Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extraction and classification of non-stationary acoustic signals via dynamic subspace filtering

This paper presents a dynamic, subspace based approach for extraction and classification of non-stationary acoustic signals under noisy conditions. The stationary subspace methods commonly used for noise removal take the whole signal into consideration while determining the signal subspace. This, for a non-stationary signal implies that spectral variations that occur through time are not taken into account. Thus, the overall signal subspace formulated will correspond to noise subspaces at certain points of time due to the highly non-stationary nature of the signal, resulting in noise leakage. The method proposed in this paper performs a subspace analysis dynamically at various stages of the observation period, enabling the signal subspace to evolve according to the non-stationary nature of the signal to be extracted. For signal classification problems, this enables the classifier to latch onto details about the non-stationarity in the signal which in turn provides valuable information with regard to the uniqueness of each signal class. Finally, an analysis is conducted on the resultant signals to prove the viability of the proposed methodology for signal extraction and classification problems under heavy noise conditions where the signals in concern are highly non-stationary.
VisCRM: A social network visual analytic tool to enhance customer relationship management

As acquiring and retaining the most profitable customers are challenging tasks of service providers, various CRM tools are used to support these processes. Traditional CRM methods focus on various customer profitability models in different scenarios based on their past profit contribution. Social network analysis provides a natural way to understand the relationships between customers; however, this method has seldom been used in customer relationship management. In this paper, we propose a visual analytic tool-VisCRM to analyze the graph features in customer relationship network. Based on the Visual Analytics Mantra, users can get the properties of the whole network as well as the communication patterns of certain customer with VisCRM. Furthermore, customers' ranking scores could be got with different statistical algorithms, and a combined ranking score could also be got for each customer by setting different weights to these properties. After choosing a valuable customer, in order to get a deeper insight into customer's communication patterns, people can explore the features of certain customer's egocentric social network visually. To evaluate the effect of VisCRM, we will explore different mobile call networks in telecom services in the case studies.
Developing an Information System for Monitoring Student's Activity in Online Collaborative Learning

In this paper we address the issue of monitoring studentspsila and groupspsila activity in online collaborative learning environments. This issue is especially important in the collaborative e-learning context, since an efficient monitoring process can provide valuable information to online instructors who may guide and support the development of collaborative learning projects. We have developed and tested an information system model which facilitates the automatic generation of weekly monitoring reports derived from data contained in server log files. These reports provide online instructors with visual information regarding studentspsila and groupspsila activity, thus allowing for a quick and easy classification of students and groups according to their activity level. Therefore, entities with a low activity level are identified as soon as possible and just-in-time assistance can be established for them. Furthermore, instructors can use these monitoring reports to forecast potential problems -such as studentspsila dropouts or possible conflicts inside the groups due to unbalanced distribution of tasks- and take operational and tactical decisions oriented to avoid them.
Spirituality: there's an app for that! (but not a lot of research)

The iTunes App Store contains over six thousand apps related to spirituality and religion. The ACM digital library, however, contains only 98 works that address this topic from an HCI perspective. Despite high-profile calls for research in the area, the HCI community has produced only 19 research papers focused on the topic, almost half of which are the work of one person and her colleagues. In this paper we provide an overview of the relevant HCI research in this area, a partial inventory of spiritually oriented apps in the iTunes US App Store, and a comparison of research and real-world developments. We discuss the gaps in the HCI literature on techno-spiritual practices and speculate about some of the difficulties and challenges that face the HCI community in conducting research in this area.
SPARSE OBSTRUCTIONS AND EXACT TREEWIDTH DETERMINATION

One consequence of the Graph Minor Theorem is that for every k there exists a finite obstruction set Obs(TW ≤ k). However, relatively little is known about these sets, and very few general obstructions are known. The ones that are known are the cliques, and graphs which are “nearly” cliques. This paper gives several general constructions of minimal forbidden minors which are “sparse” in the sense that the ratio of the treewidth to the number of vertices n does not approach 1 as n approaches infinity. We accomplish this using a novel combinationof using brambles to provide lower bounds and achievable sets to demostrate upper bounds. Additionally, we determine the exact treewidth of other basic graph constructions which are not minimal forbidden minors.
Modelling and management of mortality risk: a review

In the first part of the paper, we consider the wide range of extrapolative stochastic mortality models that have been proposed over the last 15–20 years. A number of models that we consider are framed in discrete time and place emphasis on the statistical aspects of modelling and forecasting. We discuss how these models can be evaluated, compared and contrasted. We also discuss a discrete-time market model that facilitates valuation of mortality-linked contracts with embedded options. We then review several approaches to modelling mortality in continuous time. These models tend to be simpler in nature, but make it possible to examine the potential for dynamic hedging of mortality risk. Finally, we review a range of financial instruments (traded and over-the-counter) that could be used to hedge mortality risk. Some of these, such as mortality swaps, already exist, while others anticipate future developments in the market.
Supervillin slows cell spreading by facilitating myosin II activation at the cell periphery

During cell migration, myosin II modulates adhesion, cell protrusion and actin organization at the leading edge. We show that an F-actin- and membrane-associated scaffolding protein, called supervillin (SV, p205), binds directly to the subfragment 2 domains of nonmuscle myosin IIA and myosin IIB and to the N-terminus of the long form of myosin light chain kinase (L-MLCK). SV inhibits cell spreading via an MLCK- and myosin II-dependent mechanism. Overexpression of SV reduces the rate of cell spreading, and RNAi-mediated knockdown of endogenous SV increases it. Endogenous and EGFP-tagged SV colocalize with, and enhance the formation of, cortical bundles of F-actin and activated myosin II during early cell spreading. The effects of SV are reversed by inhibition of myosin heavy chain (MHC) ATPase (blebbistatin), MLCK (ML-7) or MEK (U0126), but not by inhibiting Rho-kinase with Y-27632. Flag-tagged L-MLCK co-localizes in cortical bundles with EGFP-SV, and kinase-dead L-MLCK disorganizes these bundles. The L-MLCK- and myosin-binding site in SV, SV1-171, rearranges and co-localizes with mono- and di-phosphorylated myosin light chain and with L-MLCK, but not with the short form of MLCK (S-MLCK) or with myosin phosphatase. Thus, the membrane protein SV apparently contributes to myosin II assembly during cell spreading by modulating myosin II regulation by L-MLCK.
Soldier-worn augmented reality system for tactical icon visualization

This paper describes the development and demonstration of a soldier-worn augmented reality system testbed that provides intuitive 'heads-up' visualization of tactically-relevant geo-registered icons. Our system combines a robust soldier pose estimation capability with a helmet mounted see-through display to accurately overlay geo-registered iconography (i.e., navigation waypoints, blue forces, aircraft) on the soldier's view of reality. Applied Research Associates (ARA), in partnership with BAE Systems and the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), has developed this testbed system in Phase 2 of the DARPA ULTRA-Vis (Urban Leader Tactical, Response, Awareness, and Visualization) program. The ULTRA-Vis testbed system functions in unprepared outdoor environments and is robust to numerous magnetic disturbances. We achieve accurate and robust pose estimation through fusion of inertial, magnetic, GPS, and computer vision data acquired from helmet kit sensors. Icons are rendered on a high-brightness, 40°×30° field of view see-through display. The system incorporates an information management engine to convert CoT (Cursor-on-Target) external data feeds into mil-standard icons for visualization. The user interface provides intuitive information display to support soldier navigation and situational awareness of mission-critical tactical information.
A Parallel Algorithm for 2D Square Packing

We focus on the parallelization of two-dimensional square packing problem. In square packing problem, a list of square items need to be packed into a minimum number of unit square bins. All square items have side length smaller than or equal to 1 which is also the side length of each unit square bin. The total area of items that has been packed into one bin cannot exceed 1. Using the idea of harmonic, some squares can be put into the same bin without exceeding the bin limitation of side length 1. We try to concurrently pack all the corresponding squares into one bin by a parallel systerm of computation processing. A 9=4-worst case asymptotic error bound algorithm with time complexity (n) is showed. Let OPT(I) and A(I) denote, respectively, the cost of an optimal solution and the cost produced by an approximation algorithmA for an instance Iof the square packing problem. The best upper bound of on-line square packing to date is 2.1439 proved by Han et al. [23] by using complexity weighting functions. However the upper bound of our parallel algorithm is a litter worse than Han's algorithm, the analysis of our algorithm is more simple and the time complexity is improved. Han's algorithm needs O(nlogn) time, while our method only needs (n) time.
Physical activity in hard-to-reach physically disabled people: Development, implementation and effectiveness of a community-based intervention

Evidence for the benefits of an active lifestyle is abundant, not only for healthy people, but also people with a physical disability or chronic disease. Physical activity causes better and faster functional recovery, and improves wellbeing and social contacts. Existing interventions (structured programs) for stimulating physical activity in physically disabled people have a limited reach, since they reach their target populations mainly through rehabilitation centers, special education and general practitioners. This thesis aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a community-based intervention for stimulating physical activity, targeting hard-to-reach physically disabled people. In physically disabled people, physical activity was related to all components of health related quality of life (e.g. physical- and social functioning), except mental health. Stakeholders for an intervention (professionals and physically disabled people) indicated that an existing intervention should be adapted, and collaboration between organizations should be improved. Stakeholders suggested for instance individual coaching, role models, and activity monitoring as intervention methods. Based on stakeholders’ ideas, the existing intervention Activity Coach was adapted into Activity Coach+. Within Activity Coach+, the target population was reached through a network of organizations from health- and social backgrounds, and referred to an activity coach. After an intake at a local physiotherapist, participants were guided to existing organized and non-organized physical activity. Physical activity during activities of daily life was stimulated using an activity tracker. Participants were coached one year. Activity Coach+ appeared feasible and effective for improving walking ability, endurance capacity, dynamic balance and vitality, within the first four months after implementation.
CCD / CMOS Lock-In Pixel for Range Imaging : Challenges , Limitations and State-ofthe-Art

Smart lock-in pixels for real-time range imaging have been developed at CSEM during the last few years. These pixels, based on a combined CCD/CMOS process, are capable of demodulating intensity-modulated optical signals in parallel. By integrating some hundreds or thousands of them on one single chip, real-time 3D-imaging becomes possible by indirectly measuring the time-of-flight. The basic challenges and requirements of the pixels, making them usable for a wide range of 3D-applications, are the handling of strong signal variations over the imaged scenery, background light suppression techniques and high distance accuracy. These challenges and according difficulties in real implementations are discussed. Limitations of the pixels, both physically as well technologically, are derived and the basic need for current and future research and development is shown. The state-of-the-art pixel, as implemented in the so-called SwissRanger camera, is used for demonstrating the nature of the before mentioned challenges and limitations.
Elevated myocardial and lymphocyte GRK2 expression and activity in human heart failure.

AIMS The G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 (GRK2 or beta-ARK1) regulates beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs) in the heart, and its cardiac expression is elevated in human heart failure (HF). We sought to determine whether myocardial levels and activity of GRK2 could be monitored using white blood cells, which have been used to study cardiac beta-ARs. Moreover, we were interested in determining whether GRK2 levels in myocardium and lymphocytes may be associated with beta-AR dysfunction and HF severity. METHODS AND RESULTS In myocardial biopsies from explanted failing human hearts, GRK activity was inversely correlated with beta-AR-mediated cAMP production (R(2)=-0.215, P<0.05, n=24). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that GRK activity participates with beta-AR density to regulate catecholamine-sensitive cAMP responses. Importantly, there was a direct correlation between myocardial and lymphocytes GRK2 activity (R(2)=0.5686, P<0.05, n=10). Lymphocyte GRK activity was assessed in HF patients with various ejection fractions (EFs) (n=33), and kinase activity was significantly higher in patients with lower EFs and was higher with increasing NYHA class (P<0.001). CONCLUSION Myocardial GRK2 expression and activity are mirrored by lymphocyte levels of this kinase, and its elevation in HF is associated with the loss of beta-AR responsiveness and appears to increase with disease severity. Therefore, lymphocytes may provide a surrogate for monitoring cardiac GRK2 in human HF.
Applying Technology Acceptance Model, Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Theory to Mobile Data Communications Service Acceptance

This study examines patterns of mobile data communications service adoption with respect to a commonly used service, short message service, at the individual users level. Based on Davis’ technology acceptance model, Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, and Bandura’s social cognitive theory, a comprehensive model is established to test the influence of selfefficacy, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social pressure, and perceived enjoyment on mobile data communications service acceptance. The model also examines the moderating effect of perceived enjoyment on the influence of perceived usefulness on intention to use the service. An empirical study is conducted to test this model using data collected from 172 mobile data services users. The results support most of the hypothesized relationships in the model. Especially, users’ telecommunication selfefficacy has a strongly positive effect on perceived ease of use, which then has significantly positive effect both on perceived usefulness and on intention to use. Perceived enjoyment and perceived usefulness both have positive effect on the intention to use. However, the moderating effect of perceived enjoyment in the model is not confirmed. Implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed.
Crystallization Behavior of Poly(l-lactic acid) Nanocomposites: Nucleation and Growth Probed by Infrared Spectroscopy

Time-lapsed Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to probe chain conformational changes during the isothermal crystallization of poly(l-lactic acid), PLLA, and its nanocomposites from the melt. To study the effect of clay exfoliation extent on the crystallization behavior of PLLA, intercalated and exfoliated nanocomposites were fabricated by solution casting two commercially available organoclays with different degrees of matrix miscibility. By solely varying the degree of miscibility between the organic modifier and the polymer matrix, fully intercalated and exfoliated nanocomposites were obtained. This system allowed us to systematically investigate the effect of degree of clay exfoliation on the chain conformational changes during the crystallization process. In the case of neat PLLA, interchain interactions preceded intrachain interactions during the crystallization. Conversely, the exfoliated nanocomposites exhibited an opposite behavior in that 103 helix formation and backbone .
Università di Milano – Bicocca Quaderni di Matematica Infinite Horizon and Ergodic Optimal Quadratic Control for an Affine Equation with Stochastic Coefficients

We study quadratic optimal stochastic control problems with control dependent noise state equation perturbed by an affine term and with stochastic coefficients. Both infinite horizon case and ergodic case are treated. To this purpose we introduce a Backward Stochastic Riccati Equation and a dual backward stochastic equation, both considered in the whole time line. Besides some stabilizability conditions we prove existence of a solution for the two previous equations defined as limit of suitable finite horizon approximating problems. This allows to perform the synthesis of the optimal control.
6.867 Machine Learning Lecture 16

The results from the small scale application are encouraging. Our model successfully reproduces known behavior of the λ−switch on the basis of molecular level competition and resource constraints, without the need to assume protein-protein interactions between cI2 dimers and cI2 and RNA-polymerase. Even in the context of this well-known sub-system, however, few quantitative experimental results are available about binding. Proper validation and use of our model therefore relies on estimating the game parameters from available protein-DNA binding data (in progress). Once the game parameters are known, the model provides valid predictions for a number of possible perturbations to the system, including changing nuclear concentrations and knock-outs. Acknowledgments
Inhalational or total intravenous anaesthesia: is total intravenous anaesthesia useful and are there economic benefits?

Purpose of review The comparison of inhalational and intravenous anaesthesia has been the subject of many controlled trials and meta-analyses. These reported diverse endpoints typically including measures of the speed and quality of induction of anaesthesia, haemodynamic changes, operating conditions, various measures of awakening, postoperative nausea and vomiting and discharge from the recovery area and from hospital as well as recovery of psychomotor function. In a more patient-focused Health Service, measures with greater credibility are overall patient satisfaction, time to return to work and long-term morbidity and mortality. In practice, studies using easier to measure proxy endpoints dominate – even though the limitations of such research are well known. Recent findings Recent study endpoints are more ambitious and include impact on survival from cancer and the possibility of differential neurotoxic impact on the developing brain and implications for neuro-behavioural performance. Summary Economic analysis of anaesthesia is complex and most published studies are naive, focusing on drug acquisition costs and facility timings, real health economics are much more difficult. Preferred outcome measures would be whole institution costs or the ability to reliably add an extra case to an operating list, close an operating room and reduce the number of operating sessions offered or permanently decrease staffing. Alongside this, however, potential long-term patient outcomes should be considered.
Spam Mail Filtering Based on Network Processor

As the rapid development of the Internet, the occurrence of more and more spam mails becomes harmful to users. Content-based spam filtering technologies become the mainstream anti-spam mail methods so far. Support vector machine (SVM), Bayes, windows and KNN are excellent ones of these technologies and they have advantages and disadvantages respectively. The common shortage of content-based methods is that they can't filter spam mails as far as white-list-based, black-list-based or rule-based methods. This paper proposes a spam mail filtering system based on SVM and Bayes which is implemented on network processor (NP). To content-based methods, this system preserves the filtering accuracy and takes advantage of the parallel processing abilities of NP to improve the filtering speed.
Frenectomy with laterally displaced flap: A case series

The frenum is a mucous membrane fold that attaches the lip and the cheek to the alveolar mucosa, the gingiva, and the underlying periosteum. The frena may jeopardize the gingival health when they are attached too closely to the gingival margin, either due to an interference in the plaque control or due to a muscle pull. In addition to this, the maxillary frenum may present esthetic problems or compromise the orthodontic result in the midline diastema cases, thus causing a recurrence after the treatment. Archer's “classical frenectomy” is an extensive procedure including the excision of fibers, interdental papilla, and exposure of the alveolar bone up to the palatine papilla. The resultant delayed healing, loss of the interdental papilla, and abnormal scar led toward the conservative approaches such as Edward's frenectomy, frenum relocation by Z-plasty, and free gingival graft, with their technical and esthetic limitations. A better approach in frenectomy to make a primary closure in the midline and to avoid an unesthetic scar by creating a zone of the attached gingiva is assisted with a lateral pedicle graft. A case series of this technique with its distinct advantages is presented.
ID-based digital signatures with security enhanced approach

In the paper the ID-based digital signatures with signer’s protection in case of the private key compromising is investigated. The proposed protocols have two main ingredients. First is the application of the credential system for the suitable verification key approval. Second is the application of the subliminal channel together with the interactive generation of the secret key, to obtain the increased resistance of the system against the powerful adversary. The particular interest was turned towards the significance of the deniable encryption in creation of the corresponding protocols. Keywords—cryptography, deniable encryption, ID-based