Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FMS structural control and the Neighborhood policy, Part 1: correctness and scalability

Structural Control Policies (SCP's) are real-time FMS operating policies that guarantee deadlock free operation. SCP's must be correct and scalable. A correct SCP guarantees deadlock free operation while a scalable (polynomial) SCP remains computationally tractable as FMS size increases. The NP-completeness of state safety (is there a sequence of state transitions leading to the empty state? ) implies that a correct and scalable SCP will reject some safe states. SCP efficiency is the ratio of policy admissible space to FMS safe state space. This paper, Part 1 of a two part series, discusses FMS structural control and presents a correct and scalable SCP referred to as the Neighborhood Policy. SCP efficiency issues are discussed in Part 2.
Investigating Technology Acceptance of Mobile Payment in Germany and the USA

In today`s mobile world there is a high potential for M(obile)-payment services, but the mere existence of such services does not mean market readiness. Added values of M-payment are necessary to attract new users. The aim of this work is to investigate whether M-payment is or can be accepted by the consumers. We will determine the technology acceptance of consumers, face to face with the M-payment for Germany and the USA. For this purpose, we will carry out a technology acceptance analysis using a structural equation modeling technique. The constructs of the research model arise from the findings of an explorative study and a literature review. The results of an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) based evaluation shows, that user acceptance of M-payment, especially the influence of the constructs, perceived ease of use and willingness-to-pay differ to the intention to use.
Using link analysis to improve layout on mobile devices

Delivering web pages to mobile phones or personal digital assistants has become possible with the latest wireless technology. However, mobile devices have very small screen sizes and memory capacities. Converting web pages for delivery to a mobile device is an exciting new problem. In this paper, we propose to use a ranking algorithm similar to Google's PageRank algorithm to rank the content objects within a web page. This allows the extraction of only important parts of web pages for delivery to mobile devices. Experiments show that the new method is effective. In experiments on pages from randomly selected websites, the system needed to extract and deliver only 39% of the objects in a web page in order to provide 85% of a viewer's desired viewing content. This provides significant savings in the wireless traffic and downloading time while providing a satisfactory reading experience on the mobile device.
Mobile agent procedures: metacomputing in Java

We introduce mobile agent procedures (MAPs) as an efficient, convenient and transparent means of utilizing available networked computational resources. MAPs are mobile remote procedures that are executed in the most appropriate site in a cluster of heterogeneous workstations. Procedure migration is performed by middleware software transparently from the application and without relying on operating system or compiler support. The implementation platform for MAPs are mobile agents in Java.
Body Weight Perceptions and Weight Control Behavior Among Adult Bermudians

OF THE DISSERTATION Body Weight Perceptions and Weight Control Behavior among Adult Bermudians by Kyla J. Raynor Doctor of Public Health Candidate in Health Education Loma Linda University, 2009 Naomi Modeste, DrPH, CHES, Chair Background. Overweight and obesity is a serious public health concern that has major consequences on health and quality of life. As of 2006, 64% of adults in Bermuda were overweight or obese. There remains a gap in the literature related to how adult Bermudians perceive their body weight and body image, and if perceptions of being overweight or obese are associated with weight control behaviors. Purpose. This study was undertaken to develop a better understanding of the perceptions of ideal body weight, level of overweight, body image and weight control behavior in adult Bermudians. Methodology. This was a cross-sectional observational study of perceptions of ideal body weight, overweight, body image and weight control behavior obtained by a self-administered questionnaire of 462 (207 males, 255 females) adult Bermudians. Items on perceptions of ideal weight and overweight were taken from the United Kingdom Office of National Statistics Omnibus Survey, and perceptions of body image were assessed using the Contour Drawing Rating Scale. Weight control behaviors were assessed using the Weight Control Behavior Scale. iii Results. Among participants, 25.5% of men and 24.9% of women had a BMI in the normal range. More men (41.7%) were overweight compared to women (31.2%); while more women (43.9%) were obese, compared to 32.8% of men (p<.05). Normal weight men were more likely (90.4%) to accurately categorize themselves as normal weight when compared to women (84.5%), however, women were more likely to accurately perceive themselves as overweight (92.2%), compared to men (90.2%) (p<.001). Based on reports of ideal weight, the ideal BMI selected by women (mean BMI= 24.5) was significantly lower than the ideal BMI indicated by men (mean BMI =25.9) (p<.001). The mean perceived ideal body image for men ( mean=5.46) corresponded to a normal body size, while the average ideal body image for women (mean= 4.17) corresponded to an underweight body size, both of which were significant (p<.001). Significantly more women (79.8%) tried to lose weight in the pass year compared to 54.6% of men [y2{\, N=443) = 32.14, p<. 001]. Among normal weight participants’ who were accurate in categorization of their body weight as normal, significantly more women (58.7%) tried to lose weight in the past year compared to men (14.3%) [%2 (1, N=119)= 18.47, pc.OOl)]. Independent predictors such as age, gender, education, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived self-efficacy were significantly associated with ideal-current body weight discrepancy, and weight control behaviors. Implications for Health Education. The results of this study are important given the current obesity epidemic in Bermuda and worldwide. These findings may provide new information about how adult Bermudians perceive their body weight, overweight,
Police Responses to Violent Crime

This work advances the relatively limited literature pertaining to police clearances of serious violent crimes by comparing and contrasting the correlates of homicide clearance with clearance of nonlethal violent crimes. Using 5 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System data from 2008 to 2012 and survival models, we analyze the impact of various victim and incident characteristics on time to clearance outcomes for four offense types: homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, and sexual assault. Examining longitudinal trends of clearance rates reveals important differences across violent crime types. Results of survival models also reveal substantial variation in the effects of victim and incident characteristics on time to clearance across types of violent crime. These findings indicate that results from previous studies on homicide case outcomes are not applicable to other types of violent crimes, and police efforts to solve violent crimes differ markedly. As such, the theoretical frameworks of mobilization of law and bounded rationality explanations for variation in police responses to violent crime may be more viable than found in previous studies. However, future research will need to consider these nuances to confirm if such dynamics extend to other forms of criminal behavior.
Consideration of stiffness and mass effects of relatively thicker electrodes with Mindlin plate theory

Mindlin plate theory has been widely used in the high-frequency vibrations of piezoelectric crystal plates with emphasis on its applications in crystal resonator analysis and design. The plate equations were derived without considering the effect of electrodes from the beginning. But continuing efforts have been made to include the mechanical effect, or the mass loading, through the consideration of the mass ratio of the electrodes and crystal blank. Such a consideration has been effective for relatively thin electrodes before, but the ever-increasing mass ratio has been pressing further improvement to take into account relatively thicker electrodes. To extend Mindlin plate equations for these applications, we derive the plate equations systematically with the approximation of displacements in electrodes with those in the crystal blank. As a result, both mass and stiffness effects of electrodes are considered through ratios of the thickness, density, and elastic constants of the electrodes to those of the crystal blank, respectively, and the plate equations are modified accordingly. A practical design of the electrodes and crystal blank are analyzed to demonstrate the necessity of such modifications to Mindlin plate equations.
Design and control of anthropomorphic BIT soft arms for TCM remedial massage

For reproducing the manipulation of TCM remedial massage and meanwhile guaranteeing safety, a 4-DOF anthropomorphic BIT soft arm with integrated elastic joints is developed, and a passivity-based impedance control is used. Due to their series elasticity, the integrated joints may minimize large forces which occur during accidental impacts and, further, may offer more accurate and stable force control and a capacity for energy storage. Then, human expert's fingertip force curve in the process of massage therapy is acquired in vivo by a dedicated measurement device. Three massage techniques, pressing, kneading and plucking, are implemented by the soft arm, respectively, on torso model in vitro and on human body in vivo. Experimental results show that the developed robotic arm can effectively imitates the TCM remedial massage techniques.
Array Iterators in Lustre: From a Language Extension to Its Exploitation in Validation

The design of safety critical embedded systems has become a complex task, which requires both appropriate language features and efficient validation techniques. In this work, we propose the introduction of array iterators to the synchronous dataflow language Lustre as a mean to alleviate this complexity. We propose these new operators to provide Lustre programmers with a new mean for designing regular reactive systems. We study a compilation scheme that allows us to generate efficient loop imperative code from these iterators. This language aspect of our work has been fruitful since the iterators are being introduced in the industrial version of Lustre. Finally, we propose to take these regular structures into account during the validation process. This approach has already shown its applicability on different real-life case studies. The work we relate here is thus complete in the sense that our propositions at the language level are taken into account both at the compilation and the validation levels.
Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix Computation Based On Haar Wavelet

In this paper, a new computation for gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) is proposed. The aim is to reduce the computation burden of the original GLCM computation. The proposed computation will be based on Haar wavelet transform. Haar wavelet transform is chosen because the resulting wavelet bands are strongly correlated with the orientation elements in the GLCM computation. The second reason is because the total pixel entries for Haar wavelet transform is always minimum. Thus, the GLCM computation burden can be reduced. The proposed computation is tested with the classification performance of the Brodatz texture images. Although the aim is to achieve at least similar performance with the original GLCM computation, the proposed computation gives a slightly better performance compare to the original GLCM computation.
BCMI Systems for Musical Performance

This paper expands upon our previous research in the field of BrainComputer Music Interfacing and reports on tools for performance and composition controlled via brainwave activity in development at ICCMR, University of Plymouth. Our approach measures electroencephalogram (EEG) data elicited via generating Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP) to allow for real-time control of musical parameters. This paper presents Flex, a solo performance piece designed for a portable BCMI (Brain-Computer Music Interface) system. Flex serves as a demonstration of the mapping complexities and control on offer through interfacing brainwaves with a musical system.
Efficient Certificate Revocation List Organization and Distribution

In this paper, we propose a lightweight mechanism for revoking security certificates that is appropriate for the limited bandwidth and hardware cost constraints of a VANET. A Certificate Authority (CA) issues certificates to trusted nodes, i.e., vehicles. If the CA looses trust in a vehicle (e.g., due to evidence of malfunction or malicious behavior), the CA must promptly revoke the certificates of the distrusted vehicle. To distribute revocation information quickly even during incremental deployment, we propose that CAs use Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs). The CRL should be composed in a secure manner, and it should be exchanged in a way such that the CRL is both quickly and widely distributed. We previously proposed a mechanism for the quick distribution of CRL updates that also covers a wide area by using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication . In this paper, we additionally investigate the performance of V2V communication in partial deployment scenarios, that is, where only a certain percentage of vehicles are equipped with VANET radios. We provide simulation results that show our V2V exchange mechanism is quicker than distributing CRLs or CRL updates through road-side units (RSUs) alone. However, this revocation process, which involves both the CA and vehicles, must conform to the aforementioned bandwidth and hardware restrictions. In this paper, we present mechanisms that achieve the goals of reduced CRL size, a computationally efficient mechanism for determining if a certificate is on the CRL, and a lightweight mechanism for exchanging CRL updates. Additionally, we expand on our previous work to provide privacy to revoked vehicles prior to their revocation.
A robust ranking algorithm to spamming

Ranking problem of web-based rating systems has attracted much attention. A good ranking algorithm should be robust against spammer attack. Here we proposed a correlation-based reputation algorithm to solve the ranking problem of such rating systems where user votes some objects with ratings. In this algorithm, the reputation of a user is iteratively determined by the correlation coefficient between his/her rating vector and the corresponding objects' weighted average rating vector. Comparing with iterative refinement (IR) and mean score algorithm, results for both artificial and real data indicate that the present algorithm shows a higher robustness against spammer attack.
Women business owners’ start-up motivations and network structure

Abstract This research responds to calls for studies aimed at developing a more nuanced understanding of women small business owners’ networking behaviours and structures. The study examined whether business start-up motivations and phase of the business (prestart-up, start-up and established) influenced women’s networking behaviours and structures. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 28 women. Interview data were used to categorise participants into classic, forced, and work–family owners. Analysis of the interviews found no marked differences in networking behaviours and network structures of participants during prestart-up phase. During start-up and established phases differences began to emerge. Given that classic and forced owners had established their businesses for financial reasons, a diverse network was more relevant for them. However, work–family participants established the business for family/work balance, thus a small network of close ties was sufficient to achieve their business goals. Theoretical, practical and research implications of the findings are outlined.
Children Who Acquire HIV Infection Perinatally Are at Higher Risk of Early Death than Those Acquiring Infection through Breastmilk: A Meta-Analysis

Background Assumptions about survival of HIV-infected children in Africa without antiretroviral therapy need to be updated to inform ongoing UNAIDS modelling of paediatric HIV epidemics among children. Improved estimates of infant survival by timing of HIV-infection (perinatally or postnatally) are thus needed. Methodology/Principal Findings A pooled analysis was conducted of individual data of all available intervention cohorts and randomized trials on prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission in Africa. Studies were right-censored at the time of infant antiretroviral initiation. Overall mortality rate per 1000 child-years of follow-up was calculated by selected maternal and infant characteristics. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival curves by child's HIV infection status and timing of HIV infection. Individual data from 12 studies were pooled, with 12,112 children of HIV-infected women. Mortality rates per 1,000 child-years follow-up were 39.3 and 381.6 for HIV-uninfected and infected children respectively. One year after acquisition of HIV infection, an estimated 26% postnatally and 52% perinatally infected children would have died; and 4% uninfected children by age 1 year. Mortality was independently associated with maternal death (adjusted hazard ratio 2.2, 95%CI 1.6–3.0), maternal CD4<350 cells/ml (1.4, 1.1–1.7), postnatal (3.1, 2.1–4.1) or peri-partum HIV-infection (12.4, 10.1–15.3). Conclusions/Results These results update previous work and inform future UNAIDS modelling by providing survival estimates for HIV-infected untreated African children by timing of infection. We highlight the urgent need for the prevention of peri-partum and postnatal transmission and timely assessment of HIV infection in infants to initiate antiretroviral care and support for HIV-infected children.
A mixture of gated experts optimized using simulated annealing for 3D face recognition

A commonly accepted fact in the biometrics related domain is that fusing multiple classifiers for decision making generally leads to improved recognition performance. Meanwhile, the search for an optimal fusion strategy remains extraordinarily complex since the cardinality of the space of possible fusion schemes is exponentially proportional to the number of competing classifiers. In this paper, we propose a mixture of gated experts for 3D face recognition using an ensemble of 24 different classifiers. The mixture of gated experts is optimized using a Simulated Annealing-based algorithm. It automatically selects and fuses the most relevant similarity measurements. The experimental results of 3D face recognition achieved on the FRGC v2.0 dataset illustrate the effectiveness and stability of the proposed method. Additionally, as a learning-based method, it also has a good robustness to the variations of training database.
Propuesta de una metodología neuroholística basada en los hallazgos de la neurolingüística

espanolEl proposito de este articulo es sugerir una metodologia holistica para la clase de espanol como lengua extranjera basada en los hallazgos de la neurolinguistica. En primer lugar, la investigacion define el concepto de educacion holistica. En segundo lugar, se exponen las bases neurolinguisticas que apoyarian la mencionada metodologia. Y finalmente, se enumeran varias propuestas didacticas para la clase de lenguas extranjeras. La importancia de esta investigacion es la novedosa fundamentacion didactica que ofrece, ya que establece un puente entre una metodologia sociolinguistica y neurolinguistica. EnglishThe purpose of this paper is to suggest a Holistic Methodology for the Spanish foreign language classroom based on the findings of the Neurolinguistics. First, the research defines the concept of holistic education. Second, this paper investigates the neurological basis that could support a Holistic Methodology. And finally, the article shows several educational proposals for the foreign language classroom. The significance of this research is to provide a original pedagogical fundation because the investigation establishes a bridge between Sociolinguistics and Neurolinguistics approach.
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Linguistic Quantifiers Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy-Valued Fuzzy Measures and integrals

In this paper, we generalize Ying's model of linguistic quantifiers [M.S. Ying, Linguistic quantifiers modeled by Sugeno integrals, Artificial Intelligence, 170 (2006) 581-606] to intuitionistic linguistic quantifiers. An intuitionistic linguistic quantifier is represented by a family of intuitionistic fuzzy-valued fuzzy measures and the intuitionistic truth value (the degrees of satisfaction and non-satisfaction) of a quantified proposition is calculated by using intuitionistic fuzzy-valued fuzzy integral. Description of a quantifier by intuitionistic fuzzy-valued fuzzy measures allows us to take into account differences in understanding the meaning of the quantifier by different persons. If the intuitionistic fuzzy linguistic quantifiers are taken to be linguistic fuzzy quantifiers, then our model reduces to Ying's model. Some excellent logical properties of intuitionistic linguistic quantifiers are obtained including a prenex norm form theorem. A simple example is presented to illustrate the use of intuitionistic linguistic quantifiers.
Driving with tentacles: Integral structures for sensing and motion

In this paper we describe a LIDAR‐based navigation approach applied at both the C‐Elrob (European Land Robot Trial) 2007 and the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. At the C‐Elrob 2007 the approach was used without any prior knowledge about the terrain and without global positioning system (GPS). At the Urban Challenge the approach was combined with a GPS‐based path follower. At the core of the method is a set of “tentacles” that represent precalculated trajectories defined in the ego‐centered coordinate space of the vehicle. Similar to an insect's antennae or feelers, they fan out with different curvatures discretizing the basic driving options of the vehicle. We detail how the approach can be used for exploration of unknown environments and how it can be extended to combined GPS path following and obstacle avoidance allowing safe road following in case of GPS offsets. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.