Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Event-based visual guidance inspired by honeybees in a 3D tapered tunnel

In view of neuro-ethological findings on honeybees and our previously developed vision-based autopilot, in-silico experiments were performed in which a “simulated bee” was make to travel along a doubly tapering tunnel including for the first time event-based controllers. The “simulated bee” was equipped with: a minimalistic compound eye comprising 10 local motion sensors measuring the optic flow magnitude; two optic flow regulators updating the control signals whenever specific optic flow criteria changed; and three event-based controllers taking into account the error signals, each one in charge of its own translational dynamics. A MORSE/Blender based simulator-engine delivered what each of 20 “simulated photoreceptors” saw in the tunnel lined with high resolution natural 2D images. The “simulated bee” managed to travel safely along the doubly tapering tunnel without requiring any speed or distance measurements, using only a Gibsonian point of view, by: concomitantly adjusting the side thrust, vertical lift and forward thrust whenever a change was detected on the optic flow-based signal errors; avoiding collisions with the surface of the doubly tapering tunnel and decreasing or increasing its speed, depending on the clutter rate perceived by motion sensors.
Predicting return to work among sickness-certified patients in general practice: Properties of two assessment tools

Abstract Aim. The purpose was to analyse the properties of two models for the assessment of return to work after sickness certification, a manual one based on clinical judgement including non-measurable information (‘gut feeling’), and a computer-based one. Study population. All subjects aged 18 to 63 years, sickness-certified at a primary health care centre in Sweden during 8 months (n = 943), and followed up for 3 years. Methods. Baseline information included age, sex, occupational status, sickness certification diagnosis, full-time or part-time current sick-leave, and sick-leave days during the past year. Follow-up information included first and last day of each occurring sick spell. In the manual model all subjects were classified, based on baseline information and gut feeling, into a high-risk (n = 447) or a low-risk group (n = 496) regarding not returning to work when the present certificate expired. It was evaluated with a Cox’s analysis, including time and return to work as dependent variables and risk group assignment as the independent variable, while in the computer-based model the baseline variables were entered as independent variables. Results. Concordance between actual return to work and return to work predicted by the analysis model was 73%–76% during the first 28–180 days in the manual model, and approximately 10% units higher in the computer-based model. Based on the latter, three nomograms were constructed providing detailed information on the probability of return to work. Conclusion. The computer-based model had a higher precision and gave more detailed information than the manual model.
Agricultural Market Access: A Moving Target in the WTO Negotiations?

This paper analyses the economic effects of different magnitudes of tariff cuts, different tariff cutting formulas, the implications of tariff capping as well as different numbers and width of tariff bands in the market access pillar of the Doha Round agricultural negotiations. The simulations are conducted with an extended version of the GTAP model and an extended version of the GTAP data base (6.0) including bound and applied rates. The results reveal that the EU-27 experiences a negative change of its trade balance in the highly protected beef and sugar sectors. The relative increase of EU beef and sugar imports is mainly evoked by the magnitude of tariff cuts and, to a lesser extent, by the kind of formula used to implement the tariff cuts. In contrast, the EU trade balance for milk and cereals is hardly influenced by different options to cut tariffs. Here, the negative change of the trade balance is mainly driven by the elimination of export subsidies. The results also indicate a relative increase of EU exports for other meat, if tariff cuts are high enough to open third countries' markets to the EU.
Inflammation as a potential mediator for the association between periodontal disease and Alzheimer’s disease

Periodontal disease (PDD) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and mortality in many studies, while other studies have begun to suggest an association of PDD with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This paper discusses how infectious pathogens and systemic infection may play a role in AD. The roles of infection and inflammation are addressed specifically with regard to known AD pathologic lesions including senile plaques, neuron death, neurofibrillary tangles, and cerebrovascular changes. A testable model of proposed pathways between periodontal infection and AD is presented including three possible mechanisms: a) direct effects of infectious pathogens, b) inflammatory response to pathogens, and c) the effects on vascular integrity. The role of gene polymorphisms is discussed, including apolipoprotein (APOE) ɛ4 as a pro-inflammatory and pro-infection genotype.
A Transductive Support Vector Machine with adjustable quasi-linear kernel for semi-supervised data classification

This paper focuses on semi-supervised classification problem by using Transductive Support Vector Machine. Traditional TSVM for semi-supervised classification firstly train an SVM model with labeled data. Then use the model to predict unlabeled data and optimize unlabeled data prediction to retrain the SVM. TSVM always uses a predefined kernel and fixed parameters during the optimization procedure and they also suffers potential over-fitting problem. In this paper we introduce proposed quasi-linear kernel to the TSVM. An SVM with quasi-linear kernel realizes an approximate nonlinear separation boundary by multi-local linear boundaries with interpolation. By applying quasi-linear kernel to semi-supervised classification it can avoid potential over-fitting and provide more accurate unlabeled data prediction. After unlabeled data prediction optimization, the quasi-linear kernel can be further adjusted considering the potential boundary data distribution as prior knowledge. We also introduce a minimal set method for optimizing unlabeled data prediction. The minimal set method follows the clustering assumption of semi-supervised learning. The pairwise label switching is allowed between minimal sets. It can speed up optimization procedure and reduce influence from label constrain in TSVM. Experiment results on benchmark gene datasets show that the proposed method is effective and improves classification performances.
Interactive Predictive Parsing Framework for the Spanish Language

The Interactive Predictive Parsing (IPP) framework allows us the construction of interactive tree annotation systems. These can help human annotators in creating error-free parse trees with little effort (compared to manually post-editing the trees obtained from a completely automatic parser). In this paper we adapt the IPP framework and the IPP-Ann annotation tool for parse of the Spanish language, by using models obtained from the UAM Spanish Treebank. We performed user simulation experimentation and obtained objective evaluation metrics. The results establish that the IPP framework over the UAM Treebank shows important amounts of user effort reduction, comparable to the gains obtained when applying IPP to the English language on the Penn Treebank.
Solid model approximation for successive three-dimensional shape processing

This paper proposes a practical, accurate, topologically robust and ranging error resistive shape modeling procedure that approximates a real object, with the matrix-format data structure, for the resulting 3D shape processing. Examples of the shape processing are based on the premise of the virtual manipulation of the 3D shape, such as local shape modification and blending. A geometric model with the desired meshing is directly reconstructed based on a solid modeling approach. The radial distance of each scanning point from the axis of the cylindrical coordinates is measured by laser triangulation. The angular and vertical positions of the laser beam are two other coordinate values of the scanning. A face array listing (topology), which defines the vertex (sampling point) connectivity and the shape of the mesh, is assigned to meet the desired meshing. Topologically stable meshing, and hence, an accurate approximation, free from the shape ambiguity unavoidable in the so-called ICP (iterative closest point) modeling, is then accomplished. This proposal allows not only the versatile and automatic shape reconstruction, but also virtual shape manipulation for various trainings and restorations
Design and synthesis of Wishbone bus Dataflow interface architecture for SoC integration

The field of Electronics and Communication Applications, especially the VLSI design, has witnessed tremendous changes on account of research and development in SoC (System-on-Chip) technology during the last four decades. The introduction and advancement of multimillion-gate chips technology with new levels of integration has been mainly responsible for these revolutionary changes. It is predicted that by the end of 2015 System-on-Chips (SoCs), using 25-nm will grow to 17 billion transistors running at 30GHz. In the modern scenario of IP reuse, the compatibility of the IP cores has become a challenging task as the cores available for reuse and designed earlier, are usually designed with different criteria, and may be having inconsistency between their input/output port specifications. This paper endeavors to address the above problems and challenges in the SoC bus architecture with special reference to Wishbone bus architecture especially Wishbone bus interface. A SoC which utilizes ALU master cores and memory slave cores using Wishbone Dataflow bus interconnection scheme has been designed for this purpose. The final implementations have been done in XILINX FPGA platform. The synthesis of the system is done using Xilinx 12.3 ISE and simulation results archived by using ISim Simulator. The results prove that with Dataflow interface architecture a low cost, portable and Time to market SoC having features like Less Area and High Speed can be designed successfully.
Impact of change in climate and policy from 1988 to 2007 on environmental and microbial variables at the time series station Boknis Eck, Baltic Sea

Phytoplankton and bacteria are sensitive indicators of environmental change. The temporal development of these key organisms was monitored from 1988 to the end of 2007 at the time series station Boknis Eck in the western Baltic Sea. This period was characterized by the adaption of the Baltic Sea ecosystem to changes in the environmental conditions caused by the conversion of the political system in the southern and eastern border states, accompanied by the general effects of global climate change. Measured variables were chlorophyll, primary production, bacteria number, -biomass and -production, glucose turnover rate, macro-nutrients, pH, temperature and salinity. Negative trends with time were recorded for chlorophyll, bacteria number, bacterial biomass and bacterial production, nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, silicate, oxygen and salinity while temperature, pH, and the ratio between bacteria numbers and chlorophyll increased. Strongest reductions with time occurred for the annual maximum values, e.g. for chlorophyll during the spring bloom or for nitrate during winter, while the annual minimum values remained more stable. In deep water above sediment the negative trends of oxygen, nitrate, phosphate and bacterial variables as well as the positive trend of temperature were similar to those in the surface while the trends of salinity, ammonia and silicate were opposite to those in the surface. Decreasing oxygen, even in the surface layer, was of particular interest because it suggested enhanced recycling of nutrients from the deep hypoxic zones to the surface by vertical mixing. The long-term seasonal patterns of all variables correlated positively with temperature, except chlorophyll and salinity. Salinity correlated negatively with all bacterial variables (as well as precipitation) and positively with chlorophyll. Surprisingly, bacterial variables did not correlate with chlorophyll, which may be inherent with the time lag between the peaks of phytoplankton and bacteria during spring. Compared to the 20-yr averages of the environmental and microbial variables, the strongest negative deviations of corresponding annual averages were measured about ten years after political change for nitrate and bacterial secondary production (~ −60%), followed by chlorophyll (−50%) and bacterial biomass (−40%). Considering the circulation of surface currents in the Baltic Sea we interpret the observed patterns of the microbial variables at the Boknis Eck time series station as a consequence of the improved management of water resources after 1989 and – to a minor extent – the trends of the climate variables salinity and temperature.
Biomimetic Design and Workspace Study of Compact and Modular Undulating Fin Body Segments

Studies have shown the importance of fish fins for cruising and accelerating. The fish moves its body and fins by the strength of muscles, which results in a reaction that allows the fish to cruise. The main objective of biomimetic robotic fish is to achieve these functions with mechanical equivalents. This leads to research and development of different types of robotic fish. To extend the modular and slider concepts developed in a previous work, the present work aims to design a compact undulating fin mechanism and study the dimensions for optimal workspace. Anguilliform is the type of undulatory modes of fish swimming considered in this work. This type of fish, like eels, generates propulsion by a muscle wave in its body, which progresses from head to tail. The proposed fin mechanism can also be used to imitate anal fins of knifefish. By going through the conceptual phase and motion studies, a robotic undulating finned body in modular and compact forms has been designed and constructed together with the currently developing control and power units. The prototype is being tested for the performance evaluation of speed and thrust force.
Modélisation de la perception des compétences des élèves ingénieurs dans la structure organisationnelle des pratiques apprenantes

Cet article s'inscrit dans la theorie de l'information appliquee aux systemes complexes evolutionnaires. Il apprehende les pratiques apprenantes en formulant le processus de transfert d'information entre perception des apprenants et pratique d'apprentissage dans sa dimension temporelle. En considerant l'apprentissage comme un processus de specialisation graduelle d'une situation « totipotente », c'est a dire pouvant evoluer vers toute forme d'organisation au cours du temps, nous chercherons a y decrire l'economie archetypique et symbolique du traitement cognitif de l'information, afin de modeliser la regulation du systeme d'interaction environnementale lors du processus d'apprentissage. Appliquee a une population d'eleves ingenieurs dont le cursus dure 5 ans, cette approche vise a analyser de maniere differentielle, annee par annee, l'integration de l'information des apprenants en vue de l'acquisition des competences attendues en fin de cycle.
Standard and modified internal model control for induction motor speed-regulation

In this paper, the speed-regulation problem for induction motor system under field oriented control framework is studied. For the speed loop, a standard internal model controller is first designed based on a model of Induction motor by analyzing the relationship between reference quadrature axis current and speed. Considering the disadvantages that the standard IMC method is sensitive to control input saturation and provides a poor load disturbance rejection performance, a modified IMC is introduced where a feedback control term is added to form a composite control structure. For the two current-loops, PI algorithms are employed respectively. Simulation results using MATLAB show the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
State of the Art Authentication, Access Control, and Secure Integration in Smart Grid

The smart grid (SG) is a promising platform for providing more reliable, efficient, and cost effective electricity to the consumers in a secure manner. Numerous initiatives across the globe are taken by both industry and academia in order to compile various security issues in the smart grid network. Unfortunately, there is no impactful survey paper available in the literature on authentications in the smart grid network. Therefore, this paper addresses the required objectives of an authentication protocol in the smart grid network along with the focus on mutual authentication, access control, and secure integration among different SG components. We review the existing authentication protocols, and analyze mutual authentication, privacy, trust, integrity, and confidentiality of communicating information in the smart grid network. We review authentications between the communicated entities in the smart grid, such as smart appliance, smart meter, energy provider, control center (CC), and home/building/neighborhood area network gateways (GW). We also review the existing authentication schemes for the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication network along with various available secure integration and access control schemes. We also discuss the importance of the mutual authentication among SG entities while providing confidentiality and privacy preservation, seamless integration, and required access control with lower overhead, cost, and delay. This paper will help to provide a better understanding of current authentication, authorization, and secure integration issues in the smart grid network and directions to create interest among researchers to further explore these promising areas.
An improved stochastic local search method in a multistart framework

UNIRANDI is a stochastic type, direct search method, where in each step a line search is started from the current point along a good random direction. In this paper we consider an improved version of this local search algorithm. The new method alters the random directions with new directions that rely on information from the previous stages of the optimization process. The improved algorithm was tested in a simple multistart framework and also as part of the GLOBAL method. The new local search technique is empirically compared with the old one on a unimodal and a multimodal function testbed up to moderate size dimensions.
Achieving Data Privacy through Secrecy Views and Null-Based Virtual Updates

We may want to keep sensitive information in a relational database hidden from a user or group thereof. We characterize sensitive data as the extensions of secrecy views. The database, before returning the answers to a query posed by a restricted user, is updated to make the secrecy views empty or a single tuple with null values. Then, a query about any of those views returns no meaningful information. Since the database is not supposed to be physically changed for this purpose, the updates are only virtual, and also minimal. Minimality makes sure that query answers, while being privacy preserving, are also maximally informative. The virtual updates are based on null values as used in the SQL standard. We provide the semantics of secrecy views, virtual updates, and secret answers (SAs) to queries. The different instances resulting from the virtually updates are specified as the models of a logic program with stable model semantics, which becomes the basis for computation of the SAs.
Growth and physiological adaptation of whole plants and cultured cells from a halophyte turf grass under salt stress

Soil salinization is a serious problem in agricultural lands worldwide. Understanding the mechanisms of salt-tolerant plants will contribute to knowledge necessary to genetically engineer salt-tolerant crops that grow on these saline lands. We identified a genotype of Sporobolus virginicus, a salt-tolerant turf grass, that showed a salinity tolerance to up to a three-fold higher NaCl concentration than seawater salinity. In addition to salt secretion from salt glands on the leaves, this genotype accumulated K+ and proline, a compatible solute, to higher levels than other genotypes under salinity. These properties must contribute to the advanced salt tolerance of this genotype.
Synthesis and crystal structure of trans-dichlorido[3-methyl-1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium-2-yl-κC 2](4-phenylpyridine-κN)palladium(II)

In the title compound, [Pd(C11H9N)(C13H14N2)Cl2], the PdII ion is coordinated by two Cl anions, one carbene C atom and one pyridine N atom in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. In the crystal, the molecules are linked through weak C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds into a tape structure.
Meiotic spindle configuration is differentially influenced by FSH and epidermal growth factor during in vitro maturation of mouse oocytes.

BACKGROUND To ascertain whether different hormonal treatment protocols could affect metaphase II (MII) spindle morphology, meiotic spindle organization was detected in prepubertal mouse oocytes matured under conditions allowing spontaneous, FSH- or epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent meiotic maturation. METHODS Oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCCs) were matured either spontaneously (control; n=270) or in the presence of hypoxanthine (Hx) plus FSH (n=400) or EGF (n=370). Spindles were detected by immunofluorescence analysis. In vivo ovulated (IVO) oocytes were processed similarly. RESULTS IVO oocytes displayed spindles underlying the oolemma and with focused poles marked by spots of gamma-tubulin, whereas the majority (89%) of control oocytes had barrel-shaped spindles, positioned away from the oolemma, and with gamma-tubulin distributed along microtubules. Similar configuration/localization was found in 85% of the oocytes matured in vitro in the presence of Hx and FSH. In the presence of Hx-EGF, 35% of the oocytes showed spindles with an IVO-like configuration, although gamma-tubulin was homogeneously distributed throughout microtubules. Independently of spindle shape, 52% of EGF-stimulated oocytes had spindles positioned near the oolemma, in comparison to just 24% of FSH-treated and 13% of control oocytes. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that FSH and EGF can differently affect meiotic spindle morphology, and that EGF might be a stronger contributor than FSH to the acquisition of oocyte competence.