Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
After Hegemony

This book is a comprehensive study of cooperation among the advanced capitalist countries. Can cooperation persist without the dominance of a single power, such as the United States after World War II? To answer this pressing question, Robert Keohane analyzes the institutions, or "international regimes," through which cooperation has taken place in the world political economy and describes the evolution of these regimes as American hegemony has eroded. Refuting the idea that the decline of hegemony makes cooperation impossible, he views international regimes not as weak substitutes for world government but as devices for facilitating decentralized cooperation among egoistic actors. In the preface the author addresses the issue of cooperation after the end of the Soviet empire and with the renewed dominance of the United States, in security matters, as well as recent scholarship on cooperation.
SNO+: predictions from standard solar models and resonant spin flavour precession

Time variability of the solar neutrino flux especially in the low and intermediate energy sector remains an open question and, if it exists, it is likely to be originated from the magnetic moment transition from active to light sterile neutrinos at times of intense solar activity and magnetic field. We examine the prospects for the SNO+ experiment to address this important issue and to distinguish between the two classes of solar models which are currently identified as corresponding to a high (SSM I) and a low (SSM II) heavy element abundance. We also evaluate the predictions from these two models for the Chlorine experiment event rate in the standard LMA and LMA+Resonant Spin Flavour Precession (RSFP) scenarios. It is found that after three years of SNO+ data taking, the pep flux measurement will be able to discriminate between the standard LMA and LMA+RSFP scenarios, independently of which is the correct solar model. If the LMA rate is measured, RSFP with B0 ~ 280kG can be excluded at more than 4σ. A low rate would signal new physics, excluding all the 90% allowed range of the standard LMA solution at 3σ, and a time variability would be a strong signature of the RSFP model. The CNO fluxes are the ones for which the two SSM predictions exhibit the largest differences, so their measurement at SNO+ will be important to favour one or the other. The distinction will be clearer after LMA or RSFP are confirmed with pep, but still, a CNO measurement at the level of SSM I/LMA will disfavour SSM II at about 3 σ. We conclude that consistency between future pep and CNO flux measurements at SNO+ and Chlorine would either favour an LMA+RSFP scenario or favour SSM II over SSM I.
Creating graph partitions for fast optimum route planning

We investigate fast optimum route planning in large, real-world road networks for car navigation systems. We show how graph partitioning can be used to increase the speed of planning optimum routes. Creating a graph partition with future route planning in mind leads to a non-standard graph partitioning problem. In particular, the quality of a partition, indicated by the objective value, is assumed to represent the execution time of the route planning process. We present an efficient approximation algorithm for creating graph partitions suited for fast optimum route planning. We study the relation between the objective value and the number of edges evaluated by the route planning algorithm, which is an objective measure of the route planning speed. Experiments show that the best partition according to the objective value does not lead to the fastest route planning process. We present a new objective value and show that better partitions result in faster route planning for our new objective value.
Probabilistic velocity estimation for autonomous miniature airships using thermal air flow sensors

Recently, autonomous miniature airships have become a growing research field. Whereas airships are attractive as they can move freely in the three-dimensional space, their high-dimensional state space and the restriction to small and lightweight sensors are demanding constraints with respect to self-localization. Furthermore, their complex second-order kinematics makes the estimation of their pose and velocity through dead reckoning odometry difficult and imprecise. In this paper, we consider the problem of estimating the velocity of a miniature blimp with lightweight air flow sensors. We present a probabilistic sensor model that accurately models the uncertainty of the flow sensors and thus allows for robust state estimation using a particle filter. In experiments carried out with a real airship we demonstrate that our method precisely estimates the velocity of the blimp and outperforms the standard velocity estimates of the motion model as applied in many existent autonomous blimp navigation systems.
Secrecy capacity and wireless energy harvesting in amplify-and-forward relay networks

The secrecy capacity (SC) from the source to a destination in a dual-hop amplify-and-forward (AF) relay network using cooperative jamming (CJ) is investigated. Conditions for achieving a positive SC are derived. An energy constrained untrusted cooperative relaying protocol is considered in which the relay forwards information from the source to the destination while harvesting energy from the source signal and the destination jamming signal. An optimization problem is proposed to maximize the SC subject to the energy constraints. A method is proposed to find the optimal power split ratio (PSR) which maximizes the SC. An approximate expression for the optimal PSR is also derived. Results show that a mutually beneficial relationship exists between source-destination pair and the relay. This allows the relay to achieve a net energy gain while the secrecy of the confidential message from the source to the destination is protected.
An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes

We present a new, low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system with an ultra-high input impedance that enables the use of long-lasting, dry electrodes. The system incorporates a low-power Bluetooth module for wireless connectivity and is designed to be suitable for long-term monitoring during daily activities. The new system using dry electrodes was compared with a clinically approved ECG reference system using gelled Ag/AgCl electrodes and performance was found to be equivalent. In addition, the system was used to monitor an athlete during several physical tasks, and a good quality ECG was obtained in all cases, including when the athlete was totally submerged in fresh water.
A Copyright Protection Scheme for Gray-Level Images Using Human Fingerprint

This paper proposes a copyright protection scheme using human fingerprint images as watermarks. The scheme includes the feature extraction of the fingerprint image and the generation of the share image used to retrieve the fingerprint image. If an unauthorized copy is found later, the origin of the copy can be determined by the retrieved fingerprint image. Fingerprint image enhancement technique is employed prior to feature extraction to obtain a more reliable estimation of feature locations. In addition, the paper employs correction to reform the quality of the fingerprint image. According to the experimental results, the acceptance rate is up to 99% under several severe conditions. The experimental results also show that the scheme can tolerate several image processing attacks on the host image
Machine learning y biología computacional aplicados al reconocimiento de sitios de regulación en la ruta del ácido jasmónico-isoleucina en Arabidopsis thaliana

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a volatile organic compound that plays an essential role in the immunity of plants. When the concentration of JA increases, the gene expression of the molecular defense pathway is activated due to the decoupling of the repressor proteins JAZ and the transcription factor bHLH MYC.
Complex Perioperative Decision-Making: Liver Resection in a Patient with Extensive Superior Vena Cava/Right Atrial Thrombus and Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

The perioperative management of patients suffering from extensive superior vena cava (SVC) thrombus complicated by SVC syndrome presents unique challenges. The anesthesiologist needs to be prepared for possible thrombus dislodgement resulting in pulmonary embolism and also has to assess the need for fluid resuscitation given the dangers of massive intravenous fluid application via the upper extremities. We present our perioperative approach in management of a patient scheduled for right hepatectomy who was previously diagnosed with extensive SVC and right atrial (RA) thrombus complicated by SVC syndrome.
The impacts of China’s policy-making and legislation on outbound tourism – perspectives from long-haul intermediaries

ABSTRACT This paper provides an overview of the development of tourism policy and legislation in China. Based on this historical background and on interviews with 21 intermediaries in China, the paper presents a qualitative investigation of the impact of policy-making and legislation on long haul China outbound travel. The study seeks insights into the top-of-mind issues experienced by the intermediaries in relation to Chinese tourism legislation and policy-making. It generates insights about the concerns (or in some cases the lack thereof) of these intermediaries, regarding Chinese tourism policy and legislation. Some intermediaries are largely oblivious to and unconcerned about tourism legislation, while others have been impelled to undertake substantial changes to their business operations because of it. The Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China was found to be of little importance. This is especially the case when it is compared with the anti-corruption campaign and its intended or unintended impacts on China outbound tourism. Finally, the study reveals that in addition to official policy and legislation, tourism intermediaries are also affected by unofficial politically motivated decrees issued by the Chinese government.
d-GLYCERATE 3-KINASE, the Last Unknown Enzyme in the Photorespiratory Cycle in Arabidopsis, Belongs to a Novel Kinase Family

d-GLYCERATE 3-KINASE (GLYK; EC 2.7.1.31) catalyzes the concluding reaction of the photorespiratory C2 cycle, an indispensable ancillary metabolic pathway to the photosynthetic C3 cycle that enables land plants to grow in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Except for GLYK, all other enzymes that contribute to the C2 cycle are known by their primary structures, and the encoding genes have been identified. We have purified and partially sequenced this yet missing enzyme from Arabidopsis thaliana and identified it as a putative kinase-annotated single-copy gene At1g80380. The exclusive catalytic properties of the gene product were confirmed after heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. Arabidopsis T-DNA insertional knockout mutants show no GLYK activity and are not viable in normal air; however, they grow under elevated CO2, providing direct evidence of the obligatory nature of the ultimate step of the C2 cycle. The newly identified GLYK is both structurally and phylogenetically distinct from known glycerate kinases from bacteria and animals. Orthologous enzymes are present in other plants, fungi, and some cyanobacteria. The metabolic context of GLYK activity in fungi and cyanobacteria remains to be investigated.
MP-Shield: A Framework for Phishing Detection in Mobile Devices

Today, there is an exponential growth of e-services requiring the exchange of personal and sensible data over the Internet. Phishing techniques are emerging as the easiest solution to break the weakest link of the security chain: the end user. Social engineering attacks are deployed by financial/cyber criminals at a very low cost to induce naïve Internet users to reveal user credentials such as bank account and credit card numbers. This problem needs to be addressed in the mobile field as well, due to the large diffusion of mobile devices such as smartphones, tablet, etc. In this paper we propose a novel framework for phishing detection in Android mobile devices which, on the one hand exploits well-known techniques already implemented by popular web browsers plug-in, such as public blacklist search, and, on the other hand, implements a machine learning detection engine which ensure zero-hour protection from new phishing campaigns.
Controversies in cardiovascular medicine Atrial fibrillation in heart failure : what should we do ?

Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are two conditions that are likely to dominate the next 50 years of cardiovascular (CV) care. Both are increasingly prevalent and associated with high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare cost. They are closely inter-related with similar risk factors and shared pathophysiology. Patients with concomitant HF and AF suffer from even worse symptoms and poorer prognosis, yet evidence-based evaluation and management of this group of patients is lacking. In this review, we evaluate the common mechanisms for the development of AF in HF patients and vice versa, focusing on the evidence for potential treatment strategies. Recent data have suggested that these patients may respond differently than those with HF or AF alone. These results highlight the clear clinical need to identify and treat according to best evidence, in order to prevent adverse outcomes and reduce the huge burden that HF and AF are expected to have on global healthcare systems in the future. We propose an easy-to-use clinical mnemonic to aid the initial management of newly discovered concomitant HF and AF, the CAN-TREAT HFrEF + AF algorithm (Cardioversion if compromised; Anticoagulation unless contraindication; Normalize fluid balance; Target initial heart rate ,110 b.p.m.; Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone modification; Early consideration of rhythm control; Advanced HF therapies; Treatment of other CV disease).
Ultra-Wide Output Voltage Range Power Supply Based on Modular Switched-Converter Principle

A systematic method for developing ultra-wide output voltage range power supply based on modular switched-converter principle is proposed in this paper. The basic symmetric switched-converter (SSC) module is composed of two dc–dc modules, two diodes, and one active switch. Multi-stage SSC modules are generated by symmetric cascaded connection method. By controlling the active switches in multi-stage SSC modules, the connections of all the dc–dc modules’ output ports can be changed flexibly among series, parallel, and partial–parallel–partial-series connections. Then segmented regulation can be realized and system output voltage range can be widely extended. Meanwhile, the voltage range of each dc–dc module can be narrowed and the voltage/current stress can be reduced to simplify the design, increase device utilization ratio, and improve overall efficiency. A full-bridge isolated buck–boost converter with a semiactive rectifier, which features soft-switching and wide voltage adjustment range, is adopted as the dc–dc module to realize the proposed system. Input current sharing control strategy is adopted to ensure proper power balancing in all possible operating modes. The stability of the proposed system is also explored. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed system configuration, the switched-converter principle, and the control strategies.
A Computer-Aided Modeling and Measurement System for Environmental Thermal Comfort Sensing

Predicted mean vote (PMV) is a well-known thermal comfort index with four environmental variables (air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and average radiation temperature) and two human factors (metabolic rate and clothing thermal resistance). This paper presents a novel computer-aided thermal comfort measurement system with PMV, which combined the advanced sensors with the virtual instrument technology. The system software is developed using the LabVIEW platform. The measured data can be transmitted to the server-computer in a data center and displayed on a web page through the Internet. The impact of the measurement error of each environmental variable on PMV is analyzed via MATLAB. The system tests were conducted under the certain environmental conditions and Monte Carlo method is deployed to analyze the PMV measurement uncertainty. The experimental results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system, and confirm that the measurement uncertainty of PMV is not a constant, and varies with the environment changes.
Dynamic fault recovery using partial reconfiguration for highly reliable FPGAs

FPGAs are becoming more popular in the domain of safety-critical applications (such as space applications) due to their high performance, re-programmability and reduced development cost. Such systems require FPGAs with self-detection and self-repairing capabilities in order to cope with errors due to the harsh conditions that usually exist in such environments. In this paper, a new dynamic fault recovery technique is proposed using the runtime partial reconfiguration (PR) property in FPGAs. It focuses on open interconnect faults and relies on specifying a Partially Reconfigurable block in the FPGA that is only used during the recovery process after the failure of the first module in the system. The technique uses only one location to recover from errors in any of the FPGA's modules. Accordingly, it requires less area overhead when compared to other techniques.
Extending the Bellman equation for MDPs to continuous actions and cont. time in the discounted case

Recent work on Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) covers the use of continuous variables and resources, including time. This work is usually done in a framework of bounded resources and finite temporal horizon for which a total reward criterion is often appropriate. However, most of this work considers discrete effects on continuous variables while considering continuous variables often allows for parametric (possibly continuous) quantification of actions effects. On top of that, infinite horizon MDPs often make use of discounted criterions in order to insure convergence and to account for the difference between a reward obtained now and a reward obtained later. In this paper, we build on the standard MDP framework in order to extend it to continuous time and resources and to the corresponding parametric actions. We aim at providing a framework and a sound set of hypothesis under which a classical Bellman equation holds in the discounted case, for parametric continuous actions and hybrid state spaces, including time. We illustrate our approach by applying it to the TMDP representation of Boyan and Littman.
Effectiveness of annotating by hand for non-alphabetical languages

Unlike documents, annotation for multimedia information needs to be input as text, not in the form of symbols such as underlines and circles. This is problematic with keyboard input for non-alphabetical languages, especially the East Asian languages such as Chinese and Japanese, because it is labor intensive and imposes a high cognitive load. This study provides a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of making annotations by hand during a note-taking task in Japanese. Although the lessons learned from this study come from Japanese text input, they are also generally applicable to other East Asian Languages which use ideographic characters such as Chinese. In our study, we focused on both the ergonomic and cognitive aspects and found that during annotation and note-taking task input by hand is more effective than input by keyboard. Finally, we anatomized the keyboard input problem and discuss it in this paper.
Breaking KeeLoq in a Flash ⋆ -

We present the first simple power analysis (SPA) of software implementations of KeeLoq. Our attack drastically reduces the efforts required for a complete break of remote keyless entry (RKE) systems based on KeeLoq. We analyze implementations of KeeLoq on microcontrollers and exploit timing vulnerabilities to develop an attack that allows for a practical key recovery within seconds of computation time, thereby significantly outperforming all existing attacks: Only one single measurement of a section of a KeeLoq decryption is sufficient to extract the 64 bit master key of commercial products, without the prior knowledge of neither plaintext nor ciphertext. We further introduce techniques for effectively realizing an automatic SPA and a method for circumventing a simple countermeasure, that can also be applied for analyzing other implementations of cryptography on microcontrollers.
AMRITA_CEN@FIRE-2014: Morpheme Extraction and Lemmatization for Tamil using Machine Learning

This paper presents the method of Morpheme Extraction and lemmatization for Tamil language in Morpheme Extraction Task (MET) of FIRE-2014. Tamil is a morphologically rich and agglutinative language. Such a language needs deeper analysis at the word level to capture the meaning of the word from its morphemes and its categories. In this attempt, the methodology employed to extract Tamil morphemes and lemmas are based on a supervised machine learning algorithm for nouns and verbs and simple suffix stripping for pronouns and proper nouns. Morphemes are extracted for other Part-of-Speech categories using Tamil Part of Speech tagger. In supervised learning, Morphological analyzer problem is redefined as a classification problem. We decompose the problem of noun and verb morpheme extraction into two sub-problems: learning to perform morpheme identification of words in a text, and learning to perform morpheme tagging. In addition to the Morpheme extraction task results of FIRE-2014, we have carried out different experiments to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Wild Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) as a Source of Salmonella and Campylobacter in Eastern Spain

The existence of Campylobacter and Salmonella reservoirs in wildlife is a potential hazard to animal and human health; however, the prevalence of these species is largely unknown. Until now, only a few studies have evaluated the presence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in wild griffon vultures and based on a small number of birds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in wild griffon vultures (n = 97) during the normal ringing programme at the Cinctorres Observatory in Eastern Spain. In addition, the effect of ages of individuals (juveniles, subadult and adult) on the presence were compared. Campylobacter was isolated from 1 of 97 (1.0%) griffon vultures and identified as C. jejuni. Salmonella was isolated from 51 of 97 (52.6%) griffon vultures. No significant differences were found between the ages of individuals for the presence of Salmonella. Serotyping revealed 6 different serovars among two Salmonella enterica subspecies; S. enterica subsp. enterica (n = 49, 96.1%) and S. enterica subsp. salamae (n = 2, 3.9%). No more than one serovar was isolated per individual. The serovars isolated were S. Typhimurium (n = 42, 82.3%), S. Rissen (n = 4, 7.8%), S. Senftenberg (n = 3, 5.9%) and S. 4,12:b[-] (n = 2, 3.9%). Our results imply that wild griffon vultures are a risk factor for Salmonella transmission, but do not seem to be a reservoir for Campylobacter. We therefore rule out vultures as a risk factor for human campylobacteriosis. Nevertheless, further studies should be undertaken in other countries to confirm these results.
Using Manifold Learning and Minimax Probability Machine for Face Recognition

Face recognition has become one of the most important research areas of pattern recognition and machine learning due to its potential applications in many fields. To effectively cope with this problem, a novel face recognition algorithm is proposed by using manifold learning and minimax probability machine. Comprehensive comparisons and extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithm achieves much higher recognition rates than the ordinary face recognition algorithms.