Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vision-based K-Nearest Neighbor Approach for Multiple Search and Landing with Energy Constraints

The Flying Robot Trial League (FRTL) of RoboCup Brazil is a robotics challenge that aims to stimulate the study and development of autonomous and intelligent flying robots in the execution of different tasks applied to the industry. The challenge has four tasks. The first one aims to solve the problem of finding suitable landing places in an indoor environment. Landing often needs to occur suddenly and a suitable landing site needs to be found by the drone. This mapping is essential for an autonomous task to be performed safely. Thus, to solve this problem, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often needs to reconnaissance the area, and map the environment to detect mobile landing bases (that can be randomly allocated) and suspended landing bases. Thus, this work focuses on the use of UAVs for navigation in unknown GNSS-denied environments. This proposal combines the use of computer vision and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) to solve a travel salesman problem (TSP) in order to optimize the visitation of several landing pads by minimizing the flight time needed. The task benchmark is set to 10 minutes to be completed. However, our results demonstrate that our approach only takes 2.29 minutes to detect and visit all bases in this space.
Lyapunov Differential Equation Hierarchy and Polynomial Lyapunov Functions for Switched Linear Systems

This work studies the problem of searching for homogeneous polynomial Lyapunov functions for stable switched linear systems. Specifically, we show an equivalence between polynomial Lyapunov functions for systems of this class and quadratic Lyapunov functions for a related hierarchy of Lyapunov differential equations. This creates an intuitive procedure for checking the stability properties of switched linear systems, and a computationally competitive algorithm is presented for generating high-order homogeneous polynomial Lyapunov functions in this manner. Additionally, we provide a comparison between polynomial Lyapunov functions generated with our proposed approach and Lyapunov functions generated with a more traditional sum-of-squares based approach.
Hand Orientation Estimation in Probability Density Form

Hand orientation is an essential feature required to understand hand behaviors and subsequently support human activities. In this paper, we present a new method for estimating hand orientation in probability density form. It can solve the cyclicity problem in direct angular representation and enables the integration of multiple predictions based on different features. We validated the performance of the proposed method and an integration example using our dataset, which captured cooperative group work.
Memoirs on Differential Equations and Mathematical Physics

We investigate an asymptotic behaviour of homoclinic solutions of the singular differential equation (p(t)u′)′ = p(t)f(u). Here f is Lipschitz continuous on R and has at least two zeros 0 and L > 0. The function p is continuous on [0,∞), has a positive continuous derivative on (0,∞) and p(0) = 0. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 34D05, 34A12, 34B40.
Memoirs on Differential Equations and Mathematical Physics

We obtain conditions for the existence and uniqueness of solutions to generalized neural field equations involving parameterized measure. We study continuous dependence of these solutions on the spatiotemporal integration kernel, delay effects, firing rate, external input and measure. We also construct the connection between the delayed Amari and Hopfield network models. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 46T99, 45G10, 49K40, 92B20.
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF

approved: Alex David Groce The main goal of automated test generation is to improve the reliability of a program by exposing faults to developers. To this end, testing should cover the largest possible portion of the program given a test budget (i.e., time and resources) as frequently as possible. Coverage of a program entity in testing increases our confidence in the correctness of that entity. Generating various tests to cover a program entity is a particularly hard problem to solve for large software systems because the test inputs are complex and they often exhibit sophisticated feature interactions. As a result, current test generation techniques, such as symbolic execution or search-based testing, do not scale well to complex, large-scale systems. This dissertation presents a test generation technique which aims to increase the frequency of coverage in large, complex software systems. It leverages the information of existing test cases to direct the automated testing. We show the results of the application of this technique to some large systems such as GCC compiler ( 850K Lines of code), and Mozillas JavaScript engine ( 120K lines of code). It increases the frequency of coverage upto the factor of 9x, compared to the state-of-the-art technique. It also proposes non-adequate test-case reduction for reducing the size of test cases by coverage and mutant detection criteria. C%-coverage test reduction technique reduces a test case while preseving at least C% of coverage in the original test case. N -mutant test reduction technique reduces a test cases while preserving detection of N mutants of the original test case. We evaluate the effectiveness of these test reduction techniques on different attributes of test cases. This research suggest that the generated test cases should be treated as first-class artifacts in the software development and they can be leveraged for interesting testing tasks. c ©Copyright by Mohammad Amin Alipour May 1, 2017 All Rights Reserved Leveraging Generated Tests
The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment. BVI Maps of Dense Stellar Regions. III. The Galactic Bulge

We present the VI photometric maps of the Galactic bulge. They contain VI photometry and astrometry of about 30 million stars from 49 fields of 0.225 square degree each in the Galactic center region. The data were collected during the second phase of the OGLE microlensing project. We discuss the accuracy of data and present color-magnitude diagrams of selected fields observed by OGLE in the Galactic bulge. The VI maps of the Galactic bulge are accessible electronically for the astronomical community from the OGLE Internet archive.
Dashboard : visual analytics from automated rhetorical parsing of scientific metadiscourse Conference or Workshop Item

A key competency that we seek to build in learners is a critical mind, i.e. ability to engage with the ideas in the literature, and to identify when significant claims are being made in articles. The ability to decode such moves in texts is essential, as is the ability to make such moves in one’s own writing. Computational techniques for extracting them are becoming available, using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tuned to recognize the rhetorical signals that authors use when making a significant scholarly move. After reviewing related NLP work, we introduce the Xerox Incremental Parser (XIP), note previous work to render its output, and then motivate the design of the XIP Dashboard, a set of visual analytics modules built on XIP output, using the LAK/EDM open dataset as a test corpus. We report preliminary user reactions to a paper prototype of such a novel dashboard, describe the visualizations implemented to date, and present user scenarios for learners, educators and researchers. We conclude with a summary of ongoing design refinements, potential platform integrations, and questions that need to be investigated through end-user evaluations.
Estimativa de recarga subterrânea a partir da separação de escoamento de base na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Ibicuí (América do Sul)

This study aims to estimate the groundwater recharge rates in the Ibicui Watershed, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, using baseflow separation method. The watershed’s main aquifer is the Guarani Aquifer System, in its confined areas (West) and outcrop (Central). The baseflow separation was made with the Eckhardt (2005) numerical filter, with historical streamflow data released by the National Water Agency. The recharge estimates were compared with the geological, hydrogeological and soil found in the study area. Recharge rates ranged from 88 mm/year to 378.7 mm/year (13% and 47% respectively of the effective precipitation in the sub-watersheds, and 6% to 21% of total precipitation). The results showed that the higher recharge rates were found in the geological units with higher transmissivity and more permeable soils, and with higher average precipitation. On the other hand, sub-watersheds with low recharge rates showed permeable geologic units and crystal units, soils with high clay content and low average precipitation.
Two-Level Index Modulation for Noncoherent Reception

Index modulation (IM) is a simple technique for improving the spectral efficiency of digital communications. IM can be combined with various types of digital modulation, both linear and nonlinear. However, in the classical version of IM the maximum available spectral efficiency cannot be achieved due to the presence of inactive elements in the IM pattern. In this paper, the use of two-level index modulation, where all elements are active and carry additional data, is proposed. Such two-level IM patterns are combined with codebooks for noncoherent reception obtained using a neural network. For all combinations of IM and codebook parameters, the optimal ratio between two levels of the IM pattern is determined. Moreover, the addition of differential phase shift keying between high- and low-level portions of the IM pattern further improves the spectral efficiency (SE). The relationship between spectral and power efficiency for the case of an energy-based receiver is obtained. The results show that SE can be doubled without degradation of power efficiency. A comparison of the computational complexity of two reception methods, optimal and simplified energy-based, is also made.
The Role of Tropical Forests in Supporting Biodiversity and Hydrological Integrity

Conservation of high-biodiversity tropical forests is sometimes justified on the basis of assumed hydrological benefits - in particular, reduction of flooding hazards for downstream floodplain populations. However, the 'far-field' link between deforestation and distant flooding has been difficult to demonstrate empirically. This simulation study assesses the relationship between forest cover and hydrology for all river basins intersecting the world's tropical forest biomes. The study develops a consistent set of pan-tropical land cover maps, gridded at one-half degree latitude and longitude. It integrates these data with existing global biogeophysical data. We apply the Water Balance Model - a coarse-scale process-based hydrological model - to assess the impact of land cover changes on runoff. We quantified these impacts of forest conversion on biodiversity and hydrology for two scenarios: historical forest conversion and the potential future conversion of the most threatened remaining tropical forests. A worst-case scenario of complete conversion of the most threatened of the remaining forested areas would mean the loss of another 3 million km2 of tropical forests. Increased annual yield from the conversion of threatened tropical forests would be less than 5% of contemporary yield in aggregate. However, about 100 million people - 80 million of them in floodplains - would experience increases of greater than 25% in annual water flows. This might be associated with commensurate increases in peak flows, though further analysis would be necessary to gauge the impact on flooding. We highlight basins in Southeast Asia, southern China, and Latin America that warrant further study.
Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive species: Proceedings of the International Conference on eradication of island invasives.

This collection of 52 papers and 21 abstracts focuses on sharing available knowledge to combat the threat of invasive alien species. Turning the tide of biological invasion by eradicating invasive species can yield substantial benefits for biodiversity conservation. As more eradications are attempted worldwide, it is increasingly important that lessons are learned from each and every one of these attempts, whether successful or unsuccessful. This publication is intended to share with a wider audience the insights and practical experience gained.
Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Nanopiperine against Cypermethrin via Mitigation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammations and Gene Expression Using qRT-PCR

Cypermethrin (Cyp) is a pyrethroid that has been associated with the toxicity of various organs. The aim of our study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of nano-piperine (NP) against Cyp toxicity. Cyp (50 mg/kg) was administered orally in all animals of groups III–VI for 15 days. Groups IV–VI each received three doses of NP (125, 250, and 500 µg/kg/day) for 10 days after receiving the Cyp dosage, which was given after 1 h. A rise in serum biomarkers (ALT, AST, ALP, total protein, and albumin), which are indicators of toxicity alongside anomalous oxidative stress indices (lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase), was detected. After Cyp treatment, we observed upregulated cytokines, caspase expression, and histological analysis that the showed distortion of cell shape. However, the administration of NP dramatically reversed all of the Cyp-induced alterations, inducing reductions in serum marker levels, stress level, the production of cytokines, and caspase expression. Additionally, all of the histopathological alterations were minimized to values that were comparable to normal levels. The present findings suggested that NP exhibits potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities that can protect rats’ livers against Cyp-induced liver damage through hepatoprotective activities.
Please Scroll down for Article Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology the Effects of Pregnancy on Memory: Recall Is Worse but Recognition Is Not

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Health Risks of Air Pollution in Europe HRAPIE Project

This document presents recommendations for concentration–response functions for key pollutants to be included in cost–benefit analysis supporting the revision of the European Union’s air quality policy. It provides a response to a question posed by the European Commission in the framework of the WHO “Health risks of air pollution in Europe – HRAPIE” project. The essential background to this response was developed through a review of evidence on health aspects of air pollutants summarized by an earlier WHO project, “Review of evidence on health aspects of air pollution – REVIHAAP”. This report recommends concentration–response functions and associated background information for several mortality and morbidity effects associated with shortand long-term exposure to particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. This publication arises from the HRAPIE project and was co-funded by the European Union.
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The role of maternal stress during pregnancy remains a focus of academic and clinical inquiry, yet there are few instruments available that measure pregnancy-specific contributors to maternal psychological state. This report examines the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Pregnancy Experience Scale (PES) designed to evaluate maternal appraisal of positive and negative stressors during pregnancy. The PES-Brief consists of the top 10 items endorsed as pregnancy hassles and 10 pregnancy uplifts from the original scale. The PES-Brief was administered to 112 women with low risk, singleton pregnancies five times between 24 and 38 weeks gestation. Scoring includes frequency and intensity measures for hassles and uplifts, as well as composite measures for the relation between the two. Internal reliability, test–retest reliability and convergent validity were comparable with the original version. The PES-Brief provides an economical source of information on stress appraisal and emotional valence towards pregnancy.
Origin and Timing of the Miocene-Pliocene Unconformity in Southeast Australia

An unconformity is present close to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary in the onshore and nearshore portions of the Otway, Port Phillip-Torquay, and Gippsland basins of southeast Australia. The unconformity is angular (generally < 1-5° angularity), with the underlying Miocene units having been deformed (gentle folding and reverse faulting) and eroded prior to deposition of the Pliocene succession. The unconformity also marks a change from Oligocene-Miocene deposition of cool-water carbonate sediments and brown coal-bearing successions to the accumulation of more siliciclastic-rich sediments in Pliocene time. The Miocene-Pliocene boundary therefore represents an interval of significant regional uplift in the southeast Australian basins. The amount of section removed is greatest around the Otway and Strzelecki ranges in Victoria, where up to a kilometer of section may have been removed. In most onshore sections of the Victorian basins hundreds of meters of section have been eroded. In distal offshore locations the boundary becomes conformable. The timing of uplift and erosion is best constrained in the Otway and Port Phillip basins, where late Miocene (N16 ∼ 10 Ma) sediments underlie the unconformity and earliest Pliocene (∼ 5 Ma) sediments overlie it. This timing coincides with a change in the dynamics of the Australian plate, beginning at around 12 Ma. Southeast Australia is currently under a NW-SE compressional regime, and this has probably persisted since the late Miocene. In the basins (as opposed to the basement-dominated highland areas), the late Miocene uplift event is more significant than later Pliocene-Recent uplift.
Multiple Stellar Populations in NGC 2808: a Case Study for Cluster Analysis

In the massive globular cluster NGC 2808, RGB stars form at least five distinct groups in the so-called chromosome map photometric plane, arguably corresponding to different stellar populations. While a human expert can separate the groups by eye relatively easily, algorithmic approaches are desirable for reproducibility and for handling a larger sample of globular clusters. Unfortunately, cluster analysis algorithms often produced unsatisfactory results. Here we apply a range of non-parametric clustering algorithms to the NGC 2808 RGB dataset: partitioning (k-means, Partitioning Around Medoids - PAM), hierarchical (AGglomerative NESting - AGNES, DIvisive ANAlysis - DIANA), and density based (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise - DBSCAN, Ordering Points To Identify the Clustering Struture - OPTICS). For each algorithm we discuss different choices of the relevant hyperparameters and their impact on the resulting clustering. We find that AGNES produces results that are most similar to the expectations of a human expert, depending on the prescription used for joining adjacent groups - linkage. Among the linkage prescriptions we tested, Ward's method performs best, and average linkage obtains comparable results only if outliers are removed beforehand. We recommend using AGNES with Ward's method or similar linkages in future studies to automatically identify stellar populations in the chromosome map plane.
Investigation of biological clogging in stormwater filters

Biological clogging of infiltration systems has been acknowledged as a significant problem in the case of wastewater treatment systems. However, limited research has been conducted on biological clogging in stormwater treatment systems. This article, using a laboratory-based approach, aims to investigate the effect of biological clogging on the infiltration performance of high flow rate filters that treat stormwater. Different filter configurations were dosed with stormwater and their performances compared. It was found that all configurations perform differently in comparison to the basic configuration, which represents the most likely set of operational conditions in the field. For instance, the chlorinated configuration treated about 30% more stormwater compared with the basic configuration, whereas the nutrient loading configuration removed 7% less sediment. Columns dosed with sterilized sediment treated almost the same volume of stormwater but removed a greater quantity of sediment with higher treatment efficiency. These results indicate that there is some biological activity within filter bed normally and also contributes to the overall clogging of these systems. Further experiments are needed to understand the composition and nature of clogged material in the filter beds and the effect of drying and wetting on bio-clogging.
Long-Term Observations of Boreal Toads at an ARMI Apex Site

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) is a national project with goals to monitor the status and trends of amphibians, conduct research on causes of declines, and provide information and support to management agencies for conservation of amphibian populations. ARMI activities are organized around extensive inventories and place-based monitoring (such as collaboration with the Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network), and intensive population studies and research at selected locations (apex sites). One such site is an oxbow pond on the Buffalo Fork near the Black Rock Ranger Station east of Grand Teton National Park. We have been conducting mark-recapture of boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) at Black Rock since 2002. In concert with studies of other toad populations in the Rocky Mountains, we have documented a high rate of incidence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and a negative rate of growth of the toad population, but not the population crash or extinction observed in other populations with high prevalence of Bd. Long-term observations at other ARMI apex sites have proven invaluable for studying effects of climate change on amphibian behavior, and the Black Rock site has been upgraded with onsite recording of weather data and auditory monitoring of other amphibian species. Continued research at Black Rock will be critical for understanding the interrelated effects of climate and disease on amphibians in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.