Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study on Construction of Simulation Platform for Vessel Automatic Anti-collision and Its Test Method

Marine accidents such as collision, running aground and striking a reef not only bring on personnel casualty, but also make great threat to ocean environment. For making "the safer the vessel sail, the cleaner the ocean is", the problem of vessel automatic anti-collision should be resolved as soon as possible. Automatic generation of intelligent decision-making is one of the key technologies to realize automatic collision avoidance for vessel at sea. How to utilize the present ship- handling simulator's technology to check up the present research production is a valuable research work. The authors firstly described the basic idea of intelligent automatic method for vessel collision avoidance according to its researching actualities. And then discussed the construction of Simulation and Testing Platform for Navigation Safety and Automatic Collision Avoidance(NSACA for short), which was based on the ship's maneuvering mathematic model and Electronic Chart Display and Information System(ECDIS for short), and also dissertated the test method. Finally gave some typical examples from a great deal of simulating tests and analyzed them. The results indicated that this kind of simulating approach possessed the excellence on the flexibility, efficiency, safety and economy compared to the sea test on real ship.
Selfish Virtual Machine Live Migration Causes Network Instability

Virtual machine live migration, which migrates a virtual machine between data centers, is studied as a way to improve quality of services hosted on clouds. Meanwhile, traffic engineering is performed in networks that connect geographically-dispersed data centers. Since virtual machine live migration and traffic engineering are performed simultaneously with different objectives, the coexistence of these two operations may result in the instability of network state due to the interference between their control objectives. In this paper, we investigate that the coexistence of virtual machine live migration and traffic engineering causes the network instability through simulation experiments. To overcome this instability, we apply hysteresis to traffic engineering and show that our approach suppresses the network instability.
Knowledge, Organisation and Suggestion Schemes

After briefly reviewing the nature and status of suggestion schemes, the paper describes the significance of the paired concepts of ''tacit and explicit knowledge'' and ''individual and collective knowledge'' for suggestion schemes. It continues by considering the relationship of suggestion schemes to four ideal forms of organisation. This paper is grounded in fieldwork which has investigated both private sector and public sector suggestion schemes. The evidence of the field work is analysed in relationship to types of knowledge and idealised organisational forms. The purpose of this analysis is partly to improve the understanding of suggestion schemes, so that questions about their design and efficacy can be answered. It is also to show how suggestion schemes can be deployed within a knowledge management strategy.
Association Rules Mining Based on the Improved Immune Algorithm

Firstly, in this paper we propose an improved immune algorithm, that is, introduce the Metropolis criterion into the selection operation of immune algorithm, and the Metropolis immune algorithm (MIA) is formed, then we carry out the theoretical analysis and experimental simulation aiming at the performance of the MIA; Secondly, we use this algorithm to excavate association rules, and propose a new algorithm of association rule mining, then we can verify that the algorithm is feasible and effective through theoretical analysis and experimental results
Implementation of Access Control System for Fiber to the Home

This paper proposes a design and architecture of access control system to implement remote monitor and control for fiber to the home. Our solution works on a standard local area network (LAN) using a specially designed hardware interfaced with an Ethernet System rising PIC Microcontroller. The developed design will be installed with optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office (CO). Protection switching is achieved automatically when failure occurs without interrupting customer service
Multivariate granger causality between foreign direct investment and economic growth in Tunisia

The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the dynamic relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth in Tunisia within a multivariate framework. We use annual data for the period 1976-2010 and we perform an econometric model based on cointegration and error correction modeling techniques. The empirical results show that foreign direct investments did not have significant impacts on Tunisian economy; however exports are the main engine for growth.
A prediction model for electromagnetic interferences radiated by an industrial power drive system

Power conversion systems and in particular power drives are now present in a large number of applications and environments. The switching operations of power drive systems (PDS) are sources of radiated and conducted electromagnetic interferences that give rise to problems of electromagnetic compatibility with other systems. This work proposes an efficient numerical technique to evaluate the radiated emissions due to a PDS, taking into account the radiation from intentional apertures (i.e. those for ventilation). The power section of the PDS is simulated by a combination of radiating dipoles in which the current is known. The radiated EM field induces currents on the PDS metallic cage surface that in turn radiate outside the cage. These currents are computed by an efficient numerical method known as partial element equivalent circuit technique. Finally an equivalent EM model for the apertures needed for the air cooling and ventilation of the device is given. The proposed prediction model is hence able to predict the total radiated emission from a PDS in its design stage in order to fulfil the electromagnetic compatibility requirements called by the international standards.
Distributed Control for Small Customer Energy Demand Management

We present the Colored Power algorithm, which is designed to provide collaborative electricity demand shaping for residential and small-business customers. Demand shaping for this market sector is an important and challenging problem, since the vast number of such customers collectively account for a large fraction of total electricity consumption, yet each individual's consumption is small. Under the PACEM system, customers participate by "coloring" their appliances with a qualitative priority such as "can be shut off at peak power. " Demand shaping for this system must be scalable to millions of appliances, operate quickly and fairly across customers, and act on any given appliance infrequently. This last constraint is particularly challenging: if an appliance that switches on or off must not be switched again for many minutes, then at any instant, a large fraction of appliances may not be controllable. The Colored Power algorithm addresses these challenges using randomized local actions. When the action distribution is adjusted to compensate for currently uncontrollable appliances, standard feedback controllers can be used to produce local actions that combine to create the desired global effect. Experiments in simulation verify that the algorithm provides fair control that is fast, scalable, and robust enough to be realistically deployable.
Association of Thought Disorder with Cognitive Dysfunctions in Schizophrenia A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Centre in Kolkata , India

Objective: Thought disorder is a cardinal feature of schizophrenia but its origin is unknown. Few studies have explored the relation between thought and other cognitive functions especially in India. Our objective was to compare the functioning of six cognitive domains of patients of chronic schizophrenia with an age sex and education matched control group and to assess the relation of thought disorder with those cognitive functions. Methodology: Nine different neurocognitive tests were administered to 47 chronic schizophrenic patients and 29 healthy controls. Thought disorder was assessed by thought disturbance score derived from PANSS and total thought disorder score from TLC. The neurocognitive function of patients and controls were compared by using t tests. Pearson’s correlation was carried out between thought disorder and other neurocognitive functions. Results: Patients with schizophrenia performed poorly in the areas of processing speed, verbal learning, verbal working memory and visual working memory. Thought disorder was not significantly correlated with any of the cognitive functions. Regression analysis showed that cognitive measures failed to predict thought disorder. Conclusion: Thought disorder was not associated with any of the above mentioned functions but detailed language assessment is necessary before giving any comment (German J Psychiatry 2013; 16(4): 137-142).
Effect of changes in the institutional structure of irrigation water property rights on the willingness to pay of farmers for water: case of Tunisia

This paper assesses the economic value of changes in the attributes of farmers’ irrigation water property rights in Tunisia. Changes on attributes generated by the transfer process of the property rights from the collective to the individual level in addition to changes in “constitutional” attributes were integrated into three scenarios. The valuation was conducted using the Contingent Valuation Method through the elicitation of individuals’ willingness to pay. Results show positive willingness to pay values for all scenarios. However, farmers of the studied region are shown willing to pay more for changes in the constitutional attributes. Furthermore their willingness to pay appears to be most affected by their perceptions concerning the organization and the functioning of the water users’ association to which they belong and by their productivity.
The central bank cost constraint and output-inflation variability: a note on Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000

The goal of this paper is to extend the model of Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000 to study the case of developing countries that have a constraint in conducting their monetary policies. Contrary to Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000 model, our model shows that the existence of such a constraint i.e. cost restriction allows the aggregate demand shock to affect the output-inflation variability. Our model also shows that adding a monetary policy cost restriction to the central bank loss function leads to either a steeper or flatter efficient frontier. This implies that the effect of monetary policy to offset aggregate demand and supply shocks is reduced.
Within and Among Patch Variability in Patterns of Insect Herbivory Across a Fragmented Forest Landscape

Fragmentation changes the spatial patterns of landscapes in ways that can alter the flow of materials and species; however, our understanding of the consequences of this fragmentation and flow alteration for ecosystem processes and ecosystem services remains limited. As an ecological process that affects many ecosystem services and is sensitive to fragmentation, insect herbivory is a good model system for exploring the role of fragmentation, and the resulting spatial patterns of landscapes, in the provision of ecosystem services. To refine our knowledge of how changes in landscape pattern affect insect herbivory, we quantified the combined influence of among patch (patch area and patch connectivity) and within patch (location within patch; canopy, edge, interior) factors on amounts of insect herbivory in a fragmented forest landscape. We measured herbivory in 20 forest patches of differing size and connectivity in southern Quebec (Canada). Within each patch, herbivory was quantified at the interior, edge, and canopy of sugar maple trees during the spring and summer of 2011 and 2012. Results show that connectivity affects herbivory differently depending on the location within the patch (edge, interior, canopy), an effect that would have gone unnoticed if samples were pooled across locations. These results suggest considering structure at both the patch and within patch scales may help to elucidate patterns when studying the effects of fragmentation on ecosystem processes, with implications for the services they support.
Cosine-Weighted B-Spline Interpolation: A Fast and High-Quality Reconstruction Scheme for the Body-Centered Cubic Lattice

In this paper, Cosine-Weighted B-spline (CWB) filters are proposed for interpolation on the optimal Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) lattice. We demonstrate that our CWB filters can well exploit the fast trilinear texture-fetching capability of modern GPUs, and outperform the state-of-the-art box-spline filters not just in terms of efficiency, but in terms of visual quality and numerical accuracy as well. Furthermore, we rigorously show that the CWB filters are better tailored to the BCC lattice than the previously proposed quasi-interpolating BCC B-spline filters, because they form a Riesz basis; exactly reproduce the original signal at the lattice points; but still provide the same approximation order.
Fitting superquadrics in noisy, partial views from a low-cost RGBD sensor for recognition and localization of sacks in autonomous unloading of shipping containers

A significant amount of cargo is transported in sacks, e.g., coffee and cacao, which are predominantly handled through manual labor, e.g., when being unloaded from shipping containers. There is hence a huge potential for automation. We present here a perception pipeline to recognize and localize sacks with a low-cost sensor. The pipeline is embedded in an industrial demonstration system for container unloading. In addition to the application background, there are two main contributions presented in this paper. First, we introduce a new numerically stable form of superquadric fitting. This is of interest for the application of superquadrics in general far beyond the concrete application scenario in this paper. Second, we introduce a fast convexity test between two neighboring patches that leads to a robust segmentation for sack/bag-recognition.
A survey of snake-inspired robot designs

Body undulation used by snakes and the physical architecture of a snake body may offer significant benefits over typical legged or wheeled locomotion designs in certain types of scenarios. A large number of research groups have developed snake-inspired robots to exploit these benefits. The purpose of this review is to report different types of snake-inspired robot designs and categorize them based on their main characteristics. For each category, we discuss their relative advantages and disadvantages. This review will assist in familiarizing a newcomer to the field with the existing designs and their distinguishing features. We hope that by studying existing robots, future designers will be able to create new designs by adopting features from successful robots. The review also summarizes the design challenges associated with the further advancement of the field and deploying snake-inspired robots in practice.
Does Marriage Really Make Men More Productive

This paper presents new descriptive evidence regarding marital pay premiums earned by white males. Longitudinal data indicate that wages rise after marriage, and that cross-sectional marriage premiums appear to result from a steepening of the earnings profile. Data from a company personnelfile that includes information on job grades and supervisor performance ratings reveal large marital status pay differences within a narrow range of occupations (managers and professionals) and environments (a single firm). Married workers tend to be located in higher paying job grades; there are very small pay differentials within grades. Married men receive higher performance ratings than single men; as a result, they are much more likely to be promoted. Controlling for rated performance, however, eliminates the promotion differential. Sanders Korenman is an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University and is a faculty associate of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University and a research affiliate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). David Neumark is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania and a research affiliate of the NBER. Korenman wishes to acknowledge the Hewlett Foundation and the Harvard University Center for Population Studies for financial support. The authors are grateful to James Medofffor making available an extract from the company personnelfile; questions regarding data availability should be directed to Professor James
Performance analysis of two-tier cellular network using power control and cooperation

Femtocell deployment improves the data rate and indoor coverage of the heterogeneous cellular network (HCN). However, it also increases the cross-tier interference of the system which results in performance degradation of the macro base station (MBS) tier. In this work, a mathematical framework is developed to mitigate the cross-tier interference of MBS tier using a power control scheme (PCS). This PCS works on path loss inversion and location-based power level rule for femto base stations (FBS) to improve the coverage of the MBS tier. Furthermore, a cooperation scheme and association policy are proposed to improve the performance of the FBS tier. Stochastic geometry is considered for deriving the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) outage probability, total outage probability, and area spectral efficiency (ASE) for MBS and FBS tiers. The impact of the PCS, proposed cooperation scheme with association policy on outage probability, and ASE are numerically evaluated. Numerical results show that considerable improvement in outage performance of MBS tier is obtained using proposed PCS. Moreover, applying PCS results in degradation of outage performance of FBS tier. This loss in performance can be compensated by using the proposed cooperation scheme and association policy.
Evaluation of a Quadric-Based Surface adaptive LOD for MPEG-4 FA

Level of detail (LoD) techniques provide efficient and established tools to represent 3D models, while these are well documented and applied with proven results there is not much research and proven results that offer a solution that is both compatible with MPEG-4 (Motion Picture Experts Group) facial animation standard, and which considers a human face mesh simplification. In this paper we present our work on an adaptive LoD algorithm and attempt to preserve the human face features and simplify animation streams when possible by analyzing the scene and the model. Our approach is to apply continuous LOD to a MPEG-4 compliant model using an extension of Garland's Quadric-Based Surface algorithm. This is achieved with a novel approach that attempts a selective model simplification that is both compatible with MPEG-4 and also could simplify animation streams.
Calcium, Dairy Products and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disorder in which nutrition plays a role but does not account for the totality of the problem. 139 papers published since 1975 and describing studies of the relationship of calcium intake and bone health are briefly analyzed. Of 52 investigator-controlled calcium intervention studies, all but two showed better bone balance at high intakes, or greater bone gain during growth, or reduced bone loss in the elderly, or reduced fracture risk. This evidence firmly establishes that high calcium intakes promote bone health. Additionally, three-fourths of 86 observational studies were also positive, indicating that the causal link established in investigator-controlled trials can be found in free-living subjects as well. The principal reason for failure to find an association in observational studies is the weakness of the methods available for estimating long-term calcium intake. While most of the investigator-controlled studies used calcium supplements, six used dairy sources of calcium; all were positive. Most of the observational studies were based on dairy calcium also, since at the time the studies were done, higher calcium intakes meant higher dairy intakes. All studies evaluating the issue reported substantial augmentation of the osteoprotective effect of estrogen by high calcium intakes. Discussion is provided in regard to the multifactorial complexity of osteoporotic response to interventions and to the perturbing effect in controlled trials of the bone remodeling transient, as well as about how inferences can validly be drawn from the various study types represented in this compilation.
An embedded system for an EEG based BCI

This paper presents the development of an embedded system designed to be used as an EEG based BCI system. The designed system is based on a set of microcontroller and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) in order to accomplish the processing of the signal, the storage and the communication required for the application. The system is completed with a Matlab script used to generate the classifier used in the DSP for identification of user's intentions, and a set of Windows programs used to show results of the classification and convert the acquired data to use on mathematical software, such as Matlab. Other use of the system is the integration of its communication channel in wheelchairs.
Integrating SVM Classifier and Distribution State Estimation for Detection and Identification of AMI Customer's Meter Data

In this paper, inaccurate meter data estimation results obtained from support vector machine (SVM) classifier and distribution state estimation(DSE) procedures are presented. The proposed technique makes use of the actual measurements (AM) data available from distribution automation (DA) and accurate AMI meter data to adjust priori missing accuracy of meter data considered as pseudo measurements (PM). Through observations from fully deployed AMI smart metering devices, preliminary results demonstrate that the proposed technique could lead to the DSE solution that matches AM and provides accurate estimates for missing accuracy of AMI meter data.