of dasiaimage wordspsila. This scheme uses descriptors consisting of a combination of a descriptor of shape (SURF) and a hue histogram, and this combination is shown to perform better than either descriptor alone. K-medoids clustering is shown to be suitable for quantising these composite descriptors (or any arbitrary descriptor) into visual words. The scheme can identify in real-time (0.036 seconds per query) multiple images of the same object from a standard dataset of 10200 images, showing robustness to differences in perspective and changes in the scene, and can detect loops in a video stream from a mobile robot.
Oceanic Rings and Jets as Statistical Equilibrium States

AbstractEquilibrium statistical mechanics of two-dimensional flows provides an explanation and a prediction for the self-organization of large-scale coherent structures. This theory is applied in this paper to the description of oceanic rings and jets, in the framework of a 1.5-layer quasigeostrophic model. The theory predicts the spontaneous formation of regions where the potential vorticity is homogenized, with strong and localized jets at their interface. Mesoscale rings are shown to be close to a statistical equilibrium: the theory accounts for their shape, drift, and ubiquity in the ocean, independently of the underlying generation mechanism. At basin scale, inertial states presenting midbasin eastward jets (and then different from the classical Fofonoff solution) are described as marginally unstable states. In that case, considering a purely inertial limit is a first step toward more comprehensive out-of-equilibrium studies that would take into account other essential aspects, such as wind forcing.
$\mathcal {L}_1$Adaptive Control Theory: Guaranteed Robustness with Fast Adaptation (Hovakimyan, N. and Cao, C.; 2010 [Bookshelf]

The book describes a new method known as L1 adaptive control for bringing linear system design methods into adaptive control to confront several open problems, including the selection and tuning of adaptation gains, guaranteed transient performance of both states and controls, and guaranteed robustness margins. Fast adaptation to allow aggressive maneuvering and recovery from failures is also confronted. A second key feature in L1 adaptive control is the use of a state-prediction system, whose dynamics can be prescribed and provide the reference model to be followed when the tracking and estimation errors are small. The third feature is the tuning of parameter estimates using projection methods. The block diagram of the resulting closed-loop adaptive system consists of linear components that can be analyzed using a mixture of linear frequency response techniques and adaptive control techniques.
The Kinematic Status and Mass Content of the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We present VLT FLAMES spectroscopic observations (R ∼ 6500) in the Ca II triplet region for 470 probable kinematic members of the Sculptor (Scl) dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The accurate velocities (±2 km s−1) and large area coverage of Scl allow us to measure a velocity gradient of 7.6+ 3.0−2.2 km s−1 deg−1 along the projected major axis of Scl, likely a signature of intrinsic rotation. We also use our kinematic data to measure the mass distribution within this system. By considering independently the kinematics of the two distinct stellar components known to be present in Scl, we are able to relieve known degeneracies and find that the observed velocity dispersion profiles are best fitted by a cored dark matter halo with core radius rc = 0.5 kpc and mass enclosed within the last measured point M(<1.8 kpc) = (3.4 ± 0.7) × 108 M☉, assuming an increasingly radially anisotropic velocity ellipsoid. This results in a mass-to-light ratio of 158 ± 33 (M/L)☉ inside 1.8 kpc. An NFW profile with concentration c = 20 and mass M(<1.8 kpc) = 2.2+ 1.0−0.7 × 108 M☉ is also statistically consistent with the observations, but it tends to yield poorer fits for the metal-rich stars.
Entropy current in conformal hydrodynamics

In recent work [1, 2], the energy-momentum tensor for the = 4 SYM fluid was computed up to second derivative terms using holographic methods. The aim of this note is to propose an entropy current (accurate up to second derivative terms) consistent with this energy-momentum tensor and to explicate its relation with the existing theories of relativistic hydrodynamics. In order to achieve this, we first develop a Weyl-covariant formalism which simplifies the study of conformal hydrodynamics. This naturally leads us to a proposal for the entropy current of an arbitrary conformal fluid in any spacetime (with 3$>d>3). In particular, this proposal translates into a definite expression for the entropy flux in the case of = 4 SYM fluid. We conclude this note by comparing the formalism presented here with the conventional Israel-Stewart formalism.
Signatures of Cosmic Strings on the Microwave Background

ABSRACT: We review recent progress on testing the hypothesis of the existence of cosmic string perturbations in microwave background maps. Using an analytical model for the string network we show that the predicted amplitude and spectrum of MBR fluctuations are consistent with the COBE data for a reasonable value of the single free parameter of the string model (the mass per unit length of the string $\mu$). To {\it distinguish} the predictions of cosmic strings from those of Gaussian models it is necessary to apply specific {\it statistical tests} which are sensitive to non-random phases of the MBR temperature maps. We discuss two such statistical tests: First, the probability distribution and the moments of fluctuations ${{\delta T}\over T}$ and second the corresponding statistical quantities for the {\it gradient} of fluctuations along a fixed direction. We show that the second statistic can detect cosmic string specific signatures on MBR temperature maps with resolution of a few arcminutes or smaller.
The Hyperbolic Geometry of Random Transpositions 1

Turn the set of permutations of n objects into a graph Gn by connecting two permutations that differ by one transposition, and let σt be the simple random walk on this graph. In a previous paper, Berestycki and Durrett [In Discrete Random Walks (2005) 17–26] showed that the limiting behavior of the distance from the identity at time cn/2 has a phase transition at c = 1. Here we investigate some consequences of this result for the geometry of Gn. Our first result can be interpreted as a breakdown for the Gromov hyperbolicity of the graph as seen by the random walk, which occurs at a critical radius equal to n/4. Let T be a triangle formed by the origin and two points sampled independently from the hitting distribution on the sphere of radius an for a constant 0 < a < 1. Then when a < 1/4, if the geodesics are suitably chosen, with high probability T is δ-thin for some δ > 0, whereas it is always O(n)-thick when a > 1/4. We also show that the hitting distribution of the sphere of radius an is asymptotically singular with respect to the uniform distribution. Finally, we prove that the critical behavior of this Gromov-like hy-perbolicity constant persists if the two endpoints are sampled from the uniform measure on the sphere of radius an. However, in this case, the critical radius is a = 1 − log 2.
Force/position/rolling control for spherical tip robotic fingers

The rolling motion of a soft robotic fingertip is in this paper explicitly included in the control objectives together with the force/position regulation targets. A model based control law is proposed to linearize and decouple the system with respect to the force/position and sliding dynamics based on an appropriately defined task Jacobian. The controller is validated by simulations including rolling on a stationary surface and graspless manipulation of a flat object.
On the dynamical mechanisms explaining the western Pacific subsurface temperature buildup leading to ENSO events

Despite steady progress in the understanding of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the past decades, questions remain on the exact mechanisms explaining the heat buildup leading to the onset of El Niño (EN) events. Here we use an ensemble of ocean and atmosphere assimilation products to identify mechanisms that are consistently identified by all the data sets and that contribute to the heat buildup in the western Pacific 18 to 24 months before the onset of EN events. Meridional and eastward heat advection due to equatorward subsurface mass convergence and transport along the equatorial undercurrent are found to contribute to the subsurface warming at 170°E–150°W. In the warm pool, instead, surface horizontal convergence and downwelling motion have a leading role in subsurface warming. The picture emerging from our results highlights a sharp dynamical transition at 170°E near the level of the thermocline.
Mobile phones as computing devices: the viruses are coming!

Understanding existing threats against mobile phones helps us better protect our information and prepare for future dangers. Mobile phones have evolved from their roots as analog walkie-talkies to full-scale Internet-enabled computers. Today, mobile phone handsets are arguably the dominant computer form factor consumers purchase. But having such powerful networked computers leads to a new class of malware: viruses, worms, and trojans specifically designed for the mobile environment. Merely enumerating known attacks doesn't help us understand all possible threats. Instead, we present a taxonomy of attacks against mobile phones that shows known as well as potential attacks.