Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toward Ubiquitous Satisficing Agent Control

The dynamics and unpredictability of open environments pose a challenge to agent development. Agents operating in these environments must be able to adapt processing to the available resources and the current problem solving context. The ability to satisfice ubiquitously, in all aspects of agent problem solving, is the key to existing in these environments. Our work on satisficing agent control problem solving, i.e., multi-agent coordination and agent scheduling, serves as the foundation for our current focus on a holistic approach to satisficing agent control.
A General Notion of Uniform Strategies

We consider two-player turn-based game arenas for which we investigate uniformity properties of strategies. These properties involve sets of plays in order to express useful constraints on strategies that are not μ-calculus definable. Typically, we can represent constraints on allowed strategies, such as being observation-based. We propose a formal language to specify uniformity properties, involving an original modality called R, meaning "for all related plays". Its semantics is given by some binary relation between plays. We demonstrate the relevance of our approach by rephrasing various known problems from the literature. We also study an automated procedure to synthesize strategies subject to a uniformity property, which strictly extends existing results based on, say standard temporal logics. We exhibit a generic solution for the synthesis problem provided the binary relation that defines the sets of related plays is recognizable by a finite state transducer. This solution yields a nonelementary procedure.
Synthetic generation of the gradient for an iterative controller optimization method

Recently, a data-driven model-free iterative control design method has been proposed in [4], This contribution reports an experimental study with this method when applied to a ball-on-beam system. This setup has nonlinear dynamics and suffers from nonlinear friction. The method is modified so as to allow its applicability when the second experiment that is described in [4] becomes a nuisance. The new concepts of synthetically generated gradients and line searches along the descent direction are shown to be valuable tools for the tuning of the controller.
Performance Analysis of TDMA MAC Schemes for Ad-Hoc Networks with Topology Control

Traditional omni-directional antennas result in increased mutliuser interference and are known to limit the performance of Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols for ad-hoc networks. Topology control is the capability of a node to control the set of neighbor nodes and in this paper, the impact of using smart antennas and/or power control for topology control is investigated. The performance of TDMA MAC schemes with common frame for which the assignment of time slots to a node is not aware of the time slots assigned to the neighbor nodes (topology-unaware schemes like the Deterministic Policy and the Probabilistic Policy), is studied as well. A comparison based on analytical models reveals the advantages of topology control, as well as its dependence on the mobility of the nodes and its resolution. It is shown that topology control with “high resolution” in highly mobile environments may not be effective and conditions are established under which topology control is beneficial. Simulation results for a variety of network topologies support the claims and the expectations of the aforementioned analysis and show that the system throughput achieved under topology control can be higher under both policies and especially under the Probabilistic Policy. Simulation results also show how mobility affects system throughput and that topology control may not be suitable for highly mobile environments.
Lymphoma: A Single Disease With Multiple Variants

We thank Drs Guereño and Dı́ez for their interest in our study 1 and we appreciate the opportunity to respond to their thoughtful comments. For our experiments we used frozen normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In this regard they raise the possibility that a ‘‘selection’’effect may take place as a consequence of freezing. We have observed that a fraction of cells die during freezing (1% to 10% of B-CLL cells and 10% to 15% of PBMC), but we believe that this fraction is too low to explain the difference in sensitivity of PBMC and B-CLL cells to aspirin by a ‘‘selection’’ effect. Furthermore, B and T lymphocytes from normal donors and T lymphocytes from B-CLL patients are more resistant than B-CLL cells to aspirin-induced apoptosis, as determined by analysis of phosphatidylserine exposure by flow cytometry, where percentages are referred to the total number of cells analyzed. Moreover, cell density was 5 3 106 cells/mL in cell viability assayed by the MTT method, whereas for analysis of apoptosis cells were incubated at densities of 2 to 4 3 106 cells/mL and sensitivities to aspirin similar to those obtained by the MTT assay were found for each patient. Therefore, we consider that cell density does not influence susceptibility to aspirin-induced apoptosis. Regarding the mechanism of aspirin-induced apoptosis, aspirin did not modify Bcl-2 protein level (unpublished results, July 1997). As discussed in our study, inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX) is not sufficient to induce apoptosis in B-CLL cells. We proposed several COX-independent mechanisms that may be involved in aspirin-induced apoptosis in B-CLL cells (inhibition of NF kB, inhibition of AP-1, activation of p38), but we agree that additional mechanisms should also be considered. In this respect, the mechanisms proposed by Drs Guereño and Dı́ez (induction of mitochondrial permeability transition and inhibition of nitric oxide synthase) deserve investigation. Interestingly, it has recently been described that B-CLL cells spontaneously express a functional inducible nitric oxide synthase, which has an anti-apoptotic role. 2 Experiments are in progress to study the mechanisms involved in the apoptotic action of aspirin and salicylate in B-CLL cells.
Performance Implications of Synchronization Support for Parallel Fortran Programs

Abstract This paper studies the performance implications of architectural synchronization support for automatically parallelized numerical programs. As the basis for this work, we analyze the needs for synchronization in automatically parallelized numerical programs. The needs are due to task scheduling, iteration scheduling, barriers, and data dependence handling. We present synchronization algorithms for efficient execution of programs with nested parallel loops. Next, we identify how various hardware synchronization support can be used to satisfy these software synchronization needs. The synchronization primitives studied are test&set , fetch&add , and exchange-byte operations. In addition to these, synchronization bus implementation of lock/unlock and fetch&add operations are also considered. Finally, we ran experiments to quantify the impact of various architectural support on the performance of a bus-based shared memory multiprocessor running automatically parallelized numerical programs. We found that supporting an atomic fetch&add primitive in shared memory is as effective as supporting lock/unlock operations with a synchronization bus. Both achieve substantial performance improvement over the cases where atomic test&set and exchange-byte operations are supported in shared memory.
Flow measurement using high speed spectral optical coherence tomography

Optical Coherence Tomography is a non-invasive imaging modality with high resolution (5 to 20μm) that can provide flow velocity information by calculating the Doppler frequency shift. In this paper, a high speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography system was demonstrated. An achievable scanning speed of 92k line/sec has been reached by using an ultra-high speed linear array CCD camera. The measurable flow velocity range is [−24, 24]mm/s using this system. Early stage Chicken embryo heart blood flow was measured in vivo.
Program Evaluation and Ethnic Differences: The Pension 65 Program in Peru

We show that the introduction of a non-contributory pension program (Pension 65) in Peru had remarkably different effects for its three main ethnic groups, i.e., Mestizo, Quechua, and Aymara. The Aymara beneficiaries of the program have experienced larger increases in health and life satisfaction compared to other Peruvians. Using a panel life satisfaction regression, we find evidence for preference heterogeneity between the Aymara and the other ethnic groups that is consistent with the observed differences. Finally, we turn to the question of how the pension program can be evaluated in a robust manner while respecting the preference heterogeneity between the ethnic groups. We propose the natural criterion that a program benefits a recipient if she is lifted to a higher indifference curve. We show that the pension program was beneficial for all groups, but that more Aymara beneficiaries were lifted to a higher indifference curve compared to other Peruvians. Our proposed criterion can be useful to evaluate programs in all cases where preference differences matter.
Super Schrödinger in Super Conformal

We discuss (extended) super Schrödinger algebras which are subalgebras of the superconformal algebra psu(2,2|4). The Schrödinger algebra with two spatial dimensions can be embedded into so(4,2). In the superconformal case the embedded algebra may be enhanced to the so-called super Schrödinger algebra. In fact, we find an extended super Schrödinger subalgebra of psu(2,2|4). It contains, as well as generators of the original Schrödinger algebra, 24 supercharges (i.e., 3/4 of the original supersymmetries) and the generators of so(6). In particular, the 24 supercharges come from 16 rigid supersymmetries and half of 16 superconformal ones. Moreover, this superalgebra contains a smaller super Schrödinger subalgebra, which is a superextension of the original Schrödinger algebra and so(6) by eight supercharges (half of 16 rigid supersymmetries). It is still a subalgebra without so(6). We also discuss super Schrödinger subalgebras of the superconformal algebras osp(8|4) and osp(8∗|4).
Hermes-GLP: A GALS Network on Chip Router with Power Control Techniques

The evolution of deep submicron technologies allows the development of increasingly complex Systems on a Chip (SoC). However, this evolution is rendering less viable some well-established design practices. Examples are the use of multi-point communication architectures (e. g. busses) and designing fully synchronous systems. In addition, power dissipation is becoming one of the main design concerns due e. g. to the increasing use of mobile products. An alternative to overcome such problems is adopting Networks on Chip (NoCs) communication architectures supporting globally asynchronous locally synchronous (GALS) system design. This work proposes a GALS router with associated power control techniques, which enables low power SoC design. This is in contrast with previous works which centered attention in power reduction of SoC processing elements instead. The paper describes the asynchronous communication interface and the employed power control mechanism. The results obtained from simulation at the RTL level with timing show that, even when submitted to large rates of traffic injection, the proposed NoC displays a significant reduction in switching activity and consequently in power dissipation.
Towards learning integral strategy of branch and bound

Branch and bound is the preferred algorithm used for solving MILP problems. It involves two fundamental strategies that are node selection strategy and branching strategy. Whereas the learning literature has been focused in dealing with just one strategy on the same time, we design a two-in-one strategy of branch and bound algorithm regarding the fact that are intuitively dependent. To do so, we apply the well-known SVM algorithm to the well-known set of problems MIPLIP.
Novel All Trans-Retinoic Acid Derivatives: Cytotoxicity, Inhibition of Cell Cycle Progression and Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cell Lines

Owing to the pharmacological potential of ATRA (all trans-retinoic acid), a series of retinamides and a 1-(retinoyl)-1,3-dicyclohexylurea compound were prepared by reacting ATRA with long chain alkyl or alkenyl fatty amines by using a 4-demethylaminopyridine (DMAP)-catalyzed N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) coupling. The successful synthesis of the target compounds was demonstrated using a range of spectroscopic techniques. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was measured along with their ability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human cancer cell lines MCF-7 (breast cancer) and HepG2 (liver cancer) and normal human cell line HEK293 (embryonic kidney). The results of cytotoxicity and flow cytometry data showed that the compounds had a moderate to strong effect against MCF-7 and HepG2 cells and were less toxic to HEK293 cells. N-oleyl-retinamide was found to be the most potent anticancer agent and was more effective against MCF-7 cells than HepG2 cells.
The Cycle of a Single Company's Involvement in an Export Consortium

In this paper, I intend to present a longitudinal analysis that describes and contributes to explaining the entire cycle of one partner company 's involvement in an export consortium. Thus, it will not be my purpose here to analyze a consortium or an alliance as a whole (including the central core of collaboration and all the partner companies that take part in it) but rather to study in isolation just one of the partner companies belonging to a consortium. It is possible to analyze and assess the success or failure of an export consortium as a whole, but I posit that it is even more important to measure and explain the level of success or failure achieved by each of the individual partner companies,and their decisions to join or to leave the consortium.
Demand Forecasting and Computer Simulation Applied to the Conservative Management Companies

This paper shows a Case Study on the use of Demand Forecasting and Computer Simulation techniques carried out in a manufacturing plant with family administration feature that does not use modern techniques proposed by Supply Chain Management experts or Operational Research practitioners. In this context, a new data treatment methodology was proposed, which resulted in the improvement of the demand forecasting accuracy. With the forecasted data, it was possible to analyze the performance of the simulated manufacture flows. These procedures improved the management of resources, taking into account the demand variability and the uncertainties of markets. The Statgraphics Centurion XV and Arena 9.0 softwares were used in order to develop, respectively, Demand Forecasting and Computer Simulation models for the study proposed. Keywords-component— Demand Forecasting, Time Series, Computer Simulation.
Efficient channel quantization scheme for multi-user MIMO broadcast channels with RBD precoding

Regularized block diagonalization (RBD) is a new linear precoding technique for the multi-antenna broadcast channel and has a significantly improved sum rate and diversity order compared to all previously proposed linear precoding techniques. We consider a limited feedback system with RBD precoding, in which each receiver has perfect channel state information (CSI) and quantizes its channel. The transmitter receives the quantized CSI with a finite number of feedback bits from each receiver. In contrast to zero-forcing (ZF) or block diagonalization (BD) precoding, where the transmitter only requires the channel direction information which refers to the knowledge of subspaces spanned by the users' channel matrices, for RBD precoding the transmitter additionally requires the channel magnitude information which defines the strength of the eigenmodes of the users' channel matrices. The key contribution of our work is that we propose a new scheme for the channel quantization to supply the transmitter with both channel direction and magnitude information. Based on this new scheme, firstly, we investigate a random vector quantization (RVQ). We derive a bound for the throughput loss due to imperfect CSI and find a way to achieve the bound by linearly increasing the number of feedback bits with the system SNR. Secondly, we modify the LBG vector quantization algorithm to obtain a dominant eigenvector based LBG (DE- LBG) vector quantization which can significantly reduce the number of feedback bits compared to RVQ. Finally, we demonstrate that the DE-LBG vector quantization can be applied to an OFDM-based multi-user MIMO system.
A Review of Middleware for Networked Robots

Summary Networked robotic systems consist of a collection of interconnected components (being multiple robots working together or robots working with external systems such as wireless sensor networks or servers). These components require cooperation and collaboration to achieve a common goal. However application development for such collaborative distributed systems composed of many robots with sensors, embedded computers, and human users is very difficult. Therefore, middleware services can provide advanced approaches offering many possibilities and drastically enhancing the development process and the overall functionalities needed for networked robotic systems. This paper provides an overview study of networked robot middleware in this domain. It discusses middleware roles in networked robotic systems, provides different criteria for evaluating networked robot middleware, and presents some representative middleware solutions specifically designed for networked robots. Open issues in that domain are also discussed.
Evaluation of adaptive channel allocation mechanism in IEEE 802.11b

The research of IEEE 802.11b shows that overlapping and/or adjacent BSS can avoid in-band and adjacent band interference effectively if the distance between the center frequencies is at least 25 MHz. In the area of dense commercial hot-spot deployment, the strict spectrum allocation is necessary. In this paper, adaptive channel allocation mechanism in IEEE 802.11b is proposed and realized eventually. The result of experiment shows that in the case of no strict spectrum allocation, the mechanism can alleviate or avoid in-band or adjacent band interference, and some other narrow-band interference. At the same time, it can improve the performance of BSS much.
Classification of body fatness by body mass index-for-age categories among children.

OBJECTIVE To examine the ability of various body mass index (BMI)-for-age categories, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 85th to 94th percentiles, to correctly classify the body fatness of children and adolescents. DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING The New York Obesity Research Center at St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital from 1995 to 2000. PARTICIPANTS Healthy 5- to 18-year-old children and adolescents (N = 1196) were recruited in the New York City area through newspaper notices, announcements at schools and activity centers, and word of mouth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Percent body fat as determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Body fatness cutoffs were chosen so that the number of children in each category (normal, moderate, and elevated fatness) would equal the number of children in the corresponding BMI-for-age category (<85th percentile, 85th-94th percentile, and > or =95th percentile, respectively). RESULTS About 77% of the children who had a BMI for age at or above the 95th percentile had an elevated body fatness, but levels of body fatness among children who had a BMI for age between the 85th and 94th percentiles (n = 200) were more variable; about one-half of these children had a moderate level of body fatness, but 30% had a normal body fatness and 20% had an elevated body fatness. The prevalence of normal levels of body fatness among these 200 children was highest among black children (50%) and among those within the 85th to 89th percentiles of BMI for age (40%). CONCLUSION Body mass index is an appropriate screening test to identify children who should have further evaluation and follow-up, but it is not diagnostic of level of adiposity.
Optimizing Ranking Calculation in Web Search Engines: a Case Study

Web search engines compete to offer the fastest responses with highest relevance. However, as Web collections grow, it becomes more difficult to achieve this purpose. As most users tend to see only the first two pages of results, it is unnecessary to compute the ranking of each one of the millions of documents that usually match any given query. Only those that have a level of importance that makes them candidates to the top ranked results have to be considered. This work presents and compares algorithms tested in our Web search engine to speed up the search of these candidates. We have been able to reduce by 93% the number of documents considered for ranking calculation, using a pruning algorithm over a Web collection index sorted by URL weights.
Optimization design of passive filter's phase-frequency characteristic

In order to solve contradiction between the filter amplitude-frequency and the phase-frequency straightness, this paper proposes a filter's optimal design method. Based on the circuit designed by network synthesis method, the phase-frequency approach to a straight line using a least square method. Then optimize the circuit again by unconstrained optimization method. The simulation result indicates that this method can not only increase the filter the attenuation in stopband, but also the group delay is 12% of the total before optimized in passband, and the optimal design method is superior to the network synthesis method.
Efficacy of EEG neurofeedback in psychiatry: A comprehensive overview and meta-analysis

Background: This article provides a comprehensive overview of studies investigating the efficacy of EEG neurofeedback in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Method: Only studies comparing neurofeedback to a control group (passive/semi-active, placebo, or drug treatment) were included. Effect sizes were calculated for individual studies and when possible combined in meta-analysis (Hedges’s g). Results: We retrieved 30 studies including 1171 participants, evaluating neurofeedback for ADHD, autism, OCD, GAD and depression. For ADHD, combining nineteen trials in meta-analysis yielded small to medium effect sizes for symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Subgroup analyses showed that neurofeedback was superior to passive/semi-active treatment (medium effects), while efficacy was similar to placebo (only one study) and drug treatment. For ASD, combining five studies resulted in a superior effect of neurofeedback in reducing general symptomatology; subgroup analyses showed that neurofeedback was more effective than passive/semi-active treatment (four studies) and placebo (based on a single study). Three OCD studies showed varying results, depending on the type of control group used. Two GAD studies found neurofeedback to be similar or inferior to EMG biofeedback. One study on depression showed a large effect for neurofeedback when compared to semi-active treatment. Conclusion: Although 30 studies could be included, our review of the literature reveals serious limitations of the body of research currently performed. Therefore at present, it cannot be concluded that EEG neurofeedback can be regarded as an evidence-based treatment for ADHD, ASD, OCD, GAD and depression. Large, well-designed studies are needed to elucidate whether neurofeedback is a viable treatment option in the field of psychiatry. Correspondence to: M.J.H. Begemann, MSc, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, Netherlands, Tel: +31887556370; E-mail: M.J.H.Begemann@umcutrecht.nl